, 1896-04-25
YSpectdtor, 21st March.

YSpectdtor, 21St March,
The Italian Government is not quite so
resolved to avenge its defeat in Abvssinia as
was at first believed. General Baldissera, it
is said, fOund the army even more domoralissd
than he had expected; great pressure has
been put upon the King, not only by has advi-
sers but by his allies and the Negus Menelek
has been asked, through y special envoy, to
state his terms of peace. He appears to be
inclined to moderation, and it is reported thar
he will be content if the Italians give mp all
projects of conquest, and oonine themselves
to Massowah and the colony around it 1t is
not certain that hese terms have been accept
ed, but the balance of evidence is that they
will be, and that kassala also will he snirel-
dored TO the DervisheS, who are gathering
round it in great numbers. The precise facts
are not vet known, but it is evident from the
prog ANNE read in the Chamber 10y the Mar
quis Rudini on Tuesday that some such
arrangement has been resolved ON, the Pre-
mier explicitly declaring that his Government
would not seek "oxpamSion," that 1t would
reject the province Of Tigrs us Il gift, and that
it would not "insert in the treaty of peace
any stipulation for a PrOtectorate OF Abyssi-
MA. Parliament has voted formal thanks
TO the British Government foI it's sympathy,
and it is evident that the Brltlsl march on
DongoIn is reg ,rded with a feeling OF the
deepest relief.
There is no end to the "inds" in Egypt.
1t has hitherto always been believed that as
much was known about the Sphinx MS could
be known: but now Colonel Koum, an Anne
rican, by digging round the base, has 6ronght
some very curious facts to light. At the back
&c kbo Hr,,Yo ,rno fnI,A "A cbuft Daft DION
with two passages running out Of it ut the
bottom. More important was tn g discovery
of the long lost cap Of the Sphinx. which was
found Is fl. below the surface OF the little
temple or shrine beween the paws The cap
is painted red. and is adorned with the three
lotus columns and the serpent. As the hole
III the top of the head Of the Sphinx into
which the cap was fastened is still undam-
aged, the cap should be restored to It's place.
We hope that Colonel Roum's next find will
be the fragments of the nose broken off by an
Arab iconoclast some five hundred years
ago. If these could be recovered and the
nose restored, the Sphinx would be "the
father of terrors" no longer; and we might
see that look of benign calm which delight
ed the ancient world, and made the Greek
poet speak of the Sphinx as great LItona's
servant, mild and bland"
Mr. Bryce delivered an interesting lecture
last Saturday in All Souls College, Oxford
on the Dutch Republics III South Africa,
which has, however, been very imperfectly
reported. He spoke of the Orange Free
State as one which had adopted a very rigid
constitution, willie the South African Re-
public (the TransvaaD had adopted a very
elastic one. On the whole, the Orange Free
State. which had kept a very homogeneous
population, and had not been disturbed by
gold discoveries. might be called the Arcadia
of South Africa. On the other hand, the
Transvaal, which had passed through all
kinds of crises, both financial and military,
was very far indeed from an Arcadia. The
gold discoveries had filled it with q large
population of a kind quite alien to the Boer
stock, and the Transvaal could. no longer be
said to possess either a homogeneous or .
thin populations the Beers and the English
clement being very heterogeneous, and the
latter very considerable. MIR. Bryce said
that the Beers found much greater ~satisfac-
ton III reading the Old Testament than in
reading the New which we can well under
stand. But We must add that recently at
least they have shown more reverence tor
+bo Now than cOn,n rs kba;r Prifieb aQsailants.