WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1883.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2829, 17 October 1883, Page 2

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1883.

About the middle of August we published telegrams from Madrid and London announcing a widespread insurrection or military revolt m Spain, which was stated to be likely to result very seriously for that land of revolu- ' tions. We bad not recently beard of any discontent m Span. On the con- j trary, King Alfonso and bis constitu- , tional Government appeared to have become firmly established, and the ] country bad been represented to be , enjoying pi-ofound tranquillity and , much prosperity. The reported insur- ] rection, therefore, was equally unex- 1 £

pecteel and unaccountable ; and we iiwaited tbe sequel with some curiosity. What was very remarkable, however, there never was any sequel. We heard no more of tbe insurrection, beyond a bare statement that the "insurgent" leaders had retired into France. The King of Spain proceeded to pay bis contemplated visit to Germany, and everything settled down quietly. It was about tbe mildest Revolution we ever beard of. Tbe explanation bas now come out bit by bit ; and it certainly lets m a flood of light on tbe way m which these things are managed. One thing was quite clear from the beginning, namely, that tbe Spanish people bad no sympathy with tbe revolutionary movement nnd tbat none of tbe recognised political parties bad anything to do with it. The insurrection broke out at three different points at nearly tbe same time, namely at Badajoz m tbe South-West of Spaiu near tbe Portuguese frontier, and at Sco de Urgal and Santo Domingo m tbe North, near the French frontier ; but it was everywhere confined to tbe troops, tbe civil population apparently taking neither part nor interest m it. This circumstance gave rise at first to the belief tbat it was a military outbreak caused by tbe great number of disbanded and discontented soldiers, and particularly officers, who have been out of employment dnring tbe quiet times. It was shown tbat since King Alfonso came to the throne m 1870, tbe strength of the army bud been gradually diminished by l-t.OOO officers and a corresponding number of men, and tbat tbe process was still going on. Hence it was surmised, the revolt of the garrisons was merely a protest on the part of the military element against a policy which, though undoubtedly beneficial to tbe country at large, threatened to reduce them to destitution or at least to insignificance. This account was so plausible that it readily obtained credence, especially as it was widely circulated through the newspapers m several countries at once, particularly m France, England and Portugal. The military party m Spain, however, indignantly resented the imputation of disloyalty and want of patriotism ; and m fact succeeded m clearing themselves very completely. Another story was tbat the revolt had taken place at the instigation of the extreme Radical party m France, and that it was the commencement of a Republican propaganda m Spain, directed by French agitators. This version was circulated through the German and Austriau newspapers particularly ; and was very generally believed on the Continent. The French Radical politicians, we need hardly say, were furious, and through their organs they stoutly denied having been connected m the remotest way with affairs m Spain. In course of time the truth came out. The " Spanish Revolution " of August 1883 was simply and solely a stockjobbers' speculation. It is openly declared to have been conceived and planned by a Portuguese banking firm m Paris, and executed on their behalf by Ruiz Zorilla, a well known Republican agitator m Spain. Tbe firm m question formed ;i syndicate or ring of speculators holding large parcels of Spanish stocks, who subscribed a sum which is variously estimated at from £3000 to £30,000, for the expenses of the " Revolution." They then sold their stocks at current rates. As soon as this had been effected, Zorilla proceeded through his agents to corrupt the troops m tbe three garrison towns already mentioned. The officers do not appear to have been implicated, but tbe sergeants were easily got at for about £5 a bead, and they, m their turn, became agents for corrupting tbe rank and file at a lower rate of pay. On an appointed day, tbe revolt took place, the soldiers refusing duty, clamoring for a Republic, and threatening to take possession of the towns. As this occurred at three different and distant places m rapid succession, it looked very much like the beginning of a general rising, and tbe newspapers and alarmists employed by the- syndicate mannged skilfully to magnify the extent of the affair. Spanish stocks, at all times liable to great fluctuations, went down with a drop. The syndicate immediately bought m again at the lowest price. By this time the Spanish Government bad recovered from their surprise, and taken Btcps to repress the " rebellion." They soon discovered tbat there was no rebellion to suppress. At the approach of the authorities, the troops returned to their duty, threw the blame on those who had misled them, and avowed the utmost devotion to the King. Meanwhile Zorilla and his chief instruments had slipped across the frontier into France and Portugal, and snapped their fingers at the Spanish Government. It was part of the understanding with Zorilla, it seems, that no blood was to be shed, and for that reason he selected the three garrison towns affording the readiest means of escape. Unfortunately for the completeness of his success, nevertheless, tbe Government were too quick for tbe insurgents at Santo Domingo, — or rather, the insurgents did not get their orders from Zorilla promptly enough, — and three of tbe sergeants of the garrison at that place were captured, tried by Courtmartial, and shot. This was a contingency not provided for m the £5, and it i 3 to be hoped the syndicate made some further allowance to the poor fellows' families. In all other respects the operation turned out excellently. No other lives were lost, nor was there any disturbance worth speaking of, or any barm done. The ease with which the authorities restored order inspired the utmost confidence m the stability of the Government. A great impetus was thus ' given to Spanish stocks ; and iv the i course of a very few days the Portu- 1 guese bankers and their friends m Paris 1 netted a comfortable little purse of ' £100,000! This is how they "revolushe" J nowadays m Spain. j -■ '■ m^r^ 1 C .Battehy. — An inspection pnrado of the 1 Battery, N.Z.A., will be held nt the drill-shed { ihis evening. Full mat 7.30 sharp. <■ Fish Company. — A meeting of the share- t lolders of the Timaru Fish Company will be 1 jeld m tho Oddfellows' Hall, Sophia street, 1 x)-night. ' Sale of Pmvii.eqes. — Messrs Unclean r md Stowart have received instructions from he Timnru Agricultural and Pnetoral Associ- " ition to sell by auction on Saturday noxt the « ollowing privileges, viz., two general licenso r joothsnnd ono refreshment booth. r Cricket. — A gcnoral meeting of tho c rimuru Drapers nnd Clothiers Cricket Club v vas held last evening nt Melton's Tiruuru lotel. There wns a very good attendance, b nd Mr J. MoFurlauo was voted to tho chair. £■

i code of rules which had been drawn up by ;he Committeo were submitted to the meetng, approved of and adopted. Mr P. Freeman wns elected C'nptnin of the Club, nnd Mr T. Edwards Vice-Captain, and it was decided :o go m for activo practice without dehiy. l'his wns nil tho business, and a hearty voto jf thanks to the Chairman terminated the meeting. Thk Eagle Tavern.— The Engle Tavern, [he headquarters of the Salvation Army, tho [lispulc about which recently residted m the ilefeat of General Booth in 'the Law Courts, was recently reopened as n fully licensed public-house. Paiiish ok Tk Noawai. — At the mooting uf the Diocesan Synod on Monday it was roolved, on the motion of the Rev. Canon Cottcrill — " That the Synod recommend the Church Property Trustees to convert into a grunt the loan of £250 advanced by them to the parochial district of Te Ngawni, m aid of the building of v parsonage for that district." Tin: Immigrants v.x British Quebx. — We have been informed by tho Immigration Officer here- thnl, m consequence of the breaking out of diphtheria m the Christchurch Depot, the single girls for engagement ex British Queen will not bo sent down for a few dnys. Pouch Chanues. — Yesterday Constable Breiinnii, who for the last four years hus been stationed at Allmry, left for Dunedin, whither he has been removed, nnd Constable Colbonic, from Duncdiu, went to Albury to till his place. Constable Brcnnim wns very much liked und respected, and the residents of the district, nre very sorry to lose him. The San Francisco Mail.— -The City of New York, with the inward mails via San Francisco on board, arrived ut Auckland yesterday morning, nnd a telegraphic summary of news brought by her is published else where. The Timaru portion of the mail is not expected to reach its destination before Friday morning. Timahu Boating Clvii. — A meeting ol the Committeo was held nl the bout shed yes terdny evening, Mr Hawkins (captain) m tho ehuir. It was decided to open the season on Saturday, 27th instant, by n scries of scrutel races. A sub-committee was appointed to tc( to the tit ting up of lockers for the use ol members. Several matters of routine busi ness were disposed of, and the meeting closec with n vote of thanks to the chairman. English Cadlk News. — The following special telegrams nppcur m the Press : — "Lon don, October 14th. Mr Rusden, m a lettei to tho Spectator, contends that New Sout! Wales and Tasmania nre grimly m earnest ii repelling the deportation of convicts to the colonies.— Mr Edward George Clnrk, M.P for Plymouth, writing to the St. James Gazette, says that Queensland will probabli imncx Now Guinea without obtaining Eng land's consent. — The Marquis Tseng, m re plying to nn address presented to him i\\ Folkestone, Kent, said that he hoped for i pacific solution of tho Franco-Chinese dilli culty." " London, October loth. Tin cargoes of frozen nic:it by the steamer: | British King nnd Catalonia are reported to bi m excellent condition. — A team of Amerioai cricketers will visit England m the spring." Presentation. — Mr Smith, who previou to his removal to Tinwuld, lind been m chargi of tlie Rangitata railway elation for the las two year?, was on Saturday evening last pre sented with a handsome marble dock am gold pencil ease, subscribed for by the resi lU-nt.t of Rjingitata and Peel Forest Thi presentation took place at the Star Hotel where about twenty of Mr Smith's friend entertained him at n capital dinner providec by Mr Clayton m first-class style. After tin good things hnd been fully discussed, M John Heney was voted to the chair, and m i very kind nnd fatherly manner presented M Smith with the clock nnd pencil-case, as i token of esteem nnd for his kindness am civility whilo station master at Rangitnta Mr Smith, m thanking his friends for th really beautiful present, did so ill a feu- we! chosen words, and said that he diil not kiun what he had done to merit such distinction and when leaving would have been quit satisfied to know that any efforts he had mad to fill his position with satisfaction to th public and his employer* had been nppreei atcd. Several excellent songs were suii| during the evening, by the Chairman, by M McNab, and others, and just before twehi o'clock the party bn>ke up singing " Aid( Lang Sync." Thk Ur.uß Riiidon Gostkl Mission a p ALiiniT. — A second meeting of this missioi wns held m tho schoolroom, on Monday even ing, Mr Richardson, jun., presiding. Ther was ii large attendance, and the cnthusiasn created nt the previous meeting wa« m n< way nbated, but rather increased. The pro ceedings were opened by praise, prayer an< rending of scripture npproprinte to tho occu sion. The Chairman having brietly exprcsscc hi* sympathy wills the grand nnd nobli objects of the mission, requested Mr D Anderson to address (he meeting. Thi veteran soldier, who has done hard iightin| m the cause of temperance, spoke from pain ful experience of the evil consequence* of m temperance. The Rev. J. C. Welsh followec by pleading tho cause on purely spirit im j grounds. The more wo become assimiktec to the Lord Jesus Christ, the more eouiplet. will our victory prove over sin m even form. The Rev. D. McLennan spoke of thi inurement as thoroughly patriotic, as v tocia blessing, as a religious boon to the coin munity. The Chairman next culled on Mi Duncan Couper to address the meeting which he did m a most impressive mnnnc: by n, brief reference to the benefits of donniiif the bluo, and nil earnest appeal that nil shoult follow his example. Thcu camp a etirrinf address by Mr Watkins, who humorouslj sought to prove by many facts that th< friends of temperance nre on the winning side, and those who stood aloof would en long iind themselves m tho minority. Ht urged earnest, continuous nnd united actior m udvuncing a cause that wns rondcrec sacred by the prayers and tenrs of thousand! who ure suffering from the baneful effects ol intemperance. During the evening the school' master gave a humorous recitation, and Mi Richardson a rending from the Pickwick Papers. Tho feature of the evening was the donning of tho blue and pledge signing. It was certainly delightful to sec young men coming forward amid much upplauso to espouse tho temperance cause. Altogether, tho work hus proved a complete success at Albury, and much erodit 13 clue to Messrs Rutherford and Richardson, who were indefatigable m their efforts to promote the best interests of tho district. There aro now sixtytwo members enrolled, and wo trust thoy will prove true to their colors. Sacbkd Concert. — The anniversary of the Trinity Presbyterian Church was celebrated last evening by a sacred concert, which was held m the Church, Barnard street. The attendance was Yury good indeed, moat of tho scuts m the body of the building being filled, while the gallery was filled to overflowing. The following anthems were sung by the choir : — " When the Lord shall build up Zion," " Hosanna m the Highest," " Blessed be Thou, Lord God of Israel," "Angels ever bright und fair," " Como unto me," " Oh ! what beauty, Lord, appears" nnd "Consider Lho Lilies.' The choir numbered some forty voices, and their rendering of tho icveml anthems mentioned showed thnt they liad given them considerable preparation. Ihc music is very high class, and tho several [jarts require to bo taken up without hesitation, und although 11 slight hesitation wns noticeable once or twice, still taken altogether, the choir are to be complimented on their singing. Tho bolos "Consider the Lilies," 1 I will sing of Thy great Mercies," " Let the aright Seraphim," " The Chorister," " Not ost but gone before," "He was Despised," ' The Child's Mission," "He has come," and ' There ia a green Hill," by ladies j the solos, ' Only for Thee," and " Heaven und Earth," iy gentleman; the duet "Silent Night," by ndies, nnd the solo nnd quartette, "In her ittlo bed we laid her," iverc nil very well »ivcn, so well m fact that after hearing thorn me wns left, m great doubt ns to which was .he most pleasingly rendered. Before disjersing, tho Rev. Mr Gillies thanked those jrerent for attending. A collection was nado during the evening, tho amount calised being £13 12s. Brilliant Sunsets. — For some time past, mil particularly about the beginning of the iionth, sunset has been marked by a peculiar ichness nnd warmth of color, often so much esembling a bright auroral glow us to bo omnionly attributed to that class of phenomena. Another oxplnnntion comes from Lustralin, which appears on tho faco of it to 10 quito reasonable At Perth, m Western Lustralia. it is etated that tho eun was, for

several days preceding the Ist inst., obscured by a thick haze, and a brilliitnt color remained J for some time high m the western sky after v sunset. These phenomena were supposed to t( be duo to gaseous or other matter m the upper air dispersed by tho late volennic disturbances m the Straits of p Sunda. Somewhat similar effects were ob- t] served m eastern Australia, and a corrcspon- n dent of the Sydney Morning Herald has n " hnzarded the opinion Unit volcanic dust is t; tho true solution. Its presence m the upper t strata of our atmosphere would perhaps he accounted for by the ' counter trade winds' c and the 'brave west winds' bringing the dust " from the late eruptions and disturbances m s the eastern islands." The writer suggests li tlmt volcanic dust should he sought, on some y of the snow-fields, and it is not impossible n that some of tho water-tanka of Timaru now f contain Borne tiny particles of the island of Krakatoa, which had settled on the roofs and c been subsequently washed off by tho Into ] rains. * ( We believe that if everyone would uso Hop Bitters freoly thero would bo much leas sick- a ness and misery m the world, and people aro fast finding this out, whole families keeping well tit a trifling cost by its use. We adviso all to try it. Keod.— Adv. ' A Wise Deacon.—" Deacon Wilder, I c want you to toll mo how yon kept yourself and t family so well tho past season, when all the c rest of us have been sick so much, and have t had tho doctors running to U3 so often." ( " Brother Tnylor, the answer is very easy. I < used Hop Bitters m time, and kept my family well, and saved large doctor's bills. Four shillings' worth of it kept us all well and able to work all tho time, and I will warrant it Ims • cost yon and most of tho neighbors .£lO to > i .£1(10 apieco to keep fiick tho namo timo. I i • fancy you'll tako my medicino hereafter." Seo. 1 • —Adv. . synopsis of new advertisements. Maclean and Stewart— Will sell Show privilege* on ' ! Saturday. I K. F. any— Will sell stock-ia-trado of a butcher, " . «tc, on Friday. '■ 1 New Zealand Shipping Company— Notify the ss. • British Queen will leatc for London at the end of the I i present month. N.M. and A. Company-Invite tenders for leasing 1 the Wcat«rflcM Mills, near Ashhurton. 1 West and Barber— lnvite tenders for alterations to ' I ' Hall and Sleason-llave a. pieco of land at Wai-iti 1 for sale or to let. S. Bcz«nt- Notice re claims against the estate of } the late Mr G. Bezzant. It. Fcnton-Has the Temuka Hotel to let. In Bankruptcy -Re L. Tombs. ; Wanted- One notice.