THE TABLET

A IVeekly Newspaper and Review

Dum v o b i s g r a t u l a m u r , a n i m o s e t i a m a d d i m u s u t i n i n c c e p t i s 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 Brief of His Holiness to T he T a b l e t , June 4» 1870.'

Vol. 48. No. 1910. L o n d o n , N o v e m b e r 18, 1876.

P rice 3d. B y P ost sJ^d.

[R e g is tered a t th e G en e r a l P ost O f f ic e a s a N ew spaper

C h ro n ic le o f t h e W e e k :—

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The Proposed Conference.— Speech of the Tsar at Moscow.— War Preparations in Russia and Turkey. — Lord Beaconsfield’s Speech.— Russian Schemes—the Armistice and the Ultimatnm.— Lord Derby on the Russian War in Servia.— The Tsar and the Servians.— Attitude of the Porte. — The New Cardinal Secretary of State.— The late Lord Herries.— The Catholic University e f Ireland.— Mr. Pope Hennessy.— The Presidential Contest.— M. Gam'betta and the Embassy to the Holy See.—The Italian Elections.— The Mouffetish and Egyptian Finance, &c..................641

CONTENTS.

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L e a d e r s :

The Tsar and the Conference . . 645 Civil Marriage, and Prussian

Protestants . . •• •• 645 Queen’s College, Cork . . . . 646 Russia and Turkey.— V I.................. 647 C hurch M usic ..............................649 R e v iew s :

Frederic Ozanam, his Life and Works .... . . . . 650 The Dublin Review . . . . 6 5 1 Papal C o n c la v e s ........................... 652 S hort N otices :

Between the Danube and the

Black Sea ; or, Five Years in Bulgaria .. . . . . •• 653

S hort N otices (continued) :

A Novena for the Souls in Pur­

Page gatory ....................................... 653 The Meanings o f the Words of the Catechism . . . . . . 653 C orrespondence :

E v o l u t i o n .......................................653 New Church, Clifden, Co. Gal­

w a y ......................... . . . .6 5 4 A Calendar of the English Mar­

tyrs .. .. . . # 654 The “ Month on Abbot Cajetan 654 Distress in Monmouthshire . . 654 Male Pupil Teachers in Catholic

Schools . . 654 R ome :— Letter from our own Cor­

respondent . . . . . . 657

D io cesan N ews :—

Page

Westminster . . . . . . . . 658 Beverley ....................................... 639 Liverpool . . 659 Nottingham . . . . . . . . 659 Salford . . 659 I r eland

Letter from our Dublin Correspondent . . ......................... 659 Catholic University of Ireland . . 660 Foreign N ews :—

Germany Austria Switzerland .. M emoranda :—

Religious Educational .. Literary G en er a l N ews

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

THE PROPOSED CONFERENCE. A1 LL that is as yet known about the arrangements for the Conference is that France, following our example, has named the Comte de Chaudordy as joint Plenipotentiary with the Comte de Bourgoing, her Ambassador; that Italy will be contented with her existing representative, Count Corti, so long Secretary of Legation in this country; that Germany will accredit no one but her actual Ambassador, Count Werther; and that Russia, if she sends a second diplomatist, will take care that it is one who will not overshadow General Ignatieff. The original idea was— in order to reconcile the requirement of Russia that Turkey should be excluded with the probable claim of Turkey to be represented — that there should be a preliminary Conference of the representatives of the Powers, and afterwards, when they had come to an agreement, a second formal Conference, in which Turkey should take part. But even to this the Porte has, it is understood, raised objections. And Turkey might not unnaturally reply: The proposal comes to this— my fate is to be decided between you without my having a word to say in the matter, and then I am to be asked formally to ratify what has been done. It is believed, however, that this difficulty has been got over by the admission of Turkey to the Conference, but there are still objections, and if they are not soon withdrawn we shall not improbably hear of another ultimatum. General Ignatieff has found out the most effectual way of dealing with the Porte ; the only fear is that it may be tried once too often, and that the Turks, brought to bay, may prefer the risk of extinction by war to what they consider virtual extinction by treaty.

SPEECH OF THE TSAR AT

MOSCOW.

The prospect certainly does not look very bright. The spirit of resistance has been aroused in Turkey, and the war feeling in Russia is running very high. While everybody is supposed to be actively engaged in preparations for a pacific settlement, the two nations who are the real parties to the quarrel are straining at the collar, each longing to fly at the other’s throat. And even the Emperor Alexander, whose personal inclinations were supposed to be so distinctly in favour of peace, has, on his way to St. Petersburg from Livadia, been making a speech at Moscow, which, though it is not so menacing as it was first understood to be, plainly speaks of the outbreak of war as by no means a remote possibility. He spoke of “ our volunteers” in Servia, and of his own warm sympathies, and of those of Russia generally, with the sufferings of “ our brethren and co-religionists, and “ declared that if the necessary guarantees for carrying out “ what we have a right to demand of the Porte” could not

New Series, V ol. X V I . No. 419.

be obtained, he was “ firmly determined to act indepen“ dently,” and was “ convinced that in that case the whole “ of Russia would respond to his summons, should he con“ sider it necessary, and should the honour of Russia re“ quire it.” There is therefore avowedly an end to the limitation repecting joint action, and the Tsar declares that if Turkey will not give him satisfaction he will fight for his own hand. He speaks of his “ ardent wish” for a general agreement, and of his intention to strive for what he wants “ by peaceful means,” but he also speaks of the “ sacred “ mission” of Russia, and his definite resolve to fulfil it with the sword if he cannot with the pen.

The Emperor has, moreover, ordered the mobi-

war pre- iisation of a large part of the Russian Army, and in Russia the Government departments have given large and turkey, orders in Berlin for articles of military equip­

ment. At the same time Prince Gortschakoff puts forth a diplomatic circular, stating that Russia “ does “ not wish for war, and will, if possible, avoid it,” but that she is resolved to be prepared for it if “ the principles of “ justice which have been recognised as necessary by the “ whole of Europe” are not “ carried out in Turkey under “ efficacious guarantees.” As a response to this, we suppose, Turkey has called out the “ itighad,” or last ban of the reserve, which will augment her military force by from a hundred to a hundred and twenty thousand men. Strange preparations these for a Conference with a view to peace.

The Emperor’sspeech has been taken as a reply lord bea- t0 L or(i Beaconsfield’s words at the Guildhall C°spSEECHUS on Thursday week; but these also had been understood abroad in a more warlike and threatening sense than, we are convinced, they were intended to bear. The Prime Minister declared that he was hopeful, in the present temper of Europe, that we should be able to accomplish the objects we have in view “ without those ter“ rible appeals to war, of which, he thought, we had heard “ too much.” There is no country, he said, “ so interested in the maintenance of peace as England. Peace is espe“ dally an English policy. She is not an aggressive Power, “ for there is nothing which she desires. She covets no “ cities and no provinces. What she wishes is to maintain “ and to enjoy the unexampled Empire which she has “ built up, and which it is her pride to remember exists as “ much upon sympathy as upon force." There is no memenace here, and if Lord Beaconsfield added that England, if forced into war, was better prepared than any other Power for entering upon and sustaining the struggle, he was merely giving his hearers an encouraging and not exaggerated view of the ultimate resources of the country. “ The “ policy of England,’’ he repeated, “ is peace,” but “ there “ is no country so well prepared for war as our own. If she