General News.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3600, 10 July 1880, Page 3

General News.

The British army is to be posted as follows this year:—Standing army at home will consist of 101,541 men, of which 83,000 are posted at regiments and 13,000 at depots. India is to be garrisoned by 62,000 British troops. The colonies will have 27,000 in lieu of 30,000; Cape Colony will have a complement of 5,866 ; Gibraltar and Malta will be apportioned about 5,000; Cyprus, in addition to militia (active) 560; North America and West Indies will be furnished with 6.000; St. Helena will be garrisoned by 228, and Mauritius, 428 Britishers. The total of all army serving at home, India, and the colonies, will be 191,649. Coloured men edit six newspapers in North Carolina, three in Louisiana, two in Tennessee, and the same number in Texas; and in Virginia, Alabama and one each. This shows progress since the abolition of slavery. The Supreme Court of New South Wales has decided that stewards of a race club cannot constitute themselves judges of the fairness of a race unless they are appealed to. A wonderful and remarkable statement is made of an English ship having discovered an island so rich in gold and other { precious metalo that the persons who first | visited it chipped blocks of almost pure gold from the bare rocks. This island is said to lie in lat. Ideg. N. and long. 137deg, W., and is consequently about I 55deg. from tie coast of New Granada, j South America. According to the accounts published, the British man-of-war Mermaid which left England in J January last, under sealed orders has taken possession of the island, and a number of gentlemen adventurers have arrived there to try their fortunes. The smjall bays round the island are strongly impregnated with acid, and on the first Tisit of the British, it being found necessary to lighten the vessel in order to recross the bar, several tons of carbonate of soda were thrown overboard. The result was \ morvellous. The water began boiling j over, and appeared like a great sea of soda water. Further particulars of the character of this wonderfnl island will be looked for with interest. :