Tak effects of over complacency during sories of yeara are evidently in the present making themselves widely felt, Turkey, Afghanistan, and the Zulus formed " trio sufficient to employ the energies of any ordinary statesman, and now we find that to these hus to be added Barmah, With regard to the latter, the advocates of the most ultra school of non-interference can scarcely affirm that their policy was not carried out to the uttermost; the late King was in fact permitted to do what he liked and how he liked, and the Indian Government, when he smote it on one cheek, presented the other for a like operation. One of the late King's peculiarities was not unlike one to which we are somewhat accustomed in China; he desired to be the only merchant in his own country, and woe betide the wretch who was caught trading in any article the monopoly of which the King had taken into his own hands. Residents in China, too, are not likely to forget the longsuffering kindness which prompted the Indian Government to agree to this most excellent Monarch's little foibles, and how Sir Douglas Forsyth, after taking off his boots preparatory to an audience with Golden-foot, hind to straggle for the right of having a carpet laid down to prevent his stockings being contaminated by the dust and mud of the palace. The late King was, however, gathered to his fathers, and people seemed to have hoped that any change would be for the better; so the Government of British Burmah allowed his heirs to settle the little matter of succession to the best of their ability or judgment, and a new Golden-foot was in due course placed on the throne of his. ancestors. The little peculiarities of the father have been, however, excelled by the playful eccentricities of the son. Our old friend, whose share in the Margary murder is not likely to be forgotten in China, left, unluckily for themselves, more than one son. Now according to a custom prevailing in many of the best families in Asia, it is an action commendable rather than the reverse for a nowly-enthroned Sovereign to got vid of as many of his brothers as he can get hold of. Young Golden.foot has proved himself quite equal to the occasion, and the most polite means, consonant with Burmese etiquette, were taken to make the passage from this life as agreeable as possible, so that kingly prejudices should not be shocked at any of the ordinary vulgar methods of making an exodus. But young Golden-foot did not stop at brothers;—uncles, aunts and sisters were disagreeable relations to have, and as the custom of disowning poor relations has apparently not spread to Burmah, he has been engaged in improving them off the face of the earth, Nor did his Ministers find the situation thore pleasant. The now Mouarch has been sadly off for enter. tainment, and hit on the amusing device of cutting off their hands or sticking them with spears as a relief to the ordinary ennui which afflicts princes we are told more than ordinary mortals. Of course these were all matters in which the British Govern. ment had no concern; diplomatic relations with a Sovereign potentate were not lightly to be broken off beau: the potentate had somewhat peculiar methods of amusing himself. The British nation has grown so used to like sports, that if they do not offend the sensibilities of people at St. Petersburg they are not to be frowned at or taken in ill part. Old Golden-foot, it was wel] known, did not like the British occupation of Lower Barmah, and could he have seen his way to get rid of it he would quickly have availed himself of the opportunity. He had had, how. ever, some disagreeable experiences, and thought it best to accept the inevitable with however little grace, and confine his eccentricities within certain very wide limits extended to him by British courtesy. Young Golden-foot, who had seen a British Envoy take off his shoes in order to be admitted to the honour of an interview, and who bad not undergone the unpleasant experiences of his father, did not see why his capital should be troubled with the presence of a British Resident. No one had attempted to interfere with his sovereign rights, and evidently the lifo of a British official was, after all, not a mach graver matter than that of his own relations, In addition to his other good qualities he has learnt the satisfaction to be derived from the flowing bowl, and a Monarch in his cups is not apt to be fastidious about a mere trifle, so it is small wonder that the life of the Resident has not been of the most pleasant nature. Still it would appear that for some reason or other it was not so easy to kill a British official as a mere Burmese Minister. Golden-foot probably thought it infra dig. to give him the coup himself, and his people did not like to take the responsibility themselves, so he has hit on the device of sealing him up, and has stopped all communication across the frontier, where he has massed the formidable body known as the Burmese army. Doubtless Golden-foot thinks, if he thinks at all, that ho has merely to assert his Royal prerogative and the British officials will at once vacate Rangoon, and the most flourishing of our India possessions will relapse into his hands. British Burmah pays, and more than pays, its own way, while the upper provinces are daily becoming poorer and poorer under the paternal rule of Golden-foot, notwithstanding the violent efforts of the King to centre in is own hands all the sources of profit to be found in a fertile and well-watered kingdom. Why should he not possess all these revenues instead of being restricted to his present narrow torritory The consequence of all this is that the Government of India has now to take steps to put estop to what a little firmness would have rendered impossible, By the nows last received, troops were being concentrated within British territory, and it seemed uncertain how long a collision could be postponed. It is apparently too late to attempt to negotiate; the time for that was past when a British Envoy was discredited, and the natural result has followed. The eccentricities of the late King of Burmeh were for long o subject of surprise. An independent Sovereign would scarcely havonttempted to display them, yet the Indian Govern. ment. permitted itself to be slighted by a dependent. I¢ is the old story of the spoiled child, and we have little cause for complaint that we ourselves should be the first sufferers. The worst of it is that the same lesson is repeated again and again, but that one Govern. ment after another prefers shutting its eyes to the first beginnings of difficulties, and takes them up when they can only be arranged by the arbitrament of arms.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.