BRITISH AND FOREIGN

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3352, 31 December 1883, Page 2

BRITISH AND FOREIGN

[ Byßlectric Telegraph—Copyright.] [Eedter’s Agency.] Labor Trade. London, Dec. 29, The report of tbe Western Pacific Commission was published to-day. The report commends the supervision of the labor traffic by colonial agents, and urges that the agents should be appointed by the Crown. It recommends that the labor trade should be more closely watched by the naval authorities in Australia, and that resident deputy Commissioners should be appointed to the various islands. The report is op* posed to the control of the Polynesian and New Guinea race being vested in colonial Governments. The New Victorian Railway Chairman* Mr Speight, the newly-appointod Chairman of the Victorian Railway Board, has sailed for Australia. ’Frisco MailThe homewards mails, via San Francisco, from Auckland, November Bth, were delivered here to-day. Obituary. Obituary—Sir John Saley Darrall, K.C.G., formerly Attorney-General and Member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales. France and China. Paris, Dec. 29. Despatches from Tonquin state that

desperate fighting has taken place a* Sontay, and that heavy loss was sustained on either side before the fortress was captured. The French lost 26 officers and fully a thousand men. The attack on Bacninh will not take place until tho arrival the arrival of the reinforcements recently despatched from France under General Mellot.