The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-04 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS,

What can be dotie for Ireland ? This is the question
asked by the Times. If anybody is so weak as to envy
the success of a political career, he may be consoled with
the reflection that he has not this enigma to solve. All
sentiment, all preference—nay, reason itself—must now
be regarded in its simplest political bearings, and for its
simplest political issues. The government of this country
must be carried on as advantageously for all parties, and
as honourably for the whole, as is possible under the cir-
cumstances. A section of the people, strong in its case,
stronger still in fact, and as able as it is ready to impede
legislation and to meet with actual mischief an alleged
wrong, must be brought into a closer union. It is not
necessary that this should be done in the very way
urged by the complainants themselves; for, in
truth, they are by no means clear and definite, and
hardly reasonable or even serious, in the very matters of
their grievance. It is even open to a suspicion that the
Irish Catholic clergy would rather matters remained as
they new are, on the calculation that the existing grievances
answer their purpose better than any possible remedy.
But the statesman, though he has to put a good many
other wishes and opinions out of court, may easily find
that the people themselves who are the subjects of the
experiment render him no assistance. Unless by a
surpassing feat of ingenuity some other course should
be invented, three choices occupy the political field—
a new redistribution of the existing endowment between
the three religious communities, as proposed by Lord
Russell ; an endowment of the Irish Catholic clergy
from the Consolidated • Fund, as almost every
statesman has hoped to find possible ever since the Union ;
and, thirdly, the transfer of the Church revenues
to some useful purpose or other, over and above
the present large expenditure in Ireland out of the common
taxes. Our new Premier must know better than we do
the extent of his commission and the length of his tether ;
and he will therefore know better than we do whether he
will strengthen his Government and the Legislature by
redistributing the Church revenues on the principles of
abstract justice. The seceind plan might not alienate
many Conservative friends, for that side has ever been
prepared to deal freely with the Consolidated Fund ; but
there are at least as many Dissenters in this island as
there are Roman Catholics in Ireland, and they have
already announced in strong language the reception they
mean to give to such a project. They ask for nothing
themselves, but only insist that they are never to be called
upon to pay a sixpence more to the maintenance of
doctrines they believe to be false and mischievous.
" Why," they ask, " are we to pay two Churches, over
our own heads, one more superstitious than the other, when
we have our own ministry and worship to support ?" As
for the third course, there is the difficulty of dealing with
the money in a way that shall not seem robbery and sacri-
lege. Everything is already done for Ireland that can be
done with decency for it, and nothing is left for the Church
revenues to do, supposing them released for the purpose.
Here, then, are three courses, but not one which does not
threaten political inconveniences as serious, perhaps, as
those which are to be remedied. It is not unlikely the
Opposition may attempt to decide the question by propos-
ing some course of their own. By so doing they may pos-
sibly displace the present Government ; but it is also peas
they may strengthen it.

- lie Post favours its readers with a description of to,,
of Magdala, as that is the place our army will
probably have to take. Magdala, situated in a rough,
rugged part of the country, near the foot of the great
mountainous ranges of the provinces of Lasta and Wad-
dela, where the features of the ground seem tossed about
in a wild chaos of chasm and precipice, and lying in an
unfr, luentecl route, has not been much visited by Euro-
pean travellers, but we have a description of it given bS
Steudner, who visited it in 1862. We learn from this gen-
tleman's account that Magdala is a " fortress by nature,"
having very few artificial walls for defence, which indeed
are not required, and are only placed at the rare points
where the very high and almost " pependicular" sides of
the plateaux upon which it is situated are at all acces-
sible. It would appear that the fortress consists of
two fortified plateaux, connected together by a "narrow
rockety ridge." Approaching the fortress from the north
by the Debra Tabor road, the traveller first reaches what
he terms the "advanced fortress," situated with the
" citadel " on a plateau which " rises on most points per-
pendicularly from the valley to a height of six or eight
hundred feet." The citadel, although on the same general
plateau as the " advanced fortress," is several hundred
feet higher than, and commands it. The main road passes
through the citadel along the narrow ridge before men-
tioned, on to the plateau of Tanta, which forms the third
member of this triple fortress ; this fortified plateau is in
its turn several hundred feet higher than, and commands
the so-called " citadel "—rather a misnomer, as Theodore
will probably experience practically if we take Tanta
first.

The Daily .News answers an inquiry put by a correspon-
dent why Russian shares are not quoted at their apparent
value. In reply, our contemporary goes back to the time
of the Emperor Nicholas, and chews that during his life
it was extremely difficult for anyone to leave the kingdom,
commerce was despised, and everything was at a standstill.
On his death, however, a new regime was inaugurated.
Every Russian, who could, emigrated, and Lie went back
again, having learnt how to speculate. After that there
was a fever of speculation. Its subsidence was followed
by another excitement directed towards railway schemes.
All schemes were supported by the Government, which
granted all demands. In some cases it was prepared to
give a guaranteed interest of 6 per cent. on five-and-twenty
thousand pounds a mile, through a flat country with no
engineering difficulties, with right of free way through all
crown lands, and a fixed price of two shillings and sixpence
an acre for others. If these terms had been frankly
offered in the London market, they would have been no
doubt eagerly accepted by men of substance and honour.
But they were invariably jobbed, and clumsily jobbed. A
French company first rose at the golden bait, but could
make nothing of it ; and then Russian railway schemes
were hawked about to every banker in Europe. Many
tried to deal with them ; but what could be done with a
grasping fraternity, who often wanted as much as a
hundred thousand pounds premium for their good word,
which was the first and essential point in the whole
business? Very slowly, however, several railways began to
be made in spite of every difficulty ; and doubtless these
lines are now paying apparently fair dividends. How long
they may continue to do so is quite a different question.
Russia is on the eve of a financial crisis. She is also
on the eve of great reforms. The old system of whole-
sale bribes and public robbery is rapidly passing
away, and it is not improbable that a very few years
will witness representative government and a free
constitution at St. Petersburg. Whenever this takes
place all public grants and concessions made by the de-
funct despotism will be revised, and wherever there is any-
thing proveably wrong about them they will be annulled.
It is the perfect knowledge of this fact among experienced
men which renders Russian railway shares in their eyes a
doubtful security. It is true that they may seem to be
paying a fair dividend, but it is by no means clear how
long that dividend will continue to be paid, or whether
the shareholders will be able to maintain their rights
should they ever he disputed by a Government disposed to
repudiate the obligations incurred by the party now in
power.

It is an easy thing, the Herald remarks, to magnify a
truth till it assumes the proportions of a falsehood. Tc
some such process we owe the marvellous statement
which, in the dearth of other news of general interest, has
been ventilated by certain organs of the independent press
in Paris, and echoed with great glee by some of our con•
temporaries in this country. We are gravely informed
that an alliance, offensive and defensive, has been con.
eluded by England, France, and Austria ; that it is de
signed to meet certain possible eventualities in the East,
and intended to counteract another alliance between
the Governments of Russia, Prussia, and the Uniteil
States. The meaning of those who circulate this report
is obviously that a general war is imminent ; one which.
having the Eastern question for its starting point or ex•
cuse, will involve not Europe only, but the whole world
in arms, arranging, in hostile camps, delicately and almost
mathematically balanced, the armies and navies of thf
six great Powers. A statement more absurdly and more
grotesquely false it would be scarcely possible to conceive,
and it is scarcely credible that a Liberal contemporary
should have based upon it an act of accusation against the
Government of England, and endorsed it with a passionate
appeal to hurl the Tories from office. This tale of ae
alliance is simply false, but it is not difficult to discover
the origin of the 'canard—the small beginnings out of
which this enormous bubble was blown.

The Provost and Fellows of Trinity College,
Dublin, have conferred the degree of Doctor of Divinit,
upon the Very Rev. Archibald Boyd, who has recentl:
been nominated by the Crown to the deanery of Exeter.

MR. MTTETHY IN THE COUNTY COURT. —At the
Blackburn County Court, Mr. Murphy, the lecturer, war
sued by a person named Shand, for i',34 is. 6d., alleged tc
be due for services rendered. It appeared that .whiff
Murphy was in Blackburn the plaintiff was engaged b 3
him to travel the country to hire halls suitable for lectures
He was engaged seventeen weeks, and hired fourtecr
halls ; but he admitted that there had never been any
definite arrangement as to payment for his services. Tow
Mr. Murphy it was contended that the services of the
plaintiff were of a purely voluntary character; that he
(plaintiff) was so hearty in the cause that he volunteerec
to do the work if the defendant would pay him his tra
yelling expense's. The judge gave a verdict for ET 10s..
and Murphy very excitedly told his Honour that he wouk
go ti) greetou c*), before he would pai the money,