New-York tribune., 1874-07-06
BRITISH GOSSIP.
NOTES FROM LONDON.


,-no,, rgy praur..R CORRESPONDENT THE rRIBUSEl
IoSnoS June 2S-Rochefort left town last night
for Geneva having seen no except a few personal
fr,spds He declined the banquet offered him. tell
ing those who asked him that any money they had
to snare could be better employed in helping exlled
Repnblicans in poverty. Or, perhaps. he even SAID
Communists, and 30 may have shocked few more
Pharisees and Philistines who see a crime IN ad
mitting that Communist can have any
rights which other people are bound
IN respect or any needs which other
people may charitaby relieve. have as
little sympathy as most persons with Communists.
vet on the whole think l like Rochefort better
and not worse for this last act of his. AS for his
visit 70 London il must be said that he has been
roldly received. The cue having once been gIven
that he was to be naored the papers stopped abus-
ing him and barely gave paragraph to him once IN
three DAYS He is not recognized as belonging to any
healthy political organization. There were once
saw N 1851 and years after-three or four men
in the United States standing in the same predica-
ment. In what predicament the men who would
not then recognize them afterward came
themselves to stand, need not remind anybody. l
know something about Rochefort, and think he
has been more OF less misunderstood both here and
in New-YOrk. by some of the who praised him
ss well as by those who attacked him, though not
in the same degree. But there viii be time enough
by and by 70 pass Judgment on him. Meantime.
content myself with saying that a New York weekly
with pretensiOns to resDecablity and truthfulness
forfeits them for the time in saying that ROchefort
Is a lampOOner of the lowest grade of the Paris
press a charlatan, and an imposter. He may
be other bad things but he Is not these.
BY the admission of his worst enemies he is of the
most brilliant and powerful writers of the Paris
press Ifhe had been a oharlatan he would have re-
l.. i -
ON other subjects. he had been animpOsOr he would
atterward have made large fortune by selling the
outside of nus LdnteHe advertising contractor,
and filing the inside with milk and water radical
isIn or simply such radicaliSm should not insure
tne suppression of the cleverest French pamphlet
snce the DAYS of Paul LOus COuvier. The offer was
made MIN. and by him refused. His real unforglven
crime is that ne hated Napoleansm too heartily and
wrote out his hate in sometimes PLAIN spoken
words So doing he has earned the eumity not only
OF NapOleOnists but OF such political prudes as the
one / have quoted.
The attitude of people in London is a good deal a
matter Of chance If one OF two persons of social
distinction say the Duke of Sutherland for instance
bad taken up ROchefort as they did Garibaldi his
reception would have been polite and even cordial
But most titled Enghshmen were, more or less, par
tisans Of the Empire which Rochefort upset. 1t is
~
eaoe to Rochefort whether English society lOr even
Americanl approved of HIM or not The opinion he
values is to be found mostly in France. His daugh-
ter has Joined him here, and he certainly is happier
with her than if Stafford House itself had given
evening in his honor.
had no opportunity TO mention last week that
Reuters agency IN London sent note 10 the papers
Icgretting that their New-York correspondent had
accused Rochefort of approving when he IN fact
Condemned. the burnings and executions under the
Commune This only done after the dispatch
had been commented on IN print and an explanation
called for But it was done, and we may perhaps
hope next TO near from the NewYork agent how he
came 10 make a mistake of that kind
Jourde and Paschal Grousset are both here. They
are not objects Of interest 10 the public generally
friend writes me that they TO be invited 20
club solree tins week proceeding likely TO result,
Judge in strong feelings, if not III strong words. on
the part of those members who do not like COmmu-
nlsm or Communists.
There have been Of late years few more pleasing
illustrations Of the uncertainties of English law and
morals than the Mordaunt case. 1t was famous
when first heard; it has suddenly become famous
again By the decision Of the House of Lords given
yesterday. Lady Mordaunt you may still remem-
Der was a great beauty one Of several sisters also
sreat beauties ID good birth and better connections
plenty of candid friends who predicted trouble, for
Ieasons not necessary to be repeated The trouble
came soon enough. first in the shape of scandals
then divorce suit brought by the husband against
lis Wife with some well-known names figuring
oo-respOndents-the names, that rs, of those with
whom Lady Mordaunt was alleged TO have commit
ted adultery Before the cause could be heard,
plea Of insanity was filed by Lady Mordaunt's
friends bar the petition for divorce, aud Lord
Pennnce then Judge Of the Divorce Court, di-
Iected the question of insanity be first tried
Upon that interim hearing the merits and dement's
'f the much gone into there was. in fact
such a dish of scandal set before London society
quickened the appetite Of the most wOrn-out old
pEohlgate you could meet. Royalty came in
tuT It's share, as 10 do it justice, it
.-.4Iiv does. The Prince of Wales went
into the witness box N"E'F
friendship with Lady Mordaunt was in all hone!
and proprety. and Mr. Sergeant Ballantlne resisted
the greatest temptation that ever beset famous
crossexamining counsel when he suffered the Prince
10 pass from the box with the single remark that he
had no questions to ask His Royal Highness. The
jury found that Lady Mordaunt insane. The
Judge thereupon ordered stay of proceedings until
che should recover her mind. Sir Charles was
furious. He appealed to the full court, and the
full court-that Is 10 say Lord Penzance him
self, the Lord Chief Baron, and Mr.. Justice
Keating-atlirmed the decision of Lord Penzance
by a majority Of one. AgaIu Sir Charles ap-
pealed this time 70 the House of Lords.
should be afraid 70 say how many times and
by how many counsel the matter has been argued.
There long purses both sides IL became GER
tam. meantime. that Lady Mordaunt perna-
and aIt