CABLES.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 29, Issue 1478, 26 February 1898, Page 3

CABLES.

The total amount provided in the British Army Estimates for the forthcoming year is £19,956,500. It is proposed to increase the cavalry by 684 men, the horse and field artilleiy by 3453, the garrison artillery by 3714, the foot guards by 2861, the infantry regiments by 12,230, and the West Indian and Malta regiments by 2141 men. The coat ot these additions to the numerical strength of the forces is estimated at £1.516.000.

The Chinese Government have pledged themselves to Britain to open V uen-uhonfu as a treaty port within two years. They say it will be impossible to ho so earlier owing to the weakness of the Executive. No trace of the missing boats of the Atacama wrecked off the coast of New South Wales has be«n discovered after a search by the tug; but a vessel towing a boat resembling that of the i!-fated vessel has passed Wooloneong. Very great friction between the English and French Governments regarding the Niger territory. There are GOOO troops at Lagos and on the Gold Coast. The Spanish cruiser Vezcaya is lying in New York, nd extraordinary precautions are being taken to ensure her Bafety. The steamer Princess Clementine, flying the American flag, covers the sunken steamer Maine.

Ihe Spanish Government have ocquitced in the demand of America for an independent investigation of the disaster. The Volkstein, the chief organ of the Boers in Pretoria, says it is expected that the Volkanuid will affirm the opinion expressed by President Kruger last year that the Transvaal would not recognise Britain's suzerainty because it was entirely opposed to the Convention of 1894. The paper adds that the decision will be communicated to the foreign Powers. A Local Government Bill for Ireland has been introduced into the House of Commons and has been welcomed both by Liberals and Nationalist as well as by the Irish Press. It confers on elective county councils, urban and rural districts, the administration of local affairs, fiscal administrative, arrangements connected with grand juries and lunatic asylums, control of roads, collection of rates. Dublin, Belfast, Londonderry, Limerick, Cork, and Waterford are constituted county boroughs. An Imperial vote of £730,000 will be made annually. The first reading was agreed to and the second fixed for a fortnight hence. M. Zola has been sentenced to a year's imprisonment end a fine of 3000 francs', notwithstanding the able defence of his counsel.