GENERAL SEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7341, 30 May 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL SEWS.

Litigation has arisen in France respecting a chalice presented by Jan.es L, of EneUnZ in 1604, to Frias deVelasco, Constable o? Spain, and Ambassador to London. The ohalioe is a work of the 13th or 14th centurv and is of great value. The recipient erel sented it to the Nunnery of Medina de Pomar, with reversion, in case of the convent being dissolved or being indisposed to keen it, to Burgos Cathedral. Ifc remained in the convent till 1883, when the Abbess on account of pecuniary straits and fear of robbery, , entrusted it to β-prieit for sale. A French collector, Baron Fichon, bought it for £6500, but the convent received onlv £4500. The Dnke de Friae and the Bur** Chapter now claim it. The Spaniard who sold it to Baron Pichon told him it had be longed to the Duo de Frias, and the Baron accordingly wrote to the Duo to enquire as to its history. The latter then wrote to the Abbess,- and she admitted the sale, bus pleaded that the convent records did not show the origin of the chalice, which tradition connected with a Turkish sovereign. The chalice, however, bears a Latin inscrip. tion, showing when and by whom it was given. The hearing of the case is likely to occupy some time.

The Natal Mercantile Advertiser gives a lengthy account of the expedition of Dr. Aurel Schulta in the interior. One strange tribe discovered by the party on the Kabengo River was the Makuba tribe. They are strongly aquatic, taking to the water like fish, splendid fishermen, well-built, strapping fejlowe of Zulu type, expert canoeists, and the corn-growers of the country side, and in addition to all this, imbued with a horror of shedding human blood, so muoh so that a man of the outside blood-nhodding tribes is always open to back himself to give tattle to fifty Makubas any day. Another interesting matter is the account of the chief Kama, who rules at Soahong, the capital of the Northern Bechuna. He governs his people well, and his great wish ia to have them well . armed with gam and provided with nmmuni--1 tion. Alcohol in any shape is not allowed in his dominions; no Kaffir beer is brewed; any white trader selling liquor is fined up ito £100; any subject brewing is expelled from the country. All from the chief downward are staunch teetotallers. Kama claims dominion up to the Tyobe River, though they do not pay tribute. He gives as much as £180 for a horse, and is an expert rider himself; hie history is a most interesting one and will be read with groat interest when it appears.

The output of coal last year is a mitt«r much disputed. The men declare that it was in excess of former years, and in Yorkshire the pending strike is largely based upon this assumption. In order to cleat up these difficulties, Mr. M'Laren, the member for Stafford, asked the Home Secretary a quei. tion on the subject. The Home Secretary referred the inquirer to Mr. Dickinion Inspector of Mines at Manchester. I have been (write? a correspondent), favoured with an opportunity of seeing the reaulto, which are interesting »nd importaut. In Northumberland the output in 1884 was 7,516,000 tons, being a little over 11,000 tons short of the output of 1883. In Durham the output was 28,500,000, being 1,326.000 tons «hort In South Wales and AJonmouthshfve the output was 24,838,000, being a little under 137,000 tons short. In Yorkshire the output was 19,220,000 tone, being 347,000 tone short. In Derbyshire the output was 8,581,000 tons, being 207,000 tons short. In Nottinghamshire the output was 1 .000,000 tons, being nearly a. quarter of a million tone short. In Leicentershire the output was 1,152,000 tons, being 172,000 tons short. la Scotland the output was 21,000,000 tom, being 39,000 tons short. These figures show that whilst Wales and Scotland hare very fairly kept np the outpnt, Durham has considerably fallen short, and Nottinghamshire is reduced by one-twentieth. The total output of coal for the United Kingdom and Ireland shows during 1884 a falling-off of nearly 3,700,000 tons. The Quee.l decorated at Windsor Castle, lately, two soldiers of the British Army who had distinguished themselves in the field during the Soudan and Egyptian campaigns. Those selected for this honour were Trooper Frank Hayes, of the 10th Hussari, and Sergeant Peter Smith, of the Ist Battalion Scots Guards. After having been hospitably entered on their arrival at the Palace, they were introduced by General Sir H. F. Ponsonby to the Queen, who was accompanied by the Princess Beatrice, and attended by the suite. The service of the soldiers were read over to Her Majesty, who spoke very kindly to them, and pinned the silver medals upon the breasts of their coats. Sergeant Peter Smith received hie medal for distinguished services in the Egyptian campaign in 1882, having bean specially recommended for the distinction by the Duko of Connaught, who commanded the brigade of Guards. Her Majesty, on his being introduced to her notice, immediately recognised him, and remarked that she had seen him before, a circumstances which was explained by Sergeant Bn.» ih informing thp Qaeen that he was present at; the castle in the summer of 1883 when Her Majesty decorated one of his comrades. The soldiers withdrew from the royal presence at the close of the brief but very interesting ceremonial. While Sergeant Smith was passing through the corridor he was recalled, and the Queen introduced little Prince Arthur, son of the Duke of Connaught, to the gallant Guardsman. A German colleague of the Standard's Paris correspondent has favoured him with the account of an interview which he had recently with the Russian. Ambassador in Paris. His Excellency's reasons for die-believing in the probability of a war indicate that there exist strange doubts in bis mind as to the earnest' ness of England and her military capabilities. " He said he believed that there would be no war, as the German Emperor wonld probably induce England to make concessions. Be scouted the idea of Russia withdrawing her troops from the positions they had occupied, as they had been steadily advancing for years, and a sudden retreat; would reflect dishonour on the Russian arms. Moreover, he expressed his opinion that England had been disheartened by Parliamentary and military defeats, and it vai therefore most unlikely that nhe would tike the initiative of declaring war against Ktusia. Russia waii in a far better poiition, since, if she did choose to make further advances in Central Asia, she could hope for no better or more propitious time than the present, as England's hands were fully occupied elsewhere. If, however, England would insist on fighting, although she had no better claims on Afghanistan, arising from her tenure of India, than Russia had from her possession of Siberia, he failed to see how uhe was to strike at Russi*. England had no force to speak of but her navy, which conld not operate in Afghanistan ; and while her ships were scattered all over the ocean, and therefore open to tho attacks of privateers, Russia wonld not send her small fleet to the high seas to become «n easy prey to the British navy. Kusaia was thus practically unassailable. He asuertod in addition, that if war did break out, it would be due to England alone."

There is a strong party of anti»vivisßctioniats in the University of Oxford, and it mustered in full force, with the Bishop of the diocese at the head of the movement, to oppose the issue of a decree for the establish* ment of a physiological laboratory free from any restriction on the uses to which it might be put. The advocates of ignorance and false sentiment were, however, defeated by 413 votes against 244, the majority bein? 168. This is the third attempt that has been made to condemn the practice of vivisection, asd it should be the last. If it had been success ful it would have crippled the university as a school of physiology. Professor BurdonSanderson, who occupies the chair, is an advocate of vivisection, and had done some important work in connection with it, but he has never been accused of erueity, and is not likely, to give occasion for well -founded complaint. He is now at full liberty to teach physiology in the most effective manner, but it does not follow that he will abuse the privilege. The result cf the contest hM given much satisfaction outside the university as well as within, and the minority of malcontents will, if they continue the fight do so a* a great'disadvantage. The Bishop o Oxford admitted that knowledge might M advanced by the practice of vivisection, do* denied the moral right of man to inflict paw. The question of mural right is a difficult one in connection with a great many problems oi everyday life, and the vivisectionlsts may admit the correctness of the prelate e principle and yet go on and prosper.