The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-24 00:00:00

Mt= Lat Orbt'i Garr!'•.

FOREIGN-OFFICE, 22.—The Queen has been
pleased to approve of Mr. William Watson as Consul at
Liverpool for the Republic of Venezuela.
DOWNING-STRUT, DEC. 22.—The Queen has been
pleased to appoint Major Edward From:, of the Corps of
Royal Engineers, to he Son ;:or-Uenerul for the island of
Mauritiu ; ulso to appoint Fraheis Lewis Shaw Mercy. ether,
Esq., to be Postmaster-Giueral for the colony of New
South Wales; Michael Fi•z Patrick, Esq., to be Clerk of
the Executive Council of that Colony; llutenirson Mother-
sell Browne, Esq., to be Agent for Immigration ; and John
O'Neil Bream, Esq., to bo Water Police. Magistrate at
Sydney.

In addition to the Rifle Brigade, now under orders
for the Cape of Goad Hope, it is said that the 85111
Foot will also be sent. At present thin: are, exclu-
sive of the local farce, eight regiments of the line
and one of Lancers in that colony, and the 43rd was
shortly expected. The Cape Corps will, in all pro-
bability, be converted into a whi'e regiment. Rumour
adds that Lord Harris will shortly proceed to the
Cape, to supersede Sir Harry Smith in the civil
government. The choke of such a man as Lord
Harris would, it is believed, be popular in the colony.

LORD JOHN RUSSELL AND THE DEPUTATION FROM
THE MANCUESTER REFOIOI CONFERENCE.- Yesterday
afternoon, ut a quarter past 4 o'clock, a meeting of the
friends of parliamentary and financial reform was held at
Newell's-buildings, Manchester, to receive Lord Jolla
Rus-
sell's reply to the appli:ation of Mr. Milner Gibson, M.P.,
on behalf of the Iteforni Conference, that his lordship
would name a suitable time fur au interview. The letter
has already appeared in the Express. The meeting
was attended by Mr. Bright, M.P., Mr. Kershaw, M.P.,
and others. The meeting had nut coaclailed when our
report left.
FURTHER INSTALMENT OF Kosstos.—The second
division of the third volume of Alexander Von Humboldt's
Kosmos has just issued from the German press. The new
chapters treat of the circuits of,the sun, planets, and comets
of the zodiacal lights, meteors, and meteoric stones. The
uranological portion of the physical description of the
universe is now completed. Letters from Stuttgart state
that the veteran philosopher has already made good way
into the fourth volume of his great work.
FRENCH FACTORY IN CHINA. —lf we are rightly
informed, our Minister of Commerce is at this moment
projecting the establishment of a French factory in China,
of the nature of those which the Dutch, the English, and
other nations have formed there. This factory will be
placed under the superintendence of M. de Montigny, our
consul at Shanghai, and is expected to exercise the meet
beneficial influence on our intercourse with the Celestial
Empire.—Journal do Havre.
NEW PENAL COLONIES.—The anticipations we
expressed in a recent article on the 'abject of transporta-
' Hon, that steps would be taken with a view to the forma-
tion of penal settlements and coaling stations for steamers
in the Southern Pacific, arc, it appears, about to he speedily
realised. We now understand that the Lords of the Ad-
miralty have given directions for the immediate equipment
of two vessel., to proceed upon an exploratory expedition
among the South Sea Islands, including New Caledonia and
the Fegees, with a view to ascertain the capabilities they
respectively present ter the purposes in question. We also
learn that her Majesty's ships flutist and Arrow are
destined for this service ; and that the Board of Admiralty,
with a laudable appreciation of the professional talents and
public services of Captain Mangles Denham. have appointed
him to command the intended expedition. It is likewise
stated, upon the best authority, that her Majesty's steamer
Pluto is about to be despatched to the coast of Africa, to
commence the survey of the Bight of Biafra from the
point at which Captain De.nham concluded his operations
in her Majesty's ship Avon a few years ago.—Eirerpool
Albion.
COAL Dock's 1N TIIE TYNE.—Docks for the ship-
ment of the immense quantity of coal annually sent from
the Tyne has loag been de,ired, said on Monday the draft
of a new bill was laid before the River Tyne Commis-
sioners, at a meeting held in the Merchant's.hall, New-
castle, for parliamentary posers to erect a large dock in a
creek called Hayhole, about a mile above Shields harbour,
for the shipment of coal from the coal field on the N.E.
coast of Northumberland ; nearly a million tuns of coal—
about thrte-fourth of the coal shipped in the river, being
now put on board vessels at this place, by the ordinary
means of staiths. The commissioners,also,seek further powers
to erect two large piers or breakwaters at the month of the
harbour, for the purpose of iling a greater uniform depth
of water on Shields bar, and affording protection to vessels
' coming into the harbour in rough weather. It is also pro-
jected to form a dock of ono kundted acres upon Jarrow
Slake, the funds to be raised by private enterprise. The
dock at Jarrow Slake will be fur the shipment of coal
brought by the York and Berwick Hailwey from the Dur-
ham coal field. The funds for the erection of Hayhole
Dock will be raised primarily upon the ordinary dock aues ;
secondarily the dues raised by the commissionersin the
dock will be pledged, the eoulownen, having staiths at this
place, agreeing to ship their coats in the dock for 50 years.