Zionitautano.

We have authority to state that Major-General Bentinek and Lieu- tenant-Colonel Lord George Paget will return to the Crimea, the former to command the Fourth Division of the Army, instead of the South- western District; the latter to resume the command of the Fourth Light Dragoons, instead of retiring from the swim by the sale of his commis- We feel high gratification in stating that the health of the Duke of Cambridge (about which some most exaggerated rumours have lately prevailed) has so much improved that his Royal Highness has probably ere this resumed the command of his Division in the Crimea.—Globe.

Major-General H. W. Barnard and Major-General Lord Rokeby have been appointed to eommands in the Crimea.

The following letter has been addressed to the lady of Sir De Lacy Evans by the Minister for the Department of War.

" Downing Street, Nov. 22.

"Madam—I trust you will not consider me intrusive or impertinent, but I cannot resist the temptation of congratulating you from my heart upon the record of this day's Gazette of an act of the truest heroism and finest chivalry on the part of Sir De Lacy Evans.

"All know him to be a gallant soldier ; but I know nothing more noble in the records of war than a veteran General rising from his bed of sickness at the sound of a battle, hurrying to his troops, and, instead of claiming his right to command them, resolving not to supersede the junior who was win- ning the laurels of the day, but remaining at his side, aiding him with his advice, and assisting him as if he were his aide-de-camp.

"God grant him a safe return in good time ! "I have the honour to be, Madam, your very obedient servant,

" Lady Evans. NEWCASTLE."

There were the usual Ministerial banquets on Monday. The Premier entertained a number of Ministers and other Peers. Lord John Russell, as Leader of the House of Commons, gave his entertainment at the Foreign Office, to the Speaker, the mover and seconder of the Address, and a number of Members of the House holding office in the Ministry. The Queen's Speech was read to both circles.

Lord Dunkellin arrived at his father's residence on Monday, from Russia. The Duke of Somerset appears to have relapsed.

The Emperor of the French has elevated Baron de Bourqueney, his Minister at Vienna, to the dignity of Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. M. Leon Faneher is dangerously ill at Marseilles.

It is understood that the first three regiments of Militia that will proceed on foreign service are the Monmouthshire, the East Essex Rifles, and the South Staffordshire ;• they having volunteered some time since.

It was ascertained by an experiment in Portsmouth Dockyard, on Tues- day, that six Sappers can erect one of the newly-constructed huts for the army in the Crimea in two hours, and that twelve Sappers can erect one in half the time.

A mail for the British army in Greece, Turkey, the Crimea, and fleet in the Black Sea will now be made up every Tuesday and Friday evening, in- stead of six times a month, as heretofore. The postage remains the same— letters, 3d. the quarter-ounce ; newspapers, 2d. each. The "navvies" who go out to the Crimea to construct the Balaklava and Sebastopol railway will be accompanied by a chaplain, in the. person of the Reverend George Gyngell, a missionary who haa devoted much time to the spiritual enlightenment of railway labourers in Herefordshire. Mr. Peto furnishes a liberal supply of Bibles and Testaments,

The Eastern Counties Railway Company have sent out a considerable quantity of surplus rai s, &c., to the Crimea.

A correspondent of the Times complains of Russian officers from Lewes dancing with English ladies at Brighton, at a ball given for the benefit of the Patriotic Fund—brother officers of those who murdered wounded Eng- lishmen In the Crimea. [But are these officers Muscovites, or only Russian soldiers against their will ?]

The French Government having permitted the Bomarsund prisoners in the Isle of Aix to volunteer to serve in the Foreign Legion of the French Army, no fewer than 318 Poles, non-commissioned officers and privates, enrolled themselves. They will soon be sent, to the Crimea, where a battalion of the Foreign Legion is serving in the Sixth Division. [Is this safe ? Can Poles be trusted ?]

The Louisville Times says that a young gentleman of that city had been thdered a Colonel's commission in the Russian army; and that he would robably leave about the let of February, in company with several other .entuckians, for St. Petersburg.

It is expected that the Queen's new steam-yacht the Windsor Castle will launched at Pembroke about the middle of next month; and there are pea of a Royal visit on the occasion. "Scinde Railway," with a capital of 750,000L, is proposed. It would t from Kurrachee to Hyderabad, 110 miles. The promoters hope to get :uarantee of 5 per cent from the Indian Government, as in the case of er railways in, India. t is feared that the mtate of Mr. Oliver cannot be satisfactorily wound- iwithout going into the Bankruptcy Court.

'here have been slight disturbances at Madrid, on account of a rise in the pe of bread. 'he Prefects of several French departments having prohibited the con- faction of thatched roofs, as dangerous in ease of fire, in some places there be been riots; the people contending-for their right to be burnt out in the gad old way.

At the sale of the late Baran de Meilembourg's collection of pictures, in /iris, the crowd of amateurs was so great after the first five minutes, that it ins impossible to enter the room. A landscape by Hohbema fetched 80,000 :rants; "The Horse-market," by Wouvermane, 72,000 francs ; and a land- scape by Both, 28,500 francs. The Swedish-Danish telegraph across the Sound ia now completed, and messages can be sent from Hamburg to Stockholm. There are three salt-mines in. Wallachia belonging to the Government, and worked by convicts, which produce a revenue of about 250,0001.—a large sum in that country.

The Swedish Diet have passed a law heavily fining any one who is not an ordained priest for administering the sacrament, and also mulcting those who receive it from such a person. This is aimed at the large body of or- thodox readers and other seceders, who refuse to use the modern neological handbooks, and insist on the old formularies.

In Spain, as in some parts of the South of France, the Pope's proclama- tion of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception has been celebrated by rhea and illuminations. On Friday week Madame Clesinger, the wife of the celebrated sculptor. ind the A:laughter of Madame George 'Sand, who was brought up by her mo- ther as a Deist, and taught to deny all revelation, publicly abjured the prin- ciples in which she was educated, and was received into the bosom of Catho- licism by communicating (" as premiere communion t(..1i0'1,■:. Sacra Creur.—Daily News.

The navigation of the river Murray, in South Australia, by the Lady Augusta steamer, which tows bargee, continues with success, though water has been short this year. The steamer Melbourne has also entered the river from the sea. The Legislature is about to provide funds for surveying,, beaconing, and erecting leading marks at the mouth.

Something more than gold-digging and moneymaking are now thought of in Victoria. A correspondent of the Glasgow Commonwealth declares that the colonists progress socially : a " Victoria Institute " and a " Philso- phical Society " have been formed at Melbourne; the acting Chief Justice de- livered the inaugural address at the opening of the Institute.

The Maryborough diggings, two hundred miles from Melbourne, three months after their discovery had a population of 25,000, a theatre, bowling alleys, and a horse-race.

Melbourne is rapidly improving as a town, substantial stone or brick buildings rising in the principal thoroughfares, while the roads are maca- damized, and even pavement has appeared—flagged with stone brought from Caithness.

Sergeant Walter Morrison, of the Scots Fusilier Guards, acted as interpreter to the.band of the Guides when they visited London. The Emperor of the French has sent a very valuable gold watch and chain to be presented to the Sergeant. Morrison has gone to the Crimea.

There was a violent thunder-storm at Newtownstewart and Strabane on Sunday sennight. A large fire-ball was seen to dart through the air, over Strabane, and when it reached the earth and exploded it fired a stack of oats. A number of holes were observed in the ground where the stack had stood.

A panic has prevailed in the sugar trade during the past week, from the belief that the Chancellor of the Exchequer intended to increase the duty on that article. In Glasgow, duty was paid last week on 56,000 cwt., and a large quantity of whisky was taken out of bond. In Greenock, duties were paid for the week ending last Saturday to the extent of 20,0001., and for the previous week of 18,0001.; the average sum paid weekly for sugar duties being from 80001. to 90001.—Scottish Press. lr'(,. 1 .:71 / Canada is suffering from its " usury law," which n:a =61 ;eta-veep:0f , interestat 6 per cent : across the border a much higher , t 'pan belobtnitied ' in the United States, on good security ; in consequence burly alt Surplus funds in Canada are invested in the Union. " Tightness " of an alarming kind has resulted in Canada ; trade is crippled, and failures have followed ;: while English merchants find that remittances from their correspondents are delayed. There is no bankruptcy law in Canada.

The Quebec Railway was completed on the 27th November.

There has been a great mortality from cholera at St. John's, Newfound- land.

Judge Hoffman has decided that holders of shares in the New York and New Haven Railway which were fraudulently issued by officers of the Com- pany have an equal right to be counted holders of stock with any other share- holders.

Monetary affairs are improving at New York, after being dreadfully de- premed. The price of wheat and flour had declined.