LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 5, Issue 224, 28 February 1861, Page 3

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

/Resident Magistrate’s Court. —The following cases have been decided :—Feb. 11. Hugh McMahon v. Rob. Daniell, petty larceny' a pair of razors having been stolen from the plaintiff; Daniell was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with hard labour. 12th. A. Green y. Thos. Connolly, debt, 81 Os Bd, judgment given for [77 10s. 16th. The Queen v. Albert Win. Fdk. Henry Geo. Whitaker, on a charge of larceny; Whitaker was accused of having stolen and absconded with certain property belonging to Walter Redpath; he was brought back from Queensland, and was. this day committed for trial at the next District Court. 20th. Geo. Walker v. Chas. Vincent, debt,-2f 14s 6d, judgment against defendant. 21st. Ferrier Lockhart v. John McGregor; this was a case of affiliation, and an allowance of 10s per week was ordered for the support of the child. 25th. Gray and Rankin v. Geo. Grey (native), Tutiki, debt, 5 1 14 s lid, ju.dg-

ment confessed ; Wirihana v. Tlios. Conway, debt, 21 judgment for 10s. 2(ith. Thos. Handley v. Paora Epilia, 8 1 15s, judgment confessed.

Brunswick. Boat). —On Monday, 13th inst., a meeting of rate-payers for the Brunswick line of road was held at Mr. J. M. Richards’, Mr. Bryce in the chair. After some remarks from Mr. G.'/Roberts and Mr. Cunn aba 11 as to how the proposed rate should be expended, and Mr: Roberts having pledged himself to adopt the views of the ratepayers; it was proposed by Mr. J. Murray and seconded by Mr. Charles Vincent, That a rate of two pence per. acre be now imposed. Carried unanimously. Proposed by Mr. Cunnabell, Seconded by Mr. Campbell—That the sum of fifty pounds, be expended beyond Mr. Newport’s upper house and the residue upon the lower portion of the road, but should the Governtherit (as 'anticipated) "give two-thirds of the rate levied, then seventy-five pounds shall be so expended. Carried unanimously. The meeting which was well attended then separated.

River Bank Road. —A meeting of Ratepayers for the River Bank Road was held at Mr. J. Walker’s, on Monday, 18th February, at 12 noon, pursuant to notice. Mr. Thomas Kells in the Chair. When the following resolutions were unanimously carried. Proposed by Mr. C. Vincent. Seconded by T. D. Jones. That a rate of four pence per acre he levied upon all lands rateable for the River Bank Road, having for its object the bridging of the Doctor’s Creek, and making the road practicable to Capt. Smith’s. Proposed by Mr. Field. Seconded by T. IX Jones. That this meeting hereby request the Board immediately to take s f eps for procuring a further rate, whereby the River Bank Road may be extended to the extremity of the district. The meeting which was a very cordial one separated,* after being liberally entertained by Mr. Walker.

The Wangaehu. —The flood which carried away the Wangaehu bridge on the 13th being one of a very unusual kind, demands.a further notice in our columns. We: may inform our readers that the JPangaeliu river takes its rise from the crater of the Ruapehu, the snowy mountain which forms the most conspicuous object of our landscape, being upwards of 10,00 G feet high. /Pushing from its source! along a snowy plain, it falls over a perpendicular precipice into a chasm fully 2000 feet deep. The upper part of this huge wall is a solid mass of ice and snow. The Wangaehu,j even there, is a strong stream, of a milk-white; color, being, in fact, diluted sulphuric acid. It is most probable that the long continuance of hot weather caused a large portion of this cliff to be detached, of sufficient hulk to arrest the course of the river, and form- a temporary which gradually rose in height, until its barriers, no longer able to resist the pressure, gave way, when the whole volume of water rushed along with immense impetuosity, carrying large blocks of ice and snow with it, and all the timber it met with in its course. The river rose fully 12 feet, overflowed the hanks, and deposited large quantities of these debris ! along its entire course, until it reached the [bridge. There tho accumulation was so great | that it could not withstand the pressure, and I with a loud crash it was swept away. A man [passed over just as it was parting asunder; [the floor of the bridge appeared gradually to [rise, he rushed over, and the next instant it J was gone. The flood came down about six in j the morning, and by one o’clock began to subside, leaving large masses of ice, snow, timber, j and mud filled with crystals of ice on its ■hanks. The day being intensely hot, these :heaps produced a vapour which appeared like j smoke. 2'lie lumps of ice were remarkably i compact and heavy, and in such quantities as not to. be entirely melted away four or five days afterwards, presenting a singular appearance in this unusually hot season. The distance of the mountain even as the bird flies, is more than fifty miles, and allowing for the tortuous course of the river, it is fully a hundred miles. .

! We understand that it is proposed to repair ; the bridge lately destroyed so that it may be considerably stronger than before, by making| only one strong pier in'*the centre of the parti that was carried away, and having a span of 75 feet on each side of it. A. gentleman who] [happened to see on the beach the piles that were carried away, informs us that the depth! to which they have been driven seems only toj have been about three feet, instead of six feet! according to the contract. Care would need! to he taken that a proper depth is reached; with those that are to form the new pier. Men| have been employed for some days in trying: to clear away the debris above the bridge, but have done little. Their slow progress suggests! the question, whether the large trees now; buried in the silt and entangled together, if allowed to lie where they are, would not act as a sort of breakwater to the bridge, and at the same time tend to keep the river in its present channel, which is a good one. Complaints have been made as to the exorbitant charges made by the Maori ferryman for goods, to the crossing of which besides lie gives very little assistance, and a petition is 'now in course of signature to the Superintendent for the appointment of Mr. Arclid. Cameron as ferryman. Such an appointment would be a vast convenience to travellers and draymen during the six months that may be. expected to elapse before the- bridge is completed. : When the flood came down the part of the river above the bridge presented a very singu lar appearance; It was entirely covered with ice and trees, so that a person of some agility might have crossed over it with as much safety as Mrs. Stowe’s i?iiza over the Ohio. Fire.— The house of the Rev. Mr. Nicholls in the Victoria rteenue, was unfortunately

burned down yesterday forenoon; The fire broke out about 11 o’clock, having been communicated to the,upper floor through a crack (caused ,it is said by the last earthquake) in the chimney flue, and in'little more than lialf-au-hour only the two chiranies remained to show that a house had stood -on,the site Although so little time was allowed the whole of the furniture and the wihdifw saslies on the ground floor were saved- by the active assistance of neighbours, but there was no possibility of removing any article from the upper flat. The fire was fanned by the high wind blowing, and had.. the? house, not stood at a considerable distance from any other it is most likely there would have been more extensive- damage sustained. .jiTlie house which might be wortli about «£tfc'o, belonged, we believe, to the Industrial School Trustees, and Mr. Nicholls was about to remove from it to another residence:*frqs&ihome at the time, .and he. only arrived when the flames had spread over- the. whole tenement. We have before called attention to the want of water at this part of tliq town, and shewn how easily it might be provided ; but we suppose a house will need to be burned down with a bishop inside before any attempt is made to obtain a supply. .At least there might in the mean time be'fire ladders of the best kind made. to save human life in such cases. Had this fire broken out during the night with the family in bed up stairs, it is most likely that some lives would have been lost.

Volunteer Rifles.— The appointment of Mr. William Kells to be Aieuteuant in No. 4 Company of Wanganui Volunteers was announced in a late Gazette. - =

The supply of ammunition for practice has again run short, and notwithstanding the urgent requests of Major Cooper for an ample supply the Volunteers must wait patiently till more arrives. ' Considering, that- a large number of our Volunteeis have, not yet been furnished with liflesi and that those who have rifles have no ammunition for practice it might be desirable to ..represent to Government the propriety of postponing the day fixed ou for shooting for the Government prizes. Major Cooper we think deserves the thanks of the volunteers for the ample leave of absence he has given them during the harvest season. ... The Harvest. —The crops in this and the neighbouring districts may be said to be all cut down, a considerable part has been threshed out* still more stacked in good condition and but little remains on the field in the stook. So far as we have ascertained what has been threshed in the neighbourhood proves the injury sustained from the hurricane in the beginning of last month to have been nearly as. great as was anticipated, In many G-ases the yield isonly; 10 : ; io 12 bushels of wheat per -acre,, where 30 r to 35 might have been expected, and in few fields does it come up to 20- bushels. The grain is shrivelled up in some instances and has - been shaken out in others. The reaping has been completed very quickly,; and' the settlers round Wanganui have been greatly aided in this operatiou by the soldiers, who did the work at 255. per acre. In the outlying- districts maoris were employed at 20s. per acre ; although we have heard of one settler who have paid: them 30s. There has been only one reaping machine in operation, one of' Burgess aind" Ke y’s, used by Mr. Wilson of Taranaki, which after having been made stronger in some of its parts didthe work remarkably well, cutting down with great ease 10 to 12 acres per day. The constant need for repairing the, machines hitherto tried here has been much against their use ; but if made strong enough, they would no doubt be found of great advantage gin this variable climate. The weather this year during the last six weeks has been remarkably favourable for • getting in the' crops in good condition.

The Natives. —A party of natives belonging to the JVgatiwhakaue tribe, on the east coast, arrived here a few days since, and have gone down to Otaki to the great korerethat is being held there respecting the hoisting of the King flag on the 12th March They are strong government men, and will do what they can to aid the chiefs at Otaki in resisting i the wishes of the common class (profanwn vulgus), who alone, and principally it is supposed, to show how little influence or authority; [the chiefs have over them, are desirous of [raising the flag. These east coast natives, on. jtlieir way across the island, have done theirj 'best to counteract the influence of the Waikato [emissaries. They bring the report that Wra.j [Thompson, whose late espousal of the Waitara; 'quarrel no doubt increased the number of our Waikato foes there, has become doubtful of the propriety of his proceedings, and intends [going to Waitara in a month to recall the men of his tribe. His reason is, that their mingling jin the fray appears to give the Governor reaIson to'proceed against the Waikatos in a body, junder cover of their having first, without ■ cause, attacked him ; and it puts the King, iinovement in a false position. The King i movement is intended te be peaceful, but tins 'joining with Wi Kingi makes it appear as in’volving aotive opposition to the Governor. The Waikato warriors are therefore to be withdrawn; then the King’s flag is to be hoisted on the various parts of the island over which the Kingites have control; and if the Governor proceeds to cut down these flags, it will be seen that a war of races is intended, and the Maoris must everywhere, fight or become the Pukeha ? s slave.

From, intelligence that came into town yesterday afternoon, by way 6f the river and also down, the coast, it would appear that there lias been, some more fighting. .The. natives who bring the news by the coast left Waitara last Saturday, and their report is, that one day last week there w#e a.'lengthened fight : near t

Pukerangiora, which resulted iu our men being driven back wilh considerable loss, and that on the following morning a party of soldiers went to the north side of the Waitara, and surprised and put to flight a party ,of Maoris, who however, being reinforced, returned to the fight, and succeeded in repulsing our troop 3. They also state -that an attack has been made by a body of our troops on their encampment at Waireka, from which the Maoris were driven, but they recovered from their confusion, and succeeded iu recapturing the position, which they still hold. The upper river natives state, that at the instigation of one of their chiefs, Nfrarupiki, an attack was made simultaneously on three redoubts, and that the .Maoris were not successful. Ngarupiki was reported killed or fatally wounded All that can be gathered'from these reports is, the likelihood of the.Maofis having been twice worsted at JFaitnra-, and having'been'driven from their stronghold at Waireka. We shall most probably receive authentic intelligence ‘ by the Tyne, or at latest on Sunday evening or Monday morning.

WELLINGTON. (From our own Correspondent.) Feb. 25, 1861. I .was sorry that I was misled in stating that the master of the John Bunyan was the same Allan, our old favourite, who so ably commanded the Tor.l Wiliiam Bentinck and Cluntarf; they are no connection even. The master has been committed for manslaughter, some of the men for piracy, and others for broaching cargo; as the criminal sittings of the •Supreme Court takes place next Friday, 1 forbear making any remarks on‘this painful case. The Canterbury races are over, and as usual the iVelson horses have carried all the plums, and heat them hollow ; E. J. /Takefield’s horses lost every race, and report says that this worthy has dropped a pretty good pile, as he was booking heavy; he appeared on the racecourse in his full uniform as captain of the Wellington yeomanry. Mr. IV. was insane enough to oppose Mr. Hall ut Heathcote for the General Assembly, when he was beaten by 94 to 35. Mr. W.’s conduct has been severely animadverted upon by the Lyttelton Times ; they describe him as an “ adventurer,” and political mountebank. Wakefield writes Mr. Crosbie Ward, as editor, and as “a Christian on a. •S'unday morning,” to retract the charges. In reply Mr. Ward reiterates them, and also adds that he is politically dishonest. It is certainly rich Wakefield hinting, in his address to the electors, that was it not for the continued illness of his father he would become a Canterbury settler. Moorhouse, Superintendent, has been defeated by White (who is a provincialist) at Altaroa. Our election for Superintendent takes place next Saturday ; no opposing candidate in the: field ; and from what the renegade Dick, editor! of Bowler’s Advertiser, says, it appears the' Doctor will walk the course. Saturday’s! leader was about the lamest excuse I have; heard, when it states, that owing to the great! excitement at the police court of the John; Bunyan mutiny (which is not the case), the radicals have neglected starting a man of their own; certainly, the writer of the article must have been fuddled. \ By the Airedale, Dr. Knight, Auditor; General, has returned from Otago ; it seems he was awfully puzzled with Macandrew’s; accounts ;• it lias not yet transpired what the : nature of his report to the Governor will be. j Gillies and Kettle are the two members re-! turned for the county of Bruce. Mucandrew: stands a good chance of again being elected: Superintendent. I rejoice to tell you that one! of the ministers, Mr. Weld, has been defeated 1 at. the Wairau by a majority of three ; when | the result was known he took it much to heart,! and was raving like a maniac he has bolted! like a shot for the Cheviot county, to oppose! Hunter Brown. This election has been kept j back on purpose for Weld by the •Stafford ministry, and is about the- dirtiest trick they have yet played. Mr. Brown saw all his constituents, and considering his seat perfectly safe, left for Auckland to get married ; this,! like many other acts, will recoil upon them! yet. It is now asceitained that all our great! war meetings held at Wellington and the' 7/utt were got up. at the suggestion.of-place-i !man Weld, who wrote to Ludhim, stating that! lit would strengthen the hands of the ministry! !greatly if a vote of censure could be passed on| J the three F’s by their respective constituencies..! ! The Weilingtonians are charmed at Cooper’s } being bunged up in the north, thus being deprived of putting a stave in for his benefactor Stafford. When the last mail left Napier the poll was not closed, but it was understood that Colenzo would be elected by a small majority, and that also Ormond stood a better chance than Rhodes. A good dodge was practised at Clive , the returning officer fixed (he nomination on the day of the races; this Rhodes objected to, on the ground that it would give his opponent a great advantage, he being a great gun, and instrumental in getting this popular sport up ; the consequence was, the nomination day was altered, but Ormond’s friends, not to be done, arranged with the race committee to fix the races again on the election day. E. J. JFAKEF/ELD A T TYTTELTON.

We have been astonished during the past two days by an announcement for which our experience of past years ought to have prepared us, but which, nevertheless, we were far from expecting. Mr. E. Wakefield the other day a beaten candidate for the representation, of a Wellington constituency in the House,of Representatives, arrived here by the Airedale, ostensibly as a visitor to the races; a weejj after his arrival he offers himself as a candidate

for the Heatlicote district, wliose election takes place in three or four days, and he assumes immediately the character of a Canterbury settler. Mr. Wakefield is a well’known man. He was at one time known pretty well in Canterbury. He lias since been better known in Wellington. As a sportsman, as a politician as a general adventurer, and as everything but a settler, lie has made himself during twenty years, a. very well-known, nian throughout New ’ Zealand. We will not allude to his reputation in other departments, but as. a politician those who know him- best trust iiiiu< Heatlicote electors—those of them at ieast who have been in the country for the past four or-five years —know- as -much about Mr. Wakefield as we can. tell them, and. wid be as loath that he should sit in.the Assembly to represent, them!, as they would be to letuui. a man pledged to support views quite contrary to their own. But some of the electors, whose arrival in the country has been of later date, may need to. be informed that Mr. Wakefield, when he was a .member for*the Christchurch country district in 1854, acted and voted so as to bring down upon himself the almost unanimous disapproval of his const!--tuents. His talents as a canvasser amhelectioneering agent are indisputable, but it has? been the case from 1854 downwards, that, when his efforts have been successful, and the candidate has merged into the representative, his hustings.professions have been heard of- no < more, and the constituency which returned. , him lias deeply repented its choice. Enthusiastic elections —-and there have been man} where Mr. Wakefield has appeared as the

“ working man’s friend,” and in numerous. other popular characters, have been invariably followed by carelessness on, the one .side and dissatisfaction, on the other, till, the .-ability.of the man has been utterly foi gottendm. the disgrace and contempt which have attached to his name as a- politician. The. well-known story has beeii enacted, several times, and will be so again without a doubt, should lie cliance to gain this election. He will leave the province, he heard of only -as doing what his constituents object to, accumulate odium which he dare not face, then disappear altogether for a period into some other phase of" existence, land after a time turn up iu some new spot, jcanvassing as briskly as ever. We hoped that Canterbury had got rid of this political mountebank. There are men enough among her own residents to represent, her, without bringing in a man of alien sympathies, and one defeated in' that place where - he had a congenial party backing him. 7he Heatlicote district lias not. yet come to be a. refuge for the destitute, nor have its electors ceased to care altogether who represents them, j Tlie electors will not he - beguiled by Mr. j Wakefu l i’s addr«ss, wb ch he has constructed las nearly as possible to the pattern winch ha jknows will suit those, whom,, he addresses, j His sentiments are very good, if not quite j accurate as to facts. But there is no depenI deuce to be placed on them. — Lyttelton limes,.

HA JFKE’S BAY. A petition to the Hun e of Representatives is in course of signature, praying the House To appoint'a committee of enquiry to* examine and report on the past proceedings ami present position of the u flairs of the Province with a view to a radical change, provided—as alleged by your petitioners, ami which they desire an opportunity of proving—the j resent system has failed to fulfil the just expectations !,f many of the settlers, but has, on the contrary, brought the affairs of the province to supension and impending ruin.” The causes of the impending ruin- are said to be “ the grossest mismanagement and the neglect of the most ordinary rules of financial administration.” Large sums have been thrown away oil public works, some of doubtful utility and others of too great magnitude for the financial resources of the province. Salaries have been paid to officials who might have been dispensed with. AnA the whole of the most valuable land lias been sold, so that the income from that source must be henceforth comparatively insignificant

! The Council met on the 29th January. . The Superintendent made some slight explanations as to the deficiency at the close of the !year of .£4OOO, and stated that the enforcejment of the A r ative-Land Purchase Ordinance jwas not to be further persisted in until Capt. Morrison’s case w-as heard before the Supreme. Court and the Native war wat ended.

iVELNON. The Gold Fields. —We have been shown a beautiful sample of gold obtained by the Colliturwood Gold Mining Company from a quartz reef within their claim. When the gold had been discovered in situ a small quantity of quartz was broken from the reef, and four ounces six pennyweights of gold.were thus obtained. A piece of the quartz broken from the reef, and four ounces six pennyweights of gold were thus obtained. A piece of the quartz broken from tlie reef, and which weighed about twenty eight pounds, was forwarded to Mr. Gibbs, at the Parapara, for the purpose of having it properly crushed, and the probable average yield of the reef ascertained.

How to Keep Butter Fresh fur Months. — A correspondent sends us the following receipt :—7'he best way of keeping butter I have ever met with, is make a brine that will float jin egg, and. then. place each pound of butter-, wrapped separately in a piece of muslin or thin cloth, into this brine. By this method butter will keep for months, and is scarcely to be distinguished from fresh made butter. The butter must he kept under the brine. As I have tried this method [ can speak kb W its efficiency.— Colonist,

Scotland and the Great Exhibition of 1862—-We are glad to learn that the international exhibition of 1862 is certain to be vn fait accompli, since the .guarantee fund of £250,000 is already considerably exceeded. The Scottish guaranteeers are :—Messrs. Chantlos W. //oskyns, Ross, £500; Lyon Playfair, C. 8., Edinburgh, £2OO ; John Wilson, F.R.S.E., £300; Robert Napier, Glasgow, £2OOO ; Walter McFarlane, Glasgow, £IOO ; R.R, aud 7’. Brown, Glasgow, £200; Wm. Stirling and Son, Glasgow, £500; P. Lawson and Co., Edinburgh, £IOOO ; Richardson Brothers, Edinburgh, £250. Edinburgh Cowant. Rise in the Rent of Land. —The extensive and fine farm of f/owell, the property of the Earl of Selkirk, one of the finest possessions in the south of Scotland, and remarkable for the fattening quality of its pasture land, has been let at the rent of £ISOO per annum. This involves a rise of about 50 per cent, upon the present rental.— Dumfries Courier. Several large firm- hav& l eeu le' near Auchterarder at a rise of from 30 to 80 per cent. Coal Mines.- The report for 1859 has been published. The quantity of coals put out is 10,800,000 tons ; and there have been 83 fatal accidents, causing the death of 90 persons. Edinburgh University. —At the statutory half yearly meeting of the General Council of the University, held on the 25th October, motions were passed advocating the having a representative in Parliament for each of the two universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and one for Aberdeen and St. Andrews, the appointment of a chair of Political Economy in the University, and the importance of an Entrance Examination on the subjects which form the studies of the first year of an Arts Curriculum. Turkish Finance. —The total revenue of the Ottoman Government for the financial year 1276 of the Hegira, which began in March 1860 of the Christian era, may be estimated at about 11,380,0002. The expenditure, on the other hand, was set down at 13,412,0002. There would, therefore, be an excess of expenditure over income of 2,031,8002. The revenue has of late years been steadily increasing, and by an improvement in the mode of collection a still larger augmentation of its amount might be easily effected. If, therefoie, the Government could but reduce its expenditure by something like the amount of the above deficit, the finances of the country might soon be placed on a satisfactory footing. This, but for an element to which I am about to advert, might appear the merest truism. Nearly the whole of the Government employes, civil and military, are, however, in orrear of pay, and no inconsiderable portion of next year’s revenue has been anticipated. It is, too, more than probable that the army estimates, although larger than those of ordinary years, will be inadequate to meet the increased outlay occasioned by the civil war in Sjria. To square the account, a loan, sufficient in amount to place some 8,000,0002 at the actual disposal of the state, would appear to me indispensable. An increase of revenue larger than would suffice to pay the interest of such

loan might safely and without imprudence be reckoned upon for next year. This, too, with only a moderate amount of mismanagement on the part of ministers, would not fail to assume larger proportions year by year. In order to look the deficit of the current year in the face, ministers have, at the instigation of the finance

commission, decided upon certain retrench-

jnents, by virtue of which tbe lialance of re ceipts and expenditure would not remain a - very heavy one on the wrong side of tbe account. These retrenchments the govern* ' jnent believes it can make from the revenue of the current year. . They would therefore be more accurately described as reductions of the estimates originally stated. The following are a few of the more prominent items First and foremost, the Sultan has consented to reduce the allowance for his civil list of about 1,385, OOOJ, by 386,800£. The army estimates, in-

eluding those of the ordnance, amounted to 4,758,0002; these it is proposed to reduce by 708,8002. Again, the requirements for the department of the minister of marine, esti mated at 893,2002, are to suffer a diminution of 234,1002. Greater or less deductions will also be made from nearly all the sums demanded for the service of the various other departments, and a considerable saving will be effected by a diminution of the amount heretofore annually dedicated to the religious ceremonies at Mecca, and which fell but little short of half a million sterling. By these means an economy of 1,649,10002 is to be practised, and the deficit reduced from 2,031, 8002 to 382,7002. —•Letter from Constantinople." Freemasons in Turkey. —Although freemasonry has for more than thirty years been generally supposed to exist among the Mohammedans, and traces of it were found in 7’uvkey by the .Russian officers after the campaign of 1829, yet they were too slight to prove the fact; and it is cnly within the few last years that it has been satisfactorily demonstrated by a German freemason chancing to pass through Belgrade, where he discovered a masonic lodge, to which he was invited, and where he received a hospitable reception. It appears now to be proved beyond all doubt that the Turkish brothers, who exercise their masonic duties under the name of dervishes, are to all intents and purposes the same as our own order of freemasons, with biit very little difference in their customs and ceremonies, and making use of exactly the same signs, words, and grips to recognize each other. The Turkish, freemasons appear to be in a more elevated" state of civilization than is usual among the Orientals generally; their views of religion are far higher than those imposed by Islamism ; they reject polygamy, contenting themselves irith one single wife, and at the masonic ban-

quets the women appear unveiled- —a striking proof of the mutual confidence the masonic brethren repose in each other. The Belgrade lodge, called Alikotsch, is composed of about, seventy members. The Master of the lodge, whose name is Pjani Ismael Zsholak Mohamed Saede; is at the same time Grand Master of all the lodges in European Turkey, and is directly connected with all those of the whole of the Ottoman empire, Arabia, and Persia, in which latter the freemasons -amount to more than 50,000 members. In Constantinople there are no less than nine lodges, the most numerous and important of which is that of the dancing dervishes, called Sirkedshi Teckar. The Tnrkish freemasons wear as a symbol of the brotherhood, besides a small brown shawl embroidered with mystical figures, a flat polished twelve-cornered piece of' white marble, with reddish brown spots, about two inches in diameter, suspended by a white silken cord about the neck. These spots represent drops of blood, and are symbolic of the death of Ali, the founder of the order in Turkey, who was barbarously put to death by the then Sultan for refusing to reveal the' secrets. The above-mentioned Djani Ismael, Grand Master of the lodge of Belgrade, a venerable Turk of the old school, is honorary member of the lodge of “ Baldwin under the Lime tree,” at Leipzic, several members of which lodge have received diplomas from the Alikotsch at Belgrade.—Daily News. The Future.— Dr. Cumming is not the only divine that has faith in his own conclusions regarding the future history of the world. He has rivals in the Roman Catholic church. A work has lately been published in Brussels, entitled “ L’Avenir,” in which are collected some of the most remarkable revelations by the saints of that church from the 12th century to the present time. The more modern of these unveilings of the future are the more definite. As an instance we give one of the latest, a product of Belgium, which the editor of “ L’Avenir ” says has been in his possession three years, and has been known for many years by persons worthy of confidence : “ Louis Philippe shall fall, and there shall be a Republic at Paris, After his fall, before the expiration of a year, there shall be a civil war at Paris, between those who have no property and those who have. “ At the same time there shall be a war against the Austrians, and in this war, Charles /Albert, King of /Sardinia, shall twice lose his crown, and the last time his life, on the frontiers of Spain. w The Pope shall be banished from Rome, and he shall be re-established by iVapoleon, who shall be Emperor, but his empire shall not be long, for when he shall begin to afflict the Vope and the Son of Judah, then God shall send fiery arrows against him and bis. “ But before all this, there shall be a war of the English and the French against the Russians to defend the Turkish Empire; nevertheless, the Russians shall be defeated in the first war. But there has been a second war, in which the Russians shall take Constantinople, and the Austrians Jerusalem. Then the Russians shall encamp in Piedmont, and the king Victor Emmanuel shall have lost his kingdom, and become a Russian general. Sovereigns shall invade France, desolated by civil war, but they shall not reach Paris before it shall have been destroyed by fixe. Before that, there shall have been in Paris famine, the plague, and civil war. ** Then Henry the Fifth shall be king of France, and he shall leave the island of his captivity.

“ Then England shall become Catholic, and also two German sovereigns. “ Antichrist shall he born in the year 1856. “ Fifteen years after the destruction of Paris, the great peace of the Church and of Europe shall be troubled by the Russians, who shall come to Westphalia; but the Sovereigns of France, Austria, and Germany shall give battle to the Russians, and this battle shall last three days, between Minden, Holtum, and West. After these days there shall be ade cisive combat on a hill called the Bouleau, and the .Russians shall be defeated. “ Then France and the other European countries shall no longer be Christian. The Bourbons shall become extinct in France. The Jews shall become Christians. The great cities shall be destroyed. Antichrist will begin to make himself known. « But the last age has commenced. God contends for the ‘ two righteous ;’ but the man of £in is the conqueror ; then God burns the World.”

The 2Vew United States President.— Mr. Abraham Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1808, in the county of Hardin, Kentucky. At eight years old, after the death of his father, he was removed to what is now /Spencer , county, Indiana, where “ young Lincoln ” learnt more about the rifle than law or politics. AX the age of twenty-one he removed to the state of Illinois. The first year he passed in Macon county, in bard labour upon a farm, where he and a fellow-labourer, in the year 1830, split 3000 rails.” He was captain of a company of volunteers in the Black-hawk war. After the conclusion of the war Mr. Rincolnp practised surveying. This business being ruined , by the financial crash of 1837, he directeiVhis i attention to the study of law, and became very , distinguished as an advocate. In his youth he was “ the swiftest runner, the best jumper, and the strongest wrestler among his fellows,” and his manhood has not discredited his youth. Mr. Lincoln’s frame is’ gaunt and wiry; he stands 6 ft. 4 in his stockings ; his arms are described aS long, and his 1 lower limbs as not disproportioned to bis body. He walks firmly, but never briskly, with his head inclined forward and his hands clasped behind his back. ( He isn’t fashionable, but he is clean; and . though he is cureless he is uot a sloven. It is

supposed, that he doesn’t owe anybody a dollar, being very -jgautious>> iavfliQney matters. He loves a good dinner, and he eats with the appetitp (we don’t know whether it is large or small) which goes with a groat brain.. It is interesting to know that his food is plain and nutritious; but he never drinks intoxicating liquors—-not even a glass of wine. He doesn’t use tobacco at all; he neither “ chaw3 5 ’ nor smokes, nor, we believe, “ snuffsnobody ever accused him of a licentious act, and he never uses profane language; only a friend says he -was once overheard saying, “ They shan’t do it, d—n ’em.” His bitterest feelings, however, never carry him beyond that. We forgot to mention that he is not handsome; he has dark grey eyes ; black hair, thin and wiry ; his head sits well on his shoulders, but beyond that defies description—perhaps there are too manyfljbumps. “ His. manner before.a popular asseipjly” is apparently like that of Mr. P. Bedford’.for " when he desires to make a point ” h'a “produces a shrug of the shoulders and elevation df the eyebrows, a depression of bis month, and a general malformation of countenance so comically awkward that it never fails to Miring down the house.’ If something of this : kind - were introduced into our house of representatives, it might relieve the tedium of honorable members. Mr. Lincoln’s chief, recommendation in the eyes of Englishmen will be that he is strongly opposed to slavery. jVot that lie is so much an abolitionist as an ultimate extinctionist; he has not the burning hatred of it which distinguished Clarkson and Wilberforce, Buxton and Brougham ; he is no advocate for spending millions of money and ruining thousands of his fellow-citizens, to free his country from the reproach of allowing man- to be the ehattel of his fellow-man ; he hopes to cure this weakness in the constitution of . his country by the simple process of doing nothing which shall add thereto, and doing everything which shall prevent its spread ; so . that, at last, having nothing whereon to feed itself, it may die out altogether. He sees a radical inferiority in the African race, which must ever preclude them from being socially aud politically the equals of the white men ; he would not make negroes voters or jurors; he would not qualify them to hold office ; he would not permit them intermarriage with white people ; he would allow them simply the rights of “ life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The 4 honesty’ of “ Old Uncle Abe” is clearly exhibited in his speech -delivered Jan. 12th, 1848, in the house of Representatives, upon the question of the war with Mex ico ; when he argued that the true boundary between Texas and Mexico was the uninhabited country between the western bank of the Neuces and the eastern bank" of the Rio Grande, and that General Taylor was ordered “ into the midst of a peaceful Mexican settlement purposely to bring on a war.” We feel as we read that he iiere .speaks not as the partisan but as the upright man Of honour, who prefers that his country should be famous rather for justice than for power, for firmness and moderation, than for impetuosity and ambition.

The Bachelor Judge or the Divorce Court. —A very wise act it was in her Majesty to appoint an unmarried man to the judgeship of the Court of Probate and Di vorce. We will answer for it that the Queen, with her enlarged experience, matured judgment, and sound common sense, did not fill up the post thus by mere accident. Sir Cresswell Cresswell is a free man, untrammelled by those cares and vexations, those delights and dalliances, which would be likely to warp and distort his judgment. He has no ugly prejudices, no reminiscences, pleasant or unpleasant, to stand in the way of equitable decisions. He has no dread of a curtain lecture at night fqr dealing heavily during the day with some erring one who might i have attracted his wife’s pity. Besides, a judge who has just left a scolding wife, depend upon it, does not assume composure with his wig. He would assuredly deal roundly with any such vixen whose conduct came immediately under his adjudication, “In the reigus of the Tudors,” it is said, “ the judges of the assize rose over hill and marsh, armed to the teeth, from Carlisle to Newcastle, and avenged themselves for their fears and fatigues by the summary execution of whole batches of suspected malefactors.” What could be more-natu-ral? And might not a judge of the Divorce Court, who at the best is but a mortal man, after enduring a battery of hard words from his wife at breakfast, revenge himself on the same day by making havoc of some virtuous shrew who had yielded to no infirmity beyond the veniaL feminine one of an excitable tem--perameut. and- aj A fisry -.tongue;- and..sending forth her pteroenta -like winged arrows rather too' briskly.' .Socrates no doubt was a model husband; but would you have ventured to placer him in Sxr Cresswell Cresswell’s seat earwigging from Xantip- ; pe ? Or, take the more agreeable side of the question. View humau nature .in its more amiable aspect. Suppose the judge to be some Sir Coddle Coddle.. He regards his wife as an angel clothed in flesh,, blood, and. crinoline, i/e never leaves her in the morning without a kiss, and an earnest request from her that jie will be careful of bis, health. She assists him as he puts on his overcoat, ties a muffler round his neck with her own dear hands, and sees him safe in his carriage. Why, that man would be of a more than human type if -he could act-as an impartial judge. He would imagine that all wives were ducks like, his own, and he would avenge himsqlf onjh'e^rakes.-whp,might be innocent and;harmless.;:' It is said that the whole, creation of married men may be logically divided into, two classes, the hen-pecked and the wheedle-pecked. Xow, >as a judge of the Divorce Court, if married, must come ufider

one or other of these categories, it follows as a logical conclusion that his perception would be clouded and his faculty of judgment distorted, when he ought to be administering evenhanded justice. ; Then, with what a feeling of self-compla-cency will Sir Cresswell regard the cases that pass through his court., Our present Judge Ordinary must be a happy man as he beholds the miseries of married life passing like gloomy phantoms in rev.iew before him from day to day. He sees at a distance the raging of domestic storms, and he hears the artillery of matrimonial warfare as be sits on his eminence of state, undistracted and unbiassed. . Then follow him to his own mansion after the busi* ness of the day. Will he not eat his dinner with peculiar relish, and sip his claret afterwards with’ the suave mart magno feeling of the poet ? As lie falls asleep in his easy chair, what strange dreams will disport themselves in his brain-—wild, fantastic, and dimly pleasurable.! And wbenhe retires to rest, will he not .lay his head on his pillow with n sense of self-satisfaction that no other head is near —that he is not teased by frilled nightcaps—that he can lie abed longitudinally, diagonally, or curvilinearly, according to his own sweet will ? 0, happy Sir Cresswell. Cresswell l Fraser's Magazine for Nov.

NEWSPAPER READE/eS. Mr. A. believe that he shall discontinue his paper because it contains no political news. B. is decidedly of opinion, that the same paper dabbles too freely in the political movements of the day. C. don’t take it, because it is all one side; and . . . !>., whose opinion it generally expresses, does’not like it, because it Is not severe enough upon the opposition. E. Thinks it does not pay due attention to, fashionable literature. ;„ F. cannot bear the flimsy notions of idle writers. , G. will not suffer a paper to lie on the table which ventures to express an opinion against the Maories. ' .

H. never patronises one that lacks moral courage to expose the evils of the day. I. declares he does not want a paper filled with the hodge-podge doings and undoings of the legislature. J. Considers that paper the best which gives the greatest quantity of such proceeaitigs. K. patronises the papers for the light and lively reading which they contain. L. wonders that the press does not publish Dewey’s sermons, and such other solid matter. M. will not even read a paper that will not expose the evils of sectarianism. N. is decidedly of opinion that the pulpit, and not the press, should meddle with religious dogmas. O. likes to read police reports. P. whose appetite is less morbid, would not have a paper in which those silly reports are printed in his house. Q. likes anecdotes. R. won’t take a paper that publishes them, and says, that murders and dreadful accidents ought not to be put into papers. S. complains that his miserable paper gave no account of that highway robbery last week. T. says the type is too small. U. thinks it too large. Y. stops his paper because it contains nothing but advertisements. W. wants to see what is for sale. X. will not take the paper unless it is left at his door before sunrise; while Y. declares he will not pay for it, if left so early; that it is stolen from his house before he is up.

last of all, come the complaints of some of the ladies who declare the paper very uninteresting, because it does not, every day, contain a list of marriages ; just as if it were possible for a poor printer to marry people without a license, and whether the parties will or no. But the variety of newspaper readers is too great for the present.review; and “ we give them up,” with a determination to pursue the “ even tenor of our way,” in offering to public such reading as, in our humble opinion, will prove most useful to them and as interesting as possible. — Adapted from an American paper.