, 1879-06-15

I The Government has suddenly changed il
front in south-African affairs. On Monda,
night, Lord Beaconsfeld in the Lords, and st
Stafford Northcote in the Commons, announced
to stupefed Parliament that Sir Garnet Vol
selly had been appointed Governor Of Natal ant
tue Transvaal, and High Commissioner iu thos,
Colonies and the lands to the north and east O,
our provinces III South Africa. Lord ChcIms
ford, though not superseded y IN auy sense O,
| blame, would, OF course, be superseded br the
higher military rnuK of Sir Garnet, while Sfr
| Bart1e Frere would exercise his pres
cut functions and powers in the remain
] der Of her Maiesty's south-African
| Colonies. A strong effort was immediately
| made to extract from the Government dcclara-
| ton as to whether this change in the command
| implied change OF policy, and after su1pe uu-
explained fencing, not to say shuflin., the Sec
retarY for the Colonfes, after all informal con-
sulcatton with Lord BeaconsHeld, iufuriuru the
House that Sir Garnet Wolseley would be iu-
structed not to increase her Majesty's terrific
ries, aud TO receive any boua fiji. overtures OF
peace TO be made by tie Zulu King. The Gov
crnment refused, however, to explain their
policy in detail, lest their instructions shouM
reach south Africa before Sir Gnroet Wolseley;
and On Tuesday we're defended III this course 81
Mr. Gladstone, who stopped many inquisitlye
Liberals.
THE GOVERNMENT OF LONDON.
London Spectatoy, jay3i
Lord CarnurVou, In accepting the honorary
freedom aud livery OF the Cuthrs' Con, ,panv IN
Thursday week In u banquet given at Free
mason's Half, made au interesting speech On
the sagacty, growth, aud power Of London.
London, lie said, had, In many PATRIOTIC styug-
giles, always been on the winning side,-so that
il, rs Marshal Blucher had said, it was the
finest city IN the world to rluudcr. IL
had never had to undergo that uncom-
Portable process, but had become
instead' not only the great shop
but the great counting-house OF
the world. In the eighteenth century, Hume,
the philosopher, had coujcctured thai no great
city would ever have population OF more than
7o0,00o,-a speculation which he tried to
demonstrate trom citing the cases OF London
and Paris. In fact, London has now popula~
tion OF 4,00o,000, "a populstion approaching
that Of scotland" [surely Lord Carnaryon
should hare said exceeding ir], "and venture
to say, with all respect for Scotland, almost
US intelligent" France Is afraid to seat
her Parliament ID Paris. England feels |
don. In spite OF q great professionally !
criminal class, handful of police effectuallv |
keep order, while the mighty sef-acting me- |
chanism by which 4, ON 0o0 Of Londopers are fed.
aud fed surely, and without even the chance OF I
mishap, is one OF the wonders Of the world, and |
one OF those which is least wondered at. In
Rome, you catch Roman fever. In CONSTANT !
noplc, you wake up and find that third OF the
city has been burned down while you slept.
In single tweiVemonsh, and but a few
years aeu, Paris suffered two stcges, famine,
and civil war. ln the great cities OF America
you hear Of vast consptracies of corruption.
which make your hair stand on end; but Lop-
don, so much bigger than any Of them, goes on l.
ders, but still, with a certain uniformity OF
peace and progress Lord Carnarvon is right.
London Is great marvel among cities And
her strength consists not in intensity Of social