EUROPEAN AND ASIATIC ITEMS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 143, 3 July 1880, Page 2

EUROPEAN AND ASIATIC ITEMS.

(From Edropkan Mail, March 20.) VIIAXCK. Tho Assembly hns been adjourned till April 20, so that Ministers will have lime to think over their threat of expelling tho foreign Jesuits, of whom there are about 150 in France engaged in teaching foreign languages. If this step should be taken, the Popo will have to bo consulted with a view to inducing the unauthorized congregations to submit to the orders of the Government. It is doubtful if the Pope will agree to this step. The Noli] comments scvoroly on the refusal of France to grant the extradition of Hartniann, and regards it as an act which is quite inconsistent with the deference due to a friendly Power. It declares it to be impossible that such an incident should not all'ect the relations between the two Governments and countries. GEHMASY. The German Emperor entered upon his eighty-fourth year on March 22. His Majesty has been in excellent health till the winter. Tho anniversary of his birthday being tho second day in Passion "Week, all the official congratulations we«e,hy I lis Majesty's special request, presented on March'2o. The generals, headed by the Crown Prince, presented their felicitations. Then followed successively the commanding officers of His Majesty's own regiment, the Cabinet Ministers, the members of Herman princely families, the Federal ('otineil, and the principal members of the German Parliament. In Ids replies to the congratulations presented, the Emperor expressed an earnest wish for the continuance of European peace, hi the evening there was a I 'mil t conceit. A largo number of German firms are preparing to send exhibits to the Melbourne Exhibition. The scheme for uniting by a canal the German Ocean and the Baltic has now so far matured that. Heir Dahlstrom, a Hamburg engineer, has been furnished with a concession to commence the preparatory operations in accordance with the plans .submitted by him to the Government. The Post her Lloyd announces that Q.ueou Victoria will, during her approaching sojourn on the continent, meel the German Emperor cither in Baden or Vi'eishaden.

Tho Coinniission ehosen by the German Parliament has already disposed of the most iinjiortiint ehmses'of the Army Hill. The tiovernmeut clause-, have ill tho main been adopted. On the Gorman Emperor being informed that I lie (.'ominissiou bad accepted the salient clauses of the Kill without materia! alteration His .Majesty expressed extreme satisfaction at it's praisworthy promptitude, ilescribing the decision as a patriotic dew). Some, licrlin ]iapcrs assert that Prince Bismarck is preparing a collection of documents with a view of disclosing Russia's anti-Gorman policy, and flint Prince Gortschakolf has made proposals for an alliance with Franco. IS I'AIX. The Conservatives, in political circles and journal.-, much deplore the increasing hostility and rivalry displayed by Marshals l'ampos,.luvellar,andotiiergenerals l agaiiist the Cabinet pivsidcdoverby Senort'ituovas del Castillo, as this rupture in the Jtiiynlist lanks leads to irritating debates in' Congress and the Senate, where Marshal Campos, in seeking to justify his reform policy, compared it with tliu mow moderate measures of the present Government, ami read his own despatches forecasting such grave perils as secession, negro risings, and American influence in Cuba. The must, painful impression was caused in political circlesat such prophecies, which the Government energetically contradicts. Tho < hurt of Cassation at Madrid has rejected the appeal of Otero against the sentence, of death passed upon him for attempting to assassinate the King of Spain. ITALY. It is said the Pope has made a signal concession to the Prussian Government. The names of prions appointed to livings are henceforth to be officially communicated by the Bishops to the secular authorities. Though quite usual in many (ierman am! non-Gorman hinds, this hud hitherto been refused to Prussia by the Papacy. About a thousand vacant livings will In' refilled, and soino vexatious clauses in the Ecclesiastical Laws repealed. Peace between Berlin and the Vatican lins now become possible, A revival of the Holy Unman Empire under a Protestant dynasty is at last acknowledged by Rome. Tun Pope has cnminuniciitod to the Catholic liishops of Groat Britain his Pontifieial authority for tho alteration of one of the usual Holy Week practices, The last four days of 'trflit are observed in England nnd Ireland as " Black " fusts, but tlmyour Udy Day bciiignlsoMuuiidiiv Thursday, liis Holiness has granted a dispensation from the fast as a'special mark of favour to the Cfathulica of Grunt Itrituin.

' IU'XXI.i. It appears thcro at* black spots on the horizon for Russia along tho whole line from tin- Caspian Sea to tho Amoor. Tliu negotiations with China regnrdin<> the abdication of the Kuldja territory were followed in Pekin, as soon as the Envoy who had completed the treaty returned, by liis condemnation to death —a condemnation not likely, it is true owing to the intervention of the European powers, to bo curried out, but which nevertheless shows that the Celestial Empire is not well-disposed towards Russia. Both tho German St. Petersburg (lazetto and tho Golos deprecate another Asiatic war; for, though in such wars Russia no doubt ultimately prevails, the gain is not commensurate with tho outlay and efforts it involves, lu Central Asia, too, something is brewing, General Kauffinann, Governor of Turkestan, is said to have in the beginning (if March summoned Prince Kuuli Beg, the eldest son nnd heir of the Prince Yaroob Peg who was driven by the Chinese from Kashgar in 1877, to Tashkent!, /or tho purpose of having him issue a proclamation to his Muhomcdan fellow- country men incitiii" them to throw off tho Chinese yoke. This Prince issued a similar proclamation in 1878. He then counselled them tobear quietly the yokn a little longer, till, through tho grace and support" of tho Gear, lie would be able to drive out tho " blacks" (Chinese) and to re-establish the supremacy of Islam. According to a telegram fiotn Nadikavkas, moreover, tho Khan of Bokhara, Muzzafer Eddiu, has informed Gcnoral Kauffmuun, that as a Moslem he would deem it his dutv, in the event of China declaring wiir against Russia, to send a bod)- of men to tin; aid of (he latter -to prevent the heathen from extending their dominion in Central Asia.

General Molikoffs rulo is said to ho mure mild Uinn was expected, and that lio seeks by reasonable concessions to win nil well-intentioned people to help him to eradicate Nihilism from tin: soil of Russia. Tllu system of wholesale, arrests practised last year is no longer continued. It appears there is not a. word 01 truth in the story that in an artillery regiment that lately arrived at St. Petersburg foiir superior officers and twenty-six subalterns were arrested mhl eonlined in the fin tress. It is as unrounded as the previous statements .if tin; same paper respecting tlte complicity of Court ollieials and army officers, and the arrest of 51(00 persons. The statement of the arrest of a targe number of students is eouallv untrue. The report that General Melilcnff has threateuul to close the Universities is id' the. same eharaeter and is entirely at variance with his well-known antecedents and conciliatory mode of dealing at Charkoff. Neither is there any foundation for the report of wholesale arrests in the provinces, including in.iny persons of rank and position. New arrangements have been made for ensuring the safety of tin; Winter I'alace. For each floor live otticcrs of the Imperial Guard have been appointed, who will be on duty alternately r\nry twenty-four hours. They must know personally every servant on each story, and are instructed to hand over to the J'alace police all persons entering the Palace whose hiisineSK is unknown. General Skobelolf has postponed bis departure to Central Asia until March 27. A large ipmntity of plant and materials has been acrumnlnu-d. A railway will le commenced simultaneously at two poinls from Krasnuvodsk to Tchikislar, and from the latter direction to Chalto. General NUbeloll', although his colunin is on a limited senlc, under 10,000 men, does no' underrate the Turkomans. He is largely provided with Held artillery, having deemed it necessary to have more than double the usual proportion. Xo newspaper correspondents will be allowed to accompany him. The Press has already been officially notified to refrain from publishing anything referring to the Expedition.

For siiiiki littlo time past it has hem rumoured that tli'o French Foreign Ollico meant to reply to llm withdiawid 'if Prince Oi-Juff from Paris by npnlliiij,' Ouiieml <haii/y from Si. J'eiersbuig. Hut we tiro assured that i.u.;li is imt tlio case. If We arc to judge by tho tone of the Russian papers, Pi ince (JrlofTn departure is to be regarded us n mark of tlm displeasure of flu- Russian Governiiicnt :it liis having fiiili-il to i.iduee tho French Cabinet to lirind over to the Russian authorities an individual whoso* identity llm O.ar's officials were unable to establish; Lot. it is not always safe to infer tli<r conduct of tho Russian Oovcrniiieiitfrom tliu tone of theirnewspapersuny more tlian from the language of their diplomatists. It is now said that tho Russian ('huncellor is using tho Hnrtliiiiiiii incident to try to detach Germany from the Austrian alliance by making sundry promises of support against France. Tim rumour of the recall of General Chunny may be trncod to a Russian source, but is not quite correct. ' It is true that he is expected in Paris very shorty, and if the absence of a Russian Ambassador from Paris should be prolonged, no doubt urgent privttto aflairs would, keep him us long as tho representative of the (,'zur kept away. As to the attempt to coax Germany hack into a Biuwian alliance, it is not tho first time it has limni made since October, but it is not likely to bo more 1 Hiicveasful now than it was at first. As for France, she will not nllow her equanimity to bo disturbed by the toinponiry abseneo of Prince OHoir. When tleneral t'lmnzy i leaves St. IVtwshurg, though, according I .to the strict rules of etiquette, he is nut hound lomalic ollicinl calkhc will unquestionably pay his respects to tlw Kmnorofc

TURKEY. I Acting under directions from Berlin, tho diplomatic representative "of the German Court at Constantinople continues to give a loyal support to the representations Made to the Porte by the Ambassadors of England and Austria. The rivalry between. these two Powers] n'u the one hand; and Russia eft the.other] continues, bill tho German Minister, it isl said, never fails, upon an opportunity! offering, to throw tho weight of his] influence into tho British-Austrian scale] against Russia. According to news received at thej Porte, the Albanians have made an in sursimi into Servian territory, and have committed considerable depredations. The retrenchments recently decided upon by the Council of Ministers arc of a very extensive character, and include reductions in the salaries of many .Statu officials. The Grand Vizier, whose salary was formerly £3OOO per mouth, will in future only receive £230 per month, the other Ministers being paid at the rate of £•200 per month.

Tho Porte proposes to invite tho cooperation of foreign capital for carrying o it industrial undertakings in Turkey. Great dissatisfaction prevails throughout the Turkish Empire at the Government having -repudiated the eainie. and entirely driven the copper 'money out of circulation. A decree has been issued lessening by one-half the value of the. metallic currency which has hitherto been taken by the Govinent. The decree has caused symptoms of revolution at Bagdad and Smyrna, and in Albania. At Smyrna a regiment had been paid a portion of its arrears in the metallic currency two or three days before the issue of'the decree. It thus appears we may be prepared For almost any event in Turkey. It is said that the situation in Smyrna has become so threatening for the European ••(widen ts that tieconsuls have scut telegrams to their respective Governments, urging them to send ships of war thither. France has already sent a gun-hunt, and it is expected that this step will bo followed by all the other Powers. ft! ISA. Recent telegrams from China will have gone far towards showing that those persons were premature who supposed that, the long-pending dilli.-ulty in Central Asia hetwiwi Russia and that country was settled because an Ambassador from Pekiu bad consented to nece.pt two-thirds of the provinoe of Knija in lieu of the whole. A few days ago we were informed from Shanghai that the Ambassador had been impeached, and tho news has now arrived that he has paid the pcnaltv of his weakness with his life. The Kuldjn difficulty, theref re, ro'iuiilt* to In; settled, and the i' •lestials are far too astute to be taken a' a disadvaut ige by ttn««i.i should III.) latter contemplate hostile proceedings. Ciin- has raised nt linn- for war purposes a I-m of cighte millions of inek h:i.| liit-i esiablis'.cd a t-.-h-gr.ipii from