New-York tribune., 1901-03-28
CHINA HOLDING BACK.
ATTITUDE TO RUSSIA STILL UNDETER.
MINED.
BEER BILL IN HOUSE OF CoMMoNs-NEv
BOOKS IN LoNDoN-THE BUDGET
UNDER DISCUSSION
Copyright; 1901; BY The New-York Tribuneo


Copyright: 1901: BY The New-York Trfbuneo
IBT CABLE TRIBUNEI
London, March %, 1 a. m.-The Manchurian
convention is still the subject OF contradictory
dispatches from Peking and European CAPITALS.
The Foreign Office is silent and il is impossible
TO reconcile the conflicting reports that the con-
rentiOn has been signed and that ii has been
held back by the Chinese Government with a
view 10 Investigating divisions among the Euro
pean powers.
Lord Cranborne will again be questioned to-
day in the Commons respecting the divergence
Of views Of the foreign offices at Berlin and
London. but little light is thrown upon the situ-
alton by his evasive replies. The American
Embassy is doing nothing with Chinese neso-
tiations.
Lord Kitchener's dispatch. giving some fur
ther details OF the battle in which General
Babington routed Delarey, has given great sat
isfaction as ii emphasizes the substantial nature
Of the British victory. Messrs Merriman and
sauer. the enissaries of the Afrikander Bund
who are here now on a peace mission, are not
receiving much encouragement and IT is more
than probable that they will not have an op-
portunity to-day to air their eloauence on be-
half Of the Beers at the bar Of the House of
Commons. Meanwhile the feeling of the nation
is decidedly opposed TO offering to the Beers
easy peace terms a second time. The Mail"
which accuses the government of having nearly
betrayed the empire, by allowing Lord Kitch-
ener TO discuss any terms at all with General
Botha, continues to be inundated by an enor-
nous number OF letters daily. showing how
widespread is the demand that the war shall
only be terminated by the unconditional sur
render of the Beers.
There is general tendency to play with pro-
lection in the House of Commons in anticipation
OF serious changes in the tariff which Sir
Michael Hicks Beach may or may not recon-
mend in the budget speech. He is keeping
treasury secrets closely. and there is no authen-
tic information obtainable respecting duties
or taxes. One threatened line of imports after
another has been mentioned in street rumors.
and sugar tea. tobacco and wines have been
marketed in enormous quantities. Food sup
plies are now threatened by similar gossip on
Change and in Parliament but Sir Michael
alone knows what will be the fresh sources Of
indirect taxation. The Liberals are emphatic in
declaring that important changes in the direc-
ton Of protection are impending but they are
not disinterested witnesses. They are hoping
that this issue will be raised in the budget
speech. Nothing could be more helpful in stimu-
lating the revival of Liberalism.
The House of Commons employed the short
sion Of the so-called Pure Beer BILL which Sir
William Vernon Harcourt genally described
anything except a simon pure measure. 1t was
a labelling scheme. designed for the protection of
homemade beer under the guse of sanitary
safeguards against beer made from sugars and
substitutes for malt, Of arsenical properties or
otherwise. Legislation Of this kind is clearly
premature until there has been report from
the royal commission the mysterious epi-
demic of poisoning at Manchester and in the
North Of England. attributed 10 the beer made
by certain brewers.
The health Of Herbert Spencer remains very
poor I have seen pathetic letter from him, in
which he says that he cannot work, can write
only few lines, and reads little. His days are
spent lounge near window looking out on
the at Brighton. The philosopher lives
quietly and seldom leaves his room. His in
come is mainly drawn from the sale OF his books
in America. his copyrights there having yielded
him 81 73G in the last six months. The works OF
four leading scientific writers in England in the
last quarter of century now have a steady sale
IN America, whereas the demand for them has
fallen off here. The Appletons have paid in the
last six months royalties amounting nearly TO
$4,000 10 Herbert Spencer and the heirs or
executors of Darwin, Huxley and Tyndall. The
sales of Spencers and Darwin's books lead those
Of Huxley and Tyndall.
Admiral Evans's book. "A Sailors Log" will
be published speedily by Smith. Elder & Co.
The proof sheets disclose q lively autobiogra-
ply written in Fighting Bob's" raciest conver-
satonal style. with full details Of his advent
ures afoat and ashore. There is a description
Of the battle off Santiago, and there many
sympathetic references to British naval officers.
Miss Montresor has written new novel, en-
titled The Alien" which will be published in
I0,,Ila gS r-orlro
novel dealing with a romance in American
whaling life. l. y. F.
RESULT Of BABINGTON'S ACTION.