FOREIGN NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 86, 4 January 1908, Page 12

FOREIGN NEWS.

CRISIS IN PORTUGAL,

Usbon, Novombor. 18. . Tlie following laconic Noto has been issued by the Government tb the''. Press

"Yostorday, at throe, o'cloclt :in tho afternoon, whilo three .individuals. were preparing. explosives , for_ manifestly., criminal purposes, ail explosion occurred. Two persona were killed; and a- ! third arrested." .' . ■

Tho following semi-official Note also appeared ill connection; with this announcement:— ' !

"A council of Ciibinot, Ministers has bceli. convaiied to: consider theposition brought aboiiff by the political crisis and. thd..abo"Vdf.named alarming incident." . >~,

The two porsons killod were Dr. 'Gamara Pestana and Dr» Goncalves Lopes', two wellknown niodical practitioners of tho''highest' standing in Lisbon society, and thefact that; tlioy should have met' death in. such a tragic manner proves.how far the opponents of!the Government afo prepared to go to overthrow the' existing Dictatorial regime. Tho third individual,- rtiforred to as having bach 'arrested, is an officer of the navy. All three wero engaged in tho'manufacture of bombs, which were to bo used in the demonstration against tho Tlirono and Government on January 2 next. '■ . ' . .. ' • A cfirofiil eximiriatibn of the' building wlioro the oxplosiori occurred led' to the discovery of a great quantity of completed bombs, stored away .in tho cellars.; Active soarch' is being made all over the jcoiiritry for:the discovery of further stores of. bombs. It is felt liy the authorities thiit a great number of these bombs must oxist, and every effort is to be made to prevent their use. '

'.'An extraordinary . change of front_ has occurred in political circles, the most' significant evidence of which is'a declaration, made by the President, of tho '.Houso. 6r Teers; Councillor Aiigusto Joso ,da Cunha, tary Peer, and former! Cabinet Minister. Sc-nhor da Cunha, taking the viow that the 'Monarchical party had been slighted iii the recent utteratices of King Carlos at the. interview accorded to'the representative of tlie ,"Tomps,' ( has . severed his corinefction with 'tho Monarchists,: and has. gone over to the. Republican party. - . ......

Madridr November; 2i;

The. state of Portugal under the dictatorship is-strikingly depicted in messages/received by "El Liberal;"- A strict Press consorship is maintained in- order to prevent the publication of: political information abioad, and foreign correspondents are kept under tho surveillanco of the police.. ••• Pro-; minont Nationalists aro threatened with', deportation to Africa if they attempt' to take, part in any manifestation'of public fdoling, and all suspected letters aro opened and examined by the "black cabinet;" thirteen Oportd' newspapers ' aro .. bqiiig proceeded against bv the Government for the publication ■of alleged seditious articles. The oaiiip of the Republican? (adds "El Liberal") is lioirig recruited by politicians of • noto, and "the fail of the Monarchy is; considered to Ijo ; inevitable." ' ,

KURDISH DEPREDATIONS. Constantinople, November 21. The depredations •of _ Kurdish .-' tribes' amongst the Armenian, villages in. the districts of Diabekir'and Bitlis .have; been very serious for some tirr.o past.' Though little is heard nowadays aboilt the anarchy prevailing throughout the Armeno-Kurdiah pr'oviuccs, ottillg to the preponderance of the Macedonian question, yet. i this ' matter has been engaging, tho anxious .attontkm of the Powers, as the situation' was becoming grave. .. •

The weidomo announcement is .now made that the Government are .taking' activo steps. t-> restore order; and have utilised the troops lately sent from Constantiuoplo. and. Trebii ssond to Eserum. in punitive expeditions in, the Bitlis and Diabekir provinces. Several' villages, belonging to. these tribes*. , : pf, which tho notorious Ibrahim Pallia is chief/ have, becil shelled, ami sonio sixty .Kiitiiis. killed. Ibrahim was created a pasha fc'6mfc. yoars ,agOj and given the conimaitd. of. ah irregular cavalry, regiment,. .called . the Hamidieh., Latterly lie has constituted him-self-tho despot of Kiirdißtan, .and has .allowed his clnhsmeii to plunder the Armenian villages and levy; blackmail throughout /his province. ' ■ ,i. : .. SCENE IN THE DUMA. Gt. Petersburg, November 21. ' On the rc-assombly of tho Diiitaa to-day the reactionary mountebanks resumed the course which: caused their. exclusion from llttcon sessions of the sceorid Duma. M. Kc.lepovsky, whose cousin of the samenanio TvaS recently. murdered, -together, tf'ith '.liis wife anci child) By roubors, undertook to, explain ;wh.v tho Conservatives refused to allow- the Constitutional Democrats' 'any position in tho President's Council.; It was liot the cr.So of "an oyo for an eyo," or taking vengeance for slights inflicted on tho Conservatives' in previous Dumas, but the Loyalists refused to work sido by side with "I'sarslayors." '•

■Ml khomiiilvoff, President, allowed tlio' epithet to pnss without robulto, but tlio Opposition shouted, . " Out!, , Away!." the tumult'continuing for several minutes. M. Khomiakofi' then remarked that if tho utterances of any one provoked disorder, such speaker would bo deprived of tlio. right : of continuing. The Opposition entered h written protest, against any exeeSsivo indulgence being sliown to members of tho Right. At tlio oloso of the session M. Krupensky,' a fellow-offender and fellow-sufferer with • ,M. IColopovsky last session, went to tho tribune and offered M. itliociiakoff, lis lie said, " My profound respect."'. M. Khoriiiakoff bowed his thanliSi .

In justice to the Assembly, it should be said that M. Kelepovskjr's epithet w.as only' faintly applauded, _ and it_ was stultified by the immediate choice of six-members of the Opposition in a committee of eighteen • to draft the address; to. tho Tsar. The, reactionaries aro trying to weaken the roler'mcwi to tho; existence, of a Constitutional charter in the form of. a fundamental law ; ,n tho Octobrist party's draft of the' address, and aro insisting oh tho uso of' the iiord' "Autocrat" in some place or other. Tho Octobrists aro resisting feebly. ANTI-SEMITIC AGITATOR. J Ueriin, November 21. Tlio notorious anti-Semitic agitator, Count Walter Puckl'or, was arrested this afternoon at.a fashionable hotel here aiid convoyed under police escort to Dalldorf Asylum as a dahgerous lunatic. Count Puckler was extremely activo for many years in conducting a.vifileiit anti-Semitic agitation, in tho course of which lie delivered hundreds of public speeches and wroto dozens of pairiphlots advocating tho extremist form of Jew baiting. His chief desire was to introduce massacres on tlio Russian model into Germany, arid he liad repeatedly incited his audiences at public meetings to violenco against the Jews. Oiie famous pronouncement _ of the Count's was, Every ono murdering a Jew confers a public benefit." In another speech lie once urged tho men of Germany to break tlio skulls of all JeWs, and to throw all the Jewesses in the country into tho nearest rivers. Theso are typical examples of Count Puckler's anti-Semitic oratory. He oriticiscd tho Emperor for admitting Ilorr Ballin arid other Jews to friendship. _ Tlio Count was repeatedly prosecuted for inciting to public violenco and other offences, Arid ho was several times sentenced to imprisonment, bill moro rccontly ho had boon acquitted on the ground of not being completely saiio and being irresponsible for his actions. After these acquittiils Count Pilcklor had continued his agitation, but lie. had on joyed comparative immunity as a harmloss lunatic. His most recent exploits havo been tho writing of abiisivo pamphlets about the Eniperoi - , upon which tho authorities appear to have decided to regard him as n dangerous lunatic, lionco his arrest and inoarcoration at Dalldorf. ( THE NASI TRIAL. Rome, Novembor 20. Tho dignity of tho Senate was scandalously infringed to-day in connection with tho resumed trial of Signor Nasi, ox-Ministor of Public Instruction, on charges of malversation of public funds. Counsel for the accused lost all respoct for tho President and tho Sena- . t«s. refused to obor tho rulinc of the Presi-

dont, and used strong language. . Nasi .him: self contributed to tho undignified scoho.Ad- < dressing' tho Sen ato, he delivered an ■ em- 1 photic protosfc against a politeinati: remaining at' his house whilst the trial was: going -oil. declaring that it-was an msult to liini and - liis family '".'.Tho incidents became so uproarious -th'St*at times tho Sonata seemed transformed- into-a \ bedlam. Nasi's lawyers finally left.the.hall, . after writing an indignant'letter to,:the Pre- ; ;sident, in which. they; stated that they aban- ■ donod: the dofonce in order to protect' thoir o'.vii dignity;. The President-thereupon journccTthe Sitting, >lid "ordered the, lawyers to ho presentto-thprrpw; -','aS'- pth6rw.iSo;,he, wbuld enforce thip law, : tfhich gives'him. pbtfbt to find .tried fot'. contompt or court. vEveryßbdy is scandalised. at tho dclplbrablb &bries which' have been eimctrf, .'thc/dpihibn. being that: they .add • insult' 'tb., injury, : as''-'aggravating ' 'tho* damage wliidli: the ohiirgoS ftgaiiist .Nisi lifivtf already doner to- tlid Italian ■ tary prestige.' . ■ 1 " vi :■ ' " " November 21. ■' ; Tho proceedings, at the trial of. Signo'r ;Nasi to-day wore'in . thU'nature of .an epilogu'd -,to. yesterday's/noisyincidents, '■' and.; leaded :,tb confirm the opinion now generally otitericinod that' tho. Senate lacks both the mail Wl tho regulations adapted'to . cope with, tho requirements -of . tlio 'administration -of justicb. ...The, President both yesterday and; to-day appeared,to be .without..sufficient.authority/or the. ihMis .to make it. respected:; The Senators arc not sufficiently insensible to: political-opinions,- so that, .instead; of acting as impartial - judges, they, often -ifido Neither, with or.against the accused.Notwithstanding 'his: .threat yesterday;-to; compel tho attendance of tlie defending conn-' sel, who had-declared they would abandon the case, tlio President did not have recourso ,tr estrbmo measures against the lawyers,-, but merely ahnUonced'thati' as the period of vacatibri would .begin from to-morrow and last . till-Novomber 28, he -thought best ivnticjf pate ;it. from to-day, and - also to extend; it till Dofceriibor 12, and thus, enabio .now;.,lavvyor3 to 1 be appointed by the Senate to study the tiaso and.be prepared-'to undertake'the defenco.: Signor Nasi desired to speak, but tho President succeeded in preventing him.Tlio genbral opinion is'that; tho defenco are deliberately trying to niako.the trial drag on ' for months. -. . v"'-' - RIYIERV DISASTER. Nice. November 20. ! . Visitors to tho Riviera who.know the road from Cannes, on tho boast, leading through, tho valley of tho Loup to Grasse, the little 1 ton'ii' of the violet growers., will : regret to '. .hear' that'a number of workmen have, been. bliried beneath landslide this . morn';. , in« near the hamlet ot Couvmes, situated on '• this road ,'a .few-miles from Cannes.. , The ' accident happened at eight, o'blpck, .just after 1 tlio navvies liad left for their, morning's work on a barrage. that was being ccristriip- « tod to tap thbUvaters.of the Loup in order • to supply power for''ah electricity .supply company. : ; ? Soventcen men were making an excavation. 1 for - the'Pataras.'electric works, under the ! superintendence of M. Paul Farand, a con- ' tractor, when the rooky face of the lull above »' 'collapsed,- .burying;, the men and,- the ,coil', tractor.. Efforts:were at piicc begun to ex-, tricato. tlion?, and telegrams w'ero despatched to . tlio StibtPrcfect- of :,Grassb, and'to. the: Prefect ef Nice.- - .: ■ ■ ,' Towards midday 160 men of the 23rd Al- !' pine. .Chasseurs arrived from Grasso; and, a ■ dbtachmcnt of Chasseurs' wore despatched at, ' thb same time' from ,Nice to assist in tho rc- ' iiDvery of. the bodies.,, At , four o'clook' two • dead bedies were, recovered, together-with ; two, injured men. The bodies,of tho ; dead > nieii hatVbeeii terribly mangled by tho weiszht > of, rock. Tho contractor, 11. Faraud, is still : midcr.-tho .debris, and; up to foiir'o'clock his ! cries could .still bo, heard. •One... man was caught between two rocks, : his head alone' 3 showing. He was supplied with stimulants, i but expired at five o'clock. There are Still ; twblvo bodies under, the mass of .rock and i earth. ' |' ! ' , ; EMBARRASSED CHILE.' : ;• !, . Santiago, November 19. • ' ''The -financial -, situation -here .is : serious,; ''owing 'tpjthbpiriprectidenMd fall in tho rata J.-' 'of exchaiige, ri which ife' fioSV 9d. for tho peso.! , One bank liiis closed its doors; and three ; 'others lmve. 1 handedytlicinselyos, over to -thb. j ;Balik of Chile. ■' ,

v Otvitig to'the withdrawal- by. Messrs. Pearson and. Soil of their, tender for- ; th6 Arica-La-Paa' railway, the Gerriian competing firm is making hard Conditions, demanding, it is Said, a monopoly of/the noxt .loan on favourable terms. The Governriient has how. again Applied to .Messrs. -Pearsoiii but the lattcr's ngent says that ho frill only ; Consider business on revised • and mncli : improved toriris.; Tbo Goverhment. finds■ itself in .a ; very embarrassing position. FRANCE' IN MOROCCO. I tangleiv November 2±. ' Tlio French and Spanish Ministers have bold their first conference with Sid Ben Slimaii, tlio Moorish Minister: for Foreign Affairs,, the subjects being the'repression ;of 'contraband in amis and the work of tho International Commission, which is to be . constituted at Casa Blanea for the payment of indemnities to the relatives of thoEuropeanvictims of the bombardment. M. .Regnault (France) arid Sencr. Llaboria (Spain) both pressed the. Makhzen to put into speedy execution the .provisions of - the ConVchtioii of ■ Algeeiras. The Ministers eipeciallv insisted oil the permission granted to Eliropenns to bin* properties situated on tho outskirls of tlio towns being made effective. Sid BefiSliman, iii roplyj promised to submit the various questions to tlio Sultan'and his C3oiiiif.il of Viaiers, arid expressed his hope that tho stipulations '.vonld bo agreed to. * ' . 'Five hundred men and horses, with have left here for Mogadbr by a steamer which will clill ftt Eab.it to take on'board another . 500 soldiers. The Moorish ■ Government, encouraged by their last success, have decided on tlio concentration of the Imperial force's at Mogftdor, -which is still 1 threatened by Mulai Maiid.; FOOD RIOTS IN AUSTRIA. x . . Vienna, November J?0.... Tho steady increase in tbo cost of food in Austria during tho past two years is excite injr great indignation among tho population, arid has culminated iu disorderly demonstrations in many towns, especially in Bohemia. At- Nqubydzow yesterday tho'mob smashed ■the windows of the bakers' and grocers' shops. At Klndno tho gendarmery were called out to disperse tho crowds. At Itakoriita, COOO workmen struck for half a day as a protest against the high pi-ices of food, and similar demonstrations have been held in I'ardubitz, Aussig, arid other towns.

Tho strong; agrarian protectionist attitude of the new Minister of Agriculture, Dr.Ebenhocli, as revealed in -his first ministerial speech in t!ie Reichsrath yesterday, has aroused much criticism. Dr. Kberihoch refused to consider the granting of the slightest concesions to tho oonsumiiig public by tho removal of the present prohibition of the import of live cattlo from Russia, Roumania, and Rcrvia, or by permitting the import of frozen meat from North and South America, declaring that the latter step would involve danger to cattlo breeding in Austria. This contention is generally ridiculed in the Vienna presu, tho "Arbeitcr Zcitung" characterising it as flagrant humbug. FRANCE AND GERMANY. Paris, November 19. Tho " Echo do Paris " gives' pt-ominence to a rumour that Baron Mai scbail von Bieberstoin, at present German Ambassador nt Constantinople, and reooiitly first delegate at the Hague, may shortly replace Prirce Radnlin at Paris. This if. repeated, with .variations, by the "Messidor" from Berlin, but neither the Gorman Embassy nor tho Quai' d'Orsay has any information on the subject. Baron Marschall von Biebcrstoin's successor at Constantinople is supposed to be Herr von Kiderlinwiichter, and Princo Radolin is given the place of Gran Marshall at the Court_ of Berlin to leplaco Princo Eulenburg. None of these rumours is very substantial, and at the present juncture thoro does not appear to bo any reason for mailing such diplomatic changos as thoso iiinted at. Should thoy over tako paco, considerable developments might be looked for from tho restless energy and masterful will of Baron Marschall von Biebcrstein, whose name at Constantinople will always stand amongst those of tho few "Great Elchis." The only question is 'whether tho qualities that co to make a creat Ambassador in the

East alsp contribute to success in the West, ' especially when tho countries concerned ana France and Germany. ~ 1 GERMANY'S NAVAL PROGRAIfIME." i ' Borlint November'l9. 1 '..-.-Accordingi.to'-the new programme Germany . ' •' .will possess at the beginning of 1914 a navy ' I consisting-of 13 of-18,000 tpns 0 i and upwards,,-10 'battleships ,of approximately;■ f> - I 13,000 tons, toh battleSiups virjing from ■ i 11,000. to -II.SOO tpns, -and fpur.-.battlcshipa : ... ; 1 \ of 10,000 tons each., At,the beginning; of- V, : \ Germany ': will possess■ 10\DattlflshipS o!-18,000!»w.w :; .' l tons ana upwards, .10 battleships of; 13,000 . '■ tons, nine battleships of between 11,000 12,OOpvtanS 1 -.-jii'".'additteftit67sis''.lttrfed<cruise'M^S f |^-!' ; : : of it probable displacetnertt of 18,000 tons and. upwards,- tw6 cruisers of. 10,(300 tons, two. . •'-. h Y*' cruisers of .11,600;,t0n5,-: and fivo cf approxi- • r .liiately 9000' tons ' :.:v v i ' Tho general nhpresSion among- all partna , *■,V i'. is.-.that tho Government's ship-buildmg pn> - granimo is moderate, and will probably, be ac- ; . i" . ;-. ceptable to tho iVholo of the Reichstag.except' . : -v - - tho Social Democrats. Tho. "Neuesto Nach-. i'v ncliten," however, ;;wlnch. is tlio organ of'tho ''■ Navy League, declares it to bo ostremely disappointing, and demands a .far: mora am- :• .■■ 1 • bitious progranuno of constructibn.; It' com-',' plains.-tliat the lifetime of. cruisers .has-.'re-.-i mamod en the old .basis, of calculation, and > > ; that tho provision of substitutes for tlio 17 • : battleships which are now completely obsb- v loto : will :bo effected far too slowly, ■ .The • "Tagliche Rundsbliau' ) .cohdfemiis t tlio new '• : ' bill , as insufßoirntj,and attacks tho 'Govern- f ment for their lack, of zeal in-developing the navy,,. Tho '.'Deutsche, Zoitung" -adopts'the; »• a>-; same.'lmei vTho Liberal and Clerical organs; :' publisli comlnents i which' mdicato that the ■ v parties they: represent will support the bill.:: - in the Reichstag. - • ; - ::. ' Paris, November 19. 1 :. Tlie publication of the now German nav.-J : : -. programme, based on- a reduction of tho lifo. ■ : pi a-battleship to 20 years,' and resulting in • an automatic-building scheme for the next' ■ .c ■ ; nine years has aroused lively interest -in . France. It may as-well ho said at' onco tliAt-, \ this interest .appears 'to contro mare on the:. % ;,v - effect this chango of system in Germany will ' • : produce-.on. British shipbuilding than on the : disproportion ,it may create -bctwetjn the-.-;. navies of Franco and Germany unless tho form- . mer; adopts a similar policy.: - Tho real danger ' to France is felt .to lie,, -perhaps,..rathor.-m: . . the strain that will bo put on the German. . , taxpayor, than in tho oventual superiority of < tho German navy, ■ Notwithstanding tho pa- , cific speeches of the-'Emperor j 'and liis .mdu- ■ bitablo efforts to war, it cannot be lost . -' -sight of'that his Ma'jcstyisbut mortal, and ;i: i that the crushing burdens which threaten tb ■ 1 go on increasing in the futuro as thoy have - steadily done in the' last few years may end in tiring out tho patienco of tho nation. In - ■ i other werds, tlioro will be stored up such an enoimous capital-sum: of sacnlico and eflfort' , . that, Germany may. one-day. bo tempted, to ■ : • ; .>• . . jsook-for an immediate, interest o»i:the re'cooping of her ohtlay. It is the 'possibility 1 -:, ; pfisuch a moment finding-France-unprepared , ; ' i that alone tinges her consideration of Gor-.. : ; man naval progress with, some slight alarm. . ■' • One of tho reasons for tho comparatively . I . small personal interest France shews in tlio - - i . systematic, increase 1 in the German navy must | : be put down to tho entente cordiale. . She ! . now fears practically noVattack by .sea, ex-.,- . ; . i I ccpt-rspcaking of course. academically — .. | , from Gormany and Itally. Still speaking aca-, , [ ' dbniically.,— she is assured that in tho ~ -■: . former caso sho would have British Dread- ( k noughts on her sido, and in : the latter Bhe 1 i - need not take German ships into considera- i i . tion. ■ . - - - - • 1 .- - '■

For tho, same comfortabio 1 reason, it will very possibly prove eventually that the new French ships will gradually'. gravitate towards tho King Ed\Vard Vll. type, and that-ti-u'st to their friends and allies, for , lieayy ■ hiotal if : everoccasion,' re^ttireS; ;. ,