ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH MAIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1641, 11 January 1883, Page 3

ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH MAIL.

The R.M. s.s. City ©f Sydney arrived in Auckland harbour on Tuesday, bringing with her the London November' mail. Froiii Hl os to hand we make the following extracts :-— Considerable activity is being displayed in forwmdiug emigrants to Now Zealand. Eveiy month the Agent-General receives some 500 or (500 nominations for the colony, but a considerable percentage of these come to nothing. However, with the exception of the single women, all the emigrants now proceeding in Government vessels aio nominated. Indeed a considerable proportion of the single girls are also sent out under this system. It is believed there will be no difficulty in forwauling 1000 single women during the 12 months. The unfortunate break-down of the Marsala's lef liberating machinery bas, it is reported, necessitated the abandonment of the vvholu of the huge cargo of New Zealand mutton. The New Zealand Shipping Company have chartered two fine steameis, each of U.IOO tons, to run duect to New Zealand. They aie named the Biitish King and the Biitish Queen. The Salvation Army of England recognizing ito responsibility for the sahation of the woild is equipping '21 ofh'eeiy at n cost of tu'oo, lor foieigu service. Male and female oltieeis of the Army are to be forthwith despatched to New Zealand, the Cape, the United States and Sweden. Mi William Cocln.m of Oveidale, Dunblane, Peithshnv, has recently written a very into osting letter to the Cdldiih s tntrl fm/iff, in which ho indicates the steps which aie being taken lo introduce tea and silk-farming into New Zealand. Telegr.iiiis horn various paits of the United Kingdom lepcit a snow stoun on December lith, of unusual severity. TraHio on the railways in man;, districts h.ie been almost, if not altogether, wholly suspended. A train was .snowed up all night at Cheshire and the pasMjiigeis, mi mbe ring tweho. suffered acutely. Telegi.iphic communication between (Jlasuow and London was totally inteirnpted : elsowheio imssiisi's weiegicatly deldyed. Many w reeks aiound tlie coaat are reported. At Oldham and neighbouimg ports of Lancaslmc county the stoun has not l>een equalled in thiity years. iTc<i\ y loss has been caused in many places. The total number ot d eolations presented by the Queen to the tioonswho had distinguished themselves in Egypt, including those given to the Indian contingent was 370. The Pi hu eof Wales and neatly all the mcmbeis of the Royal Family weio present at the ceremony. The Queen, conferring the decorations, said : " I have called you here to-day to express ni3 r best thanks for the gallantry and demotion you displayed m tlieshoit but decisive campaign m Egypt, and to say how proud 1 am of my soldiers and sadois, who have added fresh laurels to tho&o ah cady obtained in previous campaigns, and of their devotion to thfir Queen and country. ' At the close ot the Queen.* address, which wa-> delivered with beautiful emphasis, three lines of men letired, leaving the Queen facing the commander of the ovpedition and tho Naval Jinfjfulo. The conferring ot the dccoiations was then commenced. Pattick Joyce, Miles Joyce, and Patrick Casey, the tluoe men convicted of participation in tho murder ot the Joyce iamily, weie hanged m the gaol al U.ilWiiy on Deccinoer I"). The prison, inside and out, was. heavily guarded. The piisoners heard mass shot tly befoio the time set for the execution. They refused to eat luraktast. They ascended the sciiflold with film steps. Casey, who had uttered a moan at the titst sight ot the gallows, mounted the steps two at a time: "I am going befoie God. J was not there at all, and not a, hand or part in it. The Lord forgive them that swoie against me."' The play of " SiSlocum" ended with a. real tiagedy at the end of the fourth act at the matinee in the Colliseiini Theatie, Cincinnati, on November 30. Fiauk Kraync\ company was playing, with Frayne as "Si Slooum, ' and Miss Annie Yon Hebron as "Mrs Lucy Slocuiu." Everything went off biilliantly until the end of the fourth act. when the villain Maikliam. who has c.iptuicd Si Slocum, says, " I'll have you shoot tho apple oil' \ our wife's head, .and with the backward shot. ' Mi* Yon Belivon, who had been poi forming in that lolc since the death of Frank Fray ne"s own wife, some two ye,us airo, steppe -1 lightly to her po-t, wheie she stood v\ith the apple on her head, looking tho very personification ot wifely ti uthfulncss and conti diiiico. Si Slocuni adjusted his mil roi slowly The wife wnt .'3O fuel a't'ay. jfis aim w.if, debbciiitc and slow, and he was nevei inoie stead y ot nerve. Bang ! went tho idle. The apple did not i.ill, but the gul dropped full length backwaid with a (lull, hta\y thud on the flooi, and the apple tolled away toward the footlights, jler face was paitly hidden behind a wing of Ihe scenes. With the flash of liisrifk- Fi.ivne himself sprang as if he had In on shot, and tinning towaid the piostrate gul in a wdd \ lunging, staggeimg sort of way til! ho tell on the floor beside her, with one aim resting on her body. The curtain then fell over all. " Mis. Nlocunf fell without a moan and laj motionless. " Si Slooum" lay in a swoon behind her. The actors were disci ci'tly silent. As soon as the cm tain Jell Miss Yon JJohren waseatefully borne to hei btciteioom. A surgeon ariived imincdiatelv. It was of no use ; she never moaned or spoke and scarcely moved. Ju fiftten iiiinntcs after the bullet shuck her she was a ooipse. Fiayne was also canied to n stateioom. As soon as lie leooveml sullioient he came out and knelt by the side of the almost lifeless ghl l uh\ pleaded with her r,o speak. She hem d nothing and gave no sign ot consciousness. That st.ige was a chamber of death with all its accompaniments. The actois rushed to their rooms after the death scene and gave way to overwhelming grief. Frank Frayne was taken to the station and locked up on a charge of murder. When taken theie he said to the officeis :— " Make the charge as seveie as you can. Make it the worst." Early on the morning of December 14, flames were discovered issuing from the front windows ot Hampton Court Royal Palace, at Hampton, fifteen miles from London. The fire broke out in a suite of of private apartments in the cloister. A local fire brigade, which worked three hours, succeeding in preventing the tiames from extending. A large quantity of valuable property was removed in time to save it. One woman was suffocated. About twelve rooms in the oast quadrangle were scorched by the fire, and two were actually burned. These rooms were immediately above the picture gallery. The curiosities aud tapestry were considerably damaged by water. The tapestry which suffered the most was the pait that represents Alexander the Great enteiing Babylon, and the battles of Oermanicus. In Queen Anne's bedroom the celebrated painted ceiling was damaged. The pictures by Rembraiult, Reubens, , awl Kueller, aud Lily s celebrated "Beauties? had a narrow escape. The rooms known as the Queen's Gallery, the King's and Queen's private ohambors, , and the ' private drawing-room were partially flooded. The loss is loughly estimated at £30,000. * '

The Russian (jipyernmenthas -issued a decree prohibiting the ox'portalion of horses. > , Not long since, when General Grant was in the French capital, and the American colony prepared brilliant fetes 'in his' honour, it is' 'said ih^t' M rs isnck&y < wisKed to have th ! e great A^c dfei'riiirrt^He illuminated, and upon'receiving a "refusal from the Parisian dfficials;, 'she sent ja-> messenger to the municipal .authorities,! I o.ffemig to buy , % ;grgty ■) arid , (vekjiwgit them -Vttam^tfMkfpM^pP It* «\"W,\ 111 1