In the course of the sittings of the British Association which have just been concluded at Belfast a paper was read in the Economic Science section which advocate ed protection as a remedy for the poverty of Ireland; but its author, Mr. Allen, obtained absolutely no support from the scientists. Indeed the debates both on this subject and on that of an Imperial Customs Union revealed the fact that the semi-protectionist movement to which Mr. Chamberlain has given his adherence, ud which has had the support of the Times," has made absolutely no impros-sion on the scientists. The unanimity with which they adhere to the principles of the "dismal science" has impreseed even the "Times" itself. With regard to Mr. Chamberlain's notion of an Imperial Gus-toms Union, Judge Shaw, K.C., read a paper in which he declared it to be a fair but impracticable dream, since the Australian Colonies are not and will not be for many years prepared to adopt Free Trade, and we at home are not and ought not to be prepared to become protectionists, and these views met with almost unanimous favour. It will be interesting, however, to see what conclusion was arrived at at the recent conference of the Colonial Premiers with Mr. Chamberlain,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.