LATEST CABLE NEWS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 89, 19 February 1881, Page 2

LATEST CABLE NEWS.

[Reut&r's Special to Star.]

London, February 16. The opening catalogue at the wool sales to-da*y comprised 2100 bales. There was a good attendance of Home and Foreign buyers. The demand was fair, but prices were fully a halfpenny lower for greasy, and a penny lower for scoured, compared with the closing rates of last sales. The total arrivals for the auction comprise 310,000, and the probable quantity to be offered is 300,000 bales. James Stephens, the former Fenian head-centre, is now in Paris. In the House of Commons last night, Sir Wm. Vemon Harcourt, Home Secretary, replying to a question, made a statement, in the course, of which ho virtually admitted that letters suspected to contain treasonable correspondence had been opened in transit through the post. The statement gave rise 10 a lengthy discussion in the House, and the Press generally refer to the matter at length in their leading articles, various opinions being expressed as to the action of the Government. News has been received from Beyrout, in Syria, that troubles have arisen there between the Christians and Turks, and conflicts have occurred, resulting in loss of life on both sides. Mr. Parnell has addressed a letter to the Land League at Dublin, urging the members to maintain a passive attitude of resistance to the coercive measures pro- 5 posed to be adopted by the Government

in Ireland , and to use, moreover, every moans to fo c ter an agrarian agitation on the part of tho masses, not only in Ireland, but throughout Great Britain. The Daily News to-day publishesVa paragraph stating that the Government h .d received telegrams from Sir George Colley, containing proposals for peace n.a(le by the Boer 3. ' : . The Daily News further states that the proposals are now being discussed - in. Cabinet. The German Parliament was opened to-day by the Emperor, who, in his speech on the occasion, strongly affirmed the fact that a general agreement exists among the Powers to use every possible effort in the direction of the maintenance of European peace. . ' ■ ; It is now known that Mr. Parnell has been in Paris for the past week, and has visited M. Rochefort and 'Victor Hugo", and had lengthy interviews with them. The news that Mr. Parnell has paid a visit to M. Rochefort and Victor Hugo*', has created a feeling of disgust amongst some of the Irish Roman Catholics. Capetown, P- bruary 161 News comes to hand from Natal that the telegraph wi es between Newcastle and Durban have been cut by the Boers in several different places. No communication has therefore lately been received from Sir. George Colley at Ingogo. New York, February 16. A number of Dutch Americans, residing here and in other parts of the States, were agitating with a view to send assistance to the Boers in their efforts to obtain their independence in the Transvaal.