OUR ENGLISH LETTER.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLX, Issue 8169, 22 August 1887, Page 2

OUR ENGLISH LETTER.

(FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.) A TURN IN THE TIDE. It is the fate of all popular Governments to be the victims of blunders on the part of individual Ministers, which have a more fatal effect than even a combined attack by a powerful opposition. This has been singularly exemplified during the last few days, and the unfortunate gentleman who has managed to hamper his leaders is none other than the rather unpopular Minister Mr Henry Matthews, the Home Secretary. The matter in question has a double aspect, social as •well as political, but the latter only so far as it has brought the Government into discredit with the masses. Regent-street, as meat of those who have visited the Metropolis know only too well, has a very unenviable notoriety as soon as the shades of evening begin to fall, and the police court of the district has every morning some case or cases at which members of the demi-monde play a leading part. The magistrate who presides, Mr Newton to wit, has a rather undesirable name for harshness, and a certain bullying manner toward everybody who, in whatever capacity, has the misfortune to appear beforehim. A few days ago a young woman, a certain Miss Cass, was charged by a police constable with solicitation. His evidence was unsupported, though he alleged that a gentleman had complained of the conduct of the accused, and that he had watched her for sometime before charging her. For the defence, the young woman’s employer gave evidence that her assistant had only been in London a few weeks, that she had never hardly been in Regent-street before, and her conduct had at all times been eminently respectable. Mr Newton, however, treated both ladies with the greatest rudeness, told the witness to stand down, and as good as said he did not believe her evidence, concluding, whilst he dismissed the case, by saying that no woman who counted herself virtuous ought to be in Regent-street after dark, and, in fact, as good as intimated that any neglect of this rule was evidence of itself that needed no corroboration. The daily press at once took the matter up, and several members of Parliament followed suit by calling upon the Home Secretary to institute an inquiry into Mr Newton’s conduct and into the evidence of the policeman. Mr Matthews unfortunately entirely misjudged the strength of the feeling that had been aroused, and not only absolutely refused to interfere, but treated the matter in a jaunty and indifferent spirit. The result was that a sort of private inquiry took place into Miss Cass’ antecedents, and this being satisfactory, the indignation felt at her. treatment was seriously increased. Thereupon the Home Secretary was again approached, but he still failed to realise the situation, and on a motion that an inquiry was necessary, the Government was defeated by a majority of five. A pretty commotion immediately ensued, and the next night the First Lord of the Treasury came down to the House, threw over his colleague, and surrendered at discretion, promising a full investigation into the matter. Hare it stands for the present, but' collateral and most important issues have been raised involving the conduct of the poh’ce in their relations with the women of the town in general, for it is freely alleged that they levy a species of blackmail on these unfortunates, and that if this is regularly paid (amounting, it is said, toGd and la a night) they are left unmolested, but those who. fail to. pay up are promptly run in and charged. These charges are so general that it is to be feared there is a good deal of truth in them, and the only possible way of preventing collusion seems to be to keep up a circulation of the members of the force from one district of the metropolis to another, so as to prevent the con-' tinuance of intimate relations between the corrupt members and their wretched victims. The whole subject has been warmly taken up, and it augurs well for the increasing respect in which women are held that an attempt is to be made to investigate this matter, and to try to do something, however little, to wash out the dreadful ataiu which blots society. As I have before hinted, the Government has distinctly suffered, and, though they have finally passed the Crimes Bill for Ireland in the Commons, it has been by a reduced majority of 87, and the bye elections which have been held are nearly all going against the Cabinet. In several cases Gladstonian members have been returned in place of Unionists and Conservatives, and, unless efforts are made to stem the tide, there are indications that a general election would result disastrously for the Tory cause. It is rather difficult to explain this apparent reaction : but there can be no doubt that the horrors of the continued evictions in Ireland have not been without effect. Much in the future depends on the way in which the Act is worked, and whether the remedial measures contained in the Land Act about to be introduced into the Commons will tend to pacify Ireland and restore some semblance of good government in that unhappy country. It is unfortunate that the Cabinet has. not been able to introduce a measure of local government applicable to the three Kingdoms. We are promised this next session, but could it have been passed this year its operation might have quelled many just causes of complaint, and might have given more confidence to the Loyalists in the North of Ireland. MORE FESTIVITIES. Wo are not yet done with our rejoicings. The Queen has been as active as anyone could wish, not only in such matters as laying the foundation stone of the Imperial Institute at South Kensington, but in reviews of Volunteers and regulars. The first-mentioned project now seems on the high road to success, designs having been accepted involving an outlay of some L 250,000, and wo are promised a building both of utility and magnificence. Everything now depends on management and publicity. We wantnohole-and-corner diplomacy, but a place where information can be obtained and intercoursebet ween the scattered members of the Empire facilitated for mutual advantage and advancement. The review of 25,000 Volunteers in the Park, and subsequently at Aidershot of 60,000 regulars and Volunteers combined, was a grand success, and every-

one combines in speaking well of the appearance and discipline of the troops engaged in the various operations. The Volunteer movement is undoubtedly a great and continued success,- serving not only in scattering through the land men who will retain some knowledge of discipline and combined movements to the end of their life, but as furnishing a kind of gymnasium, where young men may find an outlet for energies which would otherwise perhaps expend themselves in more unpleasant and unworthy directions. It now only remains to carry out the naval review at Spithead on the 23rd of this month, and if the weather continues fine, we are promised a spectacle of unusual magnificence, and a greater display of men-of-war than has ever been seen before; but anxious as we are that the forces be maintained at the highest efficiency, everyone must earnestly re-echo the fervent wish expressed by the Queen in her reply to the address presented by the army : “ But however confident I may, feel in the valor and endurance of my troops, there is no blessing which I at this season more earnestly ask Almighty God to extend to my people during the remainder of my reign than that of peace.” THE CONTINENT. The Continent continues in a very disturbed and uneasy state, and, as usual, France is the centre of most of the trouble. Her Governments are as unstable as her people, and the extraordinary movement against foreigners in general and Germans and Englishmen in particular, which is now being fomented by the press, is as unaccountable as it is dangerous. What possible gain can accrue by a policy of isolation it is difficult to comprehend, and in fact no attempt is made to explain the object in view ; but it may possibly be due to a growing sense of irritation which time seems only to increase against the hereditary enemy beyond the Rhine in particular, and per consequence against England as allied with Germany by the ties of marriage in the Royal families, and that sympathy which must necessarily exist between nations having an origin so largely in common. Indeed, events seem tending toward a kind of informal alliance between France and Russia on one aide, and England, Germany, Austria, Italy, and perhaps Turkey, on the other. Whatever the yresult as regards Russia, France, in the presence of such a tremendous combination, would probably bo utterly crushed and dismembered. No one openly predicts this catastrophe, but everyone foresees its extreme possibility. I may just in passing remark on a curious pamphlet, recently published in France by one M. Ollendorf, and called the “ Fall of Englandit is a sort of jeu d’esprit in imitation of the “Battle of Dorking,” which created a sensation 15 years ago, and predicts the dissolution of the British Empire and its distribution amongst the Continental nations. Some people profess to regard it as a serious attempt to invite the European Powers in a general coalition against us, in pursuit of which international grievances would be forgotten, and the bloated armaments- of the nations might be turned against a common enemy, instead of being used to f rend each other. HYDROPHOBIA. When M. Pasteur first commenced his series of experiments on this question, and ultimately propounded his theory of inoculation, there was a good deal of incredulity, but when patients thronged his hospital, and apparent success attended his treatment, the tide turned, and he was hailed as a great benefactor of his species. After this a reaction set in, and the great savant was vehemently opposed not only by anti-vivisectionists but by men of science in his own country, and doubt was frUely expressed on the correctness of the results professed to be obtained. In order to satisfy themselves as to the truth of the case, a commission of three eminent doctors connected with the Local Government Board in London started for Paris, and commenced an entirely independent investigation, in which M. Pasteur gave them every assistance, and freely placed all hia notebooks at their disposal. The result is an extremely interesting report, which, on the whole, entirely confirms the Frenchman’s statements. Up to the time of making the inquiry upward of 2800 cases had been treated, and the vast majority with favorable results. As everyone now probably knows, the virus introduced into the body of a dog or rabbit, or any healthy animal, produces a bacillus in the spinal cord, inoculation with which produce rabies in a mitigated form. This process may be continued with a succession of animals until a virus of exceptionally low vitality is finally produced. The explanation given by M. Pasteur, of the Rationale, is a singular one. He believes the bacillus produces in the tissues an excretory substance which invalidates the vitality of the organism, and when in sufficient quantities indeed almost destroys it ; hence, by successive inoculations from the primary virus a kind of antidote is produced by the poison itself, which in time readers it practically inoouons. A question, which, of course, in many cases is doubtful, arises in connection with tho condition of the. dogs which in tho majority of instances inflicted the bite—Were they really mad ? And lienee, were cures actual or supposititious 1 To this no definite answer can be forthcoming, but it is a comfort to be assured fay the Commission that sufficient evidence exists to show that no doubt arises in a number of well authenticated instances, and that inoculation may be practiced on human beings without running the possible risk of actually producing rabies when only desirous of preventing it. Whilst noticing scientific questions I must not omit to say that Dr Tyndall has retired from the chair of the Professorship of Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution. Few men have exercised so great an influence in their career as he has done in the matter of popularising science and bringing its facts within the grasp of common minds, and in this, as he , himself acknowledges, he was largely, indebted. to his master and predecessor Professor Faraday. It may interest some people to know that he began life as a civil engineer and surveyor, and did not commence the studies relating to natural philosophy till he was nearly 30—an age when'some people think it impossible to change their course cf life, and recommence in an entirely new direction. The only mistakes which soma think that Dr Tyndall made, and which in the minds of a few at any rate injured hia reputation, were his attacks on the Christian faith made from the chair of the British Association when that body met some years ago at Belfast; but the Professor is not one to hide his opinions on any subject, as evidenced again lately, when he descended into the sphere of politics and attacked the Irish policy of Mr Gladstone. THE EX-PREMIER. The ex-Premier is as active as ever, and has just received a special deputation of American gentlemen from New York, who, sympathising with hia policy, have presented him, in the name of 10,000 of their countrymen, with a silver trophy «

weighing nearly SOOozs. Of course he made a speech, and in accordance with hia latter style very freely abused the country which, for so many years, accorded him its confidence. It is a very unfortunate circumstance that the right honorable gentlemen never takes defeat pleasantly; andthoughattheageof 80 some allowance will readily be made for the infirmities incident to such an advanced period of life, yet it is not pleasant reading when, on every possible occasion, every mistake of the past is rolled as it were in a ball and flung incontinently at the listener. “ Tonjoura perdrix” is very apt to induce nausea, and oven his best friends must sometimes wish that it were possible to muzzle their leader. Re--1 garding the testimonial, notwithstanding the angry strictures of the Times, there is no doubt that it is a genuine expression of American opinion, as no Irish were allowed to subscribe, and the deputation consisted of thoroughbred Yankees.

TRADE, &c. Possibly tho holiday-making of the last month has disorganised business in some quarters whilst stimulating it in others, but certain it is that the Board of Trade returns are not very favorable for the month of June, and do not indicate that continued advancement which, though in a slow degree, has marked the present year. The farmers’ prospects are entirely marred by what has now become a very serious drought of fully six weeks’ duration ; on the heavier soils things are not yet disastrous, but elsewhere _ the wheat crops bid fair to be very deficient, whilst root crops have suffered even more severely, and hops are becoming blighted past.recovery ; the fruit crops are small, and apples in particular are reported to be nearly a failure. Foreign and colonial growers may, therefore, reckon on a good time coming unless a very immediate change in the weather takes place. Many towns are suffering severely from want of water, and in' certain places manufactures are nearly at a standstill. Very singularly, notwithstanding the intense heat that has now prevailed for weeks, there has been an entire, or almost entire, absence of thunderstorms. I never remember a summer of such an unusual character, and it seems evident, from the experience' of the last two years, that we have entered’ on a dry cycle. Shipbuilding on the Clyde ani elsewhere continues very depressed. On the Scottish river the aggregate tonnage launched since January has only amounted to 86,600 tons, a slight advance on last year, but less than in 1885, and a decrease of over 112,000 tons on the culminating year of 1883—indeed, the tide has receded almost to the level of 1877, and this notwithstanding the present low price of iron and steel. Regarding these metals, I should say there continues to be a tendency toward a rise in prices ; as it is, they have advanced half-a-crown a ton for rails, and more for' other goods since this time last year. Terrible dissatisfaction exists about the new coinage, not only on account of 'the poorness of design and execution, but on account of the unfortunate similarity between the half-sovereign ' and sixpence, a little manipulation of the latter rendering it so like the former that, as has already happened, it may be easily made to pass for the more valuable coin. It is probable some .of the coins will be withdrawn and new designs issued—numismatists, please note, and make collections. •