MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1292, 2 July 1883, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

• — ' a .- — — ~ — Jf- i ; . In the' course of his speech on the Legal Practitioners Bill, - Sir George Grey hot' only 'denounced the Governor's Speech as a sham, but the whole ceremonial of opening Parliament was a sham. We had to import a Governnor at much expense,, and having got him, we bad to dress him in clothes to. : g&at splendour, • costing ' at least £2QQ,.for the mere purpose, of opening Parliament by reading. a ►sham. :Speech '-which , Ministers had xsompbsed. for^him^v^The^pansel.aihd the shamJ 'did nofc endjhere r :fer.i.we alsol/dd to : draw out lines of Volunteers, and post Artillery on. the .reclamation to blow off so much expensive gunpower, to attract and amuse.

A Vassian priest who has travelled around the world says ; "The English speaking 1 people have taken the lead everywhere."

The following is the concluding part of "the speech delivered in the House of Goinmdns by Mr Gladstone when the Amendment Act in reference to the above measure was under dis-

cusskm : — " A seat in this House is to an ordinary Englishmen in early life, or,- perhaps', in middle or mature life, when he has reached a position of distinction in his career, the highest prize Of his ambition. If you place between him and that prize not only the necessity of conforming to certain seculiar conditions, but the adoption of certain religious words,, and if these words, are justly measured to the conditions of his conscience and convictions

you give him an inducement — nay, I do not go too far when I say — you ofier him a bribe to .tamper with that co_Bcience in order that he may not be stigmatised by being shut out from the noblest privilege of Englishmen, [Hear, hear.] Therefore, it is most important that the House should consider the moral effect of this test which it allows to be applied to those who know— as'tbe lion, member for Portsmouth is neither more nor less- than right i_ saying — that it is purely s theistic test, and I think it will 1 feel justified in saying that it is not a satisfactory process iatpresemg on the mind of the individual, on his intellect, or heart a sense of re_gion. I own,, although I am now, perhaps, going to injure myself by bringing; the _a_ie of Mr Bradlaugh into this controversy, I am strongly of opinion that thut Bradlaugh controversy shcnddcOiWtov a close. ; [Cheers*] I have no fear <£ theism is this House.. Religion _r the exprggsjon.of the Di vine mind, and, however little our feeble vjnon which God-map provide for ate preservation; -we-inky leave the matter in Hi» hands, and we may be sure that a firm and courageous application of every priniple of justice is the best way for the preservation and maintenance of-re-ligion. (Cheers.) And I must painfully record my opinion that grave injury has been done to religion in many minds — uot in instructed minds, but in those which are ill-instructed or partially instructed — in consequence of things which ought never Have oboured. (Opposition cheers.) Great mischief has been done in many "minds by a resistance offered to the man elected by the constituency of Northampton, which a portion of the people believe to be unjußfc When they see the profession of religion and the interests of religion ostensibly associated with what they are deeply convinced is injustice, it leads to questions about religion itself which commonly end in impairing those convictions and that belief, the loss of which I believe to be. tho most inexpressible calamity whip- can fall either upon a man or upon a nation. (Loud cheers)

The South Australian Register hat» been favoured with the following extract from a South African letter just received by a gentleman in Adelaide : — " The state of trade here at present is- -quite appalling, and seems to 'be getting Worse every day. 'The colony has already experienced two bad. years, •and' there is "ever^ _p*p&i_n_3-'tli-t I tthis one is likely -to'D^'atibafiV lif1 if thb wbrse,- than • its 'pre'Aex^esßti^^^T banks have been loosing lotsfoi-morte^l and '_s 'a natural con_3qaenc^s / *lit'^ now doin& ; a restricted aild sa%i^*Buwness. Standard Banks were formally pretty Hberal in their business transactions with borrowers, btifWa'fcely they have adopted a closerfistecji policy. The, Cape Commerical Bank liavo gone into liquidation, .and it is "expebted that their deficit will be considerably more than the directors estimated it to be. This institution, .like the City of Glasgow Bank", is u .unfeniit|s>d^ v ' so that the depositors are perfectly safe. . What the effect of the callg pu shareholders may be it is difficii|tto say; in many cases it xnußt mean ruin. * The Union Bank of Cape Town have also -made considerable Josses, have had 'to utilise the' whole* of Iho reserve fund (£20,000), and .m debit of -el5,"0<)0 to. profit and loss account besides. I thinkthey Mttiunattft their losses for last yea* at |fc6,000. the Standard and South African Ranks have also lost a deal, of money.* an^. the Bank of South Africa (Limited) has not escaped. Compared with the other Banks, this last has not bost-j^ much, the profits almost sufficing for the losses.- Cape Town has had more than its share of failures. " Thick heads. — Heavy stomachs, bilious conditions-^ Wells' May Apple Pi-s^reti-bilious, ealhartic, , -5C J and Is Mose'sj Moss & Oo^ Sydney, General Agents. „,.,...