The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-04 00:00:00

THE AUSTRIAN EXPLORING

EXPEDITION.

The Austrian Government in the course of -last
year despatched the Novara frigate on a voyage
found the world, provided with all the means of
scientific investigation and discovery. By accounts
received from the officers of the expedition it -ap-
pears that the Novara, havineCape touched at the Cape
d
ed offe
26th of poectTolawsnt
ffoorfti2;te
olfayGs,oao
nd tHheonpe s' mailreedoaillntli
Islands of St. Paul and New Amsterdam' The
' commander of the .Novara, M. Wulierstorf•lT. rb
the officers, and naturalists attached to the
exp:dsi!
,ion, received every mark of attention and kind-
ness during their stay at Cape Town from Sir, G.
Grey, the Governor of the colony, and they seem
to have been most agreeably surprised by finding
at the southern extremity of Africa, instead of a
rade settlement, where they expected wild animals
and savage Hottentots, a community so advanced
in civilisation, wealthy, flourishing, possessing, all
'he appliances of an old society, cultivating art-And
literature, and provided with well-stored shop,
public libraries, museums, and botanic gardens.
Cape Town afforded the inquiring minds of-the
Austrian explorers an admirable opportunity of
comparing the results of colonisation by the erier-
40'.ie Anglo-Saxon race, its enterprise and pro-
gress, with the mournful decay and decline-of most
of the Spanish and Per:Nu:se settlements.
Of the climate, resources, and natural advantages
)f the Cape colony the ustrian men of science
speak in terms of the highest admiration, and
express their opinion that, as a field fcr coloniza-
tion from Europe, it is preferable to any part of the
United States. A large number of German corni-
grants will shortly be settled in the colony, under
the superintendence of a respectable Hamburg firm.
The Novara sailed from Table Bay on the 26th of
October for the islands of St. Paul and New Am-
sterdam, which are so little known that it is only
since 1853 their names have been accurately settled.
Before, from the confusion made between them by
captains of vessels and successive navigators, it was
not known exactly which was which. But an Eng-
lish ship having been wrecked on cne of them in
1853, the Admiralty ordered an inquiry into the
cause of the inaccuracy of the description of the
islands and their position. The result was the dis-
covery in the archives of the Dutch East and West
India Company at Amsterdam of the original log-
book kept by the celebrated navigator Antonio Van
Diemen, during his voyage from the Texel to
Batavia., between the 10th Dec., 1632, and 214 of
July, 1633. According to this authentic record,
Van Diemen passed within sight of both islands,
which are only 42 miles apart, on the 17th of June.
1633, and that ho then gave to the northern island
the name of New Amsterdam, and to the southern
that of St. Paul. This island was visited by Lord
Macattney in 1792, on his voyage to China as
ambassador ; he has described it in his account of
his voyage, but makes the usual error of that period
in calling it New Amsterdam. Though both
islands lie in the track of ships bound to India,
China, Australia, and New Zealand, they are very
imperfectly known. The commander of this first
Austrian scientific expedition, therefore, touched at
them on the way to Ceylon, and during a stay
of 19 days t cok a more complete survey of
both than has yet been made, though the weather,
except for six or seven days of the time, was very
unfa,vourable. The position of St. Paul, as fixed
by the Austrian observations, is in lat. 38 deg. 42
min. 55 seconds S., and long. 77 deg. 31 min. 18
seconds E. from Greenwich. Beth islands are
undoubtedly volcanic, and in St. Paul the geolo-
gists found the most complete confirmation of L.
von &wife theory of craters of elevation. One of
dose craters forms a sea basin capable, with little
difficulty, of being made a secure harbour of refuge
for ships disabled by storms in the Indian Ocean,
even ships of large burden. Though the rains are
heavy the climate is healthy, and adtni's of cultiva-
tion. If staled, the island, with an abundant
upply of vegetables, would be well adapted for the
easy recovery of crews suffering from scurvy.
The Novara on the 6th December touched at
New Amsterdam. On landing it was found impos-
sible to penetrate furth€r than the summit of the
cliffs, the in! crier being covered with a dense growth
~f shrub (cyparia). But there is no doubt that the
island is of the same volcanic origin as St. Paul,
and probably of the same geological period. New
Amsterdam is in lat. 37 deg. 58 min. 30 see, S., and
long. 77. deg. 34 min.. 40 sec. E. Its highest point
is 2,784 feet above the sea level. The island was
sighted by the French expedition in search of La
Pei ouse in 1792, but the commander (Duttreces-
teaux) did not land, not being able to approach the
coast on account of dense clouds of suffocating
smoke. It has always been a question whether this
smoke proceeded from some active volcano in the
interior; but some of the crew of the Novara set
fire to the brushwood on the cliffs, and the result
was precisely the phenomenon seen by the French
commander.

r The results of the observations made by the
naturalists of the Austrian expedition are being
prepared for publication.

THE MEETING IN HYDE PARK.

Mr. Beadon, the Marlborough-street police magistrate,
on finding that the foreign gentleman who was attacked
in Hyde-park by the mob drawn together on Sunday
week by persons who desired to give a public expression
of opinion on the Conspiracy to Murder Bill, did not
make his appearance when the prisoners were examined,
remanded the case iu the expressed hope that the gentle-
man would come forward at the future examination. In
consequence of what appeared in the public papers, the
magistrate received the f: Vowing letter :
" 2, Church-court, Clement'e-laue.
" Worshipful Sir,—l am informed by Sergeant Dowd
that it is your wish that I should appear on Monday
next, but as I think the disturbance in the Park on
Sunday was parily owing to some disagreements of
party, and as I myself am a foreigner, I think it best I
should not appear. At the same time I must inform
you that the statement of ficts in the papers is correct.
—Your very obedient servant,

BESSRT.
Mr. Beadon wrote to Mr. Besset in reply, and the
result was that Mr. Basset consented to attend to prefer
the charge yesterday.
George C,x was put to the bar charged with arsault-
ing 11Ir. Desset.
Mr. Beset on being sworn said—l live at the Pavilion,
Sloane-street. I waq in the park on Sunday Reek. I
was in a carriage with ladies. As I was going home all
at once I was attacked in Hyde Pazk by several people.
The defendant was among them. The defendant took off
ray bat by getting on the footboard behind the carriage,
and struck me on the head with my hat eeveral times,
I said to the coachman, " Turn round," but there was
no chance of doing so for some minutes. The defendant
continued strikieg me for three or four minutes. I could
ne,t get my hat again—some people took it, and I lost it
altogether. I do not think defendant spoke to me.
The defendant, in reply, said—What the gentleman
fates is all true ; but lam not the man at all. It was
a man more respectably dressed than I am.
Mr. Beadon, to Mr. Besset—Do you recognise this
person ?

Mr. Ilesset—l think I do, for I struggled for my hat.
Mr. Beadon—Have you any doubt about him /
Mr. Beeset--There were so many persons there that
I may make a mistake ; but in my opinion he is the
man.
Police-sergeant Dowd, who gays evidence previously,
said the defendant was the man.

Mr. Beadon—l am satisfied that you (defendant) are
the man. Your conduct has been such, prisoner, that I
could not think of allowing you to escape all punish.
ment, and therefore I desired Mr. Besset to attend at
this court. I shall fins you 51. for the assault, and one
month's imprisonment for the assault on the constable ;
and I further say that, indisputably, when riots occur
in this way, I will put on the heaviest penalty the law
permits.