A meeting of the Soldiers' Relief Soci was held on Saturday, 2nd April. Admin; Prince Arisugawa, G.C.B., President of the Society, delivered an impressive communiextion. Count Matsukata, G.C.M.G., one of the Vice-Presidents, responded. Count Mouse, ihe over Vice-President, in a speech addressed to the general members, specially posed of the foreign w: referred in appreciative tenns to the pro-
ponders, vi. the volume of reminiscences which they intend te the benefit of sufferers by the war; and also referred to the Pen Wl, tions to the Si y's funds now bout 1,000,000 yen, ineludin 100,000 by the Emyeror, 10.000 by and 5,000 yen Miscellaneous.
The first contingent of foreign war correspondents left Tokio on Saturday exening, 2nd April, for the front.
Acconling to a report received ab the Foreign Office, the Russian battleship Oslabyt and two torpedo-bout destroyers, which leit Algiers some time ago, arrived at Vizo, Spain, on the Ist inst., where one of the destroyers ws repaired. On the 3rd inst. the whole of the vessels left Vigo for the Baltic. The cruisers Dmitri Donskoi and Aurora also left Listen and Ferrol, Portugal, respectively, on the 4th inst. for home.
Statesmen in Seoul continue to play one against another. Pak Che-sun, late Corean Minister to Peking, who hus been recently appointed Minister of Foreign Affains, 1€- signed the post coul, on the ground of ili-health, and Kim Ka-chin been appointed Acting present war. Ibis therefore felt that the "Limes." by the extremely bitter tone which it las adopted towards Russia, is involving us in a grave risk, I hav son to know also sha: the sume view is yoy strongly held at cur Foreign Office, This morining a telegram from Paris announces that King" Edward sent. a verdial mess: ge to the Czar by Count Benekeudorfl, who recently made a joamney to did farewell 10 Son wh ving for the front. the Kinw expressed a hope the tone of-the Press. in the two would become Jess acute, and stress on our determination to wain-tain cur neutrality. On his return to London, it is stated, Count Benckendorft emveyel to his Majesty the Czar's acknowiedgments of the mea cage, here is strony evidence: that this Paris telegram is absolutely accurate, and that it was indeed indirectly the British Foreign Ontice. Th ax certainly been an improv: ment in the tone of the Press both in Russi: a Mr. Balfour and the Cabinet Changes.
Now that Mr. Balfour has. sufficiently reover d to resume his duties as Leader of the Hone of Commons the Opposition have seized the opportunity to force fom him a reply to the accounts given by Lord milton, Mr. Ritchie, and the Duke of Devonshire of the cireumstances under which they and_ others toft the Cabinet; and when on Monday night the Prime Minister tried 10 defer ition for forty-eight hours he it to bay by & motion for the urnment. Ax netrly ax the points at issue can he stated in x few words they are Athese: Did Mr. Bulfour jockey" the Free Tride members, other than the Dake of Devo out of the Cabinet by concealing from th the fact of Mr. Chamberlain's resignation, and did ihe place alternative "documents two before the Cabinet, one in favour of Retuliation only and the other in favour of Mr. Chamberlain's scheme of preferences and food tuxes? Ido not think Bul s very successful in his on either of these points, He that he hal Mr. Chamberlain's pation in hi pocket a: the last ug of the C wet before the re-ons, but he dee res that Mr, Cham stated verbally tention to resign if he did not get his way. He ick now " however, that he subse-showed Mr, Chamberlain's letter the Duke of Devonshite, and that when the Dake asked Following closely the "Niroku," the "Heimin Shimbun," a Socialist paper in Tokio, now fils ender the official ban. On account of an editorial article commenting adversely on the increased taxation published on the 27th ult., the Tokio Court p:"sed judgment on the 5th inst. prohibiting the publication of the journal and subjecting the responsible editor to minor imprisonment of four months. The paper, however, continues its publication, lodging an appeal against the decision of the Court of first instance.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.