The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JUNE 16, 1879.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 142, 16 June 1879, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JUNE 16, 1879.

Our telegrams report a most disastrous fire which occurred in Wellington last night, resulting in the destruction of an enormous amount of property. The total loss is not yet ascertained, and probably will not be for a day or two. The insurances amounted to over £21,000. A good many enquiries having been make with regard to the Rev. Mr Kirk, the Wesleyau Minister, who at one time reaided in tfelson, we may state that he and his family were not living iv the Parsonage, which has been burnt Captain R. A. Edwin reports :— « Watch ! barometer ; bad weather approaching. Expecfc heavy gale NW. to S.W. Glass will i show further fall." | We understand that Captain Lightfoot of the Nelsou Brigade telegraphed to Wellington to-day asking them if they were iv want ! of any gear, as probably a good deal was damaged at the fire last night, and offering to lend them any that might be required. j Preparations are being made at Messrs Moutr&y and Crosbie's foundry for the launch of the steamer that they are building for j MessraCross and Co. The old shanty that stood between the hull and the street was pulled down this afternoon, and it is expected that the launch will take place to morrow. The rainfall on the night of Friday and morning of Saturday, when the heavy thunderstorm occurred, was 1-13 inches, A weia contested game of football waa played on Saturday afternoon between the Town and College Clubs. During the first three twenty minutes the ball waa kept in dangerous proximity to the College goal, but in the last play the superior wind of the ho' 3 began to tell, and the Town Club were unable to get the ball away from their end. The game ended in a draw, neither side scoring anything. The usual monthly meeting of the Permanent Building Society will be held this evening at the Temperance Hall. A public temperance meeting will he held in the Wesleyan Church to-night at half-past seven. A telegkam to the Post, which will be found elsewhere, states that a Company has been formed for catting a canal through the Isthmus of Panama. In connection with this, the following information respecting the Suez Canal, furnished by the United States Consul-General at Cairo, may prove interesting :~He says the entire cost of the canal is £18,454,781. The stock of the company consists of 400,000 snares of 500 francs each. These have sold as low as 100 francs each. Afc the opening of the canal they had advanced to only 300 francs. They are now quoted at 7 17 francs, and are probably worth more. The revenue of the canal increased from 5,000,000 francs in 1870 to over 30,000,000 ftauca in 1677. The expenses, including interest on the sinking fund and lana, have been a little over 17,000,000 franca per year. While the revenues steadily increase, the expenses are decreasing or stationary. The saving of distance to British ships going to India is nearly 5000 miles. Twothirds ot the vessels passing through the canal carry the English flag. The following items of Cape news were brought to Australia by the Oiient steamer Aconcagua :— Lord Chelmsford and staff left Maritzburgh for Durban last Sunday. The Prince Imperial was to have accompanied him, but be was prevented by indisposition.—Heavy rains have fallen lately and will retard the firing of the grass by the Zulus.— News from the Transvaal is reassuring. The Boers have quietly dispersed —Sir Bartle Frere was feted in Pretoria before separating by (he Boers, who agreed upon a memorial to the Queen, asking for restoration of their independence.— Cotewayo has now changed his tactics, and is committing: raids in the Utrecht district.— The colonial force have had several engagements with Corauntbs on the Orange river The enemy were dispersed, and several prisoners captured. Among them was a white man named M'Carthy, supposed to be one of the rebel leaders.— Colonel Wood's cavalry were terribly cut up in the Zlobane affair, and are only able to cope with small bodies of raiders.— Maguizo, Cetewayo's brother, with twenty followers, surrendered a few days since. He says he was at Isandula when the Zulus defeated the British They were about to fly, when the British ammunition failed, and the Zulus then rushed in and overwhelmed the soldiers The Zulus numbered 25,000, of whom 11,000 were reserves, with instructions to enter and lay waste Natal. Only the defeat of the Zulu reserve at Rorke'a Drift, he aaya prevented this plan from being carried out. Under date London June 7th, Bth, and 10th, the following special telegrams appear in the Foat :-Solovieff, the schoolmaster who attempted to ahoot the Czar on the I4th April, has been sentenced to death : His execution is fixed to take place today. A despatch has been received from Lord Chelmsford, in which he states that be conaiders the Zulu war virtually finished. Cete wayo has sent a chief to the British camp to ask for peace, and has admitted that he has lost the youngest and bravest of the warriors In fact the Zulus seem thoroughly cowed by the brilliant fighting of the British under Colonel Wood and L/)rd Chelmsford, and disheartened by their own recent reverses There is every probability, therefore, that peace will shortly be concluded on terms satisfactory to the British nation, conditions being imposed at the same time on the Zalua of such a nature as will prevent any similar ' outbreak on their part in future. The negotiations between Cetewayo and General Crealock still continue.— A company has been formed, with a capital of £16,000,000, to cut a canal through the Isthmus of Panama. M. Leaseps, the engineer who designed and carried out the Suez Canal is to have charge of the work, and promises that it shall be commenced on the first of January next. — The King of Burmah. alarmed by the preparations made by the British Government for chastising his excesses and acts of cruelty, sent an envoy to tne Viceroy to make terms of peace. Lord Lytton, however, refused to grant the envoy an audience, leaving the Kiog to deal yitfa the military authorities.— There are symptoms of great discontent among the peasantry of Ireland towards the land-owners, and several outrages of an agrarian nature, fortunately none of them involving loss of life, are reported. It is believed that the feeling of disaffection, which is aggravated by the present hardness of the times, fe rery widely spread, «id the Government are eariooaiy