The morning call., 1893-06-16


culiar interest from sheer novelty; hence
the crowds that gather on the water front
TO watch the arrival and departure OF COM
peting steamers.
Charles de Lesseps, NJ. Eiffel and others
who have been languishing in Jail for the
Panama canal corn ptions are now at lib
erty. They have not served out their sem
tences. and are liberated on the strange
ground that the indictments were irregr-
lar, but even If fawless were worthless
lnasmuch as he statute of Limitation is a
valld plea. This is very happy state OF
the law for the fraudulent. Ihey have
only to look ahead. ana when the storm
breaks take shelter under a statute which
excuses crime because it is not discovered
In time. 1t may bo black when committed,
put by the time the statute runs 1t is white
washed. The French are probably lndlf-
ferent. Their money has gone, and the
guilty have at least been disgraced, II they
DO go unwhipped of justice. Effers great
fortune will hardly comfort him under the
stlngs OF public obloquy.
A sensational, mysterious murder which
stirs whole community into excitement
Is still a great feature in journalistic
pabulum all the world over. There is un-
happily no scarcity of homicidal crime,
and the variety of methods in which it is
perpetrated almost defieS enumeration.
The facilities at command TO take the
reader into confidence are little less than
those enjoyed by listeners in court. 1t
may be demoraiizing, morbid, prohtiess
reading, apt to occasion nightmare and to
haunt the memory unpleaSantly. but there
III Is IN columns and pages, and the artist
depicts the hatchets, the rifles, knives,
Tevolvers. ana other lethai instruments,
sketches the counsel in attitudes, the prs
oner In stnlid despair. the witnesses, the
jury and judge. With the telautograph
THIS Is possible all over continent day by
day. Literally, a first-class horror may
have more readers than the Presidents
message, even when summarized for popu-
lar assimilation.
The Royal Arthur. flagship of the British
squadron in the Pacific, which has arrived
at Santa Barbara from Callao. is the latest
type of frst-class cruiser as regards arma-
ment and speed produced in England.
There are nine vessels in her class, all
ABOUT the same tonnage and embJdyiDg
the most recent ideas OF construction.
The Royal Arthur was launched in 1891,
mas tonnage of 700, with 12,000 horse
power and has a speed of 20 knots. She
Is much more serviceable vessel than
very large battle-ships like the Royal
Sovereign or Victoria, having large coal
endurance as we'll as strong armament,
several OF the new vessels in the American
navy. Fresh as she is from the builders
hands she will probably drop into lower
class in about five years. 1t is impossible
TO design a permanent type of war vessel
IN modern times.
Consuls in China and Japan are invested
with remarkable powers to sign certificates
Tor Chinese. The fraud practiced in pass
Ing certificates from hand to hand is noto-
rious. Not long ago Mongolian who was
examined as TO his knowle edge OF America
declared that the People travel about in
sedan chairs lie mad. OF course, lived in
TINS country. as his certificate purported,
and had seen the sedan chairs in use. The
sedan-chalr lmpoStor may now come into
the country as a merchant In perfect
safety, provided he has United States
con sular certificate, or forged one. The
treasury has decided that all persons hav-
Ing suen documents must be allowed to
land. They are to be accepted as proof
positive of the right to step on shore. The
responsibility is 10 rest upon the Consul if
anything goes wrong, and it will be strange
II the willy Chinese do not Invent strata
gems TO get round the routine OF Con-
suFs office in procuring bundles of these
documents available for personators.
San Diego is aghast at the intimatIon
that no more money will be paid out for
coyote scalps. as there are ears enough on
hand to draw warrant for S10210. Coy
otes have been ton abundant for the tax
payers OF late. Hunters who do kill off
the pests at least have the satisfaction of
earning the farmers benedicti0n. which
may contriVe to make the sport seductive.
Whatever comes of American kerosene
in China, it is understood that an arrange
ment was lately come to between the STAN
dard Oh Company and the Rothschilds and
NObels of Baku, by which the latter were
given considerable advantages in the
Asiatic market in return for a better field
to the former in Europe. The Baku
product can be obtained in practically in
exhauStible quantity, and it will be
shipped in tank steamers and stored. If
they had any notions of progress. the
Chinese might discover enough OF petro-
leum at home to serve their purposes, but
the notion that they will retaliate by shut
ting out the Standard Company wants
continuation. to say the least.