including remote files and caching

Hi, i am using the include function to call remote files for inclusion in my pages e.g.: <? include "http://www.blahblah.shtml"; ?> I am finding that the files that i am including are taking far longer than i would expect to load in subsequent calls to the same includes (i use the includes in every page to wrap around some other content) and i fear that they may not be getting cached. does the include function have any impact at all on how the browser caches images or html pages within the include? or is there a better way to call the file besides using the include function to potentially speed things up? TIA Pat Tao ptao@well.com ********** "Go 'Bows!"