CAPTAIN JAMES CLARKE ROSS AND THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

All the newspapers have quoted an account from the Literary Gazette of the Antarctic Expedition, under the command of Captain James Ross. It was composed of two vessels, the Erebus, Captain Ross, and the Terror, Captain Crozier, and left England on the 29th of September, 1839. During the outward voyage to Australia, scientific observation was daily and sedulously attended to; experiments were made on the temperature and specific gravity of the sea; geological and geographical investigations were made at all available points, especially at Kerguelen's Land; and both here, as well as during the expedition, magnetic observation and experiment formed a specific subject of attention. This was a main object during 1840, the expedition remaining at the Auckland Islands for this purpose; and it was not till the 1st of January, 1841, that it entered the antarctic circle. Their subsequent adventures, deeply interesting as they are from the perils which they encountered, and the spirit and perseverance with which they were met, come hardly within our sphere to report. After an absence of four years, the expedition, as mentioned in last week's Economist, has returned to England, and the acquisitions to natural history, geology, geography, but above all towards the elucidation of the grand mystery of terrestrial magnetism, raise this voyage to a pre-eminent rank among the greatest achievements of British courage, intelligence, and enterprise.

Religious Worship.—Church Property.—The following Parliamentary Return has just been printed, entitled, "A Return of the amount applied by Parliament during each year since 1800, in aid of the religious worship of the Church of England, of the Church of Scotland, of the Church of Rome, and of the Protestant Dissenters in England, Scotland, and Ireland, respectively, whether by way of augmentation of the income of the ministers of each religious persuasion, or for the erection and endowment of churches and chapels, or for any other purposes connected with the religious instruction of each such section of the population of the United Kingdom, with a summary of the whole amount applied during the above period in aid of the religions worship of each of the above classes." The abstract of sums paid to the Established Church shows that the total was 5,207,546l. which is divided in the following manner:—Church of England, 2,935,646l.; Church of Scotland, 522,082l.; Church of Ireland, 1,749,818l. Church of Rome.—The total sum paid to the Church of Rome is set forth at 365,607l. 1s. 2d. comprised in the following two items;—Augmentation of incomes (including Maynooth College), 362,893l. 8s. 1d.; erection and repairs of chapels, 2,113l. 13s. 1d. Protestant Dissenters.—The total sum is 1,019,647l. 13s. 11d. in England and Ireland. The recapitulation shows the following three sums:—Established Church, 5,207,546l.; Church of Rome, 365,607l.; and Protestant Dissenters, 1,019,647l. The sums were advanced from 1800 to 1842.

Imperishable Bread.—On Wednesday, in the mayor's private room, at the Town hall, Liverpool, a box of bread was opened which was packed at Rio Janeiro nearly two years ago, and proved as sound, sweet, and in all respects as good, as on the day when it was enclosed. This bread is manufactured of a mixture in certain proportions of rice, meal, and wheat flour.

St George's Chapel, Windsor.—The extensive alterations and embellishments which have been in progress since the early part of May last (from which period the chapel has been closed), at an outlay of several thousands of pounds, throughout the interior of this sacred edifice, having been brought to a close, it was reopened for Divine service on Thursday.

Father Mathew.—Father Mathew, after finishing his labours in the metropolis, went to Norwich, where he met the Bishop, who, in an earnest and eloquent speech, in St Andrew's hall, on Thursday week, introduced the reverend gentleman to that locality, and very warmly eulogized his conduct. Mr Gurney, the well-known Norwich banker, occupied the chair on this occasion, and seconded the Bishop in his patronage and approbation of the great temperance movement. After remaining at Norwich two or three days, Father Mathew started for Ireland, taking Birmingham and Liverpool in his way.

Importation of Fruit from Antwerp.—On Thursday, the steam-packet Antwerpen, Captain Jackson, arrived at the St Katherine's Steam Packet Wharf, after an expeditious passage, from Antwerp. The continental orchards continue to supply our fruit markets with large supplies, the Antwerpen having brought 4,000 packages, or nearly 2,800 bushels of pears, apples, plums, and filberts. Advices were received by the Antwerpen that another extensive importation of fruit from Antwerp may be expected at the St Katherine's Steam Packet Wharf this day (Saturday), by the steam-packet Princess Victoria, Capt. Pierce.

Lieut. Holman, the Blind Traveller.—This celebrated tourist and writer took his departure from Malta, on the 3rd of September, for Naples. He will afterwards proceed to the Roman States, and then to Trieste. During the few days of his residence in this island the greatest hospitality has been shown him. The veteran traveller had the honour of dining with his excellency the Governor, and with Admiral Sir E. Owen. Amidst all the vicissitudes of his perilous life and increasing age, he still maintains the same unabated thirst for travel, and his mental and bodily faculties appear to grow in activity and strength in the inverse ratio of his declining life and honoured grey hairs.

Railway from Worcester to Cardiff.—It is proposed, by means of this new line, to connect the population of the north of England and the midland counties with the districts of South Wales and the south of Ireland. It will commence at the Taff Vale Railway, pass through Wales, cross the Severn, and unite with the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway at Worcester. The cost will be 1,500,000l.

French Opinions on Spanish Events.—The French journals are loud in condemning the poor Barcelonese for the very same acts which drew down the applause of these same journals a week ago. The following remarks from the National render any of our own useless:—"It must be admitted that the French journals appreciate in a strange way the deplorable events in Spain. Some soldiers revolt at Madrid, without going any length of insurrection, or at all endangering the Government. General Narvaez comes, and without consulting Government or any one else, shoots eight non-commissioned officers. Straight our Ministerial journals exclaim, What an act of vigour! Vigour if you will; but where is the humanity, the wisdom, the justice? Then behold Barcelona, of which the people some weeks ago rose against the established and constitutional Government. What heroes! exclaimed the French Ministerial papers. Now they do the same thing, rising against a provisional and extra-constitutional Government. What brigands! exclaim the Ministerial writers. A few weeks back a Spanish Government defended itself with violence against those who attacked it. Regiments fired rounds of musketry, and the cannons of forts bombarded the rebellious towns. The French Ministerialists forthwith pronounced the Spanish Regent as a malefactor, and devoted him to the execration of the civilized world. Now, another Government, without the same right, follows precisely the same course as the one overthrown. It defends itself, fires, bombards, and pours forth grape from behind walls upon insurgent bands in the street. This same conduct is glorified as firm, as legitimate, as what not. The system of political morality changes, it seems, with men and with seasons. What was infamy in Espartero and Zurbano, is heroism and glory in Narvaez and Prim. What is more infamous than all this is the press, that thus displays itself in the light of a moral weathercock, shifting round to every wind."

Statistics of the Metropolitan Police.—By a return just issued in compliance with an order of the House of Commons relative to the City and Metropolitan Police Force, it appears that there are 20 superintendents in the metropolitan division, receiving from 200l. to 600l. per annum; 110 inspectors, whose salaries vary from 80l. to 200l. per annum; 465 sergeants, with incomes ranging from 60l. to 80l. per annum; and 3,790 constables, receiving from 44l. to 81l. per annum, including clothing and 40 pounds of coal weekly throughout the year. The amount paid on this account during the past year, including 3,620l. for superannuation and retiring allowances to officers and constables late of Bow-street horse patrol, and Thames police, amounted to 295,754l. In this is likewise included a sum of 9,721l. received from theatres, fairs, and races. The number of district surgeons is 60, and the amount paid for books, &c., is 757l. The total rate received during the past year from the various wards in the City of London and its liberties, for the maintenance of the City Police Force, is put down at 41,714l., and the expenditure at 41,315l., the gross pay, irrespective of other charges to the force, amounting to 29,800l.

Loss of the United States Steam Frigate "Missouri," at Gibraltar, by Fire.—The superb American steam frigate Missouri, which was conveying the Hon. Caleb Cushing, American minister at China, to Alexandra, whilst at anchor in Gibraltar bay, on the 26th ult., was entirely consumed by fire. The fire broke out in the night, and raged with such determined fury as to baffle all the efforts of the crew, as well as that of the assistance sent from her Majesty's ship Malabar, and from the garrison. The magazines were flooded soon after the commencement of the fire; and, although a great many shells burst, yet, very fortunately, no accident happened to any of the crew. This splendid steamer was 2,600 tons and 600 horse power, and is said to have cost 600,000 dollars.

The Alleged Arrest of the Murderer of Mr Dadd.—The following are the remarks of Galignani's Messenger on the report in the English papers that Dadd was arrested at Fontainbleau:—"The above statement has been partially rumoured in town for the last two days, but not in a shape to warrant our publishing it in the Messenger. The police have been everywhere active in their researches for the fugitive; and we perceive, by the Courrier de Lyons, that, on Thursday night, all the hotels in that city were visited by their agents, in pursuit of two Englishmen, one of them supposed to be the unfortunate lunatic. These individuals had, however, quitted the town on their way to Geneva, previously to the visit of the police."

The Cartoons.—We understand that several of the prize cartoons, and a selection of some of the most interesting of the works of the unsuccessful competitors, have been removed from Westminster hall to the gallery of the Pantechnicon, Belgrave square, for further exhibition.

Mackerel.—The Halifax papers state that the coast of Nova Scotia is now visited by mackerel and herrings in larger quantities than ever were known at this season. In the straits of Canso the people are taking them with seines, a circumstance without a parralel for the last 30 years.

The Journal des Chemins de Fer says:—"An inventor announces that he has found a composition which will reduce to a mere trifle the price of rails for railroads. He replaces the iron by a combination of Kaolin clay (that used for making pottery and china) with a certain metallic substance, which gives a body so hard as to wear out iron, without being injured by it in turn."