ENGLAND'S PREPARATIONS FOR WAR.

Kumara Times, Issue 489, 22 April 1878, Page 2

ENGLAND'S PREPARATIONS FOR WAR.

: The following special war telegrams, ! via San Francisco, appear in the Weli lington Post: — | The Morning Post says thafc a brigade ! of Guards has been raised to war ! strength; and there is great activity in the brigade, which is completing all arrangements necessary for active service. All the m mnfacturing counties report great activity, thus 600 sets of field" ambulances, with fittings, and 300 tons of bayonet steel are ordered in Sheffield. The Woolwich authorities have purchased 500 miles of t<de„'raph wire for use with torpedoes, and materials necessary to construct temporary railways for th* conveyance of stores md mounting heavy guns in siege work. The War Office has ordered that no soldiers be transferred to the reserve until the receipt of further instructions The Duke of Cambridge will specially inspect th • recruits at Aldershot. •..,.. The B itish Government hns ordered a numb.-r of steam cranes at Leicester tor loading vessels with ammunition 1 ;* The order must, he completed in sixweeks, and the men are working night and day.

The Government has ordered 50,000 sand bags at Dundee, to be ready in three weeks. The nomination of Lord Napier, of Magdaja, to the chief command is producing great .excitement at St. Petersburg. ' "•; In the House of Commons, the Right Hon. Gaihome Hardy, Secretary for War, in reply to a question asked by Sir Henry Marsh-am Hareluck, the Liberal member for Sunderland, sua that the transport carriages, ambulances, and ammunition trains for the first army corps had been completed, and for the second corps are in a fair way of getting ready. The Euglish War Office has invited tenders for the supply of 150,000 Martini-Henri rifles. In the Commons Mr Smith, ifirst Lord of the Admiralty, introduced the Navy Estimates, and" stated that the preseut force was able to man every ship that could be commissioned. He had come to the conclusion that it was not his duty in the -time <-f peace, and he hoped for continued peace, to ask for a considerable increase of the estimates. Tiie House th«n passed all the estimates except those for dockyards and stores, consideration of which was postponed. The British Admiralty either has purchase 1,6 -is about to purchase, a large Japanese ironclad built on the Thames, arid has bought the Brazilian ironclad Independence. The British Mediterranean squadron has advanced to Besika Bay, in order to form a reserve to Admiral Hornby. Notification of the Rasso-Turklsh treaty was received in London on the 17th, but has not allayed apprehension. A prominenf Conservative member of the Government, oh bearing it said, "I nevertheless believe war inevitable." v s *J Trustworthy advices from India state that the Mahbmrjiedans are greatly excited about the overthrow of Turkey. Serious trouble i < apprehended linless the Government takes anti-Russian action. It is believed that 2,000,000 Moslem volunteers, to serve against Russia, can be raised easily/'