New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-10-03
BRITISH GOSSIP.

GRATIFIKD.
(pRoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUNE'I
LONDON, Sept. H. What is truth 2 said testing
PLATE, and would not stay for IN answer" For the
truth about the Prince Of Wales and his debts the
English public not quite in TESTING mood. is still
waiting, and the conflict Of evidence is such that
the longer it waits the more it IL puzzled. Two days
ago we had the positive assertion of Tho Daily Iee-
graph that Parliament was not to be asked to pay,
that the queen had not paid, and that the Prince
had not in fact contracted any debts. l ven
tured to suggest some reasons for receiv-
ing these wholesale denials with caution, ana
have since looked into the other daily papers
and the weekly papers which come out to-day 1or
further confirmation or information OF some klnd
about the matter. Never was the discretion OF the
London press more remarkable. The daily journals
keep absolute silence. TOrtures would not extract
word from them. This is one of those awful topics
which it is not decorous to discuss. Every London
daily is edited the theory that Of itsreaders
reads any other paper; 30 they simply ignore the
question started by The telegram, Judging wisely
perhaps that the scandal Of such as that
made by The World best be healed over by tactly
agreeing that there is no scandal.
But now comes that terrible spoiled child Of the
weekly press Family Fair with revelations OF still
more shocking nature than the Others The clever
does it's weekly cigarettes" remarks in his jaunty
way that he sees the newspapers are talking about
the Prince of Waless debts. But the fact is says
be- the Prince has no debts, the queen having paid
them at rather heavy sacrifice. It was to enable
her to raise money to pay them that the bill passed
last session was brought ina bill authoriz-
ing Her Majesty to dispose of her private
real estate by will or otherwise" for one
cannot raise 100000 or so at moments
notice without giving good security" And unless
this OutspOken writer is msinfOrmed, Osborne ana
Balmoral may undergo the common lot of estates
and their title deeds pass into cOnveyancers cham
bers." Osborne and Bamoral are two estates, one
in tho Isle of Wight, the other in Scotland, on one
or the other of which the Queen passes most OF the
time she does not spend at Windsor. 1t is not easy
to believe that it was necessary to raise money by
mortgage on such properties. Her Majestys private
fortune is commonly reckoned at three four mil
lions sterling, and it would be simpler to sell or
pledge stocks. Or at any rate to choose other real
estate. All ! can say is that the author of these
statements is likely than most persons to know
the TRUTH and more likely to tell 1t. The present ac-
cOunt is probably to say the least of it, what Is be-
lieved IN circles very near the Prince The para
graph is dated, should add, Sept IA, three days
before that of The Daily Telegraph though published
two days later But it is followed by other cigar
cites of the 18TH l7h and 18TH so that there was
plenty of opportunity to correct or cancel the first
had the writer desired to-
In none of the other weeklies can discover any
reference to the debts. except in The ErdmiaT,
which remarks satricaly that The Daily telegraph
seems to have been in a mood to deny everything
except the existence of the individual, and then
grimlv says:
Wa NAT in posifo IN
Telegraph as TO whether the alleged debts have been
contracted We equally In the dark whether not
they have been paid. But We are glad TO confirm The
Daily Telegraph one point There certainly Is very
small modicum Of truth In the statement that the men,
Der for Leicester has addressed his constituents on the
subject"
The retcence and mystery thus far practiced
cannot go forever The truth will have to be told
authortatively, and the longer the authorities
hesitate about telling it, the will be the effect
should the truth happen to be unfavorable to the
Prince or his advisers.
a Berlin telegram appeared in the London papers
the other day to the effect that Mr. Bancroft Davis.
our new Minister at that Court, has rented spen-
didly furnished house, No. ca Behrenstrasse, and
that his Exceency intends making 1t q rendezvous
for American residents, and will give a public
soirte week. This l read with pleasure. and
might possibly have taken it rs a text for another
discourse on American legations In Europe, again
stating that Gov. JEWELS, in respect of
its Inequalities to Americans, stood at the
head of them all. But l dOn't think l
should have dared to point my paragraph
with such remark that which find in the Anglo
american Times. and which l only venture to quote
because of the well established reputation of that
paper for moderation. what pity" it exclalms.
THAT another such minister las Mr. Bancroft Davis
should not be appointed to the Court where he is
most required--that of st. james, The suggestion
comes from paper which has always shown itself
tolerant of Gen. Schenck, and charitable to him even
in its remarks on his Dictatorship of the Emma
Mine. Bat suppose there comes end sooner OF
later to the patience Of all people-except of Presi-
dent Grant.
The last bit of gossip about Lord Ripons perver-
sion to the Church of Rome-an event the interest
of which has survived the full nine days and more
is contained in a special telegram to The Tablet
The Pope, We are told, intends sending religious
souvenir to Lord Ripon, whose conversion gave
the Holy Father the greatest consolation" l don't
know what can be meant by religious souvenir,
unless it be the bone of saint. and, if it be, the
Marquis may after all have enough of the English
man left in him to grin over the CHASTITY relic. The
Free Masons naturally don't like the seces-
sion of their late Grand Master. One of them COM
plans that his letter of resignation was
absolutely dscoureous - which Lord Ripon, even
under fresh ecclesiastical influences, would not know
ingly be- BY far the most judicious remark on the
case have is that of The Saturday Rec that the
triumphant welcome given to Lord Ripon and to
other conspicuous converts by the proselytzing Sec
ton of the Roman Catholics only illustrates their
profound ignorance of the English character. The
fact that an arstocrat goes now and then only
broadens the dividing line between aristOcracy and
the middle classes The latter reject Roman Ca
tholicism with an invincible prejudice of re-
pulsion"
If Mr.. William Black medtates writing another