The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LO.NDDN, FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 10, 1868,

THE SER VIAN SKUPCIIINA.

(From the Times' Correspondent)
PESTH, July 5.

This morning's mail has brought us details about
the meeting of the Skupchina on Friday. As you
will already know by telegram, the affair went off
with eclat, and all had been so well arranged that
the decision of the Assembly was not a moment in
doubt. Not only the proclamation of Milan, as
Prince of Servia, but likewise the election of the
Regency and the arrangements about the civil list,
went off as smoothly as could be desired.
The Skupchina was not held in the town of Bel-
grade. An open wooden building, reminding one
strongly of the sheds which adorn some of the
model farms in England, and under which they
stack corn, was erected in a meadow, or more pro-
perly a level piece of ground.

- This meadow lies in the valley of Topchidere,
about 400 yards behind the house which was the
favourite residence of old Prince Miloch after he
had raised himself to power. He built it in 1838,
before he was driven away, and on his return in
1858 he resided there, and there he died. It was
likewise to this house that the body of his son
Michael was carried when brought out of the wood
where he was murdered.

From the barn erected for the Skupchina could
also be seen the place in the woods where the mur-
der was committee. Probably all those circum-
stances may have contributed in the choice of the
place for the Skupchina, and it must be admitted
that the Regency has in this respect displayed much
tact.

On arriving from Belgrade by a bridle road that
passes an hostelry called the Szerbski Gar, you reach
an eminence immediately above the valley of Top-
chidere. Below you are the public gardens, on the
left hand a church spire, a little further, though
partly hidden by the trees, the houses of Miloch
mentioned above, and close to it a large white
building, the convict establishment, which, as you
will remember, played so prominent a part in the
Topchidere tragedy, the actual murder having been
planned there.
The question of having a convict establishment
attached to a princely park is, of course, a matter
of taste. Old Miloch, perhaps, rather enjoyed the
clanking of chains, but to a European, whose nerves
are probably more sensitive, the sight of fifty of
these ruffians—of the best blood, mind you, in the
country—is not agreeable, and you must likewise
remember that these pleasure grounds are the only
resort for the inhabitants of Belgrade. However,
for the day when the Skupchina met the convicts
were invisible.

Above the principal entrance of the barn in ques-
tion there were the arms of Servia and three flsgs
of the national colours. The interior was as mo-
dest, not to say bare, as the exterior. Same wooden
steps led up to a raised dais, which was the place
appointed for the principal personages, such as the
members of the Provisional Government, the Me-
tropolitan, the clergy, and where, likewise, later in
the ceremony, the young Prince Milan showed him-
self to the people. To the right of this was a railed
platform for the Ministers, to the left the same for
the Senators, and right and left of these places for
the Consuls. The centre of the building was di-
vided into four sections of benches on which the
members of the Skupchina sat.
At about 8 o'clock in the morning the proceed-
ings began by Mr. Marinovich, the president of the
Senate, and therefore chief of the Provisional Go-
vernment, reading to the assembly the maze and
reasons for which they had been called together--
viz., to elect a new Prince, to grant a civil list, and
to appoint a new Regency. He finished by pro-
posing to the Assembly to elect Milan Obrenovich
IV. They answered by shouting that he was
Prince by hereditary right, that all they had to do
was to proclaim his accession, which they did amid
loud cries of " Zivio !" One of the members for
Belgrade, Caraherberovich, then thanked the Pro-
visional Government for the manner they had acted
i❑ the emergency, and crared permission from the
Assembly for another member to be heard. There-
ripen a priest or Pope mounted the rostrum, and
asked the assembly to vote for the young prince as
his civil list the same sum which had been granted
to the " never-to-be-forgotten Michael." One
short, sturdy peasant, mounting on his seat, cried,
" We would rather give more than less," and the
proposal of giving to the young Prince the same
sum as his predecessor bad was approved.
Then Marinovich said the Assembly must elect a
Regency during the minority of the Prince, on
which one menas)er proposed Colonel Milivoi Pitro-
vich Bliznavatz, the Minister of War, and one of
the members of the Provisional Government ; he
was immediately acc.Tted with acclamation. An-
other proposed Ristic, formerly agent of Servia at
Conttantinople, and he. was likewise approved.
Then the Assembly was told to choose a third to
make up the number required by law; but they
said, " We have full confidence in the two we have
chosen ; let them, therefore, choose their own col-
league." _ _ _

ifarinovich explained that this would be scarcely
legal, and that the Assembly itself must choose all
the three members of the Regency. On this the
Assembly shouted, " Let the two we have chosen
propose some one, and we will elect him." Ristic
then led forward Gavrilovich, and he was accepted.
Gavrilovich was in 1861 Minister of Finance, and
is repo,ted to be silent, acquiescing, and learned,
being now Senator and at the head of a literary in-
stitution in Belgrade.
The election of the Regency being over, the three
Regents were sworn in by the Metropolitan, who
was in attendance, Colonel Blaznavatz repeating
the oath in a clear, loud voice, the other two being
scarcely audible. Then the Skupchina sang a
solemn Rogaletta, an equivalent to " Long may
they live," and the Metropolitan, in full robes,
made a short speech, every one in the Assembly
crossing himself.
Thus was finished, in less than an hour and a half,
the election of the Prince, the granting of the civil
list, and the election of the Regency. The Skup-
china seemed in very good temper, shouting occa-
sionally " Zivio," or " Long life," the signal being
given by a Senator named Jeremiah, who, from the
platform on which the Senators were, waived his hat
every time they were to shout.
The Prince being elected and the Regency ap-
pointed, one of the gendarmes who were patrolling
outside the building waved a white flag, on which
the cannon posted on some heights above the con-
vict establishment fired a salute.

Then the three members of the Regency went out
to meet the young Prince, who was being brought
to Topschidere in a carriage from Belgrade. In
about half an hour be arrived, preceded by some
cavalry. He was.dressed in the dark green uniform
of a colonel of Artillery in the Servian army, and
was mounted on a quiet chestnut horse belonging
to the late Prince. Close to him rode Colonel Blaz-
navatz, the chief of the new Regency.
The young Prince dismounted promptly, and
kissed the bands of two or three archimandrites
and bishops who received him at the door. He then
entered the building and mounted on the rostrum.
As be came in view of the assembly they shouted
vociferously, " Zivio, zivio." The Prince then said
a few words, in which be thanked them for their
allegiance to his family, and hoped they would not
expt.ct too much from him—a child.

The Metropolitan and attendants then went
through some religious ceremony, after which the
Prince, mounting his horse, rode off, accompanied
by Colonel Blaznavatz and his escort, to inspect
some battalions of militia who were guarding the
ground about the Skuptschina. There was a larger
military force present than seemed exactly necos-
sary to keep the ground, but members of the Skup-
tschina took it all in good part, approving every-
thing, even their own shouting. The assemblage
was mostly composed of peasants wearing the na-
tional costume ; an under waistcoat hooking up to
the top, a jacket of coarse, home-made Bulgarian
cloth, baggy breeches of thesame, and sandals called
opaukas ;" fez caps were in strong force, some of
them rather badly dyed, as the dye had stained the
hair a purple coluur.
After inspecting the militia at Topschidere, the
young Prince rode back to town and inspected the
militia of Belgrade, and afterwards attended at the

Cathedral, All the troops took the oath of alle-
giance to him.
Captain Marjailovitcb, in whose house, as you
will remember, the copy of a proclamation was
found calling on the youth of Belgrade to proclaim
a:republic, was shot on Monday last, and Captain
M. Caden Nevadovitch, a relation of Princess
Alexandra Karageorgovitch, is likewise condemned
to be shot ; being officers they were tried by court-
martial.

The sentences of the other conspirators who were
tried on the 27th were to have been published on
the 29th ; but, as some of them have promised to
make full confessions of their accomplices and insti-
gators, they are at present respited. It is reported
that they incriminate very high personages.
Thus you see all apprehensions which existed up
to the last moment proved unfounded, and all passed
quietly and satisfactorily to the persons immediately
concerned. The public were but sparingly admitted
to the ceremony.
Colonel Blaznavatz, who was in the confidence of
the late Prince, is for the moment master of the
situation. He has the army in his hands, and has
proved himself a determined and energetic man.
Ristic, a representative of the National Servian
party, was a great favourite. General Ignatieffs
was the agent of Servia at the Porte, and believed
to be a Russophile, but he has reached now a posi-
tion which makes him tolerably independent of pa-
tronage. He is considered very clever, and has
likewise a will of his own. The third will be a non-
entity. Such are the men in whose hands the des-
tinies of Servia will be during the next few years.

sarily be so, but, unless it is admitted that
the law is to be impotent in these places where
it is most required, affords no ex-
cuse for its present utterly unprotected
condition. The wonder is that far more crimes are
nut committed considering the small amount of
police supervision provided. We have heard much
lately of the unprotected state of certain parts of
Italy, and severe lectures have been read to the
Italians by some of our journals and politicians on
the national disgrace entailed by such a state of
things. But it is within the truth to say that there
is not a single port in Italy where passengers cannot
land with less trouble, inconvenience, and danger
than they can at the port of London. The present
state of things there is disgraceful, and affords
grounds for an opiuion frequently expressed by
foreigners that London is the most unsafe capital in
Europe. We do not say the opinion is correct ; but
that a strong first impression of general insecurity
of life and property should be made upon strangers
arriving in London by boat is only the natural
consequence of the present unprotected state of
the shores of the Thames below London-bridge.—
Pall-Mall Gazette.

BOROUGH OF HACKNEY LIBERAL
REGISTRA.7ION ASSOCIATION.

Yesterday evening a meeting of this association
was held at the Old Town Hall, Hackney, Mr. A.
Ayshford presiding, and a large number of influen-
tial gentlemen being present.
The CHAIR3IAN,!after having referred to the advan-
tages which were sure to result from the operations
of the Association, called upon
The SECRETATRY, who stated that the four can-
didates for the representation of the borough had
been invited to attend. Two candidates had sent
letters of apology, but he was glad to see their
friend Mr. Homer, one of the candidates amongst
them. (Cheers.)
At the request of the CHAIRMAN,
Mr. J. J. HOMER then moved the first resolution,
which was as follows :—" That this meeting re-
spectfully calls upon the Liberal electors of this
borough to support the Borough of Hackney Liberal
Registration Association, and pledges itself to pro-
mote the objects of the association." I must con-
fess, sir, that to my mind the franchise as extended
by the Reform ACt of last year has been hedged
round with vexatious and mischievous restrictions.
The object of the Government, in my opinion, was
to 'defeat the fair and legitimate operation of a
measure which had for its object the securing a wider
basis of popular representation. (Loud cheers.)
This has been most decisively shown by the action
of the ucjust and oppressive ratepaying clauses, the
evil effects of which have been universally recog-
nised. I cannot help expressing a feeling that the
working classes, upon whom it was intended that
the act should specially confer a voice in the repre-
sentation- of the country, are embarrassed in the
exercise of their suffrages, and a gross injustice in-
flicted upon them. (Hear, hear.) And not only
arethe occupiers of property heretofore compounded
for subject to this monstrous wrong, but Mr. as-
raeli, with that marvellous political dexterity which
appears to be his main characteristic, has endea-
voured, while professing to confer the boon of the
" lodger franchise," so as to encumber the gift with
conditional obligations as to render it of no value
whatever. (Loud cheers.) Aware of the poiition in
life ordinarily filled by those who are "lodgers," the
right hon gentleman has taken special care to throw
in the way of their successfully claiming the fran-
chise all those special difficulties which that' very
position would give rise to. These difficulties, in
my opinion, will be most severely felt in the larger
provincial towns and in metropolitan constitu-
encies, where the " lodger" element is peculiarly
strong. Among the latter there is not one, per-
haps, in which the subject of the lodger franchise
assumes a higher importance than in the newly-
formed borough of Hackney. (Cheers.) The
character and employment of its population aresuch
as necessarily to create a very large proportion of
" lodgers ;" and there is the most urgent necessity
that the fullest facility should be afforded those
persons for claiming and recording their votes. I
shall therefore most cordially aid this association in
any efforts to achieve this desirable end—(cheers)—
as I feel it to be the duty as well as the privilege
of every earnest and consistent advocate of Liberal
principles jealously to preserve and guard the rights
which the act of last session intended to secure to
classes hitherto unrepresented in the Parliament of
the nation. (Loud cheers.) Entertaining these
opinions, I can offer no better proof of ray hearty
sincerity than by simply subscribing my 10 guineas
on behalf of this association, and I desire to express
my sincere regret that Mr. C. Reed, to whom the
association was so much indebted in its earlier
stages, and Mr. John Holms, another candidate for
the borough, have been prevented from being pre-
sent to advocate its claims. I cannot help at the
same time urging upon every earnest member of the
great Liberal body in the borough to support this
movement by a simple subscription of one shilling,
which is all that is asked for. By an earnest and
united effort on the part of the Liberal party, I feel
assured of ultimate success. (Cheers.)
Mr. SIMPSON having seconded the resolution,
Mr. KNIGHT, after referring to the importance of
this subject to the working classes, paid a compli-
ment to the manner in which Mr. Homer bad
handled it, and supported the resolution, which was
carried unanimously.
After some minor inquiries, the question was
raised as to whether membership of the association
confined the members to voting for particular
candidates ; to which the secretary replied in the
negative.
A discussion ensued as to the recent decision of
the law courts with regard to the claims of lodgers
in tenements where there were more than two
occupiers, the landlord not being resident ; and the
secretary having offered explanations on this point
to the effect that the recent decision was that occu-
piers of .such tenements would not possess the vote,
the matter dropped.
Mr. J. F. HARTLEY then moved, and Mr. OGAN
seconded, the following resolution :—" That this
meeting urges all qualified occupiers in the borough
of Hackney to take immediate steps to secure their
registration on the next Parliamentary register."
The latter gentleman urged the necessity which was
imposed upon the Liberal party of taking every pre-
caution, as it was credibly asserted that, two Con-
servative candidates would be started by the
borough ; and it was of paramount importance that
every Liberal should take care to secure his vote.
(Cheers.)

The resolution having been unanimously adopted,
Mr. FORSAITII moved, and Mr. W. GREEN Bd-
conded, a third resolution as follows : —" That this
meeting advises all qualified lodgers to obtain the
forms of claim supplied by this association, and,
having duly filled up tho same, to return them to
the secretary of the association before the 25th day
of August next."

The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks
to the chairman.

C 0 RNISII Tic ETING Truro, Thursday.—At
Redruth 1,482 tons of copper oro realised £3,399 13s. ed.,
an average of £3 13s. per ton ; standard, £lOB ls. A de-
cline of 12s. 6d.; produce, 5-1-; fine copper, 87 tons 14 cwt.
[AnvEßTlMENTJ—Henceforth no cate'avill doubt the valuable
properties of Du Barry's health-restoring Revalenta, Arabic&
Invalids' and Infants' Food, since to the thousands of blessings
it has already received from Invalids whose position had been
deemed hopeless, we may now add that of his Holiness the Pope,
whose health has been perfectly restored by it after thirty years of
unsuccessful medical treatment. We quote from the" Gazette du
Midi," July 25th:—" Rome, July 21,1866. The health of the Holy
Father is excellent, especially since, abandoning all other reme-
dies, he has confined himself entirely to Du Barry's Revalonta
Arabic°. Food, of which he consumes a plateful at every meal.
It has produced a surprisingly beneficial effect on his health, and
his Holiness cannot praise this excellent food too highly." We
extract a few out of more than 63.000 cures:—Cure No. 58,216, of
the Marchioness de Brehm, of seven years' liver complaint,
wasting away, debility, nervousness, with a nervous palpitation
all over, bad digestion, constant sleeplessness, and the most in-
tolerable nervous agitation. Cure No. 1.771: Lord Stuart de
Decies, Lord-Lieutenant of Waterford, of many years' dyspepsia.
No. 49,832: "Fifty years' indescribable agony from dyspepsia,
nervousness, asthma, cough, constipation, flatulency, spasms,
sickness, and vomiting —Maria Joly " Cure No. 46.270: Mr
James Roberts, of Frimley, Surrey, of 30 years' diseased lungs,
spitting of blood, liver derangement, and pariial deafness. Im-
portant Cantion—Beware of the many unsavoury and more than
sloppy imitations to which, without authoyity, Baron Liebeg's
name is most audaciously attached.
In tins, at is. 1 d.;
.1 lb., 2s. 9d ; 2 lbs., 4s. 6d ' • 5 lbs , 1 Is.;
12 lbs 22s ; 24 ba , 40s —BARRY nu BARRY and Co., No. 77,
Regent-street, London; also Fortnum and, Mason, 182, Picca-
dilly, and at 61, Gracachurch-street; 4, Cheapside; 63. 150, and
298, Oxford-street; 330, Strand; and all grocers and chemists.

ST. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY.

The following has been addressed to a con-
temporary by Lady Herbert of Lea :
_

An appeal has two weeks ago been put forth
in your columns on behalf of the restoration of
the church of St. Thomas of Canterbury, at
Rome.

To many this appeal may appear almost as
an unfair strain on the charity of English
Catholics, for the subject is little understood
amongst us, and one great defect of our insu-
lar training and character is to prevent our
taking much interest or feeling much sympathy
in any works which we fancy to be extraneous.
But if we will consider the question more
fully, and inquire into the previous history of
the church, to the completion of which we
are asked to give our alms, we shall find that
no appeal has, in fact, been ever made to Eng-
lish Catholics which is more strictly national
in its character, and which should more pro-
perly enlist the sympathies of the English
people.
There is not a Catholic on the face of the
earth who does not instinctively turn to Rome
as his home : as the centre from which ema-
nate unity, strength, and peace, like the rays
from the summer's sun. This feeling is so
universally recognized that there is not a
Christian nation which, from the earliest times,
did not give proof to the world of its faith
and piety by erecting a church of its own
in that which may eminently be called the
" Holy City," and adorning it with all that
wealth and art could devise to make it worthy
of its sacred purpose.
England was not behind-hand in the race.
As early as the eighth century of the Chris-
tian era, she had raised a church under the
invocation of the Most Holy Trinity, which
was included in the number of the twenty pri-
vileged abbacies of Rome, whose abbot assisted
the Sovereign Pontiff when he solemnly cele-
brated the ivine Mysteries. In those Anglo-
Saxon days, which we are apt to look upon
as barbarous, but when, if men wore uncouth
garments and strewed their floors with rushes
instead of carpets, they yet gave proof of a
burning zeal for God's honour and a lively
faith, which -we, of this nineteenth century,
well might envy, King Ina came.to Rome and
built a church, hospital and school, with a
house for the reception of pilgrims. The Borgo
adjoining the Vatican became soon entirely
English or Saxon, as its name " Santo Spirito
in Sassria". sufficiently testifies. Then Eng-
lish saints began to be venerated on Roman
altars, and churches were everywhere dedicated
in their honour. In the Archives 'of the
Vatican there is a letter still extant of Pope
Alexander 11. to William the Conqueror,
praising-him and the English for their devotion
to the Holy See in erecting and maintaining
a Church in Rome under the shadow of St.
Peter.

A century late; the English removed from
that quarter, and established themselves in the
Via del Monserrato, where they again erected
a church, a home for pilgrims, and a college
for their students. After the glorious mar-
tyrdom of St. Thomas of Canterbury, the
church was rebuilt, and dedicated to the Holy
Trinity in honour of that great saint. Docu-
ments, which are still preserved in the English
College, prove that the consecration was per-
formed by the Pope himself, Eugenius IV.,
and that with great splendour ; the Bishops
of Rome, from the time of Gregory the Great
until now, having always shown their paternal
interest in the little island, once called "of the
saints," and that in a marked and special man-
ner.

It was meet that St. Thomas should be the
patron of the English Church at Rome, since
he had shed his blood in defending the rights
of that Church in his own land, and in main-
taining intact the authority of the Vicar of
Jesus Christ. The cause for which he died is
the cause of Catholics in all ages : the freedom
of the Church from the oppression of the Civil
•
Power.

And so ages passed by. And when time
and its consequent inevitable decay began to
mar the fair work which Eugenius had blessed,
Cardinal Howard undertook to rebuild it under
the same patronage, but with still greater
splendour; and the new Church of St. Thomas
of Canterbury was consecrated in 1575, which
remained until the beginning of this century
the glory of the Catholics of England.
But then came the storm of the great Re-
volution, convulsing the nations of Europe,
and sweeping away, as with a whirlwind, all
that told of the Faith which men held most
sacred. Rome did not escape. The French
took possession of the city, and their first fury
was directed against -the English Church,
which they unroofed and finally destroyed;
and then proceeded, according to a system now,
alas! almost universal in Italy, to evict the
students from the college, and to convert it
into a barrack.

Yet, even then, the project of repairing the
sacrilege thus committed was formed ; and,, on
the departUre of the French from Rome, the
first stone was laid of a new sanctuary; when
unforseen difficulties came upon the work,
which was first interrupted, and then suspended
indefinitely. This was the state of things when
Cardinal Wiseman came to Rome as a student.
He found only a few columns standing, with
a window said to have formed part of the origi-
nal foundation ; all the rest was a perfect
wreck. For sixty years has our national
church thus laid. in ruins, although the col-
lege has been restored to its original pur-
poses. And yet, for an ecclesiastical seminary,
a fine Church is even more necessary than
strict discipline ; in order to instil into the
minds of the students a due love for and ap-
preciation of the Church's services, and to im-
bue them with a fervent zeal for her honour,
which may make them effective priests in their
future sphere of work in our own home mis-
sions. The Cardinal felt this strongly, and
when the time came for power to be placed
in his hands, hepublished a letter from the
" Sacred Congregation," with a preface from
himself, strongly urging the necessity of the
work, and calling upon the faithful to assist
him in carrying it out. He considered, in the
words of this letter :—" That the new edifice
could not be better placed than by the side of
that college which its founder, Pope Gregory
XIII., and his zealous co-operator, William
Allen, an English nobleman, designed to be a
seminary for useful missionaries, and a strong
bulwark of the Catholic faith for the kingdom
of England—a college of which Cardinal i3aro-
thus, in his note to the Roman Martyrology,
has written, that his century had the honour of
seeing many of its sons gain the crown of
martyrdom, and become heroes of priestly for-
titude."

A simple inscription in the upper corridor
records at this day the passion and crown of
those five-and-forty youthful martyrs, who, in
the great persecution of England, gave their
lives for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
But other works pressed upon the Catholics
of England, and this letter produced but small
fruit, while the Cardinal's death soon after put
a stop to the plan he had formed for promoting
the undertaking. Yet the thousands of men
and women who flock yearly to Rome require
more and more a church with pastors of their
own race and speech ; especially for those who,
though' they may learn the language of a
foreign country enough for the common uses
of life, rarely attain to that command of it
which is necessary for the ministration of the
Church, especially in the time of sickness, or
at the hour of death. Even without this con-
sideration is it not a disgrace that we should
be the only nation not possessing a national
church in the capital of Christendom, whilst
Scotland and Ireland have theirs ? This work
has, likewise, been specially blessed by him
who now sits in St. Peter's Chair, and who,
to testify his hearty sympathy in whatever
tends to strengthen the growing faith of Eng-
land, himself deigned to lay the first stone of
the new building, and delivered a most touch-
ing allocution on the occasion.
Let us, then, as Englishmen and as Catholics,

rouse ourselves from the apathy which has
crept upon us with regard to this work, and do
our utmost for its accomplishment. Let us
try and banish the utilitarian view of the
matter which is so apt to take possession of our
minds, and look upon this question, as, indeed,
it is, as a matter of principle. For, as the letter
to the cardinal already quoted justly says, "No
proposal could be more welcome than that of
raising a memorial to the martyr of the
Church's liberty at a time when it is too evi-
dent how openly this prerogative of her divine
constitution is bearing the brunt of a war of
hypocrisy and parricide, waged by a faction
who, amidst feigned professions of recognising
so essential an attrib ate of the Church, and.
of her august Visible Head, are contesting
at every step any free exercise of her j uris-
diction, her mission or her teaching, and ques-
tioning the rights of her patrimony."
Let us give, then, freely of our alms and
prayers, of our thoughts and time, to the ful-
filment of this double object. Let us strive
to atone to our beloved Holy Father for the
insults heaped upon him from without by in-
creased zeal in carrying out his lightest wish;
so that once more a sanctuary may be raised
worthy of the saint whose name it will bear,
worthy of the people for the liberties of whose
Church he suffered—above all, worthy, as far
as human temples can be, of the reception of
Him who has promised to be with His Church
" all days, even unto the end of the world."
We will conclude in the words of our vener-
able Archbishop preached in the Church of
St. Carlo in Rome, "It is, therefore, a season-
able and excellent purpose to rebuild in Rome
the Church of St. Thomas the Martyr. We
cannot gather up his dust from the soil of
England, nor restore his tomb in the glories
of Becket's crown at Canterbury; but we may
give back to him his sanctuary in the Holy
City. Of old, pilgrims wore deep paths in the
lanes of Southern England to visit Becket's
shrine ; now they will find him where he came
for shelter, by the side of the Vicar of Christ.
The ruin of the great Revolution which burst
upon the opening of this century, destroyed
his church. We owe him a reparation. And
we, English, who are his sons, and are of one
faith, will not be backward. We owe it to him
for the outrages and sacrileges of the so-called
Reformation, and for all the dishonour done
to him and to the Church beloved even to the
death lt is well in theie days,
when on every side the world rings with voices
clamouring for the rights. of man, for the
rights of freedom, of liberty in every form,—
of speech, of action, .of revolution, to raise a
witness to the rights of God. St. Thomas died
for these rights. The- witness passes to his
crown, but the cause can never pass away.
Principles are eternal, and the liberties of the
Church, though always violated, are imperish-
able. Übi Spiritus Domini, ibi libertas.'
And the voice of the Holy Ghost through the
Church redeems the world from the bondage
and abuse of human wills. ' Simon, may die,
but Peter lives for ever.'"

WHY THE ARMY MEDICAL SERVICE 18

UNPOPULAR.

Army medical officers have certainly received
every_ encouragement to perform their duties
zealously and efficiently in any future campaign.
They can scarcely have failed to observe that in the
vote of thanks proposed in Parliament to the army
of Abyssinia there was one department conspicuous
by its absence. Whilst thanks were handsomely ac-
corded to many officers, who were individually men-.
tioned, no notice whatever was taken of the head
of the Medical Department, who, besides being
senior in rank and service to other and more for-
tunate individuals, had highly distinguished himself
on previous occasions, and was well known to be a
man of great capacity and varied experience.
Nothing could have been more unjust, or better
calculated to disgust the members of the Depart-
ment. The omission, under the circumstances,
amounts to an implied censure. We have been told
that it was by inadvertence only, as if that mended
the matter. It is this systematic inadvertence of
which medical officers and we complain. There
was cestainly no excuse for it on the present occasion,
as the services of the Department had been warmly
acknowledged by Sir R. Napier, and ►were particularly
adverted to by her Majesty in the despatch forwarded
by Sir Stafford Northcote. We simply express a
well-known fact when we say that its members con-
tributed in a very prominent degree to the success
of the undertaking. Before a soldier had set his
foot in the country, and when it was the fashion
for even well informed people to prophesy all sorts
of evils, there were several medical o fficers, as we
happen to know, who had made themselves thoroughly
acquainted with the class of diseases incidental to the
climate, and ascertained the salubrious character of
the highlands as compared with the littoralof the Red
Sea. The medical occurrences which actually ensued
were shadowed forth and provided against. The
organisation at Bombay for the equipment of
regimental and field hospitals, and other matters,
was alone sufficient to test the administrative capa-
cities of those engaged in it. A medical officer
accompanied Colonel Merewether's reconnoitring
party, studied their climate and topography, and
ascertained, as far as practicable, sthe natural pro-
ducts and water-supply, along the line of route.
The hospital ships were provided and equipped
in this country, and sufficient praise has certainly
not been bestowed upon them, for they are
allowed to have done excellent service. When
the troops first landed, and before anything like
a field hospital could be organised, the sick
of the force were received on board these
vessels, and some of the troops were indebted to
them for supplies of clothing and other articles
before commencing their march towards Magdala.
It was allowed, we believe, that they were fitted up
as well as any ships could have been for such a ser-
vice. The medical officers shared all the labours
and ran all the risks of the campaign: It was a
medical officer who carried Captain Roberts off the
field, and subsequently amputated his arm. It was
owing to their _admirable sanitary arrangements
and foresight that the health and efficiency of
the force were preserved ; and, relatively to

other officers., a larger number of medi-
cal men, moreover, died in Abyssinia. No
one would Venture to deny the truth of all that
we have said, and at least of all who were present
during the campaign ; yet the labours of the me-
dical service have been entirely ignored, and the
name of the officer on whom the responsibility of
all the medical and sanitary arrangements devolved
was omitted in the vote of thanks accorded,by Par-
liament to the Abyssinian army. Had those ar-
rangements broken down there might have been
no Abyssinian army to return, instead of a vigorous
and healthy farce, flushed with victory and expec-
tant of its rewards.-7he Lancet.

Births.

FIENWES—On the Bth ult., at 1, Winton road, Dublin, the
wife of the Hon. Ivo de Vesci Fiennes, Major 9112
(Queen's) Royal Lancers, of a daughter. _

HASTINGS-On the Bth inst., at 54, Stephen's-green, the
Lady Hastings, of a son.
RANDOLF—On the 7th inst., at 7, Sunderland-terrace/
Westbourne-park, W., the wife of C. Foyle Randolff,
barrister-at-law, of a son.