A violent storm did much damage to the shipping on
the United States coast, at the beginning of last month. The ship of war Penn. sylvania dragged her anchors, and went ashore opposite Navy Island, near Norfolk, where she lay "high and dry." At Charleston, and Knoxville, in Tennessee, there was much sick- ness.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mathews have been received most favourably in New York, notwithstanding some pitiful uttempt to make them unpopular, by false reports of their behaviour at an hotel in Saratoga.
The celebrated Countess Branitska, the niece of Potemkin, died lately on her estate of Biala- Cerkiew, in the 80th year of her age. She had been a favourite of the Empress Catherine, on which account the Emperor Alexander always treated her with the utmost distinction and respect, addressing her by the name of matashka, or mother, lie never met her without kissing her hand, and he would stand in her pre- sence until she bade him be seated. The Countess has left an immense fortune, which will be partly inherited by Coma Woronzow, her son- in-law. A sum of 1,000,000 sterling in specie was found in her chit. teau ; she had 60,000,000 of roubles lodged in the Bank of Russia, and on her estates were 1:30,000 peasants, or slaves. The Countess in her lifetime made money in every way : she lent it out on mortgages, and there are very few landed proprietors in the empire who are not her debtors ; she discounted bills, sold gold, disposed herself of the immense produce of her lands ; and it is even said, that halving visited France some years since, and finding human hair so valuable an article in that country, she had on her return to Russia caused the heads of all her female slaves to be shaved, and shipped a cargo of chevelares to France, where they fetched her a hendsorne return. Her caisse was always escorted by thirty or forty Cossacks ; and her reputatiou for wealth was so general throughout the empire, that, during the last in- surrection, the Polish Government had given instructions to General Dwernicki arid other officers sent on expeditions into Lithuania to en- deavour to gain possession of her treasures.— Times.
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