The Gazette of last night announces that the Queen has
appointed Sir Henry Barkly to be " Captain-General and Governor-in-chief in and over the colony of Victoria."
The annual dinner of the Northamptonshire Agricultural Society was given at Northampton on Thursday. Among the after-dinner speech- makers were two of the local Members, Mr. Vernon Smith and Mr. Stafford. Mr. Vernon Smith, after fighting the war over again, came to the peace, and spoke rather freely for a Minister. "Ten years ago, if I had had to speak of peace, I should have spoken of it as something likely to be permanent ; but now, as I am afraid, recent events show that that is not likely to be the case. To be forewarned is to be forearmed ; and, although we ought not to keep up a war establishment, we ought to maintain a force such as will be capable of securing our posi- tion and gratifying our dignity. I hope that no such occasion may arrive. I am not here to suppose any approaching danger or calamity, but to say that it would be most unwise in this country to disarm herself through fear of an unjust expenditure of the public money. A cautious Chancellor of the Exchequer and a vigilant House of Commons will guard against that, and it will be better for us to have provided such an army and navy than run the risk of being unprotected."
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