NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10427, 27 April 1897, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The French population returns for 1895, just published, show 834,173 births and 851,986 deaths. In 1893 and 1894 the births outnumbered the deaths, but in 1891 and 1892 the deaths outnumbered the births. The marriages slightly fell off in 1895, being '.'82,918 against 286,662 in 1894, while the divorces increased from 6419 to 6743 M. Paul Loroy-Heaulieu, writing in the Debate, says thai) the decline of the birth-rate in England, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Scandinavia, and the United States is mainly due to the modern democratic ides of life, an idea which the masses in Germany and Austria have nearly escaped. Ue advocates greater facilities for naturalisation. " Let us," he says, "obtain children by adoption ; let us reduce our mortality to that of England, which would be equivalent to 200,000 more Frenchmen annually. Such are means infinitely more practical than trying to force people to have children."

Further information regarding (he agitation among the Russian University students, which wan briefly referred to in our cable messages recently, shows that the trouble arose among the students at St. Petersburg, and especially among members of the Established High School for Women, owing to the report of the suicide of a Allies Vitroff, a girl student who had been confined for some little time in a prison of the fortress. The girl was arrested in the middle of December, foe being in possession of political pamphlets. Hektographed sheets, distributed among the studeHts by persons closely acquainted with the deceased, attributed her determination to commit suicide to insults and violence on the part of an officer of the prison. It appears that tbe prisoner purposely set fire to her blanket by means of the candle or lantern in her cell and burnt herself to death. At least this is the version at present in circulation among tbe indignant students. Over 1000 of them were arrested at the doors of the Kazan Cathedral on Tuesday while endeavouring to attend prayers for tbe soul of Allies Vitroff. They were all merched off to the office of the Prefect.

An American paper gave tome statistics the other day about the troops employed in Cuba which ought to make Englishmen feel proud of the ease with which they subdue risings in every part of the British Empire. Altogether eleven expeditions have been sent into the island during the past two years :—March, 15, 1895, 8600; April 15, 1895, 7500; April 24, 1895, 4000; May 20, 1895, 3000; June 10, 1895, 9600; July 20, 1895, 30,000; October 14, 1895, 26,600; January 4, 1896, 9000; February 15,1896, 22,400; September 20,1896, 9000; Troops from Porto Rico, 1500; Total, 131,200. Of these, according to a Cuban physician, 23,500 have been lost. That is; 10,000 through yellow fever, 9509 killed in action, 1000 from wounds, and 3000 from various diseases.

The annual meeting! cf householder* for the election of school committees this year have passed over without) what Lord Beaconefield would have called any untoward incident. Wβ do not know whether to regard this as a good or bad sign. The fact, however, remains that all along the line the interest in these elections has decreased. In contradistinction, for inetance, to last year's meeting of householders of the Ponsonby School District, which was a particularly lively one, last night's meeting was one of the most decorous held in Auckland. This seemed to come as a surprise to some of those present, who evidently anticipated a repetition of last year's turmoil. The retiring committee were elected without opposition, and the passing of the usual complimentary vote to the chair terminated what a householder proudly designated " a record meeting for Auckland." At most of the other meetings the proceedings were similarly brief and uneventful. Does all this indicate a lack of interest in public life? We cannot regard this qaietude this dead apathy, as a healtby sign.

The tide of war continues to flow against the Greeks. They have found ii necessary to evacuate Turnavo and Larissa, and to retire upon their second line of defence, the chief point of which is Phersala. The Turks are now orer the Grecian frontier, and some of the richest plains of Thessaly are at their command. As we have already pointed out the Greek army, animated as it may be with Samian wine and Hellenic aspirations, is no match for the coffeedrinking Turkish troops, and unless the farcical European concert interferes there is every reason to believe that the Sultan's army will eventually find its way to Athens. W e do not anticipate that that will happen, but it is clear that Greece cannot cope with Turkey in the field. Her fleet is doing some eiecu. tion on the coasb in bombarding and destroying defenceless villages, but it has not yet met the Turkish squadron. Should the inevitable naval engagement result in the defeat of the Greeks, o f which we we by no means sanguine, the war must «p*edily collapse. That is asiuming however, that the Balkan Statei continue to obaeru neutrality. And upon them there is no depending. There Iβ a wellgrounded suspicion that Servja and Bulgaria have come to an understanding regarding their action in the present crisis. The Cape Premier, in the course of a speech in the Legislative As•embly, said that he did not think a war w.th the Tr.n.vaal probable, but if it came the Boatt would be responsible. The building of forte and the importing of war material was not the way to secure peace. Hβ also declared that the TnmvMl Convention must be maintained. TheCanadien Minister of Finance, speaking in the Home of Commons, eloquently urged clottr fiscal relations with the Mother Country. At the conclusion of his address the Bouse and tbe spectators in the gallery MD* tbe National Anthem. The New South Walea troop, recced an entnuiiMtio velconi oa th«ir arrival in Eng- l land. 6 i