The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-04-16
ALL KINDS OF WAR RUMORS EN-
ANATE FROM THE JUNGLES
OF AFRICA.
RUSS|A'S attitude IS D|SQU|ET|NG
The Government Twitted for Allowing
Russia to Gobble Up the East-Sen-
ator Calls Maybrick Resolution
Causes Caustic Comment

bling of parliament has been the feature
| of the week for London and the daily
questions regarding foreign affairs that
are showered upon the secretary of state
| for foreign affairs, Mr.. George Curzon,
have served to draw attention again to
their unsettled condition in all directions.
Well-informed people say that Africa is
going to be blazing with war and there
| is said to be a possibility of Great Britain
having to re-conquer the Transvaal, a
task that would require at least 10000
| troops. Consequently it is likely that the
British army soon will be largely increas-
ed in strength as it is considered extreme
ly doubtful if it is capable of graphing
| with the work in Africa alone
In the meanwhile Great Britain's Eu-
ropean enemies are on the qui vive. The
attitude of Russia is especially disquiet-
| ing. Even newspaper like the st. James
Gazette expresses disgust with the SUI
pineneS of the government, which allows
Russia to pursue her advantages I'M
| checked in the direction of Port Arthur,
and says:
To-day Russia has got ALL and more
| than she dreamed of. France is her maid
of all work. Germany is her friend,
Turkey is her vassal and half of the
powers of the world are dancing to Rus
sia's time"
The situation in Gloucester, where viru-
| lent smallpox is raging, is so serious that
the government is likely to take charge.
! Up to March % there were 700 cases
| and SINCE then there has been an in
crease Of 80 weekly. The percentage of
deaths is % and the town is in a state
of panic.
| In the sporting world the feature of the
week has been the large number of point
to-point and hunt meetings, which are
always held during Easter week. The
feature of the Fairy House steeplechase
meeting last Monday was that Mr.. w.
c. Eustis, Il nephew of Mr.. James b.
Eustis, United States ambassador at
| Paris with his own horses, won the Hunt
cup and the Houghton cup (the two most
| coveted trophies) and also won the Fairy
| House plate on friends horse, against
the best professional jockeys in Ireland.
| London is still comparatively empty.
| Many of the great crowd of fashionables
and officials who flew to the country, the
| seaside or the continent last week have
not yet returned from their Easter holi-
days.
But the popular restaurants and thea
ters show few signs of their absence and
have been as crowded as ever during the
past week. Indeed, at the restaurant
| which for years has been the fashion and
where one can see royalties and the very
smartest people in England seated next
to tinanciers of doubtful reputation, and
to women whose repute there is no doubt
about whatever. it has been impossible
to get table for dinner or supper with
out reserving it in advance.
| The tDpatprS are generally dong wei
and the various novelties which were in.
troduced last Saturday night and OF
Easter Sunday are running smoothly and
attracting large audiences.
The music halls, especially the Empire
were attractions of wonderful ballets and
| variety shows, combined with sight OF
| London's most celebrated demi monde il
the promenade each evening, always
prove to be a great attraction, for the
| rival shows have been packed and gave
extra matinees on Easter Monday.
| The improvement in trade shown in
the returns for the first quarter of the
present year has been greeted with great
satisfaction, and it is pointed out that
the increases are due to an all-round de-
| velopment of trade and industry.
In addition there is promise of fur.
Their progress being shown during the
| current quarter.
that the imports have amounted to f112,.
29o,342, against f1O0, 1897 $50 for 1895
The exports for the first quarter of 1896
were f61, 1873, O43, against E52, T20,361
| for the last year at the same time. Only
two important decrease are in dutiable
articles of food and drink and raw tex
tile matter. The home exports increased
in every instance, and moreover, the in
crease represents a fair advance in
| prices.
The resolutions introduced by Mr.. Call
in the United States senate in the case
of Mrs. Florence Maybrick. the Ameri-
can woman who is undergoing sentence
for life, after having been convicted Of
| causing the death of her husband by
poison, has produced many sarcastic
comments in the press. Some of the pa
pers here intimate that the United States
interferes with everybody's business.
But the friends of Mrs. Maybrick, and a
portion of the press, think that the sena-
tors action will be beneficial to the UNI
| fortunate prisoner.
| the senates action will for the moment
harden the so-called judicial mind of
England, yet it will compel partial in
| veStigatiOn of the case by the press i'm
| this country. which will ultimately move
the home Office, and it is probable that
| we shall see similar result with Vene-
| Zuela.
The home Office will be compelled, by
the cOmmotiOn on both sides of the At
| lantic. to alter its policy when additional
| light has been thrown on the case. and
| we may expect Il reprieve after delay.
| The friends of Mrs. Maybrick are Sc
| we're in their criticisms of United Staes
| Ambassador Bayard. They even go so
| far as to say that Mrs. Maybrick would
have been free by this time had any other
man occupied the post of ambassador of
| the United States.
| They claim that Mr.. Bayard is now so
| afraid of trangressing what is termed
diplomatic usage that he hestates to
take action in the matter Although the
| Washington petition, with weighy sig
natures, was transmitted through Mr..
| Bayard by the state department, neither
the foreign Office nor the home office in
formed the United States embassy of its
decision in the Maybrick case.
Mr. Gerald BalfOur, the chief secretary
for Ireland. on Monday next will read an
| Irish land bill of far larger scope than
that brought forward by Mr.. John Nor
ley when he was chief secretary for Ire
land in the Liberal administration. 1t
proceeds on the principle that the pur-
chase occupying tenant is the ultimate
solution of the land question in Ireland
Mr.. Balfours task has been easier by
the increasing prosperity of Ireland. The
savings bank deposits in Ireland now