News Items.

Deserved Compliment.—We learn from the Patriot that the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries, of Copenhagen, have elected Dr. J. I. Cohen, of Baltimore, a member thereof. This Society is composed of scientific men in Europe, and there are several members in this country. It was established for the purpose of making inquiry into the history of America, previous to its discovery by Columbus, and the researches of its distinguished members have already, as we learn, led to many interesting and important facts in regard to the Ante-Columbia History of this country.—Baltimore Sun.

The Russian Jews.—We read in a political paper that the Emperor Nicholas had given up his intentions of driving the Jews on his frontiers into the interior of the country. But as we do not see the particulars we are inclined to doubt the accuracy of the report. We learn, on the contrary, from a letter in the Orient, dated at Warsaw, in May, that “exile even is not permitted to the Russian Jews, they are not suffered to immigrate into foreign lands, and that since the first of May they are no longer allowed to earn the pittance for their support, by breaking stones upon the highways, through which slavish labour three hundred families earned scarcely dry bread.” Another letter, from Jurburg, of a later date, says: “Those from the open country move first to the neighbouring cities, and increase the already existing poverty and render the difficulty of finding profitable employment for the day still greater, and God only knows how it will end when the accumulation increases still farther. I must also inform you that several imperial commissioners have these four months past visited the frontier towns on the Lithuanian border, from which the Jews are to be banished, in order to make an estimate of the value of the real estate of the Jews. It appears that the emperor purposes to purchase himself all the property which the Israelites will not be able to sell before their removal, and to pay for it according to the valuation of the commissioners. But how is the valuation conducted! He even, who is acquainted with the venality and unscrupulousness of Russian officers, cannot, for all that, form a correct idea of the manner in which this business is conducted. Whoever has no connexions with those in authority, or can obtain powerful intercession, or is able to give heavy bribes, will have his property valued at perhaps five per cent., or set down at so low a rate as to differ little from downright robbery. We, however, are already used to such measures; and when they are banished some time past the Israelites from the interior district of the city Brzesz Litawski (that in the Jewish literary history so famous town בריסק דליטא) where for several centuries the celebrated heroes of Jewish learning dwelt, nothing better was done by the crown with respect to compensation for their houses. The same occurred at the banishments from Petersburg, Moscow, Kiew, Nicolajew, Alexandrow, Sewastopol, &c.; but as they did not reach so large a mass, nor injured us in so great an extent, it was but natural, that we could sooner bear the injury, which is, however, not the case at present. We would gladly quit the country; we would gladly emigrate to America, or Texas, but most of all to Palestine under English protection, when on the one hand we were offered the means, and when on the other the government would allow us to emigrate. Many rich families have already sent to Petersburg their petitions for permission to quit the country; but up to this moment (May 28, [1844]) they have not obtained a regular answer, and upon the whole it is doubted that permission will be given. The transit to Prussia is, notwithstanding the suspension of the cartel, almost impossible to Israelites, for Prussia also seems not to adhere to the suspension where Jews are concerned.”—We acknowledge that the above letters are of a somewhat old date, but we have seen nothing of a more recent one which could authorize us to hope that the Russian tyrant had altered his views.—On the other hand, the same paper contains a report from Radziwilow, that a Polish nobleman, named Grzymala Culewitz, who lives near Odessa, where he has large landed estates, has come to the frontier towns to offer on his property an asylum to one hundred Jewish families, to build them houses and lease them farm-lands, and it is said that the Israelites would embrace this humane offer with joy and thankfulness. This little paragraph communicates two good facts, the one that among all our sorrows we find, as usual, always some to commiserate our condition; and the second, that the Jews in Poland are fit to become agriculturists. If many thus act, we speak of Christian philanthropists, on the one hand, and Jews become farmers on the other, much no doubt of the baleful spirit of persecution will soon vanish in Poland and Russia—a consummation ardently to be desired.

Jewish Sheriffs.—Her Majesty in council, is advised to appoint Sir Moses Montefiore, F. R. S., to be High Sheriff of Kent; and Meyer A. Rothschild, Esq., to be High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire.