Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-07
THE SITUATION ABROAD.
ENGLISH CABINET CRISIS.

oSeh mauc 0uIfng TIC past Week IN
allaying the disscnsions In the British
Cabinet. The Government remains on
the verge Of disruption. Mr.. Cham
berlain is ambitious to become an Eng
lish Premier, and Sir Charles Dixie,
innately radical, still stubbornly refuses
to assent to Gladstone's announced
policy Of renewing the Irish crimes act.
1t is true that "the grand old man y
yesterday retreated from his original
position far enough to admit that
the Government means now only
to renew the bill modified but
the rebels in the Cabinet insist
that there exists in Ireland to-day no
reason and no prospect Of any reason
for its renewal in any form. While
neither Mr.. Chamberlain nor Mr.. Charles
Dixie have personally stated in public
that he will resign from the Cabinet IL
the Premier persists in his renewal
policy, it is generally understood that
both have actually threatened to do so.
and il is not believed that the modified
policy announced yesterday by the
Prime Minister has in any way altered
the threat.
The quarrel in the Cabinet has. in
fact, extended to other matters. The
Radical Ministers are just as much OPP
posed to the plan Of the electoral cam
paign formulated for the coming cleo
ton by the Wing members as they are
to the renewal Of the Irish crimes act.
The number Of ministerial rebels on
this point is larger even than that ar
rayed against the renewal. Mr.. Cham
berlain, chairman CT the Board Of
Trade; Sir Charles Dixie, president Of
the Local Government Board G.. o.
Trevelyan, John Bright's successor in
the chancellorship Of the Duchy Of
Lancaster; and G.. j. Shaw-Lafevre,
successor to the great Fawcett, Post
master General, all insist on the Radi-
cal platform. These gentlemen agree
that the principal planks in the Liberal
platform should be-
LIST. Reform in the constitution OF
the House of Lords by reducing the
number Of hereditary peers and in
creasing the number of life titles.
I'd. A reform of the law Of entail,
which will work towards division
rather than a concentration OF the land
titles.
Sd. A general reform in the land
laws of Great Britain. to the end that
the number Of holders in fee may be in
creased and the titles to the land be
more easily obtained.
4th. For Ireland the widest possible
measure Of self-government consistent
with the unity Of the British empire.
5th. A public denometizational edu-
cation on the principles accepted blythe
Irish party.
The Wing faction in the Cabinet re.
fuse steadfastly to accept any Of these
five principles in the platform of the
Liberal party for the coming campaign
hence the party will enter the canvass
weak. from lack of cohesion. On
this account it is more than probable
that Gladstone will be induced to re.
main in politics and power for the pur.
pose Of personally conducting the cam
paign for his party. The Liberals have
no other man competent for the task.
General Wolseley is engaged in the
preparation of an official report on the
charges preferred against General Sill
Gerald Graham, the commander Of the
Suakim-Berber expedition, and Genera
Mcneil, commander of the advance
force of the expedition, for neglect o
duty and incompetence in the conduc
of their campaign. If the report be un
favorable, both generals will be sub
jected to special inquiry by the mill
tary council.
The outspoken denunciations Of tht
conduct Of the Government toward the
British-Afghan Boundary Commission
reported to have been made by Genera
Sir Peter Lumsden on his way home
since his recall has induced the British
War Office to ask him whether thu
newspaper interviews published are &C
curate reports of what he has said
Sir Peters answer to this interrOga.
tory is awaited with interest. The au-
thorities in the War Office undoubtedly
sympathize with Sir Peter Lumsden
but the members Of the Cabinet are
exasperated over his singing criticisms
of the Governments management o.
the Afghan dispute, and they demand
that he repudate them or be punished
by some signal mark Of displeasure o.
the Government.
Sir Peter Lumsden's friends say he
meant every word attributed to him il
these interviews, and that he will not
repudiate a word. He believes, his
friends argue, that the Government
outraged the country and disgraced the
Afghan Boundary Commission, and he
will abandon his Office rather than re-
tract any of his criticisms.
The Russian report that Abdurrah'
man, Amer of Afghanistan, has been
murdered by his suite is not credited
at the British Foreign Office. Couriers
from Cabul arrive at the British ports
on the Afghan frontier twice o week
regularly. In the latest reports brought
to the British agents at these ports
there was no news Of actual disorder
in Afghanistan, but the general situa-
ton in the Ameer's dominions has
been described in all the re.
cent reports as one betokenlne
danger TO Abdurrahman's authority
This has been attributed to discon
tent among the tribal chiefs over the
Ameer's failure to distribute among
them sums of money which the chief
believed he received from the Earl o.
Dufferin, yiceroy Of India, at recen
durbar at Rawal Pindi, with which t
| subsidize the Afghan tribes. The
chiefs have all along felt certain thai
Abdurrahman was entrusted with
large sum of money for their benefit
and that of the tribesmen, and they
have chafed under their failure to ge
what they have expected as their share
1t would not be surprising if some o
these disappointed chiefs should hav'
resolved to adopt murder as reveng'
upon the Amer.
| Reported Murder Of the Ameer.
lBy cable to the Dispatch.l
ST. PETERSBURG, June 6.-Th'