ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 98, 20 January 1844, Page 389

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

Rise and Fall or the Mediterranean. — A singular phenomenon appeared in the harbour of Valetta on Wednesday the 21st of June, the water suddenly rising to the height of three feet, overflowing the works of the new dry dock, it almost immediately fell five feet and a half. During this period a very strong current was running out of the harbour, which the boatmen could scarcely stem. It is supposed this circumstance must have been occasioned by some earthquake at a remote distance. We hear that at Tripoli, in Barbary, several severe shocks have been felt. — Colonial Ga~ zette, July 8.

The King of the Belgians has issued an ordonnance, that all wools in bulk shall be allowed to pass through Belgium without payment of any transit duty. This exemption is to commence from and immediately after the close of the next session of the chambers, should not the ordonnance be in the meantime converted into a law. — Ibid.

The Sussex Dukedom. — A petition was presented on Tuesday night, in the House of Lords (though not heard in the gallery), from Sir Augustus d'Este to her Majesty, " claiming to be Duke of Sussex, Earl of Inverness, and Baron of Arklow, and praying that her Majesty will be graciously pleased* to order a writ of summons to pass the great seal, to summon the petitioner to sit in Parliament, and there to enjoy the rank and privileges to the said titles, dignities, and honours belonging." This petition was presented to their lordships by her Majesty's command, together with the report of the Attorney-General thereon. It was read and referred to the Committee for Privileges '• to consider and report." The Sussex dukedom claim will, therefore, in all probability, be one of the subjects of discussion and investigation next session.— Examiner.

The Income Tax. — The commissioners for the income tax decide that a beneficed clergyman has no right to make any deduction from his gross receipts on account of stipends paid to licensed curates ; but that in a case where a curate, having a stipend of .£l5O per annum, had paid the tax upon the same, the incumbent ought to pay also that sum, as having formed part of his original income. —Ibid.

Warrants of Attorney. — Among the acts which received the Royal assent on Tuesday, was one of some importance to the trading community, entitled " An act for the better prevention of frauds by secret warrants of attorney to confess judgment.", By an act passed some years ago, all the warrants of attorney were required to be filed, and an index kept for public inspection. It has, however, been considered necessary to afford greater facilities on the subject, and by the present act any person before he gives credit, or an extension of credit, can, on the payment of Is. 6d., ascertain whether any warrant of attorney or legal instrument exists by which the property supplied to the debtor can be suddenly seized upon. It often happens that tradesmen supply goods, and find them swept away in a short time by a warrant of attorney. — Ibid.

Capture of Illegal Arms afloat. — The Times received the following from Sbeerness last night: — This must be necessarily a hurried despatch, but, though hasty and short, it will at least be satisfactory in correcting a rumour which prevailed in London this morning to some extent, that a French merchantman had been brought into this port, captured by the Cyclops, and having on board a quantity of fire-arms, with which she was proceeding to the coast of Ireland. It appears that a letter was recived from an officer on board the Cyclops armed steamer by another officer on board the Camperdown, stating that a French schooner was boarded in the port of Cork by Captain Austin, whose duty it is to board and inspect all vessels arriving at that station. No resistance of course was made to the usual routine, and the discovery of a large quantity of arms and ammunition led to the arrest of all parties on board, and the seizure of the ship and cargo. There is no truth whatever in the report that the captured vessel was brought into this port. Nevertheless, there is no reason to doubt the fact that a seizure of arms has taken place in the port of Cork. — Ibid.

Sussex. — The farmers in Hove, Southwick, and the neighbouring parishes near Brighton, state that the wheat now reaping at their farms is a finer and heavier crop than they ever remember. This part of the country has altogether escaped the recent heavy storms that have proved so destructive elsewhere.

Dcelling in Prussia. — A letter from Berlin, August 6, says : — " Some documents of great importance to the officers of the army have just been published here. One relates to the suppression of duels between military men. Another orders the formation of tribunals of honour, to take into consideration the cases which have hitherto given room for duels, and more particularly to prevent them. The third document contains new regulations for the infantry service. As to what regards duels, it appears that a good remedy against those sanguinary encounters is the improvemensgn education given to men intended for the army; as well as by a more useful employment of the spare time of gentlemen in the army. Those means have produced results far superior than any hitherto obtained by constraint and punishment. Duels, in fact, are becoming less frequent in the army. In the last annal report on the state of the army, not a single case of duelling is marked down. This is remarkable, when it is born in mind that there are in the army 8,300 officers, of whom the greatest number are young men, and in the full force of their passions. It is true that the establishment of tribunals of honour is not a new idea, and what is here enacted about them ought to be considered an improvement rather than a new creation."

The Chelsea Out-Pensioners. — We (Renfrewshire Reformer) learn that the proposal for arming and embodying the pensioners is to be immediately carried into effect ; and that the districtofficers commanding the pensioners have already received orders to look out for suitable armouries and stores for the clothing and accoutrements of the force. The veterans are to have bonnet, jacket, and trousers for uniform, and arms are to be kept in each district depot for the whole out-pensioners in districts, between the ages of 55 and 65, who are fit for garrison duty. About two-thirds of the most effective portion of these men ace to be em-

bodied forthwith, and the remaining third are to be kept as a reserve, ready to be called out incase of emergency. " Young England." — This is the name given to a new section in the House of Commons ; and i as the section itself, with that title, will henceforth occupy a place in Parliamentary history, and probably be quoted from time to time in this and other journals, we consider a defined explanation of the principles of this new party not only interesting but necessary. Certain members of the Tory side of the house, although supporting the Cabinet upon several important questions, and especially any whose fate might involve its downfall, nevertheless are opposed to it upon some heads. These members, amongst whom are Messieurs Cochrane and D' lsraeli, are a compound of political and religious extremes — advocating all the rabid measures of despotism and tyranny, and professing principles so very strongly tainted with Puseyism, that the restoration of the Roman Catholic rites and ceremonies might be expected at their hands, should they ever attain to any real power and influence. They profess great sympathy for the poor, and would relieve them to a great extent, so long as their education and moral care were connected with the Puseyite principles of the Church. They are grave, demure, and pious in their looks and demeanour, as well as in their language : and they form not a bad imitation of Puritans, if we except their abominable political tyranny, the Puritans being theoretically far more liberal in their sentiments. They would revive the monastic system, were they able, as a means of what they are pleased to denominate " education ;" and they would erect hundreds of cathedrals and churches, with the firm conviction that morality, plenty, and happiness would increase in proportion. From time to time they assist the Opposition by their attacks upon that portion of the ministerial policy with which they do not agree ; and although the Government feels deeply and suffers severely from this occasional secession from the amount of its supporters, the Liberal side of the House is too wise to put much confidence in these capricious gentlemen. In fact, the members who form the section called " Young England " are too eccentric in their movements, and too uncertain in their measures, to paternize well with any other party ; and thus they as yet remain without much importance, although they annoy the Tory Ministers with their gnat-like stings. Their existence is, however, an important fact, and one which should give hopes to the true friends of freedom, inasmuch as that very existence shows that there is a serious misunderstanding in the Tory encamp, ment. " Young England" is an absurd name,because it would properly imply notions and opinions consistent with the wants and interests of the present age ; whereas the principles of these members are an embodiment of all the vile and abominable dogmas of aristocratic and chinch supremacy. All our readers must be well aware that " Young France " and " Young Germany " are names given to those generous-hearted and noble-minded people in both countries who advocate the rights and privileges of their fellow-countrymen, and boldly profess Republican opinions. There exists not, therefore, the slightest sympathy between " Young England " and " Young France or Germany;" for " Young England" seems to be based upon everything retrograding and anti-Republican. " Young England " looks upon Sir Robert Peel as a convenience of which Conservatives are compelled to avail themselves for want of a better ; but they have no opinion of his talents or his principles. They despise Sir James Graham as a mere tool, and Lord Stanley as a bitter and biting orator, but no politician ; and even Sir Robert Inglis — the representative of the Church of England in the House of Commons — is a nonentity in their eyes. They are fond of hearing themselves speak, and consider their own opinions to be infallible. This is the character of the section to which the name of " Young England " has been given— one would almost think in derision ; for, certainly, any thing more ludicrous or improper than bestowing a name expressive of reform and liberality to such a vile compound of Toryism and Puseyism cannot well be imagined. Were a section in the House of Commons to take the title of " Young England " upon the same principle as France and Germany have adopted the distinction, we should be glad to accord it our most unconditional support.—Weekly Dispatch. Disgraceful Occurrence. — One of the most disgusting and disgraceful occurrences that have taken place in this metropolis for a length of time has just been brought to our notice. It appears that it having been determined to pull down the old Coverdale Chapel in the Commercial road, for the purpose of building some new houses on its site, it became necessary, in digging the foundation for the new buildings, to remove the remains of numerous bodies that had been buried within the chapel and in its immediate vicinity. These remains were accordingly exhumed, but instead of being again committed to the earth in a proper manner, and in an appropriate place, they were token out of the ground in the most public and careless way, and in the face of day such of the coffins and their concents as were sufficiently decomposed to be broken to pieces with blows of spades and other implements, were immediately jumbled together into a scavenger's cart, and were taken thence to a pond in Johnsons-fields, Stepney, where they were, without further ceremony, shot into the water, and where they have remained until the present day, when the water in the pond having dried up, no less than parts of nine coffins, fifteen or sixteen skulls, and great quantities of human bones were to be seen embedded in the mud. — Sunday Times. Thames Tunnel. — Last week there passed, through the Tunnel 44,045 persons. — IHd.

Fate or Speculators. — It is the general fate of speculntists to be looked on with envy, ridicule, and dislike,' rather than with the respect due to ingenuity and disinterestedness. If the plan suggested fail, those who never would have had skill or science sufficient to suggest it, yet feel a sudden accession of both in the triumphant declaration that they had always foreseen it would sever succeed. Should success, on the contrary, crown the undertaking, envy is as busy in pointing out reasons why it might have succeeded to a still greater extent, or why it ought not to have succeeded at all. — Rotcoe's Life qf De Foe m the Cabinet Library. ■