HOME AND FOREIGN.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1131, 28 December 1883, Page 3

HOME AND FOREIGN.

Wool Sales.

A (Steamer on Fire.

France and Chinn.

Sixteen GMldrea Burnt to Death.

Ra-inforeement« £br Tonquin,

The French Demanding War.

Injury to the Czar.

Calcutta Exhibition.

f REUTER —COPYRICmT. J

LONDON, Dec 22.

Mr Howard Spenaley and Mr Dixon, of Victoria, and Sir Julius Vogel have been appointed Commissioners of the Health Exhibition Conference. The Wool Sales Committee hate determined to limit next year’s wool sales to fonr series, the first of which is fixed to commence on 12ih February, provided 400,000 bales shall have then arrived, otherwise the sales will be postponed nntil the 19th. Telegrams are to hand from Antwerp stating that the steamer Catania has arrived there, and reports that her cargo was considerably damaged by fire, which broke out daring the passage. Marqnis Tseng has retarned to London. Negotiations for the settlement of the Tonqnin difficulty are still proceeding, and no raptors has occurred between the French and Chinese Governments. Dec 24. Intelligence is to hand from Malata (? Malta) that a fire broke ont at the Jewish school there while the building was occupied by children. The majority succeeded in escaping, bat sixteen were burned to death and a number seriously injured. The school itself was totally destroyed. PARIS, Dec 23. General Mellott, with reinforcement^

under his command, sailed to-day for Tonqnin. Ucc 25. The Paiisian and French papers generally, in thrir leading articles on the difficulty, are now averse to further mediation, with a View to an understanding wi’li China, and arc almost unanimous in recommending that vigonrous warfare should, if necessary, be prosecuted against the Chinese in Tonquin. ST PETERSBURG, Dec 23. The Czar is suffering severely from an injury to hia shoulder, and has been ordered by his medical attendants to take complete rest. (Received Deo 28, lam.) CAIRO, Dec 26. Rnmonrs are current here to the effect that El Mahdi is advancing upon Khartoum, and is now within ten days march of the town CALCUTTA, Dec 26. The International Exhibition is still visited by a largo nnraber of persons daily, and np to the present time 140,000 persons have been admitted.