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Lyttelton Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6511, 9 January 1882, Page 3

Diphtheria, scarlet fever, and small-pox are devastating the centre and south of Eusjia, ar.d the severity of the diseases exceeds anything heretofore known. A serious conflict recently took place at Mecca between the factions of Mohammedan pilgrims to the tomb of the prophet. The fight was severe, and several persons were killed and wounded on both sides. The Governor of the city refused to interfere, and allowed the combatants to it cut.

L'Ghao-t’ang, the present General Manager of the Arsenal at Foochow, is under appointment to proceed to London to assume the duties of Minister at the Chinese Legation at St James. Li, pres-ct Charge d’Affaires at the same Legation, will return at the same time, and- proceed to Tokio, Japan, to relievo the Minister there. Vaccination, as practised in China, has two peculiar features. The subject is not operated on the arm or leg, but on the nose; and the Government, while it does not compel people to submit to the operation, practically reaches the same end that it would by doing so, by offering to parents for every child vaccinated a premium of sd. Considerable bad feeling exists between the Hindoos and Mohammedans in various districts in India, resulting recently in riots between the two opposing faiths at Mirzapore. The disturbance grew out of the slaughtering of some cows. The leading pious Hindoos of Benares, are about to send adeputation to England, to try and procure a prohibition of the slaughter of cows throughout India. The Maharajah of Benares will bear the cost of the deputation. In an old Foman cemetery in Southern Italy have been found some curious and interesting objects. Among them are five urns with handles of odd shape, nine amphora* with ornaments in relievo ; eighteen cups of various shapes, four elegant drinking cup* ; ten water pitchers, with necks of triangular shapes; a collar of amber beads; an iron axe, found at the side of a skeleton ; a sword with iron scabbard and bronze chain, a torchholder made of bronze.

The police authorities at Berlin having informed the promoters of the procession at Breslau, on the occasion of the removal of the remains of Bishop ere ter, that the ceremony must be confined to the cathedral, the Catholics of Bieslau appealed to the Emperor, who replied, approving the action of the police; hut at the eleventh hour the Emperor reconsidered the request, and telegraphed his cernuVion for them to carry the ceremonies as they proposed. Experiments have been made at Qavres with armour plates made of chrome st eel. The plates were of the compound variety, that is to say, they bad a chrome steel front and a solid bacung of iron. 'I he steel in such plates is intended to resist penetration and the iron to prevent fracture. But the results at Qavres were not at all successful. The first projectile which hit the plate shattered. It is thought that the union of the iron with the steel was not sufficiently intimate, and that the iron itself wee not solid enough.