CABLEGRAMS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. LONDON, June 1. INTERCOLONIAL. MELBOURNE, June 3.

Otago Witness, Issue 2569, 10 June 1903, Page 33

CABLEGRAMS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN. LONDON, June 1.

INTERCOLONIAL. MELBOURNE, June 3.

One hundred and twenty thousand Capetown blankets were sent to Hamburg. Owing to drought the Jamaican sugar crop is 43 per cent, below par. The planters' losses amount to £60,000. «Tune 2. Mount Hecla (Iceland) is active, and emitting sulphurous flames and dust. The Dublin University Council has recommended the admi^ion of women. Guqtav Itau and William Smith, the two pcamen sentenced to death in connection with the murders on board the barque Veronica, were executed at Liverpool. • A Chinese resident ha« advised Thibet to settle its commercial relations with India in a friendly spirit. Lord Curzon intends to pu<=h the mountain railway across the Himalayas into Thibet. The Daily Mail states that Lord Curzon will visit and remain in England three months, and that he will be reappointed Viceroy for a term of two years. Lord Northcote. Governor of Bombay, will be Acting-Viceroy during the interregnum. June 3. King Edward attends a review at 'Aldershot on the 22nd. The first-class battleship Exmouth has been commissioned to replace the Victorious on the Mediterranean station. Admiral Bedford has been placed on the retired list at his own request. Mr Chamberlain has invited 7000 members of the West Birmingham Liberal Unionist Association to a garden party ftt his Birmingham residence on the 20th. The Wire c .worth (Derbyshire) Bench has ordered three members of the Middleton Parish Council to pay the poor rate, notwithstanding their objection and passive resistance. Their action is intended as a protest against the conclusion (?) come to under the Education 'Act rate. According to Reuter, the prospect of the assembly of a joint High Commission, to settle outstanding questions between America and Canada is less hopeful. It is hinted in official circles in Washington that since Mr Chamberlain Jield out a hope of preferential treatment it is noticeable that Canada is less desirous of reciprocity with America, hence the Washington authorities think it un-

necessary to convene a commission for the consideration of other and minor subjects. June 4. Mr Best, of the Birmingham Brass Foundry, has bequeathed £100,000 to local charities. The London and North-Western Railway Company will run the Scotch express from London to Carlisle without stopping. i The Army Railway Council, appointed to advise Mr Brodrick in the movement of troops by rail, in the event of mobilisation, has been reconstructed on lfnes which assign members to special districts according to Army Corps requirements. The new council includes the Assistant-Director of Naval Intelligence j for Mobilisation, the Director of Navy Contracts, and representatives of the other branches President Loubet will arrive in London on July 6, and remain three days in the city. Reuter's Washington correspondent cables that Count Casdni, the Russian Minister, states that Manchuria will be finally evacuated in Sept-ember. June 5. Lord Salisbury is suffering from a j severe chill. I June 6. The bulletin last night concerning ! Lord Salisbury was more reassuring. He ' is progressing favourably. The steamer Deutschland has been refloated. The Daily Express states that Dr Aldrich, in practice at Clapton, and formerly of the Charing Cross Hospital, hypnotised a lady for amputation of the leg. The surgeons performed .a painless operation with wonderful success. The pulse and temperature were normal, and ' there were no symptoms of shock. ! June 7. The strength of the British volunteer force on January 1, 1903, was 250,990. The returns show a shortage of 1895 officers. This shows a decrease in the volunteer force as compared with the effective force :>s at January 1, 1902, of some 27,000 all ranks. Lord Salisbury is better. Miss Ada Crossley, Madame Albani, Miss Clara Butt, and Miss Narelle (of Sydney) assisted in a successful concert in aid of funds for the King's Colonial Volunteer Corps. Many royalties were J present. The King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the Hospital Sunday service at St. Paul's Cathedral. Great crowds of people gathered to witness their arrival and departure. June 8. In connection with the attendance of the Royal Family on liobpital Sunday at the service at St. Paul's 200 uniformed -nurses lined the uave. The Lord Mayor and members of the corporation received the King at the entrance of the city (at Temple Bar), presented the official sword, and accompanied the Sovereign to St. Paul's, me Bishop of Stepney preached. President Loubet will reside at St. James's Palace during his visit to London. King Emmanuel will arrive in England on November 15. The Daily Mail states that the War Office will present the headquarters of each colonial contingent with a flag whereon the engagements fought in i South, Africa will be inscribed. One hundred and nine flags will be presented altogether. If the contingent share been disbanded, the flag will be placed in some public building. PARIS, June 2. The German cruiser Ainazone, while , conveying mails to Prince Henry's J squadron, off Brest, grounded. She was j refloated, and is now repairing in the naval dockyard at Brest. Prince Henry's visit to Madrid is interpreted as foreshadowing closer economic relations. Lightning exploded the submarine mines in Cherbourg H.irbour as a German liner w.-.s entering. She had a narrow eseapf. BERLIN, June 1. Germany'^ new tariff law provides that after 1910 the surplus from higher duties | on the necessaries of life shall be applied to the .support of indigent widows and orphans. A now poldfield has been discovered at Nwan/.a, in German East Africa, panning out 3oz to the ton. A rush ha» set in from Mombasa. June 3. The Kaiser has compelled 44 generals to resign owing to their blundering in connection with the military manoeuvres now going on at Doebcritz. June 4. The Kaiser will visit Vienna in September. VIENNA, June 1. The anti-Austria demonstrations, which have been held in many Italian towns, connected with a revival of the agitation for the restitution of Treati, Trieste, Thria, and Dalmatia, have induced the Fremdenblatt to warn Italy that a dangerous reaction in Austrian friendliness is inevitable unless such a mischievous annexation outcry is <-uppressed. ROME, June 2. Father Schuller (a German) has been ' elected Vicar-general of the Franciscan Order, in succession to Father Fleming, who has been appointed secretary to the Pope's Biblical Commission set up in

• January last to inquire into the scope of ' Biblical exegesis. June 7. In the Chamber of Deputies, Morgari, ■ a Socialist member, referring to the ( Czar's coming visit and to King Edward's i recent visit, said that the Sovereign who 1 had recently visited Rome was received by the Socialists without hostile demonstration because he represented constitutional rule, but it would be different with the Czar, who had not given a Constitution to his people. June 8 Many students at Bologna, parading the street singing riotous songs, tried to attack the Austrian Consulate, but encountered a body of Bersvjlieri f-harp- | shooters and police. Many were wounded and arrested. ST. PETERSBURG, June 2. Russia declines to place any further orders for warships abroad. It is reported that the Czar intends to promulgate a new law of succession, enabling his eldest daughter to succeed < him, failing the birth of a son. The Government of Russia is an ab-oluto hereditary monarchy. The Emperor, an j autocrat whose will aionr 1 is law, unites in I his person the whole legislative, executive, and judicial power. Certain rues have always been acknowledged, howover. as binding upon tli^m by fchv- C/ars of the present dynaety. Of thee-f\ the law of 6uccesr>ion is one. By it succession i<? that of Tegular descent by the right of pnmr> geniture, with preference to malo over feroaJe heiir. Any direct male descendant of the Czar would therefore take precedence over any female descendant. Thus, for example, supposing the Czar has no son and three daughters. A eoh of the second or third daughter would take precedence over his aunt, the first daughter of the Czar. This rule is, as has been said, generally acknowledged as binding, but as it wae itself 1 merely a decree of Peter I, any subsequent i Emperor can issue another decree cancelling it. June 5. Forest fires are raging in the Canadian maritime provinces and in the State of Maine. Vast damage has resulted, and several towns are menaced. CONSTANTINOPLE, June 3. The Sultan has issued an irade sanctioning the unification of the Ottoman debt. CAIRO, June 7. Owing to the opening of the A'&ouan reservoir the summer supply of Nile water, whereon the cotton and sugar cane crops depend, has been doubled. NEW YORK, June 2. A tornado at Gninsville (Georgia) 80 cotton operatives and 120 others, with great destruction of property. The Supreme Court of New York refused a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of Whitaker "Wright, and declared his offence extraditable. June 3. Half a million dollars' worth of damage was done at Gainsville (Georgia) in two . mintite*. | The tornado "was preceded by a few . minutes of inky blackness and a hot j stifling air. Two upper storeys of a mill J crowded with operatives were lifted and carried hundreds of fee£. The railway stations, a church, and a score of cot- i tages were demolished. The sun was • : shining brightly again within five minute- 1 . ) Six hundred square miles southward of Keokuk (Iowa) are inundated. The lo^s of property in Kansas City is estimated at 20,000,000 dollars. | St. Louis is threatened with a disastrous flood. June 5. Vast forest fires continue in New England, New York State, and New j Jersey. Clouds of dense smoke impeded , the "traffic, and cau-ed the steamer J Deut-chland to ground off Sandy Hook. ImmeiiM* damage ha« been done in j Canada. Two hundred inhabitants of Ma«C|ua^h fled across the river to e c cape a sudden fire^ which rendered them | homeless. | Those forest fires, which have reached , within 10 miles of Ottawa, followed on .seven week-* of drought. The Republican Convention of the Stato of Ohio passed a resolution favouring President Roosevelt's renomination for the- Presidency in 1904 under conditions that necessitate his silence on all questions of tariff reform. The newspapers comment on the President's triumph over Senator Hannah's opposition. June 8. The Eppinger Company, one of the largest grain-dealing firms in San Francisco, has failed. The liabilities amount to several millions of dollars. OTTAWA, June 2. The Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia (Sir H. G. De Lotbinicrr) has dismissed Colonel Prior, the Premier, and summoned Mr R. Mar-Bride, leader of the Opposition, to form a Cabinet. June 6. The Commission of Inquiry (Sir John Boyd, Chancellor, and Chief Justice ! Falconbrulfie) appointed to consider the i charges of bribery preferred agaimt the Hon. J. R. Stratton, Provincial Secretary in the Ontario Provincial Government, lnivo drawn up their report. Mr ; R. 11. Oamey, the newly-elected, member for Maintouhn, had declared that Mr Stratton had paid him, through an J : agent, the sum of 4000dol to support the Government. Thr- Comnn's-ion found that Mr Gnmey's statement was un- i vroithy of credence. I <

CAPETOWN, June 1. The Cape Assembly has unanimously recorded its high appreciation of the results of Mr Chamberlain's recent visit. The Rhodesian mines are experinientj ing with Indians. If found unsatisfactory, they will try Chinese. June 2. The Gau", which reached Capetown all well, was icebound for a year. She reached 60dcg 30min =outh latitude. She communicated with the Discovery expedition. June 3. The Gaius wintered well off the newly-discovered land, in latitude G6.2, longitude 89.48.

In the House Mr Bruce Smith, in the debate on the Addres.s-in-Reply, scathingly condemned Sir -k. Barton, and taunted him with lacking courage to i submit the preferential trade question. Little did Mr Chamberlain know of the wretched, miserable parochialism of public men here, when he expected ho would get great assistance from them in furthering his great ideal of Imperial unity. Sir E. Barton had adopted an extraordinpry, paradoxical attitude in regard to preferential trade. The assurance given by Sir E. Barton in London that he would submit the question to Parliament had doubtless given Mr Chamberlain some sort of hope to meet that reciprocity winch he regards as indispensable to the> movement. Mr Smith said that personally he regarded the preferential scheme as impracticable. June 5. A public meeting, at which the Lord Mayor presided, expressed abhorrence at the outrages on the Jews of Kishiueff. The hope was also expressed that the Russian Government would prevent their repetition. June 6. At a recent meeting of the Teachers' Association several public school teachers indulged in strong language respecting the Ministry and their connection with the public service separate representation clause in the Reform bnl. The Minister of Education (Mr D. M. Davips) has directed that a charge of improper conduct, under the Public Service Act, be laid against Mr Mead, master of the school in Gippsland, and also that ho be charged with a breach of the regulations, which prohibit public servants froon taking an active part in political questions. June 8. A conference of temperance sympathisers unanimously decided to initiate an active campaign throughout Victoria with the object of securing local option legislation on the lines of the New Zca- , land Act, with such modifications as New j Zealand experience has shown to he neces?arv. SYDNEY, June 2. The Royal Arthur, with the Governor, has returned from Norfolk Island, after ' a rough pas>-age. Sir H. .Haw-on investigated the grievances of the islanders, ' and pointed out the advantages that would accrue by the island being annexed to the Commonwealth instead of jto New South Wales. He informed them Miat he intended to nominate an Executive Council to administer the affairs of the island. The first Council would comprise Messrs Macey Quintal, Francis Nobbs, John Young, Dr Metcalfe, Allen Buffett, Albert Bates, and Captain Fletcher Quintal. This- Council | will exist for a year, and thereafter be elective. June 3. Mr Robson, a Legislative Councillor ! and member of the Methodist Commi*- ; sion which visited Fiji to inquire into | the htate of missions there, declares that the agitation for federation with New Znaland, notwithstanding the ceaseless efforts of two or three people, is fizzling out ; in fact, it is dead beyond resuscitation. Any proposal to federate with the Commonwealth would also, so far as the Fijian^ are concerned, meet the same fate. June 4. The progress report of the Methodist Commission in Fiji finds that the perversion at Nanicsi was in no way the result of religious conviction on the part of the people in favour of Ronan Catholicism, but was caused by political agitators in favour of the federation of Fiji with New Zealand. The defection of the natives was chiefly of a political nature. They find that the Cathol'c pnests took advantage of the political disaffection to pervert the people; that in carrying this out the priests took the unjustifiable course of taking possession of Methodist premises ; that Bibles were systematically collected and lv-a-.vs given in exchange; that these B'b.'p, were taken 50 or GO miles to Naihlili, the <- C pfie of their burning. The commiexioners have reason to bolio/o lii.it copies of the Scriptures collected in thu Soloira district were torn up i.y a p>-K-s{-on the passage to Rewa, and thrown into the river. The bunmu; of ]'ii:lcs at Xaililili is fully confirmed. June 5. A local company has purchased 205,000 acres in the Gloucester district from the Australian Agricultural Company at 12s Gd per acre. It is intended to subdivide portion into agricultural, dairying, and grazing farms for sale. The

whole of the other portion will bo iirf* proved. The property is valued, when properly subdivided, at £'282,000. The Japanese Squadron has arrived from Tasmania. The case arising out of the sending of troops to South Africa, in which a soldier claimed volunteer pay from the State Government, was heard. Counsel for the Government submitted that an action by a soldier for pay was not maintainable, as there was no contract, and payment was an entirely voluntary matter on the part of the Government. If it could be spoken of as a contract at all, it was a unilateral one, and gave the soldier no rights whatever in a civil court. To allow membra of the army to sue for wages was inconsistent with the kind of discipline which must be maintained in the army. The judge upheld counsel's vitw, and nonsuited the plaintiff. June 6. The health officers, in view "of the overhauling the Gracchus was subjected to by the New Zealand authorities, have deemed it unnecessary to take any .further action, and granted the vessel pratique. June 7. There was a great review of troops yesterday in honour of the officers of the Japanese Squadron, when 2400 Australian troops, C6O British naval men, and COO from the Japancso navy were reveiwed by the Governor-general in the presence of 50,000 spectators. ADELAIDE, June 2. In reference to the Blake Chancery fortune (said to be worth half a million), Gleeson, a local business man, claims a nearer kinship to the late Mrs Blake Cwho was the daughter of an Iri&h village schoolmaster) than her cousin's children, who are claimants for the estate. Mr Gleeson proceeds to England to make his claim. BRISBANE, June 2. It is expected that Parliament will meet in the second week of July. It is understood that an Electoral Bill to provide for the reduction of the Assembly from 72 to do, of whom two will probably be representative^ of the civil service and railway m*Mi, will bo j resented. ■I\.ui 3. Mr Philp states that the Government intends to extend !the tenure of Parliament from tbree to four years. Ha believes it will be ju«-t as effective, and* save expense at the present time, if the Federal High Court consisted of thei Chief Justices of tho States instead of being a separate bench. PERTH, June 3. One Scotch (sic-) claims to have invented a flying machine which travels 100 mileb an hour and will cany i* weight up to 1000 tons. No balloon is used. It is purely a mechanical contrivance, driven by a gasoline motor. The military authorities have fonv.wded! particulars of the invention to t'.e Defence Department, Melbourne. Jii/.p -■. The flying machine inventor, vtW-o name is Barr, asks the Defence Dcp.irtmer.t to pay him £(i a week winle he is constructing a machiue on the principle of his working model, and if it proves a success, and is approved by tho department, that the Government pay lnni a million sterling for the whole rig!;!-. SUVA, June 2. H.M.S. Pylades, which lias arrived here, reports that the Governor of Fiji was prohibited from landing at Tonga on account of measles in Fiji. [The cable last week informoil us that His Excellency had left Fiji in the Pylades in ronnwtion with tho annotation of the Friendly Inlands.]