The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-24 00:00:00

THE COLONIES.

The Social Science Association has again had the
knotty point of the colonies under consideration;
Mr. Hastings, the president of the jurisprudence
department, read a paper the other evening on this
subject, in which he pointed out that England, on
her side, had much to complain of in the conduct of
the colonial legislatures. The principle of self-
government had been carried to an extreme point in
imposing protective duties on English goods,
and in passing laws at variance with treaties
entered into by the Imperial Government,
and measures sanctioned by the Imperial Legislature.
Nevertheless, these grievances could not be accounted
an excuse for Britain failing in her duty to the
dependencies, and especially for refusing to send aid
to the New Zealand colonists. Mr. Hastings approved
of the proposal that there should be a council of dele-
gates from the various settlements, to be consulted by
the Colonial Secretary. Several gentlemen from
Australia expressed the belief that a crisis in the
aifairs 'of the British Empire is at hand. The Impe-
rial G avernnaent must either prevail, and be a Govern-
ment, in the fullest sense of the word, or the colonies
wol dd become independent.

TILE LATE ELECTIONS IN MASSACHUSETTS AND

PROHIBITION.

Mr. Dawson, of the United Kingdom Alliance,
linsists, in aletter to the Telegraph, that tco much stress
must not be laid upon thit defeat of the Prohibitive
Liquor party in the State of Massachusetts. He
attributes the present seeming defeat of the for-
merly triumphant principles to party intrigues
and nianceuvres. The popular feeling, ho thinks,
has been sacrificed to local partisanship. But in any
case (he points out) the lesson is not one—as some
would have it—which should teach the United
Kingdom Alliance to give over their work.
The defeat in Massachusetts is a vin-
dication, and not a condemnation, of the
policy of the Alliance; for that policy is to permit
prohibition to be legalised where a largely preponde-
rating local sentiment desires it ; and there is, clearly,
nothing in the example of Massachusetts to throw
discredit upon this line of action. "The error there, if
.s&Alaor iLoxoyed. must hayo botakillAtUailuthlz to

force prohibition on unwilling districts—a atm or
things impossible under a Permissive Prohibitory
Act."

THE LAST ESCAPADE IN SPAIN.

There is now no doubt whatever that the infor-
mation given by the Times is correct, and that the
candidature of the Duke of Genoa bas collapsed
utterly. The leading journal affirmed that the Duke
and his family were positively and irrevocably
determined to refuse the crown of Spain, even if it
were offered to the young prince. Some of the
!Madrid journals impugned the accuracy of
this statement ; but now the Marquis Rapallo,
the step-father of the Duke of Genoa, himself writes
to say that the announcement of the Times is quite
correct. Thus the case against Marshal Prim and the
Progressist party is clear. They put forward the
candidature of the Duke, and brought the country to
the verge of civil war, without taking the trouble to
learn whether the crown would be accepted.

FOREIGN' NOTES.

TDB INXIII.ECTION IN DALMATIA.

The Arcr:li-Easi C rmspondence publi h s a despatch from
Vienna, dated the fast, from which it appears that the
Austrian troop; have suffered a serious repulse in
Dalmatia. They had teen forced to retreat
after a sanguinary conflict near Velkaz.sgvoz,lak,
in which they suffered considerable less. News
frcm Trieste a day later states that the Al stri 11. s were
vainly endeavouring to turn the position of the insurgent-,
but, after several att m;-)ts, had been unable to carry the
defiles leading to the plateau of Dmgali. The Pre.4;e of
Vienna confirms this statement, and adds that the
Austrians lost several officers. Another Vie: nese
journal, the Neu Frenulenblatt publishes a curious letter
from Cattaro. According to this document the inhabi-
tants of Maine, Braitsch, and Polony were disposed
to make their submission some time since, had not
one of their chiefs, named Niko Zcc, received a letter
hem the secretary of the Prince of Mentenegre, in which
ho advised them to defend themselves as long as their
forces would enable them to do so. "At the worst,' said
the Montenegrin letter, "our frontiers are open to you,
and we will make common cause with you, sharing
your pains and your pleasures. Our part shall
be your part, our fortune your fortune." "Do
net think." adds the writer, " that I speak to
you thus on my own authority. It is Prince
Nicholas who has directed me to write this letter, which
is approved by M. Bozo, president of the Montenegrin
Senate." This letter decided the inhabitants of Zuppa to
prolong their resistance, and gave fresh strength to the
insurrection. It must be remembered, however, that the
Neu Frenufenblatt gives no authority for this extraordi-
nary statement, which it simply publishes as from a cor
respondent at Cattaro.