Ziortllautatu.

Mr. I. R. Hind, the well-known astronomer, who dates from Mr. Bishop's Observatory in the Regent's Park, on Saturday, supplies some of the report which has been expected at his hand respecting the move- ment of the comet. "The comet which is just now receding from view in these latitudes was Brat discovered by Dr. G. B. Donati, astronomer at the Museum of Florence, on the evening of the 2s1 of June, in right ascension 141° 18', and north declination 23° 4T, corresponding to a position near the star X Leonia. Previous to this date we had no lmowledge of its existence, and therefore it was not a predicted comet ; neither is it the one last observed in 1566. At the date of discovery it was distant from the earth 228,000,000 miles, and Was an excessively faint object in the largest telescopes. This circum- stance, added to its very slow motion, rendered the calculation of its path in the heavens a matter of considerable difficulty; and it was not until the middle of August, or later, that a trustworthy determination of its future track among the stars could be obtained. It is now fairly within our grasp, and astronomers are not likely to be ignorant of its position to any extent

until it is again with the range of the telescope in Europe more than 2000 Tears hence, The tail during the last fortnight, when the comet has been most conspi- cuous, appears to have maintained an average length of at least 40,000,000 miles, subtending an angle varying from 30' to 40°. The dark line, or space down the centre, frequently remarked in other great comets, has been 4 striking characteristic in that of Donati. The nucleus, though small, bile been in' tensely brilliant in powerful instruments, and for some time bore high magnifiers to much greater advantage than is usual with these objects. In several respects this comet has resembled the famous ones of 1744, 1680, and 1811, particularly as regards the signs of violent agitation i going on in the vicinity of the nucleus, such as the appearance of luminous jets, spiral offshoots, Sz.c., which have rapidly emanated from the plane- tary point and as quickly lost themselves in the general nebulosity of the head."

Mr. Hind alludes to the near approach of Donati's comet to Arcturus on the 5th instant as confirming the previous calculations. He enters into some explanations with regard to the deviation of the comet from the para- bolic curve, remarking, that in a few months more reliable quantities will be in our possession for a nearer approach to the actual curve. " The comet arrived at its least distance from the sun a few minutes after 11 o'clock on the morning of the 30th of September ; its longitude, as seen from the sun at this time, being 36' 13', and its distance from him 55,000,000 miles. It ascended from the south to the north side of the eclip- tic 186k days before the perihelion passage, or on the 27th of March 1858, distant from the sun 3.11, or situate among the orbits of the minor planets, and will again traverse the plane of the earth's path, moving south on Mon- day next, 18 1-3d days after perihelion, at a distance of 0-71. The longer diameter of its orbit is 184 times that of the earth's, or 35,100,000,000 miles. yet this enormous space is considerably less than one-thousandth of the distance of the nearest fixed star. The smaller diameter of the ellipse is about 2,780,000,000. The orbit is inclined to the ecliptic at an angle of 63' 2', and intersects it in longitude 165' 19' and 345' 19 . From what has been here stated, it will be seen that the comet remains on the north side of the earth's path only 205 days, so that nearly the whole of its vast trajec- tory is situated, below or rather to the south of that plane. The time of re- volution resulting from Mr. Loewy's calculations is 2,495 years, which is about 500 years less than that of the comet of 1811, during the period it was visible from the earth. The hourly velocity of the comet in its orbit varies between 127,000 miles at the perihelion and 480 miles at the aphelion."

Mr. Hind notices the near approach of the comet to the planet Venus on the 18th of this month, confirming the calculations in his letter pub- lished on the 29th. The nearest approach of the two bodies, however took place on Monday last, when their mutual distance was less than 9-100ths of the earth's distance from the sun. Had the comet reached its least distance from the sun a few days earlier, the planet might have passed through it.

" I am very far from thinking that close proximity to a comet of this de- scription would be unattended with danger, though at a respectable dis- tance its influence might be salutary enough. The inhabitants of Venus will witness a cometary spectacle far superior to that which has recently at- tracted so much attention here, inasmuch as the tail will doubtless appear twice as long from that planet as from the earth, and the nucleus pro- portionably more brilliant. It is not unlikely that great uneasiness and alarm has been prevalent on the 'Virgin planet' for some weeks past, on acount of the uncertainty which must necessarily have attached to the comet's exact course about the time of passage across the orbit of Venus ; the wisest of her astronomers, unless they are ahead of their terrestrial cousins in matters of science, will have been sorely puzzled to decide until very lately, whether he was hurrying on to a transit through the comet or not. Such narrow escapes may well lead to speculation ou the creative object which belongs to these wanderers of the solar system."

The vacancies that have taken place in the direction of the East India Company, in consequence of the disqualification of Messrs. Russell El- lice, Bayley, and Prinsep, are to be filled up on the 21st, when a general court is to be held for the purpose. The candidates arc Major Moore, Mr. Dent, and Mr. Plowden, all of whom were formerly members of the board. The law officers of the Crown, and Mr. Wigram, the company's standing counsel, have expressed their opinion that, under the new Act, the number of directors (twelve) nominated by the proprietors must be kept up till reduced at biennial elections in 1860, 1862, and 1864; dnd as several members of the Council have, in general court, stated their intention of retiring from the direction, it is probable that other elections will shortly take place.—Grindlay and Co.'s _Home .I.Veics.

Three new colonial Bishoprics are to be formed without delay—namely, Kingston (Upper Canada), Brisbane (Moreton Bay), and Goulburn (New South Wales.) Towards each of these new sees the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts has contributed 10001. Arrangements are in progress for the erection of a Bishopric in the new colony of British Columbia. It is intended to form three new Bishoprics in India, as soon as tranquillity shall be restored. One at .Agra for the North-West-Provinces; one at Lahore for the Punjaub ; and one at Palamcotta for the missionary province of Tinnevelly. When these ar- rangements are completed there will be forty-four colonial Bishoprics in connexion with the Church of England.

Nothing fresh has transpired this week respecting the seizure of the child Mortara ; but it has been the subject of active discussion, especially in Paris. On Monday, the Journal des Debate published a letter from the Abbe Delacouture, of Paris, protesting against the conduct of the ecclesiastical authorities at Rome. He speaks of the stealing of the child as an irreligious act and a violation of the rights of nature. The Debate believes that this is not an isolated opinion amongst the French clergy. These opinions have been keenly combated, the Armenia of Turin insisting that the salvation of one Christian soul is of more im- portance than the capture of the Cagliari. The same paper recounts a meeting between the child and his father. Declining to return home, the child entreated his father to embrace the Christian faith. His father quoting the commandment, "honour thy father and mother," the child referred to the Pope as. the best interpreter of the commandments.

A report current during the past ',week, that certain English and French Consuls had been assassinated at Tetuan, in Morocco, turns out to be a fabrication.

It appears from an official paper, that the middle class examinations insti- tuted in connexion with the University of Cambridge, will be held this year at Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Grantham, Liverpool, Lon- don, and Norwich. The examinations will commence on the 14th of Sep- tember, and will be continued de die in diem until completed. Grantham has been recently selected as a centre for a district ; and it will be seen that the movement to secure an examination at Norwich has been successful.

The Tehuantepec route from the Atlantic to the Pacific is expected to be opened the latter end of this month. The first steamer is to start on the 27th instant from New Orleans. This route is through Mexico, and is the most northern of all the passages across the American isthmus.

There appear to be good grounds for hope that the Atlantic cable may after all be made of use. Mr. Seward, Secretary to the Company, has published a brief message which has been accurately transmitted along the wire; he is, however, very careful to guard the public from regarding the present success as a permanent state of things. A submarine cable, 240 miles in length, has been ordered by the Govern- ment of Tasmania, to connect the Island of Tasmania with Victoria, in Aus- tralia.

The Duke of Portland has caused Mr. Rarey's taming system to be ap- plied to the management of bulls. The Duke's groom, Mr. James Thomp- son, having had a course of instruction under the teacher. " Since Mr. Thompson's return to Wellseck," says the Nottingham Journal, " he has tried the system on a valuable but very vicious bull, an Alderney, and which had become almost unmanageable, and even a terror to his keeper. He practised a short time on him in his shed, and then took him into the open park, having only Messrs. J. and A. Field with him as spectators. After opentting on the bull for a short time, Mr. Thompson and his friends each lay down between his legs, the beast having nothing attached to him except a cord to his nose. He was as tractable and docile as a child."

Despatches have been received from Mr. Babbage, who was still prose- cuting his exploration, but he does not appear to have succeeded in finding any country that can be easily mule available. His letter, dated June 16, describes the finding of Mr. Coulthard's remains. The body of the unfor- tunate man lay under a scrub bush, and at a short distance from him his canteen and other bush accoutrements. Upon one side of that canteen, offering a convex surface of tin about 12 inches long and 10 inches deep, is scratched with a nail or some other rough-pointed instrument, the follow- ing inscription—" I never reached water I do not know how long it is mince it is that I left Scott and Brooks but I think it Monday bleeding pomp to leive of his blood I took his black horse to look for water and the last thing I can rember is puling the saddle off him & letting him go until now is not good I Ma not th allure how long it may be wether 2 or 3 days I do not know My Tung is atkig to my mouth & I see what I have rote I know it is this is the last limo I may have of expressing feeling alive & the feel-

ing exu is lost for want of water My ey Dasels Mr tong burn

I can see no More God Help." Major Warburton has also returned to Ade- laide from his exploring tour, but he does not seem to have been more sue- cessful.—Austealian and New Zealand acette.

We understand that Mr. Bates, the convict banker, has been released, after an imprisonment of. three years.—Globe.

A thunderstorm and full of snow occurred at Kilham and Langtoft, on the Yorkshire Welds, on Monday last. The electric fluid killed ten sheep in a field belongin' to Mr. S. Lampleugh, and also struck an unoccupied house belonging to the same person, and one or two other houses in the neigh- bourhood. Every window was broken in one of the houses, and other da- mage done. What is rather singular—two wood pigeons as they were flying were killed by the lightning.

Some time back it was stated that an Italian gentleman named, Falcony bad discovered the means by which the progress of decay in dead bodies could be effectually arrested ; the fact has been put beyond doubt. At the Grosvenor Street School of Medicine, on Tuesday, a body which had been subjected to the influence of M. Falcony's powder on the 24th of September, was exposed and found to be perfectly preserved. The process is said to be not expensive, and may, therefore, be of great utility.