The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-17 00:00:00

LIBERATION SOCIETY.

Yesterday morning the annual parliamentary break•
fast of the Liberation Society took place at the Cannon.
street Hotel, under the presidency of Mr. C. REED, M.P.
Among those present were A. Illingworth, M.P., IL
Richard, M.P., Alderman Gourlay, M.P., J. Candlish;
M.P., McCarthy Downing, M.P., Sir John Gran
M.P., IL Miall, M.P., C. Reed, M.P., D. M`Laren,
Robert Macfie, M.P., S. Courtauld, the Hon. Auberor
Herbert, J. Crum-Ewing, M.P., Mr. Shaw, M.P., Si'
George Young, Hon. George Brodrick, Rev. :Norway
Hall, Rev. Mr. Rogers, Mr. Wm. Shaw, Mr. Charles
Miall, Rev. Dr. Brock, Rev. T. Binney, and Mr• J.
Colman (Norwich).
The CHAIRMAN addressed the meeting in highly con•
gratulatory terms, and expressed his belief that the Non•
conformist bodies would give their hearty support to 3.1 r.
Gladstone's policy on the Irish Church.

Mr. 11. Richard, M.P., Mr. Duncan M`Laren, MY
Mr. Crum-Ewing, M.P., and Sir John Gray, Tl•P''
spoke especially on the question of the Irish Church.

The University Tests Bill was opened by Sir GEOBGB
YouNG (Trinity College, Cambridge), in a lucid and able
speech, fully explaining the disabilities under which Non.
conformists now labour, and the extent to which they
would be removed by Sir John Coleridge's bill. The
necessity of a still more Radical measure was warmly
urged by the Hon. George Brodrick and the Hon. Auberon
Herbert.

Mr. CANDLIsII, M.P., in the absence of Mr. Hadfield'
M.P., addressed himself to the Burials Bill.
The Rev. P. W. CLAYDEN, in the absence of gr•
Michael, M.P., congratulated the meeting on the Di'
dowed Schools Bill, which was characterised by the Ee'l'
Mr. Rogers and the Hon. G. Brodrick as a very insuta*
cient measure in its not throwing open the head master.
ships of the schools to Nonconformists.
The proceedings terminated by a vote of thanks to 020
chairman, moved by Mr. Illingworth, M.P.

TII.E PRINCE AND THE PRINCESS 011

WALES.

•
It seems from Dr. Russell's letters to the Times that the
progress of the Prince and the Princess of Wales up the
Nile is, on the whole, rather slow. " The procession of
steamers winding in and out of the channel, and twining
ribandwise along the bends in the river, led by the elegant
Faad Rabanie, and the royal barge with the royal
standard and the Prince's own flying, while the sun
flashes at every turn from the white sides and gilt
mouldings of the ships, and is reflected back from
the mirrors and burnished garniture of the saloons
through the open ports, would surprise by its novelth
though it would not reward the most patient to go on
watching it day after day. One cannot, says the doctor,
sketch, or write, or read, or lounge for ever. One date
palm is like another, each water-wheel is very much the
same as its neighbour, and the shadoofs vary only in the
number of lifts and of the men who work them, and as to
the men—well, unless we go very close they are all
uncommonly similar in hue and dress or want of it,
though their rich brown is now and then
diver.
Billed by the intense blackness of the Nubian's
epidermis. No wonder, then, if in the interval
between tubbing in the Nile water and the walk on deck
there is a longing for breakfast, and that when that is over
the hour of lunch becomes of increasing importance, and
that towards the close. of the day dinner time gradually
asserts its claims, and the halt at sundown, which allows
every one to go on shore—i.e., the next field on the bank"
is looked for with pleasure, the crowning joy of the day
if it be not a bull to say so—being the soft, cool hours
when the stars twinkle and the moon shines aloft, and 511
are invited to the hospitable saloon of the royal Yaeb,"
where a generous welcome awaits them, and a durbar is
held till it is time to walk the plank, and seek each one his
ship by the blazing torchlights, and sink to sleep, num°.
lested, be it noted, of mosquito or nightly depredator for
the most part of us."
One day, the 22nd of February, seems, however, to have
been a " jolly" one for all parties. It is thus described
A day of small misadventure and of fatigue and toil for
i
the Prince and Princess. It was arranged that her Boyd
Highness should proceed in a boat as far as the foot of the
First Cataract, about three miles above Assouan, where
donkeys were to be in waiting, in charge of Abd-el-li.ader,
the Viceroy's aide-de-camp. The Nile above Assouan
breaks into several streams, and meanders through rocky,
barren islands of sandstone and granite. The Princess
took a wrong branch of the river, and ean:le
t.o
to a bank of loose, deep sand drifted
a bed of craggy, glistening rocks. The Prince, after his
visit to Lady Duff Gordon, went to another point belosit,
the Cataract, but where were the Princess and her Party'
Abd-el-Kader, who had posted far-seeing Arabs on the,
rocks, was in despair at the news that the Princess
boat was ascending another channel. He dashed roan'
with his corps of donkey-boys to meet the Princess at 3
place to which the boat appeared to be bound, sending
the camels by a long detour, as they could not make °1
by the rocky banks of the river, but when the asses
arrived the Princess was not visible. By some I°l4
accident two very wretched donkeys were espied near
the spot where the Princess landed. They had neither
saddle nor bridle, but on the back of each was a pad
without girths, and ou these animals the Princess of Wales
and the Hon. Mrs. Grey had to poise theniselVes,'
and to plod under a burning sun towards
The Princess laughed at her novel situation and a,
,1).
peared to enjoy her newly-found property of balancing
herself on a pad without any girths to keep it in its Place
with intense lightheartedness. In an hour or so s
they
came up with the Prince and Sir S. Baker, who had
c,
small experience of the pleasures of the day, havislii
waited for their donkeys for an hour and a half,
the whole party now provided with animals enjoYed the
wonderful performance of the Arabs who swimdown theh
boiling current of the First Cataract for the benefit of t
tourist in the hope of backsheesh.' It has been often
described, but it must be seen by those who want to for
an idea of savage man—why should I call him sn'vetge,
re
though ?—as he battles with a mountain torrent W.° ,
civilisation has washed the energy of his native fortleie
out of him ! A native Arab is never drowned in
13,
whirling, boiling rush of waters. Several
we were told, had tried it, and all bad perished; an
spectators stand on rocks at the end of the fall,
distance lends decency to the blacks fellows, who lea Pent
from a ledge high up one after the other, and in a P3,n,ia
are seen bobbing like the buoys of a fisherman's neL;hiris
then, with arms raised aloft alternately, are borne 000
ing through the whitish foam to the feet of the ePec,
and scramble up in their waistcloths to fight for nc','i3.
sheesh.' While the Prince and Princess were v).
tinuing their ride over parched desert sanid,ss the
wards the green patch of trees which oar' asi,
site of Mike from afar, the rest of the COPIOOI
consisting of Lord Stafford, Lord A. L. Gower' Jr.
Stanton, Major Alison, the Hon. 0. Montague'dirent
Sumner, Sir H. Pelly, and myself, who had ridden °yern ins;
from Assouan—a route seven miles long over
country, in a sun which would almost have cooked l)
aThereo
steak—arrived at the little village below the island.
r,s
under the foot, but not the shade, of two castle-like "b,
a most tr..Yeef.
of rock, we found pitched a large tent in three 0513 of
ments, handsomely carpeted, a dinner tent capable the
receiving forty guests, and a couple of tents for the
accommodation of the servants. Close at hand We. 1130,
be
vessels to which the royal party were to be t'_oon
ferred, and long strings of camels were to be
fubrtd,
coming over the Desert with the stores and t
ture and baggage for the voyage to the Second Cativalitt;
The orders had been given to send on some refresh:its
to the island on which stands the Temple, lovely 'aired
ruin, and thither, heated, sanded, and thirsts,' reP fro
the weary riders of stirrupless donkeys all the iva_iies
Assouan. It does not sound much, but the Seven sa
al,'
were, under the peculiar circumstances, the longest.:yalado
travelled. A rude bark ferried us over, and our IN.iiich
were naked little boys who floated on logs of svood;cty_'ll
as
they propelled by foot or hand with great ease, b v
jn
the wood on which they lay in happy security.
_s of
the blazing heat we wandered about over the
the town of a few centuries old, and the Pr.,-,..siatid.
slabs and columns of the temples of the Sacred -Lba_sed
The royal party came not, and hour after hour Pansc_A
away amid the increasing uneasiness of
guard, and, just as they had taken boat again anda
,oy
returning to the opposite bank, the loud shrill crs:enntkeJ3rs,
of the Nubian women was heard, and a, group 1
on
and
among whom the Prince and the Princess of wales Mrs. Grey soon became discernible in the rays c't the
shs
chilling sun, came in sight, making their way toward a
landing-place of the ferry-boat—a rough slope' thiu.ng_
of
the ad v
vireerte;
field of pulse. The visit of the royal party to the rti. 5
"'Mix. was limited, of course by the want of dayligh
ruin

THE LADIES OF THE PERIOD.—At a Paris Cm"
concert it is written up, "Lc«lies are requested not t°
smoke in this room."

„king

Mr. Dykes, secretary to the Glasgow Vi
Moil's Conservative Association, has received a letter frc"'d,
Lord Stabley, intimating Lis willingness to recoive
dress au
from the Conservative working men of Glasgow durnafi
his visit to that city next month.
A PEEP INTO FUTURITY. —There is in the
yard attached to Maudlin-street Chapel, Kilkenny, 5116.1
stone, erected since October 18Q8, bearing the folio
of
inscription :—" Erected in memory of Patrick Power,:s
Maudlin-street, who died in 1839, aged 73 years. M3Y,71,1,,
soul rest in peace. Amen." This stone is erected by w"
said Patrick Power, who is still living in Maudlin-street;
and confidently asserts that he is to die in the month
June next, or thereabouts. Meanwhile Pat regularly
visits the graveyard, says his prayers at the Ileadstl
&c. ; but beyond this he seems very little concerned Abe%
the near rppreach (accordinj to his owu account)
aissolutiou.,rAttb/in