The record-union., 1896-12-27
To Garry Out the Plan for Additional
New Artillery.
The Budget Committee Taking q
Searching Inquiry With View to
Ascertaining " hich of Its Menu
berS Has Been Guilty of Disclosing
the Plans of 4 New Gun Which Had
Been Confided to Them by the
War Minister.

BERLIN, Dec. 26-There is high
authority for stating that the War
Office is undecided whether or not to
present to the ReiChstag a bill asking
for q very largely increased credit for
the augmentation To the artillery
branch OF the army at the present seS-
sion of the legislative body The Gov
ernment is anxious to secure an eLor-
nous credit Tor the purpose of carrying
out its plan for the additional Few ar
tillery, but there is no cel tainty that
the present Reichsta~ will grant IL.
General Won Gossler, Minister of War,
in the course of a recent address to tha
Budget Committee of the Reichstag in
regard to a new sun, which he de-
scribed as being superior to the new
French "Canet" quick-firing gun. asked
the members of the committee 10 OBJ
serve the strictest secrecy concerning
the gun. Some indiscreet member, how
ever, disclosed the whole plan of the
gun and the Budget Committee has be-
gun searching inquiry with view OF
ascertaining which of it's members has
shown itself unfit to be trusted with the
secrets of the body.
Advices from st. Petersburg say that
a sensation has been created there by
the decision of the holy synod to excom-
muricate Count Liof Tolstoi, the cele-
brated Russian author, from the or
thodoX church upon the ground that his
works ave calculated to and do under
mine the church. The synod was in
cited to this action by NJ. Pobedonost-
zOff, the Procurer- General of the synod.
who proposes to summon Count Tolstof
before the synod for trial, which VIII
involve his being deprived of his civil
rights.
The marine cable has been completed
from Emden, Prussia, to Vigo, Spain
which links the German telegraphia
system with the South American and
other systemS. Capital has been fur
nished by an Anglo German syndicats
for the construction of the first section
of a submarine cable between Germany
and the Unite.i States via the Azores.
The Christmas holidays this year
have been very much dulIer than for
many years past. The tradesmen have
been greatly dissatisfied with their hol-
iday business. Charity, however, has
been more extensive than before. The
numbers of bazars in behalf of various
charities have also been increased, and
house to house collections to aid poor
children have been made. In conse-
quence of this increase of charitable
work, there We're general Christmas
treats and dinners at the aSyluns. pris-
ons, casual wards, soup kitchens, do
nations to hospitals. etc, to a degree
of beneficence beyond precedence. The
donations exceeded all previous years in
respect of abundance, and the charities
to which they were devoted were much.
The Emperor's two eldest sons, Crown
Prince William and Prince Eitel Fred
erick. arrived at the new palace at
Potsdam on Tuesday from Pleon Col
lege, where they are pursuing their
studies, for the purpose of enjoying tha
holidays with their parents. On Christ
mas eve the imperial family and the
servants of their household assembled
in the ante-room of the apartments of
the Empress, where the Empress and
her children presented the domestics
belonging to the household with gifts.
The Emperor and Empress. with the
whole court and Prince and Princess of
Schaumberg- -Lippe. then dined in the
large hall of the palace. AT ) o'clock
in the afternoon the Christmas trees
were lighted and the presents displayed
in the grotto of the saloon. Conspicu-
Gus upon the Emperors table was an
immense silver goblet and a carved
clock, five feet high, from the Grand
Duchess of Baden. the Emperor's aunt.
The imperial children ran about the sa-
loon in high glee, showing the members
of the court the presents they had re-
ceived. The Empress Frederick IS
spending the Christmas holidays with
her son. Prince Henry of Prussia, and
his wife, Princess Irene. at Kiel.