BRITISH AND FOREIGN. London, January 3.

Otago Witness, Issue 2289, 13 January 1898, Page 19

BRITISH AND FOREIGN. London, January 3.

The first battalion of the Northumberland Fasileers from Gibraltar and the battalion of the Irish Fasileers from' India have been sent to reinforce tha British forces in the Soudan.

January 4.

Wheat at Mark Lane market is quoted at 63 dearer. .The tone of the market is quiet.

The East. Coast Scotch express was derailed to-day. After havirg been in colli sion with a coal waggon near Bunbaa (sic) the express ran into a waggon with a terrible Bmaah. Three carriages were telescoped . and the two engines smashed. Oce lady 1 passenger was kilted and many injured. The accident was caused by tfas driv«r of the express mistaking the signals.

Sir Andrew Clarke, Agent-g«neral for Victoria, has notified the Imperial Institute that Victoria will no- longer contribute to the expenses of the court.

The death is annoucoed at the age of 59 of Earl -Wilton— formerly Captain Ist Lif« Guards.

January 5.

New South Wales will place a million and a-balf 3 per cenc. loan on the London market on Tuesday. *£he minimum has been fixed at 99.

January 6. Obituary : Mr E. Harf or, ex-general secretary of thß Amalgamated Society oi R-ulway 'Workers. He was recently deposed from the position and granted a pension by the .society. Duribg a fire at Deptford four children were suffocated.

January 7. The iron barque City of Carlisle, from Liverpool to Adelaide, was abandoned dismasted in lat. 38 north, 12 west. The crew • "were rescued by the steamer Colliogwood, which landed them at Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The New South Wales loan has been favourably received. There have been many clealiDg 1 in scrip at about 100. Heavy tendering is anticipated. It is expected the net minimum will be about L9B 16s. January 8. At a fire in Hatrick's chemical works, - Glasgow, an explosion occurred, resulting in the death of four firemen, and two others , Were injured, being precipitated from the top to the bottom of the building. A collision occurred off the Isle of Wight between the Atlantic liner Lepanto and the Knight of Sfc. George. Tbe Lepanto sank, but all on board were saved. The statement that the Khodewan Railway Construction Company had purchased Beira from Portugal is denied. Reports received from Capetown %tfits that Mr Chamberlain, refuged the oiier of the

Transvaal Government to submit disputed questions to arbitration.

Obituary : E nest Hart, a well-known medical writer on social and sanitary questions ; aged 61.

January 8. A West Australian loan of L 1,000,000 at 3 per cant;, is announced. The minimum is fix^d at 95. Tenders will close on Friday. The Board of Trade returns for December show a decrease of imports of L 2 286,567. The exports decreased L 1,015,570.

The British have occupied Silamia, an important town ia the Gold Coast hinterland, forestalling German occupation.

January 9,

News has reached here that Fdi-etto, against whom a coroner's jury found a verdict of murder of the French Anarchist Broselle (recently discovered stabbed to death at Longacre, London), has been arrested in Italy. The London detectives are sending over witnesses to appear against him in the extradition proceedings.

January 10. Tbe New South Wales loan is quoted at a premiutH of 2 per cent.

Mr Ssnalley, the New York correspondent of The Times, states that the silver agitation is increasing. All the Democrats, Populists, silverites, rnotiomelfdliste, aad Republicans are divided. The deficit on the fiscal year amounts to 40.000.000.101.

Paris, January 8.

The paper Debats states that the French have occupied the N'ger bank from Say to Boussa, also all the territory along the line from Boueea to the ninth parallel.

The Park Siecle publishes the text of tbe Dreyfus indictment of 1894, showing chat the handwriting was the basis of condemnation, that three experts 'were for and two against identification of the writing. M. Ilarieux, ex-Hinister for Justice, seveiely coadsraos such results, and demands a fresh public trial. The Government have instituted proceedings against the Siecle, the document published having been stolen from tbe War Office.

January 8. The French dockyard has been ordered to accelerate shipbuilding as much as possible.

Berlin, January 4. The editor of Kladderadatch, the comic journal, is being prosecuted for lese majeste ia satirising the recent remarkable speech of the Enaperor at Kiel ' on the occasion of the departure of the German squadron for Kiaochaa. January 9. Germany has resumed her share in the international occupation of Crete.

The Garraan steamor Meliia BjhLan rescued 31 of the crew of the steamer Drumoaond as the latter was oh the point of sinking off the coast of Africa. The D.ummond was owned by the Dmmmond Steamship Company, of Liverpool.

January 10.

Germany and Austria are williag to abolish the engar bounties, but the convening of a conference to deal with the matter rests with Belgium.

Vienna, January 5. The bill introduced into the Hungarian Diet by the Premier (Baron Banff t) for provisionally prolooging the Augsleische, or financial arrangements between Austria and Hoogiry, was read a second time by a large majority. An amendment by Herr Fracz Kossuth (the leader of the non-clerical section, an independent party), proposing a separate economic system for Hungary, was r*-j*cted.

Two politioal duels, the ou'eome of the Aug*leische debates, have been fought at Buda-P«6ih. The four deputies who participated ia the coaibate were all wounded. Buda-Pesth, January 10. " By 25 to 11 the Hungarian delegates passed the third reading of the Ausgsleicb. St. Peteksburg, January 6. The Government- have decided to assume State control over the sale of alcohol.

Rome, January 5. The Pope, while declining direct intervention, will exert his influence to induce the German Reichstag Centre to acquiesce in the German Emperoi's naval proposals.

Athens. January 8. Nine million francs of tbe Greek revenue have been assigned to the International Financial Commission for the purpose of the foreign loan service.

January 9. The Budget; makes no provision for raising a loan for payment of the war indemnity to Turkey.

The estimated revenue for the year amounts to 87 millions of drachmas, and the expenditure is estimated at a similar sum.

Belgrade, January 7. Ex- King Milan, who abdicated in" 1889, has been appointed commander of the Servian army.

Madrid, January 5. An explosion has destroyed a powder factory at Ovilo. Seven persons were killed. Januaiy 7. The Council of Wai- decideS that thera is no ground of action against G<meral Weyler, whom the Spanish Government wished to place on triftl by court-martial for allsged breach of discipline. The Spanish Government have ordered a fre6h inquiry into the charges. January 10. Seven thousand reinforcements are being sent to Cuba. Bombay, January 7. Daring the past 48 hours 142 cases of plague were reported, with 105 deaths^

Capetown, January 3. The farmers in Natal are pressing the Government to place a dnty of 23 per lb on imported frozen meat.

January 6. The company who are constructing a railway from Biera (a seaport of Portuguese Eist Africa) to Rhodesia have purchased the town and port of Biera.

Januvs 7, Sir A. Sprigg, Premier, intends to ask the Cape Parliament to meet the cost of a cable from England to Capetown. The route suggested is from Gibraltar to Sierra Leone, Ascencion, S*". Helena, Capetown, hence to Durban, Mauritius, and Perth. The offer is not to affect tb.B colony's contribution to the navy.

January 9. Mr Cecil Bhodes says that the construction of the Zambesi railway depends partly upon the output of the G^elo gjldfiaia and partly on the working of the Bachuana line. January 10. Natal has imposed a duty of 2 1 on frozen and chilled meat.

Washington January 5

The United S'-ates, Mexico, and Fiance are all disputing the ownership of C'upperton, a small coral island in the North Pacific.

January 9

The United States Senate are discussing the question of the expenditure of six miliion dollars opon the construction of battieBhips and torpedo boats.

New Yosk, January 8.

The United States Government have decided to allow Canadian goods to p*ss the Alaska frontier without duties being p*id.

Chicago, January 3,

Lester, a local speculator, who was recently reported as tryiog to effect a corner in wheat in Chicago, and to have bought between eight and ten million bushels, declares that he has sold nine million bushels in Liverpool at a great profit.

San Fkancisco, January 10,

D arrant, who was found guilty of the murder of a girl in a church under shocking circumstances and sentenced to death, but whose execution has been so long <3e r erred on one plea and another, has at lecgtfi been executed.