Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-09
Part Americans VIII Play.

American civil and mechanical engineers
have been engaged by the Beers to dis
mantle the Netherlands railway in the
event of a Boer retrograde movement upon
Pretoria. They will certainly not meet
with too considerate treatment If taken
prisoners. Something like a dozen of these
adventurous Yankees are professional rail-
road wreckers, now living in comparative
clover in Pretoria"
The Boer ranks will certainly include a
number of Irishmen and of former officers
of the German army.
1t is said the Beers will adopt the policy
they adopted in 1881, when ten sharpshoot-
ers We're detailed out of each company to
pick off the British officers.
The weekly papers comment with the
greatest satisfaction upon the kinship of
the empire as revealed in the colonial of
fers of assistance In the Transvaal cam
paign. In Difference to the wish of the sec
rotary or state for the colonies, Mr.. Cham
berlain, only portion of the contingent
offered by Australia will be accepted.
The fact that Maj. Girouard, French
Canadian, has temporarily resigned the
presidency of the Egyptian railway board
in order to take charge of the military
transport arrangements in Africa for the
campaign, prompts the Outlook to remark,
This is real imperial federation"
The panic stage of the stock market ap-
pears to have passed The tone of most
departments is much improved. 1t is be-
lieved that an outbreak Of hostilities would
send kaffirs prices up. the idea being that
war would end In the acquisition of the gold
fields. 1t is curious that Transvaal stocks
have declined much less than African CO.
lonial stocks. This is due to belief that
Great Britain will assume the Transvaal
debt after the war is over.
The condition of the money market ex-
cites attention. A still higher bank rate
Is regarded as not improbable, should war
break out France, 1t is reported, declines
to sell more gold to America The strin-
q OH
rome.
Russia in Financial Straits.
Russia is suffering from a rather severe
financial crisis. The reserve Of the imperial
bank Is now very low, and stocks Of all
kinds have fallen considerably. This, pre-
sumably, Is due to Misrepresentation and to
the gigantic f1otation of Industrial compa-
MES. In word. Russia has been trying to
go too fast in the endeavor to become a
great manufacturing nation.
Money Is also very tight in Germany.
The Statist again comments upon the
stringency in America, and says:
I'VE fear that the period of ease custom
airy in October may this year be altogether
absent and that strong demand for gold
will arise in November to move the corn
and cotton crop"
Altogether there is every prospect of
higher instead of lower rates, since no gold
Is available now from the Transvaal."
There are no further DEVELOPMENTS in
but the story concerning Gen. Roget and
NJ Godfrey Cavaignac. former minister of
war, is believed to be correct. France is
momentarily quiet: but Indications are not
far to seek that there are serious latent
difficulties NJ. Millerand, the socialist MEM
Der of the cabinet. in political speech last
Sunday. limited strongly at anti-Jesuit meas
ures He denounced the "accursed press
of blackmail and calumny' and foreshad-
owed an intention to render amenable to
law the unrelenting factions which, under
the mask of religion, conceal political en-
terprises"
The Alaska negotiations proceed, al
though Sir Louis H. Davies, the Canadian
minister of marine and fisheries, is taking
short vacation in Scotland with Lord
Strathcona and Mount Royal, the Canadian
high commissioner. The Associated Press
learns that there is a good prospect of a
tentative settlement within a fortnight, al
though a definite arrangement apparently
cannot be reached until the joint high COM
mission ratifies the pending modus vivendi.
1t is understood that If Sir Louis Davies
expresses satisfaction on behalf of Canada
regarding the present propositions, the
whole question will be practically settled.
All reports alleging to give details of the
settlement are pronounced by the authori-
ties here premature and without adequate
basis.
Experiments In Wireless TeleEraphy.
The French navy Is installing wireless
telegraphy between the light houses along