first important ceremony he wil do so under exceptional interesting circumstances. 1 It is generally expected that Mrs. Ralph Smith M.P.P., the first woman member of parliament in the British Empire, Will at the same time, create another parliamentary precedent in the Empire, by presiding over the assembly of 46 male legislators as Speaker of the House.
Mrs. Smith crowned her fine work in promoting legislation for women and children with a triumphal victory at the polls in the general election held December 1 last, when she was returned with a tre-} mendous majority at the head of no less than 27 candidates, (aspire ing for six seats) in Vancouver city. Mrs. Ralph Smith, who a middle-aged lady of exceptional charm of manner. with a fine ai pearance, is a brilliant orator and effective platform speaker and 3s possessed of tact and much business ability. Her career as al legislator started when she entered the legislature as successor to her husband, the late Hon. Ralph Smith, who was minister of finance at the time of his death.
Rirtes ror Cuinese REBELS-
There was quite a stir in when the information reached parliament buildings of the formation of a Chinese syndicate in Victoria to raise funds with which to buy rifles in the United States for shipment to China for use by rebel troops. This was revealed in the Supreme Court chambers when an application was made to quash ca pius proceedings, instituted on behalf of a number of prominent local Chinese, against Chin Dai-pong, a Chinese resident of Victoria for seven years, but who has recently spent two years in the Orient.
It developed that the man was arrested by the sheriff under the capias proceedings on the assumption that_he was about to leave for China. Pong denied this, stating that early in August he was approached by a Chinese named Chan Hin-wap and urged to buy rifles for re-sale to the revolutionists in China.
Empress Lixer's Stormy Passace.
The C: P.O.S. liner Empress of Russia docked here last night after the roughest voyage in the memory of her senior officers. The ship arrived from the Orient 54 hours late. Heavy easterly gales were encountered, mountainous seas, and icy, slippery decks were the experiences of the officers and crew most of the passage. One passenger told your correspondent that some of the passengers did not sce the inside of the dining room until the last day of the eleven days voyage. "There was little dancing, it was just sliding, all one had to do was to stand on the floor" said ancther who made the trip. One day the best the Empress of Russia could do was 160 miles in the 24 hours—her normal rate is 18 to 19 knots.
GexeraL Saw Picuy Wowes.
One of the most interesting arrivals of the Empress of Russia. was Brigadier-Gene: Bernard A. Platt, of the British Foreign Office, soldier, adventurer, explorer and big game hunter. General Platt, who is a former Governor of the Kameroons, is returning to England from Borneo where he was sent diplomatic agent of the Foreign Office to investigate the workings of the Indian Penal Code.
Although extremely reticent in regard to his official work, General Platt consented to detail a few of this experiences as an_ explorer. These out-rival some of the wildest {tales of adventure.
Africa was the scene of some of his hair-raising adventures, There, accompanied solely by natives, Gen-feral Platt. walked from Bahelgazal to Lake Chad and right across the teontinent to Nigeria through the wildest. part of the 'Dark Contin-rent.' In the course of his wander-, ings through the Ituric Forest he government circles the other day came across the far-famed race of African pigmies and, most important of all, saw the pigmy women, whom it is believed no man haa been chronicled as having seen before because the tribe, Turklike, keeps its women in strict seclusion. He came across four or five of them drawing water at. a well. At the sight of him they screamed and ran off into the forest. Another, and none. too pleasant experience, was in Nigeria, where General Platt witnessed the digging of his own grave. He had been stricken with malaria fever and his native followers, giving him up for dead, began to dig his grave and make other preparations for his burial, Bargventixe's Record Passacp, Reference has been made to the Empress of Russia arriving very, late owing to rough weather, An achievement of the opposite kind is perhaps worthy of record. On his first voyage homeward as skipper of the barquantine Jane L. Stanford, owned by the Canadian Robert Dollar Company, Captain Me-Donald made a. transpacific record for his ship, making the run from Chingwangtao, to Cape Flattery on the British Columbia coast,' in an even 40 days. The voyage was rough but the strong wind) and waves, encountered most of the way across, were favourable in direction and heaved the ship along, Ctash Over Honexoxe Currency.
Hongkong currency is the cash claimed in an action started here by W. R. Loxley, J. A. Russell and D. O. Russell against Phillip Bond Ca. all of this city. Damages of $2,834 in Hongkong currency are asked for the alleged breaking of a contract in connexion with the delivery of a large quantity of sterilized milk. Plaintiffs are also claiming an additional $800 in Hongkong currency for alleged shortage in shipments. Chinese dollars were quoted $1.12 1-2 Amer—ican funds on the day the action. was launched.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.