3111Ballanenuo.

Almost at the very moment the debate in the House of Lords on the 'Refugee question began on Monday evening, Prince Schwarzenberg, the Austrian Minister who took so principal a part in that correspondence, received a sudden death-stroke in Vienna. He was seized with apoplexy at six o'clock that evening, and instantly expired. Private letters, since received in Paris, attribute the death of the Prince to "excitement oc- casioned by political contrarietes." They add, that he suffered a coup- -de-sang fourteen or fifteen days before the fatal stroke,—which was no doubt induced by similar causes, but was disregarded by him as a pre- monition, or a reason for political retirement and mental calm ; and they imply that the "political contrarietes" were, in fact, his discovery of proofs that "his influence with his Imperial master was being under- mined by an older and more powerful statesman "—Prince Metternich. The celebrity of the deceased has all been gained within the years that fellowed the revolution of 1848. His early biography has but little to inte- rest. Prince Felix Schwarzenberg was born on the 241 of October 1800, of a princely family : he was the nephew of the Field-Marshal of his name who commanded the allied armies at Leipsig ; and his brother is a Cardinal and Bishop of Prague. Entering the army at the age of about fifteen, he left it for the field of diplomacy ; and was employed in distinguished capacity at St. Petersburg, London, Naples, and Turin. While engaged in political i diplomacy, he was also assiduous n a niore private aml less creditable line— he was notorious in St. Petersburg, London, and Naples, for his amours. In the two latter capitals he reaped a proper reward : in Naples the Lazzaroni, and in London a court of law, revenged the injured husbands. At the time of his death, Prince Schwarzenberg was an outlaw from England on account of unpaid damages and costs.

Leaving diplomacy he reentered the military service, and had obtained a high command in Italy . under Marshal Radetzky, when that old hero first turned the tide of war in favour of Austria by defeating the Italian armies under King Charles Albert. When Vienna was reconquercd by the Imperial -troops, Prince Schwarzenberg was made Foreign Minister ; and he continued to hold that office when he died. It is scarcely necessary to remind the reader, that it was he who seemed to restore the courage of the Government, almost prostrate under the first heavy reverses of the Hungarian war ; he who raised, equipped, and armed the hosts after hosts that the Hungarians defeated in the succeeding campaigns of that war ; and lie who was at last des- perate enough to accept that aid from Russia which motored Hungary to the Emperor, conquered and prostrate—it is mid that he ever after resented to Russia the aid which his arrogant spirit was forced to accept. It was also he who initiated and carried out that aggressive diplomacy at Frankfort and in the -German states which at last destroyed the German aspimtions for a German Unity; and those military movements which humbled Prussia, carried Aus- trian troops through all the German land to the frontier of Danish Jutland, and completed the counter-revolution throughout Continental Europe, by overthrowing every constitution given by the kings and princes to the in- surgent peoples in 1848. Lastly, it was he who demanded that the laws of England should be changed, that he might suppress refugee combinations against his government in London.

An express message arrived on Wednesday afternoon at the Austrian Embassy, requiring the immediate return of Count Bud Schauenstein to

Vienna. It is understood that Count Buol will be successor to Prince Schwarzenberg as First Minister of Austria.—Morning Herald.

Duchess Ida of Saxe-Weimar, mother of Prince Edward of Saxe-Wei- mar, and sister of the late Queen Dowager of England, died very sud- denly on Saturday last, at Weimar.

The war between the labouring engineers and their masters seems near to an end. The Amalgamated Society, after some further attempt to get better terms, "withdrew," on Monday last, the circular of the 24th December, in which they announced the resolution to abolish piece- work and over-time after the 31st of December. But they saT—" In withdrawing the above circular, which seems to have given rise to a serious contest in the trade, it is fully anticipated that such a course will have the effect of inducing the employers to withdraw the 'declaration' which workmen are called upon to sign before resuming employment"

In a letter published yesterday, Mr. Sydney Smith, the Secretary of the Employers' Association, makes this negative response to the anticipation expressed by the workmen—" It is the firm and unanimous determina- tion of the members of this association, to require from all persons desiring to be engaged in their establishments signatures to the declaration, as es- sential to their own protection, and an act of justice to those who have already signed it."

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

Ten Weeks 0(1811-50.

'Week of 1531.

Zymotic Diseases 1,688 .... 213 Dropsy, Cancer, and other diseases of uncertain or variable seat, . 483 .... 67 Tubercular Diseases 1,796 .... 219 Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Marrow, Nerves, and Senses 1,277 .... 121 Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels 316 .... 65

Diseases of the Lungs, and of the other Organs of Respiration

1,763 .• .. 919 Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion 379 .... 36

Dioceses of the Kidney,, Se

102 ..• • 15 Childbirth, diseases of the Uterus, Sc 85 .• . • 11 Rheumatism, diseases of the Bones, Joints, Sc 79 •• . • 11 Diseases of the Skin, Cellular Tissue, Sc 13 • •• • 4 Malformations 23 • • . •

at

Premature Birth 236 • . • • 32 Atrophy 182 •• • • 29 Age 628 .... Si Sudden 160 • • • • 42 Vielence,Pnyation,Cold, and Intemperance 314 • ... 112

—

— Total (including unspecified causes) 9,796

1,314

It appears by the return for the quarter ending Lady Day,. that the total number of bathers at the five Metropolitan establishments during that period was 92,655, and the receipts 1,4451. lie. 4d. The number of washers was 53,961, and the receipts 6201. 4s. 9d. In the provincial establishments at Liverpool, Hull, Preston, Bristol, and Birmingham, the total number of bathers was 41,215, and the receipts 625/. 18s. 8d.

Official returns show a great increase in the consumption of tea. In the month ended the 5th March 1850, the quantity entered for home consump- tion was 3,692,004 pounds; in the like period of the year 1851, 3,975,265 pounds • in the month ended the 6th of March last the quantity had reached to 4,354,222 pounds.

The Plymouth correspondent of the Times wrote on Saturday—" The East Indiaman Nile' Captain Nesbitt, was off this port yesterday, and lidded pas- sengers. The East Indiaman Ellenborough, Captain Lambert, laden with sugar, rice, irides, and saltpetre, was off the port yesterday, going up Chan- nel. The Nile and Ellenborough left India the same day ; oft' the Island of Mauritius they were in company fora week, and near Scilly they spoke again. On Wednesday they were going up the Channel together."

The Breslau journals announce that a remarkable natural convulsion took place on the 1st instant, on the Zobten, one of the spurs of the Riesenberg chain of hills, upon which a chapel was in process of erection. About mid- day the inhabitants of the hill-side were alarmed by a violent commotion and cracking noise proceeding from the summit, and followed by the erup- tion of clouds of dust. When the latter subsided, the people hastened up- wards, and discovered an immense chasm into which the hill-peak, with the chapel, had sunk and disappeared.