LONDON,

(From our own correspondent.) •September 21st. The eternal Eastern question is once more to the fore, and has assumed such proportions as to pi'eclude the possibility of a patchwork policy which has hitherto satisfied the \ Cabinets of Europe. The time has arrived when the position and power of tho Turk in Europe will have to be definitely settled, and settled too on a basis which will leave reasonable ground for belief that the ailments of the "sick man " will not any longer be a source of perpetual anxiety to continental statesmen, if ever before in ' ihe history of England have the people been so stirred by a common impulse as they have been | over what are now sadly known as the I ," Bulgarian atrocities." By a spontaneous outburst of public feeling have Englishmen nobly vindicated their claim for humaneness and generosity, and effectually rebutted the charge so often levelled at them of being cqld and unsympa r thetic, From one end of the land tq the other meetings have been held to express the horror and indignation felt by the people at the atrocious doings of the Turkish troops. Party feeling' has been in a great measure suppressed, Conservatives havo joined Liberals, ' Churchmen have supported Dissenters, and Teetotallers have assisted their opponents in giving the expression of opinion the strength attained by ' unanimity. Throughout the movement the people have had the uneasy consciousness that their (government have been giving tho Ottoman Empire their material as well as moral support, and so in a measure have become the supporters of- a ruling power, synonymous with fiendish cruelty and barbarity. The roqland contemptuous manner with which the Premier treated the story of the atrocities, the lamentable \yanfc of knowledge shown by the Embassy at Constantinople,, and the proclivities' of the 'Ministers, generally as manifested in .their speeches,' caused the public to express by resolutions their desire that Turkey should no longer roceive the, aid and, support of England, and that our Government, in pun junction with the' other European powers,should intervene, and put an end to a stfugglo in which the common behests of humanity are outraged j*nd

disregard eHlr/iti* 110t to be wondered at, in the face of the "ambiguous, action of the Government/ 1 that- the Liberals should .ha'ye.taken-.'an active part iii , impeaching the policy, or rather lack., of policy, of the 'Ministry., of '< the day; and both with his peiiand his yoic'o bas the real.- leader qf,'.the;'party,"Mr»G,ladstone, so.irioved and directed, tlfe feelings of the nation as almost to compel him to relinquish his voluntary retirement, and once more lead -his followers in- the path of progress and humanity. After publishing a pamphlet, in which the position 'was clearly stated, and a course to be followed pointed out, the ex-premier' addressed his constituents on Blackheath, on a Saturday afternoon. Of course the speech merely reiterated the views enuunciated in tho pamphlet, but were made more convincing by his impassioned eloquence and noble earnestness. The meeting was a sight that I should not have liked to have missed. For magnitude and order, despite the inclemency of the weather, [ have never seen it equalled ; and then to listen to such language from such a man. Argument, declamation,.and exhortation, backed by a manner so eloquent and impressive, found an enthusiastic response in the hearts and minds of his audience, and for an hour the speaker held the immense crowd spellbound by the charm of his words, the breathless attention broken at intervals by tremendous bursts of cheering; > Perhaps the time when the scene was at its grandest was when Mr Gladstone referred to the duty of humanity. Standing in front of the hustings, with hand upraised, his face striking in its solemnity, and his voice ringing - with fervour, he gave utterance to the feeling of England, saying, if I myself lean to the simpler me.'hod of saying to tho Turk — and I believe them to be very good terms for him — You shall receive a reasonable tribute,' you shall retain your titular sovereignty ; your empire shall | not be invaded ; but never again, while the years roll their course, so far as it is in our power to determine — ne /er again shall the hand of violence be raised by you, never again shall the floodgates of lust be opened by you, never again shall the dire refinements of cruelty be devised by you for tho sake of making mankind miserable, in Bulgaria." The line of conduct for the European Powers to follow, as suggested by Mr Gladstone, is one .offering the least objections. He is in favor of the States of Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Bulgaria being freed from Turkish administration, and allowed to govern themselves. The territorial integrity of Turkey, will be maintained by the countries mentioned owning her as their suzerain and paying an annual tribute. This in a few words sums up the demands of the English people, and no other" country in iheviorld possesses the same moral right of dictating terms to Turkey as she has. As far as lam able to judge the policy of y our Government, in affording a colourable support to a declining power like Turkey, is shortsighted and inimical to England's best interests. Our duty and object should be to win the' confidence and esteem of the Christian subjects of the Porte, and endeavour to make them a strong and' powerful body. By this method we should . attain an ever increasing barrier to Russian aggression in south- cask rn Europe, a barrier far stronger and more enduring than can ever beoftered by the effeminated and brutal Turk. The action of the Government has been entirely opposed to this view, and has had the effect of driving the Servians and the inhabitants of the other Christian States to look for help and support from Rxissia instead of England, and right hearty is the support accorded by the Russians. The Euglish people have demanded a reversal of the v spirited foreign policy " so landed by tho Conservatives, and I fancy Lord Beaconfield has too keen a knowledge of tho public feeling, and holds opinions so easily convertible that I doubt not they will attain their desire. At the time of writing there is an armistice between i Servia and Turkey, and conditions of | peace are being submitted. If there is unity among the European cabinets a lasting peace can be arranged, but the iuitiative should come from England and Russia. Some idea of the wheat crop for the year can be gathered from published facts, the result being satisfactory to colonial growers wanting a market. Although the crop is finer in quality, the yield is below the average, accounted for by the fact that the extent of land i under wheat is 378,000 acres less then last year, or more than 20 .per cent less than what- is usually termed an average growth. Mr Caird, a Avell-known writer on the subject, estimates the yield at 10,600,000 qrs, which under deduction of 800,000 qrs for seed leaves 9,800,090 for consumption. The annual consumption is 23,000,000 qrs, so that a large margin is left for importation, The European crops are under the average in quanity, but America will have plenty to export at an advanced rate. [ As a matter of interest to the fair sex I may mention that the price of silks has advanced something like 80 per cent during the past two months, consequent on the failure of the silk crop in Franco and Italy. Drapers holding a good stock will make a good thing out of it. Speculation has been very brisk in the article, and I .was informed by a silk-broker in the City that Rothschild's, finding the trade in "paper" rather dull, had'goue in largely for silk, and had cleared something fabulous by the rise. Euglisl). professional cricketers like visitiug Australia, for ifc affords them profitable employment at a time in tho year they would otherwise be laid up in lavender. A team under the captaincy of Jas. Lillywhite, of Sussex, will shortly leave here for Melbourne, and it consists of good all round men who are really professionals, and nQt < ( gentlemen" players The distinction will be approciateel by those who had experience of the last mixed team, The names are Jupp, Pooley, and Southerton,of Surrey ; Ulyctt, Greenwood, Emmefct, Armitage, and Hill, ofsYorkshire ; Shaw and Sclby, of Nottinghamshire ; and Charl wood and the Captain from Sussex. It is a very warm crowd and will take a lot of beating. A rage has set in ' for the legitimate drama, as it is called, and a series of Shakesperig,n revivals are promised. At the Queen's Theatre '■' King Henry the Fifth " has been promised with great' magnificence, tho splendour of the costumes, arms, and armour leaving nothing to be deniod on that score. The four leading scenes are the v Coronation in Westminster Abbey," tho "Siege of Harflour," the " Battle of Agincourt," and (< Old London Bridge." At Drury Lane, Richard 111 is in preparation, • with Mr Barry Sullivan, of Colonial fame, as chief charactor. As the stage of " Old Drury " is the largest in London, some gorgeous tableaux arc expected, ofl'oriug a marked contrast to the play scones our fathers used to dilate upon when Kcmbloa,n(i Ga.rri.ck.' used to declaim with a

•& / V 's. background of badly painted >oards.-Now-a-days an actor impersonating a monarch does so with the certainty, that, his surroundings will'bean keeping with his character, and' thej 'audience'know that their conception of the play KwilLbe aided by the scenery, /set before them! It is unfortunately to£' often,. the prac-' tice of clergymen to condemn playgoiug as sinful, and who thus deprive 'those anxious to follow the behests of their spiritual advisers'/from many an' enjoyable and morally instructive entertainent. I may mention that the Bishop of Manchester, speaking of Mr Henry. Inring's impersonation of "Hamlet" at Manchester this month,' stated that he had experienced great pleasure in attending the performances, and'felt sure that the intelligent study of such a character as had been so vividly pourtrayed to them was wholesome and improving. The British Association; held their annual meeting at Glasgow this month, •and very notable have been some of the discussions. The president of the Biological Section (Mr Alfred Russel Wallace) who, simultaneously with Mr Darwin, invented " the theory of evolution," secured a large audience .to listen to his ad(Jress. He does not agee with the great naturalist that man descended from the ape, but "ha& probably been developed from a common ancestor with all the existing apes, and by no. other agencies than such as have effected their development. In other words, the ape, as a species, is cousin to the human race, not its progenitor." Mr Wallace also contended for another doctrine, the degeneracy of the race as well as its development ; and taking the Pyramids as his test, and Mr Piazzi Smith's investigation regarding them as ihe groundwork of this theory, he declared that there was evidence to show that many of our existing savages were the successors of a higher race, who probably derived their arts from a common source. A warm discussion was brought about by tlio reading of n paper on " Spiritualism," the believers in the same mustering strongly. Tt was the old story over again. Those who had had experience of spiritualistic manifestations were ridiculed by those wlm had not, a piquancy being given to the debate by the reading of a letter from Mr Maskelyne, the celebrated conjuior and exjposer of spiritualism, who, after warning scientific men that they were more likely to be deceived than men of ordinary intelligence, admitted there waa something in spiritualism which had not yet been touched. In the Mathematical and Physical Science section it was stated that American scientists were preparing a complete marii c survey of terrestrial magnetism which would supply the mariner with the means of co; recting his compass, though he could see neither sun nor stars . They have also in the States, the <c telephine," which would telegraph four messages at once. A series of interest : ng experiments by Professor James Thomson showed why it was that sinuous rivers instead of increasing the width of their basin at the water-curve tend to make swamps over the whole district on their inner curve. Ifc seems that water running in a stream round a curve moves in strata, and its surface current does not take the same direction as the current at the bottom ; the centrifugal force of a stream "turning a corner " is therefore almost nothing, while its tendency to overflow the lines of its inner circle is great. The Wanganui proves this very clearly. While fashionable London has been searching the continent of Europe for " fresh fields and pastures new " wherein to make holiday, a party starting from London has enjoyed a trip quite unique in its character. A Scottish gentleman engaged a train of Pullman sleeping, dining-room, and drawing-room cars, and invited a party of sixteen ladies and gentlemen to accompany him on a peripatetic picnic to a number of the most interesting places in the United Kingdom. The railway companies were very considerate, and arranged the passage of the train from line to line without any inconvenience, the journey ttvken being from London to John O'Groats, and back by a different route. Througout the trip the party were entirely independent o£ hotels, their travelling wain being tlieic home, in which every comfort was found. The journey occupied one month, and proved an entire success. I cannot refrain fromgivingyou Sir Wilfrid Lawson's latest, although. I am afraid so good a thing will somehow reach the colony before my letter. The baronet was at a short-horn sale, and at the luncheon, during aspeach in whichhehad to propose the health of the host, said : " There was once a mayor of an borough, who was a staunch teetotaller, and well known to be so. He attended the festivities promoted by a n ighbouring borough, and somebody that knew him well, put a glass of milk punoh close to his plate. The Mayor saw the glass and could not resist it. He took it up, quaffed the contents, and setting it down, exclaimed, " Lord, what a cow ! " The International Rifle Match at Cr.eedmoor, America, has resulted in favor of the Americans, competing against the Scotch, Irish, Australian, and Canadian teams. Owing to the action of the Scotch' riflemen in refusing to join England in sending a representative team from the three countries, as proposed by the National Rifle Association, that, body declined to organize a purely English fcearu, much to tko regret of our noted shots, who would have much liked to have tried conclusions in such good company. The Birmingham musical festival brought before- the public several new musical compositions of sterling beauty, and which passed +he ordeal of first production with complete success. The new oratorio " The Resurrection," specially commissioned for the festival, and composed by Professor G. A. Macfarren, is considered by the critics a vory fine work, while praise ■ is accorded to, Mr F. H. Oowen for his dramatic cantata named " Zion," both- new and ■commissioned for tho festival. , " _': The Conservatives have not been liberal I in their support of .an organ, advocitiug their peculiar views, and the' Hour,, a daily journal started with a great nourish of trumpets at a time when Conservatism seemed to be the popular belief, has succumbed from inanition. During the throe years of its chequered life it cost £70,000 to keep it afloat. Owing to tlie admirable manner in whioh tho Daily News has reported the Servian war, and its fearlessness in divulging and denouncing tho Bulgarian atrocities at a time" when the Government pooh-poohed the whole story as a fabrication, it has advanced greatly in public favour, and at present outstrips the Telegraph with a larger circulation. "Both journals print over 200,000 copies daily. , , , • The great raca of the autumn has been run, ami the Derby winner,', who was looked upon as having the race at His mercy, has to be content with fouftll place,

th/ejrihner turning up in the victor of the guineas * at, .Newmarket in the spring. Petrarch has thus secured two of the three "great rafees of the year> his last victory being attained by a squeak, the second horse, ,f^ rank outsider with a 100 to 1 chance, running him to a Bhort head/* Julius Cra arwas again third, the Roman having the honor of being placed in all the classic events. The cele-brated "All* Heart" that cost Lord Eos ebury 2500 guineas -as a yearling- again- run an. impostur, and finished last but one. Tko way's of racing men are certainly " dark and peculiar," and it seems impossible to know when a horse runs on its' merits or not-. It is currently reported that the owner of tho favorite (Kisber) had not backed his horse for a shilling while he had invested heavily on the actual winner, who was second favorite. The owner inquestion (Mr Baltazzi) is an Hungarian, but is .by no means foreign to the eccentricities of the British betting ring. 'Tis said he has landed a good stake by the result. ' ' Wrestling is certainly an English, gamo but certain Frenchmen have visited our shores to show us that we -are always superior in athletic exercises. Their style is " catch as catch can," and a-tnari is not considered thrown until both his shoulder's touch the ground simultaneously. Our champion found no difficulty in disposing of them when wrestling . in the Cumberland and Westmoreland style, but in turn had to cry peccavi when tacided in the .French manner. One of the Frenchmen, "Boulanger," is called " the man with the iron jaw and steel arms," and his feats certainly deserve the title. He throws 561 b weights about as though they were cricket balls ; he places an iron bar weighing 112 lbs across his shoulder, on each end of which a man seats himself, and a third •■ man having got on his back, he walk's; about with little apparent inconvenience ; and finally he takes up a chain with a man seated in it in his teeth, walks round with him, and finally waltzes with his burden- to the music of the band. Our summer has come to a, close. Its life has been brief indeed,justlong enough for us to realise that blue skies are sometimes to be found in England, and then back again to mufflers and overcoats. The shooting was very good at the commencement of the month, but last week the birds were very wild and wanted a lot of driving,- With the splendid fowling pieces now in use there is a terrific slaughter in ; good preserves, and the totals , of some of the "bags" read like the'stock in trade of a large poulterer's I shop. ' '« ' ' \