THE ENGLISH MAIL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4166, 28 July 1874, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE ENGLISH MAIL.

t Via San Fkancihco. Wo continue our extracts from the English journals to hand by way of San Francisco : ENGLISH. An expedition is being fitted out for an exploration of the Arctic Seas. Captain Wigans, Sunderland, lias engaged Mr. Lament’s splendid steam yacht Diana, and will proceed via Nova Zenibla, sailing' from Dundee on June 1. By the 'preamble of the Tichbovne Estates Bill, which has been read the first time in the House of Lords, it appears that the expenses of the litigation occasioned by “the Claimant’s” proceedings, and payable by the present baronet, or, in the event of his death during minority, by the family out of the estates, have amounted already to nearly £92,000. These are exclusive of the expenses of the prosecution for perjury, which have to be borne by the country, and these, it is understood, will amount to over £52,000. Sabbath desecration is on the increase in Scotland. A report on this subject presented at a meeting of the Sabbath Alliance at Edinburgh is most despairing in tone. According to it all efforts have failed to lessen the steamboat passenger traffic on the Forth ; the keeping open of shops on Sabbath is on the increase in Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Leith ; and Sabbath cab-hiring continues as common as ever. The adoption of the report was seconded by Dr. Begg, who gave a short account of his travels in Australia, and said that the Colonies, in respect of the keeping of the Sabbath, were no better than the mother country. He considered that many colonists were worse than the heathen to whom missionaries were sent. Mr. Albert Grant has presented to the National Portrait Gallery the Landseer portrait of Sir Walter Scott, purchased by him at the recent sale for £BIO. A serious riot occurred on May 31 in Limerick, in which a fife and drum band and about fifty men of the Limerick County Militia were concerned. The band was playin" a national air, when they were attacked by some persons having an umbrage against them. Volleys of stones were thrown by both sides, and the fight continued for twenty minutes. One of the Militia struck a civilian a violent blow on the temple with his belt, and the wounded man was carried to the Hospital in a state of insensibility. Nearly a thousand persons joined in the riot, which was ultimately suppressed by the police. Mr. Mark Stewart, the Conservative candidate for the Wigtou Burghs, who defeated Mr. Young, the former Liberal Lord Advocate, and now one of the Judges of -the Court of Session, at the late general election, has been unseated on a scrutiny of the votes. Mr. Stewart was returned by a majority of two, having polled, according to the official announcement, 522 against Mr. Young’s 520, but at the conclusion of the scrutiny lie was found to have been defeated by a majority of one. It appears that the vexed question of precedence at Court has now been satisfactorily settled.. Inasmuch as the duke is heir to the Principality of Coburg Gotha, their Boyal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will take precedence immediately after the Prince and Princess of Wales. A report which has been for some time in circulation that Queen Victoria is expected at Berlin in August is confirmed on good authority. Her Majesty will be present at the confirmation of Prince Frederick William, her grandson, which is then to take place. Steps are being taken to amend the constitution of the University of Dublin, which at the present moment is ruled over by a board, consisting simply of the provost and the senior fellows. The junior fellows, tutors, professors, and others concerned, have so far succeeded as to mature and bring forward, with consent of the board, a well-considered project for some efficient representation of all interests on an “ Academic Council” ; and the details of this project have been fully discussed by the senate of the University during the past week; One hundred and eight English and nine li'ish mayors and thirty-two Scottish provosts have accepted the invitation of the Lord Mayor to dine at the Mansion House on June 3. The German Marine Force includes a body of naval sharpshooters, all of whom are picked marksmen. The Chief of the Admiralty has ordered these men to be regularly practiced in firing with their improved needle rifles at objects on the land, or floating on the water, while the vessel is in motion, the men being placed on the masts or at other convenient points. A few days since says a Turkish journal, it was found that blood was dropping from a box which had been sent by train from Kharkow to Taganrog, and, on examination, the body of a boy horribly mutilated was discovered in it. The intelligence was telegraphed to Kharkow, and the murderer, as bo was preparing to escape, was arrested by the employe who had booked the chest. It appears that both the murderer and bis victim were in the service of the Kharkow Banquo Foncffire. The boy bad been sent to the post with a sum of 10,000 roubles, and the murderer, leaving the bank along with him, had induced the lad to step into his lodgings for a moment, where lie stabbed him, and coolly returned to the bank to avoid suspicion. It would appear that these lodgings bad been engaged with a view to the commission of this crime. The report of the P. and O. Company, to be presented on June 4, recommends an interim dividend at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum, against 6 per cent, at the corresponding period of last year. The revenue has been fully maintained, with an increase of working expenditure, especially in the Suez Canal and Egypt transit dues. It is added :—“ The directors have been in negotiation with Her Majesty’s Government for permission to run the company s steamers with the heavy portion of the mails through the Suez Canal, in the same manner as similar services have been performed for the last four years by the French, Italian, and Austrian packets. They have based their proposals to the Government upon a general improvement of the mail services, and an acceleration of the mails to an extent varying from twenty-four to forty hours. These negotiations have not yet been closed, but in the meantime the company’s steamers have passed regularly through the Canal.” On behalf of the Government of New Zealand, a loan has been placed for £1,500,000 -1J per cent. Five-Thirty Debentures at 98, cairying interest fi'om Febrxxax’y I last. Allowing for accrued interest, this price is equal to about £9C 9s. Messrs. P. & W. MaoLellan, of the New Clutha Ironworks, Glasgow, have concluded a coixti'act to supply between 500 and 000 tons of bolts and spikes for the New Zealand railways.