Admiral Dcs Pointcs to M. Sentis, the Consul of France, at Sydney, requesting his assistance and advice in obtaining the stores required, and enclosing a copy of the proces verbal. M. Sen tis, immediately on receipt of this important intelligence, forwarded a copy of the last named document to his Excellency the Governor Ge neral. We have reason to believe that the immediate object of the French Government is to establish a penal settlement on the island ; but coupled with the systematic extension of the French in fluence over the Society Islands, the Pomoutou Group, and the Marquesas, this occurrence as sumes a great importance in a political point of view, and is indicative of well considered designs on the part of the French Emperor. We shall return to the subject more at length to-morrow, but we cannot refrain from express ing our deep regrei that, by the laxity of the British Government, notwithstanding the re peated and earnest representations which have been made to it, both from the Government of the colony and from commanders of her Majes ty's vessels, who have visited and explored the islands of the Western Pacific during the last few years, as to the immense importance of New Caledonia in reference to the Australian dependencies, the opportunity of colonizing that fine group has been lost. That regret is enhanced by the consideration that after all our struggles to get rid of the withering curse of convictism, after the bitter differences which had arisen between the colonies and the mother country have been happily reconciled by the total abandonment of transportation to these shores —a convict settlement should be formed by a powerful foreign nation in our immediate neighbourhood, and on the high road of com munication between Australia and the important mart of commerce to our northward and east ward, China, California, and the west coast of America. 