AMERICAN NEWS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4435, 6 May 1876, Page 3

AMERICAN NEWS.

In the suit for 6,000,000 dois. brought against William M. Tweed on behalf of the people of the Strte of New York, the Jury have returned p. verdict for the plaintiffs for 6,537,117 dols.

The Senate, by 32 votes against 29, has refused to admit Mr Pinchback, the coloured senator from Louisiana,,

A Router's telegram from St. Louis Bays that the trial of General Babcock for complicity in the whisky frauds has terminated. Tho Jury, after being absent for two hours, delivered a verdict of acquittal. General Babcock was greatly cheered in the Court on the announcement o£ the result., and also in the streets on the way to his hotel.

A feud has existed for some time between J. N. Hawkins o>* tho Carrolton (Mo.) Journal, and A. S. Kierolf of the Democrat, which culminated lately in Kierolf shooting Hawkins four times, once in the face, twice in tho breast an:l bowels, infhctiug wounds from which he cannot recover.

Tho House Committee on Naval Affairs have had a long secret session, but they_ decline to indicate what they are inquiring into, or the names of witnesses. When asked about the matter, they wag their heads wisely and intimate that they will have startling announcements to make before long. A startling wind storm, amounting almost to a tornado, struck the northern part of St. Charles, Missouri, on the afternoon oi February 27th, and passing down Main and Second streets demolished or badly injured 20 or more buildings. The Mary Bell was banned at Vicksburg on February 27th. It is- estimated, upon re liable data, that the loss, by the burning of the steamer will reach over half a million dollars. Sho was believed to be the largest steamer ever constructed for the navigation of the Mississippi oc any other river, her extreme length being 325 feet, breadth 56 feet. In the construction of the boat over a million feet of water-seasoned oak waa used She had a battery-of eight steel boilers, and cost over 125,000 dollars. The insurance on tho cargo falls heavily on the Memphis and New Orleans Underwriters.

Memphis has held high carnival. A telegram dated February f;9tb Bays : —The city is entirely given up to the king of misrule. Business is eutirely suspended, ar.d all the principal streets present a dense mass of surging humanity. Proraimnt amid all are great crowds of grotesque maskers, representing every con«evvable character. The weather is clear and pleasant, and the success of the carnival ia assured. The steamers which arrived last veek from Cincinnati were crowded with pleasure- seekers, and every train arriving ia crowded. Regarding the Emma Mine scandal, a. Washington telegram of March 2lst says :r-r. The examination of ex-Senator Stewart waa commenced by the House Committee on Fore'gn Affairs to day. Ho began by giving tho history of his first connection vith the. affairs of the Emma Mine as counsel for Ly.ou explained the contract with Park, and> the meaning of the expression in his letter to Lyon about "fighting for a worked-out miue;" believed at that time that i^.would require five to eight years to get & trial, and ia the meantime the mine was beipg. worked by other parties, so that when a trial should be reached the proceeds of the mine would be distributed as dividends where they could not bs touched by suits.

Women hereabouts (New York), are going among employers to have them pay woskinen their wages on Mondays iggtead of Saturdays, iv older thus to lessen Saturday night and Sunday drubkenness.

General Gideon J. Pillow, of. Memphis, has filed a petition ii\ bankruptcy, assigning among other causes in the petition, the fact that he is held responsible personally for his acts as Major-General in the lafce war. A party of forty-fiva young mew have left Boston for Ariz&£a—tho advance guard of a Colony forming in that city to settle in Chiquito Valley^ Havana, March 16th.—The yacht Octavia was captuj^d off Cullebra, near Porto Rico, by the Spanish gunboat Hernan Cortes and was takea to Porto Rico. She is supposed to havej some connection with the Suezada, which, left New York March Ist. Her cargo consisted of 242 kegs of powder, 48 boxes of cartridges, 12 boxea of shells, 1000 rifle 3, 150 carbines and two pieces of artillery. It ia do& known whether she had any people on rfeoard beside her officers and crew. The New York Times states that the ecclesiastical property in the United States, valued at 83,000,000 «lols in 1850. waa estimated at double that amount in 1860. The last ofnoial estimate places it at 350,549,595 dols (about £70,071,512), divided as follows : —Methodists, 6!<.854,12l dols; Catholics, 60 085,556 dols ; Episcopalians, 53,514,549 dols; Prtsbyttriaus, 53,205,25(5 dols; Bar,tists, 41.008,19b dols ; C'ongregationalrsts, 25 008 698 dais; Reforip«-d Churches, 1(5,134,470 dftls ; Lutherans. 14 917,747 dols; Jtwo and Quakers, 4.Pf10,Q00 «.\olb each ;

Unitarians and Universalists, 2,000,000 dols each; and fourteen other sects, 23,000,000 dols. JAPAN AND COEEAI London, March 17th.—A Paris eorre. spoadent of the Times says the recent report of an outbreak of war between Japan and ' Corea attracts considenble attention. It mast have been circulated purp<,cely in order to direct attention to the Corean question and to the action of Russia in Eastern Asia. I learn that tho linssian army; numbering 12,000 men, has entered tho Corean territory under the pretext of pursuing brigands. 1i ■ Japan has, therefore, really been- led into a I war on tho southern coast of Corea, Russia would be quite ready to co operate in tho north. Tho occupation of Corea, or at least of Corean ports, may be presumed to have been not unforseen, as Bussia strongly feels the need of a good port on- tho Pacific. We shall" perhaps hear more concerning the Russian action in Core*. Mc;in«vhile the Russian Government is taking measures to practically utilize tho recent acquisition of Saghalien.