The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-14 00:00:00

against the measure being brought to a successful
termination. It often happens that an excess of
particularity defeats its own purpose, and it will be
very unfortunate if this session passes away without
something decisive being clone to remedy the evils
attendant on our present system of prison manage.:
went ; for while one proposes, and another finds
fault, the harm is being done and the evils spreading
far and wide, to the obstruction of justice and
the detriment of the best interests of society.

The intelligence from the Eastern World brings
us information which is interesting, if not especially
important. Englishmen have now such extensive
and varied interests in India,-China, and Australia,
that they can no longer look with indifference on
the accounts received from those distant quarters
even in tranquil times. Two departments of the
intelligence usually received by the Overland Mail
are not, however, altogether pacific. New Zealand
has been the theatre of a prolonged and unsatisfac-
tory struggle for many months past, and if the loss
of life has been comparatively small, the injury to
the settlers has been very serious. They have been
forced to leave their homesteads, their fields, and
outlying farms, and to take refuge in the fortified
towns, so that great hindrances are placed by this
war in the progress of the thriving colony. It
would be a long and tedious task to enter
upon the numerous causes of the war, and
the mistakes in dealing with the natives, but all
parties must agree in cordially wishing for a speedy
termination of hostilities and the final adjustment
of the old standing grounds of dispute. The mili-
tary news received from New Zealand is of little
moment. Affairs are much the same, and the
Waikato district continues tranquil, so that it is
hoped that though the chiefs have not yet definitively
tendered their submission they have practically
abandoned the struggle. In Taranaki the Maories
still hold possession of a great part of the country,
and the settlers are still unable to resume their
homesteads and their occupations. General CAMERON
is on the spot, and will probably soon try the effect
of active and decisive measures upon them. The
great subject of conversation in the colony is the
change of Ministry. A Government has accepted office
under Mr. WELD, a prominent member of the War
Party. The programme which this gentleman
proposes is certainly vigorous and original. He
complains of the results of the double system of
Government, declares his intention of recommend-
ing the Assembly to request the Home Government
to withdraw the whole of the troops, and leave the
Governor to be guided only by his constitutional
advisers, leaving to these of course the option of
resignation in case of any material difference with
their head. This, it will be seen, is very much in
accordance with the English model, but it is doubt-
ful how far the colonists will be inclined to agree
to the military portion of the scheme. It is all very
well to call out volunteers at a pressing crisis, and
the colonists have responded nobly to the call, but
it is questionable whether the prisoners or the popu-
lation of the colony are equal to the maintenance
of a standing army. There are not idl e
hands enough in a young and poor settle-
ment to provide sufficient recruits at a very
low rate ; but it remains to be seen how far the
Colonial Legislature will accept the new theory,
which may in some respects be adapted to their re-
quirements.

From Japan we learn that affairs are still
doubtful, though European remonstrances are
no longer disregarded. Two Japanese have been
executed for the barbarous murder of the two Eng-
lish officers ; but an unsatisfactory appendage to
this story is the news of a fresh murder—this time
of two Frenchmen at Yokohama. The men appear
to have been intoxicated, and got mixed up in a
riot, which, of course, in some degree palliates the
crime, or would do so in any other country but, in
Japan, the recurrence of these assassinations tends
to increase the feelings of insecurity among the
European residents. Both among the Daimios
and the common people there is evidently a
strong, hostile feeling against Europeans,
whether from prejudices of religion, or
from the long-established custom of excluding
foreigners from the Empire-is uncertain. Whether
it will die out by the association with the western
strangers, or whether the great princes and the
priests are fostering it for their own ends must be
proved by further experience, but the European
Powers had need to keep a jealous guard over the
lives of their subjects. A little more precaution on
the part of the victims would often avoid risk, but
in these cases habitual danger seems to produce
recklessness.

From India there is nothing special to be learned
by the present summary of news. The Secretary of
State, when questioned last night by Lord STANLEY, I
promised a detailed account of the Bhootan expedi-
tion to be shortly laid before the House, so that
we shall before long have the official report of
another of the many small wars which it is our
Pacific Government's good pleasure to carry
on in out-of-the-way places. The departure
of Mr. MASSEY for India, which is to take place
in a few days, contradicts the report that Sir
CHARLES TREVELYAN was to have no successor
as Finance Minister. The office is a responsible
one, and is certainly no sinecure, since day by
day the Indian revenue increases in importance,
and has not yet reached the assured condition
and regular system of administration of the Home
Exchequer. New principles remain to be tried,
old errors to be abolished, in connection with the
administration of our Indian finances. Mr. MASSEY
does not, we believe, belong to the school of the
bullionists who produced the Act of 1844, and is
not fettered by the traditions of a worn-out and
contracted system of monetary policy. He will be,
therefore, more likely to meet the
wants of India in a free and enlarged spirit,
commercial
since his opportunity is a great one.
He
must, we should hope, be aware of the
advantages offered to commerce, and the stimulus
given to trade of every kind by a modified paper
currency on limited liability principles. If he should
have the foresight and courage to introduce this he
will relieve the Calcutta merchants from the pres-
sure which they have lately felt, and to which they
will become more and more liable as the commerce
of India extends. There are many reasons why a
always advantageous under proper
restrictions, should
s,cshould be especially advantageous to
India. Immense sums of money are now coming
into native hands in return for cotton,anHdintdhoeosse
sums are being put to little profit. The
either bury it in the earth after immemorial custom,
or melt it into ornaments, to neither of which pur-
poses could they put a bank note. They would
thereforeofbleaylm.ngore likely to spend the money to their
Own profit and to the general advantage of the country
instead
be easily
the silver currency,
it idly by, and the money could
carried from place to place. The great
argument,
entirelywhich aonfew
something like
ein its favour is the deficiency of
instead of resting
circrrhulaeteprpoaper r months back pro-
duceda
panic. How much wiser,
would it be to a metallic currrency,
rupees under Govern-
ment authority.
then be relieved of a terrible drag, ds of the country would
the extension of
dhe fear of a sadden collapse
Icvoomulmderbceeunwcohuelcdkepdrobcyeet
cluesti. a cannot be .
safety, and trade
in the money market, The