BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2320, 18 August 1898, Page 18

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

LONDON, August 8.

Mr Euichgreviuk, leader of the Antarctic expedition has arrived in the Thames from Norway with his vessel the Southern Cross. She completes her loading and proceeds on her voyage forthwith. It is persistently reported here that one of the Atlantic liners has foundered m the Strait of Belle Isle, between Labrador and Na /foundland, but the report is not confirm >d

The firm of W. and A. Macarlhur, merchants, of Sydney and London, has been , converted into a limited liability company, ! with a capital of a quarter of a million in shares and £75,000 in debentures. The ] Bale price was £300,000. ( | It is expected that the fimperor of Germany will prevent the publication of marck's autobiography. The Daily Telegraph states that tho manuscript has been fodged with the Bank of England. Training pigeons for military purposes in Germany has been* extensively developed. Two thousand were landed in Dover in one day ' August 9. The" Agricultural Committee recommend the erection of national wheat .stores, and suggest the appointment of a Royal Commission to make an early an exhaustive inquiry relative to the national food supply in the event of war. Tho Dublin Corporation have refused to erect a statue to l)r Gladstone in that city. Tho Canadian Government are about to invite tenders for a fast Atlantic service. The Times has published a special report on the condition of the British wheat crop, which is estimated to be 1.3 per cent, above the average. The Board of Trade returns for July snow that the imports decreased by £220,484, and the exports by £1,411,574. It is reported that Leiler s loss over his unsuccessful wheat corner was £1,300,000 sterling. The 'St. James's Gazette states that the Hon. Mr Curzon will succeed Lord Elgin as Governor-general of India. The total quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom is 1,823,000 quarters, and for the Continent 855,000 quarters. August 10. The salvors are now engaged in blasting rock under the wrecked steamer China with the view of floating the vessel. It is believed that Mr George "Wyndham, member for Dover, will succeed the ■ Hon. George Curzon as Parliamentary Under-secretary for Foreign Affairs. Tallow: Mutton is unchanged. Beef, fine, 22s 3d ; medium, 20s 3d. C. B. Fry, the cricketer, played 14 innings in eight matches during July, and averaged over 79 runs per innings. Middlesex defeated Surrey in the County match. A. Trott in the second innings obtained six wickets for 87 runs. Mr Curzon is gazetted Governor-general of India. He vacates his seat immediately. E. T. Hooley is confined to bed with congestion of the liver. The court sat two hours hearing the denials of Mr Duguid (ex city editor of the Pall Mall Gazette), Lord De la Warr, and Mr Praed (manager of Lloyd's Bank). All denied Hooley's statement on oath. Mr Praed asserted that Hooley said he had lied to everybody but him. August 11. Mr Justice Romer has dismissed the action broughfc~bv the shareholders of the Londonderry Gold Mining Company .to enforce the late Colonel North's promise to place the profits of the promotion at their disposal. The ground of dismissal was thai no contract had been entered into. The London branch of the Standard Bank of Australia will not pay deposits today. A petition for winding up the bank's .affairs was ordered to stand over. The Official Receiver will be appointed liquidator. Two hundred and thirty bales of wool have been salvaged from the wreck of the Mat aura in good condition. The American visible supply of wheat is estimated at 11,430,000 bushels. August 12. Penny postage with the colonies commences on Christmas Day.

The Loiidori Chamber of Mines will control the mining section at the Greater Britain inhibition, and will receive applications li-r space until October 1.

An fi ero.'chment of the sea threatens Deal vrith submersion, and prompt efforts are to be tn ken to protect the town.

Kilvr-r is quoted at 2s 3 7-16 d per ounce.

Sir T J. Lipton was recently reported as buildi iiir n yacht to compete for the America Cup. The New York Yacht Club have now accep'p'l Sir T. J. Liplon'si challenge through the Ulster Yacht Club to compete for the Cup. August 13. Through the capsizing of a boat during a squall on Dcrwenfcwaler, in the heart of the Lake district, five lady tourists were drown eJ. August 14. Lord Salisbury, the Premier, has gone to Contiexeville, a watering-place in France. 'All the other members of the Ministry, except Mr Balfour, have left London. Playing for Middlesex against Leicestershire A. Trott scored 76 runs and took eleven wickets for 153. Percy Cavil] has joined the ranks of professional swimmers. August 15. - A receiving order has been made against r A. F. Calvert, tho West Australian mining speculator, for non-compliance with a bankruptcy notice. PARIS, August 12. Tho French African Committee are equipping two strong expeditions from Lake Tchad, one starting from Algeria, and the other by way of French Soudan

France is undertaking a strong expedition l-o Samori, or the Wasula kingdom, in tie French protectorate on the Upper Niger.

August 14. News has been received that 26 survivors of the French expedition under Captain Cnzemajon to the Sokoto Sultanate, of which the leader and a number of men were recently massacred, have arrived at Say.

They attribute the disa&tcr to an ambush planned by a Sokoto chief. August 15. The judges overruled the examining magistrate who refused to send Major Esterhazy for trial on a charge of forging the name of Blanche Speiai.zj. to telegrams in order to compromise Colonel Picquart. BERLIN, August 10. A destructive tornado has swept over the valley of the Rhine. An immense amount of damage was done in Cologne. VIENNA, August 14. The Hungarian Cabinet and Deputies have decided upon constitutional grounds to refuse to accept the Ausgleich by Imperial decree. If the Crown insists its acceptance Baron Banffy (President of the Hungarian Ministry) will resign. ST. PETERSBURG. Augusl 12. Russia is arming her warships with dynamite guiss. j 'CONSTANTINOPLE. August 10. j Owing to continued exactions by Turkish officials another formidable rebellion has broken out at. Yemen (Arabia). Since May Turkey has sent 10,000 troops into this province. ROME. August 13. A despatch has been received from St. Petersburg denying the cession of Raheita Bay to Russia by King Menclik of Abyssinia. A peculiar accident happened near Cemona. Three engines attached to a goods train were unable to drag the train through the Mont Cenis tunnel. Owing to the bad ventilation the drivers and stokers were asphyxiated, and the train slid backwards and crashed into a passenger train, killing ii and injuring 40 of the passengers. CAIRO, August 13. The dervishes massacred a Belgian expedition while boating on the Bahr-cl-Jebel branch of the Nile. CALCUTTA, August 11. The Indian newspapers express gratification at Mr Curzon's appointment, as Viceroy. August 13. Guardial Singh has been found guilty of corruption and has been dismissed the Indian civil service.

YOKOHAMA, August 12. The Japanese Estimates show a deficit of 50 million yen for the next fiscal year. CAPETOWN, August 14.

Sir Alfred Milner has issued a proclamation against the Boer trek to the North Zambesi on land covered by the rights of the Chartered Company,

NEW YORK, August 11

Five neproes have been -Jynched at Clarendon, Arkansrs, for murdering a storekeeper at the instigation of the storekeeper's wife. The latter committed suicide.