NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9857, 27 June 1895, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The marriage of the Duke of Aosta to the Princess Helfene d'orl6ans, which was celebrated at Kingston on Tuesday, allien the families of the King 'of Italy and the Orleanlsb Pretender to the French throne. But if we are to credit the statement* of those who profess to write with Borne authority, this alliance is not likely to tend to bring Italy and France into friendly relations. The young people fell in love with one another, bub when King Humbert's approval was asked he peremptorily forbade the match. The King is earnestly desirous to keep the peace with France, and h« foresaw that, inasmuch as the House of Savoy was already allied with the Bona, partisb pretender, the French Republic could nob be pleased with " a marriage bebween the sister of the Orleaniab pretender and an Italian Prince who is the heir, once removed, to the throne of Italy. The cause of the youhg people was, however, taken up by the Bourbon family generally. The Queen of Portugal and the Spanish Bourbons used all their influence in favour of the marriage, and the Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria added her efforts to bring about a match which the Orleanist pretender fancied would materially strengthen his claims. Ab Rome the Court faction, which is bitterly opposed bo Signoc Crispi, joined, partly for that reason, with the promoters of the marriage. The anal result was that the King gave way and reluctantly consented to the marriage, but refused to permit ib to take place in Italy. Instead, therefore, of drawing France and Italy together, the AostaOrleans marriage will identify Italy in the minds of French Republicans more than ever with the dynastic enemies of the Republic., The fact that Prince Victor is a nephew of King Humbert has nob been without its influence in strengthening French prejudice against the Italians. So, too, the continued residence in Italy of the almost wholly Italianised Bon Carlos, the Legitimist pretender, has not pleased th« French. What will they now say when they realise that the next Queen of Italy may very possibly be the sister of the Orleanist pretender 2 It would nob be in the least surprising if the French Republic were to demand from Italy guarantees against the residence in Italy of French pretenders and of those intimately connected with them.

The Princess was born in England on the 18th Jane, 1871. The Duo d' Aosta is 26. He is the eldest son of Prince Amadeo of Savoy, King of Spain from 1870 bo 1875. He succeeded to the title of Duke of Aosta on his father's death in January, 1890. Both the Duke and his bride posses! immense fortunes. The union leads to some curious and interesting relationships. The father of the Due d' Aosta married as his second wife Princess LetitU Bonaparte, daughter of Prince Jerome Bonaparte by Princess Clotilde, King Humbert's sister. Princess Helens therefore becomes the step-daughter-in-law of Princess Letitia, whwg brother, Prince Victor Bonaparte, is now the head of the Bonaparte family, and as such pretender to the French throne. Accordingly, although she is the sister oi one pretender, the Due d'Orleans, she has now become related to his rival, Prince Victor. •

There can be no doubt, as Mr. Dufchie, M.H.R. for Wellington, Cold a Herald interviewer, that trade in America is improving. " There was," said Mr. Dutbie in the interview which we published yesterday, "no dolorous tone anywhere, but on, every hand a feeling of confidence." This revival will be watched with anxious hope by the rest of the world, for such are the intricate ramifications of trade that; a substantial improvement in one country is speedily followed by improvement else* where. Moreover, ib is satisfactory to observe that confidence is again returning. Without confidence there can be no prosperity. It is the mainspring of commerce. We might as well expect the screw of a steamer to revolve when there is no steam in the boiler as for trade to flourish when there is no confidence in the country. And as confidence begets confidence, we welcome this change in America as one of the most encouraging and hopeful features of the = situation. The improvement in trade, which is noticeable in the United States, is not yet so great as to justify any exaggerated anticipations of a roaring revival, bub it is a good sign, and if it continues, as there is every reason for believing it will do, the time cannot be far distant when, to use an Americanism, business generally will hum. From our New York files, we learn that there was a continued improvement in business, in the beginning of May. The bank clearings for the closing week showed an increase of 15*2 per cent, as compared with the total for the preceding year. In spits, however, J of the comparative recovery of industry and trade, the United States revenue does not yet equal the expenditure. Indeed in April there was an addition to the public debt of 9,109,808 dollars. For the ten months the expenditure had exceeded the income by something over 45,000,000 dollars, the deficit being only satisfactory in so far that it) was 20,000,000 dollars less than for the corresponding period of 1894. Ibis evident from these figures that one of throe thing* must happen— trade must grow considerably to restore the balance, or then must be an increase of taxation or diminution of expenditure. Just now, when the success of tbi Gothic's shipment of chilled meat from this colony is, not , unreasonably, raising hope* in the hearts of our farmers of better times being in... store for them, , and creating visions of a gigantic and : highly profitable trade in , this article of food between New Zealand and Great Britain, it is opportune to call attention to the extraordinary expansion of the live cattle trade from Argentina to England. That trade, which can hardly be said to have come into existence here, although a few experimental shipments have been made, has grown by leaps and bounds in the South American Republic. Commenting on its increase the Buenos Ayres correspondent of the Australasian Pastoralists' Review says that in 1892 onlj two shipments were made, of some 250 bullocks ;V"in 1893, 44 steamers were loaded with 4500 bullocks and 12,000 sheep } in 1894, 66 steamers took 10,009 bullocks and 5U.000 sheep , of the present year, however, of which only three months have as yet run, 10,000 bullocks and 48,000 sheep haw gone forward. March had a record oi 3000 bullocks and 15,000 sheep «- ported by one firm. Large as havs been the , shipments, all of which had arrived prior . to the receipt, of our latest news, the effect had not been to keep

J . nwn the market so much as to pfcnto 6d | „«r lb being obtained for the bejsbilled I Elf from Australia. Some ideM the I xtsnt of the cattle trade of Buej Ayree '* bo gathered from a statemi of the "tries to the markets for consuilioo for !! week ended 23rd March, w» were: Icattle, 2*2,944; sheep, fiß,s9{*nd the •verage of prices were—fat steer* dollars to 50° dollars (the £ being wfc 17 30 dolls") J saladeros, 30 dollars dollars ; f»t cows 30 dollars to 42 dollal Lincoln wethers, 10 dollars; cross bred i*o dollars j to 5 M) dollars, for freezing, 7 liars to 11 dollars- Thirty-five thousand id of cattle in the mob were sold in thforovlnce of Santa F<S at 12 dollars per he/ ' . An illustrated article in k Pall Mall AJagazine on the Imperial fatly of Japan describes the Emperor at/ Empress as ii two of the most striking flares in modern history." Both of them vre brought up ;., perfect seclusion and wucated in the most rigid formalism, buujne emancipation of each from the tyranny! ancient custom gt ,d tradition is complete and Mutsu Hlto, v ho traces back his rcfcl descent to 660 ]).('., is a ruler with Wstern ideas, and is finely bent upon b/nging his country into ina with the mo advanced nations on is oarth. He is n<jtr forty-three years 0 f ie ; and the Euipris, who is two years hUpenior, was born an reared among the m Jt liberal ideas ol llie Occident. The Crwn Prince, who villi succeed to the tbpno, is not her son, but that of one of tiJ eleven concubines frhom the monarch jjleriuitted to lodge inhis palace. t is now announced tlat Lord Salisbury, b: ing received assurances that the Liberal pay will facilitate the winding-up of the biiness in Parliament, has definitely agreed to form a Ministry. The names of the pncipal members of his Cabinet have iliady been mentioned, and to-day ti portfolios allotted to them are ansi need. Lord Salisbury resumes his old ition of Foreign Secretary. This office * i offered to the Duke of Devonshire, but a latter preferred to be President of the Ctncil. Mr. Chamberlain takes the Gonial Secretaryship. It is expected tit Parliament will be dissolved early ujjuly, and all parties are now actively raged in preparing for the coming t.nions. It is said the Liberals are provided with candidates for 170 seats. V. Justin McCarthy has issued an appeal ft funds to enable the Irish party to £nt the elections. Mr. Gladstone has si lined his intention to retire into pirate life. He will take no part io| the contest. It is said that he

stions the wisdom of Lord Rosebory's gnation. France and China have come an arrangement respecting their re-

active frontiers in the East. The revolt Macedonia is spreading. The Bulgarian i?oy has been recalled from Constant!>ple owing to Turkey refusing to allow ulgaria to interfere in Macedonia, and the «ition is consequently regarded as criti-