The Mails.

Otago Witness, Issue 1230, 17 July 1875, Page 7

The Mails.

(TOOK OtXB, OWtf CORHESPONDKNT.) Edinburgh, May 13th. APPALLING SHIPWRECK ON THE SCXLLT ISLE 9, The wreck of the steamer Schiller off the ScJlly Islands, news of which will have reached you by telegraph, is the most striking, as it is the moat mournful, feature of the month's history. The Schiller was a splendid steamer of 2326 tons net, and 3421 tons gross, register, built on the Clyde by Napier and Sons, and thia her last voyage was only the seventh made by her. She belonged to the highest class at Lloyd's, and her owners were the German Transatlantic Steam Navigation Co., of Hamburg. She left New York on the 27th April, but did not cross the bar at Sandy Hook till the next day. She had rather a rough passage across, and about 8 p.m. on the 7th May a thick fog set in. Sail was reduced, the engines glowed to half speed, soundings taken, and the constantly sounded as she groped her way along. The captain (Thomas) then believed himself to be several miles to the south of the Scilly Islands, and a bright look-out was kept for the Bishop light. Notwithstanding all these precautions, about 10 p,m. the steamer struck with terrific force upon the Retarrier Ledges, a dangerous reef of rocks only half a mile from the Bishop lighthouse, but so dense was the fog that the light could not be seen even at that distance. The ship bumped heavily four times, and then remained hard and fast, a heavy sea breaking over her, Both gigs were successfully launched, despite the panic that at once ensued upon the ship striking, but in launching the starboard jueboat it capsised, In the meantime, the other boats had been " rushed," and were much overCrowded, The captain discharged his pistol over the heads of the men who had seized the boats, but without any result for a time. At length the five boats left were swung out from the davits ready for launching as soon as the sea should go down a b'ttle. Two of the starboard boats, however, were smashed about midnight by thefallof the smokestack, and aheavy sea carried away two of the jiort boats. Rockets and cannon were fired till the powder became wet and Useless. The tide, meanwhile, was rising (its rue there being 20 feet), and about 3 a.m. a tremendous sea, described as running up to the top of the mainmast, swept away the pavilion, or cabin deck-house, carrying most of the women and children into the sea. The captain collected the rest of the passengers on the bridge, as being the highest point, but numbers of them were swept away, the captain himself included. Shortly after 6 a,m. the main and foremasts went by the board, and, being of iron, sank. Many who had unwisely fastened themselves to the masts, were carried down them. The boats kept by the ship till the foremast fell, and with it the masthead light, which had enabled them to maintain their position, They then rowed in search of land, which they were fortunate enough to discover and reach. They picked up several of the unhappy creatures struggling in the water, supported by life-belts and pieces of wood, and other* were rescued by boats from the islands, where the disaster was now known. In all, 43 persons were saved, one of them being a woman, but not a single child was rescued. The total number of livas lost was 343, there being drowned 250 out of 264 passengers, and 93 out of 120 of a crew. The survivors thus number 41. There has also been lost specie to the value of L 60.000 in dollars. The Schiller had about 250 bags of mails on board, including the New Zealand and New South Wales mails via San Francisco. Up to the present time 51 bags have been recovered, 29 of them being from New Zealand, All the accounts of the survivors agree in speaking in the highest terms of the cool and unselfish bravery of Captain Thomas, who exerted himself like a hero (as he was) in the effort to save the women and ohildren. By his orders a life-belt was fastened round every woman on board, but without avaij, for the poor creatures were drowned by the breakers as they floated. At one time several frantic women threw their arms round the captain's neck in the vain hope that he might be able to save them, and he had to extricate himself by main force. When he was swept overboard, he was guiding some women and children to the least unsafe part of the vessel. All honour to his memory as a brave man and true seaman ! Some of the survivors had very narrow i escapes. Mrs Jones, the only female saved, *^ras in the boat which capsised, and was rescued by one of the other boats. A man •aved himself by holding on with his teeth to the finger of the hand stretched out by a man in one of the boats to save him. Another man went to the bottom with the mainmast, but as be had fastened himself to it by a slip-knot only, he got himself free, rose to the surface near * life-buoy and a piece of wood, which he succeeded in reaching, and was afterwards picked up. Another man was in the water ten hours before he was rescued. The hull of the Schiller was insured for L 60.000, chiefly in GLsgow, only LII.OOO of the loss falling upon London offices. The specie, however, was insured altogether in London, but it ia hoped that it may be recovered by divers. An inquest on 51 of the bodies was opened »* _p«lly on the 10th, and a verdict of Found Drowned " was returned. The jury added a recommendation that telegraphic communication should be established between the Buhop lighthouse and the shore. Had such communication existed in the present iS 84 ?^! A* .Jury believe that all on board the Schiller might have been saved. A number of the bodies were buried the same day, and tne proceedings at the funeral were very touching in their simplicity. Except the hurriedly made, black-painted coffins, there was no outward symbol of woe, the islands not possessing a. neane or mourning coaches. Every shop in ilughtown, the little capital, was closed, and the inhabitants nocked in a body to pay the last tokens of respect and sympathy to the remains of those *o suddenly called to ~? e !li a^unt. The bodies were Placed m httle two-wheeled carts drawn Dy shaggy ponies, as there were not men enough m the island to carry them. Some of uuse carts were too small to carry two bodies ?Lt at 8 * TtFT- 6 burial Bervico was read by the Key. Mr White, chaplain to Mr Algernon Jtforneo Smith, the lord of the Scilly Isles! Two huge graves bad been dug, aud in these the coffins were reverently piled up by rugged but sympathising hands. Space could not be spared in the lonely little churchyard for a separate grave for each person. One of the bodies was surrounded by a group of youn» men wearing the insignia of the Order of Good J^i^u r ?^° n for this waa th »t on the iT^li e ¥ dbeenfound acard showing Jq -i? "S" 188 *, to the Order, and its members in Scilly thiw acknowledged the tie that bound tbem even to an unknown brother. While yet the interments were proceeding, telegrams were noeired from the friends of some of those about W l»t conjautted to the earth, asking th» bodies

to be retained, and they were accordingly brought back to toe pier, and afterwards forwarded to other places in Britain and Germany, there to be laid at rest, Of course you will have learned long before this reaches you that a large portion of the New Zealand mail by San Francisco has been lost in the catastrophe, Nevertheless, I may be allowed to mention that on enquiry at the Otago Home Agenoy Office three hours before the time for the closing of the mail, I learned that no letters or papers had been received there, though Messrs, P. Henderson and Co had received some of their letters. It will therefore be necessary for those who sent nominations, &c, by the last mail to send duplicates of tbem. I have received gome papers myself from the wreck, They are of course damp, and two or three of them are a good deal frayed at the edges, button the whole they are in remarkably fifood condition. A large portion of the bags saved seem to have contained newspapers. I cannot refrain from adding that the New Zealand mail had no business to be on board the Schiller at all. From the telegrams published | in the Times, I learn that it arrived at San I Francisco on the 11th April ; yet it did not leave New York till the 27th April, by which time it ought to have been within a few hours' sail of the Irish coast. I have often wondered why the San Francisco mail was sent by the Plymouth route, whioh is the longest of all, and can see no other reason for it than that it may be a few pounds cheaper. Repeatedly the mail is delayed in transit after reaching San Francisco. Not long ago it arrived there four days early, yet w.is a day late in reaching London. No doubt the close supervision exercised by the New Zealand Press over the Pacific part of the service causes it to be energetically conducted ; but the benefits arising therefrom are entirely neutralised if laxity is allowed to prevail throughout the rest of the route. The matter is worth enquiring into white the Assembly is sitting, if it is desired to make the San Francisco service really efficient, which it certainly is not just now. Even the officials in the Edinburgh Post Office speak of it contemptuously as "always late." On the other hand, the Brindisi mail almost invariably arrives to time, nearly to an hour. Before passing on from the wreck of the Schiller and topics connected therewith, I may mention that the fog which caused her loss was also the cause, a few hours later, of the loss of the steamer Cadiz, from Cadiz to London, and 62 lives. She ran upon some rocks near Brest, and only four of those on board had time to jump out and swim to the rocks, or cling to the keel of one of the boats before she sank. Under other circumstances this sad event would have attracted much notice, but the overwhelming magnitude of the Schiller calamity has caused the loss of the Cadiz to be almost overlooked by the public. NE\¥ ZEALAND ITEMS. I am sorry to have to give a very poor report as to the" state of Mr Vogel's health. He is still a martyr to gout, which has seized him in the arms as well as the legs, and he is a prisoner to the house, and almost incapacitated for work, eveu at home. It is by no means unlikely that he will not be able to return to New Zealand in time to meet the Assembly when it opens, unless its session is this year a good deal later than usual in beginning. In view of the special interest attaching to his visit to this country, and the eagerness with which the Colony will look for full particulars of his doings, any such delay in his return will be much regretted, and I am sure Mr- Vogel will regret it as much as anyone. Emigration affairs continues steadily prosperous. The Aldergrove sailed from the Clyde on the 30Ui April, with 330 emigrants, and will be followed on the 28th inst. by the Christian M'Ausland, which is laid on for the Bluff. She will take about 280 statute adults. Her capacity is greater, but the Home Agency authorities very wisely do not approve of camming a ship as full of people as the law will permit, believing that such a policy j is nhort-sighted in the long run, as conducing to disease, and consequent expense, if not loss of life. In this, as in other matters which I have bad occasion to mention at various times, the Agency has shown a degree of good sense which is deserving of recognition. Depend upon it, the wisest policy in the end is to treat emi- | grants as human beings, and not as cattle. Perhaps this may be a good opportunity for me to say a few words, as a disinterested and not uninformed observer, regarding the existing emigration arrangements. It appears to me that, in view of Mr Auld's death, the present is a favourable opportunity for amalgamating the Otago Agency with that of the ! Agent - General —so far, at least, as [ emigration is concerned. As things exist, : there is a great loss of power. The two distinct agencies work Scotland (and to some extent England as well) independently of each other, and the consequence often is that the intending emigrant is bewildered, not knowing which is the friend— Codlin or Short. I have several timed met with cases of this kind, and I fancy from their frequency in my experience that they must be numerous, taking the country as a whole. A not less serious drawback is this : A person applies to one of the agencies, and is refused, as being an unsuitable emigrant. .Therefore, he goes off to the other agency and "tries it on" there, so that the organ grinders, &&, who wish to emigrate, have an extra chance given them of being conveyed gratis to a deluded and afterwards disgusted Colony. It must be obvious, too, that the subagents in Scotland and the border counties of England could could be more efficiently supervised from Edinburgh or Glasgow than from London. The advantage of such an arrangement to the Colony as a whole ia, indeed, patent enough, but perhaps Otago may wfeh to know what she will get in exchange for surrendering her special and experienced Agency. It seems to me that, under the proposed arrangement, Otago would be no worse off than before, as the services of her old Agency would be still retained by her, while she would be freed from the^ competition of agents who persuade emigrants to sail to aome other Province simply because a ship is laid on for it, and must be filled up, while the emigrant, if left to himself, would probably have gone to Otago, whose prestage is unrivalled in Scotland. lam convinced too that the > whole system of sub-agencies needs investigation and reform. Some of the present aub-agento are agents also for other Colonies and btates, and it is their interest to get people to go to that Colony, &c, which offers them (the agents) the best commission. In fact, beadmoney is all in all to them, nor is it to be wondered at that this should be so. This state of things, however, has a decidedly mischievous result upon New Zealand emigration ia respect to quality, and I daresay also though to * smaller extent, in respect to quantity as welL I have roughly put together the foregoing remarks in the hope that you will telce them up, and cause public opinion in New Zealand to declare itself on the subject of the arrangementa under which unspontaneous emigration to the Colony is at present conducted. Mr Adam has been lecturing in AberdeenBhire and Forfarshire, and has everywhere been received as heartily as could be wished. Among the places where he has lectured, or is still to lecture, are Aboyne, Montrose, Arbroath, and Puad##. I forgetf orget the names of the others. Mr

Adam h«i also been In London again, conferring with Mr Vogel, who, I have no doubt, is glad to avail himself of Mr Adam's experience in emigration matters, The latter gentleman is still absent in Forfarshire, and will work his I way back to Edinburgh, through Fife, in all probability, Next month he hopes to visit the Hebrides. j Two letters have lately been published in the Times which are likely to have anything : but a favourable effect upon emigration to New Zealand, The first was by Captain Stuart, of the Tweed, and described in vigorous language the danger to which the lives of all on board that vessel were exposed, during her last outward ["passage fto Port Chalmers, by the seamen plundering in the hold with naked lights. The second letter was by Captain Montgomery, of the Queen of "the Age, and related the still worse experience in the same direction of that vessel oh her voyage to Auckland. The writers of both letters animadvert strongly upon the light sentences received by the criminals at the hands of the colonial magistrates. It is, indeed, palpably unjust that a man who steals at sea, and in doing so endangers the lives of hundreds of human beings, should get off with three months' imprisonment, while another man who steals property to the same amount on shore, without putting a single life in jeopardy, is sent to gaol for as many years. The remedy is plain and easy, and if by thus offering a premium to plunderers of cargo ships are burned, hundreds of passengers drowned, and emigration to New Zealand brought to an end, you will have to thank your own laws or magistrates only. As it is, I expect the publication of these letters in the Times, and their reproduction by other papers, will deter some people from emigrating. The truth must be told, however, at whatever costs, Mr "Walter Bentley," after playing with no I very striking success in Dundee and Glasgow, has been back at the Princess Theatre, Edinburgh, for a season of a few nights. Mr Bentley is not afraid of crucial parts, and has been playing as Hamlet and Richelieu. His impersonation of the former character is termed by the Scotsman "intellectual and forcible," and the same critic adds that "with a little more filling up in some parts and toning down in others, it [Mr Ben tley's Hamlet] might be pronounced one of the best on the stage at present." The ship Asia, which gained so undesirable a reputation in Otago, from the character of the emigrants she took out, was posted at Lloyd's as missing. She sailed from Newcastle, N.S.W., for Aden, on the 3rd September last, and has not been heard of since. Her crew numbered 30 all told, and her value, irrespective of the cargo, is estimated at £25,000, Three other ! vessels were posted on the same day, making an aggregate loss of 95 lives by these four I disasters. A fine screw steamer of 1100 tons, builders' measurement, intended for Messrs M'Meekan, Blackwood, and Co.'s New Zealand fleet, was launched by Messrs T. Wingate and Co., Whiteinch, on the 19th ult. She was christened the " Ringaroona" by Miss A. M. Paterson, Ayr* Her accommodation is for 80 cabin and 11201 120 steerage passengers. Another vessel of similar dimensions and for the same owners is almost ready for launching, > The Graphic of May Bth contains an illustration showing the barque Columbus in collision with an iceberg near Cape Horn, on her voyage home from Port Chalmers. The collision occurred on the 22nd February, and the engraving in the Graphic is from a sketch by Mr Constantine Sweeney, second officer of the Columbui. BANQUET TO SIR GEOROK BOWEN. Sir George Bowen has been receiving his favourite gratification— viz., that of listening to and uttering his own praises. On the 29th ult., he was entertained at a banquet given in his honour at Willis's Rooms, London. H. R, H. the Duke of Edinburgh presided, and there were present upwards of 200 noblemen and gentlemen having a special interest in the welfare of the Australasian Colonies. Among them were Sir James Fergusson and Dr Featherston. Mr Vogel was prevented by illness from being present. The royal Chairman proposed Sir George Bowen's health in a short but highly eulogistic speech, and Sir George made a long and still more highly eulogistic'reply. His speech contains little to interest colonial readers, though as a characteristic utterance it is amusing enough. One or two of the little jokes which have done such •good service in New Zealand and Australia underwent a fresh resurrection, and told as well as if they had been new. The famous comparison of the Maoris with the Scottish Highlandars was there, too, and wonderfully little changed with the lapse of time. Sir George also received no small amount of " butter" in the daily papers afterwards, the Times, I Telegraph, Standard, and Dally News all singing his praises. Surely Queensland, New Zealand, and Victoria wili now have the grace to admit that they owe their present prosperous condition to the master mind of Sir George Bowen. j COLONISATION OF *£W GUINEA. A large and influential deputation waited upon the Earl of Carnarvon, Secretary of State for the Colonies, on the 28th April, to ask the Government to annex to the British Crown the Island of New Guinea, east of the X4lst degree of east longitude, up to which the Island is claimed by the Dutch. The Royal Colonial Institute was in force.and its President, the Duke of Manchester, introduced the deputation. A memorial from the Institute, referring I to the subject, was presented, and no less than i fourteen gentlemen spoke in support of it. j Among them were Sir James Fergusson and Sir Charles Clifford. The reasons urged for the annexation of the territory were its close 1 proximity to Australia, and the consequent undesirability of its falling into the hands of a Power that might become hostile : the prevention of disputes regarding pearl-fishing rights, which disputes would b« certain to arise if New Guinea were in the hands of another Power ; and the necessity of providing for the regulation of the labour traffic, and of establishing a capable Government in case of a gold rush from Australia taking place. Lord Carnarvon, in replying, fully admitted the importance and interest of the subject, and paid a handsome tribute to the value to commerce of Captain Moresby's discoveries. At the ssme time, he told the deputation that the matter was still in too early < a stage for him to express a distinct oj>inion upon it. It was still unknown whether the climate was one which the European constitution could bear, while the mineral wealth of the island was as yet wholly a matter of speculation. So far as he knew, there was not a single Australian gold miner or prospector in New Guinea. He went on to say that it was hopeless to think of keeping other foreign Powers out of every island and territory in those seas, and of reducing things to such a state as that the English flag should be the only one flying in that part of the world. With respect to the regulation of the labour traffic, Lord Carnarvon thought that the waters adjoining the south-eastern part of New Guinea might very fairly be included within the jurisdiction of the High Commissioner of Fiji, and he would introduce a clause into the Pacific Islanders Bill to give Sir Arthur Gordon the authority in question. In oonclu-

sion, Lord Carnarvon said that the Government had so much to do at present in fully organising the administration of the Gold Coast Colons; and Fiji, that they asked for a little breathing time before going on to annex a territory as important and difficult to manage as either of those named. He added that as the Australian Colonies were chiefly concerned in the matter, it was their duty to show much more interest in it than they had yet done— in fact, to take the first step. The Hon. Arthur Kinnaird having begged his Lordship not to omit this opportunity of taking over a Colony when Germany was determined to be a great naval power, and would look to colonisation as thp Principal means to that end, the deputation withdrew. PARLIAMENTARY NOTES. The everlasting Tichborne nuisance formed the chief feature of the proceedings of Parliament for a week after the last Brindisi mail left. On the 16th April Colonel Loyd (not Lloyd) Lindsay, the member for Berkshire, asked Kenealy when he intended to bring forward his motion respecting the Tichborne trial. Kenealy replied that he would do so when he thought such a step would be most likely to promote the liberation of "Sir Eoger Tichborne/' The Colonel then gave notice of his intention to move that Kenealy's motion should be expunged from the Order Paper. This brought the fellow to his senses, and it was finally arranged on the 19th that the debate on the motion should come on upon the 23rd. I must mention, however, that on the 16th also a short but warm debate on this same business took place, the occasion being the presentation of another " Tichborne" petition by the deluded "Whalley. This debate was remarkable for the speech made > by Mr Waddy (Barnstaple), who quite astonished the House and the country by the tremendous setting down he gave to the foulmouthed representative of the sots and wifebeaters of Stoke. Mr Macdonald, mirabile diet v, followed in the same strain, and raised ; himself considerably in the estimation of the I [ House. On the 23rd the long-expected debate I duly came off, the House being crowded in ! [ every part. A mob demonstration being feared, a large additional police force was held in readiness for emergencies, but was not required, as only a few score ragmuffins escorted Kenealy to the Houses of Parliament, and two of them threw slippers after him for good luck. Kenealy spoke for two hours and a half, and proved conclusively — if any such proof had been required— what a mauvaia snijtt he is, and what baseless falsehoods he has been engaged in circulating for months past. Mr Whalley having seconded the motion, Mr Morley made a few remarks, and then Mr Milbank followed with a brief but indignant speech, which dealt chiefly with a conversation at a dinner party between his wife and the Lord Chief-Justice, and which Kenealy had misrepresented. The Attorney-General followed, and was succeeded by Whalley, who convulsed the House as usual. Sir Henry James, Mr Disraeli, and Mr Bright came next with telling speeches, the two last-named especially being frequently and loudly cheered. Mr Disraeli's speech may be described in a word as stinging, Mr Bright's as crushing. Kenealy having exercised his right of reply, a division was called for by' Mr Whalley, and resulted in one member voting for the motion and 433 against it. The solitary Ortonian was Major O'Gorman, who voted with the ayes as a joke, and certainly succeeded in his object, for the division thus became a scene of the greatest merriment, in which the elephantine major jovially joined, waving his hat in the most exuberatit manner. All the small wits of the weekly Press, in noticing the division, declared that Kenealy after all had the bulk of the House with him, seeing that he had Major J O'Gorman on his side of the lobby. j The annual debate on Mr Osborne Morgan's ! Burials Bill took place on the 21st ult, and was more than usually interesting. Mr Gladstone spoke briefly in support of the measure, but the most noteworthy speech was that of Mr Bright, which was quite in his old form. On a division the Bill was thrown out by a majority of 14— 248 to 234. This is the narrowest majority its opponents have yet had. In Mr Bright's speech there occurred one passage in particular, describing a Quaker funeral, which has been greatly admired. It consists of 190 words, and of these 149 are monosyllables— a fact to which considerable publicity has been given." [ Mr Newdegate created a diversion in the j House of Commons on the 29th ult. He had been entrusted with an enormous petition, I signed by 117,673 women resident in the United Kingdom, in favour of the inspection of j conventual institutions and registration of their inmates. The petition was three-quarters of a I mile long, and formed a roll so large that Mr Newdegate could hardly carry it. As it was, the centre of it fell out as Mr Newdegate was labouring to carry it up to the table, and Mr Newdegate was glad to avail himself of the i good natured assistance of Mr Forsyth, tendered amid ironical cheers, to get the petition I safely lodged upon its official resting place. A debate on the Budget took place on the | 7th inst., and was distinguished by a fine speech by Mr Gladstone. The Times's report of this day's sitting of Parliament extended to almost four and a half pages of small type. Yet members complain of not being fully reported ! j PARLIAjrENT AND THE PRESS. Under this heading I may summarise some unseemly, but rather serious squabbling that has been wasting the time of Parliament and the country for some weeks past. The affair originated in the Times' and Daily News printing, in their reports of the proceedings of the Foreign Loans Committee, a translation of a letter by a M. Herran of a rather peculiar nature. The letter not having been laid before the House of Commons, its publication by the newspapers was a breach of privilege, though one of a kind constantly committed and never resented. Nevertheless, Mr C. " Lewis brought forward a motion for arraigning the printers of the newspapers in question before the bar of the House. The motion received the support of Mr Disraeli— it is said on account of the spite the right hon. gentleman is well known to entertain towards Mr Lowe, who is chairman of the Foreign Loans Committee — and was carried. When the time came, however, for actually bringing up at the bar the guilty printers, who were then in the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms in the lobby of tne House, Mr Disraeli moved an amendment to the effect that the printers should be discharged, but that the Select Committee on Foreign Loans should be desired to be informed of the circumstances under which the letter i came to be published. This amendment, as pre-arranged, was carried, and Mr Disraeli thus got out of the fix in which his personal animosity towards Mr Lowe had placed him, for the latter gentleman was only acting in strict accordance with the rules of the House in declining to give the information sought, without a direct order from the House to do so. When he did give the explanation, it appeared that a translation of Mr Herran's letter was read aloud at a sitting of the Committee, and that the reporters of the Times and Daily News were allowed to copy it afterwards, though not to take it away. Thus it came quite legitimately into the hands of the ! Press. The matter was not done with, how- ' ever, by the giving of this explanation. Mr

Sullivan, member for Louth, and editor jind proprietor of the Dublin Nation, next came forward with a question to Mr Disraeli, asking the latter if he intended to take any steps to relieve the Press from the hazards to which it ia at present exposed in reporting the proceedings of the House, Mr Disraeli very curtly replied that he had no such intention. Mr Sullivan then declared that he would "spy strangers'* in the House every day until the unsatisfactory relations subsisting between the Press and the House were put right. Next day, in answer to a question by the Marquis of Hartington, as whether he really intended to carry out hia threat, Mr Sullivan said that a 8 the Marquis, one of the leaders of the House, had undertaken to bring forward a motion dealing with the matter, he did not intend to proceed further mit himself. An individual named Biggnr, who sits for the very Irish constituency of Cavan, and is returned in the interests (whatever they j may be) of Home Rule, could not let so good a, chance slip of making himself notorious. xVecordingly, on the 26th April, just as the House was about to proceed with the motions, Bi^gar suddenly called the Speaker's attention to the fact that " strangers " were present. Honourable members audibly expressed their disapprobation, and the Speaker asked Biggar if he really intended to press his objection. Biggar reiterated his notice, and " strangers " were accordingly ordered to withdraw, among them ; being the Prince of Wales, The ladies, however, were not "discovered," and remainedbe- : hind their grating, invisible but far from in1 audible. Mr Disraeli then, in a brief but vehe- , ment speech, moved the suspension of the Standing Orders, so that the "strangers" might be readmitted. Lord Hartington seconded the motion, and Mr Newdegate followed with a solemn question to Biggar, adjuring him to declare "why he had put in action" the rule of the House relating to " strangers." Biggar, amid loud expressions of contempt, explained that the course he had taken was purely and simply in the interests of the Press, and in shrill tones he declared that he would "do it every night." Several other members spoke, chiefly Home Rulers, some of whom washed ttieir hands of Biggar, while others defended him. Among the former was Mr Bryan, who was loudly cheered when he said, " I think that a man should be a gentleman first and a patriot after." Mr Disraeli's motion was then carried vociferously, Biggar subsiding, and the doors of the House were I opened again. On May 4th the Marquis of Hartington's motions came on for debate. Their mover made a good, solid speech in support of th^m, I and Mr Mitchell Henry then moved an amendment deprecating the taking of any action in the matter until it should have been reported upon by a Select Committee to be appointed for the purpose. The debate was veiy slow, and excited little interest until Mr Disraeli rose and tried to pooh-pooh the whole affair. As soon as he had finished, Mr Lowe got up and gave him the severest castigation he has received for a long time, exposing with witheringsarcasm the folly of the system Mr Disraeli sought to defend. Mr Hardy was just essayin" a reply to Mr Lowe, when Mr Sullivan fmI nished a practical commentary upon the latter's speech by spying " strange rs.'J and the I galleries were accordingly cleared. The debate was continued for 40 minutes, and j then adjourned, and "strangers" were thereupon readmitted, On the 16th May Lord Hartington asked Mr Disraeli what arrangement had been made for continuing the debate on his resolutions. The Premier made a pettish reply, in which he evaded giving a definite answer to Lord Hartington's enquiry. This roused Mr Gladstone, who poured forth upon his quondam rival a torrent of fiery indignation, andihere was quite a "scene." No practical result, however, was arrived at. In this unsatisfactory state matters remain, and the only result of the squabbling so far haa been very greatly to impair the reputation of Mr Disraeli as a Parliamentary tacitician, and to lower the standing of the House of Commons as a deliberative assembly. The importance attached to the question on all sides, and the interest universally taken in it, are the reasons that have led me to dwell upon it at so great a length. SCHEME FOR FLOODING THE SAHARA. An interesting and ambitious project is a present on the tapis, having for its aim the con version of a large portion of the very extensive deserts known as the Great Sahara, into an inland sea, by introducing the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The obsej vations of adventurous travellers have made known the fact that there is in the Sahara an immense depression, known by the Arabic name of El Juff. This depression is distinguished even in that sterile region by its excessive aridity, making it an impassable barrier to caravans, which are compelled to skirt two of its sides, thus lengthening their < journey more than 100 per cent. For instance, from Cape Nun to Timbuctoo, the distance is 740 miles in a straight line, whereas by the route the caravans are compelled to take, the distance is more than 1700 miles. The consequence is that a caravan journey occupies four months, while the > cost of carnage is £40 per ton. Scientific investigations show conclusively that El Juff is an old sea bed, and to this clay it contains large deposits of salt. It contains, moreover, " huge chasms, grottoes, and caves, with marine debits scattered throughout, seeming as if the Ocean had left but yesterday." Ancient map 9by Diodorus, Plato, &c, place an immense lake on the site now occupied by El Juff, whose drying up is easily to be accounted for. It was connected with the Atlantic by a narrow neck, which gradually became filled up by the sand deposited by the very strong current which sets in on the coast. When once, through this agency, the waters of the ocean were cut off, El Juff would rapidly evaporate, till at the present day it presents the appearance of an enormous sea beach, without a drop of water or the faintest sign of animal or vegetable life. An expedition is now being organised in London to survey the sandback which separates El Juff from the ocean, with a view to ascertaining the cost of cutting and keeping open a^nagivable channel through it. This sandbank"4s roughly stated as being 30 feet high and five miles wide, the distance between the headlands which it unites being ten miles. El Juff- is on an average 250 feet below the level of the Atlantic, and as it is bordered by higher lands it can easily be kept within harmless bounds. Its boundaries, however, are also to be surveyed by the expedition, which thus has plenty of hard work before it. It is alleged that if El Juff were made a navigable sea, profitable commercial relations could be established with 20 millions of people, at present almost entirely beyond the reach of European enterprise. The productions of the regions concerned at present consist of cotton, indigo, tobacco, coffee, indiarubber, and copper, and with the improvement in climatic conditions, caused by the flooding of the El Juff, the productiveness of the country would be much increased. It will thus be seen that the project is one of no small importance, and if it succeeds mthe manner sanguinely anticipated by its promoters, the world will look upon the I achievement as one of the greatest triumphs of I British enterprise, going far to make up for the I prestige gained by France in respect of the Suez Canal.

THK SOUTH WALES STRUGGLE. I rejoice to have to report that this most unnecessary and unhappy contest w at an end so tar as the lock-out is concerned, and nearly so as respects the strike. The former was terminated by the masters inviting the men to return to work at the 15 per cent, reduction, thus brmgiug matters back to the same footing as before the lock-out, except that the engagements were daily instead of weekly. This last stipulation caused a little demur among the ineu, but ou being assured that another lock-out was not contemplated by it, they resumed work. The men on strike then began to "cave in" by degrees, Monmouthshire taking the lead, and Glamorganshire gradually following. At length the UoTviais men, at a mass meeting, resolved to^ return to work, and as the Cyfartha, alK i Rhymney men decided to do whatever the Dowlais men did, the strike is, to all intents and purpo.,e.>, at an end. The men are said to have learnt two lessons from the strike, viz., that it is u.-eless to fly in the face of the laws of supply and demand, and that Union leaders are fine promi»ers, but very poor performers. If they bear the»e two lessons in mind, the bitter experience of the past four months Avill not have been gained in vain. LITERARY MEMORANDA, r^T D " r^' ,^ Ivn dd v i whose photographic views of JSevr Zealand scenery are so well known to your readers, has just brought out, in conjunction with Dr Yon Hochstetter, a book called " Rotomabana. " It contain 16 photographs by Mr Mundy of the boiling springs, &c, in the central district of the North Island of New Zealand, with descriptive and explanatory letterpress by Dr Yon Hochstetter. The book has been got up in the most luxurious style, and the Illustrated London News pronounces the photographs to be the best collection of the kind it has ever seen. Under these circumstances it i 3 not surprising that the book is published at the " drawing room price" of two guineas. Through the exertions of Cardinal Manning the British Public Record Office now employs an agent iv Rome to collect materials for English history from the secret archives of the Vatican. If the privilege is a reality and not a mere sham, it should be productive of interesting results. A current item of art gossip states that Gus- 1 tave Dorc ii to receive LIO,OOO for illustrating a I splendid pictorial edition of Shakespeare to be published shortly. DrFarrar's "Life of Christ"— a book only j eight months old — has just entered upon its 14th edition, though a large and expensive \ book. Shorthand is being assiduously cultivated by the Manchester police, the Chief Constable having permitted classes for instruction in the art to be formed among the men under his command. Some of the officers, too, have established a manuscript shorthand magazine, i entitled Police Service, which is circulated Among the members of tha force, and is said to , be a production of a superior kind. The proprietor of the Athenaeum, yielding to 1 the representations of his friends, baa resolved to apply for a new trial of the case in which Mr T. B. Johnston lately obtained from that jour- | nal £1275 damages for libel. ]