Cablegrams.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 1, Issue 25, 22 April 1890, Page 2

Cablegrams.

Breach of Promise. The Victorian Loan. The Labour Agitation.' The English Budget. The Australian Cricketers. Labour Strikes in America. The ’SHesian~Ribisr The Australian Floods. Bourke Under Water. Rescue Of the Inhabitants. Imperial Institute. ..... . ; . • London, April IQ.Miss Stairs, a young danseuse, claims £SOOO damages from Sir George Eliott for breach of promise of marriage. ' • News has bkeh 'received "that' a number of extensive oaves * showing ancient working have been discovered in Swaziland. The workings _ are exceedingly rich, and the authorities believe them to be the mines from which Solomon obtained'vast quantities of gold. , The Budget estimated expenditure for the year is £86,857,000, leaving an available surplus of £8,459,000. The coinage fund has been restored, and a gold fund created and credited with £600.000, arising from mint profits in ilie.circjuiatipzi of l'be duty on silver plate is remitted to the extent of £BO,OOO, and that on tea reduced to 4d per pound, and on currants to 2s per cwt, Greece is making important concessions with respect to the latter article. The house duty is reduced by £530,000, and there are several other minor reductions. The duty on British and foreign spirits has been increased sixpence per gallon, which, with the additional Beer duty imposed last year, will be handed to local authorities.

The ingenuity with which Mr Goschen has constructed his budget meets with general praise. The following is the eleven selected by Lord Sheffield to play against the Australians in. the, opening .match, of tour G. Grace, Newham; W. W. Read, Stoddard, Shrewsbury, Attwell, Griggs, Peel, Humphrey, Lohman, Piling or Sherwin. Miss,Myra Kemble’s matinee performance vwasisuocQssfqk been offered a regular London engagement.

Mr Goschen states that a reduction of ocean postage to 2jd r would cost £105,000 for a' 1 complete* year. Mr Raikes, Postmaster-General will enter into negotiations on the subject with the Colonial Agents-General immediately. Orders have been given -for the construction of two gunboafo surtableifor the navigation of the’, Zambesi- and Shire rivers. ‘ •

Constance Kemp, who was sentenced to death in 1865, and was subsequently commuted to imprisonment for,life', on a charge of murdering: her brother, four years old ; ,bn& inadhear Frome, Somerset, has been 1 released. At the time of the murder’ constahce Kent was 16 years of age.

One syndicate applied for three and a half millions of the Victorian loan. Lord Carrington will return.,., and assume the Governorship of South Wales at the end of five 'y* The Marquis of Lothian is , still rey / garded as his immediate successor. •* In the Budget Mr Gqschen puts the expenditure ‘ for the last year at £86,088,000, The receipts exceeded the estimates by three millions. ; It has been decided that the governing body of the Imperial "Institute shall contain thirty-five colonial members, including eleven representatives from North America, twelve from Australia, three from Africa, and; other dependencies (including Fiji) making up the remaining nine members. Tasmania and Western Australia are allowed one representative each, while each of the other Australian Colonies send two. <*; /. : ■ St. Peteesbdeg, April 17. The Czar’s sinali palace at Finland has been .destroyed: tJ by ;; fire,Seven persons were; killed by the falling: of debris.; . -r. . ; . ; Lisbon, April 18. , The .Governor of Mozambique has been directed : to recall the Portuguesei. expedition. on the . Upondo if it has - started. : : ■ . t • Beelin, April 18. ■ The ■; disturbance created by the Silesian miners still continues. Forty thousand miners are pillaging villages and menacing the townsmen, and are also preventing hands ; engaged at . various factories from going to work, thus compelling factories: to cease operations. There have been repeated conflicts between the rioters and military, who were called out to restore order, during which many of the strikers were killed. :- , \ : ' ■ Melbouene, April 18. : Mr E. M. G. Eddy has consented to allow the Tamworth News four weeks to make a 1 full apology l to him for a libel contained in an article throwing discredit ori his management of the railways. • Sydney, April 18. •; : ■At a' special, meeting; of the Feder- ■ ated Seamens’ Union it was decided to > withdraw from the Maritime Council. It is alleged that the latter body usurped executive functions in trying to form a Coasting Seamens’ Union, against the expressed desire of the Seamen’s Union. Any seaman adhering to the Coastal Union after May 17 will be debarred from even joining the Federated Seamens’ Union, and any who may have already joined , must resign an pain of expulsion. ■ ■ The following are the current quotations for the principal silver; mine 1 shares:—Broken Hill Proprietary, £i4.; British Broken Hill, £4 12s; Central £9 13; Broken Hill North, £1 6s; South, £5; 18sBlock 14, £5; 15s; Block.lo,£lo Is 6d; Junction, £4 ss... , Information received to-night states , that Bourke is flooded, and everyone are doing their best to save themselves. The boats are being pulled through 1 the streets rescuing people from their * homes. The value of the property at stake is estimated at £1,000,000. .

‘ No details are yet to hand.' ■ Walgett is in a■ . terrible condition, and an epidemic of fever is feared, owing to the stenchi arising from dead !animals.

’ : ■ii April 19. ■A ■- great burst in the .embankments at Bourke took place at 4.30 yesterday iaftprpoon; near ths Hospital buildings, but it was not until 11 o’clock that the works finally gave away, ... After it was found that the bank could not be repaired, there was a scene of the wildest excitement. Men on horseback galloped to and fro informing their friends. Men, women, and children, could be seen rushing about the streets in the wildest confusion.

This, "However, only lasted a short time. Everybody set to work to save property, and do what they could to get women, children, and bedding away by steamer to North Bourke. Brave fellows, despite the fact that they were liable tq he swept away* made gallant efforts to block the water, and, as a last resort, men actually stood shoulder to shoulder, with their backs to the water right along the gap, while others shovelled up earth as quickly as they could. This was no use, apd large tarpaulins were then stretched across the break, and sand bags piled up against them, but the force of water carried them away like so much paper. x

Latglfc Ten minutes after the first ahyafr had-been givem 200 people-were cmthe ground, but it was,seen that all efforts would be useless, and the busy, thriving town, after all the hard work and loss 'of time and money, - was about tq be submerged, This is the greatest flood ever known by ,white men in Australia, A mile to the north of where the water broke through, the embankment is carrying eleven feet. If this had gone, the whole town must have been swept away; as it is great anxiety is felt, for even if it gives now great destruction must ensue. The water is up to an ordinary man’s waist all over the town. ' Bourke now stands in the midst of a great inland sea ? forty wide.

All the private embankments in the town are'iieing built higher, and made as possible, but it is feared bSqse®e flood goes down many brick buildings will collapse. The current round the corners, and in between;the houses, will be a - terrible source of danger. Judging from the mass of water passing Brewurrina, higher up the river, Bourke may expect another two or three feet. .. , ~ The latest reports say that early tms morning the private embankments had begun to fail/