SUEZ MAIL NEWS.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3063, 9 December 1878, Page 2

SUEZ MAIL NEWS.

(Pbb s.s. Hibo.) < ■'. '■ ■. (Fib Pbbss Agency.) " •_'. •■; Auckland, Sunday.. ' , The b.b. Hero arrived to-day from Sidney with forty passengers and the -Satz mail. ' ( '•,,,•'"'

Geaeral Summary. .

; Lohdok, October 25. The British scheme of reforms in; Asia Minor has been signed and delivered to Consul Layard. Only a slight modification, was. made by the Porte. .Great satisfaction is felt. . .: ••..>. ,v ,;■>.'> ' The report of the French Narai demonstration in the Mediterranean in emphatically denied. The report receives support from the resolution of France to unite with England in preventing Bussian /ascendancy in the East. ' '',"""/ ' M.Gambetta's speech created an excellent impression, by its moderate, and statesmanlike tone/ Ho* expects j the senatorial elections to result in aY republican majority of 21. ' . , h On Tuesday 39 persons were arrested at an attempted socialist congress a,pd put on trial for holding a public.meeting without permission, and sentenced to rarious terms of imprisonment.The redaction of the army in Bosnia is about 80,000 men, with a corresponding reduction of expenditure. This has calmed the excitement ot the. Hungarians. ■ > • ■"'"..''•

Count Andrassy is reported to feel tare of a majority, before whom* he will argue that the occapation of Bosnia was necessary as a bulwark against Panslavism. A great bank robbery, of two and ahalf millions francs, from the -National Bank at Ancona, is reported. Three | bank employees were arrested. 1 Escaped brigands are alarmingly active. They recently captured a rich land owner (Lorans), and demand twenty.five thousand francs ransom. They oaptnred Bignor Saroooi, connected with the Ministry of Justice, and dragged him about the country for fire days, owing. to * ransom not being paid. He was rescued by a party of carbineers. .-;,>•<,} < The Pope is highly indignant with the Italian Government for baring imposed quarantine regulations on some Spanish pilgrims bound for Borne. The Bpanish Government demanded an explanation concerning the matter: ,;.,-> The ex-President of the Spanish Council, arrested on a charge of complicity in the recent Bepublican conspiracy, is unredressed.

! The murder of a Spanish official at 1 Morocco greatly incensed public opinion. Spain urges an armed intervention, and naval preparation has been ordered. ■ The Russian Government are trying 340 Nihilists. Some have been i&« prisoned at Odessa since 1876.. . „ A. A semi-official contradiction is given to the reported agitation throughout' Bussia to compel the Czar to resign. ■ -,-.,..,, Private letters report the presence of numerous Russian cruisers in Chinese and Japanese wafers. . .-\\>. Knglish papers call Lord Harris's cricketing team a weak one, and not fairly representative. . i , .•■...-; The Montreal Orangemen, tried for belonging to an illegal socwtjs^were acquitted, 4 and have brought an action against the Mayor of Montreal for false arrest., ; , The New Dominion Cabinet is' beaded by McDonald. , ;,,-,. :; The sentences of death passed on the Kaffir chiefs Meongatile and Tinymacomo have been commuted. • - Large finds of gold are-reported in Transvaal. ■ ■ ■ <=- ':'>;

I Colonel Soratchley has been' gazetted 1 with the local rank of Colonel in/Australia. , ,' ! "" The Duke of Connaught will'be married about the second week in February* at Windsor. „ . The Duke of Edinburgh has embark«d on board the Black Prince for Canada,.to join the welcome of the Marquis of Lome on arrival. ....,- The betrothal of the Duke of CnmbWland to the Princess Thyra is annooacwl; A peerage has been offered to Loni Otto Russell in recognition 1 of his 'services at the Berlin.Congress, but declined.' "- ■'■' >l , Erasmus Wilson and John Dixon havebeen knighted for services in connection with the Cleopatra needle. -"'.,. •'•':' Instead of returning to London'last week, Count Bchouvaloff has been summoned by the C*ar to Lividia, where it is believed he will replace Prinoe Gbrtav cnakott. '■ ' ■ - '

There is no abatement of the infom* excited by the new invention for utifiSir 8,000 •tuted WDdIM, aSSIISd

area occupied by 30,000 persons witnessing a football match. ■ Reports from all parts of Ireland concur that the Sunday Closing Act, which came into operation on the 13th. was received in a favorable spirit, and no opposition. The breach among Home Rulers is widening. Ireland is tiring of agitation leaders, and, admitting the want of popular sympathy, has convened a meeting in Dublin to adopt a course for redress. , Proceedings hare been taken by the Board of Trade against the first mate of the steamer Princess Alice and three officers of the By well Castle. Reductions of wages are reported in ▼arious industrial centres, resisted in some instances by strikes. , A reduction of 7| per cent, on the Clyde came into force on the 2lst, and affects 40,000 men. Wmr Stafford, clerk of the Liverpool branch of the Bmk of England, ab aconded with £15,000, and was 'captured at Jersey while landing from a yacht privately hired. At a sham fight at Portsmouth, in the presence of the Duke of Cambridge, 6000 ?were engaged, including volunteen.'!

The destruction of the Liverpool landing stage in 1874 by an explosion of gas cost the gas company £87,700. A memorial, signed by sixty-five Armenians resident in England, principally engaged in mercantile pursuits, was presented to Lord Salisbury, expressing satisfaction in the prospect of an English protectorate in Asia Minor. The Alma Mill, at Oldham, containing 39,000 spindles, was destroyed by fire; damages, £30,000. The joinery works of the Gloucester Waeon Company were also destroyed; the loss exceeds £20,000. Some large warehouses in Haydon Square, Minories, partly occupied by Brown, Gayle, Gooch, and Cousens, wool s warehousemen, were burnt. No Australian wool injured. In deferenoe to public demand, the Metropolitan Board of Works are taking steps to remedy the foul condition of the Thames water near the sewage outfall. It is alleged the water has been poisoned by many bodies of the Princess Alice passengers. The Afghan war excites a controversial discussion. !

The troops for Khyber Pass will congist of 35.000 men. Ehan Kyber will allow the passage. • Reinforcements have been sent to Quetta. The principal Sikh chiefs and several princes have offered contingents, and the Viceroy accepts. The "Russian Envoy, General Skobeloff, returned from Turkestan in the middle of September, accompanied by the Afghan Embassy, and proceeded to Lividia, where the Czar is staying. Several members of the [Russian mislion remain at Cabal. ■ The Ameer's reply to Ihe Viceroy's letter is discourteous and unsatisfactory, making no excuse for the indignity offered to England by the repulse of the mission, and generally indicating disposition adTerse to a pacific solution. All acopunts from the occupied districts of Turkey represent the Russians as attempting to evade the stipulations of the Berlin Treaty. There are 80,000 Eusiian soldiers south of the Balkans. Bussia refuses to surrender the financial administration of Rnumelia, so long as her troops occupy the province, and promises to hand over the surplus, after defraying all expenses of the Government, including the pay of the native militia and police under Russianofficers. ..'[..■'

The military organisation in Bulgaria ig proceeding rapidly. Detachments of militia, 40,000 strong,: Have.:,.b'een formecl, General Todleben forming an army of reserve in Bulgaria' with park of artillery. Instead of demolishing the fortresses of Widden and* Rust* chuk, they are being armed with cannon. These and similar menacing movements are intended to bring 'pressure upon the Turkish Government to compel her signature to the Supplementary Treaty. ; : The Sultan authorises Baker Pasha to employ 20,000 men to complete the defence of Tehataldja'.