The morning call., 1891-10-20
ROYALTY ABROAD.
Queen Victoria Exposed to Scotch
Storms.
Silver Wedding Of The Russian Gar in the
CFimea.
Empress Of Austria Builds a PatrlClan Pal
ace-BntiSh POlitiCS-FaiIuTR Of
The YuICal'S Big Guns
Ertcisl to THE MORNING CALI

New YORK, Oct. 19.-Edmund Yates
eablegram to the Tribune from London
says: The weather at Balmoral has been
ct. stormy and cold during the last ten
days, but on Friday. which was a most
wretched day, the Queen drove through
Braemar, accompanied by Princess Chris
tian 10 an open carriage, and went on to
Newman Lodge, where she lunched with
the Duke and Duchess of Fife. The
weather became worse in the afternoon,
but the carriage was kept open all the way
back.
Never has any function been subject TO
so many changes in programme as the Rus
sian imperial silver wedding next month.
1t is now arranged to come off IN the
Crimea, and the King and Queen of Den
mark viii go there If possible, but the
Prince and Princess OF Wales have def
nitely declined for many reasons, among
others the former celebrates his f!tieth
birthday on the same day and could not
conveniently be away from England.
The palace in Corfu which the Empires
of Austria has only just completed, is one
of the most luxurious and at the same time
the most curious building In Europe. 1t is
nothing more nor less than an enlargement
with modern appliances OF one of the
patrician dwellings of Pompeii. Incaudes-
cent electric lamps, hidden amid foliage
and decorative friezes, throw their light on
series Of frescOes representing the mythO-
logi el legend of Achilles; the gardens are
also Illuminated by electricity and the whole
furniture is strictly POmpeiian in design.
Lord Rosebery is residing with his chill
dren al MentmoTe. and Lady LecOnfeld has
been staying there with him. Hs will
probably pass some time In Egypt during
the winter with his mother. the Duchess of
Cleveland, who Is about to proceed there
for SIX months, accompanied by Mr.. and
Lady Mary Hope. Lord Roseberry has
finished a monograph on Pitt, which will.
probably, be very in terestlng work, as his
cousin Lord StanhoDe has llaeed at his dis
posal his Invaluable collection of Pitt
papers at Cheyening.
Tie irony of the present situation of
affairs in Ireland could not more strikingly
lie illustrated than by the fact that Healy
has to 90 about under police protection,
while BalfouT, the tyrant and oppressor,
goes everywhere unshadowed. Healy re-
quiIes the constant service of the police in
plain clothes. There is no doubt that some
extreme supporters of the late member for
Cork would attack Healy if they had
chance.
Great stimulus will be given to the
Unionist party North by the Liberal
Uniouist Conference in Manchester. The
chief speakers viii be Lord Harrington and
the Duke Of Argyle. The Duke has not
spoken in public much of late, but his splen-
did faculty Of destructive criticism will be
Of advantage to the UniOuists in the COM
ing struggle. The Liberal Uni0nists are
improving ard Strengthening their urgani-
zatiOn all over the country. 1t has been as
certained that in at least hundred con-
stituencies their voters will win the cleo
ti0n, and this is the fact that makes the
Gladstonians rail against them with so
much bitterness.
Iregret to hear that the new torpedo-shp
Vulcan, from VIII Ch such great things were
expected, must be pronounced q complete
failure. She was intended to have a cruis-
ing speed Of twenty knots. She has never
been driven more than eighteen. and that
only for short periods, aud she is now
hopeIelslY out Of tie contest, as her boilers
are literally done for II is a sin and
shame that in this, the first engineering
country OF the world, the money of the tax
payers should be wasted on guns that can
not shoot and on boilers that are unable to
steam He reason OF the failure Is the
same in both Cases-faUlty system of con-
struction. Similar boilers were, only last
week, in the face Of all this expert
enfe, put on board the DeYasta-
ton at Portsmouth. A fortnight ago l
stated that mmander Younghusband was
huTriedly telegraphed for as examiner of
the VictOria's big guns. have since been
informed that after he had done so with
the assistance Of an expert from Elswick
and had caused several impressions in gutta
percha to be taken Of the inner tube near
the uuZLle, there was no alternative but to
give positive instructions that the gun was
not to be fired again. Thus we have the
flagship of the COmmander-in-Chief of the
most important squadron deprived of the
use Of half Of its armament, aud 1t is not
unlikely that the other half is not in much
better condition. The Victoria ought to be
sent home at once and reiegated to Limbo"
along with the Sans Parle and the Benbow,
till all three are armed with reliable new
guns.
Punch" suffered great loss last week by
the death of Gilbert a Beckett, the eldest
son Of Gilbert Abbott a Beckett, one Of
the earliest members Of "Punchs" staff,
and himself a contributor for twelve years.
He could write lyrics by the yard and
turned off one OF the best modern libretti,
THE Canterbury Pilgrims" He had a
taste for music and supplied songs 10 sew
eral entertainments and also wrote many
ballads AS well as plays and burieSques.
For the last fifteen years be has been great
invalid, and same five years ago the loss of
his only son, who was drowned, deeply af-
tected him and he was never quite the same
man again.
The abolition of the broad-gauge system
Of railroads next May will involve a pro-
diglous amount Of expense and work. Up
ward Of twenty miles Of new sidings are be-
ing constructed at SwindOn to accommodate
the rolling stock which is being taken off
the line. All the modern carriages on the
apr
structed that they can be easily converted
to narTow-gauge cars.