THE TABLET. A W eek ly N ew spaper a n d R ev iew .

DDM VOBIS GRATULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS ÜT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEAT1S.

From the B r ie f o f H is Holiness Pius IX . to The Tablet, June 4, 1870.

V ol. 85. No. 2865.

London, A pril 6, 1895-

price 5a. uypost s^a

[R e g i s t e r e d a t t h e G e n e r a l P o s t 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 !

Imperial Parliam ent: England and France in Africa— Important ‘ Government Statement — Home Rule all Round— Necessity of Binding not Loosening — The Welsh Church Bill — The Irish Land Bill— Lord Londonderry on

Page the Irish Land Bill— The Unionist Alliance--The Surplus of the Year— The Aged Poor— The Government and Armenia— United Kingdom Sea Fisheries— Mr. Chamberlain on British Trade— The University Boat-race— Unowned Dogs— The Rebels in Cuba . . .. . . 517 L e \d e r s :

The Continuity Theory in the

Commons ......................... 521

CONTENTS .

L e a d e r s (Continued) :

Page

The Chitral Expedition . . . . 522 Lord Halifax and Reunion . . 52^ Anglican Orders . . . . . . 52^ N o t e s . . — ............................ 528 R e v ie w s :

Churches and Monasteries of

Egypt ...................................... 531 The Trail o f the Sword . . . 536 Vernon’s Aunt . . . . . . 537 Romances of the 01d_Seraglio . . 537 Foreign Catholic Periodicals . . 537 Arnold’s School Shakspere . . 538 Books of the W eek.. . . . . 538 C o r r e s p o n d e n c e :

Rome :— (From Our Own Corre­

spondent) . . . . . . . . 533 News from Ireland . . — 534

L e t t e r s t o t h e E d it o r :

Page

The Conference of Catholic Guar­

dians . . . . . . . . 536 A Hint to Catholics . . . . 536 Lenten Alms . . . . . . 536 Seamen’s Literature . . . . 536 The Recent Gale and Maryvale

Orphanage . . . . . . 536 Catholic Benefit Society . ., 338 The Bishop o f Salford’s Third

Lecture in Reply to the Bishop of Manchester . . . . . . 539 Catholic Social Union . . . . 542 In M em o r ia n .................................... 542 N ew s from t h e D io c e se s :

Southwark . . . . . . . . 542 Portsmouth . . ......................... 542 St. Andrews and Edinburgh . . 542

O b i t u a r y ........................................ 543 S o c ia l a n d P o l i t i c a l . . ... 544

SU P P L EM E N T . N ew s from t h e S chools :

The Education Code . . . . 549 The London School Board . . 550 St. Joseph’s Society, Southwark 551 Voluntary v. Boaid Schools.— The

Feeling of the Country . . 552 Liverpool Training College . . 552 The Southwark Seminary . . 553 Elementary School Books . . 553 The Schoolmaster in Norway . . 553 The Teaching of Loyalty in

Bohemian Schools . . . . 553 Hammersmith Training College 554 Teaching A rt in France . . . . 554

Rejected MS. cannot he returned unless accompanied with address and postage.

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

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ON Thursday, on the Estimate of -£6,000 in Class 2 for the Foreign Office, Sir E. Ashmead-Bartlett moved a reduction of j£ i ,o o o in the salary of the Secretary of State, to enable him to raise a discussion regarding the encroachments of France upon the Nile waterway, and its probable effect on the position of Great Britain in Egypt. Mr. J. W. Lowther said he thought there would be a general consensus of opinion that as long as we remained in Egypt it was necessary for us to have political control over the upper waters of the Nile. Germany, Italy, and the Congo State had recognized our claim to the basin of the Nile Valley, and while it might be true that France had never been asked to assent to those agreements, the reason was that at the time they were framed France was nowhere in the neighbourhood. Nevertheless France must have been well aware of their existence, and if it was true that she had sent an armed expedition into the middle of territory which she knew was claimed by her friend and ally, Great Britain, it was an act which was not merely unfriendly, but which was deserving o f a stronger term.

Sir E. Grey pointed out that the agree-

— i m p o r t a n t ments with Germany and Italy defining the ^s t a t e m e n t ! British sphere of influence and obtaining its recognition from those Powers had now been before the world for five years ; they had been recognized by the Congo State, and were known and had been undisputed by other Powers throughout that period of time. In addition to the Nile Valley there was the question of the claims of Egypt, towards the maintenance of the interests of which country England occupied a special position. In •consequence of the agreements with Germany and Italy and the claims of Egypt, it followed logically that the British and Egyptian spheres of influence covered the whole of the Nile waterway— a fact that had been in the knowledge of the world for the past two years. When he was asked if it was the case that a French expedition was going from the West of Africa with the intention of entering the Nile

New S e r i e s , Voi. LIII., No 2,174

Valley, he invited the Committee to be careful how it gave credence to rumours of movements and expeditions in little known places in Africa, the very names of which were apt to shift about in a very unintelligible manner. ,The Government had no knowledge of such an expedition, and had no reason to suppose that one had instructions to enter the Nile Valley. Indeed, he could not think it possible that the rumours deserved credence, because the advance of a French expedition under secret instructions right from the other side o f Africa into a territory over which our claims had been so long known would be not merely an inconsistent act, but, as must be perfectly well known to the French Government, would be an unfriendly act, and so regarded by this country. As to the report that two French expeditions had entered territory over which the Niger Company held valid and comprehensive treaties, the fact that they were uncontradicted and unexplained rendered it impossible for him to make any comments until the Government knew what reply France would give to the communication that would be addressed to her. Her Majesty’s Government relied now, as they had relied not unsuccessfully hitherto, on the fairness and sense of justice of the French Government and people, to enable them to reconcile whatever conflicting interests there might be, in little known parts of the world, with the maintenance of close and good relations between the two countries. In the debate that ensued Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Curzon expressed satisfaction with Sir E. Grey’s statement, which was stigmatized by Mr. Labouchere as a menace to France. Sir E. Grey denied that such a construction could fairly be placed upon his words, and insisted that in having clearly stated the position of this country towards British interests in certain parts of the world he was not endangering, but promoting, the good relations between England and France.. The reduction was withdrawn.

A t the evening sitting, on Friday, on the

— h o m e r u l e order for Supply, Mr. Dalziel moved, and a l l r o u n d . Mr. Lloyd-George seconded, as an amend­

ment, a resolution affirming the desirability of establishing local legislative Assemblies for the management and control of the domestic affairs of “ Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England ” respectively. Mr. J. Redmond considered that, as far as England, Wales, and Scotland were concerned, this discussion had no practical reality, but as regards Ireland Home Rule was not merely an abstract theory. He confessed that he distrusted and disliked this resolution from an Irish point of view. The cause of Irish Home Rule had been thrown by the present