28th March 1908

• Armenians in Turkey. “At Van on the 23rd inst., an Armenian revolutonary attacked the house of an Armenian informer… The assailant fired several shots at the house and wounded the informer, whereupon the Bashi-Bozouks, incited by the gendarmes, fell indiscrimately upon the Armenians, of whom they killed 33 and wounded eight.”
• Royal news. Thankfully the King has got over his indisposition. “King Edward, who was yesterday suffering from a slight cold, is better to-day… Taking advantage of the sunny weather, King Edward went for a motor drive this afternoon, and on reaching the Cote des Basques alighted from the car and walked for some distance.”
• Russian honour. “It is announced that Generals Fock and Reiss have been asked to retire from the service. The latter has consented, but General Fock has declined to do so for reasons of discipline, pending the inquiry into his duel with General Smirnoff.”

27th March 2008

• Royal Intelligence. You just don’t get royal coverage like this any more: “The King has a slight cold, and did not leave his apartments in Biarritz yesterday. In the evening his majesty gave a dinner-party. The Prince of Wales yesterday morning inspected at Cologne the Cuirassiers of which he is Colonel-in-Chief, afterwards had lunch with the officers, and in the evening entertained them at dinner in his hotel. King Victor Emmanuel yesterday twice visited the German Emperor on board the yacht Hohenzollern…”

• Canada. Further to our Canadian racism theme: ” ‘Sam’ Gothard and other members of the Asiatic Exclusion League … are trying to form a rival league which will be affliated to the Exclusion League of North America … The Toronto Globe, commenting on homicides by foreigners, calls on the Government to close the gates on the offscourings of Slav and Latin races.”