GENERAL SUMMARY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6886, 23 June 1890, Page 4

GENERAL SUMMARY.

A stone was thrown into the court-yard of Marlborough House on Saturday, May 24, wrapped in a pieco of paper bearing tho wordß, " Give us bread;" " You would reign," and signed, "Thousands of strong Englishmen." j Leopold, E"ing of Belgium, went to I Balmoral on the anniversary of the Queen' 3 ! birthday, and presented Her Majesty with a large bouquet three feet in diameter, composed of mauve-coloured orchids. The English market waa reported on May 21 to be glutted with beef. Seven hundred cattle awaited slaughter at Deptford. American steamers had. abandoned cattle-carrying charters. TV. S. Gilbert, theplaywright.basseceded from literary partnership with. Sir Arthur Sullivan and dOyly Carte, after a violent altercation, induced by Mr Carto'a financial methods. He will probably col-( laborato with Arbhur Cellier, while Sir Arthur Sullivan will work in conjunction with George A. Sioiins. In London, on May 14, the betrothal of the Marquis de Leuville and Mrs Frank Leslie, widow of the proprietor of Leslie's illustrated newspaper, was formally announced. A successful experiment with electricity for tanning hides was made at Bermondsey, London, on May 14. The time required for the process is five daya. There nro many conflicting stories as to Mr Parnell's defence in the divorce case. One prevalent report is that he will not defend the case, and that the upshot of the affair will be that be will marry Mrs O'Shea. Emm Pasha, previous to his re-entering Africa, invested his private funds in a plantation at Bagamoyo, with the object of cultivating cotton and other products. The investment represents the savings of many years.. fc It was bruited in political circles on May 10 that Mr Gladstone would probably sacrifice his own hopes of returning to power by joining Lord Salisbury in the effort to make a Land Purchase Bill that will bo acceptable to Ireland, and secure for it the support of the Liberal Party. At the bankers' dinner at the Hotel Metropole, London, on May 14, Mr Henry Chaplin, President of the Board of Agriculture — a member of the Cabinet—said that, owing to the action of the United States, silver had begun to rise, but whether it will continue the upward tendency or not depended upon the fate of the Silver Bill in Congress. "We will," he said, " watch the progress of the Bill with interest, and for my part and for my colleagues in the gold and silver commission I hope it will become law, with free coinage. In the past the two metals were practically steady up to 1873, and I believe with free coinage now a like result will follow."