mam. -

COMMUNICATION WITH NORTH AMERICA.

(From the Manchester Guardian.)-

The success of the steamers from Liverpool to Bostdn, by way of Halifax, has caused consider- able attention to be directed to. that route; and the Boston steamers seem likely enough, not merely to divide the trade in passengers with the New York vessels, but to obtain the greater por- tion of it. The advantage obtained by the Brit- annia over the British Queen, both in the outward and homeward voyage, is not owing entirely to her speed, but to the smaller distance which she had to cover, as will be seen from the followmg statement, which has been carefully taken from the best charts, and may probably interest some of our readers :—

New York to Liverpool.

ToCape Clear ‘ - - - 2748

Cape Clear to Tuscar - - 150

Tuscar to Skerries - - 90

Skerries to Liverpool - - 60 -— 3048

New York to Bristol.

To Ce 6 Clear 1 - - ‘24?

C l t -B 'sto - - o ape ear 0 ri 3023

New York to Portsmouth.

To the Lizard - -‘ 2962

Lizard to Portsmouth - - 200 —- - 3162

Halifax to Liverpool.

' To Ca e Clear - - 2200

Cape lear to Tuscar - - 150

Tuscar to Skerries - - 90

Bkerrics to Liverpool, - - 60 —— 2500 Boston to Halifax - - 350 2850

The advantages of? the route by Halifax and Boston are not: confined to the smaller total dis- tance; for, in a steam voyage across the Atlantic, it is a matter ofrio small consequence‘to have an intermediate station, at which, if the progress of

’ the vessel should be retarded by unfavtiurable weather, a fresh supply of coal can be obtained, and the chance of missing the voyage greatly diminished.

THE QUEEN OF PORTUGAL. (Frmn the M10 Monthly.)

It may be interesting to devote a few words to the description ofthe young Queen of this coun- try as she now appears; and curiosity must be more active regarding her as she was for some time in England.

By her first husband, the Prince of Leuchten- burg, the Queen had no children; by the se- cond, Prince Ferdinand of Coburg, she has two Princes born, and this gives the husband the right of being styled King of Portugal. He is extremely youthful, being not more than twenty- one, the Queen is twenty. This Coburg Prince is stated to be a well meaning young man, with- out vices, and disposed to meddle very little in public affairs of any kind. He is much influen- ced by a clever German, :1 M. Deily, who came to Portugal with him; and another important personage of his suite is a Monsieur St. Leger, a Frenchman, who married a Portuguese.

But to return to Donna Maria. The small, interesting little person, who was so much ca- ressed by George IV. and William IV., is now grown into a very large woman. It is rare to see aperson of her age of such an extraordinary size. ller features are of a heavy cast; her hair is light, and dressed in ringlets, but without ornament, and is tied in a knot behind. She is greported to be ofa harmless, inofl‘ensive charac- ter ; and when hanging on the arm of the King, who is a slender youth, the contrast is singular.

The misery to which the Royal household is reduced can best be appreciated by stating the fact, that the Government find it more conve- nient to take charge of and keep the Royal es- tablishment than pay a stated sum for the purpose to their Sovereign. The salaries of all are greatly in arrear; and the Royal personages are in such ‘distress for money, that they are obliged to pro- cure it on their own promissory notes, from Jews and private persons, at an immense discount.

The Palace expenses are arranged and regu- lated under a Board of Direction. The Queen and King dine almost always together, though the former takes her breakfast and dejeuners a [a fourchette separate. There are no tables for others—no hangers on, no Court people kept. \Vhat remains from the Royal board is imme- diatcly given to the poor. The servants and all the attendants are on board wages. Few recep- tions are given at the Palace, and even when there is an audience of the Queen, she hardly opens her lips, or has communication with any one. The priests have considerable influence with her Majesty.

Tits SEAT or WAR 1N SvaiA.--Beyrout, Beyrouth, Beyruth, Beirut, or Bairout, is a town of Syria, on the shores of the Mediterranean, situated on the south side of an open bay. It was a Phoenician city of great antiquity. The name is supposed by some to have been derived from the Phoenician deity Baal-Berith, who had a temple here ; but Stephanus Byzanthius says it was so called from its abundant supply of water. Beer (he adds) signifies in the Phoenician lan- guage a “ well.” Diodotus Tryphon entirely destroyed it about 140 B. 0., but after the con- quest of Syria by the Romans, it was rebuilt near the site of the ancient city. Augustus, who made it a colony, called it afler his daughter, with the epithet “ happy,” Colonia Felix Julia, and medals were afterwards struck in honour of the Roman Emperors, bearing the legend Colo- nia Felix Berytus. (Plin. v. 20.)—Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, decorated the town with a theatre, amphitheatre, baths, &c., and instituted games. Herod the Great held here an assembly, in- which he condemned his two Eons, Alexander and Aristobulus, on the charge of conspiring against his life. After the capture of Jerusalem, Titus celebrated the birth-day of

his father Vespasian at this city. Berytus was famous for the study of the law, for which there was a celebrated school in the city, the founda- tion of which is ascribed to Alexander Severus ; it certainly flourished, atleast, before Diociptian. Justinian called it the “ nurse of the law, and would not allow any other city than Rome, Con- stantinople, and Berytus, to have professors who should expound the Roman law. _

When the Saracens overrun Syria, Berytus fell into their hands. It was taken from them in 1111, by Baldwin, king of Jerusalem, but retaken by Saladin in 1187. During the Holy Wars it often changed masters, and is the scene of the fabled victory of St. George over the dra- gon. Till the year 1791 the French had a fee- tory at Beyrout, but they were expelled by Djezzar, Pacha of Acre, who seized the place from the Emir of the Druses, to whom.“ then belonged, and placed a Turkish garrison in it.

Since this time both the town and the adjacent country have been greatly neglected, though it still continues the entrepot ofthe commerce of the Druses and Maronites, whence they export their cottons and silks, and receive in return rice, tobacco, and money, which they exchange for the corn of the Bekaa and Hauranz

Beyrout now contains few traces of its former splendour. From the debris without the present walls, it appears that the ancient town occupie a larger space than the modern, which is'but a small place. The walls are strengthened by several towers, and there are five gates to the city. It receives a copious supply of water from a small river called Nahr Beirut, which rises in Mount Libanus, and flows into the sea a short distance from the town. The streets are narrow and dirty, like those of all Turkish towns ; the houses are mostly built of stone. The town is commanded by some low hills to the S. E. Its population is estimated at 6000 souls, of whom the Turks formone-third. There is a large and well-built morque in the city, formerly :1 Chris- tian church, dedicated to St. John, and there was a Capuchin convent. The‘suburbs of the town are as large as the city itself.

In point of locality, Beyrout is as pleasantly situated as any town in Syria ; it stands at the verge ofa beautiful plain, varied with small hills, and extending to the foot of Mount Libanus. The surrounding country is covered with kiosks, and enriched with groves of vines, olives, palms. and orange, lemon, and mulberry trees; behind which rises the lofty chain of Libanus. No corn is produced around the town ; a small red wine is made on Mount Libanus, which is cheap and good ; but raw silk is the staple, which, with cotton, olives, and figs, is exported to Cairo, Damascus, and Aleppo.—Game is abundant,the beef from Libanus is excellent, and supplies of all sorts may be procured good and cheap.

The bay is large, and the anchorage good, though open to the northward; formerly there was a port, but now there is only a small mole sufficient to shelter boats. The entrance to the river is too shallow to admit a boat of any size. There is a rise and fall of about two feet.'but no regular tide. Beyrout is in the pacbalik of Acre ; it lies in 33. 49% N. lat. 35. 27 E. long, 40 miles S. S. W. of Tripoli, and 13 miles N. N. E. of Slade.

THE Jews or DAMAsccs.—The following brief recapitulation of the affair of the Damascus Jews may be acceptable to many of our readers :--A Cotholic priest, named Father Thomas, suddenly disappeared from the quarter of Damascus in which he resided, on the 7th February last. Having been seen on that evening near to the shop ofa'Jewish Barber, the latter was appre- hended and questioned, and finally subjected to torture. when he made what was termed a con- fession, and accused several of the principal Jews in Damascus ofhaving put Father Thomas to_ death. This declaration was accompanied Wllh various details, confirmatory, in the opinion of such judges as Damascus could furnish, ofthe guilt of the person accused. They were seized, committed to prison, and also tortured, to extort a confession of what they had done with the body. Even young children, for the same purpose, were subjected to similar atrocities. It. need not be stated, that before such a tribunal what was deemed an entire and satisfactory proof of guilt was elicited. In this stage of the affair an appeal was made to the Pasha of Egypt by the Jews of Damascus, to put an end to the application of torture as a means of procuring evidence in criminal process, and to permit the further inves- tigation of this affair to take place at Alexandria. To the first part of this application Mehemet Ali immediately assented, and, in a manner which does him honour, prohibited the use of torture against the accused persons; he refused, howeyer, to have the process referred to himself, but directed that it shOuld be removed from the jurisdiction of the Damascus authorities, and conducted before a tribunal composed of Euro- pean consuls specially delegated for that purpose. I‘bus, as the afl'air now stands, the Christian monks are the accusers, and Christians also judges; but the population and authorities of Damascus are prejudiced against the accused persons and eager for conviction. For their defence European advocates of eminence are engaged and are now on their way to Damascus, accompanied by Sir Moses Montefiore, who is specially deputed by the Jews of London and Paris to encourage the persons under trial by his presence, and to afl'ord them such assistance in money and advice as they may require.

MR. caeisn’s BALLOON—NARROW ESCAPE.

Mr. Richard Graves O'Donnell, who accom- panied Mr. Green in an ascent from the grounds of Cremorne House, has given an interesting account oftheir narrow escape. He says that in descending-Mr. Green cautioned me particu- larly to take fast hold of a rope, which he had fastened across the wicker car, and luckily I obeyed his instructions to the letter, for presently

s

It ht check from one grappling-iron if: dtiilitvna fiogm the hoop iboveliolngngli‘sttzfifi of 140 feet towardsthe eart . e 0mg at there came a terrific shock; W6 “’9' dam" an. the rate of at least 60'miles an hour, an _

' ' kc and .owmg to char caught in the side of a dy _ , z "3"ng x xtreme s eed at which we were Ira _‘ , igfeeits way fhrough the hoop, to _Whl(}:lh it w: fastened, and, coming in contact With E e flay“, it snapped, completely upset it, so that anh ad; Green were turned topsy-turvy, with our e / towards the ground. The rope which was pas:- ed- along the car alone prevented our falling ou ,‘ thOllUll so complete was the upset, that mag: o the :ontents of the car, such as the ballast, (13., as well as my own hat, dropped to the earth. it another moment the car sighted, and the balloon, thus freed from every check, descended, dashing us with terrific force against the ground. Im- mediately after, it ascended, and again brought us with a fearful collision to the earth. The wind was blowing with violence, and we were thus carried along for upwards of half a mile, till at last we reached a sort of creek or small _river, throuo'h which we were hurried, half buried in its writers, to the opposite bank, over which we bounded like a tennis ball, and, after a few mo- merits, found ourselves dragged through some acres of marsh and osiers, towards a high mound,

d which I confess I contemplated with fearful an-

ticipations of the result. But onwards, still on- wards, the terrible demon to which we had linked ourselves, held its way. Ere long we were dash- ed againSt it, and then carried over it, right upon a strong paling that lay at the other_ side; but nothing could withstand our impetuosny, and we burst through the oaken timbers as though they were cobwebs—not, however, I regret to state, without Mr. Green sustaining some very severe internal injuries. We had now a level plain be- fore us. There were large herds of cattle gra- zing in the plain, who, when they perceived the balloon approaching, at first formed themselves into a body, as though to resist an invading ene- my, but on our nearer approach fled panic-struck before us. Never was seen such an extraordinary chasenwe were dragged along the ground, fastened to a monster that seemed to disdain all human guidance, and chasing a herd of cattle, who fled in terror, with their tails in the air and their heads to the ground. Ere long I found means to throw myself out of the car, without sustaining any material injury, and seizing hold ofone of the ropes, which I twined round my left hand, as I was apprehensive that the balloon, when lightened of my weight, might bear my fellow adventurer on a second reluctant. visit to Nassau, the rope cut through my flesh nearly to the bone : but I managed to hold on till a countryman came to my aid. Need I enter into any more details? Suffice it to say, that we found our- selves near Rainham, in Essex. having accom- plished that distance from Cremorne House, Chelsea, in less than 20 minutes. The peasant- ry, who soon congregated about us, rendered us every assistance, and mine host of the Phoenix, in Rainham, contributed all he could to revive and recruit Mr. Green, who was rather seriously indisposed, and is, I am afraid, hurt internally. Thus, according to Mr. Green, I have the hon- our, let me add the pleasure, of having shared with him the greatest risk he ever encountered in 275 trips. The physician in attendance on Mr. Green states that “the whole amount of his injury is a dislocation of the first and second bone of the sternum, with a simple fracture of two ribs on his right side, which, after his peril- ous exploit, is as trifling an accident as could well have occurred.”

THE SHIP BLENHEIM FOR New ZEALAND.— On Monday, August 24th, the Royal Tar steam‘ er left the Broomielaw with the Rev. Dr. Mac- leod, Mr. J. Crawford, and others, on a visit to the ship Blenheim, then lying at the Tail of the Bank, previous to her departure for New Zea- land. The ship is commanded by Captain Gray, and the emigrants amount to betwixt 150 and 200. They are chiefly from Lochaber, Morven, and Skye, with a few Lowlanders. The families consist of the parents, with from six to ten chil- dren each, and they are all under the kindly and fatherly care of Mr. M‘Donald of Drimintoran, a genuine and highly respectable Highlander, who, to prove his confidence in the benefits to be de- rived from emigration, and the trust that might be put in his sincerity, goes out along with his family and friends to the land of hope, which, we understand, is Wellington, Port Nicholson. In addition to this gentleman, there is Captain Campbell frotn Lochaber, and his family, Dr. Sutherland, Mr. John Cameron, Mr. M‘Farlane, and Dr. Campbell, the surgeon of the ship, from Mull. Some families were taken into the steamer at Glasgow and Renfrew, to be conveyed to the ship, and it was pleasing to observe the kindness and attention paid to these people by the active Secretary of the New Zealand Company at this place, Mr. Crawford—When they had all got on board the Blenheim, they Were assembled

"below to hear an exhortation in Gaelic, from the

Rev. Dr. M‘Leod, who seemed to be almost adored by his countrymen. Although we knew nothing of the fine musical language which fell from the lips ofthe reverend gentleman with ear- nest volubility, we do not envy the feelinos of the man who could have witnessed such a siene wtth dry eyes and a light heart. The parting of friends is always, in our opinion, one of the most melancholy events that can take place, and a parting such as this was, almost without hope of ever meeting again, doubly painful. The women sobbed aloud, and many a tear trickled down. the cheeks of parents and children as they bethouoht themselves of ther native glens, and homes. ;nd the. friends they had left behind. It is no doubt all for the best that these poor Highlanders should leaye a land that cannot even supply their very limited wants, but it is a woeful thing when it comes to the moment- of departure. Never, we

believe, did a_more simple and unsophisticated

1e traverse the deep, than those ‘ the Blenheim. The Bible seemed n chief treasure of the adults ; and. w = thing it was to see some of the y, ‘ perusing, in sadness, the ministerial ‘ g I of cod character and conduct they had, I careful to procure, before leaving the land - fathers! With our whole hour} we bid ‘ u good speed.”-—Before leaving, Dru presented to the emigrants. from Mr- ~ ’f fifteen volumes of the most valuable books Gaelic language, with 11 few ‘0 EM. " Library in New Zealand, under the . . « v. dence of the Rev. Mr. Macfarlan there. SALE or Gaowrno Cape—Don - I M -—A great deal of growm grain w . public roup in the course 0 last week tended the sales personally to some] and used a little exertion in ascertaining ' act state of matters in others. .41 P ' the various lots of Cats averaged a! . acre; Mr. McGill, however, obtained! figure, ,having sold four lots near th, which averaged £1145. 6d. Anot field he sold privately; and we belieso obtained the same sum fora crack . .4 I on the farm of Park. At Kirkton, I . " a fine field of the same grain brought and we understand Mr. Johnston, I i c a good many acres of corn. whi, ‘. nearly £14. But the sale of salesin ter occurred at Guillyhill on Thursday the whole growing produce on the ‘ rouped, exclusive of green crop. s i _ oats actually realised the high price of , upwards, and the whole extensive field it grew, averaged £13 103. per acre. 3 tice of selling growing crop appearsto “of tending to this neighbourhood, and we ' heard the most experienced persons say there is nothing which at roups pay so ‘ oats—not eve'i wheat in proportion, where v, best qiiality.—Dumfr2'es Courier, Aug. 23 LOCKERBIE LAMB FAiR.—-_The num , lambs shown is variously computed at fr!!! 000 to 50,000. There is no doubt they e ed those of any of the four last years. F ‘ half of the whole were Cheviot, and the of top, wether lots of this breed, was dec' , __ much greater than had ever been shown at" _ V erbie. Of the other half, three-fourths” Cheviot and Leicester crosses, and there der were black-faced. There was a large, - dance of the usual Scotch and English dealers, and a great deal of business was The fine weather that had continued for a night, had created more animation in the I trade over all Britain; and the farmers m.‘ a disposition to conclude sales at the p v . ; prices. Cheviot tarred wool, which was ‘ principal sale, gave from 145. to 14s. 6d; , 24lbs.; white Cheviot, 22s. to 23s.; black-fa 7s; to 75. 6d. ' EXPERIMENTAL FAnMs.—We understand tit Sir Francis A. Mackenzie of Gairloch, Ba ll" being fully convinced of the importance of -,, perimental and model farms, intends forming. » Joint Stock Company of £100 shares e' for the purpose of renting one or more- farms ' Scotland, and cultivating them as model fa - on the most approved and profitable modes ,, management, suited to our northern soils a' climate. The ,, worthy Baronet has no do either as to the good effects of such an estab ' ‘ ment, or to its being profitable to the compa ,‘ under proper regulations, and a well-devi 1" system. . EXTRAORDINARY SPEED ON A RAILWAY.f- ‘ few days ago a new locomotive engine, with sengers, on the North Midland Railway, trav ed from Rotherham to Derby, taking a very train of passengers—the latter part of the d tance no less than 500—and the journey, whi , is upwards of39 miles, was performed in an i and 25 minutes. In returning, the engine, ‘wit only the tender attached, ran 10 miles in eigmléf" minutes, between Belper and Claycross tun ~. _ CANAL BETWEEN THE RHINE AND THE Dm: one—Napoleon’s grand project for uniting the" ‘ Rhine and the Danube, by means ofa canal, is very nearly cosummated. The whole will be; finished in 1842, and it is now completed from Bamberg to Nuremberg. A part of this grand undertaking will thus be open for navigatior‘iil, the course ofnext year. I ~_ The manufacture of buttons has at lengtl, reached the ne plus ultra of perfection. An in 3 i‘ genious Frenchman has invented a button, in which the principle of nut and screw is applied, so that without a stitch, buttons may be far more ' securely, as well as more speedily, put upori‘ . clothes than in the ordinary way—Birminng Advertiser. ; CURE son Too'i'i-iAcun.—,-At a meeting oflhp- London Medical Society, Dr. Blake stated, “that, . he was able to cure the most desperate cases 0 I. toothache, (unless the disease was conn ' with rheumatism,) by the application ofthe lowing remedy to the decayed tooth :~—Alu 1 reduced to an impalpable powder, two drachms'f“ 2 nitrous spirit of tether, seven drachms. Mix endlf :. apply them to the tooth.”—L¢mcet. , THE QUEEN AND Tire Poem—In her law “ progress” in the North of England, that My _ and Gracious Lady, the Queen-Dowager Adela!“ . honoured Rydal Mount with her 9'03"“: 3. . 1 was there entertained by William Wordaivm‘m the Poet. The now venerable man, bite-1333‘“. . met her Majesty at the gate; and ushering 1W into his house, did the honours of the table alt-0‘ collation. The Royal Lady conversed agrest- deal, and with evident satisfaction, with 59' “919‘ brated host. As a matter of course In"! 93°F ’ man, he bore his part on the occasion, With l greatest dignity : for what less could-be 9‘9? from one whose life has been 09¢ 09“? training to self-possession and heroic be!a