ENGLISH EXTRACTS,

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 482, 16 March 1850, Page 2

ENGLISH EXTRACTS,

Kossuth. — Letters from Malta by the overland mail are anxiously expected, as it is believed that they will announce the interesting intelligence that Louis Kossuth is tin board the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Sultan, from Constantinople, bound for Southampton. Arrangements are making in the latter town to give the illustrious Magyar a suitable reception. The Sultan is expected at Southampton about the 6th proximo. — Leeds Meroury, Oct. 27.

The Emperor of Russia. — The Berlin correspondent of the Daily News says: — The death of the Grand Duke Michael has affected the Czar deeply. The violence with which the Emperor has beeu snatched suddenly from the excess oi joy to extreme grief, has lent more than ever a countenance of reality to those fears which have latterly been entertained, lest the reason of this extraordinary sovereign should give way. The violence with which the symptoms of his grief burst out was equal to the extravagance with which he manifested the opposite seutiment, upon hearing of the decided success of Russian arms in Hungary. The physicians exhausted the resources of their art to tame the furious expression of the passion of sorrow which dominated this overgrown will. Only by tha continued application of ice to his head during a whole night could the Emperor be calmed ; or rather, but for this remedy, it was the opinion of bis medical attendants that he would have fallen a victim to the same malady which struck his brother. — Scotsman, Sept. 19.

; Jamaica. — We have intelligence from Jamaica to the 2nd inst., ten days later than that brought by the West India mail steamer Severn. On the 24th ult. the Import Bill was read a third time and passed. On the 28th his Excellency prorogued the session, on the ground that the bill for the continuance of the import duties had come before the Legislature in a form in which the Council had determined not to pass it. An address from the Council to the Governor had been presented, regretting that so much piecious time had been lost in the struggle for retrenchment, j and stating that all necessary and- usual measures to provide these remedies would receive from the Council an immediate concurrence. The Governor replied briefly, that this address confirmed the hope be had formed of an early settlement of the difficulties and differences of the Colonial Legislature. The consequence of this prorogation of the Assembly had been that, while the new Import Bill had not passed the Legislature, the old law for levying these duties expired on the Ist of October, and in the absence of any tariff, all goods, wares, and merchandise were entitled to entry free of duty. -Leeds Mercury, Oct. 27.

Chili. — The affairs of the United States ! in Chili have beeu somewhat complicated by a curious circumstance in the private history of Colonel Barton, our minister to Chili. It appears that gentleman fell in love with a beautiful lady, named Isabella Astabarnaga, a member of the Reman Catholic Church. The Archbishop refused to sanction their marriage, because the minister would not renounce the Protestant faith. The lady consented to be married by the American chaplain of the flag-ship Independence. The wedding was j attended by all the diplomatic corps, by Com- . modore Sbubrick and suite, and the. wealthy

and fashionable residents of the capital. The Archbishop immediately addressed Mrs. Barton a letter, charging her with becoming the concubineof a dissolute foreigner, and threatening her with the anathemas of the church. Colonel Barton then appealed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the protection of the goTernment, but was, informed that it could not be granted, because the Archbishop was a member of the gorernment. He then immediately struck his flag, and has retired from the country, leaving the difficulty to be settled hereafter as it may.

Sj?ain. — Another Ministerial crisis has occurred in Madrid, resulting in the temporary dismissal of the Narvaez Cabinet. Some intrigues, of which the husband of the Queen was the nominal leader, produced this step, and on the 19th inst. the list of a new ministry made its appearance. The new cabinet was to be presided over by Zea, Burmudez, who was to hold, in addition, the Portfolio of Foreign Affairs. Manresa was to be Minister of Justice ; General Balboa was to be Minister of the Interior ; Armesta, Minister of Finance; and General Count Clonnrd Minister of War. So soon as the names of the new Ministers were made known in Madrid every one was in consternation — the Absolutists and Moderados, because there were scarcely a name amongst them that were distinguished in their parties ; and the Progresistas, because it was n decided coup in a re-actionary sense. The new Minister of Finance had been an employ^ in the Accountant General's office, and the Home Minister a sort of fiscal agent. The name of General Balboa is only known for the atrocities committed in La Mancha during the Carlist war, when he was the lieutenant of Narvaez. In fact, no set of men were satisfied, and the Ministry, concocted by Don Francisco de Assis and his confessor, proved as ridiculous as it was impracticable. General Narvaez was, therefore, again sent for and charged to continue the former Ministry. — Atlas, Oct. 27.

AMIDSHIPMANOF THE " BeILEROPHON" and Eleven Seamen Drowned. — On the afternoon of the 12th inst., Mr. Kemp, a midshipman of H. M.'s ship Bellerophon, 78, Captain Byrne, C.8., lying off Leghorn, was sent ashore in charge of the cutter to biing off some men who were on leave. He reached the shore, embarked his men, and left to return to his ship. In the meantime, however, <the breezp, which was little or nothing on leaving the Bellerophon, had freshened considerably, and it appears the cutter had proceeded one-third the distance from the shore to the ship, when, in consequence of shipping a great deal of water, Mr. Kemp bore up for the purpose of returning to the land, the boat at the same time carrying a press of sail. More water was shipped in the act of bearing up, which was kept under by bailing, but, unforlunately, the sail having been lowered, and the boat having nothing to force her through the water^ -she became almost water-logged, iilled, and shortly afterwards turned bottom .up. This fatal catastrophe having been seen, both from the Bellerophon and her Majesty's steara-vessel Porcupine, boats were immedidiately lowered from those and despatched to the assistance of the cutter ; but before they couW reach the spot, the following poor fellows had disappeared, and were drowned : Mr. Kemp, midshipman^ Matthew Odgers, coxswain of the cutter; Jeremiah McCarthy, able eeaman ; Jones Gray, ditto ; William Deaken, landsman ; John \\ innister, ditto *, William Short, first-class boy ; James Wheat, private marine ; John Ray nor* ditto ; George Watt, ditto ; William Harvey, ditto ; John Williams, ditto. Mr. Kemp is the son of the late Lieut. Kemp, R.N. He was very steady in his duties, was considered to be very competent in the management of a boat, and was altogether a very promising young officer. -Atlas, Oct. 27 _;.' Sib John Franklin's Expedition. — Letters received from Sir Johu Richardson announce his arrival at Norway House, Lake Winnipeg, on the 14th August last, on his way home. He may, therefore, be shortly expected to Teach England. Sir John Richardson had deposited pemmiean on various points of the coast for the use of Sir John Franklin's party, should they abandon their ships and seek the continent of America. — Ibid.

Wreck of an Emigrant Ship.— Ninety nine Lives Lost. — The Boston (American) Evening Journal of the Bth October has the following : — A severe gale from N. E. commenced Saturday evening, 6tb inst., and raged with great fury during the whole of the night tnd throughout the day on Sunday. The gale was probably the most severe of the season, and we fear has proved very destructive upon the coast. The British brig St, John, Capt. Oliver, from Gal way, Ireland, anchored inside Minot's Ledge about six o'clock, a.m., on Sunday, dragged her anchors, and struck on the Grampus rocks, about nine a.m. Captain Beale of the steamer Mayflower, gives us the following particulars. He understood that the brig struck on the rocks known as the Sea Ledges, a little to the

west of Minot's Ledge Light, about one mile rom the shore, and immediately went to pieces* There appeared to be different statements in relation to the number of passengers on board. The captain says there were but 114, while the passengers who were saved say there were 150. Of those saved and arrived at Cohasset, ten in number, seven were females and three males. Six of them were provided with quarters at the house of Captain A. H. Tower, and the other four at Mr. Lapthorps. All of these came on shore on pieces of the wreck. Two of she women, it is thought, will not survive, one being badly cut on the head by a pipce of the wreck. The other woman, it is said, has a husband residing in this city ; she had three children on board with her, all of whom were lost. The captain and one of the mates we are informed arrived from Cohasset in the noon-train to-day. The following statement is from Captain Oliver himself : — " Saturday, five p. m., passed Cape Cod with a light S. E. wind — weather thick ; hove to with head to M. E.; at four a.m. wore ship and stood south ; at half-past six made Minot's Ledge. Not having room to wear ship, ventured to run where We saw a brig at anchor, inside of the light. The violence of the gale and heavy sea caused us to drag our anchors, when we cut away the masts, and held on for a short time. The gale increasing she dragged again, struck and thumped heavily for about one hour before she broke up. Previous to breaking up, the jolly boat was banging by the tackles alongside, when the stern ringbolt broke and the boat fell into the water* The captain, second mate, and two boys jumped into her to clear her out, when about twenty five passengers jumped in and swamped her ; the passengers', together with the second mate and two boys, perished. The captain caught a rope hanging over the quarter, and was drawn on board by the first mate. The long boat was got clear shortly after, and a heavy sea coming on board cleared, her from the vessel, when a number of the passengers jumped over to swim to her, but all perished. The captain, first mate, (Mr. Cummerford) eight of the crew, and two passengers swam to the boat, and reached the shore in safety. Ten others — seven men and eight women — came on shore on part of the deck. Total loss of life 99 — saved 21. Twenty- five bodies have washed ashore this morning."

Winding up Joint Stock Companies. — Amongst the various enterprises now being wound up under the Joint Stock Companies Act, there is one called the Wesleyan Newspaper Association, and in connection with which a peremptory call of £4 per share has been ordered by the Master in Chancery on the contributors. The newspaper was started in 1847 by an individual who sold it to another, by whom it was mortgaged back to the first owner, and both becoming bankrupt, induced several influential and wealthy Wesleyans to purchase the copyright and start the association. The capital was fixed at <£4375, in 3500 shares of £1 ss. each, upon which about £3000 was paid. The paper went on for rather less than two years, when, owing to a combination of causes, creditors sued and embarrasements thickened. It wai found difficult, from the state of the accounts, to ascertain how much was received and expended; but the assets, as reported by the official manager, do not exceed £600, while the claims filed with the Master in Chancery amount to some £5000.

Railway Competition. — Within the last fortnight, we understand, the London and North Western, in conjunction with the Lancashire and Yorkshire, have commenced carrying goods between Liverpool and Manchester, a distance of 3 1 miles, at the ruiuously low figure of 6d. per ton, where they used to have Bs. We further hear that the 6d. includes the expenses of collection and delivery. The cause is a competition with the East Lancashire and the canal. At a very low estimate It has been calculated that every tou costs the Companies 6s. 3d., so that they are losing ss. 9d. on every 6d. earned, or 860 per ceut. With these negative gains the less business they do the better. We should advise all applicants for sending goods to be told, "Quite full, can't take in more goods for another month." — Herapath's Journal.

Horrors of the Slave Trade. — Among the letters received by the Anti-slavery Committee during the past month, is a very important one from Tripoli. We learn by it that a trading company is to be formed for the purpose of commercial intercourse with Bornou, Morsouk, and Kanou, which promises, from the known character and position of the parlies who have interested themselves in it, to have a most beneficial influence in checking the North African slave trade. Our space this month enables us to give one incident only of the horrors which mark this branch of the slave trade. Our correspondent says :—": — " The government post fiom Morzouk arrived here yesterday, with very sad tidings. A large caravan, with three thousand slaves, and a numerous escort, coming from Bornou to Morzouk, found at one of the stations the wells

filled with sand, when being much pressed for want of water, the caravan was obliged to retrace its way to the last station, a journey of three days. Their sufferings were so great that 1,600 poor slaves perished, besides a number of animals. The loss of merchandise, too, is said to have been considerable." — Anti-Slavery Ref orter.

Norwegian Water Telescopes, — How slow we sometimes are in copying the simple and useful inventions of our neighbours, is exemplified in our being so long in applying an instrument which the people of Norway have lound of so great utility that there is scarcely a single fishing boat without one. We mean the water telescope, or lube, of threj or four feet in length, which they carry in their boats with them when they go a fishing. When they reach the fishing ground, they immerse one end of this telescope in the water, and leaning over the gunwale of the boat with their head, or rather the whole of their face, closing up the other end, so as to exclude the light from dazzling the eye, and distracting the vision, they Took intensely through the glass, which shows objects some ten or fifteen fathom deep as distinctly as if they were wilhin a few feet of the surface ; I by which means, when a shoal of fish comes into their bays, the Norwegians instantly prepare their nets, maatheir boats, and go out in pursuit. Tlie first process is minutely to survey the ground with their glasses, and, where they find the fish swarming about in great numbers, they then give the signal and surround the fish with their large draught nets, and often catch them in hundreds at a haul, which, were it not for these telescopes, would often prove a precarious and unprofitable fishing, as the fish by these glasses are as distinctly seen in the deep clear sea as gold fish in a crystal jar. This instrument is not only used by the fishermen, but is also found on board the navy and coasting vessels of Norway. When their anchors get into full ground, or the cables warped on a roadstead, they immediately apply the glass, and guided by it take steps to put all to rights, which they could not do so well without the aid of the rude and simple instrument, which the meanest fisherman can make with his own hands, without the aid of a craftsman. The preceding remarks form the introduction to the notice of a telescope, made on the same principle, and introduced last week, we believe for the first time, into the Tay, whereby the fishermen below bridge have been enabled to discover stones, boles, and even ground^ over which the net travels, and have found the instrument to answer to admiration, the minutest object in twelve feet water being as clearly seen as on the surface. — North Warder. \

A Desirable Wife. — Mrs. Butterfield, of Hitchen, has just presented her husband with their tuenty-fowth child, about a month after the twenty-third anniversary of their w*edding-day ! — Observer. Mademoise Duthe, having lost one of her lovers, for whom she affected a great devotion, a gentleman calling on her soon after, found her playing the harp, and exclaimed with surprise, " Man Dieuf I thought I should have found you plunged in the very depths of despair !" " Ah !" replied she, in the most pathetic tone, " I was yesterday, and you should have seen me then /" We (Punch) see advertised in the morning papers " Ladies' Vests." We cannot imagine what a lady wants with such a thing ; but this gradual invasion of the gentleman's attire begins to alarm us. They have already stolen our paletots, they now seize upon our vests. Gracious goodness ! what will they take next.