MAIL ITEMS.

Thames Star, Volume XIX, Issue 5656, 14 March 1887, Page 2

MAIL ITEMS.

The steamer Blair Athol foundered in the Black Sea on January 30th. Twenty persons were drowned. The West London Commercial Bank failed on February Bth. The concern did a small business, consisting * mostly of loans to tradesmen. The stock market opened weak in London on Jan. 29, under the influence of a tremendous war scare, and holders sold large amounts of stock—about 75,000 shares in aggregate. A sharp rally followed on the sober second thought that the alarm was groundless. On January 31st Baron Denman moved, in the House of Lords, the second reading of Women's Suffrage Bill. On, the motion of the Marquis of' Salisbury, Denham's motion was rejected without a division. Two Masonic Lodges in New York, the Prudence and the Palestine Chapter, were suspended from their functions oa Feb. 13, by the Grand Master, for admitting improper characters to membership. Father F. C. Jean, Komani: Catholic priest of St. James' parish' at Lyons (Iowa), who was deposed by Bishop Hennessy about 15yeaisapo, sued his diocesan for damages, and on February 3rd raeov. ered §100,000. By a report made on February Ist tbe total national debt of the United States including interest, is 1731,1«3,763d015! The decrease of debt during the month of January, 1887, was 9,515,636d015. The Supreme Court of Missouri granted on January 31st, to H. M. Brooks, alias Maxwell, a reprieve until April Ist next. Brooks is in prison at St. Louis, and was ordered to be executed on February 3rd The possibility of war with Great Britain on the fisheries question h as led to an in* vestigation into the condition of the forts and other defences on the New York frontier facing Canada. The forts are Fonnd to be in a most dilapidated condition, and what war vessels there are on the great lakes are rotten old tubs that a single well-directed shot would sink. The army estimates of tha British Government this year will include funds for the new repeating rifle, the defence of home ports, and the equipment of sub., marine mining corps for the Clyde, Tyne. Mersey Tay, and Severn rivers, and Belfast Bay. The War and Navy Departments will thus be enabled to make a concerted defence i Q the emergency of s [ sudden attack on any of the above ports. It has been decided to adopt the LeeAmerican n£e far the use of the British army, The latep/c reports from the Panama Uual are to the effect that the work is not being proceeded with vigorously at present, owing to a lack of laborers. The first dredger is 16 miles inland from Aspinwall, on the Atlantic, but the channel will have to be widened to twice its present capacity. Ground is broken from ocean to ocean, and men are working at intervals along the entire survey. The heaviest and only cut of moment is at Zulebra* which .s about 11 miles in extent, and when finished will be about 367 feet below the surface. This cut begins 9£ miles from Panama, and is about ono-quarUr fimsbed. f«^*»»-