NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3761, 17 January 1881, Page 2

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

A now kind of nocturnal attack, due to the inventive genius of those night birds of prey who roam about the streets of Paris in search of congenial occupation, has just been tried with perfect success upon a citizen returning home in the small hours in the morning. He stopped in a street to light a cigar, and whilst thus engaged a passer-by, running at full speed, came into coilisrion with him, knocked him down, and without waiting to ascertain what amount of damage had been done proceeded on his way. But another more charitably disposed person came up directly afterwards aided the poor persou to rise, inquired with much compassionate interest into his ©OL'ditioh, and, finally seeing that he was severely bruised, offered him his arm to help him home. This friendly escort was gladly accepted, and .when the two reached the door, the good Samaritan most kindly insisted ou aiding his companion to go upstairs. On learning that he lived alone, his v compassionate nature induced him to enter the apartment with the injured gentleman, in order to satisfy himself that his new acquaintance was not so much hurt as to render medical attendance necessary. ... Having seen him comfortably to bed, and listened with modest reluctance to the warm expressions of gratitude his friendly conduct drew from the gentleman, he went away. It was only on rising in the morning that the latter discovered he had been victimised, and that the considerate stranger had paid himself for the trouble of seeing him home by walking off with his watch, chain, and a purse containing nine hundred francs. The moral of this iucident is—-that if a gentleman happens to be upset in the streets after midnight, he had better pick himself up, to avoid having his pocket picked by kindhearted strangers.

Another attempt is to be made to move Temple Bar memorial to the Thames Embankment. It is believed that the Common Council, like the House of Lords, will submit to the force of public opinion when vigorously applied to them. ,

At the Southwark Police C6ats£ Frederick Ellis and Sarah Chick-, ■&&s each been sentenced to six months*: iw* prisonment with hard labor, for having cruelly treated a child of the latter, four years old, by tyinej its legs and arms and leaving it several hours on the bare floor without food.

The Globe is informed by its Dublin correspondent that the Postal Telegraph officers employed there have forwarded a memorial to Postmaster-General informing him that unless some amelioration was immediately made in their condition they would give up their positions. It is " expected that they will be superseded by a body of manipulators from London. The fact of the German railways having raised their tariffs at the same time as the duty on import was raised has caused the transport of many goods which used to be effected by railway to be carried by water. *"

At a meeting of Bradford merchants, Mr Henry Mitchell reported that the Committee appointed to consider the question of post-dating of invoices felt liiemselveji unable tosubroifc any definite proposal on the subject, but they had decided to issue a circular to the commercial houses in the town, urging them to set their faces Against the practice. " The Metropolitan and Metropolitan^ District Railway Companies have, it is said, again approached City .authorities and the Metropolitan Board of Works with a fresh proposal for the completion of the Inner Circle Bail way Scheme, and the construction of the new sAjeet. The sum tendered is upwards of half a million sterling, which is in excess- .of the pre- j_. vious offers.

The electric light is now in use at the Charing Cross Station o£ the District line, and the. are being made to use it permanently, 1 not only at Charing Cross, but at Victoria and Earl's Court. The Electrician understands that the Great Western Railway Company are sorior.sly considering the question of the electric light for Paddington Station, and that the Brush system is likely to be employed.

Visitors to Cairo during the coining winter will miss an interesting feature of the old city. The coiton baaaar is being rapidly pulled down. It will be remembered that this was the public slave' market which figures so piefcivesquely in paintings by Mi&ler, GeroJie, and other artists. Since the abolition of public sales of slaves it has been ostensibly used for cot'iou ; but as the amount of cotton brought to market in Cairo is very small, it was really little frequented except by skelchers.—The East.

A numerous correspondence from Rus. sia confirms what I stated last week about the marriage of the Czar at Lividia on the 20th ultimo. Accounts of the ceremony and of ther rrangements with the Imperial family are impossible to bo had at present, but one thing is certain—the Czar and Czarewitch. have made up their quarrel, and, as, they are the principal persona concerned, it matters not what the Grand Dukes say on the subject. Despite what I have seen alleged in some quarters, there is much affection existing Between father and son; and I have it from a most - reliable source that the Cesarevitch exclaimed, a few days previous to his journey to Livadia, that he would raaka^. any sacrifices rather, than drive the^f Emperor into a corner and urge him, in desperation, to some rash act. Besides, * the Czarewitch is not without his share of the national astuteness. He knows that Russia is in a frightful condition just now, and h.e would rathe? see things clear up a bit if possible before making himself the responsible head of the Empire: In his kindly feeling towards the Emperor he is strongly swayed by the dictator, Loris Melikoif, who has all along urged that the family linen should be washed at Liradia in the strictest privacy.

A matter affecting very largely the interests of English shippers is, I hear, being discussed at the Bussian Ministry * of-Finance. A project drawn up by the Society for Promoiing Russian Trade--the Society that gave birth io the famous Moscow Cruiser Committee — suggests that a heavy tax should be levied on all ' foreign bottoms entering Bussian waters. At present 13,000 foreign vessels enter Russian ports yearly, of which a "large proportion are English. A tax on these would revive tlie dormant Russian mercantile marine and bring in a.revenue of 10,030,000 roubles a year. The project , has already received the preliminary approval of M. Abaza, the new Bussian. . ■ Minister of Finance, and may become law before the opening of the next navi« gation season.