The record-union., 1896-05-17
Only 0ns Important Measure So Far
Near Completion.
The French ambassador and Lord
Salisbury Holding Frequent Inter-
views Regarding the Limits of the
Nile OperatiOnS-SeriOus Breach in
the Liberal Party The British
South Africa Company Secures a
New Lease of Life.

|
business in Parliament has become SO
blocked SO as to render an autumn ses-
sion, after a short recess, an imper-
ative necessity. If the House Of Com
mons adjourns about August 10Th, as
the Ministers recently contemplated, it
is likely to leave incomplete all but one
of the Government measures OF the ses-
sion-the agricultural rating bill.
Timothy Healy, who will have the
| lead of the Irish factions during the
discussion, says the House should spend
a session over the Irish land and Irish
education bills without touching other
legislative matters.
The prospect Of the agricultural rat
| ing bill, which is now in committee in
form satisfactory to the Government
land-owning interest, has become re-
mote. Mr.. Chaplin, who has been Sc
Verely badgered by the Tories for con-
| ceding the five years liimt, holds to
that proposition.
| In the opinion Of Conservatives the
five years concessions has marred the
| fine proportions of the best piece of
party legislation the present generation
has seen. Keeping Chaplin to his prom
Use made during the debate on the sec
ond reading, the oppoAItion now insists
or the early appointment of COM
! nittee on urban rating. The urban
| Conservative members support this
demand, and the Government must
grant it. Mr.. Chaplin desires to refer
the inquiry into urban rating to a
royal commission instead of to a select
committee of the House The COM
| m G cif Io;c
or three years and give the Government
full excuse for inaction until the pres
ent Parliament comes to an end
| Since the return from Paris Of Baron
de Courcel, the French Embassador.
his interviews with Lord Salisbury have
been frequent beyond the ordinary
| measure of intercourse between the
Foreign Secretary and ambassador 1t
/ is something of an open secret in dip
lomatic circles that NJ. Hanotaux, on
taking office with NJ. Meline, immedi-
ately instructed Baron de Courcel to
return to his post, and chargeu him to
obtain from Lord Salisbury an explicit
statement regarding the limits of the
Nile operations, and what would be
the extent of the drafts upon the Egyp-
tian treasury. The naturalization Of
the Suez Canal and the period of Brit
| ish occupation are also included in
Baron de Courcel's Instructions
Delegates from the ship-owners Of
| the United Kingdom are holding pri-
vate conferences with the President and
| leading officers of the Board of Trade
OF the rules of the road at sea as fixed
by the Washington Conference The
shlp-oWners themselves are divided on
regulations Of the conference which the
! Eoard of Trade wishes to enforce One
section opposes any alteration in the old
rules. Another desires to abide by the
international agreement
| A portion of the Ra dical members Of
| the House Of Commons nave justified
the long-cOntinued assertions of the
! Unionist papers that there was a seri-
Gus breach in the Liberal party These
| members have now definitely seeded
from the Liberals, and have formulated
platform OF their own, the first plank
| of which declares for the abolition of
the House of Lords
| 1t is very evident from present indi-
cations that the British South Africa
| Company has secured a new lease of
/ life. batch of Pretoria kilograms
which date from October were published
here to-day. They entirely confirm the
story of the plot to overthrow the Gov
ernment of the Transvaal, but the Brit
/ ism public does not intend to let this
| affect them The members of the
Rhodesian party vie with each other in
their attempts to improve their posi-
ton in the eyes of the public by social
and philanthropic work The Duke and
T,,,oh -
Of the Prince of Wales, and Sir Horace
and Lady Farquhar have been busy in
/ this direction during the past week.
They opened several charity bazars and
/ laid the foundation stone of a benevo-
| lent institution for women. Aside from
1 this an energetic political canvass is
being carried on in behalf of Mr..
! Rhodes. The Marlborough Club. the
/ fs vorite resort of the Prince of Wales
| is the head center of the Rhodes
maneuvers. The Duke of Fife, the Duke
of Abercorn and Sir Horace Farauhar
| all directors of the British South Africa
| Company, are members of the club
while Mr.. Belt, another prominent di-
rector, lives only a few doors from the
clubhouse. 1t seems likely that Mr.
| Belt will replace the late Baron de
Hirsch as the useful open-handed cos
mopolitan friend of the British aristoc-
| racy. Although he does not own any
race horses. he is very heavy better.
/, and it is said he won $50, 1000 on Victor
Wild in the race for the Kempton Park
great jubilee stakes. Mr.. Belt is likely
to become permanent figure in London
society.
The projected establishment of a erea
! gambling casino at Ostend-a sort of
northern Monte Carlo-was supposed to
have collapsed with the death of Colonel
| North. The concessions he had OBJ
| tanned and the progress made in the fl
nancial and other arrangements were
| too valuable to be lost, SO a syndicate
composed of the North clique, and in
| which some American capitalists have
ventured, have taken UP the scheme,