T HE chief political event of th e week is the failure to reach a compromise on the Education Bill, the House of Lords on Wednesday, on the motion of Lord Lansdowne, insisting...

and superficial is even the party gain achieved by Mr. Balfour. Though he appears for the moment to have placed the Government in a tight place, he has in . reality continued to...

follows. In the House of Lords on Wednesday the decks were cleared by the carrying of Lord Lausdowne's amended amendment protesting against the manner in which the Lords'...

that his hopes of a settlement had not been realised. None the less, he was convinced, though reluctantly, that if their reasonable demands were not con- ceded, it was better to...

the House of Lords at a considerable disadvantage in the Constitutional controversy which must now arise between them and the House of Commons. The fact which we have just...

case.

a very difficult task to perform; but it cannot be said that he contrived to defend the action of the House of Lords with any very great success. 'It had frequently, he said,...

Friday week, after lasting for three weeks. After short speeches by M. Hyman and M. Beernaert, the Government capitulated, and an Order of the Day was agreed to by 128 votes to...

Peking correspondent on the progress made with the reform of the Chinese Army. A further step has been taken in the nationalisation of that Army, the Viceroy Yuan-Shih- Kai...

Campbell-Bannerman moved to discharge the Order for the consideration of tbe Lords' reasons for their amendments to the Education Bill,—the Parliamentary form under which a Bill...

long-expected speech on foreign affairs. Dealing first with the Triple Alliance, he declared that it was the basis of Italian policy, and denied the reports of friction with...

Canal gives a full and illustrated account of his trip to Panama, which he purposely undertook in the most rainy season in order that he might see the canal zone at its worst....

before the Institute of Bankers on " Our Gold Reserves." He defined "reserves" as meaning in this sense "such a reserve of gold as would ensure ability to meet without...

approve the grant of Constitutions conferring responsible government upon the people of the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies. In defending the grant to the latter Colony, he...

the House and from the Irish Members, Mr. Sydney Buxton replied on behalf of the Government. He assured the House that while commercial matters had been taken into account, the...

feeling of the House was in favour of inquiry, the Government, on an early day in next Session, would appoint a Committee to consider the Convention, the regulations, and the...

read to the House the Admiralty Minute on the disturbances in the Naval Barracks at Portsmouth. The sentence of five years passed on Stoker Moody has been reduced to three...

of comic opera. Raisuli is afraid of the Sultan's troops, who are afraid of Raisuli ; while the European Powers are pray- ing that nothing may compel them to an intervention,...

the Commons on Tuesday by Sir E. Sassoon, who moved for the appointment of a Select Committee to inquire into the proposals embodied in the Convention. He took the line that it...

Oct. 19th. Consols (21) were on Friday 856—on Friday week 86k.

' THE LOSS OF THE EDUCATION BILL. T HE attempt to reach a compromise in regard to the Education Bill has failed,—the Bill being lost owing to the unwillingness of the Unionist...

probably made a mistake, but the British public hardly realises the motives of his impulsive action, or at any rate the motives which he asserts governed that action. He has...

the Channel Tunnel has been revived .during the past week by the issue to the public on Wednesday of the new Bill for its construction, and by a number of communications which...

TT seems to us, as impartial and sympathetic observers, 1 that a very serious crisis may be ahead of the United States. Another stage has been reached in the slow but inevitable...

I T is possible that an unthinking public may have passed over, or at most read with indifference, the notice of a meeting of the Law Society specially called to consider the...

S IR OLIVER LODGE has drawn up a religions Catechism designed for the use of teachers and of all those interested in education. It is, however, as the confession of faith of an...

Q UEEN ELIZABETH, perhaps more than any other King or Queen of England, is a monarch associated with the traditions of the English public schools. She " gave two loaves " to a...

I N the winter season of hard frost the young fisherman, frozen out of all pursuit of his sport, may receive in one respect at least an object-lesson which should be of value to...

[To TUE EDITOR Olt THE " SPECTATOR:1 Sin,—An attempt will be made in this letter to give a brief, but accurate, account of the "weeding-out" process which has been applied to...

THE STATE OF THE NAVY. [To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—Admiral Montagu last week read into my letter published on December 8th opinions that were not expressed...

that the passage which he reproduces in his letter of December 15th ends just where the most serious part of his indictment of December 1st begins. The paragraph which he now...

last Saturday Admiral the Hon. Victor Montagu expressed a desire to know " whose flag 'Civis' is flying." I can enlighten the gallant Admiral a little. " Civis " flies the flag...

ITO TEE EDITOR OF TUB " SPECTATOE: . ] 8TE, - I do not wish to intervene in the discussion of " The State of the Navy" now proceeding in your columns ; but in justice to many...

[TO Till EDITOR OP 'TUB "SPEOTATOR." J Sin,—How different would have been the history of the Christian Church in England if the compilers of the nation's "Book of Common...

Lye THE -EDITOR OF THE 'SPECTATOR."] SIR,—At the annual meeting of the Tariff Reform League, held in London on December 7th, it was admitted by at least one speaker that the...

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE 'SPECTLTOR...1 Sin,—Scores of people in London, in Ireland, and broadcast over the world are probably thinking, since they learnt the most unexpected news...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—The result of the Commonwealth . elections should give pause to those " advanced " politicians in this country who daily with...

[To THE ED1TOIL OP TOE "SPECTATOR.") Sut,—On July 21st you published from a correspondent a letter suggesting an appeal from our sea-ports to the Admiralty to the effect that...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SAS,, —On the 17th of last month twenty-five years had passed since the day on which the Emperor William L promised his . people the...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:1 SIR,—In your article on "London in December" in last week's issue you allude to feeding gulls with bread from the Thames Embankment. What "...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR, —Gladstone's Home-rule frenzy seems to have set the separatist spirit at work in Scotland and Wales as well as in Ireland. Lord...

THE "SPECTATOR." ] SIR, — It is the honest boast of our present Government that, like its predecessor, it maintains the continuity of our foreign policy. Yet, on November 18th...

"SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—The enclosed poem lately appeared in the Indianapolis News. .I. am sure its tone will delight thousands of the English-speaking race on both sides of the...

SIDNEY HERBERT.* LORD STANMORE tells us, in the closing pages of his second volume, that Mr. Sidney Herbert—the subject of this Memoir —is already " well nigh forgotten. Of the...

CHRISTMAS DAY—THE FAMILY SITTING. IN the days of Caesar Augustus There went forth this decree Si quis rectus et just= Liveth in Galilee, Let him go up to Jerusalem, And pay his...

[To TES EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.'] Snt,—In the article in last week's Spectator on " Colonial Athletes" the "conclusion which implies, on the whole, that from the athletic...

TOWARDS the close of the sixth century Weatern Asia and the greater part of Europe were divided betWeen Rome and Persia. The Roman Empire, seated at Byzantium, had recently...

THOSE who love Homer or admire' Mr. Lang will take up this volume with eagerness, only to close it with a sigh, while the critic who dreamed of finding matter for a pleasant...

LESLIE STEPHEN was not the type of man whose Life it is easy to write. He had none of the vanity of the would-be biographee, which shows itself in voluminous reminiscences. " If...

THE ENEMY'S CAMP.* MESSRS. SHERINGHAM and Meakin have already contributed in collaboration to the gaiety of the novel-reading public, and the continuance of their partnership...

is a surprise to readers of Miss Violet Simpson's former works to find her forsaking historical fiction and embarking on the ordinary novel of society. The present writer must...

The Young People. By One of the Old People. (John Murray 5s. net.)—The author of this gracefully written little book describes himself as a paying guest living in a family of...

THE HOHENLOHE MEMOIRS. Memoirs of Prince Chlodwig of Hohenlohe. Translated from the First German Edition and Supervised by George W. Chrystal, B.A. , 2 vols. (W. Heinemann....

6a.)—The first half of this book, the scene of which passes in London, is in theme so like others of Mr. Percy White's works that the reader, but for the change of names, would...

and Blackett. 6s.)—The author of "Major Weir" will always com- mand attention for her historical romances. In the present book she gives an interesting picture of that strange...

Stoughton. 6s.)—The keynote of Dr. Robertson Nicoll's sermons is religious optimism; and certainly there was never a time when religious optimism was so much needed. The...

(Wells Gardner, Darton, and Co. 13. 6d.)—The probleM briefly put is this,—how to organise the labour of London boys. They leave school, take up one of the jobs which are ready...

E. C. Jack, ls. 6d. net) we have Stories from the Odyssey, by Jeanie Lang. This is sufficiently well done; but Miss Lang cannot have found in the Iliad that of the heroes who...

E. S. Shuckburgh. (B. H. Blackwell, Oxford. 6s. net.)— Mr. Arnold won the Arnold Prize with this essay in 1879. For the seventeen years following that date he was employed on...

D.D. (Hodder and Stoughton, 7s. 6d. per vol.), are before us. We - have expressed - our opinion about the great value of this work more than once, and need not repeat it. The...

Mission to Central Africa. ls. 6d. net.)—There are without doubt many admirable things in this volume, but the selection might have been more judiciously made. " What Temperance...

Co. 6s. 6d. net.)—" Gilly's" father, when going out to enter upon a government in Southern India, determined, against the will of his somewhat conventional wife, to send his son...

Co. 6s.)—This is the record of the " Victoria Cross," a decoration which this year reaches its jubilee. It has been given to five 'hundred and twenty-tivo persons, of whom one...

M. Warren. (A. Constable and Co. 7s. ed. net.)—This volume is intended to be a companion to Mr. Stopford Brooke's "Primer of English Literature," and it comes with a warm com-...

have juit published a very useful chart, entitled How to Spend a Shilling on Food to the Best Advantage. The Chart, which is published at 4s. per hundred and 39s. per...

8s. and £3 3s.)—Mr. Paul's story of Queen Anne would be an attractive book in any case, but when his brilliant epigrams and -vigorously drawn sketches of men and events are set...

[Under this heading we notice such Books of the week as have not been reserved for review in other Arms.] Walter Frank Raphael Weldon,1860-1906. (Cambridge Univer- sity Press....

F. C. G." needs no commendation. Keen, vigorous, good- humoured, with the rarest possible exceptions, he is all that a political caricaturist should be. Political, of course, ho...

Percy L. Parker. (Asso ciated Press. 6c1. net.)—This " Hand- book to All the Questions of the Year" is a most handy and useful little volume. One question, noted elsewhere, is...

and Co. 6s. net.)—Mr. Cunynghame, after discussing the subject of time generally, proceeds to describe the sun-dial, the water- clock (with a notice of the complication caused...

understood, comprehends Baronetage and Knightage. " Lodge," now appearing for the seventy-seventh time, is so well known a book of reference that it is needless to praise it....