A.—2.

firmly established. England, less artless, had taken advantage of French somnolence to ruin French ascendency in the Pacific. Egypt had been given up to England ; the New Hebrides had been evacuated ; Easter Island had been taken by Chili, and the Cook Islands by England. Their colonial patrimony in the Pacific had thus fallen to pieces, and England's blunder in not securing possessions between America and Oceania had been retrieved. French colonial administration was marked by.heedlessness and incapacity. Admiral Krantz : " Many thanks for the compliment." Bishop Freppel: "It was not addressed to you, for the Minister of Marine has too many other things to attend to." Admiral Krantz insisted that the Bishop was quite mistaken as to Easter Island, which had no port, and was wanted by Chili merely for a penitentiary. The Cook Islands had never belonged' to France, who had vainly desired them. The natives, though not hostile, were indifferent, and the chiefs were against a French protectorate, the English missionaries having influence over them. France was entitled to the Tubuai Isles, her flag having been hoisted there in 1857, and they were geographically and politically part of the Tahiti group. "We shall ask England," said Admiral Krantz, "to give them back, and I hope our overtures will be successful. Anyhow, a war cannot break out between England and France for so trivial a reason." (Murmurs on the Eight; " Trh-bien I " on the Left.) M. Burdeau, a Eadical, and translator of Mr. Herbert Spencer's works : " Such things should not be publicly said." Admiral Krantz rejoined : "It is better to have good reasons to give than to threaten. National honour has been spoken of, and when it is at stake great measures may be taken; but so tragic a tone does not suit the question whether two islets belong to us or not. We have every reason to claim them, and shall enforce those reasons; but I protest against such exaggerations as that of saying we have compromised the national honour." Bishop Freppel answered : " You have justified my reproach of a shirking policy, for you say we are the rightful owners, yet that if England refuses to restore them you will capitulate. That is a strange basis for negotiations." The subject then dropped. Bishop Freppel, a Eeactionary in other respects, has always differed from his party on the question of colonial extension, which in his eyes means the extension of Catholicism.

[Extract from the Times, Tuesday, 22nd January, 1889.J The Samoan Question. Philadelphia, 21st January. The warship " Vandalia" left San Francisco yesterday for Samoa. There will soon be three American vessels on that station. The impression prevails at Washington that Germany has exceeded the bounds of propriety. Auckland, 21st January. The German war-ship " Bber," which left Samoa on the 13th instant, has arrived here. Her officers denounce the reports received from Apia, via San Francisco, concerning the action of the German war-ships at Samoa, and aver that no such events occurred as those related. They declare that the allegations as to the tearing-down and burning of American flags, the burning of American houses, and the firing on the captain and lieutenant of a British man-of-war are totally untrue. New York, 21st January. The United States corvettes "Trenton" and "Vandalia," under Admiral Kimberley, which have been ordered to proceed to join the " Nipsic " at Samoa, are expected to be about six weeks on the voyage.

[Extract from the Times, Wednesday, 23rd January, 1889.] The Samoan Question. Philadelphia, 22nd January. Much satisfaction is expresssed throughout the country at the receipt of telegrams from London stating that England takes similar views to those of the United States on the Samoan difficulty. Washington, 22nd January. In an interview to-day with a representative of the Press who made some inquiries respecting the Samoan question Mr. Secretary Bayard is represented to have said: "Of course, I expect Germany to live up to her honourable engagements with the "United States. I have no right to think that she will act otherwise. Ido not care to discuss such matters, however, with newspaper representatives." Eegarding the policy of the United States Government, the Secretary of State referred his interlocutor to President Cleveland's message to Congress on the 15th instant, and quoted his recent letter to Count Arco-Valley, in reply to the German Minister's complaint that the adherents of Mataafa were commanded by Americans, as an indication of his own views. Mr. Bayard also alluled to the agreement concluded between Great Britain and Germany in April, 1886, defining the boundaries of the British and German dominions in the Western Pacific, which declares Samoa to be neutral territory. In this connection he is represented to have declared that the United States had no joint treaty with either England or Germany regarding the neutrality of Samoa, and that therefore, if Germany interfered with the said neutrality, she had not broken treaty with the United.States, but with Great Britain.

[Extract fjom the Times, Thursday, 24th January, 1889. The Samoah Question. Philadelphia, 23rd January. The Foreign Belations Committee of the Senate is considering the Samoan question, and the American Consul in Samoa, Mr. Sewell, has been giving evidence before it. He criticizes the action

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