ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1420, 3 September 1878, Page 3

ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

[“ Pall Mall Budget.”] HULL-BAITING IN SL’AIN. An unsuccessful attempt has been made to abolish bull-fighting in Spain, a member of the Senate having introduced a Bill according to the terms of which the national pastime would have been suppressed within five years. The Minister of Public Works, who qpoko against the Bill on behalf of the (Government, said that the proposal was ill-considered and ill-timed ; for the recent bull-fights, which took place immediately after the marriage of King Alphonso, have increased the popularity of the pastime with all classes of Spaniards. The Minister, while admitting that the amusement was not altogether consistent with civilisation, declared that no other pastime I attracted so much, and that “bull-fights could only disappear when the circumqtances which favor them or render them necessary have themselves disappeared.” After this somewhat yaguc declaration, the Bill was rejected, as hayo been several others tending in the same direction, for no Ministry would face the unpopularity which would certainly result from a measure of the kind. The Spaniards, when reproached with their fondness for this cruel pastime, not unfairly reply that whatever truth there may bo in the reproach foreigners ought to be less sparing in their criticisms, because nearly all of them who visit Spain take the first opportunity of witnessing a bull-fight, and are not so shocked but that they repeat the visit. COLLIKBT EXPLOSION NKAB 'WIGAN. A terrible colliery explosion (says the “Pall Mall Gazette”) occurred on Friday, Juno 7th, at one of Messrs lyanc and Co.’s collcries known as the Wood 3f*it, at IJaydock, near Wigan, by which it is feared oyer 200 lives have boon lost. The p;t consista of two mince—the, Bayenshead and the Florida. They.e was over 200 me>n in the pit at the time of tho explosion, eighteen of whom were in the liavenshead mine and the remainder in tho Florida. Tho eighteen men in the Eavenshcad were got out immediately after the explosion, but one of them died on his way home, and tho others were much affected by the after-damp. The two mines arc connected by a tunnel, and it was in the workings beyond this tunnel that the explosion occurred. Ganga of explorers went down at once, and found dead 1,0 pa o s and men on every side, fearfully burned and mutilated. Th.y were, however, compelled to desist from their search, on account of the | gas. It iS stated that ten minutes before the j accident the mine had been examined s,nd pronounced safe, and, as A Is, worked on the most approved syptciA "y,o powder J* allowed ta bo in it, »q explanation can : p.t present bo given of tho pause of the disaster. Tho work of exploration has been raucla in.pr -led by the large quantities of gas which, in spite of the measures taken for restoring ventilation, have accumulated in the workings; but up to Thursday sixty-four bodies had been recovered. One of tho explorers lias died. A public meeting in aid of the sufferers was held in Liverpool cu Wednesday. The Earl of 'erby sided, and said that ;y, -h eases as these they all ~tcc.il fsi the relation of the cmnloyeva ;.f tile "men who had lost their lives. Every consumer of coal was really an employer of those who passed the greater part of their days in darkness, discomfort, and danger. His lordship said the sum which would be required to give each widow '-a weekly and each orphan 2s (> 1 would bo ai,,ouk £27,000. Mr Eckersley. E : ph SJiefiq ‘of tho county, and tho i^isnop 6i '‘Manchester also spoke. ileßolutioha appealing for national aid, and appointing a committee, With Lord

Derby as chairman, and the High Sheriff as vice-chairman, were agreed to. The secretary of the meeting announced promised subscriptions to the amount of over £SOOO, including £3OOO from Messrs Evans and Co., the owners of the pit, 100 guineas from Lord Derby, £25 from Lady Derby, 100 guineas from Mr Hugh Mason, and £IOO from the Duke of Manchester. On Thursday a deputation, consisting of Lieutenant-Colonel McOorquodale and Mr George Campbell, waited upon the Lord Mayor as representatives of the committee formed in Lancashire, and requested him to open a fund at the Mansion House in aid of the widows, orphans, and dependent relatives of the men who perished. They stated that the deaths numbered 202, and the number of widows was 93 and children 282. The Lord Mayor consented to receive donations, The Queen has, through the Home Secretary, made inquiries respecting the explosion, and expressed her deep sympathy with the sufferers by the calamity. SHOEING HOUSES. Mr George Ransom, who appears to have had a great experience in Brazil of the use of unshod horses under heavy loads on “the roughest roads imaginable,” has been maintaining in the “ Times” that wo diminish the sureness of our horses’ feet, and foster all kinds of splints and other diseases, by our practice of shoeing them. He maintains that any horse, even one accustomed to shoes, would in a fortnight of very light work 1 become far bettor accustomed to going without them ; that all that is necessary would bo to “keep the edges of the hoof slightly rounded off with a rasp, to prevent the ravelling-up of the edges ;” and that very soon horses would go more easily in every way on our hardest roads, and with far less liability to slipping and diseases, unshod, than they do now, when shod with iron. Of course this is a startling statement, but it seems actually borne out by the experience both of the Roman horses, and of those used in other hot countries. But does it apply equally to all breeds, and to horses used in all climates ? There is no doubt that the youngest colts often come in from the field with their hoofs horribly cut up j and it may bo that what answers well in hot and dry countries, would not answer equally in countries where damp and mud are the rule for more than half the year. Anyhow, it is a matter well worth investigation. The farrier’s bill for shoes, and for treating complaints which Mr George Hansom says are due to shoes, is a very considerable part of the constant expenses of a horse. DISCUSSION ON THE ESTIMATES.

Mr Dillwyn has given notice of a motion on going into Committee of Supply which goes to the heart of our recent financial ohaos, and deserves the most careful and weighty discussion. He is to bring before the House the complete, and indeed confessed, inadequacy of the recent discussions of the estimates, and to point out that no remedy is possible if the present system, which requires these discussions to go on only in committee of the whole House, with so few evenings to spare for the discussion, is to continue. Of course, ho will point to the great increase of the estimates, not, wo suppose, as condemning it, but as suggesting that it at least needs careful censorship and justification, of which the present system does not admit. The natural remedy, ho suggests—is to let these estimates be minutely examined by a small financial committee, composed fairly of men of various shades of opinion who tako an interest in finance, and show competence for financial criticism, so that tho House may at least know what such a committee think of tho various votes, and whether they justify or condemn them. Wo do not presume to say, till wo hear tho discussion, that so great a change is wise. But wo do say that it is in tho highest degree plausible, and that the House should examine Mr Dillwyn’s suggestion with tho most scrupulous care, SECONDARY EDUCATION IN IBEX^NP, Lord Cairns introduced on Saturday quite tho best measure which the present Government have originated—a measure for encouraging secondary education in Ireland, by devoting the proceeds of £1,000,000 of tho surplus of the Irish Church to assisting the most deserving of those who are under education, and tho most efficient of the secondary schools which give it. The Government do not propose to found anything, or to take any responsibility for any of the schools which their plan may result in assisting; but they undertake to examine the secondary schools every year —to distribute, scholarships, tenable during the term of education, to the best of those thus examined 5 and to assist the school managers, by paying them a certain sum per head for every boy who passes tho annual examination ;n not less than two subjects, and more for those who pass in more than two subjects. Any school shall be a secondary school within tho meaning of these provisions which, not being a national (or primary) school, affords classical or scientific education to pupils under eighteen years of age, of whom not less than ten shall have made 100 attendances at least in the period between tho 1 5 th October and tho last day of tho month, preceding the examination” (which iq tv, be hold in either June or July), ft'he qubjccta of examination are to bo Latin aud Greek, with Roman and Greek history ; English and English literature and history • French, German, and Italian languages and literature ; mathematical and natural science. Hence there will bo no difficulty to any good secondary school, with as many as twenty pupils, in profiting by the G overnment scheme. We trust the Bill will pass this Session, which zp,ust depend on the Home-rulers not finding an excuse for regarding tfio proposal of tho Government as “ unpatriotic.” But Homc-vulcvs are great in cavils.