OUR ENGLISH LETTER

New Zealand Mail, Issue 772, 17 December 1886, Page 20

OUR ENGLISH LETTER

(FROM OUR LONDON - CORRESPONDENT.

DISHING THE BADS. London, November 3. This ought to be the title of both the speeches lately delivered at Dartford and subsequently at Bradford. The second utterance was more amusing but -less weighty than the first, which proclaimed a distinct Badical policy. Lord Randolph is nothing if he is not startling, and it may be added inconsistent; indeed, it is coming very fast to this, that no political success is ever attained without the most acrobatic performances. It must be admitted that this immoral course and fashion, if persisted in, will only bring discredit on the system of free Parliaments, and possibly at some future day pave the road for a partial return to a more despotic regime. The dangers which arise from the instability of popular Governments, owing to the fact that no one policy is ever consistently followed by Whigs and Tories alike, is, and has in particular beep, most severely felt in connection with foreign affairs, the utter uncertainty in our procedure has made enemies all round, and if to this be added the fickleness and feebleness of our Ministers, consequent on a desire to catch the wind of popular favor, why the case would soon become hopeless and government impossible. No one can fail to recognise the brilliant qualities that have enabled Lord Randoiph to force his way into public life, bnt had he been in the least degree consistent —indeed, one may add, commonly truthful—he must have remained in obscurity. However the past will be easily and readily condoned it for once he will carry his programme not in the letter which killeth, but in the spirit which giveth life. The Liberal party are having a countei-demonstration, but the cleavage is too complete for anything like even a semblance of reunion to be attempted. The advanced section, therefore, talk about nailing their colors to the mast and forcing the opposite party to surrender a policy perhaps rather liable to throwthem more completely into the arms of. the Tories if they will only open them wide enough. The state of Ireland has distinctly improved, and if the landlords will only consent to be reasonable and hold their hands in the matter of rent, we may yet have a quiet winter. There is reason to think the Government are exercising a certain amount of pressure on the noble lords who hold most of the soil in Ireland, so that peace may extend her wings, and the Tories gam kudos for having governed Ireland better than their predecessors.

THE COMING RACE. The coming race would at first sight hardly be deemed to be that great and mysterious nation which clusters so thickly on the banks of the Yellow River, and is proving so serious a competitor in the battle of life that even the hardy and astute Yankees find it difficult to hold their own in the almost unequal contest. To the foreigner the Chinese race have always appeared like one of those raised beaches that geologists can detect along our shores, marking the spot where once ebbed and flowed the eternal ocean, and amongst the stones of which may be found records of the past, chronicling the progress and condition of the world as it then W as, but now unalterable and changeless. In the’progress of events the Mongolian people seem to have reached a high water-mark of civilisation when the rest of the world was in a state of barbarism, and then for some strange and unknown reason the advance was stopped. Hence Europeans have been apt to look down with some contempt on the nation of pigtails, and to deem them conservative to he altered. But there are symptoms abroad that not only have we made a mistake in supposing the Westerns have nothing to learn, but also m fancying the Chinese are going to maintain their reserve for all remaining time. The march of events has been too much even for them ; and at any moment we may hear that some one or other of our enterprising financiers has received the concession for a system of

railways connecting Pekin with the world at large. On the other hand, the Chinese in | Europe are not only defending themselves, but even are on the attack. Quite recently, one Ly Chao Pee has delivered an excellent lecture in French before the Parisians, in which he ran a tilt against the eminent M. Renan for his disparaging reference to the Chinese tongue in a volume on the origin of language. The Frenchman . declares it is an incomplete structure, and symbolical of the dryness of mind and heart, characteristic of those who employed it. The Chinaman retorted that for M. Renan to talk like that was in effect nonsense ; that he knew nothing about .it; that times are changing, and wound up with the very nineteenth-century remark that “we must all, Asiatics and Europeans, march! together to the conquest of arts, science and industry !” A good deal of attention has been drawn to China lately, not only by the continued advance upon her borders by Russia and England, but also especially in Indian circles in connection with the projected visit, for commercial purposes, of Mr Colman Macaulay, of the Civil Service, 1o the cities and region of Thibet. This enterprise has for. the moment failed. The Chinese Government, it seems, exercises paramount influence in that unknown land, and it was necessary in order to secure success to gain the aid of the Pekin officials. This, at first, was readily granted, but unfortunately the original object of the ambassage was forgotten in the eager thirst for information displayed by men of science, and possibly adventurers who sought to form a contingent of the expedition. The news of this invasion, all peaceful as it was, penetrated in a menacing guise to Thibet, and was connected at once with the idea of military invasion. Pressure, therefore, seems to have been exercised on the representative of the Chinese Emperor, who reported adversely to his superiors, who in their turn, begged the Viceroy to abandon the project. For the moment, therefore, over eagerness has upset the scheme, but there are hopes that it may be arranged on a smaller footing. The Times’ correspondent has been contributing some interesting letters to his journals anent the Chinese, and like Sir J. P. Hennessy, formerly Governor of Hong Kong, he absolutely repudiates the generally entertained opinion that their diplomatists are deceitful and untrustworthy. Both gentlemen speak enthusiastically of Government and people, and it would really appear, what I believe old colonists who have known the Chinamen in the gold digging days, also admit, viz., that in agricultural pursuits, and a knowledge of gardening, to use a slang expression, Europeans are absolutely “not ia it.” An eminent Mongolian recently touring in France is reported to have expressed _ his entire contempt for our methods of cultivation. Then again, as regards social status ; the literary or scientific man holds the first place, and would take highest seat in a public assembly ; the soldier, however successful, goes to the bottom; whilst merchants and tradesmen approach a high official with their faces to the grounds A present Viceroy of one of the Provinces, who assisted materially in saving the very existence of his country against the Taepings, has given up his ignoble position as a warrior, and falls back on his claim to learning in order to maintain any position in the eyes of his countrymen. In politeness and command of temper 1 the barbarian puts us entirely to shame, and a story is told ofvanaccredited representative at the Pekin Court who, in the course of conversation with a Chinese Minister, lost his temper, and slapped the table after the manner of platform orators. The Minister immediately turned his back and left the room, to the astonishment and; discomfiture of the European, and not until an apology was offered and accepted were the negotiations resumed!

AT THE CEMETERY. At the gates of St. J ames’ burial ground in Liverpool, on the 25th of October, might have been witnessed an imposing concourse of some thousands of people—imposing not by reason of the wealth of the mourners, though many a gentlemen’s carriage, from the Bishop’s downward, might have been counted in the cortege—but rather from the poverty of those assembled to pay the last honors to a lost friend. Every cabman in the city, 1400 in all, wore a black rosette, and not a man amongst them but felt that day they were poorer than before. The man who was thus so universally lamented was Edward Summers, “Happy Ned,” as he was sometimes called, remarkable indeed in many ways, and locally known as the “ Cabman’s Bishop.” More than fifty years ago Ned might have been seen any Sunday morning, either strolling along with a pipe in his mouth and a bulldog at his heels, or else quite as likely, stripped to his waist engaged in a furious boxing match with an antagonist as brawny as himself. For he was then, and continued to the day of his death, as powerful a man as might be found in the county of Lancashire. On week days he pursued his work as a striker at Fawcett’s foundry, and was one of the most brutal and degraded men in Liverpool, so much so, indeed,, that he left the bedside of bis dying mother to engage in a prize fight, a curious episode of which also was that when he stood up for the fray a young woman in the crowd fell in love with him, and when it was over, bleeding and bruised as he was, she went up to him and besought him—successfully—to marry her. At the age of 22 he could neither read nor write, had never entered a place of worship, and of course defied the laws of his country to the uttermost extent. It happened, however, that in the foundry were a few men who exercised a salutary influence on their fellows, and at last ventured even to attempt the reclamation of the notorious Ned Summers. To make a long story short, he was led to attend a certain chapel, with the final and remarkable result that he was induced to abandon his evil ways, and became, within a few weeks, a reformed ! character. With the remarkable energy that he displayed in all his work, he at once learnt to read and write, and acquired a decent education. When 1 the factory at which he was employed was r closed, Ned turned missionary, and devoted ’ himself to the very lowest of the low—dog- ! fighters, scavengers, nightmen, dock laborers, ! boxers, and such like. Of course he became ' a temperance man, and added also streetpreaching to his other accomplishments. It is : said that his success was most remarkable,

and numberless homes were changed by the influence of his example and his work. Often his life was threatened, and more than 'once he was rescued from violence by those ,who wore , indebted, to him for. reformation. But it was especially by his work amongst cabmen that he gained his chief reward,, not a man in the .ranks but knew and welcomed him. No doubt his addiressea Bavored of the -enthusiast, and High Churchmen and Roman Catholics would have called his mission unorthodox and unauthorised, but a higher power blessed his labors, and if it be true that they who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever, his name will assuredly be added to the long catalogue of those whose lives have been spent for the good of their fellow men. His last illness was very brief, and when found dead he was on his knees in the attitude of prayer.

DIARY OF BISHOP HANNINGTON. Exactly twelve months ago a 3 I write these words, viz., the 29th October, 1885, this ill-fated missionary had penned the following in his diary, which has just come to hand: —“Eighth day’s prison. I can hear no-news, but was held up by Psalm 30, which came with great power. A hyaena howled near me last night, smelling a sick man (the Bishop was ill' with fever), but I -hope it ia not to have me yet.” These were the last lines he wrote, and it is believed that he was taken'out of the miserable hut where he was confined, amidst vermin and filth, as wo learn from previous entries, and led to execution. It appears that almost directly after his arrival at Lubwas he was, whilst ascending a hill to view the country, set upon and robbed and brutally illtreated by a gang of ruffians, and almost immediately afterward dragged into the hut, from whence he was taken to his death a week later.

The Rev Henry Perrott Parker has been consecrated in Bishop Hannington’s place, and it is to be hoped that discretion will be used in dealing with the ignorant chiefs whose moral and spiritual elevation will be his care. It is almost certain that Dr Hannington’s deajjih was occasioned by the fear that he and his followers were the advanced guard of an invading army. Terrible news of a wholesale massacre of converts in the country of King Wanga (Manda) has iust come to hand, which recalls the days of the Roman Emperors. Many were tortured, mutilated, and speared, and 32, it is said, were burnt to death. If reports are to be believed, the unfortunate sufferers exhibited a heroic constancy worthy of the days of the early Church., . . • .< •

THE STOCK EXCHANGE. The Stook Exchange' sensation of the moment is the conversion of the private firm known to all the world as Guinness’ Brewery, Dublin, into a limited liability, under the title of Arthur Guinness, Son, and Co. (Limited), with a capital of £6,000,000. The firm was established as long ago as 1759, and it is said that the average profits of the last fivejyears have been £452,294 per annum. The average number of hogsheads sold amount to no less than 755,000 yearly. The rush of investors has been tremendous, and for the six millions required it is asserted that no less than 127 millions were offered. Prospectuses, it is said, were even sold at 12s 6d apiece for the sake of the application forms. There are two things tobe noted about this : first, • that'thferAisMo lack of capital when the right thing turns up, and, secondly, that, despite the decline of excise and the manifest growth of temperance principles, there is a strongly grounded belief in the omnipotency of John Barleycorn, and that his life is, as the insurance offices would say, a remarkably good one. No doubt stout, like a good many other things, is well in its way, if people would only confine themselves to moderate libations, and a good deal of the popularity which Guinness enjoys arises from the fact that it is recommended by family doctors and medical books. Also it may be observed the bogey of Home Rule has not terrified the investor, though the mighty vats lie within easy reach of the thirsty legislators who may one day assemble with dry throats on St. Stephen’s Green. Of course the extraordinary influx of capital is occasioned ju3t now by the difficulty of meeting with a sound and paying investment. The good old times when a man might reasonably look for £SO a year for bis invested £IOOO, are more or leas gone for ever, he thinks himself lucky if he makes £45, and is quite contented with £4O, even if he does'" not fall back on the sweet simplicity of the three per cents. When the Manchester Ship Canal Company asked for £8,000,000 they did not get it for the very simple reason that few people expected to see their money’s worth returned, and so many millions of stock are lying idle in unremunerative enterprises that the operator of the present day needs to be an exceedingly astute and cunning person. But beer never changes, kingdoms wax and wane, and fashions of all kinds alter and are fogotten, but the New Zealander that comes to sketch the ruins of St. Paul’s, will, if he has not become a teetotaller, still probably be able to find a glass of home-brewed in the neighborhood of the broken arch of London Bridge.

IS GORDON DEAD ?

I suppose the possibility of the reappearance of this hero will crop up ever and anon, and linger for years as a kind of tradition till time itself will, by mere lapse, place his reappearance beyond the limit of _ possibility. His brother. Sir Henry Gordon, it-is known, is dissatisfied with the evidence of his supposed murder, but little question really lingers in the mind of anyone else. However, a rumor has again arisen that Gondokori, in the equatorial Soudan, is still holding out in a determined, but seemingly hopeless resistance, and the conclusion rather wildly jumped at by some one is that the spirit of this forlorn hope must be the great general himself, that he must have escaped up the Nile under cover of the general confusion at the sack of Khartoum. Our continued occupation of Egypt is said to be causing considerable heartburnings amongst our neighbors across the Channel, and threats of physical force to be employed in turning us out have been indulged in, only, however, to be emphatically repudiated by the cooler heads of the Government. Turkey is believed to have been sounded, but she returned a cold answer and admits that our rule at Cairo is producing satisfactory results. Meanwhile our statesmen are pursu-

ing a steady course in promoting agriculture and irrigation and reclaiming waste, with the very satisfactory result that there is a surplus in the assigned revenues of a quarter of a million. This is the most hopeful and cheering news received for a long time, and evacuation will not take place until the general improvement of the country is much more advanced that it is at present. . ' -

THE DILKE CASE. " The Dilke case is once more looming on the social horizon. Most of us hoped we had heard the last of it, painful and terrible as the thought wa3, that one of the most brilliant men of the day, and from whom the nation justly expected great things, had received a blow from which he could never hope to recover. Yet there are evidences abroad that people still believe in him and the alleged conspiracy. Amongst the faithful are evidently to be counted a number of his constituents who have recently passed a vote of confidence in him, and desire to nominate him for the next vacancy in Chelsea. Sir Charles, however, to do him credit, absolutely declines to reenter public life until his character has been re-established in the eyes of his country, men. Some “ notes ”on the recent scandal have been published lately by an evening London paper, and excite interest from the current belief that they are the production of the co-respondent himself, and are rumored to be feelers thrown out previous' to some legal move—possibly a proiecution of someone for perjury. It is said that important discoveries have been made siuee the recent trials which tend to prove a gross miscarriageof justice. As to the aforesaid “notes,” they add but little to our knowledge except in one important point. It may be remembered that at the trial, the jury asked Mrs Crawford to make a sketch of the room in Warren-street, where the alleged adultery took place. Now it is positively declared that the sketch in question is utterly erroneous, and does not resemble the construction of the house or room, or the position of the furniture ; and it is hinted pretty plainly that it was made simply from hearsay, and from what Mrs Crawford had gathered by listening to the evidence. But if so, ; it is odd, to say the least, that no one on Sir Charles Dilke’a side detected the discrepancies at the time the plan was made, for it undoubtedly had an important influence on the opinion of the jury.

MR ARTHUR CLAYDEN. Mr Clayden has been lecturing about New Zealand before that singular body the Balloon Society, at Westminster. This association appears to engage itself with every question under the sun except that of asronautics itself, so Mr A. C. has astutely taken advantage of its catholic spirit to enlighten us on the gieat colonial question. What between the efforts of one enterprising agent and another and the new Emigration; Bureau, something advantageous ought to result for everyone concerned. It is satisfactory to know that Mr Clayden’s “conviction is that a brilliant future is before New Zealand,” and he bases hi 3 belief on five points, climate, healthiness, local industries, attractiveness, and not least, but lastly, a free constitution. At the same time he believes the colonies generally afford “thesolution of our social enigma and the answer to our bitter cry.” Unfortunately, however,forthemoment the colonies generally, and, I gather, New Zealand in particular,'are having a good_ bitter cry themselves ; and it is quite certain they do not want, and will not have, any but those who have some capital, either in money or muscle, wherewith to keep themselves afloat till fairly established. The real difficulty of dealing with our squalid poor will, I fear, remain as great as ever. Nevertheless Mr Clayden’s lecture was highly instructive and interesting, and very acceptable to those who heard it; and such addresses do much to dispel erroneous ideas which are soine ' times beiug disseminated by.thosejwho should know better to the detriment of the colonies. Every year’s increase in tlie capital of tne colony will tend to lesson the effect of that bete noir—the public debt.