BREVITES.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2530, 30 April 1881, Page 3

BREVITES.

Notwithstanding the reforms pro ; mised by the Emperor Alexander 111. great dissatisfaction still exists in Russia. Serious riots have been caused in Moscow by the students, which have been suppressed by the police after a good deal of trouble. Outrages continue to be reported from Ireland. Throughout the County of Cork a most disorderly feeling prevails. In the western baronies the peasantry have attacked and severely injured a number of process-servers. ; Mr Parnell is visiting some of the principal cities in England where there is a largo Irish population, in order to extend amongst them the principles of the Land League. At Manchester he addressed an assemblage of 5,000, and spoke at length on the condition of Ireland.

A serious fracas occured at Bathurst (N.S.W.) on April 19. Mr J. B. Tonkin, proprietor of Tattersall’s Hotel, accused Daniel Mayne, proprietor of the 1 Bathurst Sentinel,’ of libelling him, and struck him on the head with a stick. In the evening Mayne waylaid Tonkin, and struck him a blow on the forehead with a life-preserver. Tonkin is in a precarious state.

At a sale of yearlings at Sydney, on April 19, a bay colt by Yattendon from Lady Chester was knocked down to Mr Dangar for 1,305 guineas ; a brown filly, sister of Grand Flaneur, to Mr W. A, Long for 1,001 guineas; a black colt brother to Spinningdale, to Mr Long for 1,450 guineas ; and a black filly, sister to Lady Emma, for 110 guineas. Total of the sale, 7,721 guineas.

At Hamilton (Victoiia) the other day Catherine M’Phersen, aged 102, was charged with vagrancy. She was found wandering in the hush in a half insane condition. It was elicited that, notwithstanding her long residence in Australia and intercourse with English people, she could speak nothing but Gaelic. She was sent to the hospital, where she will receive the best attention for the remainder of her days. There are some even in the teetotal ranks who do not.look with favor on Sir William Fox’s Temperance Lesson Book. At the last meeting of the Marlborough Education Board his circular was discussed, with the following result :—Mr Conolly proposed that the Board take no action in the matter. He had been a total abstainer himself for a number of years, but he thought it was absurd to expect children to enter into the scientific aspect of the question. Mr Fox, it appeared to him, was riding his hobby to death. Mr Ward seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously,

| |The majority of Chinese merchants and residents in Sydney condemn the present importation of Chinese, and wish some restrictive measures could betaken.' Some of the Chinese merchants states that now that the tide of Chinese immigration has set into these shores they believe that before the year is out at least 20,000 Chinese will arrive, who, if some steps are not taken at once to prevent their coming, will be a burden on the Chinese residents already here, for the new arrivals have little or no money as a rule, and have to be boarded and lodged free by their countrymen. One day last week 750 Chinese, and on another 1,250, were landed in Sydney. Hungary is a great grain - producing country, and there is a keen competition going on between the Hungarian and the Yankee farmers and millers in the market of Vienna. An American gentleman has lecently gone to Hungary to study the flour mills there, which are said to be greatly superior to those of the United States, producing 80 per cent of flour from the wheat wbile the American mills only produce 69 per cent. The Hungarians use a large number of rollers — between 30 and 40—made of chilled iron and porcelain, in place of the “ burr ” stones used in other countries ; but their machinery is more expensive than that of the American mills. They have sent a commission to America to study con slruction of the mills there,__