Tae Board of Trade returns for May present few satisfactory features. The value of the imports for the mouth amounted to just over 29 millions sterling, being £2,165,060 less than in 1885—or about 7 per cent—and 4 millions under those of 1884, The decline in the import of bread-stuffs ie nearly sufficient to account for the whole of this falling off, having been £1,900,000, while other items of food supply—such as beef, eggs, rice and sugar-were also smaller, the total deficiency in the national bill for food and drivk reaching £2,236,000, or more than the whole shortcoming in imports for the mouth, Raw materi cotton, wool, jute and silk, were all ed iv increased quanti 3 cotton showing an excess of 80 per cent. in quantity but only £4 per cent. in value, which is taken as showing that the imports were of low qualities. Of wool, the reovipts wore nearly 30 por cout, more than in the same month in 1885, but here only an increased value of Jess than 10 cent. Wool has never boon 0 low in as it was in May, The arri of flax and hemp fell off, the former 24 per cent. in quantity d somewhere about 55 per cent. in value, and the Intler over 50 per cent. in amount and nearly 43 per cent, in value, The decrease in the value of exports was £844,000 in the month, the totals being £16,300,000, against£17,100,000 in 1885 and £19,800,000 in 1884. The figures of the principal mavufactured articles of export lend to show that the falling off last May was not due to a decline in their cousumption but in their declared values; the In his latest published book, " The Russian Storm-Cluud," the Professor who writes under the well-known pseudonym of " Stepniak" begins by answering the question, "What do the Nibi want?"; and the revolutionists in Russia are constantly occu. pying 8o large space in the public prospect in Europe, that we are glad to get an answer to the question from one so well able to give us the informa. tion desired. Stepnink observes in the first instance that he and his colleagues have been very nich prejudiced by the title of Nihilists that is commonly given them. Ihe popular idea of them is that they are simply anarchists, avxiour of all existing institution as to what means they employ, and what suffering is caused incidentally to nocent people in the employment of the menue, 60 long as they can destroy at t afresh." As to ver resumed by never been form. ally accepted by them. The Bforning Post, iv stating, as it evoe did, that "the very name which the revolutionists have assumed is a sufficient argument against them," shows how @ cause may be condemned unheard on the evidence of a title which has been conferred on it from outside, The given, according to Stepuiak, rent European journalism, which, ting some name for the revol borrowed from Ivan Tourguéue the first that came to hand Revol call themselves, and are called in their country, by 8 good many names—'social-revolutionists' in the high? style of manifestoes, or more briefly revolutionists'; and in colioto solemnly declare, before the country before the whole world, that the so-called Ni would submit un. conditionally (o the National Assembly to be culled on the above conditions, and would offer no opposition to the Gover ment whatever it might be, sanctioned by that Assembly, There is nothing im those demands to which i Americans, or Frevelmen, beonght up in the enjoyment of representative i stitutions, can possibly object, The requited umuesty to all political uffene ders would be " mere act of common justice; we might perhaps wonder at firet whether the Russian peasantry, debused by centuries of autocratic rule, could be trusted with the franchise at once: but after all, there is no edooca. tion like responsibility, and those who get the franchise goverully have the common sense lo make a good use of This demand for representative institns tions is not @ mere after-thought, i tended to excuse the murder of Alexder LI, "Every previous attempt against Alexander IL, efter that of Solovieff, was followed by a declaration from the Nihilist Committee, that the hostilities against his person would cease immediately, if the Emperor would resign into the hands of a National Representative Assembly (Zemeky Sober) his autocratic power." Republicans us most of the Nihilists are by personal preference, they have never even asked for the abolition of the movarehy; they Lave declared themselves perfectly prepared to obey the form of government decided on by the Nutioual Assembly, As the institutions they ask for have been in successful working in the Wess torn nations for generations, even for centuries, it is absurd to describe them es
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.