ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 3, 26 October 1844, Page 3

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

The state trials have closed : Mr. O'Connell and the other traversers, except the Rev. Mr. Tierney, are now the iumates of the Dublin Penitentiary, having been sentenced — the arch-agitator to be imprisoned for twelve calendar months, to pay a fine of £2000 sterling, and to enter into securities to keep the peace for seven years, himself in £5000 sterling, and two sureties of £2500 sterling each; and Messrs. J. O'Connell, J. Gray, T. Steele, R. Barrett, C. G. Duffy, and T. M. Ray, to be imprisoned for nine calendar months, to pay a fine of £500 sterling each, and to enter into securities to keep the peace for seven years, themselves in £4000 sterling. and two sureties in £500 sterling each. It is probable the Queen's Bench would have gladly postponed the sentence, pending a decision in the House of Lords upon the writ of error, but the Attorney-General, having a verdict in his favour, refused ail delay, and demanded immediate judgment ; in iact, leaving the Court no option. Ireland is now perfectly tranquil ; the imprisonment of the traversers has created very little sensation even in Dublin, and agitation is altogether confined to some of the larger cities ; where, however, it has gone no farther than shutting up shops for a few hours, and preparing petitions and addresses. The Lord Chancellor has requested the Judges in this country to postpone their circuits that they may be present at the discussion of the Writ of Error, which will probably come on in about three weeks hence. In the mean time, Mr. O'Connell holds his daily levees in prison, and public prayers are offered for his release. It is reported that the Board of Superintendence of City Prisons has intimated to Mr. O'Connell that in the event of its being his intention to publish any letter or document, bearing his signature, in the usual channels of information, it is their determination to see that the usual prison regulations be strictly enforced ; that not the least exception shall be made in his favour, and that if it is found necessary to do so, he shall be deprived of the use of pen, ink, and paper. A prosecution against Mr, Smith O'Brien, and some other leaders of the Repeal Association is considered very probable. The motion for a new trial which was under discussion at the date of our last dispatch, was disposed of, in the Court of Queen's Bench, on the 24th of May. Mr. Justice Pernn considered that Mr. O'Connell was entitled to a new trial. Mr. Justice Crampton shared his opinion. Mr. Justice Burton and the Chief Justice considered that | the motion ought to be refused altogether, even against Mr. Tierney. The effect of this judgment was the rejection of a rule for a new trial altogether; but in deference to the opinions expressed by Mr. Perrin and Mr. Crampton, the Attorney-General entered a nolle prosequi as to Mr. Tierney. Motions subsequently made in arrest of judgment, and to postpone sentence were refused, and the writs of error have since been lodged. Sir T. Wilde, .Mr. F. Kelly, Q.C., and Mr, Austin, Q. C, are to appear for Mr. O'Connell, and the other traversers in the House of Lords. On the 3rd of June,, the House having retolved ituelf into a Committee of Ways and Meant, for the purpose of considering thciugar duties ;

the Chancellor of the Exchequer reproduced his motion for establishing a differential duty of forty shillings in favour of the British colo- i nial sugars. He rejected in a few words the various proposals announced on the subject, viz. : Mr. Ewart's notice demanding the equalization of the duties on foreign, with those on British colonial produce ; Mr. Miles's requesting a proportionate reduction" on duties in favour of the product of the British colonies, so as to leave them their present relative advantages; and Lord John Russell's proposing the ' same reduction of duties for slave-grown as for free-grown ministerial sugar. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was of opinion that the advantages which would accrue to the West Indies from the increased facilities for the immigration of labour, were sufficient grounds for rejecting Mr. Miles's proposal. Lord John Russell, Messrs. Labourhere, Stewart, and Hume, had warmly contested the motion. For the resolutions of Government 197 For Lord J. Russell's amendment.. ..128 Majority for Government. ... 69 The Emperor of Russia and the King of Saxo.ny were on a visit to her Majesty the-Queen. Sir Charles Metcalf s conduct in Canada has been th« subject of interesting debates in the House of Commons. The acts of the Governor have received the approbation of both parties, Sir R. Peel and Lord Stanley on the one hand; and on the other, Lord John Russell, Mr. C. Buller, and Mr. Hume. The Duchess of Kent was at Geneva. It was expected that her royal Highness would be in England towards the 21st., a few days previous to the probable accouchment of the Queen. Her Majesty the Queen Dowager had left England for Germany on the 3rd of June. Copy of a letter from a gentleman in Belfast to a merchant in London. Belfast, April 20, 1844. Dear Sir, — I am sorry that after waiting so long I am still unable to give you any satisfactory account of the sample of New Zealand Flax you sent me some time ago. I gave part to several spinnera, who have promised to try what they could make of it; but in this, as in every instance in which I have come in contact with them, they evince much apathy, not being able to see what advantage they can derive from the improvement of this Flax. For this indifference I was in a great measure prepared, by their treatment of me in my Flax operations at •. I could not get one to examine specimens of my Flax, till I sent them to each of their mills. By far the the most intelligent amongst the body is Mr. J. Herdman, who had long ago taken an interest in this New Zealand Flax, by procuring samples and getting them tried in various ways, without, however, succeeding in bringing the article to such a state as to be usuable in the mills, until he fell in with a man in Armagh, about .30 miles.from this, who hit upon some plan of bringing it out the finest Flax I ever saw in my life, judging from specimens shewn me by Mr. Herdman. Mr. H. did not believe that it was the same sample he had given this man, to experiment upon, and to put the matter beyond doubt some sticks were given to him, to be operated upon in half their length, leaving the other half the original state, the like success attended this trial. The poor fellow was quite elated with his discovery, and framed a prospectus for a Joint Stock Company, stipulating for shares and a salary of £2000 for conducting the works, which were to be set agoing on a large scale; all this got him into debt, and nearly into prison, from which latter only a speedy flight saved him, and he has not been heard of since. Mr. Herdman tells me that J a person in Liege (Belgium) has also the secret j To find out what this is, I rather think a spinner is not the proper person, at least in Ireland, and I should say a practical chemist would be much better. The great difficulty is to get the Flax into a fine state without extracting the vegetable oil. The samples I have are too small for the ropemakers to make trial of, and judging of it in its present state they estimate much under Manilla hemp. I am sorry I can be of so little service to your friend in this matter, for I should willingly exert myself in his interest, knowing by-ex-perience what difficulties a new undertaking has to encounter, and how discouraging they are. I am, &c. The schooner "O. C. Raymond. — A letter from Canton, dated December 27, received in this city by the Helena, arrived at New York, throws some further light on the affair of the O. C. Raymond, Captain Dennison. There can be no longer any doubt, that the specie was put on board at Chusan, on freight, and was feloni- j ously appropriated to the use of the officers and crew. The following is an extract from the I letter: " The schooner 0. C. Raymond, former- j ly of Sag Harbour or Stonington, had arrived at Valparaiso, from the coast of China, via one of the Sandwich Islands, with the Sycee silver shipped by the agents of one or two British houses in Chusan, for Macao, which the commander, Samuel Dennison, sold through Messrs. Alsop and Co., & obtaining in return doubloons had left for Panama, on board a whale-ship, the schooner having been sold, and placed under the Chilian flag. It is to be hoped that this instance of the disgrace of our flag and country will be taken such notice of in the United States as shall restore its honour, as far as the law can. The sufferers are chiefly British houses, and we trust that every American will feel himself bound to assist iv the restoration of the robbed property, which amounted to about 50,000 dollars.— Boston- Daily Advertiser, Aprils.