LATE ENGLISH NEWS.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 529, 28 February 1876, Page 4

LATE ENGLISH NEWS.

By the P. and 0. Company’s Avcca, which arrived at Adelaide on the 19th, the A.rgus has the following late items of English news, dated London, January 7th The Goodenough Memorial Committee have decided that the memorial shall be of a charitable or educational character, connected with the Navy. Its precise nature must depend on the amount of subscription ; but from £ISOO to £2OOO will probably be required. If the funds admit, the committee wijj bs gl?4 to flaw a portrait or bust

of the late commodore in the painted halh Greenwich.

Yesterday a luncheon, at which about seventy Australians were present, was given on board the new steamer Australia, previous r.o her departure on the Pacific mail service. Bir Daniel Cooper presided, and Mr Edward Wilson was vice-chairman.

The Queen has spent Christmas at Osborne with the Princesses Louise and Beatrice, Prince Leopold, and the Marquis of Lome. On Christmas Eve the Queen gave a Christmas tree to the children of Whippenham school, and personally distributed the presents.

The Queen has written to Captain Bouchier, of the Goliath training ship, expressing her admiration of the behaviour of all on board when the recent fire broke out.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are now staying at Bastwell park. They will proceed in a few weeks to Gunton park, Lord Suffield’s Norfolk seat, and receive a party before the close of the shooting season. Prince Arthur was on his way to Malaga, hut was compelled by bad weather at sea to return to Gibraltar.

Mr Gladstone completed his 66th year on December 28th ; Mr Disraeli was 70 on the 31st.

The following gentlemen have been gazetted members of the Legislative Council of Western [ Australia :—Messrs Hocking, Lefroy, Fraser, Bickley, Burt, Clyde, and Broadhurst,

in anonymous benefactor has offered £lO,0 n 0 to the Birmingham School of Arts, on certain conditions tending to the enlargement of its usefulness, which have been accepted. Mr Josiah Mason has given £30.000 for the endowmentof anew scientific college in that town.

It is announced that the Canadian Go vernment has resolved to abolish its AgentGeneralship on the ground of expense. An emigration office is to be substituted, over which Mr Jenkins has declined to preside.

The American Postmaster General has addressed a note to the British authorities demanding 33 cents per lb for transporting mails across the American continent from the present month. Last week was largely given up to the amusements of the season. The weather being dull and mild, people were disposed to indoor entertainments ; still the railways did an enormous traffic. On Christmas Day the religious services and performances of sacred music were fully attended, Skating rinks everywhere are the rage ; eleven varieties of roller skates are already in the field. The Westminster Aquarium and Winter Garden will open on the 22nd instant. The Crystal Palace, which can pay no dividend, has commenced a reduction of admission and railway fares, to compete with the Alexandra Palace, where the first half-year has been a financial success.

Considerable sensation has been produced by Mr Henry Irving’s action against Fun, for libel. The article complained of was a violent tirade against a “ fashionable tragedian,” declaring him to be largely responsible for the disgusting blood-thirstiness and callous immorality of the present day. “ Macbeth” was pronounced a failure, and all favorable critics were hireling reporters. Mr Judd, the printer, was first arraigned, but editor and author having come forward, Ihey were made defendants. The lampooner, Mr Simpson, tendering a full apology, the prosecution was withdrawn. Further details respecting Lieutenant Cameron’s expedition show that in traversing the breadth of Africa he met generally with a favourable reception from the natives. He has accumulated much valuable geographical material, besides general scientific information. Following a large river flowing out of Lake Yanganyka in south-west direction, he came to a new lake, which he called Livingstone. From this body of water another large river runs westward, which lieutenant Cameron believes to be the Congo, but was unable to trace it through its entire course, owing to the hostility of a tribe of natives. To avoid the risk of losing his party he sacrificed the chance of verifying this important discovery. The Deutsche Zeitung says that on the Exchange at Trieste it is asserted that England is persuading the Khedive to purchase Tunis and Tripoli, paying the Porte one hundred million francs for them. The National Eifle Association of Great Britain has accepted a challenge from the United States Association to a smooth-bore rifle match in America during the Centenary Celebration next autumn. Sir Henry Halford, captain of the British team, is engaged arranging the preliminaries. A melancholy accident has occurred on the Nile. While Mr Russell Gurney, and three daughters of the Rev J. H. Gurney, were on the river, a squall capsized the boat, and all the ladies were drowned. Divers are seeking to recover the bodies. A most destructive hurricane has swept over the Phillipine Islands, by which 250 persons have been killed, and 3800 houses wrecked.

A disaster happened on December 29th in St George’s Channel by which 22 persons perish<d. TLe [steamer Dante, leaving the Mersey for Bombay, came into collision during the night with a Norwegian barque, and speedily sank. By the wreck of the steamer Glengyle, while on the voyage between Shanghai and Swatow, 20 lives were lost, including the captain The Admiralty having heard the evidence respecting the collision between the Monarch and Haldere, has decided that no one is sufficiently blameworthy to be court martialled.

The Bremen Haven catastrophe has led to some astounding disclosures respecting other horrible inventions for wholesale assassination. Besides machines like that of Thommassen’s, the manufacture of explosives got up to resemble lumps of coal is said to have been reported to our own and other Governments. The Fenians at one time proposed the use of such diabolical agents of vengeance.

The official inquiry into the wreck of the Deutschland has terminated, and the finding of the court sent to the Board of Trade. During the investigation the charges of alleged mutilation and pillage were fully disproved. The manager of the German Lloyd’s stated that during seventeen years their ships had carried 540,000 passengers, and except in the present instance there had been no loss of life.

The German press has retracted its angry reproaches against British seamen. Several of the missing boys belonging to the burned training ship Goliath, have returned to their friends rather than go back to the workhouse. The wonderful discipline and courage of the boys during the iflgiDg of tbc banes bare esoited uoirereai

admiration. Dean Stanley preached about' it in the Abbey, and the Spectator regards the result of their training as of immense value. The Admiralty have offered the Conqueror to replace the Goliath, but to suitably equip her £IO,OOO will have t) be found by subscription. The lordjmayor has been appealed to, and has consented to open a fund for the purpose. A similar calamity happened on Monday to another training ship, the Warsprite, moored off Woolwich. In the dead of night flames were discovered issuing from the cockpit. One hundred and sixty lads were on board at the time, who were summoned to the pumps, and displayed admirable discipline, All efforts to extinguish the fire proving unsuccessful, the lads were all safely landed, and taken temporarily to Woolwich workhouse. Incendiarism is suspected.