, 1888-01-04

j. i riatia1strt u. 5ruiz
Wednesday 4th Jan. 1888,

In entering upon a new reach of the
river Of time it is not in human nature, or
at least not in ordinary human nature, to
refrain from speculation Of some sort as to
what the navigation has in store for us.
Unless WeNare drifting down the stream
like the senseless logs which the Canadian
W6bdmai pushes into the upper waters to
h6atiR the SidH0th %strealn, grind over the
SWALLOWS or 7ARhGe down the cataractS, all
titHh t9nalo iiidifference, WE cannot help
f00fEiN If0r Rafd and trying to form some
forecast OF the probable obstacles and dan
gers, helps and safeguards, which the
varying features of the new reach may
present, and considering how far we may
be able to avoid the former, and make use
Of the latter. Each individual in his own
particular line Of progress meets his own
difficulties and his own aids, and must do
the best he can "tO paddle his own canop.'
1t is only more general views which can
be taken in q newspaper article, and it
must be admitted that even such cannot
be otherwise than uncertain and misty.
Even if we cOnfiue ourselves to the ppcu-
MARY prospects of our little colony for the
present year., prospects which are mainly
dependent on two factors, the weather aud
the sugar prices, we find at once that the
first factor is an entilely unknown quaint.
ty. What so tickle as the weathrr2 Only
n few weeks back when we were expecting
it to continue dry, down came the rain in
torrents. Earlier in the year a drought Of
eight or ten weeks reused a general fear
that a year Of the type Of the earlier sew
entities WAS upon us, but this fear was
quickly aisSipated 10y the favourable wealth
er OF May. Certainly the West Indies
have had tor-Ae last ten years a run of
favourable w6aNhtr. such as not occurred
within memory but from this we can
neither infer With some that the seasons a.e
permanently improved, nor with Others that
arVTHYttIEuSt be soon expected. In this re-
gard the future Is a mere blank, and Specu-
latiOn is useless. The other factor seems TO
be clearer, prices are steadily rising, and
though it is possible, and nor unlikely, that
some reaction may take place, it is hardly
likely that the present year will see a re.
turn to anything like the low prices of the
last two. When we extend our view from
local matters to the great world outside
we find little safe ground for prophesying.
Themen who are at The great centres Of ac-
tiOn in Europe appear to nave no clear idea
of what sort of contribution to history the
present year Will make. Rum0urs of war
fill the air, and the only cOnSOling fact is
that they have hIled 1t all through last
year without having prevented the year
from ending with peace, a phenomenon
which WE may not unreasonabIy hope to
see repeated in the present year. AS to
the stability of civilized society, we have
had abundant proof during the past year
that the hour of triumph for anarchy is as
remote as ever. Not only the frmnrss of
continental governments. but the steady
.44pres9jM ct Irish disorder by Britain
tcnaigo, Ah3pclRsts in the most demo
'fcradc couh'F9tof the world, ought to con
uncetha frielN1S Otorderand liberty that the
bfaEment Of the present age is not likely to
emf, as some may fear, in universal con-
fusion. Certainly We annOt tell what q
day may bring forth, yet We cannot help
thinking that there is no solid ground for
regarding the year which has just begun
with app ebensiOn Locally ourSky is fairly
bright, and further out the dark clouds
which threaten storm may only break in