The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1872-05-21 00:00:00

Borast Cotwill Expren.

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1871.

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

The Court has left London for Balmoral, and
our Imperial visitor, the Empress of Germany,
ban gone home. her Majesty was accompanied
to the Highlands by Prince Leopold, who is
nufferiug (rum a sprained knee, and the Princess
11,atritx.. her Majesty will, it is expected,
remain in the Highlands about five weeks, and
will then return to Windsor. The King of the
Belgians is still here, seeing what there is to he
peen at different institutions in London, where
he is going pretty much the same round am that
taken by the Emperor of Brazil a few months
ago. The Prince and Princess of Wailes are
lingering still in northern Italy. It is rumoured
in well-informed quarters that one of the objects
of the late visit of the Empress of Germany was
! to bring about a marriage between the Duke of
' Edinburgh and the Princess Mary, daughter of
the "Red Prince," Frederick Charles of Primate.
some confirmation of the story is given by an
announcement that the Duke of Edinburgh is
about to visit Berlin.

Loyal Irishmen will much regret that Her
Majesty, in replying to the expressed Irish of
the Dublin Corporation that the Princesses Louise
and Beatrice might accompany the Duke of
Edinburgh on his approaching visit to the Irish
capital, found herself compelled to convey her
regret that the wish of the corporation could
not be complied with, as the engagements of
the Princess Louise would prevent her going
to Ireland, and the Princess Beatrice was too
young to take part in public oeremonials. It is
a pity that loyal expectation should be thus
disappointed; but of course Princess Louise as
the wife of a British nobleman, has her own
affairs to attend to, and cannot be expected to be
always available for state ceremonials. As it is,
she has • good deal in that way to do, in addition
to the ordmary duties of a lady of rank. In her
objection as to the age of the Princess Beatrice,
the Queen shows jthat discretion which ts one of
the qualities that have made her • model mother.
Parliament has followed the Royal example
and separated for the Whitsuntide holidays.
Before adjourning, the Government had again to
ask time to arrange the difficulty which has en-
sued between the United State, and Great
Britain. At the suggestion of the American
Minister our Government has proposed a supple-
mental Treaty. In this document is rehearsed
the position of the British Government. The
contention of England, first, that claims for
losses sustained by the transfer of the American
commercial marine to the British Rag, by en-
hanced insurance payments, and by the pro-
longation of the war, were not admitted at
Geneva under the treaty of Washington • and,
secondly, should not be admitted in priLiple.
It thou affirms that the President of the United
States, while adhering to his contention that the
said claims were admitted in the Treaty, adopts
for the future the principle that they are not
admissible " so far as declaring it will hereafter
guide th's conduct of the United States." The
two countries then being agreed—'iln consider-
ation thereof the President, by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate, connate that
he will make no claim on the part of the United
States in respect of the indirect looms as afore-
said before the Tribunal of Arbitration at
Geneva." This proposal the President luta re-
ferred to the Senate for their advice. The
result is at present doubtful; but whether they
accept it or not, it will be some time we opine
before the British Government again trouble
themselves about either the indirect or the direct
claims. . .

On this subject it is worth while noting that,
speaking at Exeter on Friday, Sir Stafford
orthcote, one of the English Commissioners
sent out to Washington to conclude the Treaty,
confessed that he and his coolleagues "are person-
ally responsible for having represented to the
Government" that the Indirect Claims were
withdrawn by the United States authorities.
Already P's. on both aides of the House are
taking advantage of the recess to appear on
public platforms. Mr. Gladstone, speaking at
Willis's rooms, at a meeting for the special en-
dowment of King's College, proposed a resolution
which affirmed that the College was deserving of
confidence and support because it made religion
the basis of true education. His speech was an
emphatic rAtack on much of the teaching which
is given in the name of educe; and also on the
hostility with which science is met by Rome.
Lord Granville, in presiding at the annul meet-
ing of the London University, held for the pur-
pose of conferring degrees, passed a high eulogy
upon the , memory of the late vice-chancellor,
Mr. Grote. Mr. Lowe, following, criticised the
proposals recently made for the establishment
of a Law University, advocated the 001DID011 of
Greek from the papers given out to candidates
for medical honours, and in conclusion expressed
I an opinion that the endowment of professorships
was a practice better honoured in the breach
than in the observance. The Liberal members
for Cambridge and Gloucester and the Conserva-
tive members for Canterbury have delivered
speeches. Mr. Monk observed at Glouseter
that the Conservatives alone obstructed parlia-
mentary business by long speeches, and Mr.
Fowler soured his constituents at Cambridge
that the Government would come moatalani out
of the American question. While Mr. Gathorue
Hardy waa predicting over • Conservative din-
ner table that "the great Liberal party" would
soon become the "Small Liberal party," and
finally no party at all, Mr. Price was saseiting
at Gloucester that if the Conservatives amused
the reins of Government the Liberal party would
again, and that immediately, be firmly united.
The visit of Mr. Gladstone to Belfast Is now
fixed to take place immediately after the proro-
gation of Parli.ment in the autumn. There is
some probability that the right hon. gentleman
will be accompanied by Mr. Bright.
We thought we had done with the Tichborne
" claimant " as a public character until next
November at the earliest; we imagined that he
would, on being bailed out of Newgate retire
from the public gate, and occupy Mane!f with
preparations for his defence, not claiming public
notice until he was in a position to clear himself
of the very pare charges which hang over Idia,
and which were practically preferred against him
by an able judge and an intelligent jury. It is,
at the beet, most unseemly that • prisoner on
bail should be making his appearance to advance
his own cause and abuse Ins accusers; but it is
worse when the whole question depend. OD the
identity of the man, which is not yet proved one
way or other. We presume that of the many
warm partisans which the "claimant" has, no
man of cominon honesty would wish him success
except under the belief that be is Sir Roger
Tichborne We conceive that all the interest
felt in him by certain classes, and the popularity
which he commands, arises from the assumption
that he Is the lost baronet. But, after a very
lengthy trial, he utterly failed to prove his iden-
tity with the Roger Tichborne that disappeared
years ago, and the presumption is so much
against him that he stands committed for trial
on charges of perjury and forgery in amuming
and using the name of a man supposed to have
been drowned long ago in the Atlantic Ocean.
If the claimant be an impostor, he is one of a
most base and villanous character, and deserves
all the punishment that can be legally allotted to
him, instead of the ovations which he has lately
received, and the new ones for which he is pre-
paring. But, be he Sir Roger Tichborne himself
or whoever he may be, it is most scandalous that
he should go about the country outing imputa-
tions upon almost everybody connected with his
cue, denouncing thejudge as partial and the jury
biassed, stigmatizing the witnesses against him as
imuipirators, making Insinuations against mem-
bers of the firm of solicitors that conducted his
case, and against the able counsel that appeared
in it Considering that the present presumption
' of truth and honour is on the aide of all the per_
eons attacked, and that the claimant, even if he
be Sir linger, has brought himself into his present
position, brat, by unaccountably absenting
self for many years, and leaving it to be naturally
inferred that he was dead, and, secondly, by his
stupid incapacity to answer questions which
would have proved his identity. Considering
this, we say his came is not one for enthusiastic
sympathy. It is simply false to lay that he haa
been persecuted and placed at dundvantage, Up
to the time of the coo of his case, he had no
lack of friends or fu. Indeed, he had more
and better friends than hie personal deserts en-
titled him to. Take him at his own confusion,
he is a thorough scoundrel; ho swears to having
seduced his cousin—a young and ilimoult ;
he refuses to answer questions lest he should
accuse himself of crimes against the law; and he
owns to making false depositions and fabricating
fictitious documents. As for the Manner in which
he has all through railed everybody who has
ever unconsciously obstructed his claims, and in
which he continues to do so, it is charaCtedatie of
a low mind whose very motive it had, and who
can see nothing but evil motives in others. Since
he challsogei um to is by caning out In public

fashion, and claiming sympathy as his due, we
have no hesitation in telliug him, that be he Sir
Itoger Tic'iborue or not, he would be a disgrace
to the British aristocracy, or to any hellcat and
honourable society, however humble.
, The French Government is giving • striking
exemplification of the principles of liberty,
equality, and fraternity, which are to be con-
sidered characteristic of the present, as of the old
Itepublo. It takes scores of prisoners whetu it
has remen to suspect as Communists, aud
forcibly deport. thein t Fugland—that is liberty
ilmatrated. It refuees to admit toe Most lea-
inietable Englishman to France unload he Las a
a passport for which he has paid a heavy fee,
wbile it shoots the scum of Paris on our shores
—that is • fine example of equality. As for
fraternity, is it not remarkably exemplified both
toward/ individual Frenchmen by throwing on
our hands, destitute refugees, for whom the pro- ,
verbial three courses are open—that they shall
starve, support themselves by crime, or be de-
pendent on British charity. No wonder Dover
complains aloud, and Loudon is getting uneasy.
Surely, it would not be improper if, in tho most
courteous, diplomatic, and official language, our
Government were to give M. Thiers to under-
stand that this country will not consent to serve
as • penal colony to France.
M. Theirs continues determined to carry out
his Protectionist views. The Budget of 1873
shews an expenditure of £96,200,000, and • de-
ficiency of nearly £5,000,000, and it is
announced that the Government will demand
a tax on raw materials sufficient to cover the
amount. The President is negotiating for the
immediate evacuation of the departmental occu-
pied by the Germans.
'rhe Carlist insurrection is well nigh extinct.
If the Cltramontanee hoped for and believed in
the success of Don Carlos, they must feel griev-
ously disappointed. They have, however,
achieved • diplomatic victory elsewhere, the
Pope has refused to accept Cardinal liebenlehe
aa German Envoy to his Court, and Prince
Bismarck has been compelled to submit to the
refusal, anal to confess that it gave him great
pain. Ilia opponents are by no means jubilant,
however, for they know it would be premature
to celebrate their triumph before the affair is
settled. The Pope himself is a miracle of green
and halo old age, and last week celebrated his
eightieth birthday. The Swiss have been making
a fruitless attempt to revise their Constitution
by following in the wake of large States, and
increasing the central authority.