NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2482, 4 March 1881, Page 2

NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

AGRARIAN DISTRESS,

It is generally belieyed that 140,000 tenants, or one-fifth of the whole number in Ireland, are bankrupt. Many farms, in consequence, are worse cultivated or stocked than formerly.

The Hon. Mark Eolle has sent a cheque for £IOOO to his agent, to be proportionately divided among his Devonshire tenants, in consequence of their losses from sheep disease; The farmers, whose rents amount in the aggregate to £9OOO, are said to have lost as much as £7OOO from sheep rot. It is stated that Colonel Kingscote intends to take an early opportunity of moving for a committee to inquire into the question of rating all Crown property, as Crown lands are really an intolerable burden on the country under the present arrangement.

COST OF THE BRITISH ARMY

A military contemporary prepares the country for “ a very great surprise, because it is not at all of an agreeable character.’’ It says the Army estimates will exceed £20,000,000 sterliug.Making every possible allowance for reduction in the votes,the excess is so considerably over that amount that it will not be possible to get the Estimates below £20,000,000 for the year.” NOBLE PAUPERS. Mr Bradlaugh, speaking at a political meeting the other day in alluding to the Pension List said:—For himself he. intended to make an effort to get rid of perpetual pensions. One was payable to tne earl of Bath—a title which had been extinct 160 years. One of £676 was granted by Charles II to the then Earl of Kinnoull, and the present Earl denied that he received it; and on inquiry it appeared that the pension was sold in 1817, and that the pension was still paid to those who had acquired it by purchase. There was a pension of £19,000 paid to the Duke of Richmond, and this was done under an arrangement which prevented the payment appearing annually in our published accounts. If the amount paid on that pension had been invested it would have paid the Debt. He had spoken and written on this subject for ten or twenty years, and therefore it could not be said he took it up in consequence of anything had recently occurred. When the motion comes on next Session for an inquiry into hereditary pensions there will be some curious disclosures. It appears that the funds from which these pensions arise have been invested in Government stock, and the main object of these, investments seems to have been to conceal from public observation the pensions that are received by the holders, the various titled persons who benefit by them, and thus to evade awkward inquiries as to what their ancestors did to entitle them and their posterity to these handsome pensions.

ELECTORAL REFORM. Among the Bills to be introduced by independent members this session will be one by Mr Ashton Dilke, for throwing the expenses of Parliamentary elections upon the constituencies. So many hon gentlemen would feel relieved by such a measure becoming law that Mr Dilke may depend upon having a goodly following. The Attorney-General has introduced his Corrupt Practices Bill. This is the first attempt which has ever been made to bring bribery within the scope of the criminal law. Years ago, Lord Brougham said, that electoral corruption would never be stamped out till it was made a felony. Sir Henry James’ Bill goes some way towards accomplishing this. It provides that at the trial of every election petition the Public Prosecutor shall be represented and that those who are convicted of having bribed shall be liable to be proceeded against criminally, and shall be disqualified from voting for ten years. It also provides that Parliamentary candidates who have been directly or indirectly implicated in these proceedings shall not be permitted again to stand for the same constituency. It forbids the use of paid messengers during a

a contested election ; it enacts that no candidate shall have his committeeroom in a licensed house, and it punishes any publican who is a party to undue treating with the loss of his license. NOT AN OLD WOMAN. The authorities at Scotland-yard sent a detective to Mr Charles Brad laugh, M.P., the other afternoon, to inform him that they were in possession of sworn information that there was a plot to assassinate him. It seems that the person who gave the information to the police swore lie overheard a party of foreigners arranging to waylay Mr Bradlangh on his way home from the House of Commons at night and kill him. What was the particular offence given the foreigners by the member for Northampton was not made very clear. The informant further swore he spoke with the men about the matter, and then went and told the police. The Detective Departmental ScoUand-yard offered ,to* extend special police protection to Mr Brad laugh, who thanked the police for their courtesy towards him, but at the same time intimated he thought he could take care of himself, and that possibly the assassins might need protection.

HOW THE BANK OF ENGLAND

IS PROTECTED.

Probably it may be interesting to know how the Bank of England is protected at night during these times of alarm on account of the private burglar, and the political rascal, A guard of thirty-six men from the household troops —that is from one of the battalions of Guards stationed at the Wellington Barracks—marches into the bank at G o’clock every evening from October to April, and remains on duty until 7 o’clock in the morning ; from April to October it goes on duty at 7 p.m. and remains to G i.m. the following day. A sentry is posted at each who is relieved every hour. Each man receives one shilling per night ; the sergeants receive half a crown each, and the officer in charge, who is always a subaltern, has a bottle of wine and dinner provided, to which he is allowtd to invite a friend. He also receives one guinea. All the employes, excepting those whose duty it is to remain in the bank all night, as well as the officer’s guest, must quit the premises at 11 p.m. Between that hour and 6 in the morning no one- is allowed, under any pretence whatever, to enter or leave without his name ami other particulars being transcribed in a book kept for that purpose. THE TABLES TURNED.

The following extraordinary statement is published by the “ Irish Times ” : —“ A few days since a mob of 800 persons, it is slated, forcibly hunted the estate of J. J. Gunning, Esq., near Headford, county Galway, adding to the amusement by levelling all the walla gates, &c., that came in their way, and in the evening marched past Mr Gunning's house in regular military style, six abreast, many of them carrying rabbits and,products of the chase swung on sticks over their shoulders. The police were'driving on patrol duty near the place, when they saw three men about thirty yards before them on the road, one of whom turned round and tired towards the police, who at once jumped off the car and gave chase, but finding they could not gain on their assailants, the head-constable called on them in the Queen’s name to stand or he would shoot them. They then halted ; but when the police came up with them and demanded their ‘names the headconstable noticed a revolver in the hands of one of them, and on his attempting to seize it the man stepped back a pace and fired at him. Had not the head-constable knocked up the man’s arm, he would no doubt have been shot. A desperate struggle ensued between the would-be assassins and the police. The latter, however, eventually succeeded in the disarming and handcuffing of their prisoners. During the scuffle the police heard whistling, horn-blowing, and other signals in a neighboring wood, where they have since ascertained 100 men (members of the hunt) were concealed. The captured men were brought up at the Petty Sessions at Headford and committed to the March Assizes in Galway, bail being refused. The weapon used was a five-chambered American revolver, one of the chambers being loaded, the others having apparently been recently discharged. During the last few days twenty-three persons belonging to this new style of ‘Galway Hunt ’ have been arrested.” A similar occurrence, though with less serious consequences, is reported from Athenry, county Galway, pursuant to the following notice, which was posted through the country :—“ The farmers’ club hunt meet will be held at the Railway Station, Athenry, on Jan. G. Tenants, with their horses, are expected to attend. How is your time to show what you can do by unity. God save Ireland.” The tenant farmers, numbering 300, with horses and harriers, met at the time and place named, and hunted the neighboring estates, and they found hares in abundance. The landlords did not attempt to interfere with the sport.