MAIL ITEMS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4949, 1 February 1877, Page 3

MAIL ITEMS.

The choir of Salisbury Cathedral has been opened after being in: process of restoration for , fourteen years under Sir Gilbert Scott. . | An interesting social fact; has 'been elicited and proved to demonstration by the United Kingdom Temperance .and -General Provident Institution. The society is an important one, with nearly two million assets. -The institution keeps-distinct accounts of, its operations" with temperance and those , with the geheral run of assurers. The quinquennial claims for the period, ending in 1875,.(mclusiye) were as. follows: ’ : Mortaiitv, 1871-75. ... ■ ; Expected. - Actual. » No. -Amount. No. Amount: Temperance '. . 723 .. £189,819 ... Oil £97,773 General •• im .. , J .267,460 .. 1330 ~ 266;062 It-thus appears' that .whilst the temperance ‘deaths were 30 per 'cent, below expectation,Jhe general'deatha were 5 per cent; abovie expectation. This is'a strong" argument for the abstainers. -V ; i

<■ .Germany, does'not intend to'.take part in the Paris. Exhibition of .1878, ,

Foot-and-mouth disease, which had nearly been stamped but from the herds of cattle in Surrey, has; again broken- out amongst dairy stock. • •

, Stringent measures are about to be adopted by General Ohanzy, Governor of Algeria, to check the incendiarism of the forests which is now very prevalent. A Mr. Alderson, lately returned from Australia, where he was for -K years, has put in a claim to a large property at Warrington which had been disposed of under the supposition that he was dead. ■ ‘ : ;

Lord Falmouth proposes that foreign horses shall not be allowed to rim on English courses, unless English horses are permitted to contest all races in the-country to which the horses belong. . The Morning Advertiser, commenting upon the decision of ' the hoard of inquiry of Melbourne into the collision between theßarrahool and the. Queensland, says it is directly at variance with the verdicts of all the courts Of inquiry in the United, Kingdom in the case of similar occurrences.:

Some excitement has been caused by a statement that a young English lady, under age, entitled to a considerable property, is detained against her will in a Parisian convent by direction of her stepmother. Lord Lyons has taken the matter up.