NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Dunstan Times, Issue 493, 29 September 1871, Page 3

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

| The recent agitation against Princess | Louise’s dowry lias broken out in a new ! form of protest against the vote of the usual ! allowance to Prince Ar hur—A protest tn ' dorsed by crowded and enthusiastic meetings, called by the Labour Representative League. The Conservative papers deola e tb it the real diift of the agitation is pure Republicanism, and the attack on the Princes and Princesses and their incomes is ■ most unfair to the individuals who are the special victims, for if it succeeds it will sweep away Royalty altogether ; and if i doss not succeed, it will leave the junior branches of the Royal House very much in the position of privilege which they now occupy. The extreme Radical journals maintain that a stand must he made some, where and soon. It is unendurable already that the accident of Royal birth Ihonhl entitle a sane, healthy, educated man to be pampered as a sort of golden pauper. Of M”. Gladstone it is argued that, if be is sincerely desirous of banding down tire traditions of monarchy unimpaired to those who ct me after him, he will hardly lend himselfto measures which will tend tolouer the ancien institution to the category of the Coin Laws, the Irish Church, and the Purchase system—things that have come in their turn to ho too costly considering their actual wo 111. The House of Lords hasrojected the Army Bill. The Duke of Richmond’s amendment was carrieil by a majority of 155 against 150. The Times says, a more ill advised vote has never been given, nor ore which had less justification. It is greatly to he regretted fer the sake of the country, since it postpones for another year any effective advance in the reorganisation of our fores. The mischief, however, in this respect is simply one of delay. The abolition of Purchase nill he carried one year if not another. The Standard says, a Government which gives us such an Army Bill has proved that it is unequal to carry on any principle of selection. Discontent and even displeasure is openly manifested at the Queen’s persistent withdrawal from public life. The Pall Mall Gazette says—Her Majesty has had no cause to complain of the loyalty of her subjects, hut even kings cannot hope to be for ever in seclusion. Out of sight, out of mind, holds good for them as well as for ordinary men. The social duties of her station could he equally well performed by the Prince and Princess ol Wales. At a future day they must succeed to that pilace in social and public life which the Queen has vacated, and there is no reason why her Majesty should not enjoin them to take that place at once. The functions of the Crown as the visible head of the nation may be transferred to the heir without any process of cationThe famous suit, Tichhoume v. Lnsliington was adjourned until Michaelmas Term. Public opinion expressed itself strongly against such a delay and the Government had even undertaken to introduce a measure which would remove the statutory obstacles to the continuance of the proceedings during the Long Vacation. But the Judge and the Counsel considered themselves overworked, and entered into an agreement which, in spite of all remonstrances and the Home Secretary’s promised legislation have determined to cany Out,

■ The Dally News says :—“lt is impossible not to reflect upon the hardship entailed on certain persons implicated in the suit during this waiting season of anxious and harrowing suspense. There remains, besides, the chance of a juryman dying between tho present time and November—a circumstance which would cause various and almost in upc ruble difficulties to a definite conclusion of the case. How the jury are to bear the case in mind, and to shirk the seaside, or dinner-table, or smoking room discussion of it, with friends and acquaintances, and how they will avoid the temptation of casual arguments when they feel their tongues partially at least, realised by the consciousness of the remoteness of the period a]j which they will again have to subject themselves to a disciplined schooling of their judgment is a matter for grave speculation. Tho great Mordaunt scandal is, rumor states, likely- soon to bo revived. The lady-, it is asserted, has been discharged hy the medical men under whom she was placed, and reported to bo perfectly- sane. It is decided that the rank and file of the British army are to be armed with a Marti-ni-Henry rifle, of the same length as the present sergeant’s rifle. According to the Police Gazelle of St. Petersburg there have been 5125 cases of cholera there between the 17th of August, 1870, and the 22nd of June, 1871, 2090 of which have ended -fatally. There is a growing uneasiness in the public mind on fact that the cholera has raged two years in Russia ; and the British Governrarlit has presented regulations to be enf reed upon all ships from Baltic Ports. There have been recently some cases at Hull. Later Intelligence states that great apprehension, almost amounting to panic excitement, prevails in London on account of the cholera progressing steadily through Russia towards Western Europe, A soldier of the Foot Guards, who was present at the review in Bushy Park, lias died of cholera. He was admitted to Hospital suffering from what appeared to bo trifling diarrhoea. The exciting cause of the attack docs not seem to have been discovered The symptoms progressed until collapse set in, and continued for about three days, with a fatal result. The case, although it bore a strong resemblance in several respects to the Asiatic form of cholera, was, in all probability, an example of, what is termed English cholera. They seem to have exceptionally generous guardians of the poor a Belfast. A car-driver was hailed the other night hy a well-dressed drunken person, who, after'telling him to drive in a given direction, fell speechless, and could give no further orders. In this predicament the carman drove his fare to the police-station, were the latter was locked up for the night, after the driver had been paid out of nearly three pounds found in the drunken man’s pocket. It turned out on tho following morning that the house of mysterious fare was the workhouse, and that ho was a pauper out mi leave fir the day ! It further transpired that he had earned three pounds found on him by assisting the guardians in their election. The lady champions of Pigeon Shooting have taken up the cudgels against the Press with a virulence that proves how deeply the censure tliey received has wounded them. One of the pleas urged in defence of this pastime is, that pigeons must bo slain before they- are “baked in a pie,” hut on the same principle, beasts mast be slaughtered before they are roasted and boiled, yet we scarcely think that the fair patronesses of gun clubs would like to “assist at” the killing of their future heef and mutton, even though tho abattoir wet* in some nobleman’s park. The central Anti-provinoial Committee co-operation with Mr. Harrison, the members for the General Assembly; have aroused a strong feeling among the miners against the Nelson Government, for persistent mismanagement of the Gold-fields within the Nelson Province ; and mootings have been held and petititions adopted at all the centres of population. A curious geological specimen’ recently came into tho possesion of a resident of the Ahaura. Adhearing to the shells of some oysters were portions of a kind of conglomerated ironstone and hard silt rock. On opening one of the bivalves, a piece of the rock happened to got broken, and gold was plainly seen in the fracture. Tho pieces of rock sticking to the shells are evidently part of the casing of a quartz reef. At Reef town Wardens Court, an amusing episode recently occured, while the warden was investigating an objection case. It transpired that there were only five men on the g' Oiind at the time it was pegged out. The Warden said he would likely grant a certificate to the five men who were on the ground and that tho other two shares were still vacant. Immediately the warden gavehis decision, knowing but generous counsel ad vised his client to make his way as fast as he could and peg out the ground afresh. The client, in a flurry, said, “ I’ve not paid youi foe yet.” Council :“ I) —n the foe ; hook it to the pigs.” Upon this a regular clearing of tho Court took place. Both the applicants, and a few others, stripped to the buff, and a fair start was effected for the two shares, because the first on the ground was tho most likely to win tho prize.