New-York tribune., 1901-07-15
A LIVELY LONDON WEEK
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS OF MoRAys
AND POLITICS TO BE SETTLED.
LORD RUSSELL'S TRIAL-THE ASQUITH DIM.
NER-LoRD METHUEN PRAISED

LORD RUssELLs TRIAI-THE AsoUITH DIN.
NER-LoRD METHUEN PRAISED
Copyright By The New-York Trihunes
tBy CABLE To THE TRIBuNE1
| London. July Is. 1 a. m.-While the stagnane
season is slowly ebbing. this is likely TO be an
interesting week The trial OK Earl Russell win
! be unique event. and the court officials are
doing what they to convert it into a social
function by summoning peeresses to the reserved
seats and laying stress upon many small points
Of etiquette. Judge Curler. who is recruiting his
health in Scotland. will have select audience
Of high quality when he expounds as an expert
the intricacies of Nevada divorce law.
This inquest by the privileged classes upon the
morals of of their number will be pre-
eeded Wednesday by impressive Masonic
| function. This will be the installation OF the
| Duke of Connaught Grand Master of the
| United Grand Lodge Of England IN succession
! TO the King. who presided over the craft for
| twenty-six years The ceremonial viii be the
| same when the Prince of Wales was placed
| on the throne of the Grand Lodge by John
| Fawcett, of the province of Durham, and ii will
be conducted at Albert Hall in the presence Of
ten thousand Masons. who either masters
| or wardens Of lodge. members of past or
| present grand lodge.
| The chief political event will be the Asquith
dinner. which is coming without Lord Rose
| berry as chairman but with Grey and Fowler
as the shining lights Of Liberal Imperialism. II
| Sir Henry Campbell -Bannerman were as adroir
| a peacemaker as the Liberal hostesses who have
been smiling on the jus. and unjust in their
| drawing rooms. he would have accepted the In
vtation and would have proposed Mr.. Asquith's
| health.
| The regular proceedings in the House OF Com
| mons will not be exciting John Dillon will re-
sumo his cross examination OF William ST. John
| Brodrck by asking whether the British troops
| in retiring from vIakfontein left their hospital
| and wounded in the hands of the Beers. The
question will be put with great skill. to
| preclude the idea that the Beers had been wan
| tony butchering wounded soldiers. but Mr..
Brodrick will probably find a method of evad-
| ing IL.
Lord Kitchener is reported to have advised
| the withdrawal of a large number OF infantry
| regiments from South Africa, and has requested
| TO be supplied instead with a large number OF
| mounted men. His idea appears 10 be to con-
centrate the British forces on the Natal Railway
between Durham, Pietermaritzburg. johannes
| burg and Pretoria thus feeding the British
| garrisons in the Transvaai. and carrying the
gold from the mines. and being shorter route
! than from Cape Town. In that case il would no
longer be necessary TO hold the entire length Of
the railway from Cape Town TO Pretoria, and
thus the immense force of troops now stationary
on the line might be drawn off and substitute
found in the mounted men. who would practi-
caIly form an armed police for the whole coun-
try II might be necessary to hold the line
far as Bloemfontein. but the piece between
| Bloemsontein and johannesburg would not have
to be held in strength.
| Returning officers do not speak hopefully et
the situation in South Africa They assert that
| the railways are securely held. and that there
are small zones around Bloemfontein. Pretoria
and johannesburg where 1t is possible for in
habitants to settle down and to resume their
| usual occupations without fear of disturbance;
| but apart from the paCification of these small
| spheres of British influence there few signs
| of progress. The railway line from Johannes
| burg 10 Laing's Mex is still menaced. and the
Dutch section along the South Orange River is
| ravaged by guerillas. and broad districts OF the
Transvaal and the Orange River Colony only
| kept quiet by being emptied of their population
| through repeated marches of strong columns.
In Cape Colony Scheepers. who is giving to
General French considerable trouble, has burned
| the public buildings at Murraysburg and some
| farms in the vicinity. while during the march
| TO Zeerust OF FetherstOne's and Dixon's col
| umns, local colonial troops suffered somewhat
severely.
| On the other hand, the British have at last
/ succeeded in surprising and capturing the So
called Orange River government. with the i'm
portant exception OF Mr. Steyn. who. with one
| other man. managed 10 escape in the nick OF
time the completeness of the surprise being evil
denced by the fact that the ex-President was
| obliged 10 flee in his shirtseeves Mr.. Steyn.
| like his willy countryman De Wet. has been in
| many tight corners. and has experienced many
| hairbreadth escapes. but none SO lucky this
| The feeling here is far more bitter against Mr..
Steyn than against Mr. KRUGER. the former be-
| ing regarded interfering in a quarrel not con-
| cerning him. and. apart from the impression
| which his capture would undoubtedly have made
| in the Orange River Colony. his escape will
| cause great disappointment. Lord Kitchener's
| dispatches, by referring only to Mr.. Steyn's
| brother as among those captured. rather indi-
Gated that the other prisoners are OF small I'M
portance.
OF the generals in South Africa. Lord
Methuen is the most highly commended by the
officers serving under him. He is described as
of the most energetic and resourceful gen.
erals at the front. Instead OF complaining OF
the harsh criticism to which he was subjected.
he has remained in the service and displayed
untiring industry and gallantry.
Loie Fuller is sending out invitations TO .
garden party large scale. which she intends
giving before leaving London The guests are
hidden from o'clock until midnight and al
manner OF unique amusements expected.
l. Ne.