Lord John Russell has been called from his public duties
by the death of an older brother—Lord William Russell; who died on the 16th instant, at Genoa, where he was residing as an invalid. The intelligence reached London on Wednesday morning. Lord William was the second son of the late Duke of Bedford; and was born in 1790. He chose the profession of arms ; and before he was sixteen years of age he was gazetted as Cornet in the First Dragoons. He was at the siege of Copenhagen and at most of the battles in the Peninsula. He attained the rank of Copenhagen, and was one of the Aides-de-camp to the Queen. On the accession of • the Whigs to office in 1830, Lord William became a diplomatist; for several years he represented the English Government at the Court of Berlin. He never was in Parliament. Lord William Russell leaves a widow and three sons.
In anticipation of the Ministerial measure for equalizing the duties on Foreign sugar, an Anti-Slavery protest was presented on Monday to Lord John Russell. It bore the names of Thomas Clarkson' Stephen Lushing- ton' Samuel Gurney, Joseph Sturge, and others known for their labours in the NegroEmancipation cause. To the protest was appended this note— "Lord Brougham having been requested to put his name at the head of these signatures, refused to place it before that of his honoured fellow labourer in the Anti-Slavery cause for forty-four years, Thomas Clarkson; and although ap- proving of the protest, declined signing it after him, because of his intention to protest against the proposed measure in the House of Lords."
The Sugar-duty amendment, of which Lord George Bentinck gave notice on Wednesday, was agreed to on the previous day at a meeting of • "the Country party ' ; Lord Stanley one of the number.
• Sir William Parker has declined to accept of a seat at the Board of Admiralty; and Sir Charles Adam has been appointed in his place.
It is now generally understood to be the intention of the present Go- vernment to carry out the plan for the retirement of the Captains in the Navy, which, if liberally put into practice—acting upon the various recom- mendations which from time to time have been put forth—will be a great loon to those old officers who have passed their best days in the service. In the first place, it is expected that a promotion of flag-officers will pretty plainly indicate what are the intentions of the Government for the future as to naval capability to serve the country usefully, and that all Captains of thirty years' standing (which will include those of 1816) will have the option of retiring; the first hundred to have the rank of Rear-Admiral, with the pension for their widows and the pay of 11. 5a. per day; the re- mainder to have 11. per day, filling up the vacancies that may occur by death in the first hundred, and to be entitled to the rank and pay. It is further contemplated to allow the Captains who have been on the list twenty years (that is, to the end of 1826) to retire upon equally favour- able terms, taking the difference of servitude into consideration, but that it should be limited to those Captains who are fifty-five and upwards. No doubt, this plan would give general satisfaction, advancing a year in re- tirement with the difference of pay whenever it may be necessary to SR up the list caused by death. This plan would insure the effi- ciency of the service, and be a great boon to those who are unable but grilling to serve, and would render the original number of three hundred quite unnecessary.—Times.
It is satisfactory to learn that the attention of the Government has been directed to the state of matters at the Cape of Good Hope, and that two regiments have been ordered to proceed thither. A deputation of gentle- men well-informed as to the circumstances of the colony, and interested in its commerce, had an interview with Earl Grey last week; at which a dis- tressing detail was given of the loss and misery inflicted upon the colonists by the unprovoked aggression of the Rafirs. Mr. Harrison Watson, the chief spokesman, pointed to a gentleman present who had lost about 13,000 Merino sheep, with all his horses, oxen, and stock. It was mentioned also that the burgher levies had drawn off the farmers from their homes, un- happily at the sowing-season; and there were fears that the colony would lose its next harvest.
The national " balance-sheet " for the year ending the 5th July 1846 is satisfactory. The balances in the exchequer, which on the 5th of July 1845 amounted to 6,641,5191., are on the 5th instant set down at 7,351,7881. The excess of income over expenditure is 2,820,4721.; and a fourth of that sum will be employed in redeeming national liabilities between October and January next.
The accounts of the harvest are favourable from all quarters. Wheat- cutting commenced in some districts last week: this week it has been general; and the yield is most promising. The rains of last week have produced a favourable effect on the potato and turnip crops; and were it not for the apprehensions excited by the recurrence in some parts of the country of the potato disease, the harvest prospects would be in all respects cheering.
Mr. Daniel Wakefield, the Queen's counsel, died suddenly, on Sunday, at his house in Cambridge Terrace, Hyde Park. As he failed to appear at breakfast, a servant went to his room to inquire the cause; and found him sitting in a chair in a shower-bath, quite insensible. Surgical assistance was immediately obtained; but Mr. Wakefield never spoke afterwards, and he died in a few hours. It ap- peared the inquest that apoplexy was the cause of death. Mr. Wakefield had been unwell for the last three weeks, but he would net have any medical advice—he never liked doctors. A verdict of "Died from natural causes" was returned. Mr. Wakefield was called to the bar in 1807. He was a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn.
Orders have been issued to assemble a court-martial on board the Victory in Portsmouth harbour, on the arrival of the America, 50 guns, now on her way to England from the Pacific with an enormous freight, to try Captain the Hon- ourable John Gordon, for leaving that station without orders. This order for a court-martial emanated from the late Board of Admiralty. Captain Gordon is brother of the Earl of Aberdeen. The Daphne, 18 guns, Captain Onalow, bad been ordered by Admiral Sir G. Seymour to take the specie which the America brings home from Valparaiso to England. A vessel from Sant' lago de Cuba and Cinfuegos, in the West Indies, bas arrived in London with 28,000 lars of corn: the ship is called "The Richard Cobden."
Intelligence has arrived of a sad disaster on board the Maria Slimes transport- ship, while on her way from Ceylon to England with a detachment of the Nine- tieth Regiment on board. The ship put into Port Louis on the 8th May, a complete wreck. It appeared that soon after leaving Ceylon she encountered a terrific hurricane, which lasted for four days the spars, yards, sails, and boats, were blown or washed away, and at last the vessel was thrown on her beam-ends. To right her, the crew cut away the main-mast; the rudder was carried away by the sea. During the height of the tempest, it was necessary to keep the soldiers
below; the batches were battened down: when they were opened, after the storm had somewhat subsided, a dreadful discovery was made—a sergeant, seven men, one woman, and 4,ve children, were found dead, from fright or suffocation, but most probably the latter, the heat having been overpowering. The weather con tinned to moderate, and the ship was eventually towed into Port Louis.
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