New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-07
NOTES FROM LONDON.
SOME OF THE PERSONALITIES OF POLITICS
AND JOURNALISM


been very convincing of itself, for our Radical ex-
SOD has been but shabbilv treated by the Govern
,,e,t in the matter of official news, aud seldom
trovrs what is going to happen. Besides tins. ITS
.+tacImeut to Sir Charles Dixie Is such that 1t IS
always nominating hun for something OF other. ana
u Nj Gladstone to resign to-day this taithiul
sheet would he sure To intimate tomorrow that Her
Majesty had sent for the President Of the Local
Government Board to Osborne But what occurred
on this occasion gave ar of plausibhty 10 the
story An NJ. p. is authority for the statement that
on the evening before the article appeared one oil
the editors of the paper seen IN the opoy Oh tue
House. where Sir Charles Dixie presently joined
him and n long talk followed. When therefore the
story appeared tod in terms of oracular solcmn'y'
members of the House who had witnessed the inter-
view IN the lobby jumncI raShly TO the conclusion
that for once piece of real news had been cohhdeu
20 this neglected journal, and that Sir charles
mike had rewarded the long devotion of his friends
bvannouncing to them his own appointment
Needless to say that TINS conjecture and the M
formation of The Daily NNcs were alike oa'eieN''
However the lobby anecdote went the rounds ~
snch ane cdotes always do and mem 1ers having
GOT il INTO their heads that SIR Charles bINr Wa
- he the man. received Lord Northnrook s name
in disappointed silence. The terms oil MI VH'u-
stones statement aud tie inquiry aud advice
character stamped upon the mission. were even
more disappointjng. SO PLAN was 1t that nobody
was satisfied that Mr. Gladstone was strongly urged
NV his colleagues 10 enlarge the scope OF the Com
missionersmp. Lord Northbrook himself fell Ill on
reading Mr. Gladstone speech aud only recovered
on the further declaration of the following Monday.
which gives him some real authority on the Nile.
SAID a Cabinet Minister to whom friend eA-
pressed surprise that Sir Charles Dixie had not
been sent to Egypt: Dilkef Oh no. that Wonid
never have done: he is so anti-frehch we shoulu
have had a quarrel on our hands in fortnight
considerable change truly since the time when the
same mans appointment to be Under Secretary OF
Foreign Affairs was opposed because he was " too
French" The forecast proved wrong then as don't
douht the opposite one would have proved wrong
now Sir Charles Dixie is far too well trained a
dipomatist not to he able to restrain his personal
feelings or opinions should they come into COLLISION
with official necessities The House of Commons
likes him and would have liked his appointment
the more so because he has always had deservedIv
I think the credit of favorng strong policy III
Egypt Probably he does not lose much by stay
ing at home until Mr. Gladstone can attune ms mind
to the new state of affairs or rather to the duties
newly imposed on him 10y his escape from the tram
mols of the Anglo French agreement Students OF
Nj GIsdstones phraseologv note with satisiact'on
that whereas he at frat rrlcvod too much over the
failure Of that melancholy captulatiou to- de7orh"
Hothrtw a. than aa " u abryhnce.' ho anhseqn'hiY
rtoto its rnit,rh i'm tvn nno.uy lahlod words now
dead" Never g. tiue again hr might have addod,
Whom however tho nomination of Lord North
brook came 60 hN considered on - own wotita IT
wa heartily approved He In ono of those mon
whose character and cafrer alike command public
coincidence ia his administration ot the Al
miralty Ae has established reputation aa % man "I
business of sound Judgment and great power OF
Kr be Il y hTlIIiNltN
quality most wanted at Cairo Lord Durcru was
brilliant. but IL would he difficult 90 say what cn-
during monument he has left behind hm. Lord
Northbrook has been tried IN position demanding
uiuch broader capacity than the Navy Department.
dinicult as that uotoriously is 10 manage. lc was
Vicerov of India when Lord Salisbury und rtook
70 govern that great Empire from his oulce-deok 'n
London. Lord Northbrook had been three years
GoverDor-Gener at the date of Lord Salisbury
enterprise He had real knowledge OF India.
Lord Salisbury was bent on reversing The WA'ie
nol,cy of the English Government IN ITS dealings
with that dependency. and especially M IT'S reld-
tons to Afghau~tan. Against the Judgment OF
every Vicerov and of almost every official OF what
ever rank who had experience in the matter Lord
Be3c1nsfeld's Indian Secretary resolved 10 force
an English Resident AT CahuI ON the Am'er.
Rather than bee the instrument of policy which ne
indeed disastrous Lord Northbrook resigned and
his sacactv II is not less character site of The
man that he took pains 70 le' it be known why
be res ried courted no popularity uttered not
word of reproach against the chief who had driven
hun from the most splendid post M the Gift OF Great
Britain tie was content 10 have done his duty,
and content to wait for his justification till long
aherward for il was not TIL long atterward that
the rrue reason of his return became known. Mr..
Gladstone not always a good Judge of en-. marked
his sense Of Lord Northbrooks services by making
him First Lord of the Admiralty when he formed
his prescn. Ministry. If anything were wanting TO
assure him the approval of the country in his COM
ing mission to Egypt it would be found IN the at
tack made upon him in the House by Lord Ran
dolph Churchill That attack, apart from the mere
generalities of abuse which are the staple of Lord
Randoph's speeches, was based upon the sSsump
ton that Lord Northbrook member of the
firm of Barring Brothers, with which he never had
anv connection whatever Perhaps 10 should be
added that he s one Of the least fluent and attrac
tive speakers TO be heard In England. Ora
tory luckily. is not any more than brllliancy, the
gift most needed. nor needed at all just now, IN
Egypt. | heard him speak some weeks ago al that
dinner of the Eighty Club where Mr.. Gladstone de-
Hvered the fer vent and profoundly impressive speech
which none of Us are likely to forget Lord North
brook rose after him and stammered through few
dry sentences and sat down amid some expressions
Of Impotence II is so much tho fashion to form an
estimate of a mans abilities by his mere fuency
that many young member of that club who heard
HIM then for the first time no doubt dismissed the
veteran statesman from hls list of political celebr
ties The Eighty Club takes its name from the year
of its formation, the eighteen hundred being
eliminated from the date as too cumbrous 10 carry
about Il il mostly club Of youngsters, and that
iswhy Mr. Gladstone so readily consented to ad-
dress them in the very midst Of the grave conflict
with the Peers Just then beginning. When they
are a little older they Will be more likely to take
Lord Northbrook at his true value.