FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 78, 29 June 1868, Page 156

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

INDIA.

t ere iafagappreh ended, difficulty hePrussia on.the Schleswig: yThemmrrectioninCrote is almost over. by the Turks were greatly exaggerated. • . - . . 'England and Italy have taken* steps to protect the Jows in the Dauubian Principalities.;. ..; , * The troop 9 leave Rome in a few. days. •Riots have occurred in the coal districts in Belgium, which led to conflicts between the troops and miners. Capital punishment is abolished .in Saxony. Tax-rates are modified in Russia. There is a change of Government in Spain. John M'Pherson, the last of the Tormando’s crew, has been- liberated, after nineteen months’ imprisonment.'. The Viceroy of Egypt is dangerously ill. . Over a thousand mendicants were found dead near Mostaganem, in Algeria. ; A Fenian plot in New York has been discovered to blow up the Parliament of Ottawa. The steamer Sea Gull was burned on Lake Michigan ; fifty lives were 1 sfc. The steamer Magnolia, on the Mississippi, exploded. Forty persons were killed. The evidence in Johnson’s case is concluded.

The chief officer and seven seamen of the .ship Living Age, which was burned at sea, had reached. Bombay. The Ensign, from Leith to Bombay, was burned off Cochin ; the crew were saved. A collision occurred between the Ethel and Agamemnon, at Hooghly Point, with cargoes valued at £100,0*0; several lives were lost.

A cure for leprosy has been discovered at Bombay by a physician. A native of Calcutta offers £5,000 to establish scholarships in the Calcutta colleges.

Twelve natives were killed and injured by a railway accident. Freights at Bombay have a downward tendency. Ships load at from £2 to £2 5s for cotton.

Arrivals.—Glee Maiden and Sparkenhoe, from Australia.

There is no Ceylon, Calcutta, or China commercial news of importance.

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. The latest papers are to the 25th April. Three expeditions had started for the goldfields in the interior, headed by an experienced Australian digger. The war with the Basutas continues.

A deputation from the Free State waited on the Government, and asked'for reannexation to the Cape Colony. * The Governor of Natal has offered a reward £I,OOO for the discovety of a payable gold-field.

COMMERCIAL.

The demand for discount at the Bank is fair. In Lombard-street there is not so much inquiry. Money is more plentiful, and the satisfactory appearance of the Bank returns will tend to make brokers work at lower quotations, but the market, rate is called at 2 per cent. Short loans on Government securities are done at from Ito 1$ per cent. The Stock Exchange market presehtst a favorable appearance. The income tax has increased from 4d to 6d, to pay the cost of the war with Abyssinia.' • The budget was well received. The Funds are firmer and Btock is wanted.

There is no decided improvement in trade, but it is hoped that late prices of of wool would be maintained at the next sales. -

Colonial Government securities are firm, and 1 engage a fair amount of attention. New South Wales 5 per cent belter, at 97 'o 98; Vichtpria 6 per cents are quoted at 112 to 113 ; New Zealand 6 per cents, at 106$ to 107$; Queensland 6 per cents, at 105 to 106. ; -

Consols are at 93$ to 23$ for money and account.

Colonial securities are in fair demand.

The English, Scotish, and Chartered Bank dividend is 16$;. Bank of : .New. South Wales shares are quoted at|||r4 to 46; Hobson’s Bay Railway Company, 50; Bank of Australasia, 55: London Chartered Bank, 245; Bank of New Zealand, 8f premium ; Bank of Otago, at a discount; Bank of South Australia, 29; Union Bank, 49. The Railway Loan tender of £400,000 for Tasmania at 6 per cent, invited by the Bank of New South Wales, is likely to be taken up readily. : The Australian Mortgage . Land and Finance Company has declared 10 per cOnt dividend, carrying £IO,OOO to the reserve. - - - . ■>. .

The Board of Trade returns for February show commerce steady. 1 The Oriental Bank has resigned the London agency for New* South Waltt. Gold deposts have been' discovered in Peru equal to those in-California. The guaranteed Securities Aessociation is to wind up. . The March shipments to -Victoria show an increase of.£ 17,580 ; to ; Sydney, an ificreaße; -* Of: £2,287; , ; to * Queensland j- a decrease of £4,037in South Australia, a decreaae 0f,£4,913 ; to .Tasmania, an in: crease of 43,131;t0 New Zealand, a decrease 0f.£33,136. Sugar is very firm, arid the. demand active. Brown. Manilas liaveadvanced J.s to Is 6d.. . . ...

Rice is firm;? and a largo business has been done. . V

The public sales of hides were limited in extent, but ; went off with , good spirit, most descriptions realising good prices. Salted ? Australian," .also first heavy, Mel- : bourne, 61b., at 5d to ssd - first light, same price. First heavy, Brisbane, 4sd. . Leather : Australian is lower, best sides, 10$d to 10$d ; second, 9fd to iOd. ' . Metals: Tin.on the spot, £93 lOs to £94. Copper :, Fair sales have been made of Burra at from £76 to £77. Iron is un-' altered—Scotch pig is quoted at £5 2s 3d. ; Oils ; :. Linseed oil is in request, and market firm; there are. buyers at £34 Rape, £35 13s to £36 ; olive is unaltered Sydney, dark to fair, £45 5s to £4B ss; crude sperm, £9B to £100; pale seal, £3B.

Sheepskins are brisk, and terms advancing.

The tallow markets are flat, with buyers at £44.

Wheat is Is dearer than the previous month. .

LONDON WOOL REPORT. Since the March series some business business has been done in Cape wools at firm prices; the market is steady, and as manufacturers are known to be steadily supplied, a good competition is expected at the May wool sales, which commence either on the 7th or 14tli Arrivals up to date comprise Sydney 16,915 bales'; Port Phillip, 65,615 bales; Van Dieman’s Land, 1,251 bales ; Adelaide, 12,991 bales ; New Zealand, 7,634 hales ; Swan River, 18 bales; Cape, 9,341 bales. Total bales, 124 035. A further 70,000 to 80,000 bales may be expected, making the probable total 200,000 bales. There is no decided improvement in trade, but the feeling is better, and the future is viewed with more confidence. Approaching sales will be held simultaneously with European wool fairs, so that large quantities ■will engage the attention of the trade. At the same time, it is still hoped that the prices of late sales will be maintained.

LATEST TELEGRAMS. London, May 9. The Prince and Princess of Wales have returned from their visit to Ireland, where they were most enthusiastically received by the people; Carnarvon on their return tdpinuand. The lithe attack on the Hfe of Prin(|» - dLaecasioned great sensation in Em »3 India. The British Parliament W addresses to the Queen of sympithyS , * fngratulation. A new de- IWictorian affairs, is impending, on#-' f mndell Palmer’s motion condemning- * Jfnmendation of the Darling grant »• <\. .Irovernor with the sanction of jf as contained in a despatch to .tips'? '<= : fe of Buckingham. Mr given a notice of potion to the effect that the the House; of Commons refuse to erant supplies till his resolutions on the Irish Church question are disposed of. On the 4th May, M> Disraeli announced that his Administration had tendered their resignation to the Queen, but her Majesty had declined the acceptance thereof, and had authorised a dissolution. The same night explanations were made in the House of Lords.

Large meetings have been held throughout the country in support of Mr Gladstone.

Mr Disraeli has raised the Church in danger, cry. Earl Derby, in the Honse of Lords, spoke in condemnation of Mr Gladstone’s resolutions in a fiery speech. On the Bth of May Mr Gladstone’s last resolution, —“ That an humble address be presented to her Majesty, humbly to pray that, a will be graciously pleased to place at the disposal of Parliament her interest in the temporalities of the archbishoprics, bishoprics, and ecclesiastical dignities and benefices in Ireland, and in the custody thereof,” —was carried in the House of Commons.

• The Government intimate their intention of offering an energetic opposition to the bill to be founded on Mr Gladstone’s, resolutions.

The Fenians Burke and Shaw have been found guilty and setenced, the former to fifteen: years, and the latter to seven years. •

A reduction in the Prussian force is contemplated. - The submarine cable from Malta to Alexandria has been repaired. ~ Capital has been subscribed for the construction, of a new Indo-European telegraph. A-race for 2,000 guineas came off between .Moslem and Formoss they ran a dead, heat, and the. shakes were divided, but a protest was entered, and Moslem walked over.

Conservative candidates have been elected for . Bristol, Grantham, South-Lan-casbire, Goekermouth, and East Rent. ; . . .The ; second reading of the Abolition of Compulsory Church Rates Bill was carried in the Lords. ; ,

Obituary.—-Bishop of Hereford, General Booth; Colonel T. M'Gowan. THE ABYSSINIAN WAR. The Abyssinian war is over. A decisive battle was fought during; a violent storm oi rain and thunder on Easter Monday,, at- a place called Duna in Anagee Valley ; the next.vday'the English'occupied strong positions before. Magdala.. I Theodorus sent Lieut. Prideauxandhis .flag with twoofthe European captives; offering to release .all the Sir Robert Napier, in reply, demanded, an unconditional surrender of aIL the pyjBoners, promising on that.condition to pro? t ect and rhis family.;.' this Abyssinian, monarch refused to submit . to that. night, and endeavored to escape, but agents were offered a very largo reward to

capture him alive or dead, and Theodorus then returned to Magidala. ‘ Next day half his army of 5000 men surrendered: ..The captives, 'one and all, were released,: the German missionaries bringing with them their Abyssinian wives and children. At daylight,. on the following day, Magdala was stormed, and the troops entered with little difficulty, Upon their entrance Theodorus shot Jiimself through the body, and was.found olose by the rear gate. The Abyssinian garrison welcomed the invaders. The army was about to commence its return journey in battle array. The Abyssinians had 5000 killed and 1000 wounded ; uumbers of chiefs fell in battle, their scarlot robes being excellent marks for the British 11 iflemen. Capt. Roberts, of the 4th Regiment, and 17 others, were wounded, but not a man was killed. The expedition has cost five millions of money, Sir Robert Napier lias been gazetted to the order of the Bath..

Private letters from Abyssinia state that while Sir Robert Napier approached Magdala, Throdorus ravaged the Galas country with fire and sword, and killed 300 chiefs with his own hand; scarcely any booty was found at Magdala except weapons; in the palace there were pianos, harmoniums, umsical boxes, and Brussels carpets Magdala I as to be given to the Queen of Gallaß or to Wagshum, The battle of Anagee was precipitated by a mistake of Colonel Phare. It appears that Bir Robert Napier sent him forward to see if the pass was occupied by the. sappers, and the Colonel reported it was, although the sappers, were not near it; teams with the baggage and ammunition were then sent. The Abysßinians in Magdala, seeing valuable . teams advancing, sallied out in great numbers and nearly captured them ; Sir Robert saw the state of affairs at a glance, and at once ordered up troops, when the battle commenced—the 4th Regiment entering the action after a harassing march without food, but with enthusiasm. The execution of the Snider Rifle was truly aw ful, and at last the troops charged with the bayonet, and drove the enemy in all directions. Chamberlain’s regiment getting a large body of the Ahyssinianß in a sort of cul-de-sac , from which few escaped. The fortifications of Magdala were remarkably strong, but the defence was spiritless; the enemy could not train their cannon, and the fire was therefore harmless. The rockets seemed to astonish Theodorus, who could not understand them—and from the time when these aerial missiles were sent, a superstitious dread was created, and all was over. The closing scene of the assault on Magdala is told as follows by the correspondent of the Times of India :—“Napier could see that the defence of the garrison was not likely to be desperate; when either shell or rocket fell among the group of houses -near the toll-gate, where the defended foroes might have been expected, a rush of women and children from the spot was all that could be discerned. He humanely forbade artillery to be advanced, as the butchery of the defenceless women would have been wholesale. The guns, were silenced, and the assault was formed about 4 p.m in the following order; —The Royal Engineers and Bombay and Madras Sappers went first; then the 33rd Regiment; after them the 45th Regiment; and the 4th (King’s Own) was in reserve, with the Beloochees supporting. The batteries, which also moved forward, now and again cleared the neighborhood of the gateway with shells; the 6torming party advanced close to the natural fall of Araba before firing a shot; and then the Sniders opened fire. On the approach of our columns Theodorus sounded his last rallying cry, and gathered his men round him for one more desperate effort, for the bullets come whistling thick and fast over our heads; hut our squadron closed on their centre and all that was over. A party had taken refuge behind the . gate, from whence it kept firing on-the engineers who were busy belaboring the fabric. On either side of the gate was a loopholed wall, flanked with a strong fence composed of horizontal pointed stakes, through which it .was impossible to force one’s way, aud the slip of a foot involved a fall eighty or on liu. dred feet. A narrow track fit only for goats, was'discovered, and a few daring fellows scrambled along the narrow strip and hauled along the scaling ladders, crossed the fence, chased the Abyssinians from behind, and assailed the door while the 33rd swarmed rapidly after them. Some woodwork then gave way, whereupon i f was discovered in what strength; of the entrance ley. The doors were ; double, and the space of twenty feet between them was strongly built up with large stones ; inside the gate lay a group of dead and wounded, mpstly chiefs. But another and narrower ascent had yet to be forced, which was defended by strong.doors at the,top, and was commanded by loopholes and, battlements all * round; . . up this the 33rd swarmed in single file or climbed over hut 9, houses, and waUs into the fort, bayoneting aud and shooting every armed man in the way. Now Magdala, was taken; the firing had ceased ; Theodorus lay dead beside the inner gate. The captives were crowding round the hands and feet of their deliverers, and the : women chanting , notes of welcome” .

[VIA PANAMA-] The Panama Company’s steamship ‘Bakaia,’ S. H., Wright, commander, arrived at Wellington at'2.3o a.m. on the; 23rd J une, liavmg left Panama on the 24th,May;* - Amongst the list of. passengers we observe the name of Mr • Crbstwait for Napier. 1: Correlates *by mail, May 2V by cable,* May'll: New York, May 12 •Panama, May 24., : ;

. We take the following summary of intalligenWfrom the Panama Star and Herald, May 24]