THE TABLET

A Weekly Newspaper and Review

D u m VOBIS GRATULAMUR, ANIMOS KTIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS.

From the Brief of H is Holiness to T he T a b l e t , June 4, 1870.'

Vol. 48. No. 1893. L o n d o n , J u l y 22, 1876.

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[R e g is tered a t th e G en e r a l P o s t O f f i c e a s a N ew spaper

Page

‘C h ro n ic le o f t h e W e e k :—

The War.— Lord Derby on British Policy in the East.— Mahomedan Rulers and Christian Subjects.— The Atrocities in Bulgaria.— The Roumanian Memorandum. — England’s Maritime Rights.— The Education Bill.— Resignation o f Lord Henry Lennox.— The .Sunday Closing Bill.— The Home Rule Party.— Convocation on the Burials Question.— Convocation and the Athanasian Creed.— Explosion on Board the Thunderer. The French University Question ................................................97

C O N T

L e a d e r s :

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Lord Derby’s Eastern Policy . . 101 Crime in Ireland . . .. 101 The Leitrim Election . . .. 102 The Black Mountain .. .. 102 Scientific Unbelief .. .. . . 103 R e v iew s :

The Contemporary Review . . 105 Tremadoc Sermons . . . . 106 The Month for July .. . . 107 Hurree de Fontenay .. . . 107 Remarks upon the Recent Me­

moirs o f the late R. S Hawker 108 S hort N otices :

The New Quarterly Magazine .. 108 The Wyndham Family .. .. 108

E N T S .

C orrespondence :

Paare

The Declaration of Paris .. Catholic Candidates for the c0hJ

don School Board TheAngelus.. Catholic Registration Association.

St. John’s Wood ..

.. 1X0

P a r l ia m e n t a r y S ummary

. . n o

R ome :— Letter from our own respondent

. . IT3

D io ce san N ew s :— Westminster..

. . 114

Birmingham......................... Hexham and Newcastle .. . . 115 Liverpool

D io cesan (continued) ;

Nottingham .. . . . . . . IX^ Shrewsbury . . .. . . . . xiq Scotland— Western District . . 116 I r elan d

Letter from our Dublin Corre­

spondent . . ......................... u 5 Foreign N ew s ;—

Germany M em o randa :—

R e l i g i o u s .....................................118 Educational.. . . . . . . n8 Literary ....................................... 119 Cricket . . , , . . n g G en er a l N ew s ............................... 119

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

THE detailed news from the seat of war in Turkey has been throughout the week so extremely contradic­

tory that it is scarcely worth reproducing. The only certain facts are of a negative character. The Turks have gained no absolutely decisive advantage, and the Servians have not, as was reported, been beaten back into their ■ own territory, but in the neighbourhood of Saitchar, the •only point at which the Turks had penetrated into Servia, there has been fighting, the tide of war has not flowed back across the frontier, and theTurks claim avictory at Isvor. The Montenegrins have not affected a junction with the Servians near Sienicsa, as it was expected they would, and Prince Nikita has caused considerable disappointment at Belgrade by marching to the north-west against Mostar, the capital of Herzegovina, which he now threatens, instead of north-east towards his Servian allies. There is really not much more •to record except that Austria having shut up the port of >€attaro against the Montenegrins has also shut up Klek against the Turks, arousing thereby no small displeasure at Constantinople. But the one measure necessarily entailed the other, for Montenegro is independent and acknowledged as a belligerent, whereas the Servians, being vassals of the Porte, are regarded both by Austria and Russia in the same light as the insurgents of the purely Turkish provinces.

Lord Derby’s speech to the first of the two lord derby deputations which waited on himyesterday week rower " o f at l'ie Foreign Office was by far the most im-xhe east, portant statement respecting the policy of this country which has been made since the “ Eastern Question” was reopened. The deputation was, as Lord Derby said, an exceptionally important one ; thirty five members of Parliament were present, and there were delegates from the Liberal associations in most of the principal towns, while forty members of Parliament and 570 other gentlemen had signed their names to the memorial. The pith of this document was the expression of a “ pro“ found conviction that our country would not be justified " on any pretext in upholding, even by its moral influence, “ far less by force of arms,” the Turkish anthority in conflict with its own “ revolted subjects,” and a hope that the Government would “ observe a policy “ of strict neutrality ” except when it might be able to interpose its friendly offices to mitigate the horrors and hasten the close of the conflict. The feelings which had given rise to the deputation were expressed by Mr. Richard, who, while not distrusting the “ discretion or patriotism ” of Lord Derby, thought “ the silence of the Government 41 unfortunate,” and by Mr. Forsyth, who stated that an impression existed that by refusing to join in the Berlin Memorandum and sending the fleet to Besika Bay Ministers had ranged themselves on the side of Turkey. Lord Derby began by acknowledging the importance of the deputation and the brevity and terseness with which its views were stated, and proceeded immediately to declare that as regarded the observance of strict neutrality except when our friendly offices might hasten the close of the complication, the feeling of the deputation was absolutely and entirely his. As to the silence of the Government, it had merely been maintained so long as anybody hoped— Lord Derby himself never did— that war would be prevented. I he further delay in the publication of the papers since the outbreak of the war was caused simply by their being so voluminous. The refusal to join in the Berlin Memorandum was based on no other reasons than those which would be found in the papers, namely, that not only the Turks but also a considerable body of the insurgents were sure to reject the arrangement, and with respect to the sending of the fleet to Besika Bay, the meaning of that act had been entirely misrepresented. It was not intended as a backing up of Turkey against her domestic enemies or against other Powers, but as a precaution against the outbreak of a sanguinary civil war, which many believed to be imminent, and of which the massacre at Saloniki was thought to be an indication and precursor. Nor was the despatch of the fleet a measure adopted by the English Government alone. The Ambassadors at Constantinople consulted together, and the action taken was taken in common, and if exceptional importance was attached to the arrival of our fleet' that was principally owing to the fact that “ when you talk “ of fleets, ours is considerably the biggest.” Having thus cleared away misconceptions, Lord Derby proceeded to declare what he thought of the present aspect of affairs. “ So far,” he said, “ as it is possible for any one to forecast “ the future of events, I think it is the most improbable “ thing in the world that in consequence of anything that is “ now passing within the limits of the Turkish Empire a “ general European war should ensue.” France and Italy, for financial and other reasons, would be obviously disinclined to arouse general disturbance, and Germany is not interested in the Eastern Question, except so far as it may produce complications in other parts of Europe. As to England, it would be an insult to the understandings of the deputation to suppose that any one thought that she wished for a war. There was no party and no set of men in the country who would not regard a European war as the greatest of misfortunes, Austria was fettered by her dual system and by the diversity of her races, and in her own interest would never desire a convulsion, which would endanger her as much as Turkey itself. Lastly, in Russia itself, though there

N ew Series, V ol. X V I . No. 402.