BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1387, 29 June 1878, Page 15

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

London, MaylOth. The Prince of Wales, in visiting the Colonial Courts at the Paris Exhibition, is said to have greatly delighted Colonials by holding out to them a prospect of ft not distant visit to the Antipodes. The Queen is at Windsor, in excellent health. It has bien Dually arranged that the Ouke of Edinburgh shall continue in the Mediterranean, and he has been transferred from the command of the Sultan to the Black Prince, the crews of the two ships being changed. 'I he Black Prince is at Malta and remains part of Lord John bay's squadron. The Duchess returns to Russia on a vi«t to her parents, the Duke accompanying her a portion of the journey. She will, however, speud time time at Coburer.

The Bishop Selwyn Memorial Committee have resolved to erect a monument in Lichfleld Cathedral, and to found a Selwyn College at Cambridge, to include provision for the education of mission student-*. Liberal subscriptions are flowing in.

A movement is on foot lor the creation of a bishopric for Liverpool The funds needed for its endowment are LBO.OOO. and half of it is already promised. Sir James Fergusson has recently been entertained at a Banquet by the Oreenock < onservatlve.-, who failed to return him to Parliament in the late election contest

Colonel Wellesley has be«m appointed first ■ecretary to the English Embassy at Vienna. An impression generally prevails that the Ministry will appeal t) the country st the clo-e of the present ■efsion, the duration of which will be abridged •whether there be peace or war. In anticipation of thin event, candidates are everything working the constituencies, and many old representatives have signified their intention to retire.

'Jhe new hall and library of Keble College, at Oxford, were opened last week with great ceremony. Messrs Gladstone and Gathorne Hardy were the principal speakers. There is an agitation among the metropolitan po ice or an increase of pay. It originated with the se>geants and extended through every iprade of the Herri CO.

Ob'tuary.— Admiral fir P. W. Grey; Mr J. S Crawford, M.P. for County Down; Aldermnn Carter ; W. Mitchell, proprietor of the Shipping and Mercantile Gzet to; Viscount Southwell.

By a terrible squall which pissed along the Bisc&yan Coast on the 20th ult 80 boats were destroyed, and 820 men and boys perished. " , By a boiler explosion at a Dublin fonndry, on April 27th, about SO lives were lost, and the premises reduced to ri^ins. The Eurydict) if still at the bottom of tho sea. AH Attempts to raise her have proved unsuccessful. There is much gTumbling at the want of skill displayed. The number of persons dependent on those who perished is estimated at about 300, to ielieve whom £20.000 will be required, and nearly thit amount has already been raisei.

Advices from the Cape continue io be disquieting, /fighting from day to day is reported f rum one quarter v.and another with indecisive results. In each encounter fifty or sixty Ktffira are killed and sheep and cattle are captured ; but the enemy retires into his fortress, and so prolongs the contest. General Thesiger has rendered hinnelf extremely popular with the volunteers.

A writ of habeas for the production of the Rev. Mr Dodwell from the Broadmoo' Criminal Lunatic Asylum, with a view to his discharge, was refuged by the Judges. A remarkable will case has been proceeding for the last three weeks in the Irish Probate Court. Mrs B»got, granddaughter of the late Sir W. Verner, challenges the will of her husband. Mr E. A. Bagot, who bad large estates in the west of Ireland and had amassed an immense fortune in Australia. She contests it on tho ground of his alleged vi s mndnees of mind and undue influence. A non, b>m shortly after the marriage, was repudiated by ihn husbind Some disgraceful disclosures have been made regarding the Vernar family. It has required £19,000 a week to afford a moderate amount of relief to the distressed people, on account of the strike in Lincatfiire.

The Chancellor ttt the Exchequer informed the House of Commons that the coit of the Indian Expedition would be borne by the Imperial Exchequer, and that the troops, while in Europe, would remain under tbe piovteions tl the Indian Mutiny Art. The Cz« lately signed a decree calling out 210 000 men of the reserves. Contracts h<<ve been made for the supply of 1,000,000 yards of cloth for the militia uniforms ; 14,000 suades have been sent to tbe Russian headquarters in Roumania ; 20 000 cartridge chests have been ordered in Poland and at Cornstadt ; Whitehead torpedoes are being iUadily manufactured. One large factory was recontly blown up. Knmour has fixed upon the stipulations respecting the delineations of the New Bu'garia and the cessions demanded in Asia Minor ai those forming the chiaf subject of contention between the Governmet.ti of Russia and England. It is said that Kngland, supported by France, objects to the extension of Bulgada to the iE<e«n seaboard ; while in Armonia she is determined to tolerate no changes calculated to cotnp;omififi her communications with India.

Thu military situation as regards' Russia aud Turkey at the same time appears to be improving. The attitude of the Russian army in the neighbourhood of Constantinople is less menacing; while the Turks have been diligently employed during the past tew weeks in multiplying and strengthening the defences around their capital, ho that any attempt on the part of th« Russians to seize the city would certainly provoke a stubborn resistance.

Intelligence comes from .Armenia to (the effect that the Russians are moving in considerable force into the distrcta adjacent to Batoum, with the intention apparently to attack the pi tee if it should not yield peacefully. The Christian populations are, we »re told, hostile to Russian rule They flee from their hornet and abandon their fields, and have sent formal complaints to the forte of the cruelties of the invaderi.

Baker Pasha's appointment to the command of the division ocenpying part of the defensive line of the cipital, is regarded with satisfaction at Constantinople. The linos are occupied by 80.000 men, and forces are constantly arlrving from A eia. The fciultan inspectod his troopa Ust weelc