Bismarck's. A project of law is before the Federal Parliament which will not only raise the import. duties on a vast number of articles not manufactured in Switzerland, but also...

A REVOLUTION has, as we believe, occurred in Afghanistan. For some days a rumour of the Ameer's flight to Turkestan has been prevalent, and on December 20th, Sir S. Browne, who...

at the same time not denied, by the Russian Press, that Shere Ali and his family accompanied the Russian Mission on its journey towards Tashkend. It seems certain that the...

many disciples of commercial " reciprocity " whom the reckless- ness belonging to a declining state of trade, and the natural ag- gressiveness of human nature, have recently...

case.

the weather, which, throughout Europe, has been unusually severe. From Hamburg to Moscow the whole plain of Central and Eastern Europe was, in the early part of the week, one...

work of the Eastern column may be considered closed. No further advance is expected before the spring, and the General, with good cantonments for his troops, has now only to...

at a grand banquet by the commercial travellers of France, and made a remarkable speech. He declared that the era of fear was over, and that the Republican majority in the...

know- ledge of the subject, warns iron-musters that they may yet be subjected to another severe blow. The substitution of steel for iron rails caused them their first...

the intention of resigning his See which public rumour had ascribed to him. Though we think one or two of his public actions unfortunate,— and especially his warm support of the...

siderable majority for the Liberal candidate, Sir Thomas MacLure, was rather a Conservative than a Liberal success, insomuch as the Liberal majority was very much less than at...

gives a most striking picture of the minute in- ventiveness to which the Americans owe their frequent ability to compete successfully with England, in spite of a most unwise...

present Ministry can be held responsible for the present distress ; or whether it is due to causes which were in existence five years ago, before the present Administration...

that Trustees holding shares in the City of Glasgow Bank on be- half of their wards were as responsible as shareholders,—that is, were liable for calls to the last shilling, not...

the German system of roughing horses is better in the following respect than the English ; namely, that the studs used to prevent the horse from slipping are made so as to screw...

of birds which usually winter in countries far north of us, is, we think, with the Rev. F. 0. Morris, himself a great observer of the habits of birds, generally a mistake. What...

privileges to the South Bulgarians. A chapter on The Rights of Citizens," drawn up by M. de Ring, and accepted by the Commission, concedes personal liberties as extensive as...

of the Middle Temple, Director of Navy Contracts, has been nominated to the post of British Commissioner of the ceded Daira lands in Egypt. Though we remain as doubtful as ever...

completed a fortnight ago their second and final revision. The Company have held 85 Sessions, and have spent 337 days on the work, having commenced in June, 1870. The total...

North Nor- folk, and the election there will probably be a most important test of county opinion. At the last contest, in 1876, Sir T. F. Buxton was only beaten by a vote of...

the proprietor of the Standard, distributes personalty sworn under /500,000, besides, it may be presumed, some real property. Mr. Johnstone had other sources of income, but much...

Cinderella, of which from our youth upwards we never questioned the authen- ticity, though well aware that no one who was not a protigle of fairies would think of dancing in...

the British Government, if they are going to retain the island, to buy the sovereignty from the Sultan. He says the £100,000 to be paid to the Ottoman Government is the "lion's...

THE REVOLUTION IN AFGHANISTAN. T HE only fact quite certain as yet is that Shere Ali has fled from his capital, with his harem and a few soldiers, and has sought refuge "in...

N O Parliamentary system of government except our own exists, we believe, in the world, the extreme period of which is so long as seven years. The American House of...

Houses in Victoria has naturally come to nothing. A Second Chamber will often sacrifice particular measures, or waive its pretensions on a particular occasion, in order to stave...

111111RINCE BISMARCK'S plans for restoring a Protectionist 1 tariff to Germany, and the Swiss project for a like policy in relation - to Switzerland, are among the most...

O NE thing unexpected comes out in this long depression of Trade. The old economists did not allow enough for the friction which impedes the flow of capital into new channels....

world at this Christmas-time is unmistakably unrest. But two great countries may be pronounced fairly happy, and they are both Republics. The people of the United States are...

TT is a mere common-place to say that the world is quick to 1. forget. Of course it is true, so true, that if we could be tired of repeating common - places, one would think we...

W E are fortunate not only in being able to correct the erroneous impression made by our article, published on September 28th, on the death of the late Mr. Bidder, as to the...

T HERE is a very respectable class of people in this country which, in a winter like this, gets somewhat less sympathy or consideration than it deserves. We mean the people of...

(BY A FOGEY.) T WONDER whether there are many fogeys who were as much 1 moved as I was by the announcement the other day of the death of W. H. Payne, the last true Mime, so far...

THE LATE MR. G. P. BIDDER. [TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.] SIR,-I annex some extracts from letters received from Mr. James Elliot, of Goldielands, near Hawick, lately...

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE .SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Mr. Freeman, in a letter which appeared in the Daily News of Saturday last, expresses much surprise that the words "Perish India!" are...

SIR,—At the end of the present month the tragedy of Hamlet will be revived at the Lyceum Theatre ; and it is evidently ex- pected that the revival will have a "ran." This...

THE ART OF EUROPE.—V. (ENGLAND—Concluded.) IN my last article, my chief object was to suggest the reason of some of the most marked merits of the English School of painting, and...

OLD AND NEW. WHERE are they hidden, all the vanished years ? Ali, who can say ? Where is the laughter flown to, and the tears ? Perished ? Ah, nay ! Beauty and strength are...

LIGHT lingers—but the world is cold— The mists along the river slowly creep, The dull trees, heavy with their weight of sleep, Their leaves around them closely fold. Fast falls...

Thinking the wide world I would wander o'er In quest of love,—love that should have the power To fill my heart with all-embracing sway. In every street I sought love day by day...

FREE-TRADE AND PROTECTION.* THE United Kingdom has now enjoyed the benefits of Free-trade for more than thirty years. During that period the wealth of the country has increased...

OF the many peculiarities of the Japanese, there is none which is more prominently marked, and which sooner attracts the notice of the casual visitor, than their treatment of...

we cannot call it, without qualification, a good one. Its charm seems to be con- nected with the personality of the anonymous author. A certain aroma of modesty, sincerity, mild...

Bautevillo. London: Sampson Low and Co. A TRANSLATION FROM LUCIEN BIART.* LUCIEN BIAIIT is a delightful writer, not well enough known in England. His stories of Mexican life are...

ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, Erc. The Dore" Gift-Book of Illustrations to Tennyson's "Idylls of the King." With introductory notice of the Arthurian Legends. (Moxon and Co.)—M. Dores...

full of interest and value, that there is compressed within its hundred and fifty pages a truly marvellous amount of Homeric lore, all our readers will easily believe. No...

of Adolfo Belot. By H. Mainwaring Dunstan. (Remington and Co.)—There is no uncommon merit in this story to demand its translation into English, at all events to warrant its...

tional Law, edited by Sir Sherston Baker, Bart. (C. Kegan Paul.) The first edition was published in 18G1 ; since that date, many things have occurred to furnish precedents, and...

Mrs. Alcott's liveliest and most humorous tales. The adventures of Sanchcr are delightful, and admirably told.

contains, as usual, besides the "Almanac" proper, the calendar, lists of Parliaments, tables, 8te., a "Companion to the Almanac, or Year-book of General Information," in which...

taste, and the latter has the advantage of being quarterly diaries, renewed each quarter, so as to allow more room than the diaries of the whole year can do.

by the Rev. Edward Massie, M.A. (The Clarendon Press, Oxford.)— A notice informs us that the object of the present translation is to make this play as useful as possible to...

M.A. "Home. Library." (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.)—Little more need be said of this new Life of Savonarola than that it has been carefully compiled, is written...

(Ridgway.)—Mr. Tayler accumulates here the testimony which has been borne to the wisdom and justice of his conduct at Patna during the Sepoy war, conduct for which he has been...

Co.)—This little volume contains some entertaining little essays of a humorous kind, almost peculiar to Transatlantic writers. We cannot define the humour, or describe it,...

William Humphrey, Priest of the Society of Jesus. (Burns and Oaths.)— This is a scholarly and carefully-written book, and will be found inter- esting by those who wish to learn...