ARRIVAL OF THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2314, 29 March 1876, Page 3

ARRIVAL OF THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

(FEB PBESS AGENCY.) —& Auckland, Tuesday. The ' Colima' arrived at 7 a.m. with the mail ex' Mikado,' and eight steerage passengers for Auckland, and three saloon for other ports.

ENGLISH NEWS,

On January 21 a terrible accident, or rather complication of accidents, occurred on the Great Northern line, at Abbot!) Kepton. The Scotch express ran into a coal train. Both lines up and down were covered with wreck, and an express from London to Leeds dashed into tho wreck. Twelve lives were lost, amongst them tho eldest son of Bourcicault, actor, and Noble, the sculptor. Inundations in Germany have caused fearful damage. Over seven hundred houses were flooded to the roofs; the inhabitants barely escaped with their lives.

The ship ' Strathclyde' collided with another vessel in the channel and sunk, The steamer 'Harlingen' during the following night struck the masts of the sunken ship and sunk in fifteen minutes. Shipping.—Sailed for Auckland, La Escocesa, February 5. For Wellington, Fernglen, January 23; and St. Andrew's Castle, February 5. For Otago, Loch Awe, January 31; and Caitlock, February 2. For Canterbury, Countess of Kintore and Ann Armytage, February 2. Captain Bishop, formerly of the ' Hal* cione,'is dead.

AMERICAN NEWS.

A most destructive fire occurred in New York on February 9, which destroyed half of the block bounded by Broadway, Howard, Grand, and Crowbystreets. Three firemen were killed, and several injured by falling walls. ■ A tornado passed over St. Louis on February 28th,, doing damage to > property to the extent of 300,000 dollars. Several persons were killed and injured....

We cull the following from latest papers to hand

The returns of the Clyde foreign shipjing trade for 1875 show that, compared irith the previous year, there was a falling off in arrivals of 67 ,000 tons, and an increase in sailings of 17,000 tons. Six hundred weavers have bee'n lockedout at Lower Heyes Mills, Macclesfield. (The dispute is said to arise from the proprietors refusing to recognise a Union secretary. . Great suffering seems to prevail among the Turkish troops in the Herzegovina. Probably the full extent of the misery" endured by the unfortunate soldiers will never be known. More than three hundred of them are reported to have been frozen to death, and a greater number are frost-bitten in hospitals. Of their supplies of food and clothing nothing is stated. Server Pacha, the Imperial Commissioner, is still at Mostar, and it is said has been reappointed to that office. About three months ago Walker Murgatroyd, aged seventeen, living at Willesden, near Bradford, was bitten by a cat. He was ill for a short time, but recovered, and attended to his work until Thursday, when he complained of being unwell. He gradually grew worse, refused to take anything, and shrank from water.' Death put an end to his sufferings on Monday. He was obliged to be strapped down in bed to prevent him biting his attendants. " • In reply to a letter from, a Mr Mason, asking Mr Gladstone if the statement placarded at the late election contest at Leominster, to the effect that he (Mr Gladstone) had confessed the failure of his work in Ireland with reference to the disestablishment of the Church, and that he admits his disappointment, the exPremier writes You are at'liberty to state, on my authority, that the report you mentioned has no foundation whatever. Were the work yet to do I would most readily put my hand to the doing of it."

There was a melancholy occurrence in' Birmingham on Sunday afternoon. A number of boys were sliding on the frozen pofll of water at Garrison Lane, when suddenly the ice gave way. Of six lads who were immersed five were drowned before the necessary assistance could be rendered, A crowd of two thousaud people was assembled, and great excitement prevailed.

Jn the River Soar, at Leicester, on Sunday, a lad aged 16, named Matthew Buswell, lost his life while endeavouring to rescue his brother, who had' been immersed in the water through the breaking of the ice. .The deceased heard his brother's screams, and lay down on the ice and threw his coat, whioh his brother grasped, but no sooner had he done so than the ice broke, and the deceased disappeared under the ice. The younger lad was rescued, but two hours elapsed before the body of the elder was recovered.

Dr Cumming informed his congregation on Sunday niglit that some time ago ho preached at Balmoral on the subject of the" Communion of Saints in Heaven." He dwelt in his: sermon on the doctr ne that all souls in" a better world would recognise those whom they had known on earth, and find pleasure in conversing on the events which had happened to them on earth. At the close of the sermon the Queen, who was one of hi§ hearers, thanked him for' the comfort which the subject of his discourse had afforded her. Ho felt honoured by the recognition of so excellent a sovereign, and he was assured of the truth of his doctrine.

The Secretary of the London Missionary Society, states that a letter has been received from a gentleman'in the north of England.offering to place £5,000 at their disposal; as tho nucleus of a fund to establish a mission on Lake Tanganyika, with its headquarters at