English News.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 91, 6 April 1876, Page 6

English News.

Twenty-two more Garibaldians hrive been arrested at Castle Mariva, 'while endeavouring to 'join tire Herzegdvin-< ians. There are at the present time no less I than twenty-two vessels belonging* to the Royal Navy occupied as ships, for training* schools. Don Carlos has asked France for hospitality. He informed General Poncet, commanding* at Bayonne, that he would enter France this morning* by the bridge of Arnequy. The Marl of Crawford has in the press a metrical tnlo, entitled, "Argo; ov, the Guest of the Golden Fleece." It will ba in ten books, and will be published by Mr Murray. Nearly 15,000 persons were employed during* the late Imperial obsequies at Pekin in taking* the two Imperial coffins to the grave. The Government paid each man 31 -J- cents. The fourteen Savings Banks of San Francisco have now 71,120 depositors, and deposits amounting* to 56,297,(308 in gold. This is an average of 793 dols. to each depositor. j Samson Eosenblate has been charged with swindling* in the California great four-mile and repeat race at San Francisco, for a purse of 10,000d015., g*iven by the Pacific Jockey Club. . At Dartmoor ninety-five convicts are said to have made considerable progress in French, German, Spanish, and Latin during* their incarceration, and when libei'ated will be able to take their degrees. They don't tolerate unsociability in Texas. Levi Zeal was fatally shot at Wills Point, in that State, recently. Zeal had refused to contribute money towfti'd paying* the expenses of a dancing* party.

By a tornado in Princeton, Indiana, over fifty houses were demolished, and fifty more injured. Eight p.-rsons were injured, and four mortally. In the break of the storm it was impossible to trace the line of the streets.

Philadelphia says she has discovered a woman over lUO years old within her own limits. This looks a good deal like a mean attempt to discourage other parts of the country from sending their centennarians to the Centennial. A Paris correspondent of the ' Times ' says it is thought that King Alfonso j will very soon issue a proclamation to [ the nation to give thanks for peace, then he will return to Madrid, where he will make a solemn entry. The married women of a town in Indiana have formed a " Protective Union," the obeject being to assist each other in procuring* divorces when in the opinion of the Union such action becomes necessary in the case of any member. The • Times' Paris despatch says a strange rumour is circulated, that some Carlists recently mitei-ad French territory, mistook French soldiers for Alfonsists, and fired en thorn. The French replied, and an engagement lasted ten minutes ; one of the French soldiers was killed. It was rumored when the mail left that the Khedive was negotiating for the sale of Egypt's remaining shares in the Sue/, Canal to the Government of Great Britain ; and M. De Lesseps, representing a combination of French capitalists, had arrived. The latter had offered L 9,000,000 for the shares.

The daughter ofthe Duke of Alba, a niece of the Empress Eugenic, who recently married the Duke de Medina Cobli, said to be the richest man in Spain, had among her bridal trosseau a dozen handkerchiefs that cost £260 apiece. These handkerchiefs were, of course, very frail, and ought to have been embroidered with the precautionary legend, ,{ Blow your nose carefully."

The New Year's receptions in the United States have led to a novel but somewhat useful custom. Most journals of the provincial towns contain on the previous day a list" of the latties who will be at home for the receptions, while in another column i*re the names of those who are prevented from receiving* by sickness, absence, domestic affliction, etc. This prevents a great loss of time and trouble to those whose acquaintance is numerous.

The Liverpool Shipowners' Association have complained to tbe Board of Trade of the harassing effects of recent legislation. They state that in Liver•pool overloading and unseaworthiness, with the intention of losing ships to recover the insurance, are almost unknown. They disapprove of a hard-and-fast load-line, and object to the Government survey of unclassed ships except in a limited degree. They attribute a large proportion of the losses at sea to incompetent seamen, and reoom-

mend a certificate of competency and at] least, four/ years' service for an able seam'aj?!,/ ; A sensational story was lately published 'in; German newspapers.. An officer in. the , German 1 mperial Foot - Guards 4s suid to "have received a challenge from Paris' in which thirty officers of his regiment are*: -bidden to do battle with an equal number of Frenchmen. The German Government considered the matter of sufficient importance to justify the demand for an explanation addressed by its ambassador to . the French authorities ofthe French capital. Finally, it turned out that such-chal-lenge had been really sent, .but that its sender was not a French officer, and that the insane act was repudiated by French military officers. ; . ? y ■••,"., A late learned and eloquent Bishop was very anxious to convert a^Parsee Who was making some stay in London, and meeting him on an occasion favorable fbr private conversation, he opened an attack upon his peculiar tenets. " I cannot think," said he, **•** how any man of intelligence and education, whose mind has been enlarged by travel and association with men of different opinions, can worship a created object, such as the sun." " Oh, u\y lord Bishop," returned the Parsee, who had not been fortunate in the weather since his arrival in the country, "you should see it ; you have no idea what a glorious object it is." The following extract from a communication in the ' Chicago Tribune ' lends to the conclusion that vivisection has powerful charms for some of the women in that city :-•-" . -. . But when a class of women can sit for several hours calmly watching the agonies of half a dozen poisoned rabbits ; when a girl in her twenties cheerfully con tributes a cat to the i cause of science,' because she wants to see how the blood will .look under the microscope when it has been poisoned ; when a teacher requests her pupils to ' prehend' any material that may come in their way, and the law students declare themselves ready to so ' prebend ' any 1 pet clog or kitten that may stray into their daily path, it would seem that the whole question needs to be reopened."

A Prescott (Arizona) man has invented a dry washing- machine which will likely prove a success. . The principle upon whicli it works is something like the old-fashioned wheat fan, so far as the sieves and shaking-shoes are concerned, but the blast is from a bellows, nnd is forced up through several thicknesses of canvas, the top one of which is provided with ripples, and catches the gold from the dirt as it passes over. The machine has a capacity of thrae tons an hour, and requires the services of six men to work it — four at the machine -and two to prepare the dirt,* which requires to be run through a coarse screen .before it goes to the machine. It concentrates a ton of earth to about lOlbs, which, in ordinary ground, is chiefly black sand and gold, which will bear transportation any distance to water, where it can be panned or quicksilvered.

A great bank robbery was committed at Baker's Field on February 18th. Cashier Lansing said that while puttin°* the books into the safes, he went to attend to a knock at the door, when a man entered and knocked him down with a club, and then stole 27,000 dols. Chief Ellis was notified, and at once despatched detectives to the scene of the robbery. Within a short time they discovered that Lansing was the true thief, ancl arrested him for the theft. Lansing then made a clean breast of nffuir, and told the officers where to look for the fun :ls. Eight thousand dollars were found concealed in an outhouse, and the remainder had been secreted in the walls of the bank. A hole had been cat in the wall-paper and the money dropped down. The hole was then concealed by hangino* a picture over it. The cashier was arrested, and all the money recovered to the extent of 20,000 dollars.

A horrible tragedy occurred in Warren County. Three families, named Howery, Dillard, ancl Westfall have for several years been engaged in feud caused by location of roads, fences, &cThe Howery party, consisting of father, two sons, and hired man named Groom, Westfall's party of two, and Dillard's party of three, had been to church, and on the way home the old quarrel was renewed, when a general fight ensued, in which revolvers, bricks, stones, slung shots, knuckles, and knives were used. Twenty shots were fired. The Howery party were unarmed. The fight lasted twenty minutes. David Howery, the father, was shot in the upper lip and left ear and stabbed over the left eye. George, his son, was stabbed and fell dead on the field. John, another son, was stabbed and fell dead after g*oing about 40 rods. James Groom, laborer for Howery, was stabbed -in the right lung, breast, and back. The Westfall and Dillard's party were all armed. After the battle the victors went to Dillard's 'house and remained until arrested and lodged in gaol.

•How old was Mr Disraeli last birthday? All accepted authorities fix his age at ?0, but in the Table Talk of the '' Gentleman's Magazine/ an authority is quoted to shew that the Premier .was born on the 21st December, 1804. . In the previous issue of the magazine there was printed a copy of the register of the baptism of the Premier, which showed that he was christened m the parish- church of St. Andrew, Ffolborn ;

on the 31st July, 1817, He is described as the son of isaak D-Tsraeli, gentleman, and of Maria his wife, living* in Kings-road. In the register book, under the column for the dato of birth, is written. * Said to be about 12 years old,' indicating that even at this early age the date of the illustrious infant's birth was wrapped in Egyptian darkness. Looking at Mr Disraeli with the object of guessing his age, we would say he was 75, and after a late night in the House of Commons looking fully four score.

Rats, it is said, (writes a contributor to a Home paper,) fly from a sinking* ship, but not) unhappily, from a dyinglion. A curious instance of this occurred the other day in the Zoological * Gardens of Dublin. The Sotith African lion :{ who is the lion of the exhibition) fell very ill, and was grievously tormented by rats. When in health he took no notice of them j the great carnivora never do, as your readers may notice in any wild-beast show, where the little creatures come in and out at will, and gnaw the remnants of their majesties' dinners. But when the lion grew ill, the rats began to nibble his toes. Imagine their impudence ! In this strait the committee of the gardens sent for a black and- tan terrier, and put him in the cage.* At first the lion roared at him, but directly he saw the way in which he polished off his first rat he took him literally to his bosom, He coaxed him. to his side, folded his paw around him, and every night he watched in that royal embrace for his majesty's persecutors. Indeed, now the lion is dead, it is said that the small terrier goes about boasting that his noble friend died in his arms.

Assuredly, says an American paper, the English press cannot be accused of slavish adulation to nobility. It spares no ono, not oven her Majesty's son-in-law, the Marquis of Lome, who has recently written a poem entitled v Cuido and Lita." That poem must by this have occasioned his lordship many a bitter quarter of an hour. The 'Saturday Review' snappishly asserts that " its artificial neatness marks real slovenliness." ' Punch,' more facetious, is even more severe, and the only English paper which finds a kind word for the literary production of the son-in-law of Queen Victoria is the ' Pall Mall/ and even it is very sparing of its praises. The press of this country, on the other hand, has universally treated Lord Lome's poem with the utmost tenderness and respect, and tried its hardest to point, out its beauties, and to make the public believe it worthy of admiration. Distance seems to " lend enchantment to the view" of noble poetasters in the eyes of republican crivics.

I A man was recently pardoned from the Charleston (Mass.) State " Prison, after serving* almost eight years of a lite sentence, for a crime which he never committed. This was Moses B.Wheeler convicted of arson in February, 18G6, on the testimony of his sister and her husband, who said they saw him fire a house in Brighton, occupied by a widow, and against his own oath and the testimony of the widow herself who declared that Wheeler saved her house from burning, the actual damage the building sustained being 30 dols. Two years after Wheeler's entrance upon his life imprisonment, the sister who bad condemned him to it died of smalLpox. On the day before her death ehe confessed to another sister, in an agony of remorse, that she had perjured herself at that trial at the bidding of others, ancl for tbe purpose of getting her brother out of the way. Before a legal deposition could be obtained, she was too far gone to give it. The motive for this unnatural conduct was at the outset explained by Wheeler to be that he was charged by a brother who had died in battle by his side, to see that their mother had his property,and when he returned home he found it claimed by his sister on the strength ofa forged letter purporting to be from the dead brother. Be the motive what it may, she ancl her husband had actually put lii;n out of the way by perjury. Wheeler has made incessant efforts since to have his sentence revoked, aud at last succeeds. It is a consideration that might well &*ive a pause to the zealous advocates of capital punishment, that this discovery of innocence is liable to be paralleled after a man is hanged.