1 DECEMBER 1860, Page 9

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The Empress of the French has returned from Scotland. She arrived in Manchester on Thursday, cheered, as the reporters state' by exactly "1500 people." At Bolton, the Volunteer Rifles and their band turned out, and formed a guard of honour !

' Before leaving Scotland she visited Blair-Athole, Taymouth Castle, Stirling, Glasgow, Loch Lomond, Loch KatrMe, and the Trossachs. She was the guest of the Duke of Athol, the Marquis of Breadalbane, and the Duke of Hamilton. In Glasgow, she was escorted in her visits to the "lions" by the local magnates. An address was of course pre- sented by the Lord Provost. At Ballo* as well as at Bolton, Volun- teers turned out. On Thursday, her Majesty set out for the South.

Count Flahaut, the new French Minister to the Court of St. James's, entered the French army in a corps of Mounted Volunteers, and accom- panied Napoleon Bonaparte in the Marengo campaign. He was present at the battles of Austerlitz, Friedland, and Wagram ; he distinguished himself in the Russian campaign, and at Dresden, Leipsie, and Waterloo. Banished by the restoration, he returned to France in 1827, and in 1830 resumed his military rank. While in England, he married Miss Elphin- stone, sole heiress of Admiral Lord Keith, and became a Scotch country gentleman. During the reign of Louis Philippe, he sat in the Chamber of Peers, went as Ambassador to Berlin and Vienna, and was a member of the household of the Duke of Orleans. A staunch Bonapartist, be became a member of the Imperial Senate. The post he is now called upon to fill in his seventy-fifth year, was offered to Count de Morny, but declined by him.

Lord Clyde and Sir James Outram will be presented with the freedom of the City, and splendid swords, at Guildhall, on Thursday 20th Decem- ber. Lord Clyde will be entertained by the Company of Skinners, and presented with the freedom of the Company, at their hall, on Thursday next.

A discussion on the state of the Navy has been carried on in the Times " One who knows the Service" complains, in what has been correctly styled a " bouncing" manner, that the sailors are ill-fed, ill-treated, and ill-paid. To these causes he attributes mutinies and desertions. As he made some fatal mistakes of fact he was promptly corrected by a letter from "Somerset House." As he praised the merchant service, "One who knows the Merchant Service" promptly accepted the challenge, and made counter-statements. Then Admiral George Elliot came in, and ad- mitting that reforms are needed, contradicted the main allegations of the complainant, and especially controverted his great remedy, the abolition of pensions and the raising of the pay. Captain Sherard Osborn, in a letter, published on Thursday, sums up. He says- " Your correspondent, One wilkknows the Service,' has overstated his case, and tried to prove too much ; Th fact, he, and the gallant Admiral who wrote you yesterday, represent the two extreme views of the question—the truth lies between them in my opinion. Admiral George Elliot truly says, that great reforms are required in the Navy, and that large and en- lightened views leading to organization are essential.' In this statement I cordially concur, but I cannot at present do more than wish cordial success to those who have the will and the leisure to urge on the legislators of Eng- land the crying necessity for immediate Naval Reform."

Sir J. D. Elphinstone follows Captain Osborn, and gives very full in- formation, refuting the main allegations of the writer who opened the controversy. But Sir John admits that reforms are much needed, al- though the condition of the sailor is greatly improved.

For the fiftieth time we are told that the officers of the Admiralty, now separately situated in Whitehall and at Somerset House. are to be united tinder one roof.

The negotiations between the Society of Arts and the Commissioners of the Exhibition of 1851, have terminated satisfactorily. The Com- missioners accept the trust offered by the Society, provided a sufficient guarantee is given. The guarantee now amounts to 366,8001., sub- scribed by 662 persons. The Commissioners have granted a site on the.r estate at South Kensington ; so the Exhibition of 1862 is now a cer- tainty.

Prince Alfred leaves the Euryalus and joins the St. George, 90, in Janu- ary; he will visit Africa on its Western continent ; thence he goes to the West Indies and to North America. Several of the Euryalus' "middies" are transferred to the St. George.

The Empress of Austria, who arrived at Hainoaze on Friday, left the Sound on Sunday for Madeira in the Victoria and Albert, commanded by Captain Denman.

The health of the Earl of Derby is completely reestablished.

Sir William Joliffe has retired from the office of " whip" to the Conser- vative party in the House of Commons.

Mr. John Bright, M.P., has arrived in Paris, and Mr. Cobden has also returned to Paris from Nantes.

The Earl of Chichester is appointed and sworn in as Lord-Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of the county of Sussex.

The Queen has conferred the honour of knighthood on Mr. Jean Edward Ramond, first Puisnc Judge of the Supreme Court at the Mautitius.

The Bishop of London has conferred the honorary canonry in St. Paul's Cathedral, vacant by the resignation of the Reverend William Browne, M.A., preferred to the Arclideaconry of Bath, upon the Reverend William J. Irons, D.D., Incumbent of the church of the Holy Trinity, Brompton.

The Honourable and Reverend Douglas Gordon, son of the Earl of Aber- deen, has been collated by the Lord Bishop of Salisbury to the office or dignity of Treasurer of the Cathedral Church of Sarum, with the prebend of Caine annexed, vacant by the promotion of Dr. Waldegrave to the see of Carlisle.

The Benchers of Lincoln's Inn have elected the Reverend C. J. D'Oy-ly, minister of St. Mark's Long Acre, to the chaplaincy of their honourable society, in succession to the Reverend F. D. Maurice. Ile is a member of Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated in honours in 1843.

The Reverend W. Cureton, D.D., Canon of Westminster, famed as an Oriental scholar, has been elected a member of the French Institute, in the room of M. Sobeck, of Konigsberg.

Edward, sixth Duke of Norfolk, expired on Sunday, at Arundel Castle ; be received the last sacraments of the Roman Catholic church, and died of an enlargement of the liver, at the age of forty-five.

Lieutenant-Colonel Macdonald, C.B., a Waterloo veteran, died last week, aged eighty-two.

The Reverend Dr. Croly, Rector of St. Stephen's, Walbrook, died on Saturday, aged seventy-six. He was the author of a Life of Edmund Burke, ;S'alathiel, Ilarston, or the Memoirs of a Stateman, and many other works.

Baron Bunsen died at Bonn on Wednesday morning. He was in his seventieth year.

The Emperor of Russia has ordered that all theatres and places of public amusement in St. Petersburg shall be closed for six weeks, in consequence of the death of the Empress Dowager.

The King of Portugal, on receipt of the news of Admiral Napier's death, ordered the Portuguese Navy to go into mourning for three days. The Portuguese Ambassador has written to Lady Napier to express the condo- lences of the King at Sir Charles's death.

The statue to the Marquis of Anglesey, by Matthew Noble, has been suc- cessfully elevated to its intended position, on an elevated plateau of rock visible for miles round.

A monument has been erected on Southsea Common, to commemorate the late Sir William Peel, who died in India at the head of the Naval Brigade during the Sepoy mutiny.

A tablet to the Memory of the late Mr. Albert Smith has been placed in the English church at Chamounix, bearing the following

.nser.pt-on—" To the memory of Albert Smith, who died on the 23,1 of May, 1860, in the forty-fourth year of his age. This tablet is erected in the English church at Chamounix, by his affectionate brother, Arthur Smith."

The Royal Commission on Dockyards examined Colonel Greene, the di- rector of Works in the Admiralty department, on Wednesday week, and visited Chathm a on Wednesday last, to make an inspection. The Commis- sioners next proceed to Sheerness.

Further experiments with the Armstrong gun upon a martello tower at Bexhill have confirmed the results shown at _Eastbourne. The firing com- menced on Saturday the lOLl,, and continued up to Wednesday the 14tb, at 1032 yards distance ; four shots penetrated into the interior. It is intended to continue the experiments.

One of the cast iron experimental guns, strengthened according to a prin- ciple suggested by Sir NY . Armstrong, in order to prove their capability of being riled for service, was on Saturday tested at the Royal Arsenal butt, Woolwich. An order was given to increase the charges and continue firing so as eventually to burst the gun ; the experiment was carried out in a bomb- proof shed constructed for that special purpose. The chamber of the gun was solidly imbedded in a coating of gun-metal three inches in thickness, which was incrusted over the entire portion subject to the greatest amount of shock from the explosion, and extended over the headpiece (leaving the caseable ring only visible), down to the trunnions. Several rounds were fired with exceedingly- heavy charges, and at length the gun itself gave way under the excessive charge, and was found torn into fragments, but the coat- ing of gunmetal remained entire.

An apparatus is invented for leaky: ships, consisting of a two-bladed screw, of a semi-disc form, attached to a jointed rod, which gives motion to a small toothed bevel wheel ; that, in its turn, works another wheel at the end of a shaft extending lougitudinally along the bulwarks, and connected with the lower limb of a bill-crank, working about six feet from the deck of avesseL The upper limb is connected by a rod with an upright arm springing from the centre of a horizontal lever beam, to the end of which the pump-rods are jointed. A vessel going from three to four knots an hour, will work the pump and cause a discharge of water nearly equal to that accomplished by a body of men. The action can be increased, and at six or seven knots' speed, the discharge nearly fills the nozzles. The inventor is Mr. Robert Formby, of Liverpool.

Lord Dufferin appeals in the columns of the Times for further assistance to the Syrian christians. He says that the English and American con- tributions have been, and must be for months to come, the principal resource of the people for whom he fears a period of famine is in prospect. The journals report the departure of Sir James Brooke for Sarawak. Re- cent events, which threatened to destroy, not only the trade but the lives of

. the inhabitants of that thriving little state—natives, as well as European settlers, render his presence there indispensable. The Rajah has com- pletely recovered from his temporary illness.

The exploring ship Fox, Captain Allen Young, arrived in Portland Roads on Friday the 23d instant, from Cie coasts of the Faroe Islands, Ice- land, and Greenland, where she has been employed in surveying the route for the proposed North Atlantic Telegraph. The severity of the late season in the Northern regions has been greater than has been experienced during the last twenty years, but, by remaining in Greenland until November 8, when the winter had fairly set in, the Fox succeeded in examining and sounding fiords on the South coast, proving their practicability for the re- ception of the cable. The Fox also coasted down a considerable extent of the East coast of Greenland, hitherto supposed to be inaccessible, besides inakine a series of deep-sea soundings, and brings home a variety of speci- mens in natural history, and photographs of the scenery and costumes of the countries visited.

News had reached Boston from Dr. Kayo's Arctic expedition. All the ex- plorers were well, but frozen up for the winter.

Paymaster Seveke, late of the Boscawen, was drowned while crossing the bar of Zanzibar with despatches for Dr. Livingstone.

The Empress of the French, while at the station on her way to Perth, saw a soldier in extreme ill health, but bearing upon his person several decorations for actual service. She gave him a small donation, when one of her attendants, reminded her Majesty that she had befriended a man who had fought at Waterloo. "Then he is the more deserving," replied the Empress, 'for he contended with a brave enemy."

Among the passengers by the Fulton, which arrived on Friday week at Southampton, was Mr. IV. B. Drikard, with a large collection of photo- graphs for the Prince of Wales, taken during the visit to America.

The preliminaries for an international skiff match between Robert Cham- bers, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, the champion oar of England, and Ward, the champion of America, are being settled. Chambers is likely to leave Eng- land in February, and the contest will come off on American waters in the spring.

Mies Sane C. Martin has been appointed keeper of the Marblehead light. She is a daughter of the late Captain Ambrose Martin, who kept the Baker's Island (Salem) light for a quarter of a century, and, as assistant to her father, gained a thorough experience in light keeping.—.Boston Courier.

An action was brought by Deputy Bertani against one of the public journals in Naples, on account of some allegations of corruption in con- nexion with the railway concessions granted by General Garibaldi, which has resulted in Bertanes entire vindication.

The Crystal Palace Poultry show is fixed to commence on Wednesday, 12th December, and continue till the 15th. Nearly 1000 "pens" are entered for exhibition.

Among a collection of books of which the sale by auction by Messrs. Put- tick and Simpson, has just concluded, was a copy of the first edition of the 150 Psalms in English metre, Sternhold and Hopkins, printed in London, 1562. '1 his edition is of such rarity that its very existence has been denied. Although imperfect in the end, it sold for 23/. A very scarce edition of the Common Prayer Book, Queen Elizabeth's 1562, in the same sale, produced 151.

Mr. Behrens, a picture-dealer in Coventry Street, sent a picture to New- castle, which, on arrival was found to have a hole in it more than a foot square, for which the Great Northern Railway Company have to pay 3.5/., amount of a verdict against them as "common carriers," on Tuesday.

Private M'Sellv, late of the lit Royals, in the camp at Colchester, has been awarded 8060/. by the Court of Chancery, with five years' arrears of interest. He was recently discharged after twenty-one years' service, with a pension of Is. per day.

The China, laden with cotton and bound from New Orleans to Liver- pool, was totally destroyed by ire at sea, on the 6th of November. The crew were rescued by the slip Ocean Bride, transferred to the steamer Quaker, and landed at New York.

The Astor House at New York, was on fire for three hours on the 8th, and 3000 dollars damage was done. But the hotel business was not interrupted !

The members of the Society of Friends are long-lived : 50 lives show an average of 85 years ; a select list of 24 names gives an average of 681 years.

The mortality of London showed an increase last week ; 1257 deaths, but in three previous weeks the numbers were only 1049, 1084, and 1183 succes- sively. But the average number of deaths for the same ten weeks in 1850-9 is 1376. The births amounted to 1813-926 boys and 887 girls. The aver- age of the weeks in 1850-9 was 1581, an increase of 232.