, 1893-02-08
Spectator. 7th Jan.

No facts at once new and authentic have
been published this week about Panama %affiiis,
al engaged III the TWO prosecutions and the
inquiry waiting the reopenlng Of the Assem-
bly, on January 10th to state what they have
discovered. The Investigating Judge, NJ.
rranqueville, has, however, been diligently
er~oSs-examiuing the prisoners, and, it is be-
leVed. has allved at much evidence which
viii be & adually made public after the date
named. The only new arrest has been that
81 u. Blondin, who is now one of the cashiers
q the Credit Lyonnais, but was formerly in
the employ Of the Panama Company. A lady
vino has recently visited the Canal works,
IN a letter quoted in the y ia Chronicle,
liter describing The ruin now going on-for
instance, the slow decay Of about fifty dred-
gers and steamboats-mentions an iucident
curiously illustrative of NJ. Ferdinand de
Ltsseps' feckitssness of expense. lie once
visited the works, aud doubtless to avoid the
miAsma Of Colon, had a small peninsula ru.
out TO sea IN which to build a house for
the Chairman Of the Company. Such q house
would be as h althy as a ship. bit the PENN
sul' cost a fortune. His theory seems
throughout to have been that he Canal
would succeed in the eud. and that expense
dad not matter. He has ut last, il is reported,
become aware that a judicial inquiry is going
on but at elghty-Seven he is too old to at
tend, or. indeed, to be much disturbed.
The German Democratic Party is endea-
vourlng to get up a Panama Scandal of It's
own. Its organ, he Vor,cdrts, declares that
Prince Bismarck employed the sequestratpd
Income Of the Guelph estates to subsidise no,
only the Press, which has always been al
mItted, but Minis ers. &c lera 5, Members Of
Parliament, and even Judges. The journal
asserts that 1T possesses, or, at all events,
could publish, u hundred receipts from digni-
tarles 50 paid and, though i does not givo
names, describes man. Of them BY illusions
which every ono IN Germany understands.
Iwenty-one of the vouchers are signed by
Members with seats III the P~lussiun as we'll as
tins Imperial Diets. the largest single amount
beng for $4,000, given to b living Parlia-
mantary celebrity. The statement is said to
be dlscredlted in Germany, as all receipts for
money from this Fund. after being lead by
the Emperor, were bnrnt but it is, of course.
conceivable that some persons employed in
the burning saw an opportunity for Jack
mail. There seems to he no doubt that gifts
for past services to men Of eminenco were
made from this money, and may, of course,
have been used to conciliate opponents. Such
use was, however, authorised by statute until
the Guelph family should pledge itself to do
nothing contrary to the interests of the En-
pire; and, so long as the presents came from
the throne. they were not accounted shame
full. Nor were .hey in England in the reign
of George Ill. who used his Hanoverian in
come in much the same way, the Duke of
Newcastle usually acting as Intermediary. The
practice has ceased here, the Secret Service
money being used to buy information but to
this hour, unleea Cabinets are much belied,
honours are given to dissatisfied politicians