The Press. — London, England, 1855-03-17 00:00:00

L MARCH 17, 1855. court ad tastion. glution nttilignut. Her Majesty and the Royal Family left London on Thursday for Osborne, where the Court will re main for some days. The Queen held her second levee on Wednesday. The first Drawing-room of the season will be held on Thursday week, the 29th inst. There was a Privy Council held by her Majesty on Saturday last. On the same afternoon the Ministers assembled at a Cabinet Council. . _ _ A great number of Ministerial, political, and diplo matic banquets and reunions have taken place during the week. The fashionable parties are hitherto but few in number. Intelligence is said to have been received in Madrid that Don Juan, brother of Count de Montemolino, has disappeared from London, and it is reported that he is on the frontier. The Rev. H. Melville, 8.D., has been officially de sired to preach before the House of Commons at St. Margaret's, Westminster, on Wednesday next, the day appointed for the general fast. THE PORTSMOUTH ELECTION commenced on Mon day, when Viscount Monck, the new Lord of the Treasury and Mr. Sergeant Gazele were nominated. The polling came off on Tuesday, resulting in the return of Lord Monck by a large majority, the numbers being—Nonck, 1,478 ; Gazele, 473. THE TIXWORTH ELECTION began and ended on Tuesday in the unopposed return of Sir R. Peel. REPRESENTATION OF LIVERPOOL.—SiT Thos. Glad stone, mentioned in our last number as the Conserva tive candidate for the representation of Liverpool, has declined to come forward, not from indifference to the honour or from unwillingness to serve the Conserva tive cause, but solely from private reasons. Sir George Bonham, distinguished for his diplomatic services in China, has consented to be nominated in the Conservative interest, and we do not hear that any opposition will be offered to his return. Jrtlanii. EARL ST. GERMANS left Dublin, where he has resided as Viceroy for more than two years, on Wed nesday last. Mn. CARDEN, who is in very bad health in Clonmel gaol, has refused the terms upon which the Government offered to remit the remainder of his sentence. THE Cork Examiner states that Mr. Grice Smith, of Castle Widenham, a gentleman of high position and large fortune, has been committed to gaol for a month, and sentenced to hard labour on the tread mill. The charge was that of having one night, in company with his brother and Mr. Humphrey Smyth, proprietor of Dunanstown Mills, torn down the gates of several gentlemen, and wrenched off the knockers. The affair has created immense excitement in the neighbourhood, from the rank and position of the party on whom the degrading sentence has been passed. THE EARL OF CARLISLE, the new Lord Lieutenant, arrived at Kingstown shortly before midnight on Monday, by special steamer, after encountering a stiff contrary gale in the Channel. His Excellency proceeded to the castle, where he remained as the guest of his predecessor until the ceremony of swear ing-in took place ou Tuesday. The new Viceroy was expected to leave Dublin yesterday for London, and return to Ireland about the Ist of next month. GENERAL LORD SEATON, G C. 8., arrived in Dublin on Tuesday, and assumed the command of the army in Ireland, in succession to General Sir Edward Blakeney. THE greatest activity has prevailed of late in the manufactories of arms at Liege; 60,000 muskets have been ordered there for England, 40,000 for Russia (which are to be sent through Prussia), and 50,000 for France, Piedmont, Spain, kc. THE MARSHAL DE Lk MARMORA, who is to command the Sardinian contingent, is married to an English lady, Miss Bertie Mathew, grand-daughter to the well-known General Mathew, of the Guards, Equerry to King George 111., and of the last Duke of Ancas ter, whose name she bears. AT the Quarterly Court of the proprietors of the Bank of England, held on Thursday, a dividend at the rate of 4 per cent. for the half-year was declared. After providing for this dividend, the " rest" will stand at 3,018,1341. A RETURN FROM THE POOR-LAW BOARD of the number of paupers in England and Wales, has been presented to the House of Comnions. On the Ist of January last the cumber in receipt of relief, in-door and out-door, was 840,720, and on the Ist of January in the preceding year, 919,985, showing an increase of 20,735. THE PRESS. Sortign art, yittrature, SERIOUS apprehensions have for some time been felt in the United States in reference to the fate of Dr. Kane and his companions in the American ex• ploring expedition that was sent out in search of Sir John Franklin. A law has been passed by the United States Congress authorising another expedi tion to be despatched in search of Dr. Kane, and the Secretary of the Navy has been instructed forthwith to despatch steam-vessels for this purpose. A com mission has been appointed to select the steam• propellers to be used, and they will get wider way with all possible despatch. THE STATUE OF BEETHOVEN, intended for the city at Boston, has just been cast at the bronze foundry of Munich. The author of the model is Mr. Craw ford, an American artist, who is charged to execute the colossal equestrian statue for the grand monu ment to the memory of Washington. THE Kiloton' CAVE IN KENTUCKY entirely belongs to the family of Colonel Crogan, formerly a resident of Louisville. lie went to Europe some twenty years ago and found himself frequently questioned of the wonders of the Mammoth Cave, a place he had never visited, and of which he bad heard but little at home, though living within ninety miles of it. lie went there on his return, and the idea struck him to pur chase it and make it a family inheritance. In fifteen minutes bargaining he bought it for 10,000 dollars, and shortly after be was offered 100,000 for his pur chase. In his will he tied it up in such a way that it must remain in his family for two generations, thus appending its celebrity to his name. There are 1,900 acres in the estate, though the cave probably runs under the property of a great number of other landowners. For tear of those who might dig down and estabish an entrance to the cave on their own property, great vigilance is exercised to prevent such subterranean surveys and measurements as would enable anybody to sink a shaft with certainty. The cave extends ten or twelve miles in several directions, and there is probably many a back-woodsman sitting in }.is hut within ten miles of the cave quite uncon scious that the most fashionable ladies and gentlemen of Europe and America are walking without leave under his potatoes and corn. THE LAST DESCENDANT OF LEONARDO DA VINCI, the famous Florentine painter, who expired in the arms of Francis 1., died a few days back in the neighbour hood of Roanne (Loire). lie was a travelling glazier, and died from the effects of a fall which he had had when repairing the roof of a hothouse. THE ELECTRO-TELEGRAPHIC Luz, bringing Bologna and Rome into momentaneous communication, has at last been completed. The first experiment took place on the 20th ult., when a message was forwarded from the Prelate Commissary Extraordinary of the legations, and the Bolognese municipality, returning thanks to the " Holy Father " for so advantageous a public work, and imploring his apostolic benediction. The far famed Easter blessing from the balcony of St. Peter's may now be telegraphed to the faithful all over Christendom. THE POPE is about to erect a colossal statue of the Virgin Mary at Rome, in celebration of the triumph of the Immaculate Conception dogma. Three hun dred medals are to be struck of virgin Australian gold. MR. LAYARD, M.P., in returning his acknowledg ments for his election as Lord Rector of Marisclial College, Aberdeen, regrets his inability, from the nature of his duties as a member of the committee of inquiry into the state of the army in the Crimea, to state definitely the day on which be could come to Aberdeen. Mr. Layard is the youngest rector on the roll, being but thirty•eight years of age. SPECIMENS Or ART, both from the Vernon Gallery and the new Houses of Parliament will be sent to the Paris Exhibition. THE COLOSSEUM, REGENT'S PARK, was offered for sale on Wednesday, by order of the Court of Chancery, to reimburse the mortgage thereon. The building is held under the Crown for sixty-nine years, at a ground-rent of '263/. per annum. The auctioneer stated that the property, including the erection of the building, had cost the different owners about 200,0001., but the only offer was 20,0001., which being below the reserved price, the property was declared bought in. A YOUNG Silesian Count not long since eloped with an opera-dancer from Stuttgardt, and proceeded to Gretna, and was there " married." The Count's father brought an action before the tribunals, in order to invalidate the wedding, as having been con cluded in violation of Prussian laws and his assent. Judgment has, however, been given against him, partly on the ground of the " marriage" having been concluded modo loci and legis in Scotland, and partly because the father did not protest within a given period. MR. HENRY REEVE has been appointed editor of the Edinburgh Review, in the room of Sir G. C. Lewis, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Attihnts imb Chas. A FIRE broke out on Wednesday morning in the Barley-mow public-house, Salisbury-square, Fleet street, and, although the fire-escape belonging to the Bridge street station was quickly brought to the spot, unfortunately the maid-servant of the establishment was suffocated. Engines were in instant attendance, and the adjoining houses were saved, with great damage. LAwr YEAR was singularly unfortunate for the trans-atlantic steamers. The Collins' steainer Arctic was run down, the lerankiin was lust, tho Humboldt n as wrecked, the City of Glasgow has disappeared, and the City of Philadelphia is also lost. The Hermann and Washington, 01 the Bremen line, are laid up, and so are two other steamers be longing to another company on the same station. ON Saturday an explosion took place at the gun powder manufactories of Messrs. l'igou and Wilk., situate close to the town of Dartford. The mills in which the accident occurred were termed "incor porating," and they adjoined each other. Both were levelled with the ground, and the entire stock of powder contained in them destroyed. A man named Millar bad his clothes set on fire, but had the pre sence of mind to jump into the mill-pond, and thereby extinguished the flames. He was, never theless fearfully burned. The works of Messrs. Pigou and Wilks are very extensive, and the manu facture of gunpowder has been for some time carried on with great activity at their establishment for the purposes of the war. A SINKER, NAMED THOMAS DANIEL, residing at Llanelly, deposited a 561 b. cask of blesting•powder on a table in his residence. Shortly afterwards, hie own children, ac companied by some of the neigh bours, assembled around it, and during his tempo rary absence from the house one of the children, eleven years of age, heated the poker in the fire and pushed it into the cask through the cork-hole. The powder exploded, blowing the loft and the roof clear off, besides doing great damage to the furniture and walls of the house. Two out of the six children pre sent have died, and very slight hopes are entertained of the recovery of the others. A TERRIBLE FIRE broke out on Thursday morning in an extensive granary and wharf belonging to Mr. Olendinning. termed Lucas's Wharf, anti upon the rope and ship's sail works belonging to Mr. Hall. both being situated on Ilennondsey• wall, and occupy ing there a large space of ground. Other premises in the neighbourhood, containing flammable mate rials, were also involved in the fl ames, which ex tended very rapidly, and, in spite of the efforts made to arrest their progress, the damage done has been estimated to exceed 15,0001. A MOST HORRIBLE ACCIDENThaS occurred at Sacra mento by the blowing up of ono of the river steamers plying between Marysville and that city, in conse quence of her racing against an opposition boat. An English gentleman, a Mr. Nicholson, from Matches ter, lately arrived in this country, is among the sufferers. He has had his leg broken in three places. In noticing the accident, the California Chronicle says :—" A keen competition has for some time been conducted on our interior waters between the Cali fornia Steam Navigation Company and various inde pendent companies. Running between the vessels of the rival lines naturally ensued, and the steamers have been driven to excessive speed. The press predicted that some dreadful calamity would soon result from such culpable management, and the public awaited the issue in fear and trembling. It has come at last. On the 27th instant the steamer Pearl, belonging to the Californian Steam Naviga tion Company, and plying between Marysville and Sacramento, was blown to pieces by an explosion of her boiler. There were one hundred and twenty two persons on board at the time, including the crew ; of these nearly sixty are known to have been killed by the explosion, or drowned by being thrown into the water. Nearly thirty more have been wounded, some very severely. Only twenty have escaped un injured. The remainder are missing, and it is feared that most of them have been killed. The scene at Sacramento, where the dead bodies, many of them in fragments, were laid out in the hospital, was of the most hortible character. The engineer of the vessel, who escaped uninjured, has been appre hended. The captain and mate were both killed." THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—The tenth quarterly general meeting of the members of this society was held at Exeter - hal l, on Wednesday, Vis count Ranelagh in the cha ir. The report Wednesday[ the comm ittee contained proofs of the progressive opera tions of the society. The gross receipts up to the date of the last report were 16:1,5091. 19s. ; less withdrawals, 152,7301. 6s. 4d. The whole number of shares up to March 10th was 10,729. The returns of the sale of land showed the following results : —From Michael ma-s to Christmas, 1854, 2,9851; Christmas to March 10, 1855, 7,8921. 10s.—Total, in less than s ix months, 10,8771. 10s. The total sold d uring thoowttiog. the society amounted to 102,4 t. 255