ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1456, 16 October 1878, Page 3

ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

[“ Pull Mall Budget.”] EXPEDITION TO BELOOCHISTAN. It is announced that Major Sandeman is about to start to the eastern frontiers of Beloochistan with a large armed escort. The frontier tribes between Persia and Beloochistan have for some time past been in a very disturbed condition, and the chiefs of Mekran decline to acknowledge the suzerainty of the Khan of Khelat, It will bo Major Sandeman’s mission, not to fight, but to make it understood that the Khan of Khelat is the ally of England, and that the relations between Khelat and India will not permit of any disturbances in the Khan’s territory. The territory is strictly defined. The frontier between Persia and Beloochistan was decided upon in 1871. For some years afterwards the Mekran frontier was quiet. Simultaneously with the advance of Russia towards Afghanistan the Mekran frontier was again found to be disturbed. Persia may be wrongly suspected of having had a hand in this business ; but of late years she has given such abundant signs of being a tool in the hands of Russia, that anything occurring on her borders to the advantage of Russia is not unnaturally set down to the relations which are known to exist between the two countries. Russia, although equally with this country bound by treaty to respect the integrity of Persia, has annexed Persian territory between the rivers Attrek and G-urgan, and the Persians have willingly assisted the Russians in their passage across that territory whenever they have made raids upon the Turcomans. EXODUS FROM ARMENIA. A letter from Erzeroum in the “ Cologne Gazette” says that since the beginning of the present month there has been an exodus of the population of Armenia in two opposite directions. One stream of emigrants proceeds towards Kars and the Caucasus, the other towards Trebizond. The former consists chiefly of Armenians and the latter of Mahommedans, The Armenians are far from satisfied with the stipulations made on their behalf by the Treaty of Berlin, and even the Anglo-Turkish Convention does not reassure them as to their future lot; while, as traders, they fear English competition. Thus the Armenians, on the very eve of the period which was to bring new guarantees for their prosperous development, are leaving their country to settle in Russia. As to the Mahommedans, they hope to force Russia to give up some of the acquisitions secured to her by the Congress. “It is incredible with what eagerness every Turk hopes to keep Batoum out of Russian hands. No fewer than 2200 able-bodied men have gone to Batoum via Trebizond to join the Lazis in their resistance; and their families, fearing the vengeance of the Russians, have fled to Eaiburt and its vicinity. . . . . The Russians are much alarmed at the warlike aspect of affairs, and have considerably reduced the garrison of Erzeroum in the expectation that the troops may be required elsewhere. It is certain that the Porte is strengthening the Turkish army in Armenia ; in the district of Kuiskala alone there is already a corps of 8500 regulars ; and three battalions of redifs from Arabistan have been sent there as reinforcements. In Baiburt, Erzinghian, and Musch there are twenty-three battalions of redifs and reserves from Mesopotamia: a large park of artillery is also expected at Erzinghian from Constantinople. THE ISLAND OF SOCOTRA. Notwithstanding assertions to the contrary, there seems to be no doubt that the island of Socotra has been added to British territory. The chiefs of this island were taken under British protection nearly two years ago, and the British flag has now been hoisted there so that in the event of war a small force may be thrown upon the island tq prevent the ( enemy from seizing a position of such advantage for attacking our communications with India. A glance at the map will show the importance of the island to us. In the hands of an enemy with a strong navy it might be made the basis of operations in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, Consequently if Socotra was likely to pass to some other European nation, the position of the island in the track of our Indian commerce would certainly suggest its annexation by us. The produce of Socotra is not of much value, but the Island is regarded as fitted for the growth of coffee. According to the “ Bombay Gazette” the chief or sultan of Socotra bears the imposing designation of Allah bin Abdallah bin Saad bin Salim bin Towari bin Afreer. BOARDING OUT PAUPER CHILDREN.

A statistical return which throws considerable light upon the practice o£ “boarding out ” pauper children in England has been recently issued. On the Ist of January, 1877, there were 35,187 orphan and deserted children under sixteen years of age on the hands of the poor-law guardians. That number, however, is exclusive of the same class in district pauper schools. The whole number represented in this return is stated to be about 15 per cent, of the total number of pauper children. The number of boarded out children under the regulations of the Local Government Board—regulations no doubt framed to protect the system from what at its beginning Mr Goschen described as “ abuses of a deplorable character,” which might easily surround it, and “ result in moral and social evils of the greatest magnitude” —was 374; the number boarded out by the guardians but not under these regulations was 8874— i.e., the children placed with foster parents under the regulations are as p,no to twenty-four who are not under the regulations. The difference in the weekly cost per head is remarkable. The 374 are boarded-out at 4s 4d per child weekly, on the average. The 8874 do not' cost much more than half this—namely, 2s 3 L id per child. Many unions put their children out for a cost much below the average. We note a few instances all taken from the second class of children. The Redruth, Stratton, and Truro unions pay respectively Is 6d, Is 54d, and Is 6d a week ; they have in all forty-five children boarded out. Kingsbridge and Totnes unions, for twentyeight children, pay no more. South Shields have fifty-four children out at Is 5d a week each; but the Ongar union gets the work done yet cheaper ; the guardians hayc 102 orphan and deserted children iyho are maintained by their foster-parents for Is 3d each a week. The Bristol union boards out forty-three children “ under those regulations,” and forty-four " not under those regulations;” the first costs 4s sd, the second 2s 4d each. The Chepstow guardians board out six children at Is each—that is, less than 2d daily. In the Black Country 324 children are put out at an average of Is lOd each. How the children are maintained for these small weekly sums there is nothing in the return to show. During the year 1876, there were 28,363 boys and girla attending workhouse or parochial schools j the average weekly cost in those schools was 4s 7d. 5299 children were in district schools ; the average cost was 9a 5i d, Thus in an ascending scale the average cost is 2s 3 : jd with foster parents not under regulations, 4a 7d in workhouse or parochial schools, and 9a 6Vd in district schools. DOMESTIC TEOUBLE3 IN BT^IA.

An Imperial ukase was issued at St. Petersburg on Monday ordering that, in consequence of the rceput series of attempts upon the lives of public functionaries, crimes against tho State and attacks upon Government officials shall for a time be placed under the jurisdiction of the military tribunals and tried according to th,e laws in force in time of war. The Emperor left St. Petersburg for Livadia on Tuesday morning. The “ Berlin Post” says that the man who assassinated General Mesentzoff is named Doutsch, and is the person who murdered Colonel Baron Heyking a few months ago at Jv/:S. After tho assassination o£ Gj nera l Mesentzoff. nia-arou were ecfretly posted in St, Petersburg setting forth his crimes and justifying his death as the necessary punishment of his oppression, notwithstanding the horror of his murderers at having to inflict it. A Socialist paper, tho “Vorwarts,” says that Miss Sassulitch, after

two months’ concealment in St. Petersburg, remained in Berlin for some weeks undiscovered. She is now safely domiciled elsewhere. ENGLAND, FRANCE, AND RUSSIA. ( An attempt is once more being made to enforce the mistaken view that our present position with regard to Russia resembles that which we held in relation to Franco, and that there is no reason why England should not be on as friendly terms with one country as the other. But this surely is but to confuse the whole issue. England and France are on the best of terms now because for the moment neither wants that which the other desires, although it is very easy to imagine circumstances under which the two nations might become embroiled. But not even the wildest French journalist has ever suggested that his countrymen should enter into rivalry with us for the possession of India, or any scheme whereby Pondicherry and Chandernagore should compete with Calcutta and Bombay. The question as to whether the influence of England or France was to be predominent in Asia was practically settled with the fall of Duplaix, and all the Russor French arrangements in the time of Napoleon serve but to make this point the more clear. With Russia it is very different. She makes no secret of her intention to contest with us the [first place in Asiatic politics. Her proceedings in Afghanistan, her attitude towards China, where she has always stood more or less aloof from any common action with the European Powers, the authority with which she can speak in Persia, and her intrigues within our own borders in India, are things which show that Russia is our active rival in a sense which France could hardly under any circumstances be again.