New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-10
BIRTHDAY HONORS.
WHAT THEY ARE AND TO WHOM THEY
ARE GIVEN; WITH BRIEF NOTES
ON SOME OF THOSE TO WHOM
THEY ARE GIVEN.


perhaps some undeserving, persons is, of course
the Queens. 1t is an old custom and | suppose
gracious one. Pretty much everything is
understood to be gracious of which the Sover-
eign is the source. But II the Sovereign be
the fountain Of honor and of hOnOrs. ii Is
the Prime Minister who turns on the stream
His hand and the hands of those Heads OF De-
partments with whom he takes counsel. are on
the tap The Prime Minister is a Scotsman and
an Imperialist II Is therefore natural that, In
the long list filling two or three columns of this
mornings papers should be found the names of
many Scotsrnen and many COonials The be-
stowal OF honors is one means Of Imperial Fed
Grafton; one tie by which the parts of this British
Empire are knit together. What Canadian does
not feel the passion OF loyalty burning hotter IN
his breast when be hears that the Honorable
Frank Smith, Senator and Member Of the Govern
ment Of the Dominion of Canada, has been made
a Knight and is henceforth the Honorable Sir
Frank Smith? And am sure II adds to his sat
tsfaction when il appears that the same dls-
tinction has been conferred on Louis Edelmar
Napoleon Casault Esq. Senior Puisne Judge or
the Superior Court Of the Province of Quebec In
the Dominion of Canada" copy the style ana
title with care from the official roll and the
patriotic devotion of the Dominion will be still
further stimulated when ii is perceived with
what a nice balance these recoGnuons or Can
adian eminence are weighed out. one Enghsh-
man and one Frenchman; one representative for
each Of the races and racial parties which divide
the Dominion between them.
There never was. suppose. list OF birthday
bonors which was perfectly satisfactory to every
bodv For consider There are but 120 in all. and
the population Of Great Britain and Ireland is not
mill However.
were made a Knight or Baronet or received an
nrder. the distinction might be less coveted. There
must be a limit and those who find themselves
outside II can always hope they may next time
he within this meagre circle. Many of them will
be sure to think and to think rightly. that they
are not less worthy than some of their fellow
subjects on whom the lot has fallen.
Then there are certain disappointed ambitions
due 10 the fact that no new Peers are now made.
1t surely cannot be that there are no persons III
10 be Peers. or that the Peerage Is no longer
held to be a fit means Of rewarding, or OF rec
ognizing distinguished services. That certainly
Is not the opinion of the distinguished persons
who have performed the distinguished services.
II may well enough be imagined that Prime
Minister committed more or less deeply, TO an
agitation against the House OF Lords may feel
a certain pudency in promoting his friends 10
q body which he is about to destroy. or If not TO
destroy. to impair in political authority. But
that is a consideration personal to him. More
over, Lord Rosebery does not want TO end the
House OF Lords: he wants to mend it. He has
said so this week. To suppose that ne has
offered a peerage TO everybody in the Liberal
party whose position would justify such an offer,
and that he has been refused by everybody,
would be very violent suppositlon indeed.
think there are names on the present list names
Of men who get something less than peerage,
who would, unless much belied by current re-
port accept this perilous distinction OF the peer
age.
) heard good Radical deliver himself on this
subject this very week. He declared to COM
pany Of persons some of whom were Radicals
like himself, that so long as the House Of Lords
existed. he could see no reason why Liberals and
Radicals should not be made Peers. 1t was for
the interest of the Lords that the number Of
Liberal Lords should be increased 1t for
the interest Of the Liberals that more of them
should sit in what Mr.. Gladstone. descending a
little below his usual political level last autumn
at Edinburgh. called the "gilded chamber" And
so on. He was in earnest and he Convinced his
fellow Radicals. IL. indeed they needed convinc-
ing Mr.. Labouchere thinks they do not. All
Radicals, according to that eminent Radical au
thority. or all but himself. are fond Of rank and
deferential to the possessors Of coronets. But
none Of this little company Of convinced Rad
Gals whom my friend addressed are now Peers.
AS a whole. the list IS but moderately inter
esting. I will not undertake to classify It, lest
the formality Of a scientific classification repel
the reader. II may be enough to refer to ndi-
viduals. Some Of them are already Of such fame
as to need no fresh recommendation to public
aid Stewart. soldier who stands with the army
and military authorities perhaps side by side
with Lord Wolseley. arg together made Field
Marshals. Each commission bears the same
date May &C. 1894; to-day. in fact. How is the
question of seniority to be determined should it
ever arise? Like so many other official descrp-
tons Lord Wolseley's will seem curious to the
lay mind. The Queen, We are told. has been
pleased to approve OF the promotion TO be Field
Marshal Of General the Right Honorable Gar
net Joseph, Viscount Wolseley X p, c. c. b.
G. C. NJ. c., Commanding the Forces in Ireland"
Sir Redvers Butler who succeeded Lord Wolse-
ley as Adjutant-General TO the Forces. gets a
G. G. b; otherwise. Grand Cross Of the Bath
General Henry Brackenbury. another well-kpown
and agreeable figure in London. now in India,
Is made K. c. Il.
Two civil X c. BIS are interesting One is
bestowed on MI. FRANKS, Keeper or BRUSH and
Medieval Antiquities in the British Museum
a most learned accomplished and admirable Off
Ger. The other goes to Mr.. Z. W. Hamilton.
formerly Private Secretary to Mr. Gladstone
now Assistant Secretary TO the Treasury and
one Of the right-hand men Of the Chancellor Of
the Exchequer for the time being; whether he
be Sir William Harcourt. or Mr.. Goschen or any
other. Mr.. Hamilton. also. is figure in Lon
don society. and an amiabe one. The fact that
he is an intimate personal friend Of Lord Rose
berry might have stood in the way Of his exalta-
ton from c. B. to K. c. B.. were II not that his
services in the Treasury and his known financial
abilities ar. of kind that could not be passed
over.