Evening star., 1902-03-22
ENGLAND WASSTUNNED
News of Methuen's Disaster
a Great Shock.
VIEWS ON THE DEFEAT
COMING CORONATION STILL A
SUBJECT OF INTEREST.
Extravagant Prices Asked for Rooms
and Seats-London News
and Gossip.
specisl Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

LONDON, March 12, 1902
Stupefying is the word which best
describes the impression produced In
London by the receipt Of the disas-
ter to Lord Methuens force. The news
came just as the city putting
up its shutters, and for a time 1t was
scarcely credited: People gazed at the
evening paper contents bill, read it, then
read it over again, bought n paper. eager
ly scanned the news and then walked alb
stractedly away. The news is the theme
of conversation everywhere still. You
hear references to it in the streets and res
taurantS and on the omnibus. There Is no
general disposition to blame Lord Methuen.
The feeling rather is one of pity that such
a hard worker, who has borne the brunt
Of active battle now for nearly three
years should have such bad luck.
Lord Methuen is the first general cap
tured by the Beers in this war They have
taken plenty of colOnels. but never a gem
eral Nevertheless the Beers firmly believe
that both Gen. French and Gen. Butler
were captured, and that the one was sent
to the Cape and the other sent home, in
virtue of conditions imposed on them not
to fight against the Beers again. Methuen,
1t may be observed, is the only one or the
original batch Of generals sent out who
has not been home. Cur1ousIy enough, his
first battle at Belmont was against Della
rey. who has now vanquished him.
Mules have been made answerahle for
many of the disasters to the British, in
Guiding the first. Mules stampeded into
the ammunition and guns and caused the
disaster al NichOlson's Mex; mules stam-
peded and caused the capture of a convoy
by Delarey last week; mules stampeded
and are alleged to have precipitated Me
thuens disaster. These mules must be
the direct descendants of the famous
army mule" in the American civil war.
Opinions as to Methuen.
There has always been wide section OF
qualified opinion which has held to the be-
lief that Methuen should have been recalled
after MagersfOnten. / understand that he
has had many chances Of returning home,
but preferred to remain at the front, and
his influence with the war office seems to
have been sufficiently great to make his
wishes respected. His desire was to re-
trieve Magersfontein, but 1t cannot be said
that he has succeeded. The events of that
awful day caused more mourning In Scot
land than has eveD been known since F1od-
den, and those who demanded Lord Me-
thuen's recall then have since had no rea-
son to change their opinion.
There is very serious side to British
defeats quite apart from the effect they
have on the war itself 1t is that there is
certainly a leakage in the news somewhere
that benefits certain cliQues on the stock
exchange. and this fact is arousing i'm
makers of South African shares prices, who
have. not once nor twice. but many times
during the progress of the war made for
tunes out of the ignorant on a sure thing.
1t Is certain as anything can be that the
knowledge of Methuens disaster was in the
possession Of privileged parties consider
ably before its official announcement, and
that the sale Of shares which had been
mysteriously pressed throughout Monday
emanated from speculators with trump
cards up their sleeves. The. first telegram
received from Lord Kitchener was dated
Saturday morning. The fatness Of Mon
days stocks market was more than sus-
picious. There was the same discreditable
state Of affairs at the time of the Spion
Kop disaster. when the privileged few were
permitted to make small fortunes at the
expense Of the multitude. There will doubt
less be a row raised in parliament about
Ii shortly.
Anent the Coronation.
The Duke of Norfolk as earl marshal is
daily receiving a mass of extraordinary
correspond ence. Some OF the most auda-
ciOus apple iCations for seats for the corona
tion services have come from members of
the aristocracy, and have caused his dark,
bushy eyebrows to rise considerably as he
has glanced at the missives. There is an
apparently cfeditable story going around
the clubs that the son of peer begged to
be let In as lay figure In the choir The
son of a duke hearing Of this is said to
have applied for the post of organ blower
for that occasion only. It must be added,
however, that the pressure of petitions has
TO some extent been relieved by the small
pOx outbreak. London will not receive so
many foreign visitors as otherwise she
would have done. The letting Of houses and
rooms for the coronation week Is hanging
fire. and in some cases there Is a condition
made that the hiring will be Cancelled II the
coronation festivities are abandoned or cur
tailed by the prevalence of smallpox
The cinematograph plays such a part In
our enjoyment nowadays that 1t Is but
natural that the idea should have been
broa ched OF a series OF pictures to be taken
OF the coronation In Westminster Abbey
next June. The principal drawback to the
enterprise seems to be the terribly bad light
IN the abbey. Possibly the Introduction OF
electric lights would overcome this dim
Guilty. At the present time 1t is really pain
ful II you want to read to have to sit in the
dim, religious light which seems insep-
Arably associated with the fine pillars and
the mysterious distances OF the abbey
House agents are expressing the fear that
the newspapers. by extravagant statements
the coronation. 1t is true that the most
absurdly inflated prices are published Some
flats In st. James street and Piccadly have
been let for the coronation at sums rang
Ing from 80 to 500 guineas. and q number
OF single seats in the same thoroughfares
have fetched from five to thirty guineas
but not nearly so much business has been
done as the state agents had expected
would have been the case by this time
The public seem to be holding back with the
idea of getting the cheaper seats later on
II is very difficult to know what prices are
ruling.
No Attempt at Uniformity.
There has so far been no attempt to have
uniform scale Apparently, however,
higher prices are being asked for accommo-
dations on the first day than on the second
This, of course, refers only to P1ccadiy
ST James street and Pail Mall, as no other
part OF the route will be traversed on both
days.
According to the list Of one agent, $50
guineas is wanted on the day of the coro-
nation for fiat which can be had on the
following day at hundred guineas. In
some cases slight reductions are made If
the fiat is taken for two days.
Some idea of the prices asked may be
obtained from the circular which has been
issued by the authorities of st. George q
Hospital, at Hyde Park corner, a splendid
place TO the procession from. where
stands will be erected for the convenience
OF those desirous Of witnessing the process
sion. Seats at the north and south ends
OF the building and on the roof can be had
at three guineas each. Five guineas is
asked for a seat in the three front rows of
the lower stand, and eight guineas for one
.z1-