Chapter XVI: Section XV: 57. Dangers of Ballooning

On Nov. 24th, 1908, the following paragraph appeared in the morning papers, dated from Breslau:

"While a balloon, belonging to the Silesian Aeronautic Club, was sailing along at about 100 metres distance from the Russo-German frontier on Saturday over Krotoschin, Sarotschin, and Zockow, 15 shots were fired at it from Russian territory, probably by frontier Cossacks. The weather was fine and the German flag hung from the envelope. Nobody was hurt, only one shot striking a sandbag, and the balloon landed safely on German soil."

58. _Family Honour._

In February, 1906, Carlo Waddington, the son of the Chilian envoy at Brussels, shot at and killed Balmaceda, the secretary of the Chilian Legation. The cause of this action was that Balmaceda refused to marry Waddington's sister, whom he had previously seduced.

59. _An Ocean Chase._

Recently in the Firth of Clyde the Fishery Board's cruiser _Vigilant_ observed a foreign trawler operating, it was alleged, within the three-mile limit of Ailsa Craig. The trawler made off, and a stern chase of over 20 miles, lasting about two hours, followed. The _Vigilant_ fired several shots, to which the trawler paid no heed, but ultimately the cruiser caught up the fugitive and compelled her to stop. The mate of the _Vigilant_ boarded the trawler, the captain of which refused to accompany the _Vigilant_ to Campbeltown, and, after the officer had obtained particulars of the boat and the crew, the trawler left for Fleetwood with the week's catch. The _Vigilant_ proceeded to Campbeltown and reported the matter to the Crown authorities.

60. _The "Maori King."_

The vessel, the _Maori King_, was purchased in March, 1906, by Messrs. Ginsburg and Co., a Russian firm. To enable the vessel to sail under the British flag, all the shares in her were nominally transferred to a British subject named Dow, who registered her in Shanghai as a British-owned vessel. Subsequently she sailed under the British flag from Vladivostok to Guaymos, in Mexico, carrying 921 Chinese coolies and 217 Russians. In January, 1908, the British consul-general in Shanghai seized the vessel as liable to forfeiture under Sec.Sec. 69 and 76 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894.