3litotrI11t1Irinto.

A letter from Calais in the Inde:pendance Beige states that the Queen and Prince Albert will arrive there on the 17th August; that they will .be received there by. the Emperor, sleep in the ancient city, and proceed the next day to Pans.

A Report hasjust been delivered by the Select Committee on the Downing Street Public Offices Extension Bill, that the allegations of the bill are true. The evidence is accompanied by plans. The new pub- lic offices will form a quadrangle round the Western end of Downing 'Street ; the quadrangle about two-thirds the size of that of Somerset .House. In the centre, opposite the approach, will be a suite of state 'apartments or reception-rooms, of which the largest room will be 70 feet long by 35 feet wide. The buildings are so arranged as to work in with Sir John Soane's plan for the improvement of Whitehall. The present Public official buildings are many of them in a miserable state : the walls settling; the stairs and floors propped ; the lower rooms unhealthy from bad construction on a peat soil. The total cost, including 25,0001. for fittings, and 54,0001. for the purchase of properties adjacent, will be 685,0001. The plan of construction is so arranged as to cause only one removal. The Committee on the Sale of Beer Act continues to sit. The wit- nesses hitherto called have consisted principally of the Magistrates of the London Police Courts, the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and the Commissioner of the City Police ; but there have been some others. The general purport of the evidence given by the Com- missioners is, that there has been a decline in the number of cases of drunkenness brought up for adjudication on the Monday ; and, on the other hand, there has been a slight increase in Saturday and Tuesday cases. Sir Richard Mayne remarked, that the police cases indicate the proportion of one drunkard in 32,000 persons ; so that to enforce a restraint upon the one drunkard the inconvenience is imposed on the 32,000 persons. It was stated that there had been two eases of drunken- ness from the House of Commons—no reason for punishing the 656. The tjuestion as to who is a bona-fide traveller was not much elucidated. Almost all the witnesses were in favour of largely modifying the bill— probably, of extending the time of opening from one to eleven o'clock p. m. on Sundays. Among the few witnesses who favoured the bill was Sir Robert Carden—a member of the Maine Liquor Law Association, though not himself a Teetotaller. He would close the houses at ten o'clock, as no honest man ought to be out of his own house after that hour. Nine out of ten that go to a public-house later, he said, are robbers, thieves, prostitutes, and bad characters. Another witness was Mr. George Cruikshank, who would close the public-houses all day on Sundays, and would go beyond the Maine Liquor Law. Ho denied that there was any inconvenience occasioned by the act : " it was all a dis- graceful fuss about drink." This witness banded in pictorial sketches of his own, as evidence.

A correspondent sends us some remarks on the case of Mr. Elliott, Surgeon R.N., attached to the Marine Brigade at Balaklava, stating some facts which materially extenuate the ease. Pinnock, the private soldier, died in an attack, not of cholera, but of sudden cerebral con- gestion ; Mr. Elliott ordered him to be brought to the hospital, his na- tural destination, lying half-way between the surgeon's residence and the man's station. Mr. Elliott has had the best certificates, both as a student and as a Burgeon ; he was promoted for good conduct in the au- tumn and winter ; he was suffering from very severe illness, aggravated by an accident; and also from severe exasperation under a commandant who was continually " taking notes."

The Premier dined with the Marquis of Londonderry on Saturday, and afterwards attended Lady Theresa Lewis's assembly. On Wednesday, he gave a grand banquet to the Duke, the Duchess, and Princess Mary of Cam- bridge, and the Hereditary Grand Duchess of decklenburg-Strelitz.

The Duke of Cambridge and the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklen- burg-Strelitz dined with the Marquis and Marehioneas of Ely on Tuesday.

The Liberal Scotch Members entertained the Lord Advocate at a white- bait dinner at Greenwich on Wednesday.

The King of Prussia's health has improved, and he has gone to Erd- mannsdorf, in Silesia, for change of air.

The eldest son of Queen Christina of Spain, the Duke of Taraneon, died at Malmaison on Sunday.

The Archduke Maximilian, brother to the Emperor of Austria, arrived at Alexandria on the 6th. His arrival was preceded by the entrance into the harbour of three corvettes, three frigates, six brigs, and three steam-frigates, constituting almost the entire Austrian navy.

There is a report from Trebizond that Schamyl is dead.

It is said that Prince Ghika of Moldavia has forced his daughter to enter a nunnery, to which place she was escorted by a large body of soldiers. She is generally believed to have been the cause of a duel which lately took place at Jassy, in which the son of the Hospodar was killed by an Austrian officer.

At the last advices from America the Honourable Abbott Lawrence, for- merly United States Minister in London, was dangerously ill.

- Queen Victoria has sent 50/. to the Mayor of St. Germain as a subscrip- tion towards restoring the chapel which contains the remains of James IL

A concert arranged by the Princess. Marcelline Czartoryska, in aid of the funds of the. Literary Association of the Friends of Poland, was given at the Marquis of Breadalbane's mansion, in Park Lane, on Tuesday. Both professionals and amateurs performed ; the Princess herself is a most acoom- plished pianists.

The people of St. Pancras have behaved well in the case of poor Collard, who was shot by the assassin Barthelemy. They have subscribed between 7001. and 8001. for the benefit of Collard's widow and family, and have erected a handsome monument in St. Pancras Cemetery, Finehley, over the remains of the victim.

General Mayran desired that his heart should be conveyed to his widow : the precious relic is on its way to France.

It is stated that the Duke of Cambridge is to be immediately appointed General of the Foreign Legion.

The Edinburgh Scotsman says that it is probable that...Lord

K.C.B., now commander of the troops in Scotland, will proceed-to the Crimea to take the command of a division. Lord Melville was present in the Ca- nadian rebellion, served during the Punjaub campaign, and was present at the siege of Meehan and at Goojerat.

Her Majesty has appointed Miss Fanny Cathcart, second surviving daughter of the late Sir George Cathcart, to be one of her Maids of Honour.

Sir Charles Napier received a summons to attend at Court for the purpose of being installed. He, however, declined the proffered boon. The reason assigned by the gallant Admiral, if not officially given, is well known to his friends. " I have been," he says, " censured and degraded, and have been denied the opportunity of clearing my reputation. Yet am I now offered a G.C.B."— United Service Gazette.

The anniversary of the Queen's coronation was celebrated on board the Allied fleet at Cronatadt with great éclat—salutes were fired, the ships were " dressed," and the French officers were entertained by the English. Our Allies promise to return the compliment on the 15th August—the Napoleon fete-day.

A Hamburg correspondent of the Inde'pendance writes—"It is now positively stated that England, seriously taking up the old project of the Liverpool Ministry, will, at a not distant period, metamorphose the island of Heligoland into a fortress of the first rank, which will command the North Sea, as Malta and Gibraltar do the Mediterranean."

It is a subject of just complaint that at a time when there is such freedom of access to collections of art intended for the public enjoyment, the Bourgeois

gallery of pictures at Dulwich—on the road to the Crystal Palace—cannot be visited unless a ticket is first obtained at some London printseller's.

Dr. M'Neile preached in the area of the Liverpool Exchange on Sunday afternoon ; some six thousand persons listened to his discourse—simple, fer- vent, and even humorous, but avoiding all irritating controversialism. The preacher promised to continue his addresses during the fine weather.

The largest steamer in the world has been launched from Messrs. Napier's yard, on the Clyde—the Persia, intended for the Cunard line. She is 390 feet long, 71 broad, and 32 deep. Tonnage, 3600. She will carry 300 pas- sengers in separate cabins, besides a crew of upwards of 120.

The thunder-storms of last Saturday morning seem to have prevailed over a wide extent of England. In parts the storm was fearful, and a good deal of damage was done. At Gorton, in Lancashire, a boy was struck dead while closing a window.

In the afternoon of the same day a storm proved fatal to a boy and girl, children of a farmer, at Ormskirk. They and others seem to have sought refuge under a tree; and the lightning struck several of them down—the children were killed on the instant.

The Secretary-General of the Imperial Commission and the Commission- General have given a banquet in the Paris Palace of Industry to the Com- missioners from foreign Governments and some representatives of the foreign press. Mr. Henry Cole, the English Commissioner, proposed the health of the Emperor, and his speech was much applauded.

The centre of attraction in the Paris Exposition at present is the case con- taining the crown diamonds ; but the collection- is not yet complete. In 1832 these jewels were valued at twenty-three million francs. The finest of the crown jewels is the diamond known by the name of the Regent, because it was purchased, in 1718, by Philippe II., Duke of Orleans, during the mi- nority-of Louis XV.; it weighs 136 carats, and is valued at about five mil- lions of francs. [The fact that this precious " bauble" has descended to the third Napoleon would seem a strong testimony to the pecuniary honesty of a long line of revolutionists.] The census of the city of New York,just taken, shows the population of the island to amount to about 760,000. Five years ago it was 517,000. Brooklyn, on the opposite bank of the East River, numbers about 200,000; and Jersey city t nd Hoboken, on the North River, will carry up the town population of New York, without taking in the surrounding villas, to over a

n.

Ten thousand persona assembled in the Park at New York have passed re- solutions denouncing the Maine Liquor Law.

A " romantic " suicide has agitated New York. A young couple who had fallen from the paths of virtue were found dead in each other's arms in an open balcony—they had swallowed prussic acid.

The Mormons in Salt Lake Valley have been thrown into commotion by a reported discovery of gold on the Sweet Water ; and numbers were leaving the delights of Salt Lake City for the Diggings.

From a correspondence which has passed between Mr. Rowland Hill and Sir Cusack P. Roney, it appears that in sending newspapers to the colonies, the general rule henceforth will be to charge Id. plus any foreign transitrate on despatch ; but such charge will carry the newspaper to its destination. In like manner the Colonial Governments will collect a prepaid postage on newspapers sent to this country, such papers being delivered free. The 2d. charged on papers to Canada, when sent through the United States, (if not so sent the charge is only Id.,) includes the transit rate of ld. heretofore paid on delivery. The same rate of charge will extend to all places abroad,' except where existing treaties interfere ; and " as soon as practicable," says Mr. Hill, "these exceptions, I have no doubt, will be got rid of, and the rule made strictly uniform."

The Gazette de _Lyon seems to have discovered the very oldest offender. It states that a man in his hundred-and-twenty-first year has passed through Lyons "accompanied by his two nephews, on his way to Savoy, his native , country. This man has passed eighty years at the bagne, from which he has just been released."

CRYSTAL PALACE.—Return of admissions for six days ending Friday, July 20th, including season-ticket-holders, 46,460.