LONDON CHAT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 142, 16 June 1906, Page 9

LONDON CHAT.

(from oitb owk cohbespondekt.) 4th, May. ' THE KING IN PARIS. Our English Royalties are somswhat widely scattered just now. King Edward arrived in Paris a few days ago from Italy, and has been fraternising in his most characteristically genial way with Frenchmen of all ranks. His Majetty was entertained last night at tho banquet given at the Champa Elysec by M. Faillieres, the President, who, in proposing the King's health, said: "I thank your Majesty for having been good enough to be ths guest of the President of the Republic this evening, and I wish to expreas the pleasure it 'gives me to receive you. France, who shares the Stiitnneiite of her. Government lor your Majesty, has the same feeling oi satisfaction ns the Government each time you tread our coil- She sees in your frequsnt sojouias among us a precious- pledge of the cordiality of the relations which unite our two. countries, both -happy to labour single-heaitedly in all woiks of civilisation and peace. Sire! I lift my glass in honour of their Majesties the X.ing and Queen and the Royal ' Family. 1 drink to the prosperity and greatness of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland." ' The band then pluyea "God Save the King," and his Majesty replied : "M. ]c President, —l beg you to accept my best thanks for the kind 'words you have just uttered. I hsve known your beautiful country and youi charming city from childhood, I might soy. lam always happy to ba here, and each of my visits leaves ineffaceable memories. You know the sentiments which .animate me for the happiness and greatness of France. ' r hey are sentimi-nts which will • ever remain I graven on my heart. 1 desire above all the prosper! tv of- your great country, and 1 am sure that the entente cordialo between our two countries will do more than anything else to maintain peace. 1 beg you, M. le President, to accept once moie my thanks for the pleasant evening, and ask your permission to propose the health of tho President of tbe Republic." The band then played the "Maiseillaise." King Edward, after thanking Mine. Fallieres and the Prosident for the pleasant ev-ening which he" had spent, left the Elysee for the Embassy, with the members of his suitb. Alter dinner tho King passed through the salons, graciously exchanging a few words with many of tae guests, and then entered the apartment of tho President's secretary, tranbformed for the night' into a .smoking-room. Y^jterduy morning some inventive ana unscrupulous penny-a ( -liner started a rumoui to tlie effect that King Edward had been seriously, and it was believed fatally, injured thiough a motor-car accident in Paris. Ihis wns speedily followed by a sort of doub>-headed story, one form being that the King proved to hay« been killed on the spot, vhilo the •other version represented' thai, hh Majesty had died from the ' effects of the injuries sustained The Mory created quite a hubbub in London for an. hour or two, until the truth had been ascertained Of course it turned out that so far as the alleged 'occurrence, was concerned, there was not any motor-car, tbere wasn't any King, and there wasn't any accident. The whole yarn was an absolutely^gratuitous invention. People are bsginning to think it is about time 'that 6ome drastic methods should be ado'pted'of dealing with these wilful disseminators of false and minchievotis reports the other hand, it is impossible to deny that tho. deli- j berate wholesale distribution by officials j of high rank of mo^t otjtragwus lies in connection ' with ths King's -Coronation, i illness has certsinly appeared to man> people to imply a kind of tacit sanction of pr£ps'«teroaa lying in caws vhsre hoy. pity is concerned. This week's falsehood, however, was a very ,big one indeed, and might in an hour or two have so seriously, though temporarily, affected the public funds as to put fortunes, into the hands of unscrupulous dealers. Happily, the public m this case, like Sir Boyle Roche "snielt a rat- and saw it floating in tho air, but nipped' it in the bud !" QUEEN ALEXANDRA IN ROME. Queen Alexandra has bceh in Rome during the last few .days, ni;d has been having what -.tlie Americans call a "high old thns,"' thoroughly enjoying the many delights of th-e Etsnia) City. Yesterday the Queen and Princess Victoria went for a long drive in .a private caipage without footmen, the coachmen M'enring a plain black livery. ' In the Via Tritono the | Queen and Princess ' delighted all the j flower boys by buying nil their stock of white aud pink roses. Leaving their carriage at tho.Piazita Nicosia, the Royal J Party vi«ited > the curiosity shops in old Rome, examining- old lamps, li.cc-s, cm- ! broideries, and bronzes, and making purchases. Then Ihsy proceeded past St. Peter's Church, stopping at various 6hops on the way, to the National Museum. On alighting from the carriage Queen Alexandra stopped at a small table presided over by an old woman and examined the stock of old coins, terra cottu, lamps nud masks. ' Her Majesty bought ;i couple of coins bearing the head of Pius IX. After visiting the Museum, the Queen -to the Church of Santa Maria 'Degli Angeli next door, which formed pnit of the Diocletjan Baths, and •was converted into a church by Michaol Angelo at Oh; request of Pius IV.' Thc\\ Royol party then drove to the Embassy for luncheon, and in tbe afternoon visited Queen Mnrgheri'a at her residence. Queen Margiicrit.i expiessed vrarm appreciation of tlio proofs, of sympathy given^ by the British Sovereigns' to Itnly, especially in the region devastated by the eruption, and added that by so doing she knew that she was expressing the feelings of King Victor Emmanuel and Queeii Elena. Queen Alexandra nnd .Princess Victoria returned to tho British Emba&sy, where Queen Marghefita and her suite returned their visit. They were received at, the foot of the 6't-aircase by tho British Ambassador, Lady Egerton, and tho staff of tho 'Embassy. Ihe interview betwoen'tbe two Queeris and tho Princsas was most cordial, and Queen ] Marghorita expressed her regret at Queen Alexandra's early departure. The Queen and Princ'css were to leave Roino for Naples to-day. ' ' j THE ROYAL VISIT' TO ITALY. There io no doubt whatever thai tht visit of our ,Ki»g and; Queen to Italy has had n most valuable effect on the Italian public mind, and has been another of those brilliant coups in the larger diplomacy by his (skill in which King .Edward Vll. has already made himselt a nnnioMn history. Just as he "came, raiw, and conquered" in Franco, and Spain, and Portugnl, so he and his charming Queen bnvo come, seen, inntl conquered in Italy. They won immense kudos . among tho timid Neapolitans by their pluck in approaching Vesuvius bcforo the great eruption could be said to have lost its terrors. As a matter of fact, they went higher up tho volcano than any reigning sovereign has previously reached, nor was it possible to mnke the ways smooth and the rough places plain even for Royalty, and ,the roads which hnd to bo travelled between Naples on the other hand, "and Vesuvius aud Pompeii on the other, were simply courses kneep-deep with chocolatecoloured batter. But what has naturally endeared them still more to the poverty-stricken sufferers is tho King's handsome gift of 20,000 lire— about £800 . English— f or their benafiL and thair xo- .

peated expressions of pity and sympathy which have been earnestly treasured up. for future memories. When it is ' remembered that one "t the .chief problems of European statesmanship in the present semi-crisis has been to keep Italy aloof from Germany, and to attach her to the Anglo-Frßnch* coalition, it will be 1 easily perceived what a valuable diploma-, tic stroke haa been executed by our .Statesman-King., YELLOW JOURNALISM. By the way, when all Paris was in aemi-turmoil on Tuesday last, Ist May, and a revolution of the most ruthless kind was confidently predicted and prepared for, King Edna^d once more gave proof of his courage by> coolly driving thiouuh the midst of Paris, including the localities where the ditturbunces wera moat imminent, travelling in an i open carriage without the slightest attempt at disguise or concealment, but ' evidently hiking the keenest iuteieat in nil that went on. New jZealand readers alroadj know by cable that the rumoured rising turned ouo a fiasco of the 'moot feeble jind futile kind, the accounts .reminding me of a, "grande Emeule" — as tho Paris . papers, called it — at which • I was personally present two or three years ago, when the Church, and State difficulties first arose. ,On the first occasion I pasaed right .through the midst of the "revolushers" withput bavin; the slightest notion that anything -unusual was proceeding. I only learned the fact through the morning papers. But on tho following evening there was to be a really groat demonstration, so of course I went to see that, ' hoping to get some good "copvt" and to find, the gutters flooded .with blood. ■ All, that really happened was that a ; number of people loaied about; charting excitedly, that a few ■hobbledehoys paraded one street chanting the "Marseillaise" very much out of tune, that gendarmes innumerable lined the kcib, while behind them the foot- . paths were occupied chiefly with children and nursemaids, who had comt> to 'see tlie iun t Anything more- vapid or le&b harmful I never saw .or heard of dreamed of, and this week's affair seems to have been on very similar lines. About midday some London papers published terrific scure-lines about tho mob bJng shot down in crowds and charged by cavalry with sabres; or by infantry at the point of the bayonet, numbeis .being killed' or wounded. In later tions of the same < papers it 'was \ announced ".Nobody was injured in' today's disturbances." Thus is current history made! THE SORROWS OF SAN FRANCISCO. After the stentorian blast of self-reli-ance -in whicli tlie United Slates, headed by President Roosevelt, indulged after the San Francisco disaster, declaring that no foreign aid was desired or needed or would be accepted, it' is rather droll • to read to-day that the Relief Committee and the authorities generally have come to the conclusion that "second thoughts are best." The name idea haa struck those liberal souls who were vocally ready to plank down their millions apiece toward the restoration in superior form of "the Queen City of the Pacific." The latter are beginning to wonder why they should "stump up" to such a mighty tune, seeing that their personal inteiest in the mattei is almost nil, and to hint that the , rebuilding might just as well be left to the insurance . companies, while the unfortunates who did not insure deservu tn suffer for their improvidence and lack of forethought. On the other buna, the San Franciscans are growing to realise more clearly day by day thai, a sum of £50,000,000 sterling is not to be picked up casually m the street. Moreover, the insurance companies — American, British, and for<eign alike — do not seem at all disposed to mnintain the position which spine gushing and unworldly folk believed and declared they would, be s sure to take up, namely, that this was *iot a time to look too sharply after pounds, shillings, and pence — or even dollars — and in the case -of ko dire and vast a catastrophe, it would bo proper for them to pay up and look pleasant, even if in tha eye of the btnet law liability did not attach them. This view, however, did not commend itself to the directors of the insurance compxniee, who have announced that, as virtually trustees for their shareholders' property, they have no right to pay away anything over and above their strict legal liabilities. "What the law declares to be legally due from us,'" said the chairman of one company, "that wo shall pay in full — but no raoie. We have 'no authority or right to pay away our shareholders' money in mere charity or benevolence. We must not be benevolent i<r charitable at the expense of others."' So altogether the San Francisco people are beginning to find themselves in rather a tight place, and have thought it) advisable to climb down from their elevation of dignifies independence. They aro beginning to feel 'very "sick and so-rry" indeed that they Trere in such a needless hurry — or the President on their behalf — to proclaim thaO no outside aid would be acceptable, and they are making very earnest efforts to bring about a renewal of those offers ' which were previously declined with so much superfluous dignity. Unfortunately, it does not at)' all follow that outside assistance will be forthcoming in anything like th-a volume that would have poured in under tho influence of the first' impulse of honor 'and' pity and sympathy. It is a juist.ik'e to be ton dignified 'unless you are quite suix> "where you are." THE BUDGET. Mr. Asquith, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, , brought* down his Budget. He estimated next year's surplus at £3,074,000, wliich he disposed of thus; Abolition of the coal expprt duty, £1,000,000, extra reduction of the National Debt, £500,000; grant to neccs sitous school districts. £135,000; postlal concessions,- £105,000; reduction of the tea duty from 6s to 5d per lb, £920,000 ; leaving -£4l4,ooo 'for contingencies. These proposals have been received"- with 'a chorus of loud grumblings.' It is pointed out with perfect tlruth and justice that the sacrifice of £1,000,000 in giving the coal export 'dutv means on the one hand a present of thrit sum to the rich coalowners who 'have so cleverly worked tho agitatiion, and also valuable cheapening to Germany of the fuel which would be s>o essential to her in the case of any naval operations against this country. Tku> | naturally is not fit all a popular idea, j ' Secondly, it is demonstrated that the penny oil the tea-duty cannot possibly benefit any British consumers, because the amount is too small to be divisible among the quantities sold by -retail. Wherefore, the sum sacrificed in revenue, nearly another million sterling, will be simply v sort of birthday present to the teadealers and middlemen generally. Third' I ly. the oppressed income-tax payer obtains no relief whatever, out) still pays i a war-tax in times of peace-, while also our financial reserve or war-chest is thus being, nsed up while there- is no war to o.all for it, making our position v, very dangerous one in. case of our being unexpectedly involved in a big war. THE EDUCATION BILL. Public feeling runs very high, and will run still higher, over the new Education Bill. ' A- vigorous 'agitation has been going on for some time on the part of the Anglican body against the salient provi- , sions of the Bill, and now the Roman j Catholic body ha& also declared dead against it. 'A tremendous amount of bitterneaß is being evolved, and its author, \

Mr. * Birrell, must already be wondering rather anxiously what is going to be tho outcome of things. A shrewd suspicion is entertained by many people that lihe -Government will either allow *it) to be delayed in the Lower House until too late for it to pass in Ho law this year, or else that the House of Lords will have a friendly hint to' throw it out when it reaches the Unper Chamber. I hear, .however, from a fairly' trustworthy source, tihat the matter has, already -been considered privately by a number of the Peers, and that at present they are not by any means disposed to be thus used as ar mere tool to open out a way of etsca.pe for the Government.