Our Home Letter.

Bruce Herald, Volume IX, Issue 814, 23 June 1876, Page 5

Our Home Letter.

(From our own Correspondent.) " Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and Empress of India," such is the style and title by which the Conservative Government wish Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria to be designated. Not long after the opening of Parliament, Mr Disraeli announced the intention of the Government to introduce a bill to enable her Majesty to make certain additions to the Royal styles and titles. Though closely pressed by the Opposition, the veteran leader of the Conservative party flatly refused to tell what the proposed addition was. This much was known that it had special reference to India. The contemplated changes in the Royal titles was regarded by the Preas in general as a very happy thought, worthy of ; the fertile brain of Disraeli. It was, moreover, very desirable. Had not the Prince of Wales been received in India with a great display of loyal enthusiasm 1 Had not native Princes, who had hitherto looked with scorn on British rule, paid homage to the Queen's eldest son ? Had not her Majesty opened Parliament in person, and after mauy years of retirement come once more into public life ? Surely all these auspicious circumstances rendered the proposed addition to the Royal styles and titles a very happy and appropriate move. So apparently thought the people, and thus spoke the Press. At length the addition was announced, "Empress of India." Instantly the tune of the Press changed. Why not sovereign of India ? — a title independent of sex, and. therefore permanent. Why not Queen of India?— the idea of authority expressed by the native equivalent for Queen, would not be less than that expressed by the native word for Empress. And, indeed, • after all, why change such eminent and honorable titles — does India desire the change 1 And, moreover, if an addition is to be made, why Empress ? — a word popularly understood to express greater authority than Queen, and which savors slightly of despotism ? and in time the more high-sounding title is likely to supplant the more ancient and honorab'e. Finally, why is India thus, favored, while no mention is made of the Colonial Empire ? The colonies, indeed I Why, they are not worth mentioning, and should not bo quoted in the same breath with "Our Indian Empire." Some of tha remacks nude about the colonies were not very flattering to those sons and daughters of Great Britain who had made their homes iv distant lauds. Mr Smollett, -VI. P. for Cambridge, ma-do the following remarks, "lb was said that the colonies, and especially Australia, would be inceusecl tecaase they were not inciudod. Well, he was not acquainted with the Australian colonies, but he was told that the people there were a very rough lot. He did not think, at all events, that they were such a pigheaded race as they were asked to believe they were. India, in any case, was worth a hundred Tasmanias." Well, perhaps the Australians are a rough lot, but they are not so pigheaded as to abuse when there is no call for ib. Several speeches were of this slighting, disrespectful tone, and soma of the leading papers did not hesitate to say that may-be we should hear more about h when theso speeches reached the colonies. Some difficulty was experienced in drawing a line of demarcation between the claims of India and those of tli9 eolonie3. Tndia, it was said, is a conquered territory. Well, many of our colonies are conquered territories. But, iv a general sense, thore can be little doubt that India differs very considerably from other British dependencies. It has a history- of ! great antiquity. It has religions systems, forms of government, social distinctions — in short, a civilisation peculiarly its own, and hence a sharply defined nationality. These considerations, added to the "greedy eye of Russia," make it very desirable to bind the empire as closely as possible to the United Kingdom. And if tho change in the

royal title promotes this, the people • will reluctantly consent to the change being made. But there can be no mistake that it goes against the national grain to alter in anything the title of the British Sovereign. To indicate the 'drift' of the popular feeling— at a recent banquet in London the health of her Majesty was proposed, and to the usual iitle that of Empress of India was added. Instantly cries of " No ! no !" arose, and the toast was refused, and when an attempt was made to go on with the perform *nee " The j Queen ! the Queen !" was vociferously called for. Her Majesty has taken very consider-' able interest in the matter, and during the earlier stages of the debate an equerry was in waitiug at. the House in order to carry the latest news to her Majesty i . The weather during the month has been most wretched. January: indeed was unnaturally mild, February was in keeping with the season, but March came in as a lion, and as a lion remained. Not for years have there been such falls of snow at this season. All the linea of rail in the North of Scotland were blocked up, and only towards the close of the month has the traffic been uninterrupted. The body of Mr 3 Hugh Miller, which was being brought from Lochinvar to Edinburgh, to be laid beside that of the deceased's husband, was for two or three days stuck in the snow. Severe as the winter and spring have been, there has virtually been no skating during the season, anfl without that species of recreation, winter life is considered slow. Hence rinks have been largely patronised; and indeed, so stronsrly has the passion for rinking been developed, that the skating rink has become quite a stock subject for the illustrated and comic papers. There are those who stand up for it as being a healthy exercise, others as firmly hold that it is most unhealthy ; that the atmosphere, when the rinks are in halls, is necessarily vitiated ; that in any case, the motion is unnatural ; and further, that the body i 3 very liable to be strained and otherwise injured. However, it is fashionable — "quite the thing" — so there is no gainsaying it. The late3t stage in the development of this rage is the street Arabs converting the thoroughfares of London into outdoor rinks. Spelling Bees, which Lave obtained for gome time in America and the colonies, were introduced into this country in January last. Aberdeen has the credit, or discredit, of introducing this nuisance, for nuisances these " bees" have now become. There is not a Tillage in Aberdeenshire but has had its " bee," and this remark applies in a less degree to every county in the United Kingdom. In every bookshop one sees " Warne's Spelling Bee Dictionary." The circumstances connected with the milk epidemic at Eagley and Bolton should make people very careful «\bout the health of cows giving milk. No less than eighteen persons have died from using the milk supplied in the above-mentioned district ; and the peculiar circumstance is that only females have died, although both sexes used the milk. This, doubtless, arises from the peculiar nature of the disease to which the cows were subject. -' The subject of intemperance has been engaging the serious attention of a number of the leading men in Edinburgh. That intemperance is increasing, is patent to everyone that uses hi 3 eyes and ears, and equally patent is it, that the remedies hitherto advocated have been ineffectual. Of course it is not for a moment meant that individuals have not been rescued from the power of the demon " drink." but that regarding the evil as a social one, Total Abstinence Societies and Bands of Hope have failed to ameliorate it in the slightest degree. One of the leading clergymen in Edinburgh has pointed out that among fthe ladies of the upper classes this vice is spreading with alarming rapidity, and this is all the more distressing, because these, more than any other class, are beyond the influence of clergymen. It is even said that it is no uncommon thing for the shopwomen in some of the large establishments to lunch at the restaurants on brandy and biscuit. These refreshment rooms should never have been licensed to sell spirituous liquors — here lies the mistake. In this respect some of the colonies are ahead of the old country — long may they be so. Mr Adam, the Otago Agent, has now retired from work, and is about to turn his face homewards. It is to be hoped he w\ll be satisfied vrifeh. the result of his labors when J he reaches New Zealand, and sees a thousand happy homes established by those who listened to his persuasive voice, and left this " done-up " country for more promising fields. Mr idam has lately published a second edition of his little book. It does not differ very materially from the former edition. The statistics are most unfor=innately too old, the majority of them not, being later than 1873 ; surely much later statistics could have been, by a little trouble, procured. 85 out of a possible 132 is given as a specimen of what your Olago youths can do in the shooting line. The papers with WillocUs ecore of 104 out of the same possible were to hand before the second edition was published, so that the latter figures might have been substituted. The book, however, is eagerly r«>ad by a large number, and the information it contains i 3 highly interesting, and valuable to those about to emigrate. The unfortunate suicide of Lord Lyttleton Tias produced a feeling of, the profoundest regret in this country. Jn the colonies too, no doubt, a similar feeling has been excited. His Lordship had for some considerable time been &nbject to fits' of melancholia, which generally persisted for tieveral weeks at a time. Of late, however, these had become so alarming that a skil'ed attendant from a' lunatic. asylum. had;' to;: be employed to wait upon him. On the 18th, when the attendant

was shaving bis Lordship, he asked him to stop a little. He got up, walked about the room for a few moments, finally rualied out of the room, and threw himself over the bannister, falling down two flights of stairs into the hall below. The best. medical skill was summoned, but the skull was fractured, and he very shortly expired. The late Lord Lyttleton was one of the most-useful men of the day. He was a most accomplished classical scholar, having been Chancellor's medallist and senior classic at Cambridge. He entered the public arena very early in life, and soon took an honorable position as quiet, hardworking, conscientious, polished statesman of the Liberal party. During the whole of his political career he took a very deep and active interest in the colonies, especially in the Canterbury province of New Zealand, where his unhappy death will be deeply regretted, and his memory dearly cherished. He also took a deep interest, and played a very prominent part, in all matters relating to educational reform, especially in connection with the Universities. His Lordship was a member of the Royal Commissiou appointed to enquire into the working of the public schools. More recently he was similarly appointed in reference to middle-class schools. As to a sketch of his personal character, that is too beautifully and graphically given by his brother-in-law, Mr W. E. Gladstone, in the following extract from the • Church Guardian,' to be attempted h ere — " He gave his talents and energies to grave and serious ends, his lighter moments not less freely to social entertaiment, in which he excelled ; to fun and humor, and in bodily sports, in which he took great delight, especially on behalf of his sons. But whether in the exercise of his religion, or in the discharge of his business, or in social or corporal relaxation, he was equally and entirely modest, truthful, natural, artless, genuine, and his loving nature throve alike under the alternate discipline of sorrow and of joy. Those who knew his life best and longest are able thankfully to record that, with his happy temperament and his high unswerving principles of action, it was an unusually bright, genial, and joyous life. Its general c^lor was not in the slightest degree affected, nor was the performance of his daily duties ever interrupted, by the few fita of dejection With which, at very rare intervals, it was chequered. Even in the latest, and by far the worst of them, his perception of duty, aud his resignation and love to the Giver of all good, were in full action to the last days of his life. He felt, but he repelled, and repeatedly mastered, the impulse which he knew to be upon him, rather than in him, as an alien and guilty thing. If ' with the godly there ariseth up light in the darkuess,' in that light he is now surely walking."

The Royal Titles Bill is now law, but popular feeling is not yet reconciled to it. Mr Lowe, than whom no one can know better, in a recent speech affirmed that two former Prime Ministers were urged to propose the now accomplished change, but they would not be parties to any such matter. Had the present Prime Minister been less pliant aud resisted the influence brought to bear upon him, nothing more would have been heard about the matter. Jn the Upper House, Lord Shaftesbury made the very pregnant statement — " You must not be surprised that as you are trying to turn your king into an emperor, we shall be making an effort to turn him into a president." The change in the title, insignificant as the matter may appear to some, is in many quarters regarded as possessing more fundamental changes. At first it was fondly believed that her Majesty, who has always shown a praiseworthy desire to coincide with the popular wish, had nothing to do with the conception of the ne w title ; but it is clear, from Mr Lowe's speech, that the primary suggestion came from royalty. It is hinted by some that the question of precedence, connected with the presence, in this country, of the Duchess of Edinburgh (the daughter of an Emperor), had something to do with the change in stj le ; but, taken in connection with Mr Lowe's statement, this can hardly be. E. Jenkins, M.P. for Dundee — author of " Ginx's Baby" — has made a great hit with a brochure bearing the title, "The Blot on the Queen's Head," in which the British Empire is known as the " Queen's Inn," which comprehends various courts, among others , the Indian Court. Little Ben is head waiter, Big Billy an ex-head waiter, and the more prominent members of the present and late Ministry occupy subordinate positions of a similar nature. Little Ben proposes to a'ter the name of the house to " Empress Hotel," and change th.9 sign (the Queen's head) by adding an Imperial Crown. Of course those changes have a special reference to the magnitude and importance of the Tndian Court. The change is strongly opposed by Big Billy and Bob. On the latter accusing Little Ben of attempting to change the sign-^-" Not a change, mark you," blandly insinuates Ben, " only an addition." " None of your Hebrew flummery for me," retorts che indignant Bob. However, the head waiter carries his poiut and proposes to make the change in the sign himself. In the darkness of night, for fear of popular feeling, Little Ben, assisted by ." Staffy," the barman, gets by a ladder up to the sign, Paint g,nd brush j n halKl he proceeds to make the necessary addition. The paint he believes to be, in color, like the Queen's head. The task completed, the artist, joyful in spirit, descends. But, oh horrible ( the paint had been black 5 and so, when the morning breaks.a black crown is seen resting on the royal brow. Hence the blot on the Queen's head. Mr Jenkins conceived the idea at breakfast, and before eleven hours this satirical story was written, printed, and. in the hands of the public Already 00,000 copies haye been sold,

The annual debate upon Female Suffrage took place in the House of Commons the other day. The result shows an increased majority against the proposal -to remove women's disabilities. Mr Jacob Bright and Professor Fawcett (as was to be expected) strongly supported the Bill. Mr John Bright as strongly opposed it, holding that women had very considerable influence in", the House through the medium of their lords' and masters. Mr Smollett, who had been pretty severely handled by some female writers after his speech and vote upon the same subject last year, took his revenge upon the fair forma behind the screen by applying to them the words of Mr Mantalini, " demd demnition savage lambs." Doubtless the injured fair will return, to the charge more hotly than ever. During this month, Scotland has been enjoying the excitement of the Triennial Scotch Board elections. The present is the second series of elections under the new Educational (Scotland) A.ct. No small amount of party (sectarian) feeling enters into these elections, and this is especially true of such cities as Edinburgh and Glasgow. In the former indeed are no fewer than four distinct parties — the "use and wont" party, of which Professor Calderwood is the most notable member, advocates the reading of the Bible in schools at appointed times, but goes no farther; the " religious" party, of which Dr Bsgg is the raoafc outstanding type, goes in for the good old fashion (so they say) of teaching the Bible and Shorter Catechism in schools ; the " Secularist" party goes in for the out-and-out exclusion of religious instruction, while the Roman Catholic party advocates the usual Romanist claims. The second mentioned party returned Dr JBegg at the head of the poll at the ejection just concluded. This elevated position Wcis occupied by the Roman Catholic priest at the election thren years ago. In the Edinburgh Board are two ladies, who make most painstaking and useful members. The cumulative system of voting, which, obtains at these elections, appears on first thoughts rather peculiar and apparently unjust ; for instance, in the case of a board of seven members, one ratepayer may give all his seven votes to one candidate if he so choose; and thu3 it happens that an aspirant to office, supported by forty ratepayers, may be excluded by another for whom Only twenty havo voted. The reason for this system is said to be that, by *• plumping," a small denomination may get in a representative, while under any other sys tem it could not have done so. However, the system appears absurd ; but the necessity for it, if there be one, will vanish as denominational interest (pecuniary), in schools becomes extinct. Lieut. Cameron appeared before the Royal Geographical Society, and gave a most interesting sketch of his journey from east to I west across the continent of Africa. The difficulties he encountered and overcame show what an amount of indomitable courage the gallant explorer must possess. The details of his journey will form the contents of an interesting volume shortly to be published. The Duke of Edinburgh presided at the meeting of the Geographical Society, and referred with the deepest satisfaction to the fact that Lieutenant Cameron belongs to' the profession of which htB Royal Highness is a member. The rank of captain, it is said is to be given to Lieutenant Cameron in recoguition of his services to civilisation. Aberdeen has been the scene of one of the most apalling accidents of the year. Ou the April Fast of that city vast crowds bent on enjoyment were crossing and recrossing the Dee. In the afternoon the ferry-boat was filled by some eighty passengers, while it was adapted to carry only t'ortj'. The result was that when in the middle of the stream the wire by which the boat was pulled across, owing to the enormous strain, would not work round the drum ; the boat lurched, filled, and upset Thus was the living freight of eighty human beings left struggling in the water. The shores were lined by hundreds of people, but so panic-stricken were the onlookers that for a few moments little was done. The majority reached the shore, buc thirty-two sank beneath the stream, and not till some nine days later were the bodies recovered. Your readers will doubtless be well acquainted with the infamous attempt recently made at a Continental seaport, to blow up a large passenger steamer by means of an infernal machine. A similar attempt, but with a different object, was made, and most unfortunately auccesßfullj' made, in London a few days since, to cause great destruction of property with one of these <; infernals." A small box, like a cigar case, was handed to a watch and instrument maker. He proceeded to open it, by forcing the lid. A click was heard, and then the poor man was dashed violently against the wall of his shop. The stock and premises were almost completely destroyed. Who sent the engine of destruction is not known, and not the slightest hint as to its history can be traced. Its construction is of course equally an enigma. Tt goes beyond one to conceive what a diabolical hellsprung scoundrel the author of such a fiendish attempt must be. (To he continued.)