Miscellaneous.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 537, 26 December 1857, Page 5

Miscellaneous.

Graphic Picture of New York City.— The ' New York Tribune' writes as follows .— " Sixteen murders have been perpetrated in this city since the Ist of April, about which time Mayor Wood began to develop his programme of violent resistance to the laws, and the whole: army of grovellers bid defiance to any legal mSemife with their desolating traffic.. There; have been, at least, twice sixteen attempts to; murder, besides violent assaults and.rumhole. filhts without precedent. Ten thousand hard-: ened and hopeless female outcasts swarm the "heets at.night, two thousand cluldrer.under the guise of pedlars, from the ages of 10> to 16, p nel-ate every public building store, and office hi the city, to beg, steal, spy for burglars, and on their own account to practice those vices whic cannot bo named in respectable language ; five thousand great and small gamblers prey %ln Sedulous and the infatuated, standing

all day afc the doors rof. ihe dens ia Broadway, as well known in person and profession as the' Mayor himself; ten thousand lazy, drunken, thieving, short boys, swill boys, killers, lou^lis and rowdies of other names, lounge on the ! rum-cursed corners of the street, making day j disgusting, night hideous, and travel dangerous I to all who can be suspected of having respectability or money; thousands of emigrants, swindlers, mock auctioneers, lottery-dealers^ policy-backers, pick-pockets, hall-thieves, burglars, wharf-rats, area sneaks, pimps and vampyres, practice their knaveries as openly, and with as little fear of punishment as though theywere engaged in the most virtuous and legitimate of human pursuits." In reply to a question from Mr. Locke with respect to the proposed amalgamation of the West Indian and "European and Australian Mail Companies, in the House of Commons, on the 23rd of AugustMr Wilson stated that he had received a personal communication from the Chairman of the two companies referred to, ia which they stated their desire to carry a certain proposal for amalgamation into effect. The reply he i made to them was that they must state their proposal to the Admiralty .in writing and in J due^ form, and that it would then be referred j in due course to the Treasury, where it would receive all the consideration it deserved and be determined with reference to the public interest. Since then the Treasury had received a communication from the Admiralty, containing the proposal in question, but as it was only within the last hour that it had come to his hand, he had had no time to consider it on its merits. He could, however, assure the House that whatever was done in the matter would be solely with a view to the public interest, and not that of the two companies. What might have taken place with regard to the shareholders of the West Indian Mail Company he could not say. With regard tofthe latter part of the question, he did not know whattheamount of the contract would be if extended as proposed; but, whatever the amount, there would of course be die usual undertaking on the part of the Government to pay that sum of money, under certain conditions, for postal services performed. Spain and the Slave Teade.—Authentic accounts just received at Madrid give the names of five American vessels, varying from 110 to 330 tons, just purchased in the Havannah for the slave traffic. They had cleared, one for Monrovia (coast of Africa), one for Madagascar, three for Boston. It is not of the i slightest consequence where they cleared for; the object of their voyage was perfectly well known, but nothing was done by the Spanish authorities to prevent its being carried out. As the Spanish government uniformly denies, or at least strongly questions, ther truth of charges brought against its agent's, it is well to be particular as to details in evidence.;- and the names of these ships could be supplied if desired. If the infamous tradej covertly sanctioned in Cuba by Spanish governments arid Spanish Captains-General is to be effectually and permanently stopped, it must be by a stern and decided demonstration. The best and indeed the only one, that naturally suggests itself, is a blockade of Cuba. Such a,, measure would strike terror in Spain, would vshake the present ministry, and quickly produce effectual guarantees. -Anything less than that will produce nothing but reiterated promises, ever unfulfilled, and continual disappointments to those who interest themselves, whether as a matter of feeling and humanity in the suppression of the slave trade.— Times Madrid Correspondent. Fobty Yeabs at Sea.—l • first sailed from Boston (U.S.) June 5, 1816. I sailed for twenty-three years in four vessels, of which time nine years and eleven: months was in one vessel. I have never been in a vessel where a man fell from aloft, neither have I ever buried a man at sea^j I have never seen a main spar carried away, nor sprung a leak, nor been in contact with a vessel, nor been struck with lightning, nor yet have been on an allowance of water, nor ever had a vessel on shore. I have been master for thirty-one j'ears, and have never extended a protest to call on the underwriters. I have visited as master the following ports. [The namer of the countries and ports are here given}. I have made fiftyone voyages to the island of Cuba, and fourteen to the island of Sicily; I have crossed the Atlantic Ocean sixty-eight times, aud the equator twenty-three. I have been in and out Boston twenty-six winters, and never had a man frost-bitten. I never put but one man in a hospital. In 1828 I saw the sun eighteen days without setting. I am now on my ninth voyage to Buenos Ayres.—At sea, sth June, 1856, long. 55 west, lat. 39 north, from Boston bound to Buenos Ayres. Fresh breeze and pleasant weather. Captain Bowans, of the American barque Mary Broughton.— Letter from a Ship Captain in the British Packet, JBttenos Ayres. The Administrative Reform Association after a feeble existence of three years, and an expen- , • diture of about £50,000, has ceased to exist. | j