BRITISH AND FOREIGN. (Per Press Association.) London, February.

Otago Witness, Issue 1890, 10 February 1888, Page 13

BRITISH AND FOREIGN. (Per Press Association.) London, February.

_f e w Zealand frozen mutton is selling at 3M, and New South Wales at 3£d. Butter is selling freely at a decline of 8s per cwt. jilr Cox, M.F., who was recently sentenced , four nwnths* imprisonment for participating i« a "proclaimed" meeting, has re* ceived an additional month's imprisonment for inciting people to join the league. February 2. The quantity of wheat afloat for the United Kingdom is 1,800,000 quarters. A. deputation, including Cardinal Manning and the Anglican Bishop of Bedford, waited O n the Marquis of Salisbury and asked that the Government should take some steps to relieve the distress existing among the poor 0 { London. The Premier, who was very guarded in his reply, expressed much sympathy with the object of the deputation, and promised that inquiry should be made into the cause of the distress, with a view of alleviating the condition of the poor. The various Radical associations in the city have arranged to meet Mr F. S. Graham, jf,p,, and Burns, the Socialist leader, on their' release from prison and give them a reception. At a private meeting, at which 100 exporters were present, a committee was appointed to devise means to break up the existing shipping monopoly ring. A company termed the Pacific Islands Trading^Company, with a capital of £120,000, Las been registered. The object of the company is to purchase the island business of .Messrs Henderson and Macfarlane, Auckland. February 3. The death is announced of Mrs Mary Howitt, the well-known authoress. The Hon. John Morley, in his speech on the occasion of his accepting the freedom of the City of Dublin, ridiculed the idea of. settling the question of Home l?ule by the counting of purses instead of heads. In his opinion the policy laid down by the Government for coercion had utterly failed, and the peasantry had been compelled to oiler a defiance. He felt sure that peace in Ireland would not prevail until the popular system of Home llule had been conceded to the people. The trial of the dynamiters Harkins and Callan was concluded to-day, and a sentence of fifteen years' penal servitude was passed on each prisoner. It is expected on the Stock Exchange that when the nexL loan is required by New South Wales the rate of interest will be fixed at 3 per cent. The Countess of Kingston and Colonel O'Callaghan have arranged the rents of their Irish tenants so as to mitigate the hardship and sufferings they are now labouring under. A horrible tragedy has occurred at Salford, a town in Lancashire. Samuel Derby, a chemist in that ciby, who was in destitute circumstances, poisoned his wife and six children and then committed suicide. Eleven hundred casks of tallow were sold yesterday at auction. Mutton brought 28s, and beef 2Gs. Leather : Best Australian sides, lOd. The wheat market is inactive. Australian ex warehouse is at 355. New crop sold 9d less. February 4. M. do Blowitz, the Times Paris correpondent, asserts that there are indications of the overthrow of the Tirard Cabinet with a probability of a Fioquet Cabinet assuming the government. A deputation of Irish landowners to-day waited on Lord Salisbury asking that they should receive from the Government some assurance of linality in the matter of Irish land legislation. They argued that under the present continual changes they suffered heavy losses, for which they claimed they .should be recompensed by the State. The deputation also complained bitterly of the working of the Laud Commission. The Premier replied that the deputation had his entire sympathy, and promised that the Cabinet would fully consider their representations and make inquiry into the working of the commission. The Mount Morgan (Queensland) appeal cases ha\e been dismissed. The point in dispute involved the possession of the mine. Their Lordships held that the alleged omission of formalities did not justify their annulling the leases, oven at the instance of the Crown. Th d lessees were not liable to ejectment except at the suit of the lessor, and no sufficient grounds had been alleged to exclude the holder of ii miner's right. The land was dc fucto occupied by virtue of a lease. Februarys. The Blue Spur Mining Company (Otago) has been registered with a cauiLal of £130,000. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company have applied the profits fom the Melbourne land bales, amounting to £■50,000. to special emergency fund, with the object of equalising dividends. Suakin, January 31. The Somalis, a tribe iv Berba, a seaport near the entrance to the -Red Sea, have routdered an English officer and 23 other Englishmen who were with him. Dublin, February 2. John Morley and Lord liipon were a "cor,]cd a brilliant reception on t,he occasion of their arrival in this city last D |ght. They were escorted from the landing place by tremendous crowds of people faring torches. In the course of his speech addressed to the crowd Mr Morley Slaved that the Irish outlook is less Promising, m. February 6. ■the case in which two priests brought Proceedings against Cardinal Moran to jjjnpelhis Eminence to account for £2000 JJttch they allege he received for the relief « r tlie poor priests in Ossary parish camo on J^ay in the Rolls Court, and was dismissed b y the court. rp. Home, February 2. ilic i Irish pilgrims had an audience with s Holiness tho Pope. In the course of 1!ls remarks addressed to the pilgrims his

Holiness urged them to respect the law in Ireland. February 5. It is stated here that the Italian troops are to be called from Massowah in March. The Negus, it is said, is much hampered by the hostility of certain sub-chiefs and dervishes, and is now inclined for peace. Washington, February 2. There are indications that Canada is receding from the extreme position taken up in respect to the fisheries dispute. San Remo, February 2. Professor Virchow has again made a minute examination of the throat of the Crown Prince, and is now satisfied that there is nothing seriously wrong, and no cause for the slightest alarm. February 3. Quite a sensation has been caused here by a report that the malignant growth and thickening in the larynx of the Crown Prince have reaobed such dimensions that the life of the patient will be best prolonged by the operation of tracheotomy. Glasgow, February 2. Intelligence received from Stornaway states that further outrages have been committed by the crofters in Lewis. A party of them visited a farmhouse and set lire to the buildings and stockyards, fences, &c, which were all destroyed. The occupier of the farm, against whom the crofters had a grievance, was also severely maltreated. Paris, February 4. In the Chamber of Deputies to-day, M. Cassagnac accused M. Fallieres, Minister of Justice, of shielding M. Wilson, and taunted M. Fioquet with insulting Russia. There was a great scene in the Chamber in consequence of the accusation, M. Tirard, the Premier, insisting that the Chamber havirg Dy large majorities expressed confidence in him, should protect his Ministers from insult. New York, February 4. In consequence of the representations made by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty "to tha Young, Hoffman, the infant musical prodigy, has been medically examined. The doctors report that he is quite healthy, but advise that his performances should* be limited to four weekly. Madrid, February 5. The miners and townsfolk at Riotino, a town in the interior, rioted on Saturday. The troops were called out to quell the disturbance, but the rioters assailed the military, when the latter fired into the crowd, killing 10. j Georgetown (Demerara), February 2. An extremely rich gold field has been discovered on the banks of the Surmain river, Surmain, a province of Dutch Guiana. (Special to Press Association.) London, February 1. A breech-loading gun exploded at the Woolwich Arsenal to-day, but no one was injured. February 2. The Protestant Alliance has forwarded a protest to the Marquis of Salisbury against her Majesty the Queen making presents to the Pope, and also the Duke of Norfolk's endeavour to establish diplomatic relations with the Vatican. The Marquis of Ripon and the Hon. John Morley have left for Dublin, where they will deliver addresses in favour of Home Rule. Lord Ripon was met by a large number of persons at Chester railway station, and in the course of a speech said that the desire of his party in respect to Ireland was to foster a union of hearts instead of a mere paper union. Mr Sullivan, ex-mayor of Dublin, was released from gaol yesterday, and met with an enthusiastic reception from the peasantry. His hotel was surrounded, and a number of i congratulatory addresses presented to him. [ A deputation waited on the Marquis of Salisbury to-day in reference to the question of emigration, and also to ask the Government to devise means to protect the labour market from foreigners. The Premier in reply said he regretted the Government were unable to assist persons to emigrate, and that in regard to the second request of the deputation, it would be a most difficult matter to interfere with the inllux of foreigners. A meeting of shippers has been held at which great complaints were made of the persistent favouritism displayed by certain companies in the matter of shipping goods. It was proposed to abandon the agreement existing between shippers and the several companies and to deal freely with all shipping lines. Lord Brassey has addressed a public meeting at Cambridge on the subject of Federation. He expatiated on its mutual advantages, but declared that a specific scheme at present would be too premature, and held that it would be much better policy to pave the way by comprehensive discussion of the whole question. The British Commission of the Melbourne Exhibition has issued a circular requesting owners of pictures and other art objects to lend them to the exhibition. Tho commission give an assurance that such exhibits will be treated with every cars, and point out» that il will be an excellent opportunity to prove goodwill to Australia by assisting to make the exhibition a now revelation to the colonials. February 4. The Archbishop of Canterbury to-day reopened the Southwell Church, Nottingham, in the presence of a large assemblage of ecclesiastical digniLaries. The Bishop of Lichtield, preaching on the occasion, denounced the increased spirit of gambling and other vices, and scathingly alluded to the veiled immorality existing in the higher circles. He demanded the union of all religious communities for the purpose of endeavouring to possess a purer state of things, and for preventing a perpetuation of the laxity and disregard for morality. Several of the crofters at Stornaway who were implicated in the recent outrages there have been sentenced to terms of iirprisonment ranging from six to 15 months. Two priests have taken proceedings against Bishop Moran in the Rolls Court with a view to making the reveiend gentleman account for £2000 which the plaintiffs allege that he received for the relief of the poor priests in the Ossary parish. Bishop Moran replies that the money which came into bis possession was intended for general purposes, but the petitioners repudiate this

suggestion, and take the, present proceedings on the ground of fraud. Dublin, February 2. As a result of the investigations of the detectives into the murder of a boycotted j farmer at Tralee, it is expected that the ! murderers will be identified. February 3: The' freedom of the dity lias btfen conferred on the Marquis of Ripon and the Hon. J. Morley. In the speeches delivered on the occasion the opinions were ex- j pressed that a policy of aspiring for local government might be made the firmest security for unity with the British Empire, as coercion had been the cause of disturbance, and had also been the means of perpetual discontent. Mr Morley considered that if an Irish Parliament was conceded it would certainly be trusted in dealing with public affairsi MasSoWAS, February 1. News has reached here to-day from the Italian encampment that the outposts had signalled to the main body that the Abyssinian forces were on the point of attacking them. The news created great excitement hero, and further intelligence is eagerly awaited. Suakin, February 1. Further troubles have arisen in Somaliland. The ruler of that country has requested England to evacuate Ziela, a seaport in the Red Sea. New York, February 1. It is stated that the Fisheries Commissioners have drafted a treaty which it is expected will effect a settlement of the dispute. Washington, February 2. The term of Mr Cleveland's office as President has been extended until. April 80, 1883. Vienna, February 1. Florence Mentsmeyer, a native of Melbourne, has created quite a furore at concerts in this city as a pianiste and composer. She will perform in London next season. February 2. Miss Florence Mentimeyer, of Melbourne, has taken the musical world here perfectly by storm. In consequence of the wonderful success of her public performances, she has been requested to perform her own compositions before the Imperial Family, and for this purpose the palace salon has been placed at her disposal. Cairo, January 31. A report has been received from Dongola that the Mahdi's general at that place, and a prominent leader of the Soudanese, has been poisoned by his relatives, who were jealcus of his popularity in the Soudan. Rome, February 3. The proposals received from the French Government relative to the establishment of a commercial treaty between Italy and France have not met with the approval of the Italian Government, anl negotiations have ceased. It is, however, probable that parleying will be resumed, and it will be carried on by the diplomatic agents in Paris.