DIARY OF THE WORLD'S NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 330, 17 October 1908, Page 10

DIARY OF THE WORLD'S NEWS.

WEEKLY; SUMMARY BY MAIL. Tho following weekly summary of tho world's news is taken from tho "Daily Mail" Overseas. Edition of September 5: — aWjST 28. In tlio death of tho Due do Dnudeauvillo, '-who has-passed-away at the Chateau do Bonnota'ule, his estate in the Sarthe, at tho age, of eighty-three, Franco loses ono of tho distinguished members of her old "nobility.':'Tlio Due do Doudeauvillo oi> ' teral politics in 1871. In tho same yea', the Due do Doudeauvillo was appointed Ambassador at .London, which, post ho 'only .'occup'ipd-' months, resigning .after layjng , a .Bill„ .before tlio Assembly for the restoration" of tho Monarchy. During'his tenure of-office in London the Duke entertained oii an exceedingly lavish .scale, ..and -:spent a;.,largo'part of-his fortune in giving fetes on a sumptuous scalo. In Paris, his' residence in tho Rue de Varcnno.,.was. frequently tho scene of splendid' ' fetes.' -''King Edward,- when ~ PrJnei}..of.,.Wal§Sj j was often tho guest.of'tho'Duc do Doudea'uville. Tho. steiimer.llKobO'.Maru has commenccd a weekly servico between Shanghai and i •>Dairon'"(Dalny)'>' -thi?:' southern terminus of the South. Manchuria Railway. From ' that' ; port : arf oSprtsfe' Pullman train con- ! .veys,.. passengers, and; mails to Kuangchengtze,' whero a transfer on to tho -Chineso'.'{Eastern: £ai)way is offected. By this "route it is hoped that the'_ journey from Ldndohito; Shanghai and vico versa will occupy only, sixteen days.

AUGUST 29. A cloudburst disast'gfiit-"Poison, near Mexico, camo so suddenly, .that tho loss of lives ; would have"' J beeil""'fi'i : " greater had it not been fqr tlip hc/gjsnrpf Mrs. Sarah Rooke, an'-operafori jtppal telephone bureau. Sho : mtd T)eeV"warned from a neighbouring exchange, of tho approaching wall ...of. water-which-was-carrying all before it, and although she had time ,$o flee and save ■,her-post and succeeded .in calling up forty people from difieronfcr'familiesf giving tliem all an oppor'"tunity She was finally over<t, whelmed tho-.current of water while '' •still'Cht body'of the brave woman was found- tho next day twelve miles distant from Folson, the telephone ••l-y j-eceiser: 'Sti It-'like'd "t 6''her ■ head. lOiinnjg 'a ; o violent' ThunSerst'ovni at Saragossa . 'theiftigliTwind, „torq.. r tlio, military balloon ' "jGtiiVi'ot;"'fliV£o*fciiig -and dashed it '• -agaiiist 'Spme-.efetfio,; arc lamps. A short circiiTt' wa 1 s titatlislied, and the balloon, -.which..was filled-,with: hydrogen, exploded. The ortv'elbpe* whf 'shattered to atoms. of v burning, material fell on some " ''large s£™ks%T'liml)cr in a yard ,by the ; '^ide' , of , tKo' r fKirwAy l 'l!iie. No one was hurt.

?J: ""IUStIST 30. • At a banquet'given at -Strasburg, tho Kaiser, . in. .proposing_ a toast, mado the following sjJ&afli'"l Rejoice''to bo ablo to express j , i t-9„.yoy. J ,jny,'.dQfiPQst.,:convictioii that tho •'{waco'of'Europe-is-not; in danger. It rests ' :, oh too"■sbh'd : fburidatiohs to be easily upset by tbe -incitements .and calumnies' provoked ■ r f by-erfvious;"iind 'ill-disposed individuals. A • .firm., security . exists, iu the first place in ''' the conScibrico 'bf the princes and statesmen v of• Europe,-who-know and feel that they aro. responsible to God for the lives ■■ 'and prosnbrity/''of the peoples entrusted p -to' their leadership.''....On the other hand, it is the will and . desire of the peoples thomselves to make themselves useful by tranquilly pursuing the development of the magnificent achievements of a progrcs- .' sive civilisation, and to measuro their -, strength . in. peaceful rivalry. .Finally, ■ peace is also , assured and guaranteed by : our power oiTsca and land, bv the Gorman i, people'in,'.ajms. .' Proud of the manly disi ciplino ahd : -'lov'o !of hoiioiir of her armed • forces, Germany is determined to keep : them on their high level'without menace to others, and to develop thorn as her own interests demand, favouring nono, injuring n0n0.",. ■ • . , ; '

if. . Reno Quinton; the well-known ' scientist and patron of aeronautics, has formed a "National 'Aerial League,"' tho object of . which "is to" Jirovido"France with an aerial fleet 'by'" public subscription. About , £4000 has already been subscribed. Mont Blario lias been,.climbed by a dog—a ■.' young St. Bernard—under reinarkablo' cirl cumstanccs.;, The owner of tho dog, M Leopold Tairraz, of Chamoiinix, recently •: 'purchased, tlib: animal at Courmayeur, and jbfoiight' it home over tho Col 'du Gearit. ;oyer, 11,000 ft.. high... Two days .ago' M : Tairraz climbwl -Mont Blanc .with M. Stephahik,.the 'Russian astronomer, and stayed at th6;Yal)ot'.Obf!Q.r.vatory, on. the summit. In - the ; evening'his dog arrived exhausted and hungry'.at tho'top. It is difficult to .* estimate .tne'.'tinie taken by the dog .to ascend "Mont Blanc, but it is calculatcd to be under .fourteen hours. • , . , ; AUGUST 31. The great''parade' iii honour of • the Ameri- . cans #hb' participated in the Olympic ]. Games ' w'as < 'made , 'tho occasion for _ a • general-holiday-in-New York. Tho City •Half, 7 ' Broadway; and other streets wero ■ decorated," ahd, : the- pavements were filled ■' :by cheering •' thousands. Hawkers sold 'flags ■ bearing a picture of Uncle Sam jiiirling' tho British' lion, through tho' air r -by the tail. ' Escorted by, police and a ; .large force of''/troops,, the athletes . sat v flushing- in. v The Marathon l T -trophy on'''a''decorated dray .called forth • a "ito'rin off'applhlisc 1 ,' 1 and Mr. Hayes, the . • winner :'bf the, Tftcej : .who was in a car im- " ;mediately-'behirid'the dray, was probably ; ! the'most popular mail in the parade. _ Received at Sagamore; Hill by President Roosevelt, the athletes were warmly con- • gratulatetl; As'the "President seized" on# I. 'after'another'of the ".visitors by the hand u 'in a:' Vicerlike grip',('.'be informed' them all Hhat' l -'he cjiiil^l'pliss-a competitive examina- : tion in 'tho, 'details'''of tneir feats. "In tho history \6f"-itbletics," he exclaimed, : "your performance vhss never been dupli- '. cated." While puh'clt, cigars, cigarettes, . and cake were served' to the athletes, th» ! President drew ■ Mr."-James E. Sullivan, ! their manager, -into'a corner, and Mr. Sul- . livan repeated b'ittcrly his stock complaint of "British unfair play." ""Well," the „• :Presi'derlt responde.d, "we've 'won out,' • iaml'"the'less :: talk ; ing-we do the better. It ■■■■ ivras' muchrtfeftg'Slo' Beat them tho way we .- itli'd' tliaif'tdVliaVe'Ji'ad them como over '• 1 Btfm;c- i 'tlwy went away, Mr. - 'Roosevelt delivcred'-ah address to tho athr ilctes'j tefllng-them tliey were heroes-for " only fourteen""dliysr-'aitd must not forget .work.'

! W SEPTEMBER 1Before".a"'brHliaiit assemblago, including tho ?. iKai'sor; an'd-'f Kai'serili; tho Crown Prince ! a'iid 'PrinteSsv-this' Diplomatic Corps, and f :tho most (listingitishea Assyriologists, the ' Emperor's-' gorgeous' Babylonian ballet, " Sardanapal," .was produced at the Royal iOpera Housed 'The'.picce is founded upon " Byron's tragedy, of. Sardanapalus," dealing' with the'-lifo of that famous 1 'kihg' r '6f 'NihcVbh and.' 1 Assyria, who reigned ciri l a , ' ! -650' ;^Oi'',; was finally over- .- como"by Arbaees' tho Mcde. The perform'aiico was'*'triumph-of glittering pageantry and'scenic and''costumo effects. The ballet. ~ Iwhieb has biigaged the animated personal attention of tho- Kaiser and of Professor '••• Delitzschj tho ; cclebrated Babylonian scholar I' lof'tßo Xl!iiv ; erkity''o'f Berlin, for the past ~ nine' an enormous expenditure of energy and money. With a ,' view to reproducing the. glories of anciont '. Ninovoh wnth historical accuracy hundreds ~ of' German scientists have been employed , throughout the'slimmer exploring the ruins I of Babylon for tho minutest traces of the . .ancient costumes and environment. •Tho opening, of tho Tilgrims' Railway from /Damascus .to . Medina was celebrated on .: . ithfl,, of ;.the accossion of the : Sultan, of. Turkey.This important work will iiltimateVy- uniiV the sacred city of Mecca with, tho seat" of-tho temporal power in Constantinople. The railway, which was begun in 1901, follows in tho main the old ' pilgrim,, road to Mecca—a distance of 1100 miles from Damascus., Eight hundred and

fifteon miles have been completed in seven years, and there remain only 285 miles^ to carry tlio lino from •Medina to Mecca. The cost has been only £3,105,000, or less than .-£3OO0 t a'mile, for thissum includes tho cost jf, tho' material for tlio unfinished sectjon from Medina to Mecca. Tho explanation • of. this small expenditure is to be found in tho fact that the land is the Sultan's and that the labour has been, supplied by tlio army. Four thousand bridges and culverts and numerous tunnels have been constructed, as well as workshops at Damascus, Haifa, Dara, Maan, Salali, and Medina. The workshop at Damascus covers an area of about 13,000 square yards, and is equipped for the making of locomotives. Thero is no doubt that tho remaining 235 miles from Medina to Mecca will bo completed without delay. "' Tho Sultan. undertook this great enterprise in order to bring 'in closer cohesion tho whole of the Mohammedan world and to consolidate his authority over Arabia. Hitherto men, as well as supplies and. warlike material, have boen sent across the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal, and down tho Red Sea to Jeddah. This necessity exposed a most vulnerable point in the Sultan's' armour, and the mere threat of blockading Jeddah was often enough to solve with incredible speed more than one very 'difficult"problem in. European politics. Tho Hojaz railway has overcome that difficulty l and given to Abdul Hamid a strategic baso from which ho may .without _.superhuman effort overcome the. recalcitrant tribes, of Central Arabia. SEPTEMBER 2. A' Moritpelier (Vermont) telegram. states that the- Republicans won tho' State elections with tho return of Mr. Prouty as ■Govornor by a majority of about 28,000 'over Mr. Burko (Democrat). This is tho smallest majority secured in any Presidential election year since 1892, which was followed by a Democratic national victory. Much • interest was taken in the contest throughout tho country, as the fluctuations in tho Republican majority probably indicate tho trend of tho voting in the Presi- , dential election in November.

Camel-meat is to be introduced on tho Paris markets. The meat is said to have an exquisite flavour, especially tho lnimp and the head. It is tender and somewhat similar in taste to beef.

The German Ministry of War announces that the relief drafts for the" troops in China, which for the first time have been sent out' by. tlio overland route,, via (Russia ";and Maiichuna,- arrived at,'.their rdbstination/ Tientsin',' .in', excellent coiidi;tiori.'. no cases, of sickness. " According to a • communication ■ from Madrid,. the Spanish Government has docided to grant a German firm permission to establish a coaling depot in tlio Canary Islands. SEPTEMBER 3.' Mr. Charles Oliver Jones, ono of the best known among the younger American aeronauts/ mot a horriblo death at Watervillo, Maine, when, in full view of 25,000 spectators, including his wifo and children, tho giant ■ dirigible balloon Boomerang, which lie was operating, caught fire at an elevation of 500 feet. A spark from the motor igniting tho gas from a leak in tho envelope was tho cause of tho catastrophe, and. was visiblo to tho vast' ground below before Mr. Jones becamo awaro of his peril. -A mighty sho'iit of warning from , the/ multitude -first "called the aeronaut's ■attention to tho flames, which wcro curl-, ing'about the'gasbag. , Ho pulled tho yalvo cord'and cro'uchcd baclc 'as far as possible. There was an explosion', and tho machine, :with-the'-aeronaut, was blown' apart from the superstructure and fell with an awful crash to the ground. Mrs. Jones, who had often accompanied her husband on his flights, rushed to him and discovered his body pinned beneath the wreckage, with ' his'back'broken.

Rppgrts are current in Berlin that tlio Imperial Family is desirous of bringing about a marriage . between the - Kaiser's only daughter, Princess Vjctorin. Luise of Prus- ■ sia, and the Archduke Karl Franz Joseph, : who stands in the lino, of succession to the • Austrian throno, says our Berlin cor- .■ respondent. THE EMPIRE. Tlio.' Cape Parliament lias sanctioned loans amounting to £1,846,125, principally for the purpose of covering deficits. : The total figures for- immigration into Canada in July show a decrease of 15,000. or 57 per . cent. Arrivals by ocean "ports' numbered 6851,, and from tho United'States'44Bl, its compared with 20,946 and-5395 respectively in July, 1907. '

f A firm of shipbuilders met the leading business men of Jamaica recently and discussed the establishment of a floating dock costing £53,000. A-committee has been appointed to deal with the question. A Government guarantee is sought. To facilitate legislative measures—among them, the adoption of tho Canadian part in the projected "All Red route" from England to Australasia via Canada—the Canadian Government, Router. states, is to adopt the system of closure existing in the British House of. Commons.

. Mr. William Willett, who recently sailed for Capetown to further tho campaign for more daylight, stated in an interview that two towns in Canada had already adopted the scheme oil their own responsibility, .and were' duly, setting',',forward their, clocks: in the . summer inpnths.'. - ■ , v.-,, v

Three' hundred 'Boers, including eighty heads of families, have arrived at .Nairobi on a trek by way of Lourenco Marques. The trek consists almost solely of Transvallers. ltifles and ammunition are plentiful among them, the type of firearm boing mainly of the Mauser pattern; The trekkors will settle on the Wasin Gnisho Plateau.

Official figures just issued demonstrate tho failure of the "Swadeshi" movement as a commercial boycott. The total imports into British India are 20 per cent., higher than thoso of the previous year, when the value of the imports was estimated at £78,161,000. The value of cotton imports shows an increase of 17 per cent, on the £27,278,000 of 1906-7.

According to Consul E. A. Groovoy, of Colombo, the cultivation of tea was first seriously undertaken .in 1873,' because of the destruction by'.blight ;of the previously, highly remunerative .coffee groves, and it has , become the most, extensive and productive of tho capitalised industries of Ceylon.. In 1873 but one lot of tea, weighing. 331b., was exported, but in 1907 the quantity roso to 179,844,8271b. At the end of 1907 planters' returns showed a total tea acreage of 385,000. About 1200 Europeans are employed, as managers and assistants in the operations of tho various estates and factories.

The greatest rush.for land in.the history of Western Canada took., place on Tuesday, September 1, when tho new Dominion Lands Act, throwing open for settlement tho oddnumber Sections in tho districts of Regina, Moosejaw, Calgary,. Humboldt,' Battleford, and Red Deer, became operative. The total area"'opened up is approximately thirty million acres. Homesteaders owning ICO acres are permitted .to double their holding, and nearly ovory settler is taking advantage of this privilege. Hundreds of people surrounded tho Land Office, and the sorvices of mounted police were requisitioned to keep tho applicants .in line.

The plight of. tlio stationmaster of Tsavu, who .sent a message through to Nairobi, "Lion sitting before office door," and imploring assistance, is 'not an unusual one in Uganda. A similar incident occurred at the little roadside station of Kimaa. One night a lion climbcd on to the roof of the station buildings and tried to tear off the corrugated iron sheets. Thereupon the terrified baboo in charge of the telegraph instrument .sent the imperative message to the traffic manager, "l/ion fighting with station. Send urgent succour." Fortunately, the lion was not victorious in his "fight with the station"; but lie did not • give up the tussle with the corrugate,d irgn ..till he had cut his foot badly, 'enough to übato hia unconscionable appolite.