South Canterbury Times, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1882.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3002, 9 November 1882, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1882.

To-day the Heir Apparent completes the forty-first year of his age. With talents below mediocrity, with no intellectual grasp worth speaking of, he has yet a certain affable dignity or dignified affability, whichever is the better term, by which he has won a surprising position in the favor of his countrymen. At this moment the Prince of Wales enjoys a popularity which bis gifted father never attained. The Prince Consort, who was the very embodiment of virtue and intellect, whose mind was bent upon noble and comprehensive schemes of philanthropy, never, until after his death, was properly valued by the people. It is only of late years, since they have profited by the operation of beneficent and practical agencies which owed their origin to him, that Englishmen have done justice to the memory of Prince Albert. His son, whose youth and early manhood were certainly not, to put it very mildly, passed in intellectual pursuits or the cultivation of refined tastes, who never manifested one intellectual trait, or a spark of anything above commonplace, whose only qualification is that he can look good-natured and make a cheerful after-dinner speech, is a sort of popular hero. One is tempted to wonder at this ; but it seems to admit of explanation, The memory of his father ; the more than regal virtue and discretion of Her Majesty, his mother ; the exquisite sweetness and moral loveliness of his wife, have combined to throw lustre upon the favorite of fortune, and to cause him to shine. We are no worshippers of monarchy, but we own there are certain figures in the royal group of England that are peerless. The Heir to the Throne is not one of these, but circumstances have compensated him for the defects of Nature, and when the time comes (may it be long in coming 1) for him to assume the royal dignity, he will certainly ascend with the plaudits of the people. It speaks well for the character of the British people, and it augurs well for the stability of their monarchy, that amid the convulsions which have shaken every throne of Europe ; and while, all round, chaos reigns—one possessed of negative qualifications and who has not earned gratitude by any patriotic deeds or admiration by any evidence of genius may walk quietly into the seat of power. The best wishes we can frame for the Prince of Wales is that he may imitate the virtues of his Royal Mother, and the true refinement of his illustrious father; and that his universally-beloved wife may long be spared to him and the nation.

The case of Detective Parrel, which was reported some few months ago, excited considerable interest all over the colony, he being very generally known and not unpopular, for a detective, His friends were so influential that they were able to cause him to become the subject of one or two parliamentary discussions. It appears that this officer, in the course of conversation with a man in his own

office at the Thames, was struck by him, and, to quote Mr- Sheehan, “ being born of the same blood as the Native Minister himself, went for his assailant, and gave him a hammering.” For this he was mulcted in the ordinary way by the Resident Magistrate. In addition to that punishment, however, he was also officially informed that Government would be glad to receive his resignation. This he of course sent in, and in due time his connection with the force was severed. He petitioned that his case might be considered, and his was actually one of the cases which the Public Petitions Committee relegated to Parliament as meriting favorable consideration. When Mr Sheehan brought the matter forward, as he did on two occasions (September sth and 11th), the Defence Minister gave the House to understand that the prayer of the petition would not be acceded to. The case was one of hardship, undoubtedly. The detective was an officer of 25 years standing, thoroughly efficient; and when the offence was committed he was acting strictly in self-defence. There was, moreover, nothing to show that the recipient of the castigation either got more than he deserved, or was unable to bear.what he got. Yet in the interests of discipline, he could not be permitted to retain office. It was not desired to act harshly. Had- he been dislnissed he could never have obtained employment in the public service again, he was therefore asked to resign. Everyone is sorry for the fate of a man who, in the heat of passion, does a rash act that costs him his situation. . But everyone will coincide with Mr Bryce that the reinstatement of the officer would be a mistake. The whole force is now convinced by an example that the preservation of the peace is their duty, and any infraction of it is an offence of peculiar magnitude in their case. The forbearance under abuse and the most threatening demonstrations of every kind which has so often characterised the police at Home, and won for them the admiration of the country, is the model for police imitation everywhere. Detective Parrel, clearly, committed an error quite unpardonable in a policeman. There is a good deal of pure nonsense often talked about oppression, unfairness, and partiality . in the Government service, and we have heard this ease quoted in support of such assertions. We are not apologists for the Government, but we believe in justice, and in fairly representing both sides of a question, and we concur with Mr Montgomery who, in reference to this subject, remarked, “ It was a most extraordinary thing to pass a vote to reinstate a man when the head of a department thought he should not be reinstated. If he (Mr Montgomery) were on the Government benches he would not stand.that for one moment.”