THE TABLET

A IVeekly Newspaper and Review Dum vobis gratulamur, animos etiam addimus ut in incceptis vestris constanter maneatis.

From the Brief of His Holiness to The Tablet, June 4, 1870.

Vol. 48. No. 1901. L ondon, S e p t e m b e r 16, 1876.

P rice 5d. By P ost

[R eg istered a t th e General P ost O ff ic e as a N ewspaper

C hronicle o f t h e W e ek :—

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The Difficulties of the Moment.— The Position of the Combatants.— The Armistice.— Prosecution of the Campaign.— The English Indignation Meetings —Mr. Gladstone’s Speech.— Lord Stratford de Redcliffe's Proposal.— Mr. Grant Duff's Suggestion.— Lord Derby's Statement —What is Meant by Bulgaria?— Statesmen and Popular Orators.— Lords of Appeal.— Other Legal Appointments.— The African Conference at Brussels.— Marshal MacMahon at Lyons.—Protestants in Spain. Canton Berne and the Catholics o f the Jura.— Voices o f the Dead .. . . .........................353

CONTENTS.

L e a d e r s : The Succession to the Papacy .. 357

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Persecution of the Nuns in Italy 357 The “ Dublin Review” on Liberty of Conscience . . .. . . 358 The Protestant Tradition.- -II . . 359 The Book of the Imitation of

Christ and its Author, John Gersen, Abbot of St Stephen’s, at Vercelli.— I. . . .. . . 361 P ictures :

The Dore G a l le r y .........................362 R ev iew s :

The “ Month” for September . . 362 Azalea.. .. .. .. . . 363 An English Carmelite .. .. 364 S hort N otices :

Mistress Hazelwode, a Tale of the

Reformation Oak .. .. 364

Short N otices (continued) :

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Advent Conferences .. . . 364 A Devout Exposition of the Holy

Mass ........................ .. 365 Magazines for September.. . . 365 Literary, Artistic, & Scientific Gossip 365 C o r r e s p o n d e n c e :

Mr. Hare’s “ Cities of Italy ” . . 366 Writers and Reviewers .. . . 366 “ The Discipline of Drink ” 366 Sacred Music . . . . . . 367 The Irish Land Act . . . . 367 Education in the East of London 367 R ome :— Letter from our own Cor­

respondent . . .. .. 369 D iocesan N ews :—

Westminster . . . . .. .. 370

D iocesan (continued) ;

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Southwark . . . . .. . . 370 Beverley . . .. . . . . 370 Liverpool . . . . .. .. 370 Salford . . 371 I reland

From our Special Correspondent 371 Letter from our Dublin Corre­

spondent . .

372

F oreign N ews ;—

Germany ...................................... 37? Austria . . . . . . . . 373 M emoranda :—

Political . . .. . . . . 373 The Bulgarian Atrocities .. .. 374 G e n e r a l N ew s ..................................374

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

AT any moment a fortunate agreement as regards the settlement of the Turkish provinces may completely m o m e n t , alter the aspect of affairs, but up to the time at which we are obliged to close this record of the week’s news that agreement seems as far off as ever. As far as the war between Turkey and Servia alone is concerned, the most favourable piece of news is that the new Sultan has declared the conditions proposed by his Ministers to be unreasonably hard, that the formal reply to the Powers has consequently been delayed, and that it is probable that no more will be demanded than the personal homage of Prince Milan at Constantinople and the demolition of the Servian fortresses. The Sultan is also said to have reproved his Ministers for their conduct of affairs, complaining that Turkey had now lost her best friends, that even in England the atrocities committed had turned public opinion against her, and that the only remedy left was to take effectual means to prevent such things happening again. If this be true, it shows at least a desire to meet European feeling half way. On the other hand, as regards the general question of the provinces the news is far less promising. Austria positively refuses to consent to the autonomy, not only of Bulgaria, but of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Russia encourages Servia to play a waiting game by expressions of sympathy and constant reinforcements in the shape of volunteers. This aid is gradually assuming more and more the appearance of overt co-operation, and Prince Gortschakoff is said to have communicated to Berlin conditions on which alone peace can be maintained— conditions which are not likely, we fear, to be accepted either at Constantinople or Vienna. It is even alleged that at the recent celebration at Belgrade of the Tsar’s fête, the Russian Consul told a torchlight procession of Servians that Russia and Servia would “ soon be march“ ing against a common foe.” The crisis is of the gravest character, and the first duty of Englishmen is not to embarrass the Government in its attempts to establish an agreement between the Powers. Of course, if we could obtain what Mr. Lowe asked for at Croydon, an agreement with Russia about the Balkan provinces “ which would not fetter us in “ any way with regard to the future of the East or the “ destiny of Constantinople,” that would be a very desirable thing in itself. But there would still remain the question whether Austria would consent to the arrangement, and whether Turkey would submit to it without a desperate, though in the end perhaps a futile resistance.

We have this much to correct in our last the posmoN wee]j’s newS; that Alexinatz, though turned by c o m b a t a n t s . Abdul Kerim’s army, has not, it would seem,

yet been evacuated by the Servians, and we hear Nwv Series, Vol. XVI. No. 410.

of General Tchernaieff, whose head-quarters are at Deligrad, being about to send from thence some guns and reinforcements to strengthen the first-named place. But the Turks had evidently no immediate intention of storming Alexinatz. Instead of breaking their teeth against its defences, they are gradually feeling their way down the Morava valley, and on Sunday their batteries were established a little to the southwest of Deligrad, though out of range of that place. They will now have to choose between two roads, on each of which there are formidable obstacles. If they go straight down the Morava, leaving Deligrad to the right, they will come upon a very strong redoubt, protecting a pontoon bridge, which the special correspondent of the Tunes describes as the key of the Servian position in this part of the valley of the Morava. If they march to the left on Kruchevatz, in the valley of the Rasina, they will first come upon the strong entrenched position which Tchernaieff has prepared at Djunist. But if they succeed in passing this and getting to Kruchevatz, they will find a clear road from that place down the left banks of the Rasina and the Morava till they arrive opposite Parakin, on the other bank, between which place and Kupria, also on the right bank, the Servians have constructed their second line of defence.

Before, however, that point is reached, the t h e Powers will have succeeded, it is to be hoped,

b ' in obtaining or enforcing an armistice. Whether the Servian statements about fresh atrocities are true or not, it is certain that the Ottoman troops— whether they be regulars or irregulars matters little— have not the least idea of a war conducted according to modern rules. Their line of advance is marked by blazing villages and the traces of wanton destruction. Europe has every right to demand that a stop should be put to this method of warfare, and this is an additional reason for insisting on the armistice. At the beginning of the week the matter stood thus. Sir Henry Elliot’s Memorandum had been presented after all on the previous Monday, and it was supported by those of the other Ambassadors on the following day. The question about the duration of the armistice was disposed of by leaving that point undefined. But there still remained the real difficulty— the getting the Porte to consent. All the rumours and indications of what the decision of the Turkish Government was likely to be pointed to a negative answer. The majority in the Council of Ministers were said to be altogether opposed to an armistice ; they would agree to discuss conditions of peace, or rather to formulate their own conditions, but they thought it necessary to prosecute the war in order to administer a still more crushing lesson to their rebellious vassal. Whether the advisers of the Sultan — and, as there is now a real Sultan, we suppose we may say the Sultan himself— will be able to maintain this attitude of resistance, must depend on the amount of union and resolution displayed by the Great Powers. On this point at