NEWS BY THE SUEZ MAIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 2629, 28 August 1876, Page 3

NEWS BY THE SUEZ MAIL.

GENERAL SUMMARY.

July 7. Mr Peter Taylor's motion for tho abolition of flogging in tho navy was negatived by 120 votes to 62.

The theatrical season is dosing. Signer Rossi had his benefit at Drury Lano on June 21, Mr Irving at the Lyceum on Juno 24, and Charles Mathows at the Gaiety on Juno 22. These aotors will not re-appear on tho London stago till winter.

The eduoation question bas oomo to the front again in Lord Sandon's Hlemontary Bill, whioh has oomo down to tho Lower House. There is groat opposition to tho Bill, as tending to strengthen the asoondanoy of tho olergy, but after undergoing some slight, modifications in Committee, it will bo forced through by tho overwhelming Conservative majority. Tho sooond reading was passed by 856 votos to 78.

Mr Gross has introduced a Prisoners' Bill, whioh is bo revolutionary in its tondenoy that it) has roused tho indignation of oountry gontlemon. It provides for centralisation in our prison system, an economy of oxpenso, and a diminution of unpaid magistrates.

Sunday, June 18, was observed as Hospital Sunday. The Bums forwarded to the Lord Mayor amount to £25,000.

Tho last serios of experiments at Shoeburyness with tho 38-ton gun aro highly satisfactory, and this gun, tho heaviest afloat, may bo confidently trusted to do tho work required of it. It oan bo worked rapidly at a long range, and with aoouraoy. It has a wonderful power of onduranoo. Two army corps ftro boing mobilised, with headquarters at Aldorshott and Salisbury. This is the first attempt to give praotioaleffeob to the army mobilisation sohome. A .oromation oongross held at Dresden, on Juno 6 and 7, was very scantily attended. All tho Gorman Governments exoopt that of Saxo Gotha aro opposed to oromation. A staff of French engineers aro now ongagod taking soundings in English waters for tho proposed Channel Tunnel. Mr Maokonzio, with the members of tho expedition organised for tho purpose of inquiring into tho feasibility of admitting tho waters of the Atlantic into tho Desert of Sahara, have loft Liverpool for tho north- wost coast of Afrioa.

Several fatal explosions are among the tragodioe of tho month. On Juno 22 six mon wore killed, and a aovcnth seriously mutilated, by tho explosion of dynamite in a blacksmith's shop at Hamilton, near Glasgow. Six mon perished by an explosion in tho workings at Birloy oolliery, near Sheffield. By an explosion of gas in Messrs Nuoeoy and Oo's foundry, Leeds, the building was wrecked and other damage done. By the ignition of coal gas on board tho barque Atalanta, ladon with 1500 tonß of stoam ooal, six of tho crew were blown into the air and killed, and others seriously injured. Houses were shaken at two miles distant from Fenarth Dook. By a i torpedo explosion at Portsmouth, one atten-

dant was killed, and tho engineer in charge of the machinery was mutilated. The aooidont occurred on board tho torpedo ship Vesuvius. At Kirkouldy, 31 persons have been fined for oookflghting. During' Whitsun week, in different parts of Windermoro, large parties of polioe were ongagod in trying to prevent this brutal pastime, and numerous combats took plaoo. Tho Prinoo ef Walos reviewed 80,000 Voluntoera in Hyde Park on July 1. Tho orowd wan enormous.

Ho has proroiflod £500 towards tho fund for establishing a Cornish bishopric A strong memorial from Barbadoos, adverso to Governor Hennoasy, has been presented to tho Colonial Office. Tho Houso of Assembly petition for a Royal Commission and the Governor's recall. All rioting has oeasod, but considerable restlessness exists amongst tho labourovo. Tho gaols aro crowded with prisoners awaiting trial. In the dispute between masters and men at Durham, 20,000 men have voted for arbitration and 16,000 for a strike. Messrs Cruwshay have given notice of rod uo tion, whioh will bring tho wages of iron-workers 10 per oont below tho standard of 25 years ago. Earl Fitzwilliam hrn vo- opened tho colliery near JJothorhuru, oloaod 12 months ago, the men having aooodod to his terms. Mr Maodonald, in a letter to tho minors' ngont for North Staffordshire, draws a gloomy pioture of tho prospects of tho Irado, and exhorts tho men to acoopt tho employers' terms, and by no means to strike The great works at Saltairo, employ* ing 3000 men, wore oloeod for a week, owing to a striko of weavers against areduotion of 10 por cent. In the cotton and linon factories generally tho operatives are working on short time. Tho striko and look-out of Bristol houso painter* and decorators terminated on July 17, aftor seven week's duration. Tho labourers employed in tho building trades throughout the oountry, numbering about 200,000, havo deoidod on a eohomo of fedoration, to bo discussed at a great delegate congress in London on August 7. On Juno 28, without previouo notice, tho compositors and printoro of moat of tho Berlin newspapers struck.

On Juno 16 a monster petition, signed by 12,000 portions, praying that no furthor grants bo made for tho members of the Royal Family until somo explanation had been afforded of tho present income, was presented by Mrßurt and Mr Maodonald, amid muoh ironical laughter, The enormous roll rosombled a bale of cotton goods.

Tho deoeased wife's sister law in relation to the colonies continues to be agitated, writers pointing out tho anomaly of marriages sanctioned in Auutralitt not being recognised at Homo.

Mr Ghildors has written to The Times denying that he agrees with Sir C. Adderley'fl views on tho subject of Imperial legislation controlling colonial shipping. ■ Ho upholds tho colonial view.

This has boon a busy mouth with tho Royal Colonial Institute On Juno 13 Lieutenant Cameron gavo an address on African colonisation, and croat cd a storm of remonstrances by abusing tho missionaries. On Juno 20 Mr Fallon road a paper on Australian wines, and brought the chemists and Custom-house experts about his oars. On June 28 tho annual conversazione took plaoo at South Kensington Museum, at whioh 700 persons wore prosent } and on Juno 30 the annual mooting was held, whioh oloaed tho sosflion.

The matoh, Oambridgo v. Oxford, was oommenood on Ji no 26, at. Lord's, and lasted for threo days. Gambridgo finally won by nino wiokets. Kanh Univoreity has now won twenty* ono matoheu.

On Juno 24 a tovriblo railway disaster happened in Spain. Tho mail train ran off tho lino at Tarrega, in Catalonia, killing 17 porsons and injuring 37 othortt.

On July 1 ft frightful oollision ooourred on tho Metropolitan Railway, in whioh 40 porsons were injured.

By tho death of Misa Martinoau England has lout one of tho ablest women of tho last generation of writors. A remarkable autobiography appeared tho day aftor hoy death in tho Daily News, for whioh it had been oxprossly' written 21 years boforo, whon sho was anticipating hor early decease. Her work was then roaUy dono, but she lived to falsify all tho predictions of tho dootors.

Mr E, P. Kingston, well-known in dramatio cirolos, and aleo on aooount of his oonnootion with Arterauß Ward, is dead.

Thero havo boon important donates in both Houses of Parliament on tho foreign polioy of England, whioh has not yot boon oxplioitly stated by Her Majesty's Ministers. Generally, howevor, it is understood, that while determined to protect Turkey against dismemborment by any foreign power, England would not interfere to help her against hor own revolted dependencies. In tho House of Commons, on Tuesday, Juno 27, Mr Bourko fiaid, in roply to a question from Sir Charles Dilko, that a commission had boon appointed to inquire into the exportation of Chinese ooolios to Cuba, and that when tho report was ready the English Government would carefully consider it with a view to ohooking the barbarities inoidontal to tho traffic.

Tho oaso of the Queen v. Kuhn. tho oaptain of the Franoonia, whioh raises tho question, whothoi 1 a foreigner who runs down a British vessel oloso to our coast, causing tho death of those on board, is anaworablo to our criminal jurisdiction, is still undeoidod.