The Washington times., 1901-09-01
FOREIGN TOPICS.

/ Will Wv VI - os
There is a pretty general opinion in
London that unless Lord Kitchener can
make his proclamations more effective
than he has done in the past he had bet
ter quit the business of issuing them. His
latest effort to end the Boer war by
| threatening with banishment all hurgh-
ers caught with arms in their hands has
provided only ribald laughter in South
Africa Banishment is the fate of all
Beers who have thus far fallen into Brit
| ish hands, and IL is expected as the result
| of surrender. 1t is the almost unanimous
| feeling among the Ubers tnat in case OF
| British victory patriotic Beers will prefer
/ expatrtation to living under the DOMINION
of the nation that is now warning upon
| them OF course, If they surrender they
will have the privilege of choosing their
own future homes, while if they are cap
tured they will have to accept such lodg-
| ment as the British Government chooses
| to give them. But il is evident from pres
ent indications that they are not afraid
| of whatever fate is in store for them, for
they are fighting as desperately as at any
period since the beginning of hostilities.
We hear little of De Wet of late, but it
| is believed that he is preparing for an
other of his characteristic raids in the
rear of the invading army. Well-posted
| South Africans declare that there are
| still from 15 600 to Is. 600 Beers under arms.
This force is sufficiently large to keep
Kitchener in hot water for a consider
able time to come.
Meanwhile the taxpayers are grumbling
over the cost of the war. million dol
lars week is a conservative estimate OF
the outlay thus far and 1t is increasing
instead of diminishing as time progress
eS.
Another spying case, which appears to
rest on trifling evidence, is reported from
Frouard, the German frontier town.
1t appears that a young Englishman,
William Washington Cor wellington, a
native of Liverpool. obtained situation
at mineral water warehouse in the dis
trict. He stated that he was anxious to
perfect his knowledge of French. After
business hours he strolled round the fort
where the governor, seeing that he was
consulting a guide book, ordered his i'm
mediate arrest. His room was searched,
but nothing was found there or in his
pocket. The only point against him is
that he knows German.
The De Beers Company has forwarded
to Lady Hutchinson, for presentation to
the Duchess of Cornwall on her royal
highness arrival. beautiful and unique
gift. consisting of parcel of diamonds
carefully selected from the output during
the last six months of all the mines un-
der the companys control The stones
number co., their total weight being 26l
carats. They range in size from four
carats to half a carat Each stone Is
perfect octohedron. The total value of
the diamonds is estimated at 5000
The authorities of the Town of North
wich, in Cheshire, England, are now at
work on the problem of lifting up the
whole main street of the town to level
four feet above that which It at present
No-tb wi oh q
tnat 1t is built Immediately above great
salt mines which have been worked Tor
centuries. As a result none of the resi-
dents of the town can be quite sure when
they will be swallowed up in sudden gap
in the ground For the last eight years
the whole town has been gradually sink
ing at an average rate OF a foot year,
and In addition there have been many
more violent and less general cave-ins
which have swallowed up or torn 10
pieces individual buildings AT present a
large portion of the buildings of the town
are supported on jack screws. and all
buildings are bound and hooped with
iron bolted and nutted together. In TINS
way building can be erected Whch VIII
stand a shock which would shake 70
pieces a structure built in the ordinary
way. An official record shows that SS2
buildings in Northwich have been wholly
destroyed or badly injured by sinking
foundations within the last few years
One of the most important inventions OF
modern times must be credited to Fred
erick Philippi, Bavarian blacksmith OF
S;ebenbuergen. He has just secured a
patent on what he calls an automatic
unhitcher. Here is a harness that excels
the very best ones now in use in the fre
engine houses of the United States. 1t Is
an ingenious apparatus which, with few
attachments put to the shafts can be at
taehed to any vehicle in 1iffy. The
cardinal feature of the new invention is
the instantaneous device of unhitching.
In case of a runaway all the coachman
needs to do is to pull strap on the dasn-
board and the horses are released from
brought to standstill.
The new apparatus was tried some |
time ago on Il field. near Muenchen. The |
Herr Philippi who drove them, at once |
pulled the strap. 1t acted as an instan- |
brake. and the wild animals |
seemed so surprised that they at once |
checked their mad rush. The value of |
this invention in these days OF electric
street cars. automobiles, and bicycles is
obvious.
BY an agreement just concluded be-
tween the Government of the Gambia,
West Africa, and a powerful chief named |
Mousa Mollah, who resides in French ter
ritory. the whole of both banks of the
Gambia River up to the Anglo-French
frontier are now British. 1t seems that
he French authorities recently gave their
consent for the chief to travel to Nc
Carthy's Island In order to meet the
British Administrator, and, after two
lays palaver with Sir George Denton,
he agreement was signed.
The value of the convention lies in the
act that the British have now, not mere
V nominal. but actual and complete con-
rol over the whole of the river. whereas |
hitherto the enormous tract of country |
belonging to Mousa Mollah was not un-
Ter actual British Jurisdiction, the chief |
having always refused to allow this. 1t
ilso precludes all possibility of the es-
of a French post on the
Gambia River.
The situation in the Gambia. moreover. |
s said to have considerably improved as
result of the recently concluded COM
,ined Anglo-French operations, and the
natives all round are now believed to
ealize the futility of continuing their ef-
orts to play French relations against the |
British. Anglo-French relations in that
'art of West Africa are now better than
ver. there being no evidence, certain |
popular Paris journals to the contrary |
of the strained relations
which have sometimes existed in the
ast.