New-York tribune., 1886-06-06
NOTES FROM LONDON.
LAW OF THE CONSTITUTION-LORDW WOLSE-
lEY-BOOKS AND PORCELAIN


ur the Home Rule bill invoked the au-
thority of Professor A. " Dicey's Law of the Con-
stitution." "No work." said the Prime Minister
(which have ever read. brings out in a more dis
t,nct ana emphatic manner the peculiaritv OF the
British Constitution in one point to which perhaps
we seldom have occasion to refer, viz the absolute
supremacy Of Parliament Since that memorable
date-lt was the sth of Aprl-the point has been
referred to oftener than Mr.. Gladstone would Ike
Lord Harrington from the very first assured ,he
House that the supremacy Oh Iar'ia-
ment was assailed. Mr.. Goschen repeat
ed the warning. Sir Henry James. Ill
ono of the ablest constitutional arguments ever
heard in the House of Commons. demonstrated Tue
proposition that by Mr. Gladstone's bill the
sovereignty of Parliament heretofore unquestioned
and unquestionablc would be impaired Mr.. Bryce,
in an argument all The more ingenious because MS
case was bad. tried to refute Sir Henry James, Mr..
Finlay. young Scotch member, replied to MI.
Bryce, demolished his argument and on the runs
of it set up speech which made him all at once a
kelebrity and parsonage in the House. And now
Mr. Gladstone is attacked by his own authority.
Mr. Dicey has Joined the Liberal Union Committee
and is hard at work against the Home Rule bill
The author of the " Law of the Constitution is
Vinerlan Professor of English Law at Oxford. lie
holds the chair of which Blackstone was the first
incumbent. Like many another who has declared
his opposition to Mr. Gladstones scheme Professor
Dicey belongs to those Glasses against which MI
Gladstone inveighs. lie represents education, IN
teligence and the spirit of scientific inquiry. He
has taken heretofore little or no part IN poilt1cs
But he now steps down from his professors desk
and enters the arena as champion Of those consti
tutional prInc pies which he thinks Mr.. Gladstone
has put in peril. One more example OF that spirit
and power of class against which the Midlothian
manifesto protested.
Mr. Dicey's treatise has been praised by others
rot less competent on such subject than Mr.
Gladstone. and has already become-so far as 1t rs
possible for such book to become-popular. 1t Is
so written as to be not only lucid but readable
Not in vain has Professor Dicey studied his pre-
decessor, for though it would be idle to say that
his style has the charm which makes the most ab-
etruse pages of Blackstone delightful. yet he has
wrought successfully III the same line as Black
stone. he has discarded the notion that legal
writing must be and and grabbed, and Will not ad-
nit that an intricate problem may not be lucidly
set forth HIS book will recommend itself to an
American reader for different and not less valid
yeasOn. 1t contains considerable body of exposi-
tion upon the law of the United States Constitution,
and this exposition is accurate as to imply that
Professor Dlcey has done the honor to study our
Constitution for some other purpose than that OF
cecrying the American system. lie and Sir henry
Maine are the two recent English authors who
have written well and sympatbeticaly on the
American system if such word as sympathy may
be used in connection with legal subject.
Mr. Lahouchere has for some time past amused
his leisure by attacks on Lord Wolseley. The orr
gin of them do NOT know, but those which first
attracted attention date from the Soudan campaign
Dir Labouchere is a political tactician. and to HIM
Z seemed a clever manGuvre to charge upon Lord
NOlseley the failure of an expedition which Mr
eladsione's Government refused TO send I'll
success had become all but impossible. The attacks
have lately increased IN number and vlrulence. and
last week they took shape in long article profess
ing to be q military criticism on Lord Wolselty by
O foreigner. This is understood Is have been pro-
voked by Lord Wolseleys attitude on the Irish
question. If nan doubts the prudence of handing
over Ireland to the dominion OF the League, 1t is
thought convenient to dlscredit his IRISH views by
crIticl MS on his campaign IN Ashantee. fcrhaps
Mr. Lab ,uchere believes the story that Lord Wose-
lev had offered to resign his commission, and-f the
Gladstone bill became law-lead the Ulster men
In q campaign against the Parncllites. The most
sensational of English papers mot Mr. Labon-
cheres tried 10 gain credence for this fable by re-
peating it in every variety of type and startling
headlines. Lord WoISeley cOuld no more be drawn
BY such devices than Mr.. Chamberlain could be
drawn by the random charges against himself in tue
same journal. But his opinions about Home Rdlc
are well enough known, and Mr.. Labouchere thinks
il desirable to dIsparage Lord WOlseiey. Unlike
his fellow journalist be does not care whether be
elictes answer or not. Mr. Labouchere is not
in need of au fora paper the net prof
its Of which believed to reach $4,000 year.
Lord Woiselev meantime. goes his way.
hold n,a pi,.i,p ax
il language of remarkable energy, and is scrupul0us
10 obScr in pubic the proprlees Of the situation.
The rumor goes that since his return from Egypt
h. has refnee al to meet Mr. Gladstone, which may
Or hay not be true.
You know what conspicuous part Mr.. Labou-
ohors has Of late been playing. He is oracle To the
new members, the honorable friend of Mr. Glad
stone candid ad siser TO Mr.. Chamberlain trusted
intermediary between Mr.. Parnell and the Govern
,ncnt. and many Other things. But OWE did not
expect 20 hear that he had become conscience
keeper to Mr. John Morley. Mr. Labouclere is
himself authority for the story that Mr.. Morley
l;.,l asked hnn whether he could honOrably remain
Ill III Ministry should the Irish, 20 whose exclusion
lie Lad pledged himself. remain at Westminster
The second portion of Mr. Henry Stevens's col
lcctioU books relating 70 America will be sold by
a.ctiOn by Messrs. Sotheby on the 1st and I'd of
Ji he first portion sold in 1881. The
present - described as including the greater part
q; his working library, and much else. Mr.
S,e,eLss col ections. like that OF every dealer ia
rars books. were Lot fixed bur floating quantities.
Books. Ike men, have destiuies appointed TO them
Mr.. stevens remarks II his L" Reco ections of Mr..
Lcncx that he sometimes found himself - chOkcd
up with nuggets that bad been declined by all his
cAIcf en- tomers a. too dear OF not sufficient in-
terest. lhese unappfeciated rarlties were yet, in
his own Judgment, attractive as those W hich had
found purchasers. Many such, presume, occur III
the present catalogue. The caprices of collectors
ar miathomable Ihey will reject to-day what
tomorrow they would bay at double the price of
To-day Thus IL was $40 sn that al the sale of Mr.
EllS's books many were bought at prices in excess
OF those al which they had long been priced III his
ca alogGcs. SoLIe OF them were bought fol- tie