BRITISH & FOREIGN.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1720, 5 April 1895, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN.

Per Electric Telegraph— Copyright. Pbr Press Association, PROSECUTION FOR LIBEL. London, April 3, Immense crowds attend the trial of the Marquis of Queensberry on a charge of libelling Oscar Wilde. The evidence adduced to-day showed that Wilde had paid heavy blackmail for his gushing letters to Lord Alfred Douglas (the

Marquis's son), which were found m the £ pockets of old clothes when given away. * The defence is based on the revelations I m these letters. 1 Wilde was subjected to a stringent I cross-examination with a view of showing that " Dorian Grey " and some articles m the magazine Chameleon with which he is connected, are of an immoral tendency. Wilde insisted that they are merely expressions of the artistic faculty. His letters to Lord Douglas were prose poems; extraordinary, perhftpß, but not justifying an immoral interpretation. He admitted that he gave one of his alleged blackmailers £25 and lunched with him m a private room afterwards. The case was adjourned and defendant admitted to bail. TH« GOLINTRAVE. The Inspector of tha Board of. Trade, after a preliminary enquiry into the loss of the Colintrave from Newcastle to San Francisco; reports that he is unable to account for her loss. FIRING ON A BRITISH STEAMER. News has been received that a Spanish cruiser fired upou and boarded the British steamer Ethelred off Cuba. -THE HONv MR.WARD. ....... April 4. The Hon J.G. Ward urged Lord Ripon to recognise New Zealand's claims to the administration of Samoa. Lord Ripon answered that the treaty with Germany and the United States precluded a change at present. Mr Ward urged that England should subsidise the Vancouver and San Francisco services, which together would supply a fortnightly mail, and pressed the claims of the Pacific cable to a subsidy. Lord Ripon was personally favourable, and suggested that Mr Ward should see' the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Postmaster-General on the subject. He thought that Lord Jersey's report required careful weighing The Oamaru bond-holders saw Mr Ward, and urged that the Government should consolidate all the bonds and guarantee 3£ per cent, interest instead of the present rate. Mr Ward replied that a guarantee "Was impossible, but he offered to facilitate consolidation and allow the Government debt to rank with other creditors at a reduced interest. He urged the bond-holders to submit a sound scheme. ; The shareholders of |he Bank of New Zealand asked Mr Ward for an assurance that ho fresh call would be made. Mr Ward refused to give a pledge on the subject, but expressed a strong opinion that no further call was necessary or likely. The shareholders expressed i gratification at the frankness with which ' they were met. Mr Ward returns at the end of May. GOVERNOR OF NEW SOUTH WALES. Sir H. Loch is regarded as certain to be appointed Governor of New South Wales, unless the salary is reduced. JABEZ BALFOUR. JBubnoS Ayres, April 4. Balfour has left Salta for Buenbs Ayres m custody. CHITRAL. Calcutta, April 4. The Chitral expedition is experiencing great difficulty with the transport service owing to the roughness of the country, and the rapid rate at which the troops are marching, they are advancing at top speed. The Second and Third Brigades stormed the Malakund Pass, and after five hours' fighting the Scottish Borderers dashed boldly at the enemy, who numbered 12,000, and they retreated with heavy loss. The British casualties rere slight. . The advanced brigades have now crossed into Swat. (Special to Press Association.) THE UPPER NILE. London, April 4. The Standard's Berlin correspondent says that it is believed there that France intends to seize the Upper Nile country as a hostage for the evacuation of Egypt. THE LEAMINGTON SEAT. The Standard says that Mr Nelson's withdrawal from the Leamington seat is an instance of Mr Chamberlain's dictation, which is weakening the Unionist alliance throughout the country. NEW GUINEA. Sir J. Macgregor sailß for New Guinea on April 10th. LORD BRASSEY. Lord Brassey, addressing the naval architects, said that the war m the east showed the value of armour-protected guns and quick-firing weapons. Great Britain would be unable to combat two powers at sea through the want of medium-sized battleships. Five of these would only cost as much as three of the first-class, and they would have to be of the same speed and coal capacity. THE WILDE CASE. Oscar Wilde explained the effusive language of the letters addressed to Lord Douglas as a natural expression of an artist attracted by a beautiful personalty ; that the Marquis of Queensberry visited his residence and threatened Wilde, to which that gentleman responded with "you are the most infamous brute m London." SOUTH AUSTRALIA, As the South Australian AgentGeneral's office will m future do the work, the Agent-General has informed Glyn, Mills & Co. that they will not be required to inscribe stock. This will save the colony £2000 per annum. Lord Kensington is mentioned for the Governorship of Soutli Australia. AMERICAN FINANCE. Washington, April 4. The American deficit for the year is estimated at 8,000,000 dollars. THE BRITISH IN EGYPT. Cairo. April 4. Nubar Pasha informed an interviewer that the British were absolute masters of Egypt, and if they evacuated the country it would be necessary to replace them by other Europeans. LOYAL NATIVES. Calcutta, April 4. Nine hundred natives marched to Gilgit and offered their services to the British authorities. BURMAH. Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Chief Commiasioner at Burm'ah, speaking at Ban-

goon, said that Burmah was being dragged into the vortex of European " politics. His successors would soon have problems to solve equal to those ' presented m North-west India. THE BEHRING SEA DISPUTE. Ottawa, April 4. The Canadian Government protest vigorously against the American pro- ; posal for an international conference on \ the Behring Sea fisheries as subversive ] of the award of the arbitration court at ; Paris. (