Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1891-09-05 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

RETURN OF ARCTIC EXPLORERS.  Nine members of the Kite Arctic Expedition have arrived at Halifax (N.S.). The expedition reached 77deg. 43 N. and 70.20 W. In these regions they found a rocky country and flowers in luxuriant profusion, although the vegetation did not reach higher than six or eight inches. The members of the expedition bring with them immense collections of plants, flowers, herbs, and butterflies, some of which were previously unknown to exist. They found all the published charts of Greenland to be incorrect. They left the North Greenland Expedition under Lieutenant Peary in Melville Bay, 2,500 miles north of Halifax. Lieutenant Peary proposes next spring to penetrate still further north on snow shoes, in order to determine, if possible, the boundaries of Greenland. The party have built a house in Melville Bay, in which they will winter. Mrs. Peary will remain there during her husband's exl,edition in the spring. The scientific specimens which have left St. John's weigh 13 tons. They will be sent by steamship to Philadelphia. Heilbrin has made new charts of Murchison Sound, and has defined the localities of Herbert and Northumbelland Islands.  At Bielaia Zerkoff, near Kieff,the chief Yuriadnik (Commissary of rural police) has been murdered. The officer was shot from behind whilst walking in the street, in the dusk of the evening, and the assassin effected his escape without being recognised by any of the many people about. The Yuriadnik, telegraphs the Odessa correspondent of the Daily News, is described as having been a very zealous officer, and had occupied his post for 10 years. It : is officially presumed that the murder was an act of private revenge. From other and well-informed sources,however, the murder is described as a Nihilistic execution. Bielaia Zerkoff is known as the largest village in European Russia. It numbers : 10,000 inhabitants. It has had the reputation of sheltering political suspects. The fate M. ilaiKes, ac a meeting al; Lymm, Cheshire, in support of a young candidate for Parliamentary honours, Mr. Coningsby Disraeli, related an amusing incident connected with his early political career. When first contf:sting Chester, he said he always carefully prepared his speeches, add paid a man to put questions to him and applaud When necessary. After delivering his speech the man, sometimes in an excited manner, rose and put a series of questions to him, which, being carefully prepared, were always answered to the satisfaction of the audience. Mr. Raikes said he continued this throughout a long campaign, and recommended the course to young candidates. A stranga practical joke has just been pnpetrated at the village of Minster-in-Sheppey, throe miles from Sheerness. During the night the windows and doors of almost every house were covered with whitewash, the village presenting an extra. . .  ordinary appearance at daylight. Suspicion has fallen upon two young mem visitors, who disappeared on the morning after this nocturnal exploit. President Carnot has signed a decree opening a credit of 1,000,000 fr. for the benefit of the sufferer by the recent disastrous cyclone in Martinique and another prolonging the period of payment of commercial bills in the island. Official despatches estimate the loss of property through the devastation caused by the cyclone at fully .4..1,000„CrJ0, while the death-roll has now reached-a: total of 376.