The Star. TUESDAY, JULY 80, 1895. To-Day.

has been made a dumping ground for ne'er-do-wells and criminals, many of whom become a heavy charge upon the taxpayers. It is high time that such exceedingly undesirable " immigrants "—the term is an utter misnomer — were rigourously shut out whenever that is possible.

Hero wotßbippere — we suppose there are some in this community and others— will be interested by details that have been published concerning the man whose " Darkest Africa " has been read in every land where the English tongue iB spoken, and in many others also. There has beeu issued from the Boxburghe Prese, of London, a full, true and particular account of "The Birth, Boyhood and Younger Days ot Henry M. Stanley, the Celebrated Explorer." The author, who describes himself as an old playmate, ■is Mr Thomas George. From what he has set down, the public learns that I "Henry Morton Stanley" iB not "John Rowlands, born in the parish of St Asaph North Wales," as moat people probably have been led to believe, but that ho is in reality Howell Jones, the son of Joshua Jones, a printer and bookbinder; (hat he was born at Ysgar, in the parish of Bettwß, near Newcastle, Einlyn, Carmarthenshire, on Noy. 16, 1840, and that the name " Stanley " waß adopted by him because of his affectionate regard for an aunt of that name, a worthy and respected resident of Cardigan. We are further told that there are at the present time several members of the Stanley family resident in Cardigan, all of them holding high social positions.

Making history is sometimes done in curiously unexpected ways. In Sydney, a discovery has just been made that may possibly form aa interesting page for insertion in the colony's early history Some workmen in the employ of a contractor were engaged in excavating the foundations for a building in Pitt Street, when to their astonishment they discovered three tombalonea, bearing the following inscriptions :— " Sacred to the memory of Mr Robert Crawford, chief officer of the ship Burry, who, in the execution of his duty, fell a victim to a malignant typhus fever whiok raged with unprecedented fury throughout the ship. Mr Crawford departed this life August 12, Anno Domini 1814, aged 28 years. His distinguished humanity to all on board and social virtues induce his friend, the only surviving officer, Thomas Eaine, to erect this tablet to hiß memory." " Sacred to the momory ot Win. Paterson, of the ship Snrry, who departed this life August 12, 18i4, aged twenty* four years." "Saored to the memory of Mr John Brooks, surgeon of the ship Surry, who departed this life August 12, 1814, aged twenty-four years." Three deaths, the victims bein<? young men, thus occurred on the same day in connection with the Bame ship ; but whether the roughlyhewn stones so unexpeotly found marked the precise spot where tha interments took place, is not known. If, by ohance, any reader of the journal can contribute information bearing on the subject, we shall be glad to receive it.

A bust life, a life well spent, waß abruptly ended yesterday. J. V. Colbome Veel, Secretary to the Education Board, Principal of the Normal School, and a member of the Board of Governors of Canterbury College, died at the meeting of the Board yesterday afternoon — died literally in harness, while actively engaged in connection with education, the subject that he had more closely at heart than any other. A busy life, and a wellspent one ; spent partly as a journalist and partly as a working advocate for educational advancement. Of him it oan be well said that "he waß a scholar, a ripe and good one;" and of him it can be as fittingly said that he was true and trusty, loved in his home with the fulness of affection, valued for the ripeness of his judgment by those 'who had to confer with him, and deeply respected by all who knew him as one who dared to do the right. Active, methodical, seeming never to tire in the discharge of the important duties devolving upon him— such was Colborne Veel. He himuelf knew, and some of his intimate friends knew, that structural weakness of the heart was a lurking foe; but though them had been illness recently, no one dreamed — he, perhaps, least of all — that the end was to come so soon. Noneoould well wiahforhima death more painless. Yet tha suddenness of that death muet be a terrible blow to those who were nearest and dearest to him ; and to them, on behalf of the public whom Colbome Veel served so well in hiß special capacities, we tender the sincereßt sympathy.

Inconsistency, is an Opposition virtue. Those who may entertain any doubt as to " the truth and wisdom " of this proposition have only to undertake a mild course of reading the editorial comments of Opposition journals, and they will be speedily cured of their want of belief. For example. Commenting upon the result of the Auckland election, the Wellington Post says :— " The Auckland electors must have a very low opinion of their own political rights and privileges when they permit themselves to be used, as they have been in this instance, aa mere ministerial chattels, going to the polls like dumb, driven cattle to record their votes as Ministers dictated." That is good, of its kind, and from the Opposition standpoint; and if the Post had said that much, and that only, it might have hugged itself upon the scoring of a weak point. But in that case it would not have been consistent with its own innate inconsistency. In the course of the same article — an article, by the | way, so brief that it does not contain a dozen sentences, the Post says this :— ■ " Those who most object to Mr Thompson (the Liberal candidate) have no need to regret the absence of Mr Monk (the Conservative candidate). It was an act of supreme folly for the Opposition to bring forward such a candidate. Except in not being a Ministerialist, he compared in every way unfavourably with Mr Thompson." Inconsistency could not very well go further than thia. Those who voted for the man whom the Post declares to be infinitely the superior of the two, went to the polls, the Post says, " like dumb, driven cattle ?" Tefc their only alternative wonld have been, the Post also Bays, to vote for a man so infinitely inferior that he was only brought forward because of the " supreme folly" of the Opposition. In plain English, those who voted for the Opposition candidate are declared by an Opposition journal to have been supreme fooh.

Is legislation required in this country for the purpose of shutting out undesirable immigrants, or is it not P We have, on various occasions, answered this question in the affirmative, making reference to illustrative cases in support thereof. Another such case has just been brought under our notice. A London journal, of June 2, publishes the report of a charge of theft heard at the West London Police Court. A young man named Philip Veness Eider, who had been arrested at Cambridge was accused of robbing his father of £6G. He was not a repentant young man, by any means, for he told the police officer that his only regret was the smallness of the sum. The report says :— ■" Mr Cautney, barrister, asked the Magistrate to deal with prisoner under the First Offenders Act. Prisoner, who was articled to a solicitor, had been led away by betting men and bookmakers, and there was not the slightest doubt that he took the money for the purpose of paying his debta. His father had arranged to send him to Neiv Zealand, to sail on Saturdayi In the interests of himself and society it would be the best course to adopt." Now, whilst we have no hesitation in accepting the assurance that it was highly desirable this young hopeful should "leave hia country tor hie country's good," we are more than doubtful whether New Zealand will derive benefit from his presenoe. For a long course of years this country