GREAT BRITAIN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5462, 30 April 1889, Page 2

GREAT BRITAIN.

A public debate lias been arranged to take place in May between Henry George and Samuel Smith, the Gladsfonian member of Parliament for Flintshire. The Baltic timber yard, near Buckingham Palace, was burned down on March 28th, The loss is estimated at £60,0 C(). On March 30th an express train from Southport to London, conveying persons to witness the Oxford-Cambridge boat race, was derailed at Penistonc and wrecked. One person was killed, and four were seriously injured. According to the Standard Count Herbert Bismarck's interview with I ord Salisbury has resulted in a complete understanding between Germany and England. There was a heated debate in the House of Commons on March 22nd on the motion to reduce Alr Balfour's salary by £500. The motion was lost by a majority of 127. Mr Morley adduced a mas' of circumstances to prove that the Government assisted The Times' case through Houston and Piggott. Mr Balfour said it was an unfounded libel, and asked how witnesses had been intimidated ? He was called to order, and he then taunted the Parnellites for allowing Piggott to escape. The Parnellites retorted that they had Piggott 's diary. The intention of giving a Liberal banquet to Mr Parnell, with Mr Gladstone in the chair, was abandoned owing to the inability to obtain a building in London spacious enough to hold the expected assemblage. All reputable paper firms in London deny the report that a syndicate of paper manufacturers in England representing t'2,000,000 has been forned to raise the price of paper. The Postmaster-General, Mr Raikes, announced in the House of Commons 021 March 21 that the Government intended to lay a submarine cable between Bermuda and H.iyti. In his opening address for the defence before the Parnell Commission Sir Charles Russell said that the Court was asked by the Attorney-General to indict the whole Irish nation, but that was not feasible. He also asserted that thoughtful minds were convinced that the time had come to try the experiment of Home Rule in Ireland. He contended that the objects of the Irish National League were justifiable. The issue before the Commission depended upon the proof that Mr Parnell and his colleagues, under the cloak of aland movement, planned murders and outrages. If no such evidence was produced the Commission must declare the accused to be men earnestly endeavoring to lift an intolerable burden from the shoulders of th ir countrymen. Sir Charles explained the objects and constitution of the League formed by Mr Davitt, of which Mr Parnell was president. The object was, he said, to aid farmers in distress. The prominent members of the League were in favor of boycotting, which up to a certain point they considered justifiable. Sir Charles Russell held that Mr Parnell was not liable criminally or otherwise, unless he was a party to murder and outrage as part of the agreed objects of the League. Mr Parnell and his followers had been vilified and misrepresented, just as Mr Cobden and Mr Bright were in the early days of the Reform movement. Lord Beaumont has appled to the House of Lords to have his marriage with Viola, daughter of Madame Elsie, formerly milliner to the Queen, annulled. The Rev. Charles Stunner Hnrd, of the Parminter Unitarian Chapel, Boston, Mass, committed suicide on April 4th. He has been employed by the North Pacific Railway Company to write a book descriptive of Washington territory, and had visited Loudon to obtain some needed data. The jury returned a verdict of temporary insanity. In the Mercer libel case against Mr Labouchere a verdict was returned on March 25th for 40s. John Bright died at 8.30 a.m. on March 27th. His end was peaceful and the physicians say painless. He had been in a comatose condition since the day preceding, and died without regaining consciousness. All the family wei > % present at his bedside. In the House of Commons Mr Smith, the Government leader, referred with much emotion to the event, and said he would postpone further mention till Mr Gladstone, who had been called to Scotland by the death of his brother, ws>s present. Mr John Morley thanked Mr Smith for his consideration. John Blight's death was preceded by such a complete change in his appearance, consequent upon his long wearing-illness, that he ■was scarcely recognisable by anyone who had not seen him recently. The funeral took place at Rochdale en Match 30th in the Quaker cemetery. From a letter written to the papers by the Dean of Westminster it was learned that the body could not be huried in the Abbey because an Act of Parliament forbids such an honor to any person who has not received the right of baptism in the established church. In communicating the fact, the Dean of Westminster deplored it. A funeral service was, however, held m the Abbey, and was attended by many members of Parliament. Various deputations headed the funeral procession at Rochdale. Eight of the decease l's woiktnen carried the coffin to the grave. The mourners, in accordance with Quaker custom, were gathered in silent meditation around the grave. The wreaths on the coffin were sent by Queen Victoria, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Messrs' Brights' workmen, and Miss Cobden. The wreath sent by the lastnamed bore the inscription :-•" In loving memory of my father's best friend." An equerry also represented the Queen at the funeral. In the House of Commons on the evening of the day of the funeral all the members were dressed in black. At the conclusion of the debate on the Irish question, Mr Smith rose and began to speak of Mr Bright, whuruupou all the members uncovered. Mi" Smith made a ten minutes' speech, and then Mr Gladstone delivered a oulogy. Among other things he said : "But few are aware of the efforts that were required to induce Mr Bright to become a servant- of the Crown in the crisis of 1866, when the fate of the Irish Church hung in (lie balance, it was my duty to propose to Mr Bright that he should become a Minister. I never undertook so diHicult a task. From II o'clock at night till one o'clock in the

morning we steadily debated the subject. Ii was only at the last moment that he fou ul it possible to set aside the repugnance lie f r at doing anything that might detract fr n his independence of character. I do i know of any statesman- hi my time who U •.. the happiness of receiving on his remo\ •<■• from the world the honor of an approval -i once so enthusiastic, so universal, and so n> broken. Yet none could better dispru .-, with the tributes, because the triumph* his life were triumphs'. recorded. in tli<: >-.■• vance of his country and the people. >••.- name is indelibly written in the annuls ■■■■ time and on the hearts of the great and o/.v; spreading race to which he. belonged; who:-. wide extension he rejoiced to see, and \vli--m power and prominence he believed. to be fir of promise and glory for tho best interests* <> mankind." Lord Harrington, Mr Justiu M 'Cur thy, and Mr Chamberlain also, spoke. In the House of Lords, ou the afternoon of March 28, Lord Salisbury, speaking of John Bright, said : "He was* the greatest muster of English oratory in the present generation. 1 He was inspired by pure patriotism from tin beginning of his career to its close. " ft is stated that Lord Salisbury intends to again direct the attention of the House <>1 Lord to the projected fortifications of Es^ui malt, British Columbia, and to point out th necessity for their immediate completion h; view of the Russian fortifications ancl.ntiw.; movements at Vladivostock. This action will be taken ou the report of Sir Geor ; r. Baden Powell, who has just returned from .■? visit to British Columbia. Cambridge won the University boat rao on March-30th by two lengths. The course was from Putney to Mortlake, four miles tind two furlongs. Large' crowds witnessed the race. There was a light breeze, but tinwater was smooth, with a tendency to fog.. Cambridge ut once took the lead, and m Hammersmith bridge, one mile and thre^ quarters from the starting point, wis stii ahead, both crews rowing well. At thai time heavy rain was fulling, und the Oxfon. crew shortly after became confused ami steered badly, and almost collapsed. Nee Barnes bridge, five furlongs from the finish Oxford made a final spurt, but failed- to reach the Cambridge boat. '• CONTINENT.O F EUROPE. The Paris Figaro says. that the marriagi of Prince Alexander of Batten burg to M die. Loisinger was a fraudulent proceeding, an< that Prince Alexander was aware of its illigality, but deliberately connived, at it. * In an interview which General Boulange; had with the. Due d ? A uma l e oa March 25th he said he did not aspire to the Crown o France, but iutended to live as un honorabK citizen. He freely confessed at the sann time that he thought a monarchy the besi for France. Miss Helen Bullerick, an American, gitwho was residing iv -Berlin, drowned hersell in the river Spree recently on account of .> disappointment in love. She had receive< letters from the New Hemisphere stating that her sweetheart had married another girl. . Tho Pope's income for 1888 amounted to L 504.000, of which L 373.100 came from Peter's pence, and L 133,000 from interest on money invested out of Italy. The outlay o* the Vatican amounted to only L 340,000. This is a highly satisfactory balance-sheet, but does not take into account L4BO 000 which his Holiness received in money presents during the jubilee. When the great Eifell tower was openc< ' in Paris on March 31st, the editor of tlu Pall Mall Gazette, Mr Stead, had a narrow escape from dvath. He was inspecting tin tower in company with M. Clemencean. when a sudden storm of wind and hail cam> up. Mr Stead was only 30 yards from tin top of the tower when he fell over some loose planks and lurched forward, narrowly escaping a fall of 800 feet to the ground by cliogiug desperately to some projecting ironwork till M. Clemenceau and some workmen came to his assistance.