ENGLISH AND FOREIGN BUDGET.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 13 August 1901, Page 4

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN BUDGET.

A Varied Collection

Queen Alexandra on a Nurse’s Calling.

From Cables to American Papers,

Queen Alexandra, in company with the King and Princesses Louise and Beatrice, received seven hundred and seventy Jubilee nurses on the lawn of Marlborough House, and , distributed decorations to them. Many of the nurses had just returned from South Africa, and others had been engaged in city outdoor relief work. Her Majesty said: —“lt is a pleasure to receive you, and help you to carry on the noble work begun by our deeply beloved Queen Victoria. It is a satisfaction to be associated with you in your labour of love, I cannot imagine a more holy calling than yours. I pray that God’s blessing may be bestowed on your noble work, and that Ho will have you in His keeping.” Germany and Morocco.

The “ Vossische Zoitung ” (Berlin) recently printed an editorial declaring that Germany, under no conditions, would permit France to acquire Morocco, or the Eey to the Mediterranean, near Gibraltar. “ Were cither to be accomplished,” it said, “ France wuuld thus drive Italy into the arms of the Triple Alliance, and could shut out German ships from the Mediterranean in time of war.”

This declaration is significant, says a correspondent, because obviously inspired and the whole article is believed to reflect correctly the views of the German Foreign Office. Boat's in Exile.

A despatch from Bermuda at the beginning of last mouth said: -‘The 930 Boer prisoners who arrived here on the British transport Armenian, were moved to day into the camps prepared for them on Darrell’s and Tucker’s Islands. “These Boers are ; art of the force of General Cronje, who were captured at Paardeberg. Among them are several boys of eight to ten years, who carried ammunition to their fathers when the latter were in the Boer trenches • also two Boors so old that they crawled on all fours, down the transport’s gangway. These two old men never saw salt water before reaching Capetown.

The prisoners are pleased with Bermuda j and are enjoying the sea bathing. They say they are sorry they were led into the war, and they long for the termination. They express themselves as grateful for the treatment given them by Great Britain. Some of the more wealthy prisoners have asked as to their chances of investing money in Bermuda. “The gunboats Medius and Medway are guarding Darrell’s and Tucker’s Islands.’’ The report of the Governor of the Is* land of St Helena, dealing with the year ending March 31st, says:— “The lies in the European papers about the treatment of the Boer prisoners even ex operated the prisoners. The latter enjoy large liberty and are well behaved, contented, and anxious to work, Many of them are employed hy the farmers, and others are employed on the roads and wharves.” France Seeks Trade in South AmericaFrench exporters of manufactures and novelties contemplate a determined siege of South American countries, especially Argentina, where French commerce, once prosperous, has now sunk to insignificance. “Exporters here,’’ says a Paris cable message, “are convinced that enormous wealth awaits the systematic exploitation of South America along lines already adopted by Germany and England, and express wonder that the United States, wtich has so many advantages, on account of her nearness to the field, has not grasped the apparent rich opportunities afforded. At a meeting in Paris this morning, a letter was read from the French Consul at Buenos Ayres, urging a combination of French exporters who have “sunk to the lowest rank, even below Belgium and Italy, because they have grown into the habit of acting without a common understanding among the dealers and manufacturers of the same classes of goods. The meeting decided to oppose this isolation policy and fight Germany in South America with an organised bank and French agents thoroughly conversant wish the language, needs, and commercial prejudices of the people.” Boer appeal to America. General Pearsons, special agent of the Boer Government,, has issued an appeal to the people of the United States, in the course of which he says : “To-day the ai’my supplies that you permit to leave your pore are used chiefly to continue torturing and slaying women and children. “The English Government is at the end of its x’csources. The Boers have won as against them. If the American people will stop the shipment of supplies from American ports to British armies, the war will end, and the Weylerlike atrocities at Bloemfontein and Pretoria —the murder of women and children—■ will end. King Leopold and His Cabinet. A Paris cablegram says : —That King Leopold should be at present in open opposition to his Cabinet excites a good deal of amusement here, owing to peculiar circumstances. Two or three years ago, when the Congo Free State was a source of nothing but expense to the King, ho was anxious to present it to Belgium, and to saddle upon the latter its financial obligations past and future. At his urgent entreaty his Ministers submitted to the Legislature a Bill providing for the annexation of the Congo to Belgium. This unpopular measure has taken three years to pass the Belgium Legislature, and now that the Ministers have accomplished what seemed at first impossible, the King declines to sign the Bill. He has changed his mind, and no longer wishes to present the Free State to Belgium, the secret being that the Congo has commenced to yield returns and profits that are as phenomenal as unexpected. He was willing enough to give the gift of it to Belgium when it was a source of expense, but is not going to part with it now that it is proving profitable. His action has placed him in conflict with his Cabinet which threatens to resign.