GENERAL NEWS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 63, 6 March 1876, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

A servant girl named Rosina Lane, of Langport, near Bristol, now in custody, on her own confession, for havitig burnt one of her master's hayricks, and drowned one of ber master's children, has made a further confession, to the effeot that three years ago she drowned another little girl named Hqw-wrtt. a* Putney, near Landport. Something, she says, told her to do these things. Declarations were formally exchanged at Rome between Signor Galliera and Signor Mingbetti, VicePresident of the Counoil of Ministers, for completing the former's deed of gift, by... he makes a donation of 2d,Qo6ibOO lire (£800,000) for the port of Genoa, and 2,000,000 lire (£80,000) for the construction of working-men's dwellings. It is stated that the Channel Tunnel is positively to be commenced in April next, tbe results of tbe experimental boring having in every case proved so satisfactory. Further powers are required before commencing the grand shaft at the Bay of St. Margaret's, and it is dot anticipated that the proposals of the Company will meet with any opposition. "iiiteliigeiice has been received by the Swiss Bund, in the form of a private despatch from Cairo, stating that Dr. Miinzinger with 300 men fell into an ambuscade laid for them between Tadjur and Cuhnosa, the doctor and 140 of the men falling victims ; the remainder of the party reached Tadjura after five day's fighting. A suicide has been committed from the column of July, in the Place de la Bastille. The guardian of tbe monument ascended to clear the place of visitors. As he approached, a man on • the top sprang over the railings, and was afterwards picked up horribly mutilated. Nothing was fouud on bim to ;l prove his identity. The trial of Socialist leaders, charged with , high treason, was concluded at Graiz, in Austria, on the 9th December. The verdict of the jury declares them to be not guilty on the count of high treason, but found three of the prj-^oners guilty on the second count of inciting the populace to rebellion. Tausohinsky and Mauka were sentenced to three months', and Hoebreiter to two months' imprisonment. The other prisoners were acquitted. Tbe second brother of the Czar, the Grand Duke Nicholas, haß been exiled to the Caucasus for four months on account of his heavy indebtedness and disorderly life. A ballet-dancer, supposed to be bis paramour, has beeu compelled to leave St. Petersburg, and is* "provisionally sent under arrest to Wenden. The Hour wishes to know whether the detectives, the Government, and j others, interested iu the matter are aware of the present abode of Mr Alexonder Colli**-, and states that he is in Barcelona, where " safe from detectives, counsel, and jury, he cau laugh at the proceedings of our Courts--, and possibly emulate, in some degree, hiß former splendor, bnppy, perhaps, inthe eDJoyment of a Mediterranean breeze instead of our north-easter." Another high tide in the Thames having been expected on December 12, extraordinary precautions, far outstripping any previously adopted, were made to keeD the overflow out from invading the houses, the tenants of which Buffered so severely tbe previous month. However, at the time of high water the* tide just came up to the points beyond which it would have overflowed, and all the iuhabitants experienced a great relief. A ten-mile match between Stanton, the longdistance bicycle champion, and' Mr Tucker's Happy Jack has been decided at Lillie Bridge. At hnlf-past three* the competitors started, Stanton riding- a 58-iuch machino by Keen, being on the cinder patb, aud the horße on the path outside, The race needs little description. The horse was capitally ridden, and trotting in firstclass style, won eventually by 300yds , having covered the distance in a little over, thirty-four minutes. The betting was always in favor of the winner. The match was for £50. A destructive fire has taken place at a cotton mill at Pendlebury. The mill, which is one of the oldest in Lancashire, was six storeys high, eleven •windows long, and (ifteen yards wide. The fire was discovered in the muleroom, situate in the third storey, and is supposed to have originated from the friction of the machinery, just as the workpeople were leaving for dinner. With such rapidity did the flames get hold of the building that great damage was done in an incredibly short time. The loss is estimated at £60,000, which is understood to be covered by insurance. Lord Darby has received a deputation representing Turkish bondholders, who submitted u scheme having for its object a new settlement of the claims resulting from the various financial transactions in which they ure interested and by the adoptiou of which, they alleged, Turkey would be relieved of a large amount of her gross debt. The noble lord suggested that, in order that __& should understand tbe views of tbe deputation properly, they Bhould. put them on paper. Mr Hammond, M.P., wbo introduced the deputation, promised that this should be done. Tfiel ITrench papers report that a triple rndrder has just been committed at c 'Cournon*erral, in the department of the Herault. Several persous went to the house of ti family of Spaniards, oonaisting of a man, hia wife, mother-in.

law, and two children, and, in the absence of the first named, stabbed both the women, but spared the children. The father of the family returned soon afterwards, and in his turn was mortally wounded. After the criminals had ransacked the place they locked tha door and took the key away; and it was not until the next morning that th • authorities were informed by one of the children, six years of age, who succeeded in leaving the house. The murderers are still at large. According to an official report on the French fisheries, recently issued by the Minister of Marine, observes the Daily News, a new use has been discovered for a hitherto waate pro Juet — a produot, indeed, which had been regarded not only as a waste, but as wasteful and destructive. The French sardine fishery depends very much on large supplies of cod's roe, which is used as a bait for these fish, and which is imported from Sweden and Norway and from North America for this purpose. The demand for this bait has been so extensive as almost to have exceeded the supply , and prices have consequently risen to a very high figure. Dr. Morvan, of Douarnenez, Finisterre, has discovered a substitute for this bait in the locust or grasshopper, which, when prepared in a certain manner, either by boiling or baking, and afterwards made into a paste, forms an excellent lure for the sardine. The French colonyof Algeria," is frequently visited by immense clouds of these insects, much to the discomfiture of the inhabitants, whose crop ihey destroy without check; and parts of America are often similarly devastated. A rew rd was recently offered in tbe United States for the discovery of any trap or other means by which the destruction of these invading armies could be effected, and several contrivances for tbe purpose bave already been produced which are said to be more or less successful. Armed with tbese instruments the people who have hitherto looked forward to the arrival of their winged visitors with dread will in future welcome them, if not with open arms, at least with open traps, and will turn their enemies to good account by selling them as bait for the support of an important industry — the fisheries along their coasts." The Paris Entr'acte states that a grand chess match by correspondence, to last two years, is about to be played between England and France, for a stake 10,000 francs. The head-quartern in Paris will be at the Caie de la Regence, where the principal players, under tbe direction of Rosenthal, will form themselves into a committee. Three days will be allowed for each move, which will be made by telegraph. A myßl erious discovery has been made in the neighborhood of Fleet-st. A body of workmen are engaged in excavating a site for new boilers on the premises of Messrs Bradbury and Co., printers, in Lombard-street, Bouveriestreet. On reaching a depth of about sixteen feet, they came upon the skeletons of four or five full grown persons, the ekull and larger bones being in excellent preservation. As tbis is a portion of the sight where the '" Dukedom of Alsatia" was situated, maDy strange conjectures have been started.