The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-04-29 00:00:00

PuitEIGN AND COLONIAL,

There is a rumour in circulation that Aden has been
declared a free port.

SPAIN.—A royal decree has been published, author-
ising the marriage of her Majesty Queen Maria Christina
of Bourbon to Don Fernando Munoz, Duke of Rianzares.

Reports from Syria have been received of the plague
having broke out at Jerusalem, and that the number of
deaths is forty a day.

M. de Saussure, the celebrated naturalist and chymiat,
died at Geneva on the 17th instant, in the 77th year of his
age.

The Countess de Survilliers, widow of Joseph Bona-
parte, and formerly Queen of Spain, died at Florence on
the Bth instant, of a fit of apoplexy. She had long been
in a state of ill health.

The booksellers of Cologne have concluded an engage-
ment among themselves not to publish or sell any wri-
tings against Rome, or in favour of the religious move-
ment in Germany. This is a specimen of the spirit of
popery in the nineteenth century.
The Delhi Gazette describes a tremendous storm which
has spread desolation through a range of six hundred
miles, from Ferozepore all along the Himalaya to Cawn-
pore. Lightning, thunder, and deluges of rain marked
this visitation. The tents of the marching regiments had
a foot of water in them, and the camp became a swamp.
A letter has been received at Havre from the captain
of the Latour d' Auvergne, of that port, stating that he
has discovered on the south-western coast of Africa, on
an island which is not named, a bed of guano, superior in
quality even to that of Ichaboe. The quantity, however,
is small.

THE INTENDED ATTACK ON ADEN BY THE ARABS
Extract of a letter received at Lloyd's, from their agent
at Aden, dated March 29 :—" The &talk threatened by
the Arabs has not taken place. They had assembled in
force to the number of £20,000, but, as usual. they quar-
relled amongst themselvcs, had a fight, and the whole
force may be said to be broken up."
BARBADOES.—The Barbadian alludes to the loss of
£5O sterling in Jamaica Bank notes, by a young gentle-
man who arrived hence at Barbadoes by the last packet.
By the annexed paragraph from the same paper, it will he
seen the vacuum pan is in successful operation in Barba-
does:—We have seen a sample of the most beautiful sugar
we ever looked upon, made at Mellowes by the vacuum
pan. It resembled the most brilliant and transparent
sugar-candy.

NEW TRADE WITH CHINA.—We perceive, by some
recent New South Wales papers, that Mr. Benjamin
Boyd is about to open op a new trade for the Australian
colonies with China. The objeet of the voyage is for the
purpose of endeavouring to introduce among the Chinese
the staple comodity of the colony,—wool, and pening a
market with that greit nation. Accounts from some of
the Northern parts of China, to which some time before
Mr. Boyd sent samples of Australian wool, have prompted
to this extended enterprise.—Globe.
WEST INDIES.—The Trent steamer has arrived with
the West India mails. The papers reach to the 25th of
March from Jamaica, and the files from the other islands
are to corresponding dates. It is pleasing to find that the
planters are in a measure satisfied with the late govern-
ment arrangements for the reduction of the sugar duties.
The liberty they will now enjoy of establishing refining-
houses is accepted as a boon, and it is thought many of
the merchants will enter into the business as a profitable
speculation.

A TOWN IN DANGER.—The small but industrious town
of Graus, in Arragon, is threatened with annihilation. A
portion of the conical rock at the foot of which it is seated
has, from the effects of the thaw after the long-continued
frost, begun to separate to the extent of 15,500 cubic me-
tres, or 20,000 cubic yards. The whole of the inhabitants,
seeing the impending danger, have left their houses, many
of them with so much precipitation that they have not
stayed to take their furniture with them. An engineer.
employed by the snunicipality, has surveyed the moun-
tain, and reported that there are no means of preventing
the fall.

THE OVERLAND MAIL.—The usual extraordinary ex-
press, in anticipation of the overland mail from India by
way of Calcutta, reached London on Monday morning,
bringing news from Calcutta to the Bth March, Madras
to the 4th instant, and China to the 4th Feb. The news
brought by this conveyance is destitute of interest. The
Punjaub remained perfectly quiet, and was not likely to
be disturbed until the arrival of the cold weather. The
Scinde campaign appears to have been at an end, Beejur
Khan, the only remaining malcontent, having offered to
butte...tier, oil we euuuiiwu tnat Ills lire would be spared,
and some land allocated to him. The war in the Mah-
ratta country appears also to have burnt i'self out. With
regard to the Punjaub, the government was on the alert,
but had evidently no intention to act on the aggressive.
It was, however, quietly concentrating its troops on the
north-west frontier, in order to be prepared for war,
should the sikhs attempt to cross the Sutlej. The gover-
nor was at Calcutta promoting the cause of education and
internal improvement. Affgbanistan was quiet. Akbar
Kban remained, when last heard of, inactive at Jellala-
bad. For the rest, there is nothing which has not been
anticipated by the last advices from Bombay. From
China there is no news, foreign or domestic of the slight-
est interest.

ANECDOTE OF THE DUKE OF YORK.—About the year
1810, while his Royal Highness, in company with his late
Majesty King George IV. was reviewing the troops of the
eastern district on Leaden Heath, near Colchester, then
commanded by the Earl of Chatham, an old soldier was
observed by His Majesty mounted on an infirm hack, and,
stuck by the veteran's appearance, requested to be in-
formed who he was. The commander-in-chief replied that
it was old Andrews, the oldest soldier in the service, hav-
ing served in the respective reigns of George the First,
George the Second, and George the Third ; and that be
was then on half-pay. An aid-de-camp was immediately
despatched to require the attendance of the veteran soldier,
and, on his obeying the summons, a long and interesting
How old are you ?" asked the
y years old, your Royal High-
and have been seventy ye,,rs in

conversation took place.
Duke. "I am now ninet
ness." replied Andrews, "

the service. tioserviug Lou ne was dressed in an old
suit of regimentals, his Royal Highness asked how long he
had them ? " About forty years," he answered ;at which
the Duke took up the skirt to feel the texture, and re-
marked, that such cloth was not manufactured nowa-
days. " No," said Andrews, " nor such men neither !"
The reply so amused the Duke and Prince, that the vete-
ran was ordered to be placed f.r the future on full pay,
thus rendering the residue of his days comfortable. An-
drews died at the age of 97, and was buried in the church-
yard of St. Mary's, Colchester.—Araval and Military
Sketch-Look.