Arrival of the Asia's Mails.--Dates to the 25th Ultimo.
The
Halifax telegrams, a day or two ago, favor us with the
skimmings of the news, but the following details are of interest:
The
London Star refers to the claim of the
Dutch envoy in
America for an increase of salary on account of the war prices which prevail in New York.
The increase was opposed by the
Lower House of the
Dutch Legislature, and the poor, unfortunate envoy, says the
Star, is "left living over a barber's shop in
Washington."
Parliament will meet on the twenty-fifth of January, in order to get through the preliminary business.
The first thing to be done is to elect a Speaker, the next is to administer the oaths to the new members.
This business usually occupies a week, and until it is completed there is no Parliament, in the legal sense of the work, nor can any legislation be proceeded with.
It is believed that the formal opening of Parliament by the reading of the
Queen's speech will take place on February first, which is two or three days earlier than the average date.
The news is confirmed that the cattle plague throughout Britain has broken out afresh, and is now more fatal than ever.
The number of cases for the week ending November 18th was 2,669, as compared with 2,580 and 1,765 of the two weeks ending November 11th and 4th.
The total number of cases has been 27,432, of which 8,998 have proved fatal, and in 1,777 have recovered, and of the remaining 3,977 the fate is still uncertain.
Thus about 22,000 cattle have died directly or indirectly from the plague.
The famous steamship
Trent, associated with the seizure of
Messrs. Mason and
Slidell by a
United States frigate, has closed her career, and is now being broken up near the
Isle of Dogs.
The rebel cruiser
Shenandoah left the
Mersey for New York on the 21st.
The disposition, however, seems to be, to laugh at it, rather than to treat it with gravity.
The
London Mercantile Gazette thinsk--
"The whole thing appears to be dying out. The laugh at it grows daily louder, and the proofs of the want of real power and influence amongst its leaders daily more conspicuous. "
The
London Daily
News is of opinion that "it is quite probable a raid may be attempted on
Canada in the course of the winter, but it will not be a military affair at all — only a matter of police, which will be put down without difficulty. " He thinks, also, that if there is any fighting to be done at all it will have to be done in
Ireland, which is very consolatory, considering that the only occasion on which the boasted arms of the Fenians have been used, was that on which the two policemen were shot in the back from a garret window.
On the whole, the editor thinks it will do to conclude that:
"There is little danger that men who are earning good wages, and who are well fed and well clothed, will leave the place in which they obtain all these advantages, even for the sake of gratifying a sentimental devotion to the country in which they starved, or a groundless hatred to
England."
The
London Morning Herald pitches into Uncle Sam for not snuffing the Fenians.
It says:
‘
"The Federal Government has hardly acted a wise or dignified part in regard to the Fenian agitation.
It is unworthy of a Power which pretends to respect public law, and which desires to maintain peace, to allow a conspiracy to be carried on within its jurisdiction for the invasion of the dominions of a neighbor.
’
We never interfere with the plots of
Mazzini or
Kossuth so long as their execution is to take place solely on Italian or Hungarian soil, but if either were to collect a force of aliens in this country for the invasion of
Venetian or of
Hungary, we should speedily knock the scheme on the head.
So we do not ask the
Americans to prevent
Mahoney talking of an Irish Republic, or sending money and instructions to his dupes in
Dublin; but we must remind them that a raid into
Canada could hardly fail to have very serious consequences.
