The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-19 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 19, 1869,

METROPOLITAN GOSSlP.—Thursday.

One danger is safely past—Ministers have got over the
difficulties presented by the Irish question, so far as to
prepare a Queen's Speech—Message, rather, for the day
of Royal Speeches is gone by—and to meet Parliament
with an unbroken front. Not the less, however, are
there prophets of evil, who predict that this same question
will yet break up the party, even should it not break up
the Cabinet. Strange to say, it is Mr. Bright, a Noncon-
formist of Nonconformists, who is now supposed to be the
chief advocate of the levelling-up system. His religious
friends are whispering anxiously about him ; they
fear that he is not " loyal" to the great principle of sepa-
ration of Church and State; and certain rabid anti-Roman
journals are calling attention to the fact that in the recently
published volumes of speeches by the President of the
Board of Trade, one letter is included, that letter containing
a proposal for giving each of the three chief communions in
Ireland a million sterling out of the Church revenues.
Why suffer this letter to be republished, say the critics,
if Mr. Bright does not mean it to be understood
that he holds the same views as he held 17
years ago? Is it not because Lord Russell
knew well he bad a powerful ally in the Cabinet that he
published his third letter to Mr. Chichester Fortescue,
embodying the same proposal as Mr. Bright's ?
While there is doubt as to the Ministerial intentions,
doubt to be solved now in eleven days from this time,
there is necessarily uncertainty as to the tactics of the
Opposition. But already some sort of scheme has been
traced in outline. Needless to say that for it to have any
chance of success, it must command the support of a por-
tion of the Liberal party. A Conservative campaign
fought under the old " No surrender" banner is not even
thought of by the Conservative leaders. The Irish Church,
in its present form, is not so much precarious as past
praying for. The only hope of warding off total disesta-
blishment and disendowment (which, being interpreted,
means the only hope of the Conservatives regaining office)
lies in concerted action with the old Whigs, who are sup-
posed to be alarmed at the Radical programme. The
present idea is to relieve Roman Catholics from contributing
to the support of the Protestant Church,just as Conservatives
proposed to save church rates by relieving Dissenters from
that impost; and when that is done, to continue the
relations between the Protestant Church and the State,
by maintaining the supremacy of the Crown, the right of
the bishops to sit in Parliament, and the jurisdiction of
the Privy Council in matters of doctrine and discipline.
In this scheme the fine Roman hand of Dean Stanley can
be traced, and scarcely less legible is that of Arch-
bishop Tait. I have reason to think that it
would be supported by the Bishops of Oxford and
Peterborough, and it would certainly be viewed
with greater favour at the Court than last year's
" thorough." It is, in fact, the scheme of the Erastian
party in the Church. This explains the strange rumour
circulated a little time ago that Lord Westbury would
lead the High Church party in the House of Lords. The
truth is, this scheme is fai more likely to break up the
High Church party than the Liberal party. There are
High Churchmen and High Churchmen ; there are some
who, belonging to the old-fashioned school, consider the
union of Church and State as the one " sacred "principle;
and it was of these that Mr. Disraeli was the spokesman last
year. There are others, the neo-High Churchmen, who
hold that the union with the State is tolerable only because
of the material advantages which it brings, and that if
these are to be surrendered that ought to be annulled.
These High Churchmen would denounce as Erastian any
such scheme as I have shadowed, and although it is likely
that a sop will he offered to them by extending to the
Irish Church the right of synodical action which was con-
ferred by Lord Westbury's bill upon the colonies ten years
ago, they are not at all likely to accept it. I know as a
matter of fact, that the editor of an influential Conservative
and High Church paper has told his friends that if disen-
dowment is resolved upon he will "go in " for disesta
blishment—for a " free " Church, that is.
Ministers certainly have their work cut out for them.
Although primary legislation, the codification of the law,
and tenant right are omitted from the programme, there
are measures enough to occupy, and more than occupy, the
session. Even were there no Irish Church stopping the
way, there would be an embarrassment of riches
with secondary education, the equalisation of the
poor rates, county financial boards, bankruptcy reform,
the prevention of crime, the reform of the Reform Bill,
and the like. It is to be regretted that some of these mea-
sures are not to be first introduced in the House of Lords.
Lord Cairns very justly complained that the Upper House
had nothing to do for the first half of the session, and was
overwhelmed daring the second half. Why was not the
Bankruptcy Bill taken in hand by Lord Hatherley, in-
stead of by Sir Robert Collier?
The old and, I think, by no means commendable plan of
communicating the contents of the Queen's Message to the
public journals in advance has been revived this year.
The Da;ly News (which, by the way, has been enlarged to
fifty-six columns on those days in which there are
long debates) affects to doubt this, and assumes that
the articles written by its Liberal contemporaries were only
happy, or scarcely happy, guesses. As a matter of fact they
were not, but were based upon information supplied
from the best of sources. The Times, the Telegraph, and
the Star had each a different informant. I could mention
the name in each case, but am not at liberty to do so.
This selection of particular journals for these confidences
is rather invidious, and it is to be hoped that the precedent
will not be followed. In this case the information, though
authentic, was a little misleading, for it is said now that
the Speech underwent considerable modification at the last
moment.

The Owl has made its appearance ; but is no longer the
bird of brilliant wit and special information that it used
to be. The old original Owl has for some time ceased to
be connected with it. The little sheet owed its name as
well as its existence to him. The title Owl was chosen
because the initial and final letters were the initials
of Mr. Laurence Oliphant's name transposed. At that time
he was the favoured of society, and had princes for his
friends. He had been one of the greatest travellers, and
he was one of the best talkers of his time. He entered
Parliament, and every one expected that he would rise to
a high, if not the highest post at the Foreign Office.
Two or three winters ago he went to the United States,
and visited, I believe, some of
those communities
which Mr. Hepworth Dixon has described in his
" New America." He returned an altered man ; shunned
the salons,
was supposed to be affected by religious melan-
choly, dissatisfied his constituents, so that they requested
him to resign, and then disappeared from the face of
" Society." It is now stated that he has betaken himself
to one of the American communities above-mentioned,
where he, the spoiled darling of fashion, seeks for
happiness in tilling the ground, and working at the loom.
_ . _

There is a good story now current of an eminent counsel
whose name has been conspicuous in some notable cases
lately. He has a large appetite for fees, but is rather apt
to forget the apostolic maxim, " He that will not work,
neither shall he eat." Knowing his laxity on that point,
an attorney having occasion to retain him marked his brief
with eighty guineas, thinking that such a hand-
some honorarium would secure the attendance of
this dolce far niente counsel. He attended
the consultation on the eve of trial, faithfully
promised attendance the next morning, but unfaithfully
failed to put in an appearance. The case went against
the attorney's client. Thereupon attorney, in great
wrath, and taking his client with him, went to eminent
counsel's chamber,upbraided him, and said, " I donot mean
to leave this room until I get the eighty guineas back."
_Eminent counsel protested that such a thing as returning
a fee was never heard of, that it was wholly unprofessional,
and much else to the same effect. Eminent counsel, though
clever enough at browbeating a witness, found
that browbeating an attorney was a very different matter.
Attorney remained firm, counsel continued indignant and
obstinate. At last attorney said, by way of clenching the
matter, " I mean to leave no stone unturned to recover
this money, and shall, in the last resort, memorialise the
Lord Chancellor." That threat was effectual. A cheque
for £B4 was signed and delivere3, and the unfortunate
client left his treacherous counsel's chamber rejoicing that
though he had lost his case, he had regained his money,
The matter did not end there. It came to the ears of
Lord Chancellor Cairns, who sent for the counsel and
expostulated with him. " Really Mr. -," said his lord-
ship, "if this sort of thing goes on we shall be having a
Parliamentary inquiry into the relations between counsel
and client." Mr. - promised good behaviour in future,
and being pre-eminently a "funny" counsel, the interview
concluded with good humour and jest on both sides.
I must talk about the weather again. The long spring
time, which has lasted ever since the autumn, continues.

The trees are fast coming into leaf ; the almond trees are
a sight glorious to see. I have never seen such a display
of colour before ; the pear-trees at Kew are in full hlos-

som. The thrushes and other vermivorous birds are
rejoicing in a banquet of worms, and the sheep have more
grass than they know how to get through. This warm
season is in direct contradiction of the popular idea that

an abundant display of holly-berries means a cold winter.
Never was there a more brilliant blaze of scarlet in the
holly bushes than there was at the beginning of December.
I suspect that a hot summer has always more to do with
this than a cold winter. Nature is not a weather
prophet.

Londoners are essentially conservative in some things.
For instance, they so strongly prefer the old-fashioned
narrow two-horse to the roomy three-horse omnibuses,
that where the latter have been tried they have been
given up. It was a common thing to see the
wretched " Citizens," as the yellow Paddington omnibuses
are called, crammed, while the large and well-built vehicles

of the Manchester pattern were empty. For some tim
past the latter have been withdrawn.

Sir John Coleridge's " Life of Keble " is selling
faster than the binders can supply copies to the pub•
lishers. The editor of the London Quarterly Review
has lost one of the ablest members of his staff by the death
of Mr. Monsell, a brilliant writer, whose long residence on
the Continent enabled him to deal in a masterly manner
with Continental politics. The next number of
that review will, I believe, contain an article
by Mr. Edward Spender, on Dean Milman's " Annals
of St. Paul's." The concluding verses in the current
number of London Society are by Mr. Henry Frith, of the
War Office, a constant contributor to Judy; and who will
also, I believe, have some verses in the next number of Under
the Crown. Nisbet is about to publish the life of Cvsar
Malan, the well-known Genevan minister, written by one
of his sons. Mr. Fowler, M.P. for Cambridge, has in the
press " Thoughts on Free Trade in Land." Sir Edward
Creasy's History of England will be published by Walton.
Lovers of art will be glad to learn that an exhibition of
the late Mr. Welinert's pictures will be held in April.

11.113CELLIN E 0 US iV EIVS.

OT:It MERCANTILE MARINE.

A notice has already been placed on the boo7:s of
the House of Commons reopectiiig the nesersarY
amendments in the laws relating to our merchant
shipping. Mr. Candlish will on Monday next ask
the President of the Board of Trade if he expects,
this session, to bring in a bill with that object. A
correspondent of the Times, a member of the Liverpool
Chamber of Commerce, has explained at some length
the chief grounds for the existing dissatisfaction.
Our list of wrecks is not only very heavy, but is
annually increasing at a much higher ratio than the
increase of our shipping. There is no room to doubt
that the unseaworthy condition of many vessels, the
incompetence of their commanders, the insufficiency
of their crews, and the absence of proper appliances
for navigation afford the explanation of the greater
number of the catastrophes. The interference
of the Legislature is needed to remedy the
inefficiency of the ships and the inferior
quality of the nautical instruments, while
for the improvement of the officers and crews we
must look to more gradual measures. The writer of
the letter we have referred to suggests several
methods of securing a better supply of trained sea-
men. Another point on which Parliament might
with advantage interfere is the licensing and
official inspection of sailors' boarding-houses—
a reform the men themselves desire. It
has been proposed that a small voluntary due of
id. per ton should be levied on all the shipping
entering our great ports for the benefit of educational
and charitable objects connected with our mercantile
marine. Such a rate if levied on the shipping
entering the Mersey alone in 1867 would have
produced 5,540.