, 1890-05-07

Rumours are current in Cuidad-Bollvar,
and no doubt in Caracas and throughout
Venezuela, OF an intended descent upon La
Guavra by an armed force, acting IN the
interest and under the direction OF Mr..
Guzman Blanco. It is said that Martin.
;nne is the rendezvous of the enemy, and
that their vessels of war Will start from
that island on the road to conquest. The
Venezuelan Government are quite prepar'
cd for the visit and are said to be keeping
nnremitting watch over the movements OF
Rlanco's deSperadOes. If it be the case that
the. Observation-Disclosures astheV enezuelans
doIigbt.d TO call him when he was their pre-
sident.their tyrant, and their god, is cOntem-
natiup q return to Caracas to re-erecC the
statues of himself which the tickle and
unprateful multitude have cast from their
pedestals, the motive for his action may
he looked for in the insulting and exasper-
atinp epithets heaped upon him, by the
new president during temporary delIrlnm,
on the dav of his installation some three
months ago. BlaDcO was accused OF deceit,
theft. cowardice, brutality, murder; his
name was uttered with snlphureOus execra-
lions: and the people whom he had ruIed
with frmness and discretion, and with as
much honesty as can ever be looked Tor IN
an Office with such magnificent opportun-
flies. were adiured to hold the recOllectlOns OF
his presidency in detestatlon, and Blanco
himself as a black hearted traitor ana
villain, whose career darkened the annals
of their noble country. To have ruled such
an unruly people as the Nenezuelans are,
as he succeeded in ruling them, Is evidence
of the possession OF a maSteItuI, determln-
ed and courageous spirit, such as could not
be contained in a man who would not long
to ayenge the outrage to winch we nave
referred. There is no excuse to oe i0und
for the pratuitous attack which the new
president made upon his predecessor,
and If warfare should be the result Of
it. the Vene2uelans, az soon as they nave
disno.ed of the invaders, should call their
nrpsident to a solemn reckoning for the
attendant loss of lie. If the invaders
shonId DISPOSE Of the present men in pos.
session. Blanco's reckoning with the heW
president will be short and hnal.-I69d.
The British public has come to prefer
beers of a light character TO the more potent
dpcoctions which they formerly favOured,
with the result that the average strength
Of malt liquor throughout these islands is
now tan ner cent. less than 1t WAS ten years
400. This change of taste has probably
contributed in no iuCOnSiderable degree to
+ba AMMUNITION of drunkenness which has
heen a hopeful feature of our criminal sta
tistics within that period, and which how
ever untavourably it may affect the Excise
retnrns-must be welcomed by the nation
at large as q healthy symptom OF popular
nropress and civilization. Temperate
habits. we rejoice to say, are steadily gam.
mo ground in this country, to che manifest
Improvement of the working classes
health and comfort, as well as to the growth
If their savings. Eng1iShmen are rapidly
occustoming themselves to beers that
,,cheer but not inebriate": that assuage
refreshingl,, without muddling the intel
Iect or inflaming the temper. Not only in
London, but in the great provincial cities
of the United Kingdom, thereG is a great
and growing demand for the lighter brewS
of North and South Germany ,NetherAuslria,
Bohemia, and Moravia, several varieties of
which are successfully inflated by English
brewers established in the neighbourhOod
of this Metropolis. From the German and
Austrian standpoint beer should contain
so little alcohol as TO be susceptible OF con-
snmption in vast quantities without super
inducing int~oxication above all, it should
be wholesome and cheap. These conditions
are all realised by the majority of German
heers. S~chwechater, Maerzen, Vienna
Lager. Pilsener and BrunDer, ordinary
Bairissh, and Erlanger are thin, sparkling
beverages, tOlerably we'll known to London