Not the least striking feature in a year that has already earned a sini commercial reputation is the depression in the camphor tharket. A month ago it was reported that since the Formosan apply had been worked as a Govern-monopoly there was a satisfactory and an increased output, only varied by the market prices. It would appear therefore, that production was ruled by market rates. From later reports, however, it seems that a fixed rate of 196s. has been maintained and that falling demand and continual output ave resulted in the accumulation of large stocks at the Formosa and Kobe Camphor Monopoly offices. When the Iapanese Government started the Formosa monopoly Messrs. Samuel, Samuel & Ca. were appointed agents the price was then 136s, per picul and a flourishing business was developed. 'The Finance Department was instrntal in transferring the agency to the Mitsu Bussan Kaisha; but business' suffered immediately in consequence of broken connexions, and before the: Japanese firm had a fair opportunity of getting into touch with European importers the Government took over: the monopoly, completely, and raised the selling price 60s. ul. It is interesting to note that while this wes being done artificial camphor was ina ion between the researches of chemistry and adaptation to practical commercial uses.—('celluloid manafactarers bad already ade haustive experiments with t turpentine, to replace nataral The increased price then gave an extra impetus to their endeavours and synthetic camphor soon became an active competitor of the natural substance in European markets, and because of its low price the artificial product encroached rapidly upon the demand for the real. Rapid improvements are still being made in the manufacture of this new material and the price is falling consistently. The "Osaka Asahi" states that there are British sculpture, contrasting sharply with other schools of art in Great Britain, has been so often that it is all little surprising to find with what zeal the British pablic is now joining in the new movement for statues to great men, Almost before the rival parties have ceased to rend each other on the form that should be given to the Shakespeare memorial, proposal is eagerly caught up for a monument to Dickens; and before the discussion on this idea has reached any definite point, Lord Curzon announces that he has received over £5,000, the maximum of what he ached for little more than year ago, to erect statues of in England and India. Of this sum £3,500 ix to be spent on a bronze statue in London, while the balance will be sed for a marble replica to be erected in India; but fall details will not be made known antu a number of "designs have been obtained. To turn to the case of Dickens, it is natural to the spirit of the age that a counter-proposal should have been put forward for the institntion, not of any unprofitable effigy of bronze or stone, but for a namber of what might be called, Tis cots, in special memory of The Christmas Carol, Dickens, it is argued, has already teand a monument " more Insting than brass" in the popular affection for his books, increase rather than di ish; and those books clearly show what farther kind of memorial he would have chosen for himself. Against thix it is well argued by Professor Charles Waldstein in "The Times," that Eng-.|Iand, as compared ith other countries, is Inmentably deficient in memorials to her men of thought, and that she appears to care for one bat monarchs, soldiers, statesmen, local politicians snd philanthropists. "If the statue and the painted portrait," he says, have in every case to compete with the hospital cot, the almshouse, the soup kitchen, the scholarships and studentships, there will be bat little chance for the sculptor, the painter and the architect of the futare." TI
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.