present the young King Alphonso with his sacred order of the Chrysanthemum.

It would not be at all polite to keep the Japanese ambassadors waiting all summer to make their presentation, and so there is to be a great court function to receive the messengers of the Mikado, and General Woodford will be recognized at the same time.

The condition of the Spanish troops is reported to grow worse every day.

It is said that their uniforms are ragged and torn, and they look more like tramps than the representatives of a European army.

They are said to go through the streets of Havana begging coppers from the passers-by, and asking bread from door to door.

It is said that numbers of loyal Spanish merchants are leaving the island, because they are forced to supply the soldiers with food without receiving any payment in return. They prefer to leave Cuba rather than be ruined.

In the mean while Havana has been thrown into a panic by the report that General Gomez is marching on the city. The truth of the rumor could not be ascertained, but the fear was strengthened by the sudden return of General Weyler, who had gone off on one of his famous pacifying expeditions.

No sooner had Weyler returned than he began to make extraordinary preparations to defend the city, and so it is generally believed in Havana that the report is true.

It is known positively that the Cubans are very near the city, and that Gomez has issued orders to all the insurgent leaders to press the war forward with unceasing activity.

It seems that the Sultan has really been brought to terms.

The ambassadors, if you remember, gave him a stern refusal to treat with any one but Tewfik Pasha, and repeated their demand for a written acceptance of the frontier.

After this meeting with Tewfik the diplomats held a conference which resulted in the preparation of a note to their governments in which they gave it as their opinion that the Sultan could never be brought to terms unless some decided action was taken.

The Sultan heard of this, and became alarmed.

He therefore sent one of his ministers, Yussuf Bey, to the ambassadors, urging them to do nothing hastily, but assuring them that if they would only have patience for a few days, everything could be satisfactorily arranged.

But the ambassadors had had enough of delay, and they dismissed Yussuf Bey, telling him politely that they could not possibly wait any longer.

The Sultan became still more uneasy, but he was anxious to put the matter off a little longer, until he could have a final understanding with Germany.

It seems that the Emperor William's reply to his note gave the Sultan some hope that he was still inclined to side with him, in case of trouble.

While he was still looking about for a good excuse, he received a message from the German Kaiser, which put a sudden end to all his hopes of an alliance.

The German ambassador arrived at the palace of the Sultan with the information that the Kaiser, his master, had just telegraphed him to say to the Sultan from him that he must immediately obey the wishes of the Powers.

Following closely on this unwelcome visit came a message from the Czar of Russia, telling the Sultan that unless he immediately withdrew his soldiers from Thessaly, the Russian troops would cross the Turkish border.

Thus driven into a corner, the Sultan saw that the only thing left for him to do was to yield.

He therefore sent a message to the representatives of the Powers, that he had at last been able to induce the Grand Vizier to consent to withdraw from Turkey, and as this had been the only stumbling-block in the pathway of peace, he had issued an order to the Porte (the Turkish Government) authorizing them to accept the frontier as laid out by the Powers.

It would seem that this action on the part of Turkey had removed all obstacles, and that there would now be nothing to prevent the peace negotiations from being carried through. Nobody, however, believes that the trouble is over. It is thought that Turkey will make every possible delay in arranging to leave Thessaly, and also in accepting the new plan of government for Crete.

The Turkish troops have not as yet been withdrawn from Crete, and while the Christian inhabitants are settling down, and becoming reconciled to the new plan of government, their hatred of the Turks is in no degree lessened.

Conflicts between the Turks and the Christians are of daily occurrence. The allied fleets have had to make a demand on Turkey that the soldiers shall give up their arms, as the rioting is so incessant.

The British House of Commons will not allow the Transvaal scandal to die out as quietly as the Government hoped.

We told you about the two reports that had been sent in; well, the member of Parliament who gave the second report has offered a resolution that Mr. Cecil Rhodes be removed from his position in the South African Company.

Further than this, it has been decided that a complete change shall be made in the directors of this too powerful company, which has already been able to plunge the British Government into so much trouble.

Complaints have been made that the company under its president, Mr. Cecil Rhodes, has abused the privileges thus given by the Government. In addition to the affair in the Transvaal, the company has treated the natives of Mashonaland with great severity, taking their cattle away from them, and forcing them to live in a condition bordering on slavery.

It has therefore been decided to modify the terms of the charter to such a degree that the South African Company can only manage the commercial affairs of their territory, all matters relating to its foreign policy being henceforth in the hands of the British Government.

The House of Commons has been forced to agree to an open discussion of the Transvaal Raid, when the matter of punishing Mr. Rhodes is to be decided upon. Mr. Hawkesly, the lawyer who holds the missing cablegrams, is also to be summoned before Parliament, and forced to produce them.

The last steamer from Japan brought a renewed protest from the Government against the annexation of Hawaii.

Japan insists that Hawaii must remain an independent country. She says that as soon as the Panama or Nicaragua canals are opened the importance of the Sandwich Islands will be greatly increased, and that it is necessary to the welfare of Japan that her independence be preserved.

The Japanese minister is reported to have declared that "annexation must not be recognized. Japan must oppose it to the utmost."

In spite of this the Senate is going right ahead with the business of the treaty.

In the mean while the Secretary of the Navy is making all the ships at his command ready for service, so that we shall not be altogether unprepared to defend ourselves if occasion arises.

There is not very much to tell in regard to the strike. No settlement has been reached, and there is not much likelihood that the miners and masters will come to any understanding at present.

We told you that some of the miners had stood out against the offer of better wages, and refused to go to work until the condition of their fellows throughout the country had been improved.

All the miners have not been as brave and loyal as these men.

In some parts of Western Virginia, such excellent wages have been offered to the men, that they have weakened and gone back to work in spite of the fact that the labor agitators have been constantly urging them to remain firm.

They have been telling the men that they will secure great benefits if they will only hold together.

At one time there was some hope that the men might submit the whole matter to arbitration, but this seems doubtful.