English Extracts.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 1, Issue 41, 3 July 1858, Page 4

English Extracts.

The Indian Loan Bill and the Havelock Annuity Bill have passed both. Houses, and received the Royal assent. The Select Committee, moved for by. Mr. Ewart, on Colonisation and Settlement in India, has been nominated. "We have not heard any objection to the constitution of this committee ■which includes some members well acquainted with India, and presents upon the whole a fair representation of opinions. Amongst the principal topics of debate, the Oaths Bill, introduced by Lord John Uussell, occupies a prominent position. By a single clause in this bill, which simply proposes the omission from, the Parliamentary oath of the obstructive words "on the true faith of a Christian," the admission of the Jews to the House of Commons is quietly provided for. The discussion upon the measure was of the usual character. The objections ■were of usual variety. A certain number of lnambers, differing upon every tr ing else, agreed on the ■necessity of excluding the Jews, each for his own reason : one, because the Jews are aliens by tradition ; another, because the Jews aye not iChnstians ; a third, because it would be invidious .and unjust to give free entry to tbe Jews while the Roman Catholics are still required to take a special ioath, and so on. It general Jy happens that when a number of people agree upon a particular question* for different reasons, their opposition is in effective. It wants unity, and the moral power that comes of unity. Hence the rapid progress which the question has latterly made, and the success which attended Lord John Russell's bill. The main resistance was, of course, made to the clause provid'ng for the omission of the obstructive words ; and the division taken on that clause disclosed a very remarkable accession of strength. The numbers in favour of the clause wee 297 to 1-14, a shade more than two to one in a house of 441 members.

A nearly similar result, arising from nearly similar causes, took place on Lord Bury's motion for introducing a Bill to legalise marriage with a deceased wife's sister, when tbe numbers in favour of the bill were 105 agaiust 62. It would be hazardous to venture a prediction of the ultimate fate of the measure from this small but marked majority on the first reading ; it may be obscve J, however, that the reasons alleged against the measur: were various and discordant. Moral, Social, arid Scriptural grounds were differently and indifferently urged by his opponents, who on some points, were as much opposed to each other as to the bill itself.

On the afternoon of yestenlay (April 15), Marshal Pelissier, Duke of Malakoif, attended by liis two ades-de-camp, Colonel Appcrt, and Commandant Duval, arrived at Dover in h's imperial majesty's screw corvette, the Corse. His Excellency and suite at first proceeded to the Lord Warden Hotel, where the mayor and corporation presented an address of congratulation and welcome to England in bis present capacity. The gallant Duke replied in French to the eifect that it yavehim great pleasure to have so flattering a reception on landing on our shores, and more paiticuiarly so at meeting so many of his old f-.'iends and companions in arms, alluding to General Crawford htkl ofchirofficers who served in the Crimea. Count Jauncourt, the secreiary to the embassy, awaited at Dover the arrival of the new ambassador, and accompanied him to London at 2 p.m. A statement of the " Times " has given the French official organ an opportunity of making a seemingly triumphant reply. Tbe leading journal said lately — " Something like contempt will be the feeling of Frenchmen for th'S frenzy of repression in a sovereign who used to show bimselc so fearlessly, and who was at least as safe dfiving bis phaeton like a private gentleman on the Boule- ■ yards as when surrounded by spies and with a whole squadron for an escort." To this the '"Moniteur" simply replies — " His majesty has . changed nothing in his ordinary habits, and continues to go out every day without an escort. " There is no doubt that whenever the emperor leaves his palace, whether it be to lake an airing in the Bois de Boulogne, to range along the Boulevards, or to visit the Faubu^g St. Antoiue, his route is exactly hud down beforehand ; and in addition to tlie ordinary police, a number of agents in plain clothes, some dressed as gentlemen, others in blouses, are ordered to scatter thcmsilves along the slveets among the crowd. There are those who pretend to know that there are exactly four hundred persons employed in th's way ; .whilst others say many more. Old residents will ■ not have failed to remark that, when the emperor has passed in any particular place, the crossstreets leading to another point of his route are instantly filled with persons running along with their hands in then* pockets, and with vacant faces, as if pe'forming a routine duly. They are evidently going to make up a public in a different direction, and to watch if any one raises his hand in a suspicious manner. The slightest observation is sufficient to. assure one that th.3 "eager populations " who murmur " Vive l'Empereur " when his majesty passes, are alwaj s composed of the same yawning, lisile?s, ill-looking fellows, among whom tbe Covsican physiognomy greatly predominates. They have been seen at Lyons and Marseille?, and are well known at Compiegne, Fontainebleau, and Biarritz, as well as in the Strand and at Osborne.

The Black Sea "ioiedo" wcrcn turns out to have teen no fable of peculating Russian officials to make, money out of the Imperial sbipp'ng ; the American companies wbo p oposed to raise V~e sunkeji. vessels in the harbour of Sebastopol found that they were completely riddled by the toiedo — charges of gunpowder bad hardly any effect upon, the hulls, for they wero so roilen tbat the explosion acted only on a small space. The wrecks still encamber the harbour; and t':e companies are out of pocket by their experiments. In answer to Mr. Kinnaird, General Peel stated (March 25) that a medal would be given to all the troopß engaged in the supi ression of the mutiny in India. A clasp would be given for the siege .of , Delhi, and another for the defence of Lucknow.

The removal of Temple Bar, the work of Chrk--topher Wren, is in contemplation, and as for many reasons it would be a pity to destroy it, a suggestion has been made to pLce it at the to tkejjjw^s.

The Leviathan has been compared in magnitude to Great George-street, Westminster; but the street is not wide enough to admit her, since she could only just fit into Portland-^ lac-, though of course not so long. It is said that she would not go into et'ier Grcsvenor or Belgvave-squarf, ml that Bevkeley-squave, lengthways, would only just admit her. Being 691 feet or 230 yards in length, she is 10 yards over an eighth of a mile, and of course four turns up and down her deck will make a mile ; a possible walk, as her level deck is unencumbered with aught save tlie skylights of the saloons. The Leviathan is intended to carry 800 firsfc-clpss passengers, 2000 second-class, and 1200 third class. For so large af, eight of human beings, the most extensive accommodation has been provided both in saloons and sleeping cabins. Tbe saloons are nine in number ; the largest is 100 feet long, 36 feet wide, and 13 feet high. Above are two others, one above 60 feet long, and another 21 ; both are 25 feet wide and 12 high. Tbe smaller of these latter is used as a ladies' cabin. There are whole streets and squares of sleeping rooms, about 14 feet long by 7 or 8 feet wide, and above 7 feet high : in fact, quite large rooms. If nothing else had influence, this would make the Leviathan popular. In most large steamers it is the sleeping cabin that is the ducomfort. Ti?e m?ra cabiu is generally large and any ; the table perhaps better than many passengers ev>,joy on shore ; it is in the berth that they Had discomfort — the close crib, with perhaps another fellow passenger on the shelf above. On the sth April, cubing one of the most severe of the shai*p north-easterly squalls which swept up the Thames with considerable violence, tbe moorings of tbe Leviathan were subjected to a most severe st'ain — a sltam undet", which some of those on the port bow at last gave way, and f >r a time exposed tbe vessel to a certain amount of peril. One of the moo. iog chains on the port bow parted about 20 feet below the hawse-hole, and threw such au unfric weight upon tbe others that a second stem- chain brolce, and allowed the vessel's bows to svvjog ia towards tbe Deptford sbore. Mr. P^ouse, the cb ; ef officer, who has charge of tbe vessel, immecVately took every precaution to secure liar safety, and bis ski", and toct enabled him at once to repair tbe misbap. The Leviathan and Liverpool — It is now unde-stood definitely that the Leviat'ian will be put on the station as a regular trader between Liverpool and Portland, in connection with the Canadian Gi-:nd Trunk Rtrlway. Captain Harrison, her commander, k'.-ows the Po v t of Liverpool weU, and is fully able to appveciace its advantages. This route, it is expected, she will p«sume in July or August of the present year. — Liverpool Albioii.

The process of stowing a portion of the Atlantic telegraph cable on board of the Agamemnon is now going on at Plymouth, having commenced on tbe lUth March.

The government of St. Petersburg has just received from the governor of ihe Russian possessions on the River Amur a very favourable report on the military and commercial situations of the vast teniLoiy wli'ch has been there definitely annexed to the Russ'an empire. The extensive wo- ks of fotvacaLion of 2S T icola'eff, w]> ; ch is cbsli~o:d to become, 5n ca:e of necc 1 , the centre of ope -ations against China, have not been interrupted, by tbe winie i- , which is vevp mild in those countries. Formidable bat Lories oave been raised at the mouth of the Ami I',1 ', so as to be able to defend the enti'pnce agj> ; r>st hostile fleets. "Commerce diving the last yea. 1 ," we aye info' met 1 ., "has acqui-ed an unexpected degree of development." A nvmber of German, Amei tear), and Chinese merchants have formed establishments in the tow!, and a regvlar line of si-eameis hes been established between Nicob.ieif and San Francisco. Tlie dv=coveiy of a m/ne of coal of very good quality in the Tsland of Sag.ilien will extend the navigation of Russia in the Pacific Ocean.

Leghoen Straw for Plaiting Hats, Boxnets, &c. — The Colonial Secretary has recently had forwarded to him, by a geni lemon in England, some wheat of the k'nd from which Leghorn Straw is produced, -with the view to its cultivation in th's colony. A portion has been forwarded to the Provincial Government for distribution, by whu-h a small quantity has been forwarded to it. S. Tiffen Esq., for distribution here. The following are the directions for its use : — The ground should be hilly in preference to low ground, and if wood land it would be preferable. The seed may be sown from the loth of November to the end of December ; that is, if the situation is a cold one, it should be sown in November, if warm, in December. The soil should be worked, but not ye p y d?cp, and three bushels of siraw seed should be sown in the ppacc where one bushel of ordinary wheat would be used. "When the St'-aw is half ripe, it is to be pulled up, tied in small bundles, and left io d*y in the sun, and, when it is well dr'ec!, is to be stacked up. In July and August the bundles a- 1 c to be opened like fans, and exposed to the dew of the n<ght, until the straws become perfectly white, taking care that it has no rain, which would spo'l it. "When tlrs is done, it is to be stacked up again, and then used as required for plaiting.