NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2367, 18 October 1880, Page 2

NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

[By Telegraph.] Auckland, Oct. 17. The mail steamer Zealandia arrived at noon to-day after a fine passage. GREAT BRITAIN. A parcel containing twenty-seven dynamite cartridges, with a rubber tube containing percussion caps and gunpowder was found under the rails of the London and Northampton railway line, sixteen miles from Euston, the London terminus, on Sept. 13. It is supposed that the Express train to Scotland, passing over the railway two hours previous to the discovery, shook out the tube, and prevented an explosion. Suspicion points to three or four employees just discharged as the parties in the plot. The ship Astoria left Liverpool lately with 150 farmers for Texas. Mr Parnell, in a recent speech to farmers at Ennis, declared his policy to be unanimity of action among Irish members; independence of English political parties; refusal to pay more than what the tenant considers a fair rent; and social excommunication of any one person taking a farm from which another had been evicted for non-pay-ment of rent.

Among the disasters at sea reported arc the foundering of the steamer Aurora, from Oporto to Southampton, with the loss of 50 lives. The steamer Hardwick, from Odessa for Bristol, with barley, foundered. All on board, with the exception of one fireman, perished. A strike has taken place amongst 30,000 nailraakers of East Worcestershire and Stafford, against a proposed 20 per cent reduction in their wages, but the strikers being destitute, wore compelled to succumb. The Grand Yorkshire Handicap at Doncaster, was won by Reveller, Roulette second, Schoolboy third. The Champagne Stakes, for 2-ycar olds, was won by Bal Gal, Majorca and Angelina running a dead heat for second place. Hanlon, the Canadian oarsman, requires a month to recover from the effects of his voyage to England. He lost 12lbs, which he must gain before going into training. The failures of Hannay and Dickson, brewers, near Manchester, is reported ; liabilities, £BO,OOO.

Wm. Hy. Wells, one of the originators of “ Punch,” and the associate of Charles Dickens, in the establisnmentof “ Household Words,” died in London, aged 71. The Baroness Burdett Coutts, who is said to have set her heart on marrying Mr Ashmead Bartlett, is ill in consequence of her friends’ remonstrances against the match. There is a prospect ot a run on the Coutts’ Bank in consequence of the expected withdrawal of the Baroness from the concern.

Owing to continued depression in the Irish linen trade the Manchester flax spinners will after Oct 4th, reduce the working days to four per week. Phillip Callan, M.P. for Limerick, and described as tho pariah of the Irish party, made a scene in the House of Commons recently, He wasintoxicated when he took his seat, and delivered an incoherent speech, in the course of which he insulted the Chairman of Committees, and denounced the members generally as infidels, Scotch Presbyterians, contemptible Conformists, and despicable shopkeepers. His colleagues left the House in a body at the beginning of his speech, and Mr O’Connor Power, on behalf of the Irish party apologised for Callan’s conduct. The Census Bill passed the House on the 2nd. A motion that the enumeration should indicate religious persuasions was energetically opposed by Mr John Bright, and finally rejected. Mr Thomas P. O’Connor, Home Rule member for Galway, introduced a resolution in the Commons respecting the suppression of the House of Lords, on the ground that the people of the country had lost confidence in that body. He was seconded by Mr Labouchcre. The House divided on the question, which resulted in fourteen ayes to seventeen noes.

A public meeting was held in Hyde Park on Sunday, September 10, at which O’Connor denounced the House of Lords as “ the most disgraceful and oppressive assembly existing.” The meeting, however, degenerated into a turmoil, in which the platform was torn down, and and the crowd was finally dispersed by the police. Parliament was prorogued on Sept 7th till November. The “ Times” says the prorogation was not too soon, considering Mr Forster’s attack on the House of Lords. The German papers are alarmed at the Ministerial crisis in France, and express suspicion and dread of Gambetta. EUROPEAN SUMMARY. A boat belonging to Prince Galitozky foundered off the coast of Finnistere on the 3rd. Viscount Fleury, Mrs Henneasy, an American lady, and two others were drowned.

A ferry steamer capsized at Bordeaux on the 22nd, drowning six persons. Seventy-two houses in a village in Pomerania have been destroyed by fire. A plot to destroy the Czar’s life on his visit to Livadia has been discovered. Two mines were discovered under the railway, charged with dynamite, near Charkoff, They were found only one day before the Emperor started on his journey. The Grand Duke Nicholas has been compelled to resign the command of the Imperial Guard. He, with another Grand Duke was systematically embezzling the regimental funds. General Loris Melikoff compelled his resignation, and disclosed his speculations, because Nicholas opposed his plans. It is also said the builders of the Czar’s yacht charged £ 20,000 extra for giving a cheque for that amount to the Grand Duke. Six vessels of the Russian Pacific squadron have been ordered to the Mediterranean in the event of a rupture occurring between Russia and Turkey. The Albanians have twice attempted to fire Dulcigno, and Riza Pasha has notified the local authorities to be wary. The demonstration has been postponed to enable Christans to leave Dulcigno, as a massacre was feared.

A despatch dated Badik, September 22, says lliza Pasha has summoned the people to cede the town, and promised to pay them 30,000 Turkish pounds, besides giving an undertaking to build a new Dulcigno on Malta territory, but he received a decided negative, and prepared a force of 5000 men with six cannon to overcome opposition. On the 20th the report that the Albanians drove the garrison out of Dulcigno on the 17th was continued.

A political prisoner, confined for five months, recently hanged himself. Before his suicide he disclosed the names of Nihilist leaders, and that of the authors of the Winter Palace explosion.

By a landslip at Nini Tai, Bengal, 18 British officers, 15 soldiers, and 11 other persons were killed and four injured. Rain began falling heavily on Friday, and poured steadily till Saturday afternoon, when the guage showed a fall of five inches in 40 hours. The effect of such an enormous mass of water pouring down into the confined settlement, which is simply a basin formed by a circle of hills, can be imagined. Ail the roads were cut to pieces, and in the forenoon of Saturday it was rumored that the Victoria Hotel was in a dangerous state. An alarm was given to the visitors in the hotel, who took shelter elsewhere before the buildings fell. Thirty natives were buried in the ruins. The police and a band of laborers and soldiers were quickly on the spot. About noon there was a sudden roar and rumble, followed by* a vast cloud of dust. The lake rose in a moment far above its usual height, and crept in a massive wave towards the weir, where an enormous landslip came down, burying the band of rescuers, with the disastrous result already mentioned. Colonel Cordon left China after publishing a memorandum of advice to the authorities regarding the armament of ferces. He recommends the nonemployment of foreigners,and the use of common breech-loading guns, and that the fleet consist of only small vessels, and the shore defences of mortars. The fact of his leaving and also the unconditional release of Chung How, late Emissary to Russia, leads to the belief that China will accede to Russia’s terms. It is said Colonel Gordon was treated with discourtesy amounting to rudeness by both Sir Thomas Wade and Hart the Inspector of customs. All attempts to open business communication with the Corea has failed. The Corean Ambassadors were on a visit to the Mikado, and were studiously well treated. There have been serious disturbances at Canton. Europeans were threatened, and the military were called out and several rioters killed and wounded. AMERICA. The Arctic Expedition that sailed from New' York on June 1, 1878, in search of data regarding Sir John Franklin, returned to New Bedford on the 23rd. They obtained many relics of the lost navigator and his party, and also the remains of Lieutenant Irving. Geographically the expedition has been quite a success. Important rivers and coasts have been discovered, and serious errors on former charts corrected. The longest sledge ride on record was made in the face of extraordinary cold weather and deprivation of customary food. The result of the expedition has shown that it is feasible for white men to adapt themselves to the life and climate of the Esquimaux,in prosecuting journeys in the Polar regions, and that they are not particularly restricted to any seasons of the year for that purpose, but can travel at any time, and in the w'ay in which the natives travel. An exciting race against time took place at Minneapolis between Miss Jewett of that place, and Miss Belle Cook of California. Miss Cook made eight miles (changing horse each mile) in twenty minutes and was awarded the purse, 2800 dollars. Miss Jewett was thrown and severely hurt. Parties lat cly arrived from New'Zealand are purchasing farms in San Francisco County. A new system of reducing ore by electricity has lately been formulated and threatens to revolutionise mining. Trade was never so lively in New York as at preseut. Freight shipments exceed those of last year by 2o or 30 per cent. Mormon immigration from Europe is increasing to such an extent that Secretary Evarts has determined to institute proceedings against the converts immediately on their arrival for the practice of polygamy. A boy named Byrne has won a match against a horse in Chicago. The time employed was 168 hours, and in this time Byrne made 578 miles, against the leading horse’s 368. Moody, of Moody and Sankey, intends so visit San Francisco for revival purposes. A couple of spirit mediums were arrested at Boston for conspiring to defraud an English lady named Miss Davies, who was weak enough to believe their manifestations genuine. The steamship Yera Cruz, of the New York, Havanna and Mexican line, foundered recently in a tremendous gale off St. Augustine, Florida. Some 25 passengers were lost, including General Torbert, a famous cavalry officer during the last war.