The times., 1898-02-10
ECHOES FROM ABROAD.

a report, apparently well founded, is
current in political circles in Rome. TO
| the effect that eX-Premier Crspi has
| just received an offer from the King
of seat in the Senate with the hand
| some salary attached thereto as we'll
as of an allowance of 81. 900 a year
| from the royal civil list. and the aban-
donment of all further proceedings
against him, either Legislative or judi
cial in connection with the bank and
| Treasury scandals. If he will undertake
| to withdraw at once from politics.
| Humbert offers the annuity from the
| civil list on the pretext that Crispi. be
| ing one OF the eight non-royal knights
| of the Order of the Annunciation. is ipse
! facto titular cousin OF the sovereign.
and cousin, being a member of the
| family, has claim on the purse of the
| chief thereof. The offer has been made
in consequence of the apprehension ex-
| cited in the breasts of the King and Pre-
mier Rudini by the growing popularity
| of Italys grand old man, who bids fair
| if matters go on at the present rate, to
| be restored ere long to power. not by
| the King, whom he has been repeat
| edly attacking with such incredible
! boldness during the last year as To lead
to the conviction that he possesses
| some secrets damaging to King Hum
! bert and to the family. and which he
! holds in terror over the head of his
| sovereign.
Crispi is at the present moment in
| most acute financial straits. and. be-
| sides. is much harassed by the inves-
| LEGATIONS of one kind and another to
which both his wife and himself are
| being subjected. Moreover. he is d very
! old man. So ii is just possible that
Notwithstanding his triumphal pro-
! gress through Sicily last month, when
| he completely oyershadowed the Crown
| Prince and Crown Princess and Premier
| Rudini, and. in spite, too, of the mani
| festations of good will that are reach
! ing him from every part of the king
| dom. he may accept the King 5
| offer and end his days as a
rather than as the first prime minister
of an Italian republic. the fate pre-
| dicted for him long years ago by his
| fellow -cOnspirator. Mazzini.
| Discriminating charges have been
| levied on American pitch pine by the
| PruSsian Railway. Lumber is listed un-
der two classes The charges on class
| 1 are % per cent higher than on class
>. For example, the charge from Bre-
| men to Dresden is 30 cents on class l
| and 43 cents on class .. Corresponding
| differences are made between other
points on the Prussian Railway. 1t
| has been. and is now. the practice of
| the Prussian Railway to list American
| pitch pine in class l, whereas the ship
| pers claim it should be listed in class ,.
as similar woods from Sweden. Norway
and other countries are listed. and as
American pitch pine. ii is said, is list
ed when the railway officials are not
aware of its origin.
The trade in American pitch pine in
Bremen is considerable, and the Prus-
sian Railway is the only means by
which it can be conveyed into the in
terror. This discrimination is keenly
felt by those engaged in the trade. and
the hope is entertained by them that
some way may be found by which it
can be removed.
Under the direction of its editor Nine.
Marguerite Durand. La Fronde which
is. according to its own statement pub
lished every day in the right hand cor
| ner of the first page, directed, managed.
edited. and printed by women. has
reached it's forty-seventh number In
spite of it's militant name, it has thus
far in it's career refrained from throw
ing any bombshelis and has not made
itself much talked about either for good
or for evil FrenchWomen are held by
many to be without their equals as
business women. but it occaSioned
great surprise and astonishment when
it was announced that a journalistic
venture of this kind was to be started
along the old. conservative lines to
enter into rivalry with all the host Of
papers edited owned. and managed by
men. But the hackers of the new paper
hn wiki thrao of tho
readers of novels and perhaps of the
philosophical works that appear are
women. the newspapers are almost
wholly given to the interests and ac-
tivities of male readers. and that while
novelists and metaphysicians have
found their way to the hearts and
brains of women. journalists have not
succeeded or tried to succeed in this
line.
Madame Durand. on beginning the
paper was asked by her women COM
positors to pay them the usual wages
of five or six francs a day. She at once
said that it was against her principles
to pay them less than the trade-unon
rate for men compositors-tha is, eight
francs day. The sequel of this praise
worthy effort TO secure the industrial
equality of her compositors does not
reflect any credit upon the gallantry of
the other sex A law was at once put
into force forbidding women to work at
night. and SO Madame Durand was
compelled to dismiss all her women
compositors. since morning newspaper
must be printed during the hours of
darkness.