MAIL NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4228, 8 October 1874, Page 3

MAIL NEWS.

By the death of the Earl of Dalhousie the Free Church of Scotland has come, in for another substantial slice of luck. His Lordship's will directs that, after the payment of the other legacies under it, the residue, to the extent of £20,000, shall be paid over to the trustees of the Tree Church, to be by them applied, as far as it will go, in the ministers, present and to come, of the Four Free Church congregations (Lochlee, Monikie, Arbirlot, and Carmylie), on his estates, with perpetual stipends of £2OO a'year each. Ou the 27th July last several hundred emigrants, consisting of farmers, agricultural laborers, and domestic servants, left the port of Belfast, Ireland, for this Colony. We learn that several thousands of the same class will leave the North of Ireland for New Zealand immediately. At the last meeting of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Mr. McEwen introduced the subject of gambling on the Stock Exchange. He said that a large -proportion of the recent bankrupts had been involved in Stock Exchange speculations, and every failure now taking place was attributable to share speculations. These speculations. were more serious than betting, which was being put clown. Commercial credit was being destroyed. It was stated on'the authority of a member of 'the Stock Exchange that three-fourths of the transactions were by parties who had not a single share. A committee was appointed to make inquiries. The Agricultural Gazette contains 273 reports of the current wheat crop from all the English, most of the Scottish, and many of the Irish counties ; and of these 183 declare it to ba " over average," 83 declare it to be " average," and only 7 put it "under average." The reports are as nearly as possible the converse of those of 1873, when the numbers were 11, 89, and 157 respectively. M. de Rochefort has been visiting Oxford and the principal colleges and sights. He.went incor/nito, accompanied by half a dozen friends, but on being recognised at Balliol College did not prolong his stay. The Exhibition Buildings at Kensington are, it is said, to be converted into museums. The east-side galleries are let to the India Office, and are to be filled with the articles now so imperfectly seen in Whitehall. The west side will be placed at the disposal of the Colonies, while the south court will probably be occupied by the Patent Museum. A statue of Lord Palmerston is shortly to be placed in Parliament Square, neat to that of Lord Derby, recently uncovered by Mr. Disraeli.

The Empress of Austria, travelling incognito, accompanied by her daughter, the Archduchess Valerie and suite, arrived at Ryde, Isle of Wight, on the Ist inst. A special train was provided for the conveyance of the Imperial party to Ventnor, where Her Majesty intends staying several weeks, Steephill Castle having been prepared for her reception. Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by the Princess Beatrice, drove from Oabonie to Steephill Castle, Ventnor, on the 4th inst., on a visit to the Emm-ess of Austria, with whom the Prince and Princess of Wales also passed half an hour the following day.

Accordiug to the London correspondent of the Inverness Courier, Miss Evans (" George Eliot") is engaged in writing a new novel, for which she has been offered £IO,OOO.

An official return just issued gives the total strength of the forces engaged in the Ashantee war at 2587, and the total casualties, including those from disease, at 723. An unusual mishap occurred on the 31st July at Millwall, on the Thames. A large ironclad was being launched there, when from some cause or other—it is said from the foreshore giving way under her enormous weightshe stuck fast, partly in and partly out of the river, the water washing over her deck at high tide. She is a steam ram of 5000 tons, builders' measurement, with 12-inch armor plates, and her weight at the time of launching was between 6000 and 7000 tons. She is insured for a quarter of a million, and it is stated that it will cost £60,000 to float her. Her name is the Independenzia, and she was built for the Brazilian Government. A similar mishap occurred about eight years ago to H.M.S. Northumberland, which was eventually got off safely. A somewhat amusing incident occurred in the House of Commons a few days ago, on the occasion of Mr. . Brand, the newly-elected member for Stroud, talcing his seat. Mr. Brand was, according to the usual custom, formally introduced to the Speaker, who was duly informed of the new member's name, and shook hands with him, expressing his pleasure at making his acquaintance. Now, the Speaker and the new member for Stroud stand to each other in the relation of father and son, and their formal introduction to each other, as if they were total strangers, consequently created not a'little merriment in the House-

Two somewhat noteworthy cases of breach of promise of marriage have recently been tried in England. In the one,'tried in London, the daughter of a wool-broker obtained from a young man of property, whose age was only twenty-four, the substantial damages of £3OOO for refusal to fulfil a matrimonial engagement. In the other case, which was tried at Newcastle, a milliner recovered from an innkeeper £l5O damages, for breach of a promise given in October, 1850, nearly twenty-four years ago.

A very remarkable marriage was consummated at Jevington, Sussex, the other day, the peculiarity of the circumstances consisting in the bride having no arms. The ring consequently had to be placed on the third toe of her left foot. She also signed the register with her foot "in a very decent ' hand.' " She is said to be a good needlewoman, despite her deformity. The ceremony was performed by Archdeacon Philpott in the presence of a large congregation. The last Derby, which was won by Mr. Cartwright's horse, George Frederick, was the ninety-fifth year of the race. The value of the stakes was £5350, and the race was said to have been run in 2mm. 46sec, which is under the average. A meeting has been held in the Grand Concert-hall, Brighton, to promote a petition now being got up by the " Claimant's " friends to Parliament on his behalf, and to provide funds for procuring witnesses from Australia. The " Claimant's" wife and four children were present. During the meeting one of the children carried a hat round the room, and a collection was made at the door at the close.

Galignani records the death of the Marquis de Palombel, at the advanced age of ninetynine. He was hidden during the whole time of the Terror by one of his tenants, and was never molested.

Queen Isabella has been summoned by her Parisian butcher and other tradesmen for nonpayment of bills. Her Majesty's defence is that she contracted with her cook to supply the Royal table at twelve francs a day per head, exclusive of wines. The Court has taken a week to consider whether the ex-Queen of Spain shall be put on oath to answer the evidence given on these domestic particulars. It is announced from Home that the Emperor of Germany has resolved to visit Italy, and it is thought that the journey will take place in the autumn. An extraordinary incident has occurred in connection with the progress of the King of Denmark to Iceland. His Majesty and suite arrived on the 26th July at Thorshavn, capital of Strbmb'e, chief of the Faroe Islands, where an address was read by the President of the Municipality, who, overcome by the excitement of the Eoyal visit to this wild" region, immediately fell down dead. The untoward event cast a gloom over the intended rejoicings. The King of Denmark left the- Faroe Islands on the 27th July, for Iceland. An. early visit was to be made to the Grand Geyser, 200 horses having been provided for the Royal party. Ten thousand people out of the 70,000 constituting the whole population were expected to be present on the King's visit to Thingvellir, the site of the ancient Parliament of Iceland. THE LAST ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE MINCE MISMARCK.

Two attempts have been made it appears—and the last of a very serious character —to assassinate Prince Bismarck. This dastardly attempt was made on the 13th of July. He was at the time residing at Kissengen, a fashionable Bavarian spa. On the day in question, he went out as usual in his open carriage, and had been driven some distance along the street, when a Roman Catholic priest stepped right in front of the carriage. The coachman called on him to get out of the way; but this he did not do at first, and when he did so, he kept up alongside the carriage on the footpath for about fifty paces, when he again stepped in front of the cai-riage. There were a few persons only in the street, and one of them stepped into the road close to the carriage, and took off his hat to the Prince. The latter gave a military salute in return, when the man drew a pistol from his pocket—the priest being still in front of the horse—and fired it at Bismarck, whose right palm and thumb is grazed. The coachman, fearing a second shot, with great presence of mind, struck the wouldbe assassin in the face with his whip, whereat the fellow threw away his pistol and fled. He was soon stopped, however, by an actor, who 'had witnessed the whole affair, and whom the villain had savagely assailed in his struggles to. escape. The crowd, which speedily collected, could with difficulty be restrained from Lynching him on the spot. Prince Bismarck drove straight to his home to reassure his family, but was soon compelled to come out and show himself to the enthusiastic crowd which had gathered in front of his windows. Half an hour afterwards he drove to the prison to see the man who had attempted to kill him. The priest who stopped the horses decamped the moment the shot was fired, but was arrested some hours afterwards on a charge of complicity in the crime. After . some days' detention, and a searching examination, he was dismissed, there being no evidence against him. The assassin is named Edward Kullmann, and he is a journeyman cooper, a native of Magdeburg, a Roman Catholic, and a member of several religious societies. Although only twenty years of age, he bears the reputation of being v a cool, determined fellow, and has served a sentence of three 'months' imprisonment for having, together with some of his comrades, stabbed and wounded his former master. His mother has -been in a lunatic asylum at Halle for a year past. He is stated to have declared in prison his intention to kill the man who was injuring the Pope and oppressing the Church, and to have asserted that he had accomplices in the crime. As a matter of course the Roman Catholic journals and hierarcha indignantly deny any complicity of the Church of Rome with the deed. "Archbishop" Manning, in a sermon on the subject, spoke with great vehemence on this point, condemning those who charged the Church with instigating the deed much more strongly than he condemned the deed itself. Nevertheless the crime has had the effect of Causing the Roman Catholic newspapers and societies in Germany to be still more closely watched than before, and three of the latter have been suspended. Just after the event, the Princo received two or three anonymous letters warning him that his life would be attempted. Under skilful treatment with ice the wound in his hand rapidly healed. He has received thousands of letters and telegrams congratulating him on his escape. Kulhnaun'a fate is not yet decided,

but the plea of insanity is pretty certain to be put" in. Mr. Cosmo Innes, for many years Professor of Constitutional History in the University of Edinburgh, and a Principal Clerk of Session, died on July 31st. An extraordinary riot took place at Fraserburgh, late on the night of Saturday, the Ist inst. There were a large number of Highland fishermen in the place, and one of them was put in the lock-up for being drunk and disorderly. • His comrades, 300 strong, about 10 p.m., burst open the prison and rescued him, continuing the riot till 1 a.m. on Sunday, by which time the police were scattered, and the prison, court-house, &c, completely wrecked. The Sheriff isromptly swore in special constables, and next day obtained fifty soldiers from Aberdeen; but their services were not required. Only two of the rioters have been identified and arrested.