The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-07-21
BRITAIN
CALLS HALT
Red Sea Seizures Make the
Lion Roar.
A VIGOROUS PROTEST
Crew of the British Ship, MaIac-
ca, Made Prisoners in
the Red Sea.
A VIGOROUS PROTEST

LONDON, July PA special from
St. Petersburg says that the Emperor
Nicholas, in an interview with Count
Lamsdorff, the foreign minister, has
expressed his displeasure at the turn
events have taken and at the possibility
of complications with Great Britain
arising out Of the detention Of British
ships by the Russian volunteer fleet
steamers in the Red sea.
This pacific attitude will doubtless
lead TO an immediate and amicable ad
justment of the difficulties.
Sir Charles Hardnge, the British
ambassador TO Russia. in behalf of his
government, has presented a strong
protest to Russia against the seizure in
the Red sea and detention of the PENN
sular and Oriental steamer Malacca,
which was carrying 300 tons of British
government stores for the naval estab
lishment at Hongkong, each case of
which was marked with the broad ar
row. which is the government stamp.
The ambassador Also presented
general protest against the action of
the Russian volunteer fleet steamers
in the Red sea.
A special Tokyo dispatch says:
AT 9:30 a. IN. July 20 the Vladivo
stok squadron fired on and sunk a Jap
anese steamboat of BIS tons OFF the
coast of Isoya, about twenty-five miles
from Hakodate. All Of the crew were
landed safely at Cape Yesan7
\ dispatch from Port Said says:
"The Penlnsular and Oriental line
steamship Malacca. which was seized
in the Red sea by the steamship St
Petersburg of the Russian volunteer
feet, pas arrived, flying the Russian
flag and manned by Russian prize
crew, consisting Of a captain, four Off
GERS and forty-five men.
"The ship is detained by the Suez
canal authorities, who will await in
structions before taking further ac-
ton"
The British crew are prisoners and
were not allowed to communicate with
the shore
The British captain protested several
times against the Russians action in
seizing his vessel and was threatened
with arrest
Complaints Of their treatment were
made by the passengers
Libau, on the Baltic, is the Malacca's
destination.
The Malacca carried no contraband
of war for Japan Her cargo of 5000
tons included forty tons of explosives
consigned TO Hongkong.
A later dispatch from Port Said saws
that the captain of the Malacca pro-
tested strongly against the seizure of
his ship by the Russians and refused
TO lower his flag, mailing ii to the mast.
Russian sailors, at the command of
one of their officers, tore it down, the
captain still protesting
1t was reported on the Baltic Ex-
change that the Malacca had been pre-
vented from leaving Port Said by ships
of the British Mediterranean squadron.
Sir Thomas Sutherland, chairman of
the Peninsular and Oriental company,
said that the company was entirely in
the. dark as to the cause of the Rus
sian seizure Of the Malacca.
There is growing here remarkably
hostile feeling against RUSSIA, of
strength and a bitterness almost with
out precedent since the Crimean war.
Even the most conservative who have
been in the service Of the government
for many years and who openly de-
plored the haste with which they
thought Great Britain had plunged
into the Transvaal war, frankly de-
clare for a policy Of reprisal against
what is regarded here as Russia's vio-
lation of treaties and her piratical at
tack on British commerce.