The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-02-18 00:00:00


Dorset &multi Exigeso

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1888.

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

Parliament has resumed business in an every-day
manner, but the first sitting after the recess was an
inaaspinioes one for the Government. The prod-
sion in the Bribery Bill for transfering the juridic.
Sou on election petitions from committees of the
House of Commons to three barristers "of high
character, bet not inclined for continuous hard
work," who would form an Election Court, and
receive the modest of £2,000 each, was
generally disapproved. House bad virtually
consented to cede to the judges of the Court of
Queen's Bench the privilege, whit* most elective
c..eintiers retain in their owu hands, of deciding on
the validity of the riturn of its membirs ; but it
evidently thought that the proposition which Mr.
Dieradi was reduced to make, through the judges
declining to have anything to do with election
matters, was • horse of quite • different oolour from
the one they had bargained for. The up-shot of
the matter seems likely to be that the House will
keep the jarisdiction in its own binds; but, in re-
ference to the greatest objection to Election Com•
mitteee—their expensiveness, the notion is now
mooted whether this might not be remedied by
making the inquiries of the committees local,
instead of having to take all the witness« to
Loudon, and maintain them there sometimes for
considerable periods. But, of mums, even the
defeat of the Government on a point like this, if
they should take the opinion of the House upon it,
would not be recordei as • vote of want of moll.
deem, seeing that it is rather • matter of Parlia-
mentary practice than a political principle that is
involved. The great distinguishing feature of the
first few sittings after the recess, and that which
shows us we are practically commencing a new
session, has been the large number of notiom
given and of questions asked, in which every subject
of the day and • few others seem to have been
toadied upon. The debates we have had already on
election petitions, education, and Irish matters
(apropois of the raintroduction of the Habeas Corpus
Act Suspension Bill), and upon other subjects, show
us that the talkers of the House have come book to
their duties with reinvigorated lungs, and that if the
progremme of the salmon is not satisfactorily got
through, it will not be for lack of talking power,
but rather bemoan/ its excess.

Ireland will occupy the attention of Parliament
this semion in • marked degree, and iii. gratifying
to learn from the statistics given by Lord Mayo,
touchieg the operation of the Habeas Corpus
Saspeosion Act, that the great mass of the inhabi•
taste are loyal, though agitating for • constitutional
consideration and redress of their grievances. Out
of the whole number of 265 arrested during the
pest year under the Lord•Lientenent's warrants, 95
had come from America, II only were farmem, and
the rest were clerks, artisans, and labourers, who
had nothing but their liberty to loss by participation
in Fenian enterprises. The manner in which the
occupier, of land have held aloof from the conspiracy
is • cheering sign, and it should encourage the
legislature to liberal mamma in order to place that
unhappy country in the path of peace and prosperity.
Lord Arthur Clinton's resolutions in regard to
Ireland, which are set down for next Friday,
pompon, it may be presumed, • sort of representative
character, and oan hardly fail to elicit formal
proclamations of policy from both the Government
and the uppositicia. In brief, these resolutions are
that the disaffection in Ireland springs from the
educational and ecclesiastical arrangements now
maintained there, not being in accordant* with the
feelings and wishes of the people, and from the
system of land tenure not been suited to the wants
and oirotunstances of the country. On a subsequeitt
day Sir C. o.Loghlen will move an address to the
Crown, praying her Majesty to establish • permanent
residence in Ireland, in order to allay *door/ and
disoontant in that country. The legislature will, by
these !notices, have all the moot rointe in regard to
Ireland, brought before it, and we trust the House
will approachthe suhjeot free from party foaling,
but animated solely by an earnest desire to promote
by every legitimate oterbe the commercial interests
of Ireland. and its social secority and happiness.
Lord Derby's severe attack of goat, which still
keeps him at Knowsley, provoked a canard early in
the week that the noble earl was about to retire
from tbe Premiership, and that Lord Stanley would
become the head of the Cabinet The Times treated
the matter seriously, and, pointing out that • re-
construction of the Ministry is soon inevitable,
argued that " an t'wers dam Vwere well then Pmts.e
does quickly," as present oiroomstanoes were
suspicious for Lord Derby's obtaining a welcome
relief. The Globe, however, yet in somewhat etr-
e= 10,,,t0ry Lang MIRO, says that the Premier is not
about to retire, and the Lancet states that the noble
earl is recovering from his illness with average
rapidity, and that the gout has left no special sources
of anxiety in its train. We may therefore eedaipst.
that Lord Derby, salmi he wain a Mapes, will
remain in Aloe till the 11111.011 (and, with it, am
proses& Haw cit Cosmos) Gomm to se sod.

C"Plicat!tine min to to be thickening noon us in
the Abiaum question, before the ezpe&tion her
been wen begun. One of what we may call our
native allies has been defeated ; Theodore has reached
Magda* and et all the oaptives in his power;
w," the Egyptians are pushing forwsrd an expedi-
"Ml against the desire of the British auttionties.
Of counts, the Viceroy Of Egypt hes • right to take
°Home at the haughty and insulting torte of the
letter which King Theodore sent to him is reply to
the Egyptian ruler" proffered advice regarding the
British captives ; and, equally of oourse, the Viceroy
has • right to make Wu upon Abyssinia at the mine
tiwe ea °endives, if he chooses, and to take advantage
of our wooer to obtain • permament hold upon
the country. We cannot insist upon our exclusive
right to "Wallop our own nigger's," because the
Ethiopians of Abyssinia are not our peculiar property,
like the blacks ofJamacia. lt will be very embarrass-
ing that • British force should be preparing the way
for Egyptian supremacy in Abyssinia, but it is not
easy to see how it can be avoided, if the Viceroy
waista in his intention, unless we determine to
make an enemy of • would-be alley. This is
certainly • case where we may well exclaim, "Save
us from our friend l" and forms • curious exception
SO the usual readiness of a belligerent to accept
The preparations for marching on
Magdala progress with painful tardiness, and the
fears we at the outset entertained of a long and
oostly war now seem certain to be verifietL