With the thermometer in the shade at 96°.4 the reviewer of pile of mail-papers feels inclined to swy with a well-known picture in Punch many years ago ' Politics next week But Pwich might safely put off polities for a we-k, because an English summer is comprised in three hot days and a thunderstorm; but here there is no reason for aping that next week will be cooler than this. We need not indeed, out of pity for our readers as well as ourselves, wake our review very long, for there is very little about Chinw in' the London papers, which confine themselves.very much to two topies, Gladstone, and the War. As to the war, there is very little more real news than we have learnt fro to day by wire. As to Gladstone, could fill caimans wit nits, personal recollections, appreciations, ete., ete., but we have only room for the following," sent by its Vienna correspondent to the Limes on the 24th of May The current number of the Journal for Star: ant Political Economy contains an article on the occasion of Mr. death, noteworthy both acquaintance it displays with the subject with English affairs in general, and for the evidence it furnishes of the writer's freedom from the Continental, and now chiefly Ger-theory of the inevitable decline of the yglish speaking race. Some of the comments of the foreign Press on the death of the last of the great English statesmen show traces of the influence of this theory, which seems indispensable to the mental composure of certain classes in Germany, who appear able to realise the fact that the earth is sti large enough to furnish ample scope for the clopment. of both Teuton and Anglo-Saxon,
stone's greatness and his services to humanity, After a cordial appreciation of Mr. Glad-the writer says it would be a mistake suppose that, because he has departed, the unparalleled race wh Tittle more than three centuries has given to the world Shakespeare and Bacon, Cromwell and Milton, Harvey, Cook, Wellington, Nelson, the two Pitts, Peel, Byron, Milt, and Darwin doomed to decay. Its decline' was foretold by Rousseau more than 100 years ago. 'This propensity to prophesy its downfall has tinned up to our own times, when through the efforts of Lothar Bucher' it, was adopted as part of the creed of modern political philosophy. The answer of the Anglo-Saxon race to these prophecies has deen an uninterrupted succession of great meu, such as Livingstone, Cameron, and Stanley, who opened up Africa; Gordon, who rescued China; and Herbert Spencer, who has directed science into new channels. "Tu the opinion of the Journal for State and Political Keonomy, the role of the Anglo-Saxon in history is by no means played out. Although that race has now lost one of its ablest sons, he will be succeeded by others, different in character but of equal greatness who, like their predecessors, show the world that neither the creation of huge armies nor a realisation of the dreams of Anarchist frenzy is the final aim of aman usation, There is very little ahunt China in the papers this week, even in the Globe which keeps a very keen eye on what Russia and France are dein, and Lord Salisbury the Far East. In its yy it says The Peking correspondent of the Times announces that on Saturday a contract was signed at the Tsungli Yamen. the Russo-Chinese Bank for the construction of a rail-proposed line is to be built by Russian engineers, the money being advanced by the bank named. The director of the bank, M Pokotiloff, is, we are further informed, en-goged, in conjunction with the French' and belgian Ministries, in negotiation with the Tsungli Yam@a to provide money for a line between Chengting and Hankow, destined to unite Peking with the Yangtze. It is added that work will be begun at both ends of the railway simultaneously, that foreign (that is to say Russian) control is assured, and that there will be no Chinese Goverament guarantee. This is in itself an astonishing story, though we can hardly affect to be much' surprised at. it ourselves. It is, indeed, fully in keeping with what we have been saying for months past as to the transparent designs of Russia, though we must own that their development has been a little more rapid than we had anticipated. We have unceasingly pointed out that our antagonist was acquiring the power to dominate the capital of China and the whole Empire from the north, and this new announcement only confirms the accuracy of our forecast. But let us consider what it implies. We have been hidden to rejoice in the acquisition of a sphere of influence and commercial activity in the region of the Yangtze, and great expectations have been held out as to what we should be enabled to accomplish in the hinter-fand of that river. Now we find that it is to he invaded by Russia Ly means of a railway whose terminus is to' bo, the most important town in the district, the very seat and centre of its commerce. "In a word, no sooner have we got possession of an open door than x back entrance is secured by our rival into the heart of our domain, In' view of this audacious scheme, we would ask, is it possible to remain any longer in doubt as to the ultimate aims of Russia And on the 25th it gives a very sulu tary warning, which we only hope that the Chimbers of Commerce at home have seen it is an answer, too, to the optimistic writer in the Spectator referred to later presented to those who believe. or heign to An object-lesson of a very striking sort is lieve that ports in the Far East which pass woder foreign control will remain open British ti That enterprising corporation, the Castle Steamship Compiny, has come to the conclusion, it is reported, that it is no longer worth its while to send steamers to Madagascar. That traffic paid reasonably well until the French Government, having annexed the great island, imposed practically prohibitive duties on foreign goods. 'This taxation 80 largely increased their cost that the islanders had to content themselves with French manufactures, although of inferior quality. Our trade' consequently shrank more and more until it is now a. mero skeleton of what it used to be, and Eng-Jand is shut out from a market of almost ities promise. It will be argued, no that this loss could not be prevented, as France, by substituting annexation for excised the right of abrogating all commercial her previous protectorate, requited and ex-treaties between the Malagasy Government and foreign nations. But was any determined effort made by England to safeguard her commercial interests? There was some sort of feeble protest, we believe, but when the French Government took up a firm attitude, Lord Rosebery meekly bowed to what, for the sake of diplomatic convenience, he chose to regard as inevitable. It is this constant giving way to pressure boldly employed which, during Into years, has so weakened British prestige in the eyes of the world... Protests are as worthless as undignified un-Jess there be fixed resolve to make them effective by deeds of one sort or another. In the case of Madagascar, France thus had the way made easy for the aggrandisement of her own trade at the expense of ours.
The Daily Mail, too, keeps up its interest in China; it writes on the 25th of May:—3 The question of Weihaiwei was again Drought up yesterday in the House of Com-mous, but no explanation was afforded as to how the commercial development which Lora Salisbury prophesied is to come about in face of our assuratices to Germany that we would
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.