THE TABLET
A Weekly Newspaper and R eview
D u m V O B IS G R A T U L A M U R , A N IM O S E T IA M ADD IM U S U T IN IN C C E PT IS V E S T R I S CO N ST A N T E R M A N E A Y I S .
From the B r i e f o f H is Holiness P iu s I X . to The Tablet, Ju n e 4, 1870.
Voi. 52. No. 2015. L o n d o n , N o v e m b e r 2 3 , 1 8 7 8 .
prick Si by post
[ 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 Of f i c e a s a N ew s pa p e r .
-Ch ro n ic l e o f t h e We e k :—
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The Catholic University College. —Despatch from Lord Cranbrook to the Viceroy of India. — Latest News from the Frontier.—Lord Grey on the Afghan Question.— Lord Lawrence on the NorthwestcrnFrontier.—S i r J . Stephen’s Reply.—The Afghan Committee .and the Prime M inister.— Attempted Assassination of King Humbert. — The Spanish Regicide.—-Speech of the Hungarian Prime Minister.—Scene in the French Chamber of Deputies.— The Weather and the Storms.— The Floods in Italy.—The Willow as a Febrifuge ..........................
641
CONTENTS.
P e t e r ’s P e n c e . . L e a d e r s :
Page . . 645
The Afghan War . . . . . . 645 A New Departure in Politics for
Italian Catholics.—1 1 . . . .. 645 Regicide and Assassination _ .. 657 Programme of Irish Intermediate
Education.. . . . . . . 647 Female Medical Practitioners . . 648 The Study of the Literature of
Ancient Rome . . . . . . 649 R e v ie w s :
The Prisoners of the K ing . . 650 The Quarterly Review . . . . 651 The Inner L ife of the Very Rev.
Père Lacordaire, O.P. . . .. 652 The Contemporary Review . . 653
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C o r r e s po n d e n c e :
Catholic Education . . . . 654 Conversions.. . . . . . . 655 The Tertiaries of St. Francis . . 655 The Afghan Question . . . . 655 The Bedford Mission . . . . 655 Who Is Mr. Vernier ? . . . . 655
R ome : — Letter from our own
Correspondent.............. . . 657
D io c e s a n N ews Westminster..............
.. 659
D io c esan N ew s (continued),
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S o u th w a rk ......................................... 659 Beverley . . . . . . . . 659 Birmingham.. ............................. 659 Nottingham......................................... 659 I r e l a n d :—
Letter from our own Corre
spondent . . . . . . _ 660 The Late Father O’Reilly, S . J . . . 661
F o r e ig n N ew s ;—
Switzerland . .
G e n e r a l N ews :
662
664
CHRONICLE OF TH E W EEK .
DESPATCH FROM LORD CRANBROOK
WE are afraid that our contemporary the W hitehall R ev iew is occasionally misuniversity by unauthoritative information.
TO THE VICEROY OF
INDIA.
college. It has heard that the Catholic University College is to be given up at Christmas. We are authorised to state that the University College will not be closed, but that its present system will be suspended and modified at Christmas. The land adjoining the College will be sold, but the College buildings, museum, laboratory and chapel will be retained, with the intention of continuing lectures in classics, mathematics, and natural science. Two students of the College have just passed their examination for the degree of B.A. at the London University. Since the College was opened in 1875 nearly 100 students have passed through it. There were, however, never at one time more than 44 attending lectures. A considerable proportion have always been externs living with their friends. The chief reason which has led to the determination to modify the scale on which the College has been hitherto carried on arises from the want of convenient residential collegiate buildings, and from the number of students being insufficient to meet the high scale of professorial payments which the College began with. Had nothing arisen to check the increase of students the original estimate would have been fully justified. It appears, however, that a sufficient trial has now been given o the present system, and that the Bishops have no intention of involving themselves in any financial embarrassment tby carrying it on at a great expense, beyond the term for which they can answer for its expenditure. But this is not to say that it will be “ finally closed at Christmas.” At Christmas the College will pursue its way with a lighter expenditure, but we may hope not, on that account, with less solid or useful results. Many a noble ship sails gaily out of port, and has to tack and take in sail for a passing storm before she has gone very far upon her way. In this there is nothing new or discouraging. We can assure the Whitehall Review that Keble College will have nothing to fear from a Catholic rival in Oxford. It is not for a moment to be supposed that the Holy See is going to sanction the founda tion of a Catholic College in the midst of the Protestant and rationalising atmosphere of Oxford, because the Catholic College at Kensington has suffered a momentary check. Even were it shut up altogether and swept out of existence, the Catholic Church in England would not be likely to jeopardise her future by planting her chief institution for higher education in the midst of the colleges of Oxford, and in subjection to the laws and regulations of a non-Catholic University.
The papers of Thursday contain a most important despatch, addressed by the Secretary for India to the Governor-General in Council, which will be read with the deepest interest. It is published by the command of her Majesty “ for the general information of the public in anticipation of the papers connected with the important subject with which it deals.” In it Lord Cranbrook recapitulates the policy adopted by successive Governments, and the Viceroys who acted under them, in dealing with the affairs of Afghanistan since the time of Dost Mahommed ; and after explaining the motives which dictated the recent proceedings of Lord Lytton, and the reasons which induced the Home Government to make an effort to avert the calamities of war by the despatch of a final demand for reparation, he assures the Governor-General of the cordial support of the Government in the arduous position in which he is placed. The narrative of events contained in the despatch covers a period of not less than fifteen years, and the consistent aim of the British Government during that time is explained to have been “ to establish on its northwestern border a strong, friendly, and independent State, with interests in unison with those of the Indian Government, and ready to act in certain eventualities as an auxiliaryin the protection of the frontier from foreign intrigue or aggression.” In order to carry out this policy, a treaty was entered into in 1855 with Dost Mahommed, which was described by Lord Dalhousie as giving to the Government of India on its western frontier “ as complete a security against a foreign and distant enemy as it is possible in the nature of things to compass.” This state of things was disturbed by intestine disorders to which Afghanistan became a piey after the death of Dost Mohammed, and the then Governor-General, Lord Lawrence, considered that the objects of the British Government would be best obtained by abstaining from active interference in the internal affairs of the country, and by the recognition of the de facto rulers, without entering into inconvenient liabilities on their behalf. This policy was not modified until Shere Ali had secured his possession of the throne in 1868, when, in the opinion of Lord Lawrence and of her Majesty’s Government, it was ■ deemed desirable to make some intervention in his favour, and to grant him some assistance in money and arms. This policy was followed by Lord Mayo, who recognised Sheie Ali as ruler de ju r e as well as de facto, and gained great personal influence over the Amir. Lord Northbrook succeeded Lord Mayo, but a new turn was given to the course ■ of events by the rapid advance of Russia in Central Asia ; and Shere Ali, apparently alarmed for his independence, sent a special envoy to Simla to ascertain how far he might calculate upon the support of England in the event of his being
N ew Series, Vol, XX. No. 524.