New-York tribune., 1901-06-09
NEWS OF TWO CAPITALS.
LONDON.
THE ASCOT THE LAST HOPE OF THE
MELANCHOLY SEASON.
EMPRESS FREDERICK SINKIN+BITTER-
NESS OVER THE CHINESE MUDDLE
AND THE ANGLO-GERMAN AGREE
MENT-AIR. YERKES'S UNDER
GROUND SCHEMES.

AND THE ANGLO-GERMAN AGREE
MENT-MR YERKEs's UNDER
GROUND SCHEMES.
Copyright; 1901: BY The Nev-York Trihune)
IBY THE TRIBUNE.l
London June S.--The black and white season
is still tinged with melancholy. Queen Alex
andra and Princess Victoria have Ightened
their mourning, but continue to wear long black
wells and bands of white at the throat and wrist
They set the style and while the West End IS
crowded and Parliament is in session. there is
no real gayety outside of the restaurants. The
feeble attempts made by a few fashionable
hostesses with marriageable daughters to bring
on dinner dances have fiickeTed out The Ascot
is the last hope. and there is a great rush for in
closure tickets. but il will be a Royal Ascot.
and applicants for the Lord Chamberlain's IA
vors warned that half mourning will be
quired for the privileged ground. The opera re-
mains dreary study in black and white. Covent
Garden is crowded nightly. for there is little
else for the world of fashion this season, and
there are brilliant scenes at the restaurants
after the final fall of the curtain Public din
not lacking but these poor sub
stitute for the gayety of a London season.
One consOlatOry reflection open to dowagers.
debutantes and .duchesses is that there will be
two seasons in one next year, with the glories
of Coronation. but the shadows cast across the
throne may be deepened. not lightened. as time
goes on. There is no announcement in print. but
I learn from a high authority that the health
of the Empress Frederick has taken unfavor-
able turn and that the members of the royal
family are under no illusions respecting her con-
dition. Her fatal mdlady is making steady
progress. and the end cannot be far away.
The court mourning here is likely to be heavier
before autumn and. while the Coronation will
not be deferred, the gorgeous ceremonials may
be in halftones.
The King and Queen taking great interest
in the alterations both at Windsor and at Buck
ingham Palace which not likely to be COM
pleted before January. The Kings health is
good and he is alert and businessike in manag-
ing all affairs of state His next function viii
be the reception of the special embassy sent by
the Sultan of Morocco Many details of this
ceremony will require tact and fexibility. but
the King exceIs in such matters and. like Queen
Victoria before him, seems to know instinctively
what to do Some attempts have been made TO
exaggerate the political Importance of this en-
bassy and to drag in the question OF the French
protectorate of Morocco. King Edward is too
wary a diplomatist to be entrapped by Oriental
wiles.
The Continental horizon is not obscured by
clouds in any quarter. for the negotiations be-
tween Madrid and Paris are perfunctory and
the menace of a disturbance in the Balkans Is
merely black spot floating before the eye OF
the alar1nist correspondent Europe has leisure
for taking a complete inventory of the job lot
of China policies in which it has been trafhcking
for twelve months. The allied armies are in
full retreat and there is relief in every capital
over Count Won waldersee's retirement and the
ending of a bad game of European diplomacy
Veterans who have spent lifetime in China In
the consular or tn diplomatic service shake
their heads ominousy and declare that the man
darins will be moe dangerous than ever before.
for they have lost neither prestige nor poi1tical
authority have worn out the patience OF Eu-
rope and have proved that. while they cannot
fight the armies of civilization. they are invtncible
when they retreat and bide their time. The pow
ers have indeed expended S25O.OO0OOO without
securing any other result than placing the En-
press again in the saddle and demonstrating the
i,.~-racity of the concert an executive and
administrative agency. The reflections OF Brit
ish rnoralists are tinged with bitterness They
nerceive that the Anglo-Cierman agreement has
not been serviceable to England. that the con-
cert cannot be tuned up for any future emer-
gency. that every nation will act or ITSELF and
that the employment of Indian troops in con-
nection with European armies is impracticable-
There has been a silent reaction in progress
here against the Anglo-German agreement, since
truth is perceived lnsil II mas CASoS0A q ~icA
man lien upon Middle China without offering
any compensations in Northern China Inc
noIicv of the Foreign Office in agreeing 70 the
excessive indemnity demanded by Germany and
France is also criticised the ground that IL
cannot now object 10 heavy taxation upon for
eisn irnports by which trade will be overweight
cd and the opening up of empire with vast
hives of population will be prevented
-r,, Ltc+ 1sssoD in the futiIity of foreign
alliances and coalitions and the superior Value
of a good working understanding with America
has been timely for it has helped to remove the
irritation caused by the unceasing signs on
American aggressiveness- Old Tories are forced
10 breakfast and dine with their eyes on news
paper headings respecting Yankee superiority
in horsemanship. engineering, enterprise. re-
serves of capital and resources of organization
They are surfeited with evidence of American
energy The best temper in the world would not
he proof against the continuous dinning into
John Bulls ears that Yankee invaders on
the ground to take charge Of everything. from
tube building and steel rails to hOrseraces and
to show him how to this tight little island"
The invasion of underground London is re-
garded more philosophically than any other
manifestation of American energy. and the
Yerkes syndicate operations and Mr.. ]. Pierpcnt
Morgan's reputed project for new tube under
Piccadilly and the Strand are welcomed. Lon
don engineers scen at the idea that American in
terventiOn was needed. They assert that Mr.
Morgan's project was anticipated long ago by
English engineers and that electricians here
were competent TO transform the Metropolitan
nil N a electric