NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10413, 10 April 1897, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Colonel John Hay, the now American! Ambassador to Great Britain, was private secrotary to President Lincoln, and afterwards bis biographer. Hβ holds a high position among American men of letters. Colonel Hay was a barrister, but abandoned his practice in tho Suprome Court of Illinois to accompany Mr. Lincoln to Washington in IS6I. During the whole of Mr. Lincoln's Presidency Colonel Hay was one of his private secretaries and his trusted friend. He was also aide-de-camp, and served at times in the field as adjutant and lieu-tenant-colonel. After Mr. Lincoln's death be was Secretary of Legation and Charge , d'Affaires in Paris, Vienna, and Madrid, some five years altogether. Under President Hayes he was First Assistant; Secretary of State. His poems include tho "Pike County Ballads," and "Castilian Days." He is not the author of tho satire called "Democracy" often attributed to him. His Life of President Lincoln, written in conjunction with Colonel Nicolay, is an admirable political biography, and gives by far the truest and most vivid picture of Lincoln extant. The New York correspondent of the London Times says that the appointment will signify, among other things, an intention to restore to tlio American Embassy in London that active share in diplomatic business which it had when Mr. Adams was Minister and again much lator under Mr. Plielps. Colonel Hay is a diplomatist by natural gifts and training, with the tact, sagacity, quick perceptions, golid basis of knowledge, and high capacityl essential u> success. His independenco of mere politics at home will free him from al temptation to play to the gallery.

Mr. Morrison's volume on "Juvenile Offenders" is the third of the "Criminology Series," of which he is the editor. The book is woll worth studying by all who would understand and remedy one of the grave-t of social maladies—the prevalence of juvenile delinquency. In three cases out of four the British penal system fails, in Mr. Morrison's view, to attain the end for which it exists. On prisons and police millions are spent, ae he thinks, to a large extent with no good effect. How this waste shall cease — how to jubstitute for old methods others more effective — in the object of this book. Apparently almost everywhere crime by persons under age is on the increase. England compares favourably in this respect with sorno countries, for example with the United States. But here, too, the juvenile offender flourishes, school board 3 notwithstanding. Though Mr. Morrison is not of the opinion that intemperance is the sole substantial cause of crime—though he asserts that there is less indictable, that is, less serious, crime among the drunken than among the sober part of the population-he admits that drunkenness is a considerable factor in the manufacture of juvenile offenders. "I should say, after analysing a large number of cases, that from 15 to 20 per cent, of the juvenile prison population nre descended from parents who are considerably addicted to drink." Physical inferiority is a general characteristic of the class studied in this volume. On the whole, Mr. Morrison speaks highly of English criminal courts; but he thinks that imprisonment is inflicted too freely, and that the criminal law should be seldomer brought to bear on young delinquents. Alter the circumstances and milieu in which their crimes arise, combat the adverse social circumstances in which the young offender is born—to press home bliis precept and to demonstrate "the worthlessuess of purely punitive methods" is the chief object of this useful volume.

There is one aspect of the House of Lords 'Which a writer in the Windsor Magazine mentions that does nob appear to havo been sufficiently kept in view, namely, that it in nn assembly of experts. However recondite and out of the way the subject of discussion may bo, there is usually some quiet peer on a back bench who will rise and say that he happens to have made a special study of it. For theology, archbishops; for law, judges; for the army, the two greatest; generals; for the , colonies, viceroys and governors ; for finance, the greatest bankers; and there are many specialists too, 'including of course several who have export knowledge of the brewing traffic. There is one deficiency, which Lord Charles Berosford might point out: there are hardly sufficient admirals to represent the navy. Aparb from nil political considerations, whether their house is an anomaly or an anachronism, or a providential bulwark, it is impossible to deny that the Lords make a vory interesting and stately assembly, and that there are many among them of whom the British race may well feel proud.

The suggestion has been made that a separate consular staff, to be entitled the Commercial Consular Staff, should be appointed to assist British trade abroad, the necessity for such a change in the presetit consular service is urged oh the ground that the , present body is insufficient) in view of the great ' efforts which the Germans and Americans in particular are making to capture trade which formerly came to British works, and of the strong aid which foreign manufacturers receive from their consuls in pursuit of orders. The excuse which gome English consuls make, that they have no time to aeeiet manufacturers, owing to the much greater extent of British foreign commerce than that attaching to the American, German, and other foreign consulates, can, It is thought, only apply with any force to some of the largest citie*. . The real difficulty appears to lie in the circumstance that the Government at present leares it) optional or permissible for the consuls to assist British manufacturer* as desired, rather than institilting such services u one of the duties of the office, v i'^;: i T :f*

i Fighting between the Moslems and insnr. j gents in Crete stilt goes on, the litfe ; apparently being the agressors. Admiral Harris was tired at by a Moslem and had a narrow escape. The Opposite I in the Italian Parliament strongly con. demna the policy of the Government i 0 regard to Crete. There appears to be a little rift in the European concert, all t!, e Powers apparently not being unanimoot in insisting on the Greeks being the first to withdraw from Crete The Sultan has gent « letter to the Cxai thanking Hie Majesty for defending thV integrity of the Turkish Empire, and intimating his desire to conform to the wishes of tuo Powers. Mr. John Morley denounces the treatment of the blacks in West Australia as " a form of slavery."' Severe fighting has taken placein Bechuanaland. A serious native revolt has broken out in Swaziland cloM to the Transvaal frontier, twenty. j five thousand natives having risen in rebellion. Swaziland is » small state bounded on three sides by the Transvnal, and on th«' other by Delagoa Bay territory of Porta-' guese East Africa and Tauugoland, which intervenes between it and the coast. Itsarea is about 9000 square miles, and Its population is estimated at 60,000. The Swazi are a section of the Zulu race At the conclusion of the war with the Trans.: vaal Boers the boundary was carefully delimited, and the independence of Swaziland agreed to. The Boers, however, claimed that the country was theirs by a con." vention made in 1881, whereby it vat ceded to them in consideration of their preventing all Boer treka into Mitshonaland, Ultimately by the convention of 1894 thi Transvaal Government was secured " in all rights and powers of protection, legislation, jurisdiction and administration over Swaiiland and the inhabitants thereof," and i special commissioner was appointed to superintend the administration. The , Swazi, it will be remembered, made an in. - effectual appeal to the British Government . to be placed under the protection of Grett Britain.