The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-09-19
FOREIGN.

At conference of steel-rail manufactur-
ers of England, Germany and Belgium, just
held at Bonn, IL was decided to form an in
ternational combination Of all the leading
manufacturers for the purpose OF maintain
ing prices and preventing goverproduction.
The English consul at Alexandria reports
that many families were reduced to a suf-
fering condition for lack of the indemnity
awarded them, and some have sold their GER
tifcates to spectators at discount OF 80
per cent.
All the British citizens in Shanghai held
a meeting Wednesday TO take action in re-
gard to the war alleged to exist between
France and China. 1t was resolved to urge
Great Britain to make an effort toward me-
diation, as the present suspense Is ruinous
to commercial intercourse.
The cmperors of Germany, Russia, and
Austria, are being closely guarded at the
palace rs Skierniwice, Poland by General
Gourko's soldiers. No civilians are allowed
to approach the palace. Prince Bismarck,
Count Kalnoky, and NJ. de Giers are in at
tendance on their imperial masters.
The Journal de ST. Petersburg, semi-of-
fetal Russian organ. says the purpose of the
conference of the three emperors at Skier
niwice is to promote peace and order and to
consolidate the imperial triple alliance.
The three powers, it intimates, will act in
concert on all important international Ques-
tions. N
lue lOuuoH OtdiludIu cOulIcHIiuS upol
the paper relative to the Greedy expedition
read before the British association, says
that every sanitary law usually observed In
arctic expeditions seems to have been vio-
lated, and 1t Is impossible to avoid the con-
clusion that the unfortunate result was due
to that loOseness of discipline which is
characteristic Of those American expedi-
tionS.
Information has reached Canton of
frightful inundation In Kiang Sai province.
News daIed from Kiang TAX, the chief CELL
ter Of pottery manufacture, and one OF the
four great markets of the empire, says the
floods lasted four days and the entire coun'
try was submerged to the depth of sixty
feet. Whole towns were swept away. III
believed that fully. 10000 persons persisted.
1t Is feared a pestilence would follow.
FRANCE INTRIGUING FOR PEACE.
NJ. Patenotre, the French minister to Chi
ma, is at Shanghai intriguing with peace
party among the Chinese His hope Is 20
bring about revolution at the palace and
the consequent overthrow OF the war party.
La Paris publishes an inspired article in
which the idea that France should accept
arbitration in the difficulty with China is in
dignantly rejected. France, it says, is de-
teImined to settle her differences with Chi
na herself. Adyices. from China say that
the Chinese have no intention of b. b.ockading
the Woo Sung river, on which Shanghai is
situated, unless the French make all attack.
Hundreds of stone laden boats are in posi-
ton to be sunk upon the approach of the
French fleet. 1t Is believed that the neutral
river unless formal declaration of war shall
have been previously made. A Hong Kong
dispatch says the Chinese officials explain
that they fired over the British gunboat
Zephyr, and fired directly at her afterward,
because she refused to stop at the first shot.