The Press.
London, England, 1853-12-31 00:00:00

Cart anb efastion.

Titv litimnon of vim FRENCH has 'ordered the
sum of ;ME to be paid by Messrs. Orsi and Artnani,
merchants in London for the benefit of the Dread-
nought hospital establishment in the Thames.
HT n MAJESTY'S CUSTOMARY NEW YEAR'S liters to
the poor inhabitants of New Windsor and Clewer
will be distributed on Monday neat, in the Riding-
house, Windsor t 7astle. The distribution takes place
in the presence of her Majesty am'. the Royal Family,
and is under the management of the lion. and Rev.
Gerald Wellesley, chaplain to the queen, and a eom-
mittee consisting principally of the parochial clergy.
THE grEEN has remained at Windsor during the
week, where various festivities, appropriate to the
season, have taken place, and the usual tluristmas
hospitalities been dispensed. The Duchess of Kent
passed a day or two there, on a visit to her royal
daughter ; and his Serene Highness hince Leopold
of Saxe Coburg, whose arrival had been announced
for Friday, the 1:1rd, reached Windsor, despite of
wind amid weather, on Saturday last, aml prolonged
his stay until Tuesday, when he departed for South-
ampton, en emote to Lisbon. Prince Albert diverted
himself with skating in the Home park on several
days since the frost set in.
LORD ANO LADY JoHN Boss .T. left Pembmke-
lodge on Wednesday, to visit her Majesty at Windsor.
Lord Raglan has also been invited by the Queen, and
remelted the Castle on Thursday, in olx.dienee to the
royal command.
Couvr l'otitrAms charged with special mission
from his Majesty the King of l'flissia, arrived in
London on Sunday night.
Tisi: EARL OF 3ERSEY continues to improve in
health. His lordship and the countess are staying
in retirement at Middleton.park. Viscount and
Viscountess Villiers are with the noble earl.

A Mao,: Cno-11.: assembled at Blenheim to cele-
brate the anniversary of the birthday of the Duke of
Marlborough. The duke completedhis iinth yearon
Tuesday.
TuE Ino: or Ilt-TrANn is at. his shooting box in
Derbyshire, and not, as has been stated, at Itelvoir
Castle. His grace will not go to Belvoir until the
end of .lanuary.
DtwE or DEvoNsninc hos, for the purpose of
enlarging his marine residence in Brighton, pur-
ehased the adjoining mansion, lately occupied by
Colonel reit% The duke it now residing at Kemp-
town.

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MAIIRIA4iE OF Loan LYMINtiTON with one of
the Ladies Nevill, daughters of the Earl of Aberga-
venny, is understood to be poatpotiod. on aeronnt of
the dangerous state of health of his lordship's father.
Lord l'ortsmouth.

Iloilo: or Lonna i 4 now again open to public
view. Ticket% are inaited every Saturday from lb.
Long t'liamberlain's °Mee, where they may be ob-
tained upon application.

4lolitual and Omen!.

Tim shareholders in the Australian Freehold Gold
Mine held a meeting tat Tuesday, railed by Mr. tine-
della, to investigate it+ affairs. it appeared from the
atatements made, that the put-distal of 5,000 acres
had been effected, but which, an to gold, mired to be
worthless, anti that about tM,OOI. bad been expended
to no purpose. It was stated that there was a balance
of :10,0100/. in hstiti, and that about Ws. per share
might be returned at once. Mr. Linda, the solicitor,
ght actions might be brought against the directors
by shareholders for the return of the full amount of

their deposit, as the company was not on the cost book
system. After some discussion, a committee was
named for taking legal steps to obtain justice to dm
shareholders. On behalf of the directors a semi-
official exculpation has appeared in a note addressed
to the newspapers as follows :—" This company is
established on the cost took principle, AM a balance-
sheet has been exhibited to the registered share-
holders at all their bi-monthly meetings, which have
been regularly held since the formation thereof.
The committee of management desire it to be known
that, so far from wishing to keep any information
back from the certificate-holders, they are most
anxious and have always solicited them to have the
certificates transferred to their own mines, and attend
such meetings, when they could inform themselves
of everything that had been done to the present
time."

A PLAN is on foot in t:hrivitiania to open a new
steamboat route with England HA Hamburg and
Altona. There are to be 1.30 miasma, at 101)
each, an►t two ships of the brat class are to be pro-
eitred.

Tut: land occupied by railways in Kaglsuid amounts
e 1,400 acres, :1 roods, and 23 perches, out of a
gross acreage of m,:i51,7113. In Wales, out of 139,427
acres, 3,530 acres and 13 perches are occupied by
railwaya. •
A STRUMME On the subject of tithes is now going
on in the parish of Whitechapel. In April last a bill
wits tiled in Chancery by the Rev. W. W. Chanspneya
against Buchan and others, and is expected soon to
be set down for trial. From a circular issued by the
defendants it appears that, although the redoes baste
appears as phuntitf, the College of Brasenase, the
planet, is the real litigant, as the rector has
his word to the vestry that he will rather resign
!him( than plunge the parish into litigation. The
parishioner; resisting the tithing are fortified by the
opinion of counsel, and are raising funds to carry on
the contest.

THE RESIONATIoN or Sin IiEOIIOE Melvin, as Go-
vernor of Hong-Kong and superintendent of trade in
that colony, has been accepted by the home authori-
ties. Sir lieonce was expected to leave fur England
as soon as the state of public business would permit.
THE PLAN Fon HER MAJENTVA NEW STEAM YACHT
was last week submitted to a committee of °Seers,
whose opinions were given at a meeting which Sir J.
t ;miim visited Podia 1111 l ith purposely to attend. The
advisors summoned were Captain Sir Ihildwin Walker,
k.C.11.' surveyor of the navy ; Captain the Hon.
Joseph I lenman, commander-in-chief of her Majesty's
steam squadron; Mr. 'filmes Baker, P.N., inspector
of machinery of the Victoria and Athol ; Mr. Andrew
NI array. superintendent engineer of Portsmouth Dock-
yard ; Mr. Thomas Lloyd, R.N., of the Steam De-
partment, Somerset house; Mr. Isaac Watts, as-
si,taet. to the surveyor of the navy ; and Mr. John
Penn, C.E., of I ireenwich. Plans and 'sections were
e‘ltilated, and it is lwlieved the result will be that
the new royal yacht will be built of the following
dimensions and capabilities:—Length of keel, 300
feet ; length on deck, 315 feet; beam, 411 feet ; depth
of hold, 22 feet; diameter of paddle-wheel, MI feet Ii
inches ; stroke of piston, 7 feet ; diameter of cylinder,
st inches ; tonnes', 2,3411. The revolutiens of the
engines have beelestimaWd at from 2.1 to 9s, which
will yield, it is estimated, a Speed of from lA to In
knobs per hour. The engines are to be manufactured
by Penn, upon the oscillating principle, but must be
worked upon high-pressure gauge to attain the speed
Motive estimated.
THE LITE IiENERAL SHIP. MACKENZIE has left
a variety of munificent bequests for religious and
charitable objects. Among them are—to the Church
Pastoral Aid Society, 1,000/. ; to the Consumption
Hospital, LIM/. ; to the Scottish Ilospital, 510.; to
the Northern Infirmary, leverness, ;ANN.; to the poor
of Inverness and of Itingwall, 100/. each ; to the In-
VCIIICKS Dispensary, BM; to the United Hospital at
Bath, 300/. ; to the Western Hospital, ditto, 1004

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