LONDON.

North Otago Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1160, 25 December 1875, Page 3

LONDON.

(PHOJt OT7E OWN COBEESPONDEST.) October 28, 1875. The month of October in the present year of Grace has been, so far ns England is concerned, an essentially dull one. From a political point of view it has been altogether uneventful. The peviod of parliamentary recess is frequently marked by at least one or two striking speeches to constituents, but hitherto thero hare been none, for Mr. Bright'a address at Birmingham was almost private, while Sir W. Lawson's speech, which was upon his old theme of the Permissive Bill, was more jocose than dignified. Possibly this may be the result of a general political apathy, which seems to have penetrated even parliamentary circles. Yet this is apparently the sort of atmosphere in which tho growing Conservative cause, to speak in a figure, seems to thrive. The elections which have taken place since the present Government came in, and latterly they bave not been unfrequent, have certainly strengthened the Conservatives in the House of Commons. If the Government were only but as lucky on sea as on land it might be as immoveable as the Sphinx, but here the spell is broken. The god Neptune, though he ought to be a true blue, is evidently a Liberal at heart and thinks meanly of the Admiralty department. But to speak seriously that department has latterly been most ill-fated. The fatal accident which happened not long ago from the collision of the Royal yacht Alberta and Mistletoe will be still fresh in the recollection of New Zenland readers. Following upon this came the oollision between tho Vanguard and Iron Duke off the coast of Ireland. Then agaio, and within a few weeks, the latter vessel ran into the Black Prince, a sister ironclad, in Plymouth Sound ; carrying away her davits and doing other damage. Lastly, the Serapis, by which the Prince of Wales is now being conveyed on his journey to India, has met with several mishaps, in the first place owing, it is supposed, to excessive priming of the boiler. She was unable during the earlier part of tho voyage to accomplish more than seven knots in on hour. Then she ran into the Boyal Yacht Osborne I when steaming in tho Peirosus. The Prince of Wales left England on October 11th. Before starting, he receired the congratulations of the Corporations of London and Dover. The Princess of Walei accompimied her husband as far as Calais. This part of the journey was accomplished in the Castalia, the new twin-steamer which has been designed to obviate tea, sickness. The Princess bade farewell to the Prince at Calais, and returned at once to Sandringham, where she is now living in retirement. It is said that she will shoitly visit Denmark, and, perhaps, spend Christmas at Copenhagen. The Prince continued his journey overland via Paris to Brindisi, where he was joiqed by most of the members of his suite. Here he and they embarked on board the Sarapis, which, had been previously dispatched to meet them. The voyaee was then continued to Athens, where the Prince made a short stay. Here he met with the most enthusiastic reception from the Greeks, who had made the greatest preparations for his visit. Thence the Serapis proceeded to Cairo, and the latest accounts tell of a successful passage, in the Osborne, along tlie Suez Canal. No doubt by this time you have heard of the safe arrival of the Prince at Bombay. It would be a happy thing for England's best interests if the pieatmt expedition were so succesiful *• to lead the Prince to make proof of the hotpitality of more distant, but nol leu loyal, Coloniei.

Tho Prinoe has had really royal weather for his journey, while we in England have experienced, within the last fortnight, some of the most severe storms which have been ltnown for years. They have been most violent on the coast of Scotland. At Peterhead, Dundee, and many other northern port», hundreds of ships were driven to take refuge from stress of weather, while vast quantities of wreckage, telling too plainly of disasters seawards, have strewn the North-Eastern coast. Nor has the damage been less inland. On the London and North* Western Kailway, between Crewe and Rugby, the country on both sides of the line bore the appearance of one vast lagoon, with here and there a tree or hedge* row top just visible in tho waste of waters. Nor have thf effects of the flood been less disastrous along the lower Thames valley, which has already suffered severely during the present year. Indeed, it would be hard to estimate the damage dono thereby to agriculture, roads, and railways. The anniversary of the Balalciava Charge, on October 25th, gave the proprietors of the Alexandra Palace, near London, the opportunity of organising a novel fete. It consisted of a grand banquet to the surviving heroes, and of an exhibition of Crimean relics, among which was conspicuous the head of the charger Ronald, which carried the Earl of Cardigan in the famous engagement. The opening ceremony of the festival was the unveiling of a colossal statue of Honour. Little more has transpired respecting the Whitechapel murdor. The evidence, however, which was given before the Coroner served still further to implicate Thomas, the brother of Henry Waiuwright, and the man at present remanded. Thomas "Wainwright has, therefore, been charged as an accessory after the fact, as having aided and abetted his brother. The English Church has sustained a real loss in the death of Dr Hook, Dean of Chichester. As Vicar of Leeds he completely remodelled and organised that great parish, and since his promotion he has always been before the world as a writer and preacher of rare attainments.