The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-06
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
Foggy Weather ana Gloomy Views
at the Metropolis.

kind, but grey and thick enough to hindei
street traffic and make travel difficult II
not dangerous on every suburban railway.
1t is in such weather that London blesscs
its new "tuppenny" tube. for there in the
bowels of earth everything is as cleai
and fresh as ever. The weather prophets
declare that today's frost is the beginning
for England of a long spell of cold, such as
yesterday made Paris white with hoar
frost and has covered Russia, south as well
as north, with snow, and is creating much
suffering among the poor of Berlin and
Vienna
This is. the English clerk of the weather
declares, just one of the proper years for
a cold snap, and he adds that the chances
are that it will be very cold indeed. All
this means TO Londoners little more than
frozen water pipes, coal at IS shillings
ton, and much discomfort, for tobogganing,
open-air skating, and other winter sports
have no real place. Weather prophecies
are, however. generally falsified in Eng
land. All that can be said with certainty
is that the remarkable spell of mild wealth
er is at last over. Englishmen will no
longer marvel at the sounds of spring bird
and carnations in full bloom in the gar
dens in January.
The depressing weather in which the
new century opened has affected the Eng
lishman S mental horizon. You cannot ex-
pect cheerfulness from man with bad
cold in his head. and most of this weeks
newspaper surveys of affairs in South
Africa and China have been gloomy
enough in all conscience. 1t has been
common thing to hear responsible men
talk like this: Well, we've had fifteen
months of hard fighting; Ii 800 brave SOL
diers and 500 officers have sacrificed their
lives. our military forces are reduced by
5000 on account of the war In South AZ
RIGA, and we are today-as far from the
end as ever. South Africa is still seeth
ing with discomfort. and warfare is open
or only half concealed"
But the facts, as known in well-posted
quarters here, warrant nc such pessi-
mism. 1t is still true to say that the
war is Virtually over. 1t needs only a
small body of the most mobile force in
the world. such as De Vets men, operat-
ing in their own vast and weil-known
country, to annoy even such well-sea-
soned army as General Kitchener's
200, 600. but responsible military authori-
ties here refuse to believe in the Beers
British victory, while Sir Alfred Miner
and those who, throughout the crisis, have
earned the right to be accepted as judges
say that there is~less danger than be-
fore of any serious rising of the Cape
Dutch. General Kitchener is being sup
piled with the additional mounted men he
desires, just such alert horsemen as Can
ada has furnished in. Strathcona's corps
from the ranch lands Of tho prairie. The
English cavalry will be made as mobile
as possible by reducing a horses load on
the march which even now averages 266
pounds. Pack animals OF carts are being
used to carry the discarded impedimenta,
and with these and similar minor meas
ures TO be taken the war will not, re-
sponsible authorities here believe, outlast
the spring. 81
General Roberts has comported himself
with the Inodesty of the trne soldier since
his return, and todsy's ofaoial announce
ments indicate the earnestness with
which ne is setting about the task which
he himself defines as Tmaktng the British
army as perfect as iticah be made" The
public learns today thes.exsct scope and
purpose of the committee of business
men and practical soldiers who are to
overhaul the whole machinery of the War
Office, and, in the phrasing of their off,
ciai Instructions, to suggest how its work
may be brought more into harmony with
that of large business undertakings. This
is exactly what the nation desires. II re-
mains to be seen whether Mr.. Brodrick.
the new Secretary for War, and General
Roberts. as commander in chief. will be
strong enough to resist the enormous So
cial and military influences arrayed
against any effective reform. Mr.. Brod-
rick, it must be said, is beginning as
though he really meant business-that is
to say, as If he meant to apply to army
reconstruction the principles OF common
sense trained to business methods.
Thus preoccupied by thought of South
Africa and General Roberts new task,
this weeks new and startling develop
ment of the China problem has left Eng
lish public opinion very little moved. DIR.
Morrisons announcement in the Tines"
of the Russo Chinese agreement is gen.
orally accepted as tantamount to the es-
adjustment of a complete Russian pro-
tectorate over the southern province OF
Manchuria. Yes says the typical Eng
lishman, that is just what we all expect
ed: is 1t not?" He also accepts the agree
ment as contrary to the declared policy
OF the European Concert, and especially
contrary to the spirit of the Anglo-Ger-
man agreement. If pressed, the type of
Englishman now in predominance in poll
teal life will tell you this also was what
he expected. Russia, he will tell you. is
an adept at breaking pledges. She never
really meant to preserve Chinese integri-
ty, and England. having failed. in Mr..
Chamberlain's choice phrase. to use
long spoon when supping with the devil
gets no soup.
This is probabi, he view of the Minis
try here. 1t certainly is the view of the
dominant Toryism. but that is about as
far as public opinion goes. No one lis
tens seriously to the few who would stir
up an anti-Russian agitation The sanest
and the most widely held view of Eng
lands exact position is expressed thus in
the Westminster Gazette:" I'VE know
perfectly well that the integrity formula
to which. as used of China. Russia is def
nitely pledged on paper, is only diplo-
matte fiction Russia is already estab-
lished at Port Arthur, while her designs
on Manchuria, IL not openly avowed, have
none the less been notorious. The Chi
nese attack on the Russians, a proceeding
distinct from the attack on
the legations. gives Russia a grievance
over and above that possessed by her in
common with all the other Powers She
utilizes this grievances personal to her.
self, to earmark Manchuria as practically
Russian. Our wisest course. in the cir
cumstances, since Asia is not the only
continent with problems. is not to put
the Russian treaties with China into |
parallel column with the Russian general |
avOwals but rather to find out II we are |
in fact prejudiced by what Russia has
done"
And In view OF her commitment in South |
Africa England is quite ready to find that |
her interests are not prejudiced. The Brit |
ish Government is expected to seek ex-
plantations from ST. Petersburg, as the |
German and United States Governments |
are expected to do. but no one seriously |