LATEST FROM EUROPE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 2, Issue 272, 18 February 1881, Page 2

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

(Per Reuter's Agency.) Money and Leather. London, Feb. 15. The market rate of discount has been reduced to 3 per cent. ; the Bank rate remains at percent. Best Australian leather is quoted at n^d. Opening of the Wool Sales. The opening catalogue at the wool sale to-day comprised 2,100 bales. There was a good attendance of home and foreign buyers, and the demand was fair, but prices were, as compared with the closing rates of last sales, fully one half-penny lower for greasy and one penny lowerforscouredwools. The total arrivals for the auction amount to 310,000 bales, and the probable quantity to be offered is 300,000. Mr. Parnell Interviews Rochfort and Victor Hugo. Feb. 16. The belief which has existed that Mr. Parnell had gone to Paris is now confirmed. He has been in that city for the past week, and has visited Rochfort and Victor Hugo, and had lengthy interviews with them. In the Gay Capital. Stephens, the former Fenian head centre, is now at Paris. Tampering with Letters. In the House of Commons last night, the Home Secretary, Sir William Vernon Harcourt, in reply to a question, made a statement, in the course of which he virtually admitted that letters suspected to contain treasonable correspondence had been opened in transit through the post. The statement gave rise to a lengthy discussion in the House, and the press generally refer to the matter at length in their leading articles, various opinions being expressed as to the action of the Government.

Christians and Turks. News have been received from Beyrout, in Syria, that troubles have arisen between the Christians and Turks, and several conflicts have taken place, resulting in loss of life on both sides. Urged to Resist. Mr. Parnell has addressed a letter to the League at Dublin, in which he urges the members to maintain a passive attitude of resistance to the coercive measures proposed to be adopted by the Government in Ireland, and moreover to use every means to foster the agrarian agitation of the masses, not only in Ireland but throughout Great Britain. The Boer’s Proposal. The Daily News , to-day, publishes a paragraph stating that the Government have received telegrams from Sir G. Colley containing proposals for peace by the Boers. The Daily News adds that the proposals are now being discussed in the Cabinet. Cutting the Wires. Capetown, Feb. 16. News comes to hand from Natal that the telegraphic wires between Newcastle and Durban have been cut by the Boers in several places. No communication, therefore, has lately been received from Sir George Colley, at Ingogo. Dutch-American Sympathy with the Boers. New York, Feb. 16. A number of Dutch-Americans residing here and in other of the States are agitating with a view to sending assistance to the Boers in their efforts to obtain their independence in the Transvaal. Satisfactory. Berlin, Feb. 17. The German Parliament was opened to-day by the Emperor, who, in his speech on the occasion, strongly affirmed the fact that a general agreement exists among the Great Powers to use every possible effort for the maintenance of European peace.