It has just been announced that the Treasury have decided to mako a grant of £2,000 to Mr. Adolf Beck as a.solatium for his five years' imprisonment for a crime of which he was innocent and for his subsequent wrongful conviction. Of course Mr. Beck has no legal claim. The theory of British law does not contemplate the possibility of a mi carriage of justico—at least in a criminal caso—and this induces the reflection that Mr. Bumble was not altogether wrong when he declared that the law is a hass." Still, when the Treasury undertakes to remedy an act of injustice in defiance of this principle it should do it thoroughly; and in' the circumstances £2,000. seems a mean sum. It was generally expected that Beck would get about £5,000. Mr. George R. Sims is agitating for an inquiry into what he describes as a "British Dreyfus case," and it is to be hoped that he will succeed. Of course Mr. Sims's title is an exaggeration. There has in this case eon nothing like a national conspiracy to perpetuate an act of injustice; indeed public opinion has been with Beck ever since the facts became in any degree public property; but it is difficult to avoid the conviction that there was some intentional concealment of facts which afforded strong presumptive evi ence of Beck's innocence. Beck was sentenced in 1897 in the belief that he was identical with " Smith," who was convicted of a similar offence nearly twenty years before. A handwriting expert was absolutely positive that all the letters written by the criminal or criminals in the two sets of cases were in the same handwriting. And yet as soon as Beck was a convicted prisoner absolute proof was forthcoming that ho was not "Smith," for "Smith" was a Jew, and he was not, Palmistry and Fortune Telling.
Prosecutions are now being instituted against a number of prominent London professional palmists, and some interosting disclosures as to their method of gulling the suspicious people who abound among the well-to-do classes are being made in the police court proceedings. Tho"prosecutions are the outcome of a crusade against the palmists, undertaken by the "Daily Mail"; but on the question of how far that journal is actuated by lofty and virtuous motives some light is thrown by the " Froe Lance," the journal started by the late Mr., Clement Scott. The " Free Lance" points out that "Answers," th by means of which the principal proprietor of the "Daily Mail" founded his fortune, keeps a "tame seer" on its premises to interpret people's characters by their handwritings. Of course he d not tell fortunes, and therefore no doubt keeps well within the law; but his "characters," supplied for sixpence each, are just as worthless as the palmist's readings of the lines of the hand. sixpence a time," the "Daily News arks, it is probable that the C: Street humbug does s bigger business than any Bond Strest charlatan at twenty-one shillings."
26th August.
Russian Eaids on Neutral Ship"
ping.
Yesterday a deputation of the East India and China Trade section of the London Chamber of Commerce, with Mr. William Keswick, M. P., at their head, waited upon the Prime Minister and elicited from him a most important declaration of the attitude of the Government in rd to the Russian raids on British shipping and the whole question of contraband of war. In r to the searching of British vessels off the coast of Africa by the Smolensk, Mr. Balfour was able to give " fairly satisfactory explana. tion. This apparent gross violation of th undertaking given by Russia that there should be no further harassing of neutral pet t of ie Volunteer Fleet tion here; but if the Bassiae explanation naturally given rise to groat indi; isto be credited, ie ineldecd is due rather to blundering incompetence than to deliberate breach' of faith. "It seems that the undertaking given by-the Russian Goveroment was never made known to the Smolensk and Petersburg; and now the task of acquainting the commanders of these vessels that they are to let neutral ships alone has been confided to our navy.
Discrimination Against British Vessels.
On the general question as to the right of searching neutral vessels and confiscate ing them, and as to what constitutes contraband of war, the Prime Minister's declaration was us sat' as could have been hoped. 'The chief complaint of the deputation was that British ships were treated worse than those of other neutral Powers, and that to this was due the excessive premiums demanded' by British underwriters. Mr. Balfour asked for proofs of this, and refuced to acknowledge that the facts cited in response amounted toa proof of the allegation; but the deputation achieved their purpose in obtaining from the Prime Minister a most em-photic declaration as to what the attitude of the British Government would be if the charge were proved. my own sincere belief," h that there really is som used by Russian official Prise. Courts as against shipping in this county, I think you may rely upon His Majesty's Government taking every step to see that so disastrous a state of things should be brought to an end. Did it exist, it would clearly be a flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of equity. It would be more than that; it would' be an act of groat unfriendliness towards this oountry—unfriendliness which quences so serious to our trade that it would be impossible for us to peas it by."
Contraband of War. trapaad of war, aod what are the tights of On the general question of what ts con-
belligerents towards neutrals, and the duties of neutrals towards belligerents. Mr. Balfour had nothing new to vay; but he repeated with more emphasis what had alroxdy been said in Parliamont—that the British Government does not and will not recognise the contention of the Russian Government that coxl, foodstuffs, cotton, ere,, are under all circumstances contra band; but at the same time, as we may unfortunately be at war ourselves some day, we must recognise the right of belligerents to prevent their foes from cbtalaing from' neutrals the moans of carrying on the war, It is ad. mitted on all hands, however, that the unsettled state of international law on the subject gives rise to intolerable uncertainty and hardship; and whea this war is over 4t will probably be remitted to the Hague Tribunal to take the whole subject into consideration. In the meantime there is 1 wide feeling that some of the blame for present state of things rests with the itera, They have either too easily frightened or too gra: British shipowners are willing to tal risks, but when our underwriters demand four times the premiums asked by foreign underwriters in the case of foreign shi British merchants cannot be blamed they go to the foreiga shipper.
The Indian in the Transvaal, to say a good word—with es fications This morning even the ' Daily News
for the Colonial: secretary. Mr, Lyttelton's dispatch to Lord Milner on the subject of the Hindoo question in the Transvaal has to sanction the introduction into the Legislative Council of the Transvaal of to restrict Indian and other Asiatic immigrant similar to the Acts passed by several self-governing colony his Majesty's Government will not the proposed Acts imposing dis those British Indians who are already settled or who may be allowed to settle in the country. For this firm stand against an act of injustice which, as Mr. Lyttelton points out, is similar in kind to and worse in degree than that which we pr-tested inst when it was proposed by the old Government, the Indians owe a debt of gratitude to their fellow-country: in the House of Commons—Sir Mancherj Bhownagree, who espoused their cause
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.