GENERAL SUMMARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1894, 9 March 1888, Page 10

GENERAL SUMMARY.

It is expected that a bill will be passed by Parliament; to establish a Court of Criminal Appeal. Tlio St. James' Gnzette published a rumour on February 8 that the Irisn members who have been convicted under the Coercion Act will bo disqualiiicd by the action of Parliament to sit in that It is announced that the Queen will leave Englaud for the ltfviora, on March 20, aceomp«nied by L'riucesß Uentrice and Jfriuce Henry of Batteuberg. Tlio journey has been arranged lor either a direct run by the at. Gothard route or a journey by way of Marseilles, Genoa, and Pesca, with a stop at ban Hemo. Sho will remain abroad for four weeks. A libel suit has grown out of the Durham divorce caso. On January 2S plaintiff sued the owner ot the Mail, London, lor stating that his (Lord Durham's) cruelty and brutality drove his v, ife crazy. Watson, the designer of the yacht Thistle, has draughted a racing craft, to be built of composite material, for another contest in American waters. The I'ichborne claimant, who is now in New York, and who has grown grey and weighs 3501b, talks of reopening his case. «**.«* Overtures have been made to Adelina Patti to visit Australia for a stated time. 'Ihe individual making the proposition is willing to deposit a large amount, of money, and will engage to pay the singer a iabulous sum. Patti, who has offered for Bale her castle in Wales, may on completing her riouth American tour go from Brazil to California and Mexico. She will be absent from England two years. Her ailment, supposed afc first to be cancer in the stomach, has entirely disappeared. A deputation consisting of Lord Herscnel, Cardinal Manning, Edward Cowper, the Bishop of Bedford, Cyril Flower, and Arnold White waited upon Lord Salisbury ou February 1 in regard to the distress among the poor of London. Mr Shipton, a representative of the working men, formed part of the deputation. No two of the delegation could agree upon a remedy for the distress, which was conceded to be chronic. Kach of the speakers declined responsibility for the proposals of the others. Cardinal Manniug was in favour of a plan which Lord Salisbury declared to be equivalent to establishing a national workshop ; and when Lord Salisbury dismissed the deputation, with sincere sympathy with the 6utferers, he at the same time added a stern protest against the cardiual's 6Chcme. 'i'ho Supreme Court of the United States rendered a decision in the Maxwoll-Preller case ou January 23 the effect ot which is to affirm the sentence of death pronounced by the Missouri State Court. When he heard the news Maxwell became unnerved for the rirst time since his trial. He paced up and down the corridor of the gaol with nervous trend, his face displaying a gloomy and deathly pallor. His onl V hope now iB m tiio Gos muir's clemency. Maxwell's father Ims arrived iv St. Louis from Liverpool. He still lias confidence in his eon's iunuceuce, and thinks Preller's death was due lo an accident,. Tho returns of cholera cases in Chili up to Jaunury '26 are-.— Valparaiso, -16, and 18 deaths; Santiago, 54, and 17 deaths. The epidemic extends as far south a Valvidia. The Peruvian Consul at Panama advises his Government that the authorities at that port will not accept mails from Chili. A despatch of February 3 6ays that the cholera continues to rage in that liebublic. and it has broken out ab a place called La/.arnnas. The survey of tho Nicaragua Canal is proceeding slowly, under great uatural difficulties. M uch of the work is in swampy ground, which the engineers have to go through up to their waists in water, while the uuaergrowth is so thick that every foot of the way has to be cutMr Judson Smith, secretary of the American Board ot Foreign Missions, has received advices from Central and Eastern Turkey, dated February 6, stating that the people were dying of hunger and tiiat tho money of the mission was exhauited. Ten thousand dollars at least is necesiary to relieve the distress in Central Turkey alone, where the famine is tho result of drought. In Eastern Turkey it comes from tho devastation of IO.OG'O square miles by locusts. Advices from Shanghai Bay that nearly 200,000 peraoua are utterly destitute through the Hoaugho floods. The Czar haß declined to give his assent to a morganatic marriage between tho Grand Duke Michael Sicholacvitch and the daughter of Couut Ignatieff . The London Times correspondent at Paris 6eleiiruphedon January 23 portion of a report (made by Al. KousseCt, who was sent to Panama in 1880 by M. de Freyciueb ou behalf of tho French Government) which, the correspondent alleges, the Government hnvi heretofore kept secret. The report says that the Panama Canal is feasible, but it is problematical whether tho work will Be finished unless simplified. In any case the work has reached such a point that it ought not to bo abandoned, and therefore France, rather than offer obstruction, ought to assist. M. Uou-selt says, however, that before deciding to assent to the loan the Governmeut should require a guarantee that the prospect will be simplified. The coi respondent claims that De Lesseps has shown a distinci. willingness to adopt the necessary modification, and has slackened work on the canal during the past 15 months with that very object in view. Premier Tirard's opposition to the canal is not understood by the uorrtbpondeut. With the advent of dry sfcone, the work has been Keneiwlly resumed on the canal A despatch of February 3 suystheteis flrtat activity on both sections. At the important station of CalebgA preparations are being nmde for uninterrupted work day and night. The eleccric light hss been iutro-iuced there lor this purposo. Other important arrangements have been made at many points. The agents of the company in Paris were negotiating with the Deputies of tho Eight, according to latest advices, for promoting a bill allowing the issue of a lottery loan 0f77,500.000f. .*••„. Acting on the suggestion contained in the report of Admiral Heueage, who recently assumed command of the British squadron in the Pacific Ocean, tho Imperial Government have decided to strengthen the command by the addition of several ships. Admiral Heiaeage'iß instructed to keep a sharp look-

out that the rights of British lealing vessels in Behrings Sea are riot interfered with ia future. The Prince and Princess of Wales intend giving a ball at Marlborough House; on Friday, March 9, to , celebrate their silver wedding. On the day preceding the Queen will give a silver wedding drawing room reception at Buckingham Palace. A London despatch of January 9 records the following :— " The Bond of Wedlock " was produced fn the Opera Comique last night, with Mrs Bernard Boede in the lending part. The performance had proceeded aome time without notable incident, when some lines were spoken indicating the necessity for improving the morals of the wpper classes. Then a loud guffaw and shouting from one oi the boxes caused wonderment in the house. The offender was the Prince of Wales. He leaned out of the box, talking in tones louder than tbe performers on the stage. Then withdrawing himself he kept up a din for a quarter of an hour amid half-suppressed murmurs of impatience from various parts of the building. His talk was of turf, and racy at that. t After a while the Prince's staff persuaded him to retire. The tenants on the estate of tbe Countess of Kingston have expressed themselves satisfied with the terms offered by the landlords, who agree to allow 20 per cent, reduction in rents, to pay all the costs, and to reinstate the tenants who have been evicted. In the lait six months under the Coercion Act 687 persons have been prosecuted, and of these 500 have been put in gaol. It is believed that the Parnellites intend to raise a question of privilege when Parliament meets regarding tho imprisonment of their colleagues. A sharp earthquake was folt in Scotland and different parts of Bngland, particularly Birmingham and Coventry, on February 2. The ihocki were especially marked at Dingwall, Bojb, and at Infurncso. Fire fashionably-dressed men were nrrested and appeared at Marylebone Police Court on February 2 charged with attempting to obtain £30,000 from the Bank of Bngland upon forged or stolen bonds of the Hamilton and Horth-Wesfcem Railway of Canada. There wai another man In the gan*, whom the police failed to secure. They also failed to capture tbe bonds. One of the prisoners posed as Lord i; airlax, and had lived in style at the Grand Hotel, Paris. The Queen has sent an Indian shawl to Lady Morel Mackenzie to show how highly she values the " sacrifice made by the physician's wife through the absence of her husband while he is rendering .services to my son-in-law." In the "Fortnightly Review for February, Sir Charles Dilke continues to arraign the British military system for inefficiency. He says tbe regnlar army has not got enough officers ; that the militia has officers who lack training ; that the Government policy and the military system is sometimes one thing and sometimes another ; that the majority of volunteers are bad marksmen, and that there is a lack in field artillery. Mr Gladstone arrived at Dover on February 8 from his Continental tour. Ho received a most enthusiastic greeting from a large crowd, but the cheers that crested him at Charing Cross station were mixed with hootings. The ex-Premier has beon greatly benefited In health by his tour. The Mark Lane Express of January 30 says that there is no demand for native wheats, and it i& impossible to sell except at a decline. Foreign wheat values are only nominal. Flour is greatly depressed, and foreign declined 6d per sack. Mr Goschen addressed the students of Aberdeen University on January 21, and spoke in strong terms against so much tirao being devoted to athletics. Lord Charles Bcresford, since resigning from the Admiralty Board, has been speaking in public ou the inefficiency of tho British naval administration. Sir John Fender denies that the direct United States .Cable Company is [about to raise its tariff from 12c to 15c.