NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3888, 10 August 1875, Page 3

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Licutenaot Zcbyden, of the 77th Regimeut, walked from Chatham to London Bridge in 14:] hours, being a quarter of an hour under the stipulated time, .A seventh torpedo experiment has been made at Portsmouth, in the Gberou, in presence of a large number of scientific offb-trs A charge of 600 lb of gunpowder, fired at a depth of thirty-eight feet, nearly sank the vessel.

It is credibly reported that King George of Greece recently decided to abdicate, alleging that he “could make no good of Greece,” and would rather retire honeatlv as King Amadeus did from Spain. It "is added that he was persuaded to forego his resolution.

Recently, at BaHiiug, the champion of England (George ’-rabam) played the champion of America (Job Pearson) a match at quoits for'J 1.400. The umch la-ted five tmiirs, and was severely contested. The Kugush champion went a-hcad towards the finiuh, and eventually won by cighty-.onq poin’a to fifty eight. 'ihc Roman correspondent of the ‘Dobats’ remarks on the sensation produced by the

Pope having addressed a letter to Victor Emmanuel, entreating him to veto a clause inserted by the Left in the Ministry Fervic.; Bill, which abolishes all exemptions enjoyed by ministers of religion. The Pope addressed bim as the King of Italy, and reminds him that his family has produced a largo number of saints, and urges that the clause would bo destructive to the Church. The letter winds up wit hj a menacing plra.e,veiled under an allegory ; but ifc'i general tone is friendly, and both extreme > have been displeased by it. The Clericals fear a reconciliation of the Lapncy and the Monarchy, while ai'dent Liberals, partisans of Germany, are afraid of seeing the King become tho gendarme of the Church. Meanwhile the King bns been relieved from all difficulty by tho Senate, which has rejected the clause. The port of London has every day on its waters 1,000 ships and 9,00 i) sailors, tipwards of 120 persons ara added to the population daily, or 40,000 yearly, a birth taking place every five minutes, and a (loath every eight minutes. On an average, twenty-eight miles of streets are opened, and 90,000 new houses built every year. In its postal districts there is a yearly delivery of 238 millions of letters, Un tho police register there are the names of 120,000 habitual criminals, increasing by many thousands every year. Mora than ouc-third of ail the crime of the country is committed in (.ondou, or at least brought to light there. There are as many beershops and gin-palaces as would, if their fronts were placed side by side, roach from Charing-cross to Portsmouth. a distance of seventy-three miles, and 38.000 drunkards arc annually brought, before its magistrates. The shops open on .Sundays would form a street sixty mile;; long. It is estimated that there are above a million of the people who ate practically heathen, wholly neglecting the ordinances of religion. A correspondent informs the ‘ Times ’ that the Gberammergau Passion Play, which nas hitherto been confined to the few persons who once in ten years have been able to secure places, is now “ brought within reach of the million.” The writer says : “Schneider, who takes the principal role, and a number of other actors, have for the first time resolved to star the provinces. and, after performing in Bavaria and Austria, they have repaired to Breslau, where they are drawing crowded houses and whence they wil l traverse Northern Germany.” The Rev. M. Mac oil, in reference to this, says: —“ None of the dramaVs personae in the Gberammergau Passion Flay of 1870-1 was called Hchueider, and I do not remember any person of that name in the village during either of my visits Moreover, the villagers rejected with indignation a tempting offer made to them in 1871 to give a series of represen tal ions iu America. They have since rejected an offer of, I think, 1.6,000 to act the play in Vienna during tho lata Exhibition. They are not likely, thenfore, to have now ‘ resolved to star the provinces ’ ”

Mr Webster, who has undertaken the contract for the erection of the New Opera House on tho Thames f’mbankment, has entered upon the plot which adjoins the St. Stephen’s Club, and the exact site upon which the structure will be erected was staked out. The land which Mr Mapleson has secured has a frontage to the Embankment of 200 ft, and extends 300 ft in depth to the northern boundary at Cannon-row. The site for the building and approaches thus covers a ground area of 00,000 superficial feet, or nearly an acre and a-lml£ in extent. A numerous body of workmen are employed by the contractor in the excavations now in progress ; and it is estimated that 20,000 cubic feet cf earthwork will have to be removed before the work of putting in the foundations can be commenced. The basement will have a concrete floor several feet in thickness. The construction of the foundations will be carried on with the greatest activity, so as to admit of tbe supei structure being commenced as early ns possible ; and it is expected that tho building will be completed and ready for opening by the com mencemcnt of the opera season next year. A telegram from Vienna states that the Danube has taken possess on of its new bed, which had been prepared for it by the Danube Regulation Committee, but not quite in the way meant by the engineers. The r.ew bed was dug out in three sections, separated from each other by two dykes which were left, and over which the roads fed to the old bed. Tho embankment had been raised all along the line and partially rivetted with ston ■ ; hut there remained still a good deal of the stone rivelting to do ip the portion between tho two dykes. In order to do this more cheaply-and expeditiously, it was dote mined to make a.i opening in the upper dyke, so as to allow the stone barges to pass through. Scarcely was the channel opened when the stream rushed in, widening the gap soon from 12ft to 100£t, carrying away the bridge which had been constructed, and making its way through the lower dyke. An opening was made in the centre of this dyke, when the same thing occa red as at the upper, the water rushing through and carrying away the dyke right and left, without doing any further mischief. The river has thus taken possession of Is new bed, anticipating tho ceremony which was fixed for May 15. The Theatre Royal, Leeds, was destroyed by tire on May 28. A largo audience had only left the building a few minutes when flames were per oived in the upper storey above the stage, where the workshops ami green-rooms were situated. The fire got a complete hold of the whole of the back pare of the theatre before the arrival of any fire engine was possible, uud it extended to the front with extraordinary rapidity. The work of destruction was complete iu leas than an hour, in spite of tho host exertions of the fire brigades, ami an abundant supply of water. The theatre sto;;d in HunsloU lane, which is a narrow thoroughfare, ami was closely surrounded by ihops, publichouses, and other places ot business. The proprietor is Mr Coleman, who ia also the leasee of the York and other establishments of the same kind ; the loss is egt’matod at L 35.000, which is partially covered by insurance. Tho dresses, scenery, and general properties which have been destroyed wr.ro very valuable, ami of the persona on the theatrical staff many hp.vo sustained groat losses by the burning of their own cosuums &o. The Theatre Royal in Leeds was ori - i’. ually opened in 1771. A t different times “it has been altered and improved ; bub in 1867 it was almost entirely rebuilt, a'nout sixty feet being added to the length of the s u rucfcnro.

On May 18 Mr Barker, Mr Ooxwell’s assistant, ascended with a baioon from the Horticultural Gardens, Leeds, but did imt throw out sufficient ballast to get clearer the conseryatoiy. The ear came iu violent contact with that build ng, seriously damag* xng the glass framework. The balloon swayed so violently that fears were eni.rtainrd for the safety of tho ae-onnut, and the greatest excitement prevailed in i.ho grounds. Ultimately, however, the balio u got clear away without furth-r injury Mr Barker says that be wav a . ouco rendered inseasiole, and remaned ao lor a lon«» time Ai recovering his senses he observed Iho handkovclnef still tied tu tin lowrrncck of 5{ UC i f? ’ U -- i maiia o.i io get hold of vh« 4.nng to allow gas jo . ,->o -mo. a;*coodbr» as soon a. possih.o as I borne* during iuv Z H °. WttS folm l to b0 very much bruised and cao. tvir 8 mmons made his

126 th ba, 'loon ascent at Newcastle on May 17. The. descent was accomplished at Wallsend, bu ft not without considerable danger, Mr Sim tnofis and his adventurous companion coming rinfoi- a severe shaking. The balloon’s arapplers just: missed a train from Tynemouth, As it was, they tore away the telegraph wires, completely severing them. They had already, before getting tn the railway, trailed through several hedges, but after getting cleiir of the wires they success folly took the ground between the railway and the Tyne.