The Otago Daily Times. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1884.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6898, 26 March 1884, Page 2

The Otago Daily Times. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1884.

The ways of Governments as regards the control of armies operating in distant countries are usually difficult to understand, and of none more so than those over whose counsels Mr Gladstone has presided. He seems always to be thinking what the Kadicals will think, and what the French will think, rather than what his generals will think, when he directs the movements of the latter. It is fair to add that, in spite of such little accidents as Arabi's rebellion, Hicks Pasha's death and defeat, and Valentine Bakee's repulse, everything has gone well with this policy so far. If we had prevented Akabi from rebelling, we should not have been able to prove at Alexandria that the new heavy ironclads were manageable in action, nor would the glorious victory of Tel-el-Kebir have shown our Continental friends that night attacks can still be made in parallel columns. The fact that the ends of the two columns met in the dark, and went near to bayoneting each other, only added to the laurels of the tactitian who could make the impossible successful; and the mistakes of Ministers and general alike contributed to the glory of their success. Having made his majority to flourish by means of the Egyptian War, Mr Gladstone, like a wise man, did not care to tempt Providence a second time. When the Mahdi appeared in what may be described as the middle distance, he told the Khedive that British soldiers' were not going to do his police work beyond the confines of Egypt proper, and even within these limits for as short a time as possible. Nevertheless, sufficient officers were lent to give a British colour to Hicks Pasha's expedition, and to make our European pseudo-friends exult over his defeat as a clap in the face to the British

arms. Tho English officers commanding Tokar and Sinkat sent word of fchuir distress, and again Egyptians led by Englishinmi wero sent to tho roscue. Again, too, they wero defeated, though, happily, tho lirnt cavalry ollicer in Europe escaped the fate of his corurad". The garrison of Tokar were massacred, and Sinkat had to yiold at discretion. By this time tho Majority which had beon, won iv Egypt began to wane, and it was evident that tho Government wero likely to bo lwnlfd over the coals in the llouso of Commons for mismanagement. General Graham was sent lo Souakim with .British troops to operate against tho Prophet's lieutennnt, Osman Digma. Tho movement would obviously have been insufficient to pacify tho Majority—with a big M, —who wero ehii/ly to bo considered. On the other hand, to Bend an army to relievo Khartoum would have bpeu to ofFund the Radicals, with a bifj; H, and tho Frenchmen, with a big F. Tho Government was in what is vulgarly called " a fix." Tho frying-pan was on one side, and tho lire on the other. Tho fat was ready to go into either when deliverance was afforded by the Fourth Estate Mr John Mouley's successor in the editorship of tho Pall Mall Gazette, Mr -Thompson, conceived the happy thought of getting Chinese Gordon to tell the readers of that enterprising journal what ought to be done in the Soudan, and followed it up by telling the Government that, although Gordon's portmanteau was packed up for the Belgian expedition to Central Africa, he had yet three days to spend at Brussels before embarking for the land of Stanley and de Bkazza. The Goverament were not above taking the hint, insofar that they sent a telegram to Gordon, " Will you go to the Soudan 1" and, relying on his sense of duty, gent him off to Khartoum to quell the rebellion and put everythiug to rights. The troops, which both he and Sir Samuel Baker had previously declared were the only means of carrying out such a mission successfully, were withheld, and he was told to do his best with brains, pluck, and money. Gobdon, whoso only thought in life is to do his duty, and only ambition is to get to heaven—we say it seriously, for it is well known that it is this wish to die which has been the secret of his success —started immediately on his journey, though he is said to have expressed misgivings as to its result, and to have joyfully declared that he believed the pains and worries of this world would soon be over for him. Many people remembered tho fate of Professor Palmer and Captain Gill, who also set out with a bag of gold; but tbe terror of Gordon's name has succeeded where they failed. He has frightened and bought off the hostility of Bedouin tribes on the road, and reached Khartoum in safety in spite of his bag of gold and the paucity of his attendants. He has organised its defences : nay, more, yesterday's cablegrams state that he has relieved the garrison at Sacfleyh. la short, he has done wonders. Meanwhile Osman Digma has suffered defeat, though not disgrace, at the hands of General Gbaiiam, who is commanded in no case to advance beyond Berber ; whilst Gordon presses on the Government the urgency of sending troops to the relief of Khartoum—a repetition of the views he expressed before starting, and of Colonel Coetlegon's (the commander at Khartoum) message of last month.

This is the situation in the Soudan. For dramatic force it would be hard to tind its parallel. The struggle of a hero against overwhelming odds absorbs the iuterest of Europe, and the knowledge that it is on behalf of his country that he has undertaken the Herculean task must excite the sympathies of every Englishman to the uttermost. Can he prevail 1 The occasional telegrams will be watched for more eagerly than the monthly parts of one of Mr Wilkie Collins' most exciting stories. French fashions and ideas, we are tuld, are in the ascendent now in London. Even the Frangais is most appreciated at Covent Garden, and the idea of "glory" having reached its nadir at Sedan has acclimatised itself across the water, and found an acme at Tel-el-Kebir. It would have been a pity to prevent so dramatic a situation by ordering the British troops in Egypt to the relief of Khartoum. It would be a pity to spoil it, now that it has reached its height, by answering General Go hdon's appeal. The Radicals wouldn't like it; the French wouldn't like it. 'British blood is scarce, and if Khartoum is taken there are probably not more than a score of Englishmen there to be killed, whilst if an army were sent several hundreds would probably fall. From a utilitarian point of view, then, it is better to leave General Gordon to his own resources : from a philanthropic also. Better the death of a score than some hundreds. Neither Rads. nor French can say that we are trying to establish an African empire. The Government is vktuouß, free from the lust of conquest: sensible, anxious that as few men should die as possible. But oh, the pity of ib!

On our fourth page we publish reports of municipal affairs at Port Chalmers and letters to the editor.

No news has yet been received as to the result of Gordon Pasha's intended attack on the rebels near Khartoum, but a number of addi-

tional Arab tribes near Berber are now in open revolt, and this causes grave fears for the safety of the Khartoum garrison.

Hanlan is to be matched against one of the New South Wales rowing men for £1000 a side. It is likely that Beach will be chosen as his opponent.

The Ruapehu, as stated already, did not take on board any meat from the Refrigerating Company, owing to the unfortunate breakdown in her machinery. Somo 300 carcasses were, however, shipped as stores, and 700 or 800 more were put on board by Messrs Thomson Bros,, of Port Chalmers, The latter are to be transhipped to the lonic at Lyttelton.

A meeting of delegates from the various cricket and football clubs in Dunedin is to be held at an early date to consider a proposal to establish a clubroom. It is proposod to secure a room in a central position, and to provide literature interesting to all who take an interest in athletic sporta.

Mr E. G. Allen was yesterday elected Mayor of Port Chalmers by a majority of 40 votes over Mr W. M. Innes.

The civil sittings of the Supreme Court com. menced yesterday. . His Honor Mr Justice Williams delivered judgment in two cases heard by him, sitting without a jury—border v. Brown, and Butlor v. The Saddle Hill Goldmining Company. A large number of the cases set down on the list were ordered to stand over, the only case which came before a jury being an unimportant and an uncontested one. Tho jurors who were summoned have been finally discharged, as the remainder of the business has either been adjourned until the April sittings of the Court, or is to bo heard by his Honor without the assistance of a jury. Tho caso of Creditors' Trustees of Hanlon v. Elder is to bo heard to-day.

We have received from Mr Joseph Braithwaite a copy of "Salvatiouism Exposed," by tho Rev. Samuel Slocombe, being a reprint, with additions and corrections, of tho articles under the same heading which appeared last week in our columns.

The • newly-formed Ocean Beach Domain Board are in serious straits as regards money matters. They have been endowed with full

power to conserve and beautify tho Sandhills, but they have not even the wherewithal to defray preliminary expensos. An appeal was made recontly to tho Government for fund*, but a reply etatiug that no funds aro available was sant back, and the Board aro now at their

wits' ends how to act. It lias, howovor, been determined to renow the application for funds, and wo understand. Umt Mr 11. "Driver, 11.11. R.,

wlio is a member of tho Hoard, will take tho matter in hand during a visit ho ia about to pay to Wellington.

Mr J. .1. J laluy, who has for some timo past had tho spiritual control of tho Great K-ing street Tnbernaelo, gave his fwowoll iiddrem at tho valedictory tea-mooting held last night. His remarks on co operation specially, and on matters both spiritual ami temporal generally, woro received with much apphtuso. Mention was nindo-during tho meeting that there wero 1200 Brethren in this Colony, and all that was needed was a supply of earnest evangelists to carry on tho work of administering to their spiritual concerns. Ono speaker mentioned that recent estimates showed that tho intellectual abilities of tho youth of Australia (not including New Zealand) ivoro deteriorating, and that ero long there would be a difficulty experienced in getting suitable candidates to carry on church work. It was also mentioned that ainco Mr Haley had been connected with tho Tabernacle tho contributions Iwd materially increased, and that for tho last two months they had reached tho sum of £1.0 pnr week, Mr Haley loaves by this morning's train for tho Bluff, en route for Melbourne, where ho will labour in his old congregation. Ho takos with him p, letter from this church testifying to tho advancement it has made during his government of it.

A "flower moating" was held in the hall of St. Andrew's Church on Monday evening, at which the liev. R. Waddell presided. There was a very full attendance, and as many of tho audience had sent floral decorations, which wero tastofully arranged about tho interior of tho building, the effect waa very pretty. Papers written upon the subject of flowers were road by MisEes Nimnio, Low, GiiFord, and Spedding, and several ladies and gentlemen contributed musical selections. The evening proved an exceedingly pleasant one to all present, and tho llowerg collected wero sent yesterday morning to the Hospital, where their value is likely to be well appreciated. The councillors of tho borough of St. Kilda are evidently not at all satisfied with tho vesting of the Sandhills in tho recently-formed

Domain, Board,

They deem that they, and

they alone, should have charge of tho hills; aud with the view of getting tho boundaries of the borough extended to high-water mark, a deputation has been appointed to wait on Mr Larnach, the member tor the district, at an early date.

A journal which is to be devoted entirely to athletic sports is shortly to make its appearance in Dunedin. It is to be called the Athletic News, and will be issued weekly on Fridays, Mr Hastings, recently of Wellington, is the editor and proprietor.

At a largely-attended meeting of farmers at Gore (Mr G. P. Austing in the chair), the following resolutions were carried unanimously :— " That this mooting is of opinion that the present system of receiving a fair value for bags is just and equitable, and that wo pledge ourselves to do all in our power to frustrato the attempt of a section of the Dunedin grainbuyers to have the bags weighed in."—"That the grain-producers of this district pledge themselves not to sell to any buyer who will not pay for bags as such."

The Mount Ida Chronicle says that the stop pago of works on tho Otago Central railway "' would simply relegate the interior of Otago to its foriper comparatively barren and unproductive cbndition, while tho settlers who have been induced by the hope of early railway communication to embark their capital in the purchase of land from the State would feel themselves the stranded victims of delusive hopes. With the Central Otago railway, our settlers are prepared to bravely, face all the inevitable ups and downs of farming life. Without the railway, many will leave us ero entering on a struggle so doubtful in its results."

Referring to the statement that the pottery industry in Canterbury does not appear to be in a very flourishing state, the Bruce Herald says: "Tho Milton potters aro jogging along, making wages, but little, if anything more. The stuff they are turning out now is of excel - lent quality." In accordance with a resolution passed some time ago by the Timaru School Committee, authorising ministers of religion to give instruction to pupils of the various denominations outside school .hours, Archdoacon Harper on Monday morning gathered some 30 boys in ono of the classrooms of the public school at 8.30 and gave them a scriptural lesson. A class of girls is to bo formed to-day, and the Yen. Archdeacon.will continue his labours at stated intervals,

The total rateable value of the Waimea railway district under the Act is £28,409 ss, and the rate of 3s 4d in the pound will yield £474417s Gd, The settlers do not by any means relish the prospect of therate, TheMatauraEnsign publishes a full list of those subject to it, aud the sums in which they are liable. The New Zealand Agricultural Company will havo to pay £3003 2* Gd, and Mr P. M'Kellar £325 13s 4d. Tho other amounts range from 33 4d up to about £30, a large number of owners, having to pay from £2 to £5.

At the R. M. Court at Palmerston yesterday, before Mr H. W. Robinson, R, M., Mr A. D. Bell, of Shag Valley Station, was charged under provisions of the Rabbit Act, upon the information of Mr W. Miller (inspector), with not taking sufficient steps to clear his land of rabbits, and was fined 203 and co=ts. Mr J. F. M, Fraser appeared for the department. Wellington intends sending a cricket team

;o Christchurch at Easter,

I A little pamphlet, entitled " Suggestions as to Oaths: Is the Oath of Allegiance a Profane Oath?" has just been issued by " J. M.," who is understood to be Sir John Mellor, late Judge of the Queen's Bench Division. The writer (says a London papar) expresses his belief that " the existing want of reverence and awe rightfully attaching to the name of God is mainly due to the frequent and profane use of oaths," and "being profoundly convinced by a long judicial experience of the general worthle33ness of oaths," he advocates their abolition as a test of truth, but would retain the punishment for false declarations wherever the law prescribes a penalty for a false oath. "An honest man's testimony," he says, "will not be made more truo under the sanction of an oath, and a dishonest man will only be affected by the dread of temporal punishment." The oath of allegiance he holds to bo "an unnecessary, vain, and therefore profane oath. It does not extend or make stronger the duty of allegiance which is a fundamental principle of the Constitution ; and as it does not and cannot do this, Sir John holds that "it must of necessity require tho taking of the name of God in vain.'l He proposes as" a substitute the signature of a declaration by every member of Parliament on taking his seat that he professes " true allegiance to the Queen, her heirs and successors according to law."

A woman named Mary Kiddie has been committed for trial for manslaughter on the verdict of a coroner's jury at Port Adelaide. The evidence showed that her husband, who was a pugilist and a hard drinker, returned home intoxicated and brutally ill-used his wife, who in self-defenco throw a pair of tailor's shears at him, which inflicted a wound on the temple that caused death.

A painful sensation was caused at the Leicester Skating-rink on January 31 by Captain Austin, a performer, shooting his wife in the head with a ride in front of a largo number of spectators. Captain Austin, who is a noted shot, lired at a potato on his wife's forehead in the ordinary position with success. He next attempted to shoot a potato while lying on his back, As soon as the rifla was fired the woman uttered a Rcream and fell on tho sta c, the blood streaming from her forehead. The audience sprang to their feet uttering a loud cry, while Captain Austin ran to his wife, and carried her into the retiringroom. A doctor who was present found that she was suffering from a wound in the head three inches long, but he does not consider it of a dangerous character. Tho audience soon afterwards dispersed.

Thero was a time (writes a Tasmanian correspondent) when oysters worn so cheap here that they used to be not only an article of general consumption, but fish and shells were actually burned together in order to make lime. Our bays were full of th6se delicate bivalves, they could be got anywhere, and now they can only be got in one place with certainty. About 20 years ago, it is on record, 22,330,000 oysters, or 44,700 bags, were brought to market in one year, tho value of which, at current prices, would be £03,135 —that is, more than the value of three years' exports of hay, Hour, grain, and bran ; now wo are compelled to import oysters from New South Wales and New Zealand, and they are sold at prices which preclude their general use. Some trouble has been taken to inquire into tho causes of the dying out of tho oysters; but nothing very certain has been learned, except that they were dredged in the most

reckless manner, and not the slightest troublo taken to ronovv them. An attempt is now being made by the Government to got out an export from Franco, who may bo ablo and willing to teach us the French method of oyster, cultivation, but it seems to bo doubtful whether wo eau got such an expert as wo require. So far, all attempts hero, as in Victoria, to cultivate the oyster have failed, und the man who can master tho problem will not only inaico his fortune—at least, he ought to bo ablo to niako a big one—but wcnld groatly increase one of the pleasures of humanity in this part of the world. Tho Gorman Press says: "Tiia submission of tho tribes of Merv to Kussia is worse for England than tho disasters in Soudan." It comments on " tho remarkable success of Russian policy in Central Asia, which is always directed against. England. If the Russians should stand again before tho walls of Constantinople tho .English would bo disabled from commanding them to halt, as in 1878. Russia will become the immediate noighbour of India, and will bo ablo at any moment to create disturbance in Northorn Asia. Now, only Afghanistan is botwoon Russia and India. Tho frontier tribes are always ready to invade tho rich Indian provinces if their rear is covered, and that they (Russia) can now guarantee."

Tho London Standard of January 16 eayo . " The experience of tho London Tramway Company, as it was set forth at the half-yearly meeting, bas very emphatically demonstrated that cheap fares upon tramways tond as much .to the benefit of the companies as to that of tho public. Under tho rei/imc of high prices, which came to an end rather more than fivo years ago, tho Tramway Company made no profit at all. Since then there have beon penny fares, and tho consequence has beon that tho number of passengers has moro than doubled, while, despito the reduction, the receipts have been largo enough to provide what tho chairman of tho Company is content to describe as 'a very handsome profit.' The growth of traffic has been enormous, for whereas in tho six mouthy of IS7B, when the higher tariffs were in force for tho last time, only 10,250,000 passengers were carried, tho number in the last hail-year was 22,000,000."

The second entertainment given by Messrs Moulton aud Millis at the Princess Theatre yesterday evening drew another very full house, and ou this occasion better measures were taken to preserve ;order. Mr Moulton's remarks wero, as usual, amusing, and the ventriloquial entertainment given by Mr Millis provoked bursts of laughter. As a matter of fact, this gentleman is by far the cleverest performer in his particular line that has ever, appeared here. His illusions are assisted a good deal by mechanical figures, but the result is a most complete deception, and the dialogue carried on is irresistibly funny,

Sir D. Stronach will soil merino ewes at Burneide today; olao store cattle at Moasricl on Friday. A public meeting will bo held at. North-East Valley on Thursday m-oning re Lindsay'i) bridge. Mr.M. Pyin will soil prope.tyat tho'Glcn on Monday, 7th April.

Messrs Wright, Stcplienson, luiet Co. will hold wool sate en March 27.

A meeting tn consider tho reorganisation ol tho Licensed Victualled' Association will hi held at the' Uattray street Hall to-day, at 3 p.m The liev. Mr Clark will lecture at the Young Met,'a Christian Association rooms to-mahfc. Mes«ra James Sauison and Cj. will sell groceries to-day.

An oxtraordkary mooting ol the Wahnea Plain! Railway Company will bo held on Thursday, Aim

A. Dornwell ia the bulclior who ehnuld bo cnuouraijwl above all others, bosimso he supplies the best utticlo at the lowest possible price —[-\»vr. ] When a man tilks ot ij.-incinle, in nine times out of ten you can set him down as a humbug. Exactly in tho sumo manner aa whon one siuro.mclj himself with ■j, cloak of religiosity, you may generally be eafo in assuming him to be a hypociite ; in fact, what r. 1--gion i, to the ono impostor, principle ia to tho other. The cicilitor who taken his dobtur by iho throat and peisecutos him to the bitterest extremity —upon principle—finishes generally by compelling his own creditors to lake ono shilling in the pound instead of twenty. Tho cheapest beef abd mutton, " quality considered," for Cash, ij at tho shop of E. F. Lawrence, but her, 20 George street, near corner of Octagon.— 1.4DV1.]