BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 13

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

(Phb Fbbss Association.) London, May 8. The Marquis of Ripon delivered an address at Limehouse, in the course of which he said that, when the Irish question was settled, the Liberal party would endeavour to solve the social problem as to the cause of the misery in the East End of London, and pass remedial measures with the object of litigating the suffering of the masses. ! The Rev. Mr Lee, speaking before the i Baptist Union,, said that Australian federai {.j oa was probable, but Imperial unlikely. Daring his sojourn in the colonies he had noticed that the tendency of young Australia wa a towards separation from the mother oonntry, with the ultimate objeot of forming a United States of Australia. O'Connor comes to England in July, and ,$1 be.' trained by Lee for his match with gearle. ' ' . In consequence of the recent discovery of Nihilists plots' at Zurich, a considerable jjflux df Russians into that town is expected: The Times state's that American mine owners have agreed to restrict the production of copper. ' .May 8. Canon Farrar denies that overtures have been njade to him to accept the vacant bishopric of Sydney. Sir J. M'Donald, Premier of Canada, is (Xjidng-to England to consult the Govern- j ment regarding the granting of subsidies to mail lines between Canada and Australia and Canada and England. Thirty collieries in Westphalia, Germany, are lying idle, the miners having gone out on strike. , During an encounter between the troops and the strikers eight of the latter were killed or wounted. The total - quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom is 1,722,000 quarters, and for the Continent 316,000 quarters. The American visible supply is 25,250,000 bushels. There is a general decline of 6d in the English market ; the Continental market is steady; while, the American is depressed. Madame Melba', an Australian singer, has made her debut \n Paris in the character of Ophelia. The . American copper companies have agreed to limit the export to 20,000 tons a year. The .proprietors of the Rio Tinto mine, in Spain, will reduce their output by 16 per cent., and present holders of stocks bare agreed' to dispose of 25 per cent, yearly.' It is, however, doubtful whether the agreement will be ratified by all the parties io it. ; The Flogging of Criminals Bill, introduced by Mr* %. Meryain, M.P. for Durham, has passed, its second reading in the House of Commons by, a, majority of 68. May 9. Mr Balfonr. Secretary for Ireland, in addressing, the Nonconformists' Union Association, contended that the supremacy of the law was an indispensable, condition of civilised society. He would 'maintain his present policy towards Ireland even if he were absolutely awafethafc'Home Rule would be granted within 'five years. The ' British Government has agreed to contribute a subsidy of j£75,000 td Canada's' £25,000 towards the Atlantic service in connection with the through route to China and, Australia. It is intended that the steamers onthe'jineto Australia shall have a, minimum speed. of 15 knots. „It has not yet been decided at what ports they will call, tot the terminus will be Sydney. Sir C. Rue sell's - fee, for defending the Pamellites, is lO.OOOgs. Mr Gisborne, a Canadian L electrician, has published a proposal to lay a cable along the coast 6f the Pacific Ocean to Australia. Bonghjy speaking the route, would be,Jfrom Columbia to Attu, one of the Aleutian Isles, thence to Japan and Luzon, one of the PMllipines, whence it would stretch across ' to New Guinea, and oonnect with Australia at Port Darwin. The length is Mtimated at 6600 miles, and the cost at 7,000,000d01. The proposition has been favourably received. • The friends of Dr Cronin suppose him to hive been murdered to prevent disclosures a to misappropriation of the League funds. The 'screw* steamer John Williamson, 1062 tons, of Oporto, Was sunk in a collision off tie coast of Portugal. ■ . Madame Melba, Australian cantatrice, has been offered a season's engagement at £240 per month. Two hundred bales of New Zealand hemp We been sold at £35 to £36 10s. The values at present are inflated owing to the dearne'ss of Manila. Kronen mutton is firm bat unchanged in Price. Beef is slightly lower. May 10. The City of Paris has beaten the record for tt» Atlantic passage, doing the distance «om Queenstown to Sandy Hook in one hour days, a performance quite uncalled. , The Deceased Wife's Sister Bill was rejected/by the House . of Lords by a majority «27. The Prince of Wales voted for the bill. • , , Formal negotiations with China on the question have been suspended, Ming the receipt of answers from Colonial jtovernments to >the despatches of the Jtoperial Government on the subject. It is wev/er hoped communications with China toube re-opened shortly. There are now 70,000 miners in WestMa oh strike. English and Belgian flojheqi are assisting them. ThejQueen Charlotte Sound Gold Mining jjjjjpay of New Zealand, with a capital of wOtyGOO, has* been registered. to I|he House of Commons Mr Henry «°watth (M.P. for Salford S.) has given •Mice to ask Government to appoint a Royal to succeed the Marquis of LondonQe j7 as Viceroy of Ireland: auriey County has refused to allow Worth to play'for Derbyshire. me Radical members of the House of j^ai^ons intend to memorialise Lord Salis{JT.to .compel Lord Lytton, British Amjassador at Paris, to return to that city, in cr*! r Great Britain may be properly reTOrted there during the exhihition. gj I^. Rev. Lord Godolphin Osbome, aged ofejW* % Osborne was well known for his letter*' th»T! ? nd Philanthropic subjects, published over •ItoWPS of " 8 - G - °-" la T^e Times. His lord1(2 1* for benevolent purposes during lamina of 1847, and alio in the year in which the

cholera prevailed ; and he received the thanks of the Goyerament for benevolent Bervicei rendered at the Scutari hospitals during the Crimean war. He has published several books and pamphlets, having for, their object the amelioration of the moral and physical condition of the humbler classes.] ; Australian wheat (ex warehouse) averages 395, and New Zealand long berried (in store), 38s Id. The market is weaker. Oopper: The market is recovering, and the quotation now is £40 per ton. German beet sugar, '21s (market weak) ; Java, 23s (nominal). The tallow market is quiet. Best mutton, 258 6d to'26's. It is expected the, charge, of murder, on which Father ,M'Fadden stands committed for trial, will be withdrawn. The charges against several others, who are alleged to be implicated in the death of Inspector Martin, will, however, be gone on with. The Antwerp wool sales will extend from the 20th fa.the 25th; 15,000 bales will be offered, including 1000 from Australia. May 11. The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's new. steamer Marmari has been launched. The Economist urges that the colony of Western Australia should be strictly limited to the present centres of population, and it would then probably not exceed the area of Victoria. , General Boulanger has been entertained at a banquet by Baroness Burdett Coutts. Nineteen mills have joined the paper ring, the joint capital of which is £2,500,000. , The last New Zealand mails were delivered in 35 days — the quickest time on record, , The Daily Telegraph says that Madame Melba is the greatest Ophelia since Christine Nilsson. It is understood that it was intended to create the laje, Mr Francis Ormond, ,of Victoria, a baronet, in recognition of his services to the cause of education. 1 A rumour is afloat to the effect that Stanley will return in August to Khartoum, but it is not believed. At a meeting of' the Savage Club Mr C. M. J. Edward?, a tenor singer, formerly of Wellington, sang several songs, accompanied by Mr H. F. Cowen, who has lately returned from fulfilling the duties of conductor at the i Melbourne Exhibition. Mr Edwards' singing was a decided success. The steamer Bothwell Castle is loading wheat at Bombay for Sydney and Hobart. At the banquet given in honour of the opening of the exhibition, President Carnot extended a hearty welcome to all foreigners, and assured them that France was desirous of maintaining peace. May 12. Mr Reeks, of Sydney, purposes building a yacht to compete for the America Cup. The Times states that Mr Goschen's Gold; Coinage Bill will probably be abandoned. Mr W. L. Bright, M.P. for Stoke-on-Trent, sails for Australia on Thursday, Mr'Balfour, Irish Chief Secretary,, publicly thanked Mr Heaton. for his efforts to settle the disputes on the Vandaleur estates, and expressed a hope that, having shown arbitration could be successful, the example would extend to other parts of Ireland. Tallow is rigipg, medium mutton .being now quoted at 265. The English wheat market is depressed, the Continental unchanged, and the American has an upwaid tendency. Australian flour,, (stone made) averages 275, and New Zealand (do) 255. ! Wheat : Forward business is active, j Arrivals of foreign wheat are large. Aus-' tralian off coast cargoes are worth 33s sd. A protest has been lodged by Dr King, | Bishop of Lincoln (who is being tried before the Bench of Bishops on a charge of Bitualism) against the constitution of , the court, j and that the latter has no jurisdiction. The Freeman's Journal assumes a neutral attitude in respect to the proposal to abolish the office of Viceroy of India, but protests j against Prince Albert Victor being foisted on Ireland, The article concludes by saying that it is possible the residence of the Prince of Wales in Ireland would have a beneficial j effect. ' ' , .1 It is stated that freights to the colonies will be reduced by 2s 6d at once. j A terrific cyclone has passed over the Eastern States of America. , Bamum's show was rkrtly wreoked. In Maryland 25 persons were; blown off a bridge, and numerous deaths are reported.' , , A scare has occurred at Washington in consequence ; of the proposed action of the English authorities in fortifying Vancouver, on the ground that the eastern coast of North America will be at the mercy of the' British in case of war. May 13. \ New Zealand hemp is quoted at £36 5s to £36 10s. On the arrival of the Orient Company's s;S. Iberia it was discovered that 5000sovs shipped at Sydney had been stolen. It is J believed that the theft was effected during j the steamer's stay at Melbourne. The Bishop of Lincoln's defence fund now amounts to £20,000. He has published a letter thanking the members of the Church, of England in Australia and New Zealand for letters of sympathy received fiom there. ' Sir 1 F. Dillon Bell, Agent-general for New Zealand, has became a trustee for the New Zealand Midland Railway Company's debentures. The threatened strike of colliers a£ Durham has been averted; The steamship Riverina, from Sydney to London, arrived at Aden with her cargo on fire. , The flames were extinguished after her arrival. The origin of the fire is not stated. Amongst the cargo was a quantity of flax. The Government have postponed the Sugar Convention Bill until Whitsuntide, and in the meantime have undertaken to reconsider its provisions. The Government have agreed to consider the question of a Royal Prince being appointed Viceroy of Ireland. The report that the Marquis of Ormond is to succeed Lord Londonderry is denied. Messrs O'Brien and Harrington, dressed in their prison clothes, -were serenaded by anumber of their admirers. The miners of forty-two collieries at Essen, Germany, have struck. * The , Porte is inquiring into the alleged atrocities in Armenia. The Turkish authorities assert that they have been greatly exaggerated. ' The. gamblers arrested in Park place were bailed out, but those captured at the Adelphi Club were not, ■'"'■• ■• ' " <-•' • f .

•;,../.,-, • , , PABis,.May 9. The soldier Penin, who fired a blank cartridge at President Caroiot daring thp fete at Versailles on Sunday, was found to be insane," and' has been placed under restraint. The President has sent money to the man's family. Madame Oarnot is pleading for the • man's liberation. ' May 11. Count de Jaoffroy d'Abbans, until recently French consul in New Zealand, has been appointed French ambassadorat Zurich. During the year 1888 there were 1628 criminals eligiblef or transportation to French penal settlements. The officials admit that the character of the recidivisms is becoming worse. ' The Austrian and French Governments have agreed to be officially represented at the International Labour Protection Congress to be held in Berne next September. It is believed that the Committee of the Senate appointed to inquire into the charges against General Boulanger have unanimously decided that he should be prosecuted. May,l3. , Government propose to ask the Chamber of Deputies to authorise the issue of bonds to the amount of a million and a-half pounds to proceed with the Panama Canal works, pending the formation of the new company. St. Petebsbubg, May 13. • .Senator Dunnovo will succeed the late Count Tolstoi as Russian Minister of the Interior. The Czar visits Emperor William of Germany at Kiel in August next. Beblin," May 9. Owing to strikes in Westphalia, Krupp's works at Essen have been compelled to suspend work for want of coal. May 11. Over 100,000 colliers are out on strike at Westphalia. Another collision has occurred between the ' military and strikers in which several of the latter were killed, besides a number injured. The miners are bitterly incensed against the military portion of Westphalia. Those on strike insist on the adoption of the eight hours system. May 12. The Reichstag has adopted a bill providing for the insurance of aged and indigent workmen. Several owners of mines in Westphalia have decided to grant an increase of wages if the strikers will resume work, but look upon the introduction of the eight hours system as impossible. ' May 13. The Westphalia colliers stubbornly refuse to agree to the conditions of the masters, who are willing to give an increase in wages, but' hold out against the eight hours system. The strike has, resulted in a large number of furnaces at various works being extinguished. The Emperor William will receive a.deputation from the colliers in a day or two. The strike fever ie affecting artisans throughout Germany, i Zurich, May 9. The Federal Council of Switzerland have decided to expel from Zurich 15 Russian conspirators concerned in the recent discovery of bombs. - ' Brussels, May 9. The Belgian Government, in a note to the 'Great Powers, proposes that a conference be , held on Congo affairs. May 11. .It is reported in the city that news has been received of Stanley's movements, and that he is nearing Zanzibar, and also that he is expected to reach London in about three months. 1 ' ' Rome, May 13. Vesuvius is again in a state of activity, and a fresh eruption of lava is creating, anxiety. The Italian Government have refused to extradite two murderers who came .to Italy from ; Pennsylvania. King Humbert will pay a visit to Berlin, leaving here on the 21st inst. ' He will remain at Berlin six days. The Italian Government viil agree to recognise King Melene^as Negus of Abyssinia, providing the English Government is willing to cd so. . ' Constantinople, May '9. 0 v The report of an outrage by Kurds, who were stated to have first outraged and then burned an Armenian girl in the presence of her parents, at a place called Ainris, on the 3rd inst., probably originated in the fact, since ascertained, that Sourikauri, an Armenian ' chief, maltreated his bride and then boiled her to death. : Belgbade, May 13. Ex-Queen Natalie has abandoned her contemplated visit to her son, King Alexander of Servia, for the present o^n qondition that ex-King Milan also absents himself from Servia. Ottawa, May 11. The Parliament of the Dominion has limited the Vancouver-Australian mail contract to 10 years. An amendment, moved by Mr Laurells, to the effect that the advantages to be derived from this service did not justify the amount to be paid as a subsidy was rejected by a majority of 22, The voting was as follows :— For payment of the subsidy, 77 ; against, 55. , . New York, May 11. While the cage in the Kaska Colliery, Pennslyvania, was descending, the rope snapped, and the cage fell a distance of 500 ft, killing 10 colliers who were in it. ' News has been received from. Honolulu of the death of Father Damien, who took up his quarters with the lepers at Molokai, Hawaiian Islands, and contracted the disease. The reverend gentleman was highly respected, and his death has occasioned deep regret throughout the city and also in London. A tramcar loaded with passengers collided with a railway train on a level crossing in Michigan, and six women were killed, Chicago, May 13. It is now reported that the box discovered at Chicago city had contained a corpse. A man named Gill, who conveyed it to the cemetery, has been arrested, and he confesses that another .person calling ; .himself a doctor plaoed the body in the box and afterwards escaped. The corpse has not been found, though a close search has been made for it. Dr Cronin, who was reported to have been murdered, has turned up safely in Toronto. He asserts that he fled from here to avoid the vengeance of the Clan-na-Gael Society. , Oaibo, May 12. The rumoured capture of Khartoum by El Senoussi's lieutenant toward the end of last mpnth is ascertained to be false. Zanzibab, May 9. Captain Wissman, who is in pharge.of

German operations' on £hii» coast, with a : "foree of 900 men attacked 'tWitebel leader s Bushire, at Bangomeo, at the head of 600 • Arabs. After severe fighting Bushire was , badly beaten, and fled, leaving 80 killed, i May 11. t In the fight between the troops under Captain Wissman and the rebels under ■ Bushire, the former lost three officers, 40 i blacks, and several white men; Calcutta, May 11. 1 The British expedition against Karens has been successful, over 150 of the enemy being '< killed. - Hongkong, May 11. Information reached here that theMari dmas has been in collision off the Philippine Islands, and 60 persons drowned.