Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-06
THE CHANNEL Tunnel
British Views Against Under
ground French Route.
THE PARLIAMENT STRINGS
Many Royal Visitors to Make Court
Gay.
SHAFTS MARVELLOUS
JEWELS
Interest in Manuscript Collections
Annual Festival for Shakespeare
Birthday Anniversary.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

special correspondence of The Star.
LONDON, March %, 1907.
The decision OF the government to oppose
the channel tunnel bill scheme effectively
kills that bill. For some time it has been
clear that the growing body of public opin-
Ion was against it, and there was not much
surprise when the announcement was made
l believe that the government in the con-
cluslon to which they have come have been
largely lnnuenced by report which they
received from the committee of national de-
tense. That body clearly and unequivocally
expressed their hostility to the scheme. and
1t would have been difficult for the govern
ment, even If they had been disposed. to
run counter to the views of that committee
The channel tunnel bill has a good many
friends in the house of commons but l am
bound to say that the decision has, on the
whole, been received with satisfaction,
Even so great friend Of France as Sir G.
Dixie regards the course taken by the gov
eminent as wise and prudent Another
radical member declared that If the tunnel
were constructed they would have conscrip-
ton within three years. The peace econo-
mists are therefore as glad as the military
men that the scheme has miscarried.
What course the promoters Of the tunnel
bill will now take Is not yet known. Their
wisest course would be to withdraw, but
they may feel 1t necessary to test the opin-
ion Of the house on the subject.
1t Is many years since parliament mas
given a vote on the question, and they may
desire to learn accurately how many sup
porters it has in the present parliament.
Nothing however that they can do can
avert the fate Of the bill it will be re-
tected by this parliament. and IT is not
likely that in the near future any other
parliament will be more favorable to the
scheme. II the promoters of the bill perse-
after Easter In moving the second
reading 1t can only be for the purpose of
securing their rights as against the proposed
channel ferry. solution Of the problem to-
ward which the cabinet would. from the
premier's statement, appear to lean. Mel
Their the Southeastern and Chatham Rail-
way Company, on this side Of the English
channel. nor the Chemin-de-Fer-d u Nord. on
the other, is prepared. believe. to entertain
the ferry project. This however, has had
influential supporters since II earliest at
tracted serious attention at the second
great international exhibition held here in
1862. and bill to establish the ferry upon
the plans of the eminent engineer Sir John
Fowler. actually passed the house Of COM
mons in 1870, but was Withdrawn by the
promoters in the house Of lords because as
sent to the necessary works at Calais could
not be obtained from the government Of
Napoleon III. soon to be overthrow by the
Franco-German war. Two years later. in
deed, 1T was again adopted by the commons,
and was rejected by the peers only on the
casting vote Of the chairman of the COM
mittee to which 1t had been referred but 1t
is certainly likely now to be much heard of
again.
Commons Night Sessions.
The faithful commons who. weary and
worn, walked home from the house Of COM
mons on Thursday afternoon after an all
day and all-night sitting, have not even the
thrill Of a record-breaking achievement to
solace them for all the discomforts they
have suffered. This latest SPELL twenty
seven hours has been surpassed. The rec
ord. which is a quarter Of century old,
was established at the period when the
stormy Irish nights" were a feature of
parliamentary life and when patriot"
with an interminable flow of oratory would
blandly tell a shuddering house that an
other OF the party, who was refreshing him
self with a nap in the library, would be
ready to go on with the story Of Ireland's
wrongs after breakfast.
The longest sitting, which lasted forty-one
and one-hah hours. began on Monday. jan
uary 81. 1881. and was continued until half
past on Wednesday morning. The gov
eminent were seeking leave to bring in
bill for the protection of persons and prop
erty in Ireland. and the Irishmen would have
none of 1t. While the same subject-crime
in Ireland-was under discussion In the fol-
lowing year che house sat for twenty-eight
hours. but this spell had been interrupted by
an adjournment for two hours in the even
ing. In July of 1887 sitting was protract-
ed to twenty-s hours the obstructionist
section Of the Irish party taking revenge on
the house at the expense Of some South
African business
The new parliament is indeed exhibiting a
penchant for lengthy sittings. 1t establish
ed a record last March by sitting all night
in the first six weeks Of its existence. Sit
ting at o'clock on a Tuesday, 1t did not
rise until $40 on Wednesday morning. A
clever plot Matched by some Of the young
men Of the unionists sent members home
with the milk after discussing the army IAN
nuaO bill in the small hours
The plant" leaked out through the re-
freshment department. where inquiries had
sariat early in the evening. There was an
other continuous sitting OF nineteen hours
last November over the land tenure bill. A
catering official said that on this occasion
100 suppers about 1 900 drinks and snacks
and 300 breakfasts had been served. Stout
and oysters were in great demand in the
small hours. A month later the commons
sat on from IL noon on Friday till nearly
o'clock Saturday morning. providing
meals for hungry school children" as a
wearied member remarked.
In 1908 all-night sittings were frequent.
especially on the army bill. A debate Of
nineteen and one-auarter hours on this bill
took place In April. 1905. 1t ended at 9:15
on Friday morning. and was a very rollick-
ing affair. Coon ditties and political songs
Lundon sang "Who Fears to Speak Of 1882"
in his native Gaelic. Mr.. Condor followed
with "The Boys of Wexford" and Mr.. W.
Harlech," Mr.. Churchill 1.-THE Wearin' o.
the Green" to the Joy Of the nationalists.
There were also six-penny sprints round
the central hall and leap-frog in the library.
No more extraordinary scenes had ever
been witnessed in parliament.
Royal Visitors.
An almost unprecedented number of royal
visitors will arrive here during the next
few months. They include King Frederick
Augustus of Saxony, the King and Queen
of Denmark, the Crown Prince and Princess
Of Roumania, the King of Slam, and DOS
sibly the King of Greece and the Queen
of Holland. If all these expectations
should be realized, the British court will
be gayer this year than since the time Of
the coronation.
The King of Saxony will receive during
his visit the Order of the Garter, which
has lately been conferred upon three other
crowned heads-the King OF Norway, the
Mikado of Japan and the Grand Duke of
Baden The kings uncle, the late King
Albert of Saxony, was q member of the
order for twenty years. The Duke of Fife
went to Dresden to invest him with the in
sigma.
The present King of Saxony succeeded his
father. the aged King George, in 1904 He
is only forty-two. q good soldier and a man
OF parts. He 10 of medium height we'll