OUR HOME LETTER.

Tuapeka Times, Volume I, Issue 21, 4 July 1868, Page 2

OUR HOME LETTER.

(From our Own Correspondent). LONDON, 30th Apiil, 1868.

The great news of the month is the i complete success of the Abyssinian expe- | dition. We have received only telegrams so far ; but they gave very definite in- j telligence. On Good Friday, the 10th inst., an engagement took place before ; Magdala, in which King Theodore's army was defeated with great loss ; the casualties on our side being one officer and fifteen men wounded, no one being killed. On the two following days Theodore sent into the English camp all the Europeans that he had in his power, both captives and artificers, numbering sixty men, women, and children. Sir R. Napier then requested that the King should surrender himself, and gave him twenty-four hours to decide. He refused to do this ; and though his army was much demoralised, and many thousands of the men had laid doim their arms, he retired to Magdala with all who remained faithful. This fortress, the ascent to which is described as being most formidable, was taken -by assault on the 13th. Theodore was killed, defending to the last. Our loss was small ; but the number is not stated. The army is now on its way back to the coast. This last fact seems to have taken all the Continental States by surprise, as some of them gave us credit for being influenced solely by a wish to release the captives ; and there is no doubt that this magnificent feat of arms will regain for us that prestige in the eyes of the world which we have been losing in some degree during the last few years. The expedition is, in fact, worthy of a place beside any military achievement of ours. It has been conducted throughout with consummate skill — no lives heedlessly sacrificed, no false steps made ; and when the time came for the final struggle, the whole of the impediments of the force was cleared off, and the troops dashed at the walls. Hitherto, officers of both the Royal Engineers and the Artillery have been debarred from holding high command in our army ; but after this proof of what can be done by an Engineer officer, it is to be hoped that the slight will not continue. Sir Robert Napier has certainly deserved all honors that his country can bestow upon him for this crowning achievement of a successful military career. At the same time, to the majority of Londoners, the n,ews of the dastardly attempt to assassinate the Duke of Edinburgh became known ; and I need not say what an amount, of grief and indignation it excited. Really, the news reached here on Saturday last, but was not generally known until Monday morning. Yesterday we received still worse nwft, -that *• MKMMutfot %«& b*m.

planned in this country, jist as we were congratulating ourselves \bon having, in a great mersnre, destroyed Fenianism. Addresses have been oesented to the Queen by both Housed of Parliament, expressing their conddence with her Majesty ; and most i the corporate bodies, <fee, have followed this example." This sad event natu^illy brings our attention to Fenianism. I Two trials at the 1 , present session of th«* Central Criminal Court have attracted Considerable attention. The first on^ was that of the persona concerned n the ClerkenweU, outrage. Of these, siven were committed for trial ; but the gand jury threw out the Bill against Janes O'Neill. The remaining six prisonars were brought up for trial on Monda^ the 20th inst. ; and the trial continued ihtilmonday, the 27th. The result was, iat only one of the prisoners, Michael Barratt, was found guilty, and he wai sentenced to death. Certainly great llame attaches to the police in this master, for their conduct, both before and after the explosion. Theman Barratt wm /distinctly proved to be the actual persoa who fired the barrel of powder, although he endeavored to prove that he was ii Glasgow at the time. On the 28th instf, the trial of Burke, Cassey, and Shaw, f/r treason-felony commenced, and was coicluded this day. Burke has been sentenced to fifteen years' penal servitude, Shaw to seven years ; and Cassey wasdischarged. Burke seems to have beenone of the most noted amongst the conspifators ; but it is certain that he was not tie sole moving spirit, and that character/ quite as reckless as himself are still at Urge, From Ireland there are reports a some slight disturbances having taken pace principally in Cork and its vicinity? On the 21st inst. London was filled T»th rumors of an attempt having been nade to blow up Buckingham Palaca The real facts were that a constablein plain clothes saw two men in St. Janes's Park carrying a hamper, and as th«y appeared to be suspicious characters,/he watched and finally questioned then! but failing to obtain any satisfactory reply, they were taken to the polile-station, where they still refused to givf an account of themselves. The hampeij on being opened, was found to contau. several cases of what is known as " Greek fire." The men were examined a^Bow-street on the 22nd, and again on tj;e 27th, and are now under remand. j You will doubtless have heard ere this <f the assassina ion of D'Arcy M'Gee at Ottawa, in Canada. Here this is supposed to be another Fenian manifestation, as he was well known to be strongly opposed to the organisation. jtt is pleasant to turn from these villainous doings to the enthusiastic reception the Prince and Princess of Wales met with 'during their visit to Ireland Not a whisper of disaffection or disloyalty was heard during their stay, although crowds lined every road through which they passed. Although it was very pleasant to the people, it must have been exceedingly hard work to the Royal party, the number of places visited, and the balls, banquets, and entertainments crowded into their brief stay being more, I should imagine, than any ordinary mortal could endure. They reached Dublin on the 15th, and left on the 24th, the most noteworthy event during their stay being the installation of the Prince of Wales as a Knight of St. Patrick. On their way back, the Royal party stopped for a short time at Carnarvon, where the Prince of Wales opened the new waterworks ; and a grand banquet was given, the proceedings being rendered of greater interest from the fact that it was the anniversary of the birth of the first Prince of Wales at Carnarvon Castle. It was fortunate that the news of the attack upon the Duke of Edinburgh did not reach this country until after the departure of the Prince of Wales from Ireland, so that no cloud should rest upon the memory of the visit.

In Parliament, the discussion of Mr. Gladstone's resolutions has completely obscured all other matters. Lord Stanley's amendment was rejected by 331 to 270 ; and the motion to go into committee on. the resolutions was carried by nearly the same majority. The House then adjourned till the 20th inst. for the Easter « solidays ; and the debate was not renewed till the 27th. when it continued until this night, terminating finally in the first resolution being carried by a majority of 65. This resolution is, " That, in the opinion of this House, it is necessary that the Established Church of Ireland should cease to exist as an establishment, due regard being had to all personal interests, and to all individual rights of property." On the announcement of the result of the division, Air. Disraeli stated that the vote had altered the relations between her Majesty's Government and the present House of Commons ; and as it would therefore be necessary for them to consider their situation, he should move that the House adjourn till Monday next, until which time of course the intentions of the Ministry will not be known ; but there is much talk of a dissolution, although it is to be hoped that this will not take place. The conflict that has taken place may certainly claim to have been one of the sharpest for some time past. Mr. Gladstone has been assailed most violently, and has at last had to deny, through the press, the assertions that have beed made— lst, that he had made arrangements with the Pope to destroy the Church Establishment in Ireland. 2nd, that during and since the Government of Sir Robert Peel he had resisted, and until now prevented, the preferment of Dr. Wynter. 3rd, that he had publicly condemned all support of the clergy in the three Kingdoms from Church or public funds. 4th, that when at Balmoral he refused to attend her Majesty to Crathie Church. sth, that he had received the thanks of the Pope for his proceedings respecting the Irish Church. 6th, that he is a member of a High Church Ritualistic congregation. These may be taken as a sample of the tactics of the Opposition party, and cleary shows that there cannot be any really good defence to make when such measures are used.

Of the other work of Parliament little can be aaid. The Budget was brought in, and shows a deficiency of £2,078,000, including the estimated expenditure for the Abyssinian Expedition. This is to be provided for by an addition of twopence in the pound to the income-tax — not a very cheering prospect. In the Kom tf £w4b, Mr. GMitWi Wl ft*

the abolition of compulsory church rate* I has been read a second time, and referred I to a select committee. Lord Derby haj I again made his appearance in the Honae I and seems to forget that fc^is not no\» I the Prime Minister. He^Btainly p^ I sued an unconstitutional course the other I evening, in commenting upon what wag I passing in the House of Commons witjj I regard to the Irish Church resolutions, I which Mr. Gladstone remarked upon ia I very strong terms during his last speech. I The Peers seem inclined to reform then^ I selves, the ' system of voting by proxy I having been abolished, except in soma I few instances. Certainly some reform L» I necessary, for when an able man gets by I chance into the House of Lords he haa ■ really no sphere in which to exert himself. I A case in point has occurred during tha I present month. The Marquis of Salia- I bury died on the 12th inst, and his son, I Lord Cranborne, succeeds to the title* I | and a seat in the House of Lords, which I to such a man must be almost extinction. ■ In the House of Commons he was one of I the most characteristic members, and an I excellent Secretary of State for India I during his tenure of office. Mr. Disraeli I seemed actually afraid of him, and bef ora I this transfer took place it was rumored I that the post of Governor of Canada I would-be offered to him really to get him I out of the way. I A great Ritualistic case was decided by I Sir Robert Phillimore on the 27th March. I It waa brought against Mr. Mackonochie, I the incumbent of St. Albans, Holborn. I The elevation of the consecrated elements, I the public mixing of water with the wins I at the communion service, and the uae of 1 incense are forbidden; the lighting of I candles on the altar is allowed, and each. I side to pay its own costs. This decision I has been appealed against by the promoter, on the question of lighted candle* in the communion service, and also on the question of costs, which will cause tha whole case to be re-opened before the | Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, \ and it probably will not be settled for tha •next twelve months.

I forgot to mention in my last letter the death of the Earl of Cardigan, tha hero of the celebrated Balaclava charge. He died, on the 28th March, in consequence of a fall from his horse. His life has been a most stormy one, and during a. great portion of it he was constantly before? the public, engaged in some quarrel with the officers of his regiment, or similar affairs, owing to his very violent temper. He was in his 72nd year. A great colliery strike has taken place at Wigam, in South Lancashire, and thor attitude of the colliers has caused much, alarm in the district. A great deal of rioting has taken place, and troops harv<± been obliged to be called out. The strike is not yet at an end ; but there seems to be a prospect of its early termination. Letters have at last been received from. Dr. Livingstone by Dr. Kirk, at Zanzibar, so that all doubts and fears as to hi* safety have been set at rest. Since these letters were received, there is reliableinformation of his having arrived at Ujiji, where provisions, stores, andle*e% I from England and Zanzibar were waitings for him. On the 6th inst. a memorial, signed by 224 bankers, merchants', and others interested in Australian affairs, ig} precented to the Duke of Montrose by an. influential deputation, urging the expediency of a fortnightly mail service toAustralia. The deputation wa3 informed that the Home Government had referred the question to the colonies, and are ready to consider the propriety of- even ' despatching a first-class officer in order to bring about an agreement as to the maintenance and working of the mail. It was represented to the Duke that the service ought to be placed on an equal footingwith that of India, China, and Japan, and that in the event of the desired arrangement being carried out, it would ba highly injudicious to make any increase in the cost of postage. Weatherill, the Todmorden murderer, was executed on the 4th inst. Mrs. Plow is now almost recovered. The two great events of this time of the year, the Oxford and Cambridge-Boat-race, and the Easter Monday Volunteer Field-day, have taken place. Tha race was rowed on the 4th inst., and Oxford was again victorious, winning by four clear lengths. The Review, or Fieldday, on Easter Monday, was held thisyear at Portsmouth, and was the most signal success which the discipline and organisation of the Volunteers have yet effected. The number present was 34,000,. and they were conducted to and from Portsmouth, and all the necessary work gone through without the slightest hitch, of any kind, although it was expected that there would be considerable difficulty, so much so that a week or two before the time instructions were given that thaproceedings would consist, of a march past merely. This, however, was overruled, and all the usual evolutions wera gane through, a squadron of gun-boats,, steam-lauuches, and pinnaces co-operat-ing. Fresh proceedings have been instituted against Mr. Eyre, the late Governor of Jamaica. The charge of murder has apparently been abandoned, and he is now alleged to have committed' crimes and. misdemeanors under two statutes known as the tJolonial Governors^ Acts, lJy theissne of an illegal proclamation of martial law, and the commission of various illegal acts under it. The Magistrates at Bowstreet declined to exercise jurisdiction,, under a technical objection, as to hi* power of sa doing, and adjourned thecase until the 4th of May, to give- timefor an application to the Lord Chief Justice. A case is also pending against hint in the Court of Queen's Bench, at the instance of Alexander Philips, a native of Jamaica, for assault, false imprisonment, beating and torturing, in October and November, 1865. The plaintiff lays hi* damages at £10,000; A curioua.Chancery case is beingheard before Vice-Chancellor Giflard, which hasalready occupied several days. The plaintiff, Mrs. Lyon, is an aged widow ladjr, who seeks to recover money and securities to the value of £60,000, which, she alleges, were improperly obtained from her by the defendant, Mr. Daniel Douglasß Home, the well known spiritualist Mrs. Lyon made the acquaintance of Iflk Home in her spiritual communication with her departed husband; and after adopting him as her son, executed a will in his favor, tn addition to transferring to hhn si oaea a su» of 04,000, ant

another, some time after, of £30,000. Mrs Lyen-is f now convinced that she.was laboring under a delusion in this matter ; but Mr. Home, in his defence, alleges that M&e instituted the suit because he refused marry her. The evidence on both sides is very singular and amusing. Of Continental news there is scarcely

anything worth narrating. Warlike rumors have of course been prevalent, and must always be while the present enormous armaments are kept up. All want to disarm, but no one dares to be the first to do it. In Austria, Parliament is proceeding vigorously with the work of Re- • form ; and in Italy, the Government is doing its beat to overcome the financial difficulties., Prince Humbert, the heir to the Italian throne, was married to the Princess Margherita of Savoy, his cousin, •t Turin, on the 22nd instant. This marriage has led to an amicable correspondence between the Pope and the King of Italy, out of which, perhaps, some good may arise. The last French division in the Papal States is expected to leave very •oon. One of the notable men of the time, Marshal Narvaez, the Prim© Minister of Spain, died on the 23rd instant, in hit 68th year.