THE TABLET, A W eekly Newspaper a n d Review .

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

From the B r i e f o f H is Holiness P iu s IX . to The Tablet June i8 jo .

V o l . 77. No. 2659. L ondon, A pr il 25, 1891. P r ic e sd ., b y P o st 5% d.

[R eg is tered a t t h e G e n e r a l P o s t O f f ic e a s a N ew spaper.

C hronicle of th e W e e k :

Page

Imperial Parliament: Irish Land Purchase — Tuesday’s Sitting— The Primrose League—Primrose Day—Prince Bismarck’s Candidature — England and Portugal— President Harrison’s Speech — Rhodes in Africa— Mr. Chamberlain at Birmingham— Mr. Gladstone on Catholic Disabilities— Mid-Oxfordshire Election — The Battle of the Samana Ridge— Explosion and Panic at Rome . . 641

L e a d e r s :

The Collapse of the Plan o f Cam­

paign .................................... 645 The Iralian “ Green Book ” . . 646 An Artist in India .. . . . . 647 The Sorrows of German Grand

Duchesses.. . . . . . . 647

C O N T

Paee

Literary Drama Old and New . . 648 N o t e s .....................................................649 R eview s :

Acts of English Martyrs Hitherto

Unpublished .. . . . . 651 The Blessed Sacrament .. . . 652 Mozley’s Letters from Rome . . 653 Life of Blessed John Baptist de la Salle .. .. . . . . 653 Cromer Past and Present.. . . 654

ENTS. I T ^

L e t t e r s to t h e E d itor :

Page

A Modern Sacred Picture . . 66x Prayers for the Queen . . . . 662 L ’Ecole Primaire Française . . 662 Auricular Confession and Irish Pro­

testants . . . . . . . . 662 I The Priest in Politics . . . . 663 I Catholics Abroad . . . . . . 664 ] Mr. Parnell and Irish Priests . . 665

Aspects o f Anglicanism . . .. 655

C orrespondence :

Rome :—(From Our Own Corre­

spondent) .. . . . . . . 657 Dublin :— (From Our Own Corre­

spondent) . . . . . . . . 658 Flowers and Churches in Marseilles 661

Cardinal Moran and the Carmelites 666 Proselytism among Italians.. . . 667 ■ Lord Salisbury and Ecclesiastical

Politics . . . . . . . . 667 O b it u a r y . . . . . . . . 668 Social an d P o l it ic a l . . . . 668 F rom E v e r yw h e r e ........................... 668

P o s t s c r i p t ........................................ 668

Page

SU PPLEM EN T . N ew s from th e S chools :

Educational Speeches and Volun­

tary Schools .. . . . . 673 A French Lesson in Drawing .. 674 Catholic Chairman at Maryculter 675 St. Mary’s Association . . . . 675 Downside Athletic Sports . . 675 About Education .. . . . . 675 N ews from t h e D i©ceses :

Westminster.. . . . . . . 677 Southwark . . . . . . . 677 Hexham and Newcastle . . . . 677 Newport and Menevia .. . . 678 Nottingham.. . . . . .. 678 Salford . . . . . . . . 678 Shrewsbury .. .. .. . . 678 St. Andrews and Edinburgh . . 678

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

C H R O N I C L E O F T H E W E E K .

----------- ♦ -------—

IM PERIAI. PARLIAM ENT.

— IRISH LAND PURCHASE.

tN Monday, in the House of

Commons, questions were asked on rather more diverse points than usual ; ether drinking in Ireland, Destitute Aliens, Foreign and Colonial Postage, the British South African Company, Baryarland, the British in Manipur, the Clitheroe Case, and othermatters o f more personal interest to the interrogators. On the subject of Mr. Davitt’s rejection from the list of the Royal Commission on Labour, Mr. Cobb asked Mr. W. H. Smith whether the only reason which the Government had for not recommending to her Majesty the name o f Mr Michael Davitt as a member o f the Royal Commission on Labour was .hat he was a Republican ; whether he could give specific references to speeches or writings of Mr. Davitt showing that he held Republican opinions ; whether there was any precedent o f an appointment by her Majesty o f any person holding Republican opinions upon a Royal Commission, or as a member of her Majesty’s Government; and, whether th e Government would reconsider their decision, with a view o f still recommending her Majesty to appoint Mr. Davitt a member of the Commission. Colonel Saunderson, interposing, asked whether it was not the case that Mr. Michael Davitt had been tried, convicted, and sentenced to a term o f penal servitude for felony. Mr. W. H. Smith, answering Mr. Cobb first, said that he was not aware that Mr. Cobb had any authority for the allegations contained in his question. A ll the communications that passed with reference to Mr. Michael Davitt were confidential. The evidence given by Mr. Davitt before the Special Commission, and the recitals o f the judgment of the Commission with regard to him, were carefully considered by the Government, who did not think, with those facts before them, that Mr. Davitt was qualified for appointment to the Labour Commission. In reply to Colonel Saunderson he believed that Mr. Davitt was tried and sentenced for treason felony. After futile protests from Mr. Cobb the incident closed. Shortly after the House went into Committee on the Irish Land Bill. On the question that Clause i stand part o f the Bill, Mr. Labouchere moved its rejection, creating as it did the stock, and directing how it was to be employed and how to be repaid. H e protested against the present Parliament giving the requisite guarantee, seeing that the great majority were elected on the strict assurance to their constituents that they would not grant this money. He maintained that he was acting in the' interests o f Ireland in the action he was taking. English Radicals, he made bold to say, had the greatest sympathy with Irish members, but they would not be prevented from acting as their constituents wished because of the taunts and misrepresentations o f Mr. Parnell. Their object was to make it clear to the people of this country that they were being tricked, cozened, and robbed by the persons whom they were foolish enough to send to that House. When the next election came (he added, a little vacantly) he hoped it would be proved who were in the right in endeavouring to prevent absolute violation o f pact and gross robbery o f the taxpayer. Despite his words, however, the Clause was passed by a majority of 121, which, by its unexpected dimensions, drew down considerable Ministerial cheers. On Clause 2, Colonel Nolan, in the absence of Mr. Parnell, moved an amendment providing that in the case o f purchase annuities under ^(15, the payment to the guarantee fund should be one shilling. Mr. Balfour opposed the amendment, and on a division five members voted with Colonel Nolan, 202 going with the Government— a result which afforded much laughter to an easily moved House. Mr. Keay then moved an amendment, and a long discussion followed, in the midst of which Mr. Balfour (if the reporter o f The D a i ly N ew s can be believed, the thing sounds incredible), for the first time in his Ministerial career, was discovered asleep on the Treasury Bench. A t midnight Mr. Keay’s amendment was not yet concluded, one page of amendments having been disposed of in a sitting, 20 remaining still for consideration.

After question-time on Tuesday, the House

T u e s d a y ’s resumed consideration o f the Irish Land Pur-

s i t t i n g . chase Bill, and on its second clause which provided that one-half only o f the amount applicable out o f the landlord’s guarantee deposit o f onefifth to the discharge of irrecoverable debts should be paid out of that deposit to the Land Purchase account. The effect o f the Clause was to divide the irrecoverable debt between the landlord and the locality, and on this Mr. Seymour Keay had moved an amendment cancelling the proviso and making the landlord’s guarantee deposit responsible for the whole. The debate on this point was resumed by Mr. John Morley, who declared that he was perfectly willing to protect the guarantee deposit of a landlord who

N ew Sekies, V ol. X L Y . , No 1,168,