ArtifitelantOUS.

A rumour prevailed on the Paris Bourse on Monday that the Emperor Nicholas would visit the French capital in the course of next month. He was said to have expressed much solicitude to learn whether Queen Vic- toria would visit Eu this year.

The lingering malady under which Lord Metcalfe so long suffered has terminated fatally. His death took place at Rushanger House, Basing- stoke, on the 5th instant. The readers of the Spectator are familiar with the later incidents of his remarkable life.

Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, the second son of Mr. afterwards Sir Thomas Tbeophilus Metcalfe, was born in January 1785. The father, Sir Thomas, served for a considerable period in the Indian Army, and subsequently became a Director of the Company. At a very tender age Charles Metcalfe proceeded to India, and did not permanently return home until he had completed a service of thirty-eight years; passing through various gradations, and acquitting himself with great credit and discrimination. He was for a considerable period a member of the Supreme Council of Bombay. as well as Governor of Agra and British Resident at Hydembad. In February 1835, Lord William Bentinck resigned; and Sir Charles Metcalfe, who had by this time succeeded to the Baronetcy in his family, was provisionally appointed Governor-General of India. This office he filled till the 28th March 1836; but during that short period Sir Charles originated, as well as adopted, several important measures,—namely, the issue of an uniform money for all the Presidencies, the abolition of chowkies in Bengal, and the liberation of the press from all restrictions. This last measure was the theme of universal eulogy in India; but it gave great umbrage to the Court of Directors, and was the even- tual cause of his resignation and return to Europe. In 1837, lie determined to withdraw from the public service. He had been created a Civil Knight Grand Cross of the Bath during the previous year; and on his retirement from Agra a statue was erected to his honour by the community of that place. Lord Metcalfe was the schoolfellow of Lord Auckland, and was his constant companion during that nobleman's stay in India as Governor-General. His ad- ministration of the Government of Jamaica, to which he was appointed soon after his return to England, was highly successful, and gained him a second statue. In January 1843, he proceeded to Canada as Governor-General; but was forced to return home by the state of his health. During his administration he was created Baron Metcalfe, of Fern Hill. He died unmarried.

Lord Dudley Stuart, in laudable anxiety for the consistency of his friend Prince Czartoryski, has written to the Morning Chronicle denying the au- curacy of a recent statement that the Austrian Government had proposed to withdraw the sequestration on the Princess's property in Gallicia, if the Prince would sign an engagement to interfere no further in Polish affairs. His Lordship says—" I am anxious to take the earliest opportunity of de- claring my conviction that no such proposal as that mentioned would for a moment be entertained by the Prince, even if the Austrian Government were mean enough to make it. There has been no time for me to com- municate with the Prince since reading the article; but my knowledge of his sentiments enables me to speak on the subject with the same certainty as if I had received his instructions."

The Reverend Henry Crowther, former Curate of Dunston, publishes a letter correcting some slight errors in the statements respecting the treat- ment which he received at the hands of Lord Ripon; but to illustrate the nature of that treatment, he tells all anecdote-

" I was in the habit of regulating my watch by the clock in the tower of Norton Hall, and every Saturday evening went up to the hall for that purpose, having learnt that it was by that time the inhabitants of the two villages regulated theirs. One Saturday evening, the policeman on the grounds came up to me and said, He was very sorry to be compelled to act so to a gentleman, but he had been directed to warn me off the grounds, and of course he must obey his orders."

The Board of Admiralty have issued circulars intended to raise the class of engineers in the steam navy, by improving their condition ; with a

boon also to the men generally. In order to make them intelligible, it is necessary to quote a memorandum issued by the late Board in February last, and numbered" 12 "—

"Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to direct that the sea pay and har- bour pay of third-class engineers on board her Majesty's ships shall be increased to Cl. 108. a month and 41. 10s. a month respectively, commencing from the 25th instant. "This pay of engineers on board her Majesty's ships will therefore be according to the following rates,—sea pay, first class, 121; harbour pay, first class, 71. 17e. a month; and 1/. 8s. a month when on sea pay, as compensation for the instruc- tion of boys. Sea pay, second class, 8/.; harbour pay, second class, 41. 18e.; sea pay, third class, Cl. 10s.; harbour pay, third class, 4/. 10s.

"And when within the Tropics, engineers will be allowed, as usual, half the sea pay when the steam is up, in addition. The following are extracts from the new circulars, dated on the 31st August and 1st September 1846— " Their Lordships are pleased to direct, first, that all second-class engineers shall in future be allowed 14s. a month as compensation, in lieu of the allowance formerly given for instructing an engineer boy: and second, that all third-class engineers, whether receiving an allowance in lieu of provisions or not, shall be considered entitled to the increased pay granted by her Majesty's order in Council, as notified in the said circular No. 12."

"In all future cases, when any of her Majesty's ships is about to be paid off, their Lordships desire it may be distinctly explained to the men, that if they choose to continue in the service they may have a month or six weeks' leave of ab- sence, daring which time their time and pay will go on; and that they will be at liberty to join any of her Majesty's ships fitting out at any ports upon their re- turn from such leave.

"Their Lordships farther desire that every- facility may be given to the men to deposit their hammocks, clothes, Sic., in the dockyards during their stay on shore, in the manner prescribed by their memorandum, dated lath April 1842; the object of which their Lordships desire may be fully impressed upon the men, and the regulation strictly attended to." The Gazette of Tuesday contains a despatch from Rear-Admiral Ingle- field, giving the details of the operations performed by the English and French squadron of steamers in passing the batteries of San Lorenzo. The engagement lasted three hours and a half The loss of life was confined to the Lizard; of whose crew four were killed and four wounded.

All doubts as to the calling out of the Wilkie may be set at rest by a cir- cular on routine matters issued from the Horse Guards, on the 9th instant: in it, Mr. Fox Maule, Deputy Secretary-at-War, says—" It is not intended at present to take any further measures for revising the laws relating to the Militia, nor for assembling that force for training and exercise.'

It is somewhat puzzling to those who have the best opportunity of know- ing the real state of business at this time, to see how extremely low all the

leading descriptions of produce are in price, without leading to any specu- lative purchases, and without checking the production, as far as can be judged by the quantity imported. Tea, coffee, indigo, cotton, and sheep's

wool, have all continued for a long period at extremely low prices, while the supplies have been rather increasing than diminishing. People had been for many years accustomed to see these articles commanding a much higher range of prices; and a very low price was in former times anunerring guide to a favourable speculation inasmuch as in those days low prices quickly checked supplies and caused a reaction. But the difference between the present times and those to which they refer who thus reason is that of late years, in all the chief articles of produce, a great reduction has taken place In the cost of production by improved methods of cultivation; so that the price which was not sufficient to sustain production some years ago is quite sufficient to do so now, and even to tend to a further extension.—Morning Chronick, Sept. 9, City Article.

The accounts from Northumberland speak of the crops in that district as being nearly got in. The wheat is generally good, and of fine sample; but doubts are entertained whether there will be an average yield. There

are fair crops of barley and of oats. The reports as to the potato crop are not more favourable than those given last week, except that during the last week it has not appeared to spread; which is attributed to the heat of the sun during the day and the slight frosts in the evening. In some districts the turnips have assumed a spotted or flea-bitten appearance in the leaf; which in a few days falls into holes, and which is looked upon with alarm; but as it has not as yet affected the bulbs, it may be hoped that the disease will not be of a serious nature."

Such is the scarcity of fruit on the Wolds and in the Clays in the neighbourhood of Caister' Lincolnshire, that from upwards of one hundred apple-trees in one orchard, the owner has not obtained a single peck of fruit.

The Swedish journals represent the potato crop in Scania to be generally attacked by the prevailing disease, and state that the wheat and rye crops are likely to be very inferior this year.

The potato disease is making ravages in various parts of France.

Mr. G. W. Johnston, author of the "Dictionary of Modern Gardening," has published a pamphlet to make known a remedy for the potato disease. Be says—" The remedy is very simple, and, as is usually the case, is pre- ventive rather than curative, viz, plant at the close of September, or in the first week of October."

In a letter to Mr. M. W. Paterson, Mr. Alexander Campbell of Monzie accounts for the unusual failure of the potato crop in Scotland—

"It needs no stretch of imagination to see the Lord's hand laid in judgment upon us: 'When the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will

I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof:— Ezekiel, xiv. 13. Surely, in our individual sins—in the dishonour done to Christ, which caused the Disruption in 1843—in the endowment of the Man of Sin—in the desecration of the Sabbath, &c., &c., we cannot but see that the nation has sinned, and is sinning with a high band against God; and therefore mostjnst and righteous is the judgment with which we are threatened: and I know of no one article of food which can so truly be called the staff of the bread' of Great Britain as the potato; for while multitudes of our poor subsist entirely upon it, the noblest of the land partake daily of it also, and would count its absence as a great want at their tables. • I am satisfied that man's ingenuity is utterly power- less either in tracing or arresting the disease in the potato, and that nothing but a confession of and turning from our sins as a nation and individually can arrest this and still more fearful judgments from ourselves and the land."

The weather has been again very sultry, and some partial storms have visited the Metropolis. On Sunday there was a thunder-storm in the Northern parts of the town, though even there the fall of rain was by no means general; while in the Southern districts hardly a drop fell. At Plaistow there was a hail-storm: the stones were very large, and it did much damage. In the neighbourhood of Shooter's Hill the ram descended in torrents.

On Monday afternoon there was another storm, to the Southward. This visited Windsor, where it was very violent.

As a proof of the approximation of our climate this summer to that of Eastern countries, it may be worth recording, that our island has been visited by a swarm of those destructive insects the great brown locusts. A few stragglers have visited this vicinity, two specimens of which were taken to our Museum; where one of them is now alive and in full vigour. A Northern paper mentions the fact

of the swarm having alive, seen at Sunderland, and that they travelled in a Southerly direction.—Norfolk Chronicle.

Six Norman mares, intended as a present by the King to the Emperor of Mo- rocco, left the general depot at Paris on the 30th of August, for Toulon; where they were to be shipped for Morocco.

The Paris Academy of the Beaux Arts has decided that not any of the candi- dates who have this year competed for the prize of Sculpture (the subject of which was " Mezentius Wounded ") has merited the proposed reward.

Within the last few days, a novelty has been introduced on the Eastern Coun- ties Railway, in the running of a very handsome carriage, termed a smoking or excursion saloon; which, from its elegant and peculiar construction, has exerted much interest. In size and form of build it much resembles the Royal carriages on the Great Western, South-western, and other railways. The peculiarity of a portion of the Cambridge and Newmarket traffic suggested to the company the formation of such a description of carriage, and which certainly reflects great credit on the skill of its manufacturer. Its extreme length is forty feet, the body about thirty feet, the ends being converted into a kind of open lotinge. It runs on six wheels, which are fitted with Adams's patent bow springs. The internal decorations are of the most recherche description. The seats extend the full length of the sides, and are handsomely covered with morocco leather. A highly iolished mahogany table occupies the centre; the entire fitted with self-balancing pa. Several others on the same style are in a forward state for the corn-

pany. They will be attached to all the fast-trains to and from Cambridge, sengers using them paying first-class fare. The company are having first- excursionist carriages made of extraordinary length, similar to those employed on the foreign lines, capable of holding 130 passengers each. They will first be used on the North Woolwich line, which is rapidly approaching completion.—Globe.

The Dusseldorf Gazette announces that the house of Hotte and Schlieper, of Elberfeld, has stopped payment; and owing to this unexpected occurrence five or six hundred cotton-weavers are thrown out of work.

We learn from Hamburg, that the commercial house of Hincke and Co., of that city, which stopped payment about a month ago, has been formally declared a bankrupt. The debts are said to amount to 9,102,636 francs.—Gaispianes.afes- senger.

Her Majesty's ship Serpent, which arrived in England from China a few months since, conveyed, as one of the instalments stipulated for the evacuation of Canton and treaty of peace with that country, treasures in Sycee silver of the value of nearly 500,0001.; but, on opening one of the boxes, supposed to contain that species of bullion to the amount of 100,0001. value, it was discovered tobefilled with lead! Of course, immediate conference has been !opened with the representatives of her Majesty at Hong-kong, to obtain the required difference of payment—Nautical Standard.

At Baden-Baden, lately, two strangers, an Englishman and a Prussian, .quar- relled, according to a very common incident, over their play, and agreed in the usual course, to fire at one another, as the recognized means of settling a dispute. The Englishman was so lucky as io win the first fire, and so unlucky as to miss his adversary. The latter had only now to shoot his man at his ease and pre- pared to take his aim accordingly; when the Englishman cried out, "Stop, stop I'll buy your shot." The first impression made was that of the novelty of the proposal; the second, that it contained the preliminaries of a mutually profitable transaction. The conditions of the arrangement were accordingly entered upon; and the two leading elements were, that the Englishman was rich and the Prus- sian a good shot. The redemption was valued at 1,000/.; and the parties re- turned to the city alike satisfied with their bargain. The case is worth report- ing: and we are glad it was the Englishman who set the first example of this clear insight into the rationale of duelling.—Atkenteunt. A fatal duel has occurred at Graetz, in Styria. In consequence of a dispute at a ball, on the evening of the 26th August, between the Pnnce de la Tour and Taxis, Lieutenant-Colonel of Hussars, and Captain Schned, of an Infantry regi- ment, the parties met the next day with pistols: at the first fire the Prince re- ceived his adversary's ball in the breast, and fell dead. The Prince, who was a member of the sovereign family of Tour and Taxis, was about thirty-five years of age.

Her Majesty's sloop Osprey, of 12 guns, was totally wrecked at a place called False Hokianga, New Zealand, in April last It is not known whether any lives were lost.—Globe.

An extensive paper-mill, near Lasswade, the property of Messrs. Annandale and Son, was utterly destroyed by fire on Sunday morning. The flames originated in the rag-loft, but from what cause is unknown. The loss is estimated at 10,0001. or 12,000/.

With pleasure we announce the gratifying fact that the members of Dr. Grattan's family, who so providentially escaped from being poisoned, are all now convalescent—Armagh Guardian.

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

Number of Summer Annual deaths.

Zymotic (or Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious) Diseases

209

Dropsy, Cancer, and other diseasesof uncertain or variable seat 87

• . •

104 Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Marrow, Nerves, and Senses 151

• • •

155 ... 157 Diseases of the Lungs, and of the other Organs of Respiration 204

• - •

227 ... 224 Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels 20

• •

23 ... 27 Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion 112

• • •

72 Diseases of the Kidneys, de Childbirth, diseases of the 'Uterus, Sc 12

• • •

• • •

7 10 Rheumatism, diseases of the Bones, Joints, Sc 11 • • •

7

Diseases of the Skin, Cellular Tissue, Sc.

2 • • •

2 Old Age 33 ... 52 ... 67 Violence, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance

28 Total (including =specified causes)

968

The temperature of the thermometer ranged from 96.3° in the sun to 43.5° in the shade; the mean temperature by day being warmer than the average mean temperature by 2.4°. The mean direction of the wind for the week was North- north-east.

average. average.

BANK OP ENGLAND. An Account, pursuant to the Act 7th and 9th Victoria, cap. 82, for the week ir ding on Saturday the 5th day of Sept. 1848. rim= DRPAETNANT.

Notes issued £29,760,870 Government Debt . £11,015,100

Other Securities 2.984.900

Gold Coin and Bullion 13,057,907

Silver Bullion 2,702,878

£29,760,870

£29,760,870

BANKING DEPARTMENT.

Proprietors' Capital Rest £14,553,000 3,864.479 Government Securities, (in- cluding Dead WeightAnnuity)£12,961,736 Public Deposits. 7,318,919 Other Securities 12,623,550 Other Deposits 8,657,109 Notes 9,231,095 Seven Day and other Bills .... 935,830 Gold and Silver Oohs 512,957

£35,229,337

£36,229,837 • IncludingExchequer, Savings Banks, Commissionersof National Debt&Dividend Accounts.