The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1884.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4686, 14 January 1884, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1884.

The new« by telegram and the mail, from Europe, Asia, and AmeyMja, is of a ?ery unsatisfactory character, thfi ?tem of the moat moment is the statement ifr&jfc, the Chinese GoTernueoib has virtuallyl declared war against France. Thti exceedingly bold step is doubtless the remit of the existence of a secret alliance on tbe part of &ta, if not both belligerents, and with some degree#f anxiety we await a development of the ease, which will, without doubt, assume proportions of very seriom dimensions. There can be no possdbie doufet that were the respective resources of the powers^oq^erned, left to terminate the trouble no such &fag as war would be heard of. Therefore, we; must look to " powers b^hiod the li.rone ■'•' for an explanation q( thig o&ti*u?Bb of warlike proclivities on the part of &c ; Chinese. Shilly-shally has been $e\ policy of the Celestial Government since ' %c .coJUjUftencemeat of the paltry trouble vihicih has ie,i ito this embroglio, and bad : not a firm tbacjk ibe^n to the cause against France, t&e pifttte^- would have ! long era this been settled. Agotigev peculiarity in continental matters is th& divulgence of the terms of the triple alHanes between Germany, Austria, and , Italy > in wbich the first named power

exonerates Italy from assisting it, in caa of trouble between it and France eventuating. In Ireland, we see that' most unfortunate occurrences have been chronicled. A lot of fanatical creatures have been indulging in riotous behaviour with almost fatal results. A lecture was announced to be delivered by fhe Lord Mayor of Dublin at Derry, and before the time of meeting, a number of wild enthusiasts belonging to the Orange body, took possession of the Town Hall, which had been engaged for the delivery of the lecture, mounted cannon in the turrets of the building, and even used revolvers to prevent the assembling of those wishing to hear the lecture which was to have been given. The military eventually dispersed the unruly mob assembled to prevent those "members of the British public" listening to a lecture, and thus bloodshed was avoided. In America, the land of the free, we find all sorts of unsatisfactory occurrences recorded, ipailway manipulations, stock workings, depression in the iron trade) seditious—from an English point of view—behaviour, in the way of flag burnings and absurd expressions on the part of irresponsible beings. Such things seem to have been rife across the Pacific, and the agitation of the Southern British possessions for their wants, added to these perturbable influences, would predicate anything but a peaceful period for some time to come; notwithstanding the declaration by the German Emperor that 1884 is to be a time of peace. One can only hope for a solution of all the knotty problems presented by various Powers and States, and live in the anticipation of their annihilation.