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LATE CABLEGRAMS.
Following are late cable messages from'the S. if.
Herald :
London, Oct 15.
A large and animated meeting of shareholders of
the Bank of South Australia was held to-day. Mr.
J. W. Arbuthnot presided, He affirmed that the
directors knew of nothing to depreciate the value
of the shares until weeks after the August Circular
was issued. The board was willing that a commit-
tee of three should be appointed to investigate the
position of affairs. General Babbage withdrew the
following amendment, of which he had given notice.
-"That a committee of Beven bo appointed to
report on the position of the bank after an inde"
pendent scrutiny of its affairs, such report to be
brought up withia tw# months." Mr. James Nairn
Scott, General Babbage, and Mr. Alfred Hurst
were elected as a committee to consider the affairs
of the bank. Mr. Arbuthnot and Mr. Oscar de
Satgá were re-elected directora. Mr. Charles
Hurst was elected an additional director.
The proposal of the directors of the Bank
of South Australia to reduce the capital
has been unanimously adopted by the meeting of
shareholders, The accounts of the last period
have also been adopted by the meeting, which
appointed a committee of shareholders to confer
with the board of directors as to the management
of the bank and to reconstruct the board itself«
General Babbage said that the local directors of the
Bank of South Australia were useloss, and that the
bank's management was thoroughly bad. Another
shareholder complained that four of the directors
held only 50 shares each.
The delegates of British farmers who were sent
on a visit of inspection to Canada, and who met
with some hostility in the Atlantic provinces
owing to their freetrade views, have resumed their
tour in the Dominion.
Five hundred Russian students have been
arrested at Kief, in which town a conspiracy
against the Czar was recently discovered.
The Russian encroachments upon Pamir in
Central Asia are distinctly within Afghan and
Chinese territory. It is probable that England
and China will take common action in protesting
against the Russian advance. Oct. 16 : A Com-
mission of delegates from the four countries in-
terested in Pamir will probably proceed thither to
delimit the disputed territory.
Sir Graham Berry, who ia about to retire from
the Agency-General of Victoria, intends to return
to Victoria, with the view of actively re-entoring
political life.
The Melbourne Harbour Trust Loan is quoted
at i premium. '
Mrs. Bernard-Beere, the well-known actress, will
make an' Australian tour next spring. [Mrs!
Bernard-Beere was trained for the stage by Mr.
Herman Vezin. In 1886 she secured great popu-
larity in the English provinces by her powerful
rendering of " Fedora." She has been very suc-
cessful in her impersonations in " As in a Looking
Glass," as Julia in " The Rivals," Bathsheba Ever
dene in "Far from the Madding Crowd," Mrs.
Devenish in " Lords and Commons," Princess Zicka
in " Diplomacy," and " Ariane" in Mrs. Campbell
Praed's play. Mrs. Bernard-Beere is also an
admirable vocalist.] '
London, Oct. 16. *
It is reported that Messrs. Howard Smith and
Sons, Limited, intend to build five new steamers in
England for the Australian trade. Two of the
number have already been ordered.
The Standard announces that it has been
arranged that Mr. A. J. Balfour, Chief Secretary
for Ireland, shall succeed the late Right Hon. W.
H. Smith ÜB leader of the House of Commons, Mr.
Goschen having waived his claims to the position
The Daily News states that the Right Hon. W. Lj
Jackson, M.P. for North Leeds, will be appointed
to succeed Mr. Balfour as Chief Secretary for
Ireland.
Speaking at Cambridge last night, Mr. Goschen,
Chancellor of the Exchequer, in referring to the
question of the leadership of the House of Com-
mons, said it was only natural that the Unionists
should desire that Mr. Balfour should be appointed
to the leadership. In adverting to Irish affairs, he
warned Mr. Gladstone that unless a plain issue
upon the Home Rule question were submitted by
him, a fresh appeal would be inevitable.
The French consul at Alexandria is resisting a
decree issued by the Khedive directing the inspec-
tion of the stocks of druggistB.
If it should be decided to adopt the Australian
mail route via Salónica, instead of via Brindisi, the
British Government will insist upon a saving of
time and cost in transit, and will expect Servia to
carry the mails through that country at coBt price.
The Czarina of Russia haB given 20,000,000
roubles to the Famine Fand.
A large fire occurred at Mill wall at an early homr
this morning. Five persons were suffocated.
The Senate of the Argentine Republic has re-
jected a proposal for a forced currency.
Australian Broken Bill consols are quoted at 11B,
The death is announced of the Rev. Mr. Braim,
late Archbishop of Portland.
Mr. Ben Tillett, chairman of the Dockors' Union
will approve of the scheme formulated by the
employers provided that the proposed pensions are
made retrospective.
The Russian loan has been covered seven and a
half times. It was covered seven timeB in France
alone.
It ÍB rumoured in London that Sir Henry Parkes
is to succeed Sir Saul Samuel as Agent-General
for New South Wales. t
The Rev. C. H. Spurgeon has retnrned to London,
He will shortly proceed to Mentone for further
change.
The sitting of the Methodist Conference, which
was held yesterday, had to be closed in consequence
of the continued disorder occasioned by certain
remarks made by Mr. Henry John Atkinson, M.P.
JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL ON RELIGION.-The
late James Russell Lowell said some years ago, in
an after-dinner speech, in reply to a sneer made at
religion, " When the microscopic searcher of scep-
ticism, which bad hunted the heavens and sounded
the seas to disprove the existence of a Creator, has
turned his attention to human society, and has
found a place in this planet where a decent man
can live in decency, comfort, and security, support-
ing and educating his children unspoiled and un-
polluted ; a place where age is revered, infancy
respected, manhood esteemed, womanhood honored,
and human life held in due regard ; while sceptics
can find Buch a place ten miles square in this globe,
where the gospel of Christ had not gone and cleared
the way, and laid the foundation, and made the
decency and seourity possible, i$ will then be in
order for the sceptical literate to remove thither
and there ventilate their views. But so long as
these Very men are dependent upon the religion
which they discard for every privilege they enjoy,
they may as well hesitate a little before they seek
to rob the Christian of his hope and humanity of
its faith in that Saviour who alone has given to man
that hope of life eternal which makes life tolerable
and society possible, and robs death of its terrors
and the grave of its gloom."
IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.-The' total value of
Imports into the port of Sydney for the week ended
October IO amounts to .¿¡318,773. The total value
of Exports for the same period amounts to ,£131,437
$