Arrival of the 'Frisco Mail Steamer.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 249, 25 April 1896, Page 2

Arrival of the 'Frisco Mail Steamer.

(Per Press Association.) Auckland, This Day. Arrived — Alameda, with 'Frisco mail. She was delayed by one of the boiler tubes giving way. Australia will not be visited by the Duke and Duchess of York, who will, instead, go on a tour commencing at Capetown and ending at Halifax, U.S. In the House of Commons, on March 16, Mr Curzou pointed out the threatening Dervish advances and their danger to Egypt. He intimated that the movement of the Egyptian troops arose partly from a desire to aid Italy in her struggles with the Abyssinians. The Government was sure that all the subjects of Her Majesty would have a most sincere sympathy for Italy. He expressed regret at the defeat of General Bartici. The courage of the Italians led to the hope they would rise from their reverse and vindicate the hononr of their flag. Advices from Transvaal to April 2nd show the work of preparing for war is being continued night and day and gangs of men relieve each other at intervals in work upon armoured forts, designed to protect Pretoria, the plates for which have been furnished by the Creasot works, and guns by the great Krupp firm in Germany. Drilling of artillery men under German officers goes on openly every day and there js no longer any concealment in the preparations being made. The foreign legipn, composed almost entirely of Germans, who have really entered Transvaal, is organised. .This force will be mostly infantry and artillery, the' Boers being relied upon to furnish all the cavalry. Capain White, whp js a witness m the Jameson trial, said in an interview, that the Matabele uprising was caused by the knowledge of the natives that Jameson's officers were absent in England. The Matabele country is without its usual patrols. He believes the rising important except for massacres of Scotland. Settlers think it can be easily crushed by forces on the spot. He saw plenty of Maxims and field guns available when at Buluwayo and is confident the local forces can crush the blacks if firm measures are taken at once.