A

THE TABLET

A W eek ly Newspaper a n d Review.

D u m V O B I S G R A T U L A M U R , A N IM O S E T IA M A D D IM U S U T IN IN CCEPTIS V E S T R I S C O N S T A N T E R M A N E A T I S .

From the B rie f of H is Holiness to T h e T a b l e t , June 4, 1870.

Vol. 47. No. 1877. L o n d o n , A p r i l i , 1876.

P rice 5d. By Post 5^

[Registered at the General Post Office as a Newspaper

C h r o n i c l e o f t h e W e e k :—

Page

The Indian T itle .— The Last Effort of the Opposition,— Mr. Cave’s Report.— The Merchant Shipping Bill.— The Irish Fisheries and the Irish Borough Franchise. — Mr. Butt’s Land Bill.— Italy under the New Ministry.— Difficulties o f the Depretis’ Cabinet.— Its Political Programme.— The New Majority in the French Chamber— the Universities.— The Revolt in Turkey— Attitude of Servia.— The “ Fueros ” and the Religious Question in Spain.— The Tyrol and the Austrian Government.— Action of the Majority in the D iet.— The Emperor o f Russia.— The Indian Famine . . 417

L e a d e r s :

C O N T

Page

E N T S .

S h o r t N o t i c e s :

Page

The Church in France and Ita ly 421 ! The Irish Judicature B i l l . . . . 421 I The Centenary of Nano Nagle . . 422 Model Dwellings for the Rich . . 423 Sketches of the Reformation— V I . 423 The Reform of Church Music in

America.— I I I . . . . . .. 425 Reviews :

Franciscan Missions among the

Colliers and Ironworkers of ! Monmouthshire . . .. . . 426 Fair Rosamond . . . . . . 4261 Etudes Religieuses, Philoso­

phiques, Historiques, et Littéraires . . .. . . . . 427 1 Dr. Livingstone’s Second Expedi­

tion to Africa . . . . . . 427 |

La Methode des Methodes . . 428 Out and About . . .. . . 428 The Old House on the Downs . . 428Debrett’s Illustrated House of

Commons . . . . . . . . 428 Literary, Artistic, & Scientific Gossip 428 Correspondence:

The Austrian Government and the

Tyrolese . . . . . . . . 429 Father Franzelin . . . . . . 429 Hammersmith Orphanage . . 429 A Warning .. .. . . . . 429 The Mission in the Fens . . . . 429 Parliamentary Summary .. 430 Rome :— Letter from our own Cor­

respondent . . . . .. 433

Rome (continued) ;

Speech of Pius IX . to the Inter­

Page national Deputation . . . . 434 The New Italian Government . . 435 D iocesan N ews :—

Westminster . . .................... 435 Beverley Birmingham .. Clifton.. Nottingham .. Ireland :

Letter from our Dublin Correspondent .. Foreign News :—

F rance

Germany Memoranda :—

.........................438

Educational .. General N ews

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

TH E opposition to the Queen’s Indian title has been lively throughout the week. Just before our last number went to press there was a brisk debate on the third reading, in which Mr. Disraeli was a little too flippant, Mr. Gladstone extremely eloquent but almost oppressively solemn, Mr. Cowen very telling by reason of the earnestness with which he spoke, Mr. Lowe biting and almost unparliamentary in the scorn which he heaped on Mr. Disraeli’s arguments. The Prime Minister had told the House that a young lady of twelve had found the Queen called Empress o f India in her geography book, and a Nonconformist minister had written to him that this style was used in Whittaker's Almanac. Lastly, Mr. Disraeli revealed the political considerations to which he had already more than once alluded. The advance of Russia in Central Asia was, he said, well known to the natives o f India, and the title o f the Emperor o f Russia was familiar to them. H e was not one o f those who looked with alarm on the enlargement o f the Russian Empire in that direction, for he thought Asia was large enough for Russia and England, but the announcement that her Majesty has taken the title o f Empress would “ strengthen our rule in that part o f the world, and “ signify in a manner which cannot be mistaken that the Par“ liament o f England is resolved to uphold the Empire o f “ India.” T o us it seems that the point would have been better put i f it had been argued that, the word Emperor being now in common use in India, and considered by the natives the superior title, it would be impolitic that the Queen should assume one which in their eyes is inferior to that o f the T s a r ; and the consequence of Mr. Disraeli’s putting it as he did was that his antagonists in the House and the Liberal Press seized upon what he said, and represented him as endeavouring to frighten Russia by an empty title. And Mr. Lowe, who dismissed Mr. Disraeli’s other arguments as mere “ frivolity ” and “ drivelling,” declared that this would make the natives believe that we “ foresaw “ some tremendous danger,” and that our tenure o f India was insecure. This charge, however, scarcely came with a good grace from a speaker who declared his own “ convic“ tion ” that it was insecure, and that it was “ possible that “ we might at some time lose India ”— a remark which was received with as much disapprobation as Mr. Lowe’s former utterance to the same effect. Eventually the third reading was carried by 209 votes to 134. There has been some jubilation in the Liberal papers over the diminution o f the majority, which in the last division was 105, and was now only 75. But those who thought that this indicated a change o f opinion in the House must have forgotten to work a very simple sum in proportion. In Committee 505 voted, on the

New Series, V ol. XV. No. 386.

third reading only 343. And out o f 343 75 is a slightly larger majority than 105 out of 505.

But the fight was not to end here. Mr. Fawcett gave notice on the next day (Friday)

t h e o p p o s i - tllat> ln the event of the Bill obtaining the t i o n . “ assent o f Parliament, he would move an Ad-

“ dress to the Crown praying that her Majesty

“ would be graciously pleased not to assume any other title “ in reference to her Indian possessions than that o f “ Queen” ; and the second reading in the House o f Lords being fixed for Thursday his motion was at first intended to be made on the following evening. But the Opposition in the House o f Lords do not intend to fight the Bill itself, and intend to concentrate their efforts on a motion by Lord Shaftesbury for an Address to the Crown to the same effect as that proposed by Mr. Fawcett. So Mr. Fawcett’s motion is not to come on on Friday, but Lord Hartington is to ask Mr. Disraeli to fix a day on which the sitting can be devoted to the discussion o f it. T h e Queen left England on Tuesday for the Continent, and although, i f Mr. Fawcett’s motion were agreed to— which is a practical impossibility if the Government make another energetic whip — the vote of the House o f Commons would prevent the issue o f the Proclamation in the form at present resolved upon, the formal presentation o f the Address would have to be delayed till her Majesty comes back. But taking it for granted that the Bill will pass both Houses without any such expression o f opinion on the part o f either as to the particular title to be taken, we may assume that the Royal A s sent will be given by Commission, and that the Proclamation will be out before the return of the Queen— who is said, by-the-bye, to be travelling under the incognito title o f Countess o f Rosenau, a country residence o f the Duke o f Saxe-Coburg, to which the Prince Consort was much attached. This is the first time, so far as we know, that an English Sovereign, or any Sovereign, has assumed a title, even a travelling title, derived from a place beyond his or her dominions. It so happens, moreover, that all the Royal Princes, as well as the Queen, are absent from the country, with the exception o f the Prince o f Wales’s children and the Duke o f Cambridge. Public meetings are being got up to protest against the title o f Empress in London and elsewhere ; one is to be held to-day in St. James’s Hall, and as the Republican wing o f the Radical party is sure to be strongly represented, we are sure to hear a good deal o f nonsense about the introduction of Imperial despotism into England. Lastly, Lord Elcho has given notice of a motion for an Address expressing the satisfaction with which the Commons— “ having regard to the great dignity “ and antiquity of Her Majesty’s Queenly title, and to the “ just pride and jealousy with which it is regarded by her “ British subjects ”— have received the assurance given by