LATE CABLE NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1583, 25 March 1882, Page 11

LATE CABLE NEWS.

The following messages have appeared in Australian papers to hand by the s.s, Wakatipu at Wellington :—

The Select Committee of the Lordß to inquire into the working of the Irish Land Act have commenced to take evidence, and examined the Secretary of the Land Commission. [ • One of the, Eton College boys who pummelled the Would-bo assassin M'Lean, for which he received the special thanks, of , her Majesty, is a son of Sir Samuel Wilson, ■

The Indian budget proposes to abolish the import duties on cotton, and to reduce' the tax on salt. Proposals are also made f6r an extension of the system, of Freetrade. The deficit thife year reaches £400,000, but the revenue next year is estimated to yield £66,500,000, leaving a small surplus. The outlay in connection with the late Afghan War amounted to nearly £20,000,000. Disastrous floods have occurred in the valley of the Mississippi, causing further destruction to property. Many people are starving. Several hats have been found in St. Petersburg filled with explosives. The Sultan has ordered Admiral Hobart Pasha to place the Turkish fleet in a thorough state of efficiency, to be ready for any emergency in the present state of European complications. The thief who stole Cowper's celebrated picture " The Monarch of the Meadows " from the house at Lancaster Gate' was sentenced to imprisonment for seven years. The bookseller, D. Atkin, who was charged with receiving the picture, knowing it to have been stolen, was acquitted. Mr Conkling, leader of the Stalwart party in the United States, has declined the offer of a judgeship. Two more arrests in connection with the Hatton Garden jewellery robbery were made in Paris.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council have decided that the natural daughter of the late Mr Rhodes, of Wellington, New Zealand, is entitled as residuary legatee to upwards of £300,000. The Tunisian insurgents surprised a column of French troops, and killed 100. Nine Europeans have been murdered at Kairwan,

Captain Ead's scheme for a ship railway across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico, has been approved by the American Senate. A committee of the House of Representatives, to inquire into the present condition of the American Navy, has reported that it would be a national crime to further delay the strengthening of the navy. The Committee advise the construction of steel vessels of the largest size. Sir A. T. Gait is now in Paris negotiating with Lord Lyons for the establishment of a commercial convention between the Canadian Dominion and France.

A union of Colonial representatives will meet in London on June 7th for the discussion of various matters in connection with the Colonial empire. The principal topics will be the admission of Colonial wines into the United Kingdom, tho confederation of the Colonies, the representation of various Colonies in the Imperial Parliament, and the existing Colonial tariffs. The Postmaster-general hopes to be able shortly to reduce the cost of money-orders between England and the Australian Colonies.

Hostilities are being actively carried on between the Boers and some Zulu chiefs. Montisba Longa, one of the most powerful chiefs, with a large force attacked the Boers and defeated them on two separate occasions. Montisba Longa was killed in the second engagement. James Burke, partner of Patrick Egan, tho Irish agitator, has been placed under arrest for intimidation.

The Paris and Bordeaux Chambers of Commerce are strongly urging the adoption of si new commercial treaty between England and Franco, It is believed, at Whitehall

that the French Government will shortly reopen negotiations with England with that object. _ . , The relatives of the late Earl of Crawford are employing a clairvoyant in order to discover the body of the Earl. , The death is announced of Sir Charles Wyville Thomson, aged 52. The persons arrested and charged with the murder of the two bailiffs whose bodies were found in Lough Mask have been discharged, the evidence being insufficient to secure a conviction. They are, however, still kept in custody as suspects. Warder Mason, who fired at Guiteau whilst being conveyed from the Court to his prison during the trial, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment by the New York Criminal Court. *

Outrages in Cork are of frequent occurrence. Rev. Dr M'Cabe. Roman. Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, has issued another pastoral, in which he denounces the outrages. In County Kerry a farmer and his wife have shot at and fatally wounded.

The ringleaders of the anti-Jewish riots in Warsaw were tried and found guilty. It js probable that they will be sentenced to slight punishment only. The Austrian troops defeated the Cnvoskian insurgents after three days' fightiug. The health of Sir Michael Costa is now completely restored,

The following telegrams from London appear in the Melbourne Age : — A seizure has been made at the Customhouse, Moscow, of a quantity of explosive hats. They are constructed with double crowns, between which the explosive material is placed. Public feeling in Germany and the tone of the German Press are very menacing towards Russia, owing to the attitude of the Russian Government, which has hitherto taken no steps to mark its disapprobation of the recent hostile utterances of General Skobelef? against I Germany. The terms of the treaty agreed upon between Russia and China, by which Russia relinquishes her claim to Khuldja, in Central Asia, have been completed. Russia has withdrawn from the ceded territory, which has been taken possession of by China.^ Don Carlos has announced his intention of abdicating his claim to the throne of Spain. _ He resigns it in favour of his eldest son, tho Prince of Asturias, who is 11 years old, The Basutos have definitely refused to comply with the terms of Sir Hercules Robinson's award. War is therefore imminent, and the authorities at the Cape are preparing for hostilities. Owing to the homeless and destitute condition of the people who have been ruined by the floods in the Mississippi Valley, the United States Government has decided to give them every assistance in its power. Supplies of food and tents are being forwarded as speedily as possible. Owing to the attacks made by one of the newspapers at Constantinople upon the Patriarch of the Greek Church in that city, a riot took place in which 600 Greeks took part. An assault was made upon the editor of the paper, whp was killed. Money is extremely plentiful ,at present, the market being easier now than it naß been for some time past. The trial of Roderick M'Lean, who, Brands charged with treason-felony* will take place at Reading next month. Mr Gladstone, speaking in the. House ( of Commons on the question of the purchase of the railways by the Government, statedNthat in! his opinion the proposal was quite impossible, and could not be entertained by the Ministry. ■ , Mr Gladstone visited Her Majesty's Opera House last night; He received quite an ovation, the utmoßt enthusiasm being displayed. ;

The insurrectionary movement among the Arabs in Tunis continues to spread, and the efforts of the French have so far failed to check it. Large reinforcements are therefore being despatched to Africa, and the Government is preparing to make a decisive attempt to crush out the revolt.

Nothing has yet been ascertained as to the whereabouts of the body, of the late Earl of Crawford, which was abstracted from the family mausoleum at Dunecht. The present Earl of Crawford has engaged several of the leading Spiritists in England to assist him in discovering the body. Great anxiety js felt throughout Europe owing to the policy of Russia in connection with the Slavonic movement in the Balkan Peninsula. The Russian Government are using every means in their power to incite the Bulgarians !and othor Slavonic races to make war upon Turkey, and by a united effort to expel the Mahommedan inhabitants from Europe. The Russian Government is acting most rigorously towards strangers. Eight hundred Eersons, who were unable to produce passports, aye been expelled from Moscow.

The following have appeared in Sydney papers: —

It is understood that the Right Rev. Dr Maccabe, Roman Catholic Archbisnop of Dublin, is to be created a Cardinal. The proprietors of the United Ireland newspaper, published in Dublin, have entered an action .against the Right Hon. W. E. Forster, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, for illegal seizure of the paper on 15th December, and the arrest of part of the editorial and clerical staff. The plaintiffs claim £30,000 damages. The Queen lost no time in conveying, through Mr Gladstone, her thanks to the Rev. Dr Macabe, Archbishop of Dublin, for his recent pastoral in denunciation of secret societies.

Sir Hercules Robinson, Governor of Cape Colony, has telegraphed to the Home Government that the conflict outside the boundaries of the Transvaal is likely to extend, and will last a long time.

M. DeFreycinet, theJFrench Prime Minister, has invited a European Congress to determine upon the regulation of submarine cables, and also to consider the question of a joint policy for the maintenance of control in Egypt.

The Russian Ambassador at Stamboul has informed the Porte that the Russian Government reserves its claims to the revenues assigned to Turkish bondholders.

If a large log of wood were ignited it might be a week before it was entirely consumed, Split it up into cord-wood and pile it up loosely and it would born in two hours. Split it up into kindling-wood, and pile it up loosely, snd perhaps it would burn in less than an hour. Cut it into shavings and allow a strong wind to throw them into the air, or in any way to keep the chips comparatively well separated from each other, and tho log wouW pprh&ps bo con aumed in two or throe minutes j or, finally, grind it up into fine duet or powder, blow it in such a manner that each particle is surrounded! by air, nad it woukl btwa fa less than ft second.