A Weekly Newspaper and Review,

DUM VOBIS GRATULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS.

From the B r ie f o f H is Holiness P ius IX . to T h e T a b l e t June 4, 1870.

V ol. 77. No. 2652. London, March 7, 1891.

P rice sd., by Post sJ£d.

[Registered at the General Post Office as a Newspaper.

Chronicle of the Week :

Page ,

,

Imperial Parliament : Miscellaneous Affairs—Parliamentary Franchise — The Conveyancing Act Amendment Bill—Mr. Parnell’s Campaign — The Wesley Centenary — The Growth of Methodism—The Empress Frederick in Paris—The Artists and Berlin— A Penny Post for the Empire— Opening of the Spanish Parliament—The Guinness Trust—The Whitechapel Murder : Release of Sadler—Lord Salisbury on the Labour Question .. .. .. 361 L eaders :

“ The Continental Sunday ” _.. 365 Dr. Barry on the Interpretation of Scripture _.. .. .. 365 The Legacy of Misrule in Italy .. 366 Cardinal Mihalovich .. .. 368

C 0 N T

e

Leaders (Continued) :

Page

English Devotion to St. Helen .. 368 Let Us See for Ourselves.. .. 369 The Pope’s Birthday Speech .. 370

No t e s ................................................371 Reviews :

A False Magnificat .. .. 372 The Shores of Old Romance .. 373 “ The Ushaw Magazine ” .. .. 373 The Catholic Magazines .. .. 375 Devotions to St. Joseph .. .. 375 An Order of Divine Praise and

Prayer .................................... 375 A Mission Prayer Book .. .. 375 Correspondence :

Rome :—(From Our Own Corre­

spondent) .. .. .. .. 377 Dublin :—(From Our Own Corre­

spondent) ......................... . • 379

ENTS.

Letters to the Editor :

Page

The Marriages of the Poor .. 381 La Famiglia Pontificia .. .. 381 Buddhists and Theosophists .. 381 The Apologia from Tübingen .. 382 The Blackheath Confraternity .. 382 A Railway Abuse .. .. .. 382

The Statistics of Catholic Gain in

England .. .. .. .. 383 Catholics Abroad .. .. .. 384 Aspects of Anglicanism .. .. 385 Irish Bishops and the Irish Crisis .. 386 Social and Political .. .. 387 From Everywhere .. . . .. 387 Obituary , ...................................388

SUPPLEMENT. News from the Schools :

Page

Catholic Educational Statistics of

Middlesbrough .. .. .. 393 Voluntary Teachers’ Association 393 Report on the Wade-street (Lon­

don) Schools .. .. .. 394 About Education .. .. .. 394 N ews from the D ioceses :

Westminster.. .. .. .. 395 Clifton .................................... 395 Liverpool .. .. .. .. 395 Newport and Menevia .. .. 396 Nottingham.. .. .. .. 396 Salford .. .. .. .. 396 Glasgow .. .. .. .. 397 An Apostolate of Prayer and “ The .

Ushaw Magazine ” .. .. .. 397 Presentation to the Cardinal Arch­

bishop .. .. .. .. 398

Rejected MS. cannot be returned unless accompanied with address and postage.

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

N the House of Lords on Mon-

im perial parliament jj day a Bill, under the charge of affairs

Lord Stratheden and Campbell. dealing with the smoke nuisance of

London, was read a second time. The majority of the speakers who conversed about the Bill spoke of it in a very hopeless and disconsolate strain, and Lord Salisbury thought it worth while to water it— much to Lord Stratheden’s indignation— with a little mild ridicule. Mr. Labouchere, in the Commons, asked the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether her Majesty’s Government recognised the right of Egypt’s sovereignty over the Soudan ; and, if so, whether he would define the frontiers of the territory over which that sovereignty was claimed by Egypt, and if it was intended to increase the Egyptian Army with a view to the contemplated military occupation by Egypt of that part of the Soudan called Tokar. Sir James Fergusson artfully replied that the term Soudan was applied to extensive regions in Africa, all of which certainly did not belong to Egypt; moreover, the Government had not assumed the duty of defining the limits of Egyptian sovereignty in that territory. The second part he answered in the negative. In spite of a somewhat stiff cross-examination, Sir James Fergusson managed to elude the question without a compromise. Lord Wolmer put in a pathetic appeal for a Royal Commission to inquire into remedies for the fogs of London, a proposition somewhat mocked by Mr. W. H. Smith, who, however, announced that the Government had serious designs upon the fog. Mr. Ritchie, questioned by different members upon the Registration Acceleration Bill, declared that the Government could not consider the amendments which crowded the paper, some of which, in Mr. Ritchie’s opinion, affected the franchise. On the motion to go into Committee on the Navy Estimates, Sir John Colomb called attention to the growth of the sea commerce ©f the British Colonies and dependencies, and to the war fleets of foreign Powers, and on the consequent increase of the naval responsibility of Great Britain. In the sequent discussion Sir William Harcourt took an unwonted part, which, later, drew forth a spirited attack from Mr. Atkinson. Finally, after a lengthy debate, the House got into Committee, taking up the vote for 71,000 men for the Navy. This was passed at five minutes to twelve, as was also that for the necessary money. Progress was then reported, and the remaining orders having been disposed of, the House adjourned at half-past twelve.

The questions asked in the Commons

— parliamentary on Tuesday night were scarcely of a very franchise. interesting nature. Mr. Atkinson asked

Mr. W. H. Smith if he would give facili­

ties to enable a Bill to pass insisting that the writers of editorial articles in newspapers should sign what they wrote, that the public might thereby know the respect which was due to each article. Mr. W. H. Smith replied curtly enough that the suggestion was opposed to the practice of English journalism, and was a restriction of the complete freedom it had hitherto enjoyed. The Government, he added, would be unwilling to restrict a liberty which was very far from being abused. He mentioned rare exceptions. Mr. Stansfeld rose shortly after four to move a resolution declaring the necessity of simplifying the laws relating to the qualification and registration of Parliamentary electors, providing that no person should be allowed to vote in more than one electoral area during the continuance of one register; that the term of qualification should be reduced to not more than three months, and that registration officers should be appointed to be responsible for the preparation of accurate lists of voters. Mr. Howell seconded the resolution, and spoke at length upon the anomalies of the present law, which, by his view of it, disfranchised a man who in the course of his business was compelled to change his residence. Mr. Howorth moved as an amendment the substitution of another declaring that, whilst recognising the desirability of amending the present system of the registration of voters, the House was of opinion that no alteration of the present laws regulating the qualification of voters could be considered which did not at the same time provide that the different parts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland should be represented proportionately to their population. Mr. Gladstone made a, for him, brief speech, in which he demanded that the mover of the amendment should follow the natural logic of his own words, and determine to abide by the formula of one man one vote. Mr. Chamberlain opposed the original resolution on the ground of opportunism • though abiding by that formula, he did not consider the present as a convenient time for a new Reform Bill, and taunted Mr. Gladstone with his sluggishness in the matter when, six years before, he had omitted to

New Series, Vol. XLV., No 1,161.