Late British and Foreign News.

Hastings Standard, Issue 249, 17 February 1897, Page 4

Late British and Foreign News.

I ndi-r the auspices of Lord Acton, the Jif giu; Professor 01" History, the Cambridge Iniversitv is about to undertake the publication of a general History of Modern Times, beginning from the period of the Ilenni-sance. Mr Albert Williams Mus. Jiac. Oxon., has been appointed bandmaster of the Grenadier Guards in succession to Lieut. Ban Godfrey. Russia (says the Daily Chronicle's Rome correspondent) is endeavoring, with the aid of Italy or France, to secure a footing on the Red Sea coast with a view to the protectorate of Abyssinia. whhh would enable Russia to meet England in Africa. The Pope, on the 23rd December, received at the Vatican the Cardinals and members of his household, and after receiving their congratulations for Christmas, delivered a discourse, in which he dwelt 011 his desire to reconcile Christian institutions, with the tendencies of the present age.

tendencies of the present age. H.M.S. Star, the first of the eight pooiiactives^^^^^^^^^^n

The experience of the Chitral campaign having thrown grave doubts on the stopping powers of the Lee-Met-fortl riile bullet and excited distrust among the British soldiery as to the efficacy of the weapon, the military authorities devoted themselves to the task of finding a more effective bullet, which has beui invented by Captain Bertie-Clay, superintendent of the Duni Dum Ammunition Factory. The new bullet (says the Times Calcutta correspondent-) has been thoroughly tested at the annual rifle, meeting at Meerut this month and found to meet all requirements. Under the presidency of the Duke of York, who is showing great interest in the undertaking, a movement has (says the World) been started for holding next May a Marine and Naval Exhibition, which will include yachting, in the grounds of the Imperial Institute.

A few weeks ago the iirm of Fried rich Jvrupp presented £IO,OOO to the workmen's pension fund of their works, and now a further donation of t2">,000 has been made to the fund for the widows and orphans of their officials. Now that t-he naval harbor at Libau is nearly Jinisht.-d, the Rus-ian Government (says the Standard's Berlin correspondent) has ordered a considerable extension of the harbor at itoval. A special landing-place and a repairing dock for warships arc; to be built at a cost of (500,000 roubles, to be spread over three or four years.

A J Jill granting to the Prince of Naples an annual allowance of 1,000,000 lire on the occasion of his marriage was, on the 18th December, adopted by the Italian Chamber, an amendment by Signor Imbriani being rejected by 2055 to 20 votes. The King had sent a message to the Chamber that, in order not to increase the public expenditure, he will pay the Treasury every year an equal amount from the Civil List. In the course of the discussion some aiiti-monarehial utterances from a Socialist deputy evoked loud protests, and a resolution was passed expressing the gratitude and devotion of the Chamber to the King.

l'ost-Captain Servonnet. one of the leading officials of the French Covernment of Tunis, was killed on I.Bth December in a duel with 'M. INla.illc, a (iovernment clerk. The duel (says the Daily News) was arranged very privately, and was fought with swords. The cause of the quarrel is not known. The victim, whose ol'lieial title was Naval Attache of the French Residency, hut who was really Naval Commander of the Regency, had for seconds Colonel Rehillit, the Military Attache, and an ollicer of the Condor (not Lord Charles Reresford's Condor, but a French one), M. Maille'w seconds were two French barristers. Captain Servonnet superintended the military and naval works a» Riserta, and was engaged on a phut for enlarging the harbor of Tunis.

The newest. "Maxim," which o;in diseh;vi*"v four !f!h prnji'ctslc • in less than tlll'ec ■ r • •: J i ■. wa-> I' -.ltiliitt d i < V the inventor on I id-i 111ih r If) at the Royal I nihil Ser\iee I tut i 111! i< m. Visitors u t ]c ;i-(I I't-i! til.ll the -jieei lueii sliown w ;i~; the first fully automatic (-,'IUI above 1 '.in. w llich had been all ' All e\j>. |[ gunner with it, <-<>nM tin.- four tilb shots in a -ii.'t under three seconds, without even so much as taking his t'Vc off the object to be attended h.>, or his finder oil' the trij.'^er. African .j...r -men have ii!« d from tina to time the approaching extermination nf in Africa, anil have that a pre>er\e should be estikbli >lml. Thi - now to h. .i< itst* in liritish ceil Ira 1 Africa, m n definite itrtil jii •: proelailiied hy the ,'.et!!e» Coinmissiom-r ; and bencefur Hitnl there will, it is >npj»os*-d. hell ■close time in this refion for elephant*, hiithilo, water buck, Ar,, while shooters V 111 h.i\e to obtain llrellsv and .-sl'.O'a H-im> discrimination in thi-ir passion for trophies. Tbt» IBth Dec. wu id: from Abtry.uul,

in Wales, to Rickmansworth. in the of London. In various I'Kic ! ; sum fiJiiijpr approaching a panic c i use;l !>y bells being sot ringing, by the nutle of windows rani by thy tremor which shook bouses from basement io iut-ic. One queer experience was that of a correspondent of The Times The sensation in his b-'-droom wan of someone walking across the floor add then shaking the windows. Although lie knew that he was alone, he liad to turn on the electric light to assure himself of the fact. This creepy experience, as The Times suggests, perhaps affords a hint to the origin of a good many ghost stories.