OUR ENGLISH LETTER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 661, 24 October 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

OUR ENGLISH LETTER.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

THE DECLINE OF TRADE. London, Sept. 10. It is no cuckoo cry that we hear on all sides that business is so slack that it hardly pays to keep up trading establishments. Even the abundant harvest seems to have made but little material difference, though, of course, its effect will b« felt later on. It is said that figures can be made to prove anything, but the import and export returns are beyond dispute, and admit of no manipulation. Those just published for August show a falling off for that month of no less th m six and a half millions in imports from the corresponding period last year. Exports have declined one and a half millions, and, worse still, for the eight months of the year now gone bj the total falling off is twenty-four millions in imports and three millions in exports. 1883 was anything but a favorable year, so that the question forces itself more and more on the mind, whereunto do these things tend ? An examination of the returns for August show that the decline is spread equally over all kinds of goods, food supplies accounting .for onehalf and raw materials the remainder.. More than two-thirds the falling off in articles of consumption may be credited to corn and flour, and this is fairly put down to the good harvest. Shippers in A-nerica and elsewhere find prices here so low that it is not worth their while to export grain to an already glutted market. Wheat, at 34s a quarter, is lower than it has been this century, though, for all that, bread seems as dear as ever. The timber trade shows , a falling off of three-quarters of a million, indicating serious depression in the shipbuilding yards, though this fact needs no enforcement. There is some comfort in knowing that our troubles are shared by all great commercial communities ; both France and the United States in particular are suffering very seriously. In the former country the revenue returns for August are £160,000 below the estimate, whilst in the latter the frequent strikes and desperate attitude of the laborers show that protection is no panacea for evil, or a specific against occasional depression. The unsettled condition oE affairs in the East through the meddliDg and outrageous attitude of France has seriously affected the markets, and Mr Gladstone’s vacillation on the Nile has for the last two years been injurious to confidence. The Cape trade has most seriously suffered from the same unfortunate weakness of the Cabinet, and now the West India merchants are knocking at the door of the Colonial Office and demanding assistance from the Government in the shape of countervailing duties against foreign bounty-fed sugars ; either that., they say, or reciprocity tariffs with the United States, where they have a market; but as this would involve taxing all goods from the Mother Country simply for the benefit of the colony, the suggestion is not likely to be acceptable. Should the application for help from England not meet with any response, then an agitation is threatened us for annexation to the United States. There are not wanting those who declare that the West India merchants are behind the times in enterprise and machinery, that they have only to adapt themselves to new ideas to drive beet sugars entirely from the field. There can be' no doubt of the superiority of cane sugars to those from other sources, notably for jammaking ; no one would buy beet sugar when they could get Demerara. A recent serious failure in Vienna shows that it is not all gold that glitters, even with State-aided industries,

and if the West Indians can hold on only a little longer it is impossible not to believe the continental nations will soon awake to the fact that they are actually paying out of their own pockets towards every pound of sugar which the British householder purchases. A trade which is only kept alive by State grants cannot be long maintained.

CONTINUED ANIMOSITY OF THE FRENCH PRESS. The cackle of the Boulevards which persisted in evolving a Franco-German . alliance out of the present political chaos has just been stopped for a moment by the unexpected edict of Manteuffel, the governor of Alsace and Lorraine. After the great war in. 1870 certain families were allowed to remain and call themselves French subjects ; this apparently merciful permission. wa3 actually a necessity to avoid depopulation of the provinces, for the inhabitants were leaving en masse to avoid incorporation with the hateful German Empire. Those families which elected to remain, however, have increased and multiplied to an extent which has compelled the Prussian authorities to interfere, and hence the edict alluded to. By it every father is compelled to naturalise himself or hi 3 son when the latter reaches the age of seventeen :; this will at once place the young man in the ranks of the German army, from which indignity he has hitherto, been exempt. Those who refuse to bend their necks to the yoke are to be expatriated, and the persons thus expelled will only be allowed to visit their relatives for three weeks in any one year. . To talk of a Franco-German alliance after this is simply farcical, and for the moment, as far as they dare, the Independent Freneh Press are raving, but the Government journals are discreetly silent. Abuse of Germauy, however, is not a safe game whilst Bismarck reigns supreme at Berlin ; so the tide is setting again against perfidious Albion, for the I rench pot must always be boiling about something. Accordingly, some wiseacre ha 3 been establishing a new journal called the Anti-Anglais ; they have already got the Anti-Prussian to keep it company. To add fuel to the flame, the Pans Figaro announces the issue in a few days of a new pamphlet, to be called “ Sus a l’Angleterre.” The author of this intelligent brochure is said to be a Belgian, and he pretends that he is inspired by a Russian diplomatist of eminence. He affirms that a secret understanding exists between France, Germany, Austria, and Russia to isolate and ruin. England, and to divide the world conveniently between them- Russia is to take India ; Austria, Salonica ; Prussia and France are to divide Holland and Belgium between them, and so allay their ancient animosities. Egypt is to be rescued from the clutches of Mr Gladstone, and, in short, England is to be reduced to a second-rate Power. The work will be found very interesting, it is said, and will contain a great deal .of sparkling dialogue. In view of these desirable consummations, ill-will is to be fostered between the united Empires of Russia and Germany -and the monarchy of England. France will look on and gain her ends by making others the cat’s paw to take the chestnuts from the fire ; she will thus avoid war with England herself, a prospect, in the opinion of the author, unavoidable unless the aforesaid nations can he made to do the business for her. THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE. Notwithstanding tbe above rodomontade, the meeting of the three Emperors is looked forward to here with indifference. It is generally understood that these distinguished persona have in view some concerted line of action against the übiquiteus anarchists who have thoroughly eaten into the heart of continental society, and whose proceedings threaten the very foundations of existing Governments. The visit of the Czar to Warsaw has beeu accompanied by the most extraordinary precautions. Soldiers were posted at every 100 yards along the line of railway by which he entered the city. . Domiciliary visits have been made by the police, sometimes two or three times a day ; even the churches and cathedrals have not been exempt from this rigorous inspection. The Emperor does not fear his Polish subjects, for these have never adopted tbe role of the assassin, but his foes are those of his own household—Russians born and bred, chafing, under the grinding tyranny of the most ruthless of despotisms. When it is remembered how long this state of anarchy has existed in Russia it is almost impossible to imagine that the Czar can in the end resist the call for representative government, but certainly as yet no sign of reconciliation is visible on either hand. THE SECOND MIDLOTHIAN CAMPAIGN. The Prime Minister has not visited his constituents Bince the memorable year 18S0, but he has now redeemed his character by two or three speeches of immense length and brilliancy. One dealt with his quarrel with the Lords and the others were directed to a vindication of his foreign and Irish policy. Undoubtedly on the former issue his countrymen are with him. Mass meetings in support of the extensijn of the franchise have been held everywhere, and though the Tories have attempted counter demonstrations, their J efforts, except in one or two cases, have not amounted to much. It is hoped that it is not too late to effect a compromise with the Upper House, and Mr Gladstone, whilst firm to his text, was singularly moderate in tone. Evidently he shrinks from so serious an undertaking as that of remodelling the old constitution, which, despite its many faults, works so as to be the envy of the continental nations, who see its results, though puzzled i completely by its working. Nevertheless, it is felt clearly that the Lord smust go to the wall at all hazards if they persist in a wilful opposition to the expressed determination ol the majority of the nation. Mr Gladstone’s excuses for his blunders in Egypt and elsewhere were not so happy as to make his followers very triumphant. His excuse that his troubles have been the legacies of his predecessors in office is stale, flat, and unprofitable, though he was certainly in the right in attributing to them extravagance, and his financial policy has been eminently successful. One remark-, or rather confession, about Ireland has raised a storm of. criticism in the Emerald Isle. He admitted that though occupied with the doings of the Beaconsfield Government in every quarter of the globe, he bad not at all directed his gaze to the sister kingdom, and that he entertained not the slightest notion of the storm which

was brewing when he took office, and which, as he says, soon rushed upon him like a flood. It is needless to say this admission has been made much of by the Nationalist party, who bave taken occasion to deliver some of the most violent diatribes imaginable. Mr Healy paid that nothing nut the rattle of slugs on the roadside would induce English statesmen to do their duty. Mr O’Brien, M.P., says that Mr Trevelyan and Lord Spencer are “ sneaking humbugs,” and advised his hearers to. devote their leisure hours to hunting landlords instead of foxes. Mr Gladstone he is kind enough to look upon as the most “ repectable cat-throat ’ amongst theAVhigs, and so on.- It is rather fortunate for this honorable member that he does not live in Russia ;.even Republican France would hardly tolerate such indecent language, and yet the Irish people comp’ain that English capitalists refuse to invest their money in a country where every attempt would be made to rob them of it as soon as possible.

METROPOLITAN STATISTICS. The police report and other information published during the last year with reference to London, may present some few points of interest to your leaders. Crime on .the whole has decreased. This may be due to. the fact that 900 freshmen were added to the police force, bringing the number of that body up to nearly 13 000/but there are other causes undoubtedly at’work. The increase of education tends, it is gsaid, to stamp out crimes of the grosser sort, such as highway robbery, burglary, felonies. On thefjother hand, offences of a more refit ed type will, it is feared, spread rapidly. Education without religion or high morality may produce fraud, forgery, and endless astute schemes of a dishonest character. Against this highly probable change in the operation of the criminal classes, society must be forwarned, and act accordingly. As regards the growth of the metropolis, it is best indicated by the fact that 21,000 new houses aud 56 miles of new streets were constructed in 1883. Fifteen markets are now in working order, providing annually 800,000 head of cattle,. 4,000,000 sheep, calves and pigs ; 9,000,000 fowls, game, and rabbits ; and over ’100,000,000 eggs, and the same number each of oranges and lemons. No less than 320,000, OOOquartern loaves were baked last year. 12,000 children were reported lost, but of these all except half-a-dozen were recovered ; what became of this missing six none can tell. Equally gloomy is the terrible fact that 35 dead bodies were discovered in the Thames, but never identified. The much-abused cabmen are found to be more honest than is supposed, as they returned 20,000 articles found in cabs to the police, the value of which is put at £25,000, only half of which has been claimed. 16,000 dogs were seized and disposed of. Some figures have been published, which show that, taking all the great capitals of Europe together, law and order are better maintained in London than elsewhere. In Paris, for instance, with a population of, roundly, two millions, 26,500 police and military are required to maintain order, and there were 141 murders ; in Vienna, which has only just over 1,000,000 inhahitants, 32,600 police and troops are needed, and there were 23 murders in 1880. The same proportions hold good in Berlin and St. Petersburg. In London, with nearly 5,000,000 of people in the police district, which extends twelve miles beyond Charing Cross, order was ma ; ntained by 9890 police, and 4874 troops, or 14,800 in all ; this was in 1880, during which time there were 16 murders. THE NILE EXPEDITION. Lords Northbrook and Wolseley have not been long getting to Cairo, but it is understood that the latter will not make any move until he has looked round a little. By the time this letter reaches you the start will probably be beginning. Troops and stores continue to go off in rapid succession, and the dockyards are in work night aud day. Meanwhile, considerable doubt has been cast on the authenticity of the letters assumed to have been received from Gordon, It is a singular fact that they are sealed with a seal ordered by the. General when passing through Cairo, aud which was sent after him, though it is not known, if he ever received it. There is a fear that it may have fallen into tte hands of the enemy who are using it for their own purposes. It is strange, too, that the notes should both have been written to the Mudirof Dongola, and not one to the Government or friends. The conduct of the Mudir is singular, not to say laughable. He appears to be under the impression that the Bteamers, troops, &c, are being sent down for his special benefit, and that he is to have the command and direction of the same. It is deemed well by the authorities to allow him for the present to cherish the delusicn, in order to keep him in a good temper. MONSTER GASHOLDERS. The biggest gasometer in the world belongs to the Surrey Gas Company, and can be seen for miLs round. It stores as much as 5,400,000 cubic feet of gas, the framing round id is 160 ft high, and the tank in which it works is 218 ft diameter, the holders being of course rather less. When the holder was .being raised for the first time a violent gale was blowing, and were observed to rock between as much as 3 and sin. The Phoenix Company has a holder 220 ft diameter, 80ft to the top, and storing 3,000,C00 cubic feet. Though the above-named companies have such colossal works, the “ Chartered ” manufactures the greatest quantity of gas, storing many millions of feet. It may be u-ell to remark that the scare which some years a<*o sent down gas shares to a serious degree has completely died out ; the electric lighting companies are entire failures so far. . They have simply done nothing as yet to give the hou-eholders the benefit of incandesent lighting. Partly this may be, and is, due to legislative restrictions, but it is also because the problem of cheat) electricity, as applied to lighting, has yet to be discovered. Both the Edison and the Swan Companies produce, a charming light ta those who can pay for it, but the cost is far beyond the price of gas. Obviously there is still a grand field for the persevering inventor. A RELIC OF THE PAST.

The old station at Slough on the Great Western Railway has just been cleared away. A clumsy old wooden erection of early railway days, which recalls to mind a time when iron roads and locomotive were viewed with dread and suspicion, aud yet it is only some forty

years old. When the line was first opened half-way to Bristol, the Eton College authorities objected to a station at Slough for fear that the boys would be induced to run away from school to London, and for a long time consequently tickets were only issued from a house in the village. Ultimately the scruples of tbe masters were overcome, and. the structure just destroyed was erected. The old station deserves remembrance, however, if only to recall to mind how rapidly the world has moved on in less than half a century. For it was from this place, just about forty years ago, that the telegraph was first used to effect the apprehension of a criminal —■ a certain Quaker, named James Tawell, who, having murdered a girl in the hamlet close by, was fleeing by train to London, to escape arrest. The fact was considered marvellous enough at the time, but few would have dreamt then that the same wonderful agency would soon be employed across thousands of miles of the great Atlantic. THE POSITIVISTS. The followers of M. Auguste Comte meet together every year at Newton Hall on the sth September to commemorate the anniversary of the death of their master. Mr Federic Harrison is the living apostle of the faith in this country, and endeavors to keep up the spirits of his small knot of followers in their cold and heartless culture- Mr Frederic Harrison, however, is always listened to attentively, and his address on the occasion referred to contained much of interest, especially his account of an interview with the philosopher at Paris thirty years ago, when he apparently destroyed the faith of the young Christian, supplanting it with a faith in himself. Mr Harrison s address was chiefly remarkable for an attack on Mr Herbeit Spencer, who, it is well known, has his own faith to formulate, and is himself a candidate for the apostleship of a new religion. Mr Harrison says that Mr Herbert Spencer, in his “-Synthetic Philosophy,” only has redressed Comtism in another shape, and that the Englishman is entirely indebted to the Frenchman for all his ideas. This, of course, has drawn the philosopher who indignantly repudiates the charge of plagiarism and quotes a letter from the late John Stuart Mill, himself a disciple of Comte, acknowledging that Mr",: Spencer’s views are entirely original. Tbe number of people, however, who take any interest in these subtle controversies is very limited. The cold theories of these philosophers are repellant to the vast body of suffering humanity who need a warmer faith te support them in the bitter struggle for existence. The Duke of Marlborough has consented to sell his two celebrated pictures, “ The Madonna dei Ausidei,” by Raphael, and “ The equestrian statue of Charles 1.,” by Vandyke, to the trustees of the National Gallery, the former for £75,000 —perhaps the largest price ever paid for a picture—aud the latter for the very respectable sum of £17,500. There is great rejoicing about this in art circles, for it was feared that some foreign gallery would snatch up the coveted treasures. The Duke’s patriotism, I fear, would not have resisted a larger price had it been forthcoming. Fortunately his country has a long purse. SPREAD OF THE CHOLERA. Naples is the scene now of a terrible outbreak. News comes as lam writing this that 357 deaths have occurred in twenty-four hours there. Work is suspended, and ouly undertakers are busy. The scenes enacted are like those in the time of the Great Plague of London. If this epidemic is the means of teaching the people better sanitation it will be well. Rome, Naples, Marseilles, &c., are simply death-traps. The smells of Naples are proverbial. “ See Naples, then die,” is the Italian proverb. “ I did, nearly,” remarked the American humorist ; “ the stink was awful!” The King of Italy courageously remains with his suffering people.