Speaking at Bristol last night Sir Michael Hicks Beach laid down with admirable lucidity and the utmost frankness the attitude of the Government on the silver tuostion. His position was one of no little difficulty. Personally he is of course a thoroughly convinced monometallist. Indeed in all economic questions he is as orthodox from the Cobilenic point of view as Lord Farrer himself. But not only is he sure of having a large proportion of bimetallists in any Conservative gathering which he may address, but among his colleagues in the Cabinet are several pronounced metallists, including the First Lord of the Treasury. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is therefore bound always to speak with the utmost respect of the bimetallic heresy and he was careful to explain that it was not as monometallists that the British Government had rejected the bimetallic proposals of the United States and France. But the Government of India has strongly opposed the reopening of the Indian mints tothe free coinage of silver, and has announced a scheme for the re-establishment of the gold standard in Indias. Even the bimetallists in the Government are not all in favour of compelling the Government of India' to -adopt a currency policy to which Specially translated for the North-China Herald.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.