GENERAL SUMMARY.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4538, 21 July 1883, Page 2

GENERAL SUMMARY.

San Fhakch&o, Jane 30. Agricultural prospects are bright. The crops are making rapid progress, and everything looks verj encouraging. Contrivance, with favorable conditions, must materally augment tile *' a|rioultarai wealth of the country. : ' A The Irishmen in the House of Commons had a little scene up among themselves, resulting in Mr Mcpotui seceding from the Parnellite party. Suleiman Sami, who was prdTed respon* eible for the burning of Alexandria, was hanged on June Oth. He diecf a thorough coward, though it came oat in evidence, that he looked on smoking; his pipe while the city was in flames. ; . Great interest was taken in the passing of the Deceased Wife's Sixer's Bill, and it led to a general expectation that the fiual passage would be followed by the announcement of the betrothal of Princess Beatrice to her brother in law, the Prince of Hesse. At the last meeting of tha Colonial Institute the following New Zealand fellows were elected:—James Allen, George McLean, and John Head. The marriage of Miss/Mary Shensa, daughter of t holier., Fuise, Principal of Cuddesdon College, to the Bey. Abraham, only son of Bishop Abraham, la'e of Wellington, was a very brilliant affair. An extraordinary meeting of sharehold* ers in the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company was to have been held on Thursday, June 21st, to consider the; proposal to authorise a second issue of shares to the extent of 20,000 to enable the com* paay to acquire steamers for the New Zealand trade. Probably, in the first instance, they will only build two steamers. The Queen is stated to be in a morbid condition of mind, and a prey, to it^ange fancies and superstitious fears. Strenuous efforts have been made to get her to go abroad. ■; ,;.J „'■ • ' ■ .' ;. '"' "' The Prince of is said to hare won £2<£ooo at Ascot races.; Redmond guarantees £1000 for the Parneilfund. The Pope is deeply disturbed by the state of affairs in Ireland, and France. A large portion of the Aijf La Chapelle was destroyed by lire on June 29. Earl Granrille has refused the request of the Chineae \ mbassador to remonstrate in a friendly manner m h France in regard; to Annam. The Frenph Ambassador, at Shanghai behaved with great rudeness towards Li Hung Chang, A Court of Inquiry into the cause of. the stranding of Her Majesty's ship Lively resulted in the dismissal of the commander and navigating lieutenants. A desperate attempt was made on the 28cii vi a rulway carriage between Calaii

and Paris to murder and rob the Rev. Mr Wbiteburn, an Etfglish clergyman. The man attacked Mr Whiteburn with a chisel, stabbing him fire times. The assailant* an Englishman, wai captured. The calamjty in Sunderland occurred at the close of the performance, at which several thousand children were present and but few adults. At the top of the first flight of stairs from the gallerry was a door which was opened only twenty inches, and thus but one child at a time could get through. At this point, while a Mass of children were pushing forward, one of them fell, and was thus unable to rise owing to the crowding. The result was that a great number were pushed down, trampled on, and suffocated. The scene was terrific. No efforts could stop the mad rush of the affrighted children. They came on pell-mell, struggling without much shouting, and soon over two hundred were knocked down and suffocated to death by others trampling on i them. The greater number of bodies! which were badly mangled from the trampling laid seven or eight deep. Many of the victims killed had the clothing torn from their bodies, and this, with the bleed ing wounds of the unfortunate, showed the terrible nature of the struggle. The excitement in the town was terrible. A crowd of 20,000 people surrounded the hall, and the authorities ordered but the military to preserve order. The bodies were laid in the hall, and the parents of those killed were admitted to identify their children. Heartrending scenes here occurred; mother* of dead children con itantly uttering piercing shrieks, and many fainted on discovering the bodies of their little ones. The ticket taker throws the blame for the calamity upon the men connected with the entertainment, who, it appears, fastened the door half-way open in order that prizes might be given to the children one at a time. One hundred I free graves were provided in one cemetery for the reception of the victims. The - Empress of Germany wrote to the Queen expressing deep sympathy with the sufferers by this terrible disaster. The Waitara, which was in collision with the Hurunui, sank in two minutes. The Hurunui boats rescued sixteen per* sons struggling in the water. Amongst these was a lady (saloon) passenger, tc whom a sailor (who was also saved) had given his lifebelt. AIL the second daw and steerage passengers were lost. Thi captain of the Waitara was dragged or board the Hurunui by aid of ropes. The Hurunui struck the Waitara end-on, jusl in front of the saloon on the starboarc side, The survivors state that no crast was heard, but the side of the Waitan gave way like cardboard. More of thi passengers might have been saved had i barqne and steamer, seen near by, heedec the Waitara's signals of distress. . A report is current in Dublin tha Government will eventually send Carey t< Canada. A cable despatch says he ha: been offered the alternative of a safi conduct to New South Wales, or to rui the risk of remaining in Ireland withou a guard, f>?Ss-*,..'.: "'' :."-■'■" ■: The Irishmen met in Paris on Juni 23rd, and denounced the recent Dublii executions as a:massacre. } A mass meeting hat beeq held ii Chicago to rebuke the Pope for interfering in Irish politics. Large supplies of arms and ammunitior have been ordered by the Chinese fron the American Government. The Duke of Connaught opened the Irish; Hall Exhibition at the Mansion House, on June 25. He expressed thi hope that the exhibition would lead to the extension of the lace industry, and to the prosperity of Ireland. Queen Victoria has invited the paintei Angeli to England to take a life uizec portrait, which she will present to th< Emperor William on the 24th annireriarj of his assumption of the regency o Prussia. >. / \ v,"-.^ In a violent thunder storm tftat bij) peood pn the 25th-June. four soldiers,. i is' reported, were killed, by lightning a Chatham. Intelligence of a frightfnl calamity at t placo of amusement in Dervio, on the shore of Lake Como, reached London oi June 25. While the performance was ii progress at a puppet-show the slructun took fire, and was entirely destroyed Forty-seven lost their lives, and 12 wer« injured. The show was h*ld in a large hall, over a tavern; there wqxe 90 person': in the place. - A Bengal ligbTwas used tc represent a fire, and sparks from thia Set 'fire to a quantity* of straw and fire wood-in an adjacent room. On perceiving the flames the showman-shouted " Fire," but the spectators thought tbe fire was merely a realistic detail of the show and >ge« mained seated. The cry of fire was soon raised outside the hall, and the audience thinking an affray had arisen in the street, barred with a heavy table the door leading froni thelhall. They did not discover their mistake till the flames burst into the room. ! J After the fire was extinguished 47 corpses I were fonud. lucluded among the bodies were those of the ahowmau aud his wife* A large number of the lost are women aud children ; the wounded were hurt by leaping through tbe window. A child flung out of the window by its mother fell on a pile of straw—this is the only one of the spectators present in the hall not hurt;;, John Bright, referring to America, said. " I believe the next election for .President will be fought on Free Trade lines.; ?The great people of "the;-United States will declnre it to be the inalienable right of every A merican citizen to spend his money in the world's cheapest markets."