ENGLISH AND FOREIGN NEWS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume VII, Issue 331, 4 December 1858, Page 1 (Supplement)

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN NEWS.

Till; PARLIAMENTARY SESSION

The Legislative Session of 1858 has terminated, the ceremony of prorogation taking place by Commission on the 2nd inst. The Session has had in every respect a remarkable character, and, is destined to occupy no obscure niche in Parliamentary histoiy. It will mark an era in our caieer of national independence. The one act of hnrling suddenly iiom power the Palmcistonian Government, in stuidy resentment at a suspected duckling of our rulers to foreign dictation, would suffice to immortalise it ; hut it has been signalised by higher triumphs than this. The India Bill, to which at last the finishing touches were given in great haste, is undoubtedly the principal trophy of Minister, and was only won by a groat deal of adroit manoeuvring and some haul lighting. The Bill for die pmiflcation of the Thames and the improvement of metiopolitan drainage, so boldly intioduced and triumphantly carried by Mr* Disineli, after the fiuitless eontroveisies and bickerings of the past four yeais, has given geneial satisfaction; while the tmdy settlement of the Jew question, though gall and wormwood to the Tories of the ancient regime, and though sadly mailed by the bigotted folly and inconsistency of the Loids, will not he soon forgotten by a gratified nation. Yes, the dieadl'ul deed, so lonp, depiecaled, ispcipetrated , allast — the British Legislatuie is desrcialed and un-Christianised by the contaminating pie.senceofa son of'Ab.iahiim ! ADMISSION Or BARON ROTHSCHILD. Befoie the rising of the House of Commons Baron Rothschild took his seat as membei f'oi tho City of London, and several times lecorded his name on the division- list. INCIDENTS OF TUT, SESMON. Apropos of the House of Commons. Besides the scene just described, which possesses historic interest, two other singular and unusual spectacles have been exhibited thcie. Thp first was the apparition of a coal-black negro seated one evening in the place of honor under the gallery. This peisonage, on inquiry, was found to be the King of Bonny— a des. potic monarch on the western coast of Africa, taking lessons in constitutional government ! One creditable thing at least he has achieved in his dominions — he has pnt down cannibalism, and taught his subjects to feed on the fruits of the earth, instead of human flesh. The other notable visitant was the Lord Mayor of Dublin, attired in his official robes, and attended by a retinue of corporation functionaries in scarlet and gold, with staff, mace, crown, sword, and other insignia. He had come all the way_ from Dublin to picsent a petition against an Irish Police Bill then before the House.

While the general course of the Legislature has been such as to win the approval of the country, theie has been one case at least which has occasioned much regret. In dealing with the Continuance Bill for the Prevention of Coirupt Practices at Elections, the House of Commons, after a smart and protracted debate, has given its sanction to the dangerous piactice of paying the travelling expenses of voteis. A determined attempt has been made to induce Parliament to reverse its policy in reloience to the suppression of the slave traffic, by withdiawing our costly squadron from the African coast. The Times has contributed its powerful aid for some weeks past in the .same direction ; but notwithstanding the alleged revulsion of feeling in the country on the subject, only 24 members, in a house of about 200, could be found to abet the ictrograde movement. The objection that all our effoits had been fiuitless was triumphantly lefuted by an array of facts. The Committee of the House of Commons which have foi several weeks been taking evidence on the best means of purifying the Thames have presented their leport, which is rather a summing up of the views of eminent engineeis than the recommendation of any specific plan. Mr. Gmney's fanciful and complicated expedients, of caiiying the sewage to the middle of the river, constiucting side-channels, and consuming the noxious gases, are unequivocally condemned. The embankment of the Thames finds general favour, as it will promote the scour of the stream, and pievent the accumulation of mud. Tho gigantic task is to be left in the nntiammelled hands of the Metiopolitan Boa''d of Woiks. Second only to the Indian measuio in piospective importance is the Bill for the oiganization of a new colony on the fuither side of the Rocky Mountains, which was passed. Serious objections having been urged against the title first adopted, " New Cale ■ donia." it has been changed to " British Columbia." The Bill piovides foi the infant colony what settlements in a state of nonage, surrounded by wild and boisterous neighbouis, have especial need of — the tutelage of a stiong executive Government. It cieatcs a governor foi four years, to be invested with full and absolute poweis, dependent, however, on the will of the Crown, who may at any time supersede the present airangement by moie liberal institutions. Power is also confened upon the Ciown, upon the joint addiess of the two Houses of Vancouver's Island, to annex that island to the new colony. Part of this new territory has been ofibied to Canada, on condition that she will undertake to open roads through it ; hut it is thought the offei will be respectfully declined. At one fell swoop, on Monday, the Lords, at the instigation of Earl Stanhope — better known by his " House of Commons" title of Lord Mahon — demolished Oak Apple Day, the public recognition of James the Fiist's Protestantism and the canon that Charles the First was an annointed martyr. The Primate, and the Bishops of London and Oxfordf helped in the excision fiom the Book of Common Prayer of the services of the sth of November, the Martyrdom of King Charles, and the Restoration of Charles the second. Not content with this evening's work, several lay lords intimated where that they intended to follow up their achievements by a revision of the liturgy ; the Bishop of London almost intimating that the Bishops, if they liked, had full power to authorise the leaving out of the Litany or tho Communion Service, when the Common Prayer is read. .The littlk Lions at the Zoological Gardens. — Since the woild was created people have always felt cuiious about lions, in one form or other i hut in no foim could they be seen more attractively than in that in which they are exhibited by Mr. Barnes, the couiteous and scientific keeper of the menagerie at the gardens. The lioness is now the parent of two more young lions (her progeny, however, is 15). She is teirible to every one but Barnes : with him she is meek as a lamb — more obedient than a curbed colt. ■ He goes into her cage, brings thence the cubs, and hands them round to the company. With these forest kittens ladies are particularly delighted, and much is cveiy day the caressing of these " sweet little cubs," to the benefit, it is hoped, not only of the proprietor, but of their fond keeper. Captain C. C. Chesney, R.E., lately quartered in the garrison of Auckland, has been declaied by the Council of Military Education, the successful candidate for the Professorship of Military Ilistoiy at the Royal College of Sandhurst. The Commandei-in-Chief had ordered that this appointment, which was a new creation, should be thrown open to public competition among the officers of the army. A Commission has been appointed to examine the question of the creation of new haibours of refuge on the more unprotected parts of our coasts. The money value of the annual losses incuired by wrecks, is estimated at £1,500,000. It is pioj-osed to spend two millions and a half on new refuges for our shipping. At present the tonnage of vessels entering or clearing iiom British ports is over 23,000,000 ; and we are building at the late of a quaiter of a million tons annually. From the Liverpool Mercury, of the 20th August, we extiact the following: — When Queen Victoria, m rived at the Wild Park station, at Potsdam, her daughtei, who had gone theie (the place is five miles from Potsdam) fo have the first meeting in private, found hei sitting amongst a prodigious quantity of nosognys loi which the spacious state taniage hardly had loom, and which the people all along the louie had handed in ai> tokens ot theii m,peU. Tlie ivception in Potsdam itself was not 'less enthusiastic than that at Dusseldoif, and this morning her Majesty has had occasion to convince heisolf, from the unambiguous behaviour of the crowd in the streets of Berlin, that whatever party strife may be in store for Piussia, her daughter has nothing but friends theie. Her Majesty sees Berlin for the fust time, and as she entered it in an open carriage, and by one of the finest avenues, the weather being very beau • tiful, she could not but be str,uck by the architectural grandeur of this northern " Palmyra of the deseit." When hei Majesty, who sat by the side of the Prince of Prussia while Prince Albert with the Princess of Prussia and the young couple followed in a second open carriage had reached the Unter den Linden avenue, the people, though taken quite by suiprise, began to line the road of her progress. The cry raised here and there by a single individual, " Die Koentgin von England lebe liocli !" the masses took up with their " hurrah," and waving of hats and handkeicliiefs greeted her Majesty all along until the party had reached the Palace of the Prince of Prussia, which stands where the Unter den Linden avenue opens into the cluster of beautiful squares that occupy tho central pait of tho city. This was

at eleven o'clock, and from this moment the crowd which had assembled before the palace began rapidly to swell, until it must have appeared from the win. dows of the palace like a sea of heads. It was soon evident that there was no escape from the enthusiasm of the public, and so the large glass door of the balcony was thrown open, and her Majesty appeared on the balcony conducted by the Prince of Prussia, and acknowledged with a bow and kindly smiling countenance the thundering "hurrah" which immediately broke out. At noon the royal party went to inspect the new palace for Piince Frederick William, which is close by, and then they went to the old state palace, where the public lost sight of them. The return to Potsdam will take place at seven o'clock. While the Emperor and Empress of the Trench were staying at I/orient, they went, unaccompanied, to Port Louis, and entered the citadel there in which is situated the little loom where the Emperor was confined ior a week in 1836, after the expedition to Cherbourg. The husband and wife spent some shoit time in that room, attended solely by an old woman who had waited on him while a prisoner there. It would be a curious speculation to penetrate the thoughts of this extraordinary man at such a time and place. It is now understood that the question of the navigation of the Danube will not be entertained at the Paris conferences, but will be left to be settled by diplomacy. A review of the tioops is shortly to take place at Rensburg, at which the King will be present. The haivest in Denmark and the Duchies is expected to prove very supei ior to last year ; indeed above an average. This, at least, was the opinion before the recent storm, -which has caused some damage, but not, it is thought, to a serious extent. According to the account from the Sound, the Two Belts, and the Cattegat, 20 vessels perished during that terrible tempest. A French official despatch announces that the Montenegro frontier commission has completed its task. Turkey is willing to accord such an amount of territory as shall enable the mountain tribes to live without becoming biigands. It is to be hoped therefore, that Europe will not eveiy month be troubled with stories which raise doubts whether the Mussulmans or Christians are the greater savages. Prince Napoleon has undertaken a journey, incognito, to Switzerland, under the title of Piince de Mendon. General Sir R. Vivian has been appointed to a seat in the Indian Council. He may be considered to represent the Madras Presidency and army, neither of which had any representative in that part of the council elected by the late directors, or among those hitherto nominated by the Government.