24 MARCH 1855, Page 8

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The flying squadron left Spithead on Monday, for the Downs, on its. way to the Baltic. This squadron consists of the Imperieuse, 51, the Euryalus 51, the Esk, 21, the Tartar, 21, the Archer, 15, and the Con- flict, 8. 'Captain Watson of the Impeneuse commands the squadron. The Queen and Prince Albert, on board the Fairy, received Captain Wat- son before he sailed, and led his squadron out to sea. There were crowds of spectators ashore and afloat.

Colonel Mayne, of the Bengal Army, who was appointed to a cavalry command in the Turkish contingent, declines to accept it, in consequence• of another cavalry officer from the Queen's service, Colonel Shirley, being placed over him ; under whom Colonel Mayne does not think he can be reasonably called upon to serve, the officer in question not having ever been engaged in active service.—Times.

According to the Globe, Mr. Chichester Forteacue is about to resign his office as one of the junior Lords of the Treasury ; but in this step, we are assured, he is "in nowise influenced by political considerations." Mr. James Wilson had been offered the Vice-Presidency of the Board of" Trade, but he declined to accept it ; and that post remains unfilled.

Mr. Wyndham A'Court, Member for Wilton, has been appointed Special Commissioner of Income-tax, in the room of the late Mr. Rush- worth. He retires from the representation of Wilton.

It is expected that the Earl of Aberdeen will shortly leave England. fos Cairo, where his son Lord Haddo is staying. Lord Haddo's residence in.. Egypt has benefited his health.

Lord Erskine, son of the celebrated Thomas Erakine, died on Monday last, at his house in Sussex. The deceased commenced diplomatic life, as Minister to the United States, at the beginning of the present century ; and he only retired from the same post, at Munich, in 1843. He is succeeded by his eldest son, Thomas Americus, now third Baron Erskine.

Salim Pasha, who was killed in the Russian attack on Eupatoria, was the single Mameluke who escaped the slaughter by Mehemet All at Cairo in. 1811 : he made his horse leap the parapet of the wall of the court where his companions were butchered, and Mehemet All was so pleased by the daring exhibited that he spared Salim.

The Emperor of the French has given an audience to the Marquis- d'Antonini, Envoy Extraordinary from the King of the Two Bich es, who presented a letter from his master announcing the birth of the Princess Mary-Inunamdate-Louisa.

A newspaper in Chinese and English was started at St. Francisco on the 1st January last. It is called the Oriental, or Tung-Ngai-San-Iuk ; and is published under the auspices of an English Missionary Society, for- the purpose of converting the Chinese in California to Christianity. The Chinese editor is one Lee-Kan, who was converted to Christianity at Hongkong.

At a recent sale by Messrs. Puttick and Simpson of Mr. Law's collection of' autographs, the prices obtained exceeded the original cost of the relics to Mr. Law. A letter written by Lord Bacon, enlarging on the happiness of having a good wife, sold for 151.

• The Legislature of New Brunswick has voted 50001. currency as a gift to the Patriotic Fund ; and meetings are to be held to collect local contri- butions.

The rising town of Geelong has sent home 13111. as a subscription to the Patriotic Fund.

The catalogue of colonial products sent from Sydney to the Paris Exposi- tion shows the riches the country possesses, many of which are not yet de- veloped from want of capital and means of transport. For instance, among- the mineral products are—iron, coal, copper, gold, tin, lead, antimony, sul- phur, alum, marbles, rubies, and garnets.

A letter from Saloniea, of the 8th March, says—" We have had two English officers down here for some days levying the corps of Basbi-Bazouks for the British Osmanli Cavalry, to be commanded by General Beatson. The corps is to be composed of eight regiments, 500 strong each. Two re- giments are to be raised in this district. One of the officers, Captain Rhodes, who commands one regiment, has gone to Monastir and Bosnia ; he was an honorary member of the Spanish Commission in Turkey, and aide-de-camp to General Prim."

The Welsh Fusiliers before Sebastopol gave a large dinner-party to cele- brate St. David's Day. They got up one of the officers' huts, and contrived to decorate it with festoons of Turkish scarves, whitewash, pictures from the Illustrated Hews, and candelabra made of groups of bayonets, exceedingly tastefully. The appointments were rather of a mixed character, being com- posed of contributions from each officer ; but, what with preserved fish, flesh, fowl, and vegetables, capital wines, &c. from Balaklava, the viands were worthy of England instead of the Crimea. Some very good speeches were made in reference to the events of the past year ; and these and the toasts were done full honour to by peals of artillery from the trenches in front and the bursting of shells in the air. Each regiment of the division was represented, and the utmost harmony and good feeling prevailed. A diuner-party being a very great event here, it was kept up very late.— Daily News.

After the body of the House of Commons was cleared on Tuesday even- ing, some amusement was caused to the tellers and the doorkeepers by the discovery of a Member asleep in the gallery. The Earl of 3Iulgrave called out from the floor of the House, "Hi! wake up!" but without effect ; the Honourable Member's slumbers were too profound to be lightly disturbed, and he was only brought to a sense of his undignified position by a gentle shake on the shoulder from one of the doorkeepers. The honourable gen- tleman, at once appreciating the situation, jumped up, and hastily quitted the gallery. We are unable to state how he voted, or whether he submitted himself to that ordeal.—Daily Papers.

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

Zymotic Diseases 208.3 .... 253 Dropsy, Cancer, and other diseases of uncertain or variable seat . 60.3 .... 68 Tubercular Diseases 208.6 .... 231 Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Marrow, Nerves, and Senses 132.7 .... 140

Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels

44.3

46 Diseases of the Lungs, and of the other Organs of Respiration 236.6 ...•. 339 Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion 63.6 .... 60 Diseases of the Kidneys, de. 15.0 .... 14 Childbirth, diseases of the Uterus, &c. 7.0 ....

Rheumatism, diseases of the Bones, Joints, dc. 7.2 . ••• 11 Diseases of the Skin, Cellular Tissue, de. 2.5 ....

1

Malformations. 3.7 • • ••

a

Premature Birth 26.9 .... 41 Atrophy 24.6 .... 49 Age 36.3 .... 57 Sudden 10.8 .... 28 Violence,Privation,Cold, and Intemperance 37.3 .... 44 Total (including unspecified causes) 1.142.2

1.433

Some months since it was reported, and then contradicted, that Mr. Selby, a great iron-manufacturer at Smethwick, was insolvent : last week all doubt was removed by Mr. Selby appearing in the Bankruptcy Court at Birming- ham. His liabilities are 170,0001., and his assets only 80,0001.

On the 14th instant there were no fewer than forty-one vessels loading in the port of London for various Australian ports.

Among the measures passed by the American Congress in their late ses- sion was a concession to a company of a line of way 200 feet wide for a tele- graph from the Mississippi to the Pacific, to establish a communication be- tween New York and California.

Nelson and Co., cotton-factors of New Orleans, have failed for 150,0001. Lynch law prevails more than ever in California; within a few weeks twenty offenders were hanged without legal trial.

Two trials of the French governess of the children of Dr. Marsden, an Englishman in Paris, have attracted some attention. The governess, Made- moiselle Doudet, cruelly ill-used the children, and one girl died. The first trial was for murder : the cruelty was proved, but she was acquitted on that charge. Tried again, on a charge of cruelty, she was convicted ; and she is now in the prison of St. Lazare, to remain there for two years. Many wit-

, nesses of station testified to this woman's character ; and at her trial she produced a certificate said to have been given to her by Queen Victoria, setting forth her virtues, and advising her to resign her employment as keeper of the Royal jewels, that she might devote herself to the higher task of tuition, The genuineness of this document has not been ascertained.

The private expedition sent from Sydney to Guadalcanar in search of Mr. Benjamin Boyd, who was reported to be alive, has been fruitless. The Na- tives produced a skull which they said was Mr. Boyd's, and they were paid a considerable sum for it. But when it was examined at Sydney it was pro- nounced not to be Mr. Boyd's—most probably it was the skull of a Native. Another expedition was contemplated.

Calamitous inundations in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overys- sel have followed the late thaw. Some two thousand buildings have been swept away by the torrents of water and ice. There has also been a consi- derable sacrifice of human life. So great a calamity has not occurred for a hundred years. Subscriptions have been set on foot to relieve the sufferers.

CRYSTAL PALACE.—Return of admissions for five days ending 23d March, including season-ticket-holders, 5231. The Palace was closed on Wednes- day.

Ten Weeks Week of 1843-'34, Of 1835.