ENGLISH ITEMS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2126, 27 November 1868, Page 3

ENGLISH ITEMS.

Tho inventor of tho patent safety cofßn has given his complicated apparatus another trial, this time in New York. About 500 persons were present to see Mr "V eater buried. A grave, six feet deep, had been got in readiness for him, and Mr Vester stepped into tho coflin " with morp alacrity," says tho New York reporter, "than could be expee'ed of a man about to submit to so grave an experiment." Having arranged himself comfortably, a young lady put a wrath of flowers on his head, tho coffin lid was screwed down, tho pipe communicating with tho outer air was fixed into its place, aud tho whole machinery was lowered into tho grave. Mr Vcstcr remained buried for upwards of an hour, and then climbed up through tho tube and Btepped forth. "Ho did not appear to bo at all decomposed," adds the reporter, who seems to have a proper appreciation of the invention. Seeing that each of tho spectators paid about Is fid for admission to the ground, it ia evident that Mr Vester may live very handsomely byhia coflin.—Pall-Mall Gazette. Intelligence from the German exhibition to the North Pole announces the safe return of the ship Germania to Bergen. On' tho 15th September, she reached a point in lat 81.5. Although the ice and weather have been very unfavourable for tho expedition this year, the results, especially those obtained east of Spitsbergen, will be of great value from a scientific point of view. The expedition will go from Bergen to Bremerhavon. The vessel will be available for the next expedition. The future movements of the Spanish revolutionists, are, of course, still unknown. Prim is said to have handed over the command of tho army to Marshal Serrano, and is about to head the insurrection in Catalonia. It seems more than probable that Prim plays but a secondary part in the present performance. He has never been celebrated as a man of head, although brave to an extraordinary degree. The other leaders concerned would not follow implicitly the guidance of Prim. Hence there is every reason to suppose that tho Bcope of tho present insurrection extends far beyond the limits of an ordinary insurrection leading to a change of Cabinet. A complete dynastic change is the aim of the insurgents. The mere mention of tho Cortes Const'Uuyetiies shapes out their future policy. When tho ballot has done its work, and the men chosen by the people meet together in the Senate, we shall see whether happier days are really in store for Spain. A Republic is much to be deprecated, and the choice of a new Sovereign is not easy. For the present, we hear that the revolutionists are possessed of unlimited funds, and should they actually obtain the reins of power they will find that cash will smooth away many difficulties.—Times. A notable feat has juHt been performed by a memter of the Canoe Club. On Thursday, the 24th September, the owner of the canoe Midge crossed the Irish Channel from Donaghadee to Portpatrick in his little craft. The passage, owing to an unfavourable wind and cross tides, occupied seven hours, during which tho canoeist, although provided with a regular canoe cuisine and materials, in addition to his luggage, was unable to take other refreshment than bread and cold meat, with some brandy and water. On arriving at Portpatrick, the Scotch people at first refused to believe that " the man sitting on the water" had really come from Ireland; but when convinced of the fact, they heartily joined in the cheers with which the passengers and sailors of the Donaghadee .and Portpatrick steampacket welcomed the solitary adventurer. Since the days when our remote ancestors, in skin-covered coracles, crossed the seas between tho islands, this is perhaps the first time that so small a vessel has traversed the same channel. Tt may be doubted, indeed, whether those coracles were so small as the Midge, which weighs only 501b. Captain Blacker, commanding tho Dolphin packet, which was just preparing to start for Donaghadee, gave seaman-like welcome and hospitality to tho canoe and its skipper, and reeonveyed them to the Irish shore in a very much, shorter time than they had taken on their "voyage oat." —Daily Telegraph. The new Secretary for Ireland, in room of L >rd Mayo, is Colonel Wilson-Patten, who has been up to this time Chancellor of the Dnchy of Lancaster. ,If close lmo\rledge how to conduct the Private Bill business of the House of Commons fitted a man for the Trish Secretaryship, ihen Colonel Wilson-Patten would be just tho man.' He is an araia'le gentleman, with an appetite "for work, but without much administrative talent. He is careful and painstaking, however, and this may keep him from blundering in his new office—ScoUman. _ ', i L'Evenement gives the following interesting particulars regarding Queen Isabella's intended, departure from St. Sebastian.—At midnight the Queen and her husband-arrived at the station, followed by their, children and tha ladies in waiting. The Queen was in tears ;, sh© walked beneath the peristyle of the plat-j form, and the soldiers presented as&ti.

Tho public, whoso number rapidly increased, took their hats off, but. maintained a profound silence. " Let ua start," said Lor Majesty ; and she entered tho railway carriage. Tho Court took their seats, and tho engine was attached to the train, whon, at the very moment that the guard was going to giVe tho signal for departure, two despatches were brought, whose contends were evidently of a very grave character. The Queen immediately got out of the carriage, and exclaimed to- her Minister, " If I wero but a man {si je pouo^iis porter atlcttes) I would return to my capital ;" and hid her face in her hands to conceal her tears. She regained t xio wait-:.ng-i jom and, finding the Royal equip%ges gone, returned to tho palace in the carriage of the Governor of St Sebastian. The Figaro states that General Concha entreated Isabella to return to Madrid with tho Prince of the Asturias, ai-ound whom it might be possible to rally the people, and above all without M. Marfori, the very sight of whom would cause irritation. These last .words exasperated Her Majesty to such a degree that she could not control her anger, and burst forth into a violent tirade again:.!, her people. " Hero I remain," sheonclai Jied, " aud will remain until these brigands are vanquished ; and if I yield I will retire to Franco, only too delighted to be disembarrassed of the sovereignty of a nation of robbers aud assassins." It appears that the Queen's infatuation for M. Marfori ib so great that no persuasions or entreaties will induce her to-separate from him. It wa3 in vain that her most devoted friends —who are few enough—entreated her to consent to a separation from her Intendant. " You risk, your crown," said one. " What matter }" was the reply. " But think of your children !" Come what may," rejoined the infatuated woman. In Count Walewski, ono of the most remarkable, though not ono of the greatest, statesman of the time has passed away. His course wa3 characterised both by vicissitude and brilliancy. Rumour, or perhaps wo should say scandal, asserted that ho was a son of the Great Napoleon ; his mother having been a Polish lady, who fascinated tho conqueror by her beauty, and who in turn was fascinated by tho idea that he should prove the liberator of her country. Whether the report be true or not, Walewski was in spirit and action more a Frenchman than a Polo. The stiuggles of his native land against the thraldom of Russia gave him an early opportunity of distinguishing himself in politics; and when, after a short trial of military life in France, ho again plunged into politics, he was brilliantly successful. Walewski was one of the band of able young men who, like Thiera, won distinction in the journalism and tho literature of France before attaining office. He had written plays, essays, and pamphlets before his friend M. Thiers, as President of the Cabinet, extended a helping hand, and sent him on a mission to Egypt. Afterwards, the progress of tho young Pole was so rapid that speedily he ranked with Thiers, Guixot, and Drouyn do Lhuys among tho foremost statesmen of France. As Ambassador at the Eoglish Court, he won the favour of our. prosaic countrymen; and, when subsequently appointed by the present Emperor Minister of Foreign Affairs, he ably presided over the CongreßS of Paris. Hio ouboequent career Is chiefly remarkable for tho chivalrous manner in which he upheld tho cause of Poland, even at the cost of place. With M. do Walewski has passed away ono of the typical statesmen of our day who held to tho Bonapartist idea.—Daily Telegraph. During the thunderstorm of Sept. 20tli, Mr Robert Hooper of Little Cheverell, near Devizes, had a flock of 554 stock ewes folded on the [highest point of the Fore hill, on his farm. On Monday morning the shepherd found 77 of them lying dead, and two more in a state of stupor. Tho lightning had struck the cliff on the edge of which the sheep were folded. The storm was one of extraordinary severity for the time of year.— Times. Orders have been issued for French ships to hold themselves in readiness to proceed to the coast of Spain ; but this step has only been taken with the object of protecting the interests of French subjects.—La France. Her Majesty has kindly permitted Dr Norman Maclcod to write a description of Scottish scenery for (he illustrated edition of " Our Life in the Highlands," which is soon to appear. Joint authorship is mnch less common with English writers than with tho French; but under distinguished imitation we presume the custom will soon become familiar to us. The tile of tho book in to be " Mountain, Loch, and Glen." —London Review. The ornamental hair manufacturers were never so busy as at the present time. They have great difficulty in getting sufficient hands to complete their orders in time, and their workshops are mnch overcrowded. Mr Rouch, sanitary inspector for St. Pancras, has reported to tho Sanitary Committee the workshops of' this kind in Kentish Town which are stated to be overcrowded. One of them had 50 female workers, and another 24, with not breathing room for half that number ; and what makes the matter worse, the hair on which they work is described as being in a horrible state. Notices, have been served under the provisions, of the Workshops Regulation Act, 18G7, for the abatement of the overcrowding.—Pall Mall Gazette. Lord Napier of Magdala, accompanied by his military secretary, Colonel Dillon, leaves to resume the command of'the Bombay Army about the 31st of October. llt is stated that Captain Boys, of Her Majesty's ship Warrior, is to-be tried by court-martial at Devonporb, for having run his ship into the Jioyal Oak, causing a damage which has been only repaired at a cost of several thousand pounds of the public money.—Army and Navy Gazette. During the Bute festivities at Cardiff, a performing goat was exhibited which had been taught to pick out from an alphabet strewed about the floor the letters ' But c, and' from numerous figures and cyphers the number L 300,000, which represents the- Marquis's yearly income in pounds; ~" . ; ' The Prince and Princess of Wales are expected at Copenhagen iv November. They will reside in the Chateau of Frederigsbortr, in the neighbourhood of which hunting parties will be formed. At the same period the Crows Priv.ce and. Princess of Prussia will pay a visit, to the English Court. .-'... * *An incident - has just occurred at La Manere of so extraordinary a nature that we should hesitate to publutfe it if we had; not heard it related by the person whom it principally concerns. Some days back five young men of the nighbonrhood wont to bathe in a pool of small extent,' but nearly twenty feet deep,'and fed by a mountain torrent. The first to plunge in, Hippolyte Serre, swam safely across, and was seated on the opposite bank where he sat watching a companion named Coll, who had followed him. The latter, who was deaf and dumb since a very serious OLaeaa, brought on five year* back by a disappoint^ BMQt in Jot*, bad reached tb* middle, of

• I tho water, whore ho was seen to struggle convulsively, and then disappear beneath, i the surface. Serre plunged in to hi& ■ assistance, and, seizing him whon he , came up, succeede.l in bringing him bet i tho brink, where he was helped out by ■ the others. 001 l had no sooner recovered: his senses than ho exchimod, 'Mon Dicu ! Sainto Vicrgo dv Coral ! Hippoly te, you have saved.mo S" Tho shock had, in fact, restored to him his speech, of which a commotion had previously deprived him.—Journal dea Pyrenees Orieiitaloa. A specimen of quartz from the South. African mines has been assayed by the assivyers to Her Majesty's Mint, who have made a report as follows :—'' Theweight is G5 grains. Tho specimen contains equal to tho following proportions o£ fine gsld and silver in tho ton of 20 cwt: — Geld, 1185oz ; silver, GOoz."—Scotsman. News received through tho French Embassy at Berlin gives an unfavourable account of-Count Bißinarck's health. Tho Count can only obtain rest by resorting to brandy, and delirium transits is feared. The Prussian ambassador, Baron Golta, is about to be replaced in consequence of iIL health.—Paris Correspondent of the Palt Mall Gazette. The rejoicings on the attainment of his; majority by tho Marquis of Buto began on the 12th Soptember, at Rothesay. la. tho evening there was a grand illumination of the town and of tho ships in the port. On the forenoon of tho followingday the tenantry proceeded to Mountstuart House, where tho Marquis is residing, and presented him with a congratulatory address. A public progress, attended by Volunteers, the Magistrates and Council of Rothesay, and an imrmenso crowd of visitors was afterwards made to the Victoria Hall, Rothsay, where a banquet, at which the freedom of the burgh was presented to the young Peer, took place. In the evening, the Marquis entertained about J3OO county gentlemen, and tenantry in a largo pavilion at Mountstuart, and tho day's festivities were brought to a close by a grand display of fireworks on a lawn at Mounts uart. The rejoicings at Cardiff have also taken place. A Prussian paper asserts that therenever was a time when the situation o£ tho Turkish empire was more grave tharu* it is at present. Preparations are, says this paper, being made opuuly along the Bulgarian frontier for an attack on Turkey, and these preparations are made chiefly by Russian officers, while arms are supplied by Russia. Tho curious thingabout this statement is that it should be made by a Prussian paper, seeing that Russia and Prussia are believed to bo on. such friendly terms. A disastrous explosion of petroleum has taken place at Antwerp. A lighter laden, with tho inflammable liquid took fire. The result was some warehouses wero destroyed, and the shipping in tho river had a narrow escape. An explosion o£ paraffin is also reported from near Cork. Some repairs are being done at the Fota. Station of tho Queenstown Railway. The. workmen at night use paraffin lamps. Three men were tilling the lamps from a> cask of paraffin when tho oil became ignited, and there was a fearful explosion. Tho men were so much injured that theirlives are despaired of.—Scotsman. The Duke of Edinburgh, replying i» an address from the town council o£ Perth said: —" While I most heartily/concur with you in a deep sense of gratitude to Almighty Providence for having preserved me from tho hand of an assassin, and for having permitted me to return in health and safety to this country, I cannot but rejoice that that event to which yon allude served only still more to stimulate the feelings of love and loyalty towards the throne and person o£ hor Majesty, which our fellow-country-men in Australia had already shown in at* unmistakeablo a manner by tho magnificent reception which they accorded to- : me." I Mr J. C. E. Weigall, one of the promoters of the proposed railway bridge over the English Channel, has been in, Dover during tho week, and has had interviews with some of the principal residents of Dover and the neighbourhood, whose countenance to the scheme he is desirous of obtaining—among others with. Earl Granville, the Lord Warden of the Cinquo Ports. As already announced* tho Emperor of the French, and otherpersons of distinction in France, are warmly in favour of the project, and -wes are informed that one h»lf the capital required for preliminary operations has.. already been subscribed by our Frenchi neighbours. Tho remainder is to be provided in England, it being the object o£ the promoters to make tho undertaking an international one, and to cause the commercial interests and general convenience of both countries to be equally-. represented.—Dover Express. A most disgraceful riot took place an. September 18th, in Lombard street, London, in consequence of Father Ignatius'*., determination to continue his offensive lectures at the Parish Church of St Edmund the King, in that street. At the . close of the service there were from 2000, to 3000 persons collected in tho vicinity o£ tho church, and fearful excitement, ensued, for every one. who emerged from the building was greeted with treinendoiur groats and yells, and some were laidt hold of and their clothing torn. Thtt mob was furious; they mado no di«-. crimination. Ladies were shamefully assaulted and bespattered with mudThe riot became so alarming that the doors were at length closed for the purpose of preventing the rioters entering the church^ Several clergymen wer^, hustled roughly, and ill treated. A. few, policemen who wero on, tho spot wewr. utterly unable to restrain, tho fury of. th» rioters, who kept up a cry of ctN» Popery." " Down wiih the Moak, and Biiuolar expression. For two hours this scene continued, till at length about 200 of the City police- arrived, who commenced to clear the street, and protected tho remainder of the congregation as they came out of the church from furtberviolence and outsage. How the Rev.. Father Ignatius, escaped from the church, was not known.—-Scotsman. While the Viceroy of Egypt was visiting an illumination in a narrow street at Cairo on October Ist, an. attempt was made lo assassinate him by dropping a. steel hall armed with slmrp barbs vipon hia head. The ball fell agninst tho carriage, and no gunpowder being used iim Viceroy escaped uninjured. No c!iK*ha^_ been obtained to the perpetrator ©f thi* ad.—-Router's Telegram. The Emperor continues his quiet uxo£« of life at Biarritz ; most of His Majcstj * time is devoted to close and solitary w«jrk, varied by an occasional excursion for ii* benefit of something or some1 ody r A. day or two ago he went to St Esprit, near. Bayonne, to visit three workmen's howses, built at his cost, and after hia own ideas. The Empress takes long walks along tha beach, fearing neither storm nor rain. As. to the Prince Imperial, he takes a good deal of healthy exorcise with torn younjf' friends, and looks better than ever.-— Paris Correspond^ of fl» *""ly Tel** graph.