The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 1880.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 489, 3 January 1880, Page 2

The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 1880.

Tim first month of the yea'' is very appropriately called after the old twolaced Roman god of gates, Janus, who closed one year and opened the other, and was repres'intod us looking both before and behind. In giving bis name, to the month on which we have eniered, the aneiems, no doubt, felt that at tais period of the year men look both ways, iiidnhm in retrospects and. forecastings, muse over what is past and speculate as to wh-it is lo come. Human nature lias not changed, and we, having - alreauy looked bark, feel that it is a necessity of the time to look lurwarn. Booking and SGoi'ii-Cj however, uro scurcvlv syuououious teims. A very thin veil of futurity makes the prospect hazy and uncertain, and we think that the face of Janus that looked lorward should have been provided with ‘ specs.’ The nap is worn oil the office of prophet in these degenerate days, whim one is expected to prophesy, if at

nil, of something that one’s con t empovaries may live to see. "Wo shall, notwithstanding, impose noon ourselves the further restriction of prophesying of events to occur within the present year, a restriction which, hah it been enforced, would have killed oil’ the prophet species long since.

I’hat 18S0 will bo a year ol commercial revival throughout the world, is pretty certain. Blast inrnaces that have long been silent will begin to roar, and spindles that have long been still will begin to revolve, and the two invalids, Cotton and iron, whom Pnnrh represents as taking their first walk on ernmhes, will login to limp about with a stick. Bui they will still he cripples, for prosperity will* not return to any country ov trade like a tidal wave, hut will return more gradually than it departed. !t will remain with the British manufacturer, to d(-*teimine whether he will prepare cotton goods or clay goods, and whether tno revival of trade in this department will benefit America only, or Hngland chiefly. The British labourer also will determine whether ho will strike on every possible pretext, and wind her the reviving Iron trade shall have its chief seat in Britain, or he divided between the Continent and America. With Colton and Iron, Hie Coal Trade must revive, and with these three gigantic industries every other trade will begin to move forward. It is pretty safe to predict a small advance in wool, and the eonsecpuml gratification of the colonies, but it is not likely that tne i-’uglish market for wheat will improve iVmu the colonial tanner s point ol view. We confidently predict that during the year several countries will want to borrow money, and that more ol them will got it Ilian will ever repay it.

in polities, there is no present reason to suppose that the peace of Jcnropo will be broken by any great war, but there is a probability that Russia will send iorlh a ‘•'scientific” expedition into Central Asia, and will afterwards had it. necessary to p:olivet the said expedition with a powerful force. Iho probabilities arc also in favour of one petty war, or more, in the glorious empire in which the sun never sets. Austria will try to cement to her empire her recent acquisitions, and will watch for more down the Danube and tow,mis Constantinople. Germany will look longingly at Holland, ami Kranee will look at Cermaviy, and steadily increase her army. Laly will complain that she is excluded from the councils of Hnrope, and Spain will have a royal marriage, a royal assassination, or a revolution, lint the chief event in old world policies will probably be a Genera! Hleciion in the United Kingdom. R .i ids event will be of vast interest to the whole world, as if may alter the foreign policy of the country that ior some years past has held the balance between wav and pence. But apart from its hearing on foreign politics, the event will bo a most exciting one, and may produce very peculiar situations. The Conservative majority will certainly be weakened, and may bo turned; into a minority. In the latter contingency a peculiar conjuncture will arise. Mr Gladstone is the undoubted head of Iho Liberal Party, and during the last two years has risen immensely in the estimation of the English people. In the event of a Liberal majority it is certain that a large majority of that majority will demand to bo led by Mr Gladstone. But he is not the nominal leader of his party, and is personally hateful to the .Sovereign, and Lord Beaconsfield is far too accomplished a courtier to advise Her Majesty to call a man whom she ignored on the occasion of her son’s wedding. Mr Gladstone is reported to he ready to be anything or nothing, an I again lie is reported to say that he must either carin' a musket or command m chief. I-he victorious Liberals will then have a head who is not their leader, and a hauler who is not their head, an opponent who will not, advise the call of their head, a Sovereign who would not call him, and a strong section among themsfdves who will follow no one else.

Tin? colonies will be visited during the year by some scions of nobility, and perhaps of Royalty itself, who will be a chief part of the Melbourne Exhibition. We should judge from the wOl-known ambition of the Victorian people, and iron) the amount of assistance proniDed, that the great, show of this year will in every way eclipse that of .“Sydney, -and will do not a little towards advertising the colonies. Australia will be farther advertised in England by a team o; cricketers, which we venture to predict will, in more ways than one, not faro as well as did the Australian Eleven.”

Turning more paniculary to Now Zealand, she will be pus',dug on her public works, and waiting to see the result. of the visit or the ilcpiitafion of Lincolnshire farmers to her si tores, it is to be hoped that these, two gentlemen will be no faint-hearted spies, but will rather bo a Joshua and a Cabdi, whose report of the land shall inaugurate a now era in emigration to this colony. An early meeting of Parliament has been promised, but there is no ground for anticipating any great struggles of parties, as the Opposition is thoroughly disorganised. The most interesting events of the. year will probably take place in our own vicinity. But reports have been so contradictory regarding the intentions of the Government that, we can scarcely hazard a prophesy as to what those events will be. The appointment, of the Commission to enquire into promises made to the Maoris we regard as a farce, but, il the maintaining of the present large armed force is to be justilied to Parliament, something practical must lie done, and we have no doubt that during the year the Native Difficulty will be considerably simplified.