The Warwickshire Herald. — 1889-03-07 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

PIGOTT'S SUICIDE—THE QUEEN AND HOKE RULE—FALL IN " TIMES " DIVIDENDS—MR. LABOUCHERE NOT YET ASSASSINATED A DUKE'S LOVE AFFAIIL—" NOWADAYS "—AS ITHERS SEE Us.  The suicide of Pigott has caused some surprise. Nobody expected that he would have sufficient resolution to put an end to himself. He might have organised a bogus suicide, and then set himself to acquire Spanish for the purpose of forging letters in that language. Evidently he had no friends, and the thecry that he was spirited out of the country is ex ploded by his death. If be had seen the least likelihood of counting on anybody for money he would have taken his chance of living. It is a dramatic end to so much infamy.  There is a rumour afloat to the effect that the Empress Frederick, during her visit tc, England, has greatly influenced the Queen in her attitude towards the Irish question. The Empress is endowed with a remarkably acute intellect,and as everyone knows, she is a thorough Liberal, but I do not believe for a single moment that she has had the least influence upon her illustrious mother. The Queen may not be so clever a woman as her daughter, but she is too determined to be lightly turned from her own opinion by any person living ; and it is a matter of common knowledge that she has been all along in sympathy with the Unionist party.  The shareholders of the Times have substantial reason to complain. I know one case in which a share, which used to produce £5OO a year, yielded only £350 a year or two ago, and now it has fallen to Vol This is an authentic instance of the grave depreciation of the pmperty which has been caused by the tactics of Printing-house-square, as well as by the ordinary competition of commerce.  Mr. Labouchere's appearance in the Lobby of the House following on the rumour that he had been shot at Grosvenor - gardens which was so assiduously circulated in the earlier part of the day, was the signal for a rush of anxious friends to inquire what had happened to him. His demeanour under this trying ordeal was extremely amusing. He turned round and round as though he were a joint on a roasting-jack, invited his friends to make a minute examination, and declared that if there were any incredulous Thomas among them who still belie% ed there was a bullet concealed in his person, he would be willing to afford every opportunity for investigation, but that in the Lobby it would scarcely be decent. His eyes twinkled more than ever, and he seemed to 'enjoy tbe fun immensely, and suggested that I even he did not think the Times woeld go quite s'o far as to try and put him out of the way.  The Duke of Portland's engagement to Miss Yorke for the moment has almast usurped the proud supremacy of Pigott as 3 topic of conversation in society. Tne papers announce that everybody has been taken by surprise, but that is not the case, as the progress of this little love drama has been watched with considerable interest for some time. Those who know the Duke beat are not in the least astonished that he has made his choice of one who does not rank among the great magnates of the earth. lit has been surfeited by the fulsome praise and adulation of society, and disgusted with the barefaced efforts which every matchmaking mother from the highest to the lowest has made to secure him. It was only natural, therefore, that he should have been caught by a girl who is both charming and pretty, and of whom it could never be said for a moment that she was setting her cap at him.  Why is Mr. Wilson Barrett not content with his popularity without advertising it? On the Princess's programme I find him described as "the most popular actor of the age." This is an exaggeration; but why force this opinion on the public, as much as to say "I am the most popular actor, whether you believe it or not " ? Really, Mr. Barrett's estimate of himself is not of such importance as to deserve this advertisement. As for the play which he hasjust presented at the Princess's, it may be described as a melodrama of the old pattern; there is extremely little real human nature in it. I experienced an odd sensation 'when I saw Mr. Barrett lose his balance on a fence, and wave his legs in the air. A vision of the stately Claudian rose before me, and I wondered how Hamlet and Chatterton would look in the same position. It is certainly a proof of Mr. Barrett's hold on a large section of the ' public that he can show his heels in this fashion without appalling his admirers.  Sir Edward Watkin has asked Sir John Gorst a remarkable question. During his Indian tour, Sir Edward lighted on a pamphlet circulated by the National Congress. This is written in the form of a dialogue. One of the speakers asks whether it would be right to kill all the Europeans, but the other proceeds to shew the folly of any such idea. "God forbid! This would be a sin. Why should we kill the poor Europeans? Many of them are really good men; most of them mean at any rate to do right. They are ignorant no doubt of the rights of most matters concerning us ; they blunder, they cause us misery, but they do it from ignorance, from an ignorance unavoidable under the system which they work on, and which, even did they wish it, they could not change without our help. Besides, though we of the new generation are growing up able to assist them and do much for the country, the whole of us put together have not yet sufficient experience and self-reliance to manage the administration entirely without their help. Kill the Europeans? No, Rambaksh, let us say, rather, God bless all of them (and there are many such) who feel kindly towards us in their hearts, and according to their lights mean well towards us, and God forgive those amongst them (and let us hope they are not many) who dislike and despise us, and care nothing what becomes of us." This is an interesting description of the state of the native mind, and few people who know anything about India will deny that there is much justice in these reflections. At all events, they are perfectly fair comment, whether they are right or wrong. But what do you suppose Sir Edward Watkin wanted to know? Whether the Government have taken steps to punish the authors and distributors of the pamphlet! So, for a Hindoo to say that English administration is ignorant and blundering, ought to be a penal offence!  * most  that