National.

After experiments covering a period of twenty-eight months, the United States naval "liquid fuel" board announces that it regards the engineering and mechanical features of the liquid fuel problem practically and satisfactorily solved. The board says: "For mercantile purposes the commercial and transportation features of the problem are existing bars which limit the use of oil fuel in merchant ships. For naval purposes there is the additional and serious difficulty to be overcome of providing a satisfactory and safe structural arrangement for carrying an adequate 'bunker supply.' "

Fifty-five delegates of the Lower Austrian Trade Association of Vienna, who have just completed a tour of the United States to study the industrial and commercial methods of the country, were the guests last week of the Boston Chamber of Commerce.

About thirty-five of the forty-three young Americans who have won Rhodes Scholarships at Oxford sailed from Boston in the Cunarder Ivernia this week. The members of the party represent all sections of the United States, and a special reservation of twenty staterooms was set aside for their use on the promenade deck of the steamer. The making up of this party is due to one of the number, who early in the summer wrote to Oxford asking for the names and addresses of the American winners of scholarships. This obtained, he wrote to each suggesting their traveling together from Boston to Liverpool, and most of them signified their willingness to do so.

The armament and ammunition of the Russian transport Lena, which recently put in at San Francisco, has been removed. Admiral Goodrich, commanding the Pacific Station, has forwarded to the Navy Department a full report of the agreement he entered into with her captain for the parole of her officers and crew. This provides for their freedom of the city of San Francisco, but they may not go beyond the bounds of the city during the continuance of the present war.

Foreign.

Count Tisza, the Hungarian Minister of the Interior, has rendered a decision prohibiting a Mormon propaganda in Hungary on the ground that such a movement is undesirable for both state and religious reasons. The immediate occasion of the decision was the expulsion of two Mormon missionaries who came from Salt Lake City to Temsvar eighteen months ago and attempted to organize a Mormon community among Hungarians who had formerly resided in Utah. The two missionaries were promptly expelled, whereupon their Hungarian friends appealed to the Minister of the Interior, the result being the present decision.

The departure of the British Tibetan expedition was fixed for September 23. By the Emperor's orders the Chinese amban has proclaimed Tashi, lama of Shigatse, to succeed to the spiritual dignities of the DalaiLamma. The Tashi Lama has been friendly to the British mission from the outset.

Peter Karageorgevitch was crowned King of Servia on the 21st ult. There were no hostile demonstrations, and no attempt to carry out the numerous threats which had been made against the King.

The Russian protest against the Anglo-Tibetan treaty has been presented at Pekin. The Russian Minister is understood to have called the attention of the Chinese Foreign Board to the fact that China would abandon her suzerainty over Tibet if she ratified the treaty, thus creating a British protectorate. It is stated that Russia's representation to Great Britain in respect to Tibet is based on the apparent differences in the assurances given the Russian Ambassador to Great Britain, June 2, and the published terms of the Anglo-Tibetan treaty. It is not expected in diplomatic quarters that the incident will result in any complications, as Russia's interest in Tibet is to a large extent academic. It is stated that China objects to the Anglo-Tibetan treaty on the ground that it infringes Chinese sovereign rights.

The Cuban Senate has ratified a treaty of friendship and commerce with Italy, the first entered into with a European nation.

Industrial and Commercial.

According to statistics complied by the Geological Survey, the United States last year produced 34,430 short tons of crude borax, valued at $661,400. The production of 1902 was 17,404 short tons of refined borax, valued at $2,447,614, and 2,600 short tons of crude borax, valued at $91,000. In 1903 the United States consumed 37,758 short tons of graphite, valued at $1,598,589. The value of the total home production was only $225,554.

It is reported that Government contracts have been signed for fifty sub-marine signal bells to be placed for the protection of the Canadian coast. Signals also are being placed on the Portland lightship. Boston lightship. Pollock Rip shoals. Vineyard Sound. Nantucket shoals. Brenton's Reef. Cornfield shoals lightship. Fire Island, Sandy Hook, and Overfalls, Philadelphia.

In reviewing the trophical fruit trade for the last year, it is shown that New Orleans holds the record for being the largest receiving point for tropical fruits. This is by reason of its geographical position and its close proximity to Central and South America. The total importations of bananas and cocoanuts into United States ports during the fiscal year from July 1, 1903, to June 30, 1904, aggregate 27,000,000 bunches of bananas and 75,000,000 cocoanuts, of which New Orleans received 9,000,000 bunches of bananas, Mobile. 4,000,000; Baltimore, 3,000,000: Philadelphia, 2,500,000; New York, 4,500,000; Boston, 4,000,000.

The exports of manufactures from the United Kingdom grew from $964,540,000 in 1880 to $1,142,595,000 in 1903, an increase of 18.46 per cent: France, a growth from $339,186,000 in 1800 to $405,794,000 in 1903, a gain of 19.64 per cent; Germany, an increase from $460,279,000 in 1880 to $780,926,000 in 1903, an increase of 69.66 per cent; while the United States shows a growth from $102,856,015 in 1880 to $452,445,629 in 1904, an increase of 339.85 per cent.

The President of the Missouri Pacific Immigration Bureau reports that while the bureau has been in operation only a year, the number of passengers given transportation during the past year was 4,700. To these 1,056,542 acres of land, aggregating in value $15,057,944, have been sold. Thirty-seven factories and industries have been established through the direct efforts of 273 members of the bureau.

An overland railroad is to be built in Guatemala. It will be 270 miles long from ocean to ocean, and will be completed within twelve months. It is proposed to run a line of steamers connecting with New York on the Atlantic side and another line on the Pacific connecting with San Francisco.

General.

During the lifetime of the present generation the Alps have been pierced four times by tunnels. The first of these was the Mont Cenis tunnel in France, which is nearly eight miles long, and was fourteen years in construction, finished thirty-four years ago; next came the St. Gothard, nine and a quarter miles long, which was nine and a half years in construction, and was completed twenty-four years ago; then came the Arlberg, six and a half miles long, three and a half years in building, and completed twenty-one years ago. The Simplon, the latest and longest, is twelve and a half miles long, its greatest altitude above the level of the sea being 2.314 feet, while the altitude of Mont Cenis is 4.248 feet. The work has been done with artistic completeness. The entrance is approached by a series of smaller tunnels which extended all the way from Lake Maggiore. The greatest obstacles which the enterprise has been compelled to meet have been water and heat. During the first three months of 1902 the work on the Italian end advanced only fifty feet, so many were the springs that were met and so great was the volume of water which had to be cared for. The temperature in many places ranged from 95 to 107 degrees. The completion of this tunnel will give direct communication between Milan and Paris and London.

Boston ranks fourth in postal business, according to the annual report of the Boston Post Office. The report shows an increase in business of $301,769 over last year, the gross receipts of the central office and stations amounting to $4,185,508.30. The only cities which exceed Boston in gross receipts are New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

Miss Annie S. Peck, the well-known mountain climber, will attempt the ascent of Mt. Sorata, in the Andes, which is between twenty-one and twenty-five thousand feet high. It is her intention also to visit the crater of Sahama, the highest volcano in the world, and to climb Mt. Huascan, the altitude of which is said to be about twenty-five thousand feet.

Until recently it was almost universally believed that petroleum was, like coal, derived from fossil vegetation or possibly from animals or fishes of some long past age. Now it is asserted by many scientific men that it may not be of organic origin, but may be due to subterranean chemical action.

All of the five planetary satellites discovered since 1846 have been found by Americans. They include Hyperion, the seventh satellite of Saturn, Demos and Phoebos, the little moons of Mars, and phobe, the ninth moon of Saturn.

A miniature portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, by N. Hilliard, was sold in London the other day for $4,305.