THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Evening Star, Issue 8690, 4 December 1891, Page 4

THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

GENERAL SUMMARY. There is a bright outlook for another line of steamships between San Francisco and Sydney. The project, which ia already well under way, looks to the completion of three or four ships t> leave each terminus once a month, and touch at New Caledonia, Tahiti, and the Marquesas en route Mons. H. Lagomazens, one of the promoton of the enterprise, has been a resident. »f Tahiti for forty-four years, and during that time has Ssed a W fortune, lie ta.■.Frenchman by birth and education. He was al the Palace Hotel, San Francisco, on Ootober 27 He was returning home after a visit to France, where he had ventilated the projected new line, and felt no doubt tort enough money would be raised to build the ships, the capital coming from France, England; America, and the islands. At present the mail service between San Francisco and Tahiti is mostly done by a shipping firm in the city first named, at a cost of from 60.000d0l to 70,000d0l per year. This subBidy would, of course, go towards swelling the amount to be P«d by. the French Government towards establishing the new and more complete line. Sir William Harcourt's eyesight is in a very critical condition. The sight of one eye is nearly lost, and that of the other u threatened. on The 'London News' admits that 20 per cent, of the decrease in BritißW trade with the United States may fairly be attributed to the M'Kinley tariff. Society circles in London were agog on October 29 over the curious case of kleptomania that had been brought to light by a suit that came up at the Guildhall Court, where Major Hargreaves Bued Pink and Sons, the well-known jewellers, to whom the thief had sold her booty, for the reoovery of the jeweh belonging to his wite, or their value. It turned out that the larcenor was the young bride of a man of wealth, who had been detected stealing at private houses where she visited. Ine culprit's name is known but to few people, although her nefarious actions have been frequently hinted at in society papers. Ine family numbers royalty among its friend", and (a connected with the nobility, lhe husband threatened oriminal proceedings against those who charged his wife with this praotice. ... For several days preoeding the election for the Cork seat, vacant by Mr Parcel!ls death, sanguinary faction fights had occurred. Mr J. E. Redmond, at a meeting held after the result, announced his purpose to continue strongly in favor of Mr Parnells policy. His brother William followed, and attributed the defeat of the Parnellite candidate to priestly coercion. Messrs 0 Bnen and Davitt cabled to America that the result was obtained by the " Faotionista and Orangemen combined, and that Ireland stood again united. . The banking concern of Friedlander and Somerfield, Berlin, collapsed on November 7, and the leading partner, together with his son Felix, shortly after committed suicide. They opened veins in their arms, besides asing revolvers. When found both were bathed in blood. Felix expired on Saturday evening. Simon, the elder, lingered till Monday morning with a bullet his brain. The cause of the rash act was the fear of arrest on criminal charges, as investigation showed wanton recklessness in business. The liabilities amount to several million marks, while the assets are small. flirschfield and Woolfe, bankers, also failed the same day, and Woolfe committed suicide by poison. The cause of the last failure was gambling and fast living generally. The firm has many aristocratic creditors. It had been in existence sixtyfour years. F. E. Dabedat, of Dubedat and Son, Dublin, bankers and brokers, has been sentenced to one year's imprisonment, with bard labor, and seven year's penal servitude. The firm failed early in January last, and the oonvicted man pleaded guilty to defrauding the creditors to the extent of L 120.000. Tormented by soma mischievous boys, a Chinese highbinder, or bravo, ran amuck in the streets of San Francisco on November 7, during which he shot and killed two police officers and seriously wounded two citizens. He was finally stopped in his career by a courageous person throwing his overcoat over his head, and was then arrested and taken to the station-house. The • Montreal Star' of October 28 had a cable from London to the effect that arrangements had been oompleted between the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and the British directors of transport for a trial of the Canadian Paoifio road as a route for the transportation of Imperial troops. The firial will take place in Deoember next, when a detachment of about 700 marines and sailors, each with officers, will be exohanged between Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Vancouver. .' JJr Balfour reviewed the Royal Irish Conetabulary at Dublin, and, iu bidding them farewell, said that few of the former occupants of tho office of Irish Secretary had served in more tronblons periods than he, and few had seen and tested more severely the loyalty, discretion, forbearance, and energy of the constabulary. The City of Leeds has another singular mystery in the finding of dead bodies of a mother and her three little boys in the river at that place on October 31. The mystery is that the woman lived in comfort with her husband, who is an American and a carrier by trade, and was apparently cheerful and and happy. A telegram from the Japanese Government, received at Washington (D.C.) on November 6, gives an account of the earthquake which occurred in Japan on October 28, and reports that 600 persons were killed, 9,000 injured, 75,000 housas totally destroyed, and 12,000 badly damaged. Tfce earthqnake was oonfiued almost entirely to the prefectures of Aioki and Giff. Terrible mischief was wrought by the storms which swept the British Isles for some days up to October 20. The Shannon overflowed its banks, submerging the land, drowning cattle and sheep, and destroying buildings. Ths'sea wall |at Sandgate, near Folkestone, was destroyed, and many houses situated near tho shore were washed over in many places. Tho high road leading to Hythe and Folkestone was destroyed. It was completely submerged. At Windsor and many other points the Thames overflowed. About Queenstown (Ireland) the gale waß unusually fierce, and some thirty craft, large and small, were driven ashore. Youghal was flooded by the sea. Along the course of Blackwater River sheep and cattle were destroyed in great numbers. Two hundred vessels, more or less damaged, sought refuge in Holyhead. At Maryport, Cumberland, on the Irish coast—a thriving shipbuilding port it caused enormous damage. The reclamation works near Ennis, County Clare, which cost the Government L 712,000, were ruined. Many villages were submerged, and the riyera EJsk, Oatway, and Parrot overflowed their banks. Between Bridgewater and Angport the country for miles looked like a sea. Speaking of the condition of the bids received lor carrying the ocean mails despatch from Washington, dated October 26, says:—"The department has had knowledge of negotiations in progress for other routes on which bids may have been deferred for various reasons, notably the New Zealand service, whose diftculty seems to be that the New Zealand authorities entertain an idea of improving the service between that country and the United States by making concessions to tho Spreckles Company, and urging that some of the mails shall be carried in New Zealand owned boats, which would be oontrary to the stipulations of the Postal Subsidy Bill." The fiftieth anniversary of the birthday of the Prince of Wales was celebrated in a quiet manner at Sandringham. The congratulations were numerous. Sir Augustus Harris, Messrs John Hale, Banoroft, Beerbohm Tree, and D'Oyley Carte, representing the theatrical profession, proceeded from London to Sandringham, where they privately presented a gold cigar box to the Prince. The present was a superb specimen of the goldsmith's art, its weight being lOOoz. The top of the box is adorned with three ostrich feathers, the float of arms of thePriooe, set with diamonds. Bir George Baden Powell and Dr Gforge Dawson, Behring Sea Commissioners, arrived at Ottawa on their return on Ootober 20, The former made the remark to an interyiewer that if the interests of tjhe ppaj

fisheries were to be considered a settlement could be arrived at in five minutes ; but how long it may take if politios, for eleotion purposes, were introduced, he did not know. Tho King and Queen of Italy will not pay a State visit to England next ynar as reported. In the first p!;ici\ their majesties have Dot been invit6d, and iu the eecocd the Italian finances will not warrant the trip.

A decision was given in- the New York Court of Appeal on October 27 by which the will of the fate Governor Samuel F. Tildents was set aside and the trust made void, and the immense estate is to bo divided amongst the heirs. There will be some 12,000,000 of dollars to be distributed. Great surprise is expressed in legal and other circles at this result. Tildent was considered one of the soundest and most careful lawyers in New York State, and the wonder is that he conld not draw eo simple a document as a will that would carry out his wishes after death. The decision deprives New York of a free library and reading room. An international boat race between Henry Petersen, .of San Francisco, and Charles Dutch, of Australia, took place in the back of the Californian metropolis on Sunday, October 18, in the presence of some 15,000 people Petersen won in 21min, beating Dutch by five lengths; but the general opinion among sportsmen is that Dutch can "smother" Petersen if he chooses to do so. In the Hanlan- Stephenson boat race at Victoria (8.C.), on Ootober 31, Hanlau came in eight lengths ahead in 19min 20sec, thus reducing the world's record by 3tea. Stephenson, being used to a turn, lost his course. Both men rowed well. AMERICAN SUMMARY. James Finch, who tried to assassinate Dennis Donohue, British Consul at San Francisco, has arrived at Cork, Ireland, where he has been locked up as a dangerous lunatic. • Statistical returns on November 10 to the Department of Agrioulture, Washington, make the maize crop this year one of the largest ever recorded. The rate of the yield is slightly above an average of twenty-six bushels to the acre. An undertaker (Mr Frogew) was arrested at Chicago on November 10 for crooked practice in disposing of bodies. He is accused of making the coffins do double duty. Holding a contract to inter the deceased inmates of a public institution for dependent children, he saved himself the j expense by hiding the little bodies one at a time in the costly linings of massive caskets provided for wealthy customeis. AH the naval dock yards in the United States are filled with men busy furbishing up old men-of-war. Work is going on day and i night and Sundays. The prevalent idea is that the Government intend to make a naval demonstration in the roadstead at Valparaiso, Chili. Tho ritual Chinese societies in San Francisco are engaged at present in a bloody conflict, and killing is the order of the day. The "high binders," as their braves are called, are kept busy, and are getting high prices for heads. In spite of drizzling rain, fully 2,000 people participated in the demonstration at Chicago on November 8 in honor of Spies, Parsons, Eagle, Fisher, and Lingg, the anarchists who suffered death four years ago in that city. One floral offering had the legend in German: " Though dead they still live—anarchy." The Italian Mafia bravos ..re operating in Newhaven County. Italians are insulted and maimed (both men and women) by their compatriots, but dare not complain. On the afternoon of November 8 a terrible explosion of gas occurred in No. 1 shaft of the Susquehanna Coal Company, Wanticoke (Pa.). There were but fourteen at work in the mines, the day being Sunday. Of this number six were instantly killed and several injured, four of whom have since died. The accident was caused by the explosion of a safety lamp. There has been an immense destruction of farming property by forest fires in South Dakota, aided by a tremendous wind storm in some places. On Noveraher 2 the farmers were literally fighting for their homes at a place called Huron. The RiverBide cemetery was burnt out, the fire having got among the wooden tombs and monuments.

Captain George, of the Geelong, the father of the first child born in the Port of 'Frisco, who was a son of admiral George, R.N., died at the advanced age of eighty years. The fact of German beet sugar being admitted free into the United States is regarded by the Hawaiians as a great blow at the sugar interests of the islands, where, in consequence, coffee raising will take the place of cane cultivation. The charter of the Pan-American Railway Company was filed on October 23 at Austin, Texas. The line is to run 240 miles, from Victoria to Brownsville, on the Rio Grande. The proposed capital is 3,000,0Q0d01. This is the supposed inception of a big enterprise to extend the road eventually through Mexico to South America.

The United States steamship Albatross sailed from San Francisco on November 3 to continue her work of laying out a route between that port and the Hawaiian Islands for the proposed telegraph cable. Arrangements have been made to build a railway between Los Angeles, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah. There is a gap of 340 miles to bridge at a cost of 5,009,000d01, but the money has been raised.

About seven miles from thetown of Austin, Minnesota, there is a seotion of timbered land, of whioh a pack of wolves have taken possession, and have become ravenouß enough to attack passers-by. On October 28 they fell upon a four-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, belonging to Jerrard Jensen, and the little victims were quickly torn to pieces and devoured. Then the neighbors thought it was time to get rid of such ferocious neighbors, which they did by hunting them in a battue, destroying the whole pack. The preliminary organisation of the Brazil and New York Steamship Company has been effeoted. The steamships will be supplemented by a line of sailing vessels. A disease called " black diphtheria " has broken out in a Norwegian settlement in Harrison County, lowa, Victims were dying in every direction. The plaoe was surrounded by a cordon sanitairt, and a terrible state of affairs existed. On November 9, while Some keepers were walking along the shores of Loch Naas, they saw an object in the water, and procuring grappling irons they landed a human body, which proved to be that of Rose Lawress, youngest Bister of Lord Clonourry. How the lady met her death, whether from acoident or design, is a matter for conjeoture.

EAST INDIAN CYCLONE. A heavy cyclone, whioh passed over Calcutta and vicinity on November 2, wrought severe damage. Besides the loss of seventyseven lives from the sinking of the Government steamship Enterprise at the Andaman Islands, and that of sixty convicts, there is no doubt a great loss of life at other places along the coast, Advices from Orissa, a Bengal province, mention a cyclone on the same date that cleared a path through a forest, hurling gigantic trees atjde as if they were reeds. Every dwelling in its .course was swept from its foundation or turned over. Heavy damage was done below Calcutta on the river among the email vessels anchored at the mouth of the Hooghly, where it empties iato the Bay of Bengal. The wreckage was appalling. No estimate has yet been &rriyed at of the total loss of life, but the figures must be large,