NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1772, 13 November 1883, Page 2

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Tun II M. s.s. Zealand!* aimed at Auckland on Sunday morning with the English mail. We take the following items of intelligence fiom our files :—: — Matters m Madagascar appear to havo taken a very had turn for the French, which is paiticulaily uufortunate for the present ciisis of the foreign troubles. .Recent advice- state that a laige number of Fiench hoop-, theie have succumbed to fevers, and that reinforcements will be needed before the Ho\ as can lie .subdued. The dispatch adds that " it will be impossible to continue operations for .several months." This looks -very much like a gently-hinted admission that the French aie going to back out of the Madagascar struggle altogether. A dispatch fioni San Domingo, dfitcd the 11th iust., says that a man mimed Weitua 1 ecently attempted to assassinate the President of San Domingo at Noyba, Hayti. The President shot his assailant dead. This is the iii st instance on record that we can recall where the assailant of a filler has been killed by his intended victtlu. Nor can thi-> bs 'attributed to any particular precautions taken by tiie assassins, for, on the contiAiy, they goneially urn greater risks m this way than the ordinal y muiderers-. The Gounnoi of Ekciteiin'o-lav has issued a ])ioclamation declaring that if anti-.Tewish on ti ayes aie renewed they will hi r.uppiessed by foice of aim-. This action is owing to the fact tint the instigators of the outi aye- insist that the Government daies not employ aims against the people. j The Fails Kigaro, of October 17th, publishes the naiiatho of Fiench officers of the ! particulars of the nwssacie of natives at i-L'io, in Aimani, by French sailors. The stoiy lelates that aftei the natives ceased to lesist, they weie diiven fiomthe burning ullage unainu'd, and then shot down in ink's; the Fionchmeu afteruaids nnudermj> the wounded. Piiiiuo liisinaick was guarded during his stay at Ki-sengen by .si\ IWauan gendaimcs, si\ Pius-ian policemen, one Ba\anan Ctmiinissioner of Police, one Prussian Police Councilloi horn Bi'ihn, four deteci tives fiom Munich, and two fiom Win/,buig. Their duly was to watcli the Chancclloi dm ing his thief hum ■>' walk on the promenade, and to pi event unknown persons fiom approaching his villa by day or by my lit. A it-cent tolegiam says : " The AustroGeiinan alliance, as dnected agam-t Russia and France, in the o\ont of war between Germany and France, Austiia is to maintain an aimed neutrality. In the event of wax between Austuaand Russia, Germany is to do likewi.su. If a thud power attacks (lei many or Au-tria, the armed neutrality will be eon vm tod into active co-operation," ttiuely thisisaveiy odd agieeinent to be enteied into between two of the tiistpoweis of Km ope. It sounds more like a compact made between two scbo,>l-boys than an international tieaty. Piobably, however, the infoi mation we have cited gives a \ery insufficient \iew of the true inwardness of the aiiangoinent. The animosity of the Fiench towards the Gei mans glows deeper and deeper. The papois recommend the lemoval of all employ if, in Palis Gciman in nationality, and hostile demonstrations were made dining the week ending October 7th, against establishments wheie German woikmeu were known to be. Charland, propiiotor of the Luge piiiiling-ho\iM3, has discharged all his Gei ma»s, and a number in the State Tobacco Facfru V have been forced to leave. An Ameiican newspaper lepoits the wedding of Major Mite with Miss Maiia Nail, the dwarfs known a- the " Midgets." The lad y, who is thirty-ouu inches nigh, was attiied in a white satin diess, with comt train with pearl ornaments, and a long white veil interwoven 'with orange blossoms. Major Mite, who was bom in Moscow, and who.se real name is Zmaris, is foity-two inches high iv his shoes. The Marquess Tseng is loported to have declined that China, jk defcei mined not to make any concession on the subject of her siueiainty over Annam, and will not allow France to possess territoi y^ adjoining the frrntiei. Sir Stafford Noithcotc, replying to an address at Strahan on October Oth, said :— ""We aie fighting a gieat battle for the maintenance of the Union. The tendency of the pie-ent Government is towaid separation. Loyalists must unite in the prevention of what would destroy the country's intcicsts." There were recently exhibited by Sir Jo-eph Hooker, at a meeting of the Royal Society, some leaves and petals of flower.s, and some twigs and niossrs, which were removed fiom the tomb of the founder of the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, who died 3,500 years ago. The vegetable lemains weie tieated in warm weather until they sufficiently expanded to allow a determination of their species, and in most instances an identification sufficiently close to allow them to be classified. And, as an evidence of the stability of vegetable types, the mummy flower plants were the same as those now existing. The blue water lily (Nvmpha ccrulea), the white water lily (Nympha lotus), the willow (Salix aafsaf), seeds of the Junipeias phoeniceaj and several glasses, together with a licboj indigenous to Gicece, were found aivßL"entitied. W Cardinals Manning and MacCabe are going to Rome at the end of October to meet the American bishops, where they will use all their influence tT obtain a declaration against the Irish secret societies in America. Mr Errington will be despatched by Mr Gladstone as a special envoy to watch the proceedings. One notable object in the hall at Crichcl is the weighing-chair, and on a table beside it is a book, in which the respective weights of all guests are lecorded. The Prince of Wales is credited with nearly sixteen stone, and Lord Beacensfield with, twelve stone. — Truth. A serious riot has occurred at Canton, the populace setting fire to several warehouses. No lives were lost. Chinese troops have restored order, and two Britith war war vessels aie now at Canton. — Overland Mail. Michael Davitt is writing a skptch, m imitation qf " The Pilgrim's Erosrress " entitted'" My Jail Life.'"' ' * l * "The proposal" to exlmiqe Sh.akesppai'eVi remains canie formally before the Stratford, on- Avon Town Council on the 4th inst. The Mayor said he had to disabuse the public mind that the Corporation would ever allow such a proposal to be earned out. Not only would they strain every nerve to prevent such an. act of desecration, but the townsmen generally would band themselves togethqr to guard the sanctity of the poet's toiu,b, Several speakers followed, $ha

itayor in denouncing tho project, and the touncil then decided unanimously to offer hciv most strenuous opposition to the chemo. Tho prcpararations being made for the onvontion of Irish Nationalists indicate hat it will be tho greatest domonsti ation ■f tho kind over hold. Under tho advice f ilr Parnell, a piogiamme of raodci ation s proposed. Tho committee, of delegates >f Ameiican lodges, announce-! that no Vmorican delegates aio expected. An extraordinary sale has talcen place at Vest Hartlepool, when the furniture and iffects of S. Joseph's Koman Catholic Jhuroh, under distraint for rout, were put 'ip foi .sale by auction. Amongst the lots .old was a largo brass ciucihx from the centre of tho siltar, which In ought 8s ; the holy water vat and a gong, 2s 2d ; oaken lectern, 1s 2d ; and fomtoen paintings t'cpiesenting the Stations ot the Cio-s, LS each. From statistics just published^ it appeals that theio has been a lem.Mkabie inueisu of recent years in the consumption of malt liquois in the United States. List year tlie ]uoduction of beer amounted to 525,000,000 gallons, being an snoiage of 14 gallons for every inhabitant. In 18IJI the total production was only 02,000,000 gallons, so that the mci ease has bjon moie than eightfold in twenty jeais, the population in that time having mci eased about (i 0 percent. "By way of eountei balancing this however, the pioduction of distilled hquoM has diminished dining this peiiod, not withbt.uuling the great increase of population. It may be noted also that tho average beer consumption in tho .States is still behind that of Belgium, (4re.it Bntain and (TOiinany. Tho (Jeunan a\eiage is 22 gallons for every head of the population vnnually. With logaid to tho ])ioduction Tf beer, New Yoik State alonu piocluces one-thiid of the whole amount, and the business of New Yoik breweis is mci ea-iug moie rapidly than that of the whole beet inteiest. Pennslv\ania, which is the ne\t State on tho next State on the h-t, brevs less than one-tliiid the quantity pioducd by Now York. Dining tho pist yoais the bu-inoss of tho bieweiies has more than doubled. Yet, in some distuct-, the ab->tainoi - f i cm all alcoholic licences are stronger than o\ei, and aie constantly inci casing in numbeis. A series of in\ estimations into the oiiym of the ])o-tilent \ello\\ fe\er h.ne pist been made by \h. Donnngas Fiie/e, a Hia/ilian ]ih>sici..n. T)r. Fi uve has discoveied th.it the blood of the patient eontuns a paiasitu which a]>pears as a minute point, and m one form or another continues in existence aftei the death of the patient. This fact being satisfactorily established he lecommends that the body be burnt. By experiment it was show n that the injection of a little of tho tainted blood into the \enis of a i abb it caused death in h\e minute-. Although this might only seem like oidinaiy blood poisoning, it was rom.ukable that. ill tho blood of the de.ul labbit was filled with the pecuhai oiganisms. Moieovor, a guinea pig, kept closely upon o;n th taken fioin a yellow fe\er cemcteiy, died in live days, and tho same pooulrintv also a])]ieared in its blood, and from tins the oxpenmenter argues that all -such biuying j)laces aie constantly liable to distnbute the diseases. The most impoitant le^ult ot J)r. Fric/o's imestigatioiis isthata paiasito peculiar to yellow fe\ei undoubtedly o\i-ts. With this foi tho medical faculty to \><nk upon, theie i-. it least tho hope of cuibing and conti oiling tho disease. A fcioaty of peace has been signed at Hue. It recognises th" Kiench I'iotclmiate over Anam and Tonquin ; annexes the province of Dinthuan to Cochin Chin.; : ai^ provides for the peimanent nulitaiy occupation of the foi t» of Tlm.m An .iiid Vimg Chua line, and tho immediate recall of the Anannte tioops sent to Touquin, tho gaiiisons of which aie to be placed on a peace footing. By the tieaty Fiance undeitak.es to dine the bands known as the Black Flags out of Tonqiun. A Paris cm respondent sa^s that the Fiench squadion now before Hue is shoitlv to piocood to demonstiate be foi o Tien Tsin l- confirmed. Paiis lomnals boast that the tieaty of peace signed .it Hue makes the Fiench " absolute masters in hulo-Chma. If implicit confidence could lie placed in the New Yoik Hoi aid's latest lepoil of St'nley s doings on the Congo, it would be satisfactory to know that that adventitious exploioi is " opening up"' the heait of the l).uk Continent with extiaoidm in iapidit\ and success. J)oubtless a \eiy gie.it p :it of tho Hoiald's couosp.Hideiico i, founded upon fact, but it savoi-. too stiongly of liostilit\ to tlie Fiencli to admit of its being void with . i fiim, abiding faith m its voia- j city, Hoio, foi instince, is the most m- j teii'sling poiLiou of the iepoit, and fioin its tone the leadei will pi olubh i»ach om own coi.du-iion "In spit" of the willest.ibhshed locil custom foi bidding the piucha-e of land at Loango In foieignoi-, Captain Coidiei insisted on liuying astiip of ten ltoi yon the coast The King of L uiigo lefused to coni])ly with his lequest, but ])iofe sod willingness to lot hrn ha\e it on lease. This did not suit Captain Coidiei's jnii pose, and .\n ultimatum, accompanied b\ tho piomiso of li.uid.oiiie pie.scnts, w.is sent to the luckless nionaich, who w.is given to undei stand th.it he, must either yield at once oi he would ha\e Ins village I tin ned down. Toiuhed by the tin eat, the King consented, but did so only undei piotest, and showed no alacntv to fulfil his pait of tlie contract. On this the Fiench commander, with what at this distance looks like uniustifi.iblc baibaiity, detei mined to iepe.it the Tamatav tuck. The coveted land was occupied, the \illage of Maniponibar was destroyed, and by a timely flight thu wiotched inhabitants just managed to escape tho toasting which now appeals to be the mildest penance that may | be hoped for any aborigines jiudaciou . . enough to lesist the aibitiaiy oi deis of the fire-eating Fiench Lieutenants and bumptious Fiench Adniiials.'" A statistical compaiison, recently published, «.howim> tlie lelatne extent to which \aiious nations aie .iddicted to the u-e of tol).icco, gives ])roj)oitions as follows : — KmEngland, Il'ranee,I 1 ' ranee, and llu m<i, •"> ; foi Ltah, 7 ; foi Cuba, 11 ; for Austna, 1 1 ; for (!eimany and North America, 1">; for Belgium, 24 ; and for Holland, 2S. however, siirpa^«e< even Holland, for them eveiv one is a. •■mokor. The school childien who ha\o done best in theii studies aie lewarded by being allow ed to smoke a ck'.ir as they stand or sit at their lessons. The sclio ilmaster himself is •<eldom without a cigar in his mouth. Tn the law couits all persons commonly enjoy their tobacco freely, and e\ en the accused in a ciimnial trial is not denied hi.s indulgence. Tow aids the close of July Horace Shopaid, twenty-tin oe yeai- of ap;e, a shipping cloik, and his young wife killed thenisehes in New Yoik. Shepaid's maiiiago w.is unknown to his fliunds, ,uid it is in foi rod that he has expoiienced obstacles to it fiom his lclatives. The day piovious to the tragedy Shepaid .s])ont with his wife out of town. Ketiiing to lest at 10 o'clock at night, nothing more was heard of them until il o'clock in the morning, when the soend of two pistol .shots brought the neighbois to the loom. The couple weie found on the bed, in their night clothes, welteiing in their blood. The woman's aims were around her husband in loving embrace, but his face was turned from her in an appai out spasm of agony. On a chair by tho bed lay a small bible presented to him by his mother on his biithday._ A mark was in it, and it opened at this ominous in the Pioveibs : " Theie is a way that bccmuth light unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." In Shepards vest was found the following note : j •'July 20, 1883.— Be y. P. L. Shepard, f" ybrook. Conn. My dear mother and her, Kittie and I were secretly manied. ere will be nothing levealed of the ceieny. We have been veiy happy together „, iife, but we will be happier in death, which heems ho pleasant. Our last wish and request is, that we may rest together. With all our love and devotion, we are your affectionate son and daughter, Kittie and Horace Shepard." An Extraordinary Wager.— There was a singular contest on August 24th at the farm of Mr (icorge Melsome, Beacon Hill, near Amesbury, in Wilts, England. It was conducted by the Church of England Temperance Society, and was the result of a bet at a public meeting at Salisbury between Mr Teirell, a Wiltshire farmer, who laid a wager with Mr Abbey, an Oxfordshire farmer and lecturer for the society, as to who Avould do the most work in the harvest-field, the former drinking beer and the latter water only. The result was that Mr Terrell won by above an acre. Mr Terrell, from the fir&t, held a very considerable le^d, and at four o'clock the ground cleared by him was 15r 3r lGp., and py Mr Abbey 14a 3r.— Overland Maj]. Foote was much bored by a pqinpous physician at Bath, who told him confidently that he had a mind to publish his own poems, but had so many irons in the fire he really did not well know what to do. "Take my advice doctor," said i"oote, "and put yonr poems where your irons are." Mr John Matthewe, proprietor of the pundajk Examiner m^ Louth Advertise^

was accidentally drowned while bathing at Ballymascanloii. The deceased gentleman served his apprenticeship as compositor on the paper, was for a long time connected with it as foioman printer, and eventually purchased it in 18S0, at the death of the propiietor, from which time he edited find conducted it as ;i national journal, with much ability. Deceased was .in excellent swimmer, but it is thought he took cram]) and sank. A pitiful talc was told the other day at an inquest at Ifornsey- A poor man was found drowned in Fmslmry Park. In one of the pockets was found a, letter enclosed in an envelope, buf, containing no address. It tulK a tale of woe -which, unfoitunately, is not exceptional m tins nqo when to him who has much will be t>i\cn, -while fiom him who has little that little will be taken aw ay, "If L wenu back, ' the pooi suicide wiol'-, " I would not be able to meet mv lesponsibihties. though £1 would moietlun do foi wliat i want it. Ft is thinking of one thing and then anothci, and as soon as one gets thiitout of hi-, mind, then anothei one iinives. So the mind is not at ies(, one miiiute — that upsets one more than anything. 1 am sine its not what 1 Lno ate oi diauk this last week that causes the mind to be m> ic-tless, foi 1 feel as empty as a ball of wind, and my eyes aie all misty, like something always flying bofoie tliem. I suppose this is on account of the constitution being so weak. ] hope mv childien will not despise me, but accent m/ lo\e and best wishes (Jod ble-~s tlie two little oiic^. I liope tliey will not hnd out mv end. (Jood-bye, and lo\e to all." The leason foi that teniblo misto\ei the e>es; why th.it ])ooi constitution was so weak; the explanation of that delected mortal feeling like an " empty ball of wind," all can icadily undei stand. Let us chaw the cm tains o\ei tho sad sight. Tiul}, one-haH the ueople does not know how the other half live-i !