GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 78, 29 March 1879, Page 3

GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

Coloni'l Mure has long been one of Hie most intrepid of liberal Jingoes. Iu his speech to his constituents the other day he showed himself one of the mo-tjindia-creet, aud he endeavoured to manufacture political capital against his own party out of a casual remark made to him in confidence by Mr. John Bright last session. His renlark was to the effect that he (Mr. Bright) believed that if a Liberal Government had been in office, we should by this time have luid war with Russia. I am not surprised that Mr. Blight is much annoyed ut this betrayal of confidence, the more so as in his original statement to Colonel Mure he included a qualifying clause of which Colonel Mure said nothing. When public men like the gallant meinberof Renlrcnishire publish to the world the needless chatter which they pick up in the working room, they do all they cuu to render the conditions of publio life in England intolerable. Of political life, however. Colonel Mure'sexperiences are probably drawiog to a close. The art of political ratting is not so well appreciated by Scotoh constituencies as at Sheffield, and the canity folk of Ronfremshire have made up their minds to have no more of the Colonel.—Atlas m the World. Emperor William, in receiving his Minister on New Year's Day, said he was not fatigued by attention to public affairs, although he had not yet regained his former elasticity. The painful impressions of the year have been softened by many proofs of loyalty. The Emperor said that the efforts of the Ministry to combat dangers to the State indubitably were not without results, but their full activity must still be directed to this object.

An exchange says: At a mission commenced.by Father Hennobery, not a hundred miles from Gisborne, ihe editor of the local journals occupied a front seat just before the preacher. The rev. father was in the midst of an exhortation to his people to each bring a siuuer to the mission and every one to strive to have the greatest, when the journalist rose to depart. "That's right, sir," said the priest, •' go out and bring in another sinner." The allusion to greatest sinners being mnde at the time ot the movement of the editor, whose figure is remarkable for bulk rather than grace, seemed ludicrously appropriate. General Grant, the ex-President of the United States, accompanied by the Hon. John Walsh (American Minister in Loudon; and General Noyes (American Minister in Paris) intend visiting Ireland in January arriving in Dublin to-morrow, aud go to the principal points of interest. On his return the General will embark for India on board the American flagship Richmond which has been sent by the American Government to carry General Grant and his party. The General purposes remaining in India until early in March, and will afterwards visit China, Japan the Dutch Islands, the Sandwhh Islands, and probably New Zealand and Australia, lie hopes to arrive home, by wa\' of San Francisco some time du n.j; the summer.

" Atlas." in the World, says, —I may, in half-a-dozen words, draw attention to tho fact that Mr. John Bright has himself confirmed the report which I gave last week of Colonel Mures garrulous indiscretion—or, us 1 should perhaps rather put it, loquacious invention. Ido not think that it would have particularly redounded to the credit of the gallant memher for Uenfrcmshirc, even had lie always been a Jingo of the Jingoes, to have placed words in Mr. Bright'smouth which that gentleman now denies that he ever used, as indignantly as he disclaims the utterances imputed to him by J)r. Kenealy. But the device seems to me particularly unfortunate in the case of one who, a'renegade Tory, was a little while ago more Russian than Mr. Gladstone, the host Tehemaieh", the liuseo-Servian General, who made his appearance in London society under Colonel Mine's auspices. And, us I learn, this is the view which the Renfrewshire electors take of the matter. The election of the ltevd, J. It. Magrath to tho provostship of Queen's is about the hest appointment which the Fellows of that society cotdd have made. Sir. Magrath may he said to have continued, at what was thirty years ago mainly a north country college the good work which the Archbishop of York began, in throwing open so many closo scholarships and exhibitions, lie has been the life and soul of tho place for several years and it was as natural that he should succeed Dr. Jackson as that Mr. JJowett should have succeeded Dr. Scott at Balliol. Mr. Magrath who probably knows his Aristotle as well as it is possible to know any author ancient or modern Ls a man of liberal views in education and other matters, but is agreeably free from that mania for periodical revolution whioh is one of the great Oxford tendencies of the day.—World.