GENERAL NEWS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12090, 26 June 1920, Page 5

GENERAL NEWS.

A ROYAL SMUGGLER. Paris, April 26 Italian Gnstoms officials at Modane, on the Italo-Frenoh frontier, when searching the Rome-Paris express, made a discovery in a sleeping compartment occupied by Princess Marie Beatrice of Bourdon, daughter of Don Carlos, the Spanish pretender. Royalties do not usually have their belongings searched by the Customs, but this proved a fruitful exception. Looking under the mattress the frontier officials found miniatures and pictures to the value of £BO,OOO. As Italian law forbids che export of art treasures, the miniatures and pictures were seized.

HALF A SHIP BLOWbUJP Milan, April 16 A terrific explosion occurred in Naples harbour. The steamship Bastiax, laden with oils and benzine, destined for Benghazi, in Tripoli, blew up, hurling members of the crew out of the ship on to the wharf. Four men are badly injured, and one is missing. All the superstructure of the vessel, including the masts, was blown away, great fragments being thrown as far as 200 yards off while the walls of the quay were partly demolished. Then the steamer burst into a mass of flames and had to be sunk by cannon shot tojavert dangerito adjacent shipping.—Altogether the damage is estimated at twenty million francs.