ENGLISH AND EUROPEAN GOSSIP.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 155, 15 April 1859, Page 3

ENGLISH AND EUROPEAN GOSSIP.

(From a Oomyondent of the Sydney Herald.) London, January 15. 1859 has commenced ominously for Europe. A single phrase of the Emperor Napoleon, in conversation with Baron Ilubner, has been sufficient to set Italy in agitation, and , to" excite the liveliest forebodings of another eontihental'war—a war between France and Austria. ■ How profound is the sensation may be judged of by a fall of nearly^ per cent, in the^Freneh, and 2 per cent, in the English Funds. Nor have the subsequent explanations .of the Monikur tended in^the least to allay the general excitement. The almost universal-impression is that a war between France and Austria in Italy is inevitable—on what precise account does not very plainly appear. 'The speech of the King of Sardinia to his Parliament encourages the belief we are on the eve of grave events. The expressions made use of by his Majesty are certainly full of significance—the more so, when it is considered that every word in his speech has been carefully weighed and approved of at the Tuileries. -In announcing that ■?.'. relying upon the experience of the past, he would meet the evantualitiesof: ■the - future with resolution"—that " while respeclingatreaties, he is not insensible to theory of 'grief which reaches them from so many "parts' of Italy," Victor 'Emanuel plainly, indicates His sense of his situation.' These words, says the Piedmontese.fc^e/. were announced by this dignitary with. great emphasis, which created a deep,:pon-: viction among the public, and were received with immense andenthusiastic cheering. ..Throughout Italy the conviction is' universalthat wo are on .the eve of another struggle for In Lombardy, more especially, the people have already begun to-display tho^e symptoms which were the prelude to insurrection in 1848. The' Austrians are openly insulted in the streets..' The young men will not smoke' ■cigars"which are of Government manufactur;eVarid: cry' Viva Verdi) everywhere— which wprcis have no reference to that popular'composer, but are artfully designed to convey the initials of " Viva Vittorio Emmanuel Re d'ltalia." The fermentation has reached to Tuscany and Naples. In Turin, the preparations for war are being made openly. The National Guard has been called out aiid organised, under the command of the celebrated Garibaldi, whore very name is ominous of the crisis. •.Austria, on her side,- is not slow to accept the challenge. ; Large bodies of troops are being' moved on Lombardy, and Milan, already is all but in a state of siege. General. Gyulay, so infamous.'by his butcheries in 1848, has : been invested with : the. chief command,, and has declared his plan of proceeding, which is to hang a Milanese at every. streets-corner of the city. Yet, if all the reports: "be true, the position of Austria is but critical.' At a recent s'reet row, the Hungarian,officers of an Austrian regiment it; -is.''said, made common cause with the populace, and shouted Viva I' Italia!-— whatever:the fact may be worth, i If this be not one of the many things which the Emperor Napoleon did not mean lo :do, after' he had' done, I must believe that: an; Austrian war is his present game. SucV % war, no doubt, would be popular ' \yifli'i;:iik;'iriiiy;'Wen- more so,, perhaps, than a war' with' England. The French,; more especially in Italy, have always' been, antagonistic to Austria. For five hundred jears, Piedmont or Lombardy has been the Qockpit of the-two nationsLouis Napolepn is a fatalist, and moreover,. a close- imitator of My Uncle's policy. Now, it was-a part of My .Uncle's scheme, to make Northern Italy a dependency of FraAce,; either by conquest or by family r tie's.; It is by the latter means that the Nephew, hopes to. accomplish his end. The Prince Napoleon—"Plon Plon," to wit: —is to marry, the Princess Clotilde, the daughter of the King of Sardinia—a girl of fifteen; .and^ a war with. Austria is. probably one of the conditions of the match. The bargain may be considered a good one by both, parties, for Plon Plon gets a bride or'the oldest kindly dynasty in Europe, and Sardinia obtains the means of accomplishing the one sole object of all her policy —tfte humbling of her great enemy Austria. •:] It ;s'a proof of the importance attached by Sardinia to this object, that she condescends to such men and such means for its Accomplishment/Whatever else may issue from this war, i_fis impossible to consider it as, in anyJiglit, a war of freedom. Austria against France'is but, despotism, against despotism. Italy has no. more to expect from the one than she has received from the other: she ought to know what French mediation means, by this time.. Is it to the invaders of Rome in. 1849, that Italians look for the regeneration of their country ? That greate;stt>f burglaries is a fit pendant to the basest jof petty, larcenies—rthe coup d'etat ofcdbebeSiber 2nd, It is preposterous: beyond all -measure to expect that the man who filched the liberties of his own country, and spoiled Rome of her nascent freedom, is to be the -champion of Italian independence. To call in Louis Napoleon to help Italy ;against Austria, is to summon the'tiger agaiiist'. the wolf,—to apply to the pickpocket for aid against the highwayman. Justly might Italy use the well-worn line of the .'poet-—, / ' ; Non tali.auxilio—non clefensoribus istis. As for -England, we have no reason whatever to disturb ourselves hr such a "quarrel. Let France and Austria fight, if they please! "Who would spoil such good sport? Our sympathy for the one side precisely equals our'sympathy for the other; and if the war preceded to the point of mutual extermination, we could have no. feeling but one of congratulation. Such is the prevailing sentiment in this country among all classes; and I cannot doubt that Ministers, under the judicious auspices of the pacific Malrnesbury, will take care not to interfere with such a very pretty quarrel. .Never did the righteous doctrine of nonintervention so palpably recommend itself to ths British people. We have no interest

whatever in any war between such combatants and on such grounds, and we should be as calm and'collected in regard to the ultimate issue, as Mr. Winkle was when Mr. Tupman.was going to fight Dr. Slammer. : The appeal of M. do Montalembortto the higher court has had this favourable result, that, although the former sentence 5s con-' firmed as to fine and imprisonment, the de-v. fendant is freed from the severe penalties to which he was made liable by the other conviction —the chance of a summary;deportation to Cayenne or Algeria. It was for this especially that M. de Montalembert fought, and so far, therefore, he may be deemed successful. But the Emperor is determined to pardon him, whether he will or not; so he has been pardoned again— emerging from the affair certainly with all the honors of 'victory, and with every advantage over his redoubtable. antagonist, with his half million soldiers. ■ There have been disturbances in Servia, caused by the deposition of the reigning Hospodar, on the ground of his partiality to Western influences, as opposed to Russia arid Panslavism. The opportunity has been seized by Austria, to advance her troops to the frontier; and that is.made the grounds of-the'present difference between her and France. . : The Parliamentary campaign opens'on the 3rd of February. There is much speculation as to what "Lord Derby intends in the matter of reform, —the report being that he is prepared with a bill to be brought in when Mr. Bright's fails. Upon that failure the Tories reckon with a just confidence in the good sense of the'^people.' Never has a reputation been so recklessly thrown away as by John Bright, in his late oratorical demonstrations. No; man had a fairer chance of .becomnigVthe most powerful and popular : leader of the day. ■■ But his arrogance, intemperance, and mendacity have disgusted every respectable man in the country, and now that the bubble of that reputation has burst, we find that very dirty soap and water it was. The audacity of this .very commonplace,: fellow's pretensions to statesmanship has' been well exposed in an admirable; series of articles which have recently appeared in the Saturday Paper—& journal of the first character and influence. If Parliamentary reform is not to be had except at such- hands, I, in common with many, would" rather stand still. Although .it is not true, as the Timss would -have you think, that there is no general wish for reform, it is certain that such reform as is wanted is not of the character Mr.;-Bright would give it. The demand is for a broad and comprehensive measure,basedreligiouslyupon theold. foundations—an extension, and elevation, rather than a lowering and cheapening, 'of. the franchise. . ■■,-., . From all that I can learn, Ministers are anything but confident of their prospects in the next session. It is said that there is as much disunion in their own ranks as in those of their adversaries. Lord Stanley,, for one, is much too progressive for the taste of the majority.of his colleagues; ■ arid agrees but-little, it is said, .with his noble progenitor.; A single vote, may upset, his Government, as it did the last, and in the present confined state of parties it'• ma}' come from any side. .What keeps Derby- : itesin-is precisely that which is the-sole title of Louis Napoleon—that there is no one ready to displace them. The revival of Ribbonism in Ireland is a significant fact for those who had thought that the nature of the Gelt had been changed by prosperity. Lord Eglinton's Government has beeVbusj^making arrests on all: sides; and the infamous trade of the informer once more flourishes, to: the deep disgustof all ' right-thinking men in both countries. I do not believe in the depth and extent of the danger myself, which, like all Irish patriotism so. called, means nothing but burglary and assassination. .It is not by Phoenix Societies that a nation is regener rated, nor does freedom come by howling. Yet the Irish leaders and their fatuous dupes still.play the old game, withali the old results, ~l'he pity is that any Government should so far condescends help their silly purpose as to -take formal notice ■■■; of their existence. ;We ought: to .know by experience that the.only way,to treat, these gentry is absolutely to ignore them, that is the best revenge that England can take. To the horror of all good Protestants, the Prince of Wales is on his way, to Rome. I mean literally, not metaphorically. :/' The rose and expectancy of our fair state/ who by-the-bye, is a very ■common^place youth, not very brilliant in. his wits, if it may be loyal 'to say so,) is .to visit the Imperial City, and to make personal acquaintance with the Old Lady in Scarlet who sits on the Seven Hills. Nothing less is expected by the Mecordites than that he will come back a cardinal at least. Of so: sensitive a texture is our English Evangelicism. Yet the more judicious may restrain their alarm. If at any place you are less in danger of conversion to Romanism that another it is at Rome. And it is really no compliment either to the Royal Prince or to his mamma to imply that.the young gentleman's Protestantism is of such a loose nature as that he cannot go to Rome for fear of conversion. The tenders for the Victoria Railways: Loan were opened the other day in the presence, cf; the agents of the several' colonial banks, and some of our leading capital^, and £986,900 were accepted at' 1 the balance" being still unapplied for. But the effect of the disturbances on the .Continent will be, I apprehend, to turn the attention of home capitalists to our, own colonies and territories more than heretofore. Great complaints are made, by-the-bye, of the manner in which the Victoria Government has been shirking its.obligations, in the matter of the Melbourne and Gee-! long Railway bonds. The Great Ship Company now, as well as their vessel, fairly afloat, is proceeding vigorously with her rigging and fitting out, and it is expected that she will be ready for

sea by the.end of July. The question of speed being once settled, it has been decidedthat ahe. is to be employed as a grand trunk line to the eastward, making Trincomalee her terminus, from which, smaller steamers are to act as, her feeders.in regard to the Indian, Chinese, and Australian ports. Ifsuccessful, as" I have ."very ' little doubt she will,' be,, a, new linei. will he opened -to : your colonies, possessing -many, advantages over any hitherto established or likely to be. You'will see that it is calculated that the voyage to Melbourne'from London will be performed in thirty-five days, by the ship and her feeders. . But if in forty-five days, the advantage to you is so great that your colonies should have reflected before rashly endow-ing-any other line with their subsidies. I believe we are destined to "witness a total revolution in ocean traffic, by the employment of the monster steamers, which are cheaper, safer, and'far quicker than any other vessels.' I can tell you, as an undoubted piece of information, that two more . ships of the size of the Great Eastern will shortly be contracted for. THE AUSTRALIAN RAILWAYS. ' ■ London, January 17." ~ - Mr. Gabrielli, a gentleman whose name is familiar to Australian readers, returns by this steamer to the colony, having completed the arrangements ,of which he was the intermedium between the Government of New South Wales and the eminent railway contractors, Messrs. Peto, Brassey, and Betts. Two'of'their.principal agents or. superintendents —Messrs. Rhodes, will accompany Mr. Gabrielli ■ as. far as Melbourne, and then go on to Sydney. It is understood that Mr. Wilcocks, another of their agents, will go to' Australia by the February mail, and that he has chartered a large ship, which will sail in the course of next month, filled with railway plant of every description requisite for carrying on works with that energy, skill,' and enterprise for which • these gentlemen have a world-wide reputation, earned in every part of Great Britain, in various parts of the continent of Europe, and in North America. The mention of the names of Messrs. Peto, Brassey, and Betts, in connexion, .with Australian Railways induces me to make some mention of that which is undoubtedly the greatest and most remarkable engineering work of modern timesit mighr perhaps be more truly said, that the world has ever seen —the Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence, at Montreal. Messrs. Pelo and Company have been engaged in its construction about four years, and there is now every certainty that it will be achieved and opened for traffic before the expiration of the present year; if so, it will be nearly .two years in advance of the time specified in their contract, yet so little belief had the directors of the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada, until recently, that it could be accomplished within the specified time, that it was always understood the contract period would be extended two years if asked for. So far, however, from 'this being the case, there appears now not ■to be any doubt (judging from what has been done in 1858) but that the whole work, if the funds had been forthcoming, would have been accomplished in less than three years, which is considered marvellous by those who bear in mind its gigantic proportions. There are twenty-four piers, which, with the two abutments, will give twenty-five spaces or spans for the tubes. Tho centre is 330 feet wide, and "each of the others 242. The width of each pier, except the two at the centre, is 15 feet. The two centre piers are each 18 feet wide. The total amount of masonry in the bridge will be about 3,000,000 cubic feet,. which # at thirteen and a half feet to the ton, gives a total weight of about 222,000 tons, Scarcely a block of stone used in the piers is less than seven tons weight, and many, of those exposed to the force of the breakingup ice weight fully ten tons. The blocks are bound together, not only by the use of the best water cement, but each stone is clamped to its neighbours, in several places, by massive iron rivets, bored several inches into each block, and the. interstices between the rivet and the block are made one solid mass by means of molten lead. During three months in the autumn of 1858, an average of 60 tons of masonry, or one tone a minute, were placed in position in each hour, an achievement which has been truly sated to be without parallel. Each abutment is 242 feet long and 90 feet wide. The north shore of the^ St. Lawrence is connected with the northern abutment by an embanked causeway, faced with solid masonry' towards the current, 1400 feet in length. The causeway,' from the south bank of the river to the southern abutment, is. 700 feet long. The total weight of iron in the tubes is 10,400 tons. They are bound and rivetled together precisely in the same manner, and with the same machinery, as at the Britannia Bridge. All the ironwork for this bridge, as well as for the five miles length of tubular bridges scattered over the 700 miles, of Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, constructed by Messrs. Peto and Company, wa3 prepared at the Canada Works, Birkenhead, near Liverpoool. This immense establishment was formed by these gentlemen, on the Cheshire side of the Mersey, in the year 1853. Of the extent of work done there, some idea may be formed from the fact that the weekly wages paid usually amount to upwards of £2500. The factory is divided into- two great divisions, the iron working department and the locomotive department. .In ,the former, not only has the iron work for the Canadian bridges been constructed there, .but also'that for the bridges appertaining to the very large railway contracts wbicli Messrs,, lately had. or have- now in; France, Austria, Prussia, and Portugal; several iron ships! (one of 1500 tons) have also been built' here. In the locomotive department up-' wards,of'forty of the largest sized engines'

have- been made each year, since 1853, . for Canada, and 'about-a'like'number for !the Continent of Europe.' A considerable' number of locomotives have also been con.structed for English railways. i; ; Sir Morton Peto was made.a Baronet," -in 1854, in consequence of .his constructing the - Crimean for the English Government," and being obliged in consequence to resign .his seat in.,] Parliament; for. 'although this work was,executed in.an in-, credibly short period'of time, and without' any profit whatever to-Messrs. Peto'>and Co., the law passed in the reign of Queen Anne respecting members of either Souse of Parliament entering ■ into contracts with the Government was imperative. '.Finding that this was so," he immediately retired from the representation of Norwich. , ' One of the early incidents' in the career of Mr. Brassey,. which first gained for him the high reputation for chivalrous. honour, and integrity he so .well merits, was his reconstructing .totally -.at - his own expense the . Barentin . Viaduct,' on the Paris and Rouen-Railway, for which he was the contractor..; The Company had no legal claim on - him whatever, but he considered it had -a moral '■ one, he therefore rebuilt the viaduct at'a-'cost to himself exceeding £35,000. '' v; ' • Mr. Botts is now high sheriff of the county of Kent; in which he purchased' a large.property some few years ago. He is married' to one of the sisters of-.Sir 1 Morton Peto. •; ; ■ ■ Suicide on a.Marriage Morn. —A young man named Francis Baxter, son of Mr. Thomas Baxter, a respectable dealer in glass and china ware,'residing in the High-street, Kettering, was, although only 18 years of age, affianced to a girl two years hisjunior, 'named Sarah Morris, the daughter of a neighbour. Preparations had been made for the marriage, and, Christmas morning fixed for the happy event. It had been arranged that another young couple, who were to occupy .apartments under the same roof, should be married at the same time ; and this party was at church at the appointed hour, the clergyman, Rev. T. H. Madge, rector of the parish, being in attend-ance-but the other coupledidnotappear. The minister, surprised at the delay, proceeded to marry those at the altar, and on'the ceremony being concluded, sent the sexton to inquire into, the cause of absence of the missing pair. He returned in a short time with the melancholy tidings that the young man had put an end to his life by .shooting himself through the head. A fly had been engaged to take the couple to church, and' 'was waiting at the door of the bride elect, who was in her wedding-dress, anxiously wondering why her betrothed did not make his appearance, when the dreadful news was brought to her that he had died by his own hands in the above frightful mariner. His body was found on the bed intended for their bridal couch, a ghastly spectacle, his brains having been literally blown out and scattered over the bed, which was saturated with blood. A pocket pistol lay close to his left hand, and an open prayer book on his pillow, and the por-t-ait of his bethrothed was on a chair by his bed-side. He had not previously slept at the house, but supped there on Christmas Eve with the party spoken of above, when he scerned'eheerful and indeed merry. It appeared, however, that he afterwards went to his parents, and some altercation passed between him and his father, who was opposed to the match, principally on account .of their extreme youth. It is thought that this led to the melancholy suicide.' When found his body was quite stiff and cold, and he had probably been dead some hours, as a next-door neighbour heard the' report of firearms about five o'clock, whilst the ' Christmas " waits" were chanting their carols in the ' street close by.- Deceased was a remarkaVy good-looking youth, of pleasing manners and steady conduct, and ■ appeared very fond of his young intended,-who, as may be supposed, is overwhelmed with | grief. Her wedding-ring and keeper were found in his pocket!— Liverpool Mercury, December 29. ' The Eaveloch Testimonial — Decision of the Committee.— The committee' apointed to decide upon the best and most suitable model out of the number sent in by various artists competing for the Havelock statue to be erected, at Tra-falgar-square, have decided upon giving the execution of the work to Mr. Behnes, sculptor, of Osnaburgh-street, Regent's Park. ' The models, some forty in number, which have been thrown open for public inspection during the past week, comprised various attitudes, but' the one approved of was Mr. Behnes,' No. 4, which attracted marked attention throughout, from the noble and manly' bearing displayed. The features are also ' said to be exceedingly lifelike. The same artist recently executed a bust of Havelock, for the city of London. The cost of this1 additional honour to the memory of the brave and illustrious Havelock will be £2000. — Standard, December 24. A Mad Minister. —At the Marylebone Police Court, on Monday, a very respectable attired person, apparently insane, and who gave his name as the Rev. St. George Kirke, of St. Martin's Rectory, near Horncastle, was charged with' defrauding the London and North-Western Railway .Company, by riding in a third-class train from Liverpool without paying his fare. On the arrival of the Sunday evening' train from Liverpool the prisoner was found in a third-class carriage. He.said that,he had come from Wolverton, and had no money. Upon being searched at the station, a dirty pipe and one or two other trifles were found on..him. A letter was also found on him which led to the belief that he had run away from his friends. The letter was handed 'to ' the •magistrate. It was directed, "The Rev. < •St. George Kirke, St. Martin's Rectory, : near Horncastle." The worthy magistrate- • said, after perusing the letter, that hev ■ never saw or read a more affectionate .letter.

[It .was. supposed to be' from'prisoner's wife to himself.] He then inquired' of him Where the letter was from. Prisoner: The letter is dated from my wife, in Somersetshire somewhere. . Can't say where, as I have not seen her for three weeks.. Mr. Broughton : Have you not seen your wife, for three weeks ? I was suddenly taken in my" b.wri house one day from my wife and 'child. I was taken to j3t. P.etersburgh in a train. : Mr. Brougbton.: Who was with you?' Prisoner: The cook.1 She rode in the carnage along with me. Mr. Broughton: What, became of the carrriage in which' you rode ? t Prisoner : I don't know. I haven't' seen it before or since. Mr. Broughton: Have, you any'"'friends? Prisoner : I can't say. You don't appear to be much of a friend. ■ I was to, see the Rev. Mr. Wrench. I happento be his wife, and his wife is my sister. Her name is Maria Wrench, and she is a very good wench,' and a good mother, and an angelic sister. Mr. Broughton: Did you find any address--lon the prisoner ? Mr. Beresford: Yes, ! sir; Woodhall Lodge, near Ilbrncastle. ! And he has also given Mr. Barrow's address, as knowing him. Mr.' Broughton : Then you had better send your serjeant to one iof those persons, to attend here. 'Prisoner : You might as well send two" •by a single, I and then you can send, for my doublei barrelled gun, as it'will carry "more than- | sister. Mr. Broughton: Where does i your sister live ? Prisoner:. St. Michael's, , Cornhill, in the city of London,' England,, this side of Jamaica, and below'.Tuxford.. Mr. Broughton: What's her name? Prisoner (spelling): W-r-e-n-c-h,. Wrench his, head off. The Rev. T. ,W. Wrench. ' Mr.' Broughton : I -ask you ■ where he lives ? Prisoner : Near Jamaica1 Coffee-house, City—this side. Mr. Broughton : What's the name of your parish? Prisoner: ' I -am rector of St. Martin's. There's plenty of tin. Mr. Broughton : How long is it since you preached ? Prisoner : About three weeks. Mr. Broughton : Do you keep your carriage ? Prisoner: Oh yes, two, and a donkey-cart besides; a monkey, also a cat or two. I have got a donkey's head buried under a mulberry tree, and if you like I'll make it a present [to you. Mr. Broughton: How many--1 people are there in your parish : About 60 msn, suckling children, and babes. There used to be -one house in the place with two gables to it; but now it's gone, and God knows where it's gone to. The housekeeper to the Rev.- Mr. Wrench, of St. Michael's, Cornhill, stated that her master was at present out of town. The prisoner was the brother of her mistress. He was deranged in his mind. Mr. Broughton : He has come up .town now in a very strange way. Has he been up before. Prisoner : Oh, yes; behind as well as before. He them went on to say that he was more of a , parson than the worthy magistrate, as he (the prisoner) had a white shirt on, and his worship had not. He wished for Prince Albert to be sent for, as he knew him better than the magistrate. The.Queen, ;he also said, would come to him, and he ' would stop there till she came. In reply to a question of Mr. Beresford's as to how long he had been confined, the prisoner said, " I have not been confined at all, for I am not aware I have been delivered." After some further conversation the prisoner was remanded.— Liverpool Mercury, December 29. The Aborigines of Victoria. —ln reference to the Victorian aborigines fora grant of land, we find the following in the Melbourne Herald: —"We mentioned last week that the aborigines had taken the initiatory steps .to procure an interview with Mr. Duffy. They were introduced by Mr. Thomas, the Protector of Aborigines, who submitted - their request in a memorial drawn .up by himself in accordance with their wishes. They, were certainly men of a superior class to those generally seen knocking about the centres of population; and, barring the sable skin, would, physiologically and phrenological^, bear favorable comparison with many of our palefaced brethren who lay claim to superior developments in virtue of their Caucasian extraction. Of a tribe which - nineteen years, ago numbered six hundred, only two and thirty,, including women and children, remain. *We ;heard from Mr. Thomas that this remnant are keenly . sensitive to the rapid falling off of their brethren ; - and that they are most anxious now to 'sit down' quietly on the'hunting ground of their fathers, and do what was never done by them— * turn up the ground and' grow corn.' The particular spof they have selected is about five thousand acres in extent, and we are happy to say that Mr.' Duffy ' recognised the blackfellows' claim in a proper spirit, by promising not.only to support it in every way he can, but to supply'them with implements, and whatever else they may require at starting. In North America and -in New Zealand a large proportion of the aborigines have adopted the settled habits of Europeans to a . great: extent; we- hope to see the few remaining natives of this colony encouraged to do the same. A well organised ' aboriginal' settlement would be' an object of interest.1 Late as it is-to begin a' movement for the amelioration of the .condition of the subjugated race; we should . remember that duty calls'us to'do all in bur. power for' them. - We shall watch' their proceedings with much anxiety." ' The Bed of the 'Atlantic Ocean. —Efficientmeans for sounding hiving been' obtained, nearly every, vessel sailing into blue' water was supplied w,ith them,-and soundings, which could be relied upon, were now ra--pidly registered in almost all latitudes andlongitudes of the ocean- By the year 1856, when .the Atlantic Telegraph Company had well niglx perfected .their machinery,1 these deep-sea soundings' amounted to many thousands. ■ With a view to the laying of the cable, those -made. in the bed -of the Atlantic were examined and compared, and a vast number'of additional ones wero.'obtained at the instance -of-the projectors.

The result, was the grand' discovery—if that ban' be balled a" discovery -which; can. never be. seen by , hura&n . eye—that- for. nearly the whole width of the Atlantic, ■between Ireland and Newfoundland, there ' lies, at Ja depth varying frrtni' fifteen hun-'; dred to something over , two thouand fathoms —or. two miles and a fraction —a.sort of undulating prairie of table land, free from peaks and .precipices.and destruc- ' tive rocks and., crags, \ and which the discoverers have denominated, the telegraphic plateaus This ' plateau is bounded both on the eastern and western shore hy' a ridge,' rising gradually, but somewhat'suddenly about ,a thousand fathoms, its summit beting about six hundred- fathoms below the surface,, at. the distance of- 100 or "200 miles ~from landy v and gently shelving, up-> wards to the coast.', But'what is the nature " of "the bottom 'surface of this vast plateau, upon ■ which the cable would have to rest ? and- what is .its normal.,condition1? and what are the disturbing influences to which it' is Subjected ? The ; answers' to these questions; vital'as they are1 to the maintenance of electric communication, appeared at first iview impossible of attainment. Who was to, penetrate the dark' caves,:lo,o()o feet below, and bring up news from that 'rayless abyss ? And yet the answers have been obtained, the requisite knowledge has been , brought to light, and we know now, beyond all doubt, that there is no natural' obstacle,in the way of human enterprise in this direction, but that Nature -holds > out her hand, as it were, beckoning encbu-" ragingly, and. bountifully -" ofiers the con- < ditions of success. . And note' here another . remarkable " chance." . Before these deepsea soundings, .nothing had ever been brought up from a greater depth than three or four hundred fathoms, and consequently beyond that depth, nothing was known of ■ the nature of the bottom. . But now the men of science, knowing that the-depths were' fathomed, began, eagerly to demand specimens of the deep-sea bottom. At this crisis Mr.' Brooke, an American midshipman, proposed a contrivance by. which the shot, on striking the bottom, .would detach itself from the'line, and allow the latter to be drawn up with a specimen of the bottom, contained in a goose-quill attached to the twine, and enclosed in a rod perforating the shot.' The shot slipped off the rod the instant it touched the bottom, and the line was wound up; and thecon'tents of the quill,- after lying for scores of centuries in darkness, could' be made to answer all the questions above' propounded, and more. It was quite in ; character that .a goose-quill—that venerable enlightener of mankind—should be the medium of the new revelations: and surely never did goose-quill convey more important or welcome intelligence. To a common eye, all that the quill brought up, sink it where you would over the area of that vast plateau, was a little modicum of soft silt or deep-grey mud, so fine, impalpable and slippery to the touch, that not a particle of grit could be detected by the' most delicate finger. But what was the tale which that &oftmud told to'the microscope? Mark the story which it told in accents perfectly intelligible to the scientific mind :— " The bottom of the Atlantic," it is said,, "is one vast graveyard, rayless, motionless, and serene:'cold, calm, and quiet, it lies in eternal rest. Of the mj'riads of radient hues which gem the upper waters none ever penetrate here; of the storms that vex the surface, of the curernts that sweep athwart the middle region, not even a muimur or a throb ever reaches these tranquil abodes; death is sole ' monarch in this sightless deep, and in one universal pall the dead cover up the'dead." Eor it was found upon examination^ that'; this impalpable mud. was made ■• up ' entirely in most places, and nearly so in others, of infinite myriads of calcareous shells, the dead iemains of living creatures, which, after enjoying a brief existence in the upper waters, died, and, sinking, deposited' their minute forms on the bottom.1 That'this bottom is perfectly quiet and undisturbed, the evidence is inefragable, because these shell-forms are so infmitesimally thin and frail, that the presence of the" very' gentlest abrading action opewting ,011 the dense masses in which they lie, would reduce lhem,to powder; in fact, the touch of a feather will crush them ; and yet they are found' to have" suffered no injury,, but to have lemained for ages complete iii their ele'icato entirety of structure, as when.they lived and wantone'd-in the cresteJ billows of the surface.— Household Words. The Medical Times says :—'! The melanehoty" accident by-which- ladies■ Laura and Charlotte Brijjgman and Miss Plunhave been such sufferers teaches a lesson which must not be neglected. ■ The light fabrics manufactured • for '-ladies' dresses must, be made blazeproof. Nothing .can be more simple. The most delicate -white cambric handkerchief, or fleecy gause, 1 pr the finest face, may, by simple soaking in a weak solution of- chloride of-zinc, be so protected from blaze ■ that if held in the flame of a candle thejr may be reduced to .tinder without blazing. Dresses so prepared might be burnt by accident without the other garments worn by the lady being injured. When poor Clara Webster was burnt we inculcated the same moral; and now the dresses of stage dancers are prepared in the way we recommended. The hint may be put to a profitable use by some entersprising manufacturer," • , ,

Wairftu^Gorge, have already been in a great measure rempved, and I trust before the winter will have been completely so. This route, it is probable, will in' futuref should" the coast-road be properly opened, be used, chiefly if not wholly as a summer road to the.South, but as it is considerably shorter than tine coast-road, equal exertions should be used to render it thoroughly available. The third great central line, which I trust may be opened, will be one to connect the valuable districts in the Western half of our province with Nelson. A gentleman accustomed to exploration has been engaged to undertake the investigation of this route : should he be successful, of which I entertain great hopes,'it will be in your power, by .devoting part of the revenue to the improvement of this>oute,. to render accessible to the enterprise arid energf of our settlers, some very valuable and even extensive agricultural and pastoral districts, to-vvliioh hitherto very little attention has been paid: ' ' With respect to the roads in particular districts, although tnucii has been done during the past year with the aid of the funds raised under the Debenture Act; chiefly under the supervision of the various Local Road Boards, this of course forms but a small.proportion of what remains fo be done, and which'cart only be effected in a series of years. The most prominent of these districts is that containing ;tbe gold; fields. Although a considerable diminution in the numbers of the population there has occurred since their first discovery, the decrease in the number of actual diggers does : riot, I believe, bear any considerable proportion to that of others who have left, and who visited the diggings apparently without any fixed object in view. Those now engaged are reported to be profitably eniployed^ and but little doubt exists that for many years ..to/eome jthat district will continue*to give employment to a large number of persons at a,rate of wages considerably above the average derived from any other industrial pursuit in this province, and that the produce of this district will continue to form, if not our first, certainly our second, staple export. With these views, formed after several personal inspections of the district, I have not hesitated to expend on the public works an amount considerably in excess of that placed at my disposal for that purpose by the Council. , While upon the subject of the gold-fields I may observe, that an application was made to me to lease, for twenty-one years, a block of four square miles of the auriferous land of the Collingwood district; but as the existing land regulations did not warrant me in acceding to the request of the applicant, and as this Council had devoted much time 'and attention to the consideration of the best mode of dealing with that description of land, but for want, of the necessary powers had not been able to embody its views into a law, but had expressed its desire that the General Assembly should receive its resolutions as an expression of its opinion of the requirements of this province on this particular subject, I had no alternative but to decline acceding to the request of the applicant. Other applications have since been made by combined bodies of practical diggers, for leases of blocks vai-ying in size from three to one hundred acres, and*l regret that the measures adopted by this" Council, and subsequently passed, 1 believe with little substantial alteration, by the General Assembly, have not yet become law within the province ; the bills referring to the subject having been reserved for th&signifieation of her Majesty's pleasure thereon, in consequence of which the General Government have also been, and still are, unable to comply with the requests of the various applicants. ■ Reverting to the subject of the opening up of the country, I have to inform you that very great progress has been made during the past year in the survey of lands for sale or settlement. For sale,: about 67,347 acres have been surveyed ; and iii addition to this there are tracts containing about 300,000 acre?, of nil of which such general surveys have been executed that sales of them can be effected. About eighty miles of traversing, to connect the different parts of our previous surveys, hkve been also made, and a surveyor has been for some time engaged in a general outline survey of the western districts of the province, which, with the description to accompany it, will greatly advance our knowledge of them," and prepare the way for their future settlement. In accordance with the system of immigration which has for some time been adopted in this province, that of advancing the passage money of immigrants on a guarantee for its repayment by their friends, resident in this settlement—a system affording the best security for the good character of the immigrantp, and for their permanent residence in the province, about three hundred souls have been sent for, all that have been applied for up to this.time ; the first portion of which number may be daily expected to arrive, the vessel they .ire to come in having left England on the 29th December last. Amongthe measures whichl consider it advisable to submit for your consideration during the present 833sion, will be a bill for providing the means to give compensation to those persons who were induced to emigrate to this province under promises made to them through the agents of the New Zealand Company, and which were not fulfilled; the consequence of which was an amount of suffering and distress, which, when viewed even at this distance of time, cannot be contemplated without feelings of sorrow, and for which redress could not be obtained in consequence of the poverty and helplessness of the claimants: had such not been the case, there is no reasonable doubt, that the success, which attended the claims of both resident and absentee purchasers of land, would have been the same in their cases. In accordance with the wishes of the Council, I instructed the Commissioners appointed under the Compensation Act, 1857, to collect further evidence in reference to the claims submitted to them : this has been done, and a report thereon presented to me, a copy of which will be laid before you. The facts elicited by this second investigation induce me to submit their claims again to your consideration, confidently anticipating that, as their suffering and losses are patent to most members of this Council, you will aid me in doing, even at this distant period, that justice to which their claims entitle them. I have particularly to urge on your consideration the claims of those who were left widows and orphans by the death of their husbands and fathers in the affray at Wairau, in 1843, in their attempt to support the legally constituted authorities. A bill will also be laid before you, haying for its object the making of free grants of land, under certain conditions, to naval and military settlers, who have been.excluded under the existing regulations 'in consequence of their having received; "their discharge previous to the regulations becoming law^ As most, if not all, of this class were persons actively engaged in supporting the authority of the Crown, during the Native war, and were excluded, no doubt by an oversight, from the benefits' which others, their companions in arms, have been entitled to and received; I trust you will see with me the justice of making provision for the few cases which exist in this province. A commissioner appointed by the General Government to choose a site for a General Colonial Lunatic Asylum, having recommended a site in this province for that purpose, and the General Government having adopted that recommendation, and undertaken to erect an Asylum thereon as soon as possible, upon the site being placed at their disposal, I thought it advisable to apply the sum voted last year for a Lunatic Asylum to the purchase of the site. in question, which has accordingly been done. The advantages of an establishment of this kind being general, and supported by the combined means of the whole colony, being so obviously superior to any to be conferred by a local institution, I trust this arrangement will meet with your sanction. Frequent^ complaints having been made of the locality of the cemetery at present in use in the town of Nelson, a bill will be submitted to you to enable me to oause the cemetery, to be closed, and to purchase land forming, a more eligible site in the neighborhood of the town, which it' is to be hoped; will be liable to none of the objections ■which' have been raised against the present cemetery..^;. . ■-.' .. ' ■■'.■' A Select Committee was appointed during your last session to confer with the Executive Governn>ent on the subject of the erection of a new

Council Chamber and Public Offices* After examining various proposed sites, those bodies have unanimously agreed upon one possessing many advantages,' and have also selected a r tasteful design for the buildings themselves. The completion of these will necessarily involve a larger outlay than the sum raised under the Debenture Act. , The Imperial Government having entered into a contract for the steam mail service of New Zealand, by the terms of which Nelson is made the principal.station.for the, arrival and departure of the steamers employed, for which its central position, the serenity -of its climate, the dock-like security of its harbor, and the unrivalled facilities afforded by the latter. for careening vessels, so admirably adapt our port, it behoves us to do everything in owr power to complete these advantages by providing a wharf alongside which the steam vessels may lie afc all times of tide. Plans and specifications of a new jetty have accordingly been prepared, and tenders for its erection been called for and received, which will be laid before you; and if you agree With me as to the necessity of the undertaking, it can be immediately carried into execution. These are all the subjects on which it appears to me necessary to offer any remarks : and 1 have to conclude, gentlemen, with the expression of my confidence that your deliberations will materially contribute to realise, for the future : of this province even a larger amount of prosperity than it at present enjoys. J. P. Robinson, Superintendent. Nelson, 12th April, 1859. , . The address, which took nearly half an hour to deliver, was received with marked attention and some, approbation. His Honor then left.■a-,.* Dr. 'Renwick moved that the address which had just been read, be printed. Seconded by Mr. Wells, and carried. Mr. Kelling- moved, that previous to any notices of motion being made, a committee be appointed to take into consideration his Honor's address. ' Seconded by Mr. Mackay, and carried. Several notices of motion were also given, and upon the question of the Speaker being carried, the House adjourned till five o'clock on the following day. NOTICES OF MOTION. Friday-, April 15, 1859. 1. Dr. Monro to move for a return of all remissions granted to Military or Naval Settlers, on the purchase of land in this province, since July 1853; the return to show the nature of the claim, tlie amount of remission in each case, and the names of the grantees. 2. Dr. Monro to move for the account rendered by the General Government to the Province of Nelson, shewing the surplus revenue due to the province on the period ended 30th June, 1857 ; and at the same time for any accounts rendered of distribution of surplus revenue for subsequent periods. 8. Dr. Monro to move for a return of the net Customs Revenue paid to the province for the quarter ending 31st March, 1859. . . Tuesday, April 19,1859. 1. Mr. Curtis to move, That, his Honor the Superintendent be requested to furnish copies of any correspondence which may have passed between the Provincial Government and Mr. Joseph Gibbs, relative to Mr. Gibbs's applications for leases of mineral lands in the. Massacre Bay district, together with copies of those applications, and the plan or plans, which accompanied them.; 2. Mr Kelling to ask the Provincial Secretary whether the Government has sent a resolution, passed by this Council in its fourth session, respecting the distillation of spirituous liquors in this province, to his Excellency's Government; and, in this event, ■what reply, if any, has been received, or whether our Government intends to introduce a bill this session, whereby distillation in the province would be allowed.