MISCELLANEOUS.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 264, 1 May 1860, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

The business transacted in Parliament has not been unimportant, although the debating has neither been voluminous nor of any political moment. A number of bills have been introduced on old familiar subjects,—•', by Sir George Lewis to amend the London corporation; to provide for a special requirement in St. John's College, Oxford; by Lord Brougham, to improve the law relating to the transfer and titles of land ; by Lord Chancellor Campbell, to enlarge the jurisdiction ofthe common law courts so as to include equity, a subject which we have handled in a separate paper. „. Amongst other measures., Mr. M'Mahon has attemped to introduce a bill establishing criminal appeals, with, a sturdy opposition from Sir George Lewis; who insists that the appeal to the Home Secretary is sufficient, while an-extension of his right of appeal would procrastinate criminal trials, open the door, &c. The prevalent opinion amongst the lawyers seemed to be that a criminal appeal is a. proved rnecessity, but that Mr. M'Mahon's bill is aot the way to secure it.

Mr. Mellor's bill to prevent bribery at elections is not a success; to the present fine and imprisonment, which are seldom if ever enforced, he would ad< 3 six months at the treadmill, while a noble Lord would inflict two years' hard labor.. We have already discussed Sir Fitzroy Kelly's bill, to which he alluded in the discussion. There is a decided tendency to think that ballot is the short cut /out of the difficulty, and Mr. Milner Gibson proposes that ballot shall at once be extended to constituencies convicted of large briberies.

The decision of the Commons on Mr. Wise's motion for an annual select committee to revise the Civil. Service estimates, was not a "Ministerial, defeat," but was the prevailing of a ] parliamentary view over an official view. Mr. Gladstone thinks that the Committee will operate to shield the Executive from responsibility; but, in the chance-medley of the " Committee of the whole," responsibility is Jost; and if the Select Committee be well managed it may, by concentration and enforcement, bring the responsibility effectually home to the executive in ea( ih department. At the Central Criminal Court, Mrs. Jane Tyrwhitt was. tried on three charges of obtaining goo>ds on false pretences. First, .that she ordered goods value j£s, from a milliner, directing them to be sent to the Honorable- Mrs. Stewart, they being r eally for herself. $he was found Not

Guilty, because there was no evidence that she was not the Honorable Mrs. Stewart. In a second case, she called herself Mrs. Vernon, and escaped from a similar defeat in the'evidence. In the third case, she was found Guilty. She again called herself Mrs. Stewart; there was the same defeat of evidence, but it wss admitted that she had committed the offences charged but without any intention to defraud. She is well.connected, has ample means, and the excuse tendered fbr her was that she was acting under the influence of mania. Sentence deferred.

Mr. Adams, gunnjaker, has been fined £10 and costs for selling a rifle that had not been proved. The rifle in question, loaded with a double charge, had burst, but had injured no one. Hearing this, Mr. Adams collected all the rifles he had recently sold, and had them proved. It appeared that the rifle was sold by his foreman under the misconception that it had been proved. All the other rifles stood proof. The Morning Post, in leaded type, gives great prominence to the following oracular announcement on the question of Italy. "It is now formally determined-that no intervention shall take place in Italy, and that the people shall be left to their own devices." It is therefore agreed that the States of Central Italy shall dispose of themselves. Fresh elections are to be held, and the Assemblies resulting from popular choice are free to decree the annexation of their constituents to the Sardinian kingdom. Th French troops are to be withdrawn from Northern Italy and from Rome at an early opportunity. It is no secret that Austria, having regard to the Western Alliance and her own serious difficulties, gives up all hope of retrieving her position and influence in Italy, and not only sheathes her sword, but puts it aside. An attempt will be made to induce her to grant reforms in Venetia, ot which she is still legal mistress. " Here the Italian question might terminate in the recognition of the new State by Europe. But will it be allowed to do so ? We doubt it. The stubbornness of the Pope bids fair to deprive him of the whole of his temporalities. Naples groans under a heavier tyranny than ever, and the cries of Venice are loud enough to strike our ears, however we may shut them. The Italian question, then, being likely to take still larger proportions, our best, safest, and most beneficial policy is that line of, strict duty by which, this time last year, we mighthave.prevented war, and by which we may now guarantee the peace of Europe. That line is—no foreign intervention, but Italy for the Italians." The Globe draws attention to the mania for cutting up the City with railways. Think of a terminus of the Great Northern line in Tokenhouse Yard ! This is one of the modest proposals fbr gorging that neighborhood with traffic. Mr. Hayward, the City surveyor, states that " the total area within the City, scheduled for these various projects, is about fifty-three acres; the number of public ways of all classes to be spanned by arches, is about seventy: and the number to be entirely absorbed and stopped up, about forty-two,-—a larger area effected by new schemes than in any previous year since 1846." The London, Chatham," and .Dover line wants to go to Smithfield. For what benefit ? They can go to London Bridge; and we shall soon have a station at Charing Cross far more convenient than one at Pimlico.

Hungary.—The recent attempt of the Austrian Government to resist the manifestations of populai freedom in Hungary, by ordering the substitution of the German for the native language in the universities, is meeting with considerable opposi ion in Hungary,'and has aroused still more the feeling of nationality among the people. A meeting of about 40,000 Protestants took place at Debreazin, which was opened with prayer, and the Assembly protested against the patent of Ist September, which' orders the change. It had been the intention of the Austrian Government to disperse the Assemblage by troops, but nearly at the last moment it thought better, and acted more wisely by refraining from doing so. An Austrian official merely declared that such a protest was illegal, the patent having the force of law, and, that, therefore he would dissolve the meeting. The reply was prompt, short, and decisive. A general response was given,—" We will remain in spite of you." On order being restored, the chairman replied, that since they had not accepted the patent, it had no legal force whatever with them, and, therefore,' that the meeting was legal, and would not disperse. To which the official of the Government rejoined, that he would draw up a report of the refusal of the meeting to disperse, and should cause to be instituted a prosecution of its leaders. The meeting afterwards adopted unanimously a protest against the patent, and quietly dispersed. Italian Question. —The English Government has taken the initiative in a proposal for settling the Italian question. The proposal was explained by Lord John Russell, in the House of Commons, on February 7- It may be stated under six heads:—l. That Austria and France shall not interfere, by force, in the Italian peninsula, without the consent of the five great powers. 2. That at a convenient time, and with proper precautions, the French troops withdraw from Lombardy and Rome. 3. That no question of interfering in the internal government of Venetia shall now be mooted. 4. That the King of Sardinia shall not send any troops into Central Italy until after. 5, The provinces of Central Italy shall take a new vote, whefcber they will be annexed to Sardinia, [or restore their late rulers ?] 6. That if they choose annexation the^King of Sardinia be free to introduce troops. The government of the Emperor Napoleon at once replied frankly with regard to its own opinion upon this proposal, undertook to consult the government of Austria. The Emperor

Napoleon accepted the three first proposals;" with some modifications as to the withdrawal of the troops. It was, with regard to the remainder, that he was understood to consult Austria. The reply of the Austrian Government was notgiven so promptly, and deliberation seems to have strengthened reluctance rather than compliance. The Count de Rechberg declared that the Austrian Government had no intention of interfering in the affairs of Italy, or of advancing troops beyond its own frontiers; but the count intimated that no engagements would be given with regard to nonintervention. We have the substance of a more formal reply from the Emperor Francis Joseph, after further consultation, and it appears to be a direct refusal; the Austrian ministers, at the same time controversially reviving remarks made by Lord Palmerston in April last, in which he seemed to declare the treaty of 1815 " the charter by which Europe holds its present distribution of territory." From Berlin and St. Petersburgh we learn that neither Prussia nor Russia is wholly inclined to accede to the English proposals. A report has come from St. Petersburg that Russia has reopened the question of a Congress, and that France favors the suggestion. In Italy itself, meanwhile, eager expectation, is manifested with regard to the manifesto: which will be issued by King. Victor Emmanuel, and dated from Milan, as a kind of final address to the Central Italian people. It is supposed that the King will tell them to act themselves, as he himself can do nothing more for them. Captain Harbison. —The death of Captain Harrison by drowning,, so near the shore, created a good deal of surprise, as he was known to be a very power! ullybuilt man, and a great swimmer. The evidence given at the inquest by Dr. Watson, gives us all the information that can be had on the manner of his end; and it seems to show that he exhausted himself by enormons exertions to right the boat :-— "I twice got hold of Captain Harrison in the water. On the first occasion he made a grasp at the boat to right her, but she went over, her keel uppermost. I went under with him, and after we came up again I got hold of the bow of the boat, and with Lay's son jammed in front of me against the boat to keep him up. Captain Harrison tried to get the boat righted again and his doing so caused me to lose my hold. I then made a stroke or two, and got hold of the weather side of the gunwale and remained there until I was picked up.'' Captain Harrison's death has been felt almost as a national loss. One of the oldest captains in the Cunard service) having been engaged in'it since its origination) he was always considered by the nautical world as " the sailor of the fleet." Commanding the Britannia from New York in the early days of transatlantic steam navigation, he brought Jthat vessel ou her homeward passage to Liverpool with one engine, and within the time contracted for by the Post Office authorities—a feat-in seamanship heretofore unknown. Prior to his appointment to the command of the Great Eastern Captain Harrison commanded the Cunard steamship Africa (now under the command of Captain Neil Shannon), and his last voyage in the Cunard service was made in the royal mail steamship America. Without any solicitation on his part, he was appointed to the captaincy ofthe Great Eastern out of 2500" applications, and on his own terms. A subscription has been opened in London, under the auspices of the Great. Ship Company, for Captain Harrison's family, who have been left unprovided for. Martin Escalante, a British subject, has been sentenced to nine years' penal servitude for circulating Bibles in the Spanish language, among the Spanish people. He was not tried for seven months after his arrest, but he was convicted according to law. The British Minister has applied to the Spanish Government for the liberation of Martin Escalante, and Lord John Russell has stated, in his place in Parliament, that there is every reason to think that he will very soon be released entirely from the term of his servitude.

Sir Thomas Brisbane.—This distinguished old veteran, who had served with Abercromby ancl Wellington, and subsequently in a civil capacity as Governor of New South Wales, died on the 27th at his house near Largs, in his 87th year. " While Sir Thomas was Governor of New South Wales," says the Scotsman, "he marked his administration by many wise reforms. He improved the condition of convicts and made reformation possible, substituted useful labor for the treadmill, and, above all, gave them the blessing of hope, by offering tickets of leave for good conduct, instead of constant confinement. When he arrived in the colony, he found only 25,000 acres cleared, and, after a residence of four years, he had more than double the amount. At his own expense, he introduced good breeds of horses, also the cultivation of the vine, sugar-cane, cotton, and tobacco. One grand feature of his administration was the perfect tolerance and protection which he gave to all classes of Christians. At his residence at Paramatta, he established a large observatory,.. furnished with the best and most expensive instruments which art could produce. Some idea may be formed of the labors which, besides his duties as governor, he voluntarily undertook, when it is stated that he fixed the positions and catalogued 7385 stars hitherto scarcely known to astronomers. For this magnificent work, ' The Brisbane Catalogue of Stars,' he received perhaps the highest honor of his life fc—certain it is he felt it so. The glory of the many battles he had won, or helped to win, had been rewarded by a knighthood and a baronetcy, with stars and medals, but the Copley medal, awarded.by the Royal Society, in his eyes, outshone all his other honors."

The sale of Lord Henry SeymousVcigars

took place the Other.day. at Paris, in presence of a very large assemblage of lovers of the weed. The bidding was spirited, no cigar being sold under 10 sous, and in several instances at 50. sous each, even when the lots were large. If the budget be carried, the abolition of the duty on paper comes into operation on the Ist July. Two steamers came into collision on the river, on Wednesday. The Gertrude an iron ship going to Ireland, ran into the Holland, coming from Ostend, piercing her stern, and severely injuring a sailor. Fortunately, no lives were lost. The two ships, entangled, drifted to the shore opposite the Isle of Dogs, where the passengers and cargo of the Holland were rescued, Two severe fires occurred on Tuesday night. One happened in Skinner Street, Snow Hill, and gutted the premises of Messrs. Fraser s&d Co. and Mr. Loader. The other took place at the Hibernian Wharf, London Bridge, a pile of warehouses belonging to Alderman Humphrey. The Manchester Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting on Monday, Mr. Edward Potter in the chair. It was slated that the cotton exports have increased to £46,000,000; or £3,000,000 above last year, and £5,000,000 above the preceding year; an increase due solely to India and China. The speakers approved of the commercial treaty with France. Mr. Potter and Mr. Cheetham objected to the import duties on manufactures in India.

The Hungarians have had a " national* ball at Pesth. The ladies and gentlemen were decked out in the picturesque costume of the country; they danced the national dances and quadrilles, but waltzes were not in the programme. The late Lord Macaulay.—When Mr. Adam Black, M.P., commenced the new edition of his Encyclopedia Britannica, Lord Macaulay felt so strong an interest in the undertaking, and so warm a regard for his old friend the publisher, that he said ha would endeavor to send him an article for each letter of the alphabet. This generous offer the noble historian's failing health and various avocations prevented him from fully realising; but he sent five articles to the Encyclopaedia —memoirs of Atterbury, Bunyan, Goldsmith, Johnson, and William Pitt, the last being the latest finished production from his pen. As any publisher would have been glad to have given £1,000 forthese contributions, their being presented as a free-will offering to Mr. Black is a fact so honorable to both parties, especially to the noble doner, that it deserves to be publicly known and recorded. — Inverness Courier.

In London the Theatres are being opened for services to working men. These services are being held on Sunday afternoons and evenings, and they have hitherto been invariably crowded. Amongst those who have preached, are Mr. Binney, Mr. Landels, Mr Tucker, Mr. Baldwin Brown, and Mr. Martin. Several of the clergy have also taken part in them. It is believed that these services will be attended with much good. The Rev. T. Binney sa y S: —« Extraordinary movements are going on here, there are daily prayer-meet-ings all over the town. Clergymen and ministers preach in various theatres. I preached last night to more than 3000 people in the Britannia Theatre, Hoxton, and to-day was two hours at a prayermeeting. There are many indications of God moving on the mindsv and hearts of the great masses of the people.