NEWS OF TIIE WEEK.
THE news of the week, as to our relations with Russia, have been usually favourable ; but on Friday there was supposed to be a turn. Early in the week, Mr. Gladstone in the Commons, and Lord Granville in the Lords, read out a statement announcing that the acceptance or rejection of the new frontier of Afghanistan rested with the Czar, and that M. Be Steal, the Russian Ambassador in London, neither claimed nor possessed power to do more than approve the terms suggested by the British Government. On Thursday it was rumoured that these terms were found unacceptable in St. Petersburg, and Mr. Gladstone stated that communications were going forward ; and on Friday the Standard affirmed, in a very authoritative way, that the rumour was correct. A telegram, moreover, arrived from India denying with a certain sharpness that the Government had suspended all warlike preparations. The precise situation of affairs was not known when we went to press ; but it is understood that the military party in St. Petersburg cannot bear to give up Zulficar, which the Ameer has declared essential to the safety of Herat. The military "party, however, has been defeated before, and the Poll Mall Gazette denies that there is any hitch at all. Russia, it says with a chuckle, has gained all she wants.
Mr. Gladstone on Tuesday evening, while discussing the Registration Bill, gave form and substance to the floating rumours of a Dissolution in the late summer. He stated that besides the Franchise and Redistribution Bills and the Registration Bill, the Government would bring in another Bill, "the passing of which will be absolutely requisite in order to bring about at a proper time the General Election." He added that the Bill would be short, and that the "proper time" would be "the late autumn of this year." It is understood that November will be selected for the elections, and all electioneering agents are already astir. As the Members will desire a holiday before commencing a new and arduous campaign under conditions most of which are new, it will be necessary for the House to adjourn early, and business, therefore, will be pressed on with speed. There is nothing very difficult immediately ahead, except the Crimes Act for Ireland ; and it is rumoured that the Cabinet have decided to reduce this to a minimum. In fact, only those clauses will be retained which allow investiga tion, and exempt juries from the terrorism of the neighbour. hood. We wish even those provisions could be applied to the entire kingdom, so that separate legislation might be suspended, we wish we dare say abolished, altogether.
There was a long debate on the Vote of Credit on Monday, in which Lord George Hamilton and Lord Randolph Churchill led the attack ; and Mr. Gladstone, Lord Hartington, and Mr. Chamberlain the defence. Mr. Chamberlain's main design was to show that the Tories wished for war; but Lord Hartington explained clearly the position of the Government with respect to the Soudan. They believe that the Mahdi's power has been diminished of late, partly because of Lord Wolseley's retirement, which has allowed internal dissensions to develop themselves, and that he has no present intention or means of invading Egypt. Her Majesty's Government, in that changed situation of affairs, have finally given up the expedition to Khartoum, and will, as soon as the Nile rises, say a month hence, retire from the Soudan. Wady Haifa will be held, and Suakirn will not be yielded up, except to a civilised Power ; but the bulk of the troops will be withdrawn, and the railway to Berber will be stopped. This" change of policy," as Lord Hartington called it, is doubtless due partly to the apparent paralysis of the Mahdi's force, which may last months or years ; and partly to the exaggerated notion prevailing on the Continent of the degree to whieh we are hampered by the Desert operations. It was warmly received by the Liberals in the House, but we note considerable doubt outside ; and the Tories are talking, as usual, of the humiliation of England. They, in fact, seem to enjoy talking of "our discredited Empire," as the Irish do talking of their "unhappy country."
Lord Randolph Churchill's speech was clever and irrelevant. His first point consisted in calling Mr. Laing, M.P. for the Orkneys,—who had preceded him, and who had greatly annoyed the Tories by speaking for the Government, instead of, as they had hoped, for a Cave,—" the honourable Member, the Chairman of the Brighton Railway." This honourable Member had accused him of calling the news of peace with Russia "terrible news," whereas, said Lord Randolph, he had really called the news of "surrender" to Russia "terrible news," and only called it so because, in his opinion, nothing was more certain to end in war than this surrender. "We," he said of the Tories, "are the real peace party." He declared that Lord George Hamilton's amendment contained a vote of want of confidence in terms of "the strongest contempt." Lord Randolph quoted Mr. Disraeli's "Home Letters,"—the letter giving an account of Redschid Pasha as" a little, ferociouslooking, shrivelled, care-worn man, with a brow covered with wrinkles, and a countenance clouded with anxiety and thought," who "had destroyed in the course of the last three months, 'not in war,' upwards of 4,000 of the acquaintances " of the Austrian Consul, and who declared that "the peace of the world was his only object, and the happiness of mankind his only wish;" and then he declared that there, on the Treasury Bench, in the person of the Prime Minister, sat the resuscitated Redschid Pasha. Lord Randolph also quoted Mr. Gladstone's description of the Tory Government of 1879, and in profane language declared it to be a prophecy of the character of Mr. Gladstone's own Government, "exceeding in miraculousness anything that can be found in Holy Writ."
Mr. Gladstone, in a very powerful speech, intimated that in his judgment the Government had secured in the Russian controversy all it had desired. He evidently csuld not speak plainly, lest he should stir up the embers at St. Petersburg ; but he suggested as a possibility that Members might fiud, when the papers were produced, that "a frontier line had been drawn which had the full approval of the whole Indian Government, and was in complete conformity with the views of the Ameer of Afghanistan ;" that a great change had occurred between Monday, April 27th, and Monday, May 4th, objects having been gained which seemed number of Members who not-seek re-election is unusually large. In the House of Lords, on Tuesday, Lord Salisbury -explained that in illustrating, at Hackney last week, the equal distrust with which -men regard alike the bankrupt who cannot keep his .promises and the ewindlerwho will not, he -had not the least intention of describing Russia as either a swindler or a bankrupt. Lord Gnanville, of course, received the explanation with the utmost satisfaction, but held that his colleagues could not possibly have understood that Lord Sallihury, while .using this illustration to make it clear that it was childish to place any confidence in -Russia, had not the slightest intention of suggesting any analogy betweenthe -distrust with -which men ought to regard Russia and the distrust -with which they ought to regard either swindlers or bankrupts. He thought that if the -same .analogy had been used to show why the country ought to distrust any illemberof the -House of .Lords,.that Member of the House of Lords would have considered it a personal affront to himself. Lord Granville thee --went on to remark that Lord 'Salisbury had dedared This speech of Lord Granville's elicited from Lard Randolph Churchill a letter to 'Thursday's' Times, which is probably the valgarest and most ill-mannered epistle penned by any politician of standing in this generation. He declares that Lord Granville had deliberately rejected the proper mode of -replying -to him because he would not pursue "a-fair and honourable course," and because he wished to enjoy "complete impunity in making his foolish and ignorant charges." He calls Lord Granville "this unhappy man;" and be concludes by speaking of his "deliberate misrepresentations, deliberate misquotations, and false assertions," as quite in "accordance-with the littlethat is known of the public career of Earl Granville, Knight of-the Garter, and,to the misfortune of the country, her 'Majesty's principal Secretary of -State for Foreign Affairs." A more ill-bre* . bit of -political calumny we have never read. There is but one explanation of this lettcr,—that Lord !Randolph Churchill was in too great a fury to know what he was about-when he wrote it. The usual dowry of £6,000 a year was on Thursday voted by the House of Commons to be.given to the Princess Beatrice upon her marriage-with Prince Henry of Battenberg. There was no real opposition, the general-feeling being that it was absurd to-refuse the usual provision to the last of the Queen's daughters, and the one-who has rendered most service to her mother. Mr. Labanchere, however, took a-division ; and, with the assistance of the Parnellites, Secured 38 votes, against 337. Mr. Laboncbere's argument was based, as usual, upon the assertion that the Queen had saved money out of the Civil List ; but the Irishmen pleaded the wrongs of Ireland.and -the sufferings of the:London poor. Mr. Gladstone, in his speech, took occasion to fsesythat the next Parliament would be asked to appoint a committee to consider the beet method of . making "permanent secondary provisions" for members of the *Royal Family—the idea evidently being to create some fund out of which dotetrans and allowances can be paid without perpetual applications to Parliament. The Royal Marriage Act must also be -reconsidered at the'same time, as it will be ridiculous to distant-members of the-Royal House, perhaps in the fifth generation, under the -present inconvenient disabilities. The debate on this subject next year will be a grand opportunity for a millionaire. A gift of a couple of millions, to be held intrust for George Ill.'s-descendants, "not being within three steps of the Throne," with the interest distributable .in annuities decreasing with distance from the succession, would settle the whole problem admirably. The Continental papers,-with some marked exeeptions,are disgusted with England for not fighting Russia. Their opinions are, therefore, poured out -in a flood every day by the London papers opposed to Alr.EHitclatone. As every Continental Power has something to do which could be done more conveniently if England and Russia were paralysed ; as the Continental peoples are always annoyed that the English should be safe -without a conscription ; and as most Continental journals are either owned or edited .by Jews who all hate }Russia, this outflow ot opinion is.not unnatural. It is a little -wearisome to read, but we do not A debate which turned out to be most important was _raised in the Lords on -Monday by the Duke of Argyll, who, in a Gainfully-weighed speech, sought to show that the advance of Russia in Asia was nearly independent of her will, and resembled theadvance of a tide which is checked only by physical obstacles. The speech was interrupted and spoiled-on Monday by a painful incident, Lord Dormer being seized in the House with an epileptic fit of the violent kind, which created an erroneous impression that he was dying ; but it was continued . on Tuesday, and elicited from all sides of the House declarations _as to the new position of England in Asia, and the duties it would impose. The Duke's thesis was that Russia -would advance ; that whether treaties were made or not, treaties were dissolved by 'war; and that, consequently, the British frontier must be made impregnable. This frontier _must not, however, be the frontier of Afghanistan, because if it were, unless we subjugated that people, our first line of defence -would be outflanked by clans over whom we had no control. Lord -Kimberley, as-Secretary for India,-replied to this by a nearly complete agreementwith it. 'He emphatically declared that we utast not depart-so farfrom our base, and stated -that Lord Dufferin had recommended the -construction of fortresses on the Indus, and, as he subsequently explained, at Quetta, andthe connection of them all by railways and "a great -military road,"-which, as we understand-him, is to-ran past Quetta, perhaps to Candahar. flanction'for-the railways-and road has been given, I:5,000,000 being allowed -for -thenilts a beginning ; and the fortifications, though under consideration, are-by no-means -refused. The Tory 'Peers rather unexpectedly deprecated all party views, and assented to this -plan as a necessity. They agreed with the Duke of -Armin and Lord Kimberley that England had lost her insularity, and was now conterminous with a great European Power in Asia. -They, therefore, agreed that the prepesfrontierofIndia.must leemadeimpregnable anddiffered. when-at allnpon the following point i—Lord-Mmtverhiy; speak. jag.. for the Cabinet, maintained that we shouldassist' Afghanistan and protectAfghanistan, but should notregard the Afghan frontier-as ours, lest an Afghan rrsing should -leave our armies in the air 500 miles from our base ; but Lords Cranbrook and Salisbury held—the former gently, the latter strenuously—that we should, in theory at least, hold the Afghan frontier ours,. and,. in the event of an. Afghan risingi should. advance, disregarding it. The difference,. though it looks important-, is chiefly one of degree. Both partien would defend Afghanistan ; but the Liberals think it best to defend it bymarching armies up to Herat only when the -Afghans are friendly, and the Tories would march. them whether they were friendly, or no. In. practice, the advance, would depend on the military-experts, who whether-Liberal or Tory, would. probably select, as the actual battle-ground the valley of. Canclaber Lord: Granville pronounced the debate one of the most. important and satisfactory ever heard_ in. that House,. and. the -country agree-with Lord Granville. Thenews. from Canada. suggests two.thingw. The CanadianGovernment and its General, General Middleton, cannot be resisted inthe field by Louis Riel and his Indian allies. The General, for example, on the 9th inst. cleared Batoche, the town. whichis the centre of the rebellion, without difficulty, though with some loss. Onthe other hand, the authorities at Ottawa cannot put down the widespread Indian rising, said to include .90;000 savages—probably 15,000—and to cover-. a_ country a thousand. miles square, without a much larger-force than they have called. out. They must, therefore, either prepare for a seriouswar or offer some sort of terms. Riel and the halfbreeds have put themselves, at Batoche outside the paleby threatening to murder all their captives—including, women— unless the troops retreated ; but it ia a question,whether frank redress. of grievances should. not be offered to the Indians. It.. enema, clear they, would accept allowances,, if honestly paid, in lien of their right to solitude, the invasion, of which_ is their ultimate grievance,, and. they have-a moral., claim to compensation.. We cannot stop. the plough to save the buffalo, or acknowledge the right:of savages to forty square. miles, apiece; batetill they owned the continent, and. destiny haabeen, rough on: them. One would like to know the lion's opinion.of: the man,. and.Hiatvathes mature judgment on. Columbus. The Redistribution Bill and all thethree Registration Bills, have passed the Commons, and hare gone up.to the-Lords, Mr. Courtney, gave a parting kick to the RedistributionBill on lltendrey night by expressing his deep conviction that the single. seat system will grievously injure the-character of the House ofCommons. In the discussion on the English. Registration Bill, Sir. M Lopea's amendment throwing, the whole expense of registration on the Imperial Exchequerwas defeated on Tuesday by 280 votes against 258 (majority, 22) ; after which MT. Davey's amendment declaring that the receipt of medical relief should not necessarily-disqualify for a vote was carried with the assent of the Government. Professor Stuart and Mr. Bryce then carried their amendment against conceding votes to Cambridge and Oxford Undergraduates of full age. This gave rise to something of a scene, in which Sir Michael Hicks-Beach lost his temper, and imputed the amendment-to the vulgar selfinterest of Liberals, who believed that the great majority of Undergraduate voters would vote for the Conservatives. This language called out a dignified rebuke from the SolicitorGeneral. Indeed, Sir Michael Beach had in the end to tender a grim and gloomy apology for his imputations. In:the Convocation, of. the University of London, which. sea held on Tuesday, there was little serious business to discuss; but the retirement of Dr. Storm, who has so, long and so ably filled the position of Chairman of Convocation, and who, in his place in the Senate has maintained so faithfully and yet se courteously the privileges of the popular body of the University, led to a. very effective speech from his successor, Dr. Wood, who recalled the old struggle between the graduates and the Senate, and. gave eloquent testimony to the value of Dr. Storrar's services, both in the conduct of the agitation, and subsequently, in seenring for the counsels of the graduates their full' influence in the-governing body of the University. The-tribute of Dr. Wood was.both graesfrd and just. After the London University presentation of degrees and honours on Wednesday, which in the absenceof -the-Chaucellor at the Queen's drawing-room, werodistrilmted by the Vice. Chancello; Sir James Paget. Sir-James, made a, speech containing a kindly and impressive tribute to Lord Cardwell, who has,just resigned his seat on the. Senate, and a cordial enlogium on the, retiring Chairman of Convocation. With regard to the movement for a Teaching University, Sir James Paget's words mere cautions, and by no means jealously conservative. Indeed, heartily as we agree in his wish to see the teaching collegeein. London strengthened and. multiplied, we are not sure that, he did not treattoo complacently the proposal to amalgamate these colleges into a TeachingUniversity. Sir John. Lubbock, who, as-the Member for the, University, spoke after the ViceC haneellor, was. certainly, net quite accurate in: the attack which he made on_ the newEducation Code for not allowing in. elementary schools a. sufficient number of optional subjeets. Webeli&ve that, besides, the, compulsory subjects every solmel naypresent children, in one, two, or three optional subjects. If there-is only one, it must be. English. If there are two,.one of them must be. music; and if-there are-three, drawingmust-be included. But-is not that-a sufficiency of free choice,for schools, of the-elementary class? It is most important .that-the schoolmaster should not be allowed to fritter. away too much energy on the less, essential subjects. Last-week the Princess Louiee opened a most interesting-exhibition at the Drill Hell, irrWliitechapel Road, which was visited by.14,000 people in-the first seven days. The main features of interest in this exhibition are :-1. That all the articles exhibited are the work of persons li'ving in the "EastEnd,"and bare chiefly been made by them during their leisure hours. 2. That. all the fittings and decorations of the hall have been done free of cost by workmen who have worked.out of hours without pay, the materials, having, been presented by local tradesmen. and others. 3: That inasmuch as it was impossible to find . suitable personain the East End. to act without remuneration.as stallholders, a number of ladies agreed to divide this werk.amonpt themselves and their acqnaintsnce, so that we find_ the strange combination of saleswomen from the " West " End selling wares' made by workpeople. in_ the East End bathe people generally. The earnestness of the people was shown in. this,—tbat. the tradespeople, of the neighbourhood, in: addition to. decorating, their ownhonzes, subseribedf150 in.order to make the street and the approaches to the Drill.Hall gay.with flags and loyalinserip. tines. It .was very touching. to be told that, hardly any of the,peophs about there could_ afford to ge to the Kensington Exhibitions, so.that they werevery glad to have, one of their own. One man said to wlady.present.that. the Princeas kindness andiuterest hful so delighted. the people that " therewas.not a. maw who had seen her that. day who would not die for her:" In spite. of the heavy 'mini she drove slowly past in an open carriage, the.people pressing up to shake hands. Professor Rutherford, of the University of Edinburgh; has been sending along vindication -of himself to the Scotch papersin relation to his Vivisectional experiments. This vindication has given us more pleasure than any document we have read for a long time, not becansethe Professor announces any change in his own opinions as to Vivisection, but because he assures us that "during the last eight years very few experiments indeed have been done in my laboratory. All have been painless. No Vivisectional experiment has been performed on a dog during the last five years." That is excellent hearing. But it is obvious enough that, if the very painful experiments, lasting more than eight hours each of protracted suffering, performed on two or three scores of dogs, to test scientifically the amount of bile secreted under the action of particular drugs, were, as Professor Bathes. ford still maintains, justifiable and wise, there is really no reason on earth why similar experiments by the hundred, to test the effect of drugs on. other secretions, should not have been under, taken, and continued year by year up to the present time. If that has not been done, we think we may be sure that the public horror of these experiments has produced some very beneficial results. If once that public horror disappeared, the experiments would begin. again under the steady pressure of physics, logical curiosity,
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