FOREIGN NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 75, 21 December 1907, Page 12

FOREIGN NEWS.

GERMANY AND PERSIA.' , Berlin, November 5. The " Tageblatt " reports that Herr Stemrich, tho German Miuistor at Teheran, is to succeed Dr.. von Muhlberg as Under-Secre-tary of State for Foreign Affairs. Dr. Muhlberg has been appointed Prussian Minister to tho Vatican. In calling upon Herr Stcmrich to take up this responsible administrative post, the Foreign Ministry is testifying appreciation of valuable services rendered at Constantinople and Tehccan. As Gorman ConsulGeneral at Constantinople Herr Stcmrich lost no opportunity of advancing tho interests of his compatriots. lii tho autumn of last year he was sent to Teheran in the capacity of Minister, and in that post exerted all his influence on behalf of a project for the establishment of branches of tho German Orient Bank in Persia and other proposals having, for their object the -promotion of German commercial enterprise in tho kingdom of the Shall. His efforts, on behalf of tlie-German Orient Bank wore so far successful that -an agreement was signed in July last, between the Persian Government and. the German Orient Bank'according tho latter trading privileges for a period of forty-five years, whilst military protection was also guaranteed to j:he bank and its branches. The German Orient' Bank has a working understanding with'the National Bank of Persia, which is":'a/cbmparaj-' tiv'ely new institution. . The-arrangement isthat .Tehefan is to be left to the National Bank, whilst tho Gorman Orient Bank establish branches in other Persian towns. As I havo pointed out in previous, messages, the real State Bank in Porsia is tho-Imperial Bank of Persia, a British institution founded in' Teliorau in 18S9, so that ; Horr. Stemric'n, in furthering tho plans of tho German Orient Bank, was an active instrument in a policy of encroachment on British vested interests. Much interest will bo evinced in .the choice of a successor. Germany's' commercial; stako in Persia is already, considerable, and a strong representative will bo'required at Teheran to carry on the policy so energetically inaugurated by Herr Stcmrich. ' ITALIAN MINISTERIAL SCANDAL. Ronio, November 5. 1 The trial of Signor Nasi and his'secretary, Signor Lombardo, on charges of long-con-tinued peculation and fraud, opened to-day; Tho: case excites deep and widespread ..interest throughout Italy, not only from tho gravity of tho accusations against the -oxMinister, hut also on account of certain : picturesquo incidonts, such as Nasi's flight from tlw. country. and tho unprecedented ■enthusiasm, and loyalty shown by his Sicilian compatriots and constituents. ■ Tho scene in tho . Senate to-day . was, an' impressivo one. Signor Nasi opened his own caso in a masterly speech in which lie indicated his lino of defence; protested warmly his complcto innocenco of tho charges brought.against him; assorted that lio was tho victim of poltical .persecution and judicial errors; and claimed that the expenditure characterised in tho charges as.unjustifiable. was customary to tho -position lie. filled as Minister of Public Instruction.. ; >Tho : caso will certainly prove ono of the length-, iest ever known, and will form a precedent in tho history of United Italy. Signor Nasi, in his reply to" tho.. indictment, said ho had had expenses of a special character. Ho wished to . introduce; Preforms, and money was necessary to this endand to influence public opinion. With, tholatter.'yiew ho concluded a contract, with the Milan journal, "La Sciiola ' Secondaria." ■ Signor Nasi doclaijed that lie had. incurred other expenses in order to centralise' tho organisation of teachers. Ho .added that ho had given much attention',' to'.' North African questions, boing desirous.that Italy, after her check in Tmiis ; should not-sustain a second check in Tripoli. By his direction plans wero prepared" for' .tho •' organisation-' of an archaeological',* expedition in Tripoli, which,-howovor, eoulci 'not bo carried out, and ho himself, bore . tho. cost .qf tjho .pre-, liminary work. '' ' ' : The prisoner asserted that, circumstances which in themselves appeared very serious against him wero really quite natural. For instanco, money put down for travelling expenses without. apparent justification represented secret expenditure .for political purposes, as ho would call' witnesses toprove.' :Theso sums wero, ho I s"aid; ; 'only put under tho head of travelling expenses in order to maintain secrccy. Many of tlio objects bought as gifts for unknown persons wero, tho prisoner declared, given as marks of appreciation of their work to persons who had been sent to Tripoli to try experiments with his (Signor Nasi's) peaceful.- penetra-. tion scheme. ' • . Signor Nasi's attitude as"a victim, of vhis patriotism may create .a . .grave situation, should-ho be condemned, as it . will strengthen ,tho bolief prevailing in Sicily that he. has been a target for political persecution, his only sin being an oxcessive desiro for the greatness of his country.

FRANCE AND MOROCCO.; . . '. Tangiefi November G: v Mjilai, Hafid has ordered, the. chief .of his mahallii to withdraw tho 'troops , from tho. .territory, of the'Shawia tribes, ui order that no ground may lio afforded. for 'suspecting; them of complicity in any demonstration against the French. 1 As a further .-'.proof, of his peaceful intentions towards France, Miilai Halid has sent an emissary to General: Drudo, commanding tho French troops. at Casa Blan'oa, to'assure him'of his esteem for that nation. vTho messenger added that Miilai Halid regards tho chiefs of tho disaffected tribes as rebels deserving of severo punishment. Mulai Hafid" further - announced through his messenger that at' the conclusion of Ramadan lie will .'proceed'to tho Shawia district, in tho hope of. having an. interview with General Drudo' in"'tho territory of tho rebels. ... . .... Paris, Novomber . 7. ..Tho Yellow-book- on' Morocco was'published to-day. . The delay' which att'endod its.'issuo was duo ,to tho .necessity -of. submitting proofs to tho various Foreign Offices cortcorned, 'and it has now' leaked'.out that, tho reply from Germany on the.'despatches' of Herr von Tjchirscliky, tho Foreign Minister, .was not a simple consent, .but .found fault, w'ith several passages, and. resulted'in. theso being expunged. Consequently-.tho" printing had to be dono in iv great, measure over again, and'tho proofs only reached tho Qiiai d Orsay shortly beforo midnight. ■ A cursory perusal of tho*s36' despatches is sufficient, to show that, perhaps' intentionally, tho newspapers', vvero deceived'? in saying that tho now Yellow-book'would' be a rather colourless narrativo, adding- little to our knowledge of recent events in Morocco. It is triio that in the book, which deals wifii events from tho- beginning of 1906 to October last, as littlo space as possible is given to tho despatches exchanged with the foreign Chancelleries, " but, on tho other hand, a very full excerpt is given of official French correspondence, which includes many despatches and reports which nuist originally have been marked "confidential;" Possibly the full bearing and signilicanco of some of . these will not at onco bo realised, but when . tho Yellow-book bccom'es to be minutely analysed and interpreted many of its .passages will probably causo no little heartburnings. As 'an 'instance may bo given, tho dotailed report of M. ,Gentil, of all tho cir'onmstances attending tho murder of Dr. Mauchamp, which throws a now light on several points in that deplorable affair. One of tho contributory, if not the immediately determining, causo of tho attack oii Dr. Mauchamp is set down to an official complaint mado by tho German Consular agent, Eerr Niehr, oti tho reception by Dr. Mauchamp of a carpet intended as a present for Mulai Halid, and represented in tho complaint as material' for wireless, telegraphy. Thero is no doubt that tho question of wireless telegraphy was ono of the principal grievances against the French. Other incidents not generally known or talked about hitherto aro tho contracts taken by Germany for public works, such as tho drains ■of Tangier, with a boulevard on the sea faco, and the harbour works of Laraicho. The conclusion overybocly must draw from this correspondence is that Franco is not in .Morocco in pursuance of any .selfish' ends, but oxecuting tho mandato entrusted to her

aiul Spain, and for protecting Her own subjects and interests. To do this effectively ami safely, slio nets loyally within tho limits of tho Algeciras agreement, which she is shown to havo always kept before her as her text hook. RUSSIAN CONVICT PLOT. St. Petersburg, November 2. The chief of gendafmery of tho Tobolsk Government has sent to the central authorities a full report of 'the desperate attempt at cscapiv made. oarly in October by a convoy' of prisoners who had been' halted in the village of Kutn'rbitlca. Tho convoy numbered thirty-threo prisoners, of whom four were politicals. They were being marched from Tumcn to Tobolsk,' the escort' consisting of eighteen soldiers of tl>e 9th Siberian Reserve Regiment, commanded by a non-commis-sioned ofiicer. Kutarbitka is situated 36 miles from Tobolsk, and consists of one long street, at' the end of which is a large isolated building where passing convoys of prisoners are lodged for the: "night. Tho ; convicts had behaved exemplarily (luring the' march to ICutarbitka, and their guards had no suspicion that an outbreak had been planned and all the details arranged. The prisoners were put into two rooms, tho escort occupying two other apartments, 'with one sentinel'in the corridor and 'another outside the building, wliic his surrounded by a high wooden wall. — At ten o'clock all was quiet in tho prison. Some of the soldiers were drinking ten, while the others had already settled down for the night. A few remarks were exchanged between the prisoners in tho two rooms, but, being in Jewish jargon, they were not understood by tho sentinel in.tho corridor. Then "One! Two! Three!", rang s out sharply, and distinctly, and the prisoners in both rooms burst- open the. doors and rushed pell-mell into the corridor.. The sentinel shouted the alarm, and within a few seconds the soldiers of tho escort were massed in tho passage, whore a furious fight ensued for the possession of the carbines stacked at'tho further end. ■ The prisoners , managed to secure nine of these.' weapons, and strovo to come to close quarters with tho soldiers,, who were soon pouring a devastating lire into their ranks. / -

The greater part of. the fight took place in complete darkness, as the lamps .were shattered by carbine bullets. More than half of the prisoners -were killed or wounded in the corridor; tho remainder succeeded in escaping from tho building.- Three were shot by the sentinel outside; tho handful who survived, hampered though- they wero by the chains on their feet, clambered tip the wooden wall and made for the neighbouring forests. One-of these men, who carried a carbine, was struggling to get over the wall, when a soldier ran towards- him, v and, addressing hiuKas "comrade," offered- to hold the carbine for a moment. The prisoner, believing him to be a fellow-refugee, dropped the carbine to him, and tho soldier thereupon bayoneted him. Another soldier armed himself with a bar of iron and killed one of the convicts, whom lie struck with such force that the latter had a hand completely sevored from the arm. ■ In all eleven prisoners escaped with nine carbines and sixty cartridges. _ Three were recaptured the following morning, and five carbines were recovered. The non-commis-sioned officer in charge of the escort seemt to have acted with great presenco of mine, and courage in the face of tho unexpected attack. The Tsar has commended his coi duct and the bearing of his men, and, i.i thanking them for their bravery, added that they had borne themselves as truo Russian soldiers. Tho six casualties among the soldiers wore all bayonet wounds. - Five were of a slight character, but the sixth ended fatally. Twenty-two of the " convicts were killed.. .

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN, FRANCE. -Paris,-November 5.

The referendum organised by the "Petit Parisien" concerning the abolition of capital punishment has shown, as everyone . ex-., peetecl, ,that the majority of Frenchmen aro : against abolition, but even tlinso who have always believed the'abolitionists to bo without .'much, popular sympathy are surprised at : the size of tho majority. - Exactly 1,083,G55 have written to say that the clause ; in the Codo which concerns, the use of. tho guijlotine .should bo allowpd to . stand, _ and only 328,692 .have written against capital punishment. But whilst the results of this conclusive referendum aro being published, the parliamentary campaign in favour of , the Bill for the abolition of capital punishment continues'to make progress, and, if rumour may-bo believed, the Bill has now a better 'chnnce.. of..being..passed than it',.ever had. These-two facts have, given the opponents of thtf constitution' a good argument in' favour of reform. Why, they say, if the country has declared against abolition, will the parliamentarians persist in thrustingtheir own opinions upon us? Similar questions will always be asked so long' as. Parliaments exist to draft legislation that is more or less, unpopular, but this particular question seems destiiied to cause a greater stirthan most.others. ■ * JAPAN AND AMERICA. Tokio, November 7. In aii interview to-day on tho subject of the relations of Japan and the United States, Baron Hayashi, Minister fori Foreign "Affairs,'expressed:tho hope that his sincere pronouncement would prevent; further misrepresentation, and finally result iii discrediting those' who wore constantly circulating; false and harmful rep'orts. He 1 declared that ,the relations : between Japan and tho United States were, as smooth and cordial as 'ever, and..the cause of civilisation as well as community of interest demanded lasting peace and! friendship between-the two countries. . Baron' Hayashi admitted that the immigration question was a serious matter and one uppermost in the. public mind; but lie .was sure that it would be sottled without friction. It had, indeed, been, practically decided. . Tho Japanese Government. proposed to control, emigration .to the United States in such a way as to benefit Japan .and, nt the same time, to conform, with the wishes of America, and ' was taking active ,steps'in that direction.

THEGERMAN SCANDALS, , Berlin, October 29.

Herr Maximilian Harden', editor and proprietor, of "Die Zukunft," -was this morning acquitted of libel :in the' action \ brought against him by Count Kuno von Moltke, formerly cwnriiandant of the Berlin-garrison. The Co'ui;t, in giving its judgment, ordered tho plaintiff to bear the costs of tho trial! - Tho verdict surprised no ono who had attended .the -trial, from ■ tho beginning. Judgment in favour of Herr Harden was inevitable after tho sworn • .evidence of-wit-nesses -who had proved that Count Moltke was really a man of abnormal tendencies and porv-erso inclinations. One may pity Moltke, whoso ruin lias been completed by tho decision of the Court, yet it is doubtful' whether he deserves sympathy. Recalling the evidence given on tho first day of tho trial, it will bo remembered that ho beat his wifo; he told her his mission on earth was to torturo her,- and ho abused her in language which would shock even a man. Nono who heard tho testimony, particularly of the handkerchief incident and tho lovo letters which tho Count addressed to Princo Eulcnburg, could doubt Moltke's vicious.character. By a curious irony of fate, his downfall has been brought. about principally by tho evidence of his divorced' wifo, whom he 'treated so badly. Dr. von Gordon, who was counsel tor Count Kuno von Moltko in the recent trial, says that. tho Count will lodgo an appeal against the decision of tho Court as soon as formal notification of tho verdict is received, together with a written statement setting f.orth tho grounds which led tho Court to find for the defendant. Tho "Berliner Tageblatt" states that Prince Philip von Eulcuburg has decided'to loavo tho country. Ho will probably, settle in Egypt or Tunis. Ho has already given instructions for his furniture and personal belongings to bo packed ready for removal to his new homo.. Tho "None Gesellschaft Correspondent" declares that the revelations during the rccont trials have by no means made an end of men occupying high official positions, whoso morals aro every whit as vicious as those whose names have so lately been beforo the public. Among theso men panic, induced by fear of discovery, reigns supreme. More public scandals aro inevitable, it is added, beforo the Emperor's .environment is cleansed of vicious types.