LONDON GOSSIP.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1267, 11 June 1896, Page 8

LONDON GOSSIP.

From Our Own Curmpomlent, London, April 25. Primrose Day is but a shadow of its former self and in a very few years now will be as completely a thing of the past as Lord Beaconsfield’s policy or his novels. What tawdry impossibilities many of the latter are to bo sure! I picked up “ Endymion” (a first edition in 3 vols. for 9d) the other day. This was the work for which, if I remember aright, Longmans’paid the then ex-Premier a record number of thousands of pounds sterling. George Eliot, Wilkie Collins and. other. great masters of the time had their diminished heads blighted by Lord Beaconsfield’s more magnificent achievement. Everybody read “ Endymion,” everybody talked about it and many suiter reviewers absolutely praised the book. Nowadays neither itnor“Lotliair” are asked for at the big libraries half a dozen times a year, it seems indeed extremely doubtful whether even “Cmii)i<rsby ” will bo read in another ton years. DEATH OF LOUD BATH. Lord Bath, who died at Venice on Sunday was the head of the deservedly respected noble family of Thynnos and himself a Bayard suns peur ct sans reproche in all relations of life. In manner his Lordship was reserved to the verge of hauteur and exceedingly shy. He hated t( 10 ,dare of publicity and kept out ot it as far as duty permitted. But his iniluence was considerable and, when ho chose to exert it, far-reaching. The Tones, in a sympathetic obituary notice, says:— Thorn'll Lord Bath took a keen interest in political questions he had too much independence of judgment and too muen conscientiousness to adapt himself to the requirements of party politics.. Hus became apparent during the crisis ot the Eastern question which culminated in the Busso-Turkish war of 1877-78. Though a staunch Conservative in Home affairs he could not profess to approve of the 1 hiloTurkish policy of Lord Beaconsfield, am sympathised rather with the views and scruples of Lord Derby and Lord Carnarvon. After the war he mado a tour with Di Sandwith in the Balkan Peninsula, and published some of his impressions in an interesting little volume on Bulgaria, in which ho showed a reasonable sympathy with moderate Bulgarian . aspirations. From that time ho followed with the keenest interest the developments of the Eastern question and constantly sought to obtain fuller information on the subject by readini' books, pamphlets and nawspapers, and by" conversations and correspondence with the most competent authorities. In this ho was aided by a marvellously retentive memory, which enabled him to cite at a moment’s notice not only the facts which lie had learned but also the authorities from whom ho had obtained them. The expression of his views, however was confined to a small circle of friends, and ho seemed to avoid all reference to his book on Bulgaria as if it had been a youthful illdiscretion.

THE BUDGET. The House of Commons expected a Budget speech of extra good quality from Sir Michael Hicks-Bcach and it was not disappointed, i’ho Chancellor of the Exchequer is the reverse of a “ pushful politician. Ho never trios to get into the foreground, but when duty requires him to be there lie is quite equal to the situation. On Thursday night his performance was generally voted excellent. He didn’t mix up his notes, or lose his glasses, or clutch at himself convulsively like Mr Uoschon used to do. Nor did ho propound, without apparent reason, conundrums to himself. He never once said ‘•I ask myself why.” His touch was lighter than Mr Gladstone’s and more felicitous than Sir William lfareourt’s. No doubt the agreeable nature of the Budget he had to unfold was largely responsible for this, it was a tale of unexampled financial prosperity. Seldom has there been such a twelvemonth. In every item the anticipations of the estimates had been outshone by the surplus of realisation. People had drunk mote, and smoked more, and presumably made more. And this delight fill state of things commenced when ? Why, last summer, when the Rosebery Government departed and the present ad-

ministration took office. Mr Goscheu would have certainly allowed the delighted House to infer that the prosperity was the corollary of the change of Government. But the present I ’hancellor is too jannock for that. “These variations,” said he, “have nothing to do witli Governments.” The nail causu was the mining boom. To it unquestionably must be put down the tact, that extra champagne to the extent of twelve hundred thousand bottles had been drunk in IHilo-'.HJ. The consumption of tobacco had also increased enormously. Boys, women, and alas ! oven girls now indulge extravagantly in the insidious and too often pernicious cigarette. W hen Sir Michael went on to say that no less value than a million sterling was thrown into the gutter annually in cigar and cigarette ends, honourable members opened their eyes. Turning to the great breakfast-table question, the Chancellor informed the House that cccoa is driving out coffee, and Indian tea the China leaf. Neither of those developments need surprise us. Average Indian tea is not only better than China but extensively advertised, and cheap cocoa can be got pure, whereas cheap coffee is invariably scandalously adulterated. Stamps, like champagne, had Sir Michael went on benefited by the gold gambling which had been such a feature of the year. Beer had been buoyant and the brewers had had a good year and could not want anything out of tho surplus. Tho death duties had excooded even tho wildest expectations; I but then the Exchequer had reaped a har-

vest out of the cold weather of February last year, and tho Chancellor was raking in iho duties almost before the memorial marbles had left the statuaries) workshops. Then came tho usual solemn note of warning about tho annual increase of expenditure, which apparently will soon be too great to strain even for tho elasticity of the revenue. There is the Navy, that old man of tho sea who sits upon the neck of all Chancellors of tho Exchequer. If wo are not careful, tho time will como when wo shall have either to increase taxation or to stop paying off the National Debt, And lastly, Sir Michael, having built up all his figures, and shown a surplus of i 11,708,000, proceeded to demolish it by modifications of tho estate duties, reductions in the land tux, and a big “chunk” to agricultural rating and tho end of it all was a surplus of .£308,000 for contingencies.

A SECRET SOCIETAL Secret societies aro so utterly out of date and contrary to the spirit of tho ago that the discovery of one in active existence at Cambridge, and numbering, it is said, upwards of a thousand members, has given many good people a severe shock. The headquarters of this clique—called, I understand, the Companions of St. John—is Pembroke College, Cambridge. It came into being ten years ago, and the chief promoter is the Rev Ernest John fierizSmith, described by the Spectator as an “eager athlete, a good musician, and a devotee of young men.” Somehow 1 dislike that character, though tho objects of Mr Heriz-Smith and bis Companions are said to bo purely religious, self-denying and philanthropic. Unquestionably they mean real business. One gathers that much from the absolute silence with which members bear tho attacks made on tho Society without attempting to defend it. Such information as had leaked out comes of course from disloyal secoders. Upon facts thus acquired the Spectator bases two charges. First, that the Society encourages confession as tho High Church encourage? it, and next that it requires its novices to practiso for either twj months, or as long a time as is needed for tho novico to procure by his own efforts another novice—a somewhat humiliating sort of obedience to his immediate introducer, who is probably very young and may bo decidedly a goose. “ We are told for instance (says your contemporary) that a novice that is called out of a religious meeting of which his immediate sponsor does not approvo, and who refuses to come, may be punished next day by being tied to the leg of bis own table, and that ho would be bound under the solemn promise ho has given to endure that rather humiliating penance without resistance. Wo argue from that that the founders of the Society wished to test tho earnestness of its members by trying whether they could bear a little humiliation without resistance, even if the humiliation seemed arbitrary and ridiculous. There may be something to be said for such a rule—there have been plenty of religious societies that have encouraged their members to endure small indignities ami shames for the very purpose of testing and exeicising their own fortitude and sincerity—but of course in a secret society no defence can be made without breaking the fundamental principle of tho association.” Personally I must say I can’t imagine what the undcrgnul. can lie like who would confess serious ; lapses from grace to another lad and allow himself by way of penance to suffer ridiculous and humiliating punishment. Certainly one does know a type of antcmic, hallstarved Anglican cuiate one could associate with such ideas. But the athletic Cambridge undergrad, won’t lit the part at all. Tho use of a secret society of the character of the Companions of St. John is of course that it enables persons of extreme and unpopular religious views to carry them out without criticism or controversy. AVhethor the University ought or ought not to permit the existence in it.-: midst of such cliques is now being hotly argued. . To moke Mr Ueriz-Smith and his Companions mart yrs by turningthom out of the ’ V arsity would be perhaps even more mischievous than to ignore them. The host plan, in my opinion, would he to keep a sharp eye on the Fellow of Pembroke and warn all unsuspecting luidcrgrads. who scorned likely to he meshed in the toils.

MAJOK-G ENERAL CARRINGTON. q'he new commander ot the British forces in Matabclolaml, Major-General Sir Eredk. Carrington, is a relati ve<if the late Governor of New South Wales and Lord Chamberlain and a soldier with much experience in South African warfare. Tho Major is now likely to get close quarters with tho Matabele ami to strike another ami perhaps a final blow at tho remnant of tho once powerful Zulu race with which his military career is identified. This time he goes to South Africa with greater chances of being wanted tor serious work than was the case in ISiJL He was then ordered to the Cape to take command of the imperial forces, co-operating with Dr Jameson s army, and lie had no time to pack oven a single trunk. Ho caught the mail by a lucky chance, and wontout with nothing but the suit in which ho stood and a new cavalry saddle. When, however, lie reached the Capo he found that the Jameson force and the Beclmanaland Police had swept tho country and wore in possession of flu uwayo. Sir Frederick was baulked, ot his expected service and returned to England to bo appointed to command tho infantry brigade at Gibraltar. It is possible, of course, that this experience may be repeated for by tho time ho reaches tho scene of the rebellion the valiant defenders of Buluwayo and Earl Grey, Sir Richard Martin (of whose arrival wo may hear at any moment) and Air Cecil Rhodes, may between them have brought about them such a change in the face of affairs that Sir Frederick will find ho has nothing to do. Sir Frederick Canington can, however, scarcely add to his reputation should it fall to his lot to crush tho Matabele rebels, for his renown as a master of South

African native warfare is as high as it can be. lie is now in his fifty-second year. Born in Gloucestershire, tho son of a magistrate of tho county, he was educated at Cheltenham and entered the army in 1861. Eleven years afterwards he was in South Africa when tho rising in tho [daimond fields gave him his opportunity. He then organised and commanded the mounted infantry which took so conspicuous a part in the expedition. Henceforward we find him in every native war during the past twenty years. “ Carrington’s Horse ” was at the annexation of the Transvaal, in the war in the Transkei territories, in the operations against Sekukini in the Bechuanaland expedition under Sir Charles Warren, and in the operations against tho Basutos. In ono of these last fights ho was severely wounded. Being in almost constant employment, promotion camo rapidly to him. In 1878 hoboeamo Major, and in 1S7!) was given the brevet of LioutonanlColonel and made a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. In ]SSI he reached tho substantive rank of Colonel, and bocamo Major-General in ISiJ-l. He was made a K.C.M.G. in 1887. lie is an ideal leader of irregular horse, and possesses ono qualification which is highly appreciated in certain quarters in South Africa —that of being a bachelor.