ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 62, 22 October 1864, Page 5

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

The safe return of Dr. Livingstone to England has afforded great satisfaction to all who take any interest in the African expeditions. Lord Palmerston invited a circle to meet the distinguished explorer at dinner. He is in excellent health, and has declared his determination to devote his life to the subject which has hitherto engrossed so much his time — the extinction of slavery. Sirs Yelverton has recently formed the subject of the town's talk, and again has an adverse decision constituted the object of profound sympathy. This unfortunate lady has announced her intention of persevering yet farther in her unequal contest. But she must take earnest ad- ' vice and pursue her course in the quietest manner, i She must avoid all notoriety, even the notoriety |of print. We do not want to know her idea of " Life in the Squares, " with satanic portraits of the major, and feeble repetitions of her really wonderful letters There are plenty of publishers ready to pay her as principal contributor to the 1 Farthing Friend ' for the sake of plastering the walls of Lomdon with her well-known name, but such a course would lower her in the eyes of those who really care for and pity her. During the last few days a rumour has been in circulation that she was going on the stage to perform in a piece the principal incident in which somewhat resembles an event in her own career. We beli«ve that there is no foundation for this statement. Such a step, indeed, would destroy the interest which her sufferings have excited. — Mrs. Yelverton has written to a Scotch paper to correct an error respecting her literary productions. It seems that one of her counsel had a MS. of hers in his possession, called " Yarns from a Yacht, " which he sold for £10 to a publisher, who changed the name to "Tales of the SquaTOß," &nd who offered her £300 for another supply of tales. She j accepted the proposal, but up to the present time j she has not had timeto write. We find from acknowledgements in the journals that subscriptions are accumulating to enable lier to go on with her case. The lady is determined to sustain the enthusiasm of her supporters, by keeping her case constantly before the public. Her letters to the journals are numerous, and her activity is apparently inexhaustible. A letter has just appeared from her in a Cork paper, expounding the law of marriage, which Bhe says she has studied during the last" five yearß, setting forth thai her marriage with Major Yelverton is good, not only in Englandj Scotland and Ireland, but all over the world. : \< ; f ;.:' „ -. - ..' ...,' ;■-■ V." ,y ■'■ :.' The great exodus > has hpgun. JRpt itie not the departure of Irisnmen for Amem-a. nor that

thousand hearts. The exodus to which we refer is; more pleasant to contemplate: . There,, is -^a movement to«the coast and across tb/3vChannel, there is a stream westwards tq,fche. Wolshjiills and ■ acroas northwafcla to the , "English, lakei a«d still. fuTther'iiovth to tliei Scottish' moors and mountains. Desolate spots become suddenlyalive with visitors, . the. commissariat resources of sxnall villages are aubjectedto an unwonted strain, and not unfrequently break down under the test. A great wav« of tide" of travellers already rolls over Germany; whose inhabitants have recently been^the objects of as much vituperation as the hot city, with its stifling streets and claods of dust. " But the Danish war is a thing of the past ; the strong political feeling will not prevent the most friendly greeting in bad (3-erman on lihine steamers or on famous promenades, the amenities 'of Baden will efface the recollection of the political loaning of its Duke, and even distrust, of Austria and her policy will bo lost in admiration of the iron roa 1 which scales the Senmierhig and carries the •grateful traveller to the borders of tlu) Alriai-u: j The shooting season promises -to b»- thi- in-*-' successful that has occurred for many Years past. 1 in ice: i. fhe oldest sportsmen a imit that they never 1 -aw so many birds, and the result has been that very large bags, indeed, have been made- The opening day, the 12th, was all that could', bn desired, warm but with little wind, and brought out large numbers from all parts of the country. The birds in some instances were rather wild and strong, but on the whole, they were large and in fine condition, and lay well for the gun. We understand that the Dean and Chapter of Westminister have assented to the erection of a bust and mural tablet in the Abbey to the memory of the late William Makepeace Thackeray. The spot selected is close to the grave of Acldison, who of all English writers, was the one held in the highest admiration by the author of " Vanity Fair. father told him, ' Alexandre, it is jour best work and worst piece.' He has cancelled his contract with Messrs. Michel Lory Preres, and refuses to to have it printed. He has declared, in a letter which has appeared in the newspapers, that he will never write another play." The Duke of Newcastle has arrived at his seat, dumber-park, his health being considerably improved. There were greatrejoicingson the occasion. The bells of the Abbey Church were pealed, and in Worksop the principal tradesmen decorated their premises in honor of the duke's arrival. A benevolent lady has, through Messrs. Hoare, the bankers, of Elect-street, forwarded to the National Lifeboat Institution the very munificent donation of £5000 in aid of the geiieral purposes of the society. This large sum will enable its committee to place eight or nine additional lifeboats on the coa9t. Mr. Millias has resigned his commission for designing the stained glass in the windows of the chapel of Worcester College, Oxford. He is succeeded by Mr. Michael F. Halliday, an amateur artist of great repute, whose picture, " Measuring for the Wedding Ring," was in the International Exhibition, and has been engraved, and who has recently devoted his leisure to designing for stained glass with marked success. The Crown Princess of Prussia, our Princess Royal, has painted four pictures of the taking of Duppel, which are to be exhibited at Berlin. All the English royal family paint a little. Among them the Princess Koyal is said to be the most proficient ; the Princess Alice of Hesse the most confident. It is said to be an article of faith in * the royal family that the late Prince Consort could paint. A contemporary, in reporting a recent debate in Parliament, unfortunately mingled Lord Pahnerston's justification of his foreign policy with Mi\ Osborne's condemnation of it. The effect, as may be supposed, was something peculiarly ludicrous. " The influence of a country," says the Premier, " depends upon ather things than protocols and despatches. It depends on its power to defend itself, on its wealth and prosperity, on its intelligence and cultivation of mind, on the development of the arts and sciences, and on all those things which make a nation truly great . and powerful. (Hear, hear.) As long as .England retains these' conditions, so long shall I deny that her influence has been diminished." (Hear.) Immediately after this, without the slightest break, and without any hint that another speaker has taken Palmersfcon's place, tfo iind the following from Mr. Berual Osborne. — " In reading these despatches, we cannot help seeing that though the hands are the hands of Esau, the voice is the voice of Jacob. (Laughter and hear, hear.) If any one is to be blamed for the complication and failure of these transactions, it is the noble lord, the firstminister of the Crown, who has for half a centuty directed the foreign policy ofthe country." (Hear, hear.) This is followed by half a column more of Mr. Osborne'e facetious ciritcism. of Lord Palmerston, all given as though spoken by the noble lord himself !