LONDON IN AND OUT OF SEASON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9093, 18 April 1891, Page 5 (Supplement)

LONDON IN AND OUT OF SEASON.

(From Oun Own Cobbkspondent). London, March G,

IN TIIR TCOUSE. The affairs of the two parties—tho Kilkenny cete—aro in a very quiescent state. If Mr Pai-nell makes a Sunday speech after his fashioni it is more moderate and loss abusive thin six weeks back; and, as for Messrs M'Csrtby and Co., thoy have retired from tho platform, and aro presumably busy in the council chamber. At tiny rat's xve hear nothing of them. In tho Houses tho Irish party generally ha 3 abandoned its attitude of conscientious obstruction, and is seen but little. The Government has a fait field, and should manage to get through a fair amount of business before the Easter rece-s. Not that there are any appallingly big measures in hand at tho moment, but there is a certain amount of honest work—routine work, if you W Ul—which is essential year by year, and which is often delayed by party warfare. This is going through in fine style just now. What I pointed out in my last letter has even greater force at the present moment. I refer to the leaning of tho Ministry towards the labour problem. Sir John Gorst'a speech, I said, indicated a desire of tho unionist party to deal with the labour problem and to bid for tho labour vote. Now, as if to show that Sir John's speech was implied, we have the Government proposing a labour commission to investigate all questions connected with the relations of labour and capital. This is but one more proof, if any wore needed, that the next election will bo fought upon labour lines. Too much importance cannot be placed upon this. In this connection also it is interesting to note that Mr Staosfeld's motion in favour of "one man one vote" was not rejected by an over large majority. Tho absurdity of the motion no doubt induced many who were really favourable to the principle to vote against it. For why should the House be asked to pledge itself in favour of " one man one vote" without going

to the legitimate isßue of the principle, and clamouring for a redistribution of seats according to population. If this were done, it must ha remembered London, instead of having 40 members or thereabouts, would have 75 or thereabouts, and Ireland would be reduced from over tho century to 80. This the Irish would not like; probably also Mr Stansfeld and the Gladstonians, as London is notoriously Conservative. As if to give the new unions a lead Mr Provond brought a notice forward in favour of a laud tax. This is always a fascinating tax to Radicals, but the move did not succeed in convincing the Government, though the debate was productive of some very decent speeches. The 0-man Digna affair at Tokar has given' Mr Labouchere bis opportunity of asking his intermittent question— When are we going to quit Egypt ? As heretofore it was politely put aside with some commonplace. The death of Mr Kynoch leaves the Aston constituency in the market. The Gladstonians declare that with the new register, and the new programme (unauthorised, of course) they will capture this seat. It is quite possible, certainly, if the labour question is to bo made a crucial test, as in the last two bye elections. THE BACCABAT SCANDAL Nothing mere has transpired in connection with the baccarat scandal, nothing that is of any importance. An offer was made to submit the affair to arbitration, but this Sir William Gordon-Cumming refused to do, preferring to trust to a jury. His statement of claim in the pending actions wag delivered last week. In connection with this case it will interest you to learn that Mr Gill, the counsel who distinguished Jhimself the Marks case as against Sir Charles Russell, was very anxious to meet and cross sv/ords with Russell again. However, he is junior to Sir Edward Clarke, and no doubt much of the cross-examination of the defendants will fall into hia hands. The counsel for the plaintiff is engaged in watching baccarat (co it is said1* in order to prove that a man may readily be accused of cheating without definite cause. Labonchere is reported to have said bluntly to Sir William," Well, I don't know whether you cheated, as I wasn't there." A SCANDAL IS HIOH LIFE.

An aristocratic affair will come before the courts v;ry shortly, which will ba almost aB objectionable as tbe Colin Campbell case. Lady Russell brings an action for judicial separation from her husband, Earl Russell, on the grouDd of cruelty. The husband anil the wife are both peculiar—to put it mildly, Earl Eussell is a youDg man still, and is a Radical, as well as a Fraethinker and a dabbler in science. He is also a partner in a firm of electrical engineers on the river. He is the only child ot Lord and Lidy Amberiey, who were notorious in their day for their eccentricities. He was brought up in their remarkable opinion?, developed a strange view of morality and theology at Oxford, by reason of which he h?.d to leave. Twelve months ago he married the daughter of Lina, Lady Scott, a lady whose name was often before the public, and concerning whom there are many tales. Now his wife brings this action, and though, of course, it is out of the question to prejudge the

case, I have certain doubts as to the lady proving her case. The object of the respondent (as I hear) will be to prove that tho thing is put up. There is more also behind, concerning which it is inadvisable to write. THB WniTECHAPEL MORBBtI.' '

After all the trouble and excitement caused by the arrest of the unfortunate Sadler, it turns out that he had nothing to do with the murder of the woman Francis Cole. The Treasury declines to go on with the case after the verdict of the coroner's jury. Sadler 6eems to have accounted for his action?, indeed to have been under the eye of the police up to a very few minutes of the murder. Moreover, hi 3 state-

ments about his bsing knocked down and illtreated at the deck gates were quite accurate, and the only thing against him was the statement of a man Cameron, who said that he had bought a loDg knife from Sadler. Sadler positively swore he had sold no knife; and accounted for the identification of him by the man in this way: " I was the only man," he said, " in the crowd ho had to pick from whose face was bruised, and naturally he selected mo." This seems reasonable, and is only another proof that in sensational cases the evidence of half the witnesses must be taken very gingerly. The police are as far from the perpetrator of the murder as ever. OSSIAN DIGNA.

Tho hero (if that man is a hero who turns tail oa a. reverse) of the Tokar fight, Osman Digoa, has had aa interesting career. He is not a fighting maD, nor a dervish, nor a saint, nor even a.fanatical believer in the Mahdi and the righteousness of the cause he preaches to his followers. He is simply a rained trader, broken by successful competition on the one hand and by unfortunate slave ventures on the other, and at the outset his sole object in raising rebellion in the Eastern provinces of tha Soudan, and thereby blocking the trade route to Berber, Kordofan, and Darfur, was revenge upon his successful rivals at Suakin and Djeddah. He is not even a purebred Soudan Arab, but is the son of a Turkish merchant and slave dealer settled in the Eastern Soudan. His father married a Hadendowa woman. Osman and his brother Ahmet became merchants also, and for some time carried on a thriving business in European cutlery, cottons, and ostrich feathers, Bad their headquarters were at Suakin. Ahmet managed the business at home, while Osman was for a while the travelling partner, and journeyed far and wide, for the brothers had branches or agencies »t Djeddah, Kassala, Berber Khartoum, Senaar, El Obeyid, and Darfur. But after a long period of prosperity evil fortunes fell upon the brothers. Several big ventures, all resulting in heavy loss, crippled the firm. The open hostility of a wealthy Djeddah merchant named Sohinawi Bey caused at length the downfall oJ Osman's credit in Djaddah. Sch'nawi followed him to Suakin, and soon after his arrival there the brothers lost one after another several valuable convoys of slaves, which were captured by Government cruisers in the Red Sea. This completed their misfortunes, and Osman, vowing vengeance, fled to the hills, whither he was soon followed by Ahmet. This was in the spring of 1883. After the destruction of Hicks Pasha's army, Osraan, thinking the moment favourable, volunteered to raise a revolt in tho Eastern Soudan, and the ftlahdi accepting, made him emir of these provinces. DRAMATIC AND LITERABY NOTES. Thedramatic events of the fortnight have comprised " The Idler "at the St. James'; a revival of " Sowing and Keaping," an amusing farce, at the Criterion, and "Lady Barter, Charles Coghlan's new play, at the Princess. Besides these was a respectable melodrama produced at a Vaudeville matinee by Edward Kighton, the actor, and Dr Dabbs, and another burst of Ibsenism in Rosmersholm, played by Mr i. it Benson and a company. "Lady Barter cannot be termed a successful play, though there are strong points in it. It is purely the old adventuress plot, and all tbat can be said is that Mrs Langtry acts better, if she does not look better, than she did in " Cleopatra." It is not destined for a long run. Wyndham wi 1 revive (he " School for Scandal" in three weeks time. It is many years since we saw an original play at the Criterion ; yet Wyndham makes revivals D ay. because he has become fashionable, me booking for the " Dancing Girl" has been unprecedented. Hundreds are turned away nightly. It is certainly the biggest success Tree has ever had, or Jones either. Irving has produced the old historical play "Charles I," but it has met with an indifferent reception. It would almost Beemasif Irving's day was^ over; the tide ot fashion now flows to Piccadilly Circus or the Havmarket. _

A stfy.k of 135 bag* of wheat belonging to Mr M'Aulav. of Oamaru. was burnt on Friday afternoon, although MrM'Auinyhaa ridden round It a CoE Pp'p7s f Oocol P-«mtefui and Comforting.-" By a thoroupli knowledge of the natural laws which K«vern the operations-of digestion and nutrition, and by » careful application of the fine properties of wellseleoted Cocoa, Mr. Eppa has provided our breakfast Miles with a delicately-flavoured beverage which '„,„. ua Ter v many heavy doctors' bills. It is X JSdtotaSPcJe V such^rticlea of diet that a constitution may be gradually built up unti strong boXe water nr milk.-Sold In Jib packets by Celled thus-" lambs Upps and Co., 1 Homceopftthio Ohemi.tj, London, England. - [48TT.1