LATEST ENGLISH NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume VII, Issue 626, 11 October 1851, Page 4

LATEST ENGLISH NEWS.

t '[From the Sydney Herald, Sept. 20.] By the Phwncian. we have English News to tho 14th June.

The Times recently stated that Parliament and the Great Exhibition could not go on together. The writer might have gone a step further, arid said that the interest felt in the Exhibition would prevent anything else from attracting the attention of the public. It is on °thi S ground only that we can account for the dullness oT the papers received yesterday . lake away tho long reports given cvorv day of the progress of the Exhibition, and ShV^p ely any oxlractable ™" er

The Exhibition appenrs to be succeeding beyond the most sanguine expectation of its promoters. On several clays more than forty thousand persons have been present, and not the slightest irregularity occurred. The funds wero accumulating so fast that there would be sufficient not only to pay for the building, but to leave a considerable sum to keep it in permanent repair as an immense public conservatory. The Queen visited the building two or three times a week.The Common Council had voted £-5000 for an entertainment to the distinguished persons connected with the Exhibition. Her Majesty was to bo present. There was a general impression that in consequence of people saving their money for the Exhibition, trade in London, was materially chucked.

The wool sales had concluded. Prices wore down, but no further deoreaso was expected.

Lord -Jiicelyn's Committee had reported by a majority of 11 to 5 in favour of establishing Steam communication with the Australius via the Cape of Good Hope. The first vessel it was said would sail about thu iriddlc of August, and may be looked for here about the end of October.

The Ecclesiastical Titles' Bill was still in Committee in the House of Commons. Mr. Baillie's vote of consure on the uiiuistry for the Ceylon affair was negatived by a majority of 282 to 202.

In the obituary we notice the names of the Earl of Shaftesbury. ViscoiuH Strathallan, Sir John Gardener, and Mr. Shiel.

Lord Campbell had refused to grant Mr. Barber's re-admission as an attorney.

(From Ike Lyttellon Times, Sept. 27.) P.uti.iAMKNTAUY.—From the excellent summary given in the English Spectator wo gather the following parliamentary information for the short period between the departures of the Uungalore and the Lady Nugent.

Tho termination of the wrangle about tho Ecclesiastical Titles Bill seemed as remote as ever. Tho " Irish Brigade," whose pninks wo noticed hist week, appear to have temporarily succumbed, when the bill was unexpectedly allowed to slip into Committee. But they returned to their obstructive work with renewed vigour at the next meeting of tho House. This kind of opposition was rebuked and remonstrated against by the Karl of Aruudel and Mr. Roebuck. Mr. Duncombe moved the postponement of the first eluuso until the papal brief it refers to should be put in formally as evidence. This was likely to pi - ovo a serious clog to the progress of tho bill. .The difficulty of proving the document under which the several sees were assumed, is understood to have prevented re course to the courts of law in the outset.

Wr. W. J. Fox had again brought forward the subject of secular education, moving the establishment of free schools for the purpose, supported by local rates, and managed by local connniltees. The motion was negatived by a large majority, but the temper of the debute was less discouraging than the divisison. Mr. Adderlcy, breaking loose from the* associations of party, declared his cordial agreement with Mr. Fok's proposal; the tone of the opposition was exceedingly j moderate, and gave some indications of' a compromise being ultimately effected. J

Mr. Lacey's Bill for compelling thy registration of religions houses, and empowering the district magistrates to visit without notice, and release any of the inmates who njight desire it, was thrown out of tins Commons,' Government declaring that no proof had been given of the forcible detention of persons in such houses winch the bill was intended to prevent. ! On the question of the Kafir war, the Chancellor of the Exchequer intimated that the bill of costs for the war was swelling apace, and expressed a fear that he might be compelled to nsk for a sum beyond the £300,000 alreudy voted. The House of Lords, alter a long interval of idleness, at last received from its masters, the Commons, something , liko business to transact. The second reading of the Episcopal and Capitular Estates Bill, for effecting a compromise between church owners and church lessees, and embodying the recommendations to that end issued by the Royal \ Commissioners in 1849, was'carried by a majority of -1C to 28. * The last part of tho Bill gives the whole episcopal property into the hands of commissioners, for them to re-distribute it in more equal endowments.

The second reading in the Lords of the Income Tax JJill, iv which tho duration or the impost has been limited to one year, afforded Lord Stanley an opportunity of safe display, it being agreed on all hands that the hill, as a money bill, must be passed unaltered, or not at all, and that to reject it was out of the question, his lordship indulged his critical mood boldly, a course from which lie would probably have shrunk had a vote depended upon his arguments. The Exhibition.—We extract From the Illustrated London News, the following paragraphs relative to the great object of both public and private interost. The Exhibition becomes moro popular from day to day. Tho question asked some months ago was, Shall the Crystal Palace ever be pulled down ? Tho reply was enthusiastically in tho negative. The question now is, Shall the treasures of the Exhibition be dispersed ? There is a general feeling, growing in intensity, that tho assemblage of articles now classified together in the long avenues' spacious courts, and elegant galleries of that marvellous edifice ought to remain, a permanent .source of 'instruction and

j delight to the people of all ranks aud j classes—a living museum of the arts and industry of the living world. • It seems likely that funds will not be wanting for the purpose, and that, after all expenses are paid, sufficient will remain to keep up tho Building, and to purchaso the most important of the articles exhibited. Such a result, which no one was sanguino enough to imagine a few months ago, is now considered by sober people as highly desirable, and not at all impracticable. There remains but another step in the progress of opinion to ho made, and then we shall have the realization of Mr. Paxton's ideii.ol'a gratuitous admission of the people on certain specified days.

The cosmopolitan aspect of London is striking. We have not only the Illustrated London News, in French and German, appealing to the sympathies of our guests iv tlifir own language, and telling them all uhout the Exhibition and other matters, but the daily papers are interlarded with French and German articles. With a kind regard fur tho stranger, our polico and other authorities have become as polyglot as the press. An announcement in tho Strand directs tho German to ihc " Eisenbahn," and the Frenchman to tho " Chcniin de For." The Government aids the good work offraternization, and throws open the arsenal at Woolwich, and the great national dockyards, to the inspection of strangers ; and our groat nobles throw open their picture galleries and parks to the visits of tho people generally, whether native or foreign. The city of London is about to entertain the Foreign Commissioners. The artists of England have given a public dinner to Ilerr Kiss, and the other foreign sculptors and artists, whose works have tended so greatly to tho buauty and utility of the Exhibition; and other festivities of a similar kind are spoken of. All these circumstances are new and cheering, and are among tho minor amenities for which we have to be grateful to the Great Exhibition.

But the Great Exhibition has its unpopular as well as its popular side. City merchants and their correspondents say that it has "killed business" for the season, and they grumble accordingly. Tho caterers for public amusement are still louder in their complaints. The theatres do not fill; panoramas —of which the name is legion, and which succeed each other more rapidly than memory can keep pace with them—are losing speculations ; and people are so busy with the one Great that they cannot encourage any minor ones, or find time for them if they would. Hut all these things will right themselves. Business cannot be " killed" when so much money is spent and spending ; and although it is possible it may have slept for awhile, it is certain that it -will awake in due season. As for public amusements, wo believe that there is a chance even for the panoramas.

One of the most curious applications of physical knowledge of the present day is that of fixing Newton's soap bubble Every child must have observed that when a soap bubble is blown it becomes thinner, and exhibits the most beautiful iridiscent colours till it bursts, and thereby vanishes into the air. To Mr. Dβ la Rue, sen , belongs the merit of not only having conceived the idea, but also of having, by his owu ingenuity and delicacy of manipulation, fixed this iridiscent bubble, and then rendered it applicable for the arts. To this purpose he uses a littlo varnish, into which are inserted various other substances. A few drops of this are allowed to thin, till it covers the water and becomes iridiscent, when by dexterous manipulation the object to be covered is raised from tho basin, and draws with it the delicate film, which possesses all the properties of a soap bubble. The name he has given to this glorious triumph of physical philosophy is " Opaline:'' and having been greatly interested with the specimens shewn at his stall, we have been favoured with a sight of other specimens, which have been made for diflereut purposes. Iα future years the visiting card is destined to be as brilliant as the brightest mother-of-pearl, or tho richly-coloured llaliotus. Our Avails aro to bo papered with iridiscent colours, which vie with the natural hues of the birds and butterflies which flit about the tropical groves. The colours upon these papers are of the same kind with the colours on the wings of the Emperor of Morocco butterfly, the most beautiful beetle, or the brightest shell; and, curiously enough, the invention is one of the few human productions which will bear the microscope, and still gain instead of losing by the more minute examination.

In Class 29 of the collection of Agricultural Machines, &0., is placed an olaborate model of Mr. Mcchi's farm at Tiptree, Essex. All the roofs are moveable, and the machinery unci other dctaiis may be closely inspected.

At the western end of tho Building is Count Dunin's expanding model of a man. The cause of its manufacture is sufficiently romantic Having in oarlv lifo become involved in the cause of the insurrection of the Poles, he was banished the country; but, being desirous of again visiting his fatherland, and enjoying the estate of his ancestors, ho betook himself to mechanical pursuits, that ho might expiate his offence, real or imaginary, against the Emperor of Russia, by shewing that he might be useful to the country if he were restored.

Tho figure represents a man five feet high, in the proportions of the Apollo I3elvidcrc, and from that size the figure coin be proportionally increased to six jfeot eight inches.; and, w i\ i s intended

to facilitate) the clothing of an army, it is so constructed as to bo capable of adjustment in every part to the particular proportions of each individual. To obtain this result, the most complex coutrivances are required, and the number of springs, screws, and other movements render it a marvel of human ingenuity. The tailors regard it with admiration, but its costliness of construction renders it an instrument too expensive for them to purchase. It is a marvellous sight to sec tlio model expand, and it is well deserving a careful inspection. The mechanism is composed of 875 framing pieces, 48 grooved steel plates, 103 wheels, 202 slides, 476 metal washers, 482 spiral springs, 702 sliding plates, 497 nuts, 8,500 fixing and adjusting screws, with numerous steadying pins, so that the number of pieces is upwards of 70,000.

We quote from the Illustrated London JVeios, May 24, the following sketch of the progress of the Industrial Palace: —

" The Exhibition still lords it over all other attractions. One hoars, sees, speaks, thinks of little else; and to all appearance it must have run a "dead heat" with the "Derby," for on that memorable day, the numbers appeared as undiminished as ever. How far the larger crowds of next week will diminish the interest of the present crowds, remains to be seeu, but the probabilities are, that the two days devoted to crowns and half-crowns will not be eclipsed in number by those devoted to shillings, since the curiosity of season tickets alone is anything but satisfied. With Russia, just out of the ice of the Baltic, and about to make its display in the space so long vacant; with unpacked silks and velvets from Lyons, and plate, bronzes, and bijouterie from Paris, and another importation into the almost vacant space of the United States there seems quite enough of novelty to come to make pleasure-seekers, loungers and gossips of all sorts, as intent upon the forthcoming, as they have been on the present glories of display.

Royalty is as regular ami as punctual to early hours as at the beginning, perhaps more so, and unless the lieges mend their manners, we may anticipate that the matutinal appearance of Her Majesty will take place even earlier than hitherto in order to avoid the annoyance to which on two or three occasions during the past week, the Itoyal party have been subjected.

Financially the Exhibition promises to be a triumph of no ordinary character, and its Chancellor of the Exchequer may calculate upon an almost alarming surplus. The receipts arc- upwards of £100,000 already. The daily admissions generally net some £2,000 at the lowest point, and in some instances much more. On Tuesday, the 20th, the receipts reached the sum of £3,360 15s for single day admissions, whilst the season tickets realised £330 145.; thus making the day's receipts a total of £3,711 93.! As to the season tickets, the demand within this few days has been almost as great as ever but at last symptoms of a falling off linve manifested themselves, yet some circumstances may again arise to give them another " run" in tho market.

Tho exciting topic amongst the exhibitors during the past fortnight, has been the constitution and decision of the juries. There is an intensity about this which shows how earnestly the inventors, manufacturers, and workers have entered into the spirit of the contest of excellence in which they are engaged. After much careful consideration and selection, the juries have been carefully constituted, and it is not too much to say that, in all probability, they are composed of the best men of their respective departments in Europe, both as regards knowledge and standing. A council of chairmen has been formed. These represent the thirty classes into which the Exhibition is divided , a jury being appointed for each class. The meetings of this body were preliminary to those of the several juries, and modes of action and principles of award were settled thereat.

On Monday, the 12th instant, the general body of the jurors met in the Royal Commission Room at the building, and probably a similar body of men were never gathered together in one spot at the same time, certainly not with tho same purpose, as they were on this occasion collected—that of doing honour to the talent, to the skill, and industry, not merely of one country, but of the whole world. Since that day they have been actively, but very quietly engaged in pursuing their labours, under the direction and with the assistance of the gentlemen appointed to this special and highly important and honourable service. The juries being divided into.groups, according to the uature of the productions upon which they are called to'adjudicate, a deputy commissioner is appointed to each group, with a special commissioner and secretary to attend to the general working. The thirty classes are divided into five groups, thus—Group A, four juries for raw materials; Group B, six juries for machinery; Group C, ten juries for testing fabrics ; Groups D, and E, eight juries for hardware, furniture, &c.; Group F, two juries for miscellaneous manufactures and fine arts.

Of course, all the proceedings are 'private and confidential.' Here and there in the building may bo seen groups of gentlemen carefully examining the articles exhibited, spreading broad cloth on tables, holding fabrics up to the light; and doubtless, many of the ladies think that, amongst other wonders of the place the gentlemen have taken to ' shopping' on their own account. All this goes on sUontly, and without Rustle, Folico'-pre-

Nt the too near intrusion of the visitors and with books to record opinions, the jurors pass, by a species of magic, from place to place, enter where they like, how they liko, and when they like. They touch and handle, too—which make so many fair fingers tingle with excitement. In short these jurymen seem ii more privileged body than cvon the Royal Commissioners or Executive Committee themselves. They take whom they pleaso into the Exhibition, ask them all manner of questions, examine and cross-examine exhibitors, and dive into the very recesses of the whole matter, and that without let or hindrance from any body. Happy jurors! except that your work is more than plentiful, and your task as difficult a one as can be imagined, since you aro expected to achieve the triumph of realising the anticipations and recognizing the transcendent merits of about 15,000 people, each of whom expects, of course, a reward suitable to his own estimation of his own talents.

The educational movement in connection with the Exhibition, was progressing. Professor Cowpcr's genial expositions to his pupils of King's College, have given a hint in the right direction, and the business of the juries once over, several of the gentlomen who have been most actively engaged in the arrangement, will probably be found as actively engaged in explaining their worth to those visitors who take sufficient interest in the details of natural productions, machinery, and manufactures, to attend meetings for that purpose. Professor Ansted leads the way, with a course of eight lectures on mineralogy and raining operations. Those arc to be delivered every Friday and Saturday, until the completion of the course, between the hours of nine and twelve. The class is to bo limited to 150 members, and every facility for illustration and study will bo afforded. Professor Cowper has also announced a course on machinery, in connexion with King's College, admitting all members of colleges at a reduced rate. Professor Maskeleno comes up from Oxford with the members attending his class, so that we may now anticipate that the Crystal Palace will be an University of the arts and sciences as applied to tho every-day utilities of life.

The festivities connected with the Exhibition follow each other in rapid succession. The dinner of the sculptors to Kiss was an entertainment as significant as delightful. The banquet at Richmond to the foreign commissioners, was. on orjunlly intereutfng event, on a more extended scale. The guests were feted, boated, toasted, and put into the very best possible humour with themselves and all around ; and there are few of these gentlemen who will not go home, when the time arrives, with a very distinct notion that Englishmen are decidedly improving, and that there are certainly some hopes that we tuny at least reach such a state of civilization as to prefer French, cookery to our own."

[ A few words of deep import fell from Lord Lyttelton at the close of tire public breakfast of the emigrants about to sail for Canterbury in New Zualaud and their friends. The excellent Chairman spoke of the remarkable and interesting scene before him as one that was likely to be of annual recurrence for many years to come. This casual remark encourages the expectation that, under the some auspices, some thousand, at the least, of emigrants composed of intelligent and well conducted members of the educated and labouring classes will annually proceed to New Zealand under systematic arrangements. In other words, the Canterbury Association may be regarded as one of our established institutions. Such being the case, two prominent features of the parting festival are of good augury. The first is, the uriexaggerated practical business tone of the speakers ;the second the real, unostentatious harmony and earnest spirit of co-operation which pervaded alike the emigrants of the labouring and proprietary classes, and the members of the aristocracy present as sympathizers. It may confidently be affirmed that no other body, at present organized and in active operation in this country, presents the spectacle of such sincere and efficient coperation of all classes in society to promote an object of public utility, as this Association. Nor is it unworthy of note, that of the members of both Houses of the Legislature who addressed tho guests at the breakfast, the oldest has only attained his forty-second year. This is at least one symptom that a new race of practical statesmen is coming forward.— Spectator.

The Canterbury Association gathered together at the East India Docks, on Wednesday, an interesting farewell meeting of emigrants on the eve of sailing for Lyttelton, in New Zealand, and the friends whom they are about to leave. Of the present emigration the larger moiety are of the labouring class, and the rest of a class able to take cabin passages in the two ships which carry the whole party out. The Association gave a substantial dinner to the labouring emigrants, and simultaneously, the cabin pas3engcrs -were joined by their friends at a public breakfast. The whole party, about five hundred in number, were accommodated in a spacious tent, erected on the quay alongside the ships. Lord Lyttelton presided; and was accompanied by Lady Lyttelton—other distinguished ladies also lending the grace of their presence. The Duko of Newcastle made his first public speech since he took his seat in the House of Peers ; and Lord Wodehouse, the J)eau of Carlisle, Mr. Adderley, Svitli btUeiriiiflVieutial

friends of colonization, were among tha numerous company of guests. Tho Chairman bade " farewdll to the outwardbound" in a speech which pictured difficulties fuirly> but sot forth with encouraging clearness the prosperity to be , achieved by honest exertion in young colonies. The Duke of Newcastle proposed con tun ore a tribute to his personal i'rieud John Itobcrt Godiey. Mr. Godley left this country in a state of health miserable and precarious; tho climate of New Zealand has restored him, so that he is now able to give such attention to the colonists on their arrival as lightens their difficulties and makes their task comparatively easy: though in New Zealand gold is not to be gathered as in California, Mr. Godley has never met there a porson really discontented with his lot. Mr. Moncton Milnes proposed with cordiality " The emigrants of the working clasees," —confident that thov I will carry with them "the true, honest, ■ loyal, generous English feeling, true faith I in God above and fraternity among men." The toast was answered from an expected quarter: Mr. Adderley had got into th(s midstof a group of agricultural emigrants, and was chatting with a family of father, mother, and eight daughters, at the mo* mout when Mr. Moncton Milnes finished his speech: the working men around Mr. Adderloy put him forward to speak for them in reply; and this ho did with a feeling of their position, and a kindly identification, at once most pleasing to them and instructive to the other classes whom ho addressed.