The Press.
London, England, 1855-05-12 00:00:00

EMIGRANT LAW IN AMERICA.

Tux United States have lately adopted an entirely new
passenger law for all emigrant vessels arriving in the ports
of that country, the provisions of which have just been
promulgated, and are of great importance to the shipping
interests both of America and Europe. Henceforth no
vessel is to take more than one passenger for every two
tons, with the exception of children under a year old, who
are not reckoned, and children between one year and
eight, two of whom are to count as one adult. The regu-
lations for space vary from fourteen to eighteen clear super-
ficial feet, according to the construction of the ship. The
berths are to be separated by partitions ; each is to be at
least six feet long and two wide, and no vessel is to have
more than two tiers. All vessels carrying fifty emigrant
passengers are to have a house on the upper deck, over
the passage way from below, and those carrying 100 are to
have two. Where there is capacity for more than 100
passengers there are to be at least two ventilators—one
with au exhausting cap to carry off the foul air, and the
other with a receiving cap to carry down fresh air, their
diameter to be increased in proportion to the size of the
space to be ventilated. When there are more than fifty
passengers there must be at least one cooking-range four
feet. long and eighteen inches wide, and extra ones must
be furnished fur every 200 passengers. The allowance of
provisions for each adult is to be 20Ib. of good navy bread,
151 b. of rice, 101 b. oatmeal, 101 b. wheat flour, 10Ib. peas
and beans, 201 b. potatoes, 101 b. salt beef, one pint of
vinegar, and sixty gallons of fresh water, and an occasional
substitution of one article for another is permitted under
special circumstances. One-tenth part at least of these quanti-
ties is to be delivered weekly, and three quarts of water daily,
the food to be properly cooked at certain notified times,
and a fine of three dollars per day is to be recoverable by each
passenger who may be put on short allowance. The
captain is also to he responsible for cleanliness and disci-
pline, and is to prepare a manifest with full particulars re-
garding each/passenger, to be delivered to the authorities
of the port immediately on arrival. A payment of ten
dollars is likewise to be made for every death from natural
disease that may have occurred during the passage, such
sum to be applied to a fund for the relief of emigrants.
Infringements of the various clauses are to be visited with
fines ranging from five to one thousand dollars, with, in
some cases, the addition of six months' or a years' im-
prisonment, and the law is to extend not only to the
passenger traffic with Europe, but also to that with the
Pacific ports and the coloured colony of Liberia. In the
case of vessels sailing from European ports it is to come
into operation within sixty days from the date of its
approval, which took place on the 3rd of March last.

IT is stated to be the intention of the allied powers
to embark an immense force immediately for the
Crimea; such a movement is considered necessary by
persons well acquainted with military affairs. It is
unierstood that the expedition will comprise about
60,000 men—cavalry, artillery, and infantry—and that
its destination will be some place near the isthmus of
Perekop, in order to co-operate with the allied army
before Sebastopol, by checking the advance, or, in the
event of the fortress being carried, by cutting off the
oetreat of the Russians,

THE PRESS.

dart au lastion.

The Queen visited the French School of Fine Arts
on Tuesday and the Botanic Society's flower-show on
Wednesday. That evening her Majesty gave a state
ball at Buckingham Palace to which nearly 1,700 in
vitations had been issued. On Thursday evening
the Queen and several of the royal children visited
the Polytechnic Institution. Yesterday there was the
last levee of the season at St. James's Palace. Last.
evening the Queen honoured the amateur perform
ante at Drury Lane with her presence. The receipts
of this representation will be appropriated to the
Wellington College.
Her Majesty will give a second state ball, on
Friday, the Ist of June next, and a second state con-
cert, on Wednesday, the 20th of June.
P►ince Albert went to the Wellington-barracks on
Wednesday morning, for the purpose of distributing
medals which have been awarded for distinguished
conduct in the field, to the non-commissioned officers
and men of his Royal Highness's regiment, the
Grenadier Guards. _ _ _

His Royal Highness the Duke of Saxe-Coburg,
brother to Prince Albert, arrived at Buckingham
Palace on Tuesday, from the Continent, on a visit to
the Queen.
Cabinet Councils were held on Saturday and Wed-
nesday last.
Lady Lyndhurst gave a ball on Monday evening, at
the family mansion, in George-street, Hanover-
square. His Serene Highness the Prince Victor of
Hohenhole honoured her ladyship with his presence.

The Earl of Eglinton gave a grand banquet on
Wednesday evening at his mansion in St. James's •
square.
A solemn Te Deum was performed on Sunday last
in the chapel of the French Embassy, to return
thanks for the preservation of the life of the Emperor
from the hand of the assassin. Nearly the whole of
the cores diplomatique were present, wearing their
respective decorations, &c. Cardinal Wiseman, at-
tended by some of the Roman Catholic prelates now
in London, officiated at the altar, and pronounced, in
French, an eloquent address. The chapel was filled
to overflowing.