... NOTES AND COMMENTS. Marshal MacMahon has, during the week, worked his way through another provincial tour, which has on the whole been more satisfactory than the journey through Brittany. The ostensible object of this last Presidential progress was the inspection of the military manceuvres in the North of France, and the consideration of the best plans for strengthening the frontier fortresses ...

... -0- WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE V. SOME WOMEN'S PRIVILEGES. Sir,-Miss Becker tells us that if we were to attempt at one and the same time to extend the Parliamentary vote to women, and to alter the conditions under which they have, from time immemorial, exercised the franchise they already possess, we should complicate a simple issue. We should raise a number of difficult questions which have no direct ...

... CORR ESPONDEN CE. -0- T:E FARMERS AND THE SESSION. Sir,-The licensed publicans and the public worshippers have monopolised rather more than two-thirds of the time of Parliament during the recent session, and still they are not happy. It may even be that they would have preferred being passed over in silence. It is not now to the columns of the Alorning Advertiser or the Ohurce Herald that we ...

... CORRESP ONDEN CE. THE WOMAN'S WHISKEY WAR. Sir,-Attention has been lately directed to the wonderful scene enacted in the United States, called by the Times the Woman's Whiskey War. The subject has been very variously treated by the public press, but there is one aspect of the question which I think has not been noticed, and which is of special interest to those who, like myself, are ...

... -0- COMM E N T S. The House of Commons reassembled on Monday last. After a considerable amount of general business had been transacted, including the presentation of petitions, notices of motion, and questions, Major Beaumont raised an important discussion on an amendment in supply, to the effect that our army reserves ought to be formed of men who had passed through the regular army. He dwelt ...

... CORRESPONDEN CE. -0- TH IMPRISONuMENT OF SaerI. Sir,-I translate for the benefit of your readers, and without comment, the following letter from the venerable Aurelio Saffi, one of the arrested at Villa Rnfil, which I find in the Gazzetta di Milano:- Prison of Perugia, October 5th. Your dear letter has reached me this time without hin- drance, and the others sent with it have been forwarded ...

... The Editor cannot undertake to return Ma7nuscripts. CORRESP ONDEN CE. THE BIBLE IN THE NATIONAL SCHOOL. Sir,-I regret to trouble you with another letter, but I imagine that those of your readers who have followed the 'controversy between Mr. Maitland and myself will consider that some reply is due on my part to his last letter. . The difficulty I have, in dealing with my opponent, is that he ...

... FREE TRADE IN LAND. To the Devon Chamber of Agriculture, on Wednesday evening, the Duke of Somerset addressed some remarks on the foolishness of his political opponents in general, and on the Land Laws in particular. Not long ago, be said, a Cabinet Minister, Air Bright, appeared at Birmingham and spoke about land, and he took up his old cry about 'Free Trade in land.' He had been ...

... -0-- THE CAT. Sir,- In your protest against the principle of torture you seem to ignore the fact that, in some form or another, it has hitherto been considered essential to the existence of society. If, however, your objections apply only to the milder forms of torture introduced for the punishment of robbery with violence, it is not at all obvious on what logical grounds you refuse to go ...

... NOTES AND COMMENTS. Spain has always been noted for the frequency of its Ministerial changes. Under Isabella Cabinets succeeded ! one another with a rapidity that was positively bewil- 4ering; many of these Governments lasting only a few weeks, ordays-oneof them even but a single day. Under Amadeo similar transformation scenes were by no means rare; and now the same characteristic is ...

... a OMM E NT S. The week has been comparatively barren of political incident; but we have a highly-important subject of comment-which is in itself one mass of comments-in the Returns just printed from the borough authorities in England and Wales respecting the working of the Licensing Act. More than a hundred and sixty large towns have sent replies to the questions submitted to them, and the ...

... C O M M E N T S. On Friday, the 27th of March, the East India Loan Bill was read a first time in the Lords and a third time in the Commons. A premature debate took place in the Lower House on the conduct of the Indian officials. Sir Charles Dilke afterwards took occasion to comment on the imperfections of the Ballot Act, and an interest- ing discussion followed. Mr Forster, however, seemed to ...