EUROPEAN MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 309, 17 October 1855, Page 5

EUROPEAN MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

(Principally from the " Home News.")

For some weeks past no British subjects have been allowed to quit Russ-a; and refractory Ensrlisb workmen have been threatened with an exile to.distant regions. The United States Government have sent a Colonel of Engineers, a Major of the Ordnance, and a Captain of Cavalry, to the Crimea, to study war in earnest. Miss Elizabeth Smythe, one of the ladies who left England to nur^e the sick soldiers in the East, has fallen at her post. She died at Knlulee, after suffering from fever for eight days. Vice-Admiral Kreuger, of the Swedish navy, has invented an instrument by which the force of the winds can be measured with the greatest exactitude. The Prussian Government is to establish forthwith a submarine telegraph from the Prussian coast to the island of Rugen, and thence to Ystadt in Sweden. The Nautilus Submarine Company of New York have sent ont to explore the wreck of the frigate San Pedro, on the coast of Venezuela. This frigate, supposed to have on board some 2,000,000 or .3,000.000 dollars, was blown up in the island of Margarito, in 1815. Her stern being blown out, the treasure was scattered upon the surrounding' sand. Some 300,000 dollars have heretofore been taken up ; the men now engaged in the attempt have described the affair as literally shovelling up dollars. Two months, it is said, will be sufficient to take up every vestige of the San Pedro, and the captain reports he has another vessel near him in tbe same depth of water, 56 feet, with 50,00<l dollars on board iv specie, and another with 15,000 dollars, both of which he will take up before proceeding on his voyage. A lake of sulphur, a mile in diameter, has been discovered not far fr m Corn Creek, in Utah territory, near Poughkeepsi, in the state of New York, and a huge skeleton ofamastedon has been dug up—another proof of the existence of the animal in the valley of the Hudson in past ages. The Ganges reports that, being in a calm off Hydra, on the night of the 25th of April, with a number of British and foreign merchant vessels and transports, one of them was attacked by the boats of the country, and firing went on all night. The boats, laden with barrels, apparently Briti-di, passed the Ganges next morning, and put into Port Zoueran. A letter from Berne, of the 24th ult, in the Post Ampt Gazette, says:—"The recruiting for the Anglo-Swiss Legion is going on with great activity. A number of recruits are found, particularly in this city and neighbourhood, where there are many young men out of employment, and who desire nothing better than to enter a foreign service. 1100 recruits have left for Selestadt." The Russian prisoners captured at Bomarsiind, and now confined in the war prison at Lewes, have exhibited a spirit of insubordina_ They are about 350 in number. Every thing was done for them to relieve the tedium of their confinement, and in order to promote their healths they had been taken down to the Downs for an airing. Three weeks ago an air. ing of this kind was proposed, when about 40 refused to go out, unless accompanied by three of their comrades who were in solitary confinement for misconduct. Such a concession was, of course, refused. From that time various petty acts of insubordination have been exhibited. The prison is supplied hy water pumped from

wells by a system of cranks, requiring tbe conjoint action of many bands. On the 3rd inst., there was a 'gener-il refusal to pump. The consequence of this refusal was that the governor determined to starve the refractory prisoners into onler. Tlie prisoners drew their knives, threatened to use them, and actually attacked tbe guard of pensioners, some of whom they knocked down with thiir stools. Io this state of things, instead of ordering the pensioners to fire or take other violent steps to restore order, the governor ordered the yard gates to be fastened, and sent lo Brighton for the military. On the arrival of 150 of the Sussex Militia from Brighton, they were drawn up in the yard in presence of the prisoners. The wardens then demanded of each Russian prisoner the delivery of bis knife. In such a presence obedience was, of -ourse, a necessity. Each prisoner was then searched by the wardens, and on one of '. them a second knife was discovered. About a dozen of the ringleaders were then placed under restraint and in solitary confinement. On the sih ult., a new iron screw steamer of 1,000 tons was launched from Messrs. Millers'^ yard, Liverpool, in tbe presence of a large company of visitors. The vessel was built for the Eastern Archipelago Company, who are organising a fleet of screw steamers for the purpose of developing the extensive formations of coal which have been discovered in the islands of Borneo and Labuan, and making them available for the purposes of steamers trading between England and tbe countries whose shores are washed by the Indian Ocean. Her dimensions are: —Length between perpendiculars, 171 feet; length of deck, 175 feet; extreme breadth, 27 feet; depth of hold, 19 feet 6 inches. She has four bulk-heads, and eighteen water tight compartments for ballast, to add to the security of passengers. Her engines, to he supplied by Messrs. Thomas Dixon and Company, of Winsdor Foundry at Liverpool, will be eighty horsepower, and will be on the verticle principle; and she will be schooner rigged, fore and aft. The launch was beautifully effected ; she was christened The Labuan, after the island bearing that name, the ceremony being gracefully performed by Miss Antrobus. After tbe launch, the guests sat down to an elegant dejeuner, at tbe expense ot the owners, iv the mould room, which was chastely decorated for the occasion. Mr. Hamilton Lindsay, tbe chairman of the Eastern Archipelago Company presided ; aud Mr. Melville, of London, and Mr. J as. Hodgson, C.E., of Liverpool, weie tbe vice chairmen. Iv the course of the evening the Chairman in responding to the toast of the day, "The Eastern Archipelago Company," observed that tbe Eastern Archipelago Company had been established with the view of working the mines of Borneo and Labuan, which _-outained an inexhaustible supply of coal for steam purposes. Tlie company possessed by a lease from Government the valuable coal districts ol Labuan, and by purchase from the Sultan of Borneo the whole of the coal formation within 150 miles of the coast. In a short period from the present time, therefore, the Eastern Archipelago Company would be in a position to supply all the wants of steam navigation, in that respect, in the distant part of the Eastern hemisphere. In Borneo, roads of railway were already being laid down, and carrii'ges for the line bad left England, so that before the year terminal-d locomotives would he I mining in that distant island. Then they had not only looked to the establishment of a colliery and railways, but to the formation of a colony in the northern parts oi* the island, and the> intended shortly to send over a chaplain, Attached to the company, to attend to the spiritual requirements of the workmen in their employ. The Enterprise has arrived from the Arctic regions. Her arrival confirms all that has been reported of the unhappy dissensions existing on board. Counnaudre Phayie, Lieutenants Jago anil Parks, and Mr. Skead, the » aster, are all under arrest, and have been so some of them for nearly three years. The importance of the fleet of screw gunboats is being daily -ecoj-nised. It is now determined to increase the number, so that both fleets in the Baltic and Black Seas shall have a squadron of these powerful little "sharpshoo.e.-." Several Poles, who were made prisoners in the war, have been permitted to join tbe Foreign Legiwu, and have.already embarked for the Crimea, to serve against Russia. The Crimea is to be cultivated. A large seed merchant Ims received a most extensive order for vegetable and grass seeds for the Crimea, from Captain Dacr.es, ihe Admiralty suucriu-

tendent at Southampton, on behalf of the Government. A parliamentary return has been published, which gives some particulars regarding the killed and wounded in the Crimea since the commencement of the campaign. In the cavalry there were killed 11 officers, 14 non-com-missioned officers, and 146 men; in the artillery 6 officers, 5 non-commissioned officers and 35 men ; in the Sappers and Miners (Royal Engineers) 1 officer, and 1 man ; iv the infantry"64 officers. 62 sergeants, 1000 men, and 9 officers'of the staff, making a total of killed of all ranks 1360. The total number of wounded was 4540, viz., in the cavalry 21 officers, 21 sergeants, and 181 men: in the artillery 9 officers, 10 sergeants, and 149 men ; in the engineers 3 officers, 1 serireaut, and 9 men ; in the infantry 186 officers, 236 sergeants, and 3(568 men, together with 22 officers of the staff. Of the 241 officers of all arms of the service thus wounded 20 died in consequence of the injuries received. The number of horses killed during the campaign was 381, while those who died from other causes amounted to 1466. A few days ago the captain of the Kniphausen brisranifne Ackhar, anchored off Exmoutb, being short of provisions, rowed into Exmoutb to purchase a supply- After leaving for bis vessel a suspicion arose that the ship was a Russian, and one of the coast guard was despatched to Exeter to inform the Customs authorities of the fact, when the comptroller took a boat, and, accompanied by some of the coast guard and some Custom house officers, embarked in search of the vessel. They met a revenue cruiser and she, taking ibe Custom house boat in tow, proceeded in search of the vessel. On coming up with her the captain of the revenue vessel fired into her and then pioceeded to board her. The vessel has been towed into Exmoutb. She had a general and valuable cargo on board, together with six brass guns, but these fortunately were not mounted, and such was the surprise that there was no time to get the guns in order, ot_ie«ise the little Lyme cutter and her brave crew might have been blown to atoms.]