OPINIONS.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 175, 28 July 1888, Page 2

OPINIONS.

” Opinions may be worn on both sides like a leather jerkin.'' [COMMUNICATED.] Windows and balconies filled, roads lined with eager folk, all waiting, watching : it it still early, cool morning—here he comes, the Maharajah of Puttiala ; seated on a moving throne, drawn by two grandly caparisoned elephants: how stately and solemn these noble animals move along ! how soft the footfall of their great feet; look in at their queer little eyes, you may fancy a roguish twinkling there, as much as to say, “ We could dance a hornpipe, but we won’t.” Splendid horses in gorgeous and tasteful trappings move on in cavalcade, each with a rider also ablaze with orders, jewels, and gay colors: lines of cavalry agleam in the “ pomp and circumstance” of glorious array; row after row of infantry present arms as the pageant passes. But the Maharajah himself is the centra of interest. This is the morning of his wedding day, and he is on bis way to the home of his lady fair. Mark his rich wedding dress ; see the digrette, the famous little white heron, made so cunningly by the hands of some old Indian artificer in precious stones, forming part of the grandee’s attire (the little white heron is celebrated amongst our own Maoris for its beauty and rarity). Other historic jewels bedeck this grand man ; and from his turban, strings of pearls hang down to his shoulders : why, in the soft light of this early morning sun his head is a little sun of glory all to itself. There go the boom boom of the cannon, followed by the inspiriting roll-rattle of the Indian drums. And here are more hills of animals on four-poster legs: elephants, elephants, each one of them as solemn and as wise-looking as a Lord Chancellor; what a display of gold and silver howdahs 1 Here come palanquins, exquisite and fantastic in color and adorning; and last, not the lea-* .jte Highland pipers in full blast add the chart; M of sweet, wild music to the gorgeous spectacl w Quarrelling with the Tibetans, under the shadow of the Himalaya’s 1 well, that is far a-field. China must look after her feudatory and see that the Tibetans observe the rules of good manners at least: if the latter persist in unprovoked impertinences toward British people nigh them, we may expect soon to learn that a march is in progress upon Llaua, the capital of Tibet. Ireland agitated anew, by reason of the Pope's letter of condemnation. Yes 1 Those six thousand Irishmen and women too, who met the other day in Phoenix Park, Dublin, were certainly unanimous in setting the Papal rescript and its spirit aside, for an opinion, amongst others—that the leaders of Irish public thought considered that they could plainly detect unmistakeable signs of English influences behind the chair of St. Peter. From the movements of some of the leading English members of Parliament—notably those of Mr John Morley—together with Mr Chamberlain’s scheme of a modified Homa Bule, just published in a Birmingham new«. paper, the granting of very large concession* to Ireland is not far distant.

The attitude of the tenants on an estate in one of the southern counties of Ireland, presents to such folk ae we aspects that at first sight are somewhat ludicrous: for instance, fancy householders in Gladstone Boad having trees, and large blocks of timber, and heavy atones carted on to the road in front of their doors for the purpose of barricading their houses. What a scene it would be I Such proceedings are commonly resorted to in some villages in Ireland. Wall, it is, and must be, a droll land to live in. One thousand pounds awarded and paid to a policeman as compensation I Why, that is a princely sum to possess in any corner of the United Kingdom. Some one may ask, What did the policeman get the money for? As a reward for cleverness, or as a recognition for personal bravery ? Neither he got it simply because he got kicked. Is that all ? Well, many a one wouldn’t objeot to the treatment for a similar solace 1 Would you ? But in the policeman's case he was not only kicked, but be was so superfluously kicked that it was done almost to death. Ah 1 That makes a wide difference. We like clearness in argument, and the method of Admiral Golomb's argument on the ” purely naval, or active defences of the United Kingiom” was eminently clear in. deed. A waler territory is the natural boundary of Britain, and the frontier of that domain is the enemy’s coast. If such territory were left to take care of itself, disaster must follow: so long as the British nation maintains rule over its home waters there is safety. But if all defence be confined to shore fortifications, woe and defeat follow. Beard the lion in his den, is the motto; as Nelson and Cornwallis did in their day; and if hostile fleets should steal past, these would have to reckon with the small handy vessels of an inner squadron, long ere coming under the range of the guns of the shore fortifications. The action of the American Federate, a systematic and close blockade of the whole of the enemy’s ports, is the only safe and busi-ness-like thing to do in time of war. If the faith of the British people be shaken in the efficiency of their navy, and so neglect its importance as a defence, soon all may be lost. Fancy nine thousand British ships crossing a line drawn from Cape Finisterre (Spain) to Cape Clear (Ireland) either out. ward or homeward bound every year, of a value only to ba reckoned in hundreds of millions; and then weigh the difficulties of protecting the merchant marine service of Britain. It the defences of that country are to be’only purely defensive, an enemy may at his ease starve the British people to death, although standing behind the impregnable shore fortifications. Again, if a complete blockade be impracticable, a fleet must b ready in reserve in ease that the main prove a failure. In whatever wav this ing question is regarded, vast difficulties apparent. x That the historic parallel between ancient Rome and modern England is slowly and surely drawing closer to a fulfilment, no student of history may doubt for a moment. It does not alter the position one jot, whether the present Lord Mayor of London calte, in his official capacity, all who speak and write on the defenceless state of Britain, “ A set of discreditable scandal-mongers," the great fact is unaltered: that at present there is much uneasiness and great inefficiency abroad in Britain.

Complacency and indifference are terms much akin, why they are first-cousins at least; and we are told by some who know, that as a nation England treats the covert advances of her great Northern rival Russia in Central Asia with indifference amounting to complacency. Utter carelessness to make provisions for emergencies, so far as not to have even an English agent in Herat, In this respect differing so very widely from Bus. sia ; when it is gravely suspected that even in our own towns of this country Russia has her reliable agents. And why, is there not a market here for Russian bear-grease ? Transplanting nerve from the rabbit (bunny) to man 1 Well here is a new develop, ment certainly; a successful operation took place at Vienna the other month. An in. flamed and painful wound on the hand, of sixteen years’ standing, was successfully cured by removing the old and poisoned nerve and replacing it by a new and clean strip of nerve tissue from our much abused bunny. We may make a good thing yet out of our large supplies of the run-holders’ terror ( the wild rabbit.