ENGLISH ITEMS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2127, 28 November 1868, Page 3

ENGLISH ITEMS.

The American press has published tho startling telegram that tho Fenians in Ireland have, almost to a man, gone over to tho Tories, and will lend tho weight of tlieir numerical influence, in the approaching • arliarnentary elections, to Disraeli. 'I his is looked upon as tho extreme of ingratitude towards Air Gladstone aud his party, who, through their inllucnco in carrying the Bill for tho disestablishment of the Irish Church, intended to secure relief for Ireland, and promoted the dissolution upon which the question is to be tested. A New York paper ingeniously excuses tho Fenians, stating that the disestablishment of tho Irish Church is not all the Irish agitato for ; and if they accept it alone it will lull tho enthusiasm which does not stop short of the Green Flag of tho Republic.—Panama Chronicle.

Miss Bye is about to send cut another shipload of girls to Canada. Her plan is excellent, and wo havo no doubt that the emigrants will all find good employment immediately on arriving, and good busbaruls a few months afterwards. But, whilo so much is done for girls who cm support the mselrea by manual labmr, wo want a Miss Rye who wiJl do something for those still more needy girls, that aro too well-born, well-bred, and well-educated to become domestic servants, and at the sanio time, too poor to remain idle. Nine-tenths of such girls must become governesses or school teachers ; and the rush to fill such situations is so great that, year by year, tho pay moro nearly approaches atarration point. Perhaps the most miserable life which innocence can lead is that of a well-educated young woman doomed to toil from morn to night, in a, heated school-room, for wages that a. day labourer would Bcorn ; or, worse still, to cat the bread of humiliation as the governess in some wealthy family, which ia too ignorant and too badly bred to know what treatment is merited by tho cultivated poor. It is no new thing to say that a wider lield of occupation is nue led for women ; but never wna there more occasion for urging that need than at present, when genteel, nninarried, female poverty is increasing every day.

An accident occured on tho 28th September, at tho performance of tho Italian Opera Company in Dublin, that might havo bee.i attended with serious consequences to Signor Mongini, in conaequ* nee of the awkwardness of one of tho '"soldiers." The opera was "Lea Huguenots," and the accident occurred at the cloae of the last act, in tho course of a mock conflict. Saunders says : Wo regret that an accident occurred at tho close of tho performances, which, however, might have been attended with more- serious consequences, and which created considerable excitement among the audience who were remaining, for the hour was late when the opera terminated, and many had retired. Jn the fiual scene Kaoul is represented as wouuded in the si niggle in a street, on the quays of Paris, by the soldiers, led on by St Bris, and the curtain falls amid the conflict and the strife of armed men. Just at this juncture, Mdlle. Titien3 rushed in front of tho stage, calling out, in an agitated and earnest voice, to know if there was n doctor present. Dr Moore, of Stephen's green, who fortunately happened to be present, came forward, and he found Signor Mongini sitting on a chair behind' the scenes, the blood ilowing very copiously from a wound on the side of the faco near tho ear. It appeared to havo been inflicted by a sword, and as given by a down stroke ; but, although causing a considerable gush of blood, it was not as serious as if the point had entered tho face. Signor Mongini was much exhausted, but Dr. Moore promptly applied the necessary ineanß for arresting the flow of blood, and reassured those present, who naturally displayed great excitement and alarm at the occurrence. Signor Foli was much moved when he saw the blood streaming down the faco of his friend, at tho moment, not knowing but that a dangerous, if not fatal injury had been inilictcd, that he tecume insensible for a time. Drs. Scriven and Fogarty arrived subsequently ; but happily the wound is not of a description to produce more than a temporary Inconvenience.—Daily Telegraph. Mr Longfellow, the popular American poet, is now, as is generally known, aa honoured gjucjjt in this country. One object of bis coming ia to superintend the publication, here, of his forthcoming production, entitled " New England Tragedies." This is the first of Mr Longfellow's works of which he has been enabled, in consequence of a recent decision in tho House of Lords, to secure a copyright in Great Britain ; and we understand that Messrs Koutledire and Sons have acquired the sole r;ght of publishing the work, on terms so liberal as to have giv<?n th< author much satisfaction. The volume will appear on tho 10th of October.—Mornini' Poat.

Further news has been received from Captain Hall who sailed from the United States some time ago for tho Arctic regions in search of any trace o£ tho expedition of S r John Franklin. The news is furnished by Dr Goold, of Dublin, who had arrived at New London, Connecticut, from Cumberland Inlet. Dr Goold saw < 'aptain Hall at Bepnlse Bay in Augtißt, 1867. He had been successful in discovering some further traces of tho expedition of Sir John Franklin. Ho had learned that Captain Crozier and another, thought to be a steward, had died so late as 1804 in Southampton Inland, the head of Hudson Bay, to which they had made their way in the hope of meeting some whaler. He had obtained—what will no doubt be accepted as a tangible evidence of the truth of this—Captain Crozior's watch. Ho had also learned that he would in all probability secure further knowledge of tho fate of the expedition—perhaps find Borne records in King William's Land. The people there arc unfriend ly to strancers, and the captain had made arrangements with friendly Esquimaux to ace mpany him on an expedition—forcible, if necessary—into the dominions of those tribes, a fact indicating that he had great hopes of obtaining there a. me valuable trace of the long sought objects of the world's solicitude. Captain Hall had with him when thus seen some five European attendants. It will be remembered that ho left New London in ISG4, intending to voyage to the Arctic regions, and, leaving the ship, to search in the Ksquimanx country from tho shores of Hudeon Bay, towards tho Polar Circle, for traces of Franklin's company. A terrible conflagration was raging in the forests of Oregon and California. The fire was estimated to have already spread over an area of 200 square miles, on both sides of tho Columbia ltiver, Oregon. It was feared that the towns of St. Helens and Astoria would bo destroyed. A tract of five miles of woods near San Rafael, Marin County, California, was on fire, the smoke from which completely enveloped the haibour and city of San Francisco—neuter's Telegrams, New York, Sept. 19th. Wo regret to say that tho paragraph in last Saturday's Lancet respecting the health of her Majesty has very little foundation. The health of the Queen has, we hope, received some benefit from the change of air and scene, and rest from her onerous public duties ; hat while hf r Majesty will continue as heretofore to regulate public business, the Queen will not, we fear, bo able to bear tho fatiguing excitement of a lengthened residence in London, and of the continued receptions attendant on such circumstances.— f-ritish Medical Journal.

A terrible disaster baa occurred «t Melz. on the Moaello. On September 17th, a loud explosion took place in the cartridge manu factory, situated in the court of the AratnaL The number of persona employed in the place at the time waa 109, the-workshop being constructed of wood, and consisting of two rooms. In the first were 71 women, and in the otlur 14; there were also 10 foot chasseurs, 10 artificer*, 3 subintendents, and an inspector engaged in the same employment. A. young workwoman, it appears, in throwing a pair of ecissors to one of her companions, struck the point of the instrument on the capsule of a cartridge, and bo caused the explosion- In a moment a formidable detonation waa heard; the" woodwork of the building was blown to pieces, and the roof fell in. The fire having

communicated to tho heaps of cartridges made in a few ru inctita fearful havoc amongst the persons present. On an alarm bting Kiven, tho firemen of tho city and deticJ--menta of t roc pa from the garrison hastened to the spot. The civil and military authorities likewise exerted thurnsclveo in organiHing assistance ; but for sev< ral of the unfortunate people the aid came too late Tho court of the Arsenal presented in coin 15 sort tho appearance of a licld of battle, being covered with dead, dyiug. and wounded. From beneath tho burning d*;'jrii 10 dead bodie3 w.-.ro withdrawn, so calcined and mutilated aH not to be recognisable, and 59 persona dreadfully injured and bruised l-.y 011 tho g<ounl until they cnild bo conveyed 10 the hospital. 'J lie fire was soon e.xungui-hed, and by activity and courage further cat unities were averted, aa from under the ruins of the burning p'ankf, several barrels of guapowder and of cartridges w*-re got out, wTiLli the slightest spark would have c meed to explode. Had that occurred, the bravo meu engaged in the heroic task would h»vu been blown to pieces. The Minister of the Interior immediately forwarded a sum of H'.CKXSf. for distribution among tho families of the victims. The Kmpurer also, being informed by telegram of this disaster, at once sent word back t3at both ho and tho Empress were prepared to give amplo assistance in such cases as might bebrought to his knowledge. —?• cotsmau. The new station of the Midland Bailwsy Company at Pancms is spanned by an iron roof, which measures one-third more than the arched covering of the Camion street terminus of this South-Eastern lino, or to speak in figures, 210 f<;et. The extreme height of the arch, a depressed Gothic lino instead of the rounded curve more common to structures of tho onuiu kind, is 100 foi-t ; and tho length of tho dtaticn in 700 feet from extreme end to end. The Gothic character of Mr \V. if. Barlow's engineering plans accords thoroughly with tho architectural design of Mr George Gilnert Scott, R.A., for tho brickwork and masonry of the new terminus. The enormous roof spaus thirteen lines of rails, el-.ven of which aro laid, for a distance of about 500 feet from tho northern end. There to be live platform?, and four have already been constructed for immediate purposes, everything being now in a temporary and unfinished Btate. Beneath the platforms aud passenger lines of railwayort; four acres of cellarage for stores. In the lighting of the station more than two and a half acres of ila;8 have been 113 kL .Notwithstanding this, the interior dois not by day appear to be so li^ht as either Charing cross or Cannon street stations At night, when the gaslights aro burning, the scene is rendered ve-y bright and clear, although the number of lumps is not at oil ex .cesive. While the excav-itiona and bui'dings were in most active progress there were GOOD tm-n employed on them, 10UO horji-8, and nearly !0:j steam lifts. The design is that of Mr Barlow, Mr Scott ' euig the architect. A recent visitor to Antwerp Cathedral states that not the lua3t extraordinary sight in an edifice crowced with remarkable objects is a Belgian artist, who paints with his feet, for ormi he Las none. Ho performs .ill the intricate operations of preparing his palette, mixing his colours, boi\ wing anil unscrewing those tir«:jjomo little tins, from which a tiny pip of paint pops out when you rijuc zc them, working away w.th brush and nviulstick at a great rj.tc, and all us cheerfully and untimely as if ten agile fingers moved at his bidding, instead of tho same number of trained towjs.

Miaa Loujb* Fync will soon pino no more, that is, in single bleasudneHI',1', for she is alio'lt to bo united to Mr Frank Bodda.—Court Journal.