ENGLISH AND FOREIGN ITEMS.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1745, 23 September 1879, Page 4

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN ITEMS.

Speaking in the French Chamber of Deputies M. Haentjens, the Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, stated that the reforms introduced into the postal services had been expected to result in a deficit of 18,000,000 f. for the first year, 12,000,000?. for the second, and 6,000,000 f. for the third in the revenue derived from these services. A similar calculation had been made in the case of the telegraph service, and a loss of 1.200,000 f. had been expected. The change in the telegraph tariff to a pro-word system had produced an increase of 61 per cent, in the number of telegrams sent. As regarded the financial result of the postal reform, the deficiency of yield had been only 9,000,000 f. instead of 18,000,000 f. The celebrated painter, Heilbuth, has just received letters of grand naturalization. A native of Hamburg, he had been twenty years in France when the war broke out, and being French at heart he withdrew to England, whence he returned in 1872. His position "was a very painful one, for his countrymen zeminded him of his nationality, and evinced resentment at his French preferences. Heilbuth felt this keenly, and at last year's exhibition, being unablo to exhibit with the Frenchmen, he sent nothing. At the close of the exhibition he joined the founders of the Water-Colour Society, and there exhibited some works, whioh attracted great notice. He thereupon decided to solicit naturalization, and the Government has lost no time in welcoming this great artist as a French citizen. On the occasion of the German Emperor's golden wedding, says the Berlin correspondent of the "Times," it may be remembered a deputation from the 3rd Brandenburg Uhlans, of whom the Czir is ohicf, went to St. Petersburg as the bearers of the congratulations of the Emperor "William and a sword of honour from the latter to his Imperial nephew, the Czar's tenure of honorary command in the above-mentioned regiment dating from the wedding day of his uncle, and the return compliment has now been paid. On July 18th several Russian officers arrived at Berlin from St. Petersburg, and proceeded to Furstenwalde, the head-quarters of the regiment, where, amid considerable military pomp, they distributed commemorative tokens among the officers, inferior officers, and men in the shape of gold, silver and bronze medals. The Russian strangers were afterwards entertained at a banquet given by the officers of the regiment, when toasts of mutual esteem and comradeship were exchanged. This incident would seem conclusively to show that, whatever the diplomatic relations of the Empires as represented by the respective Chancellors, the long-standing friendship of the two monarchs has not changed'. The "Paß de Calais" publishes the following particulars about the proposed submarine tunnel between England and France. The engineers who have been engaged in the work have not yet commenced the tunnel itself ;_all that they have done at present being to sink a shaft near Sangatte in order to ascertain the depth and currents of the water. When these preliminary experiments are conoluded the work of making the tunnel itself will begin. The shaft now being sunk has a diameter of about 9Et., and is to go to the depth of 260 ft. Work in the shaft has been suspended for the last three months, as the water comes in to rapidly that it has been necessary to construct a machine which will extract 600 gallons per minute, or double what the machine at first used could remove. The shaft has already been sunk to half the proposed depth, and work will be resumed before the end of the year. The walls of the shaft are being lined with small oak planks with a backing of concrete. The earth whioh has been excavated is of a white, chalky nature and very hard. Don Carlos has brought an action against the "Gaulois" and the "Republique Francaiae " for publishing artioles of a libellous character, under the respective titles of "Confidences du General Boet sur Don Carlos," and " Correspondence d'Espagne." The case has been adjourned for a fortnight. This General Boet is the aide-de-camp whom Don Carlos accused of having stolen his collar of the Golden Fleece at Milan, on his return from the Russo.-Turkish war. The General, who is to be prosecuted in Italy, revenged himself by contributing certain uncomplimentary articles about Don Carlos to the Spanish journal " El Diluvio," which were borrowed by the two French papers. All lovers of the beautiful and particularly those who have lingered in Rome, will regret to learn that the fine fountain of the Ponte Sisto—certainly one of the most picturesque of all Rome's many fountains, its waters rushing into a great shell in the upper part and then splashing down into the basin far below, into whioh also strong jets played from the mouths of two winged dragons and crossed one another " like sabres gleaming bright against the dark, damp, moBS-grown stones—" the fountain of whioh "Ouida " has written so gracefully in her " Ariadne " and which forms the centre-point of the scene of that story, is now being demolished. It jrtands in the way of the exigencies of modern Rome—an interruption in the line of the Tiber embankment —and must come down. It seems a great pity that so beautiful an object could not have been spared. It was built by Giovanni Fontana for Pope Paul V. in the year 1613. On the morning of June 29th, Dr Jacob Sohlessinger, a physician of Buda-Pesth, was found dead in his bed in his lodgings at Baden, near Vienna, evidently poisoned by morphia. He was sixty-one years of age, and for the laßt thirty years has been a leading physician in the Hungarian capital, much esteemed and liked, and a great benefactor to the poor. He was afflicted with cancer in the nose, and knew that his case was incurable. He went to Baden about two months ago, and at a festive gathering previous to his departure replying to the toast of his health and the wish that he might return cured, he answered enigmatically, " When I return I shall be quite freed from my malady ; but I do not yet know whether at my return I shall be able to see you." People speculated as to the meaning of the sphinx-like statement which the event has cleared up, and it is now remembered that heusedoften to discuss suicide as an available resource in cases of painful and incurable disease. He belonged to the Jewish persuasion. The liquidators of the City of Glasgow Bank have issued a statement showing the progress made in settling the legal disputes which arose out of the failure. According to this, the Scotch Court of Session has dealt, between the 22nd of October last, when the liquidation began, and the 19th July, the date when the Court rose for the vacation, with 257 suits out of a total of 307. Many of these suits involved points of great difficulty, and the decisions of the Scotch Courts were appealed against in several instances, but the appeals were in all cases dismissed. There are now only fifty suits pending, so that the rapidity and thoroughness with which the Court of Session has done its work is highly creditable. It is stated further that, in virtue of powers granted to them under various orders of the Court, " compromises by way of complete surrender of their estates have been completed with 710 contributories, representing among them in all £447,980 stock of the bank." The shareholders' part in this disastrous failure is thus being rapidly disposed of, but it will take a considerable time for the liquidators to realize the securities which have in various ways come into their hands. They, however, expect, we believe, to pay some further dividend before the end of the first financial year of their liquidaion. Mr Bright presided at a crowded meeting held at Willis' Rooms, convened for the purpose of hearing an address from Mr Lalmohun Ghose, of Calcutta, on questions affecting the interests of the people of India. At the close of Mr Ghose's address, Mr Bright, in a long speech, criticised the financial polioy of the Government, and Baid that the only way in which it appeared possible for them to redeem, their pledge of economy was by stopping public works—a course which would be a frevious injury and misfortune to India. He welt on the burdensome character of our military expenditure, and said if there wss no possible escape from it, he thought it would be almost better to surrender, to confess our failure, and to say that the government of a great empire in Asia by persons sent out as rulers from this small island was impossible, and never should have existed. He also complained of the high [/"salaries paid to Civil servants in India, and of the non-fulfilment by successive Governments of the pledges mode to the people of India with respect _to the facilities to be afforded for their admission to the Civil service. Unless English opinion and the English conscience seized the question of Indian administration boldly and dealt with it, he feared that the future of India, and of England connected with it, was full of