ENGLISH ITEMS.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 667, 4 June 1870, Page 2

ENGLISH ITEMS.

(From the European Mail, March 25.) Great Britain iB to be divided into nine great military commands, with fourteen districts within those commands, conterminous with them and with the counties, which will make this country one for all military purposes. The Inspectors of Eeserve Forces have become inspectors on the general staff of the army, in order that they may be part of this general united military administration. There will be twice as many recruiting districts as before.

On March 1, the first of a series of sales of Australian meat, which are to take place each month, took place at the Hop and Malt Exchange in Southwark street, under the management of Mr Tallerman, who acted as auctioneer. The qnantity of meat submitted was 100 tons, consisting chiefly of mutton, cured in cases, hind-quarters, hams and rolls, packed in pure fat, which realised 3|d to 6d per lb ; barrels of sheeps' tongues, realized Is to Is Id per dozen, and 300 smoked ox tongues averaged from Is Id to Is 2d each; 60 cases of mutton, in tins of 7 lbs each, fetched 61d per lb. The attendance ef buyers was on the whole pretty numerous, and the auctioneer expressed himself perfectly satisfied with the experiment. The scheme of establishing a mail route between England and Australia, via San Erancisco, seems likely to be realized. It is said that the port of departure in this country will be Milford Haven, not Liverpool, and the place of arrival in America, Portland instead of New York. The prospectus of the "Anglo-Australian Company " is so liberal, and the advantages offered so numerous, that one is tempted to doubt whether such dreams can be realized. The company undertakes to employ vessels of such a tonnage as may accommodate 900 passengers ; fares are to be fixed at the unprecedently low rates of £6O firstclass, and' £3O second, including rail, provisions, and other charges; and in the third place only £I,OOO per voyage is asked as a subsidy. The company binds itself to perform each voyage in forty days, under penalty of £SO per diem, with a stipulation that it shall receive the same sum as premium for every day gained upon this time.

The Prince of "Wales has had a new sensation. Twice lately he has been hissed at the theatre. Of course, there are snobs in the pit of the theatre as well as elsewhere.

At a sale in Edinburgh of the wines of the late Colonel Ferguson, of Raith, 1820 port fetched 180s per dozen ; 1857 Madeira, 110s per dozen; and 1848 claret, l&Os.

Glasgow people have been running the risk of becoming unwitting hyppophagists. A pig-feeder near Carmyle, who ia in custody, has admitted having prepared a number of hams of horseflesh, preparatory to their being sent out to the butchers. The French Wrestlers at the Pomona Gardens, Manchester sustained a signal- defeat at the hands of the Lancashire champion, Bentley. This well-known wrestler contended, on March 14, against a Frenchman much heavier and taller than himself, in the French style, but he came out of the

ordeal successfully; and thereby justified the anticipations of those who have always maintained that a trained Lancashire wrestler would be a more equal match for the G-allie champions than the men who were accustomed only to the Cumberland and "Westmoreland style. It now only remains for the Frenchmen to be taught what a Cornish " hug " means.

On March 11 a frightful explosion took place in the Karnes Powder Works, Kyles of Bute, Scotland.' A press house, containing half a ton of powder in process of manufacture, exploded, shattering the building into fragments, and killing four men and a boy. The will of the late Mr Thomas Fielden, of Fielden Brothers, cotton spinners, manufacturers, &c, Todmorden, was proved at Manchester on February 17. The personalty was sworn under £1,300,000. A destructive fire broke out on March 16, in the factory of Messrs Hine and Mundella, Nottingham. The fire commenced in the top story, containing valuable machinery, which was totally destroyed. The roof fell in, and the flames communicated to the room below, which was partly destroyed. The damage will amount to several thousand pounds, and a large number of operatives will be thrown out of employment. The premises are insured in the Imperial Office. The origin of the fire is said to be an explosion of gas. It is said that another case of scandal in high life will speedily be brought before Lord Penzance, in which the respondent is a young and beautiful lady of title, and one of the corespondents occupying a still higher position in society. A disastrous fire took place at Middleton, near Manchester, on March 14. The flames broke out in the third story of the Old Hall Spinning Mills. The mills, which contained 75,000 spindles, and gave employment to 200 persons, were completely destroyed, notwithstanding the efforts of several fire brigades. The mills were the perty of Mr Thomas Dronsfield, and were occupied by Messrs Schofield and Buckley. The damage is estimated at £70,000, which is partly covered by insurance. A man, named Samuel Standring, was killed by the wheels of the Heywood engine passing over his head.

Complaints come from the Northern States of America of a glut in the labor market. It is stated that there are at least 50,000 workmen in New York out of employment; and the Chicago Tribune calculates that there are at any rate from 15,000 to 20,000 in the same condition in that hive of the West. The same thing is said to be true of all the towns and many pf the rural districts all along the Northern States.

Negotiations for the amalgamation of the Bank of Otago with the " English Scottish" have been broken off. The Home Government have deter, mined to raise £4,000,000, at 3£ per cent.j to lay 24,000 miles of cable, independent of Foreign Powers, to connect more closely the Colonies and India with England. The Board of Trade have notified that merchants and shipowners are at liberty to supply Australian extract of beef for the use of merchant vessels. This permission is in connection with the control that the Board exercise in regard to the supplies of food to crews, under the Merchant Shipping Bill, and it has given a considerable impetus to the trade in the Australian extract. It gives us pleasure to notice the steady onward progress of that splendid group of islands, the Eijis. Erom conversation we have had with gentlemen, at present in England, we are informed that there is no moral doubt that the British, Prussian, or American flag will float over Eiji before many months have passed. Another grand impetus will be given, and that is, the calling at the splendid harbor of Suva, on the large island of Viti Levu, of the Atlantic and Pacific Steam Navigation Conpany's fine boats, en route to and from the Australian colonies. The American line also have determined to call at Eiji, so that we see nothing to stop the growth of the trade of the islands. We can say with sorrow we shall regret if these fine islands pass into other hands. We are glad to learn that the categorical questions given Mr March, the British Consul at Fiji, by Lord Granville, as to the statistics of the group, have been answered all in their favor; we trust now the Government will reconsider the question of annexation, or giving them a protectorate flag. It is stated in the official annual rer port of the Emigration Commissioners at Bremen for 1869, that during the last thirty-eight years (from 1832 to 1869 inclusive) 1,149,282 German emigrants sailed from that port in 6666 vessels. Erom an inspection of the tables contained in the report, we find a remarkable increase in the nunv

ber of steamers, as well as of the emi grants that availed themselves of thi improved mode of locomotion. In thi year 1860 ten steamers were de spatched to New York with 3638 pas sengers, whilst in the course of las year (1869) no less than a .hundrei and four steamers left Bremerhavei for different ports of the United States carrying with them 47,456 emigrants. The total emigration from liiwr pool during the month of Februai] amounted to 4856 passengers, of whot 4682 were.for the United States, 1\ Yictoria, 68 for South America, 2; for Africa, and 15 for the East Indies The increase over tho past month o January is 271.

I

St. Patrick's Day appears to havo passed, off amid comparative peace. We hear from Cork that the threatened Fenian demonstration on St. Patrick's day was abandoned. There was no procession or collection at the Roman Catholic chapels for Fenian purposes. The only demonstration was a Fenian ball at the Athenaeum on March 18.

The wife of the convict Rossa lectured at Tipperary on March 17, and received an enthusiastic ovation. The hotel where she was staying, and gome other houses in the town, were searched by the police for arms, but without success. A communication from Clare states that a farmer named Maenamara was going home in the evening, accompanied by another man, when a quarrel took place, in which the former received a serious stab from his companion, who is now under arrest. There is very little hope of Macnamara's recovery. A man named Gorman, a farm labourer, living near Clonmel, was murdered March 17 by a companion named Curran, while going home from the town. No provocation for the crime is stated to have been given. Curran has been arrested, and fully identified. A man committed suicide on March 20 by throwing himself from one of the towers of Notre Dame, at Paris. He fell on his head, and his brains were dashed out on the pavement. In his pocket was found only a portmonnaie containing one sou, and nothing to show his name or address. The body was taken to the Morgue. A gamin found two immense diamonds, which had dropped from a lady's necklace, the other day. He kept them a couple of days, and then exchanged them with another boy for a small pocket-knife. Gamin No. 2 played at marbles with them, and lost one in the gutter. In the meantime, the lady who had lost the diamonds hunted all over Paris for them without success. Gavroche gave the second diamond to his sister, a work-girl, who showed it to her mistress, and the latter recognised it as one of the jewels which the Countess C , one of her customers, was despairing to find again. The poor ouvriere was much surprised and gratified on receiving a reward of 500 f., as, happily, the other diamond was also discovered in the conductor leading to the sewer, the boy indicating the spot where he had lost it. Everybody is not so lucky. Of late, several journals have hinted that the Orleanist family would like to be permitted to return to France. The Count de Montalambert died suddenly on March 13. An extraordinary case of suicide has just occured at Paris. A welldressed man of about forty descended the Quai des Tuileries, and seating himself beside a man who was fishing, Jit a cigar. He then offered one to his neighbor, and, after a few minutes' conversation plunged headforemost into the river. The fisherman dropped his rod and jumped in after him, but the first immediately struck out and swam away, and the other regained the bank. The former shortly after returned, and, while swimming in front of his temporary acquaintance, drew three napoleons from his pocket and commenced tossing them in the air like a juggler. At the approach of a number of persons, alarmed by the cries of the spectators of this strange scene, he swallowed the coins, and diving under the water did not re-appear. His body was not found until the evening, and. as nothing was discovered on it to establish his identity, it was taken to the Morgue.