THE WAR.

Waikato Argus, Volume XVIII, Issue 2908, 21 June 1905, Page 2

THE WAR.

CABLEGRAMS

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SINKING GK A BRITISH STEAM ER,

St. Petersburg, June 19 The British Ambassador, Sir Charles Hardinge, represented to Count Lamsdorf the gravity of the incident of the sinking of the British steamer St. Kilda by (he volunteer cruisers Dnieper, especially in view of the assurances given in 1901 that the Smolensk (now the Dnieper) ami the St. Petersburg should not be again used for the raiding of merchant vessels, lit; lias asked for reparation, and that immediate slops be taken to render a repetition the outrage impossible. Count Lamsdorf, in his reply, said that lie had no information on the subject, and promised to refer the matter to the Minister for Marine. He also said the assure ances given in 1901 to the British Government still held good. The sinking of the St. Kilda was an isolated case, and was probably due to a misunderstanding, and to the disorganised state of the Russian naval forces in the Far East. The Russian Minister for Marine affirms that the British steamer Oldhaunia has not been sunk, London, June 19 Tite St, Petersburg correspondent of the Times states that the Russian Admiralty is completely disorganised, aud is quite unable to communicate with the commanders of the piratical cruisers Don and Dnieper, ordering them to cease their raids in neutral shipping. It is expected that British ships, will again be obliged to convey the Russian Government’s orders to the vessels, as was done in the case of the Smolensk (now the Dnieper) last year, when that vessel was raiding British shipping.