NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10045, 4 February 1896, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

From a summary of the annual report of tho Secretary of the United States Navy, just issued, it appears that, though America has some two dozen modern warships, some of which are very fine vessels, sho has not what can bo called a really effective naval forco. She has one very large battleship, the lowa, which is over 11,400 tons, is well armed, and able to steam at a good rate of speed ; three goodsized battleships of 10,000 tons each, the Oregon, Massachusetts, and Indiana, and one smaller battleship, the Monterey, of 4000 tons. Besides these, there are four powerful armoured cruisers, ton protected cruisers, and lastly, several monitors for coast defence, which aro nearly finished. All theso vessels are equal, as fighting machines, to the best whips in other navies, comparing lik<; with like. Tho Secretary of the .'Vary seems most concerned at the lack of men and officers. Including marine', the States havo only 13,4% men available for sea service, and w> xwzwz of either sailors, guns, or material. Though the four Atlantic liners, the New York, Pari?, St. Paul, and St. Louis, are at the disposal of the Government, "we have not," says the Secretary, "a man to put upon one of them. There is no other nation," be goes on, "that has so much of the material of war that is so little prepared to utilise it." No doubt the Americans, if put to it, would do wonders in tho way of quick building, and would call sailors out of the ground by huge bounties. Still, even allowing for this, it would take them many years to produce a navy capable of acquiring the command of the sea, and nothing less will serve them if they insist on Mr. Olney's strange version of tho Monroe doctrine. During the last few weeks we have been hearing a great deal of the successes of various educational institutions, judged from the examination point of view, and it is certainly satisfactory to find Auckland students so well to tho fore in the University tests. However, of late years many of the foremost educationalists of the world have been uttering words of caution, urging that these examinations are being overdone, and that too much weight is being placed on the results secured. This matter was referred to recently by Dr. Belcher, tho late rector of the Dunedio Boys' High School, in his valedictory remarks on prizo distribution day. His school had been very successful in tho examinations, yet he felt con strained to say that such tests were at best but. necessary evils, and when greater enlightenment prevailed they will, he believed, be done away with. Doctors occasionally used poisons to restore health, and there were people who seemed to think that the intellectual side of life could bo fed upon the strychnine and arsenic of competitive examinations. Ho trusted that if these examinations were nob done away with, the consideration attaching to them would be minimised. Such words coming from a tried and successful schoolmaster are deserving of every attention, though it is difficult to see how to replace the examination system as a measure of progress. Still it is admittedly by no moans perfect, and it is certain that some of the best results of a teacher's work can be gauged by no machinery of examination. Dr. Belcher concluded his most interesting addresses follows:-" So this closes the last lime I may havo anything to .say to you, and I pray that God may bless die school, and if it ever came to this: That in your wisdom—for you are a young people and a wise people—you aro able to devise any system of instruction by which a larger measure of the recognition of the Supremo Being is brought within the walls-the recognition takes place now according to tho regulations of the school—l am sure you will find that, if anything is wanted to strengthen and confirm the tone and character of tho High School, it lies in that direction. I know this is a burning question, and so long as I have been here I have never opened ray lips on the subject, but tho question will como sooner or later before tho public of tho colony, and if there is to bo a wider measure and a deoper measure of blessing on the High School, I am certain it is in that direction we must look for those benefits to flow." Some days ago we published a cablegram to the effect that telegrams from the Transvaal to the London Times described tho condition of the Uitlandors as that of serfdom. Mr. Chamberlain, the Secretary of Stato for tho Colonies, discredits this information. There appears, however, to bo as much uncertainty regarding tho real stato of affairs in the Transvaal at the prosenb time a3 there was before the Jameson raid, A Johannesburg journal —the Star—of December 28th, on the very evo of tho event which startled the English world, wrote: — " Thore is no use in disguising tho fact that tho intense publio anxiety existing for a week past has been hourly growing more acute throughout yosterday, and tho wildest of wild rumours, unable to stand dispassionate consideration for a single moment, have filled the air. The mischief which mere panic-mongers are thus effect' ing, deserves the severest condemnation," On the day previous, thab is on December 27, a special general mooting of tho Johannesburg Mercantile Association was hurriedly summoned. The chairman, referring to tho alarming rumours prevalent, said thoy had all to lose and nothing to gain from the unsettled feeling. They had not been consulted by either party, yob they represented the largest interests in tho city. One speaker said that ho had been told on the very best authority that thero was a very large organization in the town ready to fighb. The manifesto issued by tho Reform Union was donounced as a declaration of rights which might load to war. Yeb while all this turmoil was proceeding little or no echo of it reached this country, nor does it appear to havo boen regarded with any great apprehension in England. lb is therefore impossible to say what importance is to be attached to the statements published in tho I Times, or to Mr. Chamborlain's deprecation ' of thorn, All thab can be said with certainty

! . p I is that the aituationin the Transvaal i, full of inflammable and that the shghtesbeparkmayiadtoaviolant x plosion. •; "' Mr, Justin McCarthy has reaienedtti,™ leadership of the Irish >arty on J™™ of ill-health and over plus , We doubb nob, disgust ab the intrnal wraneline. 12 dissension that have bin so con*p; ouo J n j late among hwfollowofl. He declared nnh long ago that had-he never touch J polities he would hive been bettor off in pocket than ? e is, and thab » the experience o! many others of hicolleague!.. So long <i they were a united party, animated by m common object that perhaps to thei patriotic soul, did not count for much, but when the part, became a conglomiiation of antagonistic atoms, it i* no vender that the best men among them should grow weary of tho fight and seek to withdraw President Cleveland j showing a disposi'. tion to come to terms with Lord Salisbury over the Venezuelan tiwble. On the other hand the Gormans at* displaying an intense malignant joy over what they suppose to be the thwarting of England in relation to toe Armenian question. But their efforts to induce Russia to unite in forcing ler to evacuate Egypt have met wit! no response. The doath is announced of LieutenantColonel Edward Robert Drury, general manager of the Queensland National Bank. He was a son of the Rev. Wn. Drury, M.A., sometime a master at Harnw, and tutor to the late Princo Consort. Tho deceased gentleman was born and edicated at Brussels, and in 1852 emigrated to Australia, entering the service of theEank of Australasia. In 1872 he took up ,he position in the Queensland National Bank which he held at. tho time of his deatl. Mr. Drury served in the first volunteer corps raised in Queensland, and was created C.M.G. in 1885.