The Washington times., 1901-11-12
FOREIGN TOPICS.

| winch has already been announced as ar
| rlVlng at Odessa on its way to st. Peters
| burg, is actually an official commission
| appointed by the japanese Minister of
| Commerce and Industry. although the
| scheme was projected by = federation Of
commercial firms in Japan. The commits
| sioncrs will cal ofully collect material con-
| cerhihg Russian exports. and ascertain
what Opening there is in Russia for Jap
| anese commodities. The statistics relat-
| ing to Russia's export of sugar and pc
! troIeum have received especially careful
examination by the japanese. A hetero-
! gcneous collection of samples of Japa-
hese products has been brought from ia
| pan to Russia with the object of acquaint-
| ing russian importers with Japau's eX-
| ports, and 1t is hoped shortly to open
| tea warehouses in several of the largest
| towns IN Russia for the sale. on large
scale, OF tea grown in Japan. Incident
any, the question OF establishing direct
| steamer communication between Odessa
ana Japanese ports, will. it is said, be
advanced another stage by the represent
au0ns winch the commission will be able
70 70 iay before the Russian authorities for
| their consideration.
During the last three years the Japanese
| mercantile marine has increased from 627
| steamers with l29 IA tonnage to sl2 steam
| sailing vessels for the same period has
been eXtraordinary-from III vessels with
| 2S.Ol4 tonnage to 3.416 with 3l5 I57 tonnage.
| The whole record shows remarkable de-
| velopment aSd seems to indicate that a
! great maritime future is before Japan,
| though the present liberal system of bOun
| ties renders it difficult to say how much
| of tho increase is due TO artificial foster
Ing. A notable fact is that whereas the
| Japanese mercantile marine contained
| only one steamer of $500 tons or over
! IN 1873, it has now twenty-one vessels OF
| that size.
Some idea Of the inconvenience that is
being experienced in nearly all com
merciaI centres Of European Russia ow-
ing to the difficulties of navigation on
| the Nolga has already been given in the
cable dispatches. But according TO re-
cent mail advices from Odessa actual
calamity is threatened. For example 49,
100000 pools of oil alone are lying in
barges in the lower reaches of the river
| between Astrakhan and Saraton and
there is little hope of getting the barges
up the river before its surface is frozen
over, as the water is constantly sinking
Scores of towns along the Nolga, from
Saratof northward as far as Rybinsl,
which are absolutely dependent on the
naphtha supplies for their prosperity. are
said to be face to face with serious diff
Guilty, which may be followed by indus
trial calamity, owing to their supplies
/ cf DeFhtha ana "astatki' having given
out. Another fleet of bargcs, containing
40OOo.O00 pcods of oil destined for the
higher reaches of the river. are lying at
Astrakhan. and preparations are already
being made to store it there until the
spring foods.
What Is considered to be the worst fea-
ture OF the blocking OF the Nolga is the
fact that il all might have been avoided
If the officials Of the Nolsa department CT
the Russian Ministry Of Ways Of Com
munication had followed the plans laid
out by the Government. a case against
these officials, iEcluding Engineers Alex
andrOff and Shnakenburg. was hastily
! formulated by he Government. and the
| defendants placed on trial on charges of
gross mismanag cement and fraudulent
misrepresentation OF Government funds
Alexandrom has been sentenced to depri-
walton of civil property and all other
rights. with Imprisonment in a fortress
for twelve months. while his colleague
| has received a severe judicial reprimand.
The specific charge was connected with
the exc cution of certain dredging and en-
hanSment work near the great SOrmoyo
works. a few Versls above Novgorod but
the trial revealed the payment of enor-
nous sums Oh fictitious accounts, the
work OF which was, of course. never ac-
| complished. In view Of the disastrous
state of the river the trial awakened
great interest throughout European
Russia.
The Kaiser's interest in art, and espe-
cially in historical paintings, has led re-
Gently to a couple Of 'efninently character
istic incidents which have created much
comment in Berlin. The other day
picture was presented to the royal hall
of the Langfuhr barracks, which shows
ha L1fr
at the head of the Second Hussars on
that occasion Wilhelm was mounted on
his famous white charger, but by the
Haiser's command the painter has repre-
scented him riding his favorite dark horse,
magnificent animal given him by Lord
Lcnsdale
But this Improvement on history is quite
unimpOrtant beside the alteration that the
Kaiser has since made in a famous his
.'tOrical painting which hangs in the Dant-
zig town hall. This depicts the meeting
o: the Car Alexander III and the old En-
perOr William on the rampaTts of the
town, very graphic piece OF portraiture.
Wilhelm the Second however,
came to the conclusion after a lengthy
contemplation of 1t that a certain omis-
sion, though justified historically decid-
edly marred his interest ia it personally
SO he sent for a capable artist and in
structed him to paint in a figure. of him
OF Red Hussars, and standing prominent
~ in the suite of the old Emperor
AS the Kaiser. then a young and unim-
poftant man OF twenty, was many miles
from Dantzig when the event depicted
took place, the addition is absolutely in
accurate historically. and is hardly in the
best of taste.
The Kaisers beautiful egoism. how
ever, sUperbly supports him through any
unlaForable criticism of his little whims.
The royal family of Great Britain has
always taken the deepest interest in mu-
sic, and in no country in the world are
there so many amateur musicians among
the nobility
The late Queen Victoria was not only a
good pianist but sang in a most sympa-
thetic manner. and was always the first
to encourage the study Of musical art in
all its branches.
There would have been 10 Royal College
Of Music but for the interchangeable en-
ergy Of King Edward. Queen Alexandra
Is musical enthusiast; she plays the
pianoforte exceedingly well, and is a mu-
sicai doctor Of the Duolin University.
Princess Henry of Battenburg however
is the most accomplished musician of the
royal dynasty. Her technique is rcrfect
and she is an excellent sight reader. She
has also appeared before the public as a
musical composer Miss Minnie Coch-
rane, who has always been closely associ
ated with the royal family is another ex-
Ceilent pianist. Brahms is a great favor
lie with her, and those who have ac-
phalntance with the works Of this com
to read. '''
Among other noted amateur musicians
are PIlnceSs Christian. Countess VaIda