THE COLONIST.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 269, 18 May 1860, Page 2

THE COLONIST.

NELSON, FRIDAY, MAY 18, 1860,

The intelligence from. England, though not of that exciting kind which is now always expected, is of a very grave nature. The aggressive designs of France is tried to be hidden under the most flimsy veil. That she has been tampering with Sardinia to give, up her old family possession— Savoy—-is undoubted. Should that slip of country ever be allowed to-pas* from Sardinia's rule, then Switzerland—the only unaggressive power now left in Europe—is undoubtedly the first claimant.

Italy is still in a high state of fermentation; and it only requires the threatened excommunication to be fulminated against Victor Emmanuel by Pio Nino to revolutionise the whole of Europe, to the misery of its people, and the aggrandisement of Russia, whoge daily food is revolution and unjust and uncaged for war.

Thrive Reform Bills at one time are novelties eveD. in England. They are looked upon with ! the utmost indifference in England, Scotland, and Ireland. We trust the three will give what the great one promised—"Retrenchment, Economy, and Nonintervention." From India the news is reassuring. It is said that the last remnants of the rebels were coming up and surrendering themselves: and that the whole of Bengal and the north-west provinces were quiet and restored to order. The worst part of the intelligence is contained in the Oude Gazette^ which states that a feeling of discontent still lingered in the minds of the late Company's European troops, especially the artillery. The troops for China were about leaving India; and Lord Clyde is expected to stay in India till Lord Canning's service shall expire iv February, 1861. Lord Elgin is about to be sent on another mission to China. As Lord Malmesbury said wa were at war with China, and Lord Palmerston declared that we had not been at war with China for the last two years, probably Lord Elgin will be enabled to see exactly how the matter stands. \lt is certainly singular that the two principal mii nisters of the same cabinet, as it is called, should ' have such different ideas on the same subject. :In answer to a question put by Lord A. I Churchill, whether the Australian fleet was about '; to be augmented, and an Admiral appointed to : that station, Lord A. Paget said that we had an ; Admiral in the Pacific, so had the French, but ■■ that the latter had no establishment in New Cale- : donia and no Admiral. It was not the intention of the Government to put an Admiral on the Aus- ; tralian station. The Attorney-General, moved for leave to bring ;in the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Bill on March i 15th. The learned gentleman remarked that 1 there was no country in Europe with sq bad a law as the English law of bankruptcy and iusolvency. The expenses of administration amounted Ito 33 per cent.; this large sum being "swallowed up by officials." The abolishment of imprisonment for debt he should leave at present, but the distinction between insolvency and bankruptcy he •j should abolish, and probably that would accomplish the other desirable object. Every insolvent, as a bankrupt, who was willing to surrender his ; estate and disclose the state of his affairs would be at once passed by the Court, and ever after be re. .. lieved from Ms old liabilities. Ho would r sweep away _. all the five Commissioners rof Bankruptcy, and substitute for them a . single judge, who ihould -be on an equality ' with the other judges; and he should be confined exclusively to the discharge of his judicial functions. The majority of creditors in certain cases to' settle matters out of court if so disposed. Leave given to bring in the Bill. We have received Sydney papers to the 10th instant. The few. extracts show that there is still gold in Australia, .and that even the costly diamond is soon likely to be ranked in its list of riches. And yet misery, crime, and destitution ■ prevail. -A .torchlight meeting of the unemployed • of. Sydney took place on May Bth. About 1500 ' '-psmm Wei!o -present. The speakers denounced

the squatting system,,and reprobated the condnctof the Government for granting the sum of £30,000 "for assisting em_grants v ,to a colony already overstocked with labour." '{{.he meeting then formed a procession, and went through various streets, and finally dispersed about eleven o't lock.

A meeting was held on May 7th, in the Mechanics' Institute, Sydney, the object of which was to discuss the extraordinary remarks and decisioa of Judge Holroyd, in the case of Lang against Macdonald. The building was crowded to excess, and many could not gain admission. After various speakers had addressed the meeting, a memorial to the Governor, condemnatory of the-Judge's conduct thioughout the trial, was unanimously adopted. We shall revert to this trial in a future number. ,