THE TABLET

A Weekly Newspaper and Review

D u m VOBIS GRATULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS.

from the Brief of His Holiness Phts IX . to The Tablet, June 4, 1870.

Vol. 51. No. 1986.

L o n d o n , M a y 4, 1878.

P r i c e s d . B y P o s t s%d

[R egistered a t the General P ost O ffice as a N ewspaper.

C hronicle of th e We e k :—

Paq©

The “ Simultaneous Withdrawal.”— The Russian Strategical Position. — The Real Difference between England and Russia.—Possible Russian Concessions.— Military and Naval Preparations. — The Proposed Russian Cruisers.—The Strength of England. — Mr. Hardy at Bradford.— Mr. Bright’s Phillippic.—The Reply of Mr. Cross.— The Irish Education Meeting.— Intermediate Education. — Primary Education .. .. .. 545

L e a d e r s :

C 0 N T

Page

The Enc yclical .. .. .. 549 Mr. Hardy on the Situation .. 549 Professor Max Müller on “ Re­

ligion ” .. ......................... 550 The Paris Exhibition .. .. 551 Encyclical Letter of his Holiness

Pope Leo X I11.to the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops of the Catholic World .. 553 R eviews :

The Contemporary Review .. 555 Pius the Ninth .. .. .. 555 Short N otices :

Personal Recollections of Cardi­

nal Wiseman .. .. . . 556

E N T S .

Short N otices (continued):

Page

The Story of the Passion .. 556 A Month at Lourdes .. .. 556 Life of St. Winefred .. .. 556 Modern Science Unlocking the

Bible; or, Truth Seen from Three Points .. .. .. 556 Books for the Month of May .. 556 Church Music . . . . . . 557 Education in Church Music . . 557 C orrespondence:

White Hart Lane Mission,

Tottenham .. .. .. 558 Faith of our Fathers.— XIV. . . 558 F oreign N ews ;—

Germany .. .. .. .. 559 Poland .. .. .. .. 559

Page

Rome :— Letter from our own

Correspondent.........................561 The Holy Father and the Swiss

Government .. .. . . 563 D iocesan N ews :—

Westminster....................................563 Southwark .. .. . . . . 564 Newport and Menevia .. .. 564 Nottingham.. .. .. .. 364 I reland :—

Letter from our own Corre­

spondent ......................... « 564 General N ews . . . . 566

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

THE “ SIMULTANEOUS WITHDRAWAL. ’’ w

E are alm ost tired o f saying that with regard to the Eastern difficulty there is as yet nothing definite to say. T h e best news is only that negotiations are still in progress, and that the question o f simultaneous withdrawal from the neighbourhood o f Constantinople has reached the stage o f direct discussion between the English and Russian Governments. A s far as this point is concerned, the recall o f the Grand D u k e N icholas and the provisional appointment o f General T odleben to his command are thought by some to be signs indicative o f a conciliatory disposition at St. Petersburg. T h e encroachments o f the Russian army into and beyond the neutral zone created by the armistice, and the repeated attem pts to take up a position on the Bosphorus, have all been ascribed to the Grand D uke’s personal in itiative, and it was he who was believed to have proposed that the troops should enter Constantinople last Sunday to celebrate the Russian Easter in the Greek churches o f the capital. This last named project was put an end to, not only by opposition from the Porte, but by a direct prohibition from St. Petersburg, and it may not unreasonably be thought that General T odleben is a safer commander than the Grand D uke for a post and for a moment at which the greatest possible care must be taken to avoid anything which may lead to a collision. And if there is to be a withdrawal o f the forces from their advanced positions, it seems to be thought more becom ing that it should be directed b y a new and provisional commander than by the victorious Prince of the Imperial H ouse. T h e Berlin correspondent o f the D a i ly Telegraph gives a very favourable account of the progress o f these particular negotiations, and says that the Russians have a lready agreed to retire to “ a line stretching from Adrianople to D ede A gatch— the line, in fact, o f the Maritza.” This, however, is only one interpretation o f the change in the com m and; the other is that Russia sees the necessity of strengthening her strategical position, and with that view intrusts the control o f the operations to the famous designer o f the defences o f Sebastopol.

And this weakness in the strategical position,

s t r a TEcfica l ! w^'c^ must exist while the Russians remain in position,

neighbourhood o f Constantinople without holding the Bosphorus, is further increased as long as the Turks decline to surrender the fortresses o f Shumla and Varna. A n d this refusal, in spite o f all the efforts made to overcom e it, is positive. T h e Turks will not complete their part o f the undertaking, until the Russians perform theirs, and evacuate Roumelia. A n d the difficulties

New Series, Vol. XIX. No. 495.

of the army o f occupation are aggravated by the state o f the country at its back. I t is said, indeed, that all differences with Servia are smoothed away, and in Roumania M. Bratiano, in his circular to the Prefects, has endeavoured to rem ove all grounds o f quarrel, by insisting on a rigid perform ance o f the military Convention still in force. But all Russian demands in excess o f its stipulations are to be referred to the Bucharest Government, and it is not im probable that awkward differences may still crop up, and that the Russians may have to draw their supplies through a country which, if not hostile, is at least not am icably disposed. Then, again, there is the Musulman insurrection in the Rhodope mountains, which, though the Russian papers founded an argument on the supposition that it was confined to territory left to Turkey, is extending itself into the new Bulgaria as far as the valley o f the Maritza. I t will not then be a subject o f wonder if, with these weak points in his rear, General Todleben should decide to take up a stronger position on his front, and retire behind the lines o f Tchataldja.

the real A s we have had occasion to say before difference now, the question o f the exact distance to between which English and Russian forces should reengland {¡re js one very minor difficulty and inferior importance. I he real problem is to find a middle term which will meet the conflicting views o f the two Governments respecting the relations o f the T reaty to the Congress. T h e Russians are supposed to argue thus: “ We do not in tend to stick to all the details o f the T reaty o f Santo Stefano ; it was a tentative arrangement, and had no pretensions whatever to be considered a definitive settlement. So, i f you or the other Powers have any modifications o f it to propose, by a ll means do so, and we will examine them. But as to submitting the T reaty to the Congress, as to a tribunal, we can never do that, as it would be derogatory to our d ignity as an independent treatymaking Power, and depreciatory o f our sacrifices and v ictories in the late war. T e l l us, then, what changes in the settlem ent you would propose, and we may very possibly come to an agreement.” T o which England replies that it has as yet no suggestions to make, because the prelim inary point is one o f essential importance, namely, that the whole settlem ent requires the sanction o f the Powers who were parties to the existing treaties, and that, as Russia has already recognised this principle, there ought to be no objection on her part to repeating the acknowledgm ent o f it in some form or other, which she herself may select. This is really all the obstacle there is to the assembling o f the Congress, and we cannof yet abandon the hope that it may be removed.