New-York tribune., 1882-12-31
TIE YEAR.

The year which closes to-day has been pros
porous the world over Nowhere has Nature
stintcd her bounty to man, and with II pro-
portionate distribution of her faTOrs, nations
have prOfted on terms of closer equality 10y the
producliveness of the soil, the labor of human
| hands aud the exchanges Of commerce. If
| taxation has been increased in England it Is be-
| cause the responsibilities of empire have
involved expenditures which prudent Chan
| cellor of the EXchequer insisted upon meeting as
| thoy arose. If the surplus III the French Treas
| ury has DIV indlcd it is because the Legislative
Assemblies with the reckcssness Characteristic
Of dcmocracles have heaped up the National ex-
| pendituIes If the great empires Of the Con-
| tinent remain impoverished it is because their
resources are drained for the support Of vast
standing armies. Where human legislation and
military rule have not suffered the advantages
of highly favorable seasOn of industry to go
to waste, the revenues Of governments and the
wealth Of nations have been largely increased
The financial condition of Italy, the Youngest
Of the great States has steadily improved until
an actual surplus of revenue has been created
and the issues of forced currency have been
provided for: and even in stagnlut Spain
well-adviSed conversion of the floating indcbt-
edncss has brought relief to the Treasury. IN
the United states the reduction Of the UUbic
debt has steadily gone on the enormous sur
Plus of revenue, after tempting Congress 10
sanction a disrcputablc iog-roiiiug scheme OF
internal Improvements, has made the revision
nf the tar.tt and the reduction Of taxes irlpcr-
atiye issues; and the prosperity Of the country
as eymceI by the development OF i,s lnanuiac-
tunes. the ctoiInous bull, OF its foreign trade
and an extraordinary increase Of immigration,
has become tie marvel OF the modern world.
i prosperous ycaI t has been, and tranquil
and Ie~ilEl withal. Wars, rcyots, a,,assina-
tious and social revolutions there have been,
hut the tendencies of the times have been pro-
fouudly pacific The Egyptian campaign was
soon ended when it had once been fairly begun,
aud notwithstanding the wanton destruction of
Alexandria, the dawn Of a better day is lighting
mp the valley of the Nile, for Jnglani's ascend
ancy IS al assurance of sG0d government, per-
mauent peace and industrial development
That such campaign could have been fouch;
without involving continental war is an iiTef-
utable proof of the pacific temper of the Europe
OF to-day. Despite the signs Of mutual suspi-
clon evoked now by the indIscretions of a SkO.
belief and again by the mysterious mission of
the Russian Foreign Minister ana by rumors of
railway construction on the from
tiers, the relations of the great military en-
pires remain unclouded. The Austrian Emperor !
King, pIOiting by the warning Of the revolt !
in Dalmatia and the herzegovina, is governing |
more prudently and showing more tact and dis
cretiUn in dealing with the races OF his com
posite empire as well as with the southern Slavs |
and their allies in the Balkan Peninsula. In
Ireland, too, there ID return of reason With
the reign of public law. The social re egolution