The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-06 00:00:00

TOTAL LOSS OF HER MAJESTY'S STEAMER

--
AVENGER.
[By Electric Telegraph from Southampton.]
The Pacha, which took out the Indian mail instead
of the Eriu has returned from Malta. She brings
news of the total loss of her Majesty's steam frigate
Avenger, on the Cerilla rocks, on the 20th of Dec.
Three officers, a surgeon, and five of the crew only
are saved. The Avenger is a steamer of the first
class, of 1,144 tons and 630 horse-power. She was
builtby Sir W.Symons at Devonpott in 1843, and was
put into commission for the Mediteranneare station on
the 20th of last November. We subjoin a list of
her officers: Capt. C. E. Napier (son of the admiral);
Lieuts. Hugh M. Kinsman, Frederick Marryat (eon
of Captain Marryat), Francis ltooke ; Master
William Archer; Second Lieut. of Marine Artillery
H. S. Haynes; Surgeon James 11. Steele; Paymaster
and Purser Valentine A. Hailo ; Assirt.-Surgeon Ber-
nard Delany; Second Master William Betts; Clerk
Henry J. S. Walker.
FURTHER FA HT ICULARS.—The Pacha, Captain
Olive, has just arrived. She left Southampton on
the 9th with the Indian mail in lieu of the Erin,
which received damage during the late dreadful gale,
and was obliged to return. The Pacha reached
Gibraltar on the 17th Ike-, and left again the same
evening fur Malta. H.M.'s steam frigate Avenger
left Gibraltar five hours before her. On
the 20th the Avenger was seen from the mast
head of the niche. this was at 2 p.m. The Paella
arrived at Malta on the 22nd, and left on the 24th for
England. On the eve ning of the 23th she was sig-
nalled by a French man-of-war named the Lavnisier,
and Capt. Olive was informed by the French captain
that the Avenger seas wrecked on the evening
of the 20th, on some sunken rocks known
as the Cecelia Rocks, about thirteen miles
from the Island of Galeta, and which must have
happened within a few hours after she had been
seen from the masthead of the Pacha. The l'acha
immediately accompanied the French man-of-war to
the scene of the wreck, and picked up portions of it,
which she now has on board. It appears all on
board the Avenger perished, except three officers,
the surgeon, and five of the crew, who escaped
in a bast to Tunis. It was at Tunis
that the French man-of-war heard of tke wreck,
and from whence she immediately went out to render
assistance, and while attempting it met with the
Paella.

_
lt is probable that more particulars of this disaster
will reach by the Overland Marseilles.

WALLACHIA.—The following letter, dated Bu-
charest, Dec. 10, 1847, is published is the Morning Chroni-
cle. It narrates a case of cruelty inflicted by a capricious
t) rant, whose conduct would only be tolerated in a barbarous
land :—" A circumstance has just h..pper.ed here which is so
serious in itself, as a caw of individual oppression, that I am
inclined to send you the details, and to request that you will
lay them before the public. The history of the marriage of
the Hospodarof Wallachia is sire illy pretty generally known,
and it would at all events be of little interest t e your readers
to enter into the details of the stormy menage of the royal
couple, or of the violent scrod produced by the little prin-
ces., whose caprice, and absurdities ere here the theme of so
much eenndtl. Both the prince and princess were previously
married, and each had a numerous family, when it pleased
Providence (fur reasons which, though inscrutable, are no
doubt good) to bring the couple together. To give these
children a suitable education, governesses have been
brought from France and Germsay, and it is to
relate an creed° in the existence of one of these
unlucky persons that I now trouble you with the letter.
In the month of &refute r last, a young lady from
Hanover, of the age of 25 years, was engaged as under-
governess to instruct the limp, der's family at the very
mod. et solar yof 201. a year. For some time after she was
installed in her authority and appointment all went well;
bat three days ago (on the 7th of the rawest month) keying
observed her with tears in her eyes, mid evidently digressed,
the princess inquired the reason. The young lady said that
she was annoyed by the nurse in attendance on the youngest
infant, who was immrdiately called and asks d to explain.
The nurse at once decried the accusation, and told the prin.
ce-ss, toot &moment, that the young laity lied. A disgrace-
ful scene of violence ensued, in which the princess declared
that she did not believe one word said by the unhappy
governess, but gave full credit to the nurse. The young lady
wu eve rwhelmed with the turn the affair was biking, and
the princess observing that she was pale and trembling.,
exclaimed, " You are guilty, for you tremnl.." Upon
which the governess ciliary replied, " I tremble only
before trod." This pi sun sentiment was too much fur
the patience of a princess who has the honour of partaking
the throne of the Hosipodar of Wallachia. She vowed that
she wee insulted and would he avenged. Indeed, she
not only pronounced judgment on the lady, end declared
she should Ise punished, but was on the eve of executing the
sentence with her own fair hands, when the 'lmpeder
entered. The /iuspodar received the version of the story
which the princess chose to give him, and without further
inquiry or delay he called one of• his aides-dc-camp, to
whom he gave orders that he should at once see twenty-
th e lashes (ditto title) administered to the young lady.
The governess was consequently seized and dra led into a
neighbouring room, where she received from the hands
of a rniet de Monthly, in presence of the aide.de-camp,
the full amount of the punishment ordered. The unfor•
tunate lady in vain implored the pity of the c Meer.
The only reply she received was a peremptory order to
the lacquey to proceed. At length she fainted under the
torture, and was carried in a deplorable state to an hotel,
where sue was abandoned, alone, degraded, and ruined.
It SO happened th►t in the hotel to which this unhappy
young woman was carried, a French traveller was residing,
who, he aring the moans and min of distress which proceeded
from the neighbouring room, entered and discovered her in
a state of frightful agitation and despair. She requested to
be brought to the catholic archbishop, who was her only
acquaintance in Bucharest, at whose recommendation she
applied for protection to the consular authorities. She was
acenrdingly conducted to the residence of the British consul-
gerietal ; but that functionary being no longer, as formerly,
the protector of the subjects of the kingdom of Hanover (his
lelaicety King Ernest having chosen to place them under the
protection of a power which acts upon principles more in
accordance with his own than those of Englishmen,)
could do nothing but send a statement of the ease to the
Austrian consul, who acts as Hanoverian consul also,
accompanied by a strong recommendation of his own in
her favour. The fallowing day the head of the police (a
Frenchman, by the bye, whom I remember at the Tuile-
ries, and who had been pres-nted to the Hosr,dar by H.
Guizoti, for what purpose you uriy gue.4, came to the Eng-
lish Consul-General (Mr. Culquhoun) and demanded that
the lady should be forthwith sent out of the province,
his highneas, however, offering to pay her expen►es as far
as Vienna. Ihe French Aga of the Walisehian janissee
ries., who had expected to have a difficult affair to manage,
was delighted to find that it was out of the hands of the
&Wish consul, who in such a case would not be easily
pacified. He went to the Austrian consul, who though
riot anxious to push matters very far, and who promised to
arrange the affair, nevertheless could not help point-
ing out the gross ill-usage to which the young lady had
been subjected, and the insult offered to a Hanoverian
subject contrary to the faith of treaties, etc. The short and
the long of the affair is, that it has been arranged that the
young governess shall leave Bucharest in a few days from
this time, and as reparation for his gross conduct,
the Hoepodar has deigned to express his regret that his
aide.de-ramp should have been so maladroit as to execute
his orders to the letter. He further, on learning from the
Austrian agent that an indemnity of 100 ducats (551.) would
be required, promised that that sum should be paid to the
lady on her snivel at Vienna. It appear. from this that
the Austrian official in question estimates the blows inflicted
upon this unfortunate and friendless female at the rate of
four ducats per lash. It is well, however, for the young
lady that the matter is not even worse. Had the Hospodsr's
Aga been aware in the first instance that Hanoverian sub-
jects were no longer under the protection of the British
consul, she would probably have received nothing. It is to
the British consul's interference that she owes even the
small weed of justice that has been accorded to her, and it
is to be regretted that he could not do more. W hat will
the King of Hanover say to the protection bestowed on his
subjects by the representative of Prince Mettenfich ? Here
the affair has created universal indignation, and not among
foreigner alone, but among the Wallschians themselves.

TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE.—Sir,—Your persevering
labours for the removal of all taxes on knowledge are worthy
of the utmostpraise and assistance. Why is there not an asso-
ciation of men of all parties, and especially of literary men, to
endeavour to convince government of the impolicy of all taxes
whatever which directly affect the distribution of know-
ledge ? Let Lord Ellesmere, Mr. Monckten Milne's, Sir
Edward Bulwer Lytton, Carlyle, Dickens, &c., unite and
pray government to remove altogether the tax on news-
papers; commuting it for a postage where newspapers go
by dm post. To reduce considerably the tax on advertise-
ments, and to repeal altogether the paper duties. The
ministry that should do these things would deserve well of
the whole country.—F. B.