THE TABLET
A Weekly Newspaper and Review
D u m VO B IS GRATULAM UR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCOEPTIS V E ST R IS CONSTANTER M ANEATIS.
From the B r i e f o f H is Holiness to T h e T a b l e t , Ju n e 4, 1870.
Vol. 48. No. 1915. L o n d o n , D e c e m b e r 23, 1876.
P r ic e sd . B y P o st 5 % ‘i .
[ R e g i s t e r e d a t t h e G e n e r a l P o st O f f i c e a s a N ew s p a p e r .
C h r o n ic l e o f t h e W e e k :—
Page
The Conference—Occupation by Neutrals.—Objections to it. —The “ Gendarmerie ” and _Anglo-Indian Proposals.—Russian Preparations for War.—Lord Carnarvon on the Prospects of Peace.—The Advent of Midhat _Pasha to Power.—The Bulgarian Memorial.- Austro-Hungary and Servia.—Death of Cardinal Patrizi. —The London School Board on Orthography.—The Ten Commandments at Walsall.—The Privilege of Witnesses.—M. Simon’s Declaration.—Defeat of the Government by M. Gambetta. —M . de Mun’s Election.—Governor Hennessy at Barbadoes, &c. 801
CONTENTS.
L e a d e r s :
The Occupation and the Prelimi
Page nary Conferences .. .. 805 The Irish Education Memorial . . 805 The Last Phase of Religious
Instruction .. •• •• 806 The Waterford Election .. .. 807 The Irish Vote in the United
States .. . . .. •• 808 Russia and Turkey.—X I . .. .. 808 The Marpingen Affair . . . . 810 The Ninth Centenary of St.
Conrad, Bishop of Constance.. 810 R e v iew s :
Life of Mother Mary O’Hagan .. 811 The BodIc of the Prophet Daniel 812 A Handy Book on the Eastern
Question...................................813
S hort N o t ic e s :
The Little Hunchback The Feasts of Camelot Nameless Maddalena .. Franciscan Calendar C o r r e s po n d e n c e :
Page
813 813 813 8t3 813
Catholic Organisation . . . . 8 1 3 Barking-road Mission .. .. 814 Schools at Bedford Mission . . 8x4 Catholic Marriages .. . . 8 1 4 Christmas and the Holy Father 814 Society of the Holy Childhood .. 814 The Progress of Free Trade . . 814 R ome :—Letter from our own Cor
respondent . . . . . . 8 1 7
.
R ome (continued) :
Page
The Late Cardinal Patrizi .. 8x8 Letter of the Sovereign Pontiff .. 819 D io c e s a n N ew s Westminster.. . . .. 819
Southw ark ......................................820 Beverley ..................................... 820 Salford ..................................... 820 I r e l a n d
Letter from our Dublin Corre
spondent . . .. . . . . 820 F o r e ig n N ew s ;—
France .. .. .. . . 821 Poland ..................................... 821 M em o randa :—
Catholic Union . . .. . . 821 G e n e r a l N ew s ...........................822
CHRONICLE OF TH E W EEK .
TH E roost critical part of the business at Constantinople is now about to begin. We have been informed n e u t r a l s , throughout the week that the progress towards agreement made at the preliminary meetings o f the Ambassadors was so satisfactory that the formal Conference at which the joint proposals of the Powers are to be pressed upon the Porte would probably be opened to-day. And now the real dfficulties will present themselves. There never has been much doubt, considering the conciliatory dispositions which the Powers most interested have brought to the Conference, that they would succeed in agreeing upon some proposals. But whether what they agree upon is a thing to which Turkey can or will consent is quite another question. We hope it may be. Of course the toughest of all the problems has been to find a guarantee for the execution of the reforms which Russia and Turkey will both accept. It is now understood that Russia has abandoned her pretension to occupy Bulgaria herself. But the St. Petersburg H e r a ld states positively that the utmost concession which its Government can make is to accept an occupation by neutral troops. Accordingly, several neutral Powers have been suggested as fit to be charged with this European police duty. Roumania has been proposed, it is said, by Russia, and Italy has been talked of ; Switzerland is reported to have been sounded, and to have answered in the negative, and finally Belgium has been mentioned as the most likely of all to be acceptable to the Powers and to undertake the charge.
But there are just two reasons against the objections pian_ One is that Belgium would be exces-
sively foolish if she were to consent to charge herself with such a corv'ee, and might seriously imperil her own resources for the protection of her neutrality if the small army she could send were to get in a conflict with the Moslems of Bulgaria. The other reason is that, if there is one thing more certain than another, it is that Turkey will not consent to foreign occupation in any shape. We do not believe that a Belgian occupation would be a bit more acceptable to the Porte than the original proposal of a Russian occupation of Bulgaria, together with an Austrian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Italians occupying Thessaly and Epirus, and the English the Bosphorus and Dardanelles. And the reason is simple enough. It is not the danger that Italy would keep Thessaly, or England the Straits, that would make the Sultan rather fight to the death than consent to such a measure, but that the loss of prestige which a foreign occupation would bring with it would be absolutely fatal to his power over his own subjects.
New Series, V ol. XV I . No. 424.
THE “ GENDARMERIE” AND ANGLO-
INDIAN PROPOSALS.
Exactly the same objection applies to the plan ventilated by the l im e s for an occupation by mixed troops in the guise of “ gendarmerie.” The name does not alter the thing, and we cannot suppose that the Porte would be likely to be taken in by so transparent a device. By far the best suggestion which has been made in the English Press is that which the P a u H a l l Gazette offered last Saturday, namely, that the reforms should be carried out under ‘.he protection of a special Turkish force, officered by AngloIndians to be commissioned by the Sultan. This would undoubtedly be the best plan on one condition, that is, that Russia were sufficiently sincere and large minded to consent to the employment of English officers for this work. We have always said that Anglo-Indians would be the persons most fitted for the ticklish task of dealing with mutually hostile populations, but would Russia consent to such a proposal ? We should have a much better opinion of her disinterestedness i f she did. She knows of course that England does not want to keep Bulgaria for herself, and could not suspect us of any interested motives in offering the services of Indian officers for such a purpose. But the question is whether Russia really wants a settlement at all. Did she, when General Ignatieff was allowed to consent to an occupation by neutrals—did she, or did she not, know perfectly well that this also was a proposal which Turkey would never accept ?
RUSSIAN PREPARATIONS FOR
WAR.
It might seem uncharitable to answer this question in the affirmative, but if Russia is not absolutely resolved to go to war it is evident that she thinks war so probable that she will not for one instant relax in her preparations for it. Her southern railways are blocked by the incessant transport of troops, war material, and provisions ; vast stores of corn are being accumulated at Kischenew and Bender, the Grand Duke Nicolas has actually assumed the command of his army, and the arrangements for the further advance into Turkey are complete. It has been settled, so it is reported, between the Governments of St. Petersburg and Bucharest that Roumania is to be divided into two zones, in one of which the neutrality of the principality is to be respected, while the other, which contains the railways that Russia wants to use, is to be free for the passage of the Northern army. But if war should actually break out, and the Russians commence hostilities by crossing the Pruth, they will not get through Roumania without opposition, for the Turks, who are in force in Widdin and its neighbourhood, have already made preparations for crossing the Danube, and will seize on Kalafat and other points, and proceed to break up the bridges and roads by which the Russians must advance. It is nearly certain that in case of war
