New-York tribune., 1878-11-12
BRITISH TOPICS.
rup IrcHANs-ENGLAYD's BURDENS.

4
IrRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE IRibUNh'l
LONDON, Oct 1870. then, it has to he adnltteu
that there was no insult at all to MAJOR CaVag-
mari. the paylfaentdire who was sent forward 10
negotiate a passage for Sir Neville chamberlain :
mission. and failed. He was not threatened Win
death as the journalistic janissares of Lord Lyttoh
told as at the time He was not naltreated III
any way, physically or morally. lie was,
on the other hand. treated with markeu
courtesy by Faiz Mohammed, the representative
of Shere Ali in the Khyber Pass. An Oner was
even made him to send to Cabul Tor iurther oueIS'
if Major Cavagnar liked to wait But this oher WAS
declined. Major Cavagnari insisted on DeihR re-
nulsed AT once or admitted at once and so back he
went to his chief, and all over the world flew LORD
Lytton's telegrams relating how he had been IN
suited and his envoy threatened. 1t is the
Benedetti incident over again. Ihis Enshsh
messenger was lust as much Outrageds at the
Kbyber Pass as the French Ambassador was AT Eihs
and no more thought Lord Lytton had more IN
yention. His fame a poet will suffer IL ne can
not do something better than his comrades the
English playwrights do, borrow frOm the Frehch
That Lord Lytton was soliciting rebuff, and
meant TO use it as a pretext for invading
Afghanistan, is now palmer than ever.
II is TO be noted, further. that the native envoy
sent to Shere Ali has returned, and has brought
back an answer. One other main grievance OF Lord
Lytton's vanishes with this piece of news IIat
Shere Ali was bad correspondent and neglected 10
reply 10 the VcerOy's letters has been perhaps Ie
chief count IN the Indictment against him. IL Is
copnt which henceforth must be dropped. But the
dispatch which announces the receipt OF Shere All
letter proclaims also that it is not satisfactory"
Considering the gratutOus, not to say intentional
rudeness of Lord Lyttons episles, should not ex-
pect il to be- But why not let us have Shore Ans
letter at once and let the world judge for itself
whether it be satisfactory or mott 1t Is just
possible that it might satisfy the BRUSH
public and other more impartial judges, even II IL
failed TO satisfy Viceroy bent on being dissatisfied.
Lord Lytton knows well the advantage to be gained
by possessing the public mind in advance win an
unfavorable notion The public is both INDECENT
and docie-up to q certain point Yet II Shere All
reply should prove to be. after ALL reasonable SORT
of document, Lord LvttOn may not take much by
his Misrepresentation of it. 1t would 60 hard win
the Vceroy if the slow-witted Briton shoud by-and
by take it into his head that he was being payed
with. The feveTish eagerness for another lndlah
war, which a month ago peryaded this country mas
already cooled little. 1t has cooled so much that
it has been thought advisable to publish
two long and able arguments IN favor
of the new frontier policy; one by ST
James Stephen, the other by Sir Bartle
Frere written in 1874. They are both veil known
men, and both of authority in Indian affairs. Slr
James Stephen. a civilian, is for taking military
possession of Afghanistan. Sir Bartle Frere with
more knowledge OF war, stops short OF invasion.
Both think Russia Is behind Shere Ali. Neither
offers a reason why England, ifshe is to fight Kus-
sin at all should not fight her in Europe, within a
comparatively easy distance OF her true military
base, rather than in India, far away from 1t.
But the Government seem, if anything, rather
anxious to lessen the antl-RussiaD fury OF then
lingo band. And they Seem resolved TO post
pone the Indian campaign till Spring with some
hope of getting out of it even then.
In truth..the situation" at home is of kind to
make even Lord Beaconsfeld pause. 1t has not I'M
proved since sketched it last week, and again in
the early part Of this. The actual strain ana dis
tress in the money market may vary from day 10
day. The prospects of q crash or panic may seem
more or less near the pane itself less evita-
BILE or inevitable. But the of the trouble re-
main. the uneasiness remains and one of the best
iudges know in such matters says 1T Is hopeless TO
expeet mems minds to settle down, or the usual
confidence to return before the beginning
of another year. The feeling has not been
improved by the publication OF the City
of Glasgow Bank statement. That statement
diseloses condition of things which had been sus-
pected indeed but which the least sanguine hesI-
tated to believe. The bank has simply been kept
gong by systematic lying and fraud; by 1aisc en-
tries in the books false returns to the Government,
false statements to the shareholders and by actual
Numbering of the cash box. into which the man
ayers put their hands freely during the Last few
days IN the desperate effort protracttbe struggle
Money is no easier, trade no better manufactures
are carried on at a loss now, as for mouths
past. In fact no time could be more IN
auspioons for that policy of costly adven-
ture on which Lord BeacOnsfeld relies for
the maintenance of hls prestige. He is a man Of
many resources and he may have some fresh surprise
in store snowy and unsound like every act of his for
eign policy But nobody pretends 10 guess what 1t is
An audaciOus Amencan-the phrase would pass
for pleonastc here since all Americans are thought
audacous lust as all American women are supposed
10 be prcity-has written letter complaining OF the
fare on board the English steamships between Llv-
erpool and New-YOrk. He dares to tell John Buil,
who cannot in the least comprehend what lie
means, that huge smoking JOINTS and Irish
stews and greasy dishes Of tripe are mis-
take when served IN a ships saloon that is
pitching and rolling at all sorts of angles. de
ventures to say in print what has long been known
in priYate-that the Peninsular and Oriental Com
pany has lost good part OF its English custom on
the Indian route, Gld that the trehch MesSagereS
Company has gained it, because the cooking and
service are better on the French line than the
British. He remarks in like manner that the
French Transatlantic Company has full passenger
list srte of disasters which would have destroyed
an English line long since giving a reason that
people win cheerfully take some risk OF going to
the bottom in exchange for the certainty OF good
eating and cleanly waiting at table, so long as they
keep aAoat And he winds up with mad sugges-
tion that the Cunard people should try to initiate
French customs on their new snip, the Gallia.
There is great deal of sense in +. b. T.s letter;
so much indeed, that it is remarkable The Times