Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-05

long experience, understands how to handle
her neighbors across the Straits, and the sui
tan concluded with great prompttude not to
20 mar the comfort and splendor Of his pres
ont visit 10 Tetunn, Tang;er and other ports,
by running tho risk OF bombardment from
Spanish feet. The claim Of the Rifflaus is
that the Spanish craft was smuggler, and
some of the Madrid authorities seem to
have thought this possible; but, knowing
whom they were dealing with, they demand
ed release first aud got IL. A peremptory
method was also found 10 be the most salts
factory by our own consular oriccr at Tan
gier last year Possibly Spain would have
been as well pleased had the sultan yielded
more slowly and given her chance 20 land
some troops. In fact, tho incident is not vet
quite closed, rs the question of reparation
and compensation will come up, especially il
1t be true that the Rtfilans fired on the Span
ish guuboat Cocodrilo and that the captain of
the captired craft died of i'll usage. But
Lord Salisbury has already counsolcd
the sultan to MAKE ample roparatIon, and
probably he will consent TO DO so.
If the report from China that rich mines of
goldbearing quartz have been discovered in
that ancient empire are confirmed, one more
'
derful fact in the worlds modern progress,
namely: Tho orient is renewing its youth
by contact with the occldcnt. The report
says that American machinery and Amcri-
can workmen are to he employed by the
Chinese government to extract the treasure
from its fastness. Probably the fact is, if
the report has basis in truth, that this
quartz has been known of for ages, and its
auriferous character often Remarked; but,
until modern applied science came into the
field, no one was aware of any process by
which the gold could be separated from tho
rock. In many parts of the OLD world which
have been thought TO be long ago worn out
or at least, in rapid decay where it was SUP
posed that nothing new remained to be dis
covered, done or hoped for, new world en-
terprise and intelligence are gradually prov
ing that early civilizations only scratc he'd
the surface of the earth.
~
While several nations are now bloCkading
a long stretch of African coasts to keep
slaves from getting out and firearms from
getting in, 1T is little remarkable that in
some regions improved weapons are pouring
into inner Africa at great rate, apparently
with the connivance of the very nations en-
gagged in the blockade Whom the king of
Matabee land recently consented to let white
! men dig for gold in NIashona land, which is
| now talked of as the coming Eldorado, he
| stipulated that 900 breech- loading rifles and
| 100000 cartridges must be sent to him. They
| have just passed through British territory TO
| the country of the bloodthirsty Matabele.
| With their own rude weapons they have been
the scourge of South Africa, and it now
| looks as though the British were armiug
| them the more effectually to wipe out all the
| surrounding tribes In spite of the block
| ade the trade in guns and powder seems to
| go on without let or hindrance along the
Zambesi and in the Nyassa region, where
| Portugal, 10 serve her own purposes, Is
sending the goods far and wide into the
| country.
| ~
The czar of Russia has interested himself
in the subject of executions by electr icity.
| He has more opportunities for experiment
| ing with it than any other potentate, and
with his autocratic power can brush aside
the electrical theorists hired to advocate one
| side or the other and determine the matter
| by actual tests, regardless of the effect they
may have on the reputation for dcath-deal-
ing power of particular systems of electric
lighting.