Omaha daily bee., 1889-01-26
OTHER lands THAN OURS.

OTHER LANDS THAN OURS
Thomas A. Stevens has been commits
stoned by the New York World to go to
Africa and find Stanley and Emin Bey, and
incidentally to make himself acquainted
with all The details of the Arab slave trade.
This is the gentleman who went round the
world on bicycle for that lively magazine
Outing, and his perseverance, courage and
promptitude of resource are as conspicuous as
the same qualities in Henry NJ. Stanley. He
goes by way of Zanzibar, and has acquired IA
fund of information respecting the regions
which he Will have to traverse, that has
been published by the World, and forms very
interesting reading. II seems that the table
land beyond the frontiers of Zanzibar is oc-
cupied by the NASSAU, people who are
thorough free-boOters and whose way of
living has something in it that recalls the
heroes of Homer, and is much more Hellenic
than moral. The territory of these Moon
men, as they call themselves reaches to the
eastern shores of the Victoria Nyanza and
marches with the land of Uganda, which is
now In possession of the Arabs. Stevens
proposes to get through these hostile coun-
ties somehow, but one does not quite under
stand upon what he bases his hopes OF sue
cess. and this information shows that Stan.
ley was right in choosing the western route
in spite of its delays. Single travellers may
slip through from Zanzibar without great
difficulty, but an expedition bearing supplies
seems certain of being plundercd, if not mas
sacreed, either among the Massai or in
Uganda .u
~.
One thing must be admitted by the most
frenzied enemy of the Russians. They are
ruStlprS and olWpvs 1nipp At
that something being generally of charac.
ter to annoy and perplex the English The
latter have many possessions and such
complication of interests that no other ma
ton can take step in advance without a
yell of blue murder from England, and an
ntimation that Britannia's corns cannot be
stepped upon with impunity. But the Cos
sack colony for Abyssinia, headed by Alta
man Aschinof is puzzler, and many a dip.
lonatist quotes Cyrano de Bergerac's famous
''que diable allait-il faire dams celte galerc,"
after a vain attempt to find out what the
Russians are driving at. The vessel con-
tanning the band touched at Suakim for
water, and probably but for that cwcum
stance no one would have known that such
step was being taken. The Negus of Abys-
slua, must have agreed to receive them, be-
cause otherwise they would have been mas
sacred by the warriors of Ras Alula the
general and prime minister of NeguS. 1t is
tillerists and machinsts are members of the
colony, and that Aschinof and his friends
will do for that potentate what famous
French officer did for Hyder Ali in Sering-
apatam in which case the Italians will lose
control of Massowah There Is bond of
unity brtween the Cossacks and the Abys-
sinians, for both are christanzed serpent
worshppers and both are suspected of hav-
ing mixed their old and their new creed in a
most astonishing manner.
The French minister of war, Mons. de
Freycinet has obtained grant of SlS0,OOO,-
600, which will be chiefly expended in forti-
flying the northern frontiers of France This
means beyond question that France calcu-
lates upon the annexation of Holland by Ger
many as soon as the breath is out of the I'D
kings body. Bismarck has already given
what diplomats call a protocol to declare in
tentions. He has signifed that Luxembourg
will be admitted into the German Zolvcrein,
and he has refused permission to the old
duke of Nassau the heir presumptive, to alb
dicate his rights in favor of his son. BY de-
claring their intention to fOrtify their north
crn boundary the French like the high
minded nation they are, make proclamation
that they will not annex part of Belgium in
compensation for Germany's too probable
annexation of Holland. Therefore they can
not leave their northern frontier defenceless,
for German army of occupation in Holland
could march to PARIS in a week if there were
not lines of fortliication at important points,
connected by strategic railways. The French
are praying that there will be time gwen
them for the work, and this depends largely
upon the vital thread of the king of Holland
which is already within the shears of
Atropos If they are ready they will not be
molested; If they are not molested they will
have grand exhibition; If they have a grand
exhibition many citizens of Omaha and the
United States propose TO have q good time in
Paris. So that we all have personal inter-
interest in the fate of the king of Holland.
The news comes from Germany that the
young emperor has ordered the discontinue,
tion of French cookery in the imperial pal
aces of the Fatherland. Some people have
an idea that this is done to show enmity to
France, put this Is certainly not the true
explanation. II springs probably from an
honest preference for German cooking. In
New York, where there certainly is no re-
pulslon to French things, but on the contrary
a cordial genuine regard for France, and an
idolatry of French art, there has been all the
same revolt from French dishes, aud the
most popular restaurateurs are Italians.
The day of French cookery has gone by, in
almost every European country, even IN
Spain, which follows the lead of France in
80 many things. Every hotel in Madrid has
interpolated into the menu dishes of Spanish
origin, such as puchero and various ollas.
Frederick the Great was passionate ad-
mirer of French civiliza tion, and made il
court etiquette to speak French, to read
French literature in preference to German,
to dress in the French style, and to eat
French dishes. His descendants have
adopted healthier standard, manly Cor
manism, which deserves imitation, not CEN
surei and in stimulating this Bismarck has