New-York tribune., 1877-07-09
WAR GOSSIP IN LONDON.
UNCERTAINTY IN THE CABINET.

LONDON, June ZS.-One or the SURPRISES OF tle
cssion off on Monday All Saturday, all
Sunday, aud all Monday morning, tho "well-in-
formed " people told you that the Government would
ask the House Monday afternoon for 900,
by way of supplementary war estimates. When tho
story was started, the sun named was $25, 900 900.
Ii was first scoied at then denied peremptory, then
the lesser sum substituted for the greater, and we
were assured that Lord Salisbury, who had at first
opposed the grant in principle, had agreed to com
promise, by which the principle should bo conceded,
but the amount he cut down thrce-ffths. / gave
you. last Saturday. tho conectures thcn prevailing.
should hardly have thought them worth repeating,
as conlectures merely, but | had met one or two
men who did not talk gossip, who are high up in
political life and vino really believed that Sir Staf
ford Northcote's motion Supply would cover the
introduction of some sort Of war grant. They were
wrong. They may have been right at the time. The
anti-war party may since have recovered the upper
hand. The motion may merely have been postponed,
but whichever of these cOncctures be correct the
pected motion of Monday not made on Monday.
1t is still thought likely that it will be made
some day this week. but Liberals say that whenever
made it will meet WITH slight opposition, and
must run the gauntlet of rigorous criticism.
1t may seem idle to repeat rumors which must be
confirmed contradcted before this letter
the light But it is not idle. The reflect ac-
curatey the state of confusion and uncertainty
through which England is passing. Three or four
Cabinet councils were held last week. Even the
organs and partisans of the Ministry have ceased to
pretend that there discussions in the Minis
try or that the Government is able to adopt and
carry ont coherent, consistent policy. struggle
is going on, in the result Of which tho whole world
has an interest Sir Stafford NOrthcote spoke at the
Trinity House banquet Saturday night. lie re-
ferred to the conflicts alleged to have taken place in
the Cabinet. Did he deny them' Not at all. He
turned them aside with poor jOke-that whatever
the Ministers might quarrel about, they agreed that
their reception at Trinity House was always most
cordial. That is in "A very different tone from the
speech II the same Minister two months ago at the
Royal Academy, when the proposal to send the
English fleet to Crete to GallipOle had just been
voted down in the Cabinet. Sir Stafford said also
that the Cabinet believed the country was with
them in their policy. But he forgot to say which
policy he believed the country TO he with.
The ATTEMPT to draw the vote of 1870 into pre-
cedcnt for the proposed vote now viii fail.
Liberal Government then IN power Its chief
was suspected by nobody of wanting to engage
England in war. He had taken sides with neither
beliigerent There was not the remotest reason to
believe that any warike steps would be taken
against France or against Germany. The vote then
granted for $40 100000 was for purely precauilon-
airy purposes, and was readily acquIesced III by the
Tories; whereas now all England knows that the
chef of the Government is only restrained by the
opposition Of some of his colleague from casting in
his lot with the Turks and committing this country
to another Crimean There is 10 sort Of analogy
between the two cases and there will be none
between the action of the Tories then and
Of the Liberals now. should the threatened
vote be really proposed The Liberals VIII
consent to no grant unless tile objects
of if he clearly defined and limited beforehand. |
believe that the moderates of the Front Bench are
At one with Mr. Gladstone and the Radicals on this
point. The gr.lyost words have heard spoken
the subject were spoken by of the Liberals who
was foremost in opposing Mr. GladstOnes resolutions.
Between them and the Salisbury wing of the
Cabinet there is i'll fact. substantial accord on TINS
question: Lord BeaconSfclG wants the money nOm
inally for an expcditionary corps TO keep the Rus
slams out Of COnstantnople. The Turkish party be-
hInd him are as eager for expedition as he can be-
and would hail such as the sure prelude to a
war. But that IS just what the country Will not
have at any price.
1t was believed that the publication of the Derby
Gortschakoif notes had been timedIwh reference to
this application to Parliament for money. Perhaps
il had. but if Lord Derby thought the effect Of
Prince Gortschakof's reply to his rather perempory
disratch woud disquiet the English mind he was
wrong The effect of the Russian assurances has
been to tranquilizc, not To disturb the minds OF
Englshmen. With the exception OF those organs
| which are pledged to find cause OF quarrel III
everything Russia does and says the opinion of the
press is all one way. 1t is admitted that the pledges
of the Russian Government are as explicit pledges
| could be in such circumstances The most violent
of the Turkish organs dissents and far as to
sneak of Prince Cor schakoll7s language rs "inSo-
lent But that imposes on nobody. Ii is confuted
and rebuked by the ablest of its allies, the evening
paper which, whatever its one-sidedness ana AFRO
gauce is incapable of intelligent imbecllity. The
effect then, of the publication of these dispatches,
| is To add 10 the difficulties Of the turbulent MI
| nority who are trying to create pane.
| The fund of good sense which abides among
the English is sufficient to show them that the kis-
sian reply has every mark of forbearance. 1t
pedges Russia not interfere with the SueZ Canal,
not to attack Egypt, not to annex Constantinople,
not to open up the Dardanelles except in concert
with other European Powers, and not to extend her
operations to the Persian Gulf. These five points
are the points indicated by Lord Derby as those
where English and Russian interests might come In
| tn conflict believe il may be said that the com
nleteness of the guarantees offered by Russia IS
disagreeable surprise to Lord Beaconsiield. 1t is
| hardly unchartable to say that lie formulated MS
demands in the expectation that some OF them would
| be refused
III cared to repeat all the stories that float about
| town. a column a day would hardly contain them.
| Rut fear nobody would be the wiser for reading
! them all heard last night, for example, that all
| English army officers had suddenly been set
| TO study Russian; fact when he WHO
repeated il thought most significant, not to
| sov omiuous But the fact is, that notall, but