The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-06-13
OUR LONDON LETTER.


COmmissioners-Baron Rothsehild's Tri-
umphs-The Coming Race-special Cor
respondents-w omen's Rights, Etc. Etc
Etc.
From Our OtOn Correspondent
LoND ON, May 80
Fuit Iliusn All other topics, foreign aud
domestic, pale to-day before the fierce, lurid
glow In which the brief sun of the Commune
has gone surely down. That evening when the
papers came out with tidings that the Tuileries
were in flames, general moan of astonished
CONSERVATION burst from the whole heart of
England. No doubt the fact OF our local near
ness does far more than the telegraph to bring
home to every one of us in terrible vividness
the most irreparable calamity of modern his
tory; but ! think we feel the loss more genu-
inely than other European nations who border
as closely on the scene. Germany can hardly
be expected yet to feel unaffected pity
for French sufferings; Belgium is
too anxiously scrutinzing the bear
ing which all these melo-dramatic
events may have upon her own destinies to do
much more than record their progress. Spain is
not in the habit of showing national sympathy,
and may be granted to be well occupied enough
if she is, however silently, learning the lesson
of her neghbors latest revolution. But Britain,
selfish phegmatic Britain, is grieving with the
grief of a near and dear friend over the smoking
ashes and corpse-littered streets of Paris. We
all thought that the world had heard the last of
reigns of terror there and even now we can
scarcely believe that this horror is reality, and
that we are again face to face with the scenes of
49, The Archbishop of Paris shot, the women
of Paris in the forefront of every deadly design,
the constant tramp of the condemned of both
sexes to the human shambles-every incident Is
ghastly repetition of the Red days of eighty
years ago. The public feeling was well shown
by the prompt spontaneous despatch of
Captain Shaw, with all the Metropolitan
Fire Brigade that could be spared, to help in ex-
tinguishing the flames The moment the idea
was struck out it was vigorously acted on; the
Board of Works voted money, the Government
supplied ship; and though, when the men were
actually en- route polite despatch from M.
Favre announced that the fires had been so far
got under that he need not trouble them to
come, the spirit which prompted the action will
not lightly, we may hope, be forgotten by the
Parisians when they have time for sober
thoughts again.
have just met at my club one of Lord
Minto's sons, who has managed to escape safe
and sound from Paris. He and two brothers moved
heaven and earth to get into the city last week
with the Versailles army, little thinking what
was to come, and, once there. they would have
given anything to get out again at once. The
very evening of their arrival, strolling out from
their hotel, they were impressed in the Rue de
Rivoli, and forced to work at the pumps from
seven o'clock till three A. M. Shells were fall
ing day and night in all parts of the city, and in
the general confusion there was every moment
serious risk of being shot or bayoneted by some
irresponsible versailist private. A young
English officer of engineers whom remember
at Eton, was arrested Communist, and only
saved from summary execution on the Place de
la Concorde by the appearance on the scene of
a friendly French official at the critical moment.
My friend saw one of the Times special cores
pondents come in with the holes of a rihe-bullet
clearly cut through his clothes without wound
ing him, a good instance of the risks that ''spe-
cials" have to run.
SO the Senate has ratified the treaty and our
commissioners are already upon the Atlantic
again, with pleasant memories, no doubt, of the
festivities which have relieved their working
hours at Washington. hear that Lord de Grey
is to be made Marquis, in recognition of the
sterling value of the results achieved. The
members of the Anglo-American Association
naturally feel a special satisfaction in the near
prospect of the realization of one of the fore
most items in their programme, and purpose to
celebrate the occasion in true British fashion by
inviting the commissioners to dinner and
speeches as soon as they reach home. Earl Rus
sell consented to postpone his hostile motion on
the treaty till all the papers on the subject
should be formally before Parliament, and as
the houses have now adjourned for the Whitsun-
tide holidays, his ield-day is for the time being
postponed. The general feeling seems to be
that, considering the hand he had in the un-
lucky business at first, he can hardly be ex-
pected to see himself written down wrong with
out some sort of protest, and the sooner he
discharges himself of it, the better for the
political atmosphere. The final attitude TO be
assumed by the Canadian Parliament is a more
serious matter, and the cable accounts of the
very diverse sentiments expressed in various
parts of the Dominion are causing good deal
of uneasiness among us.
Everybody is pleased by Baron Meyer de
Rothschild's double success at EPSON. He has
fought his way CALAMITY into Parliament, one of
the first living examples of the wisdom which
removed the political disabilities of his nation;
he has won the Derby and the
Cakes in one and the same week;
and he has been caricatured by Pelegrini in
Vanity Fair. What more can ambition wish
for? Years hence, doubtless when Mr.. Hughes
has got the House to agree with him as to the
immortality of adjourniDg over the Derby Day,
the Baron will sit placidly in his place on the
Liberal benches while the race is being run upon
the Downs comfortably conscious that he at
least has no more worlds to conquer there.
Mr.. Smalley, the London editor of the New
York Tribune has gone across the water for a
couple of months No doubt maAy of your
raadara will NOT fail IN asoriha IN THAR nronar