LONDON.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4182, 16 December 1884, Page 3

LONDON.

December 5. Tho Daily News this morning comments on the Supreme Court at Brisbane for sentencing Niel McNeil, second mate of the Queensland labor vessel Hopeful, to death « for murder, by shooting two South Sea Islanders of Harris Isle, on the 13th June last.

The committee of the French Chamber of Deputies have recommended that the duty on imported (lour shall be seven francs per cwt.

Dalgetty and Co. (limited) have proposed to declare an interim dividend of Is Od. The German Reichstag has repealed the law empowering tlie authorities to expel priests from the Empire. Prince Bismarck was opposed to the repeal, and tho decision of the Chamber becoming known he denounced the principle of the Parliamentary Government, and declined to reconsider the decision arrived at. It is probable that the Emperor will exercise his power to veto the matter. The decision arrived at by Justice Chitty last Saturday relating to transferrors o£ the shares in the Oriental banking corporation now being liable as contributors to the bank has caused mnch comment, and it is probable that his decision will be reversed. A committee of shareholders is now engaged enquiring into tho relations of the bank with the Ceylon Co. They declare that the charter was violated, and that tho directors were responsible. The Australian squadron is to be strengthened by the addition of other war vessels. Commodore Erskine is to be appointed superior in command. RearAdmiral Tryon, who is to succeed Commodore Erskine on the Australian station, sailed for Sydney on 7th December. A number of diamonds recently received in London, the produce of Australian diamond fields, have been examined and tested by experts, and pronounced to be Biipcrior"in quality to the Capo diamonds. December 8. The Spanish authorities have accepted tbe offer of tbe British Government by which Spanish wines containing 30 dcg. of proof spirit and under are to be admitted into Great Britain at a duty of Is per gallon. In consideration of this concession Spain places England on a footing of tho most favored nation. The arrangement is to remain in operation till 1887, after which the duty will probably apply to wines of 36 degrees proof. The Suez Canal Commission has approved the recommendations made by Sir AndreAV Clark, Vice-Regent Commission, and has decided upon widening the Canal. The report that the Suez Canal Commission had determined upon widening the Canal is now dcclurod'to be premature. Tho bill for the extension of the franchise ■which passed the House of Lords on Friday has received the royal assent. Mr Upington, Premier of the Cape Government, has been mobbed at Kimberlcy, the capital of tho diamond fields, in consequence of his expressed sympathy with tho Dutch party and the Boor raiders in Bcchunaland. The announcement that the cholera had broken out among the sailors with the French fleet at Hong Kong has, so far, not been confirmed. Lieut. Jorram, who was in charge of the Victorian torpedo boat Childers during her voyage from lSongland to Melbourne, has been appointed to the command of the Reindeer, 940 tons, a vessel recently built at Devon.

B. Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. (Reuters Telegrams.)

(Received December IG, 1.30 a.m.)