ARRIVAL OF THE R. M.S.S. 'MIKADO,' WITH THE EUROPEAN & AMERICAN MAILS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4124, 1 February 1875, Page 3

ARRIVAL OF THE R. M.S.S. 'MIKADO,' WITH THE EUROPEAN & AMERICAN MAILS.

OUK, CALIFORNIA!* LETTER. THE COSPATP.H'K CATASTROPHE. SIK JAMES I'EIU'.L'SSiiN AND Mli. THOS. HUSSICLL. CAI.IFOKXIAX JiI'.AXCH OF Xi-AY IXSU UAXCE COM PAX Y. DESTRUCTION OF TUO LARCE STEAMERS. I.OSS OE THE MoXGOL. FAMINE RAVACES IX ASIA. ! A FAP.UI-OUSI Y RICH C.01.D MIXE. 1 CONTINENTAL AXD AMEIUCAX XI'.WS. fKr.o.M on: sri-.i'i vi. i oi:i:k.si-oni>kst.] San Fi'.ancisco, January t>. CURRENT KYEXTS OF THE MOXTH. .As tlio t'u opened with a bhtody n.urder. At Merced, an inland town, the editor of one paper was shot and instantly killed by the sou of tile editor of another rival paper. Cause : An obnoxious leading artidc. Such is lite. KALAKAXA, after receiving all the honours the /0//.1/ citizens of "Frisco could bestow took his departure 011 the Sill for the East. He had a loyal progress all the way, his dignity only rallied 011 line occaMon. At one of the stations til routf the king was mistaken for a coloured porter, aiidre«iuested by a polite \ ankee to "tote" his luggage. The Royal Kalakana frowned, and the Yankee went onhis way still further convinced that for general and special eussediie;-s" the negro is unrivalled. At Washington, Emperor Cra-.it received his royal guest with high honour, and the city was kept for a week or more in a [lurry of excitement. Kalaka-.a "did all that was to be done, signitied '.us gracious approval of the sychnpTiantie humane that was paid to him, arranged for a reciprocity treaty and a million Uian, aud was about to K-ave, his dignity iutact> when lie was assailed from* a most unexpected 4uarter. "I'is said. *'that one touch of cf!vur makes the whole world kin." This beautiful funtiaieiit was fully appreciated by the coloured men and bruddcrs of the city ot magniticent distances. Kegarding Kalakana as a digniticd representative of their familv, the darkies invited him to a grand » tribal feast. Hut the King got his royal back up aud declined the honour. The coloured bi jthrcii must wait until their curly hca* led friend Lhakombau coiues this way. . If' will rccognise his brethren perhaps. Hut Kalakana lias been j>unislied for his contumacy —the fierce winter of the Kast, the oulv mundane power that hath no respect oi }f.rs«.»ns, seized upon the King and very nearly eti'. his i*oyal progress. He is somewh.V: better, but most anxious to get back to lie balmy regions of Hawaii. ROMAN WIIKSTLINi;. After Kalakana, there was a dearth of excitement only supplied by a great wrestling match between Miller, the champion of Au.-tralia, and Mons. Bauer, the world's \ champion. After two hours of the greatest j "macular struggle the world perhaps has \ ever seen, the Frenchman won, though So ! hard pressed was he by Miller that the gK»: v of the aTair was equally divided. | ! Tin-: nk<";ko \vars. ! I Another war in Yicksburg—black versus ; white. Negroes attack the town. lte>ult. scvijity-five «lead coloure»l brutldcrs and two whites wounded. All (juict now. Cause: Oem ral dissatisfaction uii the part of the K>!IST KALI. FuR IiF.KI'HKH. T1 0 -■ t'.i*. bv Mifs Procter ag.unst Moulton ; f. - defi r. ,t. :i fi>B been v nde 1 . in favour of : the lady had to down on his ! knees ,N»1«: sas ail kinds of htunble things, i t <cmu 10,000 dollars to various : ch-.riti'^ 4 . Ti.l:- 's c«nisi'lertHl a iirst victory i IK !•.■• -Ah it <lama;:es Moulton'3 cliarac- j 1..- r .v -rity t E:vKTU(JUAK" SHUCKS. < \ ir r ;in;a city was visited on tiie 10th j December by an old friend, which made , things particularly lively for a time. There | were several sharp shocks which sent the crockery dancing and made people think of | their prayers much. ' EARTHQUAKE XX YORK. \ The good people t ha: ■ jwdern Babylon ] have been fearfully and .e-nderfully alarmed j by the shaking o: e«rth and the general i unsteadiness of everything iu their midst. I They have not been used to the gentle lul- | laby of mother earth and hadtjuite enough of | the cradle business in The shocks j were very severe, bu* s*).'/.: --. '.ii'v in con* sideration of Kalalpr< .>ci; c. sirpKßvr. Kalakana v .s ••nt:rv \i'ju*d r<? v the ; City Fathers a', an ; I 'l tJ;irs. : Now, the king-*-'liippeis re'u . lo f«-nt tlic ; bill, and the May< ; " had io '-'.w 1 th ; ' «iin. ( or tw<» r<#U!i«l i:cads wr<> lja-, -I the King till they ha' T ' "< nl!:;./ v. ,;elfinipoi tanee, wait- j ..i. fn :. iVno- had , g'«nr and then ;«iad« ; .. : «e ab- ' _■ ex- 1 peusc. Very mea t . HKPWOUriI . j author, historian, J. • . ui-i L-'m* j don., has been t> . • g • ; •» > here, and has miserably - iie lecture- ! h<*hl is purely -*roiind, and her j lecturers are her mosv gifted men, trained j for the work. HepwortU Dixo i is doubtless ; a very eh v< r man ; and as is a democrat 1 of the JJilke seho' iie tin -Jght he had no- [ thing to do >ut u-. himself here aud i capture the nation; broug'it coals to Newcastle, ->vtT . :»;ckv 1 market, j In one »'f iu-jo t<» ti'-seribe ( America-. V» •«'; ; » *» be had the K toping [•'.* •.»'.• :» -t * :b. ; • ically speakin« ; antMii.'t:.';- I r; so disti : of soiii. • !*t >!.•* of \ - •a* |>eo''*c. dill not t.. fp:-.,,. ;■ -i]| w.- ;<■ miii(b«i'—• : •• .\a • -.'shs i ; .u? | din:«*{«.c. c: .1- !i «oii '' 1 »l;'e»;du- ' cat* -; ' f .. .'-ri ' * • ./(- t do-x-l vJ;" • til • rr.r. •«>?, i'laug!i, :i ;,ii' I : s ;ra-.; > t and «.;• ». • ... ''-r.K.'Hi'i i in 1 lidel a* iv tioi!..: Uh- ■ ItepuM'. -v- .; . ; '1 ir. Ci. \n'• j reputai:.. • • t;.yi -7 - ! •■ir". "m rv I Amt*ricMv.s i ..i. ; simjdy di'-.vj r M :I(S' j The devil •-. !>r; in' ' par \ sons. From aa o. n. •:•.< disgraceful disclosure i . ' r.'; • i\-it)i pain and make eapi'.d f v r;,.- •]'i\:s. ] will not soil your paper with a list. Suffice it to nay that all churches an; represented. Money and women seem to be the stumliling blocks. ANOTHER TRAGEDY. To-day roan named Watkuis murders his -wife and thui auicides. Cause : His wife's advocacy of temperance reforms. You may calculate th»t from 20 to 30 murders and a-i many suicides will take place in this Statu ijonthly. This will save me writing ho much. Just announce a batch every week and you w ill be order. ,

[ ARREST OF A PACIFIC MAIL AGENT. R. B. Irwin, a prominent business man in this city, lias been arrested in the East, and brought be'ore Congress to give an account of 750,000 dols. which disappeared whilst lie was agent for the company here. Irwin says he spent it in buying subsidy votes, but won't give the names of who sellers. He is held in custody for contempt. P.URNIXC OK THE STEAMER T A PAX. The steamer Japan, which left this por. for Yokohama in the early part of Deccmt l>er, was burnt ami destroyed near Swatowon the night of December 1". , The passengers and crew, with one exception, were srved. The Japan was a irap.itieent steamer, one of the best of the I*. M.S S. line. This company has been very unfortunate diirim; the pV.st two years. Nearly every month records an accident to one of their vessels. A Kit 1 V.> I, (JK Till". MIKADO. Tile Mikado arrived on December 21, after another splendid rdri, having left your port oil til.' 21st November. Annurst lier passe:i"ers were >ir .lames I-Yrgussoii and Thomas Kussell. Es ( [. Ordinarily the advent of Rll distinguished a man a-, Sir .lames—exgovernor, \e. — would have aroused the attention and provoked the courtesy of Sal' Franciscans, but then the King had been i ere. and ill the refulgent splendour <>:' 'iVajestv Sir .lames paled down to the dimin..tivc glory of a farthing rushlight. Alas for fame ! This is the way the Chnmirl<■ dismissed Sir .lames iovcrnor' I'.ussell, of New Zealand, ami Mr. i'ergussou took their departure for the East yesterdaj'. (•/,December L' l. Though Sir .lames came here attended by a most gentlemanly valet, he did not save his dignity from an American sell. 'Tis the custom here wit'n the railway folks to tout for business, and every strangi-r who arrives ill the city is at once button holed, and almost forced to buy tickets for a line lie knows nothing of, or mav not care to travel 011. These touters arc pretty smart fellows. One ot them went after Sir .lames and talked him into the belief that he was a great railwav magnate, who, having heard of the arrival of the distinguished and illustrious visitor, took the earliest opportunity of calling upon him, with a view of giving directions for his comfort. lie assured Sir James every attention would be paid to him, that his liritish prejudices would not be to.u-hed upon the raw. that, in fact, tile lion of England would be made so comfortable he would have 110 chance of alarming the country by an angry grow'. As a mark of respect to Sir James, lie had, with his own hands, brought the tickets necessary to his safe conduct across the continen. Sir James was delighted, the su ..r-coatcd bait was swallowed, and the sharp runner pocketed the coin and commission that was lovely to behold. Fanev Sir James's rage when he discovered that he had been ]Mitrimi*nf by a sharp Yankee only one remove from a cabbie. Fancy, also, the mild and gentle protest which he would lodge with his gentlemanly valet. llis Excellency is now in Washington, picking up scraps of sentimental lore, which may be useful when lie becomes one of the Ministry. TIIE I.ITTKE I'ISTOI. ACAIX. Only in deference to the fact that on this occasion the assassin is a woman, woul l 1 notice what has become a chronic disease here. Ou the 21th December, Ocneral < 'OMI, a prominent lau/cr, was attacked in the streets of San Francisco by an infuriated woman, who claimed that the (Jeneral had swindled her out of some land. Ann Sniythc, the name of the would be-murdrcss, is a respectable willow, the mother of several child-'.'!;. Cobb was shot ill the spine, just as lie was goini; into his otliee. It is doubtful if hi will recover. There arc 110 indications ot insanity about Ann. lint she wont be elevated. A . O . F . A branch of the Ancient Order of Foresters has just been established in this city. THE CHEAT ISOXANZA. The entire exeitnient of the month has centred ill the great discovery 111:1 le in the Comstoek mines. You will lind this subject fully treated under a special heading. THE NEW ZEALAND INSI'IJANCE COMI'ANV. 1 note that my suggestions of June last have attracted the attention of the directors of the Xew Zealand Insurance Company, and that they have decided to open an agency here. No wiser step could be taken in the interests of the company, for there is a large field here—the risks are less and the premiums higher than in Xew Zealand. I have not tlie slightest doubt that the California llraiich of the New Zealand Insurance Company will yield a larger nett prolit to the \ shareholders than any other branch which the company has established. The adinir- : able tire arrangements of this city render it • next to impossible that any one block cm be ! destroyed ; the system is so perfect there is | licit the slightest risk of any general con- : i'agration. The directors, in their selection j of an agent, have exercised as much wisdom ! as they have shewn pluck ill extending their | operations to this country. Mr. Hugh \ Craig, the agent elect, is the right mail in ; the right placc. His residence here, liis j knowledge of American life ami business I men, and his varied experience both in the , colonies and here, eminently lit him f>r the | position. It will be gratifying to those who : have appointed him to know that 011 n tiring 1 from the respectable and responsible position j which lie held here Mr. Craig was ma le the j recipient of very handsome presents from his I employers, and from the subordinates who j were uniler his control. The presents took j the form of an elaborately-mounted goldheaded cane and a set of diamond studs. There was a very pleasant gathering 011 the occasion, and the usual speeches made. Mr. Craii; lias made hosts of friends hero, and ! will be able, 011 his return from Nc.v Zealand, to secure all the business his directors may desire him to undertake. Ailvam.e Xew Zealand. RUMOURED COMPLICATIONS WITH SPAIN. It is rumoured that further ditliculties arc likely to arise out of the Yirginius atl'air. Although the demands made by England 011 account of her subjects who suH'ercd at the hands of the Cuban authorities have been fully covered, 110 settlement has yet been made on account of America It is thought that Orant will "make a point.''just now out of these ditliculties to cover his own recent defeat. The Xtic Yuri; lh ruhl advises Crant to resign, and vi-.it Europe, and tells liiin it is the only cixditable thing left for him to do. 'To talk tall just now at Spain may distract the people from too close attention to the c:irio-|s ConMyssional discoveries that are threatened .1.-oilgli the disclosures of Irwin, the Pacific , Aoent— disclosures thai are sail to be li - ij f .) af!i'ct. mm high in oilice v.'ho are ' I . "ith an itching palm. The terrible 1* :rs in the Southern States is also i'.t-r: '-ii ;: 1;.. rl jasant attention, and a move o! s 'mi I- ie'i -.vill lie imperative shortly, Th • »in>e\:>,ion of the Sandwich Islands ■ . .i' 1 be a pretty toy to give the people now. "'>l ■ i"p. :s (si e extracts) claim that New ,-la;id .. ;i, ■ . the Islands, and are willing <• Van t..:v tiollion which will cventu illy buy t . T/.K "KATIE KlSfr FRAUD. s-. •. mouths ago the wise men of ci' e ;iie scientists and savants—were ci,i:.-::!' ' .My disturbed by the appca-ance of v l'i ' • dised spirit of the held in :':e- presence in the house of one of their e oiiocr. Katie King, a lovely blonde, who passed away 200 years ago, put in an appearance as the daughter of the famous Welsh pirate Morgan, anil electrified London by her strange revelations. The wane* were largely attended by anthers, artists, and scientists of reputation, who did not hesitate to attest publicly their faith in the genuineness of the materialisation. Katie allowed all sorts of liberties to be taken with her. She was pricked, and. pressed, and Jiisscd in a shockingly familiar manner, clearly proving that her statement as to her pedigree was quite oerrect. The •laughter of ;in ancient mariner, and a pirate

at that, could not be expected to be the subject of qualms about propriety. After doing very wonderful things in the way of fooling her dupes, Katie disappeared. Two dtj ' ?.fterwar", 1 she turned up in Philadelphia. A Mi. and Mrs. Holmes, met ;ns of notoriety, were the honoured hot:.-, . f the interesting young woman from -;}'i..*-Unil. The excitement in Philadelphia was very great, and Robert Dale Owen, the great incssiah of Spiritualism, and Dr. Childs, an apostle of the new faith, lent the sanctity of thcii presence to the "investigations." Katie did them completely— tooled the whole spirit-world. Set people cra/.y about materialisation, aud Mr. and Mrs. Holmes netted a few thousand greenbacks on account of the show. The lmsi-ne'-s was conducted thuswise :—A large cabinet was placed in the corner of a room, where a door opened into a small bedroom, which had no other exit. This cabinet was duly inspected by the audience and found to be intact. The cabinet was bare of anything save a few musical instruments. At the proper time the audience were invoked to sing a spirit hymn, and several musical boxes were set in motion at the same time. Then the gas was turned down, and all was in darkness. Altera short delay, during which the singing was continued, a bare and beautiful arm was exposed in the doorway of the cabinet, then various human faces, and lastly Katie King herself. Katie talked to the people in very bad English, as became a Welsh woman, told them what a beautiful place the spirit world was, bestowed freshgathered tlowers upon her favourites, allowed portions of her dress to be cut away, and then disappeared. At last, after many weeks, a doubter appeared. This gentleman got very close to Katie, and discovered that die had a very bad breath. This was strange. He knew something of the anatomy of the human form —knew that a foul breath could only proceed from a diseased stomach or decaying teeth, at any rate it appeared to him that a spirit with a foul breath itus an anomaly, and determined to "investigate" with his eyes oj). 11. The result is brietly told. Katie King is a buxom young widow in the tlcsh, troubled with a bad breath aud a short purse, who hired herself to the Holmes's to delude the unfortunate believers in the new faith. Besides having a bad breath, Katie was troubled with some remnant of a conscience, aud broke with the 1 lolmeses. Hut, in the meantime, the gentleman investigator had discovered the fraud, and traced the woman to her rooms, ilere he told her what a wicked thing she was doing, and the girl confessed the whole matter. It appear.-, she was hidden in the large Fri ncli bolsters so common in this country, and that whilst the bed and underneath it were completely inspected, no one ever thought of looking in the bolster for the buxom widow. It was Katie's custom, therefore, as soon as the lights were down, and the music going, to slide gently out of the bed room—get to the side of the cabinet where one of the panels worked on a hinge —the screws being dummies, get in—and begin the humbug of shewing her arm. The various faces exhibited were merely rubber masks, which were concealed on the person of the medium, who sat in the cabinet to receive Katie. These masks, made of the lightest rubber, were expanded at pleasure. The .Mii/nr over, singing was again asked for, aud Katie disappeared, returning to her bolster, liobcrt Dale Owen is out with a card, admitting that he has been fooled, and Dr. Childs is out with a bland and child-like epistle to the same eti'ect. The Holmeses reply by admitting the fraud, but claim that both Uivcii and Childs were parties to it. Neat.