ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH MAIL.

New Zealander, Volume XXII, Issue 2485, 18 July 1865, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH MAIL.

■ ■' OUR LONDON C r »KOBE3POIIDffIfn« LETTER. ■

Losdou, 26th Apra, 1860. I I rkgrkt to have to announce the (teith Richard Cobden, the great advocate of free tnjfe and radical reformer, which took place her»* the 2nd inst., in the 6 let year of his age. jj, been in bad health for a long while past; ui each time he had publicly spoken during the W few years, the exertion had been followed W illness. Mr. Cobden was the son of « small bL mer at Midhurst, in Sussex, and was a notable example of the faculty possessed by certain ladL viduals of raising themselves from obscurity tea position of wealth and influence, by succemfol trading and upright conduct. The papers an foil of eulogiums on the deceased gentleman, tad a statue is about to be raised in Manchester to his memory, while a very large subscription k being privately raised to increase the meeat his family. It is hoped that the great American war will be brought to a close this year. The Federal* have beea victorious in several battles 5 aad: Allowing the Confederate General Lee closely was retreating), the Federals came up with attacked his forces. A severe battle which, according to a dispatch of General Sheridan, ended in the defeat of the Coiifederatevvbk it is said, lost several thousand prisoners, with much artillery and military stores. The Feoarak* are now in possession of Richmond, PHiideat Davis and the members of Congress having escaped shortly before the town was taken.. Th* Confederate loan has fallen considerably shu* the arrival of the news, and was at II to 18 at Liverpool on the 24 th. inst. General Lee has since surrendered the- army *f Northern Virginia to the Federal general. Th# Federals are mad with delight, and consider tbs’ war over, and are preparing to celebrate its eonelusion by a series of fetes of the most expensive character. This is in very bad taste; for, after all, it will only be a crushed rebellion, and tie ! money that will be spent would feed many of the starving Southerners for weeks. God grant that the Confederates will return to their «n«giantiA and President Lincoln will have the most wonderful fact of the age—namely, fhk extinction of Slavery. The Italian, Gregorio, who was under sec tews of death for the murder of a man in a publichouse bi-awl, has been released from prison j ad Pelizzioni, who bad given himself np, tod confessed that he was the murderer, has been triad and acquitted.. It appears that there wai A genera] fight in the tap room where the poor au lost his life, and that the two Italians were' engaged in it; but it was not proved thst either «( ; them struck the fatal blow. y We are singularly destitute of 'news tkfe month, the most exciting fact being the Oxford and Cambridge boat-race, which was won agile this year by Oxford. The race was much better - on this than on former occasions, when it vctiigaeminiously stigmatised a “ procession." Cwabridgs started with a decided lead, which they aitorwarda increased and continued for some time, sad at Hammersmith the race was considered over, and Cambridge was cheered accordingly; bat the long, slow, steady stroke of Oxford soon begat to tell; at Cbeswick the; passed the Cambridge boat, and finally won by several lengths. Thsre is no doubt that the Oxford style of rowing ii ' superior to that of Cambridge for long dittueak Cambridge commenced with a magnificent tptrt, rowing forty-two strokes * minute, which te> counts for their lead at the start; it was, however, impossible to keep this up, and the msnwan knocked up long before the distance was revetojL The Cambridge men are well abused for not altering their style, which appears ta be in aocoidaa* with certain traditions among the cognoscenti at their university, and doubtless it works well <t the Gam, which has no long reaches, and when races are rowed in short sharp spurts. Tbit hj the fifth successive year that Oxford has best victorious. Tour lady readers, bless them, will be pleaiii to- hear Jthat crinoline is dying out. ' la Paris ] at the most fashionable bolls and court reoepCkw it is now unknown, and dresses are made in t|N:fashion which prevailed in the time of George tb( Fourth. ’ In London also, in the higher dnito and on the stage, it is no longer seen. oCaa*;': the fashion books present pictures of skirts UrgV than ever, for crinoline is profitable to pamyfCl; of silk and other materials, and they are loth k admit its decadence. In the meantime mi«Sclass fansbands are beginning to think of redaritf ; '| allowances to their better-halves, and are livingin hopes of the return of those days, alas I Straus t forgotten, when they were able to walk‘ihft| in arm with their wives, possessors of their owl limbs, and free of (boee awful straetnres, irbiM-:-days are now nnmbered. The Czsrewitch (to* heir to the Russian Throne) died at NiceysfihK day. He had been residing there during the whK ter for the benefit of his health, and I believe toe immediate cause of death was congestion of to* brain. He was only in bis twenty-second ytot. You are probably aware that the Caarewitdh** betrothed to the Princess Oagmar of Denmark sister to our own Princess of Waist, and I* toquested, while lying on his death-bed, that to*:' would cone and visit him. She reached Ml; bedside whilst he was just conscious* sad to* interview was of a most affecting character, tbs Princess being overwhelmed with grief, ygpp Emperor of Russia was with his s/n death, having been telegraphed for fwto-fife| Petersburg a few days previously. v-^4l lam glad to tell you that the illneet of #gnor Giuglini, the eminent Italian singer, only temporary, and be has so far recovered HiT he will probably be able to sing at the this season. His absence would be a loss iftr.,;, deed, for his reputation is very’extensive, esd.f his vocalisation is as correct and tasteful as «■;, voice ie dear and soft. - We have another theatrical phenomenon la the person of Mr. F. Robson, son of the Uto Robson, of the Olympic theatre. Thto.ytojfg actor seems to possess his father’s talent* Mi originality, together with an extraordinary sonal resemblance to him, and it is impossible • ; believe that it ie not the elder Robwn **<to| before os. His delineation of the character* Ulysses in a new classical burlesque is striktajjy--. original, and the bunts of terrible passion i* midst of a ridiculous speech or iitastion, cany* back to the old times when his father aAoaftotojl town at the Olympic Theatre. The following is the latest Derby betfiyt*? Liddington is scratched; 10 to 1 against albaue. J ' I open my letter to tell yon that the j Scotia’ has just arrived from America uilugs news of the assassination of Lincoln, and an attempt on the life Seward. Mr. Lincoln was at the theatre, whw»ff entered bis box, on pretence of givingM* portent despatches, placed a pistol head, and fired; he died shortly after. A man entered Mr. Seward’* house,aadtolig|| bis way to his private room*, stabbed in several places. These wounds were actJtoSw' but from the weak state in which the was, owing to a previous accident, it is he cannot recover. ♦ ’ ;- ; Si Bt the ‘Alice Cameron ’ the ■ing English mail has at leag>h From the papers received we gi** following extracts and articles i-r HOME TALK '2|!|| (MOM TH* “ HOME SEkS.’O • The Temple, Taw mail brings to Australia the ■*>* tent news which has been sent oat Russian peace. The final »troggfohat«*"«R\; Federal and Confederate fbreaa place. The Sooth has bean tooted,

and Petersburg have fallen, and after some fierce fighting, ending in Confederate defeat. General Lee haa capitulated. The North has triumphed, and is rejoicing, and I add with sincere pleasure is calling for mercy and amnesty. There are two outlying armies belonging to the Confederacy, but it is not supposed that any farther resistance will be fUred to the Federal arms, ' he weakness of the South was di-c'osed when Sherman, with the Men of the West (as the South takes a me'ancholy pride in reinemb-ring that they were not Germans or Irish, but tie stalwart men from the mountain*), sw -pt through the sacred region, down to Savaanah. The redaction of any force that could be got together would be but a matter of weeks. And 1 believe that both sides are sick of bloodshed. In the Sonth, there is no family that has not lost at least one, perhaps many, of its members, and though the North has fought some of its campaigns with large si I from hired mercenaries, much of its own best blood has been poured out. All seems .ripe for a pacification, but much depends upon the wisdom of the steps that will be adopted within the fortnight trom Lee's surrender. It is thought that the best people in the South will emigrme to a large extent, not being able tr. endure the changed state of things. Slavery .is at an end, and many will see in these five words a vindication of the war and fall satisfaction fur all its horrors. But what is to be done with the negro ? All these subjects are receiving constant discussion. Having alluded to the great news, and briefly given it, I refer my readers to the very interesting details which will be found el ewbere. Parliament has been “ up” for the Easter holidays, but the Commons have re-assembled. We had no debates of much interest between ?tbe close of my last despatch and the recess. There was a fight over the Irish v. hurch, and Mr. Gladstone, who is the hope of the future, made a speech which might mean anything, but did mean that at present he saw no prospect' of dealing with that establishment; since which «iuie us friends have been furiously arguing, in order to disabuse the English mind of a supposed belief that the Irish Church is no older than our own. It is shown, or asserted, to have been planted years before civilisation reached England. Some may make the sort of answer given by the Revolutionary Tribunal to « poor man whom it was sought to dispossess of his estate, and who showed that his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all held it. “ Clearly, citizen, your family has had aufflei nt selfish enjoyment out of this property; mow hand it to other citizens.” A valuable bill for extending the area of relief of the poor, so as to prevent their being excluded from certain parishes where they are not liked, and m measure for helping the metropolitan poor, and abolishing beggars, have been under consideration. We have also finally decided that -the New Courts of Justice shall be erected on what is called the Carey-street site, though we own that, architecturally considered, it is a bad one, and we had a noble -ire near the river. Bat the lawyers of Lincoln’s Inn, and the -question of expense, have settled the business, and London will be the poorer of an orna meat. This letter will be dancing on the briny ocean before Mr. Gladstone opens the .budget. i he news of the death of Richard Onbden will cause grief in most parts of'the civilised 'world. It has been felt that we have lost a most able and honest man. No one, probably, -will call him a great statesman, bnt by dint of resolute and singleminded adherence to his own -convictions, be contrived to do more than many -to whom the name is readily conceded. The warmest tributes have been paid to his memory, ..and in the House of Commons Lord Palmerston and Mr. Disraeli prononneed bis enlogium, 'Which Mr. Brig lit could scarcely acknowledge - fur emotion. It is proposed to raise by private subscription a large snra for Mr. Cobden’s . family. He leaves a widow and five daughters. His ssat fur Rochdale was fiercely fought over, ..but Mr. Blight himself came to the aid of the Liberals, and said what was easily interpreted into a bint that the non-electors most take care that electors likely to vote wrongly should not vote at all, and the population, which is of the roughest, conveyed this -idea so plainly to certain Conservatives that -others saved their bones by abstaining from voting, and Mr. Potter, of Manchester, sits in Mr. Cobden’s place. __ Westminster will have a vacancy, by the of Sir De Lacy Evans, a id Mr. J. .Stuart Mill, the celebrated political and logical ■ writer, has announced that be will sit for the .city o We*tmin ter il returned without canvass or expense. Westminster would do itself honor by electing one of the most remarkable writers and thinkers of the day, bnt unless the electors make a targe advance in information, I suspect that th.-y will show themselves little otwara of Mr. VJi l’s merits. He haa his own ideas about Parliamentary reform, and would tgive the franchise to an> man, or woman, who can read, writ'-, and do a rule of three sum, - and has not bs mi a pauper or a criminal. But -to counterbalance his, he wruld back a system of representation for minorities. All this is .-impracticable, at present, bnt the soundness of his views on mom important subjects than the mere machinery for patting a House of Com-mons-together ought to recommend him to the • constituency. Dr. Stanley, the Dean of West--.minster, and the Prince of Wales’s inti nate •irieod, haa given in his adhesion to Mr. Mill "Thereis a young "a-veil,” one of the Gros- ■» wins, also in the A dd, a youth whose sob -recommendation seems to be in the fact that ohe Groevenor family owns a great deal of diouse-property ic the locality. The grand new system of sewage, by which the Thame* is kept clear of all the might? mass of imparity which used to be poured into the river, has been got into action. There was a solemn -inauguration, the Prince ot Wales set the pumping engines to work, and tile old stream rejoices. Yet, were Pope alive, and desired to make a few additions to the sports described in the Dunciad, I think that. the Thames would still be found quite “sable” enough to duck the booksellers. London sends her sewage to the see, or that way, hut all the places above London continue to •defile the river However, 1 suppose that we .-shall deal with them in detail, having “ purged the filthy witness” from onr owd hands. we shall ever see salmon playing ground the piers ut Wacerloo-bridge, is a qnesftioa which I am not called npon to solve by •this mail, but I am glad to record the grandest .thing that has been done for London in my -time, and I am old enough to have lived on -the day “ When Napoleon was flying From the fleld of Waterloo.” It is apropos ot the Thames to note that the great water-Derby dnly came off, and that London was greatly ex.-ited. There is something -very fine in thi - boat-race between the pick of ithe two Universities. It enlists the sympathies «oi (he upper and respectable class, and we ‘know in regard to-this contest what we do not know about any other race in the workf, -namely, that it will be ran fairly. Fancy a betting scoundrel going to an Oxford stroke or a Cambridge coxswain, and offering him money 'to make the thing square. In how many instalments would that scoundrel be brought out •of the quadrangle of the college! L st year 1 hart to describe a hollow affair, Oxford having It ail its own way, bnt this year the straggle was splendid, Cambridge leading for a long time, though beaten at last, and (Ixforrt winning for the fifth time in succession There must tie ««me reason for this consram resqlt, because the avenge of men roust be the same, and the reason would seem to be in the better stroke of Oxford. Cambridge has a rapid, brilliant stroke, which is mos r effective, bnt which human force cannot keep np all that distance, whii. Oxford, with a slower, longer, steadier blow, wins. The day was beantifal, thousands on thonsands turned oat to behold the sport, the s-eamboats behaved abominably, until the men declared that they would not row if the 'easels were not kept hack, pale tie flowed like water, and ale or something else that was not so pale most also tin flowed later, for I never saw so much welldressed drunkenness as on that night. Ask Jfcddy Green bow men danced npon his tables and yelled, ask the railway people how -grew fought for places in crowded carriages, And wen beaten back, and smaehed windows. •But these are ineidemt of greet days. Oxford .aiogi rejoicingly that . -dammed ia honors, unladed by years. Tbs great mother of Churchmen and Tories appears.” Having mentioned the water-Derhy, I may Joel allude to that of the land, of which many ffwfle an now thinking mood, and of which

all will be thinking very soon. Liddington ia scratched. But I have nothing t) say about sporting matters, only the interest of that race this year will have a dash of sentiment in it. Love and Revenge ride in colors. There wasa beautiful young lady who had engaged to marry a young gentleman named Chaplin. She ran away and married the Marquis of Hastings. This I mentioned at the time. But I have to add to that important record that whereas the Marquis hath a horse called the Duke, with which he hopeth to win the Derby, Mr. Chaplin has bought two famous horses, B read al bane and Btojinielaw, with one of which he hopes to prevent the man who ran away with the lady from running away with the Derby. At the present writing, the Duke is first favorite, and Breadalbane secind, so that the distinguished rivals have selected good horses on which to perform the vicarious combat. I may add also that the ladies are most ready to put their gloves on Revenge,'which is significant. Some little sensation was caused the other evening by a rumor that a great number of first-rate men had been grabbed by the police for cock-fighting. Divers persons went down to the clubs to learn all about it. And there had been a seizure, though the number of respectable men taken was small, the majority being cads, sporting tradesmen, and the like They had been at Shaw’s, wi nesting divers fights, and ns the name of Augustas Berkeley is in the papers, there is no reason fur my not mentioning that he was a prime agent in the sport. The police got in by what the penny-a-liners ca'l a clever trick, but what would simply be called low canning, if practised by any one not a policeman. Mr. Knox, the “ beak,” was very dignified and gentlemanly, he offered no remarks on the enormity of cock-fighting, bnt fined everybody £5, wuich made a pretty aggregate of £l7O. Lord William Lennox had to bail two of his frien Is, and has since attended at the po'ice-coart to state solemnly that he had nothing to do with the fight. It was a fortunate and providential arrangement that he ?»< so very near as tObe got at so quickly. The leading article writers have bad an excellent opportunity of veneilatiug their researches in the history oC the art ot cock-fighting, and I need not add have availed themselves thereof:

We hare had a sort of panic, owing to the breaking oat, in Russia, of a pestilence as it was termed. Fearful words ware used at first, and the Plagae, and the Black Death w»re declared to be on their way. Government telegraphed for information, and it was supplied. It would seem that disease has been and still is ravaging among the lower class in St. Petersburg, but except in degree there was nothing remarkable about it. All the symptoms were well known both to Russian and English physicians, And the disease was evidently a form of typhus, probably the worst form. But there was no additional cause for alarm on account of the Russian casualties, for, as three or four medical ra m of eminence have assured me, the exact counterpart of the Russian cases may be seen in London at almost any time. It was satisfactory to notice the promptness of our authorities, and the ready intelligence with which our physicians came forth to reassure the people. The awful mortality in Russia is mainly attributable to the hideous dirtiness of the masses, and the low quality of their food. But Russia has sustained a blow which will cause more attention than the deaths of many thousands of her peasants. The eldest son of the Emperor, and the betrothed of Princess Dagmar, sister to the Princess of Wales, has died at Nice. Ha was but twenty-two, this poor youug Czarewitch. The Emperor and Empress, and his affianced bride, were with him. Sorhtur insigneis et imos. The private view of the Royal Academy takes place on Friday next, the banquet on Saturday, and the opening on Monday. I have had the advantage of preliminary visits to many of the studios of the leading artists, and am, I think, justified in saying that the exhibition of ’(ls will be a fine one. The picture which will attract most attention from the masses will be Mr. Firth's painting of the Marriage of the Prince of Wales, as here are some 2SO portraits, and a gorgeous display of rai. meat. He has done all that could be done with such a subject; but unless he had been allowed to treat it in Rnbens’ fashion, with allegories, flying intelligences, and a lavish display of handsome form, it was impossible to take the thing out of prose. Mr. Millais has fire pictures, a noble one of a Roman taking leave of his English mistress, when ' the Romans abandoned our island. The fierce grief of the Southern, and the intense still agony of the Northern are well contrasted, and Millais never painted a finer head than that of the beautiful girl. He has another of the Enerav Sowing Tares, a powerful and significant work with the most evil face, that of the enemy, at whom a jackal glares through the night, and at whose feet snakes crawl recognising the Old Serpent. Mr. Philip has a glorious picture of yonng Murillo, selling his pictures in the market of Seville; there is no praise too high for the composiiion and tone of this grand work, and there is a figure in front, a half naked, splendidly-made gipsy woman, whom Murillo himself might have been proudto have painted. Mr. Elmore has a striking work, “ On the Brink a beautiful woman has lost all her money iu a gambling-house, and has coma out into the moonlight, and a lover avails himself of the opportunity to proffer his aid—on conditions. The lily and the passion-flower twine significantly by the side of the girl, so we will hope that she ordered him oft, and waited for fresh remittances. Mr. Ansdell has been as usual very industrious, and in addition to some Spanish pictures, has a poacher, Evidently a vile rascal, knocked down by a great hound, and bolding for life at the beast’s throat—a powerful work. The original dog stood in life for this, then died the de itb, and lay for Ciesur in Mr. Ansdell’s picture of the death of ''«s*ar. Mr. O’Neil has a very charming work, King Canute, in bis boat, telling his knights to row near Sly, that he may hear the monks. The knights are painted from some of the handsome members of the Garrick Club. Mr. Ward has a powerful Rizzio picture, and Mr. Desanges a lovely and graceful Princess of Wales. Other notices I will reserve for our next budget. Mr. John Leech’s original sketches are now on sale. The private view was most interesting. There were the thoughts for the works that have been for so many years delighting ns in Panth. Some are bat bints, others are elaborate pictures. Alt have been most carefully end loyally sorted and mounted under the direction of Mr. Millais, Leech's intimate friend, I hope that some specimens will find their way to Australia—certainly some of my friends at Swan River ought to possess a eat which came oat some years back - two Parliamentary swells on horseback lament that the dissolntion will be late—something has to be done for the colonies. “ Bother the colonies, haven’t we done enough for the colonies? D dn’t West Australian win the Derby f” That gallant old veteran, Sir John Burgoyne, has very pro; eriy been, made Constable of the Tower, in place of Lord Goniberme’-e, deceased. A more fitting appointment could not have been made. He has been serving hi* country everywhere, for ages. He entered the Engineer* in 1798, and was at Malta, in Egypt, at Corunna, all through the Peninsula, and in North America. Then, like the rest of us, he had peace (he took care of public works in Ireland), until the Crimean war broke out, and then he went oat as a lieutenant-general, and did adrairabla service towards reducing Sebastopol. I hope that he will long live to wield the baton of the Tower, if there is one. Ca- tab Barton, the celebrated Oriental traveller, who is remarkable for the freedom with which he discusses all things, and assails the ideas of Christendom, has been delivering at the Anthropological Society (the old ladies have an uneasy notion that these people are cannibals) a speech which has caused a great sensation, and as the “ ' Tay meetings ” of the religions societies are coming on, I daresay that we shall hear of'him in Ex-tjr-hall. The discourse was on Africa, and Captain Burton, in reply to somebody who had dilated upon the good effect of missionary enterprise, declared that Mahomedanism was batter anted to the African than Christianity, and that onr converts became the worn specimens of the human race. Moreover, he declared polygamy to ha tbe system moat in accordance with the dietales of nature, and be was sarcastic upon those who had translated the Bible for tha African race, saying that they had produced an ignoble literature. On th a subject Captain Barton is so diametrically opposed to those who believe in missions, that hard words trill be as--1 changed, and no result. Bnt 1 think that tha

°nkiod analysis which has been made of the accounts ot the Society for the Conversion of the Jews will probably cause some reform, fur it is shown that it costs Exeter Hall £6OO for everv Jew that is converted, and that the convert is in the habit of relapsing in a most objectionable manner. As you have no aristocracy, in our sense of the word, I shall tread on no corns in remarking that we have just had a lovely illustration of fluukeyism. Lord Wenlock’s son was oat shooting the other day, and nnlackily lodged his charge in the person of a keeper, who was killed. The coroner’s jury sat, found a verdict of course, of accidental death, and then begged to tender the expression of their sincere sym pathy with—the poor gamekeeper’s family : Not a bit of it. With Lord Wenlock, on such a misfortune happening to his son f The Volunteer Review at Brighton on Easter Monday showed that the force bed made a marked advance in organisation ; and impressed all who were present the feeling that we are no longer in want of an army of reserve, should the invasion ot onr soil ever be attempted. Nobody desires to see the efficiency of the Volunteers tested in real battle ; but it ia satisfactory to know that the most experienced of our solders concur in giving the country an a-surance that its defence is safe in their hands. The true value of such a force lies in its state of preparation, for any contingency ; and the knowledge that it is always ready is, perhaps, the surest guarantee that it may never he wanted.

THE COURT. ‘ TfEOM' THE “ HOME NEWS.”] The Queen and Royal Family arrived at Osborn* on April 21, from Windsor Castle. Daring her Majesty’s residence at Windsor Castle, military music was forbidden to he played with the regiments passing through the town,or on relieving the Castle guard, and the Eastern Terrace was closed to the public as well as the State apartments.

The Queen held a third Coun at Buckingham- palace on March 28. Her Majesty, accompanied by His Majesty the Ring of the Belgians, and their Royal Highnesses Princess Helena and Princess Louise, left Windsor shortly before noon, and arrived at Buckingham-palace at a quarter-past one. Her Majesty, accompanied by the King of the Belgian's, the Prince of Wales, Princesses Helena and Lonise,and Prince Allred, entered the White Diawing-room shortly alter three o’clock. The Queen wore a black silk dress with train trimmed with crape and jet, and a Mary Qu<ien of Scots cap, with long veil, the cap ornamented with a fringe of diamonds. Her Majesty wore a necklace and brooch of opals and diamonds, the riband and star of the Garter, the Victoria and Albert Order, and the ■ >rder of L mise of Prussia, The Princess Helena wore a dress of white grenadine over glace silk, ruches of grenadine, and bows of white satin rib Don ; trains of rich white rep. Headdress, snowdrops, feathers, and veil ; onyx and gold ornaments, Victoria and Albert Order. The Princess Louise wore a similar dress and similar ornaments. The receptions were very numerous, comprising the principal members of the nubility. On March 31, her Majesty held a council, at which the Duke of Newcastle and Earl Percy had audiencies, and gave up the Badges of the Order of the Garter woru by the late Dukes of Newcastle and Northumberland. Viscount Combermere, Major-General Eyre, and Sir F. Outrun) also had audiences, and delivered the Insignia of the Star of India worn by the late Visconnt Combermere, Lord Clyde, and Sir James Outran).

The Queen held a fourth Court at Bunking-ham-paUce on the afternoon of April 6. Her Majesty, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, Princess Helena, and Princess Lonise, entered the White Drawing-room soon after three o’clock. The Queen wore a black silk dress, with train trimmed with crape and jet, a Mary Queen of Scots cap, with long veil, the cap ornamented with diamonds. Her Majesty wore a necklace of diamonds and a brooch composed of a large sapphire set in diamonds, the Riband and the Star of the Order of the Garter, the Victoria and Albert Order, and the Order of Lousie of Prussia.—Princess Helena wore a dress of grenadine over white silk ; train of white silk with green satin stripe. Headdress, wreath of red roses and lilies of the valley, feathers, and veil; ornaments, pearls and diamonds, Victoria and Albert Order, and Order of St, Isabel.—The Princess Louise wore a similar dress and similar ornaments.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, who had gon« to Sandringham from Marlborough-house tor the Easter holidays, arrived on April 20 at Buckingham- palace. Sir Robert Montgomery waited upon their Royal Highnesses on March 28, and presented some costly presents from the North-Western Provinces of India. The Prince of Wales held the third levee of the season o i April 5, on behalf of the Queen, at St. Jame’s-oalace, and it was announced that the present itiom to his Royal Highness at this Court would be considered, by the Queen’s pleasure as equivalent to presentations to her Majesty.' Her Majesty’s birthday will this year he kept on May 24. the correct daie of the Queen’s natal day. The Queen has sent a very touching letter of condolence to the widow of the late Earlot Desert. The countess was for many years lady of the bed-chamber to the Queen. The ancient and royal charities were distributed on vlaundy.—Thursday, April 13, in Whitehall Chapei, with the customary formalities, to 46 acod men and 46 aged women, the number of each sex corresponding with the ago of her Majesty. <in April 7, 8, l<>, and 11, her most gracious Majesty’s royal bounty of si. each, and the royal arms (in ancient times distributed at the gate of the Royal Palace), were paid to aged and deserving poor, who had been previously selected by the Lord High Almoner and the Sab-Almoner from those who had been recommended by various clergymen and other persons in London and its vicinity. The number relieved exceeded 1,000 persons, amongst whom were many blind. The Queen has been pleased to approve that the address .painted in water colors for the Queen’s Institute, and presented to her Majesty, should be placed in the Dublin International Exhibition.

DEATH OF MR. COBDEN, M.P. (from thb “home news.”) It is onr painful duty to announce the death of Mr. Cobden, who expired at half past eleven on Sunday morning, April 2, at his town residence, Snffolk-streer, Pall-mall. For several years Mr. Cobden’s health has demanded his utmost care, more especially in the winter and spring, owing to the increasing susceptibility of the bronchial tubes to acute inflammation. He had only ventured to come np to town from Midhnrst on the 21st of March tor the Canada debate, when ha was fatally attacked by bronchitis. His last hours were soothed by the presence of bis triends, Mr. Bright and Mr. Moffat.

Mr. Cobden began life yonng. The son of a Sussex yeoman, he had no advantages of connection or descent to promote his progress, yet at 30 he had appeared before the world as a thinker and writer, and at 37 he was retained to tbe Honse of Commons as the foremast man of the newly-organised Anti-Corn Law League. His earliest publications were arguments on behalf of that unfettered intercourse between nations, the accomplishment of which was the great work of liis life. The formation of the league introduced him to larger audiences, and made his name known throughout the kingdom. Wiih indefatigable perseverance he travelled from town to town, addressing large meetings not unfrequently every night of the week, and enforcing the objects of the association with great acuteness, unrivalled facility of illustration, and withal close and coherent reasoning. In the House of Commons, as before throughout the provinces, he worked with iucessa ft energy in support of free trade in corn. If there was auy art in his speeches, it was the perfect art of simplicity. With transparent language and nnmistakcablo logic he produced ah effect which was almost irresistible, and the trank avowal of Sir Robert Feel, when at length be earned the repeal of the Corn Lawa, will not soon be forgotten. The merit of the reform, he declared, was due neither to himself nor to his immediate political opponents, but to the “unadorned eloquence of Richard Cobden.’* Mr. Cobden received from the free-traders of the country a free gift of £75,000. Mr. Cobden evidently regarded the emancipation of his country’s industry as the great work, of hia life. Although he took part in many movemeats for various kinds of reform, he never assumed to place bimaelf In th* same relation to

any great public question as that in which he hod stood to free trade. The second great service which Mr. Cobden rendered his country is 100 recent to need more than a simple reference. The benefits flowing from free trade with Prance, whether regarded merely as an extension of commerce, or in its ns ire important aspect as a surety for the preservation of peace between the two great nations of Enrope, arc little inferior to those due to the abolition of the Corn Laws.

At the dissolution of 1847 he was returned spontaneously for the West Riding, which he represented until 1357. bnt the vote which be gave on Lord Palmerston’s China policy cost him his scat. In 1856 he was elected for Rochdale whilst absent in America. On his return found a seat in the Cabinet awaiting his ac ceptance, but he declined to serve under Lor I Palmerston. He was a man of convictions, and knew the value of liberty to follow the dictates 'of his own judgment. He was, moreover, a practical man. When a law was proved to be mischievous or unjust he demanded its amendment or repeal. He had no idea of toying with politics—evetyhing he did he did earnestly These peculiarities—these infirmities as some would call them—unfitted him for many positions which be only wanted a certain elasticity to fill with distinction. His faults and his virtues were his own, and his influence in the Honse of Commons must be first of all attributed to his evident sincerity. The simplicity of his language, the transparency of his argument, 'the homeliness of his illustrations, the very kindliness of his manner, all sprang from the fact that what he said was the reflection of what he thought, and what he thought he had thought for himself. Such as he was he cannot soon be reolaced, and many a member in the House during this session tnus> turn to his accustomed bench with a sense that a great man i s missing. The Funeral.

Mr. Cobden’s funeral took place at West Lavington, Sussex, on Friday, the 7 hj of April. A special train left the Waterloo-roud station in the morning, conveying a large number of members of Parliament, gentlemen deputed from towns in the north, and others, friends and admirers of the deceased, to be present at the last sad rile. The gathering at Lavington was large, and the mournful ceremony most impressive. At the entrance to the churchyard the coffin was taken from the hearse, the pall was thrown over it, and the mourners ranged themselves at each side. At. the head, on the right, was Mr. Bright, on the left Mr. Gladstone; next followed Mr. Milner Gibson and Mr. Villiers ; and lastly Mr. George Wilson and the brother of the deceased. Following these were deputations from Manchester, Rochdale, Blackburn, Edinburgh, Bolton, Oldham, Stockport, Liverpool, Salford, and Ash-ton-under-Lyne. When the coffin was laid on the ground, in front of the communion table in the church, the pa'l was removed, and on a plain brass [date might be read the following inscription

Richard Cobden, Esq., M. P., Died 2nd of April, 1865, Aged 60 Years. The ceremony in the church having concluded, the procession was re-formed, and proceeded to the grave. After taking a last glance at the coffin which contained the remains of their friend the mourners gradually dispersed.

The press of Great Britain, without distinction of sect or party, have been unanimous in their expression of regret for the loss which the empire has sustained by the death of Mr. Cobden, whilst Lelings of deep grief pervade the minds of the general public. The municipal councils of London, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, and numerous other places, have met, and unanimously adopted resolutions expressive of regret for bis memory and of sincere condolence and heartfelt sympathy with his family in their deep affliction. The Manchester Courier says:— Mr. Cobden began life as a lad in a London warehouse. Growing into a young man, he was sent on matters of business to many of the houses with which his firm was connected. Among those he so visited was Mr. John Lewis, of 101, Oxford-street. Mr. Lewis conceived a liking for the young man, on account of the smart and business-like manner in which he used to come to his house and transact whatever he had to do, and often gave him a few kind words. One day young Cobden came to him, and with some hesitation told him that lie and two of his comrades, young men like himself, had beard of a business near 'Manchester, which a gentleman was retiring from, and the plant of which was to be had for £1,500 ; this sum the three had agreed to raise amoDti them, but Cebden bad no friends to help him with bis quota, and therefore he had ventured to ask Mr. Lewis if he would do so. Mr. Lewis, from his partiality to him, at onie assented ; and Mr, Cobden left him in high spirit. But soon after he called again, with a long face, to say his colleagues had not been able to raise their £SOO each. After a while, however, he came again to state tha - the owner of the business in question, having heard favorably of the trio, agreed to let them have it for Cobden’s £SO >. Would Mr. Lewis still let him have the money ? Mr. Lewis very kindly complied, and the three very shortly after began the world together. The £SOO was speedily repaid ; and, after a very few years, one and then anorher ot the partners drew oat ot the business with a handsome fortune, and Richard Cobden came to be what be was. Tha foregoing particulars were related to the writer by Mr Lewis, who retired from business about 25 years ago, and subsequently • died in Madeira.

- The death of this distinguished statesman has caused unspeakable regret in Great Britain and Ireland, and has also been deeply felt abroad, especially in France. In the corps Legislatif, a grateful tribute has been paid to bis memory, as well as by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs in a despatch to the ambassador of France in London, relative to the high character and great services of this lamented statesman. The Emperor-Napoleon has ordered a marble baft of the lamented deceased to be placed in the Museum at Versailles, while there is a proposal in Paris to have a new boulevard named after Mr. Cobden.

A subscription has been opened in Manchester with a view of providing funds for the erection of a statue to the deceased gentleman in that city, and another is proposed to be erected in Salford. A movement is on foot in the parish of St. Pancras for the erection of another memorial statue in that district. It has beeo proposed to ask the representative vestry to grant as a site the centre of the roadway at the entrance to Camden Town, near where the tollgate formerly stood, a more admirable spot than which could scarcely be selected. It has also been resolved to raise £20,000 for the widow and family of the late statesman.

THE ROAD MURDER MYSTERY. A mbw and unexpected light has been thrown upon the long-concealed ystory of the Road murder. At the Bow-street ’oliee Court yesterday, Miss Constance Kent, sister of the child who was murdered, and who was in the first instance charged with the crime, gave herself np and presented a written statement, which was as follows s—“ I, Constance Emilie Kent; alone and unaided, on the night of the 29th of June, 1860, murdered at Road Hillhouse, Wiltshire, one Francis Saville Kent Before the deed no one knew of my intention, nor after it of my guilt. No one assisted me in the crime, nor in the evasion of discovery.” It seems that she has been for the last year and three-quarters in a religious honse at Brighton —the St. Mary’s Home. A few days ago she made confession to the Rev. Mr. Wagner, who has charge of the institution, and then, as the rev. gentleman stated in his evidence, proposed to give herself np to a magistrate. Sir Thomas Henry, who frequently and solemnly warned the girl of the importance of the step ahe was tfking, did not go into the matter further tljan to receive and verify hrr confession, but remitted the prisoner and her ease to the magistrates of Trowbridge district, where the crime was perpetrated.— Heme Mats, April 26.

HOME OPINIONS. The inarticulate telegram from New Zealand, which neither we nor Sir Charles Wood were able to explain last week, about ww having broken out in the Wheingaroa district, should have said in the Wanganui district, that is, the native country between Taranaki and Wellington. According to Mr. Weld’s programme, a military road was to ba at once made through the Wanganui from Taranaki to Wellington, and ibis the natives were determined to resist.

About 200 built and fortified a pa on the Waitalar* river. On the 11th of January a force of 600 men, under General Waddy, was seat to look at this pa, but it was not attacked. The Maoris, knowing how lung intervenes between a reconnissance and an attack, immediately set to work to strengthen it in every possible way. As General Cameron did not order it to be attacked, hat sent a party across the river to pass it without attack, the natives grew bolder, and after an attack made on a moving column on the 4th. Janaary, on tl)e 25th, the Maoris acnally attacked our camp at Nukumaru with 600 men in it, with only at most an equal force themselves. They drove in one picket, and though forced to retire with considerable loss —said to be 70—our loss was also larg-, and n-ir reputation certainly did not gain by this first regular assault of native force on an English camp.— Spectator.

Tne state of affairs in New Zealand continnes to keepalive a painful feeling of suspense in England, and the fragments of private letters from the colony which appear frequently in the newspapers, are not calculated to diminish the apprehension with which the renewal of the war is genera'ly regarded. It was understood on Mr. Weld’s accession to office that the Government would dispense with the employment of British troops, and rely for security and repose upon local resources alone. Th ; s expectation has not been realised. The determination to make a new road, and the ccnsequent presence of the military massed on the spot, have, it appears, led to the revival of hostilities. The making of roads is not merely a sign of advancing civilisation, but, in the eyes of the natives, it is a sign of advancing aggression. This view of our civilising processes goes to the root of the whole matt r. The naives are resolved to resist to the death the seizure of their lands. The greased cartridges did not exercise a profounder influence over the fanatifosm of the Sepoys, than th- land-rights exercise over the minds of the New Zealanders. .Ton ask, says a correspondent, what they are fighting about ? Weil, he answers, “ they are simply fighting because they are determined to die free, and not have thdr land forcibly taken from them by anybody.” Assuming that they perfectly understand this question, and know the value of the land, apart from the feeling of pride connected with their birthright in it, there is no donbt that ample ground for dissatis'actioo is furnished by the white man’s mode of taking possession. Bnt in what direction is the remedy now to be found ? Having gone so far with a high-handed policy, can the Government retrace rs steps ? The humane course would be to withdraw the troops, and trust to such defences as the settlers can set up, and to try, even in the eleventh hour, what frank negotiations could effect. But would tjys coarse be safe ? Opinions are divided. One thing alone ia clear that, if the present system he pursued, it can find its issue only in the extermination of the native tribes. We must destroy, or he destroyed, if we persevere in making the breach wider and wider, until negotiation shall cease to be possible. Under such circumstances, a concession to public feeling might be made while there is yet time to make it with comparative safety. It would be no disparagement of onr superior intelligence and unquestionable power to open a conference with the natives touching all questions upon which they and the local government are at variance. Satisfy them that you are in earnest, and mean what you say, and th : chances are strongly in favor of a satisfactory result.—■ Home Xtws.

The present aspect of the internal politics of New Zealand is not cheerful to the inhabitants, but it is even more disheartening for the English taxpayer. For him there can be no possible result of the new war. except that of having a long bill to pay. Perhaps his gloomy prospects are all the more depressing that a gleam of delusive hope was vouchsafed to him a month or two ago. The startling bnt delightfnl intelligence reached England that a New Zealand Prime Minister had taken office with the avowed policy of rejecting all Imperial military aid, and with it, of course, all Imperial interference. The news seemed too good to be true. If the proposal had merely made its appearance in a Parliamentary speech, or in the manifesto of some New Zealand agent in England, it would have been received distrustfully. But it was one of the formti conditions submitted by Mr. Weld to Sir George Grey before he took office, and “ presented. by command ” to the New Zealand Assembly. Perhaps the observations in Parliament upon that State paper, and the comments ot the newspapers upon it, have by this time reached Mr. Weld. It so, he must be laughing heartily at our simplicity. We English people actua ly took him at his word, and flattered ourselves that the chronic harden of New Zealand wars was on the point of being taken off tor ever. But the Parliament ha>* separated ; the Ministry have established themselves at one e d of the island, and the Governor has settled down at the other; and while the Governor is making- peace at his end, the Ministers are getting up another war at their end, and fighting It, as of old with English troops, at the cost of the English Treasury. There is one remedy that would certainly put a stop to this long series of New Zealand wars, so far as England is concerned ; but whether any other plan ot equal efficacy could be found is, after these last events, open to considerable doubt. —So urday Review.

Ev nimj Standard, April 26. There has been a scene of intense excitement at the Stock Exchange. The assassination of President Lincoln, and the attempt either on Mr. Seward or Mr. Stanton, has created quire a panic in American Securities, and a dull feeling in other descriptions. The- event having ocenrred on the Account day, in the midst ot the arrangement of differences, has almost paralysed the members, and a scene of great confusion has necessarily been exhibited. Throughout the remainder of the afternoon fluctuations will occur, and the result will probably be to occasion suspensions among the stock operators. Already one failure, that of Messrs Gowan and Marx, has been announced. They were largely interested in American securities, and as their engagements are extensive, they have thought’it prudent .to suspend to arrange their affairs. A fall of sto 7 per cent all round, has of coarse seriously compromised them. The discount market is quiet, but there is a full demand for money, at 3| to 4 per cent. Some large payments accrue at the beginning of the week.

At the Stock Exchange the applications for money have not been large, but the terms stand supported at 2} to 3 per cent. The report of the Liverpool Cotton M wket intimates that the greatest consternation prevails on ’Change The assassination of President Lincoln, and the reported death of Seward, has pnt a stop to til bnsiness for a time, and it is added, “it is at present useless to attempt to arrive at any estimate of what will be the business in cottou.”

Consols opened at 91} to J for the account, they have since gone back to 90} to f. The Confederate Stock opened at 13 to 15; it haa since gone to 16 to 18. A heavy account for the fall is open, and it will in all probability further advance. Uni ed States securities have dropped 5 to 6 per cent, all round, the effect of panic and failure of the house already referred to. The Five-Twenty loan is 6')) to 611 ; Erie, 41 to 43; Illinois, 71 to 73 j and Virginia, 35 to 40.

Foreign Stocks were heavy at the commencement of business, but they have since recovered a little. Turkish Consol ides, 53} to 54 ; Greek Stock, ex-C' upons. 20} to 21} ; Mexican, 26} to | ; Spanish Passive. 31 to 31} ; the Certificates, 16} to } ; Italian, 64} to }. Railway Shares are a little dull, with a moderate business. The effect of the new* in Mincing-lane has been to check the late rise. LATE ENGLISH TELEGRAM. (FROM THB “ BYDNET HERALD,” JOLT 3.) A telegram from London, dated 17 th May; has been received for a mercantile firm in Sydney to the following effect:— Bank discount, 4} per cent. Cotton, steady, 10} c. to 10}; good demand. Coffee improved. Blockade of Southern Ports raised.