CABLE ITEMS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVIII, Issue XX, 17 May 1902, Page 946

CABLE ITEMS.

Queen Wilhelmina’s condition is improv lag.

The St. Louis World’s Exhibition has been postponed till 1904.

Good coal has been discovered at Roseires and Abuharez, in the Soudan.

The Rev. Mr. Walker, of Sydney, has been elected Moderator of the Presbyterian Assembly. The Queen Victoria Memorial Fund has now reached the sum of £ 195,000.

The German Cast-iron Works are arranging a gigantic combination to resist the American trade invasion.

The death is announced of Archbishop Corrigan, of New York, aged

Mr Wolff Harris, a New Zealander, has purchased Poynter’s great Academy picture, “Storm Nymphs.”

A strike of 150,000 anthracite miners in Pennsylvania has been ordered on Monday for eight hours’ work.

A promising goldfield has been discovered in the district between Utrecht and Vryheid, near the Buffalo River, just north of Natal.

President Roosevelt declined to allow Admiral Dewey and General Miles to accept the decoration of the French Legion of Honour.

The latest bulletin regarding the Queen is that the fever has left her, and that she is progressing satisfactorily.

A train carrying pilgrims to Lourdes was derailed near Amiens. Nine persons were killed and eleven injured.

The Government has ordered the reduction of the British forces in China to two thousand. The Germaal garrison is not being reduced. Dr. Wray, the health officer, has died of plague. He contracted the disease through conducting postmortems of plague victims.

The Board of Trade returns for April show that the imports decreased £65,689, but exports increased by £1,505,496.

The King and Queen will reside at Aidershot for three days in June, for the purpose of witnessing the military review on the 16th.

The transport Norfolk, with the Southern Battalion of the New Zealand Tenth Contingent, has arrived on her way to Durban.

The VI ar Office has accepted a Sydney tender for 500 tons of flour and 75,000 pounds of corn beef and mutton.

Depreciation in the value of silver has increased the Chinese indemnity 90 million taels. Heavy demands on taxpayers are causing widespread agitation in Southern China.

Palma, the Cuban President-elect, opposes commercial treaty with America until the duty on Cuban sugars is reduced more than 25 per cent. The United States Fishery' Commissioners anounce that amazing success has attended artificially introduced shad, striped bass, and other food fishes on the Pacific Coast.

The "Times’ ” Pretoria correspondent states that English will be the official language, though Dutch will be tolerated, in the conquered territory.

The Turkish Government is sending large shipments of Mauser rifles to Tripoli (Northern Africa), which is under the Turkish flag. This is in consequence of Italy's preparations for the occupation of Tripoli.

A million and a-half of Indian 3 per cents., offered at a minimum of 99, were covered sevenfold. Applicants at 100 3-Bth are entitled to- 57 per cent.

Dr. Mac Lean, senior resident medical officer at the Brisbane Hospital, has been attacked by plague. The case is eerious. It is supposed that he contracted plague while examining a patient who died at the hospital gate.

Sir Clement Markham. President of the Royal Geographical Society, in a letter published in the “Times,” earnestly appeals to the public for, say, £ 1000, to despatch the relief ship in connection with the Discovery’s Antarctic expedition.

A powerful company has been formed in London with a capital of £730,000 to acquire Sandford’s Lithgow Ironworks, near Sydney. The company has ordered two blast furnaces, steel furnaces and rail plate mills.

At a sale of pictures at Christie’s the sum of £60,000 was realised. A landscape by Holbein, the famous Dutch painter, fetched 9200 guineas, and a portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn 6100 guineas.

The Berlin Merchants’ Guild blames the pro-Boer press for German firms losing orders and contracts for Great Britain and her colonies to the extent of hundreds of millions of marks.

News from the New Hebrides group states that the Rev. Mr Smaill, Presbyterian missionary, formerly of Otago and Christchurch, New Zealand, who has been labouring on the island of Epi, is dead.

In reply to a question in the House of Commons, Lord Cranborne, Un-der-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, stated that there had been no negotiations with Italy! regarding an eventual occupation of Tripoli by that Power.

In the Senate, Senator George F. Hoar, of Massachusetts, introduced a Bill authorising President Roosevelt to select an Isthmial Canal route, the cost of construction to be limited to a hundred and eighty million dollars.

Edison, the Inventor, asserts that his magnetic process for the concentration of iron ore is placed at Great Britain's proposal. There are Norwegian deposits sufficient for a century’s work, and these are available at the Pittsburg prices for American ore.

A gale wrecked the herring fleet at West Yezo, one of the Japanese islands. Two hundred and fifty people were drowned.

The corvette Mushaki was driven ashore on the coast, but the crew was saved.

The “ Daily Mail ” states that the imposition of fresh taxes led to a meeting of 3000 people in Thasos, in Egypt, for the purpose of arranging to memorialise Lord Cromer and the Khedive on the subject. The governor of the town, using a revolver, ordered the gendarmes to fire. One hundred and twenty were killed, including women and children, and many were wounded.

Lord Beauchamp has commissioned Mr Longstaff, a Victorian artist, to paint a portrait of the King in his Coronation robes, for presentation to the Sydney gallery. The King will accord a sitting soon after the Coronation.

The report of the Victorian Factories Commission will be received within a fortnight. The evidence taken in New Zealand convinced some, if not all, the members who made the trip that the industrial laws of that colony operate to the advantage of employers as well as employees.

The “Argus” says the Federal Ministry, in spite of the decision of New Zealand, is taking advantage of its powers to compel the public to pay the old rates for messages over the Eastern Extension Company’s cables to New Zealand, in order to divert business to the Pacific cable.

It Is expeeted that four or five millions will be available for carrying out Mr Rhodes’ bequests. The exeeators are unlikely to prove the will before the end of the year. Dr. Jameson, the leading executor, is aware of and fully shares Mr Rhodes* ideals. Sir W. V. Harcourt has given notice of an amendment on the second reading of the Finance Bill in the House of Commons to the effect that the House declines to impose duties on grain, flour and other foodstuffs of the first necessity.

The “Daily Mail” states that the War Office has abandoned the idea of breeding horses. Registration is considered the most practicable and cheapest method. Canada has agreed to furnish 500 horses yearly, full grown, and trained by Canadian troops, at an annual cost of £20,000. Australia will also supply a proportion of Indian needs.

Mr Chamberlain has cabled to Lord Hopetoun (Governor-General of the Australian Commonwealth) that the Netherlands Minister explains that deportation to the colonies is unknown under the Netherlands- penalty code. The rumour that Holland was sending convicts to New Guinea probably arose through the temporary removal of some Java convicts to Menuke for the purpose of erecting a residency.

The resolution moved in the House of Commons by Mr J. Mooney (Nationalist), member for Dublin, censuring the Speaker for not calling Mr Chamberlain to order on March 20th for saying "You are a good judge of traitors” was negatived by 388 to 63.

[ln the House of Commons on March 20 Mr Chamberlain,- during the debate on the war, casually alluded to the services of the Boer Vllonel, who had raised the National Burgher Scouts. Mr Dillon Interjected. “Traitor.” Mr Chamberlain retorted, “You’re a good judge of traitors.” Mr Dillon shouted, “You damned liar." A motion to suspend Mr Dillon was carried by 248 to 43, the Opposition leaders voting for the suspension.]

A severe earthquake has occurred at Murcia, an old Moorish town of Spain. The tower of the cathedral (built four centuries ago) oscillated, and the facades of the cathedral and convents were damaged. Schools and churches elsewhere were also damaged and have been closed. Boulders rolled down the Fuensanti Mountains. The shocks were also felt in the South of France.

The Budget Committee of the Reichstag has agreed to the construction of the first section of the railway from Dar-es-Salaam (the capital of German East Africa, on the coast, south of Zanzibar) to Mrogoro, about 100 miles inland. [This railway is intended to eventually connect with other German lines in East Africa.]

News from the Loyalty Group (north-east of New Caledonia) reports that a disastrous cyclone has swept the island of Lifu, causing great damage to buildings and plantations.

[The Loyalty Islands, which He not far from the eastern coast of New Caledonia, and are like that Island under the French flag, cover a total area- of 830 square miles, with a native population of about 13.000. Lifu is the northernmost and largest of the group, is 37 miles long, and from 10 to 20 miles wide, and is of coral formation, about 250 ft high and thickly wooded. The island of Mare (which was discovered in 1841) is about 20 miles long and 10 broad, and is fertile and populous. On both these islands there are a number of Europeans, who carry on trading establishments and plantations. J

The Emperor Franz Joseph, in a speech to delegations at Pesth, stated that the continued friendly agreement with Russia in regard to the near East was particularly calculated to strengthen peace and order in the Balkans.

Count Goluchowski, Imperial Chancellor of Austria, addressing the Austrian delegation, said a renewal of the Triple Alliance was impending. He described the dual agreement between France and Russia as highly valuable. He eulogised the Anglo-Japanese treaty and the subsequent FrancoRussian agreement, which was equally pacific. He also alluded to a separate specific understanding between Italy and France, and stated that if, despite the warnings to Turkey, a BulgarianServian policy other than the maintenance of the statu quo of the Balkans was pursued, it would be neces-

sary for the combined strength of Austria and Russia to eopn with the danger, and the agreement would enable them to effect a settlement satisfactory to both. » “As regards Federation we cannot safely interfere legislatively with the natural development of our relations with the colonies. Considering the difficulties in regard to the burdens of finance, the duties of defence and the rights of decision which the Motherland could retain, I look with apprehension upon any attempt to force the various parts of the Empire into a mutual arrangement of subordination for which they are not ready, and which would be calculated to produce a reaction In favour of the old state of things. If we are patient and careful there is a tremendous destiny before us.”—(Speech by Lord Salisbury.)

Admiral Sampson, of the American Navy, is dead.

[The late Rear-Admiral Wm. T. Sampson, of the U.S. Navy, was born in the State of New York in 1840, and entered the American Navy In 1861, serving throughout the Civil War. His first ship, after he graduated from the Naval Academy at Aurapolis. was the frigate Potomac. The same year he was promoted master, and In 1862 he became lieutenant. In 1862-63 he served on the ship John Adams, and was on the ironclad Patapsco In the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in 1864-65. From 1865 to 1867 he was lieutenant on the steam frigate Colorado. From 1872 to 1873 he served on the U.S. ship Congress: and in 1874 he was commissioned commander. He commanded the Alert from 1874 to 1875, the Swatara from 1879 to 1882. and was in charge of the Naval Observatory from 1882 to 1884. Subsequently he held a number of important naval and official positions, and from 1890 to 1892 was in command of the San Francisco. During the war with Spain he commanded the North Atlantic Squadron of over 140 ships, with the acting rank of Rear-Admiral, and was engaged tn the blockade of Santiago, Cuba. In 1399 he was commissioned Rear-Admiral. He acted tor some time as Commissioner to Cuba, and In October. 1899, was appointed Commandant of the Navy Yard at Boston.}