The Press. — London, England, 1854-02-11 00:00:00

12$ dollars. On the same night an immense pork estab lishment at Cincinnati fell a prey to the devouring element--loss, 175,000 dollars. Besides the above, property was destroyed by fire in the course of January in the United States to the amount of 1,',72,500 dollars. 8,043 slaves were imported into Cuba in the year 1853. AUSTRALIA._ The Ballarat has arrived from Port Phillip, having sailed on the 11th of November. She brings 92,000 ounces of gold, worth 368,0001., seventy passengers, sad a cargo of wool and tallow. The Great Britain steamer was to leave Melbourne on the 3rd of De cember, and may, therefore, be daily looked for. The intelligence from the different digging locali ties continues good. The number of persons abso lutely in the employ of the local government of Vic toria, and paid as such, amounts to no fewer than 5,096. The total probable expenditure for the pre sent year is stated at 3,265,000/., and the population 250,000; the cost of government being, therefore, at the rate of 131. per head of the population. &art ant Sastion. HER MAJESTY'S RESIDENCE AT WINDSOR this week has been diversified by no incident of importance. On Thursday the fourteenth anniversary of the royal marriage was celebrated at the Castle with various festivities and an evening concert. The Court will return to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday next for the season. SATURDAY, during the parliamentary session, is the favourite day for political dinners. This day week the Earl of Aberdeen, Earl Granville, Viscount Palmerston, and Lord John Russell, gave banquets to select parties of their Mends in either house. The Earl of Derby also held his third parliamentary dinner on that day, and a fourth on Wednesday last. A DEPUTATION. from the Central Farmers' Club, on the corn averages, had an interview with the Right Hon. Edward Cardwell on Tuesday at the Board of Trade. The deputation consisted of Sir John Shel ley, M.P., Mr. W. Fisher Hobbs (chairman of the club) ; Messrs. Paine, Pile, Reeves, and Spearing, from Hampshirel; Messrs. Body, Coote, and Dawes. COLONEL PEItCEVAL, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Lords, was seized with sudden indiskicsi• tion while reading, at the Union Club, on the 2nd mst. The gallant colonel's attack was of a nature calcu lated to alarm his friends, but its effect, it is hoped, has already passed away. BARON REHAUSEN, the representative of the King of Sweden at this Court, has been suffering severely from an attack of illness, which for some days as sumed a serious character. His excellency is now happily approaching convalescence. BARON BRUNOW left town on Wednesday afternoon, travelling by the express-train to Dover. During a short interval which elapsed between his arrival at London-bridge and the departure of the train, the baron and the members of his suite were accommo dated in the board-room. A carnage was reserved for his excellency's use, and as he passed up the platform he was received with the respectful saluta tions of the few persons assembled. On reaching Dover, at seven o'clock, the baron proceeded to the Ship Hotel, where he passed the night, and crossed to Calais next morning. He was to proceed to Brussels in the first instance. THE RUSSIAN PRINCESS LIEVEN, SO many years one of the leaders of fashion in the French capital, has just reached Brussels, where other Russian fa milies have arrived, or are expected, to wait the course of events. Baron Brunow and M. Kisseleff, with the personnel of their legations, will, it is stated, also await in the Belgian capital the arrival of in structions from Count Nesselrode. Volitual antr Coma. CONTROVERTED ELECTIONS COMMITTEE has been appointed by the Speaker for the session. It corn prises Sir G. Grey, Mr. NSW()Ie, Mr. J. W. Patten, Mr. It. Pain er, Sir It. Ferguson, and Mr. Bramaton. IT is now netessary that travellers to France should be pi ovided with passports, verified by the agents of that country in England. THZ ATTENTION OF ALL FINANCIAL REFORMERS is directed by the Times to an enormous abuse in the printing and stationery departments of Government : " We have received two enormous blue-books, pur porting to he the report of the commission which has investigated the alleged acts of corruption at Hull. These two volumes constitute a load which a man of average strength would hesitate to carry from St. Paul's to Charing-cross. We find in them no less than 82,000 cross-questions and crooked answers with reference to the enormities of the Hullites. Now, we should very much like to know the cost to the nation of so bulky a report, Nobody will read THE PRESS. it, nobody bas time to read it, nobody could read it, except a German professor who was afflicted with a monomania upon the local politics of Hull. It should be the first duty of commissioners under such cir cumstances to present the houses with such an epitome of the results of their labours as could be read by mortal men and paid for at a reasonable cost. Let them by all means be remunerated for the labour of condensation—it would probably be the most tedious portion of their duty, but a little money spent in this way would save the public an enormous loss. It is high time that a stop should be put to such a waste of the public money." A POST-OFFICE RETURN, showing the comparison in correspondence during the last fourteen years, has just appeared. Taking only the lastfour years, we find that iu 1650 the number of letters delivered in the United Kingdom was 347,000,000, being an increase on the previous year of 9,51.0,000. in 1851 the number was 360,500,000 ; increase, 13,500,000. In 1852, 370,500 , 000; increase, 19,000,000. And last year 411,000,000 letters were delivered, being an in crease of 31,500,000. THE ESTATE OF MESSRS. THOMSON, BROTHERS, AND SONS, of Clitheroe, who suspended payment some three weeks since, is expected to yield a dividend of 13s. 4d. in the pound. THE RAPID RISE IN THE PRICE OF SULPHUR iS telling upon the Cornish mines, which contain mundic or other sulphurets. For the Devon United Mines, which are said to be rich in sulphur ores, an advan tageous offer has just been made, promising a hand some profit to the proprietors. THE MANUFACTORIES AROUND GREENWICH have been visited lately by a Government . official, who has placed the Ordnance mark upon some machinery on the premises of one of the most eminent firms. The machinery in question, it is said, was intended for the Russian Government. THE FIRST PARLIAMENTARY PIPER OF THE SESSION contains a Government balance-sheet of the public income and expenditure. It is shown that in the year ended the 10th of October last the net income was 54,508,3511. 3s. 5d., and the expenditure 51,320,9271. lls. 6d., leaving an excess of 3,247,4231. Ils. lid. In the year ended the sth of January last the net income was 54,430,3441. Os. 6d., and the ex penditure 51,17.4,8391. 14s. lid., excess 3,255.504/. 14s. 7d. The. Exchequer balance on the sth ult. was 4,485,2291. 18s. 4d. THE COUNCIL OF THE SOCIETY OF ARTS have deter mined to hold an Educational Exhibition in the month of June of the present year, when the con ference of the representatives of its various affiliated institutions, now amounting to 335 in number, will take place. THE FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE LIVERPOOL CHAMBER OF COM➢LERCE, held on Monday, attracted unusual atttention, on account of the importance of the matters discussed in the report. Among them the subject of most general interest related to the proposed changes in the law of partnership. A special committee on that subject had been appointed, who presented every full report, in which the desira bility of an entire change in the principle of the law was enforced, on the grounds that it is not uniform in its application; that it prevents parties not personally engaged, or desirous to engage, in business from ad vancing a portion of their capital as partners to other persons capable of taking the active management of trading or other concerns, except at the risk of in volving their whole property ; that it restricts partners in existing concerns, desirous of retiring from the active management of the business, and yet willing to continue to the junior partners a portion of their capital, from doing so without exposing themselves to a risk greater than theylwould think it prudent to incur; that, on the one hand, it discourages persons of limited means from employing their savings, or small capitals, in associations, and, on the other hand, deters persons of larger capital and experience from forming partnerships with persons of this class ; and that an unlimited liability to pay partnership debts interferes with that liberty which every person, or as sociation of persons, ought to have to make contracts with third parties, or any conditions mutually agreed upon. TILE NUMBER OF PAI:PERS RELIEVED IN IRELAND On Jan. Ist., 1853, was 141,822, and on the Ist January last, 100,746. The decrease was 41,070 in the year. The poor-law valuation on the 29th of September last was 11,300,4121. ON THE CPEW OF HER MAJESTY'S SHIP Thetis being paid down at Devonport on Saturday last, sums varying from 17/. to 401., in all to 190/., together with other property, were deposited with Mr. Stokes, R.N., the superintendent of the Sailors' Home in that port, for safe keeping. AT THE HALF-YEARLY MEETING OF THE SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH COMPANY, held on Wednesday, Lord De Manley in the chair, a dividend at the rate of 8 per cent. per annum on the 75,0001. of paid-up capital was declared. The number of messages bad much increased over that of the previous year. 2( 0/. was voted to the directors for their past services, and their future remuneration fixed at 600/. a year, • SATURDAY, ONE OF THE LARGEST DIAMONDS KNOWN was de po gted on Wednesday at the Bank of England by a London house, to whom it was consigned from Rio Janeiro. Its weight is 254 carats, and its nominal value, according to scale, 280,0001. It is said to be of the finest water, and without a flaw. A COMPANY, under the title of " THE PORT TEN NANT PATENT STEAM FUEL AND COAL COMPANY," has issued a prospectus, for the purpose of raising a capital of 50,0001., in order to use, as it is stated, "an economical patent process," by which fuel can be placed free on board at Swansea at Bs. 9d. per ton, the present price at that port being 14s. per ton. The advantages of the steam fuel over coal are said to be, freedom from spontaneous combustion, economy of space in stowage, less waste either by friction or decomposition, and saving in wear of boilers and firebars. THE ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTING THE REPEAL OF THE TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE gave a soirée on Wednesday to celebrate the repeal of the advertise ment duty, and to do honour to Mr. Milner Gibson. The fête was held, under the presidency of Sir J. V. Shelley, at the Whittington Club, where tea was plentifully provided for those who chose to avail themselves of it. After that came music, much ap plauded, and then the speeches, which were con tinued until an advanced hour of the evening. THE WELLINGTON COLLEGE GOVERNORS met last week, under the presidency of Prince Albert, a► d arranged the scheme of instruction to be organised in the future institution. At this meeting we are informed by Mr. Talbot, the hon. secretary, that it was resolved that the religious education of the pupils should be conducted in uniformity with the system pursued at the military school at Chelsea, and the naval schools at Greenwich—that is to say, accord ing to the doctrines and principles of the Church of England, but dispensing with any compulsory attendance on the part of Dissenters on religious services and instruction. The financial statement then presented showed that subscriptions to the amount of 105,0001. had been promised, of which 87,3541. was already received, and the expenses of collecting, printing, advertisements, were 2,0301. Large as the subscribed sum appears, Mr. Talbot. states that it is hardly sufficient to found and endow the institution in an adequate manner, and the libe rality of the public is still invited on its behalf. THE fact that the French have taken possession of New Caledonia has already been announced. It is stated that the geological formation of those islands gives promise of gold, a prospect which seems to have allured our neighbours to make themselves owners of the group. THE HEALTH OF LONDON continues to be satis factory. Lastweek's return by the Registrar-General showed a mortality of 1,204, being almost identical with the corrected average for this season. The re gistered births were in number 1,050-857 boys, and 798 girls. The average is 1,470. LORD PLUNKET (the Bishop of Tuam) took the oaths in the House of Lords on Monday evening as one of the lords temporal, and took his seat on the Opposition benches, behind the Earl of Derby. There are now three bishops in the House of Lords who are lords temporal, viz., Lord Auckland, Bishop of Sodor and Man ; Lord Riversdale, Bishop of Killaloe ; and Lord Plunket, Bishop of Tuam. 111‘Kxv, the royal piper, and Smith, the royal policeman, who both wunt mad a few days since, aro pr nounced incurable. The one is sent to Bedlam, and the other to St.. Luke's. PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL is now thrown open to the public free of charge, from the hours of 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. every day, by order of the Dean and Chapter. THE MEMORIAL TO LORD ABERDEEN on the urgent necessity for a system of agricultural statistics has been completed, and it is understood to be one of the most powerful as regards signatures ever pre sented from the city of London. A SPECIAL COURIER arrived in London on Thurs• day with despatches from our ambassador at Con stantinople. THE BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND AGRICULTURAL EXHIBITION will take place on the sth of June, and four following days. SERGEANT STEPHENS, one of the Commissioners of the Bristol District Court of Bankruptcy, and a well-known authority on the bankrupt law, has re signed his office, which he has held for many years, on account of protracted indisposition. This vacancy, it is stated, will not be filled up. DEXTROUS SWORDSMEN have several times suc ceeded in the feat of cutting a sheep in two at a sin • gle blow. A private named Downing, in the Dor chester Yeomanry Cavalry, bad doubled the per forniance, severing tw•o sheep at one sword-stroke. This coup be repeated last week in Sherborne market, in the presence of a distinguished company. THE statement is confirmed that the officers em barked on board the Retribution, had succceeded in making a plan of Sebastopol. A draught of the plan had been published and sold at Constantinople, and copies sent to Franca and England. I 16