EUROPEAN NEWS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1870, 6 October 1874, Page 3

EUROPEAN NEWS.

We make the following extracts from the Argus summary of European news by the Suez mail:—

The Public Worship Bill is secure, having passed without division after a brilliant passage at arms between Messrs Gladstone and Disraeli, to the Liberal leader's discomfiture. The Premier proclaimed the measure to be directed against Eitualistic practices, which enlisted the sympathies of the House. The Government have pledged themselves to support a Bill next year extending the new procedure to all ecclesiastical offences, against morals and doctrine, as well as discipline. Sir Stafford Northcote, interrogated by Mr Childers on budget prospects, denied that there was any ground for taking a gloomy view of the condition of the revenue.

The Brussels International Conference for discussing the best means of ameliorating the horrors of war is now in sessionWarned by her experience in relation to the three rules for neutrals extorted by America, England insisted; on certain reservations, especially in regard to maritime warfare, and Jiussia having conceded them, General Horsford was sent as our representative. Baron Jomini, the presumed author of the project, has been appointed president. Thirteen States are represented. Turkey and Portugal hold back, while America formally declined. After the verification of credentials on the 29th July, a committee was appointed to draw up a programme of proceedings. The sittings are to be secret. A museum of Australian and South Sea curiosities has long been exhibited at tho Crystal Palace. They belonged to Mr Pain, of Melbourne, and a woman named Minnis, who quarrelled, and appealed to the Court of Chancery. Mr Justice Malins ordered the non-removal of the collection till the cause had been determined. The emigration returns show a great falling off in the number of departures from the Mersey. During the last six months there, were 49,000 fewer than during the same period of 1873. Letters from America give discouraging accounts. The Firebraee divorce case has again been brought before the Court on the question of alimony. The Court strongly urged liberality towards Mrs Firebraee. While the Queen and the Prince of Wales were at Aldershotfc, witnessing a sham fight, tho Prince of Wales was thrown from his horse, but sustained no injury. A new township called. Shaftsbury Park Estate, near Clapham Junction, consisting of dwelling-houses of a superior character for working classes, was formally opened on July 18 by Mr Disraeli, EarlGranvillle, and the Earl of Shaftesbury. This'excellent movement shows one mode of solviug a question which has long perplexed Parliament. West Ham Park, near Stratford, costing £25,000, has been opened by the Mayor, accompanied by the members of the Corporation, amidst great local rejoicings; A movement has been initiated at a public meeting under the presidency _ of the Duke of Manchester, for the formation of a society for protection of railway passengers, to assist sufferers from accidents, and to endeavour to improve railway management. A court martial on Admiral Randolph for endangering the squadron under his charge terminated in a unanimous acquittal. Dr Punshon has been elected president of the Wesleyan Conference, and the Rev. Gervaso Smith secretary. The Ministerial whitebait dinner at Greenwich has been revived by the Conservative Administration.

An ambassador from King Coffee has arrived at Cape Coast Castle with £1200 towards the war indemnity. A large number of traders have also reached the coast, and affairs aro quiet in the interior.

It is in contemplation to provide an aquarium and summer and winter gardens near Westminster Abbey, at a cost of £200,000. Lpcturo and coiicert rooms and .picture galleries are embraced in the scheme. ( Mr Ward's large painting, " Luther s First Study of the Bible," purohased by subscription, has been presented to the British and Foreign Bible Society. Great interest has been excited by the Comet, which has been visible nightly for a fortnight in the northern sky. It was remarked that during the whole of the period the weather was very sultry, with severe and fatal thunderstorms. A horrible description by Mr James Greenwood (the amateur casual) of a fight between a dwarf and a bulldog at Hanley, which appeared in the Daily Telegraph, excited great sensation. .The Hanley authorities deny the accuracy of the report, and rewards offered have failed to elicit any information. Mr Greenwood, on visiting the town again, failed to identify the house or street in which the fight is said to have taken place, so that many persons pronounce the account to be an invention.

The betting fraternity are in consternation on account of recent attempts to suppress betting at races. Tho decision against Mr Warner, lessee of the Kingsbury racecourse, with £10 fine, has been followed by tho prosecution of Mr Chaplin, steward of tho Jockey Club, for violaliou of tho Hotting Act at Newmarket. The magistrates declined to commit, but tlio prosecutor, not satisfied, has asked for n case to be submitted to tho Queen's Bench. If successful, a legal raid will bo niado upon tho betting clubs in London and elsewhere. Meanwhile, previous to the Goodwood meeting, the Duke of Eichmond published at notice prohibiting betting in the stand and enclosure. The effect was highly salutary. An epidemic of fires is raging in various countries, large towns being thp. chief sufferers. -Simultaneously with the Chicago fire a great fire occurred at Oslikosh, in Wisconsin, entailing loss of property valued at a million dollars. On the following day, July 15, a conflagration at Constantinople commenced, lasting six hours, and destroying 200 houses, 20 being of stoiie. The losses are estimated at £400,000. On July 16 the Chatham Barracks were set on fire by the workmen preparing gasfittings for a grand ball to be given by the officers of the Koyal Engineers. The libraries and messrooms were entirely destroyed. . On the same day, a fire br6ke out in the telegraph store room of tho General Post-office, but the exertions of the firemen confined it to that room. Fifteen fires happened in tho metropolis on tho same day, The most destruelivo was at a large timber yard at Hotherhilhe, fronting the Thames, belonging to Giibriol and Sons. A few days later inimouse destruction to property O'oum'd by fire in Poufchwarkstreet,, Ijiiick.'ri im, Mtigi'.iaAutg in, the

premises of Messrs Hunt and Co., playing card manufactures, involving the loss of £100,000; and on 28th July the premises of Messrs Wright, Sellers, and Layman, wholesale druggists, Southwark-street, were utterly consumed. On the same day Liverpool was the scene of an appalling conflagration. The magnificent landing stages, just united into one structure 700 yards in length, and costing £250,000, took fire through an explosion caused by plumbers, and all efforts failed to arrest the fury of the flames till the vast platform and buildings had been destroyed. The shipping escaped. Several other great fires have occurred during the month in Liverpool. Similar disasters are reported from Leeds, Edinburgh, Northampton, and other towns. In Shropshire, tho Ercall, a large timbered hill, near the Wrekin, has been on fire several days; and owing to the long drought, the moors, commons, and railway embankments are continually blazing. Imjc persons lost their lives at Margate, and five at Teignmouth by the upsetting of pleasure boats, in both instances through gross carelessness.

Eight hundred men have been thrown out of employment by the irruption of water in the Shire Oaks Colliery, near Worksop. Fifteen men perished by an explosion at Ince Hall Colliery, near Wigan. The tea steamer ' Gordon Castle' has been totally wrecked near Lisbon. The passengers and crew were saved. The cargo consisted of 2,000,0001bs of tea.

Off Dungeness, On July 28, the steamer ' Milbank,' laden with zinc, from Spain, was run into amidships by the screw steamer ' Hankow,' and foundered immediately ; 15 of the crew were saved, and 14 drowned. The weather was clear and the collision arose from bad steering, The 'Hankow,' put back to London severely damaged. The following names are contained in the Obituary :—Alexander Dennistoun, merchant, of Glasgow; Sir Bobert Dallas; Dr Beke, traveller; Baron Anselme Eothchild, at Vienna; M\ Befus, brother of Baroness Eothschild, by suicide at Paris, owing to Bourse losses. Admiral Sir W. Wiseman.

The Government has mildly rebuked the Archbishop of Paris 'for his Pastoral relative to Some as calculated to irritate the Italian Government.

On the 16th July, Don Alphonso, with 8,000 men, took Cuened, sacked and plundered the town, made 200 JRepublican prisoners, and carried ofi artillery, muskets, and other munitions of war, levied heavy contributions on the inhabitants, and retired after 48 hours' possession. The Carlists are charged with many wanton outrages. In the assault they lost 175 killed and 700 wounded. They burned the public archives, and seized the Treasury funds. Cuenca being only 80 miles from Madrid, troops were sent to relieve the town, and the Government has ordered an enquiry,into the cause of the delay in their arrival. Eight battalions of troops have been sent into the Province, hitherto left unprotected. Roused by this daring deed, the 'lovernment has been stimulated to energetic measures. The whole country has been declared in a state of siege.

At the capture of the town of Cuenca by the Carlists the soldiers behaved with great brutality and violence, violating women and killing prisoners. Don Carlos, in a manifesto, says he has promised to save Spain or die for her. Latest advices from Spain state that the Carlists are besieging and bombarding Auigcerda. It is officially proved that the Carlists shot 185 prisoners at Olot.

POLICE COUBT.-YeSTEBDAY. (Before W. Eraser, Esq., R.M.) Drunkenness.—John West, who was charged with having been drunk and disorderly,-did not appear, and his bail was forfeited. -William Tapell, charged with having been drunk and incapable, was lined 10a, or, in default, 24 hours' imprisonment.-John Nicholson, charged with being drunk and disorderly. He pleaded guilty, and was fined 20s, or, in default, 48 Lours' imprisonment. Malicious Damage to Pkoperty.— John Nicholson and John Lanagan were charged with wilfully and' maliciously breaking the panel of a door, the property of Peter Norbury, Pollen-street, Shortland, value, ss. Mr Macdonald appeared for one of the defendants, who admitted having kicked in the door in a drunken frolic, but denied that there was any malice in the question. It might have been dealt with in the last case by the addition of a fine for damages.—Mr Norbury stated that they came hammering at his door this morning or last night. They would not leave off, and he had them arrested. He lived next door to a public-house.—-Constable Ooghlan, who arrested the defendants, said that Lanagan expressed regret, but Nicholson, who waß the drunkest of the two,' abused Mr Norbury. Lanagan denied having broken the door. He was only endeavouring to get the other man away.—Nicholson was fined 20s, in addition to the damage, and, Lanagan was discharged. Akimals at Lame.—Thomas Boyle was charged with a breach of the Municipal Bylaw No. 1, by allowing a goat to wander in Baillie-street. He pleaded guilty, and was fined 2s 6d and costs.— His Worship said he would fine in every goat case to this extent for the next six months, and if that did not do he would further increase it.—William Newman was charged with allowing seven goats to wander iu Baillie-street.—Defendant said that he kept the goats in au enclosure, but they escaped; He made a long statement. Ho had no other use for his ground, and he got the goats to eat the grass.—His Worship said that he had more consideration for him than other goat keepers, for, as a general rule, he found that goat keepers kept their goats on other people's property instead of their own. lie was fined 5s and costs.

Wheeling a Baebow on a,Footpath.—Allen Johnston was charged with unlawfully wheeling a wheelbarrow on the footpath'in Pollen and Grey-streets on the Ist instant.—He was fined Is and costs.

Malicious Injury to Property,— Richard White, William Cairan, and Martin Catran were charged that they did on the 2nd instant unlawfully and maliciously commit damage to and upon the glass of a certain lamp the property of K, G. Bellers, thereby doing injury to the amount of 10s.—Mr Macdonald appeared for the defendants, and pleaded not guilty, lie asked that witnesses be ordered out of Court. This was done.— Mr Bullen opened the case, and called R. G. Bellers, who deposed: I am proprietor of the Nil Desperandum Hotel, outside which there was a lamp suspended from the roof of the verandah about 7 feet .9 inches above the pathway. The lamp is octagon. Thore are two lights, double reflectors, ouo. showing towards tlio Paoifio Hotel and the other towards Queen street. (A small model of the lamp was produced) On the night of t\w3Qth.ult. thaj; lamp \\a,a far

the first time. Before going to bed I turned out the light towards the Pacific Hotel, and slightly lowered the other. They had been burning strongly to that time. The lamp was ( then safe. I next saw the lamp at 7o'clock the following.morning, my attention was, ; called to it. I discovered that a pane of glass was broken. It was the section next the bottom towards the street. I" found most of the broken glass inside tho lamp, The cost of the glass*was about 10s. If a person passing in the street chose to break the lamp it was possible for them to do it. I don't_ think it possible that it could be done by a person throwing a stone from the opposite side of the street. I found no stone or mud or other substance inside the. lamp; Defendants and I have got along very well together with the exception of one.— Cross-examined: . A tall man- with an umbrella in passing along might possibly have broken it.—Sergeant iilliott, deposed that he knew the lamp in question. He measured the height of it from the . side walk; it was 7 feet 4| inches. He ' paced the distance from the lamp to tbo corner of Brown-street. It was 12 yards to the pillar-box.—Constable - Smith, deposed that he was on duty in Grahams-... town on thenightofthe 30th and morning % ■ of the Ist. He saw the three defendants at about 20 mioutes to 3 o'clock. Witness was under the verandah in Brown-street; • near the standpipei They were near the Wharf Hotel. Witness shortly after saw '- nightwatchman Cartwright, and spoke to him. He went towards the Bank of JW Zealand, and continued up Brown-street. Witness then moved a few yards-back to get a view of the men. They left the position they were in and went towards the Bank. He subsequently saw the three near the pillarbox, and they were going down Albert-street, towards-the;-Ml Desperandum. after losing sight of; them about a quarter of a minute he heard a smash of glass.. At that time be was about 25 yards from the corner. When • he heard the smash he ran to the corner,. . and saw the men crossing Davy street, v He looked to where the damage was and' walked towards the men. He the damage then, but he turned back again and found the pane of glass broken in the Nil Desperandum lamp He ■■• then ran after the three ■ men,; and. caught up with the three,'defendants."'.. Me asked which of them broke the glass. They, said no. William Catran asked if .-, he was going to charge him with breaking the glass. Witness said not him in par-".' ticular, but some one of the three must '' have done it. He knew defendants; and . took their names. They are , the. same whom he saw turn the corner a; quarter . of a minute before the glass was broken. There was a good light in the lamp. He examined the lamp and found broken glass inside it and some on the ground. He thought there was most on the ■■ ground. When walking along the footpath he could reach that pane of glass . with his hand. There were lights burn-, ing at the What f,'Pacific, and Queen's t Hotels, but he saw no one else except'; the defendants. He had been at the;" corner about five minutes before he saw. those men. Had there been any person" in Albert-street he - thought he would have seen them or heard them; The night was still. The light did not go out after the glass was broken. —Cross-examined: There were puffs of wind at intervals.-John Cartwright affirmed (declining to take an oath.): He .'. deposed he was night watchman in Gra<. : hamstown on Wednesday night and'; Thursday morning last.; He' recollected , being in conversation with the last wit- A' ness at Scrip Corner. At that time he ; saw some men in the street, but he would- ; not know them again. He would not' swear defendants were those men. The 3 men he saw were standing near the Wharf Hotel. He saw no one else except the three men, the constable, and himself. The town was quiet. Had there been any one else there he would., have seen them.--Cross-examined: It; was; a cloudy night, and the wind .was-'.' blowing strong.—P. L. Dignan, teller in .• ' the Bank of New Zea'and, deposed .that.} his duties kept him in the bank late on t Wednesday night,and early on Thursday morning. Some time between 3 and--4 o'clock he heard the'crash of-glass.'; He could not speak positively as to the;; time, but it was after 3. The sound '-■'- ; proceeded from the opposite sWeof the street 1 ., He heard the sound of hurried footsteps from more than one : person.-? '- Constable Smith deposed that the dis-, ; * tance between the, lamp and the men when he turned the corner was, about 46. '*' yards.—This closed the case. -Mr' Mac- , donald addressed the Court. He con-; tended that the only circumstance : to . connect the defendants with the breaking of the lamp was, that they were there, there was nothing to show that the noise heard by the constable was the breaking, of the lamp. He contended thattit was . more than probable that the pane of glass was broken out ot this light and elegant lamp during the nignt which was so: variously described as stilly and calm, stormy and blowy, and cold.—l'he Magistrate said that he had no doubt some of them broke the lamp, but there was a possibility that at the moment they were passing, the pane was blown out. It was a very small doubt, but he would givethem the benefit of it. They might go.