ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1123, 18 September 1871, Page 2

ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

The danger which it. was thought mighlj arise to the Australasian colonies from sie reported intention of the French Government to send large num, bers of Communists to New Caledonia ha-> entirely passed a way? In answer to inquiries by the British Government, satisfactory assurances have been received from the French authorities that no such danger as was apprehended will happen from any action of theirs on this subject. The following circular has been issued from the Treasury to the various police authorities throughout the country :—, Whitehall, July U, Wl. Sir,- -The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's, Treasury being desirous of giving greater publicity to their practice of paying on behalf of the Crown to the finder of coins and antiquities coming under the description of tf treasure, trove " the full bullion value thereof, I am direcied by Mr Secretary Bruce to, request, as you may think best calcic lated, to make the same generally known within your jurisdiction, and more especially to pawnbrokers and other similar dealers.—-A, F. Q. Lid-

Self-help was exemplified in ths Black Country, on Saturday, July in a manner hardly contemplated by Mr Smiles, and certainly never coun-. tenanted by the law. Some half-dozen creditors of a Bilston iron firm, scents ing the intending insolvency of ths concern, and made additionally wary by two or three recent failures in the same vicinity, had recourse to a novel expedient for securing their respective debts. This was nothing less than the forcible seizure of material guarantees,, in the shape of iron, tools, a»d all portable property. For the execution of this bold raid, the self-helpers had enlisted workmen, not less than 150 in number, who swooped clown upon thedevoted premises, from the canal and the road, The scramble, which seems, to have been entirely unopposed by the proprietors of the works lasted for about four houis, in which time it is estimated that some £2,000 worth of pig and finished iron, including property belonging to the was carried off by the representatives of these oversharp creditors. We shall be much surprised if both the executants ami instigators do not fiiyl themselves presently placed in a very awkward pre--dicameht.

At Sale, near Manchester, on July 22, two spirited horses, attached to an open carriage, were standing in. front of the house in the grounds of Mr Sedg* wick, Holmfjeld House. A little six years of age, son of Mr Sedgwick,, had seated himself in the carriage, when the horses tool? fright, passed without damage through the narrow gate en-, trance, and proceeded at a great speed along the road. After they had gone some distance they turned from the. road and jumped a, he.dge nearly six feet high, carrying the carriage and ifei young occupant over safely, They alighted upon the South Junction Railway line. The horses went on their rnad career along the line in the direction of Manchester. Had 'the horsea gone straight forward at the point where they jumped the hedge, they would have come to grief in the canal t which is directly opposite. At Sale station a large num. tier of passenger* stood upon the platform awaiting the. arrival of a train, Qreat; was their astonishment to see two horses and a, carriage coming at a very rapid speed along the line towards the station, Belore they recovered from their surprise at the strange sight the horses flew p>rt the station. The horses were seen ft the distance, galloping straight along t >till on the line, and it was feared that, they would come into collision with an expected train from Stratford. Ms Ward lev QVtil* the station master at Sale, with admirable presence of mind at once telegraphed to the officials at Stretford to stop the train, This message fortunately arrived in time, m the train was detained. Jn the mean* time the horses continued their ga«ff*. along tho line without obstruction. They passed a bridge, where the carriage had a marvellous escape, as the iron girders upon it barely allow room for the vehicle to pass. Th*? speed then abated, the animals ein t

(evidently blown and nearly exhausted. They were stopped a short distance from Stretford station by a laborer, and removed to a place of safety. The Stretford train, after ten minutes' stoppage, went on its journey. No injury was done to the horses or carriage, The little boy was crying when the .carriage was stopped, and appeared very much frightened, but he was not hurt.

A painter named Thompson was charged at the Thames police-court on Saturday with defacing a wall in the Commercial road with whitewash, and stencilling the words, "No vaccination," " Mercy to the blind." and other phrases, on the wall. The policeman who took him into custody said the prisoner was very drunk, and, on Mr. Paget asking how the man could .stencil the wall if he was in that state, the policeman said f( his hands were sober, but his feet and head were drunk." The prisoner, in his defence, said that he was employed by some to advertise sewing machines in that way, and ho wrote "No vaccination," because he was opposed to vaccination, and he bel\e\ ed chat he would make others of the .same opinion as himself. Mr Paget asked him what made him write " Mercy to the blind." The prisoner said he had not finished the line, and a policeman said " Yes, he intended to have written * Mercy to the blind diunk.' r Mr Paget said if the prisoner wanted to show raercy to the blind, he would not hinder the progress of vaccination, for small pox often caused blindness. The prisoner was fined 405., or, in default of payment, fourteen days' imprisonment. The Volkszeitung thu<« describes the effect of the late war on German industry : —" The war has not only interrupted work, but has destroyed thousands of places of work. The four million thalers which are to be spent for the assistance of those who have suffered loss ai*e as a drop on a hot stone, which, hissing, drops on to it, and in an instant disappears in vapour. Thousands of men of the Landwehr and Reserve return to their homes crowned with victory and covered with wreaths; but they find their dwellings destitute, their wives in want, their children neglected, their workshops de stroyed, their customers dispersed, their credit shaken, and the want of their manufacture lessened. Theju- rent is still di,e which has accumulated for a year. New tools have to be bought which their wives in time of distiess have either pawned or sold. Materials have to be laid in stock to enable them, in case of an order being given, to begin work. Repairs and clothes are necessary. The bakers, butchers and retailers have to be paid. If work is not begun at once the cry of distress will soon be as distinctly heard as the echo of rejoicing." The same journal points out that the French indemnity will not compensate the private losses of Germany The payment of it will impoverish the customers of Germany, and Germau industry will gain nothing directly, because the money will be largely used in replacing munitions of war and otherwise assisting warlike operations. The Gorman triumph is thus tar from unalloyed, and as France lias suffered far more, it would be difficult indeed to measure the net suffering of the two belligeients. Carrier pigeons are now coming into jve in England to carry reports to newspapers.