New-York tribune., 1878-02-02

Constannope.
Tho Turkish Ministerial Council has determined 10 de
fend the city II II Is ATTACKED
THE WAR PARTY DISAPPOINTED.
THE LIBERALS MIsLED BY THE QUEEN SPEECH
INCIDENTS OF THE DEBATE on THE ADDIEsS-
MODERATION DISPLAYED BY TIE PREMIER IL
HIS Observation-Disclosures sYMPATmzkRs BAF-
FLED.
tvRou THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TEInUNE.l
LONDON. JAM 19.--It would be difficult 10 describe
in too strong terms the feeling of relief which has
como over the country since Thursday On the
morning of that day it pretty well known what
che contents of the Queens speech would be.
Early in the aftern oOn the speech itself was
published - as the Lord Chancellor, VINO
read it, remarked to the Lords ana COhl-
mons, with curious emphasis "in the queen =
own words" formula don't remember TO nave
heard used before. But tn speech as you
know. was ambiguous. The Significant clause
of it, that which relates TO measures oI pre-
canton, was so ambiguous that it was inisunder-
stood. at first. by everybody. BY the guests
at Lord Granville's and at LOrd!l1artngtous dinner
parties the evening before and by the dozen or so
out of these eighty guests who held an opposition
Cabinet council at Lord Granyilles after the dinners
were over and the other gness had dispersed II was
unanimously taken TO mean that immediate applica-
tion was to be made to Parliament for grant OF
money for the Strengthening OF the military forces
of Great Britain. Nay the movers and seconders OF
the address the official mouthpeces OF the Ministry
for the moment, so understood it, The crowded and
brilliant audience which thrOnged the House OF
Lords and listened to the elaborate speeches OF Lord
Beaconsheld and Lord Salisbury. went away beiieV-
ing the same thing. The great mystery man, as Mr..
Chamberlain calls him who is Prime Minister OF
England. kept up His mystery 10 the last mo-
oil nd no lgubf eOlOyeQ
Granville and the Duke of Argyll to frame their
speecbes or that theory. Lord llartingtOns speech
in the House of Commons assumed the same thing.
II was not till Sir Stafford NOrthcOte rose that the
mask was thrown of and tie world allowed oknow
that even this last point the war party IN the
Cabinet had had to give way, and that DO money for
military purposes would be demanded at present.
The political annals of Great Britain may be
searched in vain for a record of so elaborate and
persistent a mystiicatiOn question so grave. 1t
was so Thorough that the Liberal leaders were en-
gagged on Wednesday night and Thursday IN dis
cussion about the probable amount of the vote to
he asked for; what sum they could Afford 10 concede
without opposition, and at what point resistance
should begin. The figures named ranged all the way
from 60 2OOO, 900 to G1o,OO0000.
Well might Mr. Gladstone express in words OF
singular energy his gratitude for the assurance
which the Chancellor of the Exchequer finally gave.
He took care TO nail Sir Stafford Northcotc 10 his
words. g. understand him. said MI Gladstone,
TO have said that until We know the Russian de-
mands and conditions, We have proposals to
make" And he paused until the leader Of the House
sitting opposite him tho Treasury bench, had
nodded assent Mr. Gladstone clinched II by lis
concluding words: " never knew any speech Of
Minister for which l owed much thankful
ness We have had very gracious speech from
~ ~l,,,1 MI al. IN
thankful for the very gracious speech from that
bench" Now, the use or the word gracious -
restricted for the part in political phraSoOlCgy
to the acts and deelaratlcns OF the SGEEgTcigh;
irJepTessi5 bic emotion TO the language Of mere
Minister cold shudder ran down the backs Of all
good Tories and old-fashiorcd Whcs the same
shuGder which thrills the marrow c5 an extremely
piOus person on hearing the augaage oI scripture
perverted 10 secular uses.
This. beyond all comparison is the most import
ant among all the things that were said on Thurs
day. The country wants peace, and being sure of
peace for the moment, is almost indifferent TO other
considerations. But the declaration OF the con-
tinued abstinence of England from any active inter
vention in the East is very far from settling tho
Eastern question: from settling tie final attitude
OF England toward Russia. There remain only too
many questions 10 which answers ought to have
been supplied in Ministerial speeches. and which
were not supplied. Why WAS Parliament called to-
gether' Nobody tells We are left to conjecture
that it was called in order to prove that there
was no need of calling it. What terms Of
peace are to be proposed by Russia. and III what
terms Will England acquiesce7 Nothing is said
about that either, beyond fcStltcncnt OF tht
British interests, which must not be Inperil!td ANA
which yet there is 10 cyIdence that uSSla desires
TO inuelif What are the dividing lines between
the policy of the Government and the policy of the
oppcsitioul The most careful study OF the twenty
columns of speeches III the two Houses Oh Thursday
ar xrllI in
The question Of Cabinet Discussions was touched
or, indeed it could not well be avoided. Lord
BeacOnsield declared III his iaunty way that there
not the slightest evidence OF any difference be-
tween his opinions and those of his colleagues But
even Lord Beaconsfeld, whose courage in dealing
with iuconvenient facts is pTOyerbia did not ven
turo to say that such difference existed. He says
you cannOtprove it which may DO true; and that
the policy of the Government has been cOncurred in
by all the Ministers; which does not need
any proof, since designations have been
handed in. Lord BeacOnsfeld's speech was bril-
liant piece of defamation; an exceedingly
clever statement of an exceedingly rickctty case;
but frankness is not its strongest point. 1t must be
read in connection with his former speeches and by
the light Of Lord Salisbury's speech on the same
evening. 1t Will then he perceived that Lord Bea-
consfeid has at last abandoned the scheme Of in
volying England in war Tor the express purpose OF
maintaining the integrity and Independence Of the
Turkish Empire. Lord Salisbury, under the form
of TetOlt upon the Duke OF Argyll, took occasion
to say, with great emphasis that not word about
the independence and integrity OF Turkey had
crossed Lord BcacOnsfeld's lips that night. | don't
suppose the noble Earl felt grateful to she noble
Marquis for calling attention to that fact but he
abstalned from contradiction or comment, and We
entitled 10 say henceforward, that that part OF
the programme OF the too famous GulldhaiI speech
has beer finally renOunccd. Ii was the keystone of
III arch which supported the whole fabric OF Lord
BcacoDsGed's original design.
That some other design has taken the place of
that need not he doubted. But there isreason TO
hope that Lord Salisbury and his allies in the Cab-