The Express.
London, England, 1859-10-21 00:00:00

THE UNITED STATES.

(nor ors. °wig

NEW YORK, Ocr. 8. ,
Ballooning is the latest rage in these latitudes,
and it has excited a good deal of attention, owing to
the promulgation of a theory by one of the professors
of the art recently, that there is a steady current of
air in the upper strata of the atmosphere from west
to east, caused by the earth's motion on its axis, " or
something," as a young lady would ay. To verify
it, the professor in question, who rejoices in the
stupendous cognomen of La Mountain, with two
friends, ascended in a monster balloon at St. Louis,
and getting into the very upper regions did really
light upon an eastward current, and was carried
towards the Atlantic for twenty-four hours, at as
enormous speed and finally, after traversing Lake
surface
Erie on the of the wafer, in a violent hurri-
cane, and at the imminent risk of both being
drowned, and smashed by pairing steamboats, they
alighted on the following morning at Troy, in this
State. The professor has ever since rather plumed
himself upon at least a partial verification of his
' theory. He ascended again with renewed Deca-
dence from this neighbourhood the other day, and
for a week nothing was heard of him, and he was
given up for lost, when a telegram was received
from him this morning announcing his safe descent
in the Canadian wilds, 200 miles from civilisation,
with the loss of balloon and everything else, and his
having fallen in with some Indians, who guided him
to the frontier, after having been four days without
food. He had travelled northward, it appears, five
hours, at the rate of a mile • minute, and ten hours
more of such sailing would have brought him to the
Polar regions, and Into the very neighbourhood in
which Sir John Franklin is supposed to have been
lost. This untoward result seems rather damaging
for the eastward current theory, and was certainly
very near being damaging for its originator. Bat
such adventures have nevertheless a tendency
to throw a halo round ballooning, which the tamer
exploits of " the veteran Green " could never give it.
A monster aerial machine has just been constructed
by another sanguine inventor, and is now nearly
ready for ascension in this city, by which he con-
fidently expects to be able to cross the Atlantic.
The car is an enclosed snugly furnished apartment,
with a trap door in the floor by which a descent may
be effected by a rope ladder into a boat, suspended
beneath, and armed with • screw or paddles, worked
by an Ericson caloric engine. How the machine is
to be steered does not clearly appear, but it is on •
monster scale, and attrac's a good deal of attention.
The Chinese news continues to form the main
topic of discussion in the newspapers. They are
tolerably unanimous in their condemnation of Com-
modore Tatuall's interference in the conflict on
the Peiho. Some few commend it on
the score of humanity and good-fellow-
ship; but the general feeling is one of
dis ipproval, partly, however, owing to the hostile
tone exhibited by some of your contemporaries,
before the details of the fight arrived, on hearing
that the American Minister had nude his way to
Pekin in advance of the allies. People ask which
they are to take as sincere, the expression of surly
dissatisfaction at Mr. Ward'. diplomatic success, or
that of gratitude for the kindness of the American
officers to your forces during as well as after the
action. They say they find it hard to be kicked and
shake hands at the same moment. Admiral Hope's
course in insisting on passing up that branch of the
Peiho without satisfying himself that the Chinese
statement that there was another was actually false,
meets with very general condemnation. I have not yet
heard • single opinion on the other side. War, and
above all, war with barbarism, over whom we claim
• moral as well as physical superiority, ought
not to be resorted to until every pains
have been taken to ensure our being in the right. A
gunboat sent round to the north would have ascer-
tained in half-a-day whether there was another
mouth to the Peiho or not, and whether there really
was an officer waiting there to receive the ministers.
Atter tour or five hundred men have been killed and
wounded, and a bloody war re-opened, it is not
pleasant to reflect that, patinae, it was all due to a
mistake, and that a little inquiry might have pre-
vented it.

The " Eleven of All England" have, during the
peat week, been giving us a specimen of their powers
in cricket-playing, by administering a thorough de-
feat to the twenty-two who undertook to represent
all America. We have accepted the tbrashirg in a
very proper spirit, end are now organising clubs all
over the country, in a fit of enthusiastic ardour for
outdoor amusements.

AUCKLAND WASTE LANDS ACT.

TO TKII EDITOR Or TOR Exmass.

SIR, We hate the satisfaction of stating that we
have received an intimation from the Ca rtlal-oiflee that his
Grace the Duke of Noroastin has Mt bitumen enabled to sub-
mit the " Waite Londe Act of New Zealand, No. 76, of
1863," to her Alaj-aty, and that it will be lett to its opera-
tion ; and thereby the " Auckland Wade Londe Aot, MS,"
has been continual by the cuverianeot.—We are, &c.,
ALEX. F. RIDGWAY AND SONS,
Agent. to the Provincial Government of Auckland,
New Zeolatd.
40, Lcloestor•equare, London, Oct. 20.

Tne Rev. T. BINNET.—Mr. Disney ham arrived
at Malta in excellent health, and expects to lead at South-
.lll3lltUll n-at week. His anti nppeetenia in public will be is
his own pulpit on the following Sundey owning. A enure-
epot.deui. dating Hotan Tuwo, Tanutimia,Augunt It, wnted :
—" Mr. (honey'', legion io Etipinad, who remember the low
and depnoned .bas In wi.icb be bate them (unwell,
would rejoice greatly to ere hie bale appearance, aod
to Iritnens the return td that biloyoncy of spirit which
id Laurel to bum. Hia visit will cot he readily
forgotten by the assay to whom be was :until now
pereogally unlmen. Wherever he hen pealed or lec-
tured be ban drawa admiring crowd*, who have been mi-
naret' as much by Inn cmgoltc .pint an by the gentian.; of
hi. ability sad the peculiarity of big style. All reran, pro-
(anima, sod chases united to show biro due rrepect. At the

elnee of the lecture he delivered the eirtnierg before he

saMd. en address, signed by the (Soverans, the two Judger,
the I.l6orre of the prosecuting', several clergymen. Red nearly
throe hundred other planes, was proen.cd ly the Attorney -
General, who ort sided on the occomoo."—lneriot.

DEATH OF AIR. FRANCIS GRAVEo.—We regret to
kayo to enflame, the euddeo death or Mr. French. Graver,
of Pall-mall, which occurred on Saturdey last. Ile wee
well lateen to this country and on the Continent as on. of
the beet judges of engravings both ancient ao.I modern. Ris
knowledge of English end foreign vomits, and hie familiarity
with every fact of their binary, and the live' of the original.,
were &tarot unrivalled. Donna up•ads of thirty years
*envoi of the finest collections in England, and eepecbtliy that
of the late Lord North wick, wive mewed under Mr auperin-
teoderce ; end to hint the yriot•room of the Britiat Mmetuu
i• indebted for teeny sot iie runt curious prints and drowsy.
II- was also ea admirable judge of peistingo, as far se hho
rot icol portraits ore c.mcarrote, and eeveral of the meet inter-
• ovioei pictured to the recentljoectabliehed tistioaal Portrait
Gallery had paned through hie Lauda