The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-27

 of Pekin have any cause to respect the flags of Christian nations for the req son that the soldiers of the allied powers are constantly setting en example of dis order riot and tyranny Street fights be- tween natives and troops are frequent, the troops generally provoking the dis- turbance. Sometimes the fighting is be- tween the troops of the Christian nations. A British resident at Tientsin forwards some very serious allegations against the detachment of the Sherwood Pores ters, who have lately been on duty as part of the guard of that town He states that a party of them who were travelling to Pekin on January 25 by the 3:15 D. m train behaved in the most ruff flanly and disgraceful manner, first driv ing all the second-class passengers out of the cars into the cattle trucks on the train, and then invading the frst-elass dining saloon, which they footed, driving the other passengers out. There were some native ladies in the train, and the conductor had to lock them in the coupe to keep the soldiers from them. My cor respondent states that the railway com pany, in reply to complaints, state that it is useless to report the matter to the British military authorities, as such re- ports have always been Glsregarded; and although my correspondent waited two or three weeks after the occurrence In order to see whether any steps were talk en to punish the rioters, nothing had been done up to that date This is of course, only an ex-parte statement. and some answer to 1t may be forthcoming. But l cannot believe that a British passenger by the train would send home a com plaint of this kind against British sol- diers without some very good reason, and if there has been any such misconduct on the part of the troops stationed in China, 1t ought to be very severely dealt with.
 hear that the Grand Duke Cyril Vlad- imirovitch has been desperately anxious to marry the Grand Duchess of Hesse, but the Emperor Nicholas has positively forbidden the match. as the couple are first cousins, and such unions are pro- hibited by the statutes of the Orthodox church. The Grand Duke Cyril could doubtless have obtained a dispensation: but such breach of the ecclesiastical law on the part of members or the imper- ial family would have created a very bad impression in Russia, and might have led to serious complications in the fu- ture, as the Grand Duke Vladmer (fath- CT of the Grand Duke CyriD is next heir to the throne. after the Emperor Nicho- las and the hereditary Grand Duke Mi- chael. The Duchess Marie of Saxe-Co- burg-Gotha was also much against the match as she Is a devout membeY of the Greek church, and greatly disliked the idea of one of her daughters breaking an important law of that communion. There has been rumor at Berlin that the Grand Duchess of Hesse may very likely marry a German prince of the highest rank and of very large fortune. The grand duchess Is so handsome and clever and lively-such good company that she is regarded as certain to mar " again before long The Duchess Marie was strongly opposeI to her daughters 8 marriage with the Grand Duke Ernest, because they are first cousins, but Queen Victoria was the most zealous for the match. and Duke Alfred also favored 1t.
 MT. Winston Churchill has published the speeches that he has delivered on our armaments. He sums up his case in preface. MT. Brodrick's scheme ignores our resources in money and men. If 1t were carried into. effect the cost would be enormous. But 1t can only be carried into effect by crowding the ranks of the army with men physically or morally un- suited to the profession of arms. To have three army corps In England ready for foreign service at a moments notice is impossible. The idea betrays i'm moral yearnings' and can only multiply suspicion and hatred against us MT. .Brodrick continues to poster the colon- ial premiers with proposals to pit Brit ish and Colonial troops against European troops. But he now defends his army corps on the ground that they are need ed in Asia unless India is to perish, ai- though the navy cannot guarantee the convoy of such force in a war with maritime power.
 The Duchess of Parma presented the Duke the other day with his nineteenth child. All his children, except the Prin- cess of Bulgaria, are living. They are the offspring of two wives, Princess of Naples. and of Portugal of the Miguel branch. These Parmesans come after Mary III, and her family, as heirs of King Charles the Martyr Duke Robert being grandson of Isabella, third daug- ter of Victor Emmanuel I. She lived, after her curious farcial husband left her to reside at Nice, at Viaregglo, and may be said to have passed twenty-two years on her knees in her domestic chap el to atone for his sins, and then to re- deem from purgatory her son, who had been assassinated, and therefore unshriv- en. Louise Antoinette is her great grand daughter, so that the martyred Charles comes into the pedigree of those Saxon children on whose legitimacy King George has cast doubts.
 
 Queen Christina, notwithstanding the popes objection to cousins intermarry- ing, has singled out a Bavarlan niece-in- law for the crown matrimonial of Spain. As King Alfonso is only seventeen, he can wait until his appointed bride Is fully grown up. She is the eldest daugh- Bavaria. and s called Marie del Pillar and All the Saints" This princess is in her thirteenth year. Her mother is a poet ess and writes very sweet verses, brim- full of poetic emotion, and elegantly turned. Prince Adalbert now stout elderly gentleman. is nephew. through his mother. of King Francisco of Assist, and is a tiro in anatomy. He and his family live In a wing of the big Nym- phenburg palace in Munich, and are de- voted to rowing, riding, driving and oth- CT open air amusements. The Princess Adalbert has the reputation of being ex- tremely charitable
 The greatest wedding of the season, was that of Lord Rosebery's daughter Lady Sybil Primrose wished to have a very quiet wedding, but this the press would not permit. The daughters of we'll known public men need never hope for quiet wedding, unless they run away. Lady Sybil's took place at Epson, from The Durdans at the pretty little church about a mile away, called Christ church, at which the bride had been christened and confirmed. Everyone wore prim-