that the Swedish government has not quite abandoned its project of annexing Spitzbergen, for its ambassador at St. Petersburg, M. Björnstjerna, has again raised the question in a letter addressed to the Journal de St. Petersbourg, and the publication of this letter by the semi-official organ of the Russian foreign office is regarded as a sign that Prince Gortschakoff has not yet made up his mind on the subject. M. Björnstjerna points out, in addition to the arguments in his first letter, that in 1808 the maps of the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg represented Spitzbergen as Norwegian territory, and that the name of Grulanda or Gralant, which is stated by Russian journalists to be the old Russian name of the archipelago, is merely a corruption of the Germano-Scandinavian word Grönland, which was given to Spitzbergen by its first discoverers (Barents in 1596 and Hudson in 1607) who mistook it for part of Greenland. From this M. Björnstjerna infers that the Russians could not have discovered Spitzbergen, as they only knew it by a foreign name. If colonization is to be regarded as giving a right to the possession of the territory, the Dutch, English and Hamburghers would have a better claim to it than Russia. On the other hand, the Exchange Gazette of St. Petersburg and the journal of the same name which is published at Moscow say there are upwards of twenty ukases of Peter the Great and Catherine II. in which Spitzbergen is mentioned as a Russian territory, and appeal to the opinion expressed in 1866 by Mr. Campbell, the United States ambassa lor at Stockholm, in support of their statement that the frontier between Russia and Norway is " unnatural and offensive to Russian national feeling."

AMERICAN NEUTRALITY IN THE GERMAN SWEDEN AND SPITZBERGEN - It would seem WAR.- Herr Wachenhusen points out in the Cologne Gazette that Prince Bismarck could easily have rendered Gambetta's levée en masse during the late war innocuous "if he had thought it worth while, or (which also is not improbable) if Prussian thriftiness had been able to put its hand in its pocket." Mr. Remington, the principal agent for the purchase of arms employed by the Tours government, ordered, says Herr Wachenhusen. 350,000 rifles and about 75,000,000 cartridges in America for the use of the new French army of the republic. These arms were purchased partly from private firms, partly from the United States government, which, "in order to preserve a show of neutral ity," sold arms "to American citizens without inquiring about their destination, although neither the government nor any one else in New York had any doubts on the subject, and the arms were at once shipped direct for France under their eyes." The arms were to be sold by auction, but the sale was postponed for a fortnight at the request of Herr von Gerolt, the German ambassador, who telegraphed to Prince Bismarck for authority to pay the necessary deposit of 20 per cent., which would suffice to shut up for a time the source on which Gambetta relied for arming his new troops. "The prince's reply arrived on the 18th of October, the day fixed for the sale. Bismarck wrote that it was a matter of indifference to him who bought the arms and where they went to, and he did not consider the conduct of the American government a violation of neutrality. . . Two days after all the arms were shipped for France. If the German chancellor did not care where they went to, why should the American government?... Remington afterwards sold to France during the war 100 batteries fully provided with ammunition, &c., and his manufactory is now delivering to the French government 1200 rifles a day, as his contract does not expire till next September. With these A CLIMBING FERN.— This plant (Lygodium weapons Gambetta armed the northern, western and southern armies. On the Loire the palmatum) exists and flourishes in its wild arms we found were almost exclusively Ameri- state within the borders of "old Essex," U.S. can, and the first batteries of breech-loaders The writer in the "American Naturalist" diswhich General d'Aurelle de Paladines brought covered this rare and attractive plant in 1869, up against us at Coulmiers were probably from while exploring "Lynn Woods," in the vicinRemington's works. . . . The American arms ity of the famous " Penny Bridge." The localhave not saved France, but if the German chan-ity of its haunt is within the limits of Saugus, cellor had paid the deposit of 20 per cent., Gambetta would hardly have been able to arm new troops in addition to the army of the Loire, which, moreover, would itself not have been ready." Herr Wachenhusen adds that Prince Bismarck evidently foresaw, when he determined not to stop the supply of these arms to France, that he would get them cheaper on the Loire than in America. a calculation which will hardly be appreciated by the wives and children of the German soldiers who perished in the sanguinary battles round Orleans.

and not far from that romantic spot known as
the Pirates' Glen. Specimens have been ob-
tained having a stalk or "vine" nearly four
"As the climbing fern is one
feet in length.
of the most rare, graceful, and attractive plants
found in this country, it is a matter of satis-
faction to know that we have it growing in our
Woodland valleys." This fern has been found,
though rarely, in Florida, Kentucky, and
Massachusetts. In Virginia it is often seen,
and it has been found in several other localities.

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From Blackwood's Magazine.

THE FINANCIAL CONDITION OF FRANCE.

newspapers of January and February will show how deep and general doubt then

THE events of the last twelve months was, and will give the exact measure of placed France in a position of financial the change which has taken place in the difficulty of so varied and complicated a interval. The confidence which has now nature, that the impression produced sprung up, the expectation that France amongst a large number of the lookers-on will not only be able to pay with relative was that she might possibly be unable to ease its debt to Prussia, but that it will rally from so tremendous a blow. Not speedily recoup all the money losses conseonly was her prestige destroyed as the first quent upon the war and the Communist military Power, but it appeared to many insurrection, are, however, sentiments people, even to those who regarded her rather than convictions; they are feelings with real sympathy, that her material ruin provoked by reaction and surprise rather was complete, and that she might collapse than deductions resulting from an examinunder it. The disaster looked so vast, ation of the facts. They are much nearer the burden so crushing, that the most the truth than were the previous ideas of hopeful were constrained to admit that coming ruin; but, amongst the great malong years must pass before she could jority of the public they are not founded fill up the hole which had been dug by on any solid knowledge of the details of her defeat. And yet these forebodings, the case, and if political difficulties again which may have seemed quite reasonable occurred in France, these impressions and natural to persons who have not would perhaps yield their place to renewed studied the resources of France, have fears, as exaggerated and as groundless as faded 'out of sight during the last few those which have just disappeared. A weeks. The astonishing success of the continued series of revolutions would neloan, and the energetic revival of work cessarily delay material recovery, and and trade, have suddenly led Europe to would produce a degree of exhaustion suspect either that France is less hurt than which would render that recovery far more was imagined, or that her recuperative laborious than it is likely to be as things powers are infinitely greater than any one stand now; but, ultimately, the reconstihad supposed. The notion that she is tutive power which the country possesses ruined beyond redemption has vanished in so extraordinary a degree would infalutterly; even the impression that she will libly produce its result, the difference beneed much time to heal her wounds is dis- ing that the process would in that case be appearing; the feeling generally prevalent slow and difficult, instead of being rapid now is, that her complete recovery is cer- and relatively easy. The subject is of tain, and will probably be very rapid. deep interest to England: our relations Hostile critics and desponding friends with France are so intimate and varied — may have really believed that a great the consequences to us of any ruin across country great in agriculture, in manu- the Channel would be so serious in a factures, and in tradea country of money sense, and so keenly felt politically thirty-eight millions of people could be and socially—that It is worth our while entirely ruined by seven months of unsuc- to closely examine the financial situation ce sful war; but though the circumstances of France, and to try to form a definite were grave, and provoked legitimate anx- opinion for ourselves as to the future prosiety as to the means which France could pects which that situation seems to render employ to repair her losses, they never probable. Finance is a dry study, but, justified the fears of almost total destruction which were so current during the early part of the year. The revulsion of opinion is now so thorough that many people will probably be unable to recognize that they ever entertained a doubt on the subject; but a reference to the

in the question before us, it is the only basis on which discussion can rest; and as it will lead us to encouraging results, we shall find some recompense in them for a little attention to figures and calculations.

Before we look at the present or the future, it is, however, essential to glance

backwards for an instant, in order to see called departmental budget contains an where France was before the war broke entry of £4,187,000 for "repayments and out. Her position at that moment must non-realizations on direct taxes." The renecessarily be taken as our starting-point. sult is that, under these six heads, the The budget of 1870, which gives the latest budget is fictitiously swollen to the extent information on the subject, was, like its of £10,743,000. This way of calculating predecessors during the later years of the may be entirely correct according to the Empire, divided into three parts. The laws of book-keeping, which may require ordinary budget showed an expenditure that the amounts in question should be of £66,039,000; the extraordinary budget passed through both receipts and payamounted to £4,976,000; while what is ments; but in fact those sums form no generally called the departmental budget part of the income or the expenditure of added a further sum of £11,212,000. The the country, which, for 1870, were estiwhole outlay of the country for 1870 ap- mated to reach £71,481,000, and no more. peared therefore to reach £82,224,000; In order to be able to appreciate the presbut this figure is illusory: the real sum ent position, and to judge the probable was considerably less. The cost of work-value and effect of the new ways and ing the post-office, the telegraph, the State means proposed for the future, it is indisforests, and the tobacco and gunpowder pensable to indicate the composition of the monopolies, is included in the total for revenue which produced this total. It £6,556,000, while the gross products of was as follows, grouping together the elethese five items are counted as receipts on ments of the three sections of the the other side of the account. The so-budget: