TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7769, 24 January 1891, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Tsa death of King Kalakaua naturally causes some anxiety as to what is likely to become of bis kingdom. The heirapparent is the late king's eldest sister, Princess Lydia Kamakeha Liliukalani, whom he appointed regent during hie absence. For some years past, however* the islands have been steadily becoming more and more , under American control and influence, until the sovereignty,of Kalakaua and the independence of the kingdom became little more than the shadow of a name. In 1889 an arrangement was made by which it was expressly agreed that the foreign relations Of Hawaii were to be controlled by the Government of the United States. The native Aiwa—who, by the way, are closely aimed to the Maoris—are steadily dying oefe. At the time ot Captain Cook's discovery theislandsitu believed that they At the «en&u>of left 45,000, thea , the total §|fe further diminished by about 5000. j)n\|be other hand the foreign element— of Portuguese, Germans, French, Japanese; and Polynesians—ia rapidly increasing. In 2894 there were as many foreigners as natives ia the islands, and...'..'jpar.v by .yeai: there has been an excess or arrivals over departures. There is a xjoasiderable trade with the Islander. In ■ XBBBthe imports were valued and th&<expoila jpbntft two.miHiowsterling presenting: sugar and about £120,000 being the value. of rice exported. About 90 pet cent, of thejtrade was witßvthe TJi3%e,d States, stated (in our obituary notice of thet, JE&sfc th<t Mafffolay tariff •ened the HawauW"* exporters' with , a gfifyere blow. Wβ can hardly doubt that I th© 'Americana will eeiza the present opportunity to tighten their hold on the islands. Oα the other hand, ! Canada has lately been devoting her attention to the Hawaiian trade, sad it ia proposed that the Vancouver steamers shall call there. The English Government can hardly view anything like absorption of Hawaii by the United States with indifference, and it ia quit® possible that the death of King Kalakfcßfl following upon the Bahriag trouble xasy further complicate our relattona with the United States :

Wβ Are glad to see etepe aan beisfg taken

in Chrietchnrch. A iocChT^r !■• with mr object several ye^? 8 % l some money waj rait*} fa af> P pose, but not the sum requite f % ever lince been lying in th e B? n v latin? at inter«|fc, * c BttD ,7i Townsend, who has hue hjT*' % P •tS^ | has now most generonaly o ff ere4 t |, his, equatorial telescope aad J ;/, aoiet W Caaterbnn "fyt I ■ provision be made to r 4 : uti%|^em,an4theAatroaoißic»i , '' S now resuscitated for the '' resolved to confer with the 5 College Governors at to the «• f which the Society would be . I handover its fuada for the ■ V hi ah observatory as f Townsead.»There oaa be oo I thafc such an institution Wontd desirable adjunct to a to t< Chriatonuroh, which pridea |' being a centre of cultare m 5 cation. We should aUo hope to ? connection with it a \ of weather observations at hs&i to those taken at Lincoln \ nothing short o£ ft Standjog | place like Christcnurch that tfeS* £ be no eyetematio records taken \mL. t" included in the official I J returns of the colony. If

Now that what is called a 4eass& k been made ia some quarters a ga w? ! - classio3 and we are all lor " the etffikT, f * ia education, it is possible , thea/gZ* ' some people who will not " feasor Huxley's cutting allusion to«(i! bautio Christianity" as descriptive $$ Salvation Arnfy method*,, Uvea jj do not sympathise with Huxley in the view? he takes of t&lf now bo much en iaidintt will I dialectic skill which he has seized & phrase which is likely to catoh ear, and, as ie usually the case wi& 4 & ing phrase, accomplish perhaps the way of creating au impresaioij &» volumes of argument. The t'afj&T of were the priests: et CjfeZ/ Phrygia, who, we are told, noisily with drums, ..cjmbaLj, »j horns, dressed in f at) The neatness, o< the | at .once, apparent. Fβ* ' benefit of the severely noa claasiyj * may be further explained that ths identified the oriental Cybele mft'fe ancient earth goddess JRhea, what, i| i| be remembered, played a spouse, old Cronoa. This m-tf Uranus had the reprehensiblo hs&s devouring* his own offspring, ass m not unnaturally disapproving of tice { ,cast about for some a stop to it, and when Zeus born she handed to the father & wrapped up like* an infant. whie&tUn| incontinently ewallQwed, be hiatjbild. It ' him, -the authorities we hato-ofeiilj do not say, but it seems to b» hie appetite sinda 'J«flti:|j undoubtedly escape the fate of his bn&s and sisters. It: is true the latter was 4) have suffered only a temporary inward ence from the proceed, but; -nor ddt£«t l? 4 fegbtae&hlftafasr'n singular - custom more honored in the breach & '; the obeervapeejf > . / ( |