HOME NEWS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 326, 4 June 1875, Page 3

HOME NEWS.

Sergeant JBallantyne has been -received with immense enthusiasm throughout India by the natives. He was surrounded With perfume and adorned with garlands. ; - The ' Cologne Gazette ' announces that the Prussian Government has given orders for the active prosecution of the fortifications undertaken two years ago at Cologne, at the mouths of the Weiser atd trie Elbe. The appro r priation of; the ground not already ceded by agreement is to be proceeded with.

A German paper states that at a given moment a number of German troops, wliich hitherto has numbered at the most only 1,329,600 men, may be brought up. to menj iVi con sequence of theformation of a fourth battalion in cases of mobilisature or war. The same paper states that the French army, which numbers only 1,009,400 men, may evehtual]y:~~be raised to the same number as the Ger-r man army by drafting into it the whole newly-created territorial army! To-complete t is calculation, it may be added that the territorial army exists only on paper," and that a long time will elapse before it exists anywhere else/" "'. '*-':

The three riche?t men in the House of Commons are; Sir G. Elliot, M.P. for North Durham,.who made £600,0u0 from his collieries in" one ye;ir, and is also head of an extensive firm of wirerope manufacturers ; Mr. Jlermon, a cotton manufacturer and East India merchant; who pits for Preston, and has £600,000 a year ; and Mr. Henry■ Eeilden, who has.the same income audi sits tor Blackburn. Naturally enough, all three are Conservatives—especially: Sir George EUiot, who has risen from a pit boy to being a millionaire baronet.—' Newcastle Express.' The loss of" the Costpatriek has! frightened immigrants from coming to New Zealand. The Government have since .prohibited captains from taking their ; wives on the voyage. The Woodlark, wlreh left London on the 30th March for Ota«;o, was run into by a 'French barque in the Channel, and lost ber jibboom. She is now in Ealmouth repairing, and is expected to leave again on April 8. The following vessels have cleared for New Zealand since the departure of the Suez mail:—Orient, for Canterbury, March 29, with 26 steerage passengers Chief cabin passengers: Messrs. Iddinell, Cameron, aid Baker. She also brings eidi't prize bulls for Mr. Kussell—Woodlark, for Otago. March 29, with 17 second cabin and steerage passengers. Chief cabin : Messrs. Bothamly, Aaron, and Campbell.—William Eceig, with two prize bulls for Mr. Hussell, of the Bank of N;Z.—Collingwood, for "Wellington, April 7, with 230-adult Government immigrants. —Star of China, for Can-

terbury, April 10, with 200 adult Government immigrants.—Fletcher, for Auckland, -April 40, -with-two prize bulls for Mr. Russell, of the Ban!i of New Zealand, Auckland. It is stated that three millions of copies of Moody and San key's Hymnal are being piinted for their London mission.

The celebrations of the 72nd birthday of the Emperor of Germany, and the 61st of Bismarck, were kept in great style in Berlin. " Macmahon has been invested with the Order of the Golden Fleece.

Rumors of peace in Spain are prevalent. ■ - -

' The Emperor of Austria in' visiting the King of Italy. It is reported that war'is imminent in Burmah, in consequence of the murder of JSTargary Prince Theig, the Prime Minister.

China favors foreigners entering freely. °

Sir John Hackett, Judge of Penang. goes temporarily to Fiji to organise a Court.

Sir James Fergusson has delivered at Ayr, in Scotland, a very complimentary address upon New Zealand as a colony for immigration, its public works policy, and its present position. He said he expected that New Zealand would attract a population larger than most other countries in proportion to its size, as it was fitted in every respect as a home for a wealthyj prosperous race. ,For the last 23 years ,New Zealand had-enjoyed a Constitution and two Houses of Parliament. It had this peculiar ..feature, that the Government of the 'country was divided into provinces, each having its "own local Government. As a favorable- sample of the management of the colony, he pointed to the truly magnificent works they had executed, and the most enlightened arrangements in regard '6 public schools, both upper class and primary, which were sufficient for the whole population. He was astonished when ho came Home to find doubts expressed, as to the solvency of the colony and the wisdom of its policy. One of the members of the present Government had inaugurated what was called a " Public Works and Im. migration Policy." The true way to render wars impossible, and to subdue the country, was to open it up, and accordingly it was resolved to spend £10,000,000 on public vrorksand immigration: £1,000,000 onimmigration; £6,000,000 on railways—and the remainder on public works of various kinds. Sir Jauies Fegusson concluded by expressing his approval of the policy pursued by the Government, and hoped they would go on with courage and confidence.'

At a meeting of the Executive Council of the National" 1 Agricultural Laborer's Union, a very long report was read from Mr. C. Holloway, on the subject of his recent visit to New Zealand. He referred in most complimentary terms of the treatment he had received in JSew Zealand, and gave it as his opiniou that-all immigrants who go out to this fiue colony with the intention of working their way upwards, can find ready employment at good wages. He says : "This is evident, to a!i in the immense numbers of letters which reach, our shores by every mail, giving glowing and encouraging accounts of the success that attends their industrious efforts in their newly-adop-ted country. New Zealand is no;country for the idle, improvident, and dissolute. Tbey had better stay at home. Men do not pick up gold in the streets in the colony, and they never will do so. -Men, who in their own country, have Adieu out with work, and are too fond of their drops, had better not emigrate to New Zealand; hut for the energetic, pushing, self-reliant, and persevering mou, there is no lack of employ meufc. Good, "hard work,-too ; but the men out there have something to keep them up." un the subject of the' hind hi vvs he said : " My opinion is, that while il is well to make arrangements, if possible, in any of the colonies for special settlement, yet if the subject Were but carefully considered, the more preferable system is for our efficient farm laborers to go out and work taeir way upwards—say, work for some employer for a year or two, thus acquiring a knowledge of colonial life, which would be of in Suite advantage to them in after life; and when they are in a position to take up land, the.s • will iiud no difficulty in suiting themselves in the colony of New Zealand."

Moody and Sankey's revival preach-; ing resulted iu largely-increased atten-; dance at the ordinary places of 'worship. Their iuiluenee-atDubliu was; so that the'.Roman Catbtil priests,; to satisfy Iheir people, .were, compelled; to issue large numbers of Douay Testaments.

The. British, ship: Cornwallis,. bound from San Francisco, to Liverpool, was wrecked; on Pitcairn Island pu uary 23. She missed;stays,aud .went ashoi-e., No lives were* lost. ; The crew were taken back to San Francisco in the Dauntless, which passed the island two days after the. casualty;

The Princess of'-Wales and the Duchess of Sutherland, and attendants, were preseut atthe prayer, meeting of Messrs. Moody t and Saiikey, at the Hay market Theatre. -i

The reply of the Rev. Dr. Newman to Mr. Gladstone's last paper, is published. Dr. Newman quotes from various•. authorities in order to prove that the.Pope is not infallible in the subject matters in which the conscience is of supreme authority. Therefore, he says, a deadlock between the conscience and the Pope is impossible. The Carlists seized . a number of women and children in the Province of Soria, and threaten to shoot them unless they are ransomed..,-.,. Tiei Turks murdered 270 Christians

in'three months, and the names of the victims have been communicated to the foreign representatives" in Constantinople. Ten natives of JEstalce are on trial for a, horrible outrage. They are charged with burying three men. alive, and leaving only their heads above the ground, and then despatching them with hatchets and knives after prolonging the torture.

, A serious f iot occurred at Glasgow at the opening of some pleasuregrounds in the suburbs. ' A stand on which 1,500 people were, gave way, and precipitated the entire mass' on to the .ground. > Thirty persons were injured. The visitors, indignant at the carelessness of the proprietor, destroyed everything on the ground and burned the barricades around them. The French Government have sent instructions to their consuls to summons, for the last time, all French subjects who are living abroad aad are liable for military service to have Iheir names registered at the consulates. A Bill to prevent Messrs. Moody and Sankey from-holding their meetings at Her Majesty's, Opera-house waslfiled by a 'seat-owner. A party of three persons ascendediu a balloon at Paris for the purpose of making scientific discoveries., The balloon attained the extraordinary height of 8,000 metres (over 26,000 ft) Two of the aeionauts were suffocated to death, and when , the balloon reached the ground the third was, almost insensible, and s'nce he has been so ill that his recovery is doubtful.

Amongst the news "brought out Jby the Suez mail, and , which .was .telegraphed from the Bluff, was an item that " Sir John Karslake is quite blind, in spite of a recent operation."' This staunch Conservative, known many circles as * Handsome Jack,' makes the second member- qi the House of Commons who is suffering from blindness ; but, unlike Mr. Favvcett, his general health has been far from robust. The affliction from which he has suffered for the last few years was considered, two years ago as beyond the hope of clrre. It must certainly prove a terrible, misfortune to have a distinguished career, "and which promised tojead to the woolsack, cut short by such a misfortune. - Referring to the recent news of-the illness of Prince Leopold, an exchange states that he suffers trom a congenital defect, his skin being so thin that, from his birth any extraordinary exertion causes him to perspire blood. This accounts for what was termed hemorrhage in recent telegrams, as the ailment from which he was suffering.

The * Times' will shortly be in the law courts again as defendant in a libel suit. The money articles 'and its late city editor are involved this time as .they were last, and the case has reference to mining transactions. It is currently reported that the Rubery action cost the ' Times' proprietors nearly £l2,ooo—a large sum to pay for protecting the interests of the investing public.