CABLE FLASHES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1290, 19 November 1896, Page 36

CABLE FLASHES.

Since an agreement in regard to Venezuela became probable, the newspapers of the Continenc have been asserting that Lord Salisbury admits the failure of the British policy in the East. Mr Lowles, M.P., who lately visited the colonies in the interests of the United Empire Trade League, read a paper before the Colonial Institute on ‘ f Inter-British trade.” He advocated an elastic Federation of the Empire on commercial lines. It transpires that some time ago China offered Formosa, which had already been in a state of tumult, to Great Britain, but that Lord Bosebery, who was then Prime Minister, declined to accept it. In the course of an address Sir Charles Dilke has stated that three great Powers had proposed the partition of China, but that Great Britain had refused to agree to it. Mr Greville, a Liberal-Unionist, has been elected to the East Bradford seat (rendered vacant by the fatal accident to Mr H. Byron Peed) by a majority of 395, defeating Mr Billson, Liberal. Mr Keir Hardie and six other Liberals declined nomination. The Conservative majority at the general election was 701.

The re-admission of English newspapers into Turkey is now allowed. The Russian press is urging the establishment of a fund for the relief of the Hindoo sufferers from famine.

By the capsizing of a fishing boat on the Berwent river, Tasmania, two men named Young and Buchan were drowned. The embargo placed on the importation of Capo wool into France owing to the prevalence of rinderpest there has been removed by the Customs Bepartment. In the breach of promise case brought against him by Mdlle. Olga Hacke, Major Lothaire, of Congo notoriety, has been mulcted in the costs of the plaintiff. The Germans are delighted at a statement in the Russian newspaper Vedomosti suggesting that the Czar will gladly mediate between their nation-and France on condition that the French abandon their hopes for revenge and acquiesce in the German occupation of Alsace. An Englishman named Victor Parr ran amuck at Toowoomba, Queensland, firing a revolver right and left. Fortunately he missed those he fired at, though a constable had an exceedingly narrow escape. When eventually captured by the police, Parr placed the revolver to his head and blew his brains out.

Replying to the Pope’s pathetic appeal for the release of the Italian j>risoners, Menelek of Abyssinia regrets that the attitude of Italy prevents such a sacrifice, and denies that it would afford any guarantee of the restoration of peace. Ho promises, however, to further alleviate the condition of the prisoners. The Niger Company is engaging officers to assist the Sultan of Sokoto (an inland State to the cast of the Niger) to repel the Rabahs, who have threatened to attack Kano. The Government has acceded to the request that many army officers be allowed to temporarily

attach themselves to the Niger Company. _ I he London Daily Telegraph contradicts the report that the Transvaal Government has demanded a million sterling as indemnity from the British South Africa Chartered Company. Earl Lonsdale, speaking at Whitehaven, said ho was authorised to state that the Kaiser’s telegram to President Kruger, which caused so much ferment in England about the time of the Jameson raid, was not meant in a spirit of antagonism to England or the English. lie also had the Kaiser’s authority to state that President Kruger had actually asked for assistance from Germanv against Jameson, and that the Emperor had refused it.

Sir John Gorst says it is necessary either

to adopt State aid for all schools, without dis-

: crimination, or to create a local authority to \ distribute the grant to all necessitous schools. I Lc Temps says the claim of the United | States for absolute supremacy in the Western I Memisphere is a serious derogation from the rights of urope. • Radicals in the French Chamber of Deputies ; attacked the Premier for allowing a congress of priests to meet at Rheims, but the Cbam- | her, by a majority of 95, passed a vote of con- ! fidenceinthe Government.

Tiie Chamber of Deputies lias approved the adoption of the Greenwich meridian a 3 the standard offtime, and has abolished the present Paris time. The German Reichstag has been asked to vote 70,000,000 marks for the Navy, which is double the amount asked for last year.

There is a tremendous revival in trade in the United States, which is weakening the advocacy for a revision of the tariff. An expedition is to leave Aku,ssa, at the mouth of the Niger, in the middle of December, to subjugate the Llarans, a powerful tribe which is harassing the British colony of Lagos,'on the Bight of Benin, formerly one of the great centres of the African slave trade. The Roman Catholic authorities state that the priest who was alleged by Dr Earle, Bishop of Marlborough (one of the suffragans to the Bishop of London), to haye. been kidnapped and confined in Prance,, left England yolunt^rily. London' financial papers approve the Queensland Government’s guarantee of the Queensland National Bank, and censure the abuses of the management.

The Agency Land and Finance Company’s balance-sheet shows a net profit of £1316. A sum of .£3OOO has been written off debenture expenses, and =BOOS carried forward. The will of the late Baron von Mueller offers his botanical library to the Victorian Government at a fair valuation, and returns his decorations to the dignitaries who bestowed them. In his will Baron von Mueller says ho considers the Victorian Government should make an allowance to his heirs for the extensive expenditure he has made for official purposes out of his private means since 1853. The value of his estate is ,£1036.

Calvert’s exploring expedition has readied the Fitzroy hiver, Western Australia, an ter many difficulties. A geologist and another member left the main party 300 miles back, intending to cut across the country and rejoin tHe party at a given point, but the main body, pvring to lack of water, were unable to wait at the point named. There is no sign of the missing men, and a search parry is being organised. " Bishop, of the Balmain. Swimming Clu,b, New South Wales, 'put up on Saturday a 100yds reoord. of lmin 3-sth sec.