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Otago Witness, Issue 1343, 25 August 1877, Page 5

The Mails.

NEWS FROM HOME. (rßQii OOK OWN COBBJESPOND2KT.) - COXTISEXT&L JOTTINGS. .. «*» v J?mperor of Germany made a tour through Alsace and Lorraine at the beginning of the, month. At Strasburg ha was received ■with* some approach to cordiality, and the fetes got np-for the^occaaion were very successful. lne noble old cathedral was magnificently illuminated at night, and also formed the central, object of a pyrotechnic dispUy, tho whole forming, -according to Ihe Standard's correspondent, ,"a sight which defies description, and which will n«ver De forgotten by those who saw it" Iv Lorraine the Emperor's reception was decidedly cold, though the people did not dare to be hostila. The Emperor visited the battlefields around Metz, and in the ovening an attempt was made to illuminate the cathedral, as at Strasburg. Through some mismanagement, however, the roof caught fire and was quite destroyed, while much of the rest of the interior was injured. The Emperor, the Crown,-Prince, ' and Count yon Moltke themselves directed fh&, efforts mode to .extingrush^e fire, t^he edifice was built in the Gothic stylei and was erected at, various period* between 1014 and 1546. It is a particularly elegant structure, and has a beautiful •pire of open work 373 ft high. The great clock happily was not injured. Colonel. Vontier, the discoverer of the Venus of Milo, has just died at HyereS, in the Seuth of France. , The discovery was made by a peasant in the island of Milo in 1821, but he was .covering' up the statue again with earth, i thinking it" to oe of no value, when Vontier' •topped him and paid him to excavate it completely. Vontier was then a midshipman in' the French navy, and it saya a good deal for hia taste that he at once perceived the value of the statsa, Some statistics, compiled from official sources, bare -just .been , published, . which, show the enonpons strides which Belgium has made in industry and commerce during the last generation^..lu 1,850 the value of her total trade amounted t0.;L39,980,000, whereas in 1876 it h*diisentoL2oo,ooo,OCO. The shipping which entered at and cleared from the port of Antwerp in 1846 amounted to 176,000 tons, whereas in 1876 it 'Wm 2,431,000 tons.: This last figure considerably exceeds the total tonnage of the shipping trade of.either Hamburg or Marseilles, which.in.each case is about 2,000,000 tons. j The xaihray. tunnel at Coohern, 4670 yards j la length, being the longest in Germany, has j just been completed, two months earlier than ' the timenamed in the contract ' A jealoos husband .is to : be tried at Paris shortly upon- an extraordinary charge. His wife being given to flirting, he hit upon'the reaurnble- expedient of forcing her to swallow »_ live .spider -every Monday morning, with a view, to curing her of her improper propensity. She submitted for a time, but at last informed the police, who thereupon arrested her husband, who is confined in prison awaiting bis trial. Preparations are being made at Tubingen to celebrate the 400 th anniversary of the foundation of Its flotorious university on August 10th. The importation of dead meat from America into Britain having proved so ■successful, it is now about to be commenced from" Austria, contracts having been entered into for the supply from Vienna, of- the carcases of 50,000 sheep and 4000 oxen to be delivered in London during the next six months. 1 ' " " ' : OBITUARY BECOBD. Mr, Johg. Pemberjan Heywood, the. well-, known Liverpool banker,, died at .Morris Green^near that town on May 9, at the age of 73. He was a prominent Lancashire Liberal, and in 1869 declined a peerage which Mr Gladstone offered him. Besides Heywood's Bank, in Liverpool, he was connected with, the banking establishment of Heywood, Kuinainl. and Co., afterwards called the Consolidated Bant Mr Heywood was a Unitarian. . The value of his personal estate, is estimated at 2£ millions sterling^ of which he has bequeathed one million to a nephew. '.'.'" THe'Earr of Shrewsbury died suddenly on May' -11th, : s' few days after completing his 47tb/yev. He was 18th Earl of Shrewsbury and 3rd Earl of Talbot The former title dates from 1442, and is thus one of the oldest irz the peerage. Among the hereditary distinctions attached to it are those of premier Earl in the English and Irish perrages, and Lord High Steward of Ireland. According to last yeart Domesday Book the Earl of Shrewsbury has estates in eight counties in England and Wales,.. Then* area is 34",860 acres, and their gross 'estimated rental L 58.656." The Earl is succeeded by his son, Vicount Ingestre, who is only 17 years old, and he also leaves three daughters, one of whom is married ts> the Earl of Pembroke, who is known in New Zealand. Siy.Matthew Digby Wyatt, the eminen architect, died at his residence, Dunlands Castle, .near .Cowbridge, on May 21st, in his 57th year. He had been ill for a long time before his death. Sir Digby Wyatt was one of those' appointed by the Prince Consort to organise the Great Exhibition of 1851, and he subsequently became secretary to the Executive Committee of the Royal Commission. Sir James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth,"died in London on May 26th, aged 73. He was chiefly known by his successful efforts for the establishment «f a system of Government inspection of schools. GENERAL MEW 3. Mr Tennyson is reported to intoad writing another historical drama. Mr Augustus Hare has undertaken to vrrite a memoir of the late Baroness Bunsen. Speaking" at a meeting held in London on May 14th, when' pottery was the subject of discussion, Mr Gladstone said that he con. sidered Wedgwood to be "the most extraordinary man whose name was recorded in the history of the. commercial world." The Bey. Henry Macdonald, rector of St. Michael's parish, Stamford, has been ordered by his diocesan, the Bishop of Lincoln, to discontinue the use of unfermented wine in the administration of the sacrament. Mr Macdonald' only a few months ago resumed his duties, after a year's suspension for intemperance, since which he has become & warm teetotaller. It cost LIOO3 to lay the dust of the City of London last year, aa against L 668 in 1875. The Lady Godiva pageant is to be revived at Coventry this year with " unusual splendour." It is now seven years since a rroceasion of tho kind took place. ' A censuaoftheold Catholics hag just been taken in Germany, and shows that body to be making but little progress, though the returns are declared to be defective throngh omissions. It gives the total number of old Catholics in Germany at 53,640, an increase of 3832 during the year; 21,797 of them are in Prussia, 18,866 in Baden, 11,338 in Bavaria, and the remainder in Hesse, Oldenburg, and Wurtemberg. The priests have increased from 55 to 59 during the year. Mr JT. Wilson, who was some years connected with the Press in the Colonies, is to be the new editor of the Economist, in succession to Mr Bagehot, deceased. Mr Wilson, prior to going abroad, some 15 years ago, was editor of the

Mr TTBrasaey, AT. P., with Mrs Brassey and family, has arrived Home in his yacht Sunbeam, having accomplished a trip round the world, after travelling 96,000 mile 3 under steam and canvas during a period of 46 weeks. The Berlin correspondent of the Times states that "200,000 German colonists in Southern Russia have determined to emigrate to Brazil, and other parts of America, to avoid being placed under Russian Courts of Law and drafted into the Russian army, though they and their ancestors have been in Russia over 100 years. The emigration has already begun." Sir Stafford Ncrthcoto has declined, in the present state of public business in Parliament, to fix any day or give any tacilit'ea for the further consideration of the Colonial Marriages BilL He, indeed, more than hinted that every obstacle would be thrown in its way. Incredible as it may seem, a movement is on foot for obtaining from British capitalists a further loan of three millions for the Turkish Government, and ifc is by no means improbable that the audacious project may be carried out. Money is not in over abundant supply in Lombard street, but foreign merchants hold a greal deaL Discount rates bave ranged from 2\ .to 2£ per cent. The present tendency is towards lower quotations. The official rate in Paris is 2, and at Berlin 5 per cent, but terms in the open market are considerably under 3. THE BRITISH VOLUNTEERS. The annual inter-regimental rifle match among battalion teams of the Volunteer Force has token place, and the results have been published. 68 battalion teams, representing nearly 110001 1000 of the best shots in the kingdom, com i peted, the rifle used being the Snider, and the ranges being the same as for the Queen's Prize at Wimbledon this year, viz., 200, 500, and 600 yards, seven shots at each range. Scotland again heads the list, though she is not so successful this year as last, having gained only two out of the six prizes. The first prize— of LBo— was won by tho 2nd Battalion Queen's Edinburgh Rifle Brigade with a total of 1509 points by 20 men, or 75.45 per man. The second prize — of Lso— was gained by the 39th Middlesex (Finsbury) Rifle 3, who made 1052 points with 14 man — or 75.14 points per man. The strength of each team was regulated by the, enrolled strength of the regiment represented at the rate of 10 competitors for every 600 men. • By a new regulation every volunteer enrolled ! since Ist January, 1876, is to have his chest j measurement as well as his height entered I opposite the name in the muster-roil of hia ! corps. Volunteer bandsmen appearing qn parade in uniform must in future be enrolled volunteers. They aie permitted to attend the parade of another corps with the sanction of their commanding officer, and while so engaged may wear the uniform of the corps to which they ara temporarily attached. The total number of volunteers, exclusive of those now enrolled, who have joined and passed through the force since its establishment in 1859 up to the present time, is stated to be as follows:— Light Horse, 515; Artillery, 124,897: Engineers, 20,739 j Mounted Rifles, 262: Rifles, 486,498; making a grand total of 632,911. THE STOCK EXCHANGE. Much has been said of late regarding the necessity; for a searching enquiry into the manner in which the London Stock Exchange conduots its operations, and after much pressure, the Government have at length obtained the appointment of a -Royal Commission, which is charged with the duty of enquiring into the ".origin, objects, present constitution,, customs, and usages" of the fraternity whose headquarters in Capel Court have hitherto been closed ' to the public with the jealous enreof a Masonic Lodge. The Commission conaists of Lord Penzance, Baron Blackburn, the Right Hon. Spencer Horatio •Walpole, the Hon. Edward Stanhope, the Right Hon. B. P. Bouverie, Sir Nathaniel Meyer Rothschild, Mr Henry Hucks Gibbs (late Governor of the Bank of England),, Mr Benjamin Huck Greene, Mr John Hollands, Mr Coleridge, Mr John Kennard, Mr Septimus Richard Scott, and M>\John Reginald Yorke. A Commission composed of such stuff as this ought to do good work. Contemporaneously with its appointment comes the new 3 of a case illustrating the necessity of a change in the Avays of the Stock Exchange. A Captain Gillett, of West Cowea, entrusted a broker with L2IBO to invest for him, and thought all was right until the man confessed in Court that he had embezzled the money instead of investing it It then came out that he had been expelled from the Stock Exchange, but Captain Gillett was ignorant of the fact. The Lord Mayor condemned the want of publicity given to such matters by the Stock Exchange, to which, I may add, secresy seems dear as life itself. 5m TOOTH AGAIN DEFIANT. The Rev. Arthur Tooth has been adding to his notoriety for illecral ecclesiastical proceedings. On May 9th he arrived in England, after a protracted absence in Italy, and two days later he wrote to bis churchwarden, Mr Webbe, requesting that gentleman to intimate to the congregation that tha Communion would be administered at 8 a.m. on tho following Sunday (May 13). The service accordingly took place, and nearly 200 communicants received the sacrament at the hands of Mr Tooth, who was dressed up in " a richly embroidered chasuble with coloured ot-phreys." The candles were lighted on the " altar," the Sanctus bell was rung, and the other mummeries common in Ritualistic churches on such occasions were duly carried out. There was no disturbance until the reading of the prayer for the Church militant, when Mr Fry, the churchwarden elected under the auspices of the Protestant League, entered tha church with two policemen. He was stopped at the chancel gates until Mr Webbe arrived, and Mr Fry then, in a loud voice, ordered the constables to arrest Mr Tooth "< for breaking into the church," but Mr Webbe forbade them to act without his authority. After further altercation. Mr Fry and the constables withdrew, and the service was finished without more interruption. At the close, the congregation formed a double line, down which Mr Tooth aud his assistant marched to the vicarage, and Mr Fry then cleared the church, and took possession mi the building. After the usual forenoon service, which was conducted by »■ clergyman sent by the Bishop, some of the Protestant League attempted to demolish the confessional, but were stopped by the police and the people's churchwarden. A meeting, convened by the Protestant League, was held in front of the church on May 18lh, to protest against the conduct of Messrs Tooth and Webbe. Both parties were in strong force, the consequence being a free fight, in which even the policemen present wero hustled about, and a number of persons were hurt, while several boys had a narrow escape from being trampled ■ under foot. The resolutions proposed were declared, amid tremendous uproar, to bo earned. TIIE BIDSDALE APPEAL. A judgment which is likely to have an even more important effect upon the Church of England tuan Mr Tooth's lawless proceedings was given by the Judicial Committee of ths Privy

" Council on May 12tE^ iffthe case'of thVEev. C." Ridsdale v. Clifton and others. The hearing of flbe ca3e commenced on January 23rd and ended on February l&t, so that the judges, 10 in number, who conducted it took three months and a half to consider their decision. This is a most elaborate and carefully compiled document, while its length may be conceived of from the ! fact that it occupied more then seven columns of Binall print in the Times. The appellant is the incumbent of St. Peter's, Folkstone, and he 1 was prosecuted for Ritualistic practices in the celebration of the communion, his case beinj: the first under the Public Worship Act. He lost the day in Lord Penzance's Court, and hence the appeal, which was on four only of tho twelve charges brought against him, the other allegations being admitted. The Lord Chancellor, in the name of the Judicial Com mittee of the Privy Council, confirmed Lord Penzance's decisions on two of the four points, and reversed it on the other two. The result is — (I. ) That the wearing of the alb and chasuble is declared to be contrary to the Ornaments Rubric of 1()62, and therefore illegal. (2.) A screen separating the chancel from the nave, and bearing a large crucifix, is announced to be illegal. (3.) -The decision of the Court below is altered in respect of a charge against the appellant of -standing so that the breaking of the breinl, could not be .seen, the charge not having been made out. ,(4.) The former decision that wafer bread is illegal is altered, their Lordships considering the Rubric to be ambiguous on the point. The day following the delivery of this judgment was a Sunday, and another Folkestone clergym'ah us id' the ocpasion to remark upon the judgment. He said "it was wonderful to see how tho great revival in the English Church was leavening all classes ;> and taking the present judgment with that in the Bennett case, he believed that in a few years the whole inheritance of the Catholic faith would be restored." It is stated 'that the Rev. 'Dr J. Huband Gregg, vicar of Harbome, near Birmingham, has, ia consequentee of this judgment, resolved to leave 'tha Church of England. Dr Gregg visited Otagb 3nd other parts of New Zealand about two years ago, and on his return published a couple of pamphlets in praise of the Colony. . He has also published one or, two brochures, in vhich he takes up a pronounced position regarding the Church of England and its teaching, so that his present step is not to be wondered at.