NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1648, 18 October 1887, Page 4

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

The Emperor Francis Joseph nf Austria has conferred upon M. Pasteur the decoration of the Iron Crown with the title of Baron,

At a" military banquet on September 18th, General Berrt declared that Franco now know h»r strength, and she was ready and waiting to avenge her wrongs. M. Calcs, member of the Chamber of the Chamber of Deputies, followed in the s»rae strain. The speeches have excited comment, and the Paris papers are endeavoring to soften tkeir effect. The Comte de P ris, in his manifesto; issued on September 13tb, approves of the recent action of Royalists in the Chamber,: but saya that experience gives small ground to hope for a peaceful-transition from Republican control to Monarchical control, which he is salisfil d is desired by France at present, In vaiß does Congress proclaim the eternity of the Republic. The Count promises to , reduce military burdens, shelter the’army from political, influence, restore religious liberty, remove the weakness of wprking classes, and retain all the liberties under the Republic. It is said; Ihe -Count was induced to issue the manifesto by his’wife. It has fallen flat except as a subject to bo ridiculed, even by *Ve Pm is correspondent of the Lend in Times, who is said to be a strong partisan of the Comte. The city of Maryville, California, suffered by fire on the morning of Sept. 19th to the extent of 200,0Q0d01. The Centenniil celebration on September. 15th is described as a magnificent affair, particularly the civic and industrial parade, illustrating (he Advancement of arts and science durng the past century. The President and leading officials of (ho country won present. The editor of the American Flag, the New York orgm of the American party, received two letters on September 12th, sighed 'by the L«cal Irish Avenging Committee threatening to blow up the bni ding vThore tbfi r dice is located if pub'icatio’i Was not stopped. In tbs cise of lh« 'Chicago anarchists the Illinois,Supreme Couft confirmed, on September 24th the sentence of the Court, below, and the seven condemned men wrl be bane® 1 on November 11th. Tim pr'aon wl ere Ihe doomed prisoners am confined i* now doubly guarded, a* roscim, it i« feared will he attempted. Tnere is terrible excitement among the S clalmls and Anarchists on the subject all over the conntrj. Ben Butler has promised to fnajte a last effort with the Supreme Court on behalf pf $0 (Condemned. Ross, Turner and joo, t manufacturers of twine and thread, Boston; Mass,, having imported five female spinners from Ireland ai’a Wmd Tor' violation of the sta'ute pi»--hibiting the importatmh of foreign labor.; Toe penalty is 1000 dollars in each case.

Robert Louis Stevenson, the English author, arrived ut New. York from London, onSeptember 7\li.' He ia an invalid, travelling for his health. After spending the winter in Indianopolis, Illinois, where Ids wife was born, ho will go via San Francisco, to Australia. A. tow occurred at Lisdonviarna, near Ennis, County Clare, on the night of Sept. 12th. Five moonlighters were captured. Constable Whelan was killed and three others seriously injured. A number of rifles and revolvers and a quantity of ammunition were captured.,, Five men who were captured were arrested inside the house of a farmer named Sexton, who has been identified as the Sexton whom the gang meant toTnurder, He bad been requested te surrender his farm, but did not do so. The gang thereupon entered his house, when the police, who laid in ambush, surprised therm The Pall Mall Gazette,. ,of Sept. 20th, reviewed in detail one of the'la test society scandals. It boldly stated, in an accnsa-' tibn against Colonel Hughes-Hallett, M. P,, that lie had morally ruined his Repdaughter, the child of the late Lord Justice Selwyn, and absorbed her fortune. . After the dsath of his first wife, : Lady Selwyn and Colonel Hughes-Elallett were married: She is a daughter of Colonel Scbaumbcrg, of Philadelphia. The,accused has been a prominent figure in the highest society, undis an exceedingly proraisibg and ' capable member of the House of Commons.' His career has not’been unromantic, for ho was Once offered the Grown of Greece, Physically ho is known as the thinnest man in (he House of Commons. The Colonel, who is at the seaside, pronounced the charges of the Gnzutle, although' made with damaging circumstantiality of detail, wholly and unqualifiedly false. The papers demand that he be dismissed from the army, and his seat ia the Commons declared vacant. The Theatre Royal at Exeter was totally destroyed by fire on the evening of September sth. “ Romany Rye ” was under performance and the pit and gallery were packed. The piece proceeded all right till near the end of the third act, about half-past ten o'clock, when as one of the characters was 1 finishing his Hues the drop scene suddenly fell in front of him. There was some laughter In the house at this. It was thought to be a stage blunder. In a moment, however, the scone turned in the centre and a great .flame shot. out. It was thee seen that the whole stage was a mass of fire, and there was a wild panic instantly. The occupants of the stalls and pit and dress circle got away after a good deal of ■ crushing and fighting. Many, especially ladies, w«re severely bruised, and had to be carried away in' a feinting 1 condition. The actors and'actresses' were nearly ail in the dressing rooms, and were saved. The fire spread with marvellous rapidity ; it filled the house with suffocating stroke. The occupants of the upper circle* and g«'lery rushed in numbers to the windows and screamed for ladders. As soon r.s possible these, were brought, but several' persons had jumped into tli# street bifere ♦hey arrived and were f»kon away more or less injur'd. Others got on to the varandrh over the door, and some jumped and others were taken off. ' Within five minutes of the outbreak Ihe City Fire Brigade were on the spot, but the water then poured on'the fire w*a absolutely without effect. The firemen implored the audience to be cool and tried to check the frantic rush but to little purpose, Women were fainting and wringing (heir'hands, some husbands carried out their wives. As soon as the flames were extinguished a large force of men begin searching for bodies. The stairway hading to the gallery was lit'erallv packed with bodies, while at the head of the stairs there were scores of others piled one on top of another. The unfortunate victims had rushed to the door when the alarm was given hut had found the si airway blocked and all means of escape cut off. In a short time the flames reached them and they nuffared a horrib'e death, The victims were principally working men ; in many case* fathers and mothers both perished and numerous children ware thus left without moans of support. Several Indies were burned so that only a small cinder remained. The persons severely injured number 60, and it is feared the death list will reach. 140. In nearly every ca.o Iho clothing was torn off the victims. From a number of bodies limbs were missing, and the remains showed that they had been wrenched . off. Several whole families, .numbering from . two to fne person* lost tbeir lives. The statements of the origin of the fira differ. ‘ The scene shifter says it started among some ganz ■, and flames spread to the scenery of which the stage was unusually full, owing to the pantomime. The disaster has given a perceptible check to the theatrical business over the country, and The Press is clamoring for (he interference of the authorities;, to. reduce He , risk of such calamities.in future,

The . British barque Balaclava, from London, -March 25, for .San Eranciaco, has arrived at Valparaiso, dismasted. She lost ton seamen while off Capa Halloran on .inly 20th.

Mr Gladstone declined an invitnt'on from Mr George W. Childs, proprbtor of the Philadelphia Ledger, to he p'esent at Iho Gontennia' celebration in that city. The London Times is the on’y piper tint published the invitation, and comments on it and, its noc-acceptanc' bitterly. Mr Childs’ letter conveyed the'assurance of unbounded hospitality, not only in Philadelphia but throughout the Union, (ind declared that Mr G'adslpno should he entertained as no man had been since La Fayette’s visit. The Tim"S regards (he selection of Mr Gladstone ns improper, It says his refusal ie hardly complimentary to the American inadequate to so splendi ] 'an offer, reinforced by such hospitality. It, even says that Mr Gladstone has Iren asked because they wisii to show that his attitnd* durii g a portion of the civil w«r is now forgotten and forgive*!. The vidt, would b’ unwise, if not unsafe (addfl the despatch, which is dated London, Seoiember 7th). During the past few weeks his Voice bis coins b ck to something h’k fi it "hon'd be in its inarvedloua powers, but. lie is subj ct to relapses. He lias to guard chic flv against chil's, which wvr« somo'imes f>>'lowed by periods of prostration. John Bn'ght also declined,