The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-02 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN GOSSIP.-SATURDAY.

1 Weiit ddWri td the Hduse of Commons last night, and
Anything more horribly dull than the proceedings I never

encountered.

For nearly tifd lidura a scanty hand of.

M.P.'s discussed Colonel Botef and his patent.
Then came Lord Crichton on Irish magistrates;
then/ and no wonder; Sir Lawrence Palk ealled
attention td the terribly unsatisfactory condition
of public business. If hOn. members, in spite of the
consciousness of this fact, Will diecusi every con-
ceivable topic—topics that might and ought to be got rid
of in ten minutes—what chance is there of great ntefiakires
like the Education Bill getting through ? As it was, the
few niembers who were present looked terribly tired and
weary, and those who spoke did so in a low, de-
pressed voice; so that it was scarcely possible
to hear a consecutive sentence. Thin as was
the attendance in the earlier part of the evening, it
was still thinner as the hours went on, and the gentlemen
of the gallery looked wonderfully bright at the prospect
of a count out. The attempt was made while Mr. Bentinek
was delivering an interminably long speech about the Tor-
nado question. There were only some twenty members
present, but a score or two rushed in, and so frustrated the
purpose of the philanthropic M.P. who had moved
the count. Having done this, they rushed
out again; for they could not for them-
selves endure the di'eary talk which they were yet
cruel enough to inflict upon the Speaker: Great was the
indignation of the gallery ; but it is an ill wind that blows
no one any good, and by keeping a house, Mr. Goschen
was able to get on with his Poor Relief Metropolitan
Bill, and Mr. Chambers got his Marriage with a
De,ceased Wife's Sister Bill ihroiigh its final stage in the
Commons, prior to its ignominious rejection by the
Lords.

If the Lower House was dull last night so was it not on
Thursday, so will it not be on Monday. Mr. Newdegate,
though so lugubrious and depressing, has yet succeeded in
eliciting more excitement this session than any other
member of the House. There was a very lively scene
about three o'el sck on Friday morning, and, by the way,
there were some rather severe remarks because Mr. Glad-
stone had for the seeond time left the House when dila
matter came on. Yet when a Minister has been hard at
work all day at his official residence, and then has sat for
eight or nine hours, he may well be pardoned if he goes to
bed. After all, he was not the only person who did so.
On Thursday night, as on the former occasion three
weeks ago, it was not expected that Mr. Newdegate's
motion would come on, and Mr. Dodson left
the House, no less than Mr. Gladstone, The
Premier will not be caught napping again. He hati
fixed a definite hour •for Mr. Newdegate, and your
readers may therefore think of us about bedtime on Mon-
day, think of us as engaged in a fierce conflict, in which
all the winds of theological passion will be let loose. I
nope no heads will be broken.
I believe that the Liberals will win a seat in East
Suffolk. Their candidate, Sir Shafto Adair, is a very
strong man, and has come into possession of his title
and estates since he last did battle on be-
half of his party. The Conservatives have ng
men of real position they can run against
him. They have asked Lord Mahon—but he
is scarcely likely to win the seat. He is very
young, and has no connection with the county. He is
far more likely to get in for Norwich, where he will in all
probability come forward in the event of a writ being
issued. Mr. Rodwell, Q,C., who was spoken of, as a
candidate for East Suffolk, is a brother of the Rector of
St. Ethelburga, Bishopsgate-street. But while the lawyer
is a Low Churoh Conservative the parson is a High
Church Radical.

The announcement to-day made by the proprietors
of the Pall Mall Gazette that their paper will cease
to appear as a morning journal, and will return to
RI old size, will take no one by surprise who
is acquainted with newspaper matters. At the
same time it will excite keen regret among
all persons who know how to appreciate a
re illy good paper. To my mind the Pall
Mall Gazette was beyond all comparison the
best of the morning journals. Its news was more
varied, its correspondence admirable, its leaders
full of thought instead of being mere windbags as those
of some of the most widely circulated journals are, and its
reviews were preeminently fair and honest. It had the
one great merit, moreover, of being utterly free from
Philistinism, the curse of modern journalism. But the
public would not buy it. The article was good,
too good for readers who want to be amused
only, or to read common-place ideas in good English.
Many and many is the person to whom I have dilated on
the merits of the Pall Mall, and I have always received
the same reply : " There was too much of it,"
as though the readers were bound to read the
whole of it. Others complained of the extra
sheet, and of the large size, as though the Times
had not its extra sheet also, and was not a good deal
larger. Unfortunately prejudice proved too powerful in
this case, and it was found impossible to obtain a re-
munerative circulation. Advertisers, moreover, were shy
of the paper. They remembered that several changes had
taken place since it wasfirst established in February 1865,
that it was brought out for a few weeks as a
morning paper, that it then returned to its evening edition
only, that it was reduced in price, then raised in price
and enlarged, and made a morning paper once more.
Confidence is a plant of slow growth, and these frequent
changes rudely checked that growth. Ours is the loss, for
we shall no longer have upon our breakfast tables every
morning a journal which it was a liberal education
to read.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is really in better health
than he has been for some time past, but he still finds
close attention to business try him. In fact, he is now
suffering not so much from any bodily effect of his late
attack as from mental indisposition, not, of course, in the
way of mental incapacity, but in the form of that kind
of irritability which accompanies such cases as his.
The change in the Pall Mall Gazette is not the only
matter relating to journalism which I may mention to-
day. Mr. Edward Dicey,who succeeded Mr. Thos. Walker
as editor of the Daily News, has ceased to occupy that post.
The Cambria Daily Leader, a daily paper first published
at Cardiff ten and a half years ago, appears for the last
time to-day. This decease is a little remarkable. Every
one who knows Wales is aware how intensely Liberal it
is, nevertheless the old Liberal daily paper has dis-
appeared before the new Conservative daily paper, the
Western Mail. This is an exceptional incident, and
even less pronounced Liberal diAricts will furnish
no parallel to it. The incident is due to exceptional cir-
cumstances. Unlimited funds have been forthcoming for
the new paper, the Marquis of Bute standing banker.
Moreover, the Liberal paper was very poor, and fre-
quently changed hands while the Conservative was con-
ducted with much spirit. Its editor is Mr. Hamilton
Hume, of Will-o'-the- Wisp and Governor Eyre connec-
tion, Yet even he and his patron will not, I think, be
able to convert the Welsh to Tory principles, though for
the sake of its news they may read the Tory journal.
The new arrangements at the War Office are expected
to be made known immediately. The nature of them has
not leaked out. It is expected that a good many of the
" upper class" clerks will send in their resignations.
I have not had time yet to form any adequate idea of
the Royal Academy Exhibition. The general impression
is, I think, that this year's show is not equal to last
year's, and that considering what excellent pictures have
been rejected, there has been a good deal of inferior
work admitted. The absence of Holman Hunt and,
save for one small work, Frederick Leighton is of course a
serious drawback. Mr. Millais is unusually strong, how-
ever. Mr. Frith, who paints for the public, and has the
satisfaction of knowing that he succeeds, if the selling
price of pictures is the test of success, is in great force. A
melancholy interest attaches to Maclise's picture of the
Earl of Desmond borne from the battle-field by his
captors. Altogether there are 888 oil paintings, 134
water colours, and 194 sculptures.
The May magazines are peculiarly strong. Mr. Froude
reviews in Fraser Father Newman's new book. In the same
magazine Mr. Leslie Stephen writes on the Religious diffi-
culty, Professor Max Miiller on the Science of Religion,
and Dr. Russell has a contribution entitled
" Arundines Nili." In the Contemporary Review
Professor Maurice discusses Father Newman's
book. The Fortnightly has many attractions, a criticism
on Dante Rossetti's poems, by Mr. Swinburne ; an histo-
rical article about Queen Anne, by Mr. Kebbel ; an
article on the electoral disabilities of women, by the
wife of Professor Fawcett and sister of Miss
Garrett ; and a translation of a modern Greek
poem, by Mr. Edward Herbert, one of the
unfortunate victims of the Greek brigands. Mr. Tom
Hood has some verses in London Society. A. new serial
edited by Mr. Salk aua entitled NogNnti fn me .Prattn4