CONTINENTAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1204, 29 March 1895, Page 29

CONTINENTAL.

Brussels, March 19. The Belgian Court has sentenced Baron Sternberg, the Anarchist leader, to imprisonment for life for stealing explosives. Constantinople, March 19. Turkish soldiers patrol the roads leading to Moush, the town in Armenia, and murder Armenian witnesses to prevent them giving evidence before the Commission of Enquiry."— i, Constantinople, March 24. A fight took place at Tokat, in Asia Minor, between Mussulmans and Armenian Christians, in which 40 men were killed or wounded. Constantinople, March 25. The Bight Hon Sir Philip Currie, British Ambassador at Constantinople, had two hours' conversation with the Sultan. It is believed-he convinced him of the reality of the atrocities in Armenia. Madrid", March 19. The missing warship Reina Regente has been discovered to be sunk at the entrance to the Straits of Gibraltar. Nobody was rescued. The Reina Regente contained 140 watertight bulkheads. For many years she enjoyed the distinction of being the fastest cruiser in the Spanish navy. Madrid, March 20. Several editors of Barcelona papers have been arrested, and will be tried by courtmartial. '■";'•.■.'"■■' Many duels are impending at Madrid between journalists and army officers. Madrid, March 21. Several Spanish journalists have fled to Portugal and. France. Senor Campos, the military commander, claims the power to try editors and officers under a law that is virtually repealed.

The Premier, Senor Sagasta, is willing that this should be done, but his colleagues resist the claim. The Queen-Regent has requested the Premier (Don Sagasta) and his Ministers to remain in office, instead of persisting in the resignation brought about through the press troubles. Madrid, March 23. Senor Oanovas has succeeded in forming a Ministry. Madrid, March 24. It appears that the warship Reina Regente was caught in a tremendous gale, during which she was continuously swept by huge seas, which eventually extinguished the furnaces, and thus rendered the vessel unmanageable. A peasant states that he saw the warship founder suddenly, a .few miles from shore, but that the sea was so heavy that there was no possibility of rendering any assistance to the large number of men who must have been left struggling in the water. fTDhe Reina Regente was launched on the Clyde in October, in 1887. She belonged to the "protected" type of cruiser, and on her trial trip attained a speed of 20'73 knots per hour for four hours. Her dimensions were : —Length over all 330 ft, breadth 50£ft,, and draught of water 20ft. Her displacement was 5000 tons. She was a twin screw vessel. Her armament consisted of four 24 centimetre Hontario (21 ton) guns, six 12 centimetre Hontario guns, eight six - pounder Nordenfeldt guns, eight small machine guns, and five above water torpedo tubes two forward, one on each broadside, and one aft. For protection she depended upon an armoured deck of steel, 4fin thick on the sloping sides, and 3in in the fiat portion at the middle, and partly upon the large subdivision of the ship above and below the protective deck. Between the protective deck and the one above it, that is between wind and water, there were 83 separate "compartments, most of which were used for coal bunkers. There were no less than 60 separate compartments below the protective deck. A double bottom extended from side to side and throughout the whole length of the ship.T

Berlin, March 23. The Prussian Diet passed a motion congratulating Prince Bismarck on the anniversary of his birthday. A scene of excitement took place in the Reichstag.wherp the Socialists rejected the President's motion congratulating the Prince by a majority of 17. President Vitne then resigned. There was a crowded attendance at the time, and;the galleries were well filled. The Emperor has wired to the Prince that he is most prof oundly indignant at the action of the Reicbstag, which he says is completely opposed to the feelings of all Germans who had the interest of the State •at heart,,' ■ ; Prince. Bismarck," in replying to the Emperor, changed an unkindly action into a source of joyful satisfaction. The State Council has condemned Count IjEanitz's proposal that the State should have a monopoly of imported cereals. v Berlin, March 23. , The Vice-President of the Reichstag has resigned, as well as the President, in consequence of the Socialist vote rejecting a motion of congratulation to Prince Bismarck Oh his birthday. Berlin, March 25. The Raiser's message to Prince Bismarcky expressing profound indignation at thi| rejection of the motion congratulating the Prince on his birthday, is regarded as in open conflict with the Reichstag. The Clericals and Socialists joined against those who wished to congratulate Prince Bismarck in the hope that the Chancellor, owing to the clamour,* would instruct the Chamber to dissolve. The Paris and Vienna press regrets the decision of Prince Hohenlohe to oppose a dissolution. About four hundred members of the Reichstag and the Prussian Diet waited on Prince Bismarck at Fredericksruhe and offered their felicitations. In the course' of his reply the aged statesman urged upon them the importance of developing national feeling. Paris, March 23. News has been received from Madagascar that the French authorities in Tamatave have sentenced Walter, a ,||>rmer American Consul, to 20 years' imprisonment on:a charge of exciting the Hovas to resist the French. • v ,■.;/*■'■■ Paris, March 25. . V,Tne Government has sanctioned the Credit Foncier lottery loan of 250 million francs. A packet containing details of the plans for a mobilisation of French troops on the Alpine frontier has been stolen by spies.