Manawatu Hearald. THURSDAY, JUNE 80, 1898. The War.

Manawatu Herald, 30 June 1898, Page 2

Manawatu Hearald. THURSDAY, JUNE 80, 1898. The War.

The Americans show, in every step they take, their utter unpreparedness for the war they so suddenly entered upon. The invasion of Cuba at the most deadly season of the year appears incomprehensible unless the public clamour has forced the hands of the Government, and the cablegrams published to-day show that the troops landed have not been provided with suitable clothing for the climate, and the short march they made bore testi* mony to the fact by a trail of discarded uniforms and blankets. The country round Santiago de Cuba is very broken and mountainous as is learnt by the statement that the port is very formidably defended, there being a blockhouse on every hill. To make the attack effective it is necessary to get artillery to the rear, a no light task, as probably there are but tew beasts of burden handy, and these would be very unaccustomed to the work, as we learnt that the mules bolted with the only machine-gun the attacking force had with them. The Spaniards are marching an army of 10,000 troops, men seasoned to the climate, and under perfect control, to the assistance of Santiago, and the Americans are relying on the insurgents to stop them ! men whom it is known have only carried on guerilla warfare with the troops, and thus utterly useless to stop an army determined to reach a certain point. They, of course, can harass them but they certainly will not stop them. We have no doubt but that the Americans will receive a very decided check, if they are not utterly routed, and for the sake of peace we much regret it.

We venture to think that the perilous position of Manila has been overlooked by the Americans, for though they have despatched troops for Admiral Dewey's help on land, we now learn that they are to stop and subdue the Ladrone Islands. Admiral Dewey has informed his Government some time ago that he had to seek the assistance of his enemies the Spaniards to keep the insurgents in check, and by the latest advices they appear to be getting the best of them so that it was expected Manila would surrender before the Americans arrived ! The loss of life, the destruction of property in Manila will thus be laid at America's door, from their having destroyed one respectable Power without being in the position to take their place ; and how much hold will America have over the Phillipine Islands when the insurgents have to be displaced instead of the Spaniards ?

As though our American cousins had not enough trouble on hand with Cuba and the Phillipines, on neither of which have they got a toothold, they purpose sending a fleet to attack Spanish ports in Europe. This will arouse a very strong feeling against them, and the first gun fired in anger by an American vessel in the Mediterranean or the Bay of Biscay will be the signal for some other European Power siding with Spain. At present the war has been viewed more as an attack on Spanish colonies than upon the Empire, but the feeling in Europe is very much with Spain as it is, but it will be greatly accentuated by American warships kicking up a row at their ports. We very strongly doubt that it is America's intention to do anything so foolish as is narrated about the doings of their fleets in to-day's cables.

Mr W. R. E. Brown, formerly Regis-trar-General will shortly take up his residence at Shannon.

In the second trial of John Craig for stealing a cheque for £110 and another for £100, the money of James Smith and W. H. Carter, was concluded on Tuesday, the jury unanimously finding the accused not guilty. Mr Gully said he did not propose to go on with the other indictments. M. Hanotaux has been informed that the Franco-Belgian syndicate's contract for the construction of the PekinHankow railway has been signed for goo miles of line. To-night there will be an assembly at the Levin Hall, to which many of our residents are going. The Rotomahana after weathering last week's gale so well, bent her high pressure piston rod, which made steaming impossible, in fine weather on Monday, and the Monowai had to tow her into Lyttleton. The Wellington Produce Market reports quote potatoes at £6 15s a ton. The altered advertisement of Mr Loveday's business will appear on Saturday. It has a reference to a nautical sail as well as to a drapery sale, and the sale of sales. No doubt when set up it will be read with much interest by the ladies of the district. The first notice about the Concert on Thursday next appears to-day, from a perusal of which it will be seen that a number of ladies well-known and appreciated in Wellington musical circles, will take part. Mr Archie Osborne is very well pleased with his trial of the Acetylene gas. In his shop he has a gaselier with two burners, and in his work room a burner on an adjustable arm. The light is good and cool, and costs about one penny per hour per burner. Mr W. Simpson gives notice of his intention to apply for a slaughtering license at the Oroua Bridge. Parliament will spend some days in general talk on the Address-in-Reply, out 0! which nothing will come.

Parliament will spend some days in general talk on the Address-in-Reply, out o! which nothing will come.

We have to acknowledge the receipt from the Government Printer of the first batch of the usual parliamentary papers.

The Government held a caucas on Monday and had a party of 41 present or accounted for.

lit John Plimmer, of Wellington, celebi'i ted his BGth birthday on Tuesday. He ha ; resided in Wellington over 57 years.

The following extract from the Montreal Witness indicates that in Canada the feeling of loyalty to the British Empire is very string:— Even should the British navy loru command of the seas, Britons will mi at it on the shore. We are only a mi lion of men, but we are not of the sort that is cheaply subdued. The only country th.it has any chance to attack us at all is the United States itself. Canada has at all times welcomed the closest social relations with the United States. But if that country wants closer political relations with Canada she must find them in an Anglo-Saxon federation, including the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, and the rest of the world wide Empire, of which Canada is proud to be a part."

The majority of the rooms in the new parliamentary buildings are very damp and g'oomy. Indeed, the lighting 6f the new building is very unsatisfactory, and there are already many complaints about it.

Mr Hogg's criticism is sufficiently severe to ruffle the feathers of the present Minister and Mr Blow, his Under-Secretary. With regard to the Public Works Department, it was, he said, much like a cabbage garden eaten up with slug*. The votes were the cabbages, and the slugs the officials.

Bishop Creighton, in a letter to the London incumbents, defines the limitations within which experimental church services are admissible.

Word has been received from the cavalry headquarters at Parramatta (says a Singleton telegram in the Sydney Daily Telegraph) that, with the consent of the General Officer commanding It Is proposed to send from New South Wales shorty a squadron of 200 men to Eng'and. These men will receive six months' training at Aldershot or elsewhere. Tha : i .vv;oy to defray their expenses is to ho divided equally between the troops them-* Ives and the.r friends and the Government. It is considered that much benefit will accrue to the regiment through the Imperial drill and training for the term mentioned. So far it is understood 90 men have voluntesred.

Mr Hogg told his constituents the other day that it took four months, and six inspectors, two overseers, an engineer, and a surveyor at intervals of a fortnight to see about a little £200 road for Kakiriki. At the end of this time he (Mr Hogg) was so disgusted that he wrote asking Mr Seddon to never mind about the road—if there was anything left of the £200 to divide it amongst the little band of officials.

The Petroleum Committee appointed in consequence of the recent accidents in England with kerosene advise that the flash point should not be lower than lOOdeg.

A Western Dialogue— Nettleson — " These cyclones are a curse to the country." Pellwanah — " Oh, I don't know; the last one we had took away six of my creditors."

A serious rising has occurred in Yemen, a Turkish vilayet in South-west Arabia, owing to the exactions of the authorities. Fifteen thousand troops have been sent to the scene of the outbreak.

This is the definition of drunkenness given by Stanford, S.M. :— Disregarding the finer distinctions, e.g., that a man was drunk when he could not ride, or when he could not walk, he should regard a man as ths wors^ for drink, or drunk, taking the two phrases as meaning the same thing, when he had taken enough alcohol to make him other than the person he usually was. When he had lost hi 3 customary self-res-traint in any way, when a usually peaceable man became fightable or combative, when a usually silent man became very loquacious, or when a usually talkafivo man became silent in consequence of taking alcohol, then he, (he S.M., should hold that he was the worse for drink, i.e., drunk."

Mr Kelsey, a Queensland land holder, who was a passenger from Vanoouver by the Aorangi, gives a doleful account of his experience of the Klondyke rush. He says that before he left there were 5000 people in Dawson City trying to get back but were unable to do so. Very little gold was being brought down from Klondyke. At the moment the Aorangi from Australia and New Zealand berthed at the wharf at Victoria, British Columbia with 100 gold seekers on board, the steamer City of Seattle was berthed near by, full of returning diggers, quite 200 in all, coming back disgusted. There is no chance of starting business at Victoria. The markets are already glutted with goods suited to the requirements of Klondykers, while the labour market is full and overflowing. The gold produot for the present season has so far been little or nothing at all.

Captaiu Russell has given notice to move an amendment to the Address-in-Reply.