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i i I GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. The French official communication says that Tuesdays attacks of the enemy at Nieuport, Dix-mude and La Bassee were repulsed by the allies and that at all other points tlie situation is without any notable change. The United States has pro- tested to Great Britain against the seizure by a 1 British warship of the American tank steamer John I. Rockefeller. This was announced by Acting Secretary Lansing of the state department. As the Rockefeller was American owned and Hew the United States llag, and no change of registry was involved, the government considers the seizure unwarranted. She had American officers and crew. The ship was bound from one neutral port to another, leaving Philadelphia September 2 for Copenhagen, and carried illuminating oil. which Secretary Lansing said had not been classed as contraband in any notification received from Groat Britain. The vessel was taken to the Orkney Islands. The protest was made to the British government through Ambassador 1age at London, who was instructed to ask for the immediate release of the. Rockefeller. Mr. Lansing said that no representations or protest had been made in the case of tlie steamer Brindilla. taken recently to Halifax, and that he was awaiting further information as to the character of her cargo, and the conditions under which she was seized. German aud Russiau reiwrts agree that the situation in tlie east has not changed, although the armies are in close touch along the East Prussian frontier and across Poland and Galicia. In Galicia. however, the Aus-triaus claim to have repulsed Russian attacks and to be making progress in their campaign to drive out the invaders. The Russians, on the other hand, say they are taking large numbers of prisoners. A correspondent at Flushing telegraphs: "German headquarters has been moved from Oostcamp. three, miles- south of Bruges, probably to Ghent, where large reinforcements are arriving by train from Alost. The new columns probably total 00,000 men. They appear to be proceeding toward the coast." The King of the Belgians is at Fumes with his army. Fumes is tlie westernmost town of Belgium, in West Flanders, fifteen miles southwest of Ostend and twenty-six miles from Bruges. The town is the junction of several canals and is on the direct line of communication from Osteud into France. Figures are necessarily vague, but a conservative estimate is that 1,500,000 Belgians out of a population of 7,000.000 have been expatriated. A dispatch from Amsterdam says that the Genua as have been repulsed near Middelkerke. Their guns are near Osteud. Middelkerke is on the seashore a little west of Ostend. With regard to the seizure of islands like .Taluit. the Japanese navy department said it was acting in conjunction with and with the knowledge of Great Britain and that any questions like the permanent occupancy of tlie territory taken would be settled at tlie conclusion of the war. A message from Constantinople says that the foreign ambassadors have been notified by the iMirte that warships are forbidden to outer the Gulf of Smyrna. This action is supposedly directed against the LYnglo-Frunch Mediterranean lleet. An official announcement given out by the German military headquarters says: "Severe fighting continues on the Yser canal. The enemys artillery was supported from the sea northwest of Nieuport. The lighting west of Lille continues. Our troops, taking the offensive, repulsed the enemy at several points. In the eastern theater of the war no decision yet has been reached." The Standard Oil company steamer Platuria. Hying the American Hag, also has beeu seized by British warships off the coast of Scotland and taken into Stor-nowuy, a port in the Lewis islands. Tlie Standard Oil company has requested the state department to make another protest on the seizure of the Platuria, the circumstances of which are identical, the company asserts, with those attending the seizure of the Brindilla. The Platuria. formerly the German steamer Diamant, changed her flag shortly before sailing from New York Oct. 5. It was learned yesterday that the British government has declared illuminating oil contraband, but notification has not been scut to neutral countries. Tlie British point of view is that illuminating oil can be used in the propelling of Zeppelins, submarines and destroyers. The German cruiser En-den has again been sinking British steamers, this ; time at a point 150 miles southwest of Cochin. British India, according to a report received by the British admiraltj- from Colombo, Ceylon. She has sent to the bottom the British steamers Chil-kaua. Troilus. Beumohr and Clan Grant, and the dredgflr Ponrabble. bound for Tasmania. The British steamer Exford was captured by the Em-den. The Emden has to her credit the sinking of fourteen British steamers and the capture of three other vessels Hying the union jack. Her operations have extended along the entire eastern coast of India from Calcutta to Colombo. A dispatch from the Netherlands, says that 10,000 residents of Antwerp have beeu repatriated In tlie last two days. The water supply of Antwerp has been re stored and the local tramways are running. The German machine guns recently posted in the streets of the city have been sent to the front. The Mexican national convention at Aguas Calieutes has approved the arrangement made by American. Consul Siliimnn and Gen. Aguilar for withdrawing American forces from Vera Cruz. Gem Carranza is expected to issue a proclamation giving guaranties to citizens of Vera Cruz who have served the United States. The convention granted all the requests made by the American government as prerequisite to the withdrawal of the troops, The United States asked that customs duties coif lected during the American occupation, as well as local taxes, should not be reimposed. William C. Hopkiuson, Canadian government immigration inspector, was shot and killed iu the Vancouver courthouse yesterday by a Hindu. IIo;-kinson was active in preventing tlie landing some mouths ago of several hundred Hindus, who arrived on the Japanese steamship Komagata Mam. The assassin, Mewa Singh, was arrested. Hopkinsons life had been threatened before. The compromise cotton relief plan was defeated in the house at Washington bv a vote of 123 lo 01. It proposed the deposit of 50,000,000 of government funds in southern banks to be loaned to cotton and tobacco growers. General Obregon, as head of tlie Carranza com mission, lias presented a resolution before the Aguas Calieutes convention, asking for guaranties of safety for all delegates and requesting that the convention be moved to "a safer place." Tlie South Carolina souatcj passed a bill authorizing a. 5,000,000 IkukI issue for the purchase of cotton by the state. If passed by the house the measure must be approved by two-thirds of the states voters.
