THE NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1418, 3 September 1872, Page 2

THE NEWS BY THE MAIL.

(From the New Zealand Herald, August 29.) The mail to hand is unusually barren of exciting news; in fact there are fewitems of what may be generally designated public interest. The most important intelligence is that the Geneva Conference had, at date of latest telegrams, commenced business, the Americans having withdrawn their indirect claims. Under these circumstances there may be expected to be a speedy settlement of the Alabama question, which has for so long been a bone of sore contention between the two great nations, and which so lately threatened to culminate in a resort to arms. it was anticipated that the results and considerations of the Conference wouni be made known in about six, weeks. The American press is warmly congratulatory on the subject, and looks forward to closer commercial relations, both with the mother country and her Australasian Colonies. We trust that these bonds of commercial friendship will be still more closely interwoven than at present, and thus a lasting peace may lie doubly guaranteed. Mr Stanley, the New York Herald's commissioner, who succeeded in his search after Dr Livingstone, was on his way to England, bearing letters from the great traveller, which will, no doubt, be made public in due time. The New York Herald publishes most interesting letters from Mr Stanley, giving an account of his meeting with Dr Livingstone, as well as the hitter's ac count of hi? discoveries and explorations. The latest information says : ''Chambezi is the head waters of the Nile's source. The Doctor tells of two countries through which the great river runs. He tells of ivory being so cheap and plentiful as to be used for doorposts ; of skilful manufactures; of fine grass cloth, rivalling that ol India; of a people nearly white, and extremely handsome, whom lie suspects to be the descendants of the ancient Egyptians; of copper mines at Katanga, which had been worked for ages, and of a docile and friendly people. Dr Livingstone and Stanley explored the head Lake Tanganyika, and returned to TJjiji, where they spent Christmas. Stanley says he found Livingstone in a very destitute condition, having been robbed

and deserted by his men. He looks to be only about fifty, and is quite hale and hearty. In March, 1872, he began to organise an expedition U> explore a few doubtful points, which he thinks will take about eighteen months, when he will return to England." The interior of the great African continent would appear to possess a most excellent climate, and to afford an enormous field for settlement.

In France the question of taxation seems to have brought about a crisis. The enormous war indemnity thus threatens more mischief still than the mere drain upon the country. Thiers declared in the Assembly that the taxes on doors, windows, and furniture must be increased, or in default the}' - would have to reveit to the taxation on raw materials. Both being a species of taxation highlj unpopular, great excitement was thereby brought aboivi, and latest dates inform us that it was proposed to try a temporary triumvirate corps, consisting of the President of the Assembly, the Censor Depu'y of that body, aud the Commander of the Army. The re-election of General Grant to the Presidency of the United States seems almost certain, although Horace Greeley, who has been put forward by the Democratic Convention of Baltimore, will no doubt find great support. The Americans have again triumphed afloat, and the Livonia has been beaten by the Sappho. We have, however, no particulars as to the circumstances under which the race was sailed, so that we can arrive at no just conclusions as to the respective merits of the vessels The Livonia, was, however, by many competent authorities considered to be an inferior boat in point of speed to her predecessor, the Cambria. The Dacotah was to sail from New York in a i'aw days, with a small cargo and a few passengers, via the Cape of Good Hope, for Melbourne. It is evident, however, that the prospects of

Mr Webb of obtaining any subs icly from the American or "Victorian Governments are at zero, and as pro bably this was known in New York before this time, we very much doubt the sailing »f the Dacotah at all. The American press condemns the Webb line utterly, and the prospects of the line proposed, by New South Wales, are we should Hay, decidedly in the ascendant. We observe that the prices of New Zealand produce are remaining steady at last quotations. Small-pox is still prevailing at Honolulu, and in consequence of this, although there had been no sickness on board the Nevada, the Board of Health considered it advisable to place the vessel in quarantine, where she wilt remain until she has been thoroughly fumigated aud cleansed. Tho mails were landed yesterday afternoon, ami sorted and distributed during the evening. We extract the following from a lateissue of the Thames Advertiser: —The arrangements for supplying the press of the colony with telegraphic intelligence —and more particularly Parliamentary news—do not appear to be very perfect or satisfactor,, notwithstanding the fact. that there are two rival agencies in operation fer the purpose. The agent of the Press Association gives,, in his summaries, undue prominence to* all Ministerial supporters,, whilst Greville and Co.'s agent' rakes up e\ery item that will tell against the Ministry,, and telegraphs it all over the colony. What the newspapers desire is news,. and not the opinions of the telegraph agents. A proposal is now on foot to. establish one good agency for the entirepress of the colony ; hut if this be done,, we hope every precaution will be- taken to exclude political bias, and to secure-. agents who may be relied on; ThePress Association in America has. been* a very great, success, and disseminates, news at so small a cost that every paper, in tho United States can afford to make use of it; but it is free from political' bias, as papers of all sliades of opinion* are included in it. The following telegram from Blenheim, dated August 26s appears in the E.venm« Post :—"Mitchell's cottage at Qmaha took fire at midnight, on Saturday. The mother succeeded in saving, three children, Wt was unr able to get at another in time. child »vas burnt to death."

We (Ne»v Zealand Herald) regret, very much to notice the announcement,, in our obituary column,"of the deceaseat the ripe old age of 80 years, of William Powditeh, Esq., one of ouv oldestand mast respected settlers. Mr Pow ditch arrived in Auckland from the Bay of Islands in 1845. In 1857,. being member for O-nehung'i, he succeeded T. H. Bartley, Esq., as Speakcrr of the Provincial Council,, a post which hefilled until the year 1866, when ho wasdefeated for Onehunga in a contested election by G. M. Q'Rorke, Esq. Hereceived the appointment of Deputy Provincial Auditor,, a post which lie heid until bis death. He wasalso in the early days Chairman of thefirst Auckland Harbor Board of Commissioners. Mr Powditch took a livelyinterest in all matters of local import,, and even until a very brief period before his death was active in the possession of unimpaired faculties and good health.

How to open oysters.—" Talk of opening oysters % " said old Hurricane,, " why, nothing's easier, if you only know how." "And how's how?" in-

quired Starlight. "Scotch snuff," answered old Hurricance, sententionsly —"Scotch snuff. Bring it ever so near their nose, and they'll sneeze their lids off." "I know a genius," observed Meister Karl, " who has a better plan.. He spreads the bivalves in a circle,. seats himself in the centre, and begins spinning a yarn. Sometimes it's an. advenUue in Mexico,, sometimes a legend of his loves, sometimes a marvellous stock operation in Wall-street. As he proceeds, the * natives' get interested* one by one they gape with astonishment at the tremendous and direful whopper* which are poured forth, and as they gape, my friend whips 'em out, peppeif* 'em and swallows 'em." " That'll do, said Starlight with along sigh, " I wish we had a bushel of them here now—they'd open easy."