ARRIVAL OF THE ' SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1762, 29 August 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

ARRIVA L OF THE ' SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Auckland, August 22. The Australia arrived early this morningShe brought from San Francisco Messrs Allison, Meysted, Swimmerton, Calkins, Campbell, Canter, Louden, Pratt, Mesdames An.lers'dn, Calkins, Misses Hewitt, Allison, Revs. Mason, Boddington. The Australia left for Sydney at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. The European dates are to July 31. GENERAL SUMMARY., The Standard of July 31 made j a savage attack on Lord Randolph Churchill, saying: " If his prauks be encouraged much longer he will smash the Government and the Conservative party. We will not follow this overgrown schoolboy, who is without knowledge suificient to fathom his own ideal of statesmanship." The Commons rejected, by a vote of 108 to 62, tiie Postmaster-general's amendment to the Sixpenny Telegraph Bill of the late Postmastergeneral, making 'the cost of a 12-words telegram 6d. The bill has passed. The chairman of the committee appointed to inquire into the condition of the Irish industries has presented an informal report to Parliament. It states that all the Irish industries, with the single exception of linen manufacture, are in a most deplorable condition. The report recommends the improvement of the railway facilities of Ireland, the introduction into all the national' schools of the teaching of sciences relating to industrial work, and a comprehensive system of drainage. " Without the latter," the report declares, "the proper cultivation of the soil of Ireland on a sufficiently extensive plan is impossible." The Radical papers are abusing the Prince of Wales for going in for a racing stud, and refer to' the many scandals which have recently been exposed in connection with the English turf. Owing to the depression in trade, thousands of colliers at Merthyr-T ydvil, in Wales, were idle in the latter part of July. " General " Booth made a grand parade of the Salvation Army in London on July 27. The object was to influence Parliament, in view of the revelations of the Pall Mall Gazette, to pas • the proposed Criminal Amendment Act. The social ostracism of several well-known noblemen has followed the Pall Mall Gazette's expose. The Queen has personally written to Mrs Booth, wife of the Salvationist leader, conveying her sympathy with the Army's reform work. Mr Spnrgeon addressed an audience of 4000 people at Bremerton on July 27, his subject being traffic in young girls aud the iniquity of it. In consequence of the revelations of vice in London, meetings were being held all over the country in favour of the Criminal LawAmendmeut Act, raising the age of consent to 16 years. The provincial papers give elaborate reports of these meetings, some of which are notable from the eminence of the speakers and the high character of the audiences, but the London Press completely iguores them. Several divines have protested against this silence, arguing that ignoring the facts has furnished encouragement to evil-doers. , The outcome of the meeting of members of Parliament, which was presided over by Mr Samuel Morley and largely attended, was that members pledged themselves to remain in London to support the Criminal Law Amendment Bill, which is approved of by Sir Ashton Ci-oss, the Home Secretary. The Queen, in her letter to Mrs Booth, referring to this bill, says that she feels deeply on the subject, but, actiug under advice refrains from expressing an opinion thereon, because it is a matter before Parliament. A fearful wave of heat extended over the United Kingdom on July 24 and 28. In London the effects of the long spell of torrid weather was appalling, and everyone was more or less affected. Children died by hundreds. Scores of men were prostrated by sunstroke each day, and the roads were often blocked' by horses falling down dead. New terror was added by the, presence of hydrophobia; indeed, the streets were absolutely unsafe owing to the number of mad dogs running at large, and many persons who never carried weapons before bought' revolvers. ' , . , A 'movement has been started to organise a Burns Club throughout thJe world for 1 tine. 'puri'. ' -

pose of ,hoklnT^a~^ellJfennial celebration in tOonour/ot'fcne Swrf&h bM&^re^ftilmarnock next iy'earl .C '-■>"£* k ,'*'\\( , c AMdespateh f rftip^oi^on, dhMl July 21, states v that the King, .of Djahomey;, with a large army* 'had.'massacredU number i>f 'French. ' !>Th^lst'e"amer\He*cla' collided, '^ith the Liverpool\andJ^libndohy'Bteamer Cheerful in a fog* ./JPheiatter foundered, 13 persons being drowned. The Liberals ar,e alarme"d 3iy a, report of the doctors who have "examined 'Mr Gladstone's throat to discover, the cause/of.the failure of his voice. He is pronounced to he suffering from obstinate catarrh of the larynx, and entire rest is, enjoined. His followers are afraid that he will riot be able to take part in the election campaign.: : }\ % 'i { Oh Thursday, ,22nd July}' Home Secretary 'Cross 1 , with a large party of followers, made a tour of the slums of Shadwell and Holborn, dis--tributing sixpences and good advice wiih great prodigality. An official account of the tour was sent from the Home Office to the various newspapers in. London. The Liberal journals '«all this "posing to win the masses." , T .. ■ A sensation was caused in London fashionable circles, on July 22, by the report of a. fist encounter between Lord' Lonsdale and Sir George Chetwynd.- . The fight took place in the well-known resort of Rotton Row, and lasted 10 minutes. A woman, of course, was at the bottom of the affair. Both men were jealous of each other, as they' were paying attention to the Langtry. The lattec has explained to the correspondent of the New York Sun that the riien quarrelled , because one of them possessed a portrait 'of' her painted on china, which' the other thought ' he ought not to- keep, adding at the same. time; "Their, quarrels > are no felling to me." Thja , World says the trouble grew out of an, experiment on Lord Lonsdale's part ' ,to ' divert Mrs Langtry's affections from Sir'G.' Chetwynd, her lover of half-a-dozen years?,:, precedence. The Langtry left,- town ta avoid the consequences .of the; scandal. . London Vanity Fair denonnces in strong terms both Lord Lonsdale 'and Sir,G. Chet-~ wynd as unworthy of toleration by gentlemen. The article calls them "titled black-'-guards," and declares that they are worse than 1 navvies, and their conduct a disgrace to modern, manners. It laments in this instance the. abolition of the code of the duello, which would, have put the fighters on equal terms, and given' hope to the world of the riddance of one! or both of them. The Radical papers are making, great capital out of the affair. t The marriage of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenburg took place at St. Mil- 1 dred's Church, Whippingham, Isle of Wighfy bn^ July 23. The island was crowded withlßoyal; personages, foreign ministers) and the German . princelings assembled in honour of the accasion,'. The inns were crowded with touri&ts and the' suites of nabobs. In the town' of Cowes'and at Osb'orne House there was a tremendous' amount of noise, bustle, and confusion. . At the/ Palace guns were fired almost continuously in. honour of the arrival of irore or less- august personages, and the church-bells were rung aft " day to express the popular joy. The VblvuW teers made Prince Henry' their 'colonel, and gave him a silver . sword. The weather was 1 lovely. The flags of all nations were flying from the house-tops, and the river and bay .were full', of yachts, brilliant with bunting, 'and presenting' from the land an enchanting appearance. The Royal yacht stood out prominently from, the, rest of the fleet, and the P,rince and Erin-. cess of Wales lauded from it, and , drove to Osborne. ' The bridal .procession was "re 1 *' ceived' with enthusiastic shouts. All the* ladies' present wore dresses of white gossamer.silk. The' Queen entered the church on the'bride'sleft* with 'the, Prince . of Wales on her, right. The Queen wore a miniature diamond crown! The marriage is regarded with disfavoui'at the Ger-' man Court. The Crown Princess having- pro- ■ tested, no invitation was sent' to the German reigning family. The Prince of Wales and the. Duke of .Edinburgh also preferred remaining on their yachts during the stay at Cowes, going; ashore only for the, ceremony. ' N The police stationed around the London Law= Courts were largely increased on the 22nd July* owing tounformatiori received by the authorities that an effort to destroy those buildings would be made. '" The New York Sun's London special of July 31 says that the scandal involving f>Sir. Charles Dilke has been settled as far as the Courts and the' English Press are concerned.. The settlement was completed to-day by thecashing of Sir Charles Dilke's cheque for £25,000 in favour of Mr Crawford, the aggrieved hus~ band. Thus it is put out of the power of the papers to mention -the right 'hon. gentleman's name in connection with the subject without in-" curring heavy penalties for libel, and the British: moral sense is preserved because the , sinner,, although guilty of the awful crime of beingfound out, has paid handsomely for suppressing' the truth, and thus shielding the sacred circle of society. Mr Gladstone writes on July 28 to the Manchester electors expressing his confident belief that the newly enfranchised electors will show their preference for Liberal men and Liberal measures. He looks forward with assured confidence to the. result of the general election. A despatch from London, dated July 25, says popular interest in politics has been again transferred from Parliament to the hustings. . Many , members of Parliament have already left London and gone to their respective boroughs to arrange for the coming struggle. All the indications show that the next battle at the polls will be very severe, and the most closely contested that has been waged in England since thefamous campaign of 1836. The Tory political agents in the provinces continue to send in promising reports of the party's prospects. Nearly every report received from' them by the Central Association contains confident assurances ofc I1I 1 victory in the farming" districts and mining boroughs over the Radicals, as the Liberals are now called by them. The Conservatives havfr, decided to contest every constituency in, Greafcp Britain where there is a shadow of a chance o£ success. An enormous fund for defraying election expenses has already been accumulated. The hostility shown by the political leaders towards each other is intensely bitter. The Irish,, question has thrown party lines into confusion* and speculation is rife as to the aspect of that question in the next Parliament.