ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH DECEMBER MAIL AT LYTTELTON.

West Coast Times, Issue 136, 23 February 1866, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH DECEMBER MAIL AT LYTTELTON.

NEWS BY

ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH 10 JANUARY 6. ..

[The following were published yesterday in a West Coast Times Extraordinary.]— West Coast Times Office, Thursday, 1.30 p.m. Telegraphio communication with Christchurch which waa suspended yesterday aftrnoon, was this morning restored, and wo hasten to publish the first Telegraphio Summary of English and Foreign News ever received on tho West Coast of New Zealand.

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH- ' .

(From our own Correspondent.) Christchurch, Thursday, 11 a.m. 1 The steamship Otago arrivod at Port Chalmers on Tuesday morning at half-past nine o'clock, with tho European .December mails, She reaohed the Bluff at half-past 7, p.m., on Sunday after the office of the Telegraphio department had been closed. The mail was transhipped to tho Lord Ashloy, which arrived" at Lyttefton yesterday, at half-past 12. • The following summary is from tho Otago Daily Times. LATEST SPECIAL TELEGRAMS. London, January ,6th. A military revolt in Spain is spreading. Don Carlo, Ceneral Priram, and La rape are heading the insurgents. Martial law has been proclaimed in Madrid."* A Treaty of Commerce between England and Austria has been agreed to. abolishing all differential duties It will shortly be ratified. The Mexican advices report that a revolution has broken out against Maximilian. All the French troops return from Mexico in threo months. The Fenian Senate haa deposed President O'Muhoney for misappropriating funds, and elected W.R. Roberts. A Bill hay been introduced into Congress to pay Mrs Lincoln, the widow of the late President, one hundred thousand dollars. Money in New York easier. Gold, 147. COMMERCIAL. Tho state of the markets is inanimate ; sales of cotton, 8,000 bales ; atook, 442,630 bales ; Bengal cotion, la 3d ; fair dhollera, 17fd ; consols, 87£. Bank discount, 7 per cent, Australian copper, LIOB. The wool sales closed on the 6th December — they were well attended^ The biddings wero brisk at full rates. No telegram later than the above bad reaohed Galle previous to the Ellora's leaving. GENERAL SUMMARY. London, Deor. 26th. The Australian Ootobor Mails arrived in London on tho 16th and 22nd of Deo. Parliament meets on the sth February. The Queen vt to preside with unusual ceremony. The robes of state, instead of being worn, are to be laid, on the Throne, and the speeoh will bo read by the Lord Chancellor. Tho betrothal of the Princess Helena to the brother of the Duke of Augustenburg baa-been sanctioned by Her Majesty. A Court reception has been held by tho Prince and Princess of Wales. . - The King of the Belgians died on the 10th December. His son, Leopold 11., now reigns. A reform bill is to be introduced, lowering the Franchise. Manhood suffrage is strongly advocated. Great changes in the Ministry and general policy are anticipated, causing muoh speculation and alarm. The leading journals continue to deprecate the aotion of Sir Charles Darling and his advisers as most unconstitutional ■ / ' Sir John Romilly, master of the rolls, and Sir Francis Baring have been raised to the peerage. Advices from Jamaica confirm the accounts of tho gravity of the late crisis.' Both houses of Parliament, there, have, formerly thanked Governor Eyre for saving the colony, whilst the Baptists and extreme radicals in England deBoribe the ~poor Blacks as helplesß raartryg, although they intended murdering all the white population, outnumbering the latter by eight to one. Severe storms have prevailed on the English and Irish coasts. The lifeboats saved 420 lives. ■ * Formad, alias Southey, has been sentenced to dea'h for the murder of his wife and children. Captain Corbet, who sold the Shenandoah to Captain Waddell, has been tried ond acquitted. MrsLongworth Yelverton's action against the Saturday Review for L 4,000 damages, haa been lost, A fight for the ohampionship between Mace and Goss has been settled to come of. The trial of the Fenian prisoners at Dublin md Cork caused great excitement. Rossa has been sentenced to penal servitude, for life. Luby and O'Leary to 10 years, and lo others to f rom C to 10 years' imprisonment. . Stophens, the head centre, escaped to France,; nia v extradition waa demanded by the British Government, bw refused. Tho Channel Fleet has' been ordored to> winter in Ireland. All officers' leave of absence hass been prohibited. The Fenian excitement in America is dying out. President O'Mahoney and the sham senate are at loggerheads; the latter repudiate O'Mahony'a bonds for 68,000 dollars. President Johnson's message is deoidedly paoiflo. Jefferson Davis is improved in health at Fortress Monroe $ nothing further is known about his trial. It is considered that tho American Consul's acceptance of the surrender of tho Shenandoah precludes the Federal Government from complaining against the British Government for discharging the orew. There are no prospects of friendly relations being disturbed between America, England ond France. The cattle disease has inoreaeed frightfully. The transmission of live stook is to be stopped and fairs suspended. The farmers nave already lost £1,000,000 sterling, and should the disease continue at the preoent rate they will loobo 4,000,000 of money next year. OBITUARY. Sir Charles Eastlake, Captain Fow&e, Hon. Mrs W. Woodhouso, Miss Talbot, Lady A. G. Halliburton, Dr Barth, African explorer j Mr Preaoott, Sir B. M. Bromley, Sir John Eaathopo, and Sir Charles Sullivan. COMMERCIAL. London, Deo. 26. Tb« *t« of discount ii 0 per c*nt. Th*Y« it » fcir supply of money, but do activity.

At tho Stock Exchange short loans aredono at 64 per cont. A tondenoy is towards tho greatest firmness in the funds. Consols, for aooount, 87f to 87|. Tho Liverpool cotton market Bhows steadiness, prices unchanged. Foreign stocks of all descriptions command favorable prices. OOLONIAIi GOVERNMENT BEOCBITIEB, | New South Wales 5 per cents 1866, of January aud July, 100 to 102. Viotorian, i eixes, April and October, 104J to 102. South Australian sixes. 1872 and upwards, 106 to 107. Queensland sires, of January and July, 102 ito 103 i.' New Zealand sixes 103 to 105. The board of trade returns for the last quarter are satisfactory. BANK DIVIDENDS DEOLAEED. London Chartered half-year, 4 per cont, free of income-tax. New Zealand Banking for the half-year at the ratoof 10 per cent per annum. South Außtrnliau, 7 per cent per annum. P. O. Steam 3£ por cent for tho last half-year,' and 3 per cent on underwriting account. Their fleet consists now of 63 vessels, of an aggregate tonnage of 9235 tons, and 18,270 horse power. Tne Australian Mortgage and Finance, Ll2 58 per cent per annum. Tho bank of Now Zealand will pay the January interest on tho N. Z, treasury bills, Auckland Harbor bonds and Canterbury and Otngo loans. VICTORIA. Parliament was called together on tho 12th instant. In the Legislative Assembly Sir Francis Murphy and Mr. P. Snodgrass were proposed as Speaker. On a division tho election of Sir Francis Murphy was earned by a majority of 52 to 17. An extremely personal discussion took place at to tho merits of the two candidates. The Governor vras to attend tho Upper House on tho 13th instant, at 2 o'clock, to read the vice regal speech. SYDNEY. The trial of Bortrand and Mrs Kinder was to take place on Wednesday, tho 14th instant. They wore to ho tried separately. Several bushrangers outrages were reported. Sohwabe, late Clerk at Sligh and Hnvbottlo's, pleaded guilty to several charges of embezzle* raent. ADELAIDE. Several cases of sticking up have occurred in the suburbs. Wheat, 7s 9d ; no buyers. Flour, dull ; ' sales afc LlB for country brands, and Ll9 to Ll9 10s for town. The Secretary of War has written to Briga-dier-General Chute' to fill up the various Australasian stations with their complement of troops, from the forces which are about to bo drawn from New Zealand. Another coppor mine has been discovered on York's Peninsula. It is apparently equal to the great Moonta mine. LAUNOESTON OHAMPIONRAOBS. Strop 1 Ben Bolt ' 2 Rose of Denmark 3 Volunteer ... .. 4 The Press very kindly cautions intending purchasers of town lands in Hokitika, in the course of a complimentary notice of Mr liochfort's map. It says-,- "The sections to be offered at the first land sale are marked on the plan, but we may drop a hint to intending purchasers that it they tako a fancy to a section near the river they should take care before investing their money to ascertain whether the section-still remains, as geologists say, in situ. Otherwise, as tbe river is in many places fast washing away its hanks, they may find on going to take possession that their property has been carried down the stream to become part of the Hokitika bar."