English News.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 190, 1 March 1878, Page 7

English News.

The present cavlary sword is to be withdrawn and a new one issued with a solid instead of a basket hilt.

A younu* man, while examining some rino-s in a jeweller's shop, snatched up a tray containing So diamond and other rings, ran off, and has not since been

seen

After lasting more than eight months, and costing about L3OOO, the Barnsley Colliery strike has been concluded by the men giving- way and returning* to work.

The Queen has been pleased to confer the honour of knighthood on Andrew Barclay Walker, Esq., late Mayor of Livernool.

Germany is still w oging war against the illegal use of the doctor's title. A "Dr" Harmuth iv Berlin, who received his diploma from Philadelphia, was lately sentenced to pay 300 marks for using the prefix publicly.

James Pearson, a labourer, 26 years of a<>.e, jumped over Dean Bridge, Edinburgh, and was killed on the spot. A man passing at the time made an unsuccessful attempt to prevent him

going over. An elephant, five tigers, and as many apes, have arrived at Marseilles from India, on board the Gialatore steamer They are intended for the Jardin des Plantes.

John Conboy, a resident of Mohil, county Leitrim, for a bet drank six or seven glasses of whisky as fast as tbey could be supplied to him, and died shortly afterwards, his last words being " Vm as drunk as the devil."

Two maiden sisters named Elizabeth* Ham, aged 74 years, and Lucy Ham, 83 years, inmates of the Old Ladies' Home at Portsmouth, N.H., who for 50 years had lived and slept together, died within four days of each other. They were buried together.

English is the Court language of Germany. It is a proud moment when a Briton or an American, visiting the palace, is saluted, with " Dot vas a pooty schplentit morning, ain't it?"— Cincinnati Commercial.

Two men, named George Walker and Thomas Howard, went to an eat-ing-house_ in Sonthgate street, Bath, and procured beds. They then visited several public-houses, and went home inebriated, sleeping in several beds in, the same room.. In the morning, when' Howard awoke, he was terrified *o find, that his companion had strangled himself with a piece of string secured to his bed post. In a book found on the' deceased was tbe following meroorandum : — " This paper, with all others, that are my box at the mill and .railjwayi station, 1 bequeath to the lovliest woman I know. Her name is Betsey Mary Walker, the lawful wife of'hini who makes this declaration. .His name l^tGeor-geAV^alker,!^

i The sumjdrawn at the Livingstone -Memorial Bazaar durinir the thiee days ik Edinburgh was -£3696. : ' Truth' ran nounces that the eldest son of a~ distinguished Conservative peer a'nd* ex-Cabinet Minister has become hopelessly insane. The abattoirs in New York are visited daily by many invalids, who drink the blood of the slaughtered bullocks, which, it is stated, effects miraculous cures of. consumption and a variety of diseases. The Glasgow Chamber of Commerce have adopted a memorial to Lord Salisbury, asking the appointment of a Royal Commission to in quire- in to the causes and remedies of Famines in India.

The Builder gives a view of a new

mansion in course of erection at Bagshot Park, Surrey, for the Duke of nonnaught. The old house, once the resi-

dence of the Dnke of Gloucester, stood in ajow situation, and bavin*.; become much dilapidated has recently been pulled down. Tlie site selected for the new structure is considerably more elevated, and commands an extensive and beautiful view. The house now building is in the Tudor style, which has been preferred to Lombtirdo-Gothic • the materials are red brick and Portland stone The plan is formed so as to admit of future additions when required. A shocking misadventure occurred the other day on the premises of Mr Thompson; chemist and drug-gist, of Sedgley. Two of the assistants were engaged with two acquaintances in the office adjoiningyfhe sale-room, when the youthful son of the proprietor appeared at the door with a double-barrelled gun,

and fired it into their midst, killing one of tbe assistants on the spot. The lad instantly gave vent to his grief and horror, declaring that he did not know

the gun was loaded. It seems that he had been amusing* himself earlier in the day firing off the gun, and put it away unloaded, but one of the assistants reloaded it in his absence and without his knowledge. We hear that proceedings will shortly be instituted against Clara Brown for alleged perjury in the evidence she gave before the coroner and also at the trial of the Stauntons at the Central Criminal Court. The firm of solicitors whom the Stauntons have retained since their conviction for the capital offence of murder have been collecting a mass of testimony with which eventually they hope to establish the entire innocence of their clients. They have already intimated to the shorthand writer to the Treasury that they will require him to give evidence against her, besides several other persons who are to be called. Clara Brown will, however, be defended by the Solicitor to the Treasury, to whose services she will be entitled, baying been a witness for the Crown. Sir Julius Yogel, in a paper in the Nineteenth Century, advocates with great clearness ahd force the reduction

of rates in telegrams in this country,

feeling satisfied that if cheaper they would be more patronised, ami would bring* in larger returns. In so far as we avail ourselves of the telegraph we appear to be more backward at home than our cousins in the colonies. According to Sir Julius, the average of messages sent annually by each unit of the population in England is 0*()34, but in the aggregate of the three colonies it rises to 1279 per head. Nor have we yet adopted the extremely convenient system of money-order telegrams which has been already worked in New Zealand advantageously, and to the manifest benefit of the community, for nearly a couple of years. Some very successful experiments were made with the Telephone on Dec. 1 between Aberdeen and Inverness, a distance of 108 miles. Songs and choruses were distinctly transmitted, and conversation was carried on at times with marvellous distinctness, notwithstanding the weather was unfavourable. The experiments were made with Professor Bell's . instruments. Professor Bell also delivered a lecture on the telephone before the Physical Society of London the same afternoon. In the course of his address he said that 258 miles was the longest distance at which he had carried on conversation, although he had conversed through several thousand miles of wire. He had heard the breathing of a man 149 mile.s off. Within the last few days the telephone has been successfully tried between England, Guernsey, and France. Various reprehensible, practices have j been discovered in the Reformatory for boys at Jamaica. Its superintendent, a minister of the sect of Plymouth Brethren, has been guilty of systematic peculation, accompanied by gross ill treatment of the vvretcbed lads.' ' Tbeir regulated allowance of food was daily misappropriated and.given fp fatten ihe minister's pigs. Goaded by starvation and abject misery, the'' poor little prisoners broke out at length, into open rebellion, and thus the whole business was brought to light. '.Captain Port- ;- lock Dodson, of HerA Majesty's Body Guard, an officer at bhcaf humane and. a strict 'disciplinarian, has-been \, selected to replace the superintendent, and, sails for cTVi riaai ca forth wi th .; Th ere is reason to .fear rthattWest, TpdkVn prison .estab- 1 lishmeiits arehoj*- always above reproach. il^pt ' : many.,.ye3r^.. ! .agb, the gaol accommodation jwas so! .inadequate that: pris6nefs took it in turn to be: in- ' ! ,cafcefated.* i4:n A-ftei* sentence was passed they either remained quietly at hoirie .

■ Over 200 officers have already sent in applications to retire under the new Army scheme.

I According to Mr Stuart. Robson, the popular American actor, all the leading theatrical stars of* the United States' have been, compositors. A

Among other ominous sicrns, we believe that couriers are passing every day between the Elysee and Camden House, Chiselhurst, an activity which can bode no good. — Examiner:

'■ Annie W hire died. at the Leicester Infirmary frominjnriessustained thronsrh her husband throwing* a burning paraffin lamp at her. On beins: examined she was found to have been horribly burnt.

Dr, George Smith, formerly editor of the Friend of India, has undertaken to write the life, of the late Rev. Dr John Wilson, for forty years a rnissionarv of the Established 'Kirtc, and after 1843 of the Free Kirk, of -Scotland in Bombay.

The very latest "Turkish atrocity" is to be seen in Cheapside, where a peripatetic vendor of penny wares is carrying about a tray'ful of "Bulgarian ears," made of flesh-coloured indiarubber, and imitating with frightful fidelity a human ear severed from a human head.

A singular accident has happened to some limestone quarriers. near Sheffield

A steam crane while in use fell over the ed^e of the quarry, a depth of 30 feet, and alighting on a boiler, caused an explosion, and much damage was done.

No one appears to have been hurt, although several narrowly escaped.*

A man named Higgins fell ; into a blast furnace at South Stockton. The blast was at once thrown off, and a powerful current of air forced in, but, the smell which rose proved that the poor fellow's body was being rapidly consumed, and no-t the slightest portion was recovered.

The telephone has been in practical working between Jersey and the French coast. The telegraph cable between the two coasts having been broken, a steamer was chartered to effect the the necessary repairs. During the operation communication was maintained by means of a telephone between the steamer and the Jersey office. ,

A little four- year-old girl being left under the charge of her aunt Sarah, during papa and mamma's tour up the Rhine, proved refractory .the other day, and was put to bed." T)n saying her prayers aunt Sarah was edified by hearing — " Pray, God, hless dear papa, dear mamma, and Aunt Sarah, if you have a mmd to. But ihat don't matter miich !" This is a perfectly true story.,

The Marquis of Lome contemplates crossing the Atlantic next "year. He wants to have some shooting with Lord Dunraven, who has visited America more than once, and written some capital books thereon. Tbey are to shoot moose next summer, and Lord Dunraven has arranged with the Indians of

the district which he. and his companion have selected to build camps for their accommoda t ion.

It is the intention to allow Prince Albert Victor of Wales, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales,- to pass abont two years as. a cadet, on board the Britannia training shin, after which he will proceed to the University, being subsequently appointed to a commission in the army. What branch of the service the young Prince will enter is, as yet, unknown, though it is certain he will- not follow the usual custom, and he gazetted a field officer straight off. A married coup'fi, says the Northern

Whig,: eloped a few days ago to the land of the Far West. Each has been

•married for upwards of- twenty years. The man leaves a wife and five children. The woman, leaves only her husband, who resides at present'in Scotland: He had entrusted herwith 'the sale of a small farm, which she sold at L3O per acre, and when she got the money, fitted out herself and her present choice. She wrote to her friends when leaving Liverpool. Applications has been made to the

Vice-Chancellor Malms to commit to

prison a young gentleman for contempt of court, he having married award in Chancery, aged 19, without applying for the court's consent. His counsel, however, apologised ior the husband's contempt, and offered to settle the wife's money — Ll s,ooo— on . herself, and make any other arrangements the court might direct. Tn consideration of. the* facts that the affair had been known and countenanced by the guardians, and that the young man was suffering from an affection of the. heart, . Sir R. Malms refrained from sending him to prison for contempt of court, and at the same time expressed a wish that marriage by signing a register could be done away, with.

How much barbarism, superstition, and darkness still exist in the world is proven by the fact that five people have been recently, burnt in , Mexico as witches. St. James, a village in Concordeo, was' the scene of the murder. Two individuals^ a mari and a woman, vyere first condemned As soon as the fire reached them, they gave '-notice, of havingspraething.tpj reveal. The flames were then temporarily extinguished, and 'the poor creature's "purchased atbrfef intermission by f ;denpuncing i( three other individuals of their J associktesA^ With as much /speed as- was convenient; those, .they implicated. ivere.captufe^A'ythevpile was re-hgnted, and y-,ffyeA victims i instead of three;^>vereijacrjficisd to a form*;! of superstition wbmbf^ike' some ? other s forms^iß an^^

The revisers of the authorised verison I of the New Testament have carried on ! their* second revision to the closing portion of the first Epistle to St. John. For kissing a young woman agninst her will, James Brannan, a baker at Greenock, has been sentenced to pay a fine of 21s, or suffer five days' imprisonment. Her Majesty the Queen has sent an autograph letter to the Rev. Canon Beadon, rector of North Stoneham, Southampton, congratulating him on having attained on Wednesday last week 100 years of age. A singular freak of nature in the Bufcler County (Pennsylvania) oil region is a well which produces absolutely refined nil. It is as clear as that passed t.hron_rh the retort, and in colour and illuminating properties equal to the best the Standard Company can produce. Besides this, it is perfectly safe, being above the ordinary fire test. The masons' strike continues. Both masters and men decline to give way. Several fiorhts occurred between English and foreign workmen. Eight thousand Northumberland miners were locked out on the \S\Xh instant, refusing to accept the 12-| percent, reduction offered. The iron trad-- 4 in Sheffild is very depressed, and it, is stated that, a large number oi men have received fortnightly wages. The Duchess of Edinburgh was present the other day at some athletic sports given to the seamen nnd marines of. the Sultan, of which vessel, as we all know,- the Duke is commander, and which is now in harbour at Malta. Asa treat to the men, and in commemoration of her visit to the ship, her Imperial Highness ordered each of, them to receive -r-one glass of Bass' beer ! No doubt these jolly tars will long remember the, visit of the regal wife of their royal commander. Tn honour of it they all went ashore the next day and treated themselves to some ten glasses of ale apiece. Mr Gladstone. ,it appears, has received a challenge tnrongh Mr Henry Clayton, grocer of Clay Cross, Derbyshire, as follows : — '' A timber feller, who claims some celebrity in that line of business in Clay Cross, who is 54 years of age, and who is really, accordto his age, considered one of the best timber fellers in Derbyshire. His name is Hopkinson, and he is particularly anxious to measure himself with Mr Gladstone in that line, either in Hardwick Park, or Chatsworth, or anywhere else, as Mr Gladstone thinks proper. He also desired me to say that he would stake a sovereign that his (Hopkinson's) tree would be down before Mr Gladstone's

tree. take. them equal in circumference." Mr Gladstone, in reply, said: — " 1 regard the challenge which you have transmitted io me as a great compliment; but lat once give in. I never had pretensions to excellence; and if I had them, by this time, from age and other causes, they would have been lost. T wish your friend may long enjoy his laurels."

We have authority to contradict in the most distinct, and positive manner the assertions which have recently been made by several weekly contemporaries of the, approaching retirement of Lord Beaconsfield from office. Such a notion was never less entertained by the Prime Minister than at the present moment. It is much to be regretted that sprightly writers, in their eagerness to retail gossip, are more keen-in giving to society what may startle, than in verifying the truth of that which they put forth. . This is the more lamentable because idle rumours such as this which we are dismissing, -when once in print, find their way abroad, and thus statements, in themselves merely careless or foolish, gain foreign currency, and tend to lessen the effective strength of the Government in the counsels of, other nations, which aro repeatedly assured that the Administration lacks stability. and is about to lose its chief. A simple

inquiry : would have satisfied our, contemporaries that there is.no foundation for the story they hayeso thoughtlessly, set afloat.; — Morning Post. -. Sir Stafford Northcbte,Jn, his speech at Exeter,' plainly acknowledged Imperial, responsibilities with regard to the great work of consolidating our vast Colonial and Indian Empire with the Mother Country. He did not hesi-

tate to affirm., that, upon this would, primnrily depend tbe greatness and conrinued prosperity of the whole. Empire, But he deprecated any further extension of its physical limits. Too many; new territories have, in truth, been recently added to it, and we have enough to do toi . successfiillv Fiji,' the Transkei, and Transvaal: . Thereis little hope, therefore, of any.immediate annexation of the New Hebrides, a group of Polynesian Islands not far from Fiji, which have just offered' to range theVnsei yes 'under ; the. British flag: ' The New Hebrides are saidto be .fertile,; and its natives, are; ]fairlyfCi,viiised, having already embraced- Christianity; the climate is hot but and the islands abound in harbours. ; These are decided advantages, of course, buthardiy | all f sufficientA' A more cogent reason i°fdf¥nißl>xato^^ es'tablish&enfc of tf F.*erie,h:penal;|ettlement, on the^ew Hebridesjllthese jslands living .temptingly^ close > to .New 'Caledonia/*^Th^-further^m porta tion of the conyictsejemeiiijjip tp^he, Polyne| fan !seas?^ould.:certain^o^ r buObereiis a^esent' no susr ;pieio_i-ti^

John Carson, who. in his youth formed one of the force which guarded the Emperor Napoleon's exile at St. Helena, has died in Carlisle Workhouse. The Corporation of the City of London are taking active stens to obtain further powers for the preservation of open, spaces and of common lands within twenty-five miles of the ■ ity. . The Sheffield Telegraph says that Belgian iron for girders and supports is being delivered in Sheffield at £10 per ton, whereas the cost of English iron | for the same purpose is £18 per ton. The King of Sweden and Norway has completed a dramatic poem, entitled " Minne fran Upsak," the scene of which is successively laid in 1 the Cathedral, in Odin's grove, and in old Upsala This drama, to which Ivar Hallstrom has written the music, is now under rehearsal, and will be shortly performed. The Utah Mormons regard mining as a device of the devil, because of the inroad of Gentiles it occasions upon thei.* territory, and they propose now to crush it out by levying .a s heavy. bullion tax. The legislature is composed almost exclusively of Mormon priests, -and the prospects are that they will make it pretty lively for the Gentile miners of the territory. Her Majesty's fat stock: sale took place at the Prince Consort's r Shaw Farm. The stock consisted nf 35 shorthorns, 130 Southdown and 270 Cheviot sheep, and. 70 bacon hogs and porkers. The he-asts fetched from L2B to L 44, Southdown sheep from L 2 4s to L 5 each, and Cheviot sheep averaged L 2 10s each. The pigs went at good market prices. Among things not generally known is the expected accouchement 'of the fair Chinese Ambassadress, the "Tottering Lily." Her- Excellency's household are just now busily engaged in providing garments fpr the little stranger, who, ib is confidently believed, will be of the sterner sex. At all events, the " linen " consists of (it is a fact, O mothers of England !) coats, trousers, and caps. Coats and trousers for a baby ! DrAAndrew Thomson on Sunday, when preaching at the anniversary services of Grey friars Church, Glasgow, said that this historical congregation had in nineteen months cleared off the cost — amounting to £326.1 of the Sabbath' School and Mission premises. This amount had been raised without asking a penny from the public, and without the aid of that most obnoxious pf modern innovations, which was a disgrace to Christianity — the so-called church bazaars Thp lengths to which " Servant Girl-

ism ' is going in this country is appalling, and the latest example of it caps all. A gentleman and his family, spent four months on the Continent this year, leaving their, house in charge of two female domestics. When they came home a miracle occurred. They found that nothing had gone particularly wrong. A few weeks afterwards, bowever, the paterfamilias met an acquaint-

ance in the street, who received him him with a sympathising air. " I was sorry, my dear sir, to find that you had a domestic calamity in your family." •' I ! Not" a bit of it. We are all right" ," But there has been a death in your house ?" *' Certainly not. Why do you say so ?" " Well, only a month ago I happened to be passing down your terrace, and saw. with my own eyes a funeral cortege standing at your door. Of course I, made no enquiries at the ti'm-s, but I was surprised to see nothing of the matter in the paper;'' Paterfamilias went home grievously puzzled, but at last got at the root of the, story. His servants., had.,, let the House for three months on their own responsibility, and shared, the rent between them. This would probably have never been discovered, only their tenant's wife had the' misfortune to" decease during his brief occupation of the premises. > . •;

The Glasgow . Public Halls were formally: opened under the personage and in the presence of Princess Louise, the Marquis of Lome, and his sister, Elizabeth Campbell. Glasgow has never till now had a place of public assemblage at all creditable to the enterprize of so wealthy a city. .Some years ago a number of the leading citizens beirig determined td remove this re-

proach, formed themselves into a company, and soon raised the .necessary * capital of LIOO,OOO, and have built in the west-end of the town, a fashionable quarter of Glasgow, the present splendid halls. To increase the interest of the ceremony of the opening it was detided in. the first placejto request the Princess Louise (Marchioness of Lome) to honour the occasion with her pre-, sence, and in the second place to produce the oratorio of the Messiah upon a scale never before^attempted even in :SO, musical a city. as.Glasgow. Princess Louise, who wasresiding with the Duke of Argyle at Roseneath. accepted the invitati.on, aud arrived, in Glasgow with; the Marquis. : In the evening the royal party proceeded to the public halls,: where the larga~crowd outside greeted, them with loud cheers, and the ban^ of the }05th Highland Rifle Volunteers " playedH-iG'pd'usaye.i theyQueen^; They, were then conducted to the reception., room, where a number of the leadjng citizens were in trod ued to the; Prinqess; and . Marquis; of Lome. The concert* was given in .the large hall, which prd;^ ; vides ; lorynearljgt^;-

' The Marquis of Lome ha-? issued an address to the electors of Argyleshire,. denying, the report of his intended retirement.-. His lordship adds that aslong HB' he sees re-i"*o-u to believe that.heis honoured witb the confidence that the constituency gave him in June, 1868, i. will be his priaV; to serve their interests as their member.

The Queen conferred the honour of knighthood on Wednesday at Windsor on ex- Lord Provost Bain. Her Roya! Highness Piincess Beatrice was present with Hei- Majesty during the ceremony, as was also the Right Hon R. A. CrossSecretary of the state for the House Department. Tbe honour of knighthood" w~as similarly conferred on Mr Walker,the ex-Mayor of Liverpool.

The Committee - entrusted witb the' collection of funds for the purpose of raising at Glasgow a monument to the* memory of Dr. Norman Ma-cleod — in the shape of a bronze statue in one of the principal streets of the city — held a meeting on Thursday. It was stated that as. the- subscriptions bb.ained reached LBOO, the additional sum required was L6OO, and the members of the Committee agreed to endeavour to secure that amount before taking any further action.

Nana Sahib, of bloody memory- is being again brought to mind by a discovery which a London correspondent says has recently been made at Paris, The " find " is nothing more or less than a letter from the arch assassin tothe late Emperor of the French, offering to make him master of India if hewoiild declare war .against England. Some such letter is' known to have been written ; but it is highly questionable whether the document in question is the original.

Inquiries with reference to the corporal punishment of girls have been made of the Birmingham School Board by the Local Government Board. A reply has been sent to the effect that the Board did all they could to discourage the use of corporal punishment and to reduce it to a minimum. They would be exceedingly glad if corporal punishment could be abandoned, but owing to the difficulty of dealing witb rough and untrained children they did not think it advisable to prohibit it altogether.

The brothers of Cardinal Antonelli. it is stated, have discovered several letters and other documents in, the Palazzo where the Cardinal resided previous to his voluntary seclusion in the Vatican since 1870. From these proofs it is believed that the now supposed illegitimate daughter of the late Cardinal is in reality the natural child of a foreign ambassador now deceased. The Cardinal promised to act in loco parentis to the child, as the ambassador inquestion was allied by marriage at the time to one of the highest families in

Europe.

An experiment, the truth of whicli is vouched for in medical circles, was recently tried in Minniopolis, Minn. One Dr Tanner was ill for ten days, during which he took no nourishment whatever, and, on recovering, he concluded to continue the fasting process, in order to test the length of time a person could live without eating. Hist friend Dr Moyei* engaged to watch him, and the latter asserts that Dr Tanner passed 42 days without taking anything but cold water. At the end of that time Tanner's heart had almost stopped beating, and he concluded that the experiment had gone far enough, although he had lost little flesh or Strength. He ate sparingly at first, and then enormously, but he has now returned to his normal habits, and is as well as ever.