| Show CURRENT TOPICS IN EUROPE crocodiles in the bibe the prisoners of khartoum quick ocean transit bicycles increasing ci Bi bismarck and Cri crispel affairs in france frerman changes antarctic expedition hac twenty one young egyptian croco diles which escaped from a ship the other day at hamburg are still supposed to be roamine about the river elbe and the prospect must be a any ny abing but bul inviting to those who dael on its batiles ba tills although the crocodile has bas not the dislike to salt or brackish water which distinguish 0 its relative the alligator it is essen essentially dally a river creature and could not venture out to sea with any great hopes of surviving in the absence of chuse sandy shores oe on which it it wont to bask in the sun by its native nile at the same time it is much too timid to feel happy at the mouth of a river filled with shipping and guiltless of any sequestered banks anere it could sleep in peace the crocodiles at hamburg therefore must either have gone out to sea in anich case they are probably dead deadly by now or they must have made their way act ly up the river in which case they have succumbed to the altered temperature pera ture ind and the difficulty of getting ashore tor for sleeping purposes during this season of the year it is possible they would find the waters of the elbe quite endurable but what will they do when winter comes oia OB aney are quite able to exist on fish in spite of their well known preference for warm blooded animals man included As most of these crocodiles are quite young yeung they may not inflict damage on any person still it id well known they are remarkably fierce from their infancy A little creature elnine or ten inches in length may be easily caught by merely pushing a stick again nose to tp which it will cling with all the tenacity of a bulldog bull dog although lifted out of the water until the crocodiles are recovered dead deader or alive the lower reaches of the elbe will scarcely be attractive places for bathers in the tee minds of gen gordon is by no means forgotten the mysterious white pasha in the soudan way may or may not effect something but meanwhile there is an question awaiting solution after the break down of the egyptian govern and the intervention of ea england gl n d many garrisons were exposed to 10 the att attacks eicks of savage tribes among these the soldiers and colonists colonis ta at Karto kartous Kar toua ulin of these general gordon actually saved 11 1 and being then surrounded refused to desert the other and finally anally died bravely at his bis post since that day the civilized world has left the remnant of prisoners including several european men and women to taste the delights of african slavery most probably another expedition would result in an immense loss of life even if the prisoners were rescued which is itself doubtful the question now arises is there no other method of rescuing them Is it not the duty of the people peole ol of england pr the government of ransom these captives for whom cardon died why honor the memory of gordon while his officers are left in slavery to for life Is it not more honorable to ransom them with gold toan tian to leave them there these thede are questions which are pondered by some of the best men of ef E enplane ud thi the ocean race between tho th cunard steamship umbria and the loman inman steamship city of new york kas has again aroused public amerest in the question oH of quick transit and the possibility of shortening both the time aad distance of crossing the atlantic by a new route via ireland and alad newfoundland at the present rate of speed steamers can easily make the voyage from the west coast of arnd ireland to st johns newfoundland within tour four days with railroads across these islands and the necessary con steam merLl ere it is evident that malls mails and passengers could be conveyed from england to america within five days A moments consideration will convince one that this konot ony fea feasible gIble but likewise a very important link la in the chain of communication which britain has established by way of the canadas pacific R railway ailway and rae che new line of pacific ocean steamers to japan and chios china ever since the first bicycle was ridden in england down to the present time tm ethe the sport we might say the bus irie iness sh has been growing in tavor the introduction of india rubber tyres has indeed made the approach ot of the cycle more silent and stealthy than of yore the last twenty years has reen a wonderful advance in the speed and construction of the metal steed between the old boneshaker boneshaker with its wooded spokes and heavy frame and the modern fairy fairi like manufactured at coventry there is ia as much difference as between stepneh sons rocket tand and the modern locomotive that thai flies over the prairies of ane west or climbs the defiles of the rocky mountains Mounta ioB the proposition of fitting out some of the rk gimenes of toe the british army with bicycles way may never become a fact yea ye it is a comfort to all al who desire the physical well of I 1 generations that both men and women are belakin be themselves to out toor door and that rowin gand cycling are noi considered kunfi un the great cities are becoming larger and the inhabitants through indolence vice and impure surroundings are losing the stamina of the race ane cycle enables men and women to get oat of town in very quick time and at the same time gigae to take healthy exercise In increase creasm interest in cycling has been manifest amo the ladies of europe since mrs a danish lady so nobly won the tricycle race at surrey sarrey lately the visit of crispi crisp the italian prime minister to prince bismarck at Friedrich sruth has caused considerable comment by the european press this is not extraordinary as france and Italy independent of we Mas difficulty are in similar relations to ea each h other as the united states and C canada ada are at the present time apart A part from the tae merits of the controversy it is evident that italy can rely on the support of germany on all matters in which she is not absolutely in the wrong ar and id french diplomacy ought to have regarded this contingency before it involved itself in a paper war with the italian government ent the triple election of general Boulan boulanger Bou lauger gerin in the departments of the cuarenta the norde and the somme has raised a great ferment in the french poetical poh ical press but with the sole exception of the successful candidate being one and the same person there is no ho difference between these elections and other minor elections that have bave taken place during the last few years these three departments are among those that are most noted for their royalist tendencies the monarchists both bourbon and with a number of what are known in america as republicans joined together and voted together as one party yet after all the monarchists have only gained one seat as boulanger can only serve for one constituency tie RJ royalists alises have committed suicide and I 1 the he bonapart ests given themselves a new master therease there Ther eare are those who in presence of the changes chael and restora alons of government through which france has gone for a hundred years with ever renewed abruptness would fain despair of ner future let it be remembered however that E england also required a century before she finally settled down in a constitutional form what a giddy gyration of the most contrary forms or of govern ment and pretenders claims claim there was between the beginning of the straggle against stuart tv tyranny ranny and the battle of C Gul loden in 1746 when the army of the pretender came down as far as derby what a cot corruption of tu toe public spirit in the meantime owing to the unsettled condition of the country hope therefore should not be lost but never flagging vigilance should be preace preached hed and practiced by the friends of freedom the centenary of the great li devolution evolution is near what a howl of delight there would be among the friends of royalist and priestly reaction if 1889 were not reached in safety by those in whose care the commonwealth now is the conr Is ominous let peace and eternal progress be the watchword of the french people or else they will lose the republic and something else besides the republic however has lasted eign eighteen teen years and it has founded the freest government that france has haa ever known it has riven given popular education an impulse which redon resounds redounds red to its honor in the pages of history at the thel selections elections been held this year alt all the enemies ot of the republic by wa whatever stever name they are called have be been n ranged under the banner of gen boulanger itis it is now positively asserted that prince bismarck will resign the ministry of commerce and that other ministerial erial changes will shortly tase take place the prevailing idea at the present nio mint in beilin seems seams to ato be to lighten the ship in all directions direction and to infuse new blood into the various services this has been already done to some extent loathe army audit and it now se ins to be the turn of the civil service this does not of course imply any diminution of prince Bis marcks power it is clear however that he is over weighted for a man of his age and that he could very well dive divest st himself of the ministry of commerce he only assumed in order to put the prote tI onist system in work ing ng order it is probable that little by b y little prince bismarck will divest himself of all his bis offices except that of chancellor hanc ellor of the german empire which gives him a general tend eDco over things both at home and abroad A successor has been found for von van moltke but it will not be sa so easy to find a successor success dr lor for prince bismarck the plan long kocg cherished by professor the director of the german marine observatory I 1 in a hamburg of sending sr a german to investigate vesti gate the tae physical meteorological and other phenor phenomena tiena of the Ant antarctic artic regions seems at length in a tw fairway way ot of realization the german emperor has promised for toe use of the enterprise ships and naval material instruments etc belonging to tae imperial govern government anent the grinan gennan american mr henry villard tae wll well w ll known builder of the northern Nort Lern bern pacific kail wayt way nas nag tu to t o 10 lo do wita tae project itself but is so much iati rested iu it that he off r to contribute a consid arabe aum sam for its xea tiou J H W r elope Eu drope rope i ope seit sei t ad 1888 |
