ENGLISH.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1354, 10 February 1898, Page 36

ENGLISH.

London, February 1. Lord William Nevill has been committed for trial in connection with the Clay money-lending case (the particulars of which were published last week). Bail was refused. The death is announced of Lord Barlingford, aged 75 years. , London, February 1. Keports from Tangier state that five Englishmen, members of the Globe Exploring Society, have been arrested. They are accused of landing arms. At the half-yearly meeting of the Union Bank of Australia, Mr Arthur Flower, chairman of the London board, in moving the adoption of the report, said the outlook was generally better than at any time since 1893. The preference shares offered for subscription in the new company formed to take over the business of Messrs Houlder and Co. had been over-subscribed. Direct cable communication has been opened between England and Jamaica via Halifax and Nova Scotia. London, February 2. The steamer Channel Queen, belonging to the Plymouth and Channel Islands Steamship Company, has been wrecked off the coast of Guernsey, and 18 persons were drowned. A panic occurred among the passengers, and one boat was swamped. There was a dense fog at the time of the disaster. Mr Gladstone’s health is improving. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel has made a grant of .£ISOO towards the endowment of the See of North Australia, and £IOOO to the endowment fund of the Goulbum diocese. London, February 3. Two Parliamentary by-elections were held to-day. For the vacancy for Wolverhampton South, caused by the death of the Eight Hon C. P. Villiers (“ Father of the House ”), Mr Gibbons, the Unionist candidate, was returned by a majority of 111 votes. For the vacancy atMarylebone West another Unionist was returned, Sir Samuel Edward Scott, of Twyford Hall, Norfolk, being unopposed as successor to Sir Horace B. Townsend-Far-quhar, recently raised to the Peerage. A meeting of the representatives of 40 New South Wales mining companies resolved to support the Sydney Chamber of Mines in its efforts to obtain an amendment of the mining laws in the direction of better security of tenure and labour conditions with the view of increasing the confidence of capitalists and stimulating investment. The Crosy lighthouse, near Liverpool, has been destroyed by fire. A gale prevailed at the time. The lanterns were smashed, and the burning oil descended, setting fire to the structure. Three of the attendants were killed. From the Soudan it is reported that the Dervishes are evacuating Metemmeh and retiring in the direction of Omdutmani London, February 4. Dr Benham Aldrichan, Demonstrator of Comparative Anatomy at Oxford'University, has been appointed Professor of Biology and Curator of the Museum at Otago University. There were nine candidates. London, February 5. Apropos of the rumour that the Eight HonE. J. Seddon .had accepted the office of Agent-General of New Zealand, the Hon W. P. Eeevos (the present Agent-General) is unaware of any change in the office being contemplated. His own future plans are not definitely settled. The rough January accounts prepared by the Eeceiver-General’s Department in connection with the Canadian-Australian mail service shows that the banking liabilities are £68,000 and the free assets £IO,OOO. The Eeceiver says the company will need to borrow largely to continue business. The annual report of the National Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand shows profits to the amount of £10.293. A dividend of 5 per cent, has been declared, and £2347 carried forward. The Admiralty authorities have sent Mr A, W. Fawkes, Attorney-General of Gibraltar, to Tangier, to enquire into the arrest of the five Englishmen, members of

the Globe Exploring Society, on the charge of landing arms. .. . A man giving the name of Alfred John Hickey has been arrested on a charge of having a revolver in his possession in the gallery of the Gaiety Theatre. He was remanded for medical examination. When arrested a letter, written in an incoherent styio, was found in his pocket. In it the names of Sergeant Hampton and Dr Cleveland, of Adelaide, were mentioned.

The mail train collided with a fast goods train at Barassie, Ayrshire, Scotland. Two engines, two carriages and three vans were smashed.

Seven passengers were killed, and many injured. The Parliamentary vacancy for SouthEast Durham, caused by the death of Lieutenant-General Sir Henry HavelockAllan on the Indian frontier, resulted in the return by a majority of 275 of Mr Joseph Eichardson, Liberal, who formerly represented the constituency. Eeports from Bonny, West Africa, state that the Eoyal Niger Company’s force acting against the tribes in the Ediba district has been engaged in severe fighting. On the British side Captain Fenton was killed.

The enemy lost heavily. London, February 7,

Sir Andrew Clarke, Sir Daniel Cooper, Sir Malcolm Fraser, Sir Henry Norman, Sir Westby Perceval (Agents-General for Victoria, New South Wales, West, Australia, Queensland and Tasmania respectively) are gazetted as commissioners at the forthcoming exhibition in Paris. Sir Horace Farquahar has esigned his position as a director of the British South Africa Company.