_Miscellaneous.

Prince Metternich's death is not confirmed. He has been suffering front bronchitis, which is diminished; but the worst symptoms, those of ad- vanced years, weigh heavy upon him.

The Count of Montemolin visited the Old Bailey on Wednesday, and was conducted over the prisons by Mr. Sheriff Kennard. The Count afterwards attended a banquet, over which the Lord Mayor presided. On his health being drunk, the Prince replied in a neat English speech.

The papers record the death of the Right Honourable Thomas Gren- ville, once an eminent statesman. He was born in December 1755; and in 1782, when only twenty-seven years old, was sent Ambassador to the French Court. He entered Parliament in 1790; and in 1794 went to Vienna as Minister Extraordinary. In 1799 he went to Prussia in a similar capacity. He was created Chief Justice in Eyre in 1800; and from that year to 1807 was First Lord of the Admiralty. Mr. Grenville was created a Privy Councillor in 1798. He never was married.

The German papers record the death of Dr. List, the author of a work entitled " National System of Political Economy," and the reputed parent of the Zollverein. It is hinted that he died by his own hand.

We are sorry to learn that the children of the late Thomas Hood are, in consequence of the death of their last remaining parent, left entirely de- pendent upon the small fund, amounting, we believe to about 8001., col- lected by public subscription at the period of Mr. Hood's death. The pension of 100/. granted by Sir Robert Peel ceases with the decease of Mrs. Hood, who lived but a twelvemonth to enjoy it. We believe that Lord John Russell has already been applied to by the friends of the fa- mily to continue the pension to the children; but his Lordship has inti- mated his inability to comply with the request, since the pension becomes, by the death of Mrs. Hood, the property of the public. We feel confident that the wishes and intentions of the public will be best answered by a new grant of the same trifling amount to the orphans, to whose departed and highly-gifted parent that public owes so large a debt of gratitude.— Tintes.

A Cabinet Council was held on Wednesday, at the Foreign Office: the Council sat two hours and a half.

Tuesday's Gazette contains the announcement of a diplomatic change. Lord Howard de Walden and Sir George Hamilton Seymour have changed appointments; the former proceeding as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Belgian Court, and the latter proceeding in the same capacity to the Court of Portugal.

The Secretary of State for the Colonies, it is understood, is about to make a great change in the system of convict transportation to Van Die- men's Land. In the first place, the transportation of male convicts is to cease for a period of two years. Female convicts, however, are still to be sent to Van Diemen's Land, in order to correct, in some degree, the dispropor- tion of the sexes, which has been attended with such frightful evils in that island. With respect to the convicts already in the colony, a change, of which the precise details have not been made known, will be introduced as to the method of employing them. The establishment on Norfolk Island is to be removed to Tasman's Peninsula; and in conjunction with these measures a penitentiary system is to be adopted, in whichthe prin- ciples of the Separate and Silent systems are to be combined with that advocated by Captain Maconochie, of raeastuin' g portions of punishment by labour instead of by time. The Times states that despatches are on their way to Sir William Gomm, Governor of Mauritius, in which the outline of an ordinance for promoting immigration and the industry of immigrants is recommended for the adop- tion of the Legislative Council. The main features of this scheme are three,—first, the establishment of a register of immigrants; secondly, their protection against undue restraint; and lastly, the regulation of contracts or service, for the mutual protection of both masters and servants. No im- migrant will be allowed to leave the island untjl he has completed five years industrial residence "—that is, five years under contract to work; for every year short of five he must pay a fine of 11.; while not under con- tract, he will undergo a monthly tax; and immigrants under contract who absent themselves from work will incur a fine of 2d. a day.

Government is also, we understand, about to aid the other sugar-grow- ing colonies. A Government steamer is shortly to ply between the limo coast and the West Indies, for the purpose of carrying free African labourers to the three colonies of Jamaica, British Guiana, and Trinidad.

We have the best authority for the important announcement, and we make it with infinite gratification, that it has, at last, been finally agreed upon by the Horse Guards and War Office, to confer an honorary medal of per- manent distinction upon the veteran officers of the Peninsular army who fought those signal battles, including sieges aud storms, which directly led to the eventual overthrow of Napoleon Bonaparte, the lasting glory of Wellington, the renown of Great Britain, and the general peace of Europe. We congratulate the surviving heroes of the Peninsula upon the ac- quisition of this long-desired boon of honour, inadequate as it is to their full merits.—Linzeriek Chronicle.

The Duke of Wellington's statue at Hyde Park Corner is to be taken down forthwith. Workmen have actually commenced their preparations for the new pedestal, in the centre of the parade of the Horse Guards.

At a meeting last week of the Central Society for the Protection of Agriculture, the Duke of Richmond made a speech, of which a report ap- peared in the Times, attributing to him the following words—

"At the meeting of Tuesday, the subject of the Malt-tax was brought under the notice of the Society ; and considerable discus:ion upon it having taken place, it was unanimously resolved that the Protectionist party should be called upon to demand its total and immediate repeal."

It has been thought necessary to deny the correctness of this report The Morning Herald explains, that the Duke "simply adverted to the re- solution passed by the Committee on Tuesday; which was to the effect that the local societies should be consulted on the subject of the repeal of the Malt-tax, that their opinion might be made known on the 12th January next, when it will be decided whether or not it is expedient at the present time to press for the repeal of the tax in question."

Sir John Gladstone publishes a letter in the Morning Post defending the Tea-duties.

The trade with China he says, has been open above twelve years, and the population of the country has increased in that time about 3,000,000. Trade and manufacture aye also been augmented. Yet the increased consumption in tea, notwithstandin2 the great reduction in price, is not above a third more than it was under the hi „her prices. On the revenue question Sir John Gladstone points attention to these facts. Were the duty on tea reduced to a shilling a pound, and were the consumption of this country to be increased from forty-four millions of pounds to sixty millions of pounds, the loss to the revenue would be 1,800,0001. a year. But the increased amount of exports necessary to pay for the anticipated increase of import of tea—taking it at sixteen millions of pounds— would be of the value only of 670,0001.; so that for the sake of the profit on the export business of 670,0001., the agitators would take nearly thrice that sum from the exchequer.

Considerable dismay has been created in the City from the Bank of England's having formally disregarded the old commercial custom, not however founded in law, of refusing to pay "crossed checks to any other parties than the bankers with whose name they have been crossed. A check was paid at once to a private person, although it was "crossed."

The fever of speculation continues in Liverpool. The Times quotes a letter written apparently, on Tuesday- " The speculative condition of the cotton-market is becoming more and more serious. You have perceived that last week rendered more sales than any pre- viously, at whatever period; and yesterday a greater quantity was sold than on any day since Liverpool has been a port, namely, 45,000 bales; the market com- mencing with an advance of a farthing, and closing at a halfpenny. Of this only 5,000 were for the trade.

"Now, although it may be conceded that the crop has been short, and that the supply NP111 not fully meet the demand, still such a feature in the diagnosis as 40 to 5 in favour of speculation denotes a feverishness rather alarming.

"Gold is showing a disposition to cross the Atlantic; shipments to a consider- able amount being made, not only to the Northern States, but also to New Orleans, attracted probably by the Mexican war, or rather by its necessities. "Timers is a remarkable difference, too, in the monetary transactions with Ire- land. Until lately, the immense droves of cattle continually being shipped for English consumption have been paid for by orders on Ireland. But now, not- withstanding that the cattle business remains almost as vigorous as ever, the draughts in circulation are for the most part on the English banks. For this change the enormous Irish demand for bread-stuffs will fully account."

"A Genevese Traveller," the New York correspondent of the Times, makes the following report on the American corn-trade-- "The period when our canal navigation must close is near at hand; but it will not materially affect our produce-market. Mach from the interior will find its way into this city by railroads. Indian corn to an unlimited amount may and will be shipped from New Orleans: if vessels are found to convey it to Europe, millions upon millions of bushels may be had. Flour may be quoted at 5 to 5 25-100 dollars per barrel, with a moderate demand. The present price for bread-staffs cannot be supported without an increased demand for exportation."

Lord Maidstone has written a long letter to the Times to prove himself a marvellously honest man in refusing to pay Mrs. Crockford's rapacious demands— Iris Lordship is exceedingly indignant at "the worse than libels" which have been wantonly published against "an indivi Itial who is so unfortunate as to belong to the aristocracy." He paid into court, he says, all that he owed; and he only owes the rest since the trial went against him. He complains that no credit has been given for his "sincere wish to prevent the widow of Mr. Crock- ford from sucking the marrow out of the bones w iich her husband had broken "; and adds ironically—" No; he must have been influenced by the paltry desire of evading the payment of a few pounds." He asks, "Does the writer [in the Times] really suppose that Lord Maidstone, in his own person, devised the plea of refusing to pay upon the ground that the club was a gambling-house? No, he knows bet- ter; he knows that the lawyers did that for him." "Lord Maidstone knew that these coffeehouse accounts and subscriptions had been paid; but how could he prove it?" The servants were rogues. The man wlio kept the book absconded front England. "To show how little credit can be attachbd to this book, it is a noto- rious fact, that after Mr. Surman took it, at 10 per cent commission and hia costs, compromises were effected with numerous parties upon whom similar claims were made at the rate of something like ten or twenty pounds in the hun- dred." "Lord Maidstone did not choose to compromise, as he doubtless might have done, like the rest; and, although the result has been unfavourable, does not regret that he resisted the claim, more particularly since it opens to him this opportunity of exposing the nature of this machinery for extortion. Take a gambling-table keepers book; kill him; let his widow and attorney lay their heads together; well drill the servants; sharpen the attorney's wits by a douceur of 10 per cent; bring the case before the Lord Chief Baron; and there is nothing left to regret, except that the claim was not larger." His Lordship premeds to argue the matter; but his argument conies pretty mach to this, that he owes nothing, because nothing has been proved.

A statue of Mrs. Siddons the great tragedian is to to be placed in Westminster Abbey. The chosen sculptor is Mr. Thomas Campbell; who has just finished the model.

Dhsnjibbai Nowroji, a young Parsee, has been ordained by the Free Presbytery of Edinburgh as a missionary to India.

The Guernsey Star reports a singular fracas, in which Major-General Sir William Napier' the Lieutenant-Governor, bore a personal share. Mr. Wools, an officer under the Board of Ordnance, had been executing some work at Sark; and he went to Haviland Hall, the Lieutenant-Governor's residence, to make a re- port. A difference of opinion arose; acts of personal violence were interchanged; and Mr. Wools was expelled from the house by the Lieutenant-Governor and his servants. Subsequently, Mr. Wools was brought before the local court, and charged with an assault on the Lieutenant-Governor. In spite of a claim by the prisoner's lawyer for a public hearing, the me was heard in private; and Mr. Wools was committed for trial.

Another extensive Customhouse fraud has come to light; committed in the warehouses of St. Katharine's Dock Company, with the connivance of the Custom- house-officer in charge. The article this time is sugar; and the amount to which the revenue has suffered is estimated at only A few hundred pounds. The mode in which the fraud has been committed is thus described—" Upon the pre. sentation of warrants for the delivery of goods to the Company's clerks, it is the practice to present the document to the Locker on the premises, for him to certify that lie has received the necessary order from the Customhouse, that the duty has- been paid, before the delivery is allowed to take place. In this instance the Locker asserted that he was in receipt of the ' order ` when such was not the case, no duty having been paid. The Dock Company delivered the sugar; and the Locker has decamped."

A rival to Punch has been set up in New York, under the name of Yankee Doodle. The artists are principally, Mr Martin, son of Mr. John Martin, and. Mr. Clarke, a nephew of Lady Morgan—both English! One main object of ita satire is "the Sovereign People."

The American Sun reports that a meteor, apparently as big as the sun, fell in presence of a whole village, one evening in November, at Lowell, about two hundred yards from the spectators: on the spot where it fell, they found a Man Of fetid jelly, four feet in diameter and 442 pounds in weight.

The frost returned at the end of last week, and has been very intense in Lon- don. At eight o'clock on Monday morning the mercury was fourteen degrees below the freezing-point. On Wednesday morning, however, about the same hour it was up to 30°.

A number of venturous persons began skating and sliding on the waters in the Parks on Monday. Many got a ducking by the breaking of the ice; and during the afternoon a fatal casualty occurred in St. James's Park: three persons were immersed be a breakage, and one, a young 111a13, perished before he could be got out. Three accidents happened on Tuesday: a man and a boy knocked each other down while sliding, and the man's arm was broken, while the boy suffered a fracture of the skull. A man fell while skating, and broke his collar-bone. Many accidents resulted from the slippery state of the streets. A barge was found in the river drifting without any one in charge: it had left Chelsea with a lighterman on board, but marks on the gunwale seemed to indicate that the Man had slipped off, from the vessel's edge being covered with frozen snow. By Wed- nesday morning there was a good deal of ice in the Thames.

In the Metropolis only a small quantity of snow has fallen, but there has been a good deal throughout the country. In many parts between Carlisle and Edin- burgh the drifts have been eight or nine feet thick, and in other places it has been as deep. Of course the mails on the coachroads have been much delayed, and on the railways to some extent. In Ireland the frost has been very severe The mails have been delayed in their arrival at Dublin by the snow.

About Newcastle the fall of snow has been enormous; it is said to have been, unexampled for a quarter of a century. Many railways were so blocked up that all traffic was at an end for some time.

Two people, an old man and a child, who were deck-passengers in a steamer from Londonderry to Greenock, have perished from the inclemency of the wea- ther; no one daring the passage having noticed how much the cold affected them.

The American steamer Atlantic, running between New York and Boston, was wrecked on the 26th November. She had between seventy and eighty passengers on board, of whom forty were drowned. The disaster commenced by the bursting of the steam chest; and about the same time the weather became very tempes- tuous. Anchors were let go; but by the force of the wind, which kept increasing, the steamer dragged her anchors for forty-eight hours; drifting in that time twenty-two miles. At last she was thrown nearly over a reef of rocks on Fisher's Island, and went to pieces almost immediately. The master of the steamer, Mr. Dustan, was one of those who perished.

Results of the Registrar-General's return of mortality in the Metropolis for the week ending on Saturday last—

Number of Autumn Annual deaths, average. average. Zymotic (or Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious) Diseases 191 ... 206 ... 186

Dropsy, Qmeer, . and other diseases of uncertain or variable seat 113 ... Los ... 104

Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Harrow, Nerves, and Senses 150 ... 15 ... 157 Diseases of the Longs, and of the other Organs of Respiration 416 ... 313 ... 294 Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion 00 ... 70 ... 72

r . • • • • • • Childbirth, diseases of the Uterus, 8re. 16 ... 11 ... 10

Rheumatism, diseases of the Bones. Joint., fie Diseases of the skin, Cellular Tissue, fie.

Old Age 66 ... 60 ... 67 Violence, Privation, Cold, and lutemperance 43 ... 27 ... 26 Total (including unspecified causes) 1,163 ... 1,000 ...

The temperature of the thermometer ranged from 51.1° in the sun to 24.7° ia the shade; the mean temperature by day being colder than the average meas temperature by 4.0°. The mean direction of the wind for the week was North.