The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-03 00:00:00

filE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 3, 1869,

METROPOLITAN GOSSIP—Dee. 2.

Lord Malmesbury's letter to the Daily Telegraph clears
up a point of history, but gives no indication with respect
to a very interesting matter of future politics. The Earl
declares that he was not deposed from the Conservative
leadership, that he voluntarily retired from it as soon
as Lord Derby ceased to take an active part in
politics. In other words, Lord Malmesbury is
so modest that, while he was willing to be
leader in name so long as Lord Derby was' leader in fact,
he would not venture to undertake the real responsibility
of heading his party in the Upper House. There can be
little doubt that the Conservatives generally have the
same estimate of Lord Malmesbury's qualifications that he
has, and it is pleasant to find them agreed upon so impor-
tant a matter. But who will be leader hereafter, now
that Lord Malmesbury's successor has resigned ? The Con-
servative papers have not yet made up their mind
and I presume the matter is not yet settled by those who
have the deciding of it. The selection is generally supposed
tobe confined to two noblemen. Lord Derby and Lord
Salisbury are thought to be the only possible
leaders, although the Duke of Abercorn and Lord Car-
narvon have been spoken of. Without claiming any 'special
knowledge on the matter, I incline to think that the first
will be chosen. Last year it might have been otherwise,
for Lord Stanley differed from his party upon the Irish
Church, and took no part in the debates. But that matter
having been disposed of, and he being en rapport with
the Conservatives on the Land question, there will be no
obstacle to his promotion. On the other hand, Lord Salis-
bury has by his article in the last number of the Quarterly
Review deeply offended his party. He has made one
long indictment against the whole of their policy for
the last four years, and his terribly severe satire
against Mr. Disraeli is none the less severe that the
object of it was not once mentioned by name. It
seems impossible that two men so utterly opposed upon
the first principles of political conduct, upon the raison
de'tre of Conservatism, can pull together. It is quite true,
as has been urged, that the Lord Robert Cecil of 1861 was
very sarcastic upon Mr. Disraeli before, and lashed him
vigorously in the pages of the short lived but brilliant
Bentley's Quarterly, and in his lordship's brother-in-law's
paper, the Saturday Review, and that nevertheless the two
joined Lord Derby's Ministry in 1866. But this is just one of
those exceptions which prove the rule. The two found
co-operation impossible directly they came to practical
legislation, and the Lord Cranborne of 1867 seceded from
the Ministry rather than work with Mr. Disraeli, seven
months from the time that the Ministry was formed. It
was the one case in which the experiment of co-operation
was tried, and it failed. Since then the Lord Salis-
bury of 1863 and 1369 has again and again
denounced Mr. Disraeli's policy, and a recon-
ciliation is out of the question. As a matter of
fact, I believe, Lord Salisbury himself does not contemplate
succeeding Lord Cairns. Both noblemen are now engaged
upon the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway arbitration.
It is nearly concluded, and when it is over I understand
the Marquis will leave England for some time. In that case
there can be little doubt that Lord Derby will be appointed
to the responsible office now vacant. If so he will prove
as great a contrast as is possible to the brilliant but rash
namesake, who so long led and so often unintentionally
damaged, the party.
The Conservative leadership is not the most important
question of the day ; though I have placed it first. The
real problem is the condition of Ireland. I mentioned
some weeks ago that Fenianism was by no means
so nearly set at rest as some persons supposed,
and a very short time has sufficed to prove my assertion.
The revival of the old treasonable spirit in its worst and
most outrageous form has now brought Government face
to face with a most serious responsibility. The popular
indignation against Ireland is fast rising, and will soon
become dangerous. Englishmen know that they have per-
formed one act of justice, and that they are willing to do
as many more as may be necessary. Yet they find no
gratitude, but are told that all they do is done from fear.
The temptation to prove the odious charge false is very
strong with a people so brave as the English, and will
have to be very jealously watched. Meanwhile public
opinion is becoming decisive on one point, and that is that
Government must show a great deal more energy than it
has shewn if it means to preserve order in Ireland.
Tenniel's cartoon in yesterday's Punch, and the first leader
in to-day's Times are clear indications of the popular will.
It may easily be conceived that Mr. Gladstone is very
reluctant to resort to extreme measures, still more
that Mr. Bright is. Any one can rule with Habeas Corpus
suspended, has been the motto which they have adopted
from Cavour's last words. They had hoped that the day
was gone by when such measures would be necessary, and
that the reforms which they had determined to carry out
would meet all reasonable aoraanda. No doubt these have
produced a satisfactory result, but the worst of it is that
there are certain men in Ireland whose trade is
agitation, and who become more violent in proportion
as they see their day is passing. These men the Govern-
ment must put down ; it is due to Ministers themselves, it
is due to she loyal Irish, both Protestant and Catholic,
that this should be done. Of course it will be a great
nuisance to summon Parliament together for a Christmas
session ; but that this will have to be done almost everyone
believes, and the article in the Daily Telegraph of Tuesday,
and that in the Time. 3 of to-day, were no doubt intended
to prepare the way.
The Archbishop is better, I am glad to say, but I greatly
fear that the journalists who speak hopefully of his entire
recovery are over sanguine. The Archbishop has been
suffering from epilepsy and paralysis, a very serious com-
bination, and although the attacks have not been renewed
within the last few days his left side is still paralysed.
Everyone will regret it if he should feel obliged to vacate his
see, and there is no doubt that so conscientious a man will so
feel should he be unable to discharge his official duties.
In that case he would probably be succeeded by Dr. Wil-
berforce. I may mention that this prelate owes his
present preferment to the express wish of the
Queen, and that Mr. Gladstone informed him of
this on offering him the bishopric of Winchester.
Tho appointment was somewhat of an experiment, made
with some little doubt as to its success ; but as no one has
had a word to say against it, the Queen would not hesitate 1
to promote Bishop Wilberforce still higher. Something
has been said about Bishop Jacobson succeeding Arch-
bishop Tait ; but this is not probable. The Queen does
not approve of the translation of recent Bishops to the
highest posts in the Church. The rapid preferment of
Archbishop Thomson may seem to be a proof to the con-
trary, but that incident brought about a rather serious dis-
agreement between the Queen and Lord Palmerston. With
reference to another Bishop, Dr. Moberly, I may mention
that old Wykehamists are about to present their former
Head Master with a pastoral ring, and that he caused some
little offence to his clergy by omitting to speak to those of
them who were assembled in Salisbury chapter-house on
the occasion of his installation. The idea of a
Cornish bishopric has not been abandoned by the Cornish
clergy. The party who are opposed to Dr. Temple are
very anxious to have a bishop of their own rather than one
selected by the new Bishop of Exeter. The memorial to
Archbishop Longley is progressing, and the Bishop of St.
Asaph has subscribed £250, and the Bishop of Chester £5O.
There were no fewer than three ecclesiastical cases on in
the law courts to-day. That instituted by the Archbishop
of York against Mr Voysey, that by the Church Associa-
tion against Mr. Macknonochie, and that by the same body
against Mr. Bennett. The incumbent of St. Alban's ap-
peared in person, and pleaded, though under protest.
I mentioned in my last letter the surpassingly high
character of Mr. Walrond's testimonials which were sent
in to the trustees of Rugby School. Since then the Spec-
tator has expressed great surprise at the election of Mr.
Hayman, and has suggested a theory to account for it.
I am in a position to offer your readers something
more than a theory. The facts are as follows.
Mr Hayman was head master of Bradfield Col-
lege, a High Church school, near Reading. For some
reason he did not get on very well with the warden, and
the Bishop of Oxford, who took great interest in the school,
thought its interests would be served best by the departure
of Mr. Hayman. When Rugby became vacant the
bishop went to his alter ego the Duke of Marlborough,
and suggested to him that he should use his in-
fluence with the trustees, the most influential of whom
is Mr. Newdegate, M.P., to elect Mr. Hayman. Now Mr.
Newdegate, as all the world knows, is a very strong Pro-
testant, and it became necessary to frighten him with the
terrible consequences that would result if a rationalist
were appointed to Rugby. Even then the M.P. would not
be persuaded to vote for Mr. Hayman unless the
Duke would vouch for his not being a Ritualist.
This point being made clear, the member for North
Warwickshire and the majority of his co-trustees, ignoring
the fact that Mr. Walrsrel had a clean bill of health from
such theologians as the two English Archbishops and the
Bishop of Chester, voted for Mr. Hayman. He, therefore,
owes his election in great measure to Bishop Wilberforce's
desire to have a new master for Bradfield; a reason not
very satisfactory to those who look upon the success of
Rugby as a matter of almost national importance.
The colonial policy of the Government is likely to at-
tract great notice during the coming session, and will
prove rather a serious question for Ministers. It is no
secret that great dissatisfaction prevails even among
Liberals respecting Lord Granville's treatment of
New Zealand. He will have an opportunity of
setting himself right on the matter. Com-
missioners are now on their way to England
from that colony in order to persuade the Colonial

Office to reconsider its recent decision denying the use of
troops to the New Zealanders. It will be urged that as
labourers get about Bs. a day in New Zealand, it is utterly
impossible for the colony to maintain an army of its own;
and all it asks is that it may be allowed the services of
British troops, who are paid about 13d. a day, which
amount the colonists will gladly pay. The request seems
reasonable enough, and it is difficult to understand how Lord
Granville can refuse it, except he means, as has been attri-
buted to him in the opposition journals, to cut our colonies
adrift altogether.

The reputed " haul " made by the Duke of Edinburgh in
New Zealand is substantially correct. For some little time
past great fortunes have been made by a few lucky pur-
chasers of gold setts. No fewer than 240 companies have
been formed to work them, and all have paid a hand-
some profit. In one instance a purchaser of shares at, I
believe, £lO, sold them in a very few months for £15,000,
having in the meanwhile received a very large dividend.
The Duke of Edinburgh was one of the lucky speculators,
and cleared £200,000. Nevertheless, I see that another
bill has been sent home for the payment of his presents,
which the nation will have the pleasure of defraying out of
that terrible congeries of income tax which will have to be
forthcoming a month hence.
The Queen is having her portrait painted by Mr.
Dickinson. The same artist is painting Sir Charles Lyell,
who found Mr. Richmond too full of engagements
to undertake the commission. There are one or two
other incidents of life in the upper spheres
which I may as well mention here. The young
Earl of Pembroke is in feeble health; his younger brother
is, however, strong and active. Neither of these sons of
Sidney Herbert nor their sister is gone over to Rome,
and though Lady Herbert always attends Mass at Salis-
bury in the morning, she is to be seen with her children
on Sunday afternoons in the beautiful church which her
husband built. The Marquis of Westminster's will is still
exciting much attention, and Lord Richard Grosvenor's
virtual disinheritance is said to be due to the fact that he
entered into some speculative companies against his father's
wish. The new Marquis is reported to be going on the
turf, which is news to rejoice the hearts of the Padwicks
and Beyfus's.

The legal proceedings threatened by the proprietors of
St. James's Hall a year or two ago against the Earl of
Dudley and Miss Burdett Coutts for lending their rooms
for concerts appear to have produced some effect. Mr. F.
Cowen, the young pianist, who has hither been allowed
the use of Lord Dudley's house in Park-lane, announces
that his concert will be held in a few days at St. James's
Hall under the patronage of Lord Dudley.
It is now generally rumoured that the judgeship vacant
by the death of Sir George Hayes will be filled up after
all, and that the suggestion made by the Times that Com-
missioner Bacon should get the post, will not be adopted.
The Hon. George Denman, M.P. for Tiverton, and
Mr. James, M.P. for Taunton, are spoken of as
the most likely successors to the witty judge whose
loss the whole Bar is deploring. Mr. Denman has the
advantage over Mr. James of longer political service. His
scat, moreover, is safe, and would certainly be filled with
a Liberal, and probably without a contest, for there was
no contest even at the general election, so strong is Mr.
Amory's influence. Taunton is a very different sort of
borough from Tiverton. It rather rest mbles Bridgwater,
for candidates are subjected to the unpleasant process of
being weighed in one scale, with money-bags in the other.
Should Bridgwater and Beverley be disfranchised, as is
certain, Torquay will stand a good chance of getting a
member. It is true that when Mr. Disraeli proposed to
enfranchise it Mr. Butler-Johnstone asked why "the con-
sumptive interest " should want to be represented, and who
would care to represent " the pulmonary borough ?" But
it is a mistake to suppose that Torquay is only a
sanatorium for invalids. It contains no fewer than 1,200
houses of resident gentlemen, and the population has
increased with marvellous rapidity, until it is now
close upon 40,000, whereas about fifteen years ago it was a
long way under 20,000. There is no borough which will
compete with it for enfranchisement, except Luton, and
there will be spare seats enough to supply both.
Of literary news the most important item is that the
Pall Mall Gazette is coming out as a morning journal at
2d. This experiment was tried for a week or two five
years ago, when the paper was in its infancy, and it
failed. The expense of bringing out a morning journal
is beyond all comparison with that of issuing an evening
journal, and at that time the Pall Mall was not suffi-
ciently established to sustain the cost. The
experiment is made now under different circumstances,
the paper has a large circulation, and has of late greatly
increased its advertisements, so that there is room for a
morning edition. At the same time the price (twopence)
will be against the paper in these days when old journals
are coming down to a penny. Another new weekly paper,
the Round Table, is announced ; it will be brought out b
Mr. James Irving Scott. The Church Herald is to be
discontinued by its proprietor on account of its objection-
able articles.

Of new books I have still wonderfully little to tell, con-
sidering that we have now entered December. Mr.
M`Lagan, M.P., will have out in a few days a work on land
tenure and land culture in Ireland, being the result of
observations during a recent tour. Mr. Godkin, author of
" Ireland and her Churches," has in the press " The Land
War in Ireland," which will be out immediately. There is a
good article on Irish Land Tenure in Macmillan's Maga-
sine by Mr. John Hamilton, a gentleman who has long re-
sided in Donegal. Bishop Alexander, Miss Wedgwood,
Mrs. Oliphant, and Canon Westcott are contributing
volumes to "Macmillan's Sunday Library. Mr. Tennyson
appears at last to have settled upon the title of his new
book, which, after sundry alterations, is now to be called
the " Holy Grail," the search for which, as I mentioned five
months ago, is the subject of the principal new poem.
Mr. George Smith, of the Echo, is publishing a volume
of his
poems, many of which have already appeared
in Fraser's and .21facmillan's Magazines. Mr. Charles
Allen has just written a book about Australia,
which is the result of many years'. residence in
that country. It is entitled "A Visit to Queensland," but
does not deal exclusively with that country. Mr. Edward
Spender will have an article upon the late Mr. Crabb
Robinson in the next number of the London Quarterly
Review.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

TRIM BETURN OF O'DONOVAN BONA.

-"A Tipperary Elector" throws the blame of tht
miserable electoral fiasco upon Mr. Heron himself,
This witness says that never was a county contest
marked by less intimidation or violence. The
respectable voters were not terrified. They were
taken by surprise. Mr. Heron neglected
to make any of the usual preparations, rely.
ing with unwise confidence upon his bril
liant eloquence and popular sympathies to procure
his return. He did nothing to enlist the support of
the Liberal gentry, who, with scarcely an exception,
took no part in the late election. "He engaged nc
conveyances for the voters, but cast upon the Catholic
clergymen the herculean task of canvassing, withir
the period of two days which intervened between the.
nomination and the polling, a constituency so nume-
rous, and spread over so extended an area, and of
further inducing the electors to leave their hornet
and at their own expense to provide the means of
travelling distances ranging.up to forty miles." The
statement that there was little intimidation does not
accord with the evidence of other witnesses. It is
worthy of note, too, that if Mr. Heron remained
inactive, it was because he and others anticipated no
real opposition from the Fenians.

nun an anaress. Tney united to express-tifeii gkati=
tude for the past—his zealous words of cheer—their
regret at his departure, and their hope that he will be
prompted onwards in his course by God. In reply
the Bishop-Elect of Exeter advocated the mingling of
classes and creeds more thoroughly. He taught
most firmly, he said, that men were the image
of ono nod ; they ought not to be held
apart. " The rank is but the guinea
stamp." The upper class should learn from the
lower the supremacy of Justice'; the lower from
the upper, cultivation and. refinement. His own
special province was to teach men to love, in the
spirit of the Bible, and to love their Master Christ ;
and it appeared to him that he should be discharging
this delightful duty most truly by impressing upon his
fellow-men that there is no service they can render
to God equal to that of helping, cheering, and, to the
utmost of their power, blessing their fellows.
Bishop Ewing, of Argyll_ and the Isles, writes
denying that he has offered to take part in the come-
cration of Dr. Temple. He explains his position
as regards " Essays and Reviews." An authorship
in that work would be no recommendation for a
Christian Bishopric ; but still the book is founded on
the very principle upon which Protestantism is based
—the principle, namely, of " the presence in man
of a power of recognising spiritual and intellectual
truth."

Call it by what name we will (says the Bishop) surely it
is by the presence of some such principle or power that
we are able to apprehend the meaning of Scripture or of
anything ; to respond to, or to obey God. Surely it was
to the possession of this faculty our Lord alludes when he
says, "If I speak the truth, why do ye not believe me ?"
And, again, surely it was because of its possession that the
Jews were culpable in rejecting Jesus ? Nay, the authority
on which we receive Scripture at first, the Church,
must yield to the test ; for St. Paul bids us not to
receive his message on the authority of an angel even,
mere!), as such. And the Church (or that opinion in the
Church which we identify with the Church) do we not
" verify "by this means ? We ourselves prefer St. Paul's
expression, " commending ourselves to every man's con-
science in the sight of God," to that of a verifying faculty;
but the meaning is nearly, if not quite, the same, in all
probability. Nay, do we not, when we deny such capacity,
preclude the possibility of the direct action of the Spirit
of God on the individual soul? It is a solemn subject,
and must be dealt with soberly.