some supposed in compliment to France, but more recently by others as representing those in the armorial bearings of Gen. Washington. A description of this flag is given in a London paper, published in 1776. On the 14th June, in the succeeding year, the American Congress" Resolved, that the flag of the 13 United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be 13 stars, white, on a blue field-representing a new constellation.' A new star-spangled banner" made its appearance on the river Thames (London), October, 1851, showing five stars emblematical of the British colonies New South Wales, Victoria (Hong Kong), South Australia, Van Dieman's Land, and West Australia.

AMERICAN LITERATURE. The first English work written in America was Sandy's Translation of the Metamorphoses; Dr. W. Vaughan's poem of the Golden Fleece was written about the same time. Jocelyn, who wrote the New England Rarities, and his Two Voyages, brought over a version of part of the Psalms, by Quarles, which, if approved by the Minister at Boston, was to have succeeded Sternhold and Hopkins in the New World. The first work printed was the "Freeman's Oath," Cambridge, 1639; the second an Almanac, calculated for New England. by Pierce, a mariner; and the third "The Psalms, newly turned into metre."-Dr. Holmes's American Annals. AMUSEMENTS, PUBLIC, New York, April, 1851.

The average nightly receipts, exclusive of Astor Opera House (not obtained), amounted to $5.800.

AMUSEMENTS, LONDON. The amount annually expended in London for sight-seeing, theatres, &c., is estimated at about four millions sterling.—Art Journal.

ARMY, (STANDING), U. S. A. June. 1850, the regular army of the United States, including 882 commissioned officers, consisted of 10,320 men: distributed, eastern division, in the Atlantic States; western, west of the Alleghanies; and the Pacific division in Oregon and California. Expenses of the war department year ending June 30, 1849, partially including those of the Mexican war, amounted to $17,290.936.

ARMIES. EUROPEAN, 1851. Great Britain, 114,451, infantry and cavalry effective; France, 408,000 (exclusive of National Guards, who number over 2,000,000); Russia, 674.000; Austria, 405,000; Prussia, 121.000, which last with Austria, has an effective organization of the Landwehr, similar to the National Guards of France.

ARMORIES, U. S. There are five armories in the United States, viz.: Harper's Ferry, Virginia; Springfield, Massachusetts; Alleghany, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; and Watervliet, New-York. For the fiscal year ending January 30, 1850, the manufactory of weapons of war is reported as 28,115 percussion muskets; 2000 percussion cavalry musketoons; 2,676 percussion rifles; 110,487 flint lock muskets altered to percussion. ASTRONOMY. The planet Uranus, was discovered through observation of the perturbations of Jupiter and Saturn; and similar movements in Uranus led M. Leverrier to determine by calculation the existence of a new planet. This remarkable theoretic conclusion was verified on the night of Sept. 23d, 1846, by M. Galle, at Berlin, the new planet (Neptune) being found in the position and with the diameter announced by Leverrier, one of the noblest achievements of modern times. M. Arago calculates the distance of

this planet from the sun at 1,250,000,000 leagues, or about 3,125,000,000 miles! Periodic time nearly 166 years. Its volume is about two hundred and thirty times that of the earth. Thus, during the year 1846, the bounds of our solar system have been nearly doubled. The discovery of Neptune marks, in a signal manner, the maturity of astronomical science. The Parthenope, a new planet discovered by M. de Gasparis, at Naples, May, 1850; the name of the Victoria, discovered by Mr. Hind in same year, was changed for that of Clio; the Egeria planet, discovered by de Gasparis, at Naples, November, 1850. Another discovered by Mr. G. P. Bond, of Cambridge, United States, August, same year; and one by Dr. Peterson, of Altona, situate near the North Pole.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL, U. S. A. Appointed by the President, and is one of the members of the Cabinet. He is the legal adviser of the executive government. The first attorney-general of the United States was William Bradford appointed by Washington. 1789. (See Administrations.) There are also District Attorneys for the United States, appointed by the President, for the several districts in each State of the Union. In each State there is also an attorney-general of the State; in some States appointed by the governor and legislature, in others elected by the people.

AUSTRIA. Ultimatum of the Austrian government delivered at Berlin, Nov. 6, 1850. directing that Prussia evacuate Hesse, dissolve the Erfurt league, &c., which is replied to by the Prussian king signing an order for calling out the whole military force of the monarchy. The Russian ambassador at Vienna, Nov. 11. announces that the continuance of the Russian policy in the electorate will be considered by his government a causus belli. Protest of France, and remonstrance of Lord Palmerston at Vienna, Dec. 1850, against the proposed extension of the Germanic confederation beyond the Alps. The Austrians complete their military possession of Hamburg, Jan. 31. 1851, and Feb. 2. proclaim their resumption of seignorial rule of the King of Denmark. The Emperor establishes a council of the empire by imperial decree, April 1851. The German diet, July 17, in answer to Lord Palmerston's protest against annexing the non-German provinces of Austria to the German Federation reply that no foreign interference should be allowed in a purely Germanic question." August 20, the Emperor, by cabinet letters, declares "that his ministers are responsible to no other political authority than the throne," and the minister-president is directed to take into consideration the possibility of carrying out the constitution of March, 1849.

BALLOONS. Mr. Green and the Duke of Brunswick in April 1851. crossed the British channel from Hastings, and in 5 hours landed safely near Boulogne; greatest altitude mid-channel was 4000 feet. Mr. Green ascended on horseback from Vauxhall, July 1850; since then M. Poitevin has made several ascents en-cheval, and in a carriage and pair (July 1851), sometimes accompanied by his wife, &c.—In one ascent he carried up a live ostrich. Lt. Gale (the Mazeppa of the Bowery Theatre) left Bordeaux with his balloon Sept. 1850. and was found dead the next morning in a field, dreadfully mutilated. Several hazardous ascensions have since been made in France, one by an aeronaut with his head downwards.

BALTIMORE U. S. A. Population, by the census of 1850, 169,000, being a gain of 66 per cent. in ten years.

BANKS, PENNY. These were first instituted at Greenock in Scotland. Of 5.000 deposits the aggregate amount of nearly £1.100 gives an average of about 4s. 6d. each. In London and the provincial towns they are becoming very popIn Whitechapel, 8000 deposits in nine months showed an accumulation of nearly £2,000 or about 5s. each.

ular.

BANKS IN THE U. S. 1851. The following tables it is believed exhibit the number, capital and general condition of the Banking interests in this country, to March 1851.

BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES. The receipts of some of the principal Benevolent Societies of New-York, for the year ending April 30th, 1851, were:

Association for Improving the condition of the Poor,

$310,618 09

276,852 53

176,676 83

150,940 25

56.265 82

29,618 28

19,252 61

22,000 00

11,193 02

22,000 00

32,327 31

10,292 94

$1,118,067 68

66 Society, Relief Widows and Orphans of Medical Men, amount
of funds, Nov. 1851,

by some RoThe British

BIBLE SOCIETIES. The first that ever existed, was established man Catholic Prelates, in France in 1774.-Chambers's Ed. Jl. and Foreign Bible Society has distributed during the 45 years ending Jan. 1. 1851, more than twenty-three millions of copies, in one hundred and forty different languages.

BISHOPRICS, English Colonial.-Nova Scotia, established 1787; Quebec and Montreal, united 1793; Calcutta, 1814; Barbadoes and Jamaica, 1824; Madras, 1835; Sidney and Bombay, 1836; Toronto and Newfoundland,

1839; New Zealand and Jerusalem, 1841: Gibraltar, Antigua Guiana, and Tasmania, 1842; Fredericton and Colombo, 1845; Newcastle, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Capetown. 1847; Hong-Kong and Prince Rupert's Land, 1849; Lyttleton, 1850.-N. Haven Ch. Rev.

BOOKS, U. S.-The number of volumes published during the year ending June 30th, 1851, is estimated to have been 1,261, forming 1,176 distinct works; which were

BOOKS IMPORTED INTO UNITED STATES for the year ending June 30, 1851:

BOOKS, GERMAN.-Since the Easter Fair at Leipsic, 1851, not less than 3.860 new books had been published, up to Nov.; and 1150 were then in preparation for issue.-Illus. News.

BOOKS, LONDON, 1850 about 4,400 were published, of which the Papal Question furnished 180 in one month; fiction, 500; law, 250; and travels, 200; the remainder miscellaneous.-Illus. News.

BRITISH MUSEUM. The total income for the year 1850, was £55,686 17s. 1d.; and the actual expenditure within the same period, £47,463 5s. 10d. BOSTON, U. S. A. Population by the census of 1850, 135,000, being an increase of 42.000, or about 45 per cent. in ten years.

BRIDGES. The Suspension Bridge over the Niagara river, near the Falls, completed July 28, 1848. C. E. Ellett was the engineer. The Britannia Tubular Bridge, over the Menai Straits, between Caernarvon and the Isle of Anglesea, completed October, 1850, Mr. Stephenson engineer, at an outlay of nearly £600.000. A suspension bridge over the Ohio, at Wheeling, span 1010 feet, being 152 feet longer than the Friburg bridge, Switzerland, was completed by Mr. Ellett, 1850. Remington's bridge, at Montgomery, Ala, on the same plan as that he exhibited in London about two years ago, though slight in appearance, is of extraordinary merit for its strength and ingenuity. The floating bridge, for passage of railroad cars across Lake Champlain, went into operation 1st Sept., 1851.

BRITAIN, GREAT, AND BRITISH ISLES. The returns of forty thousand enumerators show the population of this country, in March 1851, to be, males 10,192 721; females, 10,743,747, being an increase during the last 50 years of 98 per cent.; the average of annual rate of increase during that period, is 1:37. This amount is exclusive of absent soldiers and sailors, the number of whom is estimated at 167,604. In Scotland, the rate of increase for the

half century preceding 1851, is 78 per cent.; present population, 2.865,421. The population in Ireland 6,515,794, compared with that of 1841, viz., 8.175,124, shows a total decrease of 1,659,330 souls. The returns of the British metropolis, including parts of Middlesex, Surrey and Kent, give a total population of 2,361,640, the preponderance in which is females.-Parliamentary Returns. BUILDING (BENEFIT) SOCIETIES. First established at Kircudbright, Scotland, 1815; after 1830 they increased rapidly.-Scratchley's Treatise on B. B. Societies. Several have been in successful operation in New-York since 1848. CALCULATING MACHINE. A very superior one exhibited in the Crystal Palace, 1851 by J. A. Staffel, of Warsaw. This extraordinary machine was the effect of ten years undiminished study and application; by it any errors may be corrected and the operator warned of any surplus calculation.-Illus. News. CALIFORNIA. STATE OF, U. S. A. Constitution ratified by the people, Nov. 13, 1849. The State admitted into the Union by vote of the United States Senate, Aug. 13, 1850, and on Sept. 9, 1850, the California Senators, Dr. Wm. M. Gwin and Col. J. C. Fremont, took their seats. The number of emigrants, to California, passing Fort Laramie, and registered to June 20, 1850. are, men, 32.740; women. 494; children. 591; of mules, 6,725; oxen, 21,418; cows, 3.185; horses, 28,798; and wagons, 7,586. The census returns for 1850, indicate a white population of 165,000 and 1,800 colored, making the fractional representative enumeration 74,000 and thus securing a second Representative in Congress.-Daily Times. First overland party of the season, 1851, arrives at Placerville July 17, in 77 days from St. Joseph's. Gov. McDougal issues a proclamation, July 21 against" Vigilance Committees," calling upon all good citizens to sustain the laws. From Jan. to 31 Oct. 1851, inclusive, the number of vessels at Boston. New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Orleans, show an evident decrease in the clearances and cargoes for that country. Boston Price Current. Great fire in San Francisco, Sept. 17, 1850, loss $300,000; more than 200 houses destroyed by fire in Nevada City, estimated loss, $1,300.000. Another fire at San Francisco May. 3, 1851, several lives lost and many injured, 2 500 buildings consumed, and from one to five millions of property destroyed. A fire at Stockton, May 14, total loss $1,500,000. Shock of an earthquake felt at San Francisco, May 15. Jenkins hung at San Francisco and the police driven back by the "Vigilance Committee," June 10, 1851. Another fire (the sixth) at San Francisco, June 22. 500 houses burned, and $3,000,000 property consumed. "Jim Stuart" hung

at San Francisco, July 11, 1851, being the second execution by the " Vigilance Committee." At Sacramento, Aug. 21, a prisoner under sentence of death, but reprieved by the Governor, is forcibly executed by the citizens. Aug. 24, Whittaker and McKenzie taken by force from the jailer at San Francisco, and publicly executed by the "Vigilance Committee." Aug. 30, a fire consumes part of Marysville, California. California Flect.-The whole number of clearances from the United States for California, in the year 1850, was 565, of which 181 were from New York, and 170 from Boston. CANADA. A memorial for annexation to the United States received, in five hours, the signatures of 300 merchants, land-owners, and professional men, in Montreal, Oct. 10, 1850.

CARDINAL WISEMAN, born at Seville, created cardinal January, 1848, public assumption in London, 1850. The operations of the Catholics arising from this creation produced great excitement in England. A London bookseller issued a catalogue of more than 1700 English works on Popery, which he offered for sale.-See Westminster.