The Washington times., 1901-06-30
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
Decentralization Apparent in the Min
istry and oppesitiOn.

istry and -oppesition.
LONDON. June Decentralization is
clearly getting a closer. grip upon the
Ministerialists in Parliament, and with
the incessant pressure from the Nation
alists and groups of Liberals and the list
lessness of sections of the Ministerialists
themselves, anything may happen in the
division lohbies. This week, upon an
amendment to the ccal duty clause of the
Government finance bill the Ministerial
majority dropped frcm 150 or so to %.
This is the best Toryism can do in the
resistance of so terribly socialistic pro-
posal as the taxation of mine-royalty
owners. Once ardent Tory members now
find society attractions more powerful
than Ministerial whips" and urgent ap
peais to them to keep the party together
for six more weeks seem to have 50 small
an effect that the little group of Radicals
and Nationalists who are hot in pursuit,
confidently expect to catch the Ministry
on snap vote before prorogation comes
I'm August
on Thursday the Ministry had to capt. l.
late to the onslaughts upon their educl-
ton bill, or rather to threats of o1-
slaughts, and so, before the fight has
really begun, the bill is thrown over.
The navy scare, which a group of min
isterialists are working. under the avOw
ed encoura cement of Lord Charles Beres-
ford, now second in command of the Medi-
terranean squadron viii probably come
to nothing, for glance at the navy list
shows that the Mediterranean squadron
is stronger today than 1t ever has been.
and ii is common knowledge that it has
been maneuvred and drilled into uaex-
ampled efficiency. There are admittedly
weak joints in Brftain's naval armor, but
they can, it is felt. be repaired without
panic, which is unbusinesslike, undigni-
fed. and wasteful.
But public opinion cannot long remain
complacent under the wearisome persis-
tence of the South African war. Nobody
knows or can learn what is being done to
hasten the end of the war. For aught
that has been published the war machine
may have sunk into groove again, with
no new idea for new circumstances, no
clear. broad minded conception OF the
task in hand. So that. taking all in all.
the Ministry Is in an increasingly un-
comfortable position Unfortunately, Lib
eralism is little better off, as is indicated
by the forthcoming banquet to MIR. AS
quith by Liberal Imperialists, in recogni-
tion of his recent outspoken criticism of
the pro-Boer section of the Liberal party.
Society here as in Paris has been much
interested in the sale of the jewels Of that
weird historical parsonage, COmtesse de
Castiglione. The contents of her papers
destroyed officially by one of the high
French judges can never be known, but it
was taken for granted that they disclosed
details of life under the Second Empire
which certainly would have had what is
called "a success" The celebrated pearl
necklace brought, for its five rows. $751;
tVagE N.rrfv,
0o Yet the lady was reputed 20 have
died poor.
English motorists, hampered as they are
by county council regulations checking
speed, hope some good effect ..ill result
upon English public opi-icaf from the
Paris-Beriin automobile competition. IT,
they argue, such high speed is possible
and safe on the many complicated and
badly made German roads, why need the
English authorities be 50 nervous? More
over, they recall how great is the loss to
British industry. The automobile indus
try of France employs 10000 hands. Eng
land is nowhere in the competition. Mo-
torists back from France admit, however,
that the frequency of accidents must com
pei the French authorities to enact strict
er regulations. One probable regulation
will suppress the horn, thus necesSitating
a warning by the voice as in the case of
cabs and omnibuses.
At Thursdays meeting of the Society
for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. Sir
Richard Jebb presiding, further interest
ing details were reported of the excava-
tions at Knossos, Crete. The palace dis
covered there is found to be much more
extensive than was at first thought. Va
rious wings have been opened, containing
rooms in which are many stone jars.
There are also porticoeS of a large CEN
trail court, with stone staircases connect |
ing various princely halls and frescoes of
parts of human figures in painted stucco
relief. One of the rooms has the appear
ance of a schoolroom, another gives evil
dence of a sculptor at work when the
palace was destroyed. II is believed that
the excavatOrs are only on the verge of
far more important discoveries, as regards
the palace, though unfortunately their re-
sources have come 10 an end. 1t is hoped
to raise another $4,000 or $4,000 to carry
on the excavations. The palace already
has been found 10 contain specimens Of
aIycenaean, Egyptian, Nubian, and Italian
work.
While Mr.. Evans has been thus engaged
at Rnossos. Mr.. Hogarth has been work
ing a. Kato Zakro. on the eastern coast Of
Crete where he has discovered Il My
cenaean town and a series of houses in
a remarkable state Of preservation. Mr..
Carr Bosanquet, the new director of the
British school at Athens, has begun ex-
cavatiOus at Praesos which are expected
TO yield valuable material for the study
of early civilization on the Aegean, upon
which the attention of scholars and