The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-16 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN GOSSIP-SATTJRDAY.

I am not fond of murders : therefore, though "the
Chelsea Tragedy" is the one subject of talk to-day with
all Londoners, permit me to pass it by with no other
reference than that the neighbourhood in which it has
taken place is almost the last that the novelist
would have fixed upon for such a terrible
event. It is quiet and respectable, even to
dullness. There are no slums or suspicious looking
passages, such as make one look askance if walking by
them late at night. Trimness and primness are the cha-
racteristics of the district, and yet it has been stained
with a crime as horrible as ever took place in Ratcliffe

Highway.
This has been a satisfactory week in Parliament, so far
as the Irish Land Bill is concerned ; but very unsatisfac-
tory as regards the Women's Disabilities Bill. The
Ladies seemed to be in sight of the Promised Land, and
just as they glimpsed it they are sent back into the wil-
derness. Mr. Gladstone's speech was most unsatisfactory.
But Mr. Gladstone is not an obstinate man. He will,
if he does not wear himself out before then, be
open to conviction in the course of a few
years, and our daughters will be enfranchised if
our sisters are not. As for the Land Bill, the first and
toughest half is over, and the part which remains, and
the authorship of which is, by common report, assigned
to Mr. Bright, will not take long to get through.
The amendments now occupy only fifteen pages of
the parliamentary papers, instead of about fifty, as
they did some two months ago. More than three pages
are filled by Mr. Morrison's amendments, and as he
is not likely to press them to the embarrassment of the
Government they at all events need not be expected to
squander much time. Many other amendments are by
supporters of the Government. Mr. Vernon Harcourt is
one of the Government's candid friends, and so he means
to ask Mr. Gladstone on Monday about the Royal Com-
mission on primary education in Ireland, concerning
which there have been many rumours. But Mr. Gladstone
is not likely to give much information. Irish land
is enough for this session, as the Irish Church was for
last; Irish education must wait till next year. If the rumour
referred to be true, Mr. Lowe will find himself in as diffi-
cult a position in 1871 as he has been during the present ses-
sion, but for exactly opposite reasons. Mr. Lowe is a
great Conservative in some matters, does not like
the Land Bill, and has kept. almost unbroken silence
upon it. In education he is a great Radical,
and if, as is supposed, Mr. Gladstone goes in
for denominational education in Ireland, it will be con-
trary to all the Chancellor's ideas. But it does not follow
that he will on that account say so, or that his action will
be in any way affected thereby.
At last Sir Robert Collier has the opportunity of
carrying out with the weight of Ministerial authority
the reform which he has long advocated—the appointment
of, public prosecutors. The matter is to be referred to a
select committee, consisting of Sir Robert himself, Mr.
G. Hardy, Mr. Harcourt, Mr. Russell Gurney, Mr.
Bonham-Carter, Mr. Walpole, Mr. Hibbert, Dr. Ball,
Mr. Downing, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Rathbone, Mr. Scour-
field, Mr. West, Mr. Staveley Hill, and Mr. Eykyn.
New Ireland has appeared to-day. It is a well got up
paper of sixteen pages—Spectator size. The writing is
moderate. The projectors say that hitherto, while the
Germans in London have had their Hermann, the French
their International, the Scotch their London Scotsman, the
Irish have had no organ. The editor knows nothing
of party politics or religion. He cares not
if a man be Liberal or Tory, Protestant or
Catholic, provided he is true to Ireland and works for
her. Fenianism is looked upon as a mistake, and Fenians
are invited to give up their physical-force weapons and
unite with those who are endeavouring to obtain a
national Parliament. The " national vestry " at West-
minster has not time to attend to Irish ques-
tions (rather hard upon us after giving up two
sessions to Irish legislation). The paper contains a tale,
literary reviews, the first of a series of articles on the
Irish abroad, and well-edited general news. Altogether,
if this is to be a fair specimen of the paper, there is
nothing to complain of in its tone.

The proprietors of the Daily News are telling rather
a different story respecting Mr. Dicey's resignation from
that told by Mr. Dicey's friends. The proprietors say
that he completely altered the tone of the paper with
regard to several important subjects, especially the
Emperor Napoleon ; that he dismissed several of the old
editorial staff, and replaced them by inferior men, and
that when asked to have a conference with the proprietors
he gave it to be understood that he must not be interfered
with. Whereupon he received notice to quit at once with
the balance of the agreed salary for a year, so that he
got twelve months' salary for nine months' work. The
matter would not have been mentioned if Mr. Dicey had
not given his own version of the matter. The proprietors
now wish that theirs should be made public. In support
of their account Mr. Frank Hill, the present editor,
writes to the Spectator to say that he has never been un-
duly interfered with.
I mentioned in a former letter that Mr. Spoffortb's
place had been taken by Mr. J. E. Gorst, so far as regards
election matters. It is now decided that Mr. Dickson will
be the new solicitor to the Conservative party, a post also
held by Mr. Spofforth. Mr. Dickson is a comparatively
young man, but has for some time past been doing a very
lucrative business.
Salford does not choose to take all its news from its
bigger sister Manchester, and so a new daily paper is to
be started in the twin borough to be called the Salford
Chronicle. It will be the organ of the extreme Orange
section of the Conservative party.
The jeunesse dor& at Oxford are getting too troublesome.
Some fast young patricians at Christ Church have just
been amusing themselves with breaking through a window
into the library, and carrying out some valuable
busts, among them one of the late Dean Gains-
ford, by Woolner, and putting them into a bonfire
in the quad. When the thieves endeavoured to take
the busts out they found these valuable works of
art crumble into a heap of lime. A little while ago Dean
Liddell's door and a statue outside it were painted red.
Quite recently some of the same set fell upon the bugler of
the rifle corps which was to meet in the " Tom " quad pre-
viously to marching to Blenheim, and threatened to duck
him in the fountain. They then began to pelt with potatoes
some companies of volunteers which happened to be pass-
ing, and set up a chorus of shouts and hurrahs as the band
began to play. The Colonel threatened legal proceedings
unless an apology were offered, and this was sent. For
the first-mentioned offence it is expected that there will be
a general rustication.