BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH

Evening Star, Issue 3704, 6 January 1875, Page 2

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH

THE CALIFORNIAN MAIL. EUROPEAN, Twenty-one lives were lost during Saturday and Sunday’s gale on the Scottish coast. A ship, supposed to be the Pontiac, from Sunderland for Bombay, was burned at sea. Twenty-six of the crew perished. A despatch from Berlin says it is reported that Great Britain has finally refused to take part in the International Law Conference which Russia proposes to open at St. Petersburg, Prince Bismarck, in the course of a reply to Herr Windhorst in the Reichstag, said “ I am in possession of conclusive evidence that the (Ecumenical Council was cut short on account of the Franco-German war. The Councils would have been vcryjdifferent had the French been victorious. I know from the best sources that Napoleon was dragged into war very much against his will by Jesuitical influences. At the eleventh hour he determined on peace and kept his resolution for half-an-hour, but ultimately he was overpowered by persons representing the Vatican.”

The German Federal Council has accepted the principle of the Imperial Bank, and has agreed to conditions submitted by the Government for the cession of the Bank of Prussia to the Empire. Archbishop Manning obtained an audience of the Pope, who expressed the fullest confidence in the progress -of Catholicism in England, despite the present misrepresentations of the policy of the Church. The Carlists have laid siege to Berga, fifty miles from Barcelona. The Chamber of Deputies has unanimously adopted a motion for the immediate consideration of Garibaldi’s pension. News has been received of the illness of the Czar of Russia, who is believed to be insane. The ‘lris’ says that Italian unity is irrevocably accomplished. If France wishes to preserve the friendship of Italy she must recognise this fact, and not adopt a clerical policy towards the country. The Pape has absolutely refused to recommend the bishops imprisoned in Brazil to resign their sees as a measure for the reconciliation of their differences with the Government.

AMERICA.

11m Spanish coasting steamer Tomas Broods, from Santiago de Cuba, bound for Guananamo, struck on Morillo, near Guananamo, and sank immediately ; thirty lives were lost. The Cuban insurgents are operating successfully. In an engagement at San Gregorio recently sixty soldiers were killed and much booty captured. The village was fired, and the Spanish garrison surrendered after a fight,

Twenty-five Spanish soldiers belonging to the Artillery garrisoning Port St. Hillaco, in Central Cuba, revolted and seized a coasting schooner, and under threat of death ordered the captain to take them to a neighboring island. The captain set sail and ran his vessel’aground. He then went to the nearest military post and informed the commander of the •occurrence. He arrested the deserters, eleven of whom were shot next day and the rest imprisoned. Twenty-three bodies have been recovered flora the wreck of the steamer Empire at New Orleans. William Blake, a member of the Californian Board of Brokers, suddenly departed with about 10,000 dollars entrusted to him for the purchase of stock. A tornado at Tucimbia (?), Alabama, destroyed one hundred buildings, killing sixty persons. William Westgarth, who is specially despatched by the New South Wales Government to secure specimens of Californian industry for the Metropolitan Exhibition at Sydney, is engaged at San Francisco, and is endeavoring to open up wine trade relations between California and Sydney. (Special to the Star ) The damage done at Jamaica by the late typhoon is estimated at 350,000 dollars. A conference of a committee representing the Presbyterian bodies in the United States and Canada, has been held at New York, to bring into a representative federation all the churches in the world which’‘adhere to the Presbyterian teuets. A grand encampment of the Knight Templars of the United States decided to prescribe no radical change in the uniform. A white dress, distinguished by a baldrick, plume, and gauntlet, was confirmed. The Negro in Arkansas who ravished two sisters and killed one, was taken out of gaol and lynched, being riddled with bullets. Further strikes have occurred in New York. A newspaper row in Merced resulted in a stepson of the proprietor of the ‘ Argus ’ shooting and killing the editor of the ‘Tribune.’ was the greatest difficulty to prevent the lynching of the assassin. New York and Boston wool reports to December 7 notice an improvement in prices. The Boston report states—“ An active demand has sprung up for fine and desirable lots of fleece. The wool transactions of the week have been large. Manufacturers are evidently short of stock, and are compelled to purchase from week to week, or stock holders feel that all the wool they have on hand will be wanted. Mome large mills are looking round for fine fleeces and have been for some weeks past trying to bear down the market one to two cents per pound, but holders feel their position to be a strong one. For fleece wool concessions are now out of question.”

A gang of masked robbers entered a baggage train at Oronto, handcuffed the baggage-master and expressman, and stole between 30,000 and 40,000 dollars. An earthquake at Mexico caused some loss of life by falling buildings.

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN NEWS.

{Special to the Star ) The Scottish Church is about establishing a missionary commercial station at the southern end of Lake Azassa, Africa, with a view to suppressing the slave traffic. It will be called Livingstone. The action of the officers of the Turkish Government in Syria against the Christians is exciting attention. A party of soldiers scaled a wall surrounding a house, and carried off two converted natives who had become Protestant teachers. The Sultan has promised redress. The ‘ Times ’ has further leaders eulogising the policy of New Zealand, and especially eulo? gising Mr Vogel, but doubts whether the Polynesian scheme is practicable. The ‘ Pall Mall Gazette ’ has an article favorable to Mr Vogel’s policy, and especially commending the New Zealand native management. A rule nisi has been granted for the dissolution of marriage in the case of Cowderoz v. Cowderoz, on the ground that the husband, who is an actor, had married another woman, named Kose Cox, and emigrated to New Zealand. Despatches from Berlin say that Prince Gortschakoff has directed the Russian representative at Madrid to report without delay on the progress of Marshal Serrano’s Government towards the consolidation of its power, with a view to its formal recognition. The ‘ Standard ’ states it has reason to believe that recent interviews between Bismark and Gortschakoff resulted in the removal of personal differences, and also the adoption of a common policy by Russia and Germany, in consequence of which the former Government will speedily recognise the present Government of Spain, Russia’s previous refusal to do so having been owing to Gortschakoff’s personal influence. ' Fuller telegrams regarding the loss of the steamer La Plata state that the steamer was chartered by Siemens Bros, to repair the cable, was bound from Gravesend to Rio Grande del Sud to do so, and foundered off Ushant on the 20th of November, sixty persons being drowned. Fourteen survivors were rescued by the Gareloch, of Glasgow, from a boat in which they had been floating for twenty-four hours; they were transferred to the steamer Autana. The La Plata’s loss is attributed to having heavy grappling apparatus and 250 miles of telegraph cable on board. Unavailing attempts were made to save the vessel by lightening her. The captain, surgeon, three other officers, engineers, seven stewards, cooks, eleven stokers, fourti en seamen, and the whole of the cable staff, numbering sixteen, including Mr Pickett, chief electrician, were lost. The chief steward, who was saved, reports that the fires were all out by ten o’clock on the morning of the 29th. A heavy sea carried away two boats. The ship gradually settled by the stern, and at 12.30 foundered, stern first. The captain and doctor were on the bridge, and having failed to take to the patent life rafts, went down with her. The decks burst as she sank,

Napier, January 5. The Clarence, from London, has 348 immigrants. Twenty-one deaths occurred, chiefly of infants, from diarrhoea. There were two births during the voyage. The passengers are now being landed. They are a promising lot. Christchurch, January 6. At the Supreme Court, George Wm. Price, for robbery from the person, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment; Alex. Clarke, for an unnatural offence, to two years’, and for an indecent assault to three years’; Wm. Rich, for larceny as a bailee, to two years’s imprisonment. Auckland. January 6. _ At the Siipreme Court Henry Devon, several times previously convicted, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for horse stealing; Thomas Morris, for forging an order, to two years’; George Moss, for illegally pawning, to nine months’. The southern mails have been shipped aboard the Wellington. We ungton, January 6. The Macgregor will proceed to Sydney and complete her voyage. The outgoing mail will be taken by the City of Melbourne, LATER AUSTRALIAN NEWS. {Per Eashy.) Sydney, December 30. The New South Wales Parliament opens ou January 27. During December G,OOO meals were given and 1,500 cases of shelter afforded by the Svdnev City Refuge and Soup Kitchens. 7 7 A large fire occurred at Beach street, Sandridge. Several buildings were destroyed, and a large amount of property damaged. The causa is incendiarism. Sir Redmond Barry is to be sworn in as Acting Governor on the departure of Sir George Bowen. 6 {From our own Correspondents.) m, Auckland, January 5. , T k o^i V ' Carles Clark is expected here from Melbourne by the next steamer. While New Zealand r ve cent, debentures are being moved off in the Sydney market at par. New South Wales five per cents are 8m

There is great dissatisfaction in Svdney at the sera tolling of GoMsbrongh for the Hawkes bury Handicap, and the net announcing it till some time after. The ‘ Sydney Herald’ says one bookmaker netted large sums by it, and the ‘Empire ’ says anyone who backs Goldsbrough hereafter will be a fool. The Christian Company closed their concert season here last night to a full house. Miss Christian is the sweetest and most finished vocalist who has ever visited New Zealand, and is admitted to be the first contralto in the Colonies. She will probably visit Dunedin. January 6. A serious Native difficulty, arising out of the land dispute at Maketu, has been partially settled. Two sections of Natives had built a pah and prepared for hostilities, when M. Hamlin, R.M., succeeded in getting them to lay down their anna pending a visit from Sir Donald M‘Lean. The disagreement arises out of land purchases by speculators. The Supreme Court has been occupied all day with the case of the girl Cecilia Allen. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty on the first charge, but she will be tried on another charge. Christchurch, January 6. The trial of Whitmore, for embezzlement of funds of the Lyttelton Lumpers’ Society, is occupying the whole day at the Supreme Court, and will probably last over to-morrow. The town is very dull, and there is nothing stirring.