The morning times., 1896-04-26
QUANDARY OVER KRUGER
Refusal to VISIT England Makes
ChsmherIain's Action Doubtful.
CONSERVATIVES SAY GEORGE
Colonial Minister VIII Probably Quiet
ly Accept the Refusal, But 1t Is
Doubtful If He VIII Submit Easily
to he Transvaal 6 Government-
Pacific Assurances.

London, April 25.-The colonial office
already unofficially knows that President
Kruger, in his reply 10 Mr.. Chamberlain's
| invitation TO visit London to discuss the
| questions pertaining to the Transvaal,
| practically refuses to come to England,
The official reply is awaited.
! I. The Daily yNewspredicts that Mr.. Chamber
lain will quieu yaccept the refusal and
let the matter drop. II is difficult 10 see
| what other course will he left open to him,
as ii is hardly probable that he could force
President Kruger 10 cCme against his will
and the will or the Voiksraad. The pre-
| diction is therefore safe one.
The policy OF Mr. Chamberlain hitherto,
! though cautious, has Leen firm and ag-
| gressive, and il is improbable that he will
now submit to the Transvaal government
! unless he receives a definite assurance
which he will be able 10 submit to parlia-
/ ment shO wing that British interests in the
| Transvaal will be protected.
| Sir Graham John Bower, imperial sec
/ retary ut Cape Town, has arrived in Lon
don. He has had a conference with Mr..
Chamberlain, which showed that he sup
ports the extreme pacific policy advocated
| by Sir Hercules Robinson, governor of
] Cape Colony, and British high commissioner
in SouIn ifrca. Jonkheer Piet Goebler,
| a nephew OF President Kruger, Is also III
| London.
SIR BOWERS MISSION.
| He has been unoffieiaIly trying to per-
| suade Mr.. Chamberlain that everything is
peaceful in the TransvaaI. If the British
| government is content with phrase SO it
| will be, but the militant Conservatives in
| the House of Commons have formed COM
| mittce whose special duty ii will be to
| watch the action OF the ministers. The COM
| mittee means to attempt to bring about the
| coercion of the Beers unless they yield to
/ the demands of the Uitlanders.
Advlces from Cape Colony are to the
effect that II is the inte ntiOn OF Mr.. H Of
/ meyer, the Afrikander leader, TO make a
motion in the legislature of Cape Colony
! approving au offensive and defensive alli-
| ancc between the Orange Free State and
| the Transvaal. He will further demand the
| withdrawal OF the charter of the British
South Africa Company. The prospects OF
| the British regime in South Africa are not
of the brightest.
| VENEZUELAN MATTER DELAYED.
Though Mr.. George n Curzon, parliament
tary secretary OF the foreign office, de-
| ciared in the House of Commons Thursday
| that the negotiations con cerning Venezuela
| were still proceeding, 1t is a fact that "A
! delay has occurred. The cable dispatches
| to the Times alleging that they had been
| stopped altogether went too far.
The foreign office denies that it pro-
posed a cessation OF the negotiations, and
attributes the delay to unavoidable causes,
| which inquiries indicate to be Lord Sails
| bury's weakening health combined with a
| great pressure OF work.
| According to the Speaker the retirement
! OF Lord Salisbury from official life cannot
be long delayed. 1t speculates on VINO his
successor Will be, and makes a forecast
! that the Right Hon. Arthur Balfour, now
L., 4 Silt
| burys nephew. will succeed him in the
| premiership and be elevated to the peera ge.
| 1t also predicts that the Duke of Devon
| shire, now president OF the council, will
| become secretary of state for foreign af
| fairs, and that Mr.. Chamberlain will be
| the government leader In the House of
| Commons In succession to Mr.. Balfour.
DISCUSSING SMALLEY's LETTER.
The cable dispatch from Mr.. SmalIey,
| published in the Times Wednesday morn
| ing, in which he pointed out the gravity in
| the Ang!o-American relations, was dis
| cussed in the papers here as being of
doubtful authenticity. His statements,
nevertheless assisted in the fall in the
| price of Consuls, which were quoted on
| Monday at ia. Now, under various ad-
verse influences, Mr. Smalley's dispatch in
Guided, they are quoted a III 3S.
| The purity movement of the Strand and
| pectations. The Regency Club, a haunt OF
| vicious swelldom has been suppressed, and
| most of the night clubs, which were devoted
| almost entirely to gambling, have been
| closed.
| Friends of Oscar Wilde recently per-
suaded Sir Matthew White Ridley, the
Home secretary, to send Iore office
| doctors to report on his condition. They
| alleged that since his Imprisonment his
mind has broken down. The doctors re-
ported that Wilde's health was good and
that he had light labor. The Home sec
! retary thereupon refused to make the
| smallest remission in his sentence.
| QUEEN MAKES A PURCHASE.
The queen has purchased the Villa Lizard
| at CimieZ, in the south of France. for a
residence for her daughter Princess Beat
rice princess Henry OF Battenberg.) The
| extensive grounds which are attached to
| the villa have splendid sea outlook.
Her Majesty will leave Nice on Wednes-
day next for England. She will arrive
| at Windor Castle on May 1 and will reside
| there for three weeks. At Whitsuntide
she will go to Balmoral, her residence in
the Highlands OF Scotland.
Numerous congratulatory cable MESA ges
| were received on Tuesday last by the Rev.
| James Martineau, D. D., the occasion be-
ing the ninety-second anniversary OF his
birth. He spent the day quietly at his
home. He is in admirable health aud
spirits and his intellect is undimmed.