FOREIGN EXTRACTS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume VII, Issue 327, 6 November 1858, Page 1 (Supplement)

FOREIGN EXTRACTS.

The advices from the States continue of a satisfactory character. All talk of war has entirely ceased. The European news is destitute of the slightest political interest, and public affairs in England are in- a state of complete quiescence. It is stated that the new Minister for Algeiia, Prince Napoleon, will preside at the Cabinet Council in the absence of the Emperor, instead of Prince Jerome, who hns hitherto done so. He will accompany Marshal Randon on his return to Algeria, and visit all parts'of it. The Madrid papers of the *22nd have arrived. The Iberia says that new regulations have been drawn up by the Spanish Government respecting foreigners, which enact that any foreigner arriving in Spain without a passport shall be detained until he can prove what is the object of his journey, and that refugees were not to change their residence without permission, and if they left the country, were not to return without assigning sufficient reasons. The inauguration of the works for the distribution of water in Madrid has Uken place with great success. ' A letter from SU Petersburgh states that'thc Emperor Alexander will inspect the fortresses of Alexander Castell and N.ovo Georgiesk in his approaching visit to Poland, and, after a short stay at Warsaw, he will proceed to Germany. Accounts from Belgrade state that/ the •soldier who wounded Mr Fonblanque has been condemned to death. , The America arrived at Liverpool yesterday with New York dates to the 17th instant. The news taken out by the Europa of the conciliatory spirit of our Parliament and Government had caused an a]most total abatement of the excitement on the action of the British cruisers. Both Houses of Congress adjourned on the 14th, but the President called the Senate together for a special session on the ground that an extraordinary occasion had, occurred. A new loan of 20,000,000 dollars at 5 per cent, has been 'authorised owing to the lowuess of the treasury So far from the Mormons 'recreating, it is said they were arming, and that Governor Cummins is almost a prisoner in their hands. A sfetyner, on her way ftom New Orleans to St. Louis, exploded, and out of 450 persons on board, it is said that 250 were lost.i The floods in the western rivers continued, and weA giving rise to great uneasiness byt^s great destruction they were causing. ■ The attack of gout from which the Earl of Derby has been Buffering, we are happy to say, has abated, and his lordship is able to leave his room. On Saturday, the noble Premier presided at a Cabinet Council, held at his private residence, in St. James's square. ' The Lords pronounced judgment on Saturday in the long-pending ■ case 'of the Grandison peerage. The Lord Chancellor pronounced the judgment of the House, that Sir Henry Bedingfleld (of Norfolk) had made out his claim to the title. The successful claimant is already in possession of an old hereditary baronetcy, and the Grandißon peerage is one of the oldest on record, dating as far back as the reign of Edward 111. On Saturday afternoon the entrance to the East India Dock, B'ackwall, got blocked up by a singular accident. As one vessel was leaving the dock and another entering, they came alongside each other, became jammed, and there they remain. It Js expected that one of them will have to be broken up be/ore the passage can be cleared. In^tJiei.ujfper House the Duke of Somerset mwfd the second reading of the Chinch-Rates "Abolition Bill. The Earl of Derby moved, as an amendment, that the Bill be read a secondHimfe that day three months, which was carried by a majority of 151 — the numbers being for the second reading 36 i against it 187. "We have two arrivals — one from the Brazils and one from the' West Indies. ' Something like a Minißterial crisis was apprehended at Rio ; but as there is a constitutional government to fall back upon, the change may possibly be for the better. Some commercial difficulties have arisen in the Brazils j but it is believed that they will be overcome, for the houses affected are of long standing, of reputed wealth and of gi eat respectability. Things appear to be quiet on the River Plate, and the yellow fever has totally disappeared. The news from the West Indies is entirely of a favorable character. Tiade was good ; the sugar crops throughout the Island abundant ; Trinidad was flourishing, and coal had lately been discovered there. Labour-was much requiied in Demarara, but the market was fairly suppoited. We learn from Mexico that at Tainpico the lebels had been defeated, and the communication was free. We have also a mail ftom the Cape of Good Hope. It is likewise of a most favorable character. The colony was flourishing and quiet. The first batch of emigrants by the Gipsy Biide had arrived' in good health, and gave great satisfaction. Dr. Livingstone was t received with enthusiasm, was treated to a dinner, was presented with an address, and — something better — 800 guineas. Five transports with horses had been despatched to India. At a meeting of the' London Dock Company today, the Chairman stated, with reference to" the late fire, that the damage done to' the Company's property did not exceed £12,000, and that amount was fully covered by insurance, while the value of goods 5 and property stowedin their premises, destroyed or damaged by fire, amounted only to' between £60,000 and £60,000. Yesterday afternoon, the brigs Ocean, of Shoreham, and the Lustre, of Shields, which got jammed^ in the entrance lock' of the East India dock, at, Blackwall,' were raised and towed out into the river, clear of the lock. Owing to their peculiar build, and the firm manner in which they were fixed, most extraordinary-means had to he taken in floating them. The brigs have the appearance of wrecks, and lie on the shore below the entrance. The mis-

hap will involve 'a serious 'loss to theCompa'ny. , The Times in a .leader says, there is reason to be- , lieve that Parliament will be prorogued before the 1 , end of, the present month. | The Times compliments Lord Derby for his conduct on the Oaths Bill, and sayB — Exactly as the | duke would have done in the same state of affairs, Loid Derpy has postponed his own great aversion! to the measure passed in the Lords, and all the feelings that prompted him to an obstinate resistance. He 'has sat down and deliberately estimated the; public interest in the question. The evil of standing out for ever is obvious. The concession declared, the word given, and the' transaction agreed on, it is remarkable 'how quickly it was completed, and how little was said against it at this last closing scene of this very long controversy. The Times has much pleasure in announcing that the Turkish government has- made ample satisfaction for the outrage on Mr Fonblanque, the Consul general, at Belgrade. The regiment to which the soldier who made the attack upon Mr Fonblanque belonged has been withdrawn. The soldier and his officers have been sent to Constantinople for trial. ThePachahas personally expressed the regiet of the Porte to the Consul, and salutes have been fired in honor of the British flag. The Weekly Dispatch of the 20th June, says :— The penalty which will be incurred by the European and Australian Company for delay in bringing to England the heavy portion of the Australian mail recently brought to Suez, in the steamship Victoria, will amount to about £5250. At a meeting of the Leeds Town Council, on Wednesday, a salary of £3000 was voted to the Mayor, payable on his retirement fiom office, in order to cover the expenses incident on the forthcoming Royal visit. The Jersey papers announce that the arrangements for laying down the submarine telegraph cable between Portland and the Channel Islands are completed, and that a telegraphic communication between England and those islands will be established in the course of a month. Tup Nnw Native Army in India. — The following is fiom the letter of a staff officei'^of high rank: — " We are gradually raising a larger native force than we had before. Every station has its levy, all armed with percussion muskets, and properly drilled. Ido not think a soul in the countiy knows the number of armed natives in our service. It is a sad mistake permitting it. ..What with police, mounted police, North-west Provinces police, resullahs, and such like, in addition lo levies, every civil officer is raising an army of his own, under no control, and it will end with our having an enormous armed force, not coining within the provisions of the Mutiny Act. The civil officers will never .give up their power to raise men in this way if it is not soon stopped. I ,do hope Sir Colin will protest against it. I know it is being . noticed ; hut uuless something is. done, soon to stop it, there will be great difficulty in getting rid of the men, to say nothing of the impolicy of turning drilled men adrift at piesent.'' — Morning Herald. TnrfWcsTMiNSTER Bells. — The four quarter bells were delivered by Messrs Warner at the foot of the Clock Towei'last Friday, and weie immediately tried by the leferees, Mr Denison, and the Rev. W. Taylor, aided by Mr Turll the organist of the Abbey, and some other musical gentlemen. The largest of the four, which is larger than the tenor bell of any peal in England* weighing nearly four tons, was unanimously pronounced' a remarkably fine bell, quite equal, if not superior, in quality of tone, either to the old or the new Big Ben. Its note is exactly B natural of the present concert pitch, and both that and the two smallest bells, F shaip and G sharp respectively, were considered to be in perfect tone with the great bell. The third of E hell (the octave above the great one) was generally thought so inferior to the rest that it was understood that Messrs Warner will recast it immediately. We are glad to hear that this will cause no material delay in the hanging, as the condemned bell is comparatively small, and its recasting will only take a. few weeks, and meanwhile the hoisting of the others up the inside of the tower may proceed. The fate of the King of Delhi is sealed. lie is to* be transported for life to Fort Cox, in British Caffraiia. , The Lucknow Prize Money. — The prize pioperty discovered at Lucknow is said already to amount to a million and a quarter sterling. Illness or Mr Russell. — At Shahjehanporo our correspondent's letter closes, and we deeply regret to add that private accounts give us reason to fear there will be some intermission in those interesting descriptions which bring before our readers the very aspect of Indian life and Indian waifare. We have every reason lo hope, however, that this sickness is but transitory, and that a little rest among > the hills will restore him to his public duties. — Times. A letter ftom the camp says :— " Mr Russell travels in a doolie, in consequence of a kick from a horse. When the baggage was attacked the bearers dropped him on the road and ran. 11l as he was, he managed to mount a horse, and unfortunately got a sun stroke, which-neaily proved fatal. He is doing well, but | requires great and constant attention. Intelligence from Bagdad, published in the Ost Deutsche PoU, of "Vienna, states that Omer Pasha i was engaged in a dispute with Persia, respecting i some frontier territory to which Turkey and Peisia I both lay claim. A Berlin engineer, by means of a poitable machine , easily worked by two men, caßt 4000 Minie rifle balls in'anihour. , The first tube of the Albert bridge across the I Tamar,' which is to connect the counties of Devon ' and Cornwall, has been lifted to its lequired height. 1 So powerful have been the means employed to raise i this stupendous body, weighing between 2000 and 1 3000 tons, and so ably has the woik been carried lout, that no difficulty has been experienced in its execution ; and the tube, its centre being about 230 feet abovethe bed of the river, is a proud monument 'of engineering skill. The other tube for the eastern side is rapidly progressing.— Home News. ' A Berlin engineer, by means of a portable' ma- | chine, easily worked by two men, east 4000 Minie rifle balls in, an hour.; ' The Anglo-French Tunnel. — A commission charged by the Minister of Public Works to examinethe project for cutting a submarine tunnel between England and France has pronounced in favour of 1 the project; and has reoomiriended that a sum of 500,000f, should, be accorded for preliminary investigation. M. Thome, the originator of the plan, has gone to London to solicit the sanction of the .English Government, — Gallgnani.

The act imposing a permy 1 stamp on checks came' into operation on Tuesday morning, the 26th May, ,and not on] Monday as was first intended. In cases where money is paid acioss tho counter to the drawer of [ check himself, such check being " to 'self," and not to order, no stamp will be requisite, the cases contemplated in the various Stamp Acts being those only in which a third party is concerned and which are held to arise out of transactions of profit. Transfer tickets for. Customs and other payments issued by bankers against stamped checks for the sake of security will also bo exempt. Pocketlpicking in Russia. — The French Ambassador was one day vaunting the dexterity of the Parisian thieves to one' of the Grand Dukes of Russia, and related ,many anecdotes of their address. The Grand Duke was of opinion that the St. Petersburg thieves were quite their equals, and offered to lay a wagei that, if the Ambassador would dine with him the next day, he would cause his Excellency's watch, signet-ring, or any other article of his dress, ho thought the most secure, to be stolen from him before the dessert was over. The Ambassador accepted the jvager, and the Grand Duke sent immediately to the chief of the police, desiring him to send the adroiteit thief he might happen to have in custody at the The man was dressed in livery, instructed wliat to do and promised a pardon if he accomplished his task well. The Ambassador'had named his watch as the particular object of attention both for himself and the thief. When he had got the, watch, the supposed servant was to give the Grand Duke a sign. The dinner began. The preliminary whet, the soups and the roti, came and disappeared in their turns. The pretended lacquey was busily assisting in the removal of the dishes ; the dinner was neaily over, and the Prince awaited with impatience tho expected signal. Suddenly'his countenance brightened ; he turned to the Ambassador, and asked him what was the time. His Excellency triumphantly put his hand to his pocket — he had on hib watch a few minutes befoie — and to the amusement of all, but particularly to the Grand Duke, drew out a very neatly cut turnip ! A general laugh followed ; the Ambassador, somewhat embarrassed, would take a pinch of snuff, and felt in all his pockets for his gold snuff-box ; it was gone! The laughter became louder ; the Ambassador, in his embarrassment and vexation, had recourse to his seal ring, to turn it a.s he was accustomed ; it was gone ! In short, he found that he had been regularly .plundered of eveiy thing but what had been fastened to him by the' tailor and the shoemaker ; of ring, watch, snuff-box, handkerchief, tooth-pick, and gloves. The adroit rogue was brought before him, and commanded by the Gland Duke to give back the stolen property; when, to the great astonishment' of the Prince, the pickpocket took out two watches, and presented one to the Ambassador and one to his Imperial Highness ; two rings, one for the Ambassador, and one for the Grand Duke, two snuff-boxes, &c. In ■astonishment, his Highness now felt in his pockets as the Ambassador had done, and found that he, too had been stripped of his movables in a like manner.

Extraordinary Swindling.— A rather singular case has been submitted to the Court of Assizes at Berne. A married woman named Lhun, of that city, but whose husband, a Bavarian, having become a bankrupt, livdd at.Mentz, was accused of swindling under the following circumstances : — She gave out that she had won some large prizes in the Bavarian lottery, and on the strength of that representation obtained credit to a considerable amount. Her prizes however, for some unaccountable reason, were not paid, and when her ci editors became pressing, she had recourse to an ingenious tale. She waited on an old Jew money lender, named Levaillant,"and, on a solemn promise of secrecy, revealed to him that her husband was a natural son of the King of Bavaria, was a clerk in the office of the Bavarian lottery at Mentz, and was, by the assistance of two other clerks, and with the express per... mission of his Majesty able' to make particular numbers he announced to her beforehand, so that she was able to purchase them. • The Jew believing her story consented to advance her 2,000£, but subject to the condition of being paid 4,000f. after the next drawing. She told the same story to an elderly maiden lady, named Boustettcn, and offered if she would advance money to pay for the purchase of ; tickets in the lottery, to let her share in the prizes she was sure to win ; and, not content with tempting the woman's avarice, she artfully represented to her that by becoming rich she would be able to obtain what she had been sighing for all her life — a husband. Dazzled by the prospects held out, the lady advanced in different sums no less than 18,800f. One day, a small tradesman named Hartmann, who for years had lived in the meatiest manner, in order to economise a few thousand francs, received a letter purporting to be written by M. Schmid, a wealthy banker of the city, telling him that, if he wanted to become rich, he would do well to visit Mme. Khun. He at once went to her, and she told him her great secret of swindling the Bavarian lottery ; at the same time assuring him that there was no. danger of discovery, since the King of Bavaria himself was mixed up in the affair. Haitmann made advances, but month after month passed away, and no prize was announced by the, woman. At length he ,became veiy impatient and insisted on having his money back. But she tranquilised him by telling him that 4,000,000f. had just been von, and that they had been deposited in specie in M. Schmid's cellar. Hartmanii said that he would go at once to M. Schmid for his share of the money, r but she said that he had betier not, as some grand o'peiation was in progress by which they would win 2,000,000f. more j however, to give him every confidence, she handed him a key which she said was that of thp cellar. She then got from him one more piece of2of, which she represented to'be indispensably necessary to the winning of the 2,000,000f. More time passed away, but Hartmann received none of the immense winnings. So one day he sulked into M. Schmid's bank, and said, " Here I am." " Who are you ?" asked the banker. " Why, I am Hartmann, who possesses a share in the 6,000,000f. that I have won with you and Mme. Khun ! " Are you mad, man t" " Mad ? Why what do you say to these letters ?" And he produced a number of letters signed by the name of ,M. Schmi'd, Mme. Khun had given him at different times, and which referred to theoperations in tho lottery. " These letters are not my handwriting," answered M. Schmid j " and I know nothing of the subject to which they refer." 'What 1' roared Hartmann, "you deny them? But you cannot deny that this is the key of the cellar which' contains tho treasure 1" The banker seeing that the man had been swindled, sent for the police, and they soon ascertained all the preceeding facts. Of

1 course, Mme. Khun was immediately arrested. The sum out o£ which' Hartmann was swindled was 70Q0f. The jury having declared her guilty, 'the Court condemned he r to a year's imprisonment, five years' banishment from the canton, the restitution of the money swindled, and to pay all the costs. In the course of the proceedings, it' was stated that the woman had remitted the greater part of the swindled money to her husband, and that shortly before the frauds were discovered lie had fled to America, abandoning het to her fate !