Mail Items.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3620, 3 August 1880, Page 2

Mail Items.

The opposition to M. de Lesseps's Panama Canal scheme takes»various forms in America, but the only reasonable ones •re those which propose something better. Doubtless the respective. inventors consider their proposals immeasurably superior. Captain Eads has boldly proposed to lift the ressels bodily on to an immense railway truck; bat he has a rival in Pennsylvania, who thinks it would be better to have a tank capable of floating a vessel, and run that over the metals.. This genius finds so little difficulty in transporting a heavy vessel that he gravely proposes to carry enough water to float her as well. If the, Yankees can do nothing better than that, there is hope for M. de Lesseps' scheme yet. The vaulting in a part,of the St. Gothard Tunnel, where the formation is a porous white stone, has given way two or three times, and a granite wall 6ft. thick, which has been built to support the superincumbent mass of white stone, has also begun to give way. Dr Stapf, the geologist of the tunnel, is of opinion that the difficulty can only be overcome by making 8 wide curve so as to get round the white stone instead of going through it. This would involve the entire reconstruction of that part of the tunnel, in which case it would probably not. be. ready for traffic for two years. Amerioan papers give details of the destructive fire which raged for over ten days in the oil district of Bradford, Pennsylvania. It appears they swept over an area of country about thirty miles in length, and an average width of three miles, and when the advices left, on May 19, the fires were atill burning in various places. Sinoe May 6, when the fire began, not a day passed without the loss of oil "rigs," engine-houses, pump* ing machinery, and tanks being reported. Eew City, Eixford, Oil Centre, Otter City, ■ Morrisburg, and Middaughville, all important petroleum centres, have been entirely destroyed, leaving 1500 persons homeless, consuming about 300,000 barrels of oil, 700 oil " rigs," with their engines, boilers, and expensive

machinery, and thousands of acres of valuable timber. All through the district the fire was still feeding on many of the flowing wells, nothing else being left to burn. As the oil came in fitful bursts from the ground the flames leaped up from 50 to 100 feet into the air, presenting a grand appearance, especially at night. When Mr O'Donnell in the House of Commons was about to continue his remarks in reference to the new French Ambassador, Mr Gladstone rose to a point of order, and moved that the hon. member for Dungarran be not beard. Mr Parnell , declared he had no sympathy with the | question, but protested against the inter* I rention ot the-Premier as an evil and ! dangerous'precedent, calculated to interfere with the freedom of speech. He moved the* adjournment of the debate.. This was seconded by Mr T. P. O'Connor;,, who also disowned sympathy with' the' question. Mr A. Mi Sullivan objected to the motion, declaring" that the Primo Minister knew that Mr O'Donnell .was within order, or he would not have made it. Mr.Cowen defended. M. Cballemel- _„ Lacour as a most distinguished man, and described the questions of Mr O'Donnell as libels and an abuse of the privileges of a.member of the House. Mr O'Connor Power recommended that Mr Gladstone should withdraw the motion, and give Mr O'Donnell an opportunity for " reconsidering the position he had taken up," . Sir ». jjTortheote pointed out the necessity of some definite rule being laid down as to what were the privileges of dissatisfied members when moving the adjournment of ..'the' Ho»se. ■ The Speaker again remarked upon the "special impropriety " of bringing the' conduct of an ambassador nndeir the notice of the House in a motion for,the: adjournment of the House. Wiih regard t to the motion of Mr Gladstone, !he; felt! bound to say that no such motion had > been moved for 200 yean. . . '„'." The Committee of th« NationaTCounoil of Switzerland appointed to examine questions of Federal Administratioh hare discussed the effect ;of the expeoted 'expulsion of Jesuits from France, and hare requested the Federal Council to take measures to prevent their .establishing themselves on Swiss territory. •„.},-, A remarkable .statement was made by Lords Cranmore and.Browne in the House of Lords in referring to,th« appointment of the Marquis of.Bippn^, |, Roman Catholic as Governor General: of, India. It was to the: effect that twr single; constituency in' Great Britain^ nadi returned a Soman Catholic as its repre-1 sentatives in the Rouse of Commons at

the last election. . ;'" ";' '»■"■ '?• The Home News says:—A reporti*7 current to the effect that Prince Bisnarok being annoyed at the i resistance >!vith which his new . ecclesiastical ; m«Mtare , continues to meet in the Diet/l^s dtioe more tendered bis resignation^. An«m{rr. r report affirms it to be. his intentiop^ither to dissolve the Diet or else) should that proposal be rejected in highest'4t>|r|er>r to *eg to be relieved, of, his^ojftVie.; Neither of these reports meWs.;With, credence among members of the 5 Diet.' They. are regarded as either attempt* jto frighten the House into submission, pV| else-as mere idle- canard* _ 1 ".7,_