ENGLISH NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 105, 8 January 1853, Page 5

ENGLISH NEWS.

The P. and O. Go's steam-ship " Chusan," from Singapore, with the overland mail, arrived at Sydney on the 10th ultimo. She left Singapore November Ist, and brings dates from England to September 24th; from Calcutta, October loth ; from China, October 14th ; from Batavia, November 6th ; from Western Australia, November 20th ; from Adelaide, December 3rd ; from Melbourne, December 7th. The event most fraught with interest, not only to the various English communities touched at by the " Chusan," but to the whole civilized world, is the Death of the Duke of Wellington, which took place at Walmer Castle, on the 14th of September. We copy the following notice of the Duke's death from the Overland Atlas, September 24th :— " The great event of the fortnight—the death of the Duke of Wellington—has so entirely absorbed public attention that there has been scarcely another topic of convesation. Although every one knew that the event which has just occurred could not be long delayed; although more than one serious warning that the Iron Duke's constitution was at length yielding to the inevitable decay of nature, had been given in unmistakable terms ; yet every one feels surprised that the noble old man, in his 84th year, has suddenly been taken from amongst us. Had his illness continued for a week, or even for two or three days, the nation would have looked expectingly for the result which has occurred ; but the suddenness of his death has taken all by surprize—as if death would never dare to assail the hero who had so often met the grim enemy face to face unappalled!" It will be seen from a letter of the Earl of Derby's that the funeral of the late Duke will be a public one, and that he will be buried in St. Paul's Cathedral. The matter is, however, to be submitted to Parliament, which will not meet until the middle of November; so that the funeral will be delayed. Lord Hard in ge has been appointed Com-mander-in-Chief, and the following is given- as a list of appointments consequent on the Duke's death ; but some further changes may probably be made before the appointments are finally settled : — Master-General of Ordnance (with a peerage) —Lord Fitzroy Somerset. Military Secretary—Colonel Wood. Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports —Earl Derby. Constable of the Tower—Lord Combermere. Colonelcy of the Grenadier Guards—Prince Albert Colonelcy of/the Fusilier Guards—Duke of Cambridge. The good sense of Prince Albert has evidently been allowed proper play, and he wisely contents himself with the Colonelcy of the Grenadiers instead of the control of the entire army. Amongst the latest papers penned by his Grace, were two documents addressed to Lord Fitzroy Somerset. The Duke's features were very slightly altered by the hand of death. The medical attendants were surprised at the great development of strength and muscle exhibited by his body even at the period of death. It is a singular circumstance, that for some years past, his Grace's solicitor, Mr. Parkington, would never leave town, fearful that the crisis might happen during his absence, but on the day before the Duke died he ventured to leave his home, intending to be absent for a few days.

We extract Lord Derby's letter, containing the Queen's directions with respect to the public funeral : To the Right Hon. Spencer H. Walpole, Secretary of the Home Department. Balmoral, Sept. 20, J 852. Sir, —Her Majesty received with the deepest grief on Thursday last the afflicting intelligence of the sudden death of his Grace the late Duke of Wellington. Although the Queen could not for a moment doubt that the voice of the country would be unanimous upon the subject of the honours to be paid to the memory of the greatest man of the age, her Majesty considered it due to the feelings of his Grace's surviving relations that no step should be taken, even in his honour, without their previous concurrence ; and accordingly, on the same evening, in obedience to her Majesty's commands, I wrote to Lord Charles Wellesley (the present Duke having not then returned to England), to ascertain whether the late Duke had left any directions, or whether his family desired to express any wish upon the subject ; and suggesting the course which appeared to her Majesty best calculated to give expression to those feelings, in which the nation, as one man, will sympathise with her Majesty. Having this day received letters from the present Duke and his brother, to the effect that the late Duke has left no directions on the subject, and placing themselves wholly in her Majesty's hands, I hasten to relieve the public anxiety by signifying to you, for general information, the commands which I have received from her Majesty. The great space which the name of the Duke of Wellington has filled in the history of the last 50 years—his brilliant achievements in the field—his high mental qualities—his long and faithful services to the Crown—his untiring devotion to the interests of his country —constitute claims upon the gratitude of the nation which a public funeral, though it cannot satisfy, at least may serve to recognise. Her Majesty is well aware that, as in the case of Lord Nelson, she might of her own authority have given immediate orders for this public mark of veneration for the memory of the illustrious Duke, and has no doubt but that Parliament and the country would cordially have approved the step. But her Majesty, anxious that this tribute of gratitude and of sorrow should be deprived of nothing which could invest it with a thoroughly national character— anxious that the greatest possible number of her subjects should have an opportunity of joining in it, is anxious above all that such honours should not appear to emanate from the Crown alone, and that the two Houses of Parliament should have an opportunity by their previous sanction of stamping the proposed ceremony with increased solemnity, and of associating themselves with her Majesty in paying honour to the memory of one whom no Englishman can name without pride and sorrow.

" The body of the Duke of Wellington will therefore remain, with the concurrence of the family, under proper guardianship until the Queen shall have received the formal approval of Parliament of the course which it will be the duty of her Majesty's servauts to submit to both Houses upon their re-assembiing. As soon as possible after that approval shall have been obtained, it is her Majesty's wish, should no unforeseen impediment arise, that the mortal remains of the hue illustrious and venerated com-mander-in-chief should, at the public expense, and with all the solemnity due to the g-reatness of the occasion, be deposited in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul's, there to rest by the side of Nelson—the greatest military by the side of the greatest naval chief whoever reflected lustre upon the annals of England. " I have the honour to be, Sir, " Your most obedient humble servant,

" Derby."

Lord Derby, it was understood, would be put in nomination for the Chancellorship of the University of Oxford.

Mr. Stuart was appointed Vice Chancellor. Among the death?, we notice the name of Mr. Ptigin, the architect. One of the Duke's last orders before he left town was, that Wilkic's celebrated picture of the Chelsea Pensioners should be rcvarnished. The express, conveying the newsof tbe death of the Duke of Wellington, reached her Majesty and Prince Albert whilst on an expedition 'to Dim Loch. Hey Majesty and His Boyal

Highness were deeply grieved at the receipt of the°mournful intelligence, and immediately returned home. Orders were given for countermanding all invitations to the castle. It had just been determined to build a new place for the Queen at Balmoral. It is to be built on a site between the river and the present J castle, fronting the south, and is estimated to cost from £80,000 to £100,000. The architecture is modern, and will combine the ornamental with the useful. A new bridge is to be thrown over the Dee; and the public road which now leads through the forest of Ballochbine is to be shut up, and a better road provided along the south bank of the river. The old palace was to be entirely removed ; the new building having been already staked out. Mr. Cobden has made a declaration in favour of the ballot which will be made a leading question in the next session. There were very contradictory reports respecting the health of Mr. Macaulay. Oue journal announces that he will retire, and another that.he will certainly attend in his place in November. There is no doubt, however, that he is too ill to meet his constituents in Edinburgh. The preliminary proceedings for enrolling the Militia are not going on so well as the Ministry expected; and it appears very probable that the ballot will have to be resorted to, at least in some districts of the country. It appears that at a meeting of the East Riding Lieutenancy, to receive the returns of the constables of the number of the volunteers who have offered to become Militiamen, that, although 800 are the number required, only 27 have yet volunteered. Rumours of a similar kind have been received from other parts of the kingdom. The cholera, which has broken out in the Baltic, occupying the whole line of coast from Konigsberg to Dantzie, and which is rapidly pursuing its fatal march westward, has awakened the usual alarm in England. The Australian Pacific Mail Steam Packet Company have received the grant of a Royal Charter. Australia still engages universal attention. The coinage for the colonies was under discussion. The Times concludes that it would be far more sensible to run the gold into ingots marked with their value per oz., than to coin it into sovereigns, which must nearly all come to this country instead of going direct, as the ingots would, to all parts of the world, and thus opening up a universal trade with all the world. The Koh-i-noor is now completely re-cut and report speaks highly of its " shape, lustre and beauty." Mr. Garrard has presented the lapidary, Mr. Fedder, with a piece of plate to commemorate his skill and success. In the chemical section of the scientific meeting at Belfast, Professor Tennant made a communication on this diamond. He stated that the Koh-i-noor, in the state in which it was shown at the Great Exhibition, presented the appearance, of having been cut into two parts, and in his opinion it formed a part of the great Russian diamond. AH diamonds he said, may be readily split at certain angles ; therefore, supposing the Kah-i-noor to have formed a portion of a larger stone, there would have been no difficulty in "dividing it. This was illustrated by the separation of a crystal of fluor-spar. The Koh-i-noor, when exhibited, weighed 186 carats, and by cutting it into the shape of a brilliant it has been reduced to 106 carats. Father Ignatius (late the Hon. P. Spencer) is collecting subscriptions in Vienna for the erection of a Jesuit monastery in the neighbourhood of London. * &