NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1936, 20 July 1869, Page 3

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

The Queen has been pleased to direct let- j ters pat' nt to be passed under tbc Great j Seal granting the dignity of a Knight of the j United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland unto Janies Marlin, Esq., late First Minister and Attorney-General in the Col ny of New South Wales; and unto Robert Officer, Esq., Speaker ©f the House of Assembly of tne colony of Tasmania.— London Gazette, May 4. The napies qf the Commissioners appointed to carry out the Irish Church Bill have been announced, and they give satisfaction even to the Opposition. All these personages are Irishmen. One is Lord Mouck. one is Mr Justice Lawson, who is much respected ; one is Mr G. A. Hamilton, now an official of eminence, but formerly a trusted representative of Irish conservatism, and one who disapproves the princ pic of the legislation which he will as.-isfc to execute. Two thousand partisans of Queen Isabella Lave assembled at Perpignan, and are preparing to enter Spain under the command of Generals Gasset and Pezuela. The idea of a regency is again gaining ground. In the sitting of the Constituent Cortes on fhc 20th of May, the discussion upon the draft of the ConscitiTion was resum'd by Seuor Castelar, who attacked the idea of a monarchy as 'the future form of Government in Spain. He predicted that at no distant date all' European countries would amalgamate under one Government as the United States of Europe We understand that the cargo of the Donald M ‘Kay, consisting of above 9,100 hales, was discharged in the Victoria Docks in 37 hours from the time of the ship going alongside the quay, and that the cargo turned out in exceptionally good condition. The annual meeting of the Wesleyan Missionary Society was held on May 3, at Exeter Hall; Mr W. M‘Arthur, M.P., in the chair. The secretary read tlic report of the committee, which stated that the receipts for ISGB had improved on those of the previous year. The total income from hopie receipts had j been LIO9,GUI 8s lOd, and from foreign j sources L3G.357 13s’ lod, making the total I receipts L14G,249 7s Bd.' The expenditure • has been L14G,071 13s 2d, The eontrihu- j tions to the jubilee fund now closed amount to L 179,000. The mission work abroad, including China, India, Ceylon, Africa, America, Canada, and Australia, has gone on dining the year in the most encouraging manner, while the home mission has been equally satisfactory. The chairman then delivered a long address, congratulating the assembly upon the steadi'y-increasing spread of Methodism, to which sect he had tbo honor of belonging, being the son of a M cthodist preacher. The Rev. 8. Romilly Hall (president of the conference), l>ev H, Raleigh, Sir F. Lygctfc, and other ministers and gentlemen, addressed' ilic meet mg, and the report was adopted, A large meeting in opposition to the Irish Church Disestablishment Bill was held in Bfc. Jame’s Hall on May 3. The Earl of Harrowby presided, and amongst the other speakers were the Duke of Marlborough, Lord Fitzwalter, the Bishop of Derry, Sir Joseph Napier, and Mr J. C. Colquhoun. Resolutions were passed protesting against the measure introduced by Mr Gladstone, as being subversive of rights, and destructive of interests secured by fundamental laws ; .and jailing upon the Lords, “in the exercise of their undoubted constitutional privileges, to -refuse their assent to a measure so prejudicial to the Protestant religion, and so perilous to the peace and integrity of the empire. ’ The trial of H. J. Chaloner, who shot Ensign Whitaker for seducing his sister, terminated at Quebec on May 4. The jury returned a verdict of “ Not guilty.” (Jhalouor was loudly cheered outside the court-house, The Economist points out that it is doubtful whether the Atlantic and Pacific Railway will not on account of its enormous length afford the maximum of disadvantage to passengers, and thus favor existing routes by sea with a short laud passage. The whole distance is given as 3,805 miles, and the time of the contiguous journey 6 days 17-i hours, which is probably a longer strain than the human constitution can stand. The railway journey from New’ York to San i’ranjisep may he beyond the capacity of the arge majority of men and women, unless with breaks, which, however, will greatly lengthen the time and diminish the special value of the railway. But apart from this difficulty, tlie expense will be a great drawback in corop< titiou with the sea routes. Emigrants, it is stated, can now travel from New York to California by the isthmus for LlO, and the charge at present contemplated by the railway is approximately estimated at L3o—to be reduced after July next to L 23. As this is one and twm thirds of a penny per mile, a lower rate may be possible ; but the expense of the isthmus route may also be reduced, so that the relative proportion will be preserved. The rail-

way is certain enough to be of immense servi e, but it seems hardly possible that it will ever get more than a share of the New York and San Francisco passenger traffic. These difficulties will apply with greater force to the competition of the line for through traffic between Europe and China. Where the time is equal, or nearly so, prospect of the long and expensive railway journey will keep travellers away, and tins prospect will be a great obstacle to the use of the line even where the advantage of time is considerable. The Monileur announces that on Sunday, April 26, the Emperor Napoleon gave a private audience to Lord Kichard Grqsvenor as the promoter of a proposed submarine tunnel between Calais and Dover. The Monitenr docs not state what passed at this interview, but it believes that his Majesty considers the tunnel scheme to be best by difficulties; while, on the other hand, he thinks highly of the bridge over the Channel projected by M. Boutct. He even su geste 1, on seeing a model of the bridge, that the number of piles on which it is to be supported should be doubled ; and this can be done, it is understood, without interfering with the navigation. A New York paper says the Methodists have boldly solved one of the great problems of the day by licensing women to preach. The conference of the Ellcnville District, New York, has given credentials for this purpose to a widow lady named Vann Cott. The Sing Sing conference has referred the subject to a special committee. On May 1, Holborn theatre was opneed under the management of the popular actor, Mr Barry Sullivan, for the production of the legitimate high class drama. The play selected was “Money,” and the artistes received a most genial welcome from the public, and Mr Barry Sullivan’s reception was remarkably cordial. He was enthusiastically called for during the performance, and the whole enter aimuent passed off ip a triumphant manner. The theatre was extremely wed tilled. The arrangements of the house befere the curtain demand a word of praise, and the decorations appear to have been touched up at some trouble and cost. We arc informed that a special tram carrying some three or four hundred people left Liverpool, where Mr Sullivan has always been a prominent favorite, and arrived in Lombm iu time for the passengers to ge’ good p aces in the theatre. After the performance these admirers of the. new and popular lessee returned by train to the northern port, where they could not have arrived much before six o’clock next morning. Perhaps a higher compliment has never been paid to any actor of our time than this journey of some hundred people 400 miles in order to secure for their favorite a bumper house on his first night as lessee. Madame llaehel’s appeal against the decision of the Central (Timinal Court, has been overruled, and she will now be removed to Millbank to undergo her s> ntence. It is understood that an appeal will be made to the Home Secretary for a commutation of the sentence, which is five years’ penal servitude.

Thu annual session of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland has been held. The Rev. Dr. Brock, of Bloomsbury, the chairman of the year, presided, The report stat d fhat the Union represented 2447 churches, containing 231,50G members, and congregations numbering, at least, 1,000,000. The chairman delivered his inaugural address, which dealt with the restlessness which at the pretent time prevailes both the the world and the Church, and condemned the tendency to rationalise the doctrines of Christianity and to assimilate the Church to the world, A board was appointed to originate a Sustentation Fund for the better support of the ministry.