CABLEGRAMS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 323, 8 December 1888, Page 4

CABLEGRAMS.

, , London, November 30, 1888. A terrible 1 shipping catastrophe has occurred on the Goodwin Sands. A barque,, name [unknown/ struck the sands and was completely engulphed. ■ All on bbard perished.

Lchsoon, December 1. Speaking in the House of Commons, Sir James Ferguson said theretention of Suakim was useful to repiess the slave trade.. The Government would not 1 ahandon the people" or Suakim to the nietcy of the Arabs ' ! As tin instance of the arduous nature of the labours of the Parnell Commission, it may be mentioned that the shorthand record of the evidence amounts to six hundred folios, of xoolscap daily. In the course of an interview relative to religious controversy, .Mr Gladstone stated that he never writes on thf &ubject of religion, except in repetition of fallacious arguments. It is now officially announced that Lord Balfour, of Eurleigh, succeeds Laid Onslow as political under-secre-tary to the Board of Trade. Mr JR. Laishley, LL.D., Auckland, has received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Leipsic. It is stated that the freedom of the city of London will be conferred on Lord Dufferin. Wool. — The sales gain firmness as they progress. Frozen Meat. — Market depressed. Canterbury mutton is worth 4d per lb. Wellington mutton is worth 3^d per lb. Beef : Quotations unchanged. A Liberal-Unionist League has been formed at Oxford. Canon Knox Little, a well-known High Churchman of Canada and a popular preacher of the High Church School, is starting on a missionary tour Sir ¥. Dillon Bell has expressed himseif hopeful that the British Government will recognise the desirableness of subsidising the Canadian New Zealand cable route. He , disapproves of the proposal to hold a conference of Australasian and Canadian delegates at Ottawa to consider trade relations between the Dominion and Australasia, and the Pacific cable question, and thinks the Canadian Government would do better to consult the Australasian Governments direct. The Hon. Sir Lyon Playfair, M.P. for Leeds, in the course of a speech at Staveley, drew a contrast between New South Wales and Victoria to illustrate the advantages of free trade against protection in Australia, and showing from a statistical return that the former colony was more progressive and prosperous than the latter, arguing that this was the result of a free-trade policy. The Panama scheme is said to be in a critical condition financially. In the House of Commons, during the discussion on the Irish Estimates, Mr Gladstone violently attacked Mr Balfour's Irish admimstiauon, charging him with being; responsible for the • Mitchelstown affair, and the death of John Mandevi'le and Kinsella. Mr Balfour replied to the charges in detail, and declared lhat the extraordinary weakness of the Opposition was shown in this constant re-echoing of exploded complaints against his administration, and the absurd charges levelled at him. The Agents-General slate that Lord Knutsford is personally favourable to their proposal that the clause allowing tiustees to invest funds in colonial inscribed stock, which was struck out by the House of Lords last session, should be reinstated in the Liability of Tiustees Bill, It is probable that Lord Knutsford will arrange fora full discussion of the question between Mr Goschen, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Agents-General for the colonies. It is understood that the Government are in favour of the proposal. The Orient S.S. Co.'s interim report, referring to the Australian trade, says that business has improved and anticipates a dividend. The English Jockey Club has referred the Chetwynd-Lord Durham dispute to aibitration. Brookfield Mews has been chosen whereon to hold the annual shooting competition, in place of Wimbledon. Sir John R. Somers Vyne proceeds to Australia in the course of a few weeks with the object of organising a commercial intelligence scheme. The New Zealand Copper Company is issuing an amended prospectus, At the wool sales to-day competition was brisk, prices very firm. At the wool sales yesterday 10,000 bales weie sold. Hon. G. C. Btodrick, warden of Merton College, spoke on the subject ol Home Rule. He said it behoved all Unionists who belonged to the real Naxional party to face the danger and grapple with it. Mr John Bright, who is ill with congestion of the lungs, has ' suffered- another serious relapse, and his condition is again critical.

Warsaw, December 3. It has been decided to victual Warsaw for $6,000, exclusive of the garrison and the residents who are expected to remain in the event of war.

St. Petersburg}, December 4. Diplomatic relations between k Russia and Persia are strained, owing, it is said, to {he, ascendancy of English influence in the latter country.

I , , ' , \ Romjj, December 4. 1 are current to , tHe effect that ' the French' are secretly 'ejecting important forts in' £>avoy, outside the neutral zoneh • of^.Ahc Franco-Italian frontier. - ' <~ - , ■ '

• ' ■ "Paris, December 3. A shocking , crime is reported from Lavaur, in this country. A boy of eleven years deliberately murdered a child. : "' The youthful murderer was an;ested, but escaped from custody. He was, however, subsequently re-captured. Yesterday an orderly procession of 40,000 marched to Montmavlre Cemetery and placed wreaths on the Baudin monument. At the caremony General Boulanger denounced Napoleon, and repudiated any desire to imitate him. After the ceremony a disturbance occurred between the Paris students and the Boulangists, otherwise the proceedings were quiet.

Berlin, December 4. It i--, reported, that the Emperor William's affection of the ears is becoming serious, and fears are entertained that it may possibly develop into cancel . Although hh Imperial Majesty has been confined lo his palace foi d week. an official announcement has been made to the effect that his condition is satisfactory. An impression is, however, gaining ground that the Emperor's ear complaint is the cause of his indisuosition.

ViKNNA, December 4. The anniversary of the accession oi the Emperor Francis Joseph was celebrated without pomp or festivity. The Emperor desired that instead oi the customary pageant, the cost, which is about thirty million florins, phould be given to the charities of the realm. He also ordered that a thousand parks and avenues in Austro- Hungary should be planted with trees in commemoration of the event.

j New York, November 30. Cabinet and Hecla copper mine 1 ; are i on fire. 1 Kranck, the Chicago 'dynamiter, has been sentenced to 12 years' imprison1 ment.

Thuksday Islaxd, December 3. News has been received by the steamer from Batavia that the Landgrave cf Hesse, who was on a tour round the world, had been suffering irom general depression caused by exces c ivc heat, and mysteriously disappeared from the bteamer Volga at Maintok. It h supposed that in mental derangement he j got through the porthole, and was drowned. His body was not recovered. Mr Townsend, agent al Hongkong for the Shanghai Bank, Manilla, has been arrested by the Spanish authorities for alleged systematic evasion of the stamp registration duty. The charges were subsequently withdrawn. Mr Townsend now claims heavy damages, and the British Consul strongly supports his claim.

Sypxev, December 4. CiJAJT is ll'ngr for X 20 per ton and J oats i ob p:'i bushel <n W i car.nia, on the Dailtag Hivci, 583 miles from Sydney. Reports to hand f 10111 the farming centres in the nc-ighbouthood of Albany indicate th il the hat vest is better than was expected under the cucumstauces. Water is fast disappeanng in the back countiy. The creeks are still dry, and many cattle and sheep are dying about Wilcannia. The weather to-day lias been very fine throughout Australia, po rain having fallen in Vicj toria, South Australia, or New South ! Waies. In Queensland also the weather has been fine, with the exception of Cardweil and Mackay districts to the north, and Tarn bo district, 500 miles in the interior. In the Supreme Court to-day a sheep farmer named Markhani recovered £1 5,000 from the Government, being the amount of damages claimed for the value of sheep which the plaintiff'alleged had contracted scab in the Government quarantine ground, rendering necessary the subsequent destruction of the whole flock. The weather reports from the different parts of the continent to-day show that in Victoria the weather is fine, though threatening in some parts of the colony. In South Auslialia the weather is fine and hot, without any rain. The Queensland lain is pretty general all over the colony. On Saturday and Sunday light showers were falling. To-day the rain in the latter colony has had the effect of greatly improving the agricultural and pastoral prospects. In this colony (New South Wales) the weather is fine, with the exception of the districts of Ballina and Lismore, where light rains are falling. It has been decided that the Australian Squadron shall make Aucklnnd the rendezvous for the Christmas holidays.

Melbourne, Deoember 3. Mr Smith, of Auckland, has been awarded honourable mention for his perambulators at the Melbourne Exhibition. ' The Commissioners have 'decided definitely to close the 1 Exhibition on the 31st January. Hewitts, a clerk in the Commercial Bank, and Farrar.a stock jobber, have been 1 arrested for alleged i frauds in connection with the bank, amounting to ;£8ooo'. • i ,,'/'. J , ,,' ' ' > " 1 The strike amongst the ironmoulders has been Satisfactorily settled. The Government propose to increase the salary of Mr Speight, 0 Chief' (Commissioner of Railway?, to annum for the remainder of th^e period

of his engagement,, and then r re r engage him at an' an'nual salary, of j£5'oooJ r,

- * Hobabt, Dec. 5. Rains $re',miich rfe'edti'dfirinhe, colony, and fears are entertained for the crops. H.M.S. Ravemhas< sailed for Auckland.

j i » „ * Brisbane, » December, 3. ; Nisws has been received > from German New Guinea that a fatal quarrel occurred there between two Prussians, One man was shot dead, and the muidercr committed suicide. Satisfaction is expressed here at the appointment of Sir H. W. Norman to : the Governorship of Queensland.

Adelaide, December 3. The Assembly has rejected the pro1 osal for the abolition of imprisonment for debt. It was also decided that the Hon. Thomas Playford should consult Parliament before communicating with Lord Knutsford relative to the appointment of Governor. A trooper on duty at Lake Andrews slates he saw ?. smoking mountain in the distance, which, from information supplied by natives, he believes to be an active volcano.

Perth (W.A.), December 4. ! A. donkey engine on board the steamer Albany, at Hamlin, burst today, killing two men on the spot, and fatally injuring a third, and scalding two others, one seriously.