New-York tribune., 1886-04-25
NOTES FROM LONDON.


not perhaps of the crisis but of sufficiently severe
10 reouire two Cabinet Councils yesterday. The
hrst lasted from two to four In the afternoon
The second, held In the Prime Minister'S room in
the House of Commons began not long after hve
and did not break up till past eight The hrst il
supposed to have been occupied with the Eastern
Crisst which In ordinary times would be Thought
a crisis Of exceeding gravity. The second talked
over Home Rule IN the light of the continually
growing hostility of the country to the supposed
Home Rule project of Mr.. Gladstone. IL would pe
futile to go into the matter in view OF the fact 'n"'
Mr. Gladstone himself is to tell us all ABOUT IL Oh
Thursday next; OF, if not all about It, so much as
seems prudent to the old Parliamentary hand'
There will be a supplementary eXegesis by MI
Cbamber,ain which is expected to fill such gaps
rs Mr. Gladstone may leave. Yesterday LONDON
was full of rumors that the Cabinet was on the eve
of colIapse Serious persons who met last evening,
at a small party gwen by the wife of Cabinet
Minister. asked each other whether the Govern
mont had gone to pieces 1t does not pear that II
has gone to pieces but its condition yesterday was
not unlike that of the sailor who explains to his
medical adviser that he is very bad inside The
acuteness of the disease may be inferred from
single fact. The chief organ of Gladstonian Liber-
slism appears this morning with three leading
editorial articles each something over column IN
length Not too much, you think. for the full dis
cussiop of situation 80 very seriousi Well. the
first is on Richard Golden. The second is on the
pianist List. The third is on The Oyster Supply
As for Golden, there Is something touching in
tho effort of the Free Trade masters disciples to
believe. OF to make believe that his millennium OF
open ports and peace the world near at hand
HIS present eulOgst, however, will offend nobody
by over-confdence. The utmost he ventures to
xlo< for wi Cob
dens confidence To this hope he clings in spite. as
he charmingly says of the @apparent want of ad-
vance. The standsill of Cobden's principles Is IN
deed apparent, though In a different sense from the
one which this writer intended.
A great light has gone ont from the House OF
Commons Mr.. Jesse Ceilings was yesterday found
guilty of bribery and unseated as member for lp-
sw,ch. He is found'gulty of bribery, just as Sir
Charles Dixie was found innocent of adultery III
a purely technical sense. 1t is not Mr.. Jesse Col
lings. nor his colleague Mr.. West who has commit
ted bribery II is the unauthorized iniQuities OF
their agents for which they held responsible.
The Corrupt Practices Act is one OF the most strn
gent measures that ever took shape as an act Of
Parliament. The doctrine of agency is carried, per-
haps, further than II was ever carried before
single instance of bribery is sufficient to nvaldate
an election. 1t may be the act of an agent who
was not appointed by the candidate, who was un-
known to him, who has Svioated the most express
orders of the candidate But if his position is con-
structively that of an agent the unhappy principal
is responsible for all his msdeeds, and out he must
90 The case which went hardest against Mr..
Jesse Ceilings was that of man who was confess
edv a Liberal agent, who wrote to distant voter
that if he came home and voted there would be
81 some lucre in it, There never any lucre in
it: no money was paid but the offer to pay was
fatal and Nr. Jesse Ceilings is no longer member
for Ipswich.
II has been given to Mr.. Jesse Ceilings to play q
part considerable in proportion to his abilities He
is one of those men who are happy in the circum-
stances and period of their public life. HIS hobby
is Three Acres and Cow, and on it he rode tilt
at the late Ministry, overthrow it and himself
became Minister though of humble kind Ills
share in the proceedings of that memorable day IN
the House looked larger than it was but his name
must ever he mentioned when the story is told, and
30 he has secured sort of immortality. lie Is a
sincere narrow man, with one or two ideas to
which he would make everything else give way.
His alliance with Mr. Chamberlain lent him i'm
portance He had hold on the agricultural con-
stituencies for he was once, though not constitu
ent AN agricultural laborer, or something like it,
and he has stood by his own class. He cannot
again stand for Ipswich during period of seven
years such is the penalty which the law awards
But as he has not himself bribed anybody he may
offer himself candidate to another constituency
So may Mr.. West, of course. but both Mr.. West AMI
Mr.. Ceilings are likely to think politics an expen-
sive form of amusement. The costs of the petition
are estimated at $25, 600, and neither of the un-
lucky and unseated members is a rich man.
letter is allowed to see the light from Mr.. w.
+. Baxter to Lord WolveIton. the Postmaster Gen
eral, on the long vexed question of the Anne rican
mails Mr.. Baxter restates the case against the
British Post-Office with force if not with novelty.
The point of his present appeal is that the Post
master General should not wait for the slow and
very uncertain action of a Parliamentary Com
mittee yet to DO appointed but deal with the ques
ton as a Departmental question. Lord Wolverton
ought TO do this, but will not He is head of the
Post-C Office in name. Mr.. Stevenson Blackwood is
head of it in fact, and Mr.. Stevenson Blackwood
has hardened his heart against any reform which
shall disturb the MONOPOLY of the existing steam
ship ring.
Mr. Blackwood or some one of his staff. has done a
characteristic act IN connection with these mails.
When the subject was last discussed, the Post
Office issued notice that letters specially Endorsed
would be sent by southampton on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. The mention of Tuesday was itself
misleading because it is only on Thursday that a
fast ship sails. But this notice has now been with
drawn both from the London POst-Ofices, where ii
was formerly placardcd. and from the Post-O flee
Guide. Letters may still be sent, but the Post
Office does its best to keep the public in ignorance
Of the fact.
may add to what said yesterday concei ming
the manners and customs of Royalty the latest
story about the Duchess of Edinburgh. Her I'm
perial and Royal IIiehness-fOr so ought she to be
designated-was present at the concert last Mon
day IN st. James's Hall to hear Herr Joachim 1t
was hot night. aud the hall, at the best of times
and with all the ventilation that can be had, is a
stuiy place But Her Imperial and Royal llighness
does not like fresh air. 1t was her wish that all
the doors. windows, and ventllators should be
closed. and closed they were. When one OF the
sitting and gasping multitude ventured to open