London.

Manawatu Herald, 20 June 1896, Page 2

London.

Mr Miohael Davitfc has been entertained at a banquet at Trenwith. Mr Usher, a well known distiller, has presented the city of Edinburgh with the sum of £100,000, with which to erect a town hall. The Unionist press condemns tha decision of the Government to postpone further dealing with the Voluntary Schools Bill till January. The declining majorities shown by the divisions in committee are /considered to indicate much disI content in the Government ranks.

News baa been received in a telegram from Ushanfc, on the coast of France, of a terrible disaster which has occurred at Molens Island. The steamer Drunimond Castle, of the Castle Line, trading between London and th& Cape, ran ashore at the island at midnight on Tuesday. The vessel wag so badly damaged that she sank in the short apace of three minutes. There were 149 passengera on board and the officers and crew numbered 103. So appalling was the suddenness of the disaster that so far ai is known only one of the passengers was saved. Those on board the British cruiser Sybille, attached to the Mediterranean Squadron, witnessed the accident, and boats were immediately lowered and put off to the scene. Owing, however, to the rapidity with which the steamer collapsed, all attempts at rescue were rendered futile. Markcardt is the passenger who has been saved, but there are strong hopes that 6ome of the others may have been rescued in ship's boats.