BRITISH & FOREIGN.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1767, 30 May 1895, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN.

Per Electric Telegraph — Copyright, Per Press Association. FORMOSA, shanghai, May 28. A republic of Formosa has been proclaimed by the inhabitants hostile to the Japanese annexing the island and the republican government have asked for protection from Spain. OBITUARY. Washington, May 28. Mr W. L. Gresham, Secretary of State, is dead. - PERSONAL. May 29. Mr T. F. Bayard, United States representative m London, is likely to succeed the late Mr Gresham as Secretary of State. Berlin, May 29. M. Pasteur has declined the Emperor's offer to be decorated with the Prussian^ order of merit. COLONIAL JUDGES. London, May 28. The Times says that the result of Lord Rosebery's Colonial Judges (Privy Council) Bill will be that the Canadian Chief Justice will occasionally sit on the Council, while retired chief jnstices from distant colonies at present living m London will be summoned to discuss African and Australasian appeals. THE NOTE FORGER. The American Howai'd has been committed for trial m connection with the scheme for the extensive forgery of bank notes which came to light recently. Howard protested his innocence of any attemps at fraud. His defence was that he was connected with several American inventions, and was hying to obtain from the German Government a bonus for a method of printing bank notes which would increase the difficulty of forgery. IMPERIAL POLITICS. May 29. Sir William Vernon Harcourt has expressed his concurrence with the views contained m the memorial drawn up by merchants, bankers, and others praying for adherence to a single gold standard. He says that the Government will give no countenance to any change m the fundamental principle of the existing monetary standard. The Government admit the necessity for the construction of a railway between Mombassa and Lake Victoria m East Africa.