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.'

Voi. 49. No. 1933. London, A pr il 28, 1877.

P rice sd. B y P ost 5 %d

[R egistered a t th e General P ost O ffice a s a N ewspaper

C hronicle of th e Week :—

Page

The Declaration of War.— Preliminary Signs.— Speeches of the Tsar.— Manifesto to the Russian Nation.—Circular Note of Prince Gortchakoff.— Russia and Roumania.— The Policy and Attitude of England.— France, Germany, and Italy.— The “ Localisation ” of War.— Count von Moltke on the Prospects of Europe.— Russia and Egypt.—Catholic Petitions to the Civil Powers.— Cardinal Dechamps on the Position of the Holy See,—The True Nature of the Catholic Appeal.— Pastoral of the English Hierarchy.— The Home Rule Debate.—The Apostolic Delegate for Canada, &c. .. 513

CONTENTS.

L e a d e r s :

The Russian Aggression . The Clerical Abuses Bill-—The

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517

Debate and Discussion in the Chamber .. . . .. •• 5*7 The Representation of Tipperary 519 The Moral Protest of the Catholic

World .................................... 519 Ritualism.— II. .. .. .. 52°

R eview s :

The Contemporary Review .. 522 Father Schouvaloff’s Conversion 523

Short N otices : Was He really Mad ? .. . . 524

Short N otices (continued) :

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Fluffy.. .. . . .. .. 524 The Eucharistic Year .. .. 524 The Parochial Garden of the

Soul .. .. .. .. 524 The Quiet of the Soul, &c. .. 524 Memoir of Augustine McNally.. 524 C orrespondence :

Faith of Our Fathers.— V. .. 524 Pensions for School Teachers .. 525 St. Winefrid’s Well and the Ca­

tholic Hospice attached to I t . . 525 Electricity and Magnetism .. 526 P arliam entary Summary .. 526 R ome :— Letter from our own Cor­

respondent . . . . ..5 29

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D iocesan N ews Westminster.. .. . . . . 53t

Southwark .. ...................... 532 Birmingham .. .. . . . . 532 Liverpool .. .. . . .. 532 Northampton .. .. . . 533 Salford .. .. . . . . 533 Scotland— Eastern District . . 533 I reland

The Limerick Corporation and the Sovereign Pontiff .. . . 533 Foreign N ews

Austria .......................................534 Memoranda :—

R e l i g i o u s ............................... 535 Educational .. . . . . . . 535 General N ews ........................... 535

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

IT has come upon us at last— this war which threatens to be such a frightful one, and o f w a r . which English statesmen have been so patiently and honestly striving to avert. But it is probable that no efforts, even if those of our Government had not been partially thwarted by the mistaken agitation of last autumn, would have been successful in preventing the catastrophe which has been so deliberately prepared. And the answer which Lord Derby gave to Lord Grey on Tuesday shows very plainly that this is also the opinion of our own Government. Lord Grey asked whether anything was known of the Turkish draft of a Protocol which was published last week by the Daily Telegraph, and Lord Derby, after paying a well-deserved compliment to the accuracy of that paper’s intelligence from Constantinople, said that he had no doubt that such a document had really been drawn up by some influential personage in Turkey, but that he had no reason to believe that the Porte had formally adopted it, and every reason to believe that, if it had, Russia would have rejected it. We did “ all that it was possible for us to “ do ”— “ all that it was possible for any one to do” to bring about an understanding. Those who judge after the event will no doubt say that if we had done this or that the result would have been different, but “ for my part,” said Lord Derby, “ I do not think that any form of Protocol, or any “ form of agreement, would have put an end to the mis“ understanding. Throughout these transactions I found “ on the part of the Turkish Government a deeply-seated “ conviction that, do what they would, make what conces“ sions they would, sooner or later war would be forced “ upon them. It is not for me to say whether that con“ viction was right or wrong, but it was fixed in the minds “ of the Sultan and his advisers, and that being so, the “ task of endeavouring to bring about an understanding “ was not a very hopeful one. Looking at the matter now “ in all the lights which past experience enables us to “ throw on it, I must say that I do not think any other “ course would have been more successful. I deeply regret what “ has come to pass ; but I believe that in our endeavour to “ maintain peace between Turkey and Russia— an endea-

that a small detachment of the Russian Army had alreadyarrived in the capital of Roumania. Another telegram, dated Monday, from the 7i?nes correspondent at Pera, informed us that the Russian Embassy was leaving on that very day. All this week, indeed, there have been vague and unsubstantial rumours of a settlement of the quarrel. There was, however, no ground for them whatever beyond the fact that the declaration of war seemed to hang fire. The Porte, some people thought, might still appeal to mediation under the Treaty of Paris. But they lost sight of the fact that the Porte must consider that it has already exhausted that resource, and they forgot that the kind of mediation which the Powers are ready to exercise had been already set aside by the rejection of the proposals of the Conference and the London Protocol. At Constantinople itself there seemed to be no such illusion with respect to the possibility of continued peace, and from the head quarters of the Russian army, though the St. Petersburg papers were no longer enthusiastic for war, there came no uncertain sound. According to the Messager Officid the Emperor, in reviewing the troops, spoke of the war in the future, and not at all in the conditional tense. Addressing the officers, he said: “ Before you march for“ ward, I bless you. When you meet the enemy, be brave ; “ maintain the reputation of your regiments. There are “ young soldiers among you who have never seen fire. I “ hope they will not remain behind, but that they will try “ to equal my old troops in bravery. I hope you may soon “ return covered with glory. Farewell.” It was certain that Russia had gone too far to recede, and seemed equally certain that, as far as the people are concerned, the enthusiasm for war had completely subsided. The Russian nation enters on the struggle as a disagreeable necessity, though its military ardour will, of course, be somewhat revived by the actual commencement of hostilities.

The address of the Emperor Alexander which speeches of we have just quoted was made at Bersula,

the tsar, where he inspected the 9th Corps d’Armde on

“ vour which we made through a sense of duly— we were “ engaged in the solution of an impossible problem.”

The calamity has burst over Europe more p r e l im in a r y rapidly than was expected. On Monday s ig n s . Lord Derby and Mr. Bourke communicated to the two Houses of Parliament two telegrams, one from Mr. Layard, stating that the Russian Chargé d'Affaires at Constantinople had officially announced the rupture of diplomatic relations with the Porte, the other from Colonel Mansfield, our Consul General at Bucharest,

Saturday the 22nd. Thence the Emperor went to Tiraspol, where he passed the night, and inspecting the troops there, said :— “ I felt grief in sending you to the field “ of battle, and therefore delayed action as long as possible, “ hesitating to shed your blood. But now that the honour “ of Russia is attacked I am convinced that you will all, to “ the last man, know how to vindicate it. May God be “ with you. I wish you complete success. Farewell until “ your return.” From Tiraspol he proceeded the same day to Kischeneff, and thence to Ungheni, on the frontier of Moldavia, where he reviewed the troops on Monday, and was greeted by the Metropolitan of Moldavia, the clergy and town authorities from Jassy, and several of the Consuls. To the Metropolitan

New Series, Vol. XVII. No. 442.