London Gossip.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1032, 11 December 1891, Page 36

London Gossip.

(prom our own correspondent.) October 15, MR SMITH AND MR PARNELL.

Two more prominent men dead. It was only last letter that I told the story of the donble suicide of General Balmaceda and General Boulanger. Since then death has been gathering nearer home, and, with start, ling suddenness, we have been told that Mr W. H. Smith, the leader of the House of Commons, and Mr Parnell, the quondam leader of the Irish Party, have passed away. Except, perhaps, to those very intimately acquainted with either statesman, the death of both came as a shock. There were no words of danger, no newspapers with “ dangerous illness of so and so,” no tidings of alternating good and evil. The first we heard was final. On Tuesday evening the posters glared upon us with the words “ Sudden death of the Right Hon W. Smith,” and men had barely time to realise what this meant when “Death of Mr Parnell ” for a time almost banished the thought of Mr Smith from their minds. Nor was even this the end. Another decease, which less interested Englishmen than it will colonials, and which, moreover, was scarce noticed in the turmoil caused by the more notable deaths followed in quick succession—l allude to the unexpected demise of'teir John Pope Henneasy. Poor man ! Bacon, I think it is, says something to the effect that “ death openeth the door to good fame and extinguisheth envy.” And it is an old proverb ■ which tells us 41 nil nisi bonum de mortuis.” I am afraid most colonials, who concur in the proverb, will find their only courso is to say nil.

To turn our thoughts to the other two. There seems but one circumstance common to them. Both sacrificed their lives to politics. As a private man either might have seen good days for a long while to come. But on the contrary both preferred “ to scorn delights and live labounous days. Mr Smith’s illness has been long upon him. The toil, the responsibility, the worry of leading the Honse was not without effect. Months ago gout troubled him, and sickness warned him to take a rest. Unfortunately he could not take the rest. His party demanded his helpful presence, and he Rave it bo long as he couM, gave it too long for “is own safety. To many it may seem strange that a plain man of business like Mr .Smith, one without talent and without eloquence, should have been so needful to his party, that they worked him to death. Among men of the calibre of Lord Salisbury, Balfour, Gosohen, Ritchie, Hicks Beach, he was a veritable minnow among Tritons, so far as political genius is concerned. But, as has been pointed out, his great value lay in two things. He was pre-eminently one of the people,'be was moreover a practical man of business. Geniua may foster schemes which dazzle the eyes of men of intellect. Men of sober sense are wanted to tell how far such schemes will work._ Farsighted statesmen may mutually admire one another’s masterpieces. But there is always a further question. How will the masses regard them ? and no little of the strength of the late Cabinet arose from this—that among them was one aaoustomed to look on things as a practical man of business ; and, further, whose way of regarding matters approached that of the ordinary Englishman. To add to his other qualifications for leading the Lower House, he was the most popular man there. He had a geuius for conciliation. Ruffle his temper you could not. Even the Irish members tried that, time and again, without avaiL Firmness and suavity com.

bined gave him command of that restless body, and, moreover, endeared him to it. And it is safe to prophesy, seeing that the prophecy is already fulfilled, that no section of the Commons will fail to regret 44 plain Mr Smith.” More especially does bis death come as a blow to the Conservatives, from whom arises the mournful cry, “ We could have better spared a better man.” A greater contrast to Mr Smith than Mr Parnell presented could hardly have been imagined. The dazzling, unscrupulous polltical genius which raised from nothing a party destined to dominate one of our greatest statesmen and his followers, which rode roughshod over all opposition, which for a time subdued, chained, drove the world’s most powerful hierarchy even in its own stronghold, had nothing io common with Mr Smith’s staid businesslike attainments. “The uncrowned King,” ton, always subordinated means to end, and with him, as with many more, the end justified the menus. Mr Smith was nothing if not scrupulously honest. Then Parnell had far-reaching plans. What waß his end—his real end—we do not know, probably never Bhall. Ireland’s independence ho aimed at. But one so clear-sighted must have looked further than that. Ireland independent must become Ireland united. Such a task as that of reconciling the Irish faotions, of purging the island of all the brass which, though mixed with would not incorporate with the clay, in itself formid able enough, would have presented itself as infinitely more difficult and more distasteful to one of the race, the religion, the education of the Irish leader. Such a task, however, lay directly before him. He was the last man to Buffer anarchy. Farther, too, than this his eye probably pierced. What he saw he kept to himself. Now he is gone—and so is his party. He was the personality around which his party centred. Since the days of O’Connell Ireland had not known a leader until she found—and, to do her justice, recognised—a greater in Parnell. So long as she and he stood fast together, her hopes

justly ran high. It has become the fashion of late to decry Parnell ; so it is with the fallen. But anyone who can remember the Irish representation in 1875 and 1889 ; anyone who can recollect Mr Gladstone, Sir Wm. Harcourt, Mr Morley and the present Gladatonian Liberals in 1882 and 18S6; anyone who can remember how a people and a church, both loyal to their supreme head on earth, utterly disregarded and set aside the counsels of that head at the bidding of one alien in birth aDd religion : and who, in the face of that, can deny the genius—the uncommon genius—of the mail, has strange ideas of political genius. In a word, Parnell on the stage of, Ireland did as much and more, than did Bismarck or anyone else in Germany. The consolidation of a kingdom, the introduction of obstruction, the elaboration of boycotting —for all these we are indebted to Parnell, and we are told he waß no statesman. Truly he fell. The tale requires no retelling. So did Bismarck, so did Wolsey, so did Thomas Cromwell, so did Strafford. ■ Whether he would ever have regained his former state, who knows ? Uncertainty is the keynote to the Irish people, as to Irish politics. Sufficient for us he is dead, and it now remains to see what effect this death will have on contemporary politics. IMPERIAL FEDERATION. The extent to which this occupies men’s minds a glance, at any of the great magazines will show. Not a month passes but some man of note unburdens himself on the subject. The latest is Sir Charles Tupper. In this month’s contemporary he gives his colonial plan for federating the Empire. Being written entirely from a colonial standpoint needless to say it has not commanded entire sympathy here. Sir Charles is very fair spoken and has pleasant words for all ; but it is not easy to conceal the fact that the halfpence arc to go to the colonies, the kicks to the Old Country. The children

are to be allowed to tax the mother oonntry’s goods. In return she is to receive theirs free, besides taxing the raw stuffs and the food supplies she receives from abroad. Sir Charles doesn’t think she will be hurt. He has cot entirely disregarded her in his plan ; but his conclusions seem hardly to follow from his premises. He admits that at first sight it might seem probable that a tax of, say, 5s a quarter on wheat might tend to raise the price of bread ; but, seeing that wheat has sometimes temporarily varied in price as much as ten shillings a quarter without affecting the cost of bread, he hopes for the best. But what ho omits to notice in his article is that a permanent rise of five shillings is a very different thing from a temporary fluctuation. On the balance of argument it seems probable that if you increase the price of wheat either the loaf’s price increases or the loaf’s weight or quality decreases. And of that there is a fear he*-e not hard to understaud. Dear bread is a terrible bogie to people living and working like ours. For, worst of all, it is so possible, so probable, thanks to our modern dependency for food on everyone but ourselves. And then people asks Cui bono all this? What are we to purchase ? An Empire. If we cannot have it except by pnrehase, better not have it at all. Once we were too poor to pay, good-bye to the Empire. Besides, it would postpone for no inconsiderable period, if it did not entirely prevent, that other even nobler project which is simmering in men’s brains. I mean a Federation of all the English-speaking races. That is what we begin to hear of nowadays. At any rate, be that an idle dream or be it what it may, the plan dow set forth by the High Commissioner for Canada does not entirely commend itself, albeit from its clearness and from the ability with which it sets forth its own view of the question, it well repays perusal. STORMS AND FLOODS. The weather is not, I know, a very interesting subject ; but it is such a prominent one just now that I cannot refrain from writing a few words about it. The summergone before it has come ; the crops destroyed before they have ripened. That is the melancholy story ; and to complete it, gales, floods, vessels wrecked, lives lost. Day after day dawns, the same : grey stormy skies, sheets of raiD, hail, sleet, driven by a furious wind. That is the picture. The prophecies are still more gloomy. Never, so say the meteorological pundits, have such conditions preceded any. thing but a severe winter, and if, as is alleged, the severity is proportioned to the leDgth and continuity of the preceding disagreeableness the outlook is not a roseate one. There is but one consolation. Meteorologists and weather prophets are amongst the most unreliable of men. THE POST OPFICE REPORT. But few people realise what a vast machine the London General Post Office Is. The truly colossal dimensions to which its work has grown usually pass unnotioed, so noiselessly does the machine work. It is only when we have pnt before ns in figures the result of a year's work, that we form any conception of the size of the engine at work among us, by which the comforts, conveniences and pleasuresof life are so much increased. The report for last year shows progress almost without exception, and even the inevitable exception speaks of growing confidence. Increase in everything bat the number of letters registered speaks volumes for the care and efficiency of the postal service. To commence with very large figures,. the total number of letters, post cards, parcels, newspapers, &c., carried during the year reached the huge figure of 2,600,000,000. It looks even larger, but conveys a better idea when in figures than in words. Two thousand six hundred millions seems a stupendous quan* tity. It means more than 68 articles per head of tho population—man, woman, aud child. Of this huge total 1706 millions represented letters, almost one-third of which were delivered in the London distriot alone. Some 6,500,000 letters were from one canse or another returned, but the Bix million odd were subsequently delivered at new addresses or returned, leaving but 500,000 to swell the number on hand. About 30,000 letters were posted without being addressed at all, and of these 1601 contained money orders, cash, bank notes, etc. of a value of £SOOO. The practice of posting letters “ containing articles of value ” without registration would seem to be on the increase. Nor is this confined to letters. For instance, one economical lady in Siam sent £25,000 worth of jewellery in a parcel marked sticks and umbrellas ana valued at £7 10a. This is “ reckless economy ” with a vengeance. Another interesting item is given us. We have all heard of “snowballs.” Well the lady started one for the formation of a refuge. She wrote to her ladyfriends to subscribe 3d and ask two of their friends to do likewise, and so on. The snowball was successful, evidsntly rather beyond the starter’s hopes, for she left her address, shortly after the snowball was commenced, without giving any new address. Before she was discovered 16,000 letters containing almost £2OO bad accumulated for her. We all remember what an avalanche the Bishop of Bedford’s snowball grew into. As showing the vast system which deals with this mass of work in letter carrying, distribution, &C. r it is interesting to note that the number of post offices is now 18,800, and letter boxes 22,000. The permanent staff is nearly 64,000, while 54,000 more persons throughout the country are employed more or less in postal work. The report deals shortly with last year’s strike, which for a time threatened tho dislocation of the entire machinery. Short and sharp were the measures taken by the authorities. One morning’s work, the dismissal of 450 employes, had a decidedly cooling effect on the ardour of the discontents, and effectually nipped the movement in the bud. Since then attention has been paid to the men’s complaints, and efforts have been made, with no little success, to improve the organisation and comfort and to better the condition of the men aßd women workers.

A novelty has been introduced, not perhaps entirely with the sympathy of the public. I refer to the introduction of the express delivery service, first in London

and later on in various other parts of the kingdom. To many people this looked like sharp practice, and an attempt of officialdom to ride rough shod over private enterprise. However, the compromise arranged has j ■worked without much friction so. far; Whether it will continue to do so is, of course, a question of some doubt. I shall refer to but one more matter, that of the Post Office Savings Hank. The total sum in hand is now over £67,000,000. Tho amount of Government stock purchased was well over £1,000,000, bringing tjie total amount of stock on hand to more than six millions of pounds. One enterprising depositor invested four shillings in oonanls and afterwards sold out at a oast of eighteen pence. ANOTHER STRIKE AT THE DOCKS. Perhaps one should rather say wharves, for although the men primarily concerned are the same as those who fought in the big dock strike, the locus quo is now the Hermitage and Carron wharves, two of the wealthiest in the port of London. Long before this reaches you the strike will have broken down. There is every sign of an early termination already. The men have again failed. It is always difficult to exactly grasp what is the bone of contention. One side shouts this, the other growls that. From what one hears, however, the ostensible reason for the strike is that the men fear a breach of the Mansion House agreement, by which 6d an hour was agreed to as a minimum wage. At tirsfc blush there would seem to be justice in this view, as what the employers seek to bind the men down to is 30s for a 63 hours’ as a week’s wcrk. But,that is the maximum time, the minimum wage, and the employers say that 63 honrs’ work will be quite tho exception, and that however much it falls short of that time, the wage paid for the labour will be the same. At one time things looked a little black for the wharf owners, though the men’s chance of success was never roseate. Still, when the carmen turned rusty and some of them refused either to cart goods or to allow anyone else to touch the carts, the lookout brightened a little. Unfortunately for the strikers this did not last, as the malcontents were either removed or persuaded to get to work, and now, despite the so-called strike and the presence of large crowds of policemen and strikers about the wharves, work has resumed its normal progress. It cannot be long before we have a formal announcement that the strike is at an end,and that thejmen are to return to work. Poor souls ! how many of them are like to get it ? And what with the dreadful weather now prevalent everywhere, the threatened dearness of bread and every prospect of a hard winter, their lot is an nnenviable one. War in every shape is terrible. Not least the economic war between labour and capital, or as it is in its later phase, between Unionism and Federation. PERSONAL AND GENERAL. Among items of ehnrch news which may interest is the following : —The Rev J. Macfeie, the well known Presbyterian minister, has resigned the charge of the Church at Belfort, and shortly takes his departure for New Zealand. At the recent election for a representative to fill the place of Mr Raikes, the deceased Postmaster-General, the University of Cambridge unanimously returned Pro. fessor Jebb, the great Greek scholar, as their representative. Professor Oebb is an Unionist. Almost as it were by a miracle the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon seemß to ha"e recovered. The later reports have been almost uniformly favourable, and he is now able to take carriage exercise at Eastbourne, where he is staying, and from whence he writes most cheerfully as to his health. Another man of no small note in the world of letters and ecclesiastical learning. Professor Jowett, the master of Baliol, is so seriously ill as to render his ultimate recovery most doubtful. Madame Patey appeared at the Crystal Palace last week for the first time since her return from Australia and New Zealand. She looked well, was in fine voice, and received a splendid reception. From the acconnt of an interview just published she would seem to have thoroughly enjoyed her trip. The Musical Festival, held this year at Birmingham, has been a great success. The receipts exceeded all expectations. Besides, some new music of no inconsiderable merit was brought out. Noticeable amongst the new productions was Herr Dvorak, the Bohemian composer’s Requiem Mass. The oritioisms on the whole are remarkably good, although being by the composer of the beautiful " Stabat Mater,” with which Herr Dvorak’s name is so well known, the standard demanded was necessarily high. Ho far as vocal discoveries were concerned, Birmingham this year was a blank. Not a single new voice of note was heard there, and after certain rumours this was disappointing.