LATEST FROM THE EAST.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 725, 10 September 1870, Page 4

LATEST FROM THE EAST.

INDIA. There are said to be serious disturbances among the native chiefs in the Straits Settlements, near Penang, and piracies have oi late been very numerous on tlio Chinese coast. The turn-out of the harvest in the Punjaub has been very fair, and prices of food-grains are falling. The health of the people was good, but the cattle disease had appeared with severity in some districts. A fire at Mandaley, in Upper Burmah, has consumed 10,000 houses, and cleared a square mile and a half of the city. The European quarter had a narrow escape. The king's custom house, with a large quantity of European goods was burnt. A subscription is being raised at Rangoon for the sufferers. A young elephant, presented to the Duke of Edinburgh by Jung Bahadoor, was made use of on board the Galatea, at Galle, to haul on board 300 tons of coal, saving the labor of about thirty men. From September to February last, no fewer than 104 person «nt in charge of horses from Australia were turned ashore in Calcutta ; consequently Calcutta is full of idle loafers. According to the report of Mr Farrell, the Veterinary Surgeon, specially deputed to Assam, the natives will not allow their cattle to be treated for the rinderpest by European remedies, and specially invoked their deity agiiinst such treatment. 170,000 head of cattle are reported to have died during last year from the disease, which, always more or les3 present, breaks out in -severe attacks about every ten years. The heat in Calcutta has continued during the past week, the thermometer having on two days risen to 109 clegs in the shade, and having been above 100 deg3 every day. Several deaths of human beings and horses have occurred in the atreots of heat apoplexy. Madras is also suffering in a similar manner, and the wells are drying up. The crops are also perishing for want of rain. The weather in Pubnah has been so unusually hot that drinking water is becoming scarce. The mango crop, on which the people mainly depend, has entirely failed, and the other crops which have been planted have perished.

It is said that no fewer than one hundred machines are on their way to India, to compete for a reward of L 5,000 offered by the Government for a machine for cleaning the Rhea fibre. The heat ha 3 been so great at Madras that, in four days, five European soldiers, one soldier's wife, and one child, died of heat apoplexy at the Mount. In Orissa also, the crops are drying up in the gardens, and the water in the wells and tanks ; and, unless rain fall soon, the spring crops will be a failure. Fortunately the weather for the past week has been cooler with every appearance of rain, though but little has fallen in Calcutta. A telegraph message has been received in Calcutta frnra England, via Russia, in one hour and fifty-three minutes. The Mysore Railway, is to be constructed on the narrow guage, and surveys of parts have been already commenced. The area of land under cotton cultivation in Madras had increased during last year by 400,000 acres, and of that under indigo by 75,000 acres. . No rain has fallen as yet in the Central Provinces, but tlnugh the heat was very great, the health of the people was generally good. There were some cases of small-pox, but cholera was conspicuous by its absence. The sample shipments of Australian produce to Calcutta have been favorably reported upon by a Government Committee, the wines are said to resemble burgundy, clarets, Capepontac, hock,sautevne chablis, and Greek and Hungarian wines. The wheat, flour, biscuits, and jams were also good, as well as the preserved meats, but the bottled beer was bad.