The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-07-22
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Release Order for MalaCca
Behind Time.
HAD LEFT PORT SAID
Ship Had already Set Sail for the
Baltic with a Prize Crew
on Board.
HAD LEFT PORT SAID

LONDON, July 22.-Lloyd's agent al
Port Said telegraphs that the Peuinsu.
lar and Oriental liner Malacca, which
was seized by the Russian steamship
St Petersburg in the Red sea and is
now navigated by prize crew, has
left Port Said for Russia.
When the Malacca sailed, the agent
says, it was not known TO what port
she was bound. A news agency dis.
patch announcing the departure OF the
vessel adds that her destination Is sup.
posed to be Libau, on the Baltic, and
that she will call at Cherbourg.
The agent of the Peninsular and Ori-
entail company at Port Said telegraph
ed to the company that the Malacca
left with IA bill of health marked Rus
sia"
With the news Of the departure Of
the Malacca frosn Port Said in posses
sion of a Russian prize crew it is felt
here that the situation which was seri-
GUS enough in itself. has become i'm
measurably graver
THE Malacca," says the Standard
must not be allowed to leave Port
Said under the aRussian flag. We do
not keep IA powerful fleet in the Medi-
terranean in order that the inland sea
shall be the scene of such an outrage
upon international justice"
The ink was Scarcely dry upon these
words when the Malacca was starting
out for a Russian port.
A special from Newchwang says that
the commander of a Russian torpedo
boat has reported that while in the
gulf of Pechli he accidentally torpe-
doed a British steamer. 1t is surmiS-
ed that the vessel referred To is the
Hipsiang now five days overdue from
Newchwang.
Advlces from 81. Petersburg say that
the Russian government has telegraph
ed TO Suez instructions TO release the
British steamship Malacca If no CON
traband of war destined for Japan was
found on board her. 1t was found inn
possible to carry this order into effect
as the Malacca had already left Sucz.
The justification for the seizure is
stated here to be the fact that the cap
tain of the Maacca refused to show the
ships papers.
Count Beckendorff, the Russian am
bassador to Great Britain, has asked
for Lord LansdOwne's official assurance
that the munitions on board were Brit
tgI 90,
en-, orders will instantly be issued to re-
lease the vessel At the same time
Great Britain will be notified that ships
stopped by Russia whose manifests are
not in order will be held.
The statement previously made that
the vessels of the Russian volunteer
fleet in the Red sea are under the or
ders of Grand Duke Alexander Mix
hailoyich is officially declared to be in
correct.
Russia will maintain the legality Of
the status of the SmolenSk and st. Pc
tersburg as warships They are un-
der the orders of the admiralty and
We're commissioned by the admiralty's
instructions Under the regulations of
the volunteer fleet Russia claims that
ships belonging thereto can be con-
verted into warships without previous
notice upon orders from the admiralty.
When the Smoensk and st. Petersburg
reached Suez on their way out they re-
ceived from the Russian consul the ad-
miralty's instructions commissioning
them as warships.
When questioned in the house Of
commons anent the departure of the
Malacca from Port Said Premier Bal
four confirmed t,e departure of the
ship in charge of a Russian prize crew
and added that he would make a
statement to the house on this most
serious question at some future day"
but, he added, he thought 1t was not
desirable that a statement should be
made prematurely.