NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2680, 19 September 1871, Page 3

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Snakes now abound in Ireland, notably in the County of Dublin and the Queen's County. The only French prisoners now remaining in Germany are four officers and 800 privates in the hospital, and ten officers and seventy privates imprisoned for various offences, Marshals Bazaine andCanrobert and General W-impfen are summoned to testify before the Committee of the Assembly to investigate the conduct of the late war. Colonel C. Chesncy lias been sent by the Government on a special mission to the Continent, with instructions to draw up a report on the late war The death is announced of Mr John David Walker, proprietor of the Gloucester Jour mi I, aged 80. He is said to have been, at the time of his death, the oldest newspaper proprietor in England. The Register-General of Englandssta r s that the population of the United Kingdom is increasing at the rate of 11711 a day. But emigration takes away 408 cf the number, leaving 705 a day to swell the population at home. The Standard publishes details of a series of severe earthquake shocks, -which have rerently occ rred in the Phillipine Islands. More than two hundred ’persons were swallowed up by the earthquake and every one of them almost instantly kilhd. Sixty bodies of the dead will be recovered, and the rest of the inhabitants have fled the island, which has been utterly depopulated. The Bishop of Manshester, preaching in the nave of Westminister Abbey on the 7th

, July, referred to the Washington [ the following terms : -“I have heard t ne treaty called an act of national humiliatio 11, to my mind it is an act of the nation showing itself willing to rectify, not one day too soon, a great and conspicuous wrong. It is an act o a nation recognizing the obligations of conscience and doing righteousness.” "Tt is understood that Mr E. J. Reed, 0. 8., late Chief Constructors of the British Navy, has accepted an engagement from the German Government, and is about to construct some iron clad ships of war for that power. Since Mr Reed’s retirements from office at the Admiralty no less than four foreign governments have endeavoured to secure his services, and both Russia and Austria have taken advantage of his visits to those countries to introduce, under his advice, reforms in their systems of naval construction. The deaths from small pox in London during last week were 232, against 245 aud 240 in the two previous weeks. These numbers, however, are an increase on the preceding return of 228, which in its turn has been a welcome reduction from the large weekly totals of 267 and 257. In some English towns the disease has attained the demeusions of a pestilence. In Sunderland, for instance, the mortality has been at the annual rate of 24 per .1000, -which is the rate representing the total morality from all causes in the large cities of the United Kingdom, Southampton, and Great Grimsby have suffered with similar severity. In London alone let it be distinctly observed that as many as 1000 lives a month are now sacrificed to a perfectly preventable disease. Times, July 1. The celebration of Scott’s anniversary in Edinburgh is thus described by telegram The city is overwhelmingly full for the celebration of the Scott Centennial, which occurs here on August 9th, instead of the 15th, by a preconcerted arrangement, to secure-the attendance of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. There are profuse decorations in street—flowers, portraits and basts of Scott. This is a general holiday. The streets arc impassable. It is thought a quarter of a million of strangers are in town. Chimes play Scotcli airs, and salutes are fired. The celebration is inaugurated by the Century Committee of the City Council and the general public. It consists of a banquet at the Corn Exchange and a public precession. Lord Dalkeith presided. It occurred at six in the evening. .That immense building, like all ihe city, is decorated with flags and portraits. The toasts include “ The Queen,” “ Memory of Scott,” “ Edinburgh,”' “Abbotsford,” “University,” and “ Sister Celebrations.” In the theatres, the music for several days will be exclusively Scotch. The following will reply to toasts : —The Dean of Westminster, Loyds Lawrence, Burke, Dalkeith, Jervis, Wood, Pollok, and the Provost. There is an immense procession at noon, with bands and characters in the novels. The monuments are festooned with evergreens. The weather is delightful, but hot. There are similar celebrations at Glasgow and Aberdeen. During the first week at Wimbledon the first stage of the competition for the Queen’s prize was completed. The total aggregate value of the first stage is L 1,515, exclusive of medals and badges. Of this amount L6O. in money, with the silver medal of the association is given to the best sir t, -who, in this cage, is Private Mayfield, one of the firstNotts. The twenty-nine volunteers who come pext in merit receive Lls each ; and the next thirty best shots become each entitled to Ll(). The ninety who follow receive L 3 each in money. Finally, there is a class of one hundred next best shots, who receive the sum of L2 each—making a total of 250 volunteers who receive prizes in the first stage of the great annual competition. A singular incident occq^red on this day. A continuous neglect of duty in one of the markers being observed, it was feared that he had been accidentally shot. Firing was suspended, and he was found to be fast asleep ! The international Enfield match was decided on Saturday. This match is between three representative squads of twenty, each shooting for honor of a branch of the United Kingdom. Between the English and Scotch teams the contest was very close and exciting; the Irish kept their rivals well in view, but were not able to obtain a front place at any of three distances. The English, on the contrary, led at the two first ranges by 15 at the 200 yards, which they increased to 17 at the 500 yards. Tlio Scotch, however, overtook them at 600 yards, aud, by brilliant shooting, left the English eventually in a minority of 15. The total scores were: —Scotland. 1,105; England, 1,090 ; Ireland, 1,031. The practice with the new breech loading rifles was excellent Sergeant Andrews with the Martini-Henry, Sergeant Bird with the Henry, and Private Warwick with the Soper, The latter fired sixty-eight rounds the two minutes allowed, aqd made a score of 124 poiqts, made up of one bull's-eye, eighteen centres, and thirty-three outers. The sixteen misses were mainly attributable to the acumulation of smoke which hung round the firer. For the Albeit prizes the following were the chief of the successful competitors : Winner of L4O, Mr Wilkinson, Croydon, L3O, Mr Curtis, Ist Sussex ; winners of L 25 each; Mr Murison, 13th Canada 5 Private Joyce, 3d Lanark; Majar Bland, late76th Regiment; audSergeantFerguson, Inverness; winners of L2O caph, Mr Evans, Derby ; Mr Backhouse, 24th Lancashire I Mr Biddulph ; and Lieutenant Purchase, 14tfl Worcester. The St. G eorge’s Dragon cup was won by Sergeant Taylor, £d Dumbarton. The great event of the week was the winning of the Queen’s pri?e of L 250, with the gold medal and badge of the National Rifle Association, by Alfred Paget Humphry, Ensign of the F Cojnpany Cambridge I niversity Corps. lie is son of Professor Humphry, of Cambridge, and is a young man in his second year at Trinity College. As a shot he is not unknown at Wimbledon, be having been one of the Rugby team in the three of the contests for the Ashburton shield, aud in 1868 made not only the highest score in the team, but also the highest score iu Hie match. Last year he made a good score in the match for the Chancellor’s challenge plate. This year,’ too, he led the Cambridgeshire team to victory in the contest for the China challenge cup, himself making the top score. As soon as his victory was certain he was shouldered and carried round the camp in the orthodox fashion, the hand of the Victoria Rifles, for the twelfth time, playing the victor to council tents. Private Mayfield, of the Robin Hoods, who gained the first stage, was second with 67 points. Eight schools competed for the Ashburton challenge shield, jmd Winchester was the Avimior with the tip-top score of 299 points. The scores of the remaining teams were Harrow, 292 ; Rugby, 291; Eton, 250 ; Rossel, 244 ; Cheltenham, 334; Marlborough, 234-j Derby, 184.