Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-20
BROKERS CAUGHT MAPPING
And the News of the Foreign R,lltions Com
mittee Hit Them Hard.
STOCKS BUBBlED UP AND DOWN
But Finally Settled Down to Their Normal
Condition Truth Unearths Preach
er Who Was an All Round
Crook = Royal Gossip.
Copyright 1896 by the Sun Printing and
Publishing Association.)

Copyright 1896 by the Sun Printing and
Publishing Association)
London, Dec. 19.-,It is understood that
NJ. Neidoff. Russian ambassador to Tur-
key, had an audience with the sultan to-
day and that the ultimatum of the great
powers is either in his majesty's hands
NOW or will be by Monday. but up to the
moment of cabling nothing beyond this
is known with certainty. Owing to tele-
graphic delays the sultan will be given
a fair time to consider the ultimatum
and take counsel, and conclusive action
by the powers may be further delayed,
but that such action is imminent is prov
ed. again today, if proof were needed, by
the significant movements of the allied
fleets and the military activity at Odessa
and Sebastopol which all the stringent
precautions of the Russian authorities
have been unable to entirely conceal and
by admissions in official quarters where
the truth Is known.
The Daily News today confirms from
more than one source the accuracy of the
version of the situation cabled last week.
Had not M Nelidof been unavoidably de-
tained in ST. Petersburg a crisis would
have been reached by today. If 1t had
not been for the fact that the action of
the American senate's foreign committee
anent Cuba was made known here Satur
day, which is always an off day for busi-
ness men, the London stock exchange
would have had firSt-clasS panic today.
AS it was, things were pretty lively dur
ing the few hours the exchange was open,
and after official hours there were ex-
cited dealings in the street, despite the
gloomy weather and severe frost, which
kept the older operators in doors. A fun
my feature Of the matter is that every
body was taken by surprise. One would
have been excused for suppoSing that
there was no cables between the United
States and England and that copious re-
ports OF what was going on in Washing
ton had not been cabled during the week.
The average stock exchange operator ap-
parently had not the slightest knowledge
of all this, with the result that he spent
great deal of this afternoon in cursing
American politicians for upsetting his lit
tie plans. After business hours in the
stock exchange people took courage to
discuss the situation, and there seemed
something like unanmity of opinion that
everybody. had made fools of themselves
by allowing bogey to scare them half
out of their wits. 1t Is pretty certain,
therefore, that when action is really taxi
en- in Washington London opera tors will
again be taken by surprise, and that
there will be panic from which men
able to keep their heads cool will be cer-
tain to profit.
The opinion OF the London evening
papers does not count fcr much, but it is
not without interest 10 nCte that their
comments today are by no means par
ticularly friendly to the United States,
and in this respect they echo the views
of four Londoners out of Ave Their
dominating idea is that the United States
will force virtuouS, peace-1ovlng and hu-
name Spain into declaring war, and that
the Americans will suffer severely before
they will be able to organize their forces
and take the offensive, prospect which
is by no means pleasing here, If one may
judge from the opinions expressed to the
Sun reporter at the Spanish embassy
here this afternoon. Responsible Span
iards do not expect any serious trouble
with the United States. They pin their
faith upon Mr.. Cleveland. They are con-
fident that he will shield them from un-
pleasantness over Cuba as long as he is
at the white house, and they promise to
have the rebels wiped out of existence
long before Mr. Mckinley is inaugurated.
This belief is SO strongly held at the
London embassy that the senate commit
tees action caused them no excitement,
and, as if to emphasize their indifference,
all the officials of the embassy came on
duty late today and went away early.
AS their normal hours of business are
from to in the afternoon, the exhaust
ing charcter of today's work may be eS-
timated without mental fatigue
The secretary of the embassy found
time from his labors to praise an arti
Gle in today's ST. James Gazette, and as
the view of the writer is that Spain will
sit quiet and do nothing to provoke the
United States, 1t may be fairly inferred
that this is the prevailing opinion in Off
cial Spanish quarters. The embassy had,
however, received no news of any kind,
either from Madrid or Washington, and
did not appear to expect any.
The latest service rendered to his coun-
try by that eccentric politician, Henry
Labouchere, editor Of Truth, has been
the exposure of scouhdrel known for
wears past as the king of begging let
ter writer's" This fellow, Rev. George
Brooks, was formerly a Methodist parson,
who becoming discontented with his small
stipend and limited sphere of enjoyment,
took to the more lucrative profession of
begging Mr.. Labouchere got upon his
track early in his career, and week after
week for years, denounced him as an
imposter in the columns of Truth, with
pungency and perslstency which were
an abiding joy to the readers of that
smart paper. He spoiled many deal of
Brooks. but for all that there are too
many fools in England to permit man
of Brooks peculiar talents to starve. 1t
was his custom to study the weaknesses
of public men and ascertain the political
and religious views of private citizens of
wealth and to write his begging letters
accordingly BY these means he sue
ceeded in extracting large sums OF money
from cabinet ministers dukes, arch
bishops, directors of the Bank OF Eng
land, generals. admirals and at least one
American millionaire, William Waldorf
Astor. to-wit. But undeniably his great
est achievement was the obtaining of a
grant of f200 from the royal bounty. This
fund is voted every year by parliament
to enable the queen to help necessitous
literary men and women, and Brooks
qualified for inclusion In that category by
writing a trumpery pamphlet of some
kind. People who are conversant with
Brooks career could scarcely credit the
official announcement and 1t has never
yet been satisfactorily explained how this
professional beggar managed to "bunco'
The Rf Hon Arthur Ralfo1Ir first lard