Aurnoven the great Baccarat case overshadowed everything else in the first week of June in London, the world did not actually stand still for it. It is a romarkable case-and a very. unpleasant one in many ways, It is almost incredible that a man of the social positi military antecedents of Sir William Gordon Cumming could act as the defendants in the case alleged that they suw him act, but, a8 the Prince of Wales himself said to the juryman who asked him the two pertinent questions that counsel had not liked to ask his Royal Highness, the evidence is too strong to be doubted and so the jury have found. When Mrs. Lycett Green in the witness box took a pencil and a piece of per, and showed the jury exactly how it William added to his stake when he saw that he had good cards, the effect upon the jury must have been very strong. Sir William wrote on the 12th September to Gonoral Owen Williams; **T have little before mie to make life w but having, he concluded to live on.
We should ie that the papers would be tired of commenting on the results of bye-elections, for the monotony of their comiinents is appalling. The recent ones seem to indicate that the Gladstonians will General Election, er that takes plice. very probably have s majority ut the
But if they do, it will not be due to any enthusiasm in' England for Home Rule, but to the desire for change that is always felt when a government has been in for some years. The House of Commons itself is not very well led by Mr. W. H. Smith, but it goes all to pieces when Mr. Stith is away, and Mr. Goschen is in charge of the punt pole. See Pusich's cartoon this week, All Adrift!" In fact, members are thinking a goud deal more of their own chances of re-election than of the government of the country. And withal the government of Great Britain is dono in such a haphazard way, and makes 80 little difference—the actual work being done by the permanent, nou-political, "officinls—whether the Liberals or the Conservatives are in power, that we do not take much interest here in the doings of Patlisment, Lord Salisbury makes an excellent Foreign Secretary but the Opposition maintain silence on foreign affairs because he consults Lord Rosebery on every important step, just as, if Lord Rosebery takes the Rorvigu portfolio ina year will consult Lord Salisbury, which is the only way that our forei; made conttauous, More Liberal wea-policy can
sures become law when the Conservatives are in office, because the Peers allow thei to pass when they are brought in by a Conservative administration, and obstruct as much as possible when the other side is in. We have to thank Lord Salisbury's government for a considerable crease to the navy, but the country was first stirred up to see the necessity for the increase by a Liberal journal. As to our army, we get the smallest result for the largest. expenditure. The St, James's Budyet says: to our immense state of real efficiency and some Afty or ropean army cor} ixty thousand solid native troops; at home, one army corps, which may—perhaps—be as well fit for service as an equivalent number of Continental troops, and behind it a motley crowd of men with muskets; that is the net outcome of our toil and onrontlay. Of itself this is an absurd result to show. But this does not sum up the whole of our deficiencies. Very far from it, We will not insist unduly the want of organisation which would and volunteers no better, than a military mob if suddenly called out. With a system of voluntary enlistment there are ut difficulties in keeping up the supply of men, and with our national objection to compulsion and to registration there will always be an obstacle to such o1 fixation as been elaborated by every other nation in Europe, with the possible exception of Portugal. there is surely one respect in which it should have been easy for us to have put ourselves \bove reproach. We might have been amply supplied with all those things which are in manufactories, and kept in store.
rely should have been easy, for us to provide ample quantities of guns, carriages, small arms, clothes, and transport material. How we are provided with all these necessaries know. There are guns enough—perhaps—for one army corps, and it may be that horses would be found for them at need. Tie ce sipely nae te cornesan; but in a general way it may be ssu] to exist. Behind it there is nothing ani its real army had ever to be collected to stand on guard at home or to reinforce India - and who knows how many men we may need there when the Russian railway system is a little better developed?—we should have to set about making the vel weapons with which they are to work, after the fighting had begun. The fact has only to be stated to condemn our whole system of military administration. It is not the fault of any party in particular. Both have tried their hands—and: have done it with most profuse declarations of zeal; but the result is what we see, Asto foreign matters, we notice that there has been much discussion in Germany as to reducing the duties on corn, the Socialists pointing out that owing to the depression trade, and the large number of the unemployed, wages are at & minimum whi food is abnormally dear. This is a natural consequence of Protection, General von Caprivi shows that the government cannot, reduce the corn duties, because they "were the sole equivalent given by Germany to Austria in the new commercial treaty." The first sitting of the German Colonial Council was held on the Ist of June, and the president, Dr. Kayser, showed that it was quite a mistake to imagi that colonizing was a new departure in German; The Germans are an old colonial people. Even in the time of the Carlovingians they colonized with astonish! success the East, and North Marks of the Empire, out of which has grown the mighty State that has and that guides the new German Empire. Amid severe struggles and many anxieties, Frederick William, the great Elector, showed his German countrymen the way to a colonial policy. That which was denied to the an-Coster, with his small resources, it has been the descendant's lot to attain, like a genuine Hohenzollern, always to the'fore, The Emperor (Villian IL. has undertaken and strengthened the Protectorate over our colonies.
In France the law discouraging the bookmakers on the race-courses in favour of the pari mutuel booths had come into force, and in connection with' this an amusing incident ocourred at Auteuil on the 3rd of Jun An Englishman went to the booth and asked for nine hundred francs' worth of tickets of Papillon IV. The clerk understood that he wanted to back the horse number four on the list and, therefore, gave him ninety ten-frane tickets of Jeanne la Folie, It happened that Papillon IV. was beaten by Jeanne Folie. e Englishman, who only discovered the mistake after the race was run, was delighted that his bad pronunciation had put no less than 61,400frs. into his pocket.
The Czar went to the French Exhibition at Moscow after all, as to which the St. James's says Denite his terrible experiences and the daily dread in which he lives, the Czar must still be a man of great. courage, Stherwtae he would lis diy have gone to Moscow on Friday. It seems to be beyond doubt that a careful and peculiarly atrocious had been laid for his assassination upon hia visit to the French Exhibition at Moscow,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.