New-York tribune., 1878-04-13
WAR GOSSIP IN LONDON.

! IFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT o THE tribune
| LONDON April with all the momentous events
and influences that are at work, personal matters
count for little. Lord Derby's resignation and the
! Ministerial changes that have followed 1t would or
duarly keep London in commotion Cor the full nine
days. but now they are already half forgotten ana
only discussed in a casual way Yet the key of tue
| situation lies half hid in such closets. The mys-
! terry remains pretty much what it was. There Is no
lack of reasons for Lord DeTby's retiTement there
are only too many of them, aud the great dlfnculty
| is to say which you will choose. stated number
Of them last week; here are two more each oil
| which has claims to public attention. One party
holds that Lord Derby went ont a final expression
of his steadIly-growing dissatisfaction with the
policy of his chief. The calling out of the Reserves
was only the prOverbial last feather. Another
party insists that the resignation occurred, and was
sure to occur at the precise moment when the Gov
eminent departed from its course of diplomatic re-
monstrance and proceeded to acts. Lord Derby, they
say was perfectly willing to harass Russia by notes
and protests and complaints and intrigucs with
other Powers against her. as long she would stand
! it. But he was not willing to accept the logical con-
| sequences Of all this quarTesomeness. The policy
of the British Government and its objections to the
Congress seemed to him perfectly JUST in fact they
were his own. But the policy and objections were
| only to be persisted in long they could be
| safely persisted in. His position with reference TO
the English policy il the position of Ensign Steb-
bins toward the Maine Liquor LAWN favor of the
! law but agn' ITS enforcement. This may do Lord
Derby some injustice, but it squares well enough
| with the popular notion of his extreme unwilling
ness TO take final decision accept responsible
! ties.
! An anecdOte or two will show how intense the
feeling against Lord Derby is in the upper circles.
At of the great houses in London after the large
aud brilliant company had set down to dinner.
| helated VI. p arrived from Westminster with the
news that Lord Derby had resigned, and the Re-
serves were called out Instantly the whole table
broke ont in applause. cheers and actual clappng of
! hands; demonstration quite unprecedented in
those Oympian regions, where open display of any
human emotion is the last thing to he expected.
| One man sat silent, and when the noise had died
away, said very audIbly and slowly: 81 am
| ceedingly sorry to hear IT. He the sole
| ception among twenty guests of high degree; and
was duly cold-sh0uldered, and made to feel for the
rest Of the evening how foolish it is 10 have an Opin-
! ION which is not the opinion Of the majority.
| Take Count Schouvaoif's case. Ii has been
notorious for weeks that he has been rudely treated
at Court. From the Queen downward, the royal
family have made it plain to him ~ many ways that
hc is person unplcasng to them. The funkrys i'm
! and out of livery follow the lead given them.
! There is no pTetcucc that Count SchOUvaluh has
! said or done anything TO Justify the insolcnce he
! has 10 endure. He IS a genial and accomplished
man of tbc world, with every element of personal
popularity. Bat he is the Ambassador of Russia at
| the Court Of st. James, aud the very character
which ought to protect him from annoyance is made
an excuse for the vulgar nciyiIity shown him by
the highest pcrsonagcs in the land. It was Swift
who said that good manners are not plant of court
| growth. Swift had lived under four sOverrigus and
knew intimately the court life Of three. II appears
t0 have been not long after the accession OF the
first King Of the present regning house that this
remark suggested 10 him.
See. too how stories are built Mp IN those days.
II has been spread all London hat Oh the night
! Of Lord D,rbys csiguauou, Count Schouyalut and
Lady Salisbury sat together and talked together IN
whispers through the whole Of apuyatc concc
| given at a well known and fashionable hous' IN
| Bclgrave Square There's no great HARM surely. ~
the story If il true, but it happens not To he
true On the authority of an eyewitness IL may bc
stated that Lady Salisbury present at the house
IN question not more than half an hour IN all that
Count Schouyalofl sat at distance from her during
| the whole of that time; and that not word,
! whispered or otherwise, exchanged between
| them. But tins was one of those stores which
every narrator knew n fact
And then there is the lately released convict and
| more lately the mercenaTy Of the Porte. Baker
| Pasha When this man went 10 prison fur a gross
assault on u dccnceless girl II was by the personal
urgency Of the Queen that hc was cashicred from
the army and denied the S2J, 900 or 50 which was
tbe selling value of bis commissions Her Majesty
properly desired 10 mark her adherence Of his
crime But since nc has sold his sword to the Turk.
and done good service to his master, for the mann
tenance Of a system of government under which
defcnceess girls are subjected to outrage than
that for which Baker suffered he has regancd
favor with his royal mistress say nothing of the
dinner given him by the Duke of Sutherland, by
! which il was intended and proclaimed that Baker
should be- restored TO his former social position 1t
| happened fortnight ago, OF more, and in
| answered It's purpose. a dinner has since
been given Baker at the Marlborough Club.
at which the Prince Of Wales, with
the knowledge aud approval Of the Queen,
| presided And it is everywhere stated that
the Queen desires and intends to rclnsatc Baker in
the army in which he was, TO do him all justice, one
of the most capable and brilliant officers. But the
hints thrown ont to this end have met with rcccp-
ton of a kind surprising TO their authors There
may not be much opposition in Society, where Court
influences are all powerful, but in the country
different Bakers crime too Odious, and the
ory Of il IS still too fresh among people who do not
hold their sympathes and antpathies at the caprice
Of fashion. ] heard a man say lately that Baker
could not he put back INTO the army without a revo-
luton. No doubt he oyerstated the strength Of the
Indignation against him, but il must be very strong
indeed before man of wide relations and good
judgment could estimate ts force 50 highly.
The army. Of course, wants war. Like all armie,
in a non-mllitary nation for England is n warke,
but not military nation-it wants to Justify its eN
istence. At the Horse Guards, the military head
n Dytft Iaa h,.u
looked upon rs a certainty. You have only TO talk
with "A staif-occr 10 see what feeling reigns there