EUROPEAN NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 496, 1 June 1861, Page 9

EUROPEAN NEWS.

From the " Home News" and other journals we copy the following intelligence, a portion of which appeared in our " Extra" issued on the arrival of the " Prince Alfred" last Saturday :—: —

The Australian January Mail reached London, that via Marseilles on the 16th March, and via Southampton on the 21st.

Since the date of our last advices from the home country, her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent has departed this life. Few members of the Royal Family of England have been more respected or" beloved than was her Royal Highness: She died of cancer shortly before.ten o'clock on the morning of Saturday, the 16th Qf March, at Frogmore House, in the 75 th yea? of her age.

On the 11th of March, on the motion of the Lord Chancellor, a bill to remove the anomaly under which a marriage between a Roman Catholic and a Protestant, if performed by a clergyman of the Roman Catholic faith in Ireland, is void, was read a first time.

The House of Lords has decided against the legality of marriages contracted with a deceased wife's sister, whether performed abroad or in either of the British colonies.

Three select committees of the House of Commons have been appointed to investigate into the management of the Colonial Military Expenditure, the Diplomatic Service, and the Admiralty. Both Houses bf Parliament adjourned for the Easter recess on the 22nd. The financial statement has been fixed for the 15th April.

The building intended for the Exhibition of 1862 has been commenced. The guarantee deed has been signed to the extent of £300,000.

. The Yelterton Marriage . Case has been decided in the lady's favour. The decision has caused great excitement.

The Great Eastern was to have sailed for New York on the Ist of May. Captain Carnegie, R.N., one of the directors, had been appointed to the command.

Lord Palmerston has accepted the wardenghip of the Cinque Ports, and has offered bimeelf for re-election.

The Red Sea and Indian Telegraph Bill has received the Royal assent. - The London Gazette officially announces the appointment of Sir John Young as Governor-in-Chief, &c, of New South Wales.

It has been officially announced that Lord Canning will continue to hold the office of Governor-General of India for some months longer. _ Mr. John Crosby, a. private banker at Kirkby Thore, Westmoreland, %vas held in great -esteem fey liis neighbours. He was regarded as a man of the highest integrity, and of course attracted to his bank the farmers and persons <of email capital in the neighbourhood. On the J 2th of February be died suddenly, and when his books w,er<e examined it was found that the bank was insolvent ! The liabilities were JB8MP0 ; the assets, £89000. Mr. Crosby hadicept his own books and bis own secret. ** The losses, will be heavily felt jn all the' country s'idei" ;

" The London masons and bricklayers are fcgainxHit w *on strike."

ISptirgeoriV N-ew Tabernacle, raised (at a' cost of £30,000), entirely on the voluntary principle,is at length finished, and will be regularly opened for divine worship in a few weeks.

An on dit has been circulated m London lately to the effect that our Government, struck by some inconsistencies in the dates and circumstances put. forward by the Chinese authorities, bave offered tbe Chtneae Government a .large sum of money (£20,000) for the production of Captain Brabazon alive.

The abbey and domain of Newstead, JNotts, well-kn©wK as the residence and property of, 4hepoet, Lord Byron, have been purchased by Mr. William Frederick Webb, late of the 17th Lancers, of Pepper-hall, Yorkshire, for •£150,000." The abbey was founded by Henry ST., and subsequently became _*by royal grant ' the property of the Byrons. The late Colonel Wildman, a friend and schoolfellow of the poet, purchased the property in 1818, and he ss stated to have expended between £200,000 and £300,000 on the restoration and decora tion of. the abbey 'and grounds. A project is on foot for forming a commissariat for the. volunteer corps of all England.

A large number jof ehips-of-war have been ordered home from "foreign stations. This is regarded as a 'significant fact. Admiralty- drders have been received at Chatham Dockyard for a squadron of fire steam frigates and other vessels of war to be t)oilt«ttiiat«Btablishment, in addition to the •several line-of-battie aad other screw steamers* which are now in progress. The following are the names, 'number of guns, and horse-power of |he new vessels :— The Boadicea, 51, 600 Jborsea' power; the Pactolus, 22, 200 horses 1 power pthe-tHligence, 17, 200 horses' power; the Set amis, 4/ 250 bdrses' power ; and the Albatross, 4, £00 horses' power.

.The Duchess of Kent, the Queen's mother, is dead. .Also; the Duke of Sutherland, the Countess , of Roden, Lord Miiford, Sir George downer, Sr'W. Payne, and Sir L. B. Lorel.

The most noticeable tendency of the present ' session of Parliament is to take the business of Government out of the hands of Govern-, ment, and to set up, an inquisition into the' constitution and ponduct of tne bureaux. The object of jßbe.cemmittee on colonial affairs is, to ascertain how the -question of the defence of the' British dependencies gtaada, what that defence carts,; and ia what proportions it is defrayed by *he Imperial and <tal<?nial Treasuries. Lord Palmerston said very frankly that such a committee would be a usurpation of the functions of Government, but, yielding • to the opinion of the House, he offered no opposition to the motion. The administration of the Admiralty is an old grievance, and the committee now appointed is not likely to come „ to any more satisfactory issue than former , committees. Mr. Monckton Mimes, who! moved for the committee on the diplomatic service, wholly failed to' make out his case; although he got' his committee. Some of his facts were erroneous, and his general reasoning was loose and feeble. ' The recent proceedings of Parliament have been more various than important. The most substantial measure under discussion was the new Bankruptcy Bill, which has undergone a diligent sifting, and is to be read a third time on the Bth of April. Italy, India, Denmark, the Afghan Blue-books, the agitation in the lonian Isles, the Kossuth notes, and a multitude of smaller topics have furnished fruitful materials for questions and answers and skirmishing, discussions ; but nothing of moment has been actually accomplished, both Houses tacitly postponing graver motions till after the Easter holidays. The judgment of the House of Lords in the case of a marriage with a dsceased's wife's sister, celebrated between, two British subjects in Holstein, where such unions are legal, has been given against tbe" .validity of the marriage. As our laws stand, a marriage which is not legal between British subjects in England cannot be rendered 86 by peijag cpntra^ted in a country where it islegaL, " " ,"%/.;- , Another, revolt had been organised by the convicts at Chatham, who had planned to seize thetyatdets^taid effect their escape, having first set fire ttfthe prison, but the plot becom- , 4 ifigWovm^^fie authorities, stringent pretaken, ana the conprevented. •§£;* -^^^S&ll^^ S taken place at home, the Lancashire weavers, 'bn^aJso^h^jiQla^dns and bricklayers are con-

cerned, and it is feared that the works of the new International Exhibition at South Kensington, and others of public usefulness, will be indefinitely suspended.

The " short time movement " is assuming ah alarming aspect in Lancashire. A telegram from Manchester dated last night (March 25) saya: — "To-day Ashton and Staleybridge have been in a state of great excitement, in consequence of the mill operatives meeting in large numbers to consider the question of the reduction of wages determined on by the employers at Ashton.. Five thousand people met at each meeting, and a strike was resolved upon, the men demanding short time instead of reduction of wages. At Glossop, Hyde, Newton, and the surrounding districts, the agitation partook of the same character as at Ashton and Staleybridgc. The workpeople paraded the streets of each place, in one instance headed by a band of music. At all the places a determination was conic to to force the hands that continued working at Ashton into the movement. Many of those working in the mills were ' shouted ' out. At the mill of Mr. Bazlcy (M.P. for Manchester) the great doors were forced open, and the orkpeople then came clown and joined the strike. Later in the afternoon the windows of Air. Bazley's mills were smashed, and the police were sent for to protect the place. The millowners held a meeting at the Town Hall, Ashton, in the afternoon, but the result of the meeting has not transpired. The district, however, is in a state of great excitement."

The stream of business running into the Divorce Court appears greatly to exceed the outpouring. A correspondent of the Times says : — " There have been 250 causes set down for hearing in this court, and up to the present time 70 have been disposed of, leaving a balance of 180 untried. The court hfi3 been sitting about three months, and, taking the average of cases to be adjudicated upon at 25 per month, deducting Easter and the long vacation, it would bring the last cause on pro • bably about March, 1862. Then Sir C. Cresswell will find another monster arrear of more than 200 new causes staring him in the face. One judge and one court can never get anything like through this herculean task of neverending accumulation."

The chief cashier of the branch Bank of England at Portsmouth, a Mr. Theakston, has been missing from that establishment since March 22 and with him £1000 in gold. So far the discovery of the bank's loss extends at present, but, as Theakston had been in the establishment during the time it has been in existence at Portsmouth (25 years), and at the time of absconding was in receipt of a salary of £400 per annum, it is feared that other discoveries will yet be made. Theakston left a note, addressed to a gentleman employed in the bank, in which he stated that he bad money sufficient to carry him to London, and that he intended to destroy himself.

The war in New Zealand has brought into prami»ence the question of the military defence of the colonies. They are to be defended not only from external attacks, but from mtermal dangers ; and tlie main points to be determined are obviously, as laid down by Lord Palmerston, the number of troops to be maintained, and who is to pay them. In Parliament Mr. A. Mills (who has made some mistakes in his statement) moved for the appointment of a select committee, and obtained it, for the purpose of enquiring into our colonial military expenditure, and reporting whether any alterations ought to be made in ihe system of defence, or in the distribution of the cost. Mr. Marsh, a colonist, who seconded the motion, said, oddly enough, that the colonies OHght not to have any military defence, but that they should be protected by a fleet, which could easily be moved to any part of the coast where its services might be required. That the military system of the colonies demands revision, that it is at present governed by a chapter of accidents, and that it presses unequally in different directions, are facts pateat to everybody who has taken any interest in the matter. But we much doubt whether a Committee of the House of Commons can effectually remedy the evils into which it will be their business to inquire. All they can do will be to report upon such things as they find them, with a recommendation as to what" they think ought to be done. It will still remain, as before, in the hands of the Executive to act upon their own discretion. But the occasion should not be suffered to pass without profit. It will be for the colonies to furnish voluntarily each information, while the Committee is sitting, as may put the Home Government in full possession of their situation and their views. The colonies should understand that their interests are deeply involved in the issue, and that their public opinion should be effectually brought to bear upon the action of Par1 liament and the Executive.

The recent proceedings in the French Senate, illustrating not only the first experiment in free speech under the new empire, but the temper of parties on the subject of the Pope, possess special interest. The discussion on the address exhibited a determination to turn to account the liberty of expression, which we in this country had hardly anticipated, and shows that if the Emperor does not put an end to open dißcussion, much good must ensue to France and Europe from the establishment in Paris of a Parliament similar, in this one vital particular at least, to our own. That the Emperor does not at present contemplate any mterfervence with the Chambers may be collected from his answers to the address, in which he expresses his approval of the frank and bold discussions of the Legislature.

The gTand point throughout the debates was, what is to be done with the Pope ? With the exception of the Ultramontane party, represented with a formidable display of zeal by the Marquis de Larochejacquelin and Count Heckeren, the notion of maintaining Rome in its ancient state seemed to be given up on all sides. Senator Pietri did not hesitate to say that " the temporal r ppwer pf the Pope is lost ;" and Prince Napoleon, after some loose generalities in praise of the Empire, defended the alliance with England, and admitted that Rome would soon be demanded for the capital of united Italy, a demand to which he evidently saw no answer but submission. The declarations of ministers do not help us to an intelligible result. Ail that can be gathered from them is that the Emperor intends neither to sacrifice Italy to the Pope, nor the Pope to Italy — a phrase that annihilates itself.

The Pope threatens to be as fruitful a source of disorder and contention in France as he has been in Italy. The clergy are taking up the Suestion, and the Bishops talk of a council for le purpose of bringing to bear upon the Emperor the whole power of the Church. None of the Bishops, however, have as yet spoken out, except the Bishops of Orleans and Poiters. The former has written a clever but cautious pamphlet, which has already floated down into oblivion ; but the latter has issued a charge in which he assails the Emperor in ferocious terms, and, after drawing an elaborate comparison between him and Pontius Pilate, tells him that for eighteen hundred years the name of Pilate has been held accursed. I 'This publication has been laid before the Council of State, who haye given the usual official notification of their intention to deal with it, ns containing insults upon the Emperor and the government.

The Danish question remains still open. The . proposals hitherto made by Denmark have been rejected. What Holstein really wants is to be made a German province in union with Schleswig ; and out of this desire springs the whole imbroglio. The English Cabinet and Lord Ellenborough, who made an admirable speech on the subject a few nights

ago, appear to agree on this view of the care ; and when Lord Ellenborough stated in hie belief that if Prussia invaded Holstein, France would march upon the Rhine, Lord Wodchouse did not hesitate to express his concurrence in that opinion. The present importance of this hitherto insi^nillnant question cannot be overrated. ShouMtbe hostilities menaced by Prussia actually take place, they would, probably, precipitate an Euiopean war.

The news from Bosnia is of an alarming character. The whole Herzegovina is in a state oi , revolution, being supported by the Montenegrins. The fighting has become general. •Several Turkish villages on the frontier have been reduced to ashes. On account of the insurrection in the Herzegovina, and the feai-s entertained respecting other provinces, the Porte has called out 50,000 rcdifs. [Tn connection -nitli these disturbances the fc Oesterreichisehe Zeituug ' says : — " The Russian ambassador in Vienna hii«s been ordered by his government to officially declare that Russia disavows any participation with Moutcucgro in the insurrection in the neighbouring provinces, and that Russia had sent an energetic note to the Prince of Montenegro. M. do Balabine, on receipt of this notification, made the necessary communications to Count Rechbcrg and Prince Callimaki, the Turkish ambassador."]

The Paris papers publish a telegram, dated Constantinople, 13th of March, announcing that Prussia and Austria, like France and Russia, had remitted notes to the Porte stating the urgent necessity of reforms.

The Yelvcrton marriage case, which for nearly a fortnight engrossed half the newspapers in the kingdom, has been decided in favour of the lady. The enthusiasm manifested by the population of Dublin on this occasion has, probably, never been exceeded, and had Major Yclvcrton fallen into the hands of the tumultuous multitudes who drew Mrs. Yelrerton from the court to her hotel, all the police in the city could not have saved his life. .As soon as the verdict was known, Major Yclverton was suspended by order of the Horse Guards, until the appeal, which he announced his intention of prosecuting, shall have been decided. A subscription has been entered into in Dublin, to enable Mrs. Yelverton to sustain her case both in Scotland, where a suit is in progress for -determining the legality of the Scotch marriage, and before the House of Lords, should she be driven to such an extremity.