LONDON CHAT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10542, 13 December 1895, Page 3

LONDON CHAT.

(Fbom Oob Special Cohk!>spondent.)

London, November 2.

Princess Maud's betrothal is regarded with j somewhat mixed feelings by the British public generally. Her engagement to Prince Chtrles of Denmark is' said to ba a " love match " in every sense of the term, and as euoh it appeals to that vein of romance and sentimont which is to be found in almost every human breast if you dig deep enough for it. Bat we all wish that her fiance had not been her first cousin and that he had not been nearly three years younger than shei Prince Charles, at any rate, has drawn a prize in the matrimonial lottery. Hie fiancee is beyond question the nicest-looking of all the three «' Wales " girls. The death of the Marquis of Waterford by his own hand is a terrible blow to his immediate family, who had every reason to be proud of their gallant head. There is a decided strain Oi nmnity in the Beresford family, but to the world at large the marquis juat dead seemed to have escaped the taint. Not that his career had bcea always of the decent, domestic, and useful social type ; like many another respectable middle-aged citizen of the three kingdoms, he ban had his gay days. But for many yeats he haa led a most exemplary life, and had adorned the position he held. He was born in 1844, and at the age of 26 went away with Mrs Vivian, whom, on her husband obtaining a divorce, he married. The married lite of Lord Waterford and his divorce was a vury tempestuous one, as the kdy had, with all her fascination, a fiery and domineering temper. Often her huHband left his home determined not to see her face again, but only to return, as it hypnotised, to her feet a»i the end of a few 2 S" i_Lsdy Woterf<""d had a stillborn eon, and shortly afterwards died of pulmonary disease. It is said that the grief of the marquis was that of despair, and violent in the extreme. However, he married in the following year-1874-Lidy Blanche Somersst, the only daughter of the Duke of Beaufort. Ho leaves four children ; tho oldest, Lord Tyrone succeeds him in the peerage. Lord Waterford was a singularly handsome m.n, and, lika all his family, distinguished in manly epo.-ls. He spent his life mainly upon his family estate* and was „ mode i landlord and the greatest authority upon the Und question in Ireland. He took an active part in the politxi of the day, and attended in his place in the Upper House whenever his health admitted. Since 1885 he had been » great sufferer owiti" to an accident in the hunting field, when his spine was iujnrad. Last year he received great relief thioagh an operation, and was in a mta-ure able to take a more active part in t uuWuoately- he trippad intensified to such a degree thaThis sufferings are described as having been almost unbearable. H« mind v»m clouded with the detpast *'«'P°ndß. 3«y. '■>' *t !«<& it gave way, and he ended his suffering existence with a revolver. His uncle, the third marquis, was killed by a *nil from his ho«e when gallopicg in a stubble Held. He, too, was one of the handsomest m*n ot his day, and as wild a» a proverbial Bsresford.

rbereuoue exited personage of whom the world will hew good things if lire i» granted to •her ia continuance, and t-hxt U the new Ozantza: .Sue is . snid to possess a character o, toe loftiest mould, and to have ucbouniliv? itvflusuce over her husband. Before this washes you abe will have added to our gracious Q jeen'rf g*e*t-p»ndchildren. The event is e-gerlv looked for. by Holy R u , ? i a . Ths manifesto of autocratic government on the lines of Alexander 111. which Nicholas 11. issueJ on succeeding to tbe throve ww, pu4 f octtt to appetse the s;nsi-tiraie-s o. his mother, who revured her husband as a jam*. Bat it is believed thst Ml this will be changed by degrees, and that the government of Kassia will be run on lines never before attempted in the faet-bouod land of terrorism Already in maltsrs forths enlightenment of the Veopw the Cziritza has stirred herself to .K.m 9 purpose, causing great conaterna.tiou in the official camp,. It i 5 reported that her .Majesty intends to make <i general inspection of pnblic institutions, and an the corruption of St. Petersburg ia such directions n ™<1 to be greater than anywhere in the world, the con^ru.tion of the official part o. (hs community may ba uodaratooJ Oscar Wilde is in th« infirmary of his governmental residence. It is a.id that his he&lta is breaking down. Is this preparatory to a't-crtt-of-leave? His studies in divinity are piogressing. As someone lately said the only .career left to the high priest of reatheticism and vice in that of a popular preacher. But the exaot communion he will join is not even- hinted at. Ho- will possibly start a wm mnnion of bii own—a sort of Adullamita cave.

t Mrs k»ugtry, even if she manages to fasten the reßponsibility of her great jewel loss on tSe ibank, will havis a hard task to prove that the box contained jewels to the amount she claimi. It will be a spicy trial. The fair lady has n. new^dmirer, whose coffers are well-lined. Bat she herself is a woman of substance, as a New York lawyer once told me thatshe owned, some 10 years ago, quite £40,000 in real estate in America. And she has made a goodly fortune since—more than once.

The new Lord Eirbright (Baron do Worms) has had au'evontfnl dom«t:c history. 'He wait married in the first place to a very young and most beautiful Anstriau lady of noble rank. She bore him two daughters and then having long fuffered from his negUct of hec for thi more mature charm* of a riv»), she returaed.to her own psople, and obtained a divorce, when her husband married the Judy of whom she was jea'ouj. This lady,, now Lidy Pirbright, is taid to become 15 yearß older tban her husband, and she is certainly not youthful in apvearnnce. On the othsr bund she is very fat. The dinghters by tbe first marriage are married. One is Mrs Morrison, the wife of the head of the well-known honsa of that name. Her beautiful mother married again. She had a large fortune.

Lord Salisbury has all his work cut out. During tbe short period of his present official term he has despatched no fewer than fonr nltimsiurni"—dr " ultimati," if you prefer thst form—to various foreign Powers. And the end is not yet. ■ ' - •

On all sides England is threatened with complications, any one' of which may render war inevitable. The'ultimatum, sent to Venezula demanding redress for encroachments on British Guiana and wrongs to British subjects there, has brought out some Americon jingoes, who ciamour that the so-called " Momos" doctrine should be enforced in the shapa of giving, aimed assistance to Venezuela to repeal any attack hy an English forco in reprisal for the Venezuelan misdeeds. In short, it is openly advocated that a declaration of war by England against Venezuela should bs taken by the United States as a casus belli.

Senator Chsndler, in a signed article, asserts th*t war inuet come sooner or later between England and the United SUtes, in consequence of •' British disregard, of th« di.ect iutsreah of America?' or through " British aggression on other nations." When .it does come, the United States, he say*, will have Hussia as an ally, and "one sura result will be that the United States will acquire Canada." He adds: "As sn offensive war on our part it may not come for 20 years ; as a defensive war it may come sooner." Unfortunately this Billy bluster "gees down" with many American readers, and certain politicians are sednlouily fostering the notion that if England punishes Venezuela for misconduct or forcibly exacts reparation for wrong done, the Monroe doctrine is assailed and the States ara bound to fly to the rencue. Some reference was even made in high official quarters to this view being held. Bnt Lord Salisbury promptly stamped on it. He plainly declared that Eoglupd could not recognise any such doctrine or limitation of her national rights, and addod that England was an American Power before the United States ever existed. Anyhow, he means to have it out wHh Venezuela whether the United States Hio or dislike that proceeding, so oiih can only hope the better sense and reason of the American majority will prevail to repress any outburst of stupid and murderous Chauvinism.

Thtn again the unsettled state of domestic politics in France and the successful conclusion of the Madagascar enterprise may make for trouble. A change of Ministry has just been brought about with a light heart, and the. new Government will have to amosa the French people somehow. If England thonld become involved in serious foreign complications it wpold undoubtedly, be a • popular stroke to assail BngUad's occupation of Egypt. Of the Chinese and Ashantee difficalties nothing much cau bs s*id. China haj succumbed and has malo reparation for tha miiuiionM'y massacre, and tbe Ashantee affair is not a big matter in any case. Belgium seems ready to concede' England's demands with regard to the murder of Mr Stokes in the Coogo country by Major Lothair*, an accredited Belgian officer. Turkey, of course, is a sourca of imminent peril. The Sultan has ostensibly granted what the Powerß demanded in the way of Armenian reforms, but he has done so grudgingly and with a very ill grace. Meanwhile the Dardanelles are being actively fortified for resistance to any foroign fleet that may attempt to force a passage. As the British fleet is still at Lemnoj in readintss (o do co should a'djmonstration be mceessary, it is plain that muehief is brewing. So_ altogether the barometer of international politics points to " stormy." It must be remembered that although war with Tnrkey would not involve a Turkish invasion of New Zealand, it "almost certainly would involve Russia and Franco turning npon England and " going for " her. In that case you would have to "look out for squalls" in New Zealand. And really the present situation is so seriously strained in more than one direction that it is impoanib'.e to «ay how gooa the long-olumbering volcano m»y break out.

All this, I am painfully aware, bears such a strong resemblance to tha trite alarmism which is so often served up by tha London daily preag that Now Zealand readers may we jj gjo^ an( j

say, " Ob, dear! we really have read tbis sort of j thing so very often." Quite true; I freely admit it. Ajid I sincerely trust it may prove once more a false alarm—that the war-clouds may yet again disperse harmlessly. But I should be wanting in my duty if I did not impress upon New Zsaland.the extreme gravity of the existing situation. Everyono here who knows anything about the matter, or who is capable of forming an intelligent opinion, is agreed as to the tnenaciog character of the outlook as regards England's prestige and trade; nay, even as to her existence os a Power of the Brat class. Our main hope lies in the diplomatic skill in which Lord Salisbury stands unrivalled among living Englishmen. However, keep all your New Zealand defences up to the mark and ba all reidy for any contingency. We do not know what new complications any day may bring forth in the present inflammatory, state of the international atmosphere. London is filling fast. The severe "cold snap " at the end of October hastened the return to London of many an absentes. The winter musical season has already set in with remarkable vigour. We hwe had Rosenthal »nd Sarasate and a host of minor stars. The Richter concerts and Crystal Palac-3 Saturdays have begun and the Monday and Saturday "pops" will be resumed immediately. Tbe two new experiments in public music have both proved brilliantly successful. These of course are Blr Hedmondfs sea3on of opera in English at Coveut Garden and the Strnday popuiars afc.Quecn'u Hall. Both have been constantly nnd coaeirtflntly crowded from the outßet. Each has. turned out a huge commercial success as well as a musical triumph. Few of tho recognised prophets hod much good to predict in r.dv&nce. . But the event Ins abundantly justified the promoters. •