NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2300, 20 September 1870, Page 2

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Complaints are often mode of the nonreceipt of newspapers and books sent from England to Australia, and their fate is often an inscrutable mystery. A writer in the Times, just returned from Melbourne, mentions one method of disappearance which seems incredible, though no explanation or denial has been vouchsafed by the Post Office authorities. “Viator’’says that the mailbags arc made a kind of circulating library to the passengers, and though some of tho papers apd magazines, after being read, are returned to the bags', yet “a very largo number are otherwise disposed of.” The principal raiders upon Canada have been tried in a United States Court, found guilty and sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment. Better evidence of the determination of that country to uphold the law could not he given. A story, reminding us of Robinson Crosoe and other heroes of ocean adventure, has latelv startled even this s;n ation sated generation. Six sailors, being part of the iJrcw of an iron clipper ship, Mercnrius, which had visited Sydney and Sap Francisco, and was on her return voyage to England, have r jnst reached Liverpool, and told a wondrous tale of suffering, privation, resource, ami heroism. The ship s'ruck on a coral reef in latitude .'Meg. 52miu. S,, long. 33dcg. 20min, W., and almost instantly went down. Of 22 men on board, on’y fix saved themselves, by swimming about for two hours till the tide fell and they were able to gain a footing on the sterile waste. Here, befriended by a few scattered relics of former wrecks, they contrived to exis! - -, amid horrors unspeakable, for ol dreadful days, when they att r noted the attention of a passing vessel, were rescued, and brought to Liverpool. Three members of Parliament —Sir C. W. T)ilke, Mr Winterhottom, and Mr Egorton Herbert—have joined the Prussian army. Tn the House of Commons on the Ist, tho debate on tho war question brought out a large crowd of persons who filled the galleries and other pine 0. The foebng of the House was again strongly marked in favor of an energetic policy. ' v hen Mr Cardwell proposed a vote for 200,000 additional troops and two millions sterling, he was loudly cheered. So was Mr Gladstnnc, when he told Mr Stapleton that if colliers wore chartered tp attend a fleet of belligerents to supply coal, they wijl, tp all practical intents and purposes, become store-ships attached to that tjeet, and will come under the operation of the Foreign Enlistment Act, It is reported that England will send two frigates to the Tiber to protect the Pope. Advices from Rome represent that the Jesuits are endeavoring to induce tho Pope to remove to Malta,! The Ernie q Bmhjpt, a semi-official Austrian journal, denies that tho sympathy of Austria is with Germany. According to accounts from Romo, the Pope openly favors Prussia, The King of Wurtemburg is quoted as

saying Germany will be ruined by war for twenty years, and emigration to America and West must rise in enormous proportion. The German committee in Loudon have already received a subscription of L 25,000 for the wounded.

The many Now Zealand friends of Colonel Sir Thomas Gore Browne will be pleased to lerrn that he has just been appointed to administer the Government of Bermuda. As his Excellency only requires a few months to complete the term of service to entitle him to a retiring pension, it is supposed that this appointment has been conferred on him for that purpose. It is thought that Napoleon erred in not pushing promptly into Bavaria ; he would thereby have neutralised the action of all Southern Germany. Such a movement is impossible now, because it would expose Paris. Theatrical matters in New York do not seem to be very flourishing. Mr John Dunn, in a private letter to a resident in this city, sa y S We are at the lowest dramatic ebb he c now. Nothing takes with the intelligent public of New York but the most stiynd of I music-hall songs, and the silliest of silly dances. TVere used to be some humour in burlesque once upon a time, but there is none now, and half-nude women and ladies known as “ blondes ” form the staple atti-ac-tiou of discriminating audiences. _ The 4 blonde ’ is a creature per sc ; she is like hie, ho:c, hoc, masculine, feminine, and neuter. She has long hair, and seems to think herself adorned the most when ur.» adorned altogether. AH the old actors I re, member ‘ years ago ’ have gone—made money or died. <ne usually does one of the two in New York, The legitimate drama is shelved, No ono plays the old pieces j few people have heard of them. Acfng in its broadest son e (I do not intend a joke) is quite out of fashion. Oh, that L were a gay young ‘blonde’ with golden hair and exquisite figure ! Bub it is no use wishing that, lam afraid.”

The Ar-jus Paris correspondent writes : I was piesent the other day at a trial made of one of those destructive engines, the in* vention of which is ascribed to the Emper r himself, and which arc called “ mitrailleuse (grape shot shooters.) In a large space of ground set apart for reviews, near Versailles, had been assembled some 500 horses, brok' n down, worn out by age, in a word, just ready for the knackers; two of the! e “mitrailleuses,” and only two, were brougl t up ; the signal was given, and within 45 seconds t ! e mangled bodies of 300 horses lay strewn upon the ground, horrible to see ! What, then, will it be •when the mark sh t at will be the breasts of men—young and strong, and full of life ; and that on both sides, for the Prussians have also their ‘ mitrailleuses!” The dead will be numbered by hundreds of thousands—a million of families will mourn their lost ones, and only the vultures will be satisfied. The Daily News has a special from Strasbourg, saying that the defences depend much on water, which is now so low tnat the place is comparatively weak. More than 100,0(0 volunteers have been enrolled in Germany. The Government has issued circulars to a|l consuls of ifefqjth Germany in foreign States,' requiring them to forward immediately all Germans liable to military duty, paying their passages to Fatherland, and furnishing them with such artie’es as may be necessary. They are also empowered to forward, on tie same terms, all volunteers who may wish to fight for Germany. Tiie Germans in New York held a mats meeting on the 4th August. Intense Prur* sian sympathy was exhibited and speech s were made proposing prizes for the bravest of the Prussian troops. A committee stated that the working men would offer a prize of 20,000 dollars aiyd a flag to the fjrst regime i's that distinguished itself in ah engagement. Fiyaro says Franco distrusts Be'g'aq neutrality because Gpiiepals Brol-urt a.'.tj Nazele are appointed to the command qf thq Belgian reserves. They are known to be unfriendly to Franco. Three hundred Hanoverians have volun* tcered for French service, and Turkey offers France 200,000 soldiers on pay. Much discontent is felt at Vienna at the neutrality of Austria. The German press continue their bitter attacks on England. The Times says that Gladstone’s speech at the Mansion House rroves that he recommends war, and is ready to meet it. La Patrie, says the news from Denmark and tho Duohios of Jutland, say {the haitred against Prussia is so great that if their Go vermnents hesitate to take part in the present conflict the people will rise against them. In Hanover there is great agitation, and the Prussian General commanding has asked for reinforcements.

A utli ntic reports have been received in London that large bodies of Russian troops, 250,000 in all, have been cone ntrafed on the f outier, divided into two commands, with all the appointments of two distinct armies, artillery, cavalry, infantry, and engineers, apparently ready to be sent (jyrpss the lip£ on the first announcement that Aust ia takes sides in the present conflict, If Austria should attempt to aid France by sending away any considerable number of troops, Russia is evidently making ready to take advantage of the. movement by precipitating these mobilised armies on Austrian terri* tory. London, August 9.— The Tinm asserted that the French disaster is owing to the Emperor’s obstinacy in refusing sound military advice, and to his illness. The says parties in France will make the Emperor pay the penalty of his ill success. The Emperor's name is already ignored in the acts by which the Regency seeks to rally the people. Things arrange themselves as if he was not expected to resume his power, as if testing how he may bo dispensed with altogether. The only question is who shall first utter the word “abdicate.” —Fdinund About writes from (he field bitterly condemning tho Emperor’s mismanagement, and says ; “ Having declared war, be let the Prussians begin it. It is true, neither party was ready, yet the French lost twenty days in useless marching and counter-marching. They were surprised at Wcissenburg by an enemy where there were no videttes to watch, no skirmishers to meet, and no settled plan to repel, ” The Prince of Wales has formally disavowed the authorship of the silly letter which appeared in the Madnm Mad, purporting to be written by him to the Duke of Edinburgh, and the latter has acted similarly with regard to another letter which purported to he written by him to the Prince of Wales.