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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5379, 19 November 1888, Page 2

Tins London Standard hits the right nail on the head when it asks what value a colony is to Eugland which compromiseh tho foreign relations of the Empire, aud demands protection in time of war against foreign aggression 'i The attitude assumed by Queensland is provocative of a severance of that colony from the Mother Country. Englaud would lose nothing by the colonies cutting the painter ; their only value to her is their trade, and as long as England maintained her manufacturing supremacy, and her markets were tho best in the world for tho produce of Australasia, there would bo no feur of any diminution of commercial interests. The colonies, on tho other hand, would have everything to lose und nothing to gain by t-eparatioii; these eountiies would bo insignificant iv their power for either offensive or defensive purposes, and, losing the protection of the greatest and the grandest Empire the world has ever seen, would become the prey of Chinu, or Russia, or France, Tlie position

occupied by Queensland, geographically and ] politically} is full of danger. She has out- | nged the feelings of her natural enemy, China, by her treatment of the Chinese ; «he has assumed an insolence towards England that is likely to lead to grave comphca--,ion with the whole of the colonios ; she is incapable of defending herself, and her Premier takes a stand, as ridiculous as it is insulting, against the only Power to whom she can Took for protection. Wo notice in our cable messages that tho Chinese residents have petitioned their own Government for protection against the lawlessness of the Queensland people. Supposing England were to take Queensland at her word, and let her go, we fancy the Chinese residents would be treated very civilly before many months were over.