NEWS BY THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 838, 1 March 1877, Page 3

NEWS BY THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

The Auckland correspondent of the Daily Times supplies the following additional items of news :

Owing to the unsettled state of the Eastern question and Continental affairs generally, trade throughout the country is as dull as can be. The weather since last November has been something dreadful—nothing but one continual downpour of rain, with must violent gales, all over Great Britain, Disasters to shipping and loss of life have been very great. On land, wo have not altogether escaped. A vast quantity of rain and high Gdes have caused numbers of rivers to overflow their banks, doing great mischief. In Scotland, during Christmas week, snow fell for days together, and several trains were snowed up, and passengers had either to sleep in carriages all night or wade back to the nearest railway station. Sue r has been the weather in this country of late. London had but one heavy fall of snow—on the 23rd December. Although the weather has been damp, it has been mild for this time of the year.

It looks as if the people of New Zealand 'ill have freights very low to New Zealand for Bime time to come, for rates of freight are now far below Australian rates, Ship-

ping to all New Zealand ports is very dull, and rates lower than have been known for many years, The London Times contains a long letter from “Tudor” (Mr Macindoe), secretary of the Otago Convention, rebutting reports ot the Wellington correspondent of that j mrnal. setting forth the objects of the Convention and its loyalty to the Crown, notwithstanding its determination to resist the coercion of the Colonial Parliament.

At the Turkish Conferenc 0 , Bonrgoig, the French Envoy, had a stand up fight with Edheira Pasha. Bourgoig, taking offence at the language of the Turk, is alleged to have so far forgotten the dignity of his position as to grapple with Edheim Pasha, who thereupon drew his scimitar. This naturally created the greatest consternation among diplomatists until Chandomoy rushed forward and pulled back his colleague by the coat-tails.

A dispatch from Roustouk says that the Turks are sending considerable reinforcements to Orden and Shumla. A Russian legion is being quartered near Grohovo, on the Danube, and Russian volunteers who quitted Servia are joining it. It is asserted that the Prince of Montenegro telegraphed that it was impossible for him to entertain direct negotiations for peace, as his subjects would dethrone him if he did. Subsequently, however, he agreed on the basis of status quo ante helium, The policy of Servia is undecided. The ultra peace party demands immediate settlement with Turkey, while their opponents urge delay, desiring that in the event of a Turko- Russian war, Servia should send 30,000 men to co operate with Russians, and retrieve reputation of Servian army, and secure some advantages for Servia in case of a successful termination of campaign, Prince Milan and his principal officers favour the latter party. The Russian Government has given orders to prepare for calling out the third division of reserves, which includes all able bodied men.

The Servians declare that the proposed cession of Little Tivornick to Servia is valueless unless accompanied by compensation for sufferings they have sustained on behalf of their fellow Christiana.

The Servian War Department la endeavoring to place its forces on an effective footing to co-operate with Russia in case she declares war. Fortifications are being constructed to protect the passage of the Danube between Servia and Eoumania. It is stated that they now have 10/'OO men ready for action on Timok and Morava lines. Mr Gladstone, in a speech at Taunton, said he had lately had a letter from Schuyler, United States Secretary of Legation at Constantinople, in which he says he is about to make a further report on the outrages and executions in Bulgaria. “ I think,” Schuyler says, “ you will find in it abundant confirmation of the remarks at which Selim Effendi took offence.”

A despatch to the Standard from Pesth reports that Russian volunteers who bad left Belgrade have been ordered to stop at Tuiusyerin and await fresh orders. The Cologne Gazette says telegrams from French sources announcing that German troops would co-operate with the Russians have excited Mussulman fanaticism against German colonies in the neighbourhood of Jaffa and beyond. Immediately on hearing this the German Government called the attention of the Porte to the matter, and ordered the German man-of-war Gazelle to cruise along the Syrian coast, and to visit particularly Jaffa, lliafa, and Beyrout. England and Austria readily premised to cooperate in protection of German colonists. The German Government therefore hopes it has acted in time to warn off all danger. An American medium has gone to Russia to fulfil an engagement. Rinderpest having appeared in Liraehonse parish suburb, neither cattle, sheep, nor goods can leave. Fires are still reported from London, and another very disastrous one, which destroyed a number of houses, estimated variously at from 300 to 800, occured in Soho. The rebel Indian chief, Sitting Bull, was again defeated in war at the head of the Powder river on December 16th, by three companies of the Fifth Infantry under command of Lieutenant Baldwin. The Indian trail was obscured by a severe snowstorm when north of Missouri river. He was driven south of Yellowstone, and his camp captured, with many lodges standing, together with sixty horses, mules, and ponies, and everything pertaining thereto. The Indian villages were burned, and the Indians escaped with very little baggage except what they had on their backs. Five prominent chiefs of the Sioux nation were killed by their old enemies the Crow scouts. The guilty Crows escaped by flight. Moody and feankey have begun revival meetings at the New Tabernacle, Boston. The Georgia Minstrels are performing at M'Guire's Opera House, George Gordon Bennett has been cowhided by a brother of his intended. Presidents Leardo and Zlesias have lied from Mexico.