The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-03-08 00:00:00

FOREIGN MISCELLANY.

OVERWEG.—This youthful and enterprising African
traveller has died of malignant fever in Central Africa.
His companion, Dr. Barth, intends to discontinue his
journey.

CURIOUS MISTAKE.—A German, who has recently
written an account of London for the benefit of his coun-
trymen, speaking of the old bit of wall in Lincoln's-Inn,
at which Ben Jonson is reported to have worked as a
bricklayer, states it as his opinion that the laborious
fitting and placing of bricks may have served as a useful
preparation for the working up of his immortal dictionary.
THE ADBE LACORDAIRE has been ordered to quit
France, in consequence of a violent sermon preached by
him against the government at the church of St. Roche.
The Archbishop of Bordeaux is about to proceed on a
mission to the Pope, to secure, if possible, his presence ,
at the coronation. He is empowered to make liberal
terms, in the shape of new bishoprics and the abolition of
objectionable articles in the concordat.

A PICNIC AT THE. CAPE.—On Friday, the 14th of
January, a picnic party from Somerset joined a party of
friends from Mr. Hart's house at Glen Avon, and saun-
dered up the bush behind his house to the beautiful
waterfall which has attracted the attention of hundreds of
visitors. The party consisted of about forty, including
children, the whole of whom left their guns, excepting
Commandant 'William Bowker and Mr. Hart, at the
house. In passing through the bush Mr. Bowker ob-
served the fresh spoor of a man's foot on the ground,
which he pointed out as very suspicious to those who
were with him. Some time afterwards a loud shouting
and hurrahing at the foot of the waterfall from the more
juvenile part of the party aroused five huge Caffrey, who
had formed a very secure den near the water by immense
quantities of wood which they had piled up to screen and
defend themselves. They at once darted into the bush,
but Bowker and Hart shot one of them dead and severely
wounded two others, as proved by the large blood spoor
which they left in their flight.—Cape Frontier Times.
THE MADIAI.—The effects of Lord John Russell's
despatch on the Grand Duke of Tuscany, may be gathered
from the following extracts from Mr. Erskine's despatches
from Florence, describing its presentation to the Tuscan
minister, who consented to receive it unofficially, as—
" The Grand Ducal government would protest, not only
against anything like intervention by force of arms, but
even against the right of her Majesty's government to
tender its advice in such a shape as could be 'construed
as an attempt at moral pressure.' Even such commu-
nications as the present he deemed highly injudicious, as
tending to keep alive in the mind of his imperial and
royal highness the impression left by the interference of
the Earl of Roden's deputation. His excellency and his
colleagues bad spared no effort to induce the Grand Duke
to exercise the royal prerogative of mercy ; but his impe-
rial and royal highness would make no promise as to the
exact period at which ho should see fit to commute the
sentence of the tribunal. As a friend,' he added, I
will tell you frankly, that the more this question is agi-
tated from abroad, the less chance is there of an early
liberation of the Madiai.' " The receipt of the despatch
by the Grand Duke had precisely the effect anticipated
by this minister.

PARIS GOSSIP.

(FROM THE COURT JOURNAL.)

Crowded churches, sacred music, and popular preachers,
fully occupy the time of the fashionable world at present.
It might be imagined that the Parisians are the most
religious people on the earth, such is the eagerness and
anxiety to fulfil the ceremonies which the Romi h Church
enjoins during the period of Lent. Carriages containing
the elite of society are seen driving in due state up to the
doors of the Magdalene, St. Roch, and Notre Dame de
Lorette, whilst less conspicuous persons quietly and
demurely walk along the boulevards, armed with their
beautifully bound prayer-books, looking as if they were
determined to take Heaven by storm. There is one
thing, however, that somehow or other shakes the belief
of the spectator into the actual seriousness of the whole
affair, which is, that each of the fair sex, be her con-
dition what it may, has been evidently devoting some
hours to the toilette, for not one of them but is charm-
ingly dressed ; there is certain to be a bewitching bonnet,
an alluring cachemire, exquisitely tinted gloves, and an
undeniable pair of shoes. All those look certainly as if,
although many of their thoughts have rest in Heaven,
there are still some stray ones fixed on the earth, and
capable of inflicting mischief upon poor helpless man.
Wednesday and Friday are days of somewhat more severe
penance and strictness ; but although they may be duly
observed with regard to diet, and to feeding on fish, they
certainly are not as far as relates to the external ornament
of
person ; and certain it is that those who are worldly
enough to wish to see Parisian beauty in its most appro-
priate morning costume, may take their stand at the
church doors on those days, and they will have ample
opportunity.
Her Imperial Majesty grows daily in popularity ; her
manners secure for her the general interest, and there
seems little doubt that she will become a favourite.
Not a word is breathed about the coronation, although
there is reason to believe that a ministerial discussion has
taken place. Of course nobody expects to hear much
about it, till some sudden announcement informs us of
the Emperor's decision. We are now so much accustomed
to these surprises, that they produce no effect. It will,
however, be somewhat more difficult to keep the State
secrets in such mysterious silence ; for without wishing
to hint that ladies are at all more communicative than the
other sex, it is generally observed that where they hold
the empire in their hands, there generally oozes out a
little more of the position of affairs than when they have
no insight into them ; and it is possible that in future we
may be able to prophecy as to the future course of events
with more prospect of their being realised than we have
been enabled az yet to do.
As soon as Lord Clarendon's time may become less
occupied, it is probable that the question of presentations
at the Imperial Court will be brought before him, as the
110 means satisfied with some
residents in Paris are by