NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 941, 11 December 1869, Page 4

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

The Hon. B. Lowo, the Chancellor of the Exobequer, ia frequently to be soen praotising on • bioycle near his xesidenoe at Warlingbam. DrLyoa Playfair is spoken of as being likely to succeed to the Mastership of the Mint. This appointment would occasion a vacancy in the representation of the Univer•itioa oi Edinburgh and 31 Andrews. The Serpentine is to be levelled to a uniform depth of sft 6in. Tho bottom is to be oovered with a layer of ooncrete. The works, it ii hoped, will be completed early in the coining year. It is sUted that the Bishop of Liohfleld is improving in health. His Lordship is stayin/ at w litby, and the bracing air seems to have a beneficial effect uptn him. He is now able to tako walk* in addition to oar* riage drives. When the Duke of Edinburgh was leavln

■ t hoS an dwioHl«l.iidßforJ.p, n ;he^. BaT,8 aT, 4oUtfdedfby rn&fiv8 s ;w6taen*bearingi wreaths;"' which •they hungs&bouttihis neck andi platoed' uponjhishead.miHSUoh profusion that|%WM >kgg^i^ f '( ' , j , ,. ' _. *, The'telegraph cable: between Caathßess "Orkney was 'successfully laid) itf v the Peiitland 'Firth' on Sept 1 ; 'The- distance across the 1 Firth is «igtit miles, and .tn« (time occupied was, only, two hours and a, half.; . ; The ladies ,are, progressing <iv. Amejiea in. more ways than one.;' At. Dorchtster, r Jwasaaonußetts, a' Miss Katie Murphy? woji W dols. at a jumping match, having jumped ll feet 2£ inches,* to 10 feet 9 inch«s leaped by a young mon named Miohael Flynn. - „ pa, Friday morning, , Sept. 17, the workmen employed at the powder-mills dfj Messrs CurtiiJ and 'Harvey, at~ Hourislow, ware examined as they c*me on the premises, and no fewer than ,58 of , them were suspended for having, pipes and^luoif era in their posiesflion. r Very serious rumours are afloat, as to the condition of the Emperor of Russia. ' Mental alienation,* melancholy madness, is attributed: to him. His] Majesty is said to seclude himself for days together, refusing to sea any one whatever. , The hitch between English orieketers and the agei t employed to engage them for a trip to Australia is likely to be adjusted, and the following professionals will form the "eleven":— J. 0. Shaw, A. Bhaw% J. OBoroft, F. Siloock, Willsher, Marten, Jupp, Pooley, Humphrey, Griffiths, and Southerton. The voyage will be made early in October. , < The Marquis of Bute signified his intention to celebrate his approaching birthday by paying the whole of the remaining debt on the Cardiff Infirmary ; and his agent wrote to the treasurer of the institution, to 'know the exact amount, that he might send a cheque for its discharge at once. The secretary was not slew to inform tke Marquis that the debt was LBl2. A cheque for LI.OCO was immediately sent. •

l An important experiment is about to be tried at the South Kensington Museum to promote the instruction of women in soienoe. Professors Huxley, Guthrie, and Oliver are about to commence a course of lectures on natural science, beginning in November. The fees will not exceed a shilling a lecture, with voluntary examinations, and the terms will even be lower to schools and governesses.

The Duke of Edinburgh is now talked of aB a "likely young man" for the throne of Spain. Gil Bias— the Punoh of Madridrepresents Senor Olozag* leading .our Bailor Prince forward, and pointing out to him the empty thro* c, over which, after the story of Damocles, there is a sword suspended by a hair. The Prince ia in the attitude of eyeing it through a glass, and remarking, "Yea, it is voiy pretty j but, for my part, 1 don't like upholstery with such hangings !"

The Bishop of Edinburgh (Dr Terrott) has resigned bis see. The election of his successor must take place within five weeks. It is understood that the Right Rev. Dr Morrell, who has during the last few yews acted as bishop coadjutor, will not ,acoopt the see, and the names of several gentlemen are mentioned as likely to be invited to preside over the diocese— amongst otuora, the Very Rev. E. B. Knottesford-Fortesoue, ML A,, Provost o! St. Ninian's, Perth ; the Rev. J. G. Cazenove, Principal of the Cambray College ; aad tae Rev. Dr Irons, Vicar of Brompton. Messrs John M'Call and Co, preserved provision merchants, have stopped payment. Their liabilities are estim%ted at about L 50.000, but no information hat yet transpired witb regard to the pro' able reaalt of the liquidation. It is presumed that losses have been made upon Australian meat, of which the firm were large importers, as well as in oonneotion with tbe " People's Market ' in the Whitechapel Road, which w«s established by the partners, but dosed Borne tune ago. A tmeatonary, who landed at Faltoouth oa Wednesday, Oct. 6, from Zanzibar, brings important intelligence concerning tho tafety of Dr Livingstone. Ho states that letter* had been received at Zanzibar by Dr Kirk from the great traveller himself, dated Lake Tanganika, February, 1869. At that time Dr Livingstone was well, but short of provisions. He had been deserted by all the Europeans who had accompanied him, and was then living on rice and fruits supplied byArabs.

The explosion of petroleum in a lighter at Bordeaux on the 28th of September, caused tho destruction of nearly twenty ships that were lying at the wharves. Tho lighter waa drifted by tho flood tide among the shipping, and. unfortunately, tho authorities attempted to extinguish the flames by submerging the boat. The consequence of this was that large patches of burning oil floated on the water, and being carried by the rising tide, wt lire to mmy distant vessels that otherwise would have boon safe. Tho extent of the damage is estimated at ten millions of francs.

0t»go will, in all probability, soon receive some valuable additions to its feathered and four-footed population. Mr John Kwen (of Sarcoed and Co.) has men busily engaged oolleotinft thrashes, blackbirds, «tarltags, goldfinches, pvrtridges, pheasanta, and hares, For shipment by the Warrior Queen, sailing on tho 30th inst. The Eati of Dalhousle has promised a present of game, including red deer, to the Acclimatisation Society of OUgo, and Mr Ewen hopes to hare tk« whole shipped together by tho end of the month. An exciting soene occurred in the pariah church at Led bury during the mornlngtervice, on October 3rd, The rector, tteiWv.

men, when a youn^,womsn^ .beating a child <in> her, armSfXttojaWewly the church, followed by Aer^mother; &n$ walking round tV the top of the middle aisle, faced the conJ gfeiatibn.^Here'Bhe held' up tbeObild; and in distinct teVmi informed them '• It was Mr Jftokson's.?'' Lt,ia authoritatively stated that legal proceedings will be at .once commenced, against' her. ' The young woman's' name ii Elizabeth Parry; r and some twelve months ago she was in service as oook at the rectory, where she was confined. , - > , ' ,:. j ( On Fridays iSept. 24, , the new Bishop of Auckland, the Rev. W. G. Cowie, late reotor of St Mary's, Stafford, was presented \ with a testimonial, value L6O, t>y his late parishioners.! The bishop, in accepting the gift, said .that in New Zealand the Church was entirely oißcqnneoted with the' State.. He could not say he regretted this, and if he lived 10 years no doubt be should Bee the same thing in England. He did not wish to see the day hurried when that diaoonaection woald take place, but it would be the State that would lose by the severance- of the union, and hot the* Church, , which Would still be maintained by Christ, its master. I They might, -therefore, look forward to the, disestablishment of the English Church without any dismay, as long aßthe s Ghttrcb was true to itself. ' '

Tbe demands of the Australian and Indian trades have become so extensive, and the forthcoming opening., of the Suez Canal being likely to do away with the use . of sailing vessels to a very considerable extent, some of tbe ' enterprising shipowners of Liverpool are combining together to substitute steam for sailing vessels. Already we hear of the formation of a large company, which has given an order for a steamer of 440 feet in length, and of light draft ; and one of our oldest and most respeotable firms is, it is said, about to follow suit. Our shipowners are quite alive to the changes which the successful navigation of the Suez Canal will bring about, and are building steamers suitable for the traffic by that route.

The " predicted tide" onOotober6thdidnot rise above the level of very high spring* . Its actual height was lft 9in above Trinity high water mark. Only rises of upwards of 2ft above the datum are considered extraordinary. The strong Bouth- easterly winds blowing off the French coast from Biarritz to Brest, and off our own shores from Penzanoe to Liverpool, acting adversely to the flow of the Atlantic tidal wave up the British Channel, rendered any very unusual phenomenon either at London or along the southern coast improbable, and the highest rise took place. »s might have been anticipated, in the Bristol Channel, the rise at Cardiff being 35ft 3in, as against 36ft 6in during tho high spring tide of last March. Undoubtedly, if strong Atlantic winds had set in for the period over which the tidal phenomenon ex tends, the effects would have been serious.

The idea grows and strengthens 'tnat; tlfe ¥aace of Europe is not likely to be disturbed, he state of the Emperor Napoleon's healtb ia suoh that hia accompanying tbe army in person is quite out of the question ; .and war, even successful w»r, if he were rot with the army, would weaken rather than strengthen his position in Frauoe. Lord Clarendon's emphatic declaration at Watford, that " since the olose of the Prussian and Austrian war in 1866, Europe bad never had a fairer prospect of maintaining the in* estimable blessing* of peace," has been received everywhere with confidence, and has had a most reassuring influence upon the public mind, not merely in this country, but also in Frauoe and in Europe generally, which is marked by the notable and continuous rise that has since taken plaoe in the French Rentes.

An epidomio of murder seems to be sweeping over England. Hardly a day passes that the papers do not record one or more frightful examples, and the last, a double murder at Wood Green, is perfeotly horrifying. A man who distrusted the fidelity of the woman he was living with, met her returning from town with the man he suspeoted to be her paramour. After knocking tbe man down at the station, he dragged the wonwn to her home— ia the face of bystanders wneee proteotion she implored—and thore shot her dead, and savagely beat out her brains before the onlookers. He then rushed to the man's house with whom he had seen her ; broke open the door, and with furious blows dashed in his skull ; two " musicians " whom the wretohod man had hired for the day, fleeing at the murderer's approach, leaving the unhappy viotim to his fato, On Saturday afternoon, September 11, the Waltaoe Monument ereoted on the Abbey Craig, near Stirling, wm formally handed of er by the committee of subscribers to the provost, magistrates, and town oounoil of I Stirling as the future oustodiers of the strnotnre. Tho oeremony was simple and unimposing. At 12 o'olook the*msg»trates and other officials marched in prooessioa from tho Corn Exohange, and prooeeded by way of Wallace street and Stirling Bridge to Abbey Craig, where they met the monument oommittee. The oeremony wm performed in the armoury hall of the monument, to the presence of a»>out 100 gwtleinea, Lord J«.j Viswoode presiding. Mr B. Morrison, tbe •eoretary, read a report, wWob. slated that the erection of the monument was resolved upon m Jane, 1866, that the '«****»* stone was laid in June, 1861, *nd that after many difficulties had been owoome, the monument had at last boon completed at a total ooit of L18,4«l l»8d. The »moimt •absoribed wm L19,9W 16s Bd, ltavtog a defloienoy of newly L6OO. ™»«»fc£«} astlmate ot the oott of tht bnildlns wm L7OOO.