NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3613, 21 September 1874, Page 2

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

On July 17 the Nonconformists at Southampton celebrated the bicentenary of the birth of Dr Isaac Watts, who was a native of that town. It is proposed to build memorial schools at a cost of L 5,000, half of which amount is already contributed.

On July 15 a large quantity of property in Glasoow, the value of which is estimated at between L 30,000 and L 40,000, was destroyed by the bursting of a canal in the extreme northeastern di strict of the city. The VI onklaud Canal, which is the water highway between Glasgow and Edinburgh, runs through a large chemical work and ironworks j but for some time workmen have been engaged making a diversion of the canal, the object being to put the waterway on the side of these works. The water was locked out of the new portion of the canal, and there was a great pressure of water near to the junction of the original channel and the new portion, which caused the disaster.

■A- tricolor flag on the of Metz Cathedral, which has been a constant eyesore to the Germans, has just been removed, a reward of 100 thalers having been ofiVred for the feat, which was attended with considerable danger After gaining the top of the Gothic tower two balls had to be scaled to reach the flagstaff. A native of Brandenburg, accustomed to perilous enterprises undertook the task, providing himself with two planks for scaling the balls. On surmounting the first he staggered, and everybody expected him to fall, but he reached the flagstaff, lowered the emblem of French rule and substituted a German flag of black, white, and red. In four hours he was again at the bottom, and was cheered by the Gormans, while a troop of soldiers who had witnessed the operation returned to their quarters. The Fourth of July brought forth its usual batch of casualties this year m New York-one riot, six fights, thirty-five fires, mostly small, two wore of ehildren wounded, some severely ; one child burned u> death, and three other persons killed. Exact return* *om the country are not made out; but the character of the day was well sustamed everywhere. Foremost in the way of display was the opening of the great bridge over the Mississipi at St. Louis. The processions, ™ nß . rockets, fiery fountains, and pvrotet h* zr'r\ auide J SX Imly by day md *ig K Th 6

papers tell us that 65,000 pounds was the weight of the pyrotechnic materials. In addition to the usual cannonade a hundred guns were let off in honor ol the bridge. The temperature on July 9 rose to an unprecedented degree for the present year. In the House of Commons air was pumped into the chamber at the rate of ninety thousand gallons per minute, and the temperature was reduced to 73 degrees. This was effected by passing the air over blocks of pure ice, half a ton of which was exhausted m the course of the sitting. Dr Harding, of Wadhurst, has successfully extracted a French musket bullet from the hand of James Jenner, weighing over three-quarters of an ounce, which was firmly embedded in him at the Battle of Waterloo. In spite of the inconvenience arising from the bullet during nearly sixty years, the men has worked uninterruptedly as an agricultural laborer in the parish, where he bears an excellent character. He is eighty years of age. As a specimen of tall scoring it is worthy of mention that in a match played on Woolwich Common, on July 23, between the Royal Artillery and the Oxford Harlequins, two days were occupied in the capture of fifteen wickets only, whose contributions amounted in the aggregate to the astounding number of 859 runs, which gives the extraordinary average of 57.4 per wicket Three of the gentlemen engaged made very large individual scores, viz., Mr Frank Crawford, formerly of the Mote Club, Maidstone, and now of the Royal Artillery, who amassed 171 in rare form, and Messrs Ottaway and H. E. Bull, of Oxford University notoriety, who respectively scored 123 and 122. Despite the large total of the Royal Artillery (472) the Harlequins beat them with five quickets to spare. Woolwich Common, it may be remarked, ranks with Parker’s Piece, Cambridge, Brighton, Lord’s, the Oval, Canterbury, &c., as one of the fastest run-getting grounds in England. The above feat in scoring has seldom been equalled. In consequence of the protracted droughts the grounds have now arrived at that state in which long scores are inevitgable, and may be confidently looked for during the remainder of the season. During a thunderstorm which passed over Bradford the other day a girl had several teeth knocked out by a flash of lightning.

An application has been made to Vice-Chan<;ellor Malins for a rule nisi to show cause why a writ of habeas corpus should nst be issued to release Arthur Orion, the “ Claimant,” from gaol. Mr Corbett was about to read, in support of the application, an affidavit of Mr Benjamin Harding, who was formerly secretary to the Claimant, and is now editor of the ‘Tichborne Gazette,’ but he was stopped by the Vice-Chancellor, who said the point had already been decided by the Court of Queen’s Bench, who had ruled that such an application could be made only by a barrister. Mr J. Pearson, Q.C., as amicus curise, observed that Dr Kenneally and Mr MacMahon had fully gone into the points which Mr Cobbett wished to raise against the legality of the Claimant’s conviction. Mr Cobbett desired to.be heard in reference to that observation, but was peremptorily ordered to sit down.