The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-11-13
FOREIGN NEWS AND COM
MENT.

The new steamship line from New
York to San Francisco via the
Straits of Magellan seems to have
made an unlucky beginning. The
first to sail was the Keweenaw and
she has only reached as far as Val
paraiso, where she lies without a
propeller, having lost it in Smyth's
Channel. She was towed to Val
paraiso. The second steamer to
start was the Mineola. she left New
York a month after the Keweenaw
and arrived at San Francisco on the
29th ult. after a passage Of seventy
two days. The third steam er Of the
line, the Maskinaw left New York
but had not gone far when her ma
chinery gave out and she had to be
towed back to port for repairs.
Blaine county, ILL.,, has been swept
by a prairie fire, thousands of acres
have been burned over and hundreds
of tons of hay consumed. The fire
was started by boy tramp, and had
been burning for three days.
General Greedy, Chief of the
Signal Service of the War Depart
ment at Washington, says in his last
annual report that the Importance
of coast defences in connection with
the harbor of San Francisco de-
mands imperatively that new cable
be laid The unfortunate accidents
to the military cable in the harbor
of San Francisco, conjoined to the
breaking Of the seacoast cable on
the Chesapeake Bay and on the
North Carolina coast, rendered it
impossible with the limited appro
priation to lay a new cable in San
Francisco harbor. The General
therefore submits an estimate for
new one. The report states that
Lieut.. Jno. P. Finlay's meteorolo-
gical work at San Francisco, to
which reference was made in this
paper, was performed with great
energy and phenomenal industry.
The British Press generally ap-
prove the action of the United States
towards Chile The Telegraph says:
President Harrison was perfectly
justified in acting as he did. Doubt
less Egan's appointment was the
very worst that could have been
made" The Chronicle thinks the
affair hardly matter for war or even
for mobilizing the United States
Navy. Chile will probably find it
more prudent to apologize, punish
the assailants and pay compensa-
ton"
The Gar and Imperial Family of
Russia are returning home from
Denmark. They proceed in the i'm
peria] yacht to Dantzig, thence by,
way of Warsaw to Livadia. The
party were accompanied to Dantzig
by the King and Queen of Denmark
and the Princess of Wales.
It was reported at Rome that with
in few days the Pope will take de-
cisive action on the question of
leaving Rome or arranging modus
vivendi with Italy. The latter will
probably be accomplished. as it is
said that letters of a conciliatory
character have passed between
Signor Rudini and the Papal Secre-
tary of State. The grain crops in
Italy are reported by the Under
Secretary of Agriculture to be above
the average. The yield of wine is
expected to be large and Of fine
quality, and the orange and lemon
crops are most promising.
Very serious fighting has taken
place in Cork between the Mccarthy
and the Parnellite factions. Two
professions met and neither would
give way. Several thousand COM
batants took part in the fray. Black
thorns, bricks and stones were used
by both parties. In the market
place O'Brien was addressing 5000
McCarthyites when they were at
tackled by strong force of Parnel-
lites, and were slowly driven back,
but receiving reinforcements finally
routed their opponents. John Dill
lon received severe blow on the leg
with stick; O'Connor was severely
wounded, he says, by a policeman's
baton; William Redmond and hun
dreds of others we're injured by
stones thrown. Extra police and
troops have been called out to pro-
tect the candidates.
The Mccarthy party have elected
their candidate, Patrick McDermott,
without opposition to the seat in the
House of Commons left vacant by
the death of Sir John Pope Hennes-
sey.
The recent earthquakes in Japan
were duly noted by the seismic in
struments at the Berlin observatory,
which indicated the tremor Of the
earthquake between IL o'clock P. M.
and midnight.
United States Weather Service,