The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-08

She Has Made no Back Down Before Rms
sia as to the Port Of Ta- Lien.Wan-Eng-
land Not Bound to Japan by Any Al
Mauce-American Consul Day Makes .
Speech to Britfshers on American Pro-
tective Policy-The Cavendish Expedf-
ton Into Central Africa
Copyrighted by the Associated Press.)
London, February SIT is proba Dle
that but little further reliable infor-
nation regarding China will be OBJ
tainable until the ministers have a
chance to round on their assailants
during the course of the debate in par
lament on the address in reply to the
speech from the throne.
The whole Ta-Lien-Wan story never
received shadow of official sanction.
AS cabled to the Associated Press on
Thursday last, Great Britain has never
demanded that Ta-Lien-Wan be made
a treaty port. 1t was merely one of
the suggested constituents of the bar
gain, and if it should be withdrawn it
can only be because it is a barrier to
the negotiations for the loan. The OBJ
ject of the condition was to checkmate
any scheme for the transformation of
Port Arthur into a closed Russian
port, and the object was equally Sc
cured by exacting from China and
Russia together pledge in regard to
Port Arthur, similar to the pledge ex-
in I'd To
before the evacuation of Port Hamil-
ton, and this will probably be the up
shot The semi-Official statements dis
tinctly point thereto, notably the spe-
cific assurance early in the week in re-
gard to the temporary nature of the
Russian tenure of Port Arthur, which
was accompanied by the friendly as
surance that Great Britain is not
bound to Japan by any alliance In
short, there is every reason to believe
that Great Britain does not intend to
recede an inch from the position which
has been officially taken up by Messrs
Balfour, Chamberlain and Hicks
Beach, in the name of the marquis of
Salisbury,
In the course of an interesting ad-
dress at Bradford, before the chamber
of commerce of that place, on Thurs
day last, the United States consul,
Erastus S. Day, applauded the marquis
of Salisbury's doctrine of free trade
in China. He said that America had
every sympathy with it and that the
people Of Great Britain and the United
States ought to lead in shaping the
worlds thought and action He said
they had the opportunity to achieve
great things; would they unite to
achieve lasting benefits to themselves
and to the world.
Speaking of the tariff, Mr.. Day said
the overwhelming preponderance of
sentiment in the United States was in
favor of the protective theory The
Wilson bill, he added, had sickened
the people of the tariff for revenue
only" theory, and it would not be
wise for the manufacturers of Brad
ford to hope for the speedy enactment
of another Wilson bill (which closed
too many mills in the United States
to be retried."
The Cavendish expedition which is
about to leave is one of the most
striking examples of how young and
wealthy Englishmen, with fondness
for sport and exploration, combine the
tastes with empire-making. Henry
Cavendish, a relative of the duke of
Devonshire, has already spent 100000
in preparations for the expedition.
Although nominally private, it's aims
are on the Upper Nile where the
French are supposed to be operating,
and are we'll known to high govern
ment officials. AS matter of fact,
the route adopted was suggested by the
chiefs of the intelligence department
of the war Office, and the foreign Office
had the scheme under consideration
for some weeks. The force which will
accompany Mr.. Cavendish will be bet
ter armed than any body os men
which has ever entered Africa 1t will
take with it $4,000 rounds of ammuni-
tion and a number of seven FOUNDER
Maxim rapid-fire guns. 1t will be we'll
provided against all surprises Mr..
Cavendish expects to reach the Upper
Nile in three or four months and may
continue to Khartoum after the Der
wishes have been beaten.
Lady Violet Greville, whose types oD
the fashions are always accepted as
gospel, writes from Paris, saying that
velvet will reign supreme this spring
in the fashionable world. She says:
velvet in every style, shape and
color, black, corn flower-blue, sap
phire, silver grey shot with gold and
a host of other startling shades" Con-
tinuing, Lady Greviile describes e
number of velvet costumes which are
being made for the princess of Wales
and the queen regent of Spain.
Earthquake Shocks In virsinis