A BISHOP ORDERED TO BE EXECUTED.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1257, 2 April 1886, Page 3

A BISHOP ORDERED TO BE EXECUTED.

A telegram from Zanzibar, dated January 1, states that Bishop Han mngton, who left Bombasa in June last in order to find, if possible anew road to Victoria, which will obviate the long detour by LTnyanyembe, has been seized bv order of the King within two days’ march of Uganda, The latest report is that the King has given secret orders to have the Bishop executed. Bishop Harrington, who belongs to a well known Brighton family, and had for some years been a missionary of the Church Missionary Society in Africa, returned home in 1884 to be consecrated a bishop, and he returned to Africa with the avowed object of penetrating through Masai by what is known as Thomson’s route. The fright reverend prelate started with only a black clergyman and black porters, refusing to risk the lives of any white people. The Church Missionary Society heard from him under date of August 10 about three miles from Uiu, a little more than a third of the way up; and it appeared that in reply to a request to be allowed to take the Church missionary boat or canoes across|from Kairrandsjthe King refused permission, on the ground that the Germans were annexing territory, lb was, however, said that he might go to the south of the lake aud remain there. It is probably in this neigh.--borhood that he is a prisoner; but the missionary authorities in this country do not attach much importance to the threat of execution, as similar threats are constantly made with regard to the missionaries in Africa, The situation will be best understood by tho following extract from a letter from Mr A. M. Mackay, dated from Bugundoe on September 29, in which he says that the Arabs considered the Bishop and his party only pioneers of annexation —spies in fact. Ho states that Mr O’Flaherty, on the part of the Church Missionary Society, seems to have seen tho King and done all in his power to persuade him that the English missionaries had no connection with the. Germans. Wriling on October 1, he says ;—‘‘Took with me a large school-map of Europe; fodnd a grand Burzah; King on the throne; Katikiro and all great chiefs present; body guards drawn up, and Lords of the Cord predominating. Evidently important business on hand. After Salaams, unrolled map of Europe, suid that I had brought it to show that Bulaya (as they call Europe) was not one country, but contained many kingdoms each having a different race, language and King; just as in Africa there were Baganda, Banyamwezi, Bagogo. We were English and were in no way responsible for the doings of the Germans. We had not brought them to Zanzibar, nor had we anything whatever to do wiih them. We were accused of wishing to * eat ’ the country but in all these years we had eaten nothing. We were only friends and subjects of the King, and had no sinister motives.” Mr Samuel Hanniugton, of Brighton, has acquainted a cnrrrespondeut with the result of a visit which he paid on Januaiy 4 to the Church Missionary Society -in Loudon relative to his biother. He said the Society while entertaining hopes as to the safely of the Bishop, did not shut their eyes to the fact that his position was one of extreme danger ; aud they felt this for two reasons—first, because of the advance made by the German exoodi tiou to the borders of W yaaza at precisely the same time as the Bishop’s arrival at auothei point, which if it came to the knowledge of the King through the Arab traders, would make him suspicious; and secondly that the Bishop was not personally known to the King. Mr Hauningtou is strongly of opinion, and in this he is borne out by the Society, that if his brother can only obtain an audience of the King ho will be safe.

Tlie mysterious disappearance of a constable from Sandhurst, whilst on a visit to the Chinese camp at Iroubarn, has been creating some excitement. Constable Thomas Ryan had been in the hj tbit of visiting the Chinese camp almost every evening, and at about 9 o’clock on the evening of the 0-b January he sot out to fulfil his duty. The night was extremely dark, and after be left hie home heavy rain fell, hooding the Bendigo Creek. Ryan would have to pass over the creek to reach the camo, aed ho happened, according to the version of several persons in the camp, to reach there before the heavy rain fell. Ho was in quest of some Chinese supposed to have been implicated in the robbery of copper plate. Search parties were organised as many as 600 joining «mo day in rails icking lha camp, but no trace was discoveredof the missing man. Feeling for soma time ran so high that the police force hid to bo strengthened to prevent injury to the Chinese camp. Since then two Chinamen have been ancsted.