LATEST BRITISH AND FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

Kumara Times, Issue 2332, 18 February 1884, Page 2

LATEST BRITISH AND FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

CHANGE OF RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR AT PARIS. NEW ZEALAND MAILS. A WEDDING PARTY DROWNED. THE AUSTRALASIAN DOMINION. (Received February 18 11.40 a.m.) St. Petersburg, February 15. It is announced that Prince Orloff, Russian Ambassador at Paris, will shortly be replaced by Baron Mohrenheim, the Russian Minister in London. [special to press association.] London, February 11. Mr Fawcett, Postmaster-General, has decided at present to detain the New Zealand mails, unless specially addressed via Brindisi, until the departure of the San Francisco mails. This has been done in order to allow the Governments of New Zealand and Victoria to negotiate as to the rates of postage. Thousands of letters and papers were detained last Friday, when the Brindisi mail left. Miss Nellie Fortesque (Miss Finney), the well-known actress of the Savoy Theatre, intends bringing an action against Lord Arthur Wm. Carmoyle, the second and oldest living son of Lord Cairns, for a breach of promise. It is reported that damages will be fixed at £50,000. Sir Henry Bartle Frere is in a very critical state of health. A wedding party, consisting of thirty persons, have been drowned on the River Theiss, Hungary.

February 12. Commander John C. P. Malcot, R.N., has been appointed to the command of the South Australian gunboat Protector. Copious extracts from the Queen’s new book are published in all the newspapers. At the February wool sales the joint catalogue of Messrs Baline and Sons prised 9400 bales, of which over twothirds were from the Australian colonies. The attendance of Home and foreign buyers was good, the bidding was spirited and the prices generally were slightly in favour of the buyers. Tip to the present the arrivals have been 312,000 bales. The number available at the sales is 281,000.

Mr Murray Smith’s paper on “ Australasian Dominion,” read at the Colonial Institute dealt chiefly with the historical aspect of the question. He, however, insisted strongly on the necessity of compelling Prance to abandon the Recidiviste scheme. In the discussion which followed Mr Murray Smith and Sir Arthur Blyth expressed themselves as hopeful of an early realisation of federation. Sir Dillon Bell and Sir Saul Samuel, however, considered that immediate federation was not likely to take place, and Sir Dillon Bell expressed regret thut the Sydney Convention had not limited its action to the consideration of the questions upon which united action on the part of the colonies was possible. Mr MTntyre, Q.C., M.P., has condemned the omission in the Queen’s speech of any reference to the Australasian Conference, The transit of mails by railway in Egypt will be resumed early in March. February 13. The frozen meat, ex the steamer Tongariro, is selling at 6d per pound. February 14. The French Government loan of fourteen million pounds, which was announced on the Ist February, has been covered fourfold. Dr. Wm. Stubbs, Canon of London, has been appointed Bishop of Chester, in place of the Right Rev. Wm. Jacobsen, who resigned. Dr. Reading has been appointed Bishop of Southwell. In an article this morning the Times comments on the good feeling of loyalty and attachment which is advanced towards Queen Victoria. C. K. Stuart Wortley, M.P. for Sheffield in the House of Commons, questions the propriety of the Government in overcrowding emigrants by the ship Warwick Castle.