New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-16
THE NAPOLEON MEMORIAL.
DEAN sTANLEY,s EXPLANATION.


AFFAIR.
IFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRmUNE.J
LONDON, May AIN Mr.. Swinburne's new vol
ume, "Songs Of the Spring Tides" published
to-day Ivy Mcssrs. Cbatto & WIndus, will be
found bis Birthday Ode for the
Anniversary Festival of Victor Hugo. February
90 1880. The ode embOdies catalogue OF Hug0s
worts-a poetlcal account or indication Of them in
their order. In a note, a list of titles is given AT
verse 21G comes the reference to Napoleon 10 Petit
and there Mr. Swinbume says;
In this place | must take occasion to relieve
my conscience from sense OF duty nntunlieu SO
long. ms | for one have not uttered my Own poor
private prOtest-wOrthess and weghtleSs tnough
it may seem If cast as gram INTO the scaie Oh pun
lie oDimlOn-againSt Il projected insult at once 10
contemporary Francs and to tho present only less
than to past generations OF Engshmen.
Whereup0n follows this sonnet d" On the proposed
Dissertation Of Westminster Abbey by the erection Of
a monument to the son of Napoleon III":
Let ia 90 hence" From the lnmost shrine of grace
Where England holds the eject of all her dead
There comes n word like OF Old time said
BY gods OF old east out. Here Is no place
At once for these and one Of poisonous race.
1t each rise up from bis dish9owed bed ,
Snail spe * In silence With averted face.
" ScOn everla- ting and eternal shame
Eat OUT tile rOr record OF his
Who 4d tae go[y Of these 81, graDGS sb IN trust
Makes havoc OF their dest Grated dust
Whose place is here more Let Us go hence"
FEBRUARY ID 1851
The sleeping agitation against this shameful
scheme is waiting, l believe, only for the
right moment to make itself heard again.
The cable, which has ITS caprices pade me
say fortnight since that when the agitation is
suspended tine Dean would probably yield to
public opinion. What l really said was
that the agitation is mOmentarily sus-
pended on account of political prooccupation.
but that when 1t was renewed the Dean would
have to give way. l don't know what the
plans Of the various opposing committees
may he, but | presume they will take steps
to revive the subject in the House of Commons as
we'll a. before the general public. Mr.. Swmburnes
ode will do something to rouse Indignation afresh
though his extreme poetic vchemoncc leads him
TO speak of cur friend, Dean Stanley in unjustly
harsh terms take the opportunity to say that the
Dean complains of the way in which ] dealt with
his speech of last February, and conceyes that he
has been misroprescntcd on certain points. These
with perhaps one exception, do not touch the
main question of the admission of a Bonaparte
monument into Westminster Abbey, but as tho
Dean thinks they affect his personal character
| feel hound to consider them more fully than
/ otherwise should. Most of them arise from
the impcrfcction Of the printed report Of
his speech, aud probably all will be dis
cusscd amply hero in EIgand before this
unhappy business is disposed Of. Meantime it may
suffice to explain that the Dean desires It TO be I'M
dcrstood:
Frst-That hc never poposed or thought Of the sto
OF Cromwclrs grave Il site for the Napoleon mon
ulncnt. This l have stated before, but the Dean
thinks it was stated in such way as to cast a
doubt ON his DENIAL; which never entered my
thoughts.
Secopd-Thnt the project did not originate with
the Queen, but with himself in obedience to what
hn supposed to be- n public manifestation of
a desire that young Napoleon's misfortune should
be- thus commemoratcd. lie now admits. however,
that he ni.took temporary outburst of sympathy
for q settled and permanent state IF feeling.
Tbird--That he has acted throughout upon his
sincere personal conyictlon based upon tho mani
icstatIou above mentioned and not IN Difference to
royal pressure.
Fourih-That he conccives himself justified IN
disIcrardng Mr.. GIadstone's publicly eX-
pressed hostility to tho memorial, on
nccouut of an earlier letter addressed by
Sir. Gladstone ohmself Apart of this earlier lot
ter the Dean read to me. The rest he declared him
s"lf obi lcd to consider rs confidential, but he
desired me to understand that Mr.. Gladstone
suggested 10 him that n certain step should be taken
by the Dean with reference to the memorial. and
that if this step were taken. Mr. Glad
stones objections would be removed. The
Dean insists that he complexion had
previously complied-with Mr. Gladstone's sugges-
tions. and that he was therefore entitled to con-
sIdcr Mr.. Gladstone in tho position of a man
who is cstopprd from offering further hos
tilty to the scheme That tho Dean
holds this view with perfect honcsy-as ne holds all
his other yiows-I cordially admit. But thcaccuracy
oft depends obviously the proper construction to
be put upon a state of facts apd upon n written
letter not disclosed to us. The Dean puts one con-
structon on them. Mr.. Gladstone obviously adopts
very different construction. since he has felt HIM
self at liberty to do what tho Dean says he could
not rightfuly do in the circumstances. And sup
pose most Of us will think that Mr.. Gladstone is ~
likely to know what he meant when he used GER
tain words as Dean Stanley 10 when no reads
those words The Dean seems to me TO question
Mr. Gladstones good faith. do not question the
Deans good faith but prefer to adopt conclus-
ion which is equally consistent with the good faith
Of Dean Stanley and of Mr.. Gladstone
FTnh-As to Mr.. Carlyle. There is now no dispute
that Mr.. Carlyle's signature to the memo
rial protesting against the monument was
genuine. In discussing the matter Mt the
time / said that whether the signature
were genuine or not, the Dean admitted that he
had himself received letter from Mr.. Carlyle
respecting the erection Of the monument" and l
asked "what more could no want ~
am sorry to say that the Dean discovers
in this statement of mno an mputatiOn upon his
honesty OF course intended none. What l said
was based upon the report in The Daily Necs. which
the Dean himself described rs tho best. The Dean
now writes:
THE statement of The Daily Nccs, though not
so clearly as had dono distinctly implies that /
had known the letter signed Thomas Carlyle to DO
Il forgery"
quote from Tho Duly Necs report the whole of
the passage relating to Carlyle:
one other name h the Dcan) was sorry to have to
mention brCnuee hc could not but think that It's pres
l.I llaLrL1 m IN lnI