The sun., 1889-12-29

tree In the best parlor OF their great palace,
distributed presents and said kind words to
several hundred poor children gathered from
Rll parts OF the city. The same evening Nine.
Carnot also entertained at the Elysee q big
crowd OF children. The Prince Of Wales dis
tributed beef to his cottaRers and laborers at
SandrinRham. and the Queen forwarded pres
ents to the school children round about 0s-
borne, but did not, like most OF her fellow
monarchs enhance the graciousness OF her
gifts by personally presenting them.
The Pope celebrated tho festive season in
characteristic fashion by giving from his pn-
VRte purse nearly 10000 francs to tho poor OF
Rome. The royal family OF Italy have not had
particularly merry week. King Humbert is
suffering from the Worries OF state business.
His hair and moustache have turned almost
white. and he has some throat trouble OF
which the surgeons are not allowed to talk.
Queen Margaret has been a martyr to tooth
ache. and the heir to the Italian throne. the
Prince Of Naples mover q healthy lad. has
been kept to his studies so closely that he has
had to be taken out OF the hands Of his tutors to
save his brain and perhaps his life.
Capt O'Shea who. after enjoying Mr.. Par
nells friendship for years. turned and gave
evidence against him before the Special Com
mission. has ffed a petition for divorce on tho
ground Of his wife's adultery with the Irish
leader. Tho specific charges cover period
from early in 1886 until o'Shea betrayed
his friends In tho witness box. and the delay
in bringing the action is to say the least Curl
ous. Until court OF law shall have decided
the matter the friends Of Parnell will refuse to
credit O'Shea's charges. Mr. Psrnell's position
In Capt. O'Shea's family has been known to the
world for years past. He lived with them as
ono Of the family and as their most trusted ad-
wiser and friend, He frequently helped Capt
OShea with his purse and acted as mediator
In many troubles. There was never the slight
est attempt at oonoealment When OShea
was in Parlirment for instance. he and
Parnell always drove homo together to the
formers pretty suburban house at Northbank.
Ethan. Everybody in the district knew Mr..
Parnell. who was fond OF driving out with Mrs.
O'shes and her children. Mr.. Parnell fre-
quently escorted Mrs. O'Shea In public, and
always with Capt o'Shea's full knowledge and
consent. Not infrequently the Tory neWspa-
pers have limited that Parnelrs position In an
other mans family was anomalous, and less
than six months ago Il Tory evening newspaper
here had to make an apology to MIR. Parneu Tor
scurrilous paragraph on the same lines.
Capt O'Shea always derided these sugRes-
tions Of evil and never wearied Of telling peo-
ple that Parnell looked upon his wife as an
elder sister. OShea, therefore. can't plead ig-
norance of what the world was saying, and he
will have to explain why, with such knowledge
! In his possession. he continued to receive MIR.
Parneil as member OF his household. Few
persons here doubt that O'Shea Is acting In the
| interests Of those same Tory politicians who.
having failed to defame Parnell by the aid of
Richard Pigott are now endeavoring to be-
| smirch his moral character by means OF Henry
O'Shea-
Princess Maud OF Wales, 1t was said the
other day, was TO have married Russian
Prince, but the report does not seem to have
been particularly well founded. Yesterday 1t
was asserted that she Is to be married to the
| only brother OF the German Empress, young
Lieutenant in the German army with a fortune
Of something like ESQ year. who goes by the
name OF Duke Ernest OF Schlaswig- Holstein.
To-day that announcement is also autborita-
lively denied. This was only to be expected.
II the daughters OF the Prince Of Wales are not
exactly brilliant they are not devoid OF COM
| mon sense and shrewdness. and certainly no
| Well regulated young woman would care to be
| allied with man who had no better name to
| offer her than that OF the German princeling.
The difficulty between England and Pertu-
gal is still acute. There has been lively in
terchange Of dispatches, but the views OF the
dsputants are as widely divergent as ever.
| Portugal says in effect that she will not sur
render nor will she consent to refer the matter
to arbitration. Lord Salisbury is also averse
to arbitration, as England lost Delagoa Bay
by that method. and has no friends among the
possible arbitrators. Salisbury insists that as
a preliminary TO frontier negotiations Major
Ssrpa Pinto's recent action shall be disavowed
by the Lisbon Government II that be done
the difficulty may bO amioRbly arranged ON
the give and take basis. For the moment the
Portuguese Government is BtifI-necked. and
England 10 Assembling formidable squadron
at Gibraltar ready for descent upon Lisbon
whenever the word shall be given.
The announcement In yesterdays EVENING
Sun that Mr.. Blaine is prepared to take hand
In tho game of coercing Portugal has caused a
sensation here. Opinion is much divided as tc
the desirabllity Of AnGlo-American co-opera.
ton. On the whole the Tories resent the idea
on the ground that the Government having q
chance OF earning cheap glory, should not dim
its lustre by admitting foreign partner at the
last moment Curiously enough two newsDa-
pers whose political opinions are al
opposite poles, welcome MIR. Blaine's
entrance into tho European arena. the TorJ
Evening Standard because the points at issue
are Of a character in which every commercial
power is concerted and the Radical Pail Nal
Gazette because the ultimate Ideal TO which
Rnglishmen should work is the establishment
OF an Ango-Amorlcan nag on Ill tne sehs aHu
that everything which reminds the world
that the republic and the empire regard the
English speaking race as one entity. with COM
mon interests and common objects. Is good"
Tomorrow Mr.. Gladstone will celebrate hii
8lst birthday, and already congratulations and
presents are pouring In at Hawarden. where
the post oflice authorities have made arrange
| ments to keep the telegraph and post offcef
open all day for the receipt OF congratulations
The usual Gladstone banquet will be given ai
Chester By the party leaders on Monday even
ing. The Grand Old Man is in splendid health
and is already preparing Tor the Parliamentary
campaign. having taken Lord Tollemache'l
house in st. Jamess square for tho season.
The splendid Wiltshire property OF the Mar
quis of Ailesbury. with which goes the Saver
make Forest estates. is now up for sale. II
comprises besides the beautiful mansion anc
forest, 10000 acres OF corn land and pasture
Ailesbury's character is too we'll known tc
need recapitulation He is nearly always
pressed for ready money. for his no
Bile heritage has been wasted in drunkenness: