THE TABLET

A Weekly Newspaper and Review.

D um vobis g r a t u l a m u r , a n im o s e t ia m a d d im u s u t in incceptis v e s t r is c o n s t a n t e r m a n e a t i s .

From the Brief of His Holiness to The Tablet, June 4, 1870.

V o l . 4 3 . N o . 1 7 7 1 .

L o n d o n , M a r c h 2 1 , 1 8 7 4 .

P rice 5d. B y P o s t s ^ cI.

[R eg istered a t th e General P ost O ffice a s a N ewspaper

.'•Ch ronicle of t h e W e e k : —

Page

The Leadership of the Opposition. —The Queen’s Speech.—Re-elections.— The Irish Lord Chancellorship.—The Famine in Bengal.— The “ Pall Mall ” on Irish Nationalists.— The “ Times ” on Home Rule.— The Amnesty Meeting.—The Ashantee Expedition and its Results.— Professor Fawcett at Hackney.—The Reception at Chislehurst.— The Due de Padoue’s Address. — The Prince’s Reply.—The “ Interpellation” at Versailles.—The Austrian Ecclesiastical Bills.— The Supplementary Bill in •’Germany .. .. .. .. 353

L e a d e r s :

CONTENTS .

Page

C orrespondence:

Page

Professor Huxley on the Scholastic

Philosophy......................... .. 357 The Critics of Higher Education in Ireland .. .. .. .. 358 Sermons in Rome .. . . .. 359 O ur P rotestant C ontemporaries:

The Irish Nemesis .. .. .. 360 R eview s :

The Life of the Blessed Peter

Favre, S.J. .. .. .. 361 Holy Places : Their Sanctity and

Authenticity ............................363 Phineas Redux ........................... 364 “ The Month” .. .. .. 364 Literary, Artistic, and Scientific

Home Rule .. .. .. .. 367 Catholic Army Chaplains .. .. 367 Catholic School Discipline .. 367 The New Church of the Servite

Fathers .. .. .. .. 367 Corpus Christi Mission . . .. 367 R om e :

Letter from our own Correspondent 369 Peter’s Pence .. .. . . 371 R ecord of G erman P ersecution

The Bishop of Trêves .. .. 371 The Coadjutor Bishop of Cologne 371 The Bishop of Paderborn.. .. 371 The Bishop of Münster .. .. 371 Anti-Catholic Action of the Bava­

G o s s ip ...............................................366

rian Government .. .. 371

D io cesan N ews î

Westminster.. Beverley Clifton Liverpool Newport and Menevia

Salford I reland :

Letter from our Dublin Correspondent ..

Page

•• 373

•• 373

F oreign N ews :

Russia

. •• 374

M em o randa:

Religious .. . . . General N ews

•• 37

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

THE LEADERSHIP OF THE OPPOSITION. N

O sooner had the attention o f the public ceased to be monopolized by the R o yal entry into London, than it was called back to the peculiarities o f the present political situation by a species o f manifesto from Mr. G lad stone. I t had been positively announced and generally believed that the ex-Prem ier had, for the present at least, renounced the leadership o f the L iberal party, and this letter, which is addressed to Lord Granville, is made public for the -sake o f inform ing us what it is that Mr. G ladstone does mean, and does not mean, to do. “ F o r a variety o f reasons ■“ personal to him self he cannot contemplate any unlim ited “ extension o f active political service,” and he must “ at his age ” “ reserve his entire freedom to d ivest him self o f all “ the responsibilities o f leadership at no distant tim e.” H e now needs rest, and cannot g ive more than occasional attendance in the H ouse during the present session, but is w illin g to hold the leadership o f the Opposition for so long should the party desire it. Before the beginning o f next session he would wish to consider— that is, we suppose, to ■ consult with his follow ers— whether he should then resign the leadership or keep it for a little longer. But i f the party should th ink it preferable that instead o f adopting this course he should at once assume the position o f an independent member, he will w illin gly do so. In a word, Mr. G lad stone consents to lead during the present session without g iv in g a regular attendance at the debates, and will continue to lead next year should it be found on enquiry that the L ib eral party really want him, but not for any great length o f time, and will g ive up the leadership at once i f the party should prefer to be led by another. I t is c lear that, apart from Mr. G ladstone’s very natural desire for repose after more than five years o f arduous legislative work, the divisions and disaffections in the L ib eral ranks have made them selves sufficiently felt to suggest the desirability of a fresh mandate for its leader, which, like the com pacter though smaller majority hoped for a t the late elections, m ight serve as a vote o f confidence and brace up the bonds o f party discipline. In the meantime it has becom e very generally adm itted that i f Mr. G ladstone can give only a nominal lead, no other leader in the House o f Commons is at present possible ; and that it must be left to time to reveal whether opposition will teach the Liberals to forget their divisions and follow Mr. Forster, or whether Lord Hartington will d isplay further qualifications for a leader besides social superiority and undoubted common sense.

, Parliam ent re-assembled on Thursday for the THspeech^ S despatch ° f business, and the R o yal Speech contains a modest and sensible programme fo r New Series Vol XI. No. 280.]

the dim inished session. T h e friendly relations with foreign Powers, the R o y a l marriage, the success o f the A shantee expedition, and an undertaking that no cost shall be spared to mitigate the Indian fam ine, occupy the first part o f the Speech ; the second announces a B ill for facilitatin g the transfer o f land— we are g lad to see that the question o f succession is to be left a lone— another for extending the Judicature A c t to I r e la n d ; and a third for bringing the system o f Scotch Appeals in to harm ony with it, for it is not to be applied to Scotland. A R o yal Commission on the Masters and Servants A c t and the L aw o f Conspiracy, and amendments o f the Sale o f L iquors B ill and o f the laws a ffecting F riendly and Provident Societies com p lete the list o f the Governm ent proposals. T h e R o yal Commission has a lready met with the condemnation o f Mr. Frederic Harrison, who thinks that none but “ weak-kneed brethren ” will serve on it, but an assem bly o f delegates o f the London trades have expressed a less unfavourable opinion, i f one or two men whom they could trust were on the Commission. Mr. M acdonald and Mr. Burt would probably satisfy them, and Mr. Disraeli, after what he said about them in Buckinghamshire, can scarcely do otherwise than appoint them. W e hope that they will ju s tify his good opinion.

T h e Conservatives have gained another re-elec- v icto ry in the return for the c ity o f Oxford o f tions. the lo cal candidate, Mr. H a ll, in the p lace o f

Lord Cardwell. Mr. Lewis, the late member for

Devonport, has had rather an uphill game there, in spite o f the backing which he got from Dr. L yon Playfair, as he is supposed to be somewhat unorthodox about beer, and the Oxford publicans have thrown them selves strongly in to the Conservative m o vem en t ; a fact which, while it dim inished Mr. Lew is ’s chances, increased those o f Mr. H a ll, who is not only a well-connected country gentlem an, but a brewer also. T h e majority for the Conservative candidate was 462 — 2,554 to 2,092. On Saturday Mr. Gathorne H a rd y was re-elected for the University without opposition, as were Mr. W inn for North Lincolnshire, the Lord A dvocate for G lasgow and Aberdeen Universities, the Solicitor-G eneral for M id-Surrey, Mr. Sclater-Booth for North H ants, and Sir James E lphinstone for Portsm outh. On M onday Sir M ichael H icks-B each was returned for East G loucestershire unopposed— and in his absence, ow ing to a domestic affliction ; Lord Henry Somerset for Monmouthshire, Earl Percy for North Northumberland, and Mr. Ward H unt fo r North Northamptonshire. A t the re-election o f Dr. Ball for Dublin University there was a semblance o f opposition, Dr. H aughton proposing Dr. T ra ill for the sake o f asserting the principle that political lawyers were im proper representatives for the University, but Dr. T ra ill immediately withdrew, prom ising that he would