MAIL ITEMS.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3972, 21 September 1881, Page 2

MAIL ITEMS.

| The extraordinary change, which, has | come over the relative size of the British and. American fleets of late yearsis«au«ing. a rast amount of anxiety to the inhabitants of the United States. On a single day as; many as fire steamers, each jaden with American passengers aad ■; produoe, have left New York, but noF&m of them fifing the American flag. A recent report of the Consul-General of England in New York speaks of that city as practically one ! of England's " largest home ports." No fewer than 2971 British vessels arrived : there last year, representating a power'o? very nearly 4,000,000 tons, rather 4>wt" 400,000 tons more than the total tonnage *- of British vessels entered a$ Liverpool in 1879. Before the year 1860 between 70 and 80 per cent of her commerce was carried in her own vessels, whilst* good deal of the remainder fell to the share of various continental Powers, The war, caused an almost complete revolution, and the case' is just reversed. The ocean ". 8 team trade has passed, with trifling exceptions, entirely into our hands. It, is not very difficult to understand how ithas , come to pass that, a vessel < can be. built cheaper in England or Scotland than in America. Timber is, of course, abundant , enough in that country, but the manufactured iron and copper'can be produced^at a cheaper rate here than across the :water; ' where labor is scarce, and therefoile; of > course, dear., •> ' - "

Practical joking is bad enough any* where; but. when'it takes such a form as it took the. other, day on the deck of the Orient line steamer Potosi, off Plymouth, on its outward passage, it is impossible to condemn it too severely. Somebody among the passengers raised the cry, " A man overboard," and. boats were lowered to rescue the supposed drowning person. An accident occurred, by which five menV^ were thrown into the water, and two of them ware drowned. The feelings of the unknown joker for the rest of the rbyage are not to be enried. ' ' •■-

Now that the Channel Tunnel is really ia progress, engineers are looking about for other strait* and water-ways to burrow 1 under. They talk of a.tunnel under the Solent, which would do away with a sea passage to the Isle of Wight. But the public who supply the money, for such undertakings may possibly prefer to see the Channel Tunnel open before emulating the enterprise of the South Eastern ■- Railway Company.

The Master of the Bolls had before •• him the other day a motion to restrain the defendant in the case of Walter r.

Head from printing and publishing facsimiles of the Times. The defendant

had published facsimiles of sereral old : numbers of the Times, with the exception ; of the last page, on which were printed advertisements, for which the defendant charged a considerable sum. One of the prints complained of was a facsimile of the number of the Times containing an . Account of the coronation of the Queen in 1838. The defendant's argument was that the account was not registered, aud

therefore that there was no copyright attaching to it. His Lordship. Mid this was about as impudent a bate. as ever came before him. An. injunction would be granted against the defendant.

A design on wood —Prowling around your neighbour's kindling pile after sight*