NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5946, 17 March 1880, Page 6

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

The following items are extracted from our iCT«« by the San Francisco mad e— ...... PROPOSED AKOTIO EXPEDITION. ■On Jan. 28, a me ting was held;in the ffltfvntianhall of the Mansion House, under the ' presidency of the Lord Mayor, in support, of proposed Arctic Expedition, which is described as the British Canadian Expedition, on account of the support which ■iasaid to have been promised by persons of unfiuenco in Canada as well as in; this country. The advocate, organiser, and proposed leader of the now expedition is ■Commander John P. Oheyne, R.N., whp has already addressed several meetings in the provinces on the subject; The estimated cost -of the expedition is £30,000, which it is! proposed to raise by voluntary subscriptions; ■through a central Committee in London and tloeai Cummittes in’the country. 1 here was a fair attendance although the hall was far (from being filled. The Lord Mayor was m -the choir. Captain Bedford Km, M.P., in moving the tfiraf resolution, said he was not connected •with the Central or any Arctic Committee, hat it would bo affectation in him to’deny ■that he took deep interest in any further exploration of the Arctic regions, in which he had spent some of the hippiest days of his dife, and ho therefore could not refrain from ■assisting the pro,*ent movement, the. success ( of which was entirely due to his old mess- ' mute, Commander Cheyne. There were two -reasons for supporting the proposed expedition. He could not help feeling that more ■or less of disgrace attached to the failure, of . the last, and he Was earnestly desirous that it ■should be wiped out. If ho Bai to deal with the members of it he should mete out to them punishments rather than reworks; ■ but, amving said that, it would be better to let bygones be bvgones. Again, there Was ho better mining, school of hardy seamen .thanthe Arctic regions; and there could be mo Better leader of an Commander Cheyne, He believed; ithat .-Smith Sound was the way to I approach the Pole, and that there' were many advantages iq keeping to the old route, and not tbedeasfc ■was the existence of the so-called palocqrysr.ic doe, which they Used to call “old, pack," -which was sufficiently to cirry anynumber of men and to furnish a sure and certain road. It was a capital idea ito use Balloons as auxiliaries for ascertaining t^ e <«ohditioh of either water or ice - but he ehould trust to the sledge for actually reaching the Pole and returning from it. In 1854 one .officer alone covered more, ground than did ’ the lost expedition. The second ship ;in the last-expedition discovered a large vein of good <coal near to the winter quarters, and this important discovery might be of great use to Hie mext expedition. Ho concluded by moving.— , ■“ That this meeting is of opinion that, in wiaw of the undoubted necessity of inaintaindng British supremacy on the ocean, it is incumbent on the nation to encourage maritime * enterprise by every means in , its power, and ■that the truly national object of. planting the Union Jack on the >prth Pole is worthy of -©very support and assistance.” . Dr Samuel Kinns,. in seconding the motion, ■said that a successful expaditioa to the North Pole would have many scientific advantages. The Astronomer Royal and others had proved {W. the earth from pole to pole' is about 26 imilwi less than the diameter, passing directly through the' equator, and, the. attraction of gravitation, is greater at the. pole, not only .on that account, but also because there the centrifugal force is whereas ,at the ■equator a man is whirled along at the rate of 1040 miles an hour. Would it not then be a great triumph of science and perseverance to . 6e t & pendulum bearing on the polo itself to ■verify these calculations ? For this instrument, though so simple, would confirm or ■correctthese interesting scientific facts, when in the hands of skilful astronomers, who ( by ito means have even-weighed the earth. At the actual pole it is well known that the sun chines continuously for six months, or in other words there is only one day and one sight there during a whole year. It would, then, be very interesting to take solar observations at the actual pole, and the expedition should take With it a bsauti.ul piece of .Enochsjiiaip invented by : Dr Macartney, of the Chinese Legation, which he called a solar ■ chronometer, and which is superior to all other eaa-di&la in giving the exact second and minute as well as the hour, and can io carried about and ad j us ed at any , place. As the polo does not always point, to the saqie. polar star, iburi is . , performing a revolution called the precession if the equinoxes in 25,858 years, many in-.' terealing aatronor.iical observations might be made with advantage. Benefit would ?, be gained by geological science from a visit, to . tnese Arctic regions. The fossil fauna and flora afford us evidence that the temperature of those latitudes was onee very, different from that of the present day. The remains of the . mammoth, a species of elephant, are found abundantly in Siberia, and tons of fossil ivory find , their way into the market. On the banks of Late Ohcoul, a 'perfect animal with all its flesh and hair was found imbedded in the ice, where it had been pregerved thousands of years to tell the story of its structure, and to teaeh us that; to feed such huge animals the foliage must hiive been luxuriant where there is how nothing But ice and snow. A collection, therefore, of fossil jplants and animals from those regions would ba deeply interesting and instructive. One caus.e of the non-success of past expeditions had been the inadequate supply of suitable fqod. The best and most, eminent authorities should be consulted upou‘the subject, and -their advice taken in reference to the best . hind of food for the special exigencies qf such a climate. It would be said, “But is all this information when gained worth the; trouble and expense?” He replied that for every pound laid out in scientific research past experience proved that thousands were gained . commercially to the worljl at largo. ; . , v , Commander Cheyne, who was cordially received, explained Ms programme, as follows: ' Iff the estimated'co^t—viz., £3o,ooo—is for.th!i Vhoming, the exp6ditibn will 'startlrin June. ’Her Majesty’s' Government 'will be asked to -lend’ their steam storeship* Discovery] for the . purpose. It is also in contemplation that a ahOotipg party in connection - with Cook’s tours will accompany the steamer to' some p£ the Arctic bays; where there is some aplepdid. shooting—wild ducks flyirig'about there in. flocks ol 60 at a time, four or five Hooks often passing every minute. ■ It was proposed to . winter the first year in as high a latitude as possible. The sledges will start about March 30,1881. When the sledges are’baffled 1 by obstacles, recourse will be had to .'balloons. These are expected to start about’June next year, at which time the'sun will be'shining in the Arctic regions “ day and night.” The balloons will’be inflated at starting by pissing steam through iron filings, add Will be aftor- . v wards manipulated by means of a kapply of pure condensed hydrogen. Three, balloons ‘ ”, , will be employed, each having a. lifting power of 1 to !§■ tons. THej Balloon ‘ will consist of seven persons with , , water and provisions for 51 days ; but , _it.is expected that ■ they will riadh, the 1 *rNTqrth j from 30 to 40 hours after; _ . will remain'at’the North Pole abbht a week ’for scientific pbseryitibn/ahd Will despatch a , " ' Balloon to 'Russia; ‘for the purpdsi of tele f /' _ i'graphine the ne 'England. Tlje jntplli- '■* be'conveyecf fromfhoi ' ..1* Ptte/vifi 's& to| London, “ ' wif hia three, dayk. The Arctic regibna will be ■ ’ phqitographed, from, the balloon iwry.hour, ‘ ‘*tb B’s traversed by the' balloon , t being estimated at 500 miles/* The! proposal, , ‘to y ”pay out'a sinall telegraph wire iroip' |h.e, . ’bSltodh in as to jbin theisjiip,vvith', the North,Pole, ias .beep abandon^;,, Coipxnander vhe^ne' - ak'keif' what 1 ' situation,, great” maritime' eburifry^'wKs'in? Wb had put 1 oar hands to the.plough. Wo had announced to the world that’we wore-going, to /JißCpvpr the'North Pole, and. we-tad -baffled,but not beaten. .. ((.heers.l J ' all other aaritimb pountries were, cofpipg fp,. the front,;to'takeup tho.tbryad ofi our, work . i-viwpditesd® irifor «*.,rfihould .we -fellow ;them. to do-it? i^ii-vasafig^n^ against Providence to go out to the Arctic' regions; hut he denounced that as. sensational rubbish. The last expedition came back

.' broken down with ecaryyv and the . not the want' of llihe-jutce, but «»• proper ventilation between , . ship and the wont of three expeditions vx served, the men were nob allowed on board in the winter quarters du.-mg the day case of ?iokneßß, the ventilator; i wore opened, and the M, . to, breathe during the mght.. By. simila prociutiona he believedhe ehonld avoid scurvy. He-had met with great onin th. country, the general depression, and Minister of Canada had suggested that that Colony would bo likely to find the moMy -J----amwa irtiiw-oountry-did not- By the aid of alargemsp'he then explained the course he proposed I take,;dwriling mate lariy onthe use to Be, made of tbebslloons, first for ascertaining which of two channels was mo't open, and finaUyforrcactogthe Pole. With threolargo balloons, lifting over a ton each, a start would bomado fromj ilear | the ship, upon the curve. of '.. ft rained wind circle, d.hi ? JT meteorological observations taken at points—viz., at'the «hip,apdat a station 2® miles on each side,. havingtelegraphio tosJmnnioatipn.; Should the (W® defledt - before arrival.at the Pole, then, By manipulation of the, gas between the baUoOhs and condenser tank, , they, . -can oßoose= the requisite altitude for a'oontmved favourable air current. The Pole would ptoj' ■ bitty be readied ; iu about 80;6r 40 hourt time, hills being surmounted by reacting With 4 the-gas. Lord Darby, who went very fully into the matter, said the important question 4 was how to get back again. After taking the necessary observations; ho, proposed . to wait for- a favourable wind,, drop on the . sathe parallel of latitdde as the-ehipi and'tben reach it by sledge. He would return By a different route for the sake of obtaining fresh informal tion. Scientific men Would realisis the value; of sending out an expedition to ba in Arctic waters contemporaneously with the; several expeditions of Sweden', Austria,' America, Holland, and Denmark, so that observations may be relative instead of .isolated. ' Mr Bedford rose in-the body of' the meeting to offer a few words of. encouragement to ■the project.> Ho believed, from astronomical . data- that the heaviest portion of ' our planet was at.-the North Pole, and that the reason there were immense deposits of r cdat The resolution was then put and carried unanimously,-■■ THIS DISTRESS IN IRELAND. i -A Dublin corre'spondeht writes : under date Jan. 24 '* l;! „/ i! ... ■’

The present week has added considerably to the amount-of- distress. jn 1 lie country,; but it has also, fortunately, added in praportion to the means of relieving-’it. It has not appeared, however; in ; ''jwtepmc. form of actual pauperism, but in tbe.’degrees of dost - tution which are to be found among the small farmers and working classes struggling to mai'tain themselrea upon the remnant of their little store of ptbyUiphs and ! living on in the hope of receiving help -from the Qb« vernment. This idea has been driven into the minds of the people by their leaders and advisers, and has taken such a tenacious £old of them that no efforts to extract it seem likely to succeed. It is not to be wondered at when members of Parliament and ;othhr persons of education and influence speak in public and in private of the duty of the Government to institute public worts for tho relief .of the poor, and reproach it bitterly for hot Constructing railways, building piers,; reclaiming waste lands, and > engaging ■ in other undertakings as if they wore absolute owners of the land, and had no private fights to consider, and no laws to respect.. Tho last returns froin tho Unions, made, up to,' the 17th inst., show that the total number, of; persons receiving relief was 102,832, of whom 58,898 were indoor and 43,934 outdoor. ; In the corresponding week of last year the total ; was 93,418, of whom 53,076 were indoor j and 40,342 outdoor ; the total increaseis 9414. In the preceding week the total wa’s ; 101,587, and the, increase over the corresponding week of last year 9007. - This is not so great ah.increase as might have' been apprehended, and all things considered, the numbers sbpw;w6n ; ' derful steadiness. There can, bo little doubt that, in spite of all objections to the workhouse system, the numbers would' bo much greater as distress was more developed if it ware not, for the benevolent agencies which are at work to-relieve the destitute classes. The noble example set by tho Duchess of Marlborough, who led tho way in the good work, has been followed by, others, and there are how three regular channels through'Which the stream of charity flows. Her Grace’s fund, which is intended for the most .distressed districts in the south and' west, is naturally the, largest, as if springs 'from the - 'best sources, the munificent' generosity of the English people, to whom the appeal-in The Times was not made in vain. The furid, is dispensed with "the utmost care, every claim being, carefully examined and’precautions taken to insure as fares possible the application of the grants to the most necessitous cases.’ Great’economy has been observed in the’ distribution,-and if there has been an error at all it has been on the side of caution in this respect, but it is to be observed the expenditure ■ will hays to he spread over a long period, perhaps some i months, and it is necessary.-to husband the resources as much as possible, and the com- ': mittee cannot afford to indulge their own desire to be more liberal unless the subscript lions reach a much larger' amount; Besides her Grace’s' fund, there is the Mans ; on House Fund,- which embraces the wholecountry in its object, and has received large .sums during the week. .Finally, there is-the ■Land League, to which over £2OOO hasibeen sent this week from California and How. York/ These ' gifts 'may prove embarrassing to the recipients,.as the object for which the league was formed was- to. create- a peasant proprietory,'and not to relieve distress. - They have sent remittances, however, to distressed districts forifchat purpose,,and will no doubt continue to: do so, though they would rather have the money, and want it badly, 1 to carry on their agitation. ■ In addition to these funds there has been a general collection in the Boman Catholic churches throughout the Dublin diocese, and more than £3OOO contributed., So much for private-charity } but this is not,the only way in which the crisis is being met. The circular issued by the Local Government Board, 1 has been, as already stated; largely taken advantage of, and the recent notice, of the IJbard ofyPprks; offering loans for drainage works' pa very - liberal terms, has drawn forth .a host of. applicants this /week. . The; Gazette, contains - no fewer -than ,117 memorials -for.; advances. That is. more - thpn; at ordinary, times, andthey have been received in. 15 months.There are numerous applications for small, as well as largo-sums, even down to £109.-and this ip .a gratifying fagt,.as.it shows a - deeper Bjinpaihy and a more earnest desire on the part of. strmll owners to assist as far as possible; ‘These loans represent a very large amount of useful ' employment, which will be of; permanent* value to the country. The Commissioners of Public Works do - not waitfor tho completion of all the legal forms; but when satisfied Os* to the security they issne a memorandum ’iititborismg the - applicant to commence the Work,’in anticipation ' 0l the issue of the first instalment. Itwill-bo necessary for the Government to consider 1 very' soon the propriety rather- of holding their Kahd : 'than expending their loans, as 'the! works, however soon commenced, must 1 be I carried on for'at least a couple of months, and unless cafe'be taken, the cultivation 'of the land will be neglected while tho labour is being expended upon these works, which will; Have a speoial attraction for those engaged in ;lhefaj. ‘ if fpt belter application ’of funds for relief after, the e&id'iof 1 next ‘month WpulsL,be; in the piirchase 4nd distribution of pew seed, ufid'tliVs encouragement of husbandry. - , The, samp correspondent writes under ;date; Jan. 2d j — . ‘ ’ , ' , ! ■ . Some/iryitation. has been capped by the' 'nqtice thajt'the' , Duchess ,jpf M ar |bofough’s Fu - r}d idd no-oonw of . the .Dublin! MansionfiflTpigise,, and #equestingjth‘at , J cohtyibiitionß - in-.. forwarded 'diM.c,tlyltp,bpfBank of Ireland. " There '6atl be nd ‘d'diiMr, ’ however, that a- good; deal of confusion has been produced in the public tniad by the

establishment of two distiiipt funds for a, ■Almiltkr objoot. lt is nob confined to England, but exists oven across the Atlantio,thp mnression being that thecorporate bodies,,; and especially the Mayor®, are acting ia concert with her Grace's .Committee, and-ithat the collections flow into the one fund, Thoj fact that the lord' Maffor- of- London? so warmly responded to hor Grace’s' appeal; and co-operated wish her Grace has led to a very natural inference/that "tße Lord Majrori of Dublin , is; also working as a helperin the . same cause. It is not sufficiently; understood that the scope ofhe* Grace's fund is. limited to the idistricts iiu the west;and;;south, • where there ; can be;’ no doubt ■' that severe distress exists, while that of * the i Dublin Maneioh-house Fuhd embraobs Ireland.; In spite of • all.that can be dope to prevent any. rivalry dr jealousy between the two Ootamitteesi difficulties, must' sothefiimes arise," in consequehee; bf the. erfonodup sup*i, position -'referred ito when remittances are sent over to the one fund which there may I bo good reason to believe’were intended fort .■thetothpiV" As the members of both Gommit’tees aipo-’vicing with 1 eaoh other inzealand ! eßergyiiOU behalf of their respective obj pots, I theyTteoy.-Be pardoned; for feeling some; dirap-, ■povcfeniant. i dnd. chagrin Jwhan they fin ji dtreto'ofvdharity diverted; to ianothdf fundi., It may be hoped'that; ini tho'end the poor, ; will bb benefited by the generous emulation ;,. ' but it Would be more convenient and jridipi- , -ous if separate lines ; of Potion were |aid down, and, such; an organisation of r bbth i funds bpr established as i would; prevent the possibility of one ihterfering; with! the'other. •> It is right .tomy that; her, GfaoeJs Odnunittee/.aMe / the, most sohipulbua card and viliganoe; in the distribution.'of their; grants,' sa that; inequalities may be avoidodtandtbey may not tread in the footsteps hf ithe;Manaion-honee. Committee in bringing jgelief ’i to some : places] which have j already . .begn , hflpfid tcWhilg passing by other places.whioh’hayq not been so foptu:., nate. , The, utmost .exactness, is .enforced in conforming to the- conditions upon, which 'relief is given, and ,tho Committee reqnira that the names of ,thb recipients, shall be returned. The honißeorotaries aiadj great practical experience,, in'/such.matters, Dr thp having bad some years’,training ,fpr such duty in conned- ' tiqpiwithithe Dvib.lin.ifospital Sunday Fund,) which owes its success in a great degree; td hid -exertionsrand-in-hie official capacity having a complete,.machinery? for collecting acourato informatloh: 'Thd Duchess of Marlborough, having given Her whole heart to the work,to whidli she-has.vprit ’her hand, is naturally' anxious on r the subject) hob Grice feeling deeply the responsibility she! has taken upon, ' herself as • 'trustee for the : ;pobr i who ; aw' threatened; With famine ;n the southland west; and unwillingthat theyshouldlosa a single pound which :has been intended'for them. Oii’the other hand,.the Com/ mittee, who areequnlly earnest; and'sensitive, fael coDsidcrable soreness’at what they regard ;on imputation upon-their (honour iin the '.notice and the telegram which, her. Grace has thought it necessary to - have published in Order that the English,,public may understand clearly the distinct character <o£ the .two funds.“lt was stated ithat the subscriptions now amounted to £23,812. The grants made up to last meeting were £7407, and the expenses up to. ting-date (chiefly for telegrams) £B,s.tls 2d. . There Were subscriptions to the araount.df £SOOO advised but nob received) sb' ■fhat the'fund nearly reached £20,000., ?

'■ the south American war. ■The Panama Star 'and Meraid's Lima cpr-’ •respondent says that.'Don Rierola wps hailed as dictator of Peru on Dec. 23. The- 21at (Sunday) was fixed as the day for proclaiming him D ctfttor, and the vriijperri services' in thri city qf Lima .were not accompanied by the 1 chanting of, priests and pealing of the sonorous orgaris.of thb churchi s, but were sung to ,'a chorus pfirifle balls, volleys of mitrailleuses! and the roar of artillery, the pious performers of the' ceremony being men habited in Peruvian uniform, and fighting. . - against their brothers in'arms. Colonel Arguedas, commanding A". National Guard regiment from Tea', and- quartered iti the barracks; of the Inquisitippisquare, ''received .orders’ early on Sunday morning’ from'. General La Cotera to send some of his men tp the Government Palace, to be aasigned ' to [guard duty-there and (elsewhere. . Arguedas) a' sworri partisan of Pierola,, .stoutly refused’ to obey' these orders; fully pnderatanding their import,; which was t only to weakpn [ his force of 400 soldiers, and. to rerider them an easy prize to the battalions controlled by the Minister of 'War. The command was’repeated, but Arguedas persisted in his refusal. •At five o’clock on that aftomopff La Cptera' had a Force of fbdr battalion's ;of'iafahtr^, 4 two regiments !df cavalry, arid a section of four pieces of; artillery, together with ia 1 Qat-,ling-[grin, drawn up ip , the principal square,and leaving the ’ Palacri: well garrisoned with; regular troops, proceeded at theMieadi of his ; division- to the quarters jpf the disaffected, only tbroo'squares distant. Xn the mearitime, Colonel Arguedas had closed the doors of his "baWaeks, ’and': placed jhis men most advantageously oh the rbOf of that building and of the 1 adjacent houses, , tehere, t from the flat -form of .the roofs and the parapets.r.surrotiodiPg them; an excellent position, was:.assumed. ■ On debpaohiiig. info the square. La Optera’s troops were greeted .with.: a devastating fire of musketry ,- from the housetops, but they speedily returned/ thp ::: flre; seizing, -the . houses on the opposite side; and .occupying the plaza with’ their' ■artillery, while the ,-streets close to the scene ■bi action were hold by the cavalry. - The fight was very severe, but (from the outset the 1 leabattalionshadthe ad vantage. La Cotera’s gunners i did all that 1 Was possible; to break /down' thei doors.of .the barracks with the balls' from theiri-light . field-pieces,, and; after a; combat of over three-quarters of an hour, the Government. troops retired tto -the Palace, deavihg their dead and wounded behind them. A few? moments afterwards Pierola, at thp ■ head of his dwn battalion, tho No. 8 of Lima; appeared in. the.great square, and-opened a heavy fire, oh' the -Palace,: which was sturdily - replied to by the soldiers on-the , roof of that building, and the trobps holding the lofty towers of the; Cathedral. This-, Seemed 'to - have been a movement on the part, of Pierola to keep the Government troops frptri in- ’ terfering <■ with;: the 'oohoeritration [ 'of Bis J 'own ■■ followers! i which was then' being effected at the other end of the city. After ’half-an-hour’s i.waste : of . cartridges; the " firing in * the /great plaza ceased,’ Pierola wending- hie: sway towards; thp Expo- ’ sition, where he found many of tts partisahS, 1 and was shortly afterwards: joined by Colonel Arguedas' and the:lea?battalion.- PierPla' then marched to Callao; and the garrison’of that place leoeived him with a warm welcome, Whon this peaceful-victory was make known in Lima, the majority ofl the battalions; ’ up; to that time obeying La Cotera,. declared that there was no occasion- for (.-further ' fighting. An (‘intimation to "this effect i was made to General La Cotera, who, after haring comiriaunicated with General Puerto, came to the conclusion that nothing furthercould be done', -and’.resigned his -position; as Cabinet Minister, together . with -his colleagues. Pierola is in tne Government House in; Lima with -his ■ soldiers, 1 ,. and waa -hailod unanimously by the people.? Thp combat was sharp and decisive. I Sixty men were' killed -and 200 wounded,;? ( r ■ -■? ; ,

We take 'the following from the Anglo:B'rdiilian' J iyM'e'i :t at ! Jan; ; lw-.The latest ■telegrams "from"'Chill l haVO ■' not 1 confirmed; 'those which- asserted' that! the Bolivians had : wfth'draurh froin the dllianoe with Bend On the ;c6ntrary, ; President Data/ had returned to 'Tfc'Cnawith' the of the BoliviaU forces, Itid the bisiy colour'for the allege^.Rupture of the'alliance is derived from a Chilian state'meAt that, Bolivian contingent ; in the allied force whiohi was repulsed atDolores' on Nov. 18, abandoned tho Peruvians and withdrew iri a disorderly manner to Oruro. It is clear) hoi wevhr, that the. allies have retired Icompletely from'the Beriivian department of ■TampaK&‘ and; ’have returned'itp.i Arica add' Taohai.whore tho allied v for i (the;ide£enoß. r ! of f&aSoini should,the. Qhiliaps; oarryiont operations for. the cohduest' stated to" be now raisecrxhereby ,w 18}G00 ■ men, to#Whpxn-.the. bloody?rout of •AMeaga’s; ‘itodAjrytflb^rtkfWd- 1 ®WS4JMB&, |totho nub 1 of November, had restored confidence.. It is probable, however, that the Chilians,

.though elated M JM? 1f? the department of Torapacd,, will not seek to imperil their for(unp ,by. attempting an undertaking of a much gf-rTfif natu, l®* an , * or which, after their losses m tlio various confliots, and after deducting wijmi. garrisons, their small army appear* wholly insufficient oven with, the; of- their suppnor artillery, ond of their ipdwpupaßlo, command of the sea/. Their fleefcrhpwpyor, i# - bloolfad-i iing.Arioa,, MollendOi'®S“r I*®' > a . n ? lt .. J? 0 ®: unlikely that when tho Huasoar joins it Oollao. itself;,will Be Biookadwi W*»* r According fo confirmatory telegroms, the, Bolivian Ooppporo had r lB vßfi" .expected advance to expel, thp Oniliaup from the Bolivian territory;they Bpd seized, aijd he is raid to have recaptured .the, outlyrag jpost of, San,Pedro de frpm,which faids might; easily. Be nipdo t oni thp, Ohiiian Communication of 0 0 ,a8,; o“:*fj u ° l 1 its-supplies depohAti'-VW B ™^^? l the scene comes, BoW! 8 W r | too tp po r of. praotioal effect, for .there is now no army Of Tarapaoa-to co-operate ,'With him, and t , in fact, the! OhiUan phasraura.ffor, the fiesert service aresaid tp recovered ■ San Pedro de, Atacama.' , A ( revolulion headed by . Nunez jraflOi, > a . chief ; of * tho Bolivian 1 party that; advocates the | anhexagon of the ’ Peruvian'!, department of pprt pf Ariea' is that through' whipß almost Mi ;the Bolivian foreign io(ppimerce . was carried on, is .reported to have Bfokbnout dt La 'Pa?,;Nunez Prado hoisting ,fhe|)anhef of,‘ Peace .with Chili.’ A teleg^m, from, Valparaiso, dated Dto.' 20, saysj that President Daza had therefore hastily spt oiit -from Taona for. La Paz to put down-the, revolution;’ Ajb the, Beginning of December the repairs of the 'Huasccir were nearly finished. The turret 'was, rbady, and ;three men could, revolve 1 it, while 'l4 are said to Bara been required formerly. In fact, the turret machinery was' not disabled, in the combat. But it wos’ohoked with chips and dirt. Two breech-loading' Armstrong : 40-pounders, had been mounted on .the Broadside,'and it was intended to put, another j of 701 b at the Bow. At both th® how And stern a revolver - 'cannon throwing steel Balls and shells.hadi been mounted to deal with ‘ torpedo jboats. An ordey was abqut to go to England for twp ? of Armstrong’s new cannon, tp replace; theise in the turret. ■Sh'e 3 tras ( expected to be ready •tur' ■ Thp Raenos of Detfi 28 has thefollbiring': battle of Tarapaca, > thh Wrat Coast Wdr 1 has' remained -fra! qiio, ar,-»many are bf-opinion that that 1 - bh-' gagemeat has Closed-the! campaign. and i thatthe proper, moment has’ arrived fpr fcha uegß*tiatiofi oPpeaOA -ikHftUyia’thelfßliave ■fresh Peril ■sotok of.the 1 papbbs"- alrbddy'iidvoßAto \p eace. It is barely possible, therefore, that 4 this unfbrtunate waf is at last drowing to its closb.’ {Whateyer;mpyißf terms of peace arjived, at, victors' both suffer several?'' by the struggle pand this seems to be lo*weß understood ih this- cpiintry that tho lesson is not lost sight of, and we notice a betterffeeling in’ the discdsßion- of our kuestioh witlv -Chili, Nevertheless, according to general report,- the Argentine Government has. purchased ’ afhiAihbntß l in Europe, is- reckuiting new 1 'regiments; and iheurring such ' hehVy; expenses that, bptufpr its great revenue aiid 'the re m arkabl e ability; of its u Minister of Hacienda, Dr Plaza, the National -Treasury would find Wott id meeting its engagements; It is right, however, to remark that-the very neglected-state Of oni* "Pa'tagbnittn seaboard is, perhaps, the. primary cause of the changed’ policy of bur public'menj'whp-dotikibtlr it essential henceforward'to keep'mp a powerful naval station ’ down ■ 'there,'and direct all" their 'influence to the peopling and' 'oplonisatien Of that vast ’district. " ! l The Argentine navy is rapidly becoming very powerful, arid the training of good sailors is noW 4 aB mnbh the object of our QoVeriiment as -the purchase' of the most powerful ironclads,' Although fn commercial circles 'the changed policy of our Government, has caused eortfe alarm, there are many sound' reasons to defond this step, thb primary ,being the maintenance of peace.”

DREASDFppG COLLipt pPLOSION. i A® explosion of gas occurred on. Jari. 21 at the .Lady Fair ! pit of the Leycett Colliery, Belonging to: the Crewe , Coal and Iron Coinpany, near Newcastle-under-Lyirie. An- expip?ion occurred at: the Bame riollieiy on Sept. 12 last, eight, men being killed- On the present occasion ; the .loss of life and the destruction,, of property, have; Been much greater. : The Lady Fair Pit has been opened the,.,spring of 7 last,, year,And thp’ levels are being driven in the sevemfoot Bam* : bury ; Beam,(One of the nppst.fiery spam? in the Staffordshire rioalfield,. , Thp -frirthesj: extent of the workings ffrom the shaft is 300yds in one direction and 200yds in another, the depth being ,410yds.: Gn the, day! of' the accident 77 lamps were giyon out, and at the usual time of commencing the day-shift there were more than seventy,men and boys in the pif.,, About half-past eight o’clock a terrible explosion, occurred, scattering - destruction in every direction, and alarming the [ people in' the neighbourhood for a distance of three milps.i A new .ventilating , fan had been broughfc intooperation sinoe the. previous ex-[ iplpsion, and the roof of the fan-shed was lifted off ; but,, fortunately, the fan was uninjured, and the ypn(ijatipn, of a portion of - the workings riot Briipg) stopped the shaft was ,sopp sufficiently, free, from noxious gases to ; admit of persons . descending. . If happened, however, that the lower part of , the,-, guide rods ~ was . broken . and? the bottom of the pit much, damaged, and some hours elapsed bofore the pit could be rintered. Even then the .progress of getting to (ho bpttom was slow, as the cage could not be |pw;ered the whple depth, , and ladders had to bp-rimplpyed. , Mr Lawson, the manager of aneighppuring colliery,. and seven otheT> men were the first to go down. A cage containing sufferers was lifted at noon, when four- men were prpughfc up. . They walked up from the pit-mouth to the lamp-room, though they were more or. less in j ured. , Having received the attention,of several, medioal gentlemen,’. :thpy,.wrire despatphed to their, homes.’ At intervals of about a quarter of an hour the cages, B.rpught, np twp or three at a time, most of, them/being serlouely injured. During the .morning Mr 'Wynee Oadman, Mr : Hppter,,iyil3|pwpirig, arid othete [experibneed in, mming operations, assisted by numerous willing colliers, descended the pit, and rendarod assistance.; ,Ip [the afternopn several more.i.dead, bpdips [[were found -about fifty i.yardp, ttppg .[tßp; south slant frorii.tho ■ pit ..bottom, , .They , were. brought to the Burfaue witU .nine pther boiies at present unrecognised., There, were a dozen deadbodies taken to the , pit, bottom, but soon afterwards) the efforts of.the oourageous.men who worm underground , were temporarily in- . terrppted. [ The shock of the explosion had ■liberated the'gas frorii'a number of small blowers), and jt'ntil'. the .fires thus kindled were extinguished, the work of exploration was: impossible at any considerable distance from the pit bottom. Many of those previously engaged in exploring had already run great risk of suffocation, and Before they had done all they wished they had to retire] to ’ save th'riir-own' 'lives; The cause of the explosion is at preaent a mystery ; ’but the fiery nature of the seam,.with tho fact thata new fan had -beeh' fre'cently put. in’’ operation; leads to the conjecture that a! large' blower Wari suddenly struck,and the'Velocity of the ajr, owing to (Be action of the hew fani was such [that the. gas was forced through the gauze of a lamp. The number of deaths will be at least’6o, and many are sadly injured. ■ ; . ' SHOCKING RAILWAY ACCIDENT. On Jan. -15 a fearful accident took place at the Brickfield Siding, about, 200 iyardsirom the Burscpugh-Junotion station pn;the Lan-' cishire and /Yorkshire Railway,; which has resulted, ip the,death of, ten men and injury more.or less sever? .to:more than ,2Q perspns., Through some blundering OB (he patt , of, the. Signalman'. On duty.at Bursoough. the. train., whieh left the junction at five minutes .past six for. Liverpool was. turned on. thp down Une,, and r it . had not. "proceeded , on, its ways mpre than ,200.'yards rw.henfiti d a *Bed intp - ipressiWain, from Liverpool. ; ...The crash"vras, :toriible,lboth'(B»gmesubWDgritelescpped v qnd, 1 'completely; ;embedded 'in>, each otHor, , ;Thp. :vanof the .pver, the engine, tho first two carnages of each train were completely shattered* and 1 the

passengers thrown abojit Id all directions, Those who ' wore but slightly injured scrambled bnt .of the carriages,,end |the rail-’ way officials) who had heard the shook of the collision, immediately made preparations for extricating tho injured passengers. Tho guard of the Bursoough train, Edward Sutton, aged 86,0 f. Ormskirk, whp had a wife and family, \?as killed bn the spot; The engine-driver, Thomas Looney,. Aged ’6O, also of Orars- ; kirk, married,, pud leavingj|.family, end, the ftooker, Robert Sandpraon, 20, single, were both killed, arid* Write Sb‘ 'firmly -embedded between the twoiengmesi-that it. was found impoieiblo to recover,|hem for some time, A ( number of medioargentlemeh went down by speoiiu ! ttAltt ' And Tendered- very- valuable ; service. ,Th«- ( yay was . much damaged, and one line was Blocked., Gangs of men wete 'ringßged all night repairing the; iinjury.. The injured iwbre taken to Preston Infirmary by special train at tpn o’clock. In addition to the above deaths, there died—■ John Montgomery,;hatter ; "Richard Clarkson, fireman j J. Haythornthwaite, of Ormskirk; arid John Boyle, [butcher, Fleetwood. • The explanation given ty the authorities is! that'; on 1 gettiqgithg, rignol, r from 'the) platform that all was ready, the station signalman, through some misunderstanding, must have turned the points back. He states that; thri points Wore properly fixed until" he saw that a train had passed them* when he let them go aM ' eigririUbd to the Bursoorigh' cabin for the other trainato come-on. 'J he inquest was -opened ..on Jan, 17 at -thevillage of Bufscpugh, ' oefora Mr T. W; - Barker,’ Deputy ■ Coroner 4 for ; that ; divisioa; of the .County,,;,, The first [ inquiry was merely of a formal character, a£nd little evidence was takeni' On the'assembling .' of the jury, they-proceeded with the deputy’ coroneri to'-tbri riignal obk, and then to'the ' place where the accident occurred. After examining the*point,; and the signals Imring’ been explaine'd"to therii, they returned to the, hotol,,where sorao pfethp, bodies lay. _ lifter)' gome formal evidence was taken the inquest Wari’adjbririried; 1 Arithotiy Melia', the points-' nianj was taken into custody, aid was preprint during the .inquiry, Joßfef plates. that, he .had the points properly fixed until he saw by the tail Jamp-that the, train .had papssa them, , When , he’let ! g6j ! rind sigihlled t 6 the|Brick. Siding eablnffPlritt’s) ( to’ let 1 this other; train 1 come up. He had scarcely, done. this when he saw the terrible., position the trains were in. 1 Nothing, however, cpMd then be done to .avert' wie'oalariiity, arid the .trains smashed irito 'eirih ibtliri! 4 .' 1 The Fleetwbod' train Was igoing at * speed of About 35 .: pwj hprir,[ . -andl.thnß extent, and fqrcp,,pf;; the cpUißion rfi Most PE tne people injured the collision dre gressing i 'vriiy¥aTOiirably, l hrit it'will-be sbme[ time beforemny are-fit for removal. j »V. 11 i-tA >■ | "fj hMmitxiißj *;;,.CoJsiGri*»AW4ffriwes i 'lta' ehrattve virtues,to tbo, .(Treat quantity pf patrein whlob it olares in the “British Medical JonfqM,k;that the, Gnnrana aats “ lilt* a, charm." ’ Guktana' ppwpers area certain -hecaaohe.—The whohaventosoribed to their patients Grimault and - Co.’s Indian -Cigarettes, are nnanimons in telling that 1 their nffCof in asthma, chronic catarrh, and inflammation of the .mucous membrane of the hose, palate, and' bronchi® is most surprising.—“'Vienna MCdloal iQaZette *' (Austria).--[-AIiVT.J s j . " > Peevsction.— Mrs 8. A. Ali-eh’s , World Halt Bestbrer (the Genuine- ‘Only In Tint Paper 'Wrappers)' never falls to reatfara /grey hair to its: youthful oolonr, imparting to it new life, lustrous beauty. Its action is certain and thorough, ' quickly; banishing gre? 3loß *-,: It, i is, Hot, a dyrii ‘lt over proves itself -the natural strengthener of the hair; Its superiority - atm 1 excellence; are eetah- . liahed throughout, theworld. Wholesale of Messrs KEMiTHonwEi PnodSkß iuro Co., Dunedin ahd Auckland; and Messrs Felton,.QjnaiwAhK and Co., Wellington; and retail ol all Chemists and Perfnmera throughout the Colonies. [Anvi.l. ,1V Berkeley, Sept;\lß9).f-ge?igemen, I leel it a duty I owe to you to express my gradtude lor the' great benefit I have" derived by taking ‘Norton’s. Camomile Pills;! sTsapplied; to your agent^ ;- Mr ( Ball, Berkeley, fonthe ahovenamed Pills, for wind . in the stomach, ftqm whioh X suffered excruciating : pain for a length bf 1 time, having tried nearly'Overy ' remedy preacrib.ed/ but .without deriving any | .benefit .at aff.,( After taking-two.bottles of your valuable ?illp j.WM.qmte rastored ito; my usual state bf health, ' PloaSe give’ this pubii for the benefit 'of those who may thus- be ■ afflicted,—l am, sir, yonrs truly, HBKJit Au-wss.’’—To the Proprietors pf|foaTpH’.,,.CA^pMl^PfLto,—[Apyt.r , £1 Pbm proprietoiri. Bf Woi^a Aeomaxic SoHiEDAtt ScHiTArps to ludnoe. the deBtruotion . and prevent the improper use of -their .wrappers Bhd labels, and thus further protect the public against fraud and deception, have inclosed ; In the wrappers or Under the label onthe quart' bottles,' since Got. 1, 1878, and'Continue to inclose IH EVERT DAT’S PACKING THROUGHOUT. THE TEAR, T R ;E- Ei ;...f £ I .iO B D B E », which are drawn .upon the undersigned, and which'will be cashed' by thbir agents.; To secure these gifts the pablio must bo carofnl to ask ; for and accept nothing but the Genuine Udolpho WpaMr’s. Schnapps with onr name upon the top label. M.. Moss and Co,,' Wynyard Dane, Sydney ; Dalgetv and ’Oompy., agents, Christchurch.— lAdvx.l it