MAIL ITEMS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5239, 8 January 1878, Page 3

MAIL ITEMS.

(From the Home News.) The death is announced of the celebrated surgeon Dr. Wenzel von Linbart, professor at the University of Wurzburg. The Crown Prince of Wurteraburg has been appointed to the command of a cavalry brigade in the Wurtemburg army. Field-Marshal von Moltke completed bis seventy-seventh year on October 2Ci. He was born in 1800. King George has returned to Athens from Thebes. The Greek Chamber ia expected to resume its sittings this week. Count Hermann Aruira, a relative to the ex- Ambassador of Paris, has beeu sentenced to a month’s imprisonment for libelling Prince Bismarck. A telegram from Constantinople states that many prominent dignitaries have been arrested by order of the Grand Vizier, owing to a conspiracy among the party of the deposed Sultan Murad. The Mexican Government have sent Senor Zamacona as Special Commissioner to Washington, in order to negotiate with the United Slates. Berlin papers record the death of General von Malicvevski, governor of the Invalidea at Berlin. The deceased was a well-kuowu military man. He was boru iu 1801. A telegram from Vienna anuouuces that the number of conscripts to be levied in Russia at the annual conscription in December is 220,000 —that is, 40 per cent, above the ordinary figure. Mr, Edwin W. Stoughton has beeu appointed United States Minister to Russia, It has not been settled who is to succeed Mr. Pierrepont in London, but in any case it will not be Mr. Simon Cameron. A telegram from the seat of war affirms the two sons of Schamyl to have been taken prisoners adding, the intelligence that they are likely to meet with very hard treatment. The youngest sou of Schamyl, who was iu the Czar 8 corps of pages, has deserted. -The Duchess of Edinburgh has taken up her residence at the Palace of the Czar, Uuter den Linden, at Berlin, where, the Russian Embassy is established. The circumstance has excited attention, because on previous occasions the,Duchess has been lodged in one of the Imperial palaces os a guest of the Imperial family. The Emperor of Germany is shortly expected at Ohlan, in Silesia, where preparations are already in progress for his reception. The Emperor annually repairs to that place in order to take part in the autumn hatiuca in the neighboring forest. His Majesty will this

year, as usual, combine a visit to tlie Duke of Ratishou witli liis visit to Ohlan. A statement comes from St. Petersburg to the effect that the Grand Duke Nicholas, who has for some time past been “ interned” in the Caucasus for an offence which gave rise at the time of its discovery to a good deal of scandal, has been pardoned by the Gear, and that he is now travelling in the steppes of Central Asia with a view to exploring a new route for a proposed railway. The last fortnightly return of the Bank of Russia shows the total amount of notes issued for war purposes up to the 22ud iust. to be 220,000,000 roubles. The issue is regarded as temporary. Besides this amount the Russian Treasury has borrowed 163,000,000 roubles. It is stated to be the intention of the Russian Government to introduce at the beginning of next year an income tax upon small incomes, corresponding to the Prussian “ Klassenateuer.” The party of Greenlanders expected at the Jardin d’Acdimatation in Paris arrived there last week. They consist of a family of Esquimaux—three men, a young woman, and two female children, aged respectively eleven and twenty-five months. They bring with them some seals, white bears, and sledge-dogs, and occupy, on the lawn on which the Nubians were encamped, huts exactly similar to those inhabited in the Polar regions. The death is announced from Nice of Count Alexander Branicki, one of the wealthiest landowners in Poland, who has resided in France since the Polish insurrection in 1830, in which, however, he had taken no active part. Count Branicki, who had managed to retain possession of his large fortune, made a very liberal use of it during the war in 1870 ; he subscribed £20,000 to the fund for the relief of the wounded. The Italian expedition, under Signor Gessi, which is to explore the country of the Gallas, is to start for Cairoa early. But for a fire in the railway station of Suez, in which all the articles provided for the expedition were destroyed, the party would have started last June. They will proceed to Khartoum first, and thence by way of Fasoyl and Fadasi in tho western district of the Gallas country. The expedition hope to be able to effect a junction there with another party, conducted by the Marquis Antinori and Captain Martini, and proceeding by way'of Shoa. According to a despatch from Havanah, the Spaniards have captured Estrada, the President of the so-called Cuban Republic. Official intelligence has been received at Madrid that the force under the insurgent General Ruiz has been reduced to thirty men by the dissensions which have broken out among the insurgents in the district of Manganville. The Spanish authorities have received the submission of five colonels, several officers, and upwards of 100 men. The Tamboff correspondent of the Oolos states that a party of Menuonites, numbering 400 persons, passed through that town on October 30 on their way to Hamburg, whence they will proceed to the settlement allotted to them by tho Canadian Government in Manitoba. Professor Gilbert, of Cincinnati, has conceived the idea of employing the articulating telephone in connection witli balloons, and was 1 to have reduced the proposal to actual trial. If practicable, the plan may prove serviceable in warfare where balloons are used to reconnoitre the numbers and positions of the enemy. The (Polos hears on good authority that all the officers of the Guards wounded at Gorui Dubnik and other places on the Sophia-road, will be 1 brought direct to St. Petersburg by special sanitary trains. The state apartments iu the Imperial residences at Tsarskoe Selo are being prepared for their reception. A telegram says that the Vatican Council has been discussing the expediency of abolishing the right of veto exercis' d by France, Austria, aud Spain in Conclaves, a right founded on no treaty or concordat. The Church would thus break its last ties witli foreign States, aud forfeit their protection, but would acquire full independence. Opinions in the Vatican are divided, and no resolution has been adopted. 1 A Moscow telegram says a sad event occurred there iu connection with the trial of M. Sanff.leben for embezzlement. MajorGeneral Heartung shot himself in the Court immediately after a wituess had made a statement charging him with stealing bills of exchange and other criminal offences. He has left a paper protesting his innocence. Prince Humbert has accepted the title of Protc dor of the Congress of Orientalists which is to be held at Rome in September, 1878, Senator Michele Artnari presiding. The Minister of Public Instruction allowed a sum of 500 f. iu gold to be given as a prize to the Italian who ciiall present the best essay on the li s story of the East. The Minister of Commerce has, on his side, decided on giving IflOOf. towards the expenses of the meeting. The Archbishop of Munich, Mgr. von Scherr, whose death recently occurred, succumbed iu Ids seventy-fourth year to dropsy of the heart, from which he had long suffered. He was born at Nurnberg, and studied at the University of Landshut, and at the age of twentyeight entered the monastery of the Benedictines at Metten, of which he afterwards became the Prior. In 1856 King Maximilian elevated him to the archiepiscopal dignity.

The death is announced at his chateau of Nerville (Loiret), at the age of fifty-four, of Baron Sdgnier, judge in the Orleans Court of Appeal. Diming the latter years of the Empire he sided with the Opposition, and was made Prefect of the Nord by the Government of the National Defence. A terrible crime has been committed in Brussels. Recently a shoemaker of the name of De Brackelaere was lying iu wait for his wife, from whom lie has been living separated for some time, before the church where she had gone with her landlady. When they cam? out of the church ho stabbed them both with a large knife, and next himself. The two women expired almost immediately, and the assassin, who is severely wounded, was brought to the hospital. The Midddhurgschc Oourant announces that the new Dutch Liberal Cabinet will he composed of Messrs. Kappeigno van do Coppello for the Interior, Fransen van do Putta for Foreign Affairs, Smidt for Finance, Cremers for Justice, Van Erp Talman,Kip for Marine, Roo "Van Aldewerett for War, and De Deventer for the Colonies. A Ministry of Public AVorka is to bo created, at the head of which M. Talc van Poortoliot is to be placed. According to official information published by the Norwegian Government the mercamile fleet of that country consist of 7814 vessels, of which 7596 arc sailing vessels and 218 steamers. The total number of 1 the crews is G 0,281 persons, and, considering that the entire population of Norway is barely 2,000,000 souls, the proportion of sailors to the total number of inhabitants is unusually high—probably higher than iu any other country. The small town of Areudal, with a population of only about 6000 inhabitants, heads ttu list with 365 ships. Intelligence has been received that Queen Pomace, 6f the Society Islands, died suddenly on September 17. She was the descendant of a chief of the same name, who by conquest had become sovereign of the whole archipelago. Under her Majesty’s reign Admiral de PetitThbuars took possession of the group iu the name of France, hut that occupation was afterwards converted into a French protectorate, the Queen remaining on the throne. The royal family all the population were long since converted to Protestantism; The deceased, sovereign leaves a sou, Prince Oral and, who has been proclaimed King. Perfect tranquility prevails in Otaheite. A powder mill at Millesimo, Italy, belonging to the Count Zerhiui, blew up a few evenings back. About 9 o’clock the inhabitants of the town were alarmed by a tremendous explosion, and all rushed out to see what was the matter. The cause was very evident, and they hastened to render what assistance wai possible. Fortunately only one man was on the premises, and lie was asleep. The quantity of powder in the buildings was about 7owt., and it blew up in two portions, at intervals of a few minutes. The first part destroyed the roof and threw down the wall of the room in which the man was asleep. He, comprehending that he had no time to lose.

rushed through the breach, and’ had not got far when the second explosion sent around him a shower of bricks and rnbbi-h, but lie escaped unhurt. The building and machinery were totally destroyed. The disaster is attributed to spontaneous generation of heat in the paste in course of preparation. Mr. Gladstone was on November 7 presented with the freedom of the city of Dublin. In reply, speaking of the Laud Act of IS7O, he stated that during the remainder of his career he would be ready to co-operate with the Irish people in anything for their advantage, and would wish to see the Bright clauses of the Land Act so readapled as to create more quickly small proprietorships in laud. In England the land would always remain in the hands of a comparative few; but in Ireland it was desirable to create small ownerships. He was a. ainst entails and settlements. As to the Education Bill, he had desired to set learning free for all, so as to make Trinity College a national University, and had not been interested as the designer of the measure either in favor ef denominational or mixed education. Local government was desirable for every country, to train its people in public affairs, but it was especially desirable in Ireland. In England there was of late too much central control, with large subsidies of money, and local rule was being unwisely interfered with. The working of the Church Act, the adoption of the ballot, and the general prosperity of Ireland, were also amongst the topics dealt with in the speech of the right hon. gentleman, who, in the course of tho afternoon, was entertained at the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor. In acknowledging the toast of his health, Mr. Gladstone spoke of the public life of the public men of the present day the great drawback to which might be described by the word ‘‘excess.” His experience in Ireland would not he such as to deter but to encourage others to cross the Channel, and he could assure them that he should count with anxiety the time until he was able to cross it again.