English News.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 80, 7 March 1885, Page 2

English News.

Per R.M.S. Rimutaka.

(Post's London Correspondent.) ' liONDOV, Jan. 16. A recent issue of the Daily Telegraph contained a short notice of Mr 6. A. Sulk's departure from England, stating that while the " Prince of journalists" is m Austr.tlasia a series of articles will appear m their columns " From our#special commissioner," narrating the incidents of a journey round the world, with sketches of interesting persons, places, and events. l The death is announced, under peculiarly sad circumstances, of Mis Bloxham, wife of the second officer of the R.M.S. Tongariro. Mr and Mrs Bloxham were married m November last, and within a few days of the wedding the husband was obliged !o join his and sail for New Zealand. He left, promising to write from Plymouth and Tenneriffe, but owing to stress of weather, the vessel was unable to put m to either port. The not hearing i'rom her husband for so long threw Mrs Bloxham into a very depressed ami anxious state. On Saturday last she was missed, and 24 hours later her body was tound ou the sands at Southend, drowned. It is thought that she was drawn on to these fatal sands by some impulse, \ and that the tide came m upon her i unperceived till too late. On the very day the poor girl's body was recovered letters arrived from the Cape from Mr Bloxham explaining that lhat was the first port the Tongariro had put into, and that although extremely anxious, he had consequently "Iteen unable to forward letters before. It is feared the news of his bride's death will be a terrible blow to, Mr Bloxham. The affair shows, what trouble may arise through a vessel not calling at expected ports. Mrs Bloxham was by no means the only per-, son who feared for the- safety of the Tongariro. A.t Newport (Mou.) a tradesman named William John Eskdaile, a married man with one child, .formed tin illicit connection with a woman named Price, and determined to elope with her to New Zealand. He secured two berths m the R.M.S. Rimutaka, and had got, away with a lot of luggage, when he was arrested at the instance of his partner, Mr Thomas Dowson, on a charge of embezzling kthe firm's cash. Mr Dowson discovered Eskdaile's crime m a somewhat strange manner. The absconder wrote to a London firm of passenger brokers ordering them to secur« him two berths for New Zealand. This letter was blotted on a hew office pad, aud Mr Dowson, who was writing afterwards*, noticed some words which aroused suspicion. He cut out the uppermost leaf, and read the whole epistle. The New Zealand one million loan was a great success. The total amount applied for was £4,129,700, at prices rangiug from the minimum to £100, some of the tenders being for very large amounts One syndicate, with, it is believed, Westgarth at its head, wanted no less than .£775,000. and offered £98 17s. There were five offers of £100,000, each at .£9B 17s and £98 19s ; one for £52,000, at £98 12s; one for £46,000, at £99 6s 6d ; one for £45,000, at £99 17s 6d; three for £40,000 each, besides numerous tenders, ranging from £10,000 to £30,---000. The loan will not. be held by a large syndicate this tim», but almost, wholly by the public, as only tenders above £99 6s 6d will be allotted m full, those exact'y at that amount receiving about 65 per cent, of what they asked. The extraordinary success of the loan is put down by those who ought to know to the slackness of times, which makes brokers grasp at anything (really safe* likely to lead to business, and also to the circulars sent round with the prospectuses by the Agent-General, which explain New Zealand's resources and financial position so clearly and ably] as to greatly enhance, i»ublic confidence m the colony's credit. The Bullionist alone throws cold water on the loan, and misdoubts the colony's fiuancial position. It re- 1 views the Hon. E. Richardson's Public Works Statement not altogether unfavourably, but whilst recognising the bold boss of the proposed policy of finance, questions its {jafety. ' Truth tells the following story apropos of the frozen meat trade : — ** A few weeks ago I mentioned the names of some butchers m the West End who sell N.Z. mutton. A nobleman residing Hot one hundred miles from Giosvenor-square, called upon one of them, and pointing to this statement m Truth asked him whether it was correct. On his replying that he had furnished New Zealand mutton to some customers who asked for it, the nobleman informed him that he should withdraw his custom, because the butcher did not support home agriculture. And yet this man I probably voted with glee for the Irish Crimes Act, which makes boycotting a criminal offence." |