ARRIVAL OF THE RANGITOTO WITH THE DECEMBER MAILS. AT BLUFF HARBOR.

Southland Times, Issue 902, 19 February 1868, Page 5

ARRIVAL OF THE RANGITOTO WITH THE DECEMBER MAILS. AT BLUFF HARBOR.

(Prom the Melbourne Herald, Feb. 11 ) Bank discount is quoted at 2 per cent. The Stock Exchange and Bank of .England were closed on 25th and 26th, being holidays. Consols on the 24th were at 92f and 92£ for money, and 921 and 92£ for account. The December wool sales ended on the 14th; 109,335 bales were catalogued. The sales opened with a reduction of from l^d to 2d per lb. from last quotations upon nearly all descriptions, producing rather more animation in the market. The competition was at first almost confined to home buyers, but the foreign trade sub: equently coming in, gave sales a firmer tone, and the prices at the close of the series were at about the same level as at the beginning. The first mail under the new contract leaves on 14th March. The arrangements as notified by the last mail will be so modified that the objections as to the extreme lengthening of the course of post, and the detention of the Australian steamer at G-alle will be removed. The Australian October mails arrived in London on 14th and 20th December. v The Queen is at Osborne, in good health. Bishop Selwyn has accepted the Bishopric of Lichfield. It is believed that he will be succeeded in New Zealand by Bishop Patterson, of the Melanesian Isles. Major-General Storks, G.C.8., has been appointed Chief Comptroller of the "War Office, with the position of an Under-Secretary of State. It is believed" that the Government is about to initiate a course of administrative reform in the army, with a view to increasing its efficiency and effecting greater economy. Her Majesty's Theatre was totally destroyed by fire on the night of the 6th. Nothing was saved, and it is estimated that Mr Mapleson, the proprietor, who was uninsured, will lose about £12.000. No lives were lost. The cause of the fire is inexplicable, as there had -been no performance in the house on the evenin r g ! of the fire. A daring attempt was made on the afternoon of the 11th to blow in a portion of the wall of Clerkenwell House of Detention, it is supposed with the object of releasing the Fenian prisoners, Burke and .Casey, who were imprisoned there. The police having received notice that the

» prison would be attacked, the neigborhood 5 was . closely watched, and about 4 p.m > three men were observed to bring a barrel • containing powder and place it against - the wall of the court-yard of the prison . and having fired the fuse a most tremenb dous explosion followed, which had the i effect of blowing in a large portion of the . prison wall, and by its recoil destroying , several houses opposite, burying the in- , mates — chiefly women and children — ir f the ruins. The total number injured in- , eludes forty persons, six of whom havt since died. The police arrested two mer and one woman, whom they caughi 1 running from the spot. Others have beei ' since captured on suspicion. The jury ai the inquest returned a verdict of wilful murder against the three first prisoners, , The outrage has caused the greatest ex- , citement throughout the country. Mt Disraeli sent his private secretary to dis- • tribute money among the sufferers, and Her Majesty sent to the hospitals to inquire the condition of those injured. Subscriptions were being got up, and a large sum had already been received in their behalf. All sorts of rumors are current as to a probable attack on the public buildings. The Bank of England, Tower of London, St. Jame3* Palace, the British and South Kensington Museums, the gas factories, the powder magazines aud arsenals, are carefully watched day and night by detectives in large numbers, assisted by special constables who have been sworn in. A thousand men have been added to the regular police force, and the Guards are ready for action at any moment. After the execution of the Manchester Fenians a funeral procession in their honor took place in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Skibbereen, and Mitchelstown. Each procession was largely attended, and perfect order was observed. The Irish Government has issued a proclamation forbidding further processions, and has commenced proceedings against John Martin and D. Waters Lalor, as the leaders in the Dublin procession. The defendants were sent for trial. The man Baker, who was connected with the murder of a child at Alton, in August, under circumstances of peculiar atrocity, was hanged on Christmas Eve. He made a full confession of his guilt the day before the execution. Latest accounts from Abyssinia state that the advanced force of the expedition had reached the plateau beyond the mountain passes, where they will await reinforcements from the base of operations. King Theodore has burnt Debras Tabor, and had made an attempt to advance upon Magdala, but was checked by the insurgents, who were encamped in the neighborhood. It has been ascertained that the captives are all well. The inquest on the sufferers by the recent Perndale Colliery explosion has closed, the jury having found that the disaster occured through the accumulation of gas, which was allowed to collect by the neglect of the manager of the colliery and his subordinates. The jury appended an opinion to I;he verdict to the effect that the existing system of colliery inspection is an entire failure, and recommend that an examination by competent persons should take place at least once in every three months. Parliament met oa the 28th November. The House agreed to raise £2,000,000 towards the expenses of the Abyssinian war by an additional Id income tax for the year. Resolutions were also passed charging the Indian revenues with the payment of the Indian troops and the shipping employed in the expedition. Both Houses have since adjourned to the 13th February. A slight decline has taken place in Australian securities. An important debate has taken place in the French Chamber, on the damand for Ministers to explain the recent events in Italy and their interference. Positive declarations were produced by M. Rouher that France would never permit Italy to seize Rome by violence ; and he added that France would require Italy strictly to observe the stipulations of the September Convention. A long debate in the Italian Chambers took place on the same subject, and it ended in the defeat of Ministers by a majority of two, on a motion that the House considered Rome to be the capital of Italy, but depreciated its attainment by violent means, and approved of the conduct of the Ministry. The Cabinet thereupon resigned. The King then instructed Menabrea to form a new Ministry. In the course of the above debate the Chambers adopted a resolution suspending payment of the Italian portion of the Pontifical debt. The new Constitution has passed the Reichsrath, and has been ratified by the Emperor. Austria is reorganising a responsible Ministry.