NEWS OF THE WEEK.

THE country heard on Tuesday with some alarm that Lord Salisbury had suffered a slight relapse. He had driven from Hatfield to Arlington Street to hold a Cabinet Council and sign some urgent papers, and the exertion brought on a rise of temperature. By the latest accounts he is better, but he is clearly suffering from long-continued overwork as well as from the sequehe of influenza, and must take a short but complete holiday at his own house, Beaulieu, on the Riviera. It is asserted that Sir W. Broadbent, who is attending him, will also take a holiday there. Lord Salisbury has through life showed much recuperative power, but he is sixty-eight, which used to be considered old, and it is a ques- tion for discussion whether in keeping two of the great offices of State in his own hands he is not reducing the probable length of his services to the country. There ought, in fact, to be a reorganisation of the Cabinet. For the present, during Lord Salisbury's illness or absence, Mr. Balfour will do any emergent work at the Foreign Office, a duty which he is said by those who know, to discharge exceptionally well. Indeed, any one who has succeeded as Secretary for Ireland must have in him some of the quality of a diplomatist.

It seems to be admitted by all experts that Great Britain really needs one minute morsel of China. This is defined by Sir W. Robinson, who for five years has been the suc- cessful Governor of Hong-kong, as a strip of hilly mainland, nine miles long, at the back of the island, which it ought to be easy to obtain from the Government of Pekin. At present Hong-kong, which is a position of great value, is domi- nated from hills only a mile distant, and is so crowded with the Chinese who flock to it for protection and freedom to make money, that it is nearly impossible to maintain the sanitary regulations needed to keep it free from plague. If this strip were obtained and fortified there would be room to build, and moreover the great stores of coal which it is necessary to keep at Hong-kong would be safe from a sudden descent. By the way, is the Admiralty doing anything for the protection of our forgotten Colony in the centre of the Indian Ocean, the minute group of islets described officially as "Chagos," and assumed at the Colonial Office to be a dependency of the Mauritius ? There is a Lieutenant-Governor there and a doctor, and some coolies and an enormous store of coal, but we have never heard of any arrangements for the protection of those valuables. Indeed, we could recommend to any Inspector of Schools with a penchant for worrying, the question, "Where Is Chagos ? " The schoolmaster is sure not to know.

There is no news from China this week, only a quantity of rumours. It is rumoured that Russia has given us "assurances," that France has asked for Hainan or something else in China, that Corea is in revolt

against Russian influence, that Japan is calling in her mercantile fleet because she expects war. These rumours are partly due to fierce intrigues within the Chinese Cabinet, partly to the excitement of local Englishmen, who want Lord Salisbury to clutch something, but chiefly to the strong desire of one or two able Chinamen to set the European Powers by the ears. There is no confirmation of the story that the Southern Viceroys have engaged in a league of revolt, but it is certain that they expect interference in their local revenues, and are greatly irritated thereat. Matters will go much more slowly than European journalists expect, but the drift of events is terribly against the power of the Manchu dynasty. We would recommend to our readers a careful perusal of the long letter which appears in our " Cor- respondence " columns. They will see in it evidence that China is seething with new ideas, and inclined to seek foreign guidance in a way hitherto not witnessed.

The German Government has withdrawn the 'Oldenburg' from the harbour of Canea, and retired from the European Concert so far as Crete is concerned. The Emperor, it is stated, is disgusted at the persistence with which the candidature of Prince George of Greece is pressed by Russia and other Powers, and as he cannot resist the appointment, he takes this method of emphasising his disapproval. Austria, though indifferent, will follow the lead of her ally, and Russia, France, and Great Britain are thus left in charge of the destinies of Crete. They intend, it seems clear, to make the island a principality with Prince George as Prince, a moderate loan for early expenses, and a composite gendarmerie. If Prince George is anything of an administrator that scheme should do very well, for the Cretans, Mahommedan as well as Christian, are tired of the situation, and if peremptorily restrained from outrage will devote themselves to trade and agriculture. Technically, it must be admitted, the German Emperor is in the right, for had the arrangement adopted been sanctioned before the war, all the bloodshed and expense and international risk incurred would have been saved. The truth, however, that Europe, mainly at the instigation of Germany, adopted a thoroughly bad policy is no reason for persisting in it, more especially when it has so failed that a combination of all Europe has been made to look ridiculous.

The latest news in regard to Spain and America is all in the direction of a peaceful solution of the difficulties between the two countries. We have given elsewhere oar reasons for believing that, in spite of appearances, this "slowing down" in American feeling has not materially improved the situation. The known facts which remain as before are, shortly, these. America persists in her right to demand that Spain shall put an end to the Cuban anarchy, and Spain doggedly and dumbly refuses to alter her course at America's dictation. Meantime both countries are arming with furious activity. America has bought two Brazilian cruisers, the Navy Office is working day and night to get a strong squadron afloat in home waters, and to man and arm the coast defences on the Atlantic. Spain, at the same time, is said to be buying fast steamers which can be used as cruisers, and is energetically preparing a torpedo flotilla. The financiers, both in Europe ' and America, are doing everything they can to gain time, so great are the money interests involved. Washington is said to be full of men of many millions who are lobbying hard in favour of a peaceful solution. They will probably succeed in gaining time, but not in securing peace, unless they can alter the declared policy of either Spain or America. The report on the causes of the explosion on the 'Maine' will, it is said, be made on Monday.

It is essential for those who are interested in this Cuban question to remember that peace and war do not rest with the Washington Government alone. The Government of Madrid, though courteous in tone and strongly held back by the financiers, is greatly irritated by what it thinks the in- solent attitude of America, while the people are angry to a degree which may reveal itself during the elections. It is not probable that General Weyler has, as alleged, written a private letter confessing that he felt the arrival of the ' Maine ' an insult calling for vengeance, which he prepared to take ; but it is certain that he is willing to fight the Union, and that he is the " sword " of the strong Clerical-Conserva- tive party in Spain. His gloomy and fierce temper is no drawback in their estimation. It is also certain that Spain is making great sacrifices to procure torpedo-boats and arms, that she has bid against the Washington Treasury for cruisers, and that her statesmen think it impossible to pro- tract for many months so ruinous a situation. There may, therefore, be an explosion of feeling in Madrid as well as in Washington, and if there is, the Spaniards are almost sure to adopt a reckless course. They think they have nothing to fear for the independence of Spain, and they will risk everything else rather than be false to their own ideas of honour and their pride in their past history.

In all probability the news of a battle on the Nile will have reached England before, or soon after, these pages are in our readers' hands. The telegrams of Thursday and Friday showed that the Dervishes, who a week or two ago crossed the Nile, were marching down its eastern bank towards our fortified camp on the Atbara under their two leaders, Mahmoud and Osman Digna. The enemy were seen by the gunboats advancing steadily in a crescent formation, with the cavalry on the flanks and the guns and infantry massed in the centre. The gunboats were not fired at by the Dervish artillery, as Mahmoud, it is said, does not wish to injure them, but to take them and use them himself. In all probability the Dervishes will be allowed to hurl themselves on our positions on the Nile and on the Atbara, which latter place General Lewis has made impregnable. The Daily News correspondent, telegraph- ing on Thursday from Kenur—a place about ten miles below the junction of the Nile and Atbara and our headquarters— states that dissensions have broken out between Mahmoud and Osman Digna. The latter wishes to cross the Atbara and to strike across the desert to Berber, and this plan of campaign is said to have prevailed. War is always uncertain, but barring some astonishing accident, the Dervishes should be completely smashed and pulverised when once we get in touch with them. Oar troops, native and English, are in splendid condition, and the bulk of the officers have been trained in desert-fighting for many years, and are more than a match for the Dervishes in all desert-lore. Men like General Hunter, General Macdonald, General Lewis, Colonel Broadwood, and Major Fitton, not to mention the Sirdar, Colonel Wingate, and Slatin Pasha, are men who have devoted some of the best years of their lives to the closest and most zealous study of Nile and desert warfare.

The Governor of Bombay has taken precisely the course which we ventured last week to indicate as the safest. He has held a conference with the Justices of the Peace, who are of all creeds, and has issued orders prohibiting search-parties and all rules interfering with the performance of funeral rites. The riots, therefore, are over, as well as the very extensive strikes which followed them. It remains to carry out hygienic measures with extreme severity, warning the citizens that unless the visits of the Plague can be prevented the prosperity of Bombay will be at an end. The people are very anxious both for money and for health, though they care compara- tively little about death, and so long as their religious ideas are not interfered with they will submit to very strong orders indeed. It is most unfortunate that in a city like Bombay, of which the very soil has been corrupted, fire should be the only efficacious cleanser, but a good big debt will not ruin so rich a municipality.

On Tuesday Mr. Chamberlain asked the House to vote a Supplementary Estimate of £120,000 for the West Indian Colonies. He could not, he explained, enter upon the general question, as negotiations were pending with the United States and with Canada, which it was hoped would result in a, reciprocity arrangement. If such an arrangement were made it would greatly help the sugar industry. At present three-quarters of the whole production of the West Indies went to America. The difficulty was that the West Indies would have to reduce their import duties in a way which would undoubtedly disorganise their Budgets. Pending this solution of the problem, he asked for a grant in the first place to wipe off certain deficits which have accrued—in many cases over a considerable period—in eight of the islands, or groups of is2snds, and next for a grant to assist in a land settlement in St. Vincent—i.e., in placing the negroes on the soil as small proprietors—and in making roads in Dominica. In St. Vincent it would be necessary to buy certain derelict estates on which to make the settlements, but in Dominica there was plenty of good Crown land available. Mr. Chamber- lain, in a passage with which all reasonable men will agree, dwelt upon the special obligation which rests upon us to do our best to help the West Indian population. We originally placed the negroes on the islands, and we cannot escape the responsibility thus created.

In the debate which followed Mr. Chamberlain's eminently reasonable and statesmanlike handling of the matter was fully endorsed by Mr. Sydney Buxton and Sir Edward Grey. The latter pointed out that the grant-in-aid was specially likely to do good to St. Vincent and Dominica because the condition of these two islands was by no means hopeless. Dr. Morris, the able official from Kew, had reported in a favourable sense as to both places. in Dominica the soil was very rich. The cheapest way of relieving the necessities of the islands was likely to be that of developing their resources. With this view we entirely and cordially agree. On the whole the debate was most satisfactory, and shows that the Govern- ment have no intention of rushing into the policy for which the extreme advocates of the sugar industry have been clamouring. We trust that the Government will not be deterred from making the arrangement with the United States and Canada by any dread as to the results of abolish- ing the import duties. Unless we are greatly mistaken, those duties have largely helped to injure our West Indian Colonies. Free trade will revive them. In the final division the Govern- ment majority was 176, only 46 Members being found to oppose them.

On Tuesday Mr. Herbert Roberts (Denbighshire) tried to induce the House of Commons to pass an abstract Motion in favour of "Home-rule all round." The House is always at its worst when it tries to discuss a sophistical abstraction, and the debate that followed was below contempt, except for the masterly speech from Mr. Balfour, with which it practi- cally closed. Mr. Balfour has made many good speeches, but this one, for thought, sound sense, and clearness of vision, has never been surpassed. He began by pointing out that the debate was not a debate between Unionists and Home-rulers, but really one between two sections of Home-rulers. He then drew a picture of what "Home-rule all round" meant, and killed it by a single question. It is, he said, a form of Home-rule "involving an Imperial Parliament sitting in London, an English Parliament sitting in London, with an Imperial Ministry and an English Ministry both sitting in London; a Scotch Parliament with a Scotch Ministry sitting in Edinburgh ; a Welsh Parliament and a Welsh Ministry, and an Irish Parliament with an Irish Ministry sitting in Dublin. Can anybody talk of such a scheme seriously F"

Mr. Balfour later in his speech made an excellent point when he dealt with the willingness shown to appoint Scotsmen and Irishmen to all English posts. But he remembered distinctly when he was responsible for a great deal of Irish patronage that it would have been practically impossible in an enormous number of cases to appoint anybody but an Irishman. "When I was responsible for the patronage of Scotland it was always a thing to be borne in mind that one candidate for the place was a Scotchman and another an Englishman." That never enters into the head of anybody appointing to an English office, but, of course, it would directly you created an English nationality and stimulated the separatist feelins.. for then you would make every Englishman feel that he stands over against four other nationalities. "Anything more absolutely injurious to the interests of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland than the raising of such jealous feelings of separatism I cannot imagine." The whole thing is, of course, an absurdity. Still, for the benefit of our Radical and Noncon- formist readers we will make a quotation from a source which we hope some of them still reverence. In the days of the Commonwealth the question of "Home-rule all round" was touched upon in that marvellous Assembly, the Council of the Army. This was what Cromwell had to say in opposition to throwing the Constitution into the melting-pot i—" And if so, what do you think the consequences of that would be P Would it not be confusion ? Would it not be utter con- fusion P Would it not make England like Switzerland,— one county against another, as one canton of the Swiss is against another ? And if so, what would that produce but an absolute desolation,—an absolute desolation of the nation P" There was a great debate in the Commons on Wednesday on the second reading of a Bill brought in by Mr. Pickersgill to establish a Court of Criminal Appeal. The object of the Bill is to secure to persons found guilty of crime an appeal to a Court of three or more superior Judges, which, as the accused would be able to plead new evidence, would be virtually a re-trial. Mr. Asquith supported the principle of the Bill, but the Government objected to the introduction of such a measure by any but a responsible Minister. The Bill was, therefore, defeated by a vote of 180 to 116. That is only an evasion of the question, but we confess we have no sympathy with the proposal, which would greatly increase the expense of criminal trials, would diminish the responsibility of juries, and would do no good after all, the Home Office being a better, because less shackled, appellate Tribunal than any Court could be. There is serious danger of introducing American " justice " here, under which it is nearly impossible to get a murderer properly hanged until his offence has been forgotten. A certain dramatic completeness in a criminal trial is almost as essential to educate the conscience of the people as impartial justice itself.

The meeting and dinner of the Association of Chambers of Commerce—which body we are unfeignedly glad to see has re- fused to commit itself officially to a policy of countervailing duties on sugar—was held in London on Wednesday. The speeches were unusually bright and interesting. Sir Albert Rollit told some excellent stories apropos of commerce and edu- cation. They appreciated, he said, the Edinburgh Professor's defence of logic and philosophy, who when he saw chalked on his door, "This road leads to nowhere," chalked under it, " Never- theless a good road to take exercise upon," but they protested against the old spirit of the University don who said of science, "We know nothing of it here ; we don't even teach it." Lord Charles Beresford, if too bellicose in tone, was sensible in matter. We could not, he said, drive the Russians out of Manchuria, and it would do us no good if we could. What we wanted was a better naval base. "Hong-kong was not a proper base. We ought somehow to get Mire Bay." Lord Rosebery's speech was finished, humorous, sug- gestive, — and weak, like all his public utterances. If our fleets and armies were not guided by statesmen and animated by fair dealing they were useless. Lord Rosebery reminded his hearers that this country had arrived at the dangerous epoch, for it had not been engaged in a European war for forty years.

A considerable figure has disappeared from the industrial world. In 1856 Henry Bessemer, son of a French artist in Hert- fordshire, and by nature an inventor, conceived it possible to turn iron into steel by blowing a current of air through the molten masses. Formerly they had been converted by the excessively difficult and costly process known as "puddling," that is, tossing the fluid metal in scoops at the end of long rode by hand. The workmen in that trade being men of special size and constitution, were often paid a pound a day. After five years of futile effort to make ironmasters understand, he set up works for himself in Sheffield, which prospered so exceedingly that the whole trade were compelled to adopt his plan. At present more than eight millions of tons of iron

are converted in the steel-making countries by the Bessemer process every year, and it is not too mach to say that he first made modern engineering possible. Gigantic bridges, for in- stance, could not have been built without his discovery, and many railways would have cost too much. He only received a million for his royalties, which is poor pay compared with that which many a South African jobber in mines has earned; but the profits of his own works were for years very considerable. Mr. Bessemer received a decoration in 1879, and devoted the evening of his life to experiments in the manufacture of reflecting telescopes of abnormal size; but he does not appear to have obtained in this department of inquiry any great success. England owed almost as much to Henry Bessemer as to Arkwright, but the only public honour he received was knighthood, like any Sheriff of London.

The new London County Council held its first meeeting on Tuesday and elected its officers. Mr. T. M'Kinnon Wood was elected Chairman, Lord Welby Vice-Chairman, and Mr. Harris—a Moderate—Deputy Chairman. Ten Aldermen were also elected, two of whom were Moderates. It was also announced that Lord Farrer and Sir Godfrey Lushington, both Aldermen, had retired. It is rumoured that these seats will be given to Moderates. We can- not feel much sympathy with the assertion that the Moderates should have been treated more generously. The Progressives have won the day, and it is better that they should have a free hand, and that the experiment of administering London on their principles should have a full and thorough trial. They will of course tax us ad miseri- cordiam, but that will be a good object-lesson.

In the House of Commons on Thursday Mr. Akers Douglas asked for a vote of 22,550,000 for new public buildings in London, of which sum 2800,000 was for completing the South Kensington Museum, 2475,000 for a new War Office, and 2600,000 for the erection of buildings on the Parliament Street site and for the widening of Whitehall. The present Savings Bank Department is to be handed over to the Post Office, and a new Savings Bank Department's building is to be erected in West Kensington, where it can be more cheaply housed. The actual expense to be incurred is not so large as it looks, for 21,000,000 will ultimately be received by the Government for old sites. This sum, when deducted, brings the total cost down to 21,550,000. The criticisms passed on the proposal were, on the whole, favourable, though Sir William Harcourt considered that the spending of 2800,000 on South Kensington was portentous. He was extremely pessimistic in regard to the new buildings adding to the architectural beauty of the Metropolis. Eight hundred thousand pounds is, no doubt, a very large sum to spend on South Kensington, but at the same time it is absurd to have a vast and splendid collection so badly housed. We greatly fear from Mr. Akers Douglas's remarks that the Government is going to make the serious blunder of not ex- tending South Kensington according to the beautiful plan already in existence. The old plan gave us the only really beautiful and satisfactory piece of modern street architecture to be found in London,—the red building in the Exhibition Road. Surely when you have got a good thing it is wise to follow it.

London has this week witnessed a curious scene which testifies to many things. Miss Nellie Farren, formerly a burlesque actress of great popularity, has fallen on evil days, having lost her savings in a theatrical enterprise and suffered from rheumatic fever. The profession resolved, therefore, to give her a benefit at Drury Lane, and as every actor and actress of note assisted in the performance on Thursday, public interest grew keen. Heavy prices were paid for reserved seats, Drury Lane Theatre was crammed, and it was announced on Friday that the total sum taken was 26,000. We venture to say that no poet, author, or public benefactor of any kind would, under the same circumstances, have received half as much. No one will grudge the unfor- tunate lady the money, but how London must thirst for amusements it understands Bank Rate, 3 per cent.

New Consols (2-1-) were on Friday, 112.