The "Straits Times" reports great excitement at the Taiping Post Office some days ago, when some 80,000 four-cent stamps, surcharged one cent, were offered for sale, and again on the 15th instant when " like number of five-cent stamps, similarly surcharged were for sale. The Post Office was besieged from an early hour. Some who managed to secure considerable numbers of these stamps have realised profits, averaging from four huudred to five hundred per cent.
Sir Alexander Swettenham returned to Singapore on the 2ist instant after a visit to Brunei. The idea is prevalent, according to the "Singapore Free Press," that Brunei is to be annexed, or, to put it in diplomatic language, a resident is to be placed there after the style of the Malay In connection with Brunei's is also reported the British Government is intent on taking over the administration of Labuan from the Char-
June.
All is quiet here, but the most hairraisfig stories are going about, from Chinese sources, making out th foreigners in Peking and Tientsin been wiped out. The country people are inclined to believe the stories, and those who had stored silk in the Settlement are ing it back for safety! One man has taken lot back on which he had prepaid $100 insurance a little while ago. This is a straw which will show which way the wind is blowing.
The Redpole and Don Juan de Austria are here and could [and over 100 men without interfering with the working of the ships or their hatteries. nee Corps is 46 strong and should be able to meet anything that is likely to come from the Canton, 2 We were ght to hear Tientsin is relieved, but the silence from Peking is ominous and alien that the awful tragedy which p: the reason here among the natives is not true. All is quiet here. Defence Corps fers are working more smoothly in spite of obstacles raised in some official quarters, We shall have pretty well all our men now armed with M The Corps works with the Redp the Americans, and is not to be kept in the background.
Tne following notes are from the all unlikely that ion will be Serai by the ist of August The well-known Chinese Filipino leader, General, who surrendered time ago to the U. 8. forces, nm into the charges brought the people of Legaspi has ud thus returned to the He took the oath of allegiance and was released on the 28th instant.
There was a meeting of prominent Filipinos on the 21st June at the house of Don Pedro Paterno, Manila, with a view to consider how to' bring to an end the present state of war in the islands. The desire for peace was generally expressed and the recent amnesty strengthened the feeling that pressure should be put on Aguinaldo, The following proposals were adopted:—Expulsion of the Fri
to the Filipinos, the same as to Americans according to their constitution; Ex: tablishment "of civil government in Manila and the provinces; The return of confiscated property; Revolutionary erals to be given employment in the ni tive militia, when formed; Filipino funds to be used in aid of needy Filipino soldiers.
Macao, 28th J AN Chinese passengers arriving in Macao from outside are searched, with all their luggage, to prevent the importation of arms and ammunition. At 6 a.m. a gun is fired, to signify that the port is open and passengers" can laud. The search-party is then ready to examine arrivals and their Iuveage. At 7 pam. another gun is fired and the port is declared closed, no Chinese being allowed to land or go on board. The search of passengers and lnggagestrom Hongkong began yester-
_Many people are laying in stocks of rice, firewood, ete., to provide for the future. The armslealers are now unable to sell arms right and left as before, but have to ascertain to whom the arms are sold. They have to report weekly to the Government on their stock -in hand. Sales to suspicions persons are altogether forbidden. All that can be said of this is—'Better late than never."
We have received Japan papers with dates from Yokohama to the 26th, Kobe the 2th, and Nagasaki the 29th' ult.—Telegrams from the Powers ate reported to have reached Tokio on the 20h ult, requesting Japan to soriid ments to North China, Tokio of the 27th says arranged betieon the Kaisha and the Nippon Y one of the steamers nf the two companies shall be ordered to Tiv at anchor in Shang: hai for the present, in order that Japanese ud foreign residents may take refuge thereon in case of necessity.
We take this from the "Japan Mail"
A telegram from Bombs, dated Bist M. iWsi:—An unprecedentedly severe domic of cholera has broken out in the northern districts of Bombay the famine The deaths have increased 10 per cent within ti In the Kaira dis-days. trict there have 330° deaths in hee seven days. Th auient has made a special grant of £61,000 to cremate the dead immediately. In Palanpur State, on the first day, there was one death: on the second there were eighty-four, and on the third there were upward of 400. The swiftness of the infection was due to the fact that the first death was near the only vailable water suppl papers we learn that Wattleship Faji and thy Asuma tad sailed for with the shell in her A boiler, ste med over to Nagasaki at 19 knots, and arrived safely on the 2 ud ult,—The U.S. transport Homeuck arr ed at Nagasaki on the 24th from Manila wit 300 discharged men and invalids—Emperor of Corea ix so alarmed by the crisis in China that he is going to remove his capital to Phyengau province.
Tux " Kobe Herald" of the 26th ultimo has " report of the launching of the new O.S.K.S. Talee Maru, which been built at Kobe for the Yangtze river trade. She is a steel twin-screw steamer of 2,300 tous gross and 2,000 i.h.p., and is to steam 12 knots ona draft of 9 feet. She is to be ready for service in September.
Esarsgentse" discusses the problems of submarine boats, and points out that they have 10 buoyancy, 2 their low long in 1 stability or tendency to ritd fter of serious moment. A man need only step forward to send the rinse of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.