, 1909-01-02
= 9 Z x \ " I 5.

with the Exmouth, Eurylus and Minerva, and
the Italian flying squadron, which had start
ed for man8uvres, has been intercepted by
wireless te~legraphy and turned back for duty.
Ram IS falling In torrents, the sky is over
cast and the sea is running mountains high.
MountEtna is also alive. The wireless te-
legraph is not working and the newspaper
correspondents have either disappeared or
are crazed. Frantic appeals for information
both for public and private purposes remain
unanswered, III N any cases through the
known deaths Of responsible officials. Many
refugees are arriving naked and starved,
often dumb, and unable to describe the hor-
rors, and an interval will be necessary before
II Is possible to OBTAIN q coherent summary.
The San Francisco disaster is dwarfed in
every thing except the monetary loss, build
ings not merely collapsed but within thirty
two seconds entire towns Qisf ppeared leaving
buta handful of ~lunaticS as s ryivors, and it is
doubtful whether the devastated regions will
ever be 'resettled. King Edward has tele-
graphed his condolences and the LORI May
OF has opened q Mansion House fund, for
which the newspapers appeal for q generous
response. The French Government has order
ed five warshIps to assist the sufferers, and
many official kilograms of sympathy have been
sent. President Roosevelt has also telegraphe&
his sympathy. and the American Red Cross
Society is already collecting funds. The Uni
ted States IS affected by the disaster next 20
Italy, on account Of the great Italian lmlni-
grafton.
The United Kingdom, especially Scotland
and Ireland, is suffering from q blizzard, and
snow lies several inches deep in London
and several feet in the provinces, the railways
are blocked and passengers have been COM
PEELED to spend the night in the express
train eighteen miles from Aberdeen. The
telegragh telephone and Cross Channel
Steamer services are interrupted. Similar
conditions prevail on the Continent, in Paris
being the worst experienced since 1870.
The appointment Of NJ. Poklowski KoziolL
Counsellor of the embassy i'll London, to be
Russian Minister at Teheran assures Anglo
Russian cooperation regarding reforms in
Persia.
Advices from Berlin state that Elk Prosi-
dent Castro has returned to the Esplanuda
Hotel for prolonged treatment by DR., Israel,
an operation being found unnecessary. In
an interview he paid that if he had suspect
ed recent events he would not have left Ca
racos. His extradition is impossible, there be-
ing no treaty with Germany he approves of
the procedure Of President Gomez and his
brother Celostino and thinks that arbitration
would justify himself and Venezuela, but he
will not interfere
New York, Dec. 30th-A telegram from
Curacao stdes that the New Customs Tariff
will become effective on New Years de-. Port
charges viii be abolished and coal be duty
free.
Engineers 0avis, Freeman, HaEon, Ran
dolph, Schuyler anG Storms will accompany
Nh. Taft and modify the cand plans as may
be necessary. IS
The Chlrose Special Ambassador has re-
terned thanAs for the remission of the Boxer
indemnity surplus, but hos not succeeded
in his negotiations for an Americo-C Chinese
treaty; he received assurances of moral sup
port, Tut the United States Government has
declined to further entangle i elf III Asiatic
loliticS
London, Dec. 31st-The most direct and
authentic tolegram yet received regarding
the Sicilian earthquake is from Mr.. Lloyd
Nriscom, he United States Ambassador at
Rome, who says it is impossible to obtain the
exact facts, but there is no doubt of the ap-
palling nature of the disaster. The Foreign
Office considers the estimate Of seventy thou