Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-07-20
From the rall Mall Ga sette,
En.sr laau. n Anann


On June 20 it was 10 years since Her Ma
jesty succeeded to the crown. Only four
other soveregns OF England have reigned
as long namely, three kings, each of whom
was the third of his name (llenry Ill, Ed
ward ILL.,, and George III), and Queen
Fl ,bcth. No reigning sovereign OF
Eu opc has sat so long on the throne, un
less We except couple of German princes.
Since 1887 two dynasties have iallen in
France. The emperor OF Austria owes his
crown to a revolution so do the kings of
Italy and Spain, and the sultan. In the
same period the pope has twice been de-
privcd of his temporal power. Some king
doms have utterly passed away; others,
some of them reputcd the strongest in the
world. have been shOrn OF their ancient
proportions. Even the American republic,
IL. stability OF which was long a favorite
IT, ,rc Of liberal politicians, has been rent
by Il terrible civil war; and though
the wound is closing, the scar will long be
visible. In England, in Ireland and in the
colonies the attempts of rcvGlutionists and
separatists have Invariably ended in discom-
iiture and ridiculc. But if, in the midst of
a sOmewh hat gloomy outlook and in view of
a cloud daily becoming bigger and blacker
in the East, VIC are anxious to lind some
matters for which to be thankful there is
perhaps no point which 1877 contrasts
more iavorably with 1887 than in the present
temper Of political discussion. The excuses
of party. bad and mischicvOus enough as
they are in the present day, are gentleness
and moderation themselves compared with
the displays of faction in the first year of
the queens reign. The queens prime
ministers have been eight in number, and
have cnunseled her five years apiece on the
average. Only one miniStry-the Palmer
stOn-Russell US59-66)-has remained as
long rs seven years in Office at time. The
shortestlivcd, Lord Derhy's of 1859. lasted
10 months. Between 1887 and 1871 nine
parliaments have been summoned and eight
dissolved. only two, those of lSil-l7 and
of ls59-i5. having been suffered to run
out their full constitutional length.
The shortest lasted two years (lsjr59).
or exactly the legal period of
an American house of representatives., The
average duration OF the VlctOriani parlia-
ments has been four years and a half. Ii
may he observed that Macaulay, while
strongly opposed to tricnnlal elections. was
in favor of a quinquennial act, observing
that, according to constitutional practice,
tulS WOulu give tHC CbuullN an
of expressing its opinion every four years
at the least. Government by party has
practically given US this result. without the
necessity of special enactment by the leg
islsture. 1t may be added that, OF the min
listers of 1887, only two survive, LORD Grey
and Lord Russell. Of the Queens first con
servativo ministry, the duke of Buccleuch,
Lord Cottesloe and Mr.. Gladstone are sur
viving members.
TO the English of a former generation the
most remarkable circumstance in forty
years reign would have been held to be the
fact that We were at peace, or not at war
with an equal power for thirtyeight years
of it. Take the preceding forty years
Q797-ls37) and We find England at war
for sixteen of them with first rate powers.
Take the forty preceding them (I157 l197),
and we find England at war for eighteen,
either with France, Spain or her own colo
MES. Even between III and 1857. period
which includes the pacific administra-
tion of Walpole. We were nearly twelve
years in state of more or less active
warfare, including q civil conflict. Between
1917 and III the country was " years at
war with foreign enemies. Andyet even in
the Queen reign it may be doubted whether
a single year has passed without an English
regiment or an English ship being engaged
in some part OF the world with disturbers
of the public peace. Another circumstance
worth nothing in tine last 40 years of our
history is that the crawn has only once dis
tinctly and avowedly appeared on the pc
litical scene. The three sovereigns who
preceded Her Majesty made no attempt to
conceal their tory sympathies; while
George |. and George II. were compelled by
their position to be Wings. And the frst
five princes of the houses of Hanover made
their personal influence felt in ways which
would now be considered decidedly uneOn-
stitutionsl. But since Sir Robert Peel was
compelled in 1899 to abandon the attempt
to form government, a great change has
taken place. In fact the victory ON that
question was finally won for the cons,itu
tIOnal view in 1911.
Some incidents of ls7 - are amusing
to recall, either for the contrast they iltr
between present and past manners. tor the
Importance OEce attached to t:tm. which
now seems exaggerated cn,ueh On June
81, 1897, Mr.. Montefiore (uuw SIR Mose>)
was chosen sheriff OF London, being the
first Jew elected to that oflicc. High
churchmen bewailed the godlcssncss of the
age. On june 30. Lord John Russell is
careful to inform the electors Of Stroud that
"he must always oppose any proposition
for the adoption of an elective house of
lords" Reiormors asked for a good many
things in those days for which they no Ion
ger care. As the general election approach
ed it was announced that Maidstone was to
be contested by "Mr. D'lsracli the young
er." On July 3 King Earnest Augustus,
already emancipated from English ideas.
abolished the constitution of Hanover by
proclamation. On July II the peers re
fused permission to the duke of Sussex to
present petition from some Quakers
against capital punishment. on the ground
that it was addressed to the Peers of the
United Kingdom. and not, as it should have
been, to "the Lords Spiritual and Temper
al" On July Is Lord and Lady London
derry issued that remarkable address to
their Durham tenantry, requesting and re-
quiring them to vote Tor the conservative
candidate at the ensuing election. One mar
yels at the dOwnrightneSs, il the expression
may be permitted, even when the difference
between now and eight lustrCs ago
is remembered 1--WE assure all those who
answer to the solemn appeal that VIC make
to them-who step forward with heart and
soul in the conservative cause to rescue the
country from radical domination-that the
sense of the obligation to Us personally will
be forever registered in our memories. and
that the gratitude of ourselves and our fam
iy to those who live around us and upon
our property will be in proportion to this
important demand We make upon them to
prove their fidelity and their attachment to
our sentiments and confidence in our opin-
ions. We send these our recommendations
to our esteemed friend, the Honorable Henry
\ l,li ia 10 nI 4 lao shall fh,pl-
fit and We have begged him especially to
report to us those who are unmindiul and
Indifferent to our earnest wishes. (Sisncd)
Nane Londonderry. Frances Ann Nanc Lon
donderry." The elections. by the way. end
ed in a majority Tor the ministers Of }3G to
3e2-about as unsatisfactory Il termination
as they could well have bad and one which
led to Tour years of administrative lmpo-
tencc. In fact, during the last Two years
of his existence the Melbourne ministry may
be said to have lived upon the furcbcarauce
of the Tories. On August 2dth. a railroad
from Paris to st. Germalns-the first in
francc-was opened, France being twelve
years behind England in this matter.
Among some deaths at that epoch which
carry one very far back intothc past is that
of Count BOrowlaskI. the Polish dwarf. who
died on September, in his ninety eighth
year; his height was thirty nine inches,
and he was described as "Oi perfect sym
metry of form. of great accomplishments.
and elegant manners" On October :, died
Tin his seventy second year, Samuel Wesley,
the son of Charles and nephew of John
Wesley. Lord Eldon died January II.
1898 1allcyrand on May Il following. In
some respects 1857 is not very distant, and
one power seems to be always the same.
On October II, Major (now SIR Henry
Rawlinson fell y, with the Russian agent
Vickoyich and party. :" tracked thcru.
he wrote, "inr some distance along the
high -oad, and then found that they had
turned of to Il gorge in the hills. Then at
length came upon the group, seated at
breakfast by the side OF a clear spaTglin.
rivuet. The officer, for such he evidently
was, was young man OF slight make, very
fair complexion, with bright eyes and u look
of great animation. lie rose and bowed Ia
me rs rode up, but said nothing al
dressed hun in French, the sen,ral
language oi communication hctwcrn
Europeans IN the Eist tinnthor glimpse
ni "a time " hlrh has luS-pu uWa\1 hut t,,