MAIL ITEMS.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3783, 11 February 1881, Page 2

MAIL ITEMS.

Mr.' John Bright, in a letter he has written to Mr F. Gr. Heath, to thank him for a copy of His " Peasant Life in the West of England," say that " the subject is one of great and growing interest," and that " the question of the land in England as well as in Ireland cannot sleep." It is said that Lord Beaconsfield is so well pleased with the success of his new book, " Endymion, 1' that he is about to set to work to write another, which will be of a more political character than the last.

The ex-Empress Eugenic has caused a very stringent clause to be inserted in the deed of sale of her villa 1 at Biarritg, which will compel the new owners to haye

masses held in the chapel on the anniver saries of the deaths;,; of her husband and son. The Government has under consideration the propriety of adopting the system of grand committees as a means of relieving the pressure of business in the House of Commons. In some degree this would be the re-adoption of one of the old customs of Parliament. The authorities sent a detective to Bradlaugh to inform him that they were in possession of sworn information that there was a plot to assassinate him. The person who gave the information stated he overheard a party of foreigners arranging to kill Bradlaugh on his way home from the House of Commons. It is reported that the Tory tendency of the Queen's Speech from the Throne is entirely due to the personal persistency of Her Majesty, who is said to have refused her consent to the draft of an Address as it was drawn up for her by Gladstone. The London Times says it is informed that the Pope has written a letter to the Archbishop of Dublin, strongly condemning the method in which (he agitation in Ireland, is conducted, and that very emphatic instructions have been issued to Catholic prelates, enjoining them to make a stand against the anarchial and commuaist doctrines which have been preached and put into practice. t ~. Tj4e Committee of the House of CommonSln post offices is preparing a bill to appropriate £1,500,000 for carrying foreign mails on ocean routes, for the coming year. The Astronomer Eoyal telegraphs as follows from the Observatory, Greenwich : —"Comet discovered by Pechale, at Copenbagan December 16, at six in the evening; E. A. 18 hours 49min. ; declination 10.30 north; motion, plus five and forty north ; tolerably bright." The notica given to the colliers and labourers at Denaby Main Pits expired on Saturday, and the men brought out their tools. They number over 1,000. j The lock-out is caused by the Manchester j Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Eailway Com-1 pany refusing to carry coal unless prepaid. The thanks of Her Majesty's Government have been conveyed to Admiral Sir Frederick B. Seymour for the manner in which he performed the duty devolving j upon him as senior officer in command of the Demonsratitve European squadron. The Elginshire police have taken into custody Donald Mackintosh, a labourer who resides near Forres, on suspicion of being connected with the recent attempts to wreck trains on the Highland Railway. The Duke of Newcastle has again returned to his tenants 20 per cent, of their rents, in consideration of the severe depression in agriculture. The Porte has resolved to send the Prince of the Miridites, Hoda Pasha, and other chiefs of the Albanian League, for trial before a council of war. The Ritualist controversy will probably come before Parliament next session in more than one form. It is said that Mr J. B. Talbot will bring in a bill for the repeal of the Public Worship Act, and a rumour has it that the Church Association have asked an. Hon. and learned member to lay a bill before the House of Commons enacting that when a beneficed clergy declines for six months to obey the orders of a court of competent jurisdiction, he shall forthwith be deprived. December 21 was the seventy-fifth anniversary of the birth of the Eight Hon. the Earl of Beaconsfield. At the State trials lately, McDonough said that he submitted the case with confidence to the jury. The Land League was a perfectly legal organisation, to cause by agitation, certain alterations in the land tews, with the necessity of which not only Ireland, but all England was ringing. He set before the jury the example of the jury who acquitted the Seven Bishops, and drew a moving picture ofthe evictions which followed the Irish famine. He reasserted the principles of the Land League, which was a legal institution, and but for the support of England, the landlords would be driven into the sea. When McDonough concluded his speech in favour of the traversers, he was loudly cheered. Samuel Walker followed on the same side with a. powerful speech. He quoted the charter of the Land League, and contended that it was legal. \" Atlas " in the World says :—•" The officer who is going to be tried by courtmartial for his rude behaviour to the Governor of Bombay is the eldest son of Lord Vernon, and gave his father considerable trouble a few years ago, when, owing to bis foolish and extravagant habits, he had to leave the Guards. He does not seem to have improved in India. Driving in a dog-cart he tried to pass the Governor's carriage, which contained Sir James Ferguson and his wife and daughters. Sir James beckoned to him not to pass, pointing to his restive horses, which were new ones, and not easy to handle | but the officer was not going to stop for the Governor or for any one else, and tried to force his way past the troopers, one of whom was sent to tell him not to pass the carriage. Yernon struck the native trooper in the face and forced his way past. These facts speak for themselves, and no comments are needed."