The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1878.

Kumara Times, Issue 522, 30 May 1878, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1878.

In the good old days when differences of opinion were settled at ten paces, and the intervention of members of " the profession" was only required in , their capacity as conveyancers' and scriveners, duellists politely" saluted one another before exchanging shots, or proceeding to cut one another's throats. It appears to ns that the holding of the proposed Peace Congress is somewhat akin to the preliminaries above alluded to. It is the performance of a farce previous to entering upon the more serious business of the tnige.iy. The same sort of thing was gone rln-ousdi just before the Grand Duke Nicholas ' crossed the P.uth two years ago at tiie head of a conquering army, mid after a bloody war, forced the Sublime Porte on its kness to sue for peace. Is there to be a repetition „t ; this worse than useless comedy 1 We | have not to go very far back in history | tt> learn that the. most solemn Treaties I are regarded by the Signatory Powers j only so long as it suifa their convenience, j and no longer. The only recent instance

of iintnment war being averted by reference to peaceful arbitrament is the settlement at Geueva of the Alabama claims, and in this case it must be observed it was a question of money, not territory. It is by no means absolutely certain that the Congress will meet, but even if it should, it can only lead to a postponement of hostilities, by which Russia will gain more than any other of the possible belligerents concerned.