LATER EUROPEAN NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1456, 11 October 1879, Page 10

LATER EUROPEAN NEWS.

(Peb s.s. Takarua, at the Bluff.)

Bluff, October 6th. The following; items ef news were received at Melbourne by the Chimborazo : —

The question of tbe confirmation of P. and O. Company's new contract was discussed in the. House of Commons on August Bfch. It was stated by Sir Selwyn Ibbotson that four tenders were sent in — from the P. and O. Company, the Steam Shipping Company of Liverpool Mr Smith of Glasgow, aud Mr Holt of Liverpool The Government considered that of tho P. and O. Company tbe moat advantageous aud accepted it for eight years, at L 370 000 per annum. An amendment was proposed by Mr J. Holmes, to reduce the term of tbe contract from eight to three years. Lord John Manners stated that the Company wanted L 50,000 per annum more for five years' service than for eight years'. The raolion approving of the contract was agw e<Sto by 142 to 54. Calculations show that the Glasgow firm offered its ships at 16s 2d per mile, the Liverpool Company at 12s Id, Mr Holmes at 9< lOd, and the Peninsular and Oriental Company at 9d 6d. Public opinion in decidedly favourable to the mail service to the East being- carried out by the company that performed it Batiafactorily on the whole fo? four decades, as all tbe advantages will be derived tbat could be effared by any other contractors for the mails. The Postai Subsidies Committee allege that it will cost the country L 2,500,000, 500,000 uuneceisarily, and point out that Victoria, having had the benefit of dread ef rival competition, had reduced the subsidy between Galle and Melbourne from 14b 4d to 6a 9d per mile. At a meeting of the sharehold«rs of the Bank of New Zsoland, Sir Charlas Clifford took tha opportunity to refer to the scare created by the Standard— (referred to, in our Home Letter published on Saturday)— and pointed out. that the area affected by a new war, if it did take place, wa« so small ompared with the rest of New Zealand ag to be scarcely worthy of thought. It would not affect the Southern Inland and the great centres of population in the country more tban the trade of London was affected by the strike of the Darham coalminers. Sir Charles paid a- high tribute to the progress of the Maoris in civilisation, and his remarks altogether had considerable influence in putting a proper conception of the actual state of affairs before the public. Viscount Trafalgar has married Misi Dalgety, eldest daughter of F. G. DaJgety of Locksley Hall, Hampshire; Next session Colonel Arbuthnot intends to call attention to the revenue, commerce, and increase of population of the United Kingdom as compared with those of the Colonies, and to move—'* That in the opinion of tae House the burden of Imperial clef ones ja unequally distributed, and requires readjustment." In reply to a question from the Colonel, Sir M. Hicks- Beach declined to publish certain official information regarding Australian defeuuees, though he consented to have the documents placed at the dispotal of the House ft.r the perusal of members. In a letter to the Globe, Colonel Arbuthnot subsequently pointed out that Sir M. HicksBeach's rotience was very like locking the stable door after the horse had been stolen, as the papers were printed by the Colonial Parliaments and sold for a few pence, and wera, to his certain knowledge, in the hands of foreign Governments.

Ou August 3rd the emigrant ship Euterpe, for Canterbury, New Zealand, was run into off Gravesend by the Telford, s.s,, frjm Colombo doing damage to her starboard bow and injuring one man, carrying away her mizen boom, steering gear, poop-rail, &c The ship Pericles, which pat back to Plymouth after having been ashore on some rocks near the Manacles, whilst on he* voyage to Sydney with 496 emigrants, discharged her passengers on August 6th at the emigration depot. It was deemed necessary to dock the vessel and overhaul her.

Lyons papers announce a discovery which, if true, will have a very important influence on th* silk trade, and on all textile indnstries. It is stated that the lustrous appearance and durability of silk can be communicated to the fibres of flax by certain chemical processes. The flax is steeped in a bath of dissolved silkwaste, and emerges therefrom in a condition which renders it undistinguishablei, save by analysis, from silk itself. The inventor, who resides in Paris, offered his discovery to 'an association of manufacturers in Lyons for L 129.000, and it is alleged they agreed to purchase it.

The first vessel to enter the enlarged basin ef the East India Docks by the new entrance was the Cuzco. The passsga is 65 feet wide. The enlarged basin covers uq area of six acres, with a depth of 33 feet, being four feat deeper than any other dock in London. Tho German Press, discussing the question of the acquisition of colonies five years ago, proposedthat Germany Bbould take possees'on of a portion of the north-east coast of Borneo, and the subject is again mooted. Captain Lembscb, the German consulgeneral at Samoa, has started for Australia, and, after visiting Sydney, will proceed in the corvette Bismarck to Tongata, and thence to Apia.

Two Nordenfelt guns, an improvement upon the Gatling gun, are being obtained fcr victoria. The torpedo launch, being built for the Colony by Thorneycroft, will be ready in. a few months.

A bill brought into Parliament by Sir H. Selwyn Ibbotson is intended to introduce certain modifications into the charter of privileges granted to several Colonial banks. The banks to which the bill applies are the Bank of Australasia, Bank of British North Ame rica, Bank of South Australia, Oriental Bank Corporation, London Chartered Batik of Australia; English, Scottish, aud Australian Chartered Bank ; Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China; Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London, and China ; Bank of British Columbia, and the lonian Bank and Bank of Egypt. It is feared, owing to tho late period of the session, the bill will be withdrawn.

The Financier, referring to the duties on wines, thinks the Australian Colonies have a far greater grievance than SpaiD, and considers that 2s 6d duty on their unfortified wines is a tax on nature, whilst the same duty on the' fortified wines of Spain and Portugal is a tax upon art. In the House of Commons, in answer to a question, on the 11th of August, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said that a draft charter of the proposed Victoria University, containing a proposal to give the power of granting degrees to women as well &a men, had been

submitted to the Privy Council, and was now under consideration . Under a recent Act it was necessary that charters when granted should bo laid before Parliament. On August 3rd tho GrosTenor Gallery was opened to the public on Sundays, under the auspices of the Sunday Society.

CAPE NEWS. In Natal diasat is faction prevails among all classes of the community with regard to the condition of Sir Garnet WoWley's settlement of Zululand. Everyone regards it as a perfect fares, and calculated to make Zoluland the

centre of continual disturbance and danger. Even those who diapprove of Cetowayo's deposition are loud in asserting that if he was deposed a sfci-ODg Central Government under the British flag should be established ia the place.

The gpnerftl couviction is that the Colonies must distinctly decline to have anything to do with this settlement, and repudiate it.