ENGLISH EXTRACTS. [From the Melbourne Argus, December 26.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 885, 25 January 1854, Page 3

ENGLISH EXTRACTS. [From the Melbourne Argus, December 26.]

Sir Jutr.es A. Gordon has been appointed the new Governor of Greenwich Hospital. ,He is a tiled officer, and has lost a leg4n the service. The inquiry into the treatment of prisoners at the Birmingham Borough Gaol has revealed the existence not only of undue severity but of absolute ciuelty, and has led to the dismissal of several of the functionaries. The subterranean railway from the northwestern district of the metropolis to Battle Bridge is likely to be carried out. It will pass under the roads, and is intended to relieve* the streets of carriage traffic. The Dublin Exhibition goes on bravely, and has taken hundreds of tourists to Ireland, causing a brisk circulation of money. '1 he Queen's vist has set the fashion, and the presence of the fleet at Cork also led to a large expenditure. Ireland is decidedly going a-head, though the potatoe crops have again suffered a little. The weather has been finer in Scotland than here, and the Queen has prolonged her stay in the Highlands. The new palace progresses fast, but some of the workmen's cottages caught fire, and placed it in great jeopardy. Their tools and clothing were destroyed to the amount of over £300, which her Majesty repaid them. At the fire, the Queen and children attended, and her Majesty coolly gave suggestions for staying the flames," while Prince Albert passed the buckets. Ihe children are excellently brought up ; but so were George the Third's family, and did him no credit after all. Unfoi tunately our great public men have had unworthy scions. Since the same thing happens in humbler life, we must award the same meed of praise whatever be the result. Besides languages, the Queen's sons have a laboratory where Prince Albert joins them, and a carpentei-'s workshop, in which they regularly " strap to" at the bench. Shooting, riding, athletic exercises, gardening, and early rising, are all cared for.

The "War. — In its city article of 6th October, the Herald says :—: — " The absence of intelligence from the East has probably kept the market in its present apparent quiescent state, for as we have remarked on several previous occasions, the dealers have acted with exceeding caution ; and until seme decisive news arrives, we do not apprehend any particular alteration in existing quotations. The public are unquestionably in favor of a determined ccuvse ot action towards Russia, a.;d appear so satisfied that the result must shortly end in an honorable peace, that as soon as falling prices in consols have presented a temptation to buy, they have stepped forward with money to invest in the funds ; and we have h-ard from undoubted authority that during the late so-called panic numerous investments ol small Bums, amounting in many cases to only £100 and £200 have taken place. Th's will accouut for the present scarcity of stock, and the abundance of money on the Stock Exchange. The approaching,, p^ay-ment of dividends will, in a great 'measu.e,"tep{l to make thib scarcity of stock greater, aad money more abundant. A daily newspaper, called the Northern Daily Times has been started at Liverpool. We have received several copies. The Banks in Scotland are about to allow 2|per cent, interest on deposits. The Ericson caloric ship is said be a failure, Louis Napoleon has visited Brussels. A church with accommodation for kneeling in place of silting, was about to be built in Liverpool. The Canadians expected to be able to send to England 4,000,000 or 5,000,000 bushels of wheat before the navigation closed. Six Wesleyan missionaries embarked in th. Beulak for Melboorne in the end of September

A Right Honorable Supercargo. — The Wyvern yacht the property of the Duke of Marl borough, whose departure for Melbourne we reported last week, has taken out a general cargo, consisting of s-heet lead, shot, nails, clothing, boots and shoes, brandy, wines, ale, cider. &c, valued at about £5000. The duke's second son, Lord Alfred Churchill, goes out in her, acting as supercargo. It is understood to be his intention to sell the yacht on arrival at Australia, should a favourable opportunity offer. — Northe?-n Daily Times. On her way to the Highlands, the Duchess of Kent spent a Sunday in Barry's Hotel, Edinburgh. The hotel- keeper had no biscuit of a particular kind, called "Albert-biscuit," to present to her Royal Highness, and in the afternoon sent to Mr. Calderwood's, the baker, to buy some. The honest tradesman refused to sell biscuits on a Sunday, even to royalty. On hearing this, the Duchess of Kent was so pleased that she ordered Mr. Calderwood to supply her household with biscuits during her stay in the Highlands, and the Queen likewise ordered him to send forty doaenof the said biscuits weekly to Balmoral. We regret to announce the death of th? Countess of Cornwath, eldest daughter of the late Right Hon. Henry Grattan, which took place at Bushy Park, on the 22nd September. It is rumoured in political circles that the Governor General of Canada, the Earl of Elgin aijd Kincardine's to be made a Mai quis. A submarine telegraph has been projected to connect Van Diemen's Land with Australia, in conn^*fcn with a line to Melbourne. Mr. Henry Maxwell Lefroy has been appointed deputy overseer of circuits in Western Australia. An order has been received in Newcastle-on Tyne for locomotive engines for Australia, the first ever ordered for that colony. All the members of the Unitarian Society in St Louis, United States, who were slaveholders, have emancipated their slaves unconditionally. The society referred to is the largest io St. Louis. The Right Hon. Milner Gibson, M.P., has sailed from Cadiz on a cruise in the Sapphire yacht in the Mediterranean.

LEBRt; Rollin. — We are informed that this gentleman having purchased a patent for washing wool, so as to convert its grease into soap, and thus prevent its being wasted, has established a fat-tory for this purpose near Brad-, bury in Yorkshire. Tt has been rumoured that Sir James Ma«

theson, M.P.. is to be raised to the peerage by the title of Lord Stornaway. The Herdldo states that a mechanic had submitted to the Spanish Government a musket, which with once loading, tnay be fired 69 times. The Lords of "the Admiralty have been on a visit to Queenstown and Cork Harbor. Madame Sontag is on her return to "Europe, She cleared about fifty thousand dollars (£10,000) by her concerts in America. A few drops of creosote on brown paper put into the holes of rats, it is said, will drive them away. The furniture and other confiscated property in the Schloss of M. Francis Pulsky was advertised J for sale on the part of the Austrian Government. A letter from Surinam (Dutch Guiana) states that African slavery is soon to be abolished in that colony, and Chinese CJoolies are to be introduced. 'The exports of linen manufactures from Ireland have increased during the last seven months at the rate of 7,500,000 yards per annum. Mr. William ttathlione, of Liverpool, has received instructions from the Hon. East India Company to forward to Mr. Hugh Fleming, the Secretary to the Manchester Commercial Association, to be disposed of by "him in Manchester, 550 bales of cotton, from the Dharwar collectorate, received from Bombay. A French Channel Fleet.— -We have already noticed the immense activity in the French ports, and the fact has been announced of the formation of another French Channel force at Cherbourg, the whole fleet having gone into the Mediterranean. It appears that our neighbours are on the move, for a French squadron of three line of battle ships, one frigate and two steamers, under the command of AdinirarChauver, from Cherbourg, arrived and anchored in the Downs on Friday afternoon, at five o'clock, and have taken pilots for Dunkirk. One of the liners is an 84, another SO, and the third a 74 gun ship ; the frigate is of 40 guns. This is, doubtless, the same force seen off the Channel Islands a few days since. It is said the squadron proceeds to-day for Calais, where the Emperor and Empress of the French are expected. The French have also a couple of screw line of battle ships ready at Cherbourg. It is said that the Marquis of Landsdowne has an assurance from the Emperor of the French that he would faithfully act with England in all measures which she may think fit to adopt on the Eastern question. American Intervention *n Europe. — An American fleet more than the combined "€eets of Fiance and England in Besika Bay, has been quietly concentrated at Smyrna. The people of Europe are surprised to find that Amei ica has any fleet ! T hey will receive a practical demonstration of the fact, if they don't mind what they are about. President Pierce must do something to signalize bis reign ; and we shall not be much surprised if he does the very thing he ought to do, and that is to aid the cause of liberty in the im■pending struggle. •*- :^