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New Zealand Mail, Issue 1107, 19 May 1893, Page 32

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(press association.) London, May 9. Dr Kennedy, of Edinburgh, has been elected Moderator of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland. May 10. Sir Edward Grey, Under-Secretary to the Foreign Office, in the House of Commons to-day, announced that the Government of the Argentine Republic has declined tq extradite Jabez S. Balfour, exM.P., from that country. London, May 11. Mr Hatton Richards, formerly Private Secretary to Sir Wm. McGregor in New Guinea, has been appointed Assistant Colonial Secretary to the Gold Coast Colony. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the explosion at the Dublin Law Courts. A great mast warehouse in Hull has been burned down. The fire was the work of incendiaries. Sir C. Russell, in opening the British case before the Behring Sea Commis- j sion, denied that the United States had I a claim to exclusive jurisdiction over Behring Sea or to exclusive property in , the seals found there. Townsend will be further charged with having sent a threatening letter to Mr Gladstone, in which he stated that the Prime Minister had recently had a very narrow escape from being shot at Brighton. Townsend has been committed for trial. It was proved that he had dogged Mr Gladstone with a revolver for several days. London, May 12. A second but smaller fire has occurred in Hull, The Earl of Aberdeen has! been appointed Governor General of Canada, in place of Lord Stanley of Rreston. The police deny that any arrests have been effected in Dublin. The s.s. Campania made the passage from New York in 5 days 15 hours. The British, German and United States Governments have decided to remove Baron Pilaach (Municipal President) and Baron Cedercantz (Chief Justice) from their official positions in Samoa. The man Townsend, arrested for the alleged shadowing of the Queen and Mr Gladstone, had an entry in his notebook—- • Five chambers are loaded. Surely that will suffice for both.' At a meeting of the Linotype Company, Mr Jacob Bright, the chairman, announced that the London newspaper offices were favouring the < system of type-setting with the machines manufactured by the company, which were claimed to be 50 per cent superior to those of American make. He mentioned that the Manchester Courier had already adopted the system. So far the company has manufactured 140 machines and 300 are being made. . General Dodds, who commanded the French troops in Dahomey, has arrived at Marseilles. He was accorded a most enthusiastic reception, and flowers were strewn along his path. Lonhon, May 12. A cable message from Rio de Janeiro states that the barque Waimea, which left Wellington, New Zealand, on 21st March, for Boston, has put into that port for medical assistance. The only particulars to hand are that an explosion occurred on boaid. [A cable message received by the New Zealand Shipping Company says that'the ship's magazine exploded, and that an ordinary seaman named Clements was injured. The magazine of the Waimea was a mere copper canister for carrying the signal lights and rockets, and similar material. London, May 13. The Council of the Colonial Institute will offer its congratulations to the Prince of Wales on the approaching marriage of the Duke of York and Princess May. An unusual scene occurred in the House of Commons last night. In the course of the proceedings Mr Vicary Gibbs, member for St Albans, accused Mr J. G. McNeil, member for South Donegal, of interjecting, during a speech by Mr Gibbs, the remark, ' What the r is he talking about?' Mr McNeil denied the charge, whereupon Mr W. G. Macartney, member for South Antrim, attributed the remark to Mr Sexton, who also indignantly repudiated the accusation. Uproar ensued, and order was restored only when the gentlemen who had made the allegations apologised and withdrew their statements. London, May 14. 1 In his speech at the opening of the ' Forestry Exhibition, the Duke of York declared he was deeply touched at the universal kindly reception of his betrothal to Princess May. The English Socialists are uniting in framing a charter, which includes universal suffrage. London, May 15. The entire rail of Bishops and Church notables assemble in St Paul's to-morrow, and afterwards in the Alhert Hall, to protest against the Welsh Church Suspensory Bill passing in the House of Commons,

London, May 15. Three additional failures on the Exchange are reported. One is of a serious character. London, May 16. The police, after enquiry into the Synott explosion, have decided it was not the work of Fenians. Two suspected persons have been identified, and are being watched in Dublin. (SPECIAL.) y London, May 13. At the annual meeting of the Primrose League it was stated that the membership was over one million. Speakers at the meeting claimed that the league exercised a valuable iniluenca on the unity of the Empire. Lord Ripon, the Colonial Secretary, announced in the House of Commons yesterday that Natal had been granted selfgovernment. The Trust Agency of Australia has declared a dividend of 20 per cent. DROUGHT, IN EUROPE. ; : . London, May 14. The drought still continues. Cardinal Vaughan has instructed his clergy to offer up prayers for rain. (SPECIAL.) London, May 15. Prayers for rain are universal on the Continent, where the crops are going to ruin. The Times predicts that the eleven weeks' drought means absolute ruin to many farmers. , (PRESS ASSOCIATION.) THE VANCOUVER MAIL SERVICE. London, May 10. Messrs Huddart, Parker and Company have applied, through Sir Charles Tupper, for an Admiralty subvention for the Vancouver-Australian steam service. London, May 16. The Times eulogises the importance and the enterprise of the Vancouver service, started by Messrs Huddart, Parker and Co., and expresses the opinion that it will hasten real Federation. Brisbane, May 11. The Department of Agriculture will send a trial shipment of oranges and pine apples to Vancouver by the Miowera, which calls here shortly, on her first trip in the new steam service between Canada and Australia. t (special.) London, May 16. It is generally believed that the Admiralty will' not object to grant a subvention to the Huddart-Parker line of steamers running between Canada and Australia, provided the steamers are available as cruisers in time of war.