REVIEW OF THE PAST YEAR. UNKNOWN.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 136, 22 March 1873, Page 2

REVIEW OF THE PAST YEAR. UNKNOWN.

'Ill' } car that is closing leaies the face of the w oriel very , much us »l found it Eighteen Hundred and Seientj-ttto (, has not, ,been marked, like its two predecessor-), by any of tho»e sigVil eventi v/hiefi mirk epoch* in the history of na- | tions. Notwithstanding -iome httlc wars and local disasters, | it nun be stud, on the whole, that 1872 lias been a year of , iv-t, recover-., and piogres«. Europe has been freer from I alarm- of buttle than at any time since tho Crimean war The un-cttled sth'te'of JOastSrn Euiopc^nd the unconcealed pretensions of Russia to profit by it at some favourable, opi poi-luni^, liavc lx&n felt to be a perennial sourco of danger ; [ but the meeting v l ' the Emperors at Berlin was accepted as a token that no "belligerent designs were in immediate preparation at.St Petersburg. Public interest, thus set free te follow its natural bent, has turned to France tcr study the . character of a great nation, a-t manifested under eircumj stances of extrourdinar} difficult}. France ha* astonished I those who were lately her enemies by proofs of her national | vigor. The Government "ol I lie Republic law been honored I during the jear with*a uiii.eriulity and cheorfulneHi of obedience such as no other French Go\ eminent has known 1 for a generation Many desire to influence, but none to , pverthrpw it. The (lilVerenees between M. Thion and the ! A-^ombly are not'unhnportautr, nor are they adjured ; but ) tlie\ haio^beon retained within safe hunts, as they seem { likel} to he. The fiscal system of the countn has not jet I been completely adapted to the burdens of tho public debt, j but this has not happened in consequence of any " ignorant I impatience of taxation," but because the Present adheres too "trough to erroneous theories. The ooufideitce of Europe, notj only in the resources but in the character of France, was signally sfcown by the success of the loan of £120,000,000 net cash, and the credit of France has only been evalted bv tho result of such a test as no nation ever had applied to it before. The last two months have revealed a degree cf obstinacy in. the majority of the Versailles Assembly, such as probably few persons evrti in France suspected ; but the most influential members of tho Right; deny tlfat they are aiming at a monarchical rat-oration, 1 and profess to seek nothing better for the present than a Conservative Republic, , sucli as M. Thiers himself desires to administer. j Germany, which had much ground to recover after the ' war, lias settled down to peace and industry. The money I b\ whiolv.it has been enriched, and the increased political and commercial importance of which the pcoplo arc conscious, have greatly stimulated enterprise, both productive and speculative. Merchants are extending their operations, manufacturers their works, while wages rise and profits increase, and wants are multiplied. The emits of the jear have bcon favourable in the consolidation of tho new empire. Tho people of South Germany h ive shown that they understand the value of that national unity for winch their fathora waited so long in Tain, hnd the attempt of soino advisers of the King of Bavaria to" set up a gc-vernment to oppo«e the policy of Prince Bismirrck broke "crown, and eotowd its authors with eon fusion. The Muoiildenng ho-tihty ofthe Vope to the JJmpirtr broke out into a flame early in the year, when his Holiness refused to receive Cardinal Hohenlohe as the' Minister of Germany at Rome, and ordered his bishops to excommunicate Prussian officials who declined to accept the dogndi of Papal Infallibility. j Prnicc Bismarck replied fy recognising the Old Catholics equally with the Infallibilist3, and by inducing the German I Parliament to pass a Bill banishing' tho Jesuits. Tho interference of tho btshopi with tho tranquility ami order of social intercourse by means of excommunications has, at the same time received a chock byif.he measures adopted against I tho Biiaop of Ermoland ; and there is a question of rendering the excommunication o( Prussian subjects by name a legal oftbneo. Perhaps more important than thesfr conflicts i with an impalpable and versatile doraobtic enemy are fie reforms winch Prince Bismarck hoi had to mit.ato by the abolition^ of some invidious privileges by the Prussian Liberals and the eon fldenco of his Sovereign, nor does his roagnation of one of his olficei appear to imply that his political power is likely to 6o diminished Austria, which has not had ,to place an army in the field since 1308, has , enjoyed during the year the benefit of that* wiser policy which was adopted after the sharp lesson of tho- Bohemian campaign. Tho muintonanco of poace has given confidence to capital, and favoured" the development of industry, and this year the unwonted announcement has been made that the Budget is balanced. The extreme complexity of a Stato | system which Ims to reconcile) the nrterests and 'harmonise tho action i of, populations dispersed over'»n immense area, but sundered yet more by tli versifies of languago and blopd, continues to trouble -the Trorkmg of the political machine , but tho present Govornment is occupied in devising -measures which -it is hoped will inininize a difficulty which will probably never be wholly remou'd. Russia has spent the "past year, as she spends I everj year, in cherishing and unfolding "the sentiment of the most intensoh national character to be met with in Europe. The Bicentenary of Peter tbe Great has been celebrated with i every circumstance and ceremony that could e\alt the patriotic j spirit. A plan has been formed by which it is hoped the ! Go\ eminent may acquire a military engine corresponding to tho grandeur of its ideas and tho 'height of its nims. The army is to.bo reorganized on the basis bf universal obligation to jorviee, and i« to number" 'including Ve<prves and legfonaries, &,BQO,OOO men, of whom l,OOt?,t>00 will compose the entire army, which even m time of peace, will have 700,000 j men under the flag. Complaints have beo'n heard during the year that Russian influe'nee at Constantinople is' greater than it .has been ot any time for the last five-and-twentj yeors ; but,, if there is any ground for the statement, the I cau t is probably to bo sought rather in the personal objects | pursued by tho Sultan, which Western Governments arc not likely to favour, thanlin anj thing elsewhere In Central Asia, Russia is busier than she has been any time during the last quarter of a century. A military reconnaissance into the I territories of the Khan of Khiva, 'following a demand npon that ruler for reparation of wrong done to Russian merchant", has brought on a serie*of hostilities, the details of which are at present obscure, but which there can be no doubt will be /jerserorod in until a result hn's been attained that will permanently fix the relations of Khiva to Ilussia. Italy has political work to do "hicli might iu-11 omipy her | energies, but Nature has there asserted her power in such a j mnnner-as almost to silence all other claims | Tho eotir-e of events in the New- World has been, if posI sible, more even than in the Old. President Grant's re-elec-tion took place according to umfersul'ejpcctation, ahd'beforc the <\n\ of his legal election Jus opponent, Mr Greelrv, had 1 been removed by death. This solemn termination of nr political struggle was the occasion of a demonstration of public respect for-the deceasM journalist, remarkable for its' , uimersnlitv, and worthy to be remembered as a proof of the power of o4iaractpr 7 tor' eommv4m} Cileem and reverence, even when mingled with elements nhiclf divert attention from its excellences. The difficulties of Amcriciu statesmanship appear les c , now that there i«i no political rtiotne forp^aggcratin<r them. The country i* tranquil, and the public debt ii? being paid off at the rate 'of £18,000,000 a ) ear. Better still, what with the murder of Fiak, the impeachment and dismissal of Judge Barnard» and. thtf dugoj-genient of Gould,* there lias been a grand collapse of rWtldo»n within the last twelve mqntihs., , There is nothing'in the inslory of the 1 smaller States which wo havo passed owr, to disturb tlJo general impression which has resulted from our stirvey. - (leWrali peace, and * mea«uro of prosperity adjusting itself to the capacities of peoples and nations, is the mlc, and violence and distress the infrequent except i&n. There are few countries i of the world o£ which it wortld "no* fr&Kintl to wi-.li thabwith 1 them jicxt jear may be jus prosperous ai tite rear that onda to-morrow.

j ■— ; - .i FiAEKM. or ])k,vn KtM-u —On ll.e 2nd of January | Hip remain* of Dean. Rain miv w ore inferred m the burring- ; ! ground of-St John's Episcopal Church, Edinburgh. ' Tlic i itmcral wiw attended b; tlie Lord- lWost, nmpistrotes, and I I fown Council, in their robes of ollice, ond b^ the reprcscn- | tnti\os of other public bodies .\ considerable mnnber of | tlie- IWntcnan clergy wi-iv pre-ent, n.iliulmjj J',,,, ei p.i)j | lullocl. nun flic I\c\ J)p Wnllncr. oftlio 10«tabhslied L'lim*li • I ; the Rev ])r Candlish nnd (lie XcV S»- Henrj AfoiKrcifl' of I ■tin* Free Church; the lyev. Dr Goold, of" the Reformed j .Freslnterian Uimrcli ; tl»e ITer Dr Ogilvie, of (lie United I TrcsbUerian Church ; and others. The funeral prowsbion I wii^ «i»ne^ed by Inrpre ernncTs between the residence of the deceased and the place qf intrnn^it. the Uisl <>■) of Ed a- ' bur K h conducted the funeral ' serriee ; the shops akJn R the | route were shut, out of respect to the meinorr of the. Dean. I Among the letters of opolocy for laboence Ws one from aimblonc. wlio regretted h.s mabilitj to attend the funeral. J enelii-r •" A\ hat pnrt of speech is the word eg" ?" Hoy (lii'Mtntinir) • '• Sam, w." Teacher : " What u its gen*- ' cjerr 1} OV (pprplexcfl) • "Can't (ell. sir" Teacher. ■ 'is il niaseuliiuvfeniinine, or neuter '<" Boy (lookint; , shnrp : <■ Cunt sn^ Mr , till u\ hatched." * Trarhcri ",! ': . M|WI - "'* '•"' <••■'» .1011 (oil 1,1.. the eo.se-'" U,« , i'lu.Kkh) ; " Oli, yes, it's the shell, sir."