Year: 1879

THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. April.


The contents of this number relate chiefly
% questions OF public and political interest and are per
baps of too exclusively character 10 attract tne
attention Of readers who look for amusement as wen as
instruction in the pages Of periodical Among 'ne
tubects discussed for the most part with lntegenco
and ability ara the "Relations between the Uh'teu
states and Chiua" tho Present Condition OF INC
United States Navy" the Cipher Dispatches
istan" and the Taxation of Municipal Bonds Inc
writer on the navy draws striking parahel between
the crew Of an American manOfwar aud those OF the
English and French Government vessels, not greatly 10
The advantage of the former The class OF men VINO
enlist in the United States service, 1t is sad 90 not
afford the best specimens OF seafarfng people But on
the other hand, the writer maintains they are not
the worst. Their qualities are rather negative than
postiye except the matter Of drunkenness In Whcn
,bev surpass every nation on the globe. AS rule they
ARE An obedient and willing set OF fellows on board sh


but the physical standard is low Every one must DC
struck with this who looks at the English or freneh
and American sailors when the vessels are together
In port. The English or French ship is manned by
crew all English all French. The American shlps
oompany is a vagabond mixture Of all nations. The
English man-of-wars men on shore IN foreign
port arc neat and uniform in their dress Inef
are broad shouldered and deepchested. with nne'
wholesome compilations and bright eyes OF an unmis
takabiy English stamp. You meet them in pairs tax
ing long country walk. see them in the galleries OF
the theatres enjoying the play quietly drinking their
beer and smoking their ppes in the gardens Some OF
them may be little the for liquor, but no great
harm is DONE and In the main Handsome Harry Is
sober quiet, and orderly. The American sailor on
liberty always goes I'm for a drunken spree. Most OF
the men get no further than the nearest groGshop'
unless they are taken TO Jail by the police Inamed by
drink they noisy, quarrelsome, and offensive hans
ing about the wharves, with torn clothes ana Dioouy
faces and may often be seen in the early morning lying
dead drunk in the open air. having been turned out Of
ha-~o all fhriT
proportion that remains sober is very small They nm
ih their deJauch by being arrested and taken aboard
nv the police who get reward for their recovery. The
vice OF drunkenness is Glarng evil among the sailors
there Il hardly individual who is not guilty or IL :
md il is looked upon as a matter of by both
officers and men. The inordnatc love OF rum Is re-
garded throughout the service an essential tralt OF
the sailors 1t is perfectly understood that
liberty on shore license for brutal debauch III
the Gopher Dispatches" Professor Holden presents
mass of curious information in regard TO the first puOc
appearance of the cryptOgram factor u American
politics explaining the character OF the dnerent cooes


made use Of with the methods employed in their inter
pretation work in which the writer took an active part
The history OF the by which the kilograms were
finally brought light Is succnctly related togcther
with full and instructive details OF the METHODS by
which their meaning was discovered. TIE article VIII
reward the attentive study which 1t demands as re


arkable chapter the history OfingeniOus inventions
in an article on the Taxation Of City Bonds,' MI
August Belmont advocates the enactment OF laws en-
abling municipal authorities TO issue bonds that shall
be exempt taxation OF description If this
measure adopted. he argues, new and conserva
tive class would az once present Themselves
who as OF the bonds Of the city IN which they are
taxpayers. would have additional reason for regarding
the general welfare Of their city matter Of personal
interest The exemption demanded would not operate
for the benefit Of class Of individuals or OF particular
locality or of corporations other than municipal, but
on the contrary would be for the interest of the whole
population upon which the tax is now inflicted The
number also contains brief article on the Basque
Legends" by Professor Crane of Cornell University
and paper on Bismarck and the FrancoPrussian
War"