The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-31 00:00:00

THE ABYSSINIAN INQUIRY.

The select committee of the House of Commons charged
with the inquiry into the causes of the expenditure in con-
nection with the Abyssinian war met again on Friday,
Mr. Candlish presiding.
Mr. Dundas said he considered that it would have been
highly inexpedient to have entered into any competing
contracts after the Government had empowered
the Peninsular and Oriental Company to supply
them with coals for the purposes of the expedi-
tion. The Peninsular and Oriental Companies had
at that time a considerable amount of coal on the way to
their depot in the East, and this they placed at the disposal
of the Government, undertaking to get other supplies for
their own use. The coal thus obtained was of more use,
therefore, to the Government than any coal which could
then have been obtained in England, at whatever
price which had been offered, because such
supplies could not have been available in time.
ft was part of the arrangement with the company
that they should fill up their own stores with
coal, so that the Government could demand from them
what supplies they subsequently required. If the
Government had found it unnecessary to make
any great demand upon them, these coals would hare
remained the property of the company, and
no doubt some terms would have been settled for
compensating the company for any extra expense. Sup-
posingthe Government bad entered into a contract with a
private individual to send nut a quantity of coal and the
expedition had not taken place, it would have occasioned
a serious loss to the Government. Witness did not
remember any tenders from other persons for the supply
of coals until after the expedition had actually com-
menced. Then speculators were of course desirous
to compete. If the Government had let in a con.
tractor at a later period, say in December or January,
to compete with the Peninsular and Oriental Company,
he considered that it would have been not only most
unjust, but would have constituted a . very sufficient
amount of claim upon the Government by the Peninsular
and Oriental Company for reimbursement of expenses.
At the conclusion of the evidence the room was ordered
to be cleared, the chairman announcing that the com-
mittee would take no further evidence that day-, and
probably no more this session.

It is announced in the Gazette that the honour
of knighthood has been conferred upon Mr. James Cockle,
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland.
The journey from London to Edinburgh, a dis-
tance of nearly 400 miles, has been accomplished on a
bicycle by a Mr. Klamroth in six days.
AMERICAN VIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL
BOAT PACE.—Wilkes'B Spirit of the Times reproves the
American writers who take it as a foregone conclusion
that the International Boat Race will be won by Oxford.
"good oarsmen as the Oxford crew will no doubt be,
there are just as good men elsewhere. The ques-
tion is whether we have got them in this Harvard
crew, It is not at all likely that steam-
boats or other craft will wilfully impede the Harvard
men, and as to accidents from steamers or barges, the
Oxford boat will be just as much exposed to them as our
own boat. But our writers seem to think that the
shouts of the betting-men will have a great effect. Now,
if the Harvard crew is going to he paralysed by being
shouted at they are not the men we take them for. Then
come considerations about the style of rowing. We are
reminded of the `rapid style of Harvard.' Well, we heard
a good deal about the rapid style of Hamill, but the less
rapid stroke of Kelley outrowed him from the start.
We are pretty well convinced that much of what is
called ' style ' in rowing is a good deal more calculated
for shew than use. Every year when the Oxford cres,s
appear in the London waters the amateurs and critics sny
that that their style is bad, but In the races they manage to
get home first. Again, according to the critics, the
' style ' of the boatmen of St. John's is about the worst in
the world, but for all that they won in the International
Race in France, and .rowed clean away from the Wards
at Boston. Therefore, we would advise the Harvard
crew to put no trust in what they hear about style, but
instead of leaning upon such a reed, leave nothing undone
to attain good condition, which will prov9staff of
iltrenzthAd -