27 FEBRUARY 1841, Page 9

Itlisffitantotts.

Sir Robert Peel gave his first Parliamentary dinner this season on Saturday last, in Whitehall Gardens.

The Speaker gave his third Parliamentary dinner on Saturday even- ing, in Eaton Square.

Mr. Calcraft, the Member for 'Wareham, is labouring under a severe attack of the scarlet fever.

The General Committee of Elections have appointed March the 22nd for choosing from panel No. 2 Select Committees to try the St. Alban's and Walsall election petitions.

One of the petitions against the return of Mr. Smythe for Canter- bury has been withdrawn. The other, it is said, will be proceeded with. A bill was presented to the House of Commons on Monday, "to enable her Majesty's Commissioners of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues* &c. to make a new street from Coventry Street, Piccadilly, to Long Acre ; and also a new street from the east end of East Smithfield to Rosemary Lane ; and for authorizing advances to be made towards other improvements in the metropolis."

The Times gives a formidable account of an experiment which was tried on Saturday with the "infernal machine" for destroying ships, cities, and armies, which it was last autumn anxiously urging Lord Melbourne to patronize. In this experiment, a boat twenty-three feet long and seven broad, filled with solid timber, firmly riveted together, was in a moment scattered into a thousandfragments. The weight of the destructive instrument is stated not to have been more than eighteen pounds. The experiment was performed in the rounds of Mr. Boyd,. in the county of Essex, a few miles from town, In the presence of Sir Robert Peel, Sir George Murray, Sir Henry Hardinge, Sir Francis Burdett, Lord Iugestre, Colonel Garwood, Captain Britten, Captain. Webster, and some other gentlemen.

One of the most appalling disasters at sea ever recorded, occurred on the coast of Ireland on the night of Friday last. The New York emigrant-ship Governor Fenner sailed from Liverpool at noon on that day, with one hundred and twenty-four persons on board. Off Holy- head, at two hours past midnight, she came in collision with the Dublin steamer Nottingham, which was on its way from Dublin to Liverpool, and the Governor Fenner sunk immediately ; only the master and the mate escaping. The Liverpool Albion gives the following relation of the circumstance, as it was taken down from the mouth of Mr. Andrews, the master of the emigrant-ship- " We sailed from Liverpool on Friday last at noon, with the wind at S.S.W. The crew consisted of seventeen, and the passengers in the steerage amounted to one hundred and six. We had a full cargo of manufactured goods. On. Saturday morning, at two o'clock, the wind blowing fresh from the S.S.W., and when the ship was under double-reefed topsails, the gib, spanker, and main- sail in, saw a steamer to windward on the larboard bow. The ship's helm was instantly put hard a-port. The steamer crossed our bow, and we struck her right amidships. From the force of the collision, it was evident that either the ship or the steamer would sink, or perhaps both. Instantly I felt that the ship, the bows of which were stove in, was sinking. I cried out to the crew (all the passengers were below) to endeavour to save their lives. They, instead of running forward, through fear ran aft. My first object was to endeavour to save the crew and passengers ; but so rapid was the sinking of the ship, I found it impossible to do any thing to accomplish that object. I and the mate then ran forward, and, finding the ship fast sinking, I tried to jump on to the steamer. Failing in my first attempt through a momentary faintness, I made a second, and, just as the ship was at the water's edge, succeeded id grasping a rope which was hanging over the steamer's aide. The mate saved his life by jumping from the fore yard-arm on to the steamer's deck. In one minute the ship sank, with sixteen of her crew and all the passengers, amounting together to one hundred and twenty-two souls. The steamer's boat was instantly lowered for the purpose of making an attempt to save such of the crew and passengers as might be floating, but it unfortunately swamped alongside." A passenger on board the steamer says there were no lights on board the Governor Fenner, and that the steamer carried three lights on her mast. The latter became quite motionless after the shock, and the people on board could make no exertion to succour those in the sinking ship. The cries of the poor creatures are said to have been heart-rend- ing. The Nottingham's starboard side was completely stove in. Se- venteen cows were killed, and seventy-eight were thrown over- board ; and eleven more beasts died before the vessel reached Liver- pool, to which port she was towed by another steamer. The injury the Nottingham received is so extensive that the wonder is she did not sink also. The owners of the Nottingham and of the Governor Fenner talk of bringing actions for the damage and loss, as each party represents the'other to be in fault.

Another account says that the emigrants were mostly Irish farmers and their families and labourers, with a few English of the same classes. The Governor Fenner is said to have been built in Massachusetts in 1827. The master described it as a well-built craft, and averred that 8,000 dollars had lately beeu expended on the vessel in iron knees and other substantial repairs.

The Paris journals complain of the financial embarrassments of France, caused by her military preparations. The Courricr Frangais says the Minister of Finance is not a fortnight in advance. The Moniteur of Wednesday contradicts a report which had gained credence in Paris, that the Ministers would connive at an alteration of the Fortification Bill in the Chamber of Peers, limiting the fortifica- tions to the detached forts. The Moniteur declares the Government will brook no modification in the project as it now stands.

The Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, to whom the Army Estimates were referred, proposed that of the annual contingent of 80,000 conscripts, only 40,000 should be raised this year by law, leaving the other 40,000 to be levied by ordinance if necessary. This proposi- tion was negatived by the Chamber on Wednesday, and the entire con- tingent was ordered to be raised in 1841.

Papers from Madrid to the 18th instant state, that the accounts from the provinces represent the elections to be generally favourable to the Regency. In Valentia, Espartero obtained 11,070 votes, Antonia Gon- zales, 10,954, and Lopez 10,796. The numbers for the other candi- dates varied from 7,000 to 8,000. The Regency have carried into effect, and without opposition, the closing of the political clubs in Ma- drid. There had been an outbreak by the medical students in the ca- pital ; which, however, had been promptly suppressed.

A commercial treaty between Portugal and the United States has been laid before Congress. This treaty, among other concessions, admits the ships of the Union to Portuguese ports on the same footing with Portuguese ships, and opens the trade of the Portuguese colonies to the Americans. The United States reduce the duties on Portuguese -wines. The infraction of the restrictive system of Portugal is sup- posed to facilitate a commercial treaty with England.

The Portuguese Ministry have saved themselves by withdrawing the unpopular project for reviving the foraes or feudal ground-rents. The military preparations have been laid aside, with the settlement of the Douro question which occasioned them : only a measure is proposed to retain two bodies of National Militia, which were formed during the late expectation of war.

The South Australian journals, received to the 28th September, con- tain startling accounts of the outrages by the native wreckers of the coun- try, and the summary vengeance taken upon them by the Government. The Maria, a brigantine, sailed from Adelaide for Hobart Town on the 16th June last. There were on board, Mr. Smith the master and his wife ; Mr. and Mrs. Denham and five children ; Mrs. Yorke, a widow, sister of Mrs. Denham, and one child of about two years old ; Mr. Napoleon Murray, son of a late Police-Magistrate at New Norfolk ; Mr. and Mrs. Daniel; Mr. Green ; three servants of Mrs. Denham's party, and two other passengers ; in all, the crew included about twenty-six souls. A few days after the sailing of the Maria, intel- ligence reached Adelaide that a vessel had been wrecked a few miles to the southward of the southernmost point of South Australia ; and it was feared that the survivors of the wreck, having reached the shore, had been barbarously murdered by the natives. Governor Gawler immediately despatched Mr. Pullen, the Marine-Surveyor, to investigate the facts. Mr. Pullen's party consisted of Dr. Denny, surgeon to the whaling establishment in Encounter Bay, five sailors, and three natives, named Bob, Charley, and Peter. They proceeded in a whale-boat to that part of the coast where the party was supposed to have been murdered, near the wreck of another vessel, the Fanny, and landed on the 30th July ; leaving three men with the boat. Mr. Pullen divided his shore-party into three divisions, and walked along the coast. We quote his report to the Governor- " We had not proceeded far when the middle party bailed ; and on reaching where they were, the sight I witnessed was truly horrible. There were legs, arms, and parts of bodies partially covered with sand, al-eyed in all directions ; and in one place was a body with the flesh completely off the bones, with the exception of the feet and ankles. The feelings of the party looking on were apparently the same ; horror sat on every countenance. Sad and sorrowful as was the task, we determined on burying them in something like decency. The boat was stopped, a spade procured, when, after digging a large and deep grave, we disinterred the whole. Out of one hole we took four bodies,—two males, one a large and powerfully-limbed man, with gray hair, one woman, apparently young, and a female child about ten years old. The skeleton was a female; two male children, one about fifteen the other ten, one with red hair the other dark-brown, in separate boles ; and at a little distance, completely alone, a female infant, very light hair, and, I should think, not more than two years old. Both the women were married; one of the men banded me their ivedding-rings. All tracks were completely obliterated, with the exception of a few native foot-prints, and those very faint, and no signs whatever for tracing whence they came."

On further search, recent foot-marks were perceptible on the beach ; where they found a blue-cloth cap, and, at intervals, several spars and planks "stuck on end, apparently intended as marks "; and at last a whale-boat was found with a mast stepped, and near her four oars. In this boat, most probably the- survivors of the wreck reached the land.

Major O'Halloran, the Commissioner of Police, was afterwards sent by the Governor with an armed party to discover the murderers, and with power to execute as many as three if the evidence of their guilt was conclusive. The Major and his party succeeded in capturing many prisoners, of whose guilt little doubt could be entertained, as articles of clothing belonging to the deceased and stained with blood were found in their hats. Two of the most ferocious of these natives were taken to the spot where the murder was committed, and there hanged, in the presence of the other prisoners. This summary proceeding had caused great excitement at Adelaide, and some of the inhabitants were sending a petition to England for the recall of the Governor.

Governor Gawler had laid a long minute before the Council, justifying his conduct in directing the summary punishment of the murderers.