The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-08-01

LoNpoN, June ia great meeting OF Rituzlisss 9
was held Inst night. Or. iinssey aud other csIi-
nent divines were present. Resolution were adopt
ed defending the Irish Church establishment az is
at present stands, and maintaining High Church doc
trine for the Church of England.
1t is now generally understood that the Miaistry
will make AN appeal to the country on the ones
tious at Issue between them and the House OF Corr
mons. The following Is a programme which the
Government has decided on Parliament viii be.
dissolved IL October. Nrits will then be issued
for elections which win take place during Novem-
Der, and on the 9Th of December the meeting of
the new Parliament will take place.
1t would really seem that the aneents did sur
pass their descendants in the perfection of their
arts. \ fire and burglarproof safe, which has
been subjected to a volcanic eruption, has been
discovered in Pompeii, It's contents uuinjured. 1t
very much resembles modern safes.
The Rev. Dr. Punshon, an English clergyman, II
Is reported, has emigrated to the United States for
the purpose OF marrying his deceased wifess sister.
who also leaves England TO become natursIizyi in
that country and when he has married the laSy. tits
asserted he will return to England. This method of
evading the English law is of doubtful validity.
There has very rarely been a great man who
was not accused of being II drunkard. IIsinua-
tons of this kind are rife regarding Dissaeli ; and
If the idea OF total abstinence had been Matched
eighty years ago. we should have had George
Washington handed down to US as a topper. or prob
ably he would be accused of ~chopping down the
cherry tree for the sake of the cherry brandy, as a
child breaks his drum for the music.
Ireland is in an unfortunate condition. Accord
ing TO a London journal, she contains at present
three millions of people less than when the Corn
laws were repealed. Some have persisted by fam
inc. great numbers have gone to England. and a
multitude uneXampled in the history of modern
times have been driven across the ocean. bearing
with them hearts full of bitterness, and, too often,
of resentment against the system of misrule of
which they are the terrible exponentsa and examples.
REIIGIors LIBERTY IN ENGI,ND-FoRoISG PrETY
INFO a PRISoNER--An extraordinary question re-
ceived a more extraordinary answer in the House
N Cornunnp 11St psrhf Taurnr oetal tha LM-l -
Mayo if it was a fact that n prisoner in Mountjoy
prison. who declared himself n Unitarian. was or
dered by the Governor TO select his religion as
Anglican, Roman Catholic or Presbyterian, and,
on his refusal, was sentenced to the penal cell,
with bread and water diet From the Earl's reply
we gather that the statement was substantially
true, but that Taylor had hardly put il with suni-
cient force. 1t seems that the convict in question,
one Murphy, on his admission to the Mountjoy con-
vict prison. declared that he was of no religion.
He was ordered to select one. He refused. He
was then put on penal diet for three days. then re-
ceived for five days into the hospital, and. on his
leaving the hospital, put on the penal diet again.
- and then he selected the Roman Catholic re-
ligion-' What is most charming is that it required
the united zeal. wisdom and discretion of all the
high prison officials working in concert to effect
this marvellous conversion: They went and told
the Director, firstly, that Murphy was unprovided
with a faith. The Director minuied the Governor.
The Governor applied to his superiors for instrnc-
lions. The chief merit in the conversion is its
cheapness it could not have cost much more than
Ave shillings from first to last. But we fear that
the plan of ordering a man to select his religion ia
uusound in principle. although it succeeded SO we'll
on this occasion. 1t is impossible to keep every
variety of faith on tap; and suppose Murphy had
avowed a preference for the doctrines of Buddho,
how would it have been possible for him to go to
meeting London Star, Nay l9h.
European Armies and Finances.
A French statistician has lately published a PAM
phlet on this subject, which is well calculated to
alarm European statesmen and financiers. He
shows by statistics gathered, from official reports.
that the present annual cost OF maintaining the
armies of European States is ELS, 1892, ESQ; the
loss of labor involved is equal to el32, IVA .Sg2; and
the interest on the capital invested in military pre-
parations is ESQ, 440, 900, making a total cost O (
ESQ, 0O0. 600 per year. In consequence of this inn
mense cost of standing armies. every leading ma
ton in Europe, except Great Britain and Prussia,
has an annual deficit in the treasury, varying from
one million to a hundred million pounds sterling.
Neither Great Britain nor Prussia will be an ex-
ception this year, and all alike will add to the ma
tional debt. Russia has had a chronic deficiency
since 1882; and France, since 1851, has nearly
trebled her funded debt. The writer argues that,
il the great Powers of Europe would disarm to the
amount of one-half of their present forces, two
millions of men, the flower of their present popu-
lations, between the ages Of 20 and 25 years, would
at once be restored to peaceful avocations and q
reduction in national expenses be effected to the
amount of more than 320 millions of dollars 1884,
000.000;) which, in forty years, would pay off all
the European national debts, or complete an entire
network of railways throughout the Continent, and
provide for the erection and maintenance Of an
elementary school in every district.
In spite, however, of such alarming figures, and
of general impending bankruptcy, the tendency is
to an increase rather than a reduction of arma-
ments. How long European capitalists may be
willing to make new loans to States tending to
bankruptcy. is becoming a serious question. When
the possibility of borrowing ends, there will be no
other alternative than economy or reputation.
European statesmen may well wonder at the
rapidity with which our American armies of a mil
lion men melted away at the return of peace, re-
suming industrial pursuits, and becoming again
producers instead of consumers. Nor can they
wonder less at the national resources. which, in
two years after such an exhausting war. reduced
the national debt over two hundred millions of
dollars. The rapid increase of productive wealth
in this country. under a normal condition of affairs,
and the freedom from the heavy burdens of a large
standing army, must. of necessity. make the United
States the most powerful nation in the World.
The prospects of all European nations are gloomy;
our own, apart from temporary perplexitics, time
will ultimately work out q remedy. but for the i'm
mediately future, it would be hoping without rea-
son to expect even an approach to our former aver
age prosperity.-N. I. Ship List.