ENGLISH CLIPPINGS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 1217, 14 August 1878, Page 3

ENGLISH CLIPPINGS.

(From Papers of June 20th.) According to intelligence published at New York last week three Dutch men-of-war have arrived at San Domingo to demand the surrender of some Dutch merchant vessels seized by the Dominican authorities for carrying contraband.

A serious disturbance occurred on Saturday night in the A Lines of the Curragh Camp. The cause of the disturbance is reported to have been a question of nationality raised between the Reserves and the Royal Artillery Brigade to which they were attached. Swords were used, and several men are in hospital. The pickets were doubled, and had to threaten to fire upon the combatants before they succeeded in separating them.

Recruiting for the army, which has been remarkably active during the past three months, has become unusually slack, a circumstance attributed to the increase of labor in the agricultural districts, as well as to the natural ebb after a sudden flow. Most of tho regimonts are, however, full, and recruiting for the Rifle Brigade and other corps has been suspended ; but there are still some regiments of cavalry and infantry open to receive recruits, and gunners, not drivers, are acceptable for the Royal Artillery. The Board of Trade returns for May show that the declared value of the exports for the month was £16,165,075 against £17,461,139 in May, 1877, and £17,055,504 in May, 1876. The total value of the exports for the first fiva months of the year was £79,568,762 against £79,928,471 in| 1877, and £83,361,799 in 1876. The total value of

the imports for May was £31,028,768 against £34,047,682 in May, 1877, and £29,405,133 in May, 1870. The total value of the imports for the Grst five months of the year was £100,986,751, against £165,038,033 in 1877, and £156,760,720 in 1876.

Some resolutions passed at a meeting in Canada approving of the foreign policy of the Guvermnent were recently sent to Lord Beacoiiifield. In acknowledging their receipt, Mr Algernon Tumor wrote : — "In accepting withßincere gratification these resolutions, the Prime Minister rejoices to feel that one bond of loyalty, patriotism, and affection unites this country to hor colonies, and that the honor of the British Empire is as sacred to Canada as to England. The sympathy evinced by the Dominion has touched the hearts of Englishmen, and England may well be proud of the spirit which animates the people of her distant colony."

The Postal Congress at Paris has just finished its sittings, and the proceedings are stated to have been perfectly unanimous. When the first of these Congreases was held at Berne in October, 1874, the Postal Union included twentytwo States, with a population of 350,000,000 inhabitants. At present the arrangement extends to thirty-tlirea States, with 453,000,000 inhabitants. Peru will be admitted into the International Postal Union on the Ist October next, should no opposition be made before the 27th of July. The whole civilised world will, it is anticipated, soon be included within the limits of the Union for poatal purposes, and sanguine persons expect that first the telegraphs, and then weights and measures, will be dealt with in like manner.

The report of the Deputy Master of|the mint for the year 1877 states that the total number of pieces stiuck at the Mint during the year was 30,131, 130, as against 11,239,050 in 1876, and their value, real or nominal, £1,567,936 15s 6£d. The total number of British coin3 struck during the year was 27,856,130, and their value £1,557,620 2s 2£d. The value of gold coin struck was £1,098,741, of silver coins £407,822, 17s 3d, and of bronze £50,956 4s ll^d. Tho smallness [of the demand for gold coin ia attributed to the importation of sovereigns from Australia, tlie amount of these coins struck at the Sydney and Melbourne Mints which were received at the Bank of England during the year having risen to £3,726,000, as against £2,075,000 in 1876, and £2,726,000 in 1875.

A terrible colliery explosion occurred on Friday week at one of Messrs Evans and Co.'s collieries known as the Wood Pit, nt Haydock, near Wigan, by which it is feared over 200 lives have been lost. The pit consists of two mines — the Ravenshead and the Florida. There were over 200 men in the pit at the time of the explosion, eighteen of whom wei-e in the Ravenshead mine, and the remainder were in the Florida. The eighteen men in the Ravenshead were got out immediately after the explosion, bu*- one of them died on his way home, and the others were much affectod by the afterdamp. The two mines are connected by a tunnel, and it was in the workings beyond this tunnel that the explosion occurred. Gangs of explorers went down at once, and found dead horses and men on every side, fearfully burned and mutilated. They were, however, compelled to desist from their search on account of the gas. It is stated that ten minutea before the accident the mine had been examined and pronounced safe; and, as it is worked on tho most improved system and no powder is allowed to be used in it, no explanation can at present be given of the causes of the disaster. The work of exploration has been much impeded by the large quantities of gas which, in spite of the measures taken for restoring ventilation, have accumulated in the workings ; but up to Thursday sixty-four bodies had been rocovered. One of the explorers has died. A public meeting in aid of the sufferers held in Liverpool on Wed"nesday.