SAN FRANCISCO MAIL NEWS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 61, 12 March 1875, Page 4

SAN FRANCISCO MAIL NEWS.

We extract the following items from the letter (dated February 6) of the San Francisco correspondent of the JVeu> Zealand Herald : — The Cyphreneß arrived here on the 30th January, after en unusually long passage of 38 days, from Sydney, via New Zealand and Honolulu. She was advertised to sail on her return trip on the same day she arrived} but owing to some bungling on the part of the Postoffice in London, none of the steamers can get away at schedule time, the mails being always late. It is rumored that the Empress Eugenic is dying of consumption. If she could follow in the course of Isabella of Spain, and place ,her boy upon the throne of France, doubtless the pious devotee could then depart in peace. The present position of Serrano is rather a peculiar one. It is not every general who enjoys the privilege of placing his own son upon a throne. To-day's cable tells us of the love and grief of a young wife and a bereaved widow. The young Empress of" China could not bear in lonely dignity the weight of sorrow, and the cares of a regency which her husband's death bad thrown upon her. Young, beautiful, and all-powerful, the Empress might have looked forward to a career of glory, but the lord of her eoul slept the sleep of death, and she would sleep also. Opium closed her life and sorrows. • A contract was entered into by the Central end Union Pacific railroads Jast night, in New York,. with Hall representing the Australian line, for the issuance of through bills of lading. Hall was sent over from England to meet the railroad parties. Hall's mail Bubsidy was to take effect last. November,' but it has been extended to March sth. In his contract with the railroads he agreejs to have new steamers on the line in bine months, making thirteen trips per annum. Steamship builders have endorsed bonds of the corapauy for £25,000. What this means, your correspondent is unable to say, but it looks aft if Mr Hall was gifted with the feline attributes, and had tumbled on bis feet again. Mr Thomas Ruesell was in New York at the date mentioned, and his presence there would amply protect your interests in any new arrangement. He the Alabama claim, the insurance companies are sending in their little bills against the 15,000,000.d011ars John Bull : was so kind as to devote as a premium to encourage Yankee grab. Of this Bum the insurance companies claim 7,000,000 dollars ' Colonel Steinburger, United Slates Commissioner, was a passenger per Pensacola. His destination is the Sainoan group, and he carries with him a Gatling gun, two 12-pounders, one Parrot gun, and 100 muzzle-loading Springfield rifles, with ammunition for "each variety of weapon, a large case of clothing, American ilaga, bunting of different colors, medicine chests, surgical instruments, and other (reps. With this stock-in-trade Uncle Sam is going to start a little shop in the South Seas. When his customers are properly inoculated, he will turn the Gatling gun upon them, and hoist the Stars und Stripes. Outpost No. 1 for Jonathan. * jFrom every quarter the voice of war isVaoundiog its loud alarm. All Europe i£ preparing for a great and terrible struggle, .which cannot be much longer delayed. Germany arming, France arming, Russia making tremendous strides to overtake her last defeat. When the Giant of the North again enters the field the whole force of Europe will be needed to repel him. No European nation has made anything like the progress Russia has achieved since the Crimean war. If in the grand duel of nations said to be impending, the issue should be between France and Russia on the one part, and Germany and England on tbe other, whichever wins, it will be a dear-bought victory. Brig-lam Young, who, according to an ancient seer, was to have died on the 7th December last, seems to have obtained a new lease of his life. The old man is thinking of taking another bride—his enemies say her name is Death, Cannon, who looks to succeed Brighara, is out on a marriage crusade, urging his followers to abandon their effeminate tendencies, and to add to tbe number of their wives by the score. He pronounces the vengeance of an offended deity against men and women whtt do not quietly obey his order?. The priests are now busy, trade in marriages has revived wonderfully, and everything is lively. The Mayor ofßrookfield, Kansas, has just been arrested on the charge of embezzling large sums of money, tbe property of the Kansas Pacific Railway. Storms are now in order. A terrible snow-storm is now prevailing all along the line of the Central Pacific railroad, and communication will probably be blocked for some days. The snow is already four feet deep. Oakland, the North Shore of Fan Francisco, was warmed up last night to the tune of 70,000 dols., the Parkerhouse and other buildings beiug totally destroyed. To-day the Deaf and Dumb Asylum has met the same fate, making a further debit to insurance account of 200,000 dols. — total, 270,000 dols. The results of 1874 io California: — Wheat, value 35,000,000 dols. ; gold and silver, 100,000,000 dols. ; manufactures,"so,ooo,ooo dollars ; wool, 6,000,000 dols. ; Vine, 4,000,000 dols.; miscellaneous industries, 15,000,000 dote. : tofyl, $10,000,000 dote. Forty

millions sterling for one year! The addition to the population for the same period hns been 50,000, The probable accession of W. E. Forstor as Gladstone's sncceseor as Liberal leader in the British Parliament is considered highly advantageous to the United States, on account of his high appreciation of the good relations which should be cemented between them and Great Britain. The Beecher trial, whilst exciting intense interest in the city of scandals, has ceased to be of general interest. No new developments have been made, and the probability is that the jury will disagree, and there the matter will end. If Beecher is fully acquitted, 'tis not at nil unlikely that Tiltibn will shoot him and himself, and that Moulton will end his days in the madhouse. It would be the proper close to an American drama of so sensational a character. At Seymour, Indiana, a young, lady, very beautiful and well educated, tired of blessed singleness, recently hit upon a rather novel method of disposing of her charms. She put herself up to be raffled for at 50 cents, a throw. Eighteen enterprising young men took each a chance, and Miss Minnie Clarence was drawn by a Mr Lyon Falconer, who immediately proceeded to make good his claim. Minnie is now the fortunate owner of nine dollars and a handsome husband. As there is a terrible preponderance of the gushing sex in your community, perhaps your Auckland belles will take the hint. Please eecure three chances for your correspondent. New York ladies, having exhausted every known means of amusement, recently hit upon a novel method of " killing the enemy'' — and formed a new Order of the Garter. Each member of the Order ia compelled by her oath to clasp her pretty " understandings" in diamond-bound garters. At the meeting of the Order there is a general exhibition of legs ; and the lady who can show, not the neatest leg, but the most elaborate garter olasp, is promoted one degree in the Order. As much aB 5,000 dollars have been paid for clasps. This leg mania is breaking out here, as witness the subjoined extract : — Yesterday afternoon, as a friend of the Tribune was about leaving the cara at Seventh and Broadway, he espied something on the floor near where he wbb silting, tt proved to be a lady's silk garter artistically embossed with worsted roses, and with a German silver clasp attached to it. On the clasp was written these tender lines : — * When day with eve reposes, And stars begin to see, Unclasp this band of rose?, And, deadest, think of me. It must have been a present from some sighing swain to his car a sposa. Whoever he was, he had it pretly bad,Current Events. The opening event.— a Frenchman suicides. Five pistol shots were necessary to close the last chapter of his life. The usual auction of seats in Beechei's church took place to-day (7th January), and the result was highly satisfactory, — fifty thousand dollars in premiums over and above the fixed rentals. The contract for Faring ui'd statute has been awarded to Miss Veimeßeam an American lady sculptor of much promise. The annual ball of the Caledonian Club took placa on the 14th instant, at Platt's Half, Sun Francisco, and was a great success. The clans mustered in great force, and all honor was done to the v land o' cakes." Small-pox is raging violently in New York. Further difficulties between China and Japan are anticipated in consequence of the latter objecting to the terms of the treaty. To-day two suicideß and two murders. Market dull. * i