Ziortllantun

A Cabinet Council held at the Foreign Office on Saturday, arid attended by all the Ministers, sat nearly five hours. A second Cabinet Council sat on 'Wednesday, for three hours. The only Minister absent was the Duke of Argyll. The Russian Minister, Baron Brunnow, left London on Wednesday, by the South-Eastern Railway ; and on Thursday he left England, embark- ing at Dover on board the Calais steamer.

The following list has been published with the assurance that it is au- thentic. It enumerates the regiments under orders for service; together with the date at which each corps is to be in readiness for embareation.

4th li- 0- 22d March 42d (Royal highlanders)..., 30th March

7th (Royal Fusileers) 25th „ 50th (Queen's Own) 18th ,, •

9th 6th „ 62d 5th

14th 3d „ 69d 7th „ 17th 4th „ 79th (Cameron Highlanders) 29th

21st (Royal North British B2d 16th „ Fusileers) 15th „ 88th (Connaught Rangers).. 27th

27th (Enniskillens) 10th „ B9th 1st „ 28th 17th „ 90th (Perthshire Light In=

35th 18th „ fantry) 9th ,,

38th 28th „ 93d (Sutherland Highlanders) 21st „ 39th 2d „ 95th 24th „ This would reduce the infantry force in the United Kingdoin (irre- spective of the brigade of Guards) to eleven regiments—namely, the 34th, 20th, 97th, 46th, 33d,. 77th, 91st, 12th, 19th, 23d, and the Rifle Brigade. It is intended early in the ensuing mouth that a camp, consisting of 30,000 English Militia, shall be formed either at Chobham or etch other place as the General in command of the Army shall deem fit. The Lords of the Admiralty have issued a proclamation commanding the services of one half [3000] of the whole Coast Guard force to be draughted into ships of war. These men are thorough sailors, and they will serve as a nucleus for the new crews: A report that the Cunard steamers had been engaged by Government to convey troops to the East is contradicted by the Times.

Last session, as our readers may recollect, Lord Brougham introduced a bill into the House of Peers to assimilate the Bankruptcy laws of Eng- land and Scotland. The committee of merchants, desirous of perfecting the assimilation of the commercial laws of the two countries, have not been idle ; and it is understood that a bill is about to be introduced into Parliament for the extension to England of the Scottish system of recover- ing by summary procedure on bills of exchange. By that cheap and speedy method of recovering payment, the holder is enabled, withcut bringing an action, to sign judgment when the bill is dishonoured, and after six days' notice to issue execution. Nor is the debtor allowed to dispute the bill until he finds two sufficient sureties for debt and costs ; and not even then, unless he can satisfy a judge, at the outset, that he has prima facie reasonable and honest grounds for refusing payment-

The proposed reform of the Ecelesiatical Courts resolves itself into three brauches,—matrimonial causes, testamentary causes, and the cns- tell, of wills. The intentions of Government respecting the matrimonial causes have not been stated. The proposal with regard to the custody of wills is, to transfer it to the Registrar-General, who would form an index of the whole. With regard to the judicial machinery, the Commissioners on Chancery practice and the Ecclesiastical Courts recommend that the jurisdiction of the 370 courts scattered over the country, shall; so far. as "contentious business" goes, be transferred to a single court in London, to he newly-created as one of her Majesty's courts, and to be called "Her Majesty's Court of Probate." Theypropose, however, to retain district courts, in some thirty instances, for mere administrative business ; and to retain also the exclusive practice of "'common form. business " to the proctors. Three of the twelve Commissioners—Sir John Romilly, Master of the Rolls, Sir Richard Bothell, Solicitor-General, and Sir James Graham—mark their dissent from so much of the report as advises the retention of proctors, and the erection of a new court in lieu of trans- ferring the testamentary jurisdiction to the Court of Chancery. It is understood that the promised Ministerial measure will depart from the report in conforming to the views of those three dissentients ; giving the jurisdiction, not to a new court of probate, but to Chancery.

Mr. W. P. Talbot informs the public through the Times of the present state of the Wellingtim. College project. The total amount of subscrip- tions promised'is 105,000/. ; of these 87,354/. have been paid. There have been invested in Government securities 69,9851. ; 2030/. have been spent in necessary expenses; a bill of exchange from India for 12,3731. is not yet due ; and the balance at the banker's is 29661. At a recent meeting of the Governors,—Prince Albert in the chair,—a finance committee was appointed, and also a committee to inquire and report as to the measures best calculated for carrying out the provislOns of the charter. " It was resolved, that the religious education of the pupils should be conducted in uni- formity with the system pursued at the Military School at Chelsea and the Naval Schools at Greenwiob,—that is to say, according to the doctrines and principles of the Church of England, but dispensing with any, com- pulsory attendance on' the part of Dissenters on religious services and in- struction." Mr. Talbot, urges subscribers who are in arrear to pay their subscriptions at an early periocl; and he calls for additional donations or annual subscriptions to found. such an institution as would•worthily represent the gratitude of the nation to the Great Captain.

Mr. Augustus Petermann has published a letter containing recent in- formation received from. the African explorer Dr. Barth. It will be-re- collected that Dr. Barth reached Lake Chadda early in 1851, and that, aided by money from the Vizier of Bornu, he set out to penetrate Adamana, alone. His perseverance was rewarded; for. on the 29th May 1851 he reached Uba, 155 geographical miles from- Enka. From that place he found the country to the-South " covered with splendid herb- age, and enlivened with numerous herds of cattle belonging tothe Fellatas." He found. the atmosphere cool, and refreshing; the country rich; and thickly peopled'; theland tilled by slaves in great numbers, and the houses more solidly built Tn one of his despatches Dr. Barth gives this account of a really great dielcovery- " The most important day in all my African journies was the 18th of June • when we reached the River Benne, at a point called Taepe, where it is joined by the River Faro.* Since leaving Europe, I had not seen so large and im- posing a river. The Benue or mother of waters,' which is by far the larger one of the two, is half a mile broad, and 91 feet deep in the chan- nel where we crossed it. On our return, eleven days later, it had risen foot. The Faro is 6-12ths of a mile broad, and was 3 feet deep, which had increased to n by our return. Both rivers have a very strong current, and run to the West into the Rowers. [Niger]. We crossed the Benue in boats made out of single trees 25 to 35 feet long and 1-to foot broad, and forded the Faro ; which latter was accom- plished-not without difficulty, on account of the strong current. The Benue is said to rise nine days' journey from Yola in a South-easterly direction, and the Fara seven days' journey distant, in a rock called Label.. During the rainy season, the country is inundated to a great extent by the two rivers; which rise-to their highest level towarda the end of July, and remain at that level for forty days, namely, till the first days of September' when the waters begin to fall. Both rivers are full of crocodiles ; and the Benue, I was told, contained gold. After having crossed the rivers, with some diffi- culty to the camels, we passed at first through some swampy ground ; then through a very fine country thickly inhabited ; and reached Yola, the capital, on the 22d of June."

In another communication of Dr. Barth he states that the river Benue rises during the rainy season to a height of 40 to 50 feet.

• In latitude 9 deg. 2 min. North, and longitude 14 deg. East from Greenwich, 235 geographical miles to the South of Kuka, and 415 geographical miles in a direct line Easi-hy-Narth from the confluence of the Chadds with the Kowara.

The health of the Metropolis last week was as nearly as possible at the average. The deaths were 1204, the calculated average of ten years 1200. There was one case of cholera.

Several of the Ministers gave political dinners on Saturday—Lord Aber- deen, Lord John Russell, Lord Granville, and Lord Palmerston. Lord Derby entertained a. number of gentlemen belonging. to his party.. The &rat meeting of the Fos, Club took place at Brooks's on the same evening. Subsequently, other dinners have been given—by Lord Lansdowne Lord Granville, and Sir William, Molesworth. Lord Granville Ras. supplied the occasion for some newspaper wit at the parallel of Boswell's feat in bringing together Samuel Johnson and John Wilkes; for the Earl's guests on Tues- day included Lord Aberdeen, the Bishop of Oxford, and Mr. Bright M.P. 9ynics might collate this list of guests with the list of speakers in support of misters .last night ; possibly even connecting these approaches to Mr. Bright with the creation of a new Ministry of War.] The Marquis of Anglesey, who has been ill, is recovering. The Marquis of Thomond has dislocated his shoulder by a fall at Bath : he is now doing, well.

Lord Dudley Stuart and Me. Colquhonn, Consul-General for Wallachia, hid a-nrivate interview with the Sultan on the 17th of January.

The Duke and Duchess of Wellington have arrived at Rome, from Tuscany.

Mr. Fairbairn, the eminent engineer of Manchester, being in Paris to take his seat in the' National Institute of France, received an Imperial command to attend at the Tuileries., The Emperor conversed with him for some timer1

, and at parting presented to him a diamond-mounted box, with the Imperial initials.

Count Orloff paid an unexpected visit to Prince Metternich at Vienna, and remained with the veteran diplomatist for an hour.

M. Leverrier has been appointed Director of the Imperial Observatory of Paris.

The Prince of Prussia has caused his son, Prince William, to be received into the Grand Lodge of Freemasons.

The Archduchess Elizabeth, the widow of the Duke Ferdinand of Modena, was on the 13th betrothed to Charles Ferdinand, the second brother of the Archduke Albrecht, who is civil and military Governor of Hungary. Prince Charles Ferdinand is commander of the tenth army corps in Hungary. The lady is. sister to the Duchess of Brabant.

Sainville, a clever actor at the theatre of the Palais Royal, died lately, from disease of the heart.

Patrick O'Llonohue, one of the Irish rebels who escaped from Australia and took refuge in the United States, is dead.

The Caledonian it-ere:ay says, the Duke of Hamilton, with the assistance of the law, has compelled the Roman Catholic church at Hamilton to restore to him certain precious pieces of plate, family heir-looms, presented to the church by the Duchess.

Persons proceeding from England to a French port—as Boulogne—must now be supplied with a passport, verified by the agents of France in Eng- land.

Information has been received from a source on which we place the ut- most reliance, but which we are not at liberty just now more directly to in- dicate, that a Government-officer has been round the manufactories in our immediate neighbourhood within the last few days, and that one of the ef- fects of his visit has been the placing of the Ordnance mark upon some ma- chinery on the premises of one of our most eminent firms. The machinery, in question, it is said, was intended for the Russian Government.—Grews wick Observer.

Declarations have been exchanged between Cardinal Antonelli and.Mr. Scarlett, to the effect that henceforth complete reciprocity of trade, on."the most favoured nation" principle, shallsubsist between Great Britain and the. Papal States.

The losses on our coasts during January were greater than in any month since 1816. Upwards of 300 wrecks were recorded at Lloyd's, and 700 per- sons perished.

It is estimated that 37,000,000 tons of coal are raised yearly in Great Bri- tain, of the value at the pit's mouth of 10,000,0001. The capital employed in the trade exceeds 10,000,0001., and 120,000 persons are employed at the mines.

One of the largest diamonds known has been placed by a mercantile house in the Bank of England. It came from Rio Janeiro, weighs 254 camft, and is valued at 280,0001. The Negro slave who found it obtained his freedom.

The collection of coins formed by the late Mr. Christopher Edmonds was sold last week by Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson. The cabinet was small, but very choice. There were only 270 specimens, yet the proceeds of the auction amounted to 12041. A rare coin of Mithridates, King of Pontes, sold for 601., the double sovereign of Edward VI for. 451. 108., and the fifty.. shilling piece of Oliver Cromwell for 671.

A rumour formerly current has been revived, that Austria wishes to sell the railways of the Government to a company. The capital of these rail- ways costs the Government 4 per cent, and yields to it only 21 per cent.

On the let of January there were 15,511 miles of railway open in the Uni- ted States; an increase of 2194 miles in a year.

A.telegraphie wire is laid between the Tuileries and the;Imperial stables in the Rue Montaigne.

The Government of Victoria has accepted a tender for erecting an electric telegraph from Melbourne to Williamstown.

Facts daily appear proving the vigorous progress of our North American- Colonies. Here are two. New Brunswick has paid the whole of its debt due in 1857 from the surplus of its revenue in 1852. The import-duties of lb- ronto in 1840 were 5060/. ; thirteen years after, in 1868, they were 166,0261.

It is intended that a number of steamers on the model of the Paris et Londres shall be built for carrying on the direct communication between Paris and London, The Paris et Londres was not the first steamer that as- cended the Seine to Paris from the sea : a short time back the steam-vessel La Sole arrived from Bordeaux, and gained a premium which had been of- fered for the feat. Nay, so long back as 1816, the Eliza steamer proceeded to Paris direct from London, and offered to the Parisians one of the first specimens of navigation by steam which they had witnessed.

An American dealer advertises his ready-made shirts and chemises under the mock modest appellation of " male and female envelopes."

The Mormons at Salt Lake City progress rapidly : "saints" arrive from all parts of the world, food is abundant, and the " temple" is rising. Some- missionaries who went to China have returned unsuccessful: they ascribe their failure to-their ignorance of the Chinese language.

The fluctuations on the Bourse at Paris have caused one defaulter to shoot. himself, and another has disappeared.

Since the 11th of August last, there were 10,916 attacks of cholera in Stock- holm, and 2872 deaths.

A terrible tornado swept over the State of Ohio on the 20th January. Its track was about half a mile in width, and it demolished almost everything it encountered. The town of Brandon was almost entirely destroyed. The gale was accompanied by terrific lightning and heavy rain, and followed by such a rapid rising of the streams of water that the town of Mount Vernon was partly inundated, and several persons lost their lives.

It has been found that the best substance to keep the copper bottoms of ships clean is lime-wash. Before the Blenheim screw-ship, 60, was taken out of dock at Portsmouth, last week, a double coating of lime-wash was applied to her bottom.

The labourers employed in removing the foundations of the old Excise Office in Broad Street have discovered some Roman remains beneath the base of a wall. The part as yet uncovered forms the border of a tesselated pavement, in which leaves and flowers are represented. The giant screw-steamer Himalaya was six days and a quarter on her passage from Southampton to Gibraltar—a time greater than that occupied by many other steamers ; but she met with " tremendous weather," a con- stant succession of adverse gales ; and there were stoppages amounting to twenty-four hours arising from "hot bearings" and other minor derange- ments incident to anew steamer. Making allowances for these circumstances, the trip is pronounced "one of the greatest triumphs ever yet accomplished by a screw-steamer."