ENGLISH AND FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 736, 18 November 1869, Page 3

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN ITEMS.

[Prom the "European Mail" for September.]

GENERAL SUMMARY. Dull as this season of the year proverbially is, we have not been without our genuine (i sensations " for some time past. The Havard-Oxford boat-race, or, as every one called it, the " International " boat race caused a thrill of interest from one end of the country to the other, which has not yet altogether subsided, and since then, for some days past, the illness of the Emperor Napoleon has supplied food for anxious speculation and curious conjecture. What will happen in France when the Emperor dies is a serious problem which has long presented itself, and every fresh alarm as to his Majesty's health seems to render it imminent. There can be no question that the Emperor has been seriously ill; his medical advisers have been in daily constant attendance, and it was positively stated that for some days his Majesty was not well enough to see any body. Uncertainty arising out of the secrecy which was preserved as to the Emperor's actual condition increased the alarm which this state of things would naturally have produced ; and the consequence was a perfect panic on the Bjurse,, sending the Rentes down 4 f. or 5 f., and which has not yet been allayed, although his Majesty is said to be quite restored, and has received his ministers according to his usual custom. The fact that the Empress and the Prince Imperial departed for their trip to Corsica, had to a certain extent the effect it was no doubt intended to have, and somewhat reasured the public mind ; but a lurking sense of dread remains, the visit to Constantinople and the opening of the Suez Canal is given up, and in spite of all assurances that have been given as to the com plete re-establishment of the Emperor's health, the public apprehension is marked by the continuous decline of the French Funds, with which all other Europeau securities suffer in sympathy. The Queen, with her younger children, are in Scotland, whence they are not expected to return till the middle of November. The Princess of Wales, who has suffered from a chronic form jf the malady which laid her up a year or two ago, has gone to try the baths at Wildbad, in the Black Forest, and her Royal Highness is said to have derived much benefit from the change. The Prince took the Princess over, but soon returned to England, and has gone to Abergeldie, near Balmoral, for grouse shooting. His Royal Highness visited the Queen on the 26th of August, the anniversary of the Prince Consort's birthday, when the tenants of all the Queen's Scotch estates met at the Prince's Obelisk and drank to his memory.

The discussion upon Mr Lowe's proposed reduction in the amount of gold contained in the sovereign goes on, and seems likely to continue — in omne volubis cevum.

The Suez Canal is to be opened for navigation on the 17th November. The depth of the canal is 25 feet, and the draught of. vessels must not exceed 24 feet 4J in.—rather a close shave. The Empress of the French, as we have said, will not be present at the formal opening. A strange tale is told about the U.S. frigate Sabine, at Cherbourgh. It said that a tram was discovered to the magazine which in a few seconds would, have sauted the vessel. An immediate investigation was made, 22 of the crew were put in irons, and the frigate standing out to sea, seven were hanged at the yard arms, in sight of the boatmen on shore. The tale is a startling one, and has since been contradicted.

he Roi est Mori, — Vive La Roi. The Irish Church has no sooner been disposed of, than a still more difficult and perhaps vital question for the pacification and well-doing of Ireland, has come forward to take its place. The Irish Land question has been long looming in the distance, and in the next session of Parliament, Government must be prepared with a scheme for its settlement. It lies at the very root of the Irish difficulty, and caunot be put out of sight. The Times sent a, Special Commissioner to report upon the matter, and he has begun with the

.hotbed of disaffection and agrariaa outrage, Tipperary. He reports that ' the laboring classes there are well off, but that no elements of good feeling between the farming class and landlords can be discovered ; that a lurkI ing dissatisfaction exists, which makes 1 the tenants ready to combine for their own "protection," as they regard it, and that evictions, "except for nonpayment of rent," could be made only at the peril of the landlord's life. The wording of the correspondent's letter would imply that eviction for the nonpayment of rent would not be resented ; but if so, considerable misapprehension prevails in this country, which is supported even by the testimony of such authorities as Mr Trench, and it is very important that this doubt should be cleared away. Another agrarian murder of the worst kind has been perpetrated. A Scotchman named Hunter, who had been levying a decree on a tenant, having been shot dead in open day. Hitherto this description of crime has been confined to Tipperary, Westmeatb, and King's County ; but this occurred in Cuunty Mayo, at the extreme north-west of the island, where no such occurrence has taken place fur a hundred years. As the Times says, happening just now when it is necessary, for a proper settlement of the land question, that passion and prejudice should be laid aside, this is nothing short of national misfortune ; for who can advocate treating murderers and assassins with generosity and consideration ? Yet something of the kind must be done, though a more apparently hopeless task never presented itself to the statesman than how to do it—

The summit's slope Beyond the furthest flights of hope, Wrapt ill dense cloud from base to cope. It seems as if no less were required than to bring about a radical change in the very nature of the whole people. Can it be hoped that the Ethiopian will change his skin ?

THE INTERNATIONAL BOAT RAGE. " Defeated, but certainly not disgraced," is a motto with which the Harvard crew may console themselves, for their defeat upon the Thames upon that 27th of August which will for ever remain memorable in racing annals. The splendour of the weather; the perfect condition of the water, which was hardly ruffled by the gentle easterly breeze that was so refreshing under the bright and burning sun; and the excellence of the arrangements made for keeping the course clear, so as to give each of the competing crews a " fair field and no favor," made the race a model one, and its result must be taken as a fair and final test of the merits of the different styles of rowing adopted by the rival universities. It was at about a quarter past five in the afternoon, that the secretary of the Harvard Club gave the signal to " Go " from the umpire's boat. The Harvard crew who had won the toss for choice of stations, and were on Middlesex side, were the first to catch the water, and decidedly made the best start, taking a slight start at the commencement. They worked well together, too ; at the first much better than their opponents, who were some time before they settled into that steady mechanical stroke for which Oxford is now famous. The lead which the Harvard men first secured they continued, by very rapid and powerful rowing, to increase, till by the time a mile and a half was traversed, they were fully a boat's length ahead. The Americans cheered them on with their peculiar cry like the German " hoch " " hoch " " hoch," which had a most quaint effect. Still they drew ahead, rowing 45 strokes a miuute to the Oxford's 39, and it appeared that, if the Harvard coxwain had so chosen, he might have taken Oxford's water when about a mile and three* quarters had been done. For a moment it seemed as if he intended to do so, but whether fearing a foul, which had been more than once imminent from his boriug upon the Oxford boat, he hesitated, and at last kept way, losing for ever the half-length by which the Harvards were then leading. During all this time the Harvard men had been rowing, with wonderful animation, a short, sharp, digging stroke, afford** ing a remarkable contrast to tho Oxford men, who apparently wanting life in their rowing, came steadily along with a swinging stroke never

<?gceeding $9 in tiie minute. Half£he distance had been accomplished,; when the steadiness and symmetry of Of the Oxford style began to tell;; fittle by little the dark blue overhauled; fhe crimson -; at Barnes Bridge Oxford gras leading nearly three lengths, and though working moat pluckily to the, last, the Americans were finally defeated by three quarters of a length. Oxford undoubtedly eased at last, and very nearly lost the race, from a ruffian sculling directly across their course, when they were within about fifty yards of the winning post. Most heartily were the gallant losers cheered for the splendid exhibition of courage and fortitude they had shown ; for the best judges of boating felt that to have got where they did, with the disadvantages of a style unsuited to so long a race, and of a coxwain who did not make the best of the course Cor them, was a very creditable performance. The Harvard crew were much distressed, and more than once their coxwain astonished the onlookers by dashing water over the stroke and number 3, by way of reviving them — a proceeding which was not a little shocking to the prejudices of those accustomed to our English traditions.

FIRE AT DAY AND MAETIN'S. Shortly after 11 o'clock on Friday night, 3rd September, a fire was discovered in the blacking establishment of Messrs Day and Martin, Holborn. The premises consisted of offices fronting the street, and a manufactory, separated from the fore part by an open court-yard. It was in the manufactory that the fire broke out, and the inflammable character of the materials with which the place was stored soon created an extraordinary body of flame. The b.uih.iiug extended from Holborn to Eagle street, several hundred feet in depth, and when the fireman arrived the whole interior, from end to end, was one mass of Dame. A very large force of engines was summoned to the spot, and arimmense volume of water poured into the building from several points ; but all efforts of the firemen failed to reduce the flame until it had almost exhausted itself; and then the outer walls and iron girders of floor and roof were all that remained. About 1 o'clock the fire was extinguished, the premises being a total wreck. The loss to the firm is covered by insurance. The fire was attended by a fatal result. A man named Evans who had been courageously assisting to arrest the progress of the fire, was precipitated, some time after the flames had been got under, into a tank of vitrei, and died in a few hours.

INSURANCE COMPANY FAILURES. A very strong feeling lias been occasioned throughout India by the collapse of the Albert Insurance Company. A meeting of policy holders was made at Calcutta, at which it was resolved to endeavor to fix either a or civil or criminal liability on the London Board of Directors. It was proposed by the official liquidators to establish a new compauy ; but a meeting of policy holders rejected the scheme. A committe of policy holders was formed,, to report and control affairs. It is decided to test the liability of shareholders in all amalgamated companies. The European Assurance Company has also suspended payment, and petitions for winding it up were presented tp the Court of Chancery, one of which is by the directors. Its affairs are represented as not much better than those of the Albert. With reference to the failure of the Albert Company, the Pall Mall Gazette remarks:—The collapse of the office was clearly due to a reckless extension of business. Nothing seems to have been thought of except how to multiply the the amount of premiums, with put reference to the liabilities thereby incurred :•—" Not content with the issue of individual policies, the managers launched out into wholesale purchases of assurance contracts. One cpmpany after another was thus absorbed, but while the annual sum of premiums was enlarged, the expenditure expanded also, and at a ruinous rate. The secret of this policy is not iar to seek. Mr Kirby, the manager, mainly paid by a per-centage on the premiums ; and cxeiy amalgamation wa3 celebrated by a distribution <$ douceurs among the gentlemen con?a pap

divided between three officials of a bouglit-up company, the directors also pocketing their iBOO a piece. As much as .£15,000 is said to have been awarded to Mr Sheridan in another instance, and Mr Price, the actuary, said he could read a long list of grants of this kind to different persons." BISHOP SELWYN IN ENGLAND. The Spectator says Dr Selwyn has not succeeded at all as a spiritual peer, his greatest speech having been a most rambling, incoherent affair, and he does not seem very likely to succeed as a leader within the Church. In a visitatiou. address, delivered at St. Mary's, Stafford, he endeavored to explain and defend the claim of authority as opposed to thought, but the total effect of his argument is mere confusion. The " right of private judgment,'' he says, "is in its nature opposed to Christian unity," there " is no trace of it in the Bible." That is rather a strong assertion surely. We should have thought that when St. Paul withstood St. Peter to the face he asserted the right of private judgment after a most emphaticfashion, as did also St. Thomas —the first true sceptic—when he questioned Christ's own statement. Christ did not cast him out for Ids private judgment, but changed his judgment by appealing to evidence. Immediately after, however, the Bishop of Lichfield shows that he confounds the right of private judgment with ordinary conceit, and preaches the virtue of humility ; and then again ho says, " take heed lest through thy knowledge thy weak brother perish," and tells the cultivated to hold their tongues lest, though they may avoid unbelief, the mechanic or the laborer should not. If that is not to advocate the right of private judg ment in its worst form, i.e., as the right to hold an esotoric creed, what is it? As yet, the English career of Dr Selwyn seems to justify the opiuion of some New Zealanders, that he is a man with a firm nature and l.fty aims, but with little insight, and that little not available for use in governing the Church. GOLD DISCOVERY IN ESSEX. A short time since, whilst a little boy was knocking stones one against the other, he was somewhat surprised by seeing a glittering substance in the heart of a paving-stone which he had broken. He paid no attention to this on first time of finding it; but on seeing a bit of the same bright metal in another piece of quartz in the yard, he took it to a jeweller's, at Braintree, who pronounced it to be a nugget of remarkably pure gold, and gave him sixpence for it. Since then two more particles of gold, have been found, but the stones have been down too long for it to be possible to ascertain whence they came ; but it is clear that, wherever that may be, there must also be a considerable abundance of gold. MISCELLANEOUS. Andrew Jenkins intends to cross the Niagara on a velocipede over a tight rope. His obituary is in course of preparation. A locomotive ran, on the 28th August, for the first time, on the newly laid-down line of railway on the Thames Embankment.

On September 8, the death of Mr John A. Rawlins, the American Secretary of War, at the age of thirty-eight, was announced.

Eipht men have been killed in a fight on board a Mississippi steamer, which arose from a number of raftsmen being refused admittance into the cabin.

The Dundee Advertiser says it is stated by many old people about Dun keld and Tayside that the Tay has not been so low as it now is for upwards of 40 years. Under date September 1, wo hear that the public debt of the United States has been reduced $5,500,000 during the month of August; making the reduction since the Ist March, #49,000,000.

Goldsmiths' Woek. —The progress of fine art manufacture in this branch of trade is strikingly exemplified in a little work jjst published by J. W. Benson, of 25 Old Bond-st., and of the City Steam Factory, 58 and GO, Ludgate Hill. It is enriched and embellished with designs (bj Italian, French, and English, artistes) of lirooches, Bracelets, Earrings, and other articles suitable for personal wear, or Wedding, Birthday, or other presents, with thczr prices. Air Benson (who, hold,-;

the appointment to lI.IUI. tho Prince of Wales) has also published a very interestin? pamphlet oh the Rise and Progress of Watch and Clock-making. These pamphlets are sent post free for two stamps each, and they cannot be too strongly recommended" to those contemplating a purchase, especially to residents in the country or abroad, who a-c thus enabled to select any article they may require, and have it forwarded with perfect safety. l/?/9