MAIL ITEMS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 96, 25 April 1877, Page 2

MAIL ITEMS.

London, March 28.— The Timea says:— " When we see how our Government does nothing, promises nothing, and exhibits only j distrust and condemnation of Russia by re- | stricting itself to the faintest phraseology in Avhich an agreement can be couched, we cannot wonder that negotiations are interrupted. The fact is, the j;wo countries have gradually . assumed such positions of antagonism that !they are regarded on the Continent as two ; rivals in a great which^may pos- i sibly be.developed into" a g^fieat conflict.-* The : eyes of Europe now turn"- once more to the ' members of the Triple Alliance: If there is ; war there must be a great war, and any Power that interferes should be' prepared to ' wage a great war. . , '.'-• j ; Mountain Meadows, March 23r— Shortly • before J 1 b'clock, a squad of .United States soldiers were stationed in an open-field, ahd John D. Lee, the condemned' criminal, was placed before them. The troops numbered six men, and at Lee's request, he was jilacfed hear them; He then addressed those piresdnt .'in a short speech, full of bitterness;. He seemed to be collected, and to have no-'-fekr. He expressed his confidence in the Mormon religion as revealed to Joseph Smith": He denounced Brigham Young in .severe -.terms. - .He gave directions as to the disposing "of nis • property to District Attorney Howard, dividing it substantially equally : beWeen threeof his wives and their Children: "He'requested '- the Marshal to deliver his. body to. his^ wifeRaehael; and also requested that he might be. shot at short range, and that they would 1 " aim at his heart. He knelt down on his coffin, and wa3 requested to sit there while a photographer present took a pictdre. Lee called the artist to him, and requested that each of his wives should be forwarded a copy. At precisely I L o'clock the order was given, and he fell back upon his coffin and died without a struggle. Speaking of his confession and autobiography, Lee says:— "My autobiography, if published, will open the eyes of the world to the monstrous deeds of the leaders of the Mormon people, and will also place in the hands of the. Attorney for the Government the particulars of some of some 'of the most blodd-curdling crimes that have been committed in Utah, which'' if properly-followed up, will bring many-down from their high places in the church, to face offended justice on .the gallows.-' Brigham' Young has telegraphed ; to the' New York Herald as follows:—" If Lee made a statement in his confession implicating me, as containediu your telegram of the 21 stjnst., it is utterly false. My course of life is too well known by thousands of honorable men for them to believe for one moment such an accusation.". , v „ ; Rome, March 26th.— Amid feverish excitement and unremitting labor ;at the Vatican relative- to the Consistory, the Pope hasfallen ill again. On the 12th instant he fainted and had to quit reading and allocution. These fainting fits have recurred, and the Pojje has remained unconscious each time. He does hot like his illness to be perceived, , and makes a strong effort to hide it. The moment he gets back to his own apartments he sinks into a chair and remains motionless, with hia e/es closed like a corpse. . His physicians regard the fatiguing receptions of pilgrims with grave apprehension. The Archbishops of Naples and Perugia and the Vicar of Rome are confidently mentioned as candidates for the Papacy. A service of a remarkable and interesting character was held in Lichfield Cathedral on Feb. 17. The Bishop of Lichfield was desirous to have a special service in the cathedral which should coincide in point of actual time with the consecration service of the Antipodes. In order that the two services might be simultaneous, it was necessary that the special service, at Lichfield should take place at eleven p.m. on Saturday night. The service commenced with the 100th Psalm. This was followed by the " Kyrie Eleison," the Lord's Prayer, the Versicles, the « Gloria Patri," and Psalms ii., lxi. and lxxii. The Bishop read the lessons, after which he delivered an address. He said that this was a time not so much for exhortation as for prayer. The peculiar circumstances under which they met reminded them that the earth was girdled with prayer. Here in England, in the darkness of the night, they were praying; there in New Zealaud, in the brightness of the noonday, they were praying to Him to whom the night is as clear as the day, The address being concluded, the " Deus Misereatur " was sung, and then the "Nicene Creed." After this the Bishop commended his son, at that time being consecrated in New Zealand, to the secret prayers of the congregation;. Silence Was kept for this purpose for a space, and the solemn pause being ended, a short litany was said. On March 1, in reply to Lord Belmore, Lord Carnavon stated that kidnapping in the Southern Seas had been greatly diminished by the presence of the British Squadron, yNIVERSITT BQ4T RAOB. London, March 24.— The start was made at 8*27. Off the Doves, two miles from Putney, Oxford, though on the outside, gained slightly, and at the Oil Mills got even with Cambridge, the two craws being at one time very close together and in imminent danger of collision, a row-boat full of people pulling across their bows. Just below the foot of Chesswick Eyot, Oxford was once more rowing faster, and at the bottom of the island was again in front, being better together than the Cambridge crew, who seemed much troubled by the rough water. About the middle of the Eyot, Oxford had increased their lead tp half a length, as the rowing in the Cambridge boat became short, and at Chesswick Church, three miles having been rowed, they had increased their advantage to two-thirds of a length. Here the race seemed removed from the realm of doubt. Rounding the bend iuto Horsebeach, the water became smoother, aud Cambridge, rowing better gained upon Oxford, but the latter made their effort, and were nearly a length ahead off Bathing-place, a furlong further ou. In the Duke of Devonshire's meadows, Cambridge made another effort, reducing the load of Oxford to two-thirds of a length. No change took place to Barnes' Bridge, seven furlongs irom the winning point, ancl under the bridge Oxford passed, leading nearly a length. This was improved to several feet of dayligh", between the boats, opposite the White Harp. Off the Limes, Cambridge again spurted and reduced the lead of Oxfonl, which was in trouble, the bowman being unable to use his oar effectively. Cambridge worked harder, and got within a third of a length off Godfrey's, when a gallant struggle followed for the victory. From the ship°to the winning post Cambridge got in her work, and the gun was fired as the two crews passed the Judge together. The time was twenty-four minutes and ten seconds. The Judge declared tbe race to b3 a dead heat At first all the telegrams announced that Oxford had won.

A writer in the. Auckland Star telfs^the following story:— Af riefldof #ineat Cjhnsfc- < church has sent me; aii account of ianinci^enfc> that happened 1 atya recehfe ri&e-mejeting.' 1 Some sharpers,; returmegy] Dy-3fjain, (.were' playing the tacee^card tnck V a frfendly way, and invited si; old^gentleman oai'the opposite seat, who ; tad bee^^-tehffig' the V game with considerable interest, to join them. "It is quite easy," they said, "and you are sure to win." The stranger replied in courteous tones, "No doubt,- but there is jnst a little difficulty in the way. You see, lam the Resident Magistrate of the district^ and'; as it is morally certain tKa*S:yoC*ipU fdot^ebefore me in the course of a weeic, perhaps/ on the whole, I'd better not become particeps crinmis." The sharpers got out afc.the nest station. Some unthinking persons issued the following "extraordinary" the other day in Hobarton, and a large number of copies were distributed, and great excitement was caused;, before the hoax was discovered:— "War declared between England and Russia!' *A Russian fleet in Hobson's Bay!' * Melbourne is threatened with bombardmentl' 'Gruel and bloodthirsty foe!' 'The enemy threatens to reduce Melbourne to ashesl' ' The streets of Melbourne are occupied by Russian soldiers!' 'A Russian fleet of seven huge ironclads has sailed through Port Phillip Heads!' 'The Victorian voluuteer. force, who opposed. the foe, were shot down and slaughtered like sheep!!-; *? The streets of Melbourne were, clamorous- with the dying shrieks of men, women, and children butchered by thousands; the channels funning with the blood of the slaughtered!* ..!* Children have been torn from their m6the**s' breasts, and butchered before the;eyes of their parents!' " It appears that after all the Prince of Wales will not visit Australia and New Zealand this year. « Atlas'^imtes to the World as follows :•?-" I am able ,eo say, in contradiction to some statements which have appeared that the Prince bf Wales-will not depart on his intended visit to the Antipodes this year, reason being that,/were he to do so, it would be .impossible f&r him to see all that he wishes to see of our Australian colonies, be back in time for r the Opening of the Paris Exhibition on the Ist May, 1878. | On Saturday, says the Auckland Star of | the 20th inst, as a housewife in Onehunga ! ; was cleaning out a cupboard she took therefrom, with other articles, a small bottle containing some strychnine, which had been obtained for the purpose of destroying rats. The little daughter, aged four years, seized the bottle, and, unnoticed by the mother, proceeded to examine and taste the contents. H< ?aring the child spitting on the floor, the parent looked round, and was horrifiedtb find that the little one had been applying her mouth to the bottle— it-was the bitterness of the tast^.that caused the child tosspit. The mother, in great ,d.istfess, .ran.to thft chemist with her f girl. J£r Gilman, -.observing the spasms coming on, at once fetched' Dr. Ross, and a stomach pump. . Fortunately; both the , doctor and thepump were hear at hand,' and the skilful exertionsjof ther former achieved a ihe poison, andjentirely averted a fatal issue. . — .. ...... "The Doctor," writing in the Auckland frpr, says :— The Tutks • are moving ahead. lempora mutantur, nos et tnutamur. f»l Ulis. Formerly; when a.Grahd-Vizierireceived his conge he was bowstrurig. •"- They} order these things differently now at Stamboul. When Midhat Pasha was dismissed, a steamer; was m waiting to convey him to some sunny isle of; the Mediterranean, and a purse containing; £500 in gold was pressed into; his hand for! travelling expenses. When wis wanted to get rid of Julius Vogel we made him AgenP General, arid paid his travelling expanses. There are several points of resemblance between rjulius and Midhat, but if Julius had lived in Turkey they wouldn't have got rid of him; for £500. Not if he kudw it. '