EUROPE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 7, 12 August 1908, Page 7

EUROPE.

Reform in Tnrkey. The Committee of the Union of Progress is receiving numerous communications, demanding the withdrawal of the foreign gendarmerie officers now' that Constitutional order has been establishedThe committee express the hope that the Powers will voluntarily' recall their representatives. The committee prevented Turkish warehips anchored in the Gulf of Salonika from leaving for Dedeaghateh, though the Sultan had ordered the ships to proceed to that port. Constantinople has resumed its normal aspect. » '• Fifty-four Bulgarian, 16 Greek, three Servian, and 32 Moslem bands, totalling 700 nfembers, have surrendered and returned to their homes, trusting to the new Constitution. Numbers of high Turkish officials, including the Ambassador at Paris, have been dismissed. • Altogether’, £400,000 was .'seized in the houses of arrested personages. Affairs in Turkey. Kiamil Viviea has formed a Ministry On a broadly liberal basis. All arc new men, except Ahmed Tewfik Pasha (Minister for Foreign Affair?.). Sir Gerard Lowther (the British Ambassador), in presenting his credential, received a warm welcome from the Sultan and populace. Sir Gerard Lowther conveyed the British Government’s and. Britain's warm congratulations bn thf> Sultan’s wise decision to grant a Constitution. The elections are >*o take place in October, and Parliament will meet in November. One deputy will be allowed for every 5000 electors, who must be Ottoman subjects, of at least 25 years of’age. The soldiers at Smyrna broke open the prisons and liberated all the criminals. They then marched through the town demonstrating in favour of the Constitution. I Another Fiasco. Most of the trade, unions failed to respond to the appeal of the Confederation of laibour for a general strike of 24 hours on August 3, in,Paris, as a protest against the tro£>ps being ordered to suppress the builders’ strike of the previous Thursday. ’' : ' The strike was jijter fiasco. The Government lias decided not to suppress the Confederation, but to prosecute its leaders individually.

The day passed quietly, except for one collision between the police and a hundred strikers, who were taking part in one of the demonstrations in the streets of Paris. Russification of the Finn. The Czar’s opening address to the new Finnish Diet sternly warned the Deputies to no longc.- disregard the fact that the solidarity of Finnish interests was identical with the interests of Russia. On May 21 the last Finnish Diet resigned owing to the unfavourable effect of the speech of M. Stolypin, the Russian Premier, regarding the proposal t<» nationalise Finland. Count Zeppelin's Airship. While the vessel was moored for repairing purposes at Echterdingen, a sudden and violent thunderstorm struck it, blowing one of the cars into the air. When the latter fell to the ground its motors exploded, igniting the rest of the airship. Several soldiers who were holding the car were severely injured. Storms blew the blazing airship away, completing its destruction. Fifty thousand people witnessed the incident. When the blazing airship rose in the air, one of the mechanics in the car jumped from a considerable height, and was mortally injured. Others were badly burnt. When informed of the destruction of his airship, Count Zeppelin burst into tears. Profound sympathy is expressed for him, and there is a movement to organise a great national gift. The German Government has decided to pay Count Zeppelin £25,900 compensation. Enormous sums have been subscribed in Germany to the Zeppelin fund. Enough has already been offered to provide a score of airships. Many individuals are contributing thousands of pounds. Devastating Fire. A disastrous conflagration occurred at Donaneschingeng, Germany-. The outbreak spread through several streets and destroyed a total of 150 houses. Two thousand people were rendered homeless, and there is much distress in the town. Theft From a Church. A reliquary valued at £12,000 has been stolen from the Church of Vianea, Bordeaux. Germany's Dreadnoughts. The “Daily- Telegraph” slates that it has transpired that the four German Dreadnoughts have been authorised to carry 12 11-inch guns, also 12 6.7-inch guns, besides more machine guns and torpedo tubes than the British Dreadnoughts. Germany intends to arm the four battleships, to be begun during the present year, with guns firing a shell of 98 libs. The nrst sour German Dreadnoughts are slightly' smaller and slower than the British. Germany has ordered from Blohm and Voss, of Hamburg, a 22,000 ton cruiser.

Wright's Aeroplane. Wright Brothers’ aeroplane, which was recently sold to the French Government, flew 2500 metres at a height of 30 feet in 105 seconds on August 9th. The aeroplane was quite under control, circling easily, and was afterwards flown for some hours. Press reports declare that the aeroplane displayed. remarkable bird-like qualities in soaring, skimming, and turning, and experts describe it as a revelation in aerial flight.