MISCELLANEOUS NOTES.

Kumara Times, Issue 1164, 22 June 1880, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES.

Commenting editorially upon the prospects of the impending elections in Great Britain, the Berliner Boersen-Zeitung records its conviction that " Europe can wish for nothing better than tbe victory of those statesmen who now direct the public affairs of Great Britian. For six yearaLord Beaconsfield has guided the State rudder with a steady hand. That once again a Europe exists is chiefly due to him. He has reinstated the European balance, which appeared annihilated in 1871, by boldly picking up the Russian gauntlet of defiance, and compelling Russia to submit herself, in the spirit of European order, to the sentence pr-o nounced upon her by civilisation. The purchase of the Suez shareß, the India Imperial Title Bill, the rejection of the Berlin Memorandum, the stultification of the San Stefano Peace Treaty, the transfer of Indian native troops to Malta, the Salisbury Sohouvaloff Memorandum, the attitude of the British Plenipotentiaries at the Berlin Congress, the Secret Treaty with Turkey, by which Cyprus was acquired, the Ultimatum to Shere Ali, the complete subjugation of South Africa, and the achievement of an impregnable strategic frontier to North Western India—all these feats constitute a glorious wreath of successes such as no other living statesman, with the'solitary exception of Prince Bismarck, can boast of having won. The English people well know thai: Lord Beaconsfield must be fully credited by them with these splendid deeds. It is, in our opinion, extravagantly improbable that the coming elections should result in the return of an Opposition majority." At a time when we are told that England does not stand better than she did in the eyes of Europe, such a testimony as this, if not needed is at .least welcome. Referring to the successful voyage of the Strathleven to London, with a car<*o of refrigerated beef and mutton from Australia, to which we called attention some weeks ago, the American journals moralise on the incident very characteristically. The New York Tribune thinks that United States exporters of beef must look out for their interests, but also seems more struck by the singularity of the position which Great Britain must occupy as the result of this growing dependence on foreign supplies of food. Our contemporary is of opinion that *• an island which must be fed week by week from out side, and which has neither coast defences nor men-of-war enough to protect her. would be in but bad condition if some other nation would see fit to besiege her." It would be interesting to know how the Tribune thinks that the United Kingdom ia to be " besieged," and where the fleets are to come from, that are to blockade two or three thousand miles of coast; also what the English navy is supposed to be doing while multitudinous cruisers try to seal up our harbors, estusries, creeks, and rivers; and further, how the various countries that are supposed to "feed" Great Britain will take the interruption to their useful and lucrative business. It is almost a pity to have to undeceive kind Transatlantic cnticß, but the truth is that England is not quite so helpless as her'consumption of foreign beef and mutton would lead some people to think. She might do without both at a pinch, at the cost, doubtless, of consuming and wasting lobs, and of paying a good deal more for what was to be had. But she would not starve, or even fall on painfully short commons—unless, indeed, she happened to quarrel with all the world, including her own colonies, simultaneously, a contingency which the New York journal may rest assured Jhas not attained the region of "practical polities'" It used to be thought that the sympathy of an Irish crowd with criminals, or persons accused of crime, was confined to,the South of Ireland or the more" lawless" West, but to jndge from some remarks lately made by one of the judges, the North is not much better, At the Armagh Assizes, a few diys ago, Mr Justice Barry publicly stated that " the incapacity of jurymen to understand evidence, or their deliberate determination not to act on it, had rendered the attempt to administer justice at these assizes a humiliating farce." If such a complaint could be made from the Bench in intelligent, independent, law-abiding, and Protestant Ulster, what surprise can be felt at the eccentricities of popular opinion in Connaught ? A man has just been tried in Mayo on the charge of having set fire to his shop with intent to defraud an insurance company. The evidence showed that the fire had been intentionally caused, and it was further proved that on the prisoner being arrested with his policy in his pocket, he hurriedly tried to swallow a letter. Foiled in this attempt, he tore the paper to pieces. On being examined it was found to be a missive written by bis brother, urging him to set fire to the place and " make a good job of it," at the same time givtng detailed instructions bow to carry out the ncheme. The jury found the prisoner " not guilty,'• as a Dublin journal says' " to the astonishment of every one in Court." Yet this verdict was received with a loud cheer from the people in the gallery, which was taken up by those outside and continued for some time. It if of course, possible that the jubilation all arose from delight at the acquittal of an innocent man ; but, unfortunately, the established repute of the locality seems to have led many to a less flattering interpretation.