The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-07 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN GO3SIP—Jau. 6.

A. meteorological journal says that a calm always pre-
cedes a storm. If this be true politically we shall have a
very stormy vacation ; for a more stagnant recess I never
remember. M.P.'s, both official and non-official, seem
afraid to open their mouths. Meanwhile, the one
topic of the political world is the leadership of
the Conservative Peers. It is again asserted to-day by
the London correspondents of several provincial pap era, both
Liberal and Conservative, that Lord Derby has declined
the post. This is absolutely untrue, and it is, therefore,
of course, equally untrue that the Duke of Marlborough
has assumed the important office. The position of affairs
is just this. The great bulk of the Conservative party
desire Lord Derby to lead, and they are so anxious for him
to do so that, as he has shewn some hesitation, they say
that they will not press him, but that they will give him
fall time to make up his mind; -but they are sanguine
that he will decide as they wish. On the other hand,

there is a section of the Conservatives, including two well-
known bishops, who believe that Lord Derby will not suit
them, so far as ecclesiastical questions are concerned; and
these are endeavouring to get the Duke of Marlborough
appointed. Mr. Disraeli, who is friends with both the
Earl and the Duke, favours the first, and those who ought
to know, believe that in the end he will be the man. At
the same time it is so probable that his leadership will
induce a partial schism in the party, that it is just
possible he may decline the responsibility at the last
moment. At the present time Lord Cairns is still de facto
leader, and he will, according to present arrangements,
give the dinner to the Opposition Peers at the opening of
Parliament.

Some importance has been attached to the retire-
ment of Mr. Whitmore from political life. As he was
one of the Conservative whips, the surprise wasnot unnatu-
ral. It is rumoured that he was induced to resign by
disgust at the abandonment of Conservative principles by
the leaders of the party. It is possible that this fact may
have had some influence upon the ex-Lord of the Treasury;
but his retirement from Parliament is due also to family
reasons. He was the representative of the Apley Park in-
terest, and as his nephew, the late owner of the estate has
parted with it, Mr. Whitmore feels that his locus standi as
M.P. for Bridgnorth is cut from under him. One under-
stands now how it was that Sir John Acton (now Lord
Acton) was defeated at the two last elections. It was not
the electors of Bridgnorth, but what " Dod" calls " the
influence of the Whitmore family," which returned the
retiring member.
The decease of the Morning Herald suggests recollections,
d ding not very long back, when that paper was really a
power in journalism. It is quite true that the Herald suffered
a serious blow in 1340 by refusing to follow Peel in his
conversion to Free Trade. But it recovered itself in a
wonderful manner during the Russian war by its splendid
letters mitten from the camp in the Crimea. They sur-
passed those of any other journal, and the ability with
which they were written induced the proprietors of
the Times to offer the writer a permanent engage-
ment. It was accepted, and the gentleman in ques-
tion has ever since then been on the staff at Printing-
House-square. Everybody will remember John Leech's
picture of Mrs. Gamp and Mrs. Harris in Punch. The
first worthy represented the Herald, and as the paper was
constantly quoting the Standard, a paper which at the time
was hardly ever seen, the latter was admirably represented
by the mythical Mrs. Harris. In fact, to call the Standard
by that name was a n-a 1:. and Betsy Priggish way of inti-
m sting a doubt as to the existence of any " sich a person.'
Bat time brings about strange changes. The days of penny
journalism arrived. The proprietors of the Standard,
which was then an evening paper, determined to see if
they could not resuscitate their journal by lowering its
price, and making it a morning paper. There was not
much risk in the venture, for the value of the property at
that time was almost nil. So with great spirit the pro-
prietors distanced the Star and the Telegraph, by bringing
out a double sheet. Then followed a long and weary
struggle; a sheet of paper so thin that it would not
h )1d together; and type wholly illegible, and
transferring its ink to the hands of the reader.
The Carlton Club came to the rescue, and found funds,
and relying upon these, the Standard could afford to sup-
port its party in denouncing Mr. Gladstone's impious
attempt to abolish the paper duty. At last the duty was
abolished, and the Standard and its other cheap London
contemporaries became as readable as its provincial
contemporaries. In the race with the Daily Telegraph,
the Standard enlarged its sheet, and offered to its
readers fifty-six columns for a penny, while the Herald
was offering 48 for 3d. The result was inevitable. The
raid's circulation was confined to the clubs and the
news-rooms, and some five or six years ago was only about
3)0 a day. So long as advertisements came it Wll9 worth
while to continue the paper in existence, since all its
news was the Standard's stereotyped, and, therefore, cost
nothing to set. But of late even advertisements
have so greatly fallen off that it became useless to publish
the paper any longer. Thus the mythical Mrs. Harris
his proved more substantial than the prosperous Mrs.
Gamp after all.
Another journalistic enterprise has disappeared, the
Chita ch News, and the Church Press Company (Limited),
which was started to publish High Church books at a low
price, is being voluntarily wound up. It was originated
chiefly by Mr. Colin Lindsay, the late President of the
English Church Union, and his secession to Rome has, I
believe, led to the present collapse of the association.
Lately the association bought the paper above mentioned,
but did no good with it, and it has now been discontinued.
The price of the Church Review, however, has been reduced
to twopence, so that something has been gained.
I have no definite information about the new Bishop of
Manchester. The friends of Mr. Bardsley and Arch-
deacon Sandford are pressing their claims with the
Premier. The selection of the first is not a very probabre
event. The Archdeacon has a better chance, for he warmly
supported the disestablishment of the Irish Chnrch. It is
his son whom Bishop Temple has just chosen for domestic
chaplain. Dean Howson and Dr. Miller are also spoken of
for Manchester. Dr. Short has actually resigned the
Bishopric of St. Asaph. There is no doubt that Dr.
Gilbert, of Chichester, ought to follow his example,
The Keble College at Oxford has made great progress
during the past few weeks. The Principal, Mr. Talbot, is
a brother of the member for West Kent, and took a double
first, and many other honours. Two of the tutors were
also double firsts and prizemen. Mr. Edwin Palmer, who
is considered the most probable successor of Professor
Conington, is the brother of Sir Roundell Palmer.
Lord Portman, who owns a great part of the parish of
Marylebone, has for many years refused to sell a site to
the Rev. C. Gutch, of St. Cyprian's, because that gentle-
man was an advanced High Churchman. Mr. Gutch has,
therefore, all this time conducted service in a mews. Lord
Portman's scruples have at last being overcome, and thus
before long we may expect to see Marylebone, which at
present is wholly in the hands of the ultra-Low Church
party, possessing a Church which will suit High Church
men.

Charles Mathews's farewell performance at Covent
Garden will be quite an historical event in dramatic
chronicles. Rarely has any theatre been crowded as that
house was. Mr. Matthews is just 66 years old, rather an ad-
vanced age to be commencing life again at the Antipodes.
It is, perhaps, forgotten now that he was a protégé of the Earl
and Countess of Blessington, and accompanied them and
Count d'Orsay to Italy, where he made many sketches. Infact,
he began life as an artist, and exhibited a picture in the Royal
Academy in 1835. A littlA later he took to the stage and
married the celebrated Madame Vestris, who was six years
his senior and was lessee of the Olympic Theatre. She died
in 1857. A year later he married Mrs. Davenport, the
American actress. He was at one time lessee of Covent
G trden, and at another gave an entertainment. He has
also visited America and Paris as an actor.

I have reason to know that, notwithstanding the state-
ment of the Home Secretary that he sees no ground for
interfering in the matter, the friends of Dr. Shorthouse
are sanguine that the term of his imprisonment will be
shortened. The actual writer of the article which con-
tained the libel on Sir Joseph Hawley, pricked in his con-
science, has offered to pay the fine of £5O, which formed a
portion of the severe sentence passed upon the doctor. I
am told also that he finds London somewhat too hot to be
comfortable, and that having lost his situation at a West-
end wine merchant's establishment, and experienced the
"cut direct" from so many of his friends, he intends at
oace to emigrate.

The exhibition of Old Masters at the Royal Academy is
oae of the most remarkable collections ever seen outside
the National Gallery. Of course, for an exhibition of this
sirt, promoters are dependent upon the generosity
of private perscns, and it is no discredit to the
defunct British Institution that the owners of valu-
able works were lees likely to lend them to that
bJdy than they are to the Royal Academy. It pleasant
t,r) find that the fortunate l ossersois of there master-
pieces are willing to let the public share for a time the
delight of ]coking at them. None Lut great lords and
merchant princes can afford to purchase such pictures, just
a; none but they can afford to buy parks. It is, therefore,
their duty to let their less fortunate brethren share to a
c:rtain amount their 1 rivileges. Where nearly all are
groat works, it is impossible to deal with over 200
pict;:res in a. paragraph. It must suffice to say that of English
artists, Reynolds is represented by 8 works, Gainsborough
by 10, including that most charming picture 'The Blue Boy,"
which belongs to the Marquis of Westminster; Lawrence
b; 1, West by 1, Wilson by 3, Wilkie by 2, Leslie by 30,
and Stanfield by 4.5. Among the principal foreign pictures
Eicre are 1 by Michel Angelo (a Holy Family formerly
attributed to Ghirlandajo) ; 1 by Annibale Caracci, 2 by
Ludovieo Caracci,..4 by Claude, 1 by Da Vinci, 1 by Del