THE TABLET

A Weekly Newspaper and Review.

D u m VOEIS G R A TU LAM U R , AN IM O S ET IAM ADDIMUS U T IN INCCEPTIS V E STR IS C O N S TAN TER M AN EA T IS .

From the Brief of His Holiness to T h e T a b l e t , ’June 4, 1870.

Vol. 43. No. 1767. L o n d o n , F e b r u a r y 21, 1874.

Price 3d. By Post s^d.

[R e g i s t e r e d a t t h e G e n e r a l P o st O f f i c e a s a N ew spaper

«Ch r o n ic l e o f t h e W e e k : —

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Resignation of the Ministry.— The New Ministry.— Strength of Parties in the New House.— Gains and Losses.— New Peers.— The Vacancy at Oxford.— The Leadership of the Opposition.— The Double Return at Athlone.— The Louth Election.— Mr. Roebuck at Sheffield.— The Emperor of Austria at St. Petersburg.— •Count v. Moltke on German Armaments. — Germany, Russia, and Austria.— Prince Bismarck and M. Benedetti.— The Persecu­

tion in Prussia.— Attitude of the German Catholics._ — Arehbishop Ledochowski in Prison.— The Catholics of the Jura, &c., &c. . . 225

CONTENTS

L e a d e r s :

Catholic Prospects Politically A t Home and Abroad The Irish Election Muster Roll.. Destruction of the “ Via Crucis *'

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229 230 230

in the Colosseum O u r P r o t e s t a n t C o n t e m po r a r ie s :

Revolutionary Conservatism : The

231

“ Standard” and Prince Bismarck .. . . . • •• 232 R e v ie w s :

History o f Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots .. . . . . . . 234 The Quarterly Review .. . . 235 New Japan . . .. . . . . 236 Sermons and Lectures by the

Rev. Michael B. Buckley . . 237

S h ort N o t i c e :

The Continental Fish Cook . . 237 Literary, Artistic, and Scientific

G o s s i p .............................................238 C o r r e s p o n d e n c e :

The Wants of the Catholic Body in England.. .. . . .-2 39 Sympathy with the Catholics of

Germany .. . . .. .. 239 Dean Stanley and Karl Blind .. 239 The Helpers ©f the Holy Souls . . 239 Votive Church of Reparation to

Our L a d y .................................... 239 R ome :

Letter from our own Correspondent 241 R ecord of G erm an P ersecution :

Opening o f the Reichstag.. .. 243 Confiscations.. . . . . .. 243 Archbishop Ledochowski in Prison 243

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Count Stolberg’s House Searched 243 The Berlin Meeting .. .. 243 Bismarck’s Hungarian Legion . . 243 D io c e s a n N ew s :

Westminster.. .. .. .. 244 Southwark— Clifton— Hexham and

N ewcastle— Liverpool-Newport and Menevia— Northampton— S a l f o r d .................................... 245 I r e l a n d :

Letter from our Dublin Corre­

spondent . . . . . . .. 246 F oreign N ews :

France . . . . ,, .. 246 Russia.— Austria . , .. .. 247 M em o r an d a :

Religious.— Fine Arts and Music 248 G en er a l N ews ., . , .. 248

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

OF THE MINISTRY. M

•RESIGNATION

R . G ladstone has adopted the more public-spirited, as well as the more popular course, and has resigned at once without waiting for a hostile Parliam entary vote. T h e matter was discussed at an informal meeting o f the Cabinet at dinner on Monday, and it is understood that Mr. Low e was the only advocate for delay. We will not conjecture what may have been the considerations which led the H om e Secretary to take this line, but the reasons on the other side strike the eye at once. A n d the late M inistry would have been ill-advised i f it had sacrificed the interests o f the public service either to the consolation o f falling amid a blaze o f oratorical fireworks or to the desire o f embarrassin g its successful antagonist. Such motives, however, may happily be left out of the reckoning when high-minded English statesmen are concerned, and, the day after the decision o f the Cabinet, Mr. G ladstone went to W indsor— 'Where the Queen had arrived from Osborne about an hour previously— and p laced his resignation and that o f his -colleagues in the hands o f her Majesty. T h e Sovereign, as a matter o f course, “ graciously accepted ” them, and sent for Mr. D israeli, who by that time must have had his Cabinet nearly ready, though he could scarcely pull the list out o f his pocket without a decent interval in which to make the formal -offers and receive the acceptance o f them. This much, a t any rate, is now certain, that Mr. D israeli will be Premier. I f there could ever [have been any deliberation about the desirability o f accepting the offers o f “ the great Whigs,” while the amount o f the Conservative majority was still doubtful, there could be no possible motive for making any concession to them as soon as it was seen to be what it is. T h e Conservatives certainly do not stand in need o f any support in the Lords, and a majority o f at least fifty— even ■ when all the Home Rulers are reckoned as belonging to the Opposition— is enough to make them independent o f add itional help in the Commons.

THE NEW MINISTRY.

T h e Standard announced on Thursday in an authoritative tone that the composition o f the new Cabinet would not be made known until it had been submitted to and approved by her Majesty, and that “ any statements which might be made during the “ the next twenty-four hours, as to the distribution o f offices, “ must be treated as mere guesses.” We may assume it, however, to be morally certain that Lord Cairns will be Lord Chancellor, and Lord D erby Secretary o f State for Foreign Affairs, and as nearly certain that the D u ke o f R ichm ond will be Secretary o f State for War, and Mr. H a rd y H om e Secretary. I t is now understood that Lord Salisbury and Lord Carnarvon will both take office ; and i'f,

N e w S e r i e s V o l , X I. No. 276,]

as is to be hoped, Lord Salisbury goes to the India Office, Lord Carnarvon cannot have the Colonies, as the A c t provides that not more than three out o f the five Secretaries o f State shall sit in the House o f Lords. T h e obvious arrangement vvould be to make L o rd Carnarvon President o f the Council, a post for which his culture and acquirements render him admirably fitted ; particularly as it is understood that the Duke o f Marlborough, who held this office in the last Derby-Disraeli Government, does not now desire to undertake a laborious department. T h e greatest difficulty seems to be about the Admiralty, and Mr. Ward H unt has been suggested for that place, as well as Mr. H ardy, whom, we agree with the lim es, it would be a p ity to move from the H om e Office. We should think it probable, moreover, that Sir John Pakington will not be left out in the cold, and i f he is given a peerage, to which he has unquestionably a claim , he m ight very well fill his old p lace at the Admiralty, but could not be Colonial Secretary, where a commoner is wanted, as Mr. Ward Hunt might. Indeed, i f Sir Stafford Northcote is to be Chancellor o f the Exchequer, we do not see where Mr. Ward Hunt is to go, i f not to the Colonial Office or the A dm ira lty ; and, i f Sir John Pakington does not get another scat in the Low er H ouse, the arrangement above indicated would seem to be the most likely one. T h e l im e s mentions it as settled that Lord George Hamilton is to replace his antagonist in M id dlesex, Lord Enfield, as U nder Secretary at the Foreign O ffiee; and that Captain Stanley will occupy the corresponding position under the Duke o f R ichm ond in Pall Mall. Mr. Bourke, as Lord Mayo's brother, and as being personally acquainted with India, would be a very natural choice as Under-Secretary for India. T h e l im e s further suggests that the Duke o f Marlborough should have the Privy Seal, and Lord D evon the Duchy o f L an c a s te r ; but what is to becom e o f the D u ke o f Buckingham , who cannot be Secretary ¡for the Colonies, as he was before ? H e is not one to be left out, and, failing Sir J. Pakingtcn, he m ight perhaps go to the Adm ira lty. Mr. Cross is ta lk ed o f for the L ocal Government Board, and Mr. Cave for the Board o f T rade, as before ; and Mr. W . H . Smith is lik e ly to have a good second-class appointment. H e would do well even in so important a p lace as that o f V ice-President o f the Council for Education, where his experience on the London School Board would be o f use, and where he would not be subjected to the kind o f pressure he would have to endure from the London Guardians, his constituents, i f he were put into Mr. Stansfeld's place. A s to the law appointments, it is assumed that Sir R . Baggallay will be Attorney-General, as the state o f Sir J. Karslake’s health will not allow him to accept that office ; and as Mr. Giffard has lost his election at Cardiff, Mr. Huddleston and Mr. H o lk e r are talked o f