Continental.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2999, 25 September 1878, Page 2

Continental.

The Austrian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been resisted by armed forces, which have caused serious losses but for which the Port© disclaims responsibility, as equal animosity hat been displayed towards Turkish officials who hare been expelled from various towns in those provinces. There is reason to fear that there will be further conflicts, as the Mussulman, population are in a rtu-w excited state. ' . . y. In Germany attention has been prineipa ly directed to the negotiations pending between Pr luee Bismarck and the VatiiaS for the vrangementof peadingdiffereneet hut it is averted that the PapaVdemand,' rrd? y r^d hat " *«"™ The elections in Hungary hare been

fiercely contested, and the Premier, Herr Tioza, has been defeated at Debreczin. It is, however, believed that the Government will obtain a majority. In France public atention soems to be confined to the Paris Exhibition, which attracts daily throngs of visitors.

Accbunts from Athens represent a quieter feeling as prevalent in Greece, and the existence of a general desire to await the intervention of Great Britain and France with the Porte in respect of the rectification of frontiers.

It is reported lrom Bulgaria that Russian agents are urging upon the people to elect Prince Louis of Eatienburg as their future Prince.

There is considerable suspicion felt in India with respect to the Busti'an movements towavds the Afghanistan border. The latest leleg *aras from Calcutta give a more favouraWe recount of the weather and of the grow'ng crops. Berlin, Aug. 2.—The Socialistv votes polled in Hamburg amount to 30,000; Altona, 12,000; Kiel, 7000; "Berlin, nearly 50,000; Breslau, 12.C00 ; Dresden, l$,000; Leipsic, 14,000; Elberfeld, U&000; Niir.nberg, 10,000; Hanover, 6500; Bnmnwick, 6500; Frankfort, 40C0; Stuttgart, 4000; Cologne, 20C0; Offenbach, 5200; Greiz, 2500; Konigsberg, 11CD., All these figures largely exceed ' the Socialist votes of 1877.

Aug.3.—-For the first time cince 1870 a number of German officers, headed by Major-General Loe, will attend the French manceuvres this year. French officers hare accepted corresponding invitations from the German Government for the last two or-three years. Laenaca, Cypbtts,- Aug. 6. — This being the birthday of the Duke of Edinburgh a Eoyal salute was fired by the whole Fleet, which was dressed with flags. At 6 o'clock this evening, too, a review of 3000 troops, half Indian, half British, was held.

Buchabest, Aug. 8. —A terrible explosion of dynamite took place yesterday at Fratesti, near Giurgevo. A number of Eussian soldiers were loading a railway waggon with boxes of dynamite taken from a neighbouring magazine, .when one of the boxes fell to the earth and exploded, setting off at the same time the remaining boxes in the waggon. The effects of the explosion were terriffic. Fifty soldiers were killed and 35 wounded, some of them dangerously. Six railway waggons were blown to atoms and the station was shattered.

Constantinople, Aug. B.—The Ottoman authorities request an absolute contradiction of the constantly forwarded reports of the supercession of General Baker. The idea was never entertained.

The reported dismissal of English officers from the Turkish service is equally unfounded.

". Pabis, Aug. B.—The Journal des Debats, which since the'termination of the Congress has recovered the good sense marking its previous Eastern policy, and consequently all the brilliancy of style with which that policy was advocated by it, contains in its first leading article to-day the following trenchant passage respectfng the last debate in the English Parliament :—" Mr Gladstone's policy—it is to be believed, for he says so—was to come to an understanding with Eussia and act in conjunction with her. A strange policy 1 Does Mr Gladstone imagine that this Bort of connection of two personsEngland and Eussia—moving each other to pity over the sufferings of the Bulgarians and other Christians of the East would have wound up with perfect accord between them P We understand tp a certain extent the Due Pecazes thinking that France and Eussia were made for each other, and that a common feeling must direct their actions; but on the part of Mr Gladstone,' ah Englishman, the simplicity of such an illusion really surpasses comprehension. It is curious, the spectacle of these two men, Lord Beaconstield and Mr Gladstone. The one has written novels and relieved hit imagination on paper; the other, who has.passed his life in the study of political economy and material interests, gives himself up in his old age to theological mysticism, to humanitarian conceptions, and to fanciful diplomacy."

(PBOM THE HpME NEWS.)

In reference to the sudden death of Mr William Purdy, manager of the Bank of South Australia, feir K. R. Torrens, the chairman of the bank, in reply to the coroner at the inquest, stated that he bad most carefully examined the securities and accounts of the deceased gentleman, and found everything regular and in perfect order. No censure of any kind had been passed upon Mr Purdy by the directors. A loss had been sustained by the bank, but not of such, magnitude as to occasion any serious anxiety, and Mr Purdy was fully exonerated from blame in that matter, as it had occurred through fraud such as could hardly be guarded against. He knew of nothing that should so disturb the nerves or mind of his deceased friend as to lead him to commit suictft2. ' Tie I annual general meeting of the New Zealand Trust and Loan Company (Limited) was held on July 24, at the officeß, King William street, E.C., Sir Charles Clifford, the chairman, presiding. The reports stated that the profits of the past year had enabled the directors to make an addition of £8000 to the reserve fund, raising it to £55,000. Allowing for this appropriation, and also for the £6000 apportioned for dividends in January last, there remained a balance of undivided profits of £6706, out of which they recommended that the usual dividend of 5s per share and an extra dividend of Is per sharo, both tax free—making 12 per cent, for the year—should be now declared on the ordinary shares, and that the remainder, £706, should be carried forward. The chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, said that since their last meeting they had been going on very prosperously, for they had increased their business, they had sustained no losses, and there were not arrears of interest. The reserve fund would now stand at rath?r more than half of the company's ordinary share capital. They were in asoundposition, and were steadily progressing. With regard to the future, there was an increased demand for money jin the colony, owing to the large purfebases of land from the Crown. The (report was unanimously adopted, and the / dividend recommended having been dej clared, the retiring directors and auditors ( wore re-elected. - / Obituaby oh the Month. —Capt. Sir / G-. Biddlecome, it.N., C.8.; Admiral Sir ' H. It. Xelrerton, G.G.8.; Mrs Julia Cecilia Stretton; E. C. Middleton, J.P. and D.L. for Leicester; W. F. White, J.P. and D.L; for Middlesex; EoarAdmiral.P. A. Helpman ; Dr Wilkinson, Pres. Brit. Med. Assoc. ; W. Pnrdy (Bank of South Australia); Lady Par-

ker; The Hon. C. A. Berkeley ; RearAdmiral A. H. G.-u.iiior. 0.15. ; Lady Dalling and Bulwer ; Vis.-ount Chelsea ; Lord Dynevor; Sir. >'. Mn'm waring, Bart.; the Hon. Catherine Maud tipenccr Churchill; The Hon. Mary Kliza Hniuiker; J.-U. Mayor of Bedford; Sir John Ennis, Bart.