English and foreign Items.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 763, 21 February 1870, Page 3

English and foreign Items.

GENERAL SUMMARY. [Home News, 3iib Dec] We feared that the admirable Archbishop of Canterbury was to be taken from among us. He was seized with paralysis, and for some days it was thought that each bulletin wou'd be the last. But his constitution has held him up, and he has sufficiently recovered to make the issue of those documents needless. Yet, we grieve to write, one arm is entirely useless, and there is much irritation of brain. The medical men, of course, can do nothing in the way of producing the only state ol mind which would promise abatement ol the latter symptom, a resolution on the Ajx;hbishop's part to abandon thought for the affairs of his diocese, for a while. He remains at his marine vi'la at Broadstairs. We need hardly say that the agit tion against Dr Temple, the new Bishop of Exeter, collapsed, a;;d that in consideration that the Church of England, as by law established, at present owes allegiance to Queen Victoria, the Dean and Chapter of lixeter followed her Majesty's advice and recommendation. The bishop has not been consecrated, and a colonial hieraroh declares that he will oppose the act, but be will possibly be better advised, as brawling in a church may possibly be at once noticed by a policeman, and later by Dr Robert Philliuuore. The Bishop of Lincoln has taken a milder, if not a wiser course, and has affectionately begged Di Temple to disavow all connexion with the " Essays and Reviews." The Bishop of Exeter most properly replies in an equally affectionate way, that he does not see his way to anything of the sort, that at present he is acting in conformity with law, and has no desire to take upon himself the responsibility of any irregularity. Dr VVilberforce lias taken his leave of Oxford in one of the most touching and eloquent of pastoral addresses. Pity he is not a lay lord —there were a chief to lead the Opposition. There is still no King of Spain, and it is to be apprehended that the Spaniards may discover that they can get on very well without ono. But the indefatigable Don Juan Prim is working his hardest for the Duke of Genoa, and is said to have secured within eight of the number necessary to the vote in that young prince's favor. This is not a very dignified way oi getting over the difficulty, added to which it is by no means clear that even if elected, the Duke will take the throne. We have had some fk-reo correspondence on this subject, the Times having confideutly stated that he would not, and Prim having contradicted the English journal, ill this tells in favor of the Duke de Montpeusier, who was at the bottom of the revolution, and " laid his account" with hoping to profit'by it in the long run. His prospects have hitherto been bad enough, and there is in fact a solemn declaration that none of his family shall reign in Spain, bht more solemn things have been rescinded and recanted. Prim's opposition is the only formidable one. Topete, who was one of the chiefs of the revolution, and is for Montpensier, has ceased to be a member of the ministry, but supports it. Victory was with M. do Lesseps on the 19th of November, and a flotilla, with the Empress of the Erench, the Emperor of Austria and other notabilities, including the Viceroy, entered the Suez Canal, from the Mediterranean, and went triumphantly up to lsmailia, tho central port, where ' they were met by vessels that had come in at the other end, and thus the voyage from sea to sea was accomplished. M. de ; Lesseps held a great banquet, at which, ' with his accustomed fearlessness, he chid his own Government for not falling into f his views in regard to the abolition of the ] consular courts, and it is feared that this may be remembered against him, and delay his salutation of his young bride as ' Duchess of Suez. Next day, the illustrious '<

and distinguished party performed the rest of the voyage, and went down into the Red Sea. They returned as successfully. and so what was promised has been done. There was white terror on the 18th, however, for there was news that a large Egyptian vessel had run aground, and could not bo got off, and that the whole affair would be stopped. We fancy that the Viceroy and M. de Lesseps would haye blown her into the air sooner than have allowed the procession to be prevented, but milder means prevailed. Now that it has been shown, in defiance of Stephenson, that the canal is practicable, the business is to show that it cannot be profitable, that it is not nearly wide enough for sailing ships, that it must be embanked with stone, and that if this is done, it will be creating ridges of rocks for sailing ships to be dashed upon, that the steamers will wash away the bank?, and also that it will not pay, as the rates which it will be necessary to demand will prevent merchants from shipping. All of which remains to be proved, and in the meantime a very splendid achievement has been gallantly performed. Now the Viceroy has other matters to consider. The Sultan appears to have taken him in hand in earnest, and to have signified to him in what Mr Carlyle calls a final sort of way that he is not to be allowed fo contract any more loans, and that if he persists in that one particular form of independence, the firman which gave him the title of Xhodiveh will bo annulled. Ismail Pacha has replied with profuse protestations of veneration for his sovereign, and an expression of hope that on consideration, the ruler of Egypt will be allowed to do what is necessary for the maintenance of the State. There may be a quarrel, but the Powers will see that it has no serious consequences.