BRITISH AND FOREIGN. LONDON, October 12.

Otago Witness, Issue 2849, 21 October 1908, Page 24

BRITISH AND FOREIGN. LONDON, October 12.

Queen Alexandra proposes to publish a Christmas book consisting of photographs taken by herceJf. The proceeds will be devoted to charitable purposes. October 13. The underwriters receive 75 per cent, of tha Canadian loan of £5,000,000, which •bears interest at 3£ per cent." King Edward and Queen Alexandra will {Leave for Berlin on February 22, and will be absent from England for nine days. Queen Alexandra's Christmas book, coneisting of photographs taken by herself, the proceeds being devoted to charitable jnjrpose3, has been issued, and the first edition, consisting of 100,000 copies, is exiiausted. Eighteen steamship companies ship the book gratis to all parts. It is estimated thai -the sales pn shipboard amounted to 25J000 copies. October 15. Contracts for portion of the new destroyers have been placed on the Clyde. Colonel Seeley, in reply to Mr StavelyHill, said the Government had issued instructions prohibiting the recruiting of women and children in the New Hebrides. In the House of Commons Mr Pease informed Mr Rees that strong British X'epresentations had been made to Persia as to the ~ importance of intercepting carayans conveying illicit arms to Afghanistan. October 16. A Eusian foreign loan of £50,000,000 is expected in a few weeks. The Royal College of Surgeons has resolved to allow women to compete for surgical and dental diplomas. On a creditor's (petrtTon a provisional liquidator has Been appointed in the Wilier and Riley estate. Sir W. Laurier has arranged for the transfer to British Honduras, writh their consent, of "11 the British Indians now in British Columbia. The Postmaeter-general (Mr Buxton), replying to Mr Henniker Heaton, said he regretted that Canada and Australia did not participate in the Imperial postalorder system. He was consequently unable to reduce the charge on post-cards to the colonies. One million steiling of New Zealand bills, with one year's currency, are being placed in London, on the basis of about 3£ per cent. October 17. Mr Haldane, speaking at Katerham, eaid the Territorials were now 200,000 utrong, and recruiting waa steadily pro-

ceeding. The army w^as never more affective than i/t was at present. October 18. The Irish Estate Commissioners are compulsorily acquiring 1800 acres of Lord Clanricarde's estate in Galway. The Tames' Washington correspondent reports that the Agricultural Department experiments show that the lire of madze straw for the purpose of making paper pulp i» satisfactory. While, however, it is improbable that pulp from maize straw •will oust wood, it may check a further rise in the price of paper. BERLIN, October 14. A fire is raging in the Koeniga colliery (Silesia). It is feared that a hundred miners have been killed. October 15. The Silesian miners are safe. They ascended by another shaft. TEHERAN, October 14. In view of the approaching coiifotence the Nationalists at Tabriz have captured the Royalists' stronghold. CONSTANTINOPLE, October 17. Fifteen of those responsible for the lynching of the Ottoman-Greek gardener at Cone'tantinople have been arrested at [Sofia. NEW YORK, October 13. Harry Thaw has been remanded to th<» Matteawan Asylum. An application for a retrial to determine his sanity has been refused. October 14. It is claimed at the White House that Mr Taft will have 306 votes at the Electoral College. October 18. The State Sheriff, being refused admission, broke into Mr W. R. Hearst's railway saloon carriage at Omaha while Mr and Mrs Hearst were retiring for the night, and served ex-Governor Haskell's writ suing Hearst for £1,200,000 damages for alleged libel contained in a speech made by Hearst at Memphis in which he described Haskell as a tool of the Standard Oil Trust. OTTAWA, October 13. The "All-Red'" route and other Imperial enterprises are rarely mentioned in the Canadian election campaign which is now in progress. October 14. Speaking at Farnham (Quebec). Sir W. Laurier declared that Cdtoada would make no more pilgrimages to Washington. Any overtures for reciprocity must come from the United .States. Sir Wilfrid made a strong appeal in favour of preference to Great Britain, declaring thait it was a bond of Empire wliich Avae only in its infancy at present. l TOKIO, October 13. At Cholado (ilauchuria) a jxu'ty of

Japanese gendarmes, mistaking them for insurgents, attacked a party belonging to a Pro-Japanese society who were going on a pilgrimage. The gendarmerie killed 22 out of 25. The Mikado has issued a remarkable rescript in favour of diligence, the development of the national resources and strength, and the healing of the wounds of war in a peaceful way.