The Press. — London, England, 1854-11-04 00:00:00

THE PRESS:. 1046 I never care to look at them through a microscope. What has he been doing ? Turning Quaker again ? Lord J.: I wish he had. But no such luck. He has turned rebel. Lord P.: The deuce ! Can we hang him? If it lies with me to direct a prosecution I'll send a message to Cockburn by the first person who passes ua—here—by these young ladies, if you like. I dare say Sir Al2c will excuse the informality. Lord J.: Do be quiet, I ask you. Lucas has rebelled, not after S nith O'Brien's fashion—he knows better—but against his own bishops. A certain Irish priest has been ordered by his ecclesiastical superiors to take no part in future in political matters. Lord P.: A very proper order. I myself am a capital Protestant, as you know, but I would go over, like Wilb , irforce—at least, for a mcntli or so—if the Catholic bishops would tempt me by making such an order on all the priests of Ireland. Lord J.: Ah ! But Lucas does not approve of what his pastors and masters have done, and he has been holding a meeting, and de claring that though he holds the bishops in the most preternatoral awe, and has always been a devoted and obedient son of the Church — Lord P.: Always ? Since he turned down his collars, of course. Lord J.: He said in his speech always, and, for aught I know, his Friend-ship may have been a penance. But he went on to say that, notwithstanding all this profound reverence and abject respect, and all that, he is not going to allow the bishops to dictate in that manner, and that no bishop that ever made his mark shall prevent him, Lucas, from exercising a Catholic's right of appeal to the Pope, and so he and his tail are about to beseech the Pope to upset the decision of the bishops. Lord P.: Well, my dear fellow, when some folks fall out, some other folks get their own. It seems to me that whatever feeling we can have in reference to the affair is comprised in that consolatory proverb. You look grave. You don't think so ? Projecting your mind into futurity, you come bump up against something you don't like? Lord J.: Why, I don't know that the matter is one of immediate difficulty, but you cannot help seeing that if there is about to be a religious split—which of course involves a political one—in the bri gade, the position of the brigade's betters is complicated. In other words, if Lucas and his set attack the bishops, another squad will stand by them—be sure of that. Then, as the Irish never follow the wholesome advice to wash one's used linen in one's own house — Lord P. (mischievously) : Give it us in the French—come--your accent is so pure, you know. Lord J. (not enraged) : They will bring it into ours. And if Henry Drummond lets them—and us—off without forcing the question to a definite issue, and into the lobby, I'll eat the church in Gordon-square. TO CORRESPONDENTS. It is impossible to acknowledge the mass of letters we receive Their insertion is oftet. delayed, owing to a press of matter ; and when omitted, it is frequently from reasons quite inde pendent of the merits of the communication. We cannot undertake to return communications of which we do not avail ourselves. Communications should always be legibly written, and on one side of the paper only. If lot.g it increases the difficulty of finding space for them. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenticated by the name and address of the writer, not necessarily fur publica tion, but as a guarantee of his good faith. Advertisements sent from the country must be accompanied by a remittance or a reference for payment in town. ~~ ~ ~ 21!)rvgg. LONDON, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1854. POSTSCRIPT. WAR AM) DIPLOMACY. Fresh reports of military and diplomatic movement were current in Paris yesterday. Intelligence was said to have arrived that strong bodies of Russian troops were concentrating at Taraspal on the Dneis ter, and along the eastern frontier of the province of Kherson, for the purpose of supplying reinforcements to the Crimea. Suspicious intrigues were again said to be proceeding among the German powers. Austria is stated to have made conciliatory advances to Prussia, in consequence of having received the like from Russia. Count Esterhazy is reported to have been the messenger of these overtures to the Court of Berlin, while the King of Prussia, it is armed, sent off another note to St.. Petersburg, urging the Emperor Nicholas to accept the " four points," not, however, so much in the hope that peace would then be obtained, but because his continued refusal on that point rendered matters complicated between the two German Courts. Altogether the symptoms are believed to show that the Emperor Francis Joseph will give at best a most reluctant support to the Western powers. The Presse contains a despatch from M. Man teuffel, the Prussian Minister, to the Prussian Am bassador in London, from which it appears that his Majesty is anxious to reopen the Congress of the Four Powers at Vienna; hut, while he promises to give his moral support to the four points, he dis tinetly refuses to enforce them by milittary co-ope ration. The Emperor and Empress of France have post poned their visit to Compiegne till after the arrival of some definitive news from the Crimea. On Wed nesday they went to Versailles, where they inspected the alterations recently made in the museums. The last accounts from Spain are rather threat ening. They report that the Carlists are preparing for a rising in Lower Aragon, Catalonia, and Navarre. The Clamor Public° says :—" France, like England, and in accord with her, is to send a strong squadron to Cuba, to protect it, if necessary, irt.m any attack by the United States." Letters from Lisbon of the 29th ult. have arrived by the Madrid steamer, but they are destitute of interest. The alleged capture of Lord Dunkellin is con tradicted by the Morning Post. Our contemporary says : We believe we may state with confidence that the fautily of this young nobleman have been specially favoured by the Government with the intelligence that there is no truth whatever in the statement that Lord Dunkellin had fallen into the hands of the Russians. Other news equally satisfactory, and of larger importance, Inuit also have been received by the Government, but they do not choose to communicate it even to their organs. We shall see if it will ooze out in a few days. The Rev. R. J. Wilberforce, late vicar of Burton Agnes, Yorkshire, and ex-Archdeacon of the East Riding. has been received into the Roman Catholic Church. Ile left London last week, in company with the Right Rev. Dr. Grant, of Southwark, for Paris, where his reception took place. Mr. Wilber force was formerly fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1823, taking a double tirst class. He was for some time tutor of his college, conjointly with Dr. Newman, and, up to a very i ecent period, was one of the select preachers of the university. He was also public examiner in 1828. From the time of the decision in the Gorham case, in 1850, he has been more or less unsettled in mind on the subject of the royal supremacy in spiritual matters, on the subject of which he issued a circular to the English clergy, in conjunction with Mr. Manning and the late Dr. Mill, in 1850. Mr. Wil berforce is known to the public as the author of " The Five Empires," " The History of Erastianism," and a work on " The Incarnation," as well as his more recent treatises on "The Eucharist " and " The SATURDAY; Lord P.: That would he a feat, even by a member of the illus trious house of Bedford, which has rather thriven on ecclesiastical food. Lord J.: Never mind that. Do you see what I mean ? Lord P.: Yes, to be sure. But Ido not see that the affair can be productive of ultimate mischief. I don't believe, first, that the parties most interested will allow the matter to go to extremes, because the Church of Rome understands your linge sale doctrine, if Irishmen do not. Next, I do not see how we can be placed in a disad vantageous position, even if the thing is pushed to the utmost. Suppose that Drummond, if you like, moves for an address on the subject? Lord J.: Well—and asks for a declaration, either thatthe bishops have no right to interfere with the political liberty of one of the Queen's lieges, or that the Pope of Room hath no authority to decide whether a British subject's rights shall or shall not be placed in abeyance. He will appeal to the Protestant and constitutional feeling of the House—and it will not be an easy thing, my dear Palmerston, to get out of that fix without damage. Objecting to " abstract propo sitions " is all very well and useful, as Gladstone knows, but sometimes the House gets sick of conventionalities and shuffles, and then a divi sion means an expression of opinion. Lord P.: Ha ! ha! ha! My dear Russell, you are John Bunyan's real original Littlefaith, and you live at Dreary Corner, near Faintheart Lane. We'll find an answer for you, when the time comes. Lord J.: Tell it me now. It would comfort me greatly. Lord P.: Why, thero are a hundred answers. But here is one which will do as well as a hundred—indeed, as well as two hundred and eighty, for it will silence the Conservatives. Lord J.: Ah ! Lets have that. Lord P.: Ha ! ha! THE WAR. Lord J.: The War? Lord P.: Of course. I hear you saying it. " While thousands of gallant soldiers, sailors, and marines, members of the Roman branch of the Church, are unhesitatingly shedding their best blood for their sovereign and their country, is this a time to brand their hierarchy with a stain, or to affix a blot upon the tiara of their spiritual head ?" Lord J. (in eostacy): Capital, capital, only I don't speak in that pompous tone. That's capital. Now, if you'll come into Farrance's I'll treat you with an ice, in repayment of the hint. Lord P.: Thank you—but here comes Abby. Five minutes with him answers all the purpose of ice, and saves a shilling. [They advance to meet the P—r. Royal Supremacy ;" the latter of which must be takes as expressing the reasons which induced him to abandon the English Church. Mr. Robert Wil berforce is the second son of the late William Wilberforce, and elder brother of the Bishop of Oxford. THE OFFICERS OF THE GUARDS are about to erect a cenotaph to the memory of their departed com panion in arms, the late Captain Viscount Chewton, who died from the effects of his wounds received at the Alma. The monument will be placed in the military chapel at the Birdcage walk, close to that of Major Fitzroy Somerset, eldest son of Lord Raglan, who died gallantly fighting at the Battle of Moodkee. The official report of Professor Taylor, who was sent by Government to investigate the cause of the disastrous explosion which occurred recently at Gateshead, has been published. Professor Taylor traces the calamity to an explosion of gaseous matter disengaged by the fusion of sulphur and nitrate of soda. He asserts that the traces left show no signs of any gunpowder having exploded, according to the current belief at the time. THE AnvowsoN OF UPHAM, in Hants, worth 700/. per annum, and just vacant by the death of the Rev. J. Haygarth, was one of the livings assigned as maintenance for the Hospital of St. Cross. Hitherto the Bishops of Winchester have presented to this living, but it is said that notices have been sent to Mr. Fearon, solicitor to the Attorney-General, in order that steps may be taken to inhibit the bishop from collating any successor to the advowson until the lElgal qestions now pending are determined. CAUTIONS how to navigate during fogs have been issued by the Perinsula Oriental Steam Navigation Company to their commanders. Whenever the atmosphere is so dense that objects cannot be seen, at least at quarter of a mile off, the vessels are to be reduced to half speed, and slacked still more, and even stopped altogether, if the fog becomes worse. The steam-whistles are to be kept constantly sound ing during thick weather, and all the circumstances recorded in the log-book. Infraction of these rules is to be punished with dismissal from the company's service. Mn. TROLLOP?, son of the celebrated female novelist, has been appointed surveyor of Belfast post-office district. The gentleman who previously filled this post has been pensioned at the income of 5001. a year. In Limerick Mr. Sergeant O'Brien was returned on Saturday without opposition to represent that city in the Commons House of Parliament. I=E .v-~-~ .rr ,, . -• 77 rctz: ~.-~~