TELEGRAPHIC

Evening Star, Issue 5073, 7 June 1879, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC

HOME AND FOREIGN.

[Reuter’s Telegrams.]

LONDON, June 5. Lord Loftus, the new Governor of New South Wales, will start for San Francisco on the 19th inst.

[Special to Melbourne Age.J

LONDON, June 5. Disastrous floods have taken place in Russia and Italy. The River Moskwa, a tributary of the Volga, is unpiecedentadly high. Bridges, enbaukments, and houses have been carried away. A large portion of Moscow is submerged. The Tiber has overflowed, doing enormous damage. An extensive- strike has taken place at Pittsburg (Pennsylvania) Ironworks. Thirty thousand men are identified with this movement. Serious labor riots are apprehended. INTERCOLONIAL. [Reuter’s Telegrams.] MELBOURNE, June 6. There was no excitement to-day, and it is believed the crisis is passed, the action of the Associated Banks having created confidence. Intense excitement prevailed yesterday in the provincial towns. The shareholders of the Australian and European Bank have resolved to call up LI per share, in order to allow the Bank to re-open on a restricted scale, if the depositors support it. An early meeting of depositors and directors is to be held to arrange for a settlement of claims. The Bank will probably re-open ■ soon. The branches have been discontinued. Confidence is manifested in the directors. The acclimatisation of Californian salmon has proved a failure. t Victoria has been requested to send vaccine matter to I iji. A ship with small-pox on board had arrived at the islands, but up to the present the disease was confined to the ship.

The City of Melbourne Bank paid 30,000 sovereigns from its own resources on Thursday.

Mr M‘Gregor, the Government whip, has been declared insolvent.

[Per Press Agency.]

WELLINGTON, June 7. The following notifications appear in the ‘ Gazette : “ The time for making objections to the valuations under the Laud Tax Act has been extended to 18th June. It s notified that payments have been made on the purchase of 874,000 acres of Native lands in the North Island. All articles for the Sydney Exhibition will be carried free over all the New Zealand railways, but they must be legibly marked “ For the Sydney Exhibition.” William Fairchild Marsh, of Dunedin, is to be a cadet in the Survey Department. John Stuart Langside and James Joldy to be rangers for Otago. Thomas Bain Whitton, M.D., to be appointed a member of the Licensing Court for the districts of Naseby, Hyde, and Hindon. Mr Hugh Gully, late private secretary to Mr Justice Richmond, was to-day admitted to the bar.

A private letter by the mail yesterday states that the interest ordinarily charged on trade bills at Home when the mail left was If per cent, per annum. The Governor to-day attended a meeting of the Sydney Exhibition Commissioners. A number of columns of New Zealand coal not exceeding 20ft high will be sent .to the Exhibition. It was found impracticable to get sections from Mount Eloclifort, owing to the bad weather and the state of the roads. Dr Hector said there were seams of coal in the Colony 50ft deep, and one showing a depth of 57ft, bub it c mid not be got out. Messrs Morland and Company, of Sydney, promise free storage for New Zealand exhibits until the main building is ready. The Exhibition will probably be opened on September 17. The sum of LSO has been placed at the disposal of the Oamaru Committee. Free railway carriage for exhibits on the New Zealand railways will be asked. The Corporation has arranged with the Bank of New Zealand for an advance of a portion of the LIOO,OOO loan, to enable works already sanctioned to be proceeded with.

HOKITIKA, Jdnk 7. Mr Barff addressed his constituents last night. He opposed many measures of the Government policy. He received a vote of confidence.

A man namedfEruse, lately from the South, where ho had been working on a road contract, jumped'from the wharf to-day into the river, saying to the bystanders “I’m going to have a swim, boys.” Assistance was immediately rendered and he was rescued, none the worse except for his ducking. He was t.kcn into custody.

(pHRISTCHURCH, June 7. The prooesaion of the unemployed will not come off, as the number oat of work has much decreased. Preparations were made to take forty men to Waipara, but only eight turned up. Several men here have applied to enlist in the Armed Constabulary, but the facilities for doing so do not exist.

NELSON, June 7. Governor Robinson visites Nelson in the Hinetnoa to-day for the purpose of placing his son at the college there. AUCKLAND, June 7. A fire occurred at the Manukau Hotel, Onenunga, at half-past two this morning, and by it between L 4,000 and L 5,000 worth of buildings has been destroyed and a man killed. The fire was discovered by the servantmaid in the western end of the house, and she alarmed John Cunningham, who, on seeing flames in the ceiling of one of the rooms, called his father (Captain Cunningham), who slept in the eastern end of the house. Captain Cunningham saw that any attempt to put out the fire was hopeless, but on attempting to get Mrs Cunningham away the staircase was in flames, and he took his wife on to the balcony, and thence she was taken down a ladder into the street. The children meanwhile had been hurried downstairs by the servant and John Cunningham. Twenty-five of the Constabulary were in the hotel, and they rendered great assistance, although very little could be saved. The fire quickly spread to Barr’s boarding-house at the west side of the hit el. This building contained fourteen rooms, and was the property of Mrs Williams. Mr Barr, the tenant, had his furniture insured for L2OO. The Constabulary and the bystanders saved some furniture before the building was enveloped in flames, but by this time the hotel was almost demolished. Two tanks fell from the roof of the hotel, and exploded in a remarkable manner, knocking the chimney down, and as the bricks were blown about the place one is supposed to have struck a man named Charles Rees on the head, forat this time he was seen to fall down, and on picking him up his skull was found fearfully mangled, the brains actually protruding. Rees was taken to the hospital, but did net long survive. He was a married man. The splendid stables to the east of the hotel next caught fire. Five horses were cut adrift, and escaped, and the traps and vehicles were with much difficulty saved, but the building was destroyed. Between the latter and Barr’s store was M'Grath’s thop, which, together with the contents, was quickly consumed. A stone warehouse stopped the progress of the fire in this direction. At the rear of the stables was a highly valuable herd of Berkshire swine, and these were roasted alive. The insurances on the fire were: South British, L 1,200 ; New Zealand, L2OO (on the furniture); Transatlantic, L 500: Royal, L 20 0; total, L 2.100. [From Our Own Correspondent.] TIMARU, June 7. The steam crane constructed by Mr John Anderson, of Christchurch, for the breakwater here, broke for the third or fourth time again to-day. It had been undergoing repairs since it broke on being officially tested about a fortnight ago, and on the first lift this morning ene of the principal cogwheels went to pieces. The crane is now considered a failure, and great disappointment is the result.