FROM OUR EXCHANGES.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 120, 8 February 1879, Page 3

FROM OUR EXCHANGES.

Two million dollars worth of property was destroyed by a fire iu New York three weeks ago. The Sydney Exhibition is ? taking ’in Britain, and other parts of Europe. A special line of steamers will be laid on between Sydney and Southampton, and the Colonial Office undertakes the conveyance of British exhibits. Albert Grant, of London, has failed for L 650,00 0; The French Government have pardoned two' thousand Communists now undergoing sentence in New Caledonia. The failure of the Union Bank of Cornwall for £450,000 is reported. The army estimates for the next year show a decrease. Large shipments of war material have taken place. A ‘ Times ’ telegram states civil war has broken out at Cabul. Y'akoob Khan is bombarding a .portion of the city. Astrakhan, where the plague is raging, is completely isolated and surrounded by a military cordon. Terrible lires are raging in Gipp.sla.nd,

Cape Otway, Ballarat, and Sandhurst districts. Great danpige has been done, and '"the whole town of Ballarat was with difficulty saved. Melbourne is enveloped * in dense smoke, like a. Black Thursday. The heat is intense. There is great rejoicing in England over the success of the British troops in Afghanistan. A ‘ Daily Telegraph ’ despatch from St Petersburg says the wonderful successes of Hie British forces in

Russian calculations, as it was the general belief the troops would meet with a stout resistance, or perish in the snow. Eewi ha* deliberately insulted Major Scanned, the Government representative at Taupo, by sending for him, and then refusing to speak to him. The insult has created a great sensation among the Maoris. A man named Teverton was sentenced to a week’s imprisonment with hard labor for extorting 10s as hush money from resjiectable people walking in the domain. An attempt was made to upset a special train, running in the night between Palmerston and Goodwood, by placing two trolly wheels on the line. The cowcatcher threw them off, but was injured in so doing. LIOO reward is offered for the conviction of the offender. The following sentences were passed on the Directors of the Glasgow Bank : Potter and Stronach, eighteen months ; Taylor, Inglis, Wright, Salmon, and Stewart, eight months’ imprisonment. Counsel urged that they were not guilty of publishing false balance-sheets, and that they had no motive for falsifying the accounts. The Wellington £ Chronicle ’ denounces the leniency of the sentences, saying : “ The whole thing is monstrous, and it will make the heart of every honest man throb with indignation, that infamous scoundrels like these directors should not have had their proper desert served out to them.” The. ‘Post’ says the intelligence of these sentences causad an absolute thrill of astonishment and indignation to run through the whole community. The leading Chinese merchants at S}^dne3 r have interviewed the Colonial Secretary, and offered their co-operation in suppressing vice and immorality amongst the lower class of Chinese. Mr Parkes promised to consult the InspectorGeneral, and disclaimed any intention of joining in the indiscriminating attacks on the Chinese character. The ‘ Australian and New Zealand Gazette ’ of the 18th November, reviews, at considerable length, in a very favorable manner, the extraordinary progress being made by New Zealand. The concludingportion of the article is is follows : —“ All this mighty bulk of mercantile enterprise must be the work of, at the very utmost, less than one quarter of a million of persons, whose exertions have thus lifted the colony to a position of commercial power and opulence which, doubtless, is secretly envied by more than one of the old established States in Europe. Competent authorities, who are intimately acquainted with the material capacities of New Zealand, tell us that the two principal islands will eventually support a population of at least fourteen or fifteen millions ; several millions more, indeed, might be maintained, were it not that the Southern Island includes along its centre much barren mountain, which it is not probable can be brought under cultivation. This moans, in a word, that the population may expand so far as to become twentj’-five times as great as it is now. Should the evolution of material wealth proceed in the same ratio, we may, indeed, expect that the future of the Britain of the South will be something beyond vhat the world has yet seen in the way of human progress.” Mr De Lautour, in his recent speech at Mount Ida, referred to the education question in these terras; —“Mr Curtis’ Bill aimed at a partia' financial reform, b\purporting to return to Catholics, whose children were being educated at the expense of their parents, a sum equal to that allowed as gruff in aid to Education Boards, but without aid from the grant for school buildings. If the grant were given to the Catholics, then I see no reason why the Bible should not again be introduced into the schools. This proposal received very strong support—not because it was denominational education, which it was not, but because the minds of men recoil at the idea that Protestant children should be taught at the expense of the classes of the colony which contain fewest wealthy people—the Catholics of New Zealand. Secular education needs no defenders now. Many men make the mistake, and think because Mr Curtis’ Bill was strongly supported that a reaction in favour of denominationalism had set in. Denominationalism is impossible. Injustice is impossible ; and a Liberal who is true to his principles, who believes that burdens should be borne equally, and who will open his eyes to the fact that the Catholics, however small in number, cannot recede from their position, will give them the grant they are entitled to. It is no reproach to a Conservative to be a secularist. It is a reproach to him to despoil a section of the people, and, because of religious scruples, to educate his children with the spoils. Much more is such conduct a reproach to a Liberal. No other Church except the Catholic has shown itself prepared to prove its faith by its works. The grant alone would not possibly keep the schools.”

The ‘ Wairarapa Daily ’ says : —“ The manner in which the land tax papers are being filled up is in some instances highly amusing. In some cases the recipients have described their interests in their property as ( cattle l or ( wool,’ while others simply confess that they ‘ don’t know.’ The idea of making each landholder value his own land is a decided failure, and will give a great deal of extra work to the valuers.

Applications for space at the Sydney Exhibition are pouring in from all sides. The space applied for by the other Colonies far exceeds the amount available. Victoria and Queensland ask for as much as is allotted to all the Australian Colonies,

The ‘ New Zealander ’ of January 29th says of the “ religious teaching ” question ; —Wo see no solution of this religious difficulty, unless by the independent work of the ministers of the Gospel in the Churches and in the Sunday Schools, and wo have firm faith that the public at large will never consent to the laying of the denominational axe to the foot of the spreading tree of free, national, and nnsectarian education.

The ‘Bay of Plenty Times’ of the 21st ult. says : —The volcano on White Island has been in a state of active eruption of late, and heavy volumns of smoke have been seen to rise from it. Loud shocks were heard to proceed from its direction on Sunday night, which were stated to bo the sound made by earthquakes, but others asserted it to be only thunder.

Straws are said to show how the wind blows, and a pretty plain indication has

other day referred to the present Ministry as the ” late Ministry.” When it was pointed out that he had made a mistake in his remark, he said that he used che ex{ ression advisedly, as he considered the Ministxy were already practically out of office. The cruelest partjof the observation was that it was given unasked by anyone. —‘ Morning Herald.’

The insurrection in New Caledonia is at an end. The rebels are completely done for ; starved out, nothing whatever to eat but such cattle as they may succeed in killing. The Missionary Natives were extremely useful in suppressing the revolt. Horrible stories of _ cannibalism are recounted, and of the friendly as well as of the hostile natives. From five to six hundred at least are estimated to have been killed of the rebels, half of which number probably died of wounds received such as would have brought down a white man, but with which the blackfellow runs or crawls away to die in some hole or corner. Two hundred captured rebels are expatriated to the Isle of Pines. The revolted districts will be cleared of all natives, except such as have operated with the Government against the rebels. These will not forget the lesson now given to the others, though, should they desire to rise, they will be too weak numcricaly. A facetious railway guard on the Otago trunk line cried “ This tunnel is one mile long, and the train will he four minutes passing through it.” The train dashed through intodaylight again in four seconds, and the scene within the carriage was a study for a painter. Two young ladies were closely pressed by two pair of masculine arms ; four pairs of lips were glued together, and three liquor flasks, held by bucolic matrons, flashed in the air. It is stated (says the ‘West Coast Times’) that within a few days tenders will be called for the first five miles of the Greymouth and Hokitika Railway. The first contract will be from Grey mouth to Saltwater. ■

The thermometer at the Melbourne Observatory registered 106 degrees in the shade on the 29th. which was the hottest day of the season. At Echuca 114 degrees in the shade was registered. The country is parched up. One recent arrival at Invercargill as an immigrant proves to be an old settler, who lias come out in the character of; a new chum at the Government expense.

Henry Benson, the chief of the gang of turf swindlers who obtained LIO,OOO from a French Countess by a betting fraud, and is now undergoing penal servitude, contrived to set fire to his clothes, and was shockingly burned in his solitary cell before the fire was discovered. He is now in the prison hospital. This is the second time lie has set fire to his clothes, for he tried to commit suicide by the same means when when awaiting trial in Newgale- , . Messrs. George King and Co, Christchurch, haye imported an American double furrow Gang plough which permits of the person in charge to ride. It is said to be very simple in construction and easy to manage.

Medical testimony proves that great danger is incurred from the use of impure water supplied to the public by the Wellington water- vorks. The Melbourne correspondent of the ‘N. Z. Times’ writes:—Very frequently I meet with teachers who announce their intention of finding their way to New Zealand. I have met several who have managed to secure appointments worth about £SO a year more than they can obtain here Your system generally, throughout both Islands, gives a greater number of appointments worth from £l5O to £2OO than are obtainable here. The best class of working men you can get from here are young men from IS to 25, who have passed through a pupil teacher’s course, or who have taught as assistants in thej large schools. Of old fellows, who no longer hold their ground gainst the new crop of trained teachers, you can obtain bushels; but they are not worth a steerage passage. The young Victorian has always plenty of conceit; but the “ result” system here has made him a “ beggar to work.”

Valuable Land.— The much-talked of “reclaimed land’ 1 at Wellington was sold the other day. One section brought L 154 per foot, the rest averaged L4B per foot. The land to be sold consisted of forty-three sections, situated in what, with a view to the future, may be regarded as the business centre of the city. Mr Elliott, Under-Secretary for Crown Lands and Mr .Reed, Solicitor-General, attended on behalf of the Government. The attendance included nearly all the monied men of the city and province, and also capitalists from Otago, Canterbury, Napier and Auckland. One or two monied men from Sydney, could also be seen amongst those present. In all the attendance numbered about 350. Before going on with the sale, it was explained that the Government would make all streets and footpaths in a proper manner. The sections were sold with the smallest frontage, and the section which realised L 154 per foot, had only aboutlSft. frontage, though its area, as a whole, was considerable. The sale realised L 98,000. Just before the commencement of the sale, says the correspondent rf the “Press,” and after Mr Duncan had mounted his rostrum a messenger arrived from Government Building, instructing Mr Duncan not to commence the sale till Sir Geo. Grey and Colonel Whitmore arrived. There were then about 300 leading citizens present, and one of them indignantly protested against this gross insult offered by Sir George Grey and Colonel Whitmore to the citizens of Wellington, and asked in angry terms who were these two men, who dared to call upon the people of Wellington to wait their pleasure. Colonel Whitmore shortly afterwards arrived, but Sir George Grey did not enter an appearance.