Suez Mail Items.

Thames Star, Volume IIII, Issue 1745, 6 August 1874, Page 3

Suez Mail Items.

•Dr. W. L. Buller, of New Zealand, having duly qualified, was on June 6 called to th<? d. gree of barrister-at-law by the Benchers of the Inner Temple.

The betrothal of the Grand Duko "ofi Strelttz with ,Princess Beatrice is now; spoken of as expected to take' place shortly.

On his birthday lately, His Holiness the Pope received upwards of? one. hun-' dred thousand letters from various;, parts of the. Christian wprld, and/ above, two j hundred jtelegrams. ; ; », ; ;,.,..,

Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, who arrived \ by the Australian mail, is at present in Italy, and will not reach London before' the end dfthe month. - ,V\> •.•:.'

The following gentlemen were presented at the late levee :—Lieut.-Colonel Haiington, .Zealand Militia (late E.M.L.1.), by the First Lord of the Admiralty ; and Mr. James A. Youl, on appointment to C.M.G., by the ICarl of Carnarvon.

Mr. Henry Bell, the eldest son of Sir F. Dillon Bell, of Otago, has been called at the Middle Temple. Mr. M'Arthur has given notice of motion, to come on early in July, on the annexation of Fiji..-, The feeling here is in favor of annexation.

; Mr., George Fawcett Eowe, the author of a new play, the "Geneva Cross,'' recently'produced .in Melbourne by Miss May Howard, in the latest, edition of Ihe Home News accuses that lady of "possessing herself of. a M.S. copy, and of using it without leave or license from me, and without; having.paid a farthing for it.' The All England Eleven who visited Australia have arrived in England, and have played in several matches. Attention has been called to the quarrels which took place amongst the eleven in Australia, and the discussion which lias followed is likely to lead to some thorough definition being arrived at as to who are amateurs and who professional players. The feeling exists that none should be recognised as amateurs exnept those who play for pleasure alone without remuneration;- ■ '::-■■> ;r ';■.■"• ; •■; ; ': \

On» hundred thousand men are now idle in South Wales and Monmouthshire. Great mass meetings are being held. The •dissatisfaction is not so much at the ten per cent reduction demanded by the masters, as at the conditions with which the reception of work is clogged. Mr. Crawshaw has determined to extinguish all his furnaces, throwing out 3000 men.

The agricultural strike and lock-out in Lincolnshire was terminated by the benevolent mediation of Messrs. Moreley and Dixon. The labourers have re sumed work on the understanding that their right of combination is unchanged, but that adequate notice must be given of intended strikes-. Boards of conciliation are proposed. So far, the example of Lincoln has had no effect in Suffolk and Essex.. In Cambridgeshire the farmers won't recognise the ©nion;- and the lockout is extending. Ample funds are still forthcoming;' ' •:■■<.;■■•/•■■ In connection with the transit of Venus, we may state-that in the first week in July the New. Zealand party will leave England, consisting of Major Palmer, R.E., chief astronomer; Lieutenant Crawford, E.N., astronomer; and. Lieutenant Darwin, E.E., astronomer and photographer ; accompanied hy Mr. Burton, astronomer and photographer of the Kerguelen party. Owing to the maltreatment of the Persian pilgrims by the Turks, the Persians have attacked the Turkish frontier garrison, and refused to surrender some Turkish nobles who escaped into Persia, and were subsequently made prisoners. The Porte threatens force unless its demands are complied with. The position is very critical. Mr. Andrew tLaing,-:a younger brother of Dr. Laitfjj, now on his way, home via San Francisco from the colonies, died in London on May 3. Mr. Laing was for many years resident on the Hunter Eiver in New South ■Walesa >For some years he has been resident at Teignmouth, but just prior to his death he arrived in London for the purpose of seeking medical advice. He, however, succumbed to his ailments, and died as we have said. He was interred at Ken sal Green, the officiating clergyman being Dr. Chalmers. The deceased was seventy years of age, and leaves a widow, but no family.

At the meeting of the Zoological Society on May 5, Dr. E. Hamilton in the chair, among other interesting papers^ a 'communication was read from Dr. Julius sHaast, director of the Canterbury Museum, containing a description of a new-species of Euphysetes (Iti .Poltsi), a remarkably ' small Catodont' whale, which had occurred on the coast of New Zealand. Photographs of the skeleton were, exhibited at the meeting.