The Washington times., 1901-07-05
FOREIGN TOPICS.

D
In the elections for the Victorian mem
bers of the Australian Legislature, me cit
| liens have the facility OF voting by mail.
Any clector who resides at least five
miles from the nearest polling booth at
which he is entitled to vote. or has rea-
son to believe that on polling day he will
not be within five miles of such booth. or
that on account of III health or infirmity
/ ne Will be prevented from voting person.
ally thsreat may obtain through the local
po5tofhce his ballot paper from the re-
turning officers for the district. The writ
ing IN OF the names for which the elector
wishes to vote is done in the presence of
the local postmaster or the police officer
specially appointed for the district to visit
SICK and intirin persons, who cannot at
tend the postoffice. These witnesses.
however, must not lock at the names of
the candidates which have been written.
A unique submarine boat is now being
built at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. de-
signed for the search for the North Pole.
Herr Anschuetz-Kaempfe. of Munich, the
inventor, recently described his plans at
meeting of the Vienna Geographical
Society. The boat viii be capable OF de-
Scending to a depth of 100 feet, and of
swimming at that distance from the sur
face, and can remain fifteen hours under
water. It's cubicaI contents will allow
sufficient air for FIVE men for fifteen
hours, the carbonic acid gas being re-
moved by combination with caustic soda.
The boat is kept from rising by vertical
screws of five horse power. A petroleum
motor supplies the necessary power. The
extent of ice fields rarely exceeds three
miles, and as the vessel can make three
miles an hour under water and can re-
main fifteen hours, he believes there viii
be no difficulty in swimming from OPEN
Ing to opening OF the Ice fields. The pos
sibility of meeting reefs of rock rising
toward the surface and sand banks he
If, after proceeding six hours under
water, the vessel finds no opening, It
viii rise to the ice ard search for q
thin spot, ana If blasting cannot effect an
outlet there will be plenty of time TO
return 20 the last opening.
King Edward VII has decided upon
design for a new cipher to be worn on
all badges. buttons. and ether devices
throughout the royal service wherever
the royal cipher IS at present borne.
The cipher consists of .'Es' for Edward
and r. for Rex, impaIed with VII, in
serted in the lower loop of the e the
whole surmounted by a crown; and the
design has been made plain, without foil
alton. at his Majesty's express wish No
deviation from it whatever Will be per-
be placed above or upon 1t.
Special instructions have been given
through the Secretary for War as to the
crown, there being in use at present some
half dozen crowns of different patterns.
some Of them of foreign shape or deYia-
tions from the British. That now to he
adopted and to become the sealed pat
tern for the army is the Tudor Henry
VIZ crown, stated 10 have been chosen
and always used by Queen Victoria per-
sonaily, and all other patterns are to be
abolished.
II the Empress Dowager makes -Kaifung
the capital of China because she is afraid
TO return to Pekin she win not confer an
unprecedented dignity upon the former
city. The province of Hon&n, to which it
belongs, was once the political centre OF
the Empire, the middle kingdom. whose
designation overspread the whole, and
Kaifung itself was the Empires capital
between the years $50 and 1129.
1t lies at little distance from the Yel-
low River, which is a constant menace
to it in times of high water. The expedi-
ent of building dikes to protect It was
adopted many centuries ago, and Chi
nese general who was beleaguered there
opened the food-gates, like the Dutch, to
destroy the enemy, and thus doomed to
death. 1t is said, some $780, 600 of Kaifung's
inhabitants.
Probably the number was exaggerated,
or perhaps the city was so hurt by the
disaster that 1t was unable to recover its
former state. At any rate it is credited
now with a population of only 100, coo. /
though it has remained a provincial eapi-
tal
1t has a unique interest in that it has
been the home of the remnant of the Jew
ish colonies in China for the last three
M YTFs lTtFaNa had ~4rSfa
here, but it had disappeared when visited
in 1856 All that remained of it on the
spot was tablet which recorded the
building of the synagogue in 1fS3 and its
in liSS. An entrance tablet
marked in gilt with the words 'Israers
Possession had been removed to a
mosque and thither some of the coIonists
had followed it as worshippers.
The Jews at that time numbered be-
tween 300 and 400 but stubborn as Is the |
race il had succumbed to a greater stub |
known to them. Regarding the disappear |
lnce of the temple 4 was explained that |
he people were all very poor and that |
hey had sold it piecemeal to supply them |
With food
The question of the future leadership of |
he Liberal party in England is likely to |
De decided this week The section of the |
party which opposed the South African |
var is disaredited among the people. and |
he Imperialists are to be put in the sad
lie instead of the ants, who conducted |
he campaign 50 unsuccessfully In the last |
elections. There is no longer any doubt /
hat Campbell -Bannerman will be deposed
md the tide has set in strongly toward
Mr.. Asquith. If Lord Rosebery can be
induced to return to the helm, Mr.. AS
luith win be come the party leader in !
he House of Commons ana Rosebery will
iirect the cause OF liberalism In a larger
ield. Mr.. Asquith's prospective leader
ship seems to promise much for the fu-
ure of the demOralized party that has
low practically determined upon accept
ng him as guide. The principal thing
which has deferred Mr.. Asquith from TAX
ng up this position with reference to the
Jarty heretofore was lack of personal
means, which sounds odd in this country,
where most men enter public life in order
o build up their private fortunes.
Placed by the side of Belgium the dini-
lution of the population in France is
iothing short of a calamity
The agricultural departments show a
urther gradation of decrease. French
iarvests viii have TO be gathered in by
or men from the Ticino.
[ may be said that Lille. Roubaix, Ar
nentieres, and dozen towns are as
Flemish as they were 200 years ago. In
hese districts the increase is accounted
or by alien immigration. Marseilles is
lalf Italian. The Riviera teens with for
ign elements. The same remark applies
o the Spanish frontier towns and VIII
ages.