NEWS FROM RUSSIA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 276, 14 August 1908, Page 11

NEWS FROM RUSSIA.

TORTURE METHODS FORBIDDEN. Tho St. Petersburg correspondent of the "Standard" writing' on June 27 states:—M. Stolypin has issued a circular order to tho Russian empire at large forbidding the use of methods of torture by the police, secret agents, and others in the endeavour to extract information and evidence from suspects and prisoners. It is with difficulty that the Duma isnowadays able to assemblo a quorum. Tho fatiguo of tho lengthy sittings, from eleven to six o'clock, with-frequent night-sittings, is telling on the pationce and nerves of the members. The votes'for the Ministry of Education have been passed, a notable feature of tho discussion being the fact thatProfessor Milukoff, the leader of tho Constitutional Democrats, secured an overwhelming majority in favour of his recommendation to re-admit women students who had been excluded from tho universities upon the strength of a Ministerial circular. Moscow University, .where, 630 women are affected, lias decided to suspend actiou- pending - the final decision of tho Ministry anent exclusion. ' .

Tho following telegram attracts attention owing to tho absence of tho usual data, such as the name of the offender and tho character' of offence charged:— "Reval: One peasant who had been condemned to death has been hanged." Fivo other executions are reported from various towns to-day, but in the usual manner.

Tho Russian "Heralds College" recently warned the Ministries of War and Marine not to send any further recommendations .of- officers for the Order of St. George "for valour" after July 14, unless warranted by exceptional circumstances. Tho warning is necessitatedowing to the ceaseless flow of • recommendations based on tho war with Japan. These exceed anything hitherto known in Russia, and still continue, though threo yoars have elapsed sinco tho war camo i to an end. Twenty-four cases of suicide took placo in St. Petersburg yesterday. •In twenty-two instances poison was taken; in one caso drowning was resorted to, whilst tho twenty-fourth victim was crushed by a railway train.