New-York tribune., 1880-02-29

Tho uroposed monument in Westminster
Abbey 10 Prince Louis Napoleon meets with
violent opposition in England, ana Amen-
cans are reported TO be opposed 10 II
also. The controversy between DR.. Russell ana
Sir Garnet Wolseleyi is growing very keeh'
and bears hard upon the latter. The engage
ment of Herr HenSckel and Miss Bailey Is
announced. other gossip from London is re-
ported in the letter printed below
CONTENTIOUS OF MEN AND PARTIES.
SWELLING THE OPPOSITION TO THE BoNAPARIh
MFMoRIAI,-AMRRICA'S INTEREST IN WEST
MINISTER ABBEY-DR RUssELLs TILT WITH SIX
GARNKr woLsELEY-PoLITICAL WIT AND RAN
CORA PICTURESQUE GENTLRMAN BANhhoPl'
fYsoN rHg REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBoNL'l
LONDON Feb. 12.--It is not pleasant th'hg 10
have 10 refer once more to the proposed erection OF
a amonument TO the late Prince Louis Napoleon In
Westminster Abbey. The unhappy project was
thought to have been dead and buried mOhihS ago
OF its merits or demerits have nothing 20 say
beyond what was then said But the deciSoh
turns now not upon the intrinsic propnety OF sucu
a scheme not upon the absurdity OF IT, not uPo"
the offence it is sure TO give-what the mere sug-
restion did give-to Fr9nce; not upon the historlca
eccentricity of buryng BonGparte IN an EDghSn
mausoeum not even upon the destruction OF
every sentimental excuse for such an act by the
nnblic confession of tho late Princes most intimate
adherepts that he went to South Africa not to hght
for England but TO make military capital 1or
criminal enterprise against the OoVerhmehV
of his own country. IT turns now upon Ihe
question of public feeling; upon the keenness OF
Dean Staney's moral responsibility as truslee Vi
IN English church in behalf of the Enghsh people,
believe the Dean maintained privately, wmie the
discussions of some months since were proceeding
-off En- ish
otputtingyp the monument think he was entirely
wrong l believe the majority, and the great ma
iorty was the other way and that nearly every
body Who favored the plan was a member OF the
Court party-the desire Of the Queen and the people
about her for the admission of the memorial TO the
. Abbey having been very strongly expressed But
let us admit, for the moment, that the Dean was
right and that he did not mistake the pressure OF an
arstocratc coere confined TO the Palace and to the
West End of London for the voice of the nation III
Is none the less true that he is bound to respect the
wish of the minority, if minority it be- should
willingly rest the whole on that point-on the
proposition that the custodian of a national church
las no right to admit within its walls monument
which large and earnest minority OF the people
think ought not to be admitted. should urge,
also that the people of the United States had
right to be heard in this matter We Americans
have for many wears past shown to say the least
as lively an interest in Westminster Abbey as its
owners have shown. 1t belongs to us in a certain
sense IA much as to our English cousins. Our an
cestors built It, We make many pilgrimages to
the shrine as Englishmen make And have
vet to hear of single American journal or OF a
single American in any position OF life, VINO ap-
proves the purpose to desecrate this shrine by
statue to Prince Louis Napoleon.
A memorial against the Deans scheme is now
being signed, and will BE- presented next week But,
meanwhile, Mr.. B0hm has completed the statue.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have visited Mr..
B0hns studio so the Court Circular tells MS, TO in-
spect this work of art. Nobody knows how soon or
how secretly the thing may be smuggled into the
Abbey. say smuggled, not that mean to suggest
that the Dean would be capable of doing such an
act surreptitously, but because if done at this mo-
ment when the country is ringing with protests and
remonstrances and expressions of Just Indignation,
it cannot possibly be said TO be done with that
unanmity of public approval which would be the
cole excuse for the deed. The opponents OF the
scheme cannot station policeman at the door to
keep the statue ont But if the Dean is wise he will
be his policeman.
Dr. Russells promised reply to Sir Garnet
Wolseley and the Horse Guards has appeared,
and promises to prove tough morsel lot
digestion In the letter which first reused
the ire of the military authorities DIR. Russell
ube for officers to maintain discipline i'll the British
Army under the new military code and no floggng.
He described but with much reserve, the scandanus
conduct of the British troops in Natal and the
Transvaal. This letter was written october 10
and published in The Daily Telegraph November 81
Upon Sir Garnet Woseleys attention being called
to it by the Duke of Cambridge, Sir Garnet, being
then in command in South Africa, telegraphcd
home that Dr. RusselPs statements were " gross
exagQerations" and " transparent untruths," and
cbartably suggested that Dr. Russell had been
made the victim Of hoax. Dr. Russell however,
ia a tolerably well-known person. His familiarity
with the army the services he has rendered it and
the public his semi-professional connection with 1T,
his WIDE knowledge OF men and of the world, his
vast experience in collecting facts in every quarter
of the globe, his shrewdness, his care for his own
reputation-these and other obvious considerations
made it anything but likely that he would
have fallen the sort of Sir Garnet kindly
suggested
To these presumptOns is now to be added the
evidence Dr. Russell brings forward, both Of the
truth of what he alleged and of much else that he
refrained from alleging. but which goes to the same
point viz, that the excesses and outrages commit
ted by the British troops in South Africa such
as TO bring lasting disgrace upon the reputa-
ton Of the British Army. Within the limits of a
paragraph it is impossible to give the briefest
summary of the facts. The reader who cares for
them must turn to Dr. Russelrs letter But it is to
be said that he has indicated with precision the
source of every assertion challenged by Sir Garnet
wolseley. aud supplied his enemies with the means
of proving his own inaccuracy, If inaccurate he has
been. Riot. Drunkenness insubordination. open
mutiny open violence both upon peaceable citizens
and upon officers of the army open robbery-these
are few of the items in the appalling indictment
Dr. Russell has drawn up.
Sir Garnet announced that court would sit TO
make full inquiry " into the charges. To which
Dr. Russell answers First. If court is TO ascer-