ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 298, 28 August 1860, Page 4

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

' (From the Home Neivs.) ,', MR. ALBERT SMITH. , It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Mr. Albert Smith. This popular author appeared as usual in his entertainment at the Egyptian-hall on the afternoon of Saturday, May 19, and afterwards dined with a party of his intimate friends at the Garrick Club, of which he was a member. For several days he had been affected by. a Blight cold, but it did not appear at all serious, and he returned home to all appearance in his usual health and spirits. On Sunday, bronchitis became more obvious, and on Monday it was so much worse that his wife secretly gave instructions to issue bills putting off. his lecture for that evening. When this was made known to him he expressed himself much dissatisfied, thinking himself quite equal to his usual labors; hut on the next day it was found, necessary fto call in additional medical assistance, and the attack, now becoming more and more serious, terminated fatally on the following j morning. His death took plaoe early on the morning of May 23 at his residence, North End Lodge, Fulham. It will be in the recollection of our readers that a few months since the deceased had a seizure which excited grave apprehensions for him at the time, but his speedy reappearance encouraged a hope that-his health had not been permanently affected, and the cause of his ultimate death would appear to have had no connection with that atttack. The deceased was born on May 24,1816, at Chertsey, and was educated at Merchant Taylor's School. He became a member ofthe College of Surgeons in 1838, after which he repaired to Paris and attended the hospital of. the Hotel Dieu. In September of that year he visited Chamouni. He then returned to England, and commenced practice with hia father at Chertsey. His literary tastes were early developed. These he first gratified by some contributions to the Medical Times, in which appeared " Jasper Buddie ; or, Confesssions of a Dissecting-room Porter." Not being satisfied with his position as a surgeon, he prepared views of the scenery of the Alps, together with a descriptive lecture, with which he visited most of the small towns in the vicinity of the metropolis 'during 1839 and 1840. In 1841 he settled in London and commenced writing for the magazines, in which appeared, among a variety of miscellaneous articles, several of his novels, " The "Adventures of Mr. Ledbury," " The Scattergood Family," " The Marchioness of Brinviliers," " Christopher Tadpole," aud " The Pottleton Legacy," all of which were published subsequently as separate works, and were decidedly successful. During 1847-49 he wrote a series of sketches, comprising " The Natural Histories of Stuck-up People," " The Ballet Girl," "The Gent," " The Flirt," "The Idler upon Town," and "Evening Parties." In 1849 he visited the East, and on his return published "A month at Constantinople," in which the exaggerated notions respecting its romance and its beauty were cleverly ridiculed ; and 1850 he produced an entertainment called " The Overland Mail," wherein he ■was the only performer, and, with the aid of scenery, he graphically described that route. He .also iri" this year wrote two or three operatic burlesques. In the autumn of 1851, he revisited the scene of his early predilection, and succeeded with much difficulty in gaining the summit of Mont Blanc, a feat which afterwards ( became one of every-day occurrence. On the 15 th of March, 1852, he produced at the Egyptian-ball his entertainment of "The Ascent of Mont Blanj," wherein his rapid but distinct utterance, his humour, the well-selected and well-painted scenery, and his careful attention to the comfort of his auditors, enabled him to achieve an unprecedented success. This entertainment continued a standard favorite for several years, when Mr. Smith determined on introducing the British public to an entirely new.field of observation.'

In the autnmn of 1858, therefore, he went to China, and after remaining there a sufficient time to make himself acquainted with the manners, customs, and national peculiarities of the inhabitants of the Flowery Land; he returned to London, and commenoed a series of pictorial and descriptive Chinese entertainments, always delighting his overflowing audiences. About a year ago the deceased married the eldest daughter of Mr. Robert Keeley, the celebrated comedian. His loss will be deeply felt, not only by his immediate friends but also by the public generally. His pictorial entertainments are believed to have enabled him to realise a considerable fortune.

Mr. Albert Smith, by his will dated the 3rd of March last, leaves his house and premises, North End Lodge, Fulham, with all tbe furniture, books, plate, <fee, and the reversion of at his mother's death to his widow; the bulk of his fortune, upwards of £20,000, being bequeathed to his brother, Mr. Arthur Smith. There are also some minor legacies.

Mr. G. P. R. James.—The death of this well-known writer took place several days ago at Venice. It was caused by apoplexy. The deceased was born in London, about the beginning of the present century. , His father's family was originally from Staffordshire, and his mother was a Scotchwoman. He received his early education at a school at Greenwich, kept by a French emigrant, and was afterwards placed under the tuition of the Rev. William Carmalt, with whom be remained uhtilhewas siearly 15 years of age, shortly after which ho went to France, where he remained several years. He very early imbibed literary tastes, and.from.time to time.wrote small pieces, which were sent anonymously to the journals and reviews. He also wrote a number of short tales for the amusement of himself and friends, which were never published. Mr. Washington Irvine, however, having seen one of them, strongly adwised the author to attempt something more important. The result of this encouragement was the novel of" Richelieu," which was completed in the year 1825. The death of Lord Liverpool, who was a friend of his father, and on whom Mr. James's prospects greatly depended; induced him to make an attempt to open a way for himself. The manuscript of " Richelieu *.. was shown to Sir Walter, Scott, and met with the approbation of the great novelist and; who strongly * advised the. publication of; the work. It appeared accordingly about 1828, and met with great success. This decided jMrJ James's literary career, and since that time he lias ; written a great number of novels aud a few histories, all of which have attained a high degree of popularity on both sides ot the Atlantic. Mr. James was undoubtedly tbe moßt voluminous novel-writer ofthe day, or perhaps of any day, the mere enumeration of the titles of his various productions-—novels, romances, historical biogra-

phies, &c—occupying 70 lines in the latest " London Catalogue;" and even in that list we miss some of his acknowledged works. During the reign of King William IV. he received the appointment of Historiographer for Great Britain, but oircumstanoes having rendered this offioe (an honorary one) undesirable, be resigned it. About.the year 1852 he was appointed British consul for the State of Massachusetts, whither he removed soon afterwards with his family, taking up his residence in Berkshire county. He was subsequently appointed to the consulate at Venice. > It has been often been charged against Englishmen that they are too apt to make the weather the subject of their conversation; but for many months past the afflictions with whioh they have been visited have really given them a tolerable good right to do so. Even up to the present date, not far from the end of June, we have hardly had this year more than a glimpse of fine weather. Our winter, as perhaps our readers may remember, was one of unusual length and severity; spring and summer have scarcely made themselves felt; and, in fact, from September of 1859 till now, it is not too much to say that we have never, for more than two or three days at a time, been rid of rain, fog, snow, gales, and all the discomfort which the elements-can entail upon us. The social miseries consequent upon this continuous ill weather have been hard enough to bear, but they have been as nothing in comparison1 with the injury inflicted upon the substantial resources of the country. The herbage has been drowned, or scorched up under keen winds. The younglings of the flocks and herds haye perished for want of food. Lambs, which in ordinary seasons produce wealth in abundance to the stockgrowers, have been given away freely to anybody who would accept them asa gift. Tho price of meat has flown up to a point at which it is placed almost beyond the reach of any save the comfortable classes. We hear of leagues formed in this or that district or town for the purpose of uniting to give up the use of butchers' meat until the butchers consent to reduce their prices. Under the usual condition of affairs Scotland, with its long ranges of sheep-walk, exports mutton to England. England is now exporting mutton to Scotland. The evil is, unhappily, far,indeed, from being a sentimental onePeople who are engaged in agricultural operations say that, unless the weather mends, and that speedily, the year's harvest will be in tlie most imminent peril. Irreparable mischief is not yet done; but an eleventh moDth of bad weather superadded to the ten which have preceded it would probably be sufficient to place the grain crops in jeopardy. A very common generalisation on the subject of the weather is that good years and bad years, wet years and dry years, go in cycles. We haye had for some years past a series of dry years, and now we must apparently make up our minds to see the wheel for a while in revolution the other way; We can only hope that the worst is past, and that henceforth matters may be begin to mend.

There is a rumour abroad, says the Spectator about the forth-coming matrimonial alliance of the heir apparent to the British throne with a Princess of Prussia. German newspapers, solemn always and full of erudition, inform us that all the particulars of this union have long been determined—arranged, in fact, at the time of tbe nuptials of our Princess Eoyal with young Prince Frederick William of Prussia. It was then settled, we are given to understand, tbat there should be a " double marriage" between the royal families of Great Britain and Hohenzollern ; such double marriage as was seriously contemplated a century ago by the then monarohs of England and Prussia, but unfortunately broken off at the eleventh hour, to the great grief of a certain Crown Prince Frederick, no less than of his latest British biographer. Indeed, history tells us that German princes have always been very fond of arranging, these crossalliances, as we might call them j and that it is owing to the principle which they involve tbat the whole of European Royalty is at the present moment one vast family of brothers, sisters, and cousins. The Emperor Napoleon is, we believe, tbe only monarch of the Western world not directly related to this august family; though even he, by means of more or less distant cousinship, is somewhat drawn towards to the mystic circle. With this single exception, if it is such, the whole of the royal houses of Europe form but one family, all the members of which are blood relations. The stock or root of this family is in Germany—the " fatherlaud " preeminently—and it is there, apparently, that a continual desire is felt more and more to unite the branches of this tree, more and more'to engraft like on like. The title of courtesy of " Mon frere," by which European Sovereigns address each other, is to become ultimately a complete reality. One night recently Herr Harwitz, the eminent chess player, entered into a contest of sis games,' blindfolded, with sis members of the Bradford Chess Club. The six games proceeded simultaneously—Herr Harwitz not, having a sight of the boards. There was a large number of members and friends present during the evening, the contest, which began at half-past 7 o'clock, proceeded slowly and cautiously on the part of some of his opponents, but they were all: ultimately vanquished ■ pno after another. His. last opponent did not relinquish the contest till 2 o'clock on the following morning. The committee of the Volunteer Service Club have taken the mansion, known aa " Crockford's" and the adjoining house, vacated by the Guards 5 Club. The entrance, in the centre of the facade in St. James's-street is to be re-opened and a handsome portico erected at its approach, Tiie Club for extent and position will equal auy in London, while .none can surpass it in comfort and splendor. All officers in the: volunteer service. &c.,- whether followers of commercial pursuits or otherwise, are eligible for the ; ballot ■;,- and all non-commissioned officers and privates not in trade equally so. The annual payment of six guineas for town and three for country members does nbtentailany entrance fees or any other liability whatever. It is officially intimated that a new- Russian loan will shortly be announced through Messrs. Baring Brothers and Co. Rumour adds that the issue will take place next week, and consist of a| Fourrand-a-Half per Cent, and stock, and that the amount will be £8,000,000. :■■■■ Mr. C. Knight' Watsons M.A., FiS.A.; has been elected Secretary;of the Society of Antiijuaries/ in1 the room' of Mr. J. G. Akerman, whose, retirement has_beeii occasioned, by ill health. The Royal Academy have elected Mr. Egg to the seat at the board vacated by the death of Sir W. C. Ross. There is still Sir Charles Barry's vacant seat to fill. The patent hydro-pnuematic inhaler is one of the most useful and ingenious of the inventions

now being exhibited by the Society of Arts. It is an apparatus for the local treatment of affections; for the larynx and other mucous passages of the throat, whether arising from nervous irritation, relaxation, «edema, inflammation (common or specific), or ulceration. It qonsista cf a bellows, flask, adjusting apparatus, and nozzle, by which the caustic or other medicated liquid ia aspersed, or squirted in minute drops all oyer the parts which the operator intends to attack. The advantages of such a plan are too obvious to require explanation, and the application of the apparatus to the treatment of horees Would be a useful addition to veterinary scienbe.

A meeting of the Guarantee Committee, of the Society of Arts for the Exhibition of 1862 was held at the Society's house on Tuesday, June 5, the Marquis of Salisbury, K.G., in the ohaii', when it was announced that the. sums already subscribed amounted to ££302,000. , With regard to an elspement which lately caused some scandal, the London,correspondent of the Leeds M.ercurg writes:-—" The wretched woman whose name has. been before the public in connection with an elopment with her servant, has left the man at last, and thoroughly penitent, it is said.' But the fact is most-curious as most true, that she has given him a pension of J2999 for life. I am not lawyer enough to understand if this be from any particular legal cause,"..,-.

It may be gathered from the Statistical Asbtracfc that more than .£125,000,000 have been paid as income-tax since it was re-estab-lished by the late Sir R. Peel. Her Majesty granted a free pardon to the Rev. Mr. Hatch, whose case we reported at some length in our last; and he was released from prison on the 19th of May. This course was naturally to be expected from the conyic-, tion for perjury of Eugenic Plummer, the chief witness against Mr. Hatch. Baron Channel}, who presided upon the. late trial of Eugenic Plummer, has entirely concurred in the propriety of a full pardon, upon being referred to for his opinion by the Secretary of State. [A pardon was also granted on June 3rd to Eugenic Plummer by the Queen on the condition that the child should be placed in the care of a lady selected by her friends.]

The number of bankruptcies gazetted in the first five months of the present year was 418, being, at the rate of 1005 per annum. The average of the previous 10 years was 1090 per. annum. Ia the London district 418 bankruptcies have been gazetted this year; to the close of May; in the Liverpool, 18; in the Manchester, 22; in the Birmingham, 62; in the Leeds, 44; in the Bristol, 41; in the Exeter, 22; and in the Newcastle, 14.

The 200 th anniversary of the formation of the First, or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards, was celebrated on the evening of June 16th by a sumptuous festival, held in the Banquet-hall of St. James's-palace. The company included, amongst many other distinguished personages, his Royal Highness.the Prince Consort, and his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge. The speeches, though containing nothing of real importance, appear to have been unusually 'interesting and spirited.-—The Scots Fusilier Guards kept their 200 th anniversary on June 19.

Mtf Humphrey Brown, of British Bank notoriety, died on the 6th June at his residence in Little Smith-street, Westminster.

An Act of Parliament has just been printed to amend the acts relating to marriages in England and Ireland by extending certain provisions thereof to persons professing with the Society of Friends called Quakers. It is now enacted that the marriages of Quakers may be solemnised in cases where one only or where neither of tho parties shall.be a member of the Society of Friends. The enactments now in force are to extend to every marriage' contracted under this act.

The state of the weather in England for the last two or three months has not only occasioned great alarm.as to the approaching harvest, but, in conjunction with other causes, has contributed materially to raise the price of provisions. Fearful storms have devastated our coasts, especially on Whit-Monday, when there was a terrific tempest that strewed the seaboard with wrecks, whole crews of ships perishing in many instances. Inland the high winds were severely felt; houses were unroofed, men, women, and children were thrown about at fearful risks of life, large forest trees were uprooted,, and considerable damage was done in the agricultural districts.. But still worse results are appreheuded from the incessant rains'which have laid the low lands quite under water, and, it is feared, destroyed large surfaces.of,wheat; and barley.

A new illustration of the belly and the members. In Sheffield, as in many other towns, the present high prices of butchers' meat have given rise to much dissatisfaction. The idea has often been thrown out that an abstinence from the use of such food for a short time would, in more ways thau one, be useful j but hitherto ,no combined action has taken place to effect that self-denying object. In Sheffield, however, advertisements have been inserted in the local papers on the subject, and the town is placarded with a request that the. inhabitants generally will ''discontinue the consumption, of meat until it is reduced to a reasonable price." No fewer, than 3000 workmen in : that place have publicly signified : their .determination to ; " abstain from the use of butchers' meat until there is a reasonable reduction iri tlie, price .of* it." A similar resolution was carried at ati open-air meeting held the 'other day! by the working people in the neighborhood of Bristol." :

A scheme'is reported to be on foot to raise ,£2,500,000 under a French guarantee of 5 -per cent, for the construction in this country of 10 vessels, each of about 6000 registered or 10,000 builders' tonnage, to be ultimately , employed as. a steam line, from France: to t;he,,East. One or more of the persons most connected with the disastrous management of the Great Eastern steamer are said to be engaged in the affair. Great doubts, however, will be entertained of its accomplishment, although, it may easily be conceived' that at, the present juncture the Emperor Napoleon would be glad to afford us occnpation in accelerating his naval preparations and supplying a class of vessels that might serve admirably as transports. Nothing is said about the intended stations of the proposed route, bui it may be assumed it would extend to Cochin China, and also include the new territory just ceded to the Emperor by the .King of Abyssinia. -. . ■ . A very remarkable adaption of a well-known scientific principle is submitted to public attention by the "Pneumatic Despatch Company/ who have just issued their prospectus. The proposal is to establish in the metropolis lines of " Pneumatic Tube," for the speedy circula-

tion of despatches and parcels. ' The principle has already been practically and successfully tested by the Electric and International Telegraph Company, who have for several years past connected in this way two of their subsidiary stations in the city—viz., those at Cornhill and the Stock Exchange—with their central station. This company are now extending the system to Mincing-lane, preparatory to a further extension to the London-bridge Railway terminus. ' The time occupied in each despatch is only a few seconds. The company now projected propose to undertake the transmission to of the Post-office mail bags between the chief 'office and the railways, and between the several district offices, as well as the conveyance and delivery of all kinds of parcel's, despatches, newspapers, periodicals, and books. Tbe first line is to be laid from St. Martin's-le-Grand to one of; the principal district post-offices, and will require a capital of only Jgll.OOO. It is mentioned that the plans received the special approval of the late Mr. Bobert Stephenson. The company's capital is fixed at .£250,000, but the first issue will be limited to i 525,000. The Marquis of Chandos is chairman. ,

The discovery of. a .solid green by one <of our chemists, says the Salitt Public, of Lyons, excites no little interest here. It has been tried on silks,' cottons, a,nd woollens of all kinds, with perfect success. It neither turns blue nor yellow with wear. Chinese, green, the only dye hitherto employed, which used to cost 400f. per kilo., is now selling at.lOOf., but the new green can be sold at 60f., and still leave a good profit. *

At the halfpearly meeting ofthe Peninsular and' Oriental Steam Company, Mr. B. M.\ Willcox,.M. P., in the chair, the report was adopted unanimously, and a dividend declared at the rate of 7 per cent, per annum, free of income-tax.. The principal points alluded to in the operations of the past year comprised the services the company have rendered to the Government in carrying out the expedition to China, the value of which assistance has been acknowledged by. the Government officers on the station. The application of the super-heating principle ofthe Ceylon has caused a considerable •saving in coal, a question of great importance, the annual consumption of the company; being now 300,000 ton 3 against 200,000 tons two years ago, and the cost per ton having advanced from 40s. in 1858-9 to 51s. 7d. in 1859-60. To enable the company to divide .7, per cent. j)er annum, it is stated that the earnings must equal 30s. per mile on the total mileage, of which, the subsidy^ except on the Australian service, hitherto worked at a loss, will only make up 4s. 6d. A list of the fleet shews that the company possess 62 vessels, inclusive of one steamer, building, and 8 transport, -store, and coal sailing ships, of ary aggregate capa-; city of 82,911 tons, with 17,631 horsepower.

Medical and Suegioal Aid to Garibaldi. —We'are happy to see that ; several influential inhabitants of Birmingham have taken thought for the; brave volunteers who, under the leading of the heroic Garibaldi, are now hazarding their lives for that liberty which is dearer to -them than even life itself. The individuals above alluded to have presented to, the army of liberation many valuable surgical instruments, together with great quantities of hospital stores, suoh as lint, bandages, water cushions, &c:, and highly-valuable medicines^ including opium and quinine, prepared ia a way which will render, them available for" instant use. Those ; gifts, welcome indeed to the sick and the maimed, will be trusted to the custody of an eminent army surgeon, who has served both her Majesty and the King of Sardinia. The name ofthe gentleman is purposely suppressed, that he may meet with no hindrances on his journey to Sicily. A depot for the reception of hospital requisites has been opened at Birmingham, and i the inhabitants have been earnestly requested to contribute.

It appears that during the last 17 years 3,096,590 emigrants have , quitted the United Kingdom, or, on an average, 211,564 annually. The maximum emigration in any one year was reached in 1852, and the minimum in 1843 ; the totals being 368,764 and 57,212 respectively. Last year's return embraces a total of 120,432 emigrants, a nlimber considerably below the average, but slightly in. excess of 1858. The great bulk of the etriigration has been to the United States, induced no doubt by political and family ties, and the comparative cheapness of land; but it cannot.be a matter of regret to see Canada at such' a low ebb in the emigrant market. Australia, including New Zealand, has succeeded in holding its own since the gold discoveries in 1852. It is interesting to. note the effect ofthe exodus of between 3,000,000 and 4,000,000 persons on the. home labor market; and, judging from the amount of pauperism, the results have been in the highest degree beneficial. The great bulk of the emigrants have been Irish, and pauperism has almost vanished from the emerald isle.

A very shocking accident occurred on June 4, at the mill of Messrs, Marshall and Sons,, paper manufacturers^ near Sheffield, resulting in the immediate death of Catherine Rebecca Marshall, aged 17 years, eldest daughter of the senior partner of the firm. The deceased and a young woman named Hogue were employed alone in the glazing mill, the forriier to put the paper between the glazing rollers, and the latter to take it, off again. The rollers were turned'by a shaft which is about six inches in diameter, and two feet from the floor, and which ordinarily, i-evolve's; from 14 to 20 times per. minute. Before they began to; glaze deceased took up an oil-can and proceeded to oil the shaft. She wore an extensive crinoline, which pushed her dress closely against the unprotected shaft, as she leaned forward to put on the oil. Her skirts wrapped round the shaft,, and she screamed to her companion for assistance. Hogjie, endeavored to pull her off, but in vain, and then ran to get the machiriery; stoppedl , Several minutes,elapsed before this could be accomplished, and in the meantime, the poor girl was whirled round by the shaft upwards of 50 times, the back of her head being dashed every revolution violently against the projecting corner of an iron plate fixed in the floor. When released, Miss Marshall, was quite dead, the back pf her head being beaten into a perfectly pulpy state. At the inquest held on the body a verdict of " Accidental death" wasre r corded; but both the coroner and jury expressed a strong opinion as to the extreme impropriety of girls wearing crinoline in mills, and the danger of leaving the shaft in question unprotected.

The registrar-general for Scotland has issued his May report for the eight principal towns, and has to give a very unfavorable account of the public health. Ofthe population of those towns, now estimated at 908,146, no less than 2168 persona died iri May, the greatest number of deaths he has registered in- May since-the registration Commenced, and more by 439 than, May of last year. As the diseases in which the increase is most apparent are those influenced by atmospheric changes, he attributes this high mortality to the effect of the severe winter and spring, many of those who had been affected during the earlier months sinking at last when the warm weather set in.

Yankee DooDLE.-^Let Mr, Bull, who seems to be growing old and shaky about his pins, keep his five-pound notes—we are rich enough to do without them. We did not really want his money, but simply desired to let him know that we could whip him in a matter of muscle as well as in yachts, clipper ships, steamboats, indiarubber shoes, and other things, city railways, sewing machines, the electric telegraph, reading machines, and unpickable bank locks- That's all, Mr. Bull. You have been whipped again. We have been regularly at war with you twice, and have whipped ypu both times. The last war turned out in the same way as the Heenan and Sayersfight—you claimed a draw, and we let it go at that. It will be quite idle for the English to deny now either of these propositions—first, that the British lion has been whipped, and that the American eagle has a right to scream like: half a dozen locomotives; the poor old lion, the bully\pho has been roaming up and down the earth for so many years, roaring at everybody, may go away in some secluded corner and suck his bruised paws, while all continental Europe laughs at him* and Is glad -that the United States has done it. Tell a Frenchman or a German that an American can hit harder and quicker than any Englishman, and the British Lion's stock goes down a hundred per cent. Altogether the poor old lion has come out of the matter so. shamefully, he, has 1 been whipped so badly, and has behaved so shabbily, that we really pity him. i Poor old boy! Between the Manchester men and the Emperor of the French, his claws have been filed off as smoothly as a lady's finger nail, and his teeth are sadly in #ant of a first-rate American dentist, • As for the lion of Albion, let him roar* more modestly when his paw get well. The old fellow is only Bully.Bottom after all. .We suggest that he should be permanently attached to the Tribune office, and fed 'upon vegetables for the remainder of his days. It will not be safe for him to lie down with a lamb of ordinary pluck now^^Netoytorlc Times. , •---■.". , ' ;