GENERAL SUMMARY. (Dates From Europe to August 25th.)

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 403, 18 September 1889, Page 4

GENERAL SUMMARY. (Dates From Europe to August 25th.)

Balfour's Prison Bill passed the Commons, August 23rd, after a heated debate, by a vote ot 113 to 69. Fierce attack. 01 were made on the Secretary for Ireland by Sexton, Parnell, and Blanc. The JSarl of Duntaven has written a letter to the New York Yacht Club, icgietting recent misunderstandings in regard to the America Cup challenge, and expressing a hope that a race with his yacht, the Valkyrie, may be arranged in 1890. G reat destruction of property is reported from the County Clare, Ireland. Floods have swept huudreds of acres of farming lands, and nearly all the growing crops were swept away to the sea. The loss will reach an enormous mun. Ross Raymond, a notorious swindler of two continents, was arrested in London, August 20th, for cashing a fictitious draft. Searle, the oarsman fiom Austialia, had got rid of a dangerous boil which gave him no end of trouble, and was doing as muoh work as ever on August 17th. His opponent O'Connor was in prime condition. Despatches of August 13th say the Queen is suffering from sciatica, which causes her great pain and prevents sleep. The Prince of Wales is also suffering very much from his leg since he left Cowes. The vein?, which have never resumed their normal size since he had the typhoid fever, swell and causs great pain from time to time. Lately, the swelling has been very bad. The leg reached an cnounoussize, preventing riding or walking. Edison, theelectrician, is being honoured in Eiuope. On the 13th August, the Queen dispatched Col. Gouiand to Paris to present the inventor's phonograph into which she had spoken, warmly congratulating him. King Humbert, of Italy, has appointed the distinguished American a Grand OiHcer of the Order of the Crown of Italy. A London despatch of August 18th gives a report that an anonymous writer had enclosed ten one thousand pound notes in a letter to the Prince of Wales, denouncing the oppoaition to the Royal Grants Bill. Germaine to this, it is also mentioned that the Queen has appointed a private commission to examine her household and civil list expenditures and prepare a scheme of retrenchment. William Mackay Porfcei, special examiner of the Pension Bureau of Washington, i 3 under ai rest in Belfast, charged with obtaining money under false pretences. Porter attempted to borrow money from ConsulGoneial New on the plea that when he arrived in London the banks were closed. Since Porter's arrest a letter has been received from his wife asking for information about him. She says he recently became insane and escaped two weeks ago. The Exhibition of co-operative societies hab been opened at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham. The display is highly interesting and shows marked progress in the products of co-operative industry. A festival was given at the Palace on August 17th in connection with the Exhibition. The attcodance was enormous, the turnstile lecording over 40,000. Herr Lachmann, editor of the London " Journal," a weekly newspaper, printed in German, shot his wife and child on August 19th, and then committed suicide. Fifty-nine officers of the French army, out of 26,000, were found guilty on August 25th of political agitation, and punished. Twenty - one non - commissioned officers cashiered. A thunderbolt struck the Eiffel Tower on the 20th, but caused no damage. Damala, husband of Sarah Bernhardt, actress, died on August 16th from an overdose of morphine and cocaine. He had loner indulged in the habit, against his wife's protest

THE IMPERIAL VISIT. The German squadron escorting the Emperor William sailed for England, July 31st. and the Emperor, on his yacht Hohenzollern, passed Dover at 9 o'clock on A.ugust Ist. Salutes were fired at that place in his honour. When the yacht was sighted at Portsmouth, the Prince of Wales, on the royal yacht Osborne, went to meet it, signalling hearty greetings to the Kaiser, who responded in a friendly way. The two yachts then passed through the line« of ironclads, and proceeded to Cowes, wheie the Kaiser landed at Trinity Pier, and the Prince, who had preceded him in landing, extended a welcome. The party then entered carriages, and, accompanied by a military escort, W9re driven to Osborne, where the Queen received William on the terrace, kissing him on both cheeks. In the naval show at the reception, there wtre 112 •warships, having on boaid 23,000 men. The Emperor tvas gazetted honorary Admiral of the British Navy on April 2nd. ,* The Empeior had previously conferred /mipon Queen Victoria the honorary command ' *bf the Irish Dragoon guards of Berlin, and upon the Duke of Cambridge the honorary Colonelcy of a regiment of infantry. The document conferring the title on the Queen begins • "Mo&t Illustrious Grandmother, — It is a special honour for me to be able to enroll you in an army in which your sons and grandsons and other relatives have filled with honourable positions for many year."

THE NAVAL REVIEW. The fleet was reviewed by the Emperor at Portsmouth at 4 p.m , August sfch ; weather clear, with a high wind. A salute was tired by the combined fleet and the yards manned as the Emperor approached on the Hohenzollern, and each ironclad displayed the German standard. The ships were moored in three parallel lines, the centre line being about two and a-half and the outer lines about one and three-quarter miles in length. The inspecting procession passed between the centre column and that moored nearest the Islo of V\ ight. Returning to Osborne Bay, the reviewing vessels i-ounded the head of the centre column, and passed between it and the column lying off the mainland shore. The review was a brilliant success. At the conclusion the Emperor received the Admirals on board the imperial yacht and congratulated them. Signals were also hoisted on the Hohenzollern, conveying to the fleet generally the satisfaction felt by the Emperor, ths Prince of Wales and the Queen on the occasion. The regimental report of the First Dragoon Guards of Berlin, of which the Queen had been made honorary colonel, was presented to Her Majesty at Osborne on the 6th of August. The fleet left Spithoad for sea August Ofch, to take part in the naval manoeuvres.

The ironclads Black Prince and Invincible collided at Spibhead, and both were much damaged. Tho Royol Yacht gave a banquet on August 6th to Emperor William, Prince Henry of Prussia, and the Prince of Wales. At tho banquot the Princo toasted the Emperor, and said that he trusted the influence ot the great German army and tho British Hoot would tend toward the preser\ation of the peace of the world. The Emperor, in reply, spoke in high terms of tho Biiti^h fleet, which, he said, was the finest afloat. Germany, he added, had a fleet equal to her wants, and if England had a fleet equal to her, Europe would regard them as the most important factor in tho preservation of peace. While the warships were going to sea on tho afternoon of the 7th, the Inflexible was constantly becoming disabled. Tho Giasthopper's and Devastation's donkeyengines gave way, nnd tho latter put back to Po'-tsmouth. Tho steering-gear of the Noithumbland and Hero broke. There was a grand review at Aldorshot on the 7th, when 30,000 picked troops wore in line. The Emperor inspected them accompanied by tho Duke of Cambridge. On the Bth, the Queen reviewed the Gorman seamen forming the Emperor's escort, numbering 1,500 mon and commanded by the Emperor in the uniform of an Admiial.