THE TABLET

A IVeekly Newspaper and Review

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

From the Brief of His Holiness to T h e T a b l e t , June 4, 1870.

Voi. 49. No. 1925. L o n d o n , M a r c h 3, 1877.

P rice 5

[R egistered a t the General P ost O ffice as a N ewspaper

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Chronicle of th e We e k :—

Collapse of the Debate on the Eastern Question.— A Respite for Turkey.— The Intentions of Russia.—The Peace Negotiations with Servia and Montenegro.— Ratification of Peace by the Skuptchina.— Pius IX. and Spoleto.— The Case of Mr. Bodington.—The Butt Testimonial and the Archbishop of Tuam. — “ Religious Equality.” The Colonial Marriages Bill.— The Presidential Election.— The Counting of the States.— Bill for a New Election.— Distress at Lyons.—The Miridites .. .. .. .. .. 257

CONTENTS.

L eaders :

The German View of the Emperor’s Speech .. Austrian Opinion on German

Policy The Opposition to the Prisons

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B i l l ......................... .. .. 262 The Protestant Tradition. —XIII. 263 R eviews :

The Quarterly Review . . .. 265 The Dublin Review .. .. 26s The Contemporary Review .. 267 Short N otice :

The Love and Passion of Jesus

Christ .. .. .. .. 269 Literary, Artistic, & Scientific Gossip 269

C orrespondence :

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The Irish University Question .. 269 An Inquiry into the Nature and

Results of Electricity v. Magnetism .. .. .. .. 269 The New Church for Ushaw

College .. .. .. .. 270 Professor Mivart and the

“ Dublin Review ” .. .. 271 St. Alphonsus on the Passion .. 271 Parliam entary Summary 271 R ome :— Letter from our own Cor­

respondent .. .. 273 D iocesan N ews Westminster......................... 274

Southwark . . . . .. .. 275

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D iocesan N ews (continued).:

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Beverley .. ... ,t .. , , 275 Birmingham .. .. .. ., 275 Clifton .. .. .. .. 275 Hexham and Newcastle .. . . 275 Liverpool .. .. .. .. 275 Salford .. ....................... . 275 I reland

Letter from our Dublin Corre­

spondent .. .. ... .275 Foreign N ews ;—

Germany ......................... , , 275 Memoranda :—

Educational .. . . ,. , , 277 Catholic Union of Great Britain . . 277 General N ews . . . . 278

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

COLLAPSE OF THE DEBATE

ON THE EASTERN QUESTION.

day week,

TH E adjourned debate in- the House o f Commons on the Eastern question never came o ff after all, and the whole a ttack on the policy o f the G o vernm ent has fallen as flat as possible. T h e debate was to have been resumed yesterbut on the previous day Sir Charles

D ilk e asked the Speaker what the course o f business would be, as he understood that some o f the members who had amendments were not disposed to withdraw them. T h e Speaker explained that as no amendment on this subject had been moved, and as the motion before the House would be that he “ now leave the Chair,” any other amendment which might be moved o f those o f which notice had been given would take precedence o f the adjourned debate. If it were the general wish o f the H ouse that the debate should be continued, the members who had g iven notice o f amendments might probably defer to that wish and withdraw them, but i f not, the usual rales o f debate would have to be observed. Mr. M itchell H enry then said that it was only natural that the Governm ent should wish that a distinct motion o f confidence, or no confidence, should be brought forward, while on the other hand it was perfectly clear, from the difference o f opinion prevailing on the Opposition side o f the House, that such a motion could not be brought forward with any chance o f success. This admission was, o f course, greeted with loud cheers from the M in isterial benches ; but Mr. M itchell H enry went on to say that he thought it would be unfortunate if there was to be no discussion o f the Eastern question unless it were o f a party character. W e were in a most critical position, and it was most desirable that we should not drift into war if we could possibly prevent it. H e therefore asked the leader o f the Opposition— explaining, in answer to the question “ which “ one ? ” that he meant Lord H artington— and also the leader o f the House, whether they would not use their influence to obtain the continuance of the debate. Mr. T revelyan, however, expressed the general feeling o f the H ouse when he said that, after Mr. H a rdy’s distinct exposition o f the Governm ent policy, another desultory discussion such as that o f the previous week could do no possible good, and “ considering that three weeks more might plunge “ Europe into the m iddle o f a war, if not the greatest, “ the most complicated, in our tim e,” that “ they ought, “ as patriots, and not as party men, to avoid any further de“ sultorytalk on the subject.” And an extinguisher was finally put on the discussion by S ir W illiam Fraser, who, having an amendment on the paper, declared that he would not withdraw it unless Lord Hartington, Mr. G ladstone, orsom e other

New Ser ie s , V ol. XVII. No. 434.

prom inent member on the front Opposition bench moved a form al resolution expressing a distinct opinion on the policy o f Government. From this dilemma Lord Hartington very dexterously extricated the Opposition by saying that it was impossible for it to propose a policy, as it was not in possession o f full information as regards the views o f foreign G o vernments, or even as to what the policy o f our Governm ent actually was. And accepting the statem ents recently made by M inisters that negotiations were still in progress, he dec lared that he and his friends were not bound to raise at this moment a definite issue for the decision o f Parliam ent. Sir Stafford Northcote then, in a most moderate and conciliatory speech, said that if the Opposition wished to propose a d istin ct vote either o f censure or one proposing an a lternative policy, a day would be at once given, or i f they preferred to ask questions Governm ent would not complain— it d id not complain o f Mr. G ladstone’s questions about the T reaties — but perhaps this was not, as Lord H artingtonhad suggested, “ a very convenient t im e ” for a discussion on the subject leading to nothing very definite. “ I t is not a position," said Sir Stafford, “ in which the door is closed, and you have “ nothing to do but to look back on matters which have “ com e to an end,” but matters o f considerable im portance are still in progress, and he hoped “ things m ight still go “ better than some supposed.” H e did not wish to prevent discussion, and would not go so far as to say that great public in convenience would necessarily be caused by speaking at a ll about Eastern affairs, but he thought that this was not a moment which it was desirable to choose for the purpose. So the matter dropped, to the relief, probably, o f the leaders on both sides o f the House.

A RESPITE FOR TURKEY.

One o f the further negotiations now in progress to which Sir Stafford Northcote a lluded is believed to be based on a representation which Lord D erby was understood to have made to the R u s sian Government, to the effect that it would be only fair to g ive Turkey at least a year’s respite in which to carry out her reforms in her own way. Letters from St. Petersburg to Berlin and Paris have asserted that Russia refuses to take this view , and one account was that Prince G ortchakoff had replied by an inquiry whether England would undertake, in case T u rk e y did not effectually reform herself within the year, to jo in in coercing her at the end o f that time. But “ an occasional correspondent” of the l im e s telegraphs from St. Petersburg that an Extraordinary Council o f M in isters was held on M onday— the Emperor presiding, and G eneral Ignatieff being present— and that it was there dec id ed to demobilise the Southern A rm y as soon as peace should have been signed between the Porte and Servia and Montenegro. And “ most pacific assurances ” are said to have been received at Berlin from the Russian G overnment.