November 2.
Ox October 23 Marquis Katsura, the Premier of Japan, delivered a "policy speech," that' bad been eagerly awaited, at a meeting of the United Clearing Houses in Tokio. Since the Diet adjourned, there have been occurrences of significant importance, the more notable of which were the annexation of Korea and the unofficial, but potent, protests from Great Britain in regard to the new Japanese tariff that becomes effective in July next. The annexation, it is true, foreseen and British dissatisfaction with the tariff bad been already manifested; but the conditions upon which the absorption of Korea was effected were not disclosed until the treaty of annexation was promulgated, and \|the British outery against the restrictive duties to posed upon British manufactures. had grown steadily in volume as the effect of the new tariff was the more clearly realized. In regard to Korea, the chief points of Japanese criticism seem to be what is described as the unnecessary liberality with which the puppet-Emperor has been treated, and the complaisance shown to foreign countries by the announcement that the Korean tariff will be maintained for ten years. The first question is one of national ethics with which the world has little concern, but the objection to the preservation of the commercial rights of the Powers interested in Korea for a decade i significant. The Government, it has to he confessed, invited cism in the latter connexion, as it intimated that the maintenance of the Korean tariff was a "voluntary" act of grace, The ginal from
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.