REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.

Kumara Times, Issue 1329, 4 January 1881, Page 2

REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN. London, January 1. The British revenue returns for last quarter show an increase of £IOO,OOO compared with last year's. All the land meetings in Ireland on Saturday and Sunday have been prohibited, and a flying column is traversing the country to prevent night drilling by Leaguers. Latest intelligence to hand from the Cape states that the Boers have abandoned Utrecht, which place they recently seized. The British garrison at Standestown and Walkerstroom are strongly entrenched, and well supplied with provisions. Reinforcements of troops are rapidly marching to the front from Natal. Information has been received at the Colonial Office that the chiefs of Rotumah have made a request to the Governor of Fiji that the island should be annexed by the British to Fiji. News has been received that a stalne of Minerva, by Phidias, has been discovered during the excavations which were being made at Athens. The Times, in a leading article today, announcos that the Irish Land Bill, which the Government propose to introduce to the supplement, and repair defects in the Act of 1870, that no new principles of land legislation are embodied in the measure. Constantinople, January 1. The Porte is massing 100,000 troops on the Gx-eek frontier in Epirus and Thessaly, in pieparation for possibly hostilities. Capetown, January I. Intelligence has been i-eceived from Basutoland that a severe engagement has taken place there between the Colonial force and a tribe of Tain hook is. The enemy were completely defeated, and a large number of their cattle and sheep captured. Over eighty Tambookis were killed, and a large number taken prisoners. The casualties on the side of the Colonists only amount to three. + LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS. Melbourne, January 1. The crfeket match, Australian Eleven v. Combined New South Wales and Victoria, commenced yesterday. The Australians went in first and scored 172 runs—Murdoch, caught, 7; A. Bannerman, cau»ht, 35 ; Groube, leg before wicket, 6 ; M'Donn.-11, bowled, 0; Slight, stumped, 12; Bon nor, caught, 55 ; Boyle, caught, 6 ; Spof. forth, uot out, 2-1; Blackham, caught, 5; Alexander, bowled, 3; Palmerj bowled, 10. The combined team went in, and when the stumps were drawn for the day, had put together 84 for 8 wickets—Evans, bowled, 33 ; Massie, bowled, 12. At to-day's Champion Meeting, the Midsummer Handicap was won by Odd Trick. It was a good race. In the steeplechase Himalaya beat Simpleton. Adelaide, January 3. Serious bush fires have occurred in the country districts, attended by the loss of life and property. In one locality a woman, with her five daughters and son, have been burned to death.