The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-09-07

Over the Alliance-Simple Life in tit
Russian Royal FamiIy-Grand Military
Maneuvers Of Different Nstions-RatioEe
al Dress Movement in England.
Copyright by the Associated Press)
London September 4.-Public attention
still centers in the dual alliance, though
it has been interrupted by the shouting
Of Emperor William of Germany. Eng
land remains apathetic, in spite of the
fact that the center Of gravity in Euro
pean affairs has been shifted to St. Pc
tersburg.
Commenting upon the political situation,
The Spectator remarks: THE closer we
| look into the details of the arrangements
binding Europe, the clearer it becomes
that none Of the various powers can move
without Russia. In some way or another
every power, except Russia, is bound
either by express agreement or by inter-
es.s not to alter the status quo
Queen Victoria and the Marquis of
Salisbury, though fully aware of the
French jealousies of England. placed
great reliance upon the clear-cut, Eng
lish tending influence of the czarina over
the czar, and believe the alliance really
makes for peace. Germany finds solace in
the bitter chagrin of Emperor William S
remark: AT ST. Petersburg. according
to my conviction, we skinned the cream
man susceptibilites by explaining the
weakness of the meaning of the words en-
plOyed by the cZar.
In France, particularly in Paris, the
delirium continues. Russian names are
given to every possible article Of fashion
and luxury the streets still gay with
Russian colors, will be rebaptised. Wher-
ever men see pictures Of the czar they lift
hniv hnfC nd fhn tot M trn- .1n,rv,r
on the Place de la Concorde, is daily dec
GRATED with floral wreaths. in response to
the almost universal conviction that Rus
sia means to compel Strassburg's resto-
ration. Though the manufacturers are
already disappointed in not obtaining i'm
mense Russian contracts, Russia certain
ly intends to do much to crafty French
ambition. The first step announced Is the
establishment Of a Russian legation at
Tangier to support French views in
Africa, and France feels, for the first
time since 1871, that she is strong enough
to have her own way.
President Faure is quite delighting
Paris with the gossip of the Russian
court. What astonished him most was
the informal and entirely unaffected man.
ners of the emperor and empress. The i'm
perial couple, he explains, lived exactly
like private people, in a small cottage
with their children. dogs and photographs
about. The czar dislikes a military es-
cort near him, goes about practically un-
attended, and is immensely popular with
the people. This last statement is con-
firmed by the reception his majesty met
with at Warsaw this week. There the
Poles seemed to have given him most
hearty welcome and, in political circles,
much Importance is attached to his ma
jeSty's visit to Poland.
Between the intervals of the universal
shouting for peace, the heads of the va
riOus nations have been busy perfecting
the effectiveness of their armies by au-
tumn maneuverS. Emperor William pa
raded an army corps at COblentZ, WurZ-
burg and Nuremburg, upon the occasion
| of his visits to the cities, and today at
Homburg his majesty paraded four army
corps before himself, the empress, the
king and queen of Italy, the king of Sax
| ony, the king of Wurtemburg. the prince
Nicholas of Russia the duke and duchess
! of Connaught, the duke of Cambridge,
J Prince and Princess Henry of Prussia,
| and many other notabilities. The army
| day next The Germans have actually
modified larger force than they had on
| the French border in 1870, within ten days
| of the declaration of war, and the troops
| are in the very positions they would oc.
| cupy if actually mobilized for war today
| Though army maneuvers on a large
| scale are occurring in the Crimea, the
czar at the Warsaw maneuvers will wit
| ness the operations of 4,5OO officers anG
| 122, 600 men. The maneuvers will be par
ticularly directed towards solving the diff
flculty of supplying the troops with ho
| food in the field and improving the bicy
! Gle, postal, telegraph and ambulance ser
| vices.
The French army maneuvers, which will
| be held in the north of France, will bring
| two army corps together.
The British army maneuvers, which fin
| ished today near Arundel which furnished
| instruction to 10000 men, have not called
| forth any particular comments from tn
military critics, except their complaint
of the presence of too many boys in tn,
ranks and the remark that continental
armies outclass the British in organiza
ton.
While Queen Victoria was travelin,
from Osborne, Isle of Wight to Gosport
during the week. on her way 20 Balmoral
Scotland. her majesty called Staff Captain
w. G. Goldsmith captain of her yacht
TO the quarterback, and, in the preSenc
of the court and of the crew, she con
ferred upon him the honor of knighthood
The affair was entirely spontaneous, an
is one of the few instances of knighthoo
having been conferred by the queens owl
initiative instead of as a result Of politi
| cal intrigue.
The Church Times says that the larg
number of Americans here has led to tn
| Introduction of the name of the presiden
of the United States into the collects fo
the queen.
| The supporters of rational dress" hay
arranged with seven lady bicycling club
to make bloomer demonstration b
| wheeling from London to Oxford. wher
| occurs the dinner of the rational dress
congress, to be held under the presidenc
| OF NlScOunteSS Haberton, and under tn
! patronage of Ladies Colin Campbell Ran
dolph Churchill, Richardson and Henr
Somerset.