gaisteilantous.

Sir Robert Peel has addressed the usual circular to his Parliamentary supporters, in anticipation of the session—

"Whitehall. 4th January 1844.

"Sir—As upon the meeting of Parliament, on Thursday the 1st February, public business of importance will be proceeded with immediately, I take the liberty of earnestly requesting your attendance in the House of Commons On that day. "I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient and faithful servant, "ROBERT Pezr.." The Morning Herald calls to mind that Sir Robert Peel, in his Budget of March 1842, anticipated a surplus of 520,0001.; whereas in Friday's Gazette, the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt gave notice, that they should purchase Stock in the ensuing quarter to the amount of 227,135/.; being one-fourth of 908,5411., which the Treasury had certified to be actual surplus revenue of the year ending the 10th October 1843.

It is stated that the wood-engraving branch of the Government Fe- male School of Design has been abandoned. On the reopening of the school after the Christmas holydays, the teacher was dismissed, and the pupils told they were to discontinue their studies. Some of the pupils are said to have made very flattering progress in the art—Morning Herald.

A contract has been entered into by her Majesty's Government for the conveyance of mails, monthly, from the United Kingdom to Sydney. British newspapers will be forwarded free of postage.—Standard.

As a proof of the improvement in trade and the better condition of the working-classes, it may be mentioned, that at the close of Satur- day's market at Barnsley, preceding Christmas, every butcher's shop and stall was cleared of its contents ; in fact, the supply of beef was little above half equal to the demand.—Manchester Guardian.

A correspondent writing from Hawick, 9th January, communicates a rumour prevalent there, that the Duke of Buccleuch, who has been residing in that neighbourhood for several weeks, has declared himself in favour of a repeal of the Corn-laws.—Morning Chronicle.

The landowners of East Lothian held a meeting some days ago, at Haddington. The proceedings were kept strictly secret ; but it has transpired that a resolution was adopted to form an association like the new one in Essex, for the protection of agriculture. Of coarse an at- tempt will be made to make dupes and catspaws of the farmers...— Scotsman.

The Duke of Bordeaux returned to town this week from his tour in the Southern counties ; and on Wednesday he paid a visit to Woolwich Arsenal and Dockyard.

The Antwerp Journal du Commerce states that the Duke of Bor- deaux, in taking leave of 856 Frenchmen at Belgrave Square, delivered a speech closing thus-

" In separating myself from you, Messieurs, I desire to express to you, once more, my gratitude and all my regrets. I charge you with my expressions of remembrance and of affection for all those friends who have not been able to come and see me. You have been their interpreters to me. Be now mine to them. I recommend you, and you will recommend for me to all my friends, union, discipline, and devotedness : union and discipline, because they insure strength; devotedness, because it is necessary to impose those sacrifices that the interest of France may demand at your hands. Thus then, nnion—dis- cipline—devotedness—in order that we may be all ready the day marked by Providence. Adieu, Messieurs—au revoir.

Wednesday, 27th December, Seven o'clock morning, Belgrave Square."

The Semaphore de Marseilles announces that a number of dis- tinguished English had, in imitation of Lord Brougham, purchased estates in the neighbourhood of Cannes, in the South of France. Among others, General Taylor has built a splendid villa near the chateau of his Lordship ; and Mr. Leader, the Member for Westminster, has bought a fine estate in the immediate vicinity of Lord Brougham's residence, where he intends to erect a handsome mansion. Lord Brougham and Mr. Leader have jointly purchased an extensive forest of pines, arbutus, and cocoa-trees, full of game of every description, and abounding par- ticularly with foxes.

The papers record the death of the venerable Sir Charles Edmund Nugent, the Admiral of the Fleet ; who expired on Sunday, at Stud- lands in Dorsetshire' the residence of Mr. George Bankes, M.P., his son-in-law. Sir Charles was the grandson of Earl Nugent. He was married to the widow of Governor Johnstone, of Westerhall, in Dum- friesshire; by whom he had one daughter, married to Mr. Bankes. He entered the Navy in 1771. As Lieutenant he distinguished himself on the coast of America, in the first American war of independence ; at the capture of the fortress of Omoa, in 1780; he assisted at the reduc- tion of the French West India Islands in 1798; since which time he has not had much active employment. His flag-promotion as Rear- Admiral took place on the 20th February 1797; he was made a Vice- Admiral on the 1st January 1801, and attained to the rank of full Admi- ral on the 28th April 1808. He became Admiral of the Fleet on the 24th April 1833, and was nominated a G.C.H. on the 12th March 1834. While he was senior Admiral of the Navy, his twin-brother, Sir George Nugent, who survives, was the senior General officer in the Army. Sir James Hawkins Whitshed, G.C.B. (whose date of commission as Post- Captain is not twelve months later than that of Sir Charles Nugent) is now the senior Admiral of the British Navy.

Sir Hudson Lowe is dead ; having sunk, on Wednesday, under an attack of paralysis. He entered the Army as a volunteer in 1785; in 1787, he was appointed Ensign of the Fiftieth Regiment ; in 1814, he attained the rank of Major-General ; and in 1814 he was knighted. During his active life he served in Gibraltar, Toulon, Corsica, Egypt, Naples, Sicily, the Greek islands, and Flanders. On the taking of Cephalonia, he was provisionally appointed Governor of that island; and in 1815 he was appointed to take charge of the Emperor Napoleon at St. Helena. As Governor of St. Helena, he was the first to abolish slavery in British territory. The Globe says-

" As the officer to whom was intrusted the custody of the Emperor Napoleon at St. Helena, his conduct towards the fallen monarch was strongly censured ; although, as a military officer in command, obeying the orders of his superiors, he was merely the agent of others. It is understood that some very interesting documents, together with a memoir, drawn up by Sir Hudson Lowe's own hand, of the events connected with his custody of Napoleon, are in possession of a friend, to whom he intrusted them for publication; and that Lord Bath- urst's orders as to the treatment of the ex-Emperor are among them."

The New Zealand Gazette sketches the biography of the late Captain Arthur Wakefield, who perished at Wairau, in the forty-fourth year of his age-

" He was the third son of Edward Wakefield, Esq., of Burnham, Essex, the author of the well-known statistical and political account of Ireland. Captain Wakefield entered the Navy at ten years of age ; and first sailed in the Nisus frigate, with Captain Philip Beaver, whose expedition to Bulama, and other services, are matters of history. He was subsequently present at the taking of Batavia and the Isle of France, and in the land engagements of Bladensburgh and Washington, where he served as Aide-de-camp to Admiral Sir George Cockburn. He was afterwards for some time in command of a brig on the coast of Africa; where he captured several slave-ships after obstinate engage- ments and boarding from boats, away from his ship. It thrice occurred to him to jump overboard and save the lives of shipmates at sea. Few officers were better known or more highly considered in the Navy than the subject of our remarks. Before his promotion to the rank of Commander, he was much sought after as a Lieutenant, and was seldom at home many days between leaving a ship paid off and being appointed to another newly pat in commission. He had served in all parts of the world ; and left the command of the Rhadaman- thus steam-frigate, shortly before undertaking the foundation of the Nelson settlement in the service of the New Zealand Company. His conciliatory manners and moral worth had made him respected and beloved by all classes at Nelson ; and it will be difficult to find a successor to him possessed of his energy and ability in the administration of the Company's affairs."

In answer to current reports, which were alluded to in our latest edi- tion last week, Mr. Wakley has denied that he interfered with the sale of Lieutenant Munro's property. And Mr. Mills, who was accused by two newspaper-reporters of selling to them, as Deputy Coroner, reports of an adjourned inquest on Colonel Fawcett, from which they were excluded, replies—" I was not Deputy-Coroner, and no such office was in existence until one month after the date of the inquest in question." He also states, that " at the adjourned inquest referred to, no judicial inquiry was prosecuted, and not a single witness was examined."

The Bombay correspondent of the Morning Chronicle has sent to that journal the following rather free strictures on the operation: of the Indian Government in Scinde ; purporting to have been addressed by Sir Henry Pottinger to a friend at Bombay-

" Your letter brought our happy and merry days in Scinde vividly to my mind; and I lamented, on reading it, if possible more deeply than I had done, over the 'fallen estate' of my old friends the Ameers; of whose case I have all along said, and ever shall say, underall circumstances, andin all society and places where I may hear it alluded to, it is the most unprincipled and disgraceful that has ever stamped the annals of our empire in India. No explanation or reasoning can, in my opinion, remote the foul stain it has left on our good faith and honour; and, as I know more than any other man living of previous events and measures connected with that devoted country, I feel that I have st full right to exercise my judgment and express my sentiments on the subject. I was in hopes that some influential voice would have been raised in England against the tyranny and spoliation that had taken place : but the intelligence by the last mail—that of July—holds forth no such prospect ; and all that I can now hope is, that the author of all this cruelty and misery may meet with his deserts hereafter. I shall only add, that I shall esteem it a favour if you will let my opinions be known wherever you hear the affair mentioned, and that you cannot use too strong language in expressing my disgust and sorrow on the occasion."

The Liverpool Times explains' that in promulgating increased valua- tions of British and other goods, the Brazilian Government has done nothing more than it is authorized to do by the terms of existing trea- ties. "The mode of estimating the value of goods agreed upon by the two Governments, is by a commission of merchants, partly Brazilians and partly foreigners : it was by such a commission that the valuations promulgated by the Brazilian Government on the 31st October, and which came into operation the same day, were drawn up."

The Swiss Vorort has begged the several Cantons to send in precise statements of their trade with England. It demands a statement of the value, quality, and nature of Swiss imports and exports from and to England, in order to frame a demand for a lowering of tariffs.—Hel- vette.

The King of Prussia has revived the Order of the Swan originally founded by the Arch-Chamberlain and Elector Frederick the Second, four hundred years ago, "to give proof of Christian truth by deeds." The order is in fact an association, of which the heads are the King and Queen, the officers are appointed by the King, and the ordinary mem- bers are persons of either sex who voluntarily enter it to fulfil any one of its objects; which are various kinds of charity on a great scale. A primary and " evangelical " branch of the association will be forthwith established at Berlin, to attend the sick in the hospitals, the penitent sinners, and the criminals. The motto of the order is "God with us."

The King of Bavaria has commissioned Dr. Pauli to proceed to England and Ireland, for the purpose of personally inspecting the atmospheric railroad, and report his observations.

The Paris Commerce says—" A workman of the Rue Vielles-au- driettes, who for some time has attended the public lectures on mecha- nics, has invented a machine by which a man can make forty or fifty pairs of shoes a day."

The Queen has given a present of 20/. to the Ojibbeway Indians, and it has been divided equally between them. Her Majesty has also ordered a variety of rich plaids to be manufactured for them.