TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10032, 10 May 1898, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The warning lately issued A Page by the British Government

of as to the strict observance by Melbourne the colonies, during the war, History. of the laws of neutrality,;

recalls an instance in which the non-observance of these regulations cost the Mother Country a good round sum. This was the visit to Melbourne, some thirty-three years ago, of the famous Confederate privateer Shenandoah, for the purpose of re-provisioning fand repairing. The American civil war had then been going on for nearly four years, and was gradually drawing to its close. England had recognised the Southern States as belligerents, and the rules of neutrality which had been issued laid special stress on the fact that no privateer, either Federal or Confederate, should be allowed to remain in a British harbour longer than twenty-four hours, and that nothing except provisions was to be supplied to such vessels. In the face of these instructions the Shenandoah, which was confessedly a Confederate war steamer, was allowed to remain in Port Phillip for more than three weeks, during which time her machinery was repaired and she took on board large supplies of both coal and provisions. Melbourne " society," which appears to have been in entire sympathy with " the South," made much of the officers of the privatear, and on ail sides tremendous interest was taken in her visit, over 7000 people going on board her the day after she arrived. Eipeeial interest centred in her because she was recognised as the successor of the famous Alabama, which had been sunk by the Federal ironclad Kearsage off Cherbourg some sis months previously. Although the Shenandoah had only left London some three months before, she called in at Melbourne, Waddell, her captain, had the chronometeraof nine captured vessels hanging in his cabin, much as a Bed Indian carried the scalp s of his enemies on his belt. Ik Parliament there was The much discussion as to the Shenandoah's manner in which the Record. Shenandoah ought to be treated. Mr (now Sir Graham). Berry declared that there was abundant evidence to warrant her seizure as a pirate. He asserted—and hie statement was subsequently, proved to be true—that the vessel was the Sea King, which had left London in October, ostensibly bound for Bombay with a cargo of coals. A few days later she was met by another vessel, the Laurel, from which she received guns and ammunition, a number of Confederate officers also going on board her. Substituting the Confederate flag for € that of England, and assuming a new name, she then commenced her career as a commerce - destroyer, Melbourne being the first port she touched at after leaving London.. Captain Waddell daring his stay there carried matters with a high hand, and on one occasion, when it was proposed to search bis ship for a British subject who had, in contravention of the Foreign Enlistment Act, taken service under him, he declared he would fight rather than allow the search to take place. This led to a temporary suspension of the relation* between himself and the Victorianauthorities, but the latter were anxious to get rid of him, and after a day or two they allowed the re-victualling and repairing of the ship to be continued. Finally she got away on February 18th, 1865, and during the next five months she destroyed some thirty Federal ships, chiefly whalers, near Behring Straits. Most of these are said to have been captured after the close of the war, which took place on May 26th. On November 6th Waddell took the iShenandoah into Liverpool, declaring he had not heard of the cessation of war until August 2nd, and he then surrendered bis ship to the British Government, >who> handed her over to the United States. For their action in allowioa the Shen&adoah

and the more celebrated Alabama to leave British porta to prey upon American shipping the English Government were required, by the tribunal to whom the matter was referred for arbitration, to pay over three million pounds in gold to the United States. The Shenandoah's share in making up this total was much smaller than that of the Alabama, but it was a very considerable sum, the payment of which would have been obviated if the Victorian Government of the day had stringently observed the law as to neutrals.

Thk San Francisco Argonaut is The Cost one ot the sanest of American of War. pipers. There is a thoughtful-

ness and soberness about its views which remind one of the London Spectator. Throughout the fever which led up to the declaration of war by the United States it preserved a judicial, though not unpatriotic, attitude, and only a few days before war actually broke out it presentedto its readers some striking figures as to the cost of war, as proof of the expense of this method of settling international difficulties, compared with arbitration. Commenting on the fact that ever since Congress toted ten million pounds (we translate dollars into pounds for the convenience of our readers), the nation had been patting itself on the back, the Argonaut points out that this is really not such a very large sum after all. Thirtyseven years ago, when the war between North and South broke out, Congress voted President Lincoln no less than fifty million pounds for the purposes of the war, and followed this up by other appropriations amounting to nearly three hundred millions j It is also mentioned that during the four years of the war the National Government issued securities covered by bonds, notes, &c, to the enormous sum of close upon eight hundred million pounds and actually owed, at the end of the war, nearly six hundred millions. If Lincoln had had his way the expenditure of all but a portion of this extraordinary sum would have been saved, thousands of lives would have been spared, trade would not have been checked, nor would the South have been crushed as she was/by the war. He believed in the gradual freeing of the slaves by purchase as the best way. It had been done in one district at a cost of £60 for each slave, and the same plan was suggested to the slave-owning border States. They declined to fall in with the proposal, because they did not think enough money could be found. There were four millions of slaves, and at £60 apiece, with an additional £20 each for deporting them and settling them in colonies, £320,000,000 would be required. Yet the Confederate States contracted a war debt which would have paid for all their slaves and left them many millions of pounds to the good. The United States war pension bill to date would have paid for them and left a still bigger balance. War, as the writer remarks, grows more expensive as civilisation grows more complex. The seven-year war of the Revolution did not cost thirty millions ; the late civil war cost an average of £400,000 a day for four years; and the Argonaut concludes with the reminder to the American public that a naval war is the most expensive, and that the ten millions voted by Congress would go a very little way to paying the bill of such a war.

Negotiations are now going A Fair on between the Canterbury

Exchange. Society of Arts and the kindred bodies in Auckland, Wellington and IJunedin, which, if carried to a successful conclusion, should have the double effect of improving the annual picture shows in the four cities and benefiting the artists. Hitherto- the expense of sending pictures, from one part of th'e colony to the other, together with the small chance of effecting sales of their pictures by so doing, have prevented many artists from sending works to the different shows, and the latter have, therefore, become to a large extent exhibitions of local art alone. The scheme drawn up by the secretary and one or two members of the local Society, and passed by the Council of that body will, if it is agreed to by the other societies, put matters on a better footing, alike for the public and the artists. It is suggested that a Selection Committee of three shall be elected by each society, which shall ohoose from the works of local artists submitted to them not, more than twenty pictures, no one artist to be represented by more than three. These pictures shall be sent to the Society holding the exhibition; and that Society shall pay all the charges of packing, insurance and freight, while in the event of the sale of any of the pictures not more than ten per cent, commission shall be charged. The effect of this would be that at the next Christchurch show we should be able to see sixty pictures by other than Christchurch artists, and that the latter would have the opportunity of sending between themselves and without cost, twenty pictures to each of the three other exhibitions. The cost of doing this will not, we understand, be very heavy. The advantages to all concerned are obvious, and we sincerely hope that tho other societies will agree to the admirable suggestion now being placed before them.