NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 345, 21 July 1875, Page 3

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

THE PRINCE OF WALES' VISIT TO INDIA.

With respect to the Prince of Wales' visit to India, the Manchester Guardian's London correspondent writes—Though the arrangements for the visit are far from being completed, I shall be perfectly correct in stating that his Royal Highness is expected to reach Bombay about the second week in November, and that he will remain in India—visiting nearly every important place of interest—till the following April. He will be accompanied by Sir Bartle Frere, Dr Fayrer, General Probyn, Colonel Arthur Ellis, and Lord C. Beresford, M.P. The Duke of Sutherland, Lord Sufneld, and Lord Carington have also accepted invitations to join the Prince upon this grand tour. Several proposals have been submitted to the advisers of his Royal Highness as to the route he will take when once he reaches ludia, but upon that point nothing definite has yet been decided. As to precedence, there is no intention whatever to disturb the position of the Viceroy. His Royal Highness would be the last person to put forward claims that would have any such effect; he would rather regard the recognition of Lord Northbrook's precedence as being likely to strengthen Lord Northbrook's position in the eyes of the natives. On the subject of presents, I believe it will be found that the old custom will be again adopted, and that the effort to abolish the system of present giving among the native princes will not be made. I hear also that it is possible the Prince may call at the Cape of Good Hope either in going or in returning from India, and that before Parliament rises a vote to defray the expenses out and home will be asked in a supplemental naval estimate. THE BARODA RIOTS. The Times of India gives us some account of the Baroda riots, which seem to have been of much more importance than the telegraphed report implied :—On Wednesday a number of the people of Baroda armed with sticks and stones paraded the streets and severely assaulted several European officers and the commander of the Guikwaree troops, General Devine. It appears that all the shops in the city were closed, as is usual when the gadee is vacant. The Fouzdar remonstrated with the shopkeepers, threatened, abused, and ultimately beat them. Riot ensued, and as there were rumours that the territory was to be annexed, the rioters determined to have a Maharajah, so they put Luxmeebai's child on the gadee, and afterwards sought for Damodhur Punt and Gujonund, upon whom to wreak their vengeance. About 150 arrests were made, including the leading jewellers. When order had been restored, Sir R. Meade sent for the merchants, and severely censured them and ordered them to reopen their shops, or they would be fined under the Baroda law. He promised to liberate the four leadiDg jewellers on bail, and assured them that GovernmeLt did not intend to annex the state. Captain Jackson, who was rather severely handled by the mob, had to fire upon them in selfdefence, and a boy was shot and another native wounded. Damodhur Punt's house was looted and his family turned into the streets. The disaffection spread to Eiola, a station on the railway line some little distance from Baroda. A neighbouring village was looted and the Government telegraph wires cut. The mob next tried to make a breach in the railway line, and a gatekeeper to whom they applied for assistance was severely beaten by them on refusing to lend his aid. Order has now been restored, and the city is occupied by a body of native and European troops. THE PEACE OF EUROPE. The Paris correspondent of the Times, writing on May 26th, says : —There is much comment this evening on the following Note, communicated to the papers in a semi-official foim : " A certain journal asserts that the Due Decazes is multiplying assurances of the pacific disposition of the French Government towards the Berlin Cabinet, and is bent on furnishing proofs of it, by announcing the suspension of all the measures destined to complete our military organization as far as concerns the territorial army. We do not believe the Government has been led to multiply assurances of its pacific disposition, for nobody doubts it. It is still more incorrect that the Government, in order to furnish proofs of it, has had to suspend measures destined to complete our military reorganization. These measures, as every one knows, are the result of the votes of the National Assembly, and have no other object, moreover, than the restoration of our military establishment and the security of our territory." According to the explanation given me by politicians likely to be well informed, the object of the above Note is, in the first place, to let it be understood that Germany has hitherto addressed no direct observations to this Government relative to the state of its armaments ; secondly, to claim for France the right ot restoring its military establishments ; and, lastly, to point out the purely defensive character of these armaments. From this point of view the Note has a strictly correct and unassailable character, but in the present state of public opinion every movement in this direction deserves mature consideration. The events which recently engaged public attention, and happily led to reassuring declarations, have evidently resulted in giving the relations of France and Germany a character more frank and more worthy of both natioDS. Germany, from the moment she firmly repudiated the threatening theories reported to have been put in circulation there, did not stop half-way, but wished France to know from a certain source that it was the pacific idea which henceforth predominated with her. Prince Hohenlohe, moreover, on returning from his recent journey, after passing through Berlin and seeing his master, has held himself authorised to accost the head of the French Government, telling him, "lama messenger of peace." These soothing words, which overpower the strife of parties and the passionate expressions which may find utterance, whether in Germany or Franoe, teimi-

nate, it is to be hoped, this era of diutrust ;r d uoeasiness from which Europe has for jcars been suffering. This very uneasi11ess has shown Europe that a collision between two nations like those which confronted each other in 1870 cannot be regarded with indifference by any other Continental nation, great or small.

FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE IN MASSACHUSETTS.

A correspondent of the Nav York Herald, writing from Springfield on May 27th, gives an account of the destruction of a church there by fire. The church was crowded at tne time, and the loss of life was great. We extract the following particulars : The most terrible disaster in the hifitory of Holyoke, Mass., occurred to night in the burning of the French Catholic church at South Holyoke during the evening service, involving the loss of sixty-six men, women, and children. The exercises had nearly closed and a vesper service was being sang, when the draperies on the altar caught fire from a candle, and the wall being low and the flames streaming up, the building was set on fire. The audience numbered about 700. The people in the body of the church escaped, but on the stairway leading from the gallery human beings were packed in a dense mass struggling to escape, as the flames rushed toward them. Many leaped to the floor beneath and were trampled to death. The gallery skirted both sides of the building, with only one entrance from the front. The scene was fearful in the extreme during the rush, for the whole was over in twenty minutes. Besides sixty-six dead, there are enough fatally wounded to carry the total loss of life up to seventy-four. The priest's exertions to keep order were fruitless. The screams of the living and the moans of the dying made a deafening tumult above the orders of the pastor, who worked most heroically and was personally instrumental in saving many lives. Oue family of four were in the church and all were killed. Many were pulled out by the arms and feet so badly burned that they lived but a few hours, the flesh peeling off on being touched. Some were taken out with scarcely any flesh remaining on their bones. The Sisters of Mercy, from the Convent, were soon on hand caremg for the wounded and holding services over the dying, while Father Dufresne also held many services over the dying. A Correspondent writing next day says:— " The shocking calamity in this city last evening, by which so many people were crushed and burned to death, has almost paralysed the community. Every aspect and circumstance of the disaster seems peculiarly sad, and the gloom which it has cast over the people has caused a suspension of business which will probably continue until next week. The terrible record of the casualties reported in last night's despatches were not exaggerated, although it is almost impossible, even now, to ascertain definitely how many lives were sacrificed. Quite a number have died during the day, and many more will probably not survive their terrible scorching more than a few hours. Indeed, it is possible that the number of lives lost will foot up nearly 100 in the aggregate. The scenes of grief and mourning the valley are not unlike those witnessed at the Mill River flood a few miles above, just one year ago this montu It seems as if this section of country was specially doomed to inflictions resulting from folly and ignorance. The dam gave way because it was not secure, and a number of people were burned to death last night because the church afforded no adequate sources of escape in case of accident. The immediate cause of the fire is said to have proceeded from the burning of incense on the altar, the flame of which ignited some tinsel paper used for ornaments, and this in turn quickly set the wholt interior of the church on fire, with the sad consequences which have been reported. While the conflagration was in progress wild efforts were made by the people to rush pell-mell into the burning building to rescue their friends, and it was with difficulty that they were kept back. This was particularly the case with parents, who had on the first impulse rushed from the church to save their own lives, but suddenly remembered that they had left children behind to perish. Actual personal violence had to be used in several cases to keep women back. All about the streets men, women, and children were wandering, piteously inquiring if their friends had been saved. The bodies of fifty persons burned to death have been identified in addition to those of fifteen or twenty who were at once removed to their homes by their friends. Nearly seventy have died, aud some forty more are more or less burned or otherwise injured.