The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-25 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, A! ONDAY EVENING, OOTOBER 25, 1869.

METROPOLI7AN GOSSlP—Saturday.

Yesterday's anti-Temple meeting was a signal failure.
Very few persons attended it, and scarcely any well-known
High Churchmen were present. In spite of all the agitation
and advertising, the John Bull of to-day is able to give
only fifty clergy who (besides the leaders) have
notified their approval of the opposition. The list
is a most undistinguished one. The London clergy are
almost entirely absent, and the only person of any note
among them is Dr. F. G. Lee. Among the country clergy
the most able man is Archdeacon Freeman, of Exeter, and
be, a very High Churchman, finds himself almost lost
among a crowd of Low Churchmen, such as Mr. Clayton,
of Stanhope, Archdeacon Prest, and Dean Law. Mr.
Archer Gurney, the well-known English chaplain at
Paris, writes to the John Bull to protest against
the present agitation,-and calls upon constitutionalists to
take no part in that repudiation of the royal supremacy
which has been suggested because "the most highly
esteemed and universally popular of the Broad Church
party is recommended for the see of Exeter." It is stated
by the London correspondent of the Manchester Guardian
that Bishop Wilberforce and Archbishop Tait were consulted
by Mr. Gladstone at Walmer before the deanery of
Durham was offered to Dr. Temple, and that even the
first said he could see no reason to object to
the Master of Rugby's promotion. Mr. Gladstone is said
to be both surprised and pained by the fierce language of
his cld friend, Dr. Posey.
Lord Derby died at seven o'clock this morning. The
Daily Telegraph issued a special edition, containing a long
biography. Minute critics will notice that the death is
referred to as having taken place "yesterday." In the
hurry of getting to press the necessary alteration was for-
gotten. Through Lord Derby's death the House of Commons
will lose one of its ablest men. Lord Stanley follows
Lord Cranborne to the Upper House. Thus the Co -
servative party in the Lower is losing - its leaders
one after another. A long biography of the deceased
nobleman had been standing for eighteen months in the
Morning Star office. But the peer outlived the paper about
a fortnight.
The private view of the Dudley gallery exhibition of
paintings took place yesterday. The number of works is
much fewer than in previous years, but as there was for-
merly much rubbish hung, the exhibition has materially
improved. The place of honour is given to Mr. Field
Talfourel's " Waterlilies of the Tiber." A number of little
Roman boys are bathing in the river and gathering water-
lilies ; other boys are running naked on the bank. It is a
very clever picture, but the bank looks too much like a
wall. The other principal picture is Mr. Lionel Smythe's
" A thick night off the Goodwins." It represents two
sailors in the cabin of a ship poring by dim lamplight over
a chart.

Lovers of music are looking forward to a rare treat.
Madame Lind-Goldschmidt--the Jenny Lind of old days—
is announced to sing on November 17th in her husband's
oratorio, " Ruth." Another piece of musical gossip is that
we are to have two Italian operas next year.

The Hon. Mrs. Norton has written a letter indignantly
denying the generally-received statement that she was
the author of the first article in the [Times on the Byron
controversy, which accepted Mrs. Stowe's charge as true.
Mr. Stephenson, Chairman of the Board of Inland
Revenue, is said to have been selected for the permament
Secretaryship of the Treasury, vacant by the promotion
of Mr. Hamilton as one of the Irish Church Commissioners.
It is thought Mr. Stephenson will be succeeded by Mr.
Scudamore. But that gentleman will be sorely missed from
the Post Office, especially just now that the telegraphic
arrangements have come into operation. Mr. Ayrton and
Mr. Stansfeld are spoken of as the successors to Sir R.
Temple in the post of Financial Minister for India.
It is reported that Mr. Gladstone contemplates the
abolition of tax-collectors. In that case the taxes will be
paid at a regular office, just as the dog tax now is. The Pre-
mier will probably be able also to prevent the taxpayer's
affairs from being known to his neighbour in the way
that they now are.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

tonversion of all regiments of Yeomanry, and ll
Light Horse Volunteer regiments, into mounted rifles.

THE INDIAN COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.

A pfetty general belief is held that Lord Napier
will be the new commander-in-chief for India. his
lordship himself, it is :stated, expects th© post ; the
public, by rumour, assigns it to him ; and he tells
those about him that ho is sure of the appointment
"if no .other hero turns up." But the matter is
not so certain as it seems to be regarded, for it. is
announced that Lord Mayo wants Sir William
Mansfield with him, and has gone so far as to
write home asking his continuance for another year.
The reason assigned for this course is that Sir
William is well known to be an able financier, and it
is just possible that the Indian Government may
require his services in connection with the severe
financial crisis which looms a-head."

ITEMS OF " SERVICE " NEWS.

The Army and Navy Gazette 01N-es its readers the in-
formation that Mr. Lowe is nowbthe person with whom
the question of naval retirement rests. The matter
(it says) is still under the consideration of the
Admiralty : the Lords would willingly listen to the
urgent appeals made to them; but they must get
permission and the money from the Chancellor of the
Exchequer. "It is now admitted on all sides that it
is monstrous a captain should have to wait for nearly
five years from the date of his commission for a ship,
and a commander to be ahnost similarly treated."—
A reward of £lOO a year is vacant by the death of
Colonel A. B. Montgomery, C. 8., formerly of the Ist
Royals.—ln furtherance of the intentions of the
Lords of the Admiralty to have armour-clad vessels
stationed along the coast as district guard-ships, so
as to habituate men and officers to live with " our
iron walls," it has been decided that her Majesty's
ship Resistance shall shortly replace the old wooden
screw-frigate Dauntless in the Humber.

ments to whim they naa not the SIMCIOW or a claim,
while I have been made aware of others in which
jealousy and ill-feeling, veiling themselves under the
thin (T rinse of a chivalrous candour, have slurred
over undeniable qualifications in an ungenerous
silence." When the post competed for is small, and
the candidates unknown, it is, perhaps, impossible to
dispense with testimonials ; but surely, says this
writer, in the case of the better class of schools, it
ought to be sufficient for any candidate to send in his
name and leave his writings, university career, pre-
vious experience, and public reputation to do the rest.
In many professions testimonials are seldom sought,
and it does not appear that anything is lost by the
omission.