younger son of the late General Gordon Forbes, colonel of the
29th Regiment.

MAJOR-GENERAL H. R. MILNER died at Plymouth on the
16th inst., in his fiftieth year.

MISS MITFORD, the author of "Our Village," died at
Swailowfield Cottage, near Reading, in her sixty-ninth year.

M.MERLE, the foreign editor of Galignani's Messenger, died
in Paris on the 19th inst.

COLONIES AND DEPENDENCIES.

The Overland Mail has brought dates from Calcutta
to the 20th, and Bombay to the 31st of December. The
mission of the Burmese ambassador, it was fully expected,
would lead to a treaty. The deficiency of the opium
revenue of the year is only 11/2 per cent, of the whole
Indian revenue. The Bengal bank has again raised its
rate of discount all round. Trade in India is dull,
money scarce, and freights low.

Accounts from Hong Kong are to 12th of December.
The Imperialists have recaptured four towns in the
north of China. The town of Canton is in great distress,
and all business is stopped. Teas have declined at
Shanghai, but sales of silk are active.

The intelligence from Australia comes down to the
end of November. The predominance of imports over
exports was excessive. Many small failures had taken
place, and there was a prevalent want of confidence,
and even the wealthy retailers would not increase their
stocks. Prices showed no improvement. Stocks in
first hands remained very heavy. Agriculture was
being prosecuted with great vigour in new districts.
An outbreak at Ballarat goldfields, in opposition to the
license fee system, had created much excitement.
Melbourne had been in a state of agitation on the
convict question, and a series of resolutions had been
carried denouncing the system.

The following account of the marvellous growth of
Melbourne is given by a correspondent of the Sydney
Empire:—"I must take this opportunity of expressing my
unbounded astonishment and admiration of the progress
that has been made during this interval. I am not
ashamed to say that I have always had strong predilections
in favour of Sydney. Landing two years ago in
Melbourne, and exposed there to the horrible discomforts
which that place presented, I fled to Sydney as a city of
refuge, and was not disappointed in obtaining that
which I sought—nearly all the comforts of an English
home. My impressions of Melbourne took their colour
from that most unfavourable period in her history.
How was I astonished on my recent visit to see the
stupendous alterations that had been effected! The
wide streets, the handsome shops, the capital foot-
pavements, the abundance of excellent hotels, the torrent of
population, the order and activity in the streets, and the
vast extent of the city, with the stability and even
splendour of some of its buildings, were subjects of constant
surprise and congratulation. Those who reside in
Melbourne, and have become daily acquainted with its
growth, cannot appreciate the wonder with which
strangers must regard their work. In my humble
opinion, Melbourne at this moment presents the most
extraordinary instance of the power and enterprise of
the human race that the world ever saw,—streets, with
well-paved foot-paths, of the width of Oxford-street, and
nearly of the same length, and lined with shops, in the
plate-glass windows of which are displayed all the
luxurious necessities of the highest state of civilisation;
suburbs extending for miles, where comfortable houses
as well as cottages of every description are found, consti-
tuted of iron, wood, brick, tin packing-cases, or of
canvas; these interspersed with  churches, chapels,
school-houses, and now possessing an imposing structure
in timber and glass, in humble imitation of the Great
Crystal Palace, of 1851."

The revenue returns for the province of Victoria have
been published. On the quarter ending September 30,
the total increase on the aggregate revenue is £92,586,
and on the year £333,847. The increase on the aggregate
of the territorial revenue on the quarter is £160,343,
and on the year £413,433. The total increase
respectively, as compared with 1853, is £352,929 on the
quarter, and £747,280 on the year. As the increase on
the quarter is at the rate of more than £1,000,000 per
annum, it is evident that the revenue up to the present
moment continues to improve.

A continuance of dry weather throughout the colony
threatened to render the fruit and grain harvest very
short. Latterly, however, rain had fallen in some
districts.

A destructive storm of hail, lightning, and thunder
visited the district of Adelaide on the 2nd October.
Much property was destroyed, and the fruit crop
suffered severely.

The Jamaica Legislature was opened by Sir H.
Barkly on the 28th of November. In his speech he
touched upon a great variety of topics, remarking that
while the colony had suffered for some years past from
several causes, he did not despair of a vast change being
effected in time to come, if enterprise, intelligence, and
perseverance, were rightly applied to the moral, social,
and financial improvement of the colony. On the 7th
December, Mr. Westmoreland, a member of the
Executive Government, in alluding to the measures to be
brought forward, stated that a considerable deficit had
occurred from the ordinary sources of revenue for the
present year, which could only be met by increased
taxation. It was therefore intended to propose to
increase the duties on imported spirits, oil, gunpowder,
and tobacco, and on unenumerated articles from 4 per
cent, to 121/2 per cent. Resolutions to this effect were
proposed and carried the following day.

NARRATIVE OF FOREIGN EVENTS.

ACCORDING to the accounts from the Crimea, the siege
of Sebastopol progresses slowly; the fighting since the
battle of Inkermann, having consisted of sorties from the
place, and attacks upon the besiegers' working parties
in the trenches, always repulsed with little loss on
either side. Dispatches from Lord Raglan to the Duke
of Newcastle have been published:—On the 13th of
December his lordship writes; "The enemy has made
no movement of importance, and nothing of any
material consequence has taken place before Sebastopol.
The Russians moved upon our advanced pickets in front
of our left attack the night before last in some force;
but they were instantly driven back by a detachment
of the First battalion Rifle Brigade on the right and by
one of the 46th on the left. The firing, however,
was kept up for some time, and the Third and Fourth
Divisions were held in readiness to support, in case
their assistance should have been required."

December 18th:—"Nothing has occurred since I had
the honour to address your Grace on the 13th instant.
The weather, which was then fine, changed on the
following afternoon; and from that time to the evening
of the 16th, it hardly ceased either to rain, hail, or
snow. The night of the 16th was particularly severe;
but it cleared up yesterday, and to-day it is again dry.
The bad days above-mentioned have, however, rendered
the communications more difficult, and materially
retarded the movement of supplies and stores.

"The 89th and 17th Regiments have arrived from
Gibraltar, and will take their place in the Third and
Fourth Divisions this day.

"A considerable portion of the warm clothing has