Royal Palace, 19th July, 1893.
With regard to the circumstances which caused the fighting at Paknam on the 13th instant, our Government and the French Government are now negotiating, and we hope that it can be satisfactorily ar-
similar circumstances will occur in the ranged, and that it oan be prevented that future.
But there are a number of stupid people who speak all kinds of nonsense, and with this we are very much displeased.
We have closely inquired into all the circumstances connected with the Naval Department's defence at Paknam, and our Cabinet has agreed with us in that the forte and ships, the officers and meu, one and all, have tried to do their utmost to the very best of their ability and with the greatest faithfulness, which every sensible person can see and must be thankful for.
Task you to express our own thanks and those of our Government to all the officers and men who have acted under these circumstances, and we wish you to let them know that when all these troubles are over, we will consider how suitably to reward those who have served us well.
(Signed) Sajahmin, (King of Siam.)
We are fortunately not personally interested in the matter dealt with in the following extract, bat it is only neighbour ly that we should "feel touched a little by anything that touches Hongkong 'A correspondent of the Singapore Free Press writes as follows:—I notice in your paper of to-day in the amusing Topics of the Week" that the Governor is spoken of as the representative of the Queen. It is a matter of more importance than appears on the face of it that this should not again become a general impression, for it is not correct, as Sir Benson Maxwell, in former days, more than once pointed out, when he was Chief Justice here. The matter is one about which there can be no dispute. The following are two passages from judgments in the House of Lords which dispose of it. The Governors of Colonies have merely a limited authority from the Crown and their assumption of an act of sovereign power out of the limits of the authority given to them la purely void." 'If it be said that the Governor of " Colony is quasi sovereign, the answer is that he does not even represent the sovereign generally, having only the functions delegated to' him by the terms of his commission, and being only the officer to execute the specific powers with which the commission clothes him." This last quotation is from " judgment of Lord Brougham, in the case of a Colohial,
one, for it involved in former days very grave consequences when the civil liability of a governor of a colony came in question for wrongs committed by him while holding office, for which it was clearly eatablished that he was liable, It does not detract one iota from a Governor's real position, or from the respect due to his office; but it does derogate from the prerogative of the Sovereign, i another in. the Sovereign' warrant.
'A. Bombay correspondent writing to an Indian paper. sys the result of the recent currency change "has so far been disastrous to the great cotton spinning industry located in Bombay, and we are still fxr from seeing daylight in this matter, because we have still to see the outcome of the discussion now going on in the Amorican Congress regarding the Sherman Act. Twill not attempt to forecast the result of is, but I believe that things will settle down somehow before long, and trade will recover. The Chinese must have yarn, and Ido not think that they will spin it for themselves for many years to come. In Japan we may have a keen competitor, and one not to be despised; but as they have to import a great deal of their cotton, the fall in the value of silver affects them. Also we may have very bad times for a little while longer, and some of the weaker concerns here may suffer severely, but well managed wills are pretty sure to find a secure footing before very long, and to be able to make a fair return to their shareholders. Before this is arrived at, however, economy will have to be carefully udied and erable sacrifices will have to be made.'
A writer in an Indian contemporary describing a trip from Rangoon to the Straits thinks that Penang has a most decided grievance in having been left undefended. In case of war with France there is little doubt but that it would be pounced upon and made to pay a war indemnity, and though that would be repaid to the community by the Imperial Gover ment on the termination of the war, the total collapse of trade would not be included in the compensation, and the ruin of the merchants would be the result. Penang pays ite full share towards the military contribution of the Straits Settlements, and in return receives no kind of protection, although it could be afforded ely squall ce: the Englishman of the 15th ult, fie fully prise in exchange,
borne out the prediction to which we gave expression, 'Telegraphic: 'Transfers having been sold at 1-34 and six months' sight bills at 1-3-16/16 or higher. A consideration of the events of. the past fow weeks makes it perfectly evident that the measures adopted by the Government of India to put the currency of the country on a stable basis are to. prove success. fal even more speedily than could have been anticipated by the most sanguine advocates of the reform. Notwithstanding the fact that the silver admitted to coinage in the month of July -was much larger thaw that of the corresponding months of many recent years, and notwithstanding the fact that the change of standard was adopted just at the very worst season of the year to ensure its epeeely effectiveness, exchange has practically never fallen under 1-3) since 26th June. As time wears on and the closure of the mints begins to operate, and the busy season advances, there can be no question that the rupee will rise to the guld value under which it cannot be procured at the mints, and there is no doubt that the gold standard will in due course become thoroughly and permanently established.
According to a Consular report from Batoum, says an Indian paper, the experiment commenced last year of shipping
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.