News by the Mail.

Auckland Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2335, 10 September 1877, Page 2

News by the Mail.

REVOLUTION

IN HAYTL—GREAT

FIRE IN PORT AU PRINCE. • New York, August Bth,—Advices from Hayti state that a revolution h;is again broken out in that republic. The insurgents are in force about ten miles from Port an Prince, which is declared in a state of siege. A large portion of the city was fired, and the conflagration continued for two days, and had not been extinguished when the mail steamer left. President Canal was unpopular with the native element from his known feeling of cordiality with foreign merchants and foreigners in general. He is suspected accordingly on that account. He is a good soldier, but however strong the foreign element may be it cannot protect him from the designs of those who seek to gain the object of their ambition by assassination. General Soloman, a black man, formerly Minister to England under the imperial rule of Salongue, is the present aspirant to the Presidency, and says when he gets into power colored man and white man both look out, as the black republic will make the streets «f Port an Prince rivers with the blood of both of them. The southern side of the island is equally disaffected, and at Jacmel the newspapers are openly at variance with the existing administration. j Numerous arrests have been made by the government, chiefly among persons suspected of being engaged in revolutionary plots. '• THE ALLEGED RUSSIAN ATROCIi TIES. ■

" Similar atrocities arc communicated to u.s frem Asia, notably the following : — Fifteen hundred families belonging to Soukoum Kaleh, having taken refuge in the woods to escape the barbarous treatment to which the Cossacks subject the entire Mussulman population, died of inanition. The Russian division, which occupied Ardanacho, in its retreat towards the frontier put to death 50 persons of both sexes and of various ages, and set (ire to the dwellings in several villages which itpassed. "The Armenian Bishop of Utch Kilissa was seized, brutally garrotted, and carried away by the troops, in this frightful condition. These deeds, any comment on which would but weaken their horrors, and which I beg to lay before the public conscience, are becoming general along the whole passage of the Russian troops both in Kirrope and Asia, and leave no room for doubt as to the programme of murder and devastation adopted by the enemy in order to strike terror into the country, and exterminate the non-combatant population." TURKISH AND RUSSIAN FEELING AGAINST ENGLAND. The Constantinople correspondent of the "Standard" says, that " the arrival of the fleet in Uesika Bay has caused great irritation here. There is at the present moment among the Mahometans, and especially in the higher circles, a bitter hatred of the English, who are accused of thinking only of their own interests and of caring nothing for Turkey. Many loading Turks declare loudly that if Turkey is compelled to sue for peace, she will do well to dispense with the advice or assistance of England, and to treat directly with Russia, Tin's is the general feeling in Constantinople. DEVASTATION IN TURKEY. The correspondent of the " Daily Telegraph," writing from Slramla on Monday, July 9, says : —"The country must, of course, suffer much from the advance of a hostile arm}-, but few could have anticipated the dreadful destruction perpetrated by the Russians, who appear to treat friend and foe with the utmost impartiality, oppressing Christian and Moslem with equal barbarity.—Quite unmindful of the special object for which the war was undertaken, the Muscovites are burning and devastating as far as their arms can reach, especially the villages between Selvi and Tirnova, marking their progress with fire and ashes.—Terrible tales have been received here of the massacre of Mohammedans, and well-authenticated details are now in my hands. On the whole I am bound to conclude that the war is assuming a cruel and savage aspect, and I fear thai horrible scenes are about to bo enacted. TORPEDO EXPERIMENTS. It is stated that the Russians have been experimenting at Odessa with a new engine throwing some dreadful liquid on to the dock of hostile ships to remove the crow before the torpedo attack is made. An iron boat for the discharge of Whitehead torpedoes is being built at Mr Baird's wharf in the Neva, 115 ft. long, and 16ft. broad. The boat will be 7ift. at bow, and 10ft. at the stern. The engines will be powerful enough for the boat to attain a velocity of 17 miles an hour. The name of the boat, which costs 100,000 roubles, will be Very — AnglicC, Explosion.

The exact losses sustained by the Russians in the passage of the Danube on June 27 have now been ascertained, 289 were killed, 39S wounded, and 38 are reported as missing.

THE ENGLISH FLEET.

'•'Mr Layard lias not, as some people allege, made any application for permission to the English ileet to pass the Dardanelles. He lias merely intimated to the Porte that England not being satisfied with the explanations of Russia on the subject of Constantinople, has sent the fleet to Besika Day, and is going to send troops to Malta in order that she may be in a position to take the necessary steps if the Russians should cross the "Balkans and draw near to Constantinople."—Special Correspondent of the " Standard " at Constantinople.

The Russian journal the " ISSbw Time " remarks that the appearance of the British fleet in Besika Bay last May, which -was io have saved Turkey by a miracle, had the contrary effect of bringing the Eastern Crisis to its present critical position. This time (it says) the mission of the British fleet is significant in another sense. The question now is not of saving Turkey, but Constantinople only ; not, of course, fw the advantage of the Turks, but for that of the English. " The presence of the fleet in Besika Bay," the article concludes, "can only have the effect of destroying the good impression which was produced b"y fiord Salisbury's declarations at the Conference, anjd at the same time of inspiring the I'brte with illusions which will be disastrous to itself and no less disadvantageous to England."

The St Petersburg " Ruski Mir" says there is reason to believe that the new French Cabinet have agreed -with England as to naval operations in the East. The article of the " Mir" concludes with the words," caveant Consules ne quid detriment! eapiat Hespublica." A HORRIBLE FAMINE INCIDENT.

We continue to hear of the most dreadful destitution among the natives in some parts of Wynruul. The peop)o leave their homos, beyond the planting districts, and uoana over the estates in search of work and relief. As they were half-starved before they left their villages, they are totally unfit for work when they reach the estates, and the inevitable consequence is that many die of want. Deaths of this sort are counted by hundreds in a week, in the south-east Wynaad alone. We are glad to know that the authorities are striving to grapple with this evil. Sir Knox, the Assistant Commissioner of the Nilgiris, has gone down to inaugurate a better system of relief. One horrible affair lias been told us by a resident of the south-east. A planter was caught in a heavy shower of: rain, and sought shelter ia a native hut near. As he approached the kut he became aware of the horrible stencli proceeding from it. With his stick be pushed open the door, and inside saw the dead body of a native. Without inspecting the place further, he went off and communicated with the police, who came and found in the hut no less than six dead bodies, all in a state of decomposition. It it is supposed that the whole six died of starvation.—" Neigheny Courier. July 17.