ENGLISH MAIL. (Per R.M.S. Arwa.)

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 271, 9 June 1888, Page 5

ENGLISH MAIL. (Per R.M.S. Arwa.)

Thk Arawa brings Lwo days' later news than ' the 'Frisco mail. DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER. Our London correspondent writing on tho evening ot tho 21st of Apiil says: — " The debate on that venoiablo subject the Deceased Wife's Sister Marringo Bill occupied tho House of Commons once again on Wednesday attcrnoon. Mr Ootavius Moigan lepiesentcd colonial opinion on the subject. He said tho Australias felt tho piesent anomalous condition of ailairs keenly, and looked forwaid anxiously to Paihamcnt passing the measure. All our colonies except the Cape h;id assented to the lorni ot marriage which tins Bill sought to legalise in this oounfciy. The teelit.gs and opinions ot our colonial iellow-eountiv,nien ought not ti bo set aside. No question which was discussed at tho Colonial Con leieuce in London last ycai eu-ited moioin-tuu"-l' tlian this, and ho submitted thal.it was the duty as well as the interest 01 this country to remove dtliioulties of tho kind between <;ieat Britain and the colonie-. The most elleetive speech m opposition to the Bill was, says "A Looker On " "in the " I'aul Mall Gazette") undoubtedly deli\ered by the Home rfeeietaiy, whose stiong point was that it the wife's sislei was put into the oidinaiy po-ition ot a man ia<_ rcable young woman domestic lite would be robbed ol half ot its advantagesand happiness. It was somewhat odd to hear the phrase '"Divine law' 1 dropping fiom the Up-* of tho lawvei at the head ot the Home Ollice, and it was ceitainly veiy leheshing to listen to Mr llcuiy Matthews while he expounded tho necessity ot "keeping tamdy lite sweet and wholesome. The right lion, gent lonian spoke with LTie.it ease and llueney, and with a considerable measure of pusuasi\euess ; ft'id almost for the lust time mhoc he took his seat, on the Tiei^my boneli weie onlookeis able to undetstand how Loid Randolph Chin chill came to enli-vt him in the ranks ot the MinisLi t \. The Atlonuj (Jencial i\a> al-o on the tide ot tho aunt^ who neithei w ish to mai r\ their iuotheis in-law nor to loa\c his house and his ohildien w lion then sisteis. die: the Solieiioi-Geneial, who spoke biilliantly on theothei -ide a session 01 two ago, sat, silent jeMeulay. Mr Uiodie lloaie, the new member toi llampstead, made a maiden speech against the Bill. He is profoundly lCspectable, is tins >oung gentleman; his whole appearance testified to that fact. Unhappil), however, his manner is woof idly wooden. Theie was no attempt to a\oid a division, which wis taken as eai lv as a quarter past live o'clock. Loid Hartmgton spent the luteival between theceiunony and bancjuet in his honour in the city bj stretehi/fj his long leg-, undei the \ei> nose ot the Speaker and \oting tor the enfranchisement of the deceased wifes Mstei. Mr Bi ad laugh also appealed shortlj befoie the di\ ision : his defeat in the law coiuts undo him an <b]oct of much attention. Mr Smith, Mi Baliour, and the bulk of the Toiy party stiearned out in opposition to the Bill ; the occupant- ot the iiont Opposition bench, including Sir Heniy James, made their way to the " A\e%) lobby. The Bill was lead a second time by a majority ot 57, in a goud Hou-^e ("239 against 182 \otc^).

Mil BRADLAUmi S C HA RUES. Mr Biadlaugh's reckless asseitions anent the Toiy Icadeis having supplied mouev to popula; demagogues to incite noting, hasicsulted in an action foi libel, and a \erdict ot i! 300 damages against him

LADY BRASSEYS WILL. Lady Bias-ey lett about C 20.000, cxclusi\e ot numcious \aluable collections of book*, pictures and cuiios tiom all pai ts of the world. The collections aio bequeathed to \oung Tom Brassey as hui looms, the lace, fuis and jewels going to his sisters. The money is divided equal!} " The La-t Journals of Lady Bia^ey," piofusely illustrated by Mr R. T. Fntchett fiom diawings on the spot, and leviiod by Lady Baikoi, authoi of '"Station Lite in New Zealand," will be published in September by Longmans.

LITERARY AND THEATRICAL When Mr R. S. Smythe was o\or here he tiled in vain to peisiiade Mi Clitloid Harnsonto visit Austiaha and New Zealand. Since then, however, Mr Harrison has been very ill, and hi-> doctois lecommend a long sea voyage, su that he will piobably be in \<jur pait of the woild after all bctoie long. Miss Lingaid has achieved a gieat success in Uublin from all accounts, in Sliaks [)eto's " Cymbeline." Ignatius Donnelly orated on his gieat Civptogram discovery befoie the Baconian Society, on Wednesday, but does nob eeum to have done more than boie his audience ter'ibly.

MR H. W. HENDERSON ON RECENT PACIFIC ANNEXATIONS. Mr 11. W. Henderson wiites as follows to the London " Daily News " of April 20th : <%Hir, -In your issue of to-day ihe following appears : ' Tlie Annexation of England in the Pacific.—New York, Apiil 18th.--The ' New Voik Heiald ' publishes a communication fiom San Fiancisco, aecouiing to which tho Geiman Consul at, Tahiti, who is at present in San Fianci&o, .states that the Chustma.s Fanning, and Penhryn Islands, which are in the line of the pro1 posed route tor the cable fiom Vancouver to New Zealand aic meiely uninhabitable, valueless coial leefs.' As the statement attributed to the German Consul is quite untrue as far as regards Christmas and | Penhryn, I take the earnest opportunity iof contradicting it. Chiistmas Island, in latitude 2 N, longitude 15730 W., has a large lagoon surrounded by a great amount of land, and although only small vessels can enter the lagoon, there is fine sale anchorage for vessels of any size on the lee side of tho island. The land lound many of the lagoons in the Pacific is only from 200 to 600 yaids wide, but at Christmas Island it is in parts four to live miles wide, and 40 to 50 feet high. It is about 100 miles in circumference and contains many thousand acres of fine land. Christmas Island was taken up by my firm (Messrs Henderson and Macfarlane, of Auckland) in 1882, who have since planted some 20,000 cocoannt ttces upon it, and are now continuing the planting, for which purpose'and the collecting of "mother-of-pearl shell a European overseer and a number of natives are kept constantly employed. According to tho latest report cocoanut trees are growing splendidly, some of theiirst planted now bearing. The lagoon at Christmas Island contains valuable pearl shell, and has pro dueed some 200 tons since first worked. Penrhyn, in latitude 96 S., longitude 1582 W., is a valuable pearl-shell lagoon, and my firm have three stations on tho island, where they have been doing an extensive business for the last thirteen years, trading with fche native inhabitants. The lagoon has produced pearl-shell approaching £100,000 in value during the last 20 years. It has several good entrances for small vessels, and a fair passage might be wade for large vessels by blasting some coral

shoals which now obstruct the entrances. Ponrh/n is covered with cocoauut trees in full bearing. I speak of Christmas Island from reports of the masters and supercargoes of my firm's voxels, which arc constantly running to the Pacific Islands ; and of Ponryhn from personal inspection, having twice visited it. Oi Fanning lam not in a position to write for want of information.—Your prompt inscition of this will oblige your obedient servant, IL. VV. IIKXDKKKCLN. 4, Fenchurch-strcet, Apiill9.'

STIIANC4E THEFT OF A DIAMOND NECKLACE. People in Paris (the " Daily Telegraph\s " correspondent say) still poisist in attributing undiscovered larcenies and robberies to mysterious beings from the other side of the Channel. Thus we arc calmly told by a Commissary ot Police that the robbery ot the diamond necklace winch lately took place at the Baion dc Wcndel's was piesumably the work of three avoll dressed Englishwomen who were seen loitciing at the door of the house when the least was stt out and the guest* weie nitt at the wedding of the daughtoi oi the iMaiqui.s de VauKene. The reception, which was an open one, was attended by many pcisons, who weie thionged together at one time in the second for the puipo^e of .seeing t.he wedding pic-cuts. Suddenly a Roman Catholic pi elate, Monsignor Fa\a, was announced, and everybody went into the loom where the dignitoiy wa*<, and it is supposed that during this time the property was stolen. This, jobbeiy has cau-cd much sensation in Pat is, and a tew moic pailiculars conceining it iiiitj be intci estincr to your render-. The diamond necklace was on a table in the second drawing-ioom ot the house of the Bui on lie Mendel, who h 'in uncle of the iuide. and who, living near the Tnnity C'huieh, enteitnined the guests who Irid b( en piosent at the mamage. Dining the polite rush to see the Consignor, the robbers ca-ried out their project. After the commotion eluded Iry theannal of the prolate had pub-ided, one ol Llie ladie" of the liou-c letiuned to the second saloon lor tin' puipose oi .showing the pic senls to a new 1> -.in ned friend. Then the fatal tiuth was diseoveied, and what has been called "ueold --ilcnee" fell upon all the assembled guests. People looked at each other half in amazement ami half m su&piuon. Those useful beings who are met mc\cry Pans salon, and Avho^e principal duty it is to fill up \aciint eoineis ot to make up a dinner-paity when some high and mighty person lias been unable to " put in an appearance,'' uctc in a state of pciplexit) and contusion; for, although they are frequently \ isible m society, tew people know their naine>» or position. Tlie suspense was, in fact, m in ply aw fill, and there weie.-üb-ducd comei -ation.s about the expediency ot closing the sneet doots and keeping everybody in until the advent of the police. Otheis hinted in awful whispers at the ad\i-abihty ol a thoiough search being instituted. Nothing of the sott, howevei, was attempted ; but the M.uquis de Vaul&ette and the Baton stool at the hall-dooi and watched all thoii (fuo^L- defninu befoie them. After this pamiul ordeal the polite began their opeiations in the second \olon, but the only lesull which theyairhcd at was that the necklace and its accessories weie too large to ha\c been taken away by a man unless he had a meat-coat on, and that they must have, thcictoic, been stolen bv a woman, who hid them in her dress, and passed unnoticed tlnough the uowd ot £ruest->

TERIUHLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION. A tcinblc colliery explosion took place at St. Helen's Pit, Woikington, about eight o clock on the night of Apnl 19th. A blower had taken lire in the mottling, and 30 men had been engaged all day in tiying to extinguish it by building a wall. About eight o'clock in the evening the gas accumulated behind the wall, and exploding blew down the wall and cieated gicut de-ttuction and desolation. Fi\e men ha\e been hi ought up dead, thiec others d\ing, An cxplonng patty has di-co\cied ten or twelve nioie l^odics Tho^e biouoht up air--.Jost?ph licdale, Flimb^ : William Me(iouan. iMai\[)oit; William Di.xon, Seaton; •John Peai-on, Fhml>y ; John Wnght, Seaton.

A BIC DIAMOND FIIOM JM>TA. A magnilicent diamond, known as the Uoi do noir, was on \ iev. on Tuesday at the oflice-. ot Alch^Ks lleni\ S. King and Co., of 65, Cotnhill. This gem, which i-> valued at fiom Q 2,000 to C 15,000, was found at W.uljia Kami, in the pie-idency ot !Mad i.i&. In iU lough state its weight was o\er 67 caiats, and since being cut and polished 241 caiats. Smaller stones ha\e been dustuveitd in the giound in which this one was found, and thcic aio expectations that with .scientific mining the lcsults will equal thovc of Bultfontcin and Jagcisfontcin.