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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 73, 26 March 1878, Page 4

The Australasian of March 9 says: — As a discoverer of mares' nesls^ Sir George G-rey is probably without an equal in the political world. The foul conspiracies which he has iv his timo dragged to the daylight would fill a volume. They range from the intended bombardment of the city of Auckland, in accordance with an agreement between Lord Normanby and tbe commodore of the squadron, to tha scheme of poisoning off obnoxious politicians, arranged in the secret despatches between Sir George Boweo and the Colonial office,. to which he lately took occasion ugain to call attention. The lateat piece of perfidy of this kind on which Sir George Grey has poured the fierce light of his Diogenes lantern is a plot, as it seems, of the Government of England to introduce a system of taxing the Colonies for the benefit of the British fleet. In a speech which he delivered in Wellington, an address perversely directed throughout to fanning class animosities, Sir George Grey said—' 1 There is a party rising in England, holding certain views and helping to carry out certain views which would be fatal to the good of this country. Tbey maintain, whether you like it or cot, thai you are to be taxed by Great Britain for the support of her fleet, and she is to determine how much you are to pay. Such a demand ought not to be made upon us and ought to be resisted. I say it is not right that we should be taxed for tbe purpose of supporting the navy in Great Britain. The taxation ie one wbich I believe we will not submit to." (Hear, hear !) But what is it all about ? Does anybody besides Sir George Grey know anything of this attempt to renew the system cf imposing taxation on the colonies, wbich we all thought was pretty well exploded and frustrated by certain events which happened just about 100 years ago ? Sir George Grey is a melancholy inatauce of great gifts rendered utterly useless from their unsuitability ior the sphere in which he has to work. As a private detective, he would excel all of those quiet, unassuming, but superhuman individuals, who display such powers of penetration in the circulating library novels. But in the serious position of Premier of a bussinea-like community, his marvellous discoveries only make him laughed at, and, we should fancy, make his unfortunate colleagues at times feel very absurd and uncomfortable. Some leading English journals have frequently of late called attention to the prevalence of the vice of drunkenness in Russia, and the manner in which it is encouraged by the Government, because of the enormous revenue that is derived from the liquor duties. In a late number of the Pall Mall Gazette there are some striking remarks with reference to this subject which may well be commended to the notice ot those who are inclined to look upon the Czar as a Christian and humanitarian emperor, as a friend of the oppressed, and who believe that he was sincere in his professed desire to ameliorate the condition of the Bulgarians. But what can be the condition of his own subjects if the following remarks from the Pall Mall Gazette be true? Speaking of the opposition which the advocates of temperance principles meet with in Russia, that journal — deriving its information from "an old resident in Russia "—says that " The Russian Government is inplacably hostile to the temperance movement, fearing it will diminish its principal source ofreveuue. By the latest returns the liquor duties yielded to the Imperial exchequer the vast sum of 800,000,000 rubles (about £30,000,000) per annum. The notorious impecuniosity of the Government has induced it to treat teetotal leagues as illegal secret societies. The most nummary measures have been taken towards forcing the people to contribute to tbe revenue by their intemperance. Policemen and soldiers are employed to Hog the teetotallers into drinking . . . . The clergy, at the same time, were ordered to preach against this new form of sedition, and the press has laid its veto upon all publications in which the immorality of the liquor traffic was denounced. Recently a Polish schoolmaster was condemned to sweep the streets in a convict gang, for raising his voice against 'King Vodki. 5 In* Russia no one can now advocate temperance prin-

ciples with impunity." "What can be the condition of people ruled by a Government with desires to encourage intemperance in order to make as much money as possible by tho liquor duties? How those dignitaries of the Church of England, and the thousands of highly religious people who have taken part m the Russophil agitation in the mother country, can have any sympathy with the Russian Government it is difficult to understand. "Whether tbey approve of its amazing hostility to temperance and sobriety we have yet to learn, but one would suppose that tbe facts that have been brought to light of late, showing how much the Government depends for revenue upon the drunkenness of the people, would be sufficient to show tbat the condition of the Russians cannot be so very satisfactory as to justify the Czar in troubling himself about the Bulgarians, who are, on the whole, so much better off than his own subjects.