New-York tribune., 1886-04-04
SUPPLEMENT.
PAGES 9 TO ID.
NOTES FROM LONDON.
COLONEL STURT-THS OREGON-THE MAILS
DIR. TYNDALL-kRAPOTKlN.

,ate Mr. Henry Charles Sturt of Crichel, whose
elder son became Lord Abingdon. He was born
long enough ago to have entered the GIenadler
Guards in 1851 and to get himself severely wounded
at lnkerman. To the last he was soldier rising
IN the command of the Guards ono of the most
coveted posts in tine British Army and dying at
Winchester Barracks rs general in command OF the
djs.rict of which those are the headquarters. In
his owa rank OF life he had of friends many
Of them among the best men OF their time, and the
most famous of his time. Lord Beaconsheid.
But Napier Sturt had many tastes which ran III
other directions. He belonged to that race OIL
Engishmcn of the old school of whom the mose
famous VAS buried in Lord Pamerstohs CONN.,
Io,d palmerston used TO say that there was no
class of men The meant Englishmenl, with wholh he
dhI not get on and in whose company re III not
find sntertainme1t He was at home III tap com.
good friends with bruisers and not averse to chat
with any of the criminal classes who came IN ms
WAY. Colonel Napier Sturt was just like him. lie
had seen great prize night oil the iast ee'era-
ton; including the combat between hcehah anu
Savers and iteenlns subsequent encounter with
King He never hesitated to say that IN this last
Ieenan had been drugged. On the Sayers BUSINESS
ewas less explict, as patriotic tngiishman was
nerhaus bound to be- But gathered that in his
secret soul Colonel Sturt considered that feenan
won his 6gbt with Savers and that tho referees
o. lde for the houor of the British Tag as
AGAINST the Stars and Stripes HIS stories OF these
and other contests among the rasicst that
ever fell rom human lips. SO were many others on
many other subjects. His language was often that
OF the last gener alton o. the last but one when
i, was possible for Lord Melbourne to rap out an
otth at the Quecn's dinner-tahc. Ihe trccdom Oh
Colonel Sturts diction might have shocked a 700
sens tive ear But there was not really gram OF
evil in il.
say what he might or do what he might, yon
couId NOT by any possibility take Col)nel Sturt for
ANYTHING but what he was Il gentleman with the
o,od breeding and kindly soul and intnitive
courtesy which belong TO gentleman. L have
heard him talk a great many times and IN company
OF varions sorts and never could quite make ouV
whether the art of narration which he possessed
ca,,e IN him bv nature or by study and practice.
Probably by both. No man had shrewder wit or
n better heart lie was IS well known in the slums
OF the East End as in the drawins-o ooms OF the
West and would tell yoas how, at pinch sur
rounded by plckpOc6ets and stripped IN second Oh
watch. money. and everything he had about him,
the chief of the gang had ntervenel in his behalf,
and stcrnly ordered the restitution of every item OF
the plunder lie married rather late in life and 1t
WAS characteristic of him that he gave mp London
for his wites sake ana went to live at FolkeStone
because &c the climate uted her better HIS orother
Lord Abingdon used to say of him; Napier Is the
richest man in England; he has E6.OOo year
ESQ OgOl and nothing to spend 1t on" lie dies
suddenly at fifty three from congo sion OF the lungs,
aud don't believe there is man who knew MN
WHO was not greved to hear that Napier Sturt was
gone They buried him Yesterday at folkestone;
wreath ON his lowcr-covered colin from the Prince
o. Wales as token OF sincere re gard and friend
ship = aud group of privatcs OF the Grenadler
t,uarsis standing in stern tearuncss by the body oi
their late commander Many Of the best Known
men in London had gone 10 the funeral and some
OF the busiest The pubiic perhaps never heard
much oi Napier Sturt tor though he had been
many years in Parliament lie cared nothing t9r
snch repown as comes from success in politics.
But the worli in whose wide circle are gathered
nearly all the best men aud women of the day knew
that tey had lost a comrade of rare gifts man of
ssdcity of infinite charity, of genial nature, and
OF stainless honor
The story OF the loss of the Oregon has reached this
country III driblets; more OF which think, must
b. stIl on tler WY. Jast hint Is given of the
ceisures which The New-York press appear to have
pronounced on the conduct of the officers. hint
is as much as the nerves of the English public cOnld
stand There ara people to whom the Cunard
Company IS part of the Engsh Constitution, and
not a few imagine, VINO believe that 1t IS ldentl
Cal with the British Navy and thai Nj. John Burns
is First Lord of the Admiralty. There are papers
whch keep i'll type editorial pahegyrics on the com
pany aud its ships articles nearly us long as the
uulueky Oregon herself The Daily Telegraph Is
without a rival in its patriotic swagger. England
We are told the greatest maritime Power that ever
existed Is as proud Of the Cunard Company as of
tie battered Old hull OF tc Victory which has lain
for nearly three quarters OF century in Ports
mouth HarbOr. So distressed is this oracle of the
small shOpkeepers by the calamity of last sunday,
that il feels bound t. assure them that Engiands
Daratime supremacy Is not seriously affected by
the loss of the Oregon. Another paper doubts
whether it was a schooner which sunk the
Cunarder aud hiuts at dynamite. Those who
take less serious views of the matter revive sundry
venerable anecdotes long current about the Cunard
line The pIuncs and rice. the prayers-to the regu-
larity OF which the immunity OF their ships from
disaster is p'ously ascribed-the suikiness OF tie
stewards the arrogance of the officers and the
scarcity of clean linen all once more topics oil
debate In the English press. And we hear not Tor
the last time OIL the officer W ho appealed to for
n clean napkin ana VINO answered. Sir We cannot
give you a clean napkin but We have never los;
lie at sea-
Mr. William Thomson United States Consul at
Southampton. sends to The Times an instructive
illustration oil the dealings of the British Post
Once with the American malls. Mr.. Stevenson
BiackwoOds Department has not yet seen It's way
to dispatch letters frcm England to America by
the boats leaving southampton on Thursdays.
The French, however send over their mails from
Paris, to go by these steamers, and each Thursday
sixty or seventy sacks from the Continent arrive
at southampton Tor transmission to New-Y ork
The result is, Mr.. Thomson points out that
lrtteis posted in Paris up 10 Wednesday eveaing
sltIeugh they have 10 pass through London reach
,heir destination in the United States earlier than
.lo,c posted on the day in London. and not
ifrcguenly also earlier than letters posted in this
conaily OH Mondays and Tuesdays.
Ii happens that since House of Commons conf