NOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1397, 3 November 1886, Page 3

NOTES.

The blunders made by leading journals at Home with regard to matters colonial is often the cause of considerable amusement to colonists, but it is not often that we come across an instance of such crass ignorance as was displayed recently by the Saturday Revierc. That famous journal evidently has no idea of the geography or history of the Pacific Islands, and does not even seem to know of the existence of the New Hebrides. It has some dim idea that the French have been sending out an expedition somewhence and somewhither, but with a glorious confusion of ideas writes that “ Two vessels, carrying soldiers, frames of houses, and provisions, have left Noumea for New Caledonia. It is known the French officers in the South Sea wish to secure possession of this archipelago. It is true that France is bound by treaty not to occupy it without previous agreement with England. After Tunis, the Congo, Madagascar, and Tonquin, this is a dubious security, and as the Australians are thoroughly determined to keep all foreigners out of New Caledonia, they are not unnaturally disturbed at the spectacle of a patriotic French Naval officer starting on his adventures in that direction with ships, houses, and soldiers.” This is splendid, and it is well suggested b} the Press that “ The French men-of-war leaving Noumea for New Caledonia would form a good subject for a historical picture, a companion, sav, to Brierly’s ‘ Armada leaving Cadiz for the conquest of England ’ —only for England, read Spain. The idea of the Australians being thoroughly determined to keep all foreigners out of New Caledonia is very fine. If the wellinformed gentlemen who write smart leading articles ior the Saturday Review do not know that Noumea is the capital of New Caledonia and that New Caledonia has been for thirty years an important colony of France, and is not identified with the New Hebrides, they might at least have observed from the map that New Caledonia is not an archipelago, but a single island nearly as big as Cuba. Strange to say—or, perhaps not strange ~ these staring blunders were not noticed by the other London papers which are usually quick enough to pick a hole in the Saturday Review They knew no better themselves.”—Mail,