OUR LONDON LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 3906, 31 August 1875, Page 3

OUR LONDON LETTER.

LoNnox, July 9. At present we have the Sultan of Zanzibar for a guest, and very much he would appear to be enjoying his visit. We have taken him to the Crystal Palace, where there was a great display of fireworks; we have shown him the Brighton Aquarium (not on a Sunday), and taken him to some of the theatres where scenic pieces were being performeu which he could understand, despite the difficulty of the lan guage. He was present, too, at the Ascot races, and in driving there wjO much struck bv the vaßt extent of the metropolis. Like all foreigners he was impressed by the wonderful beauty of the FiDglish hedgerows, the high cultivation, and the perfect finish of the roads, fences, houses, and buildings. He greatly admired our English racehorses, but said the Arabs could ride better than our jockeys. In a drive he took through the West End he was astonished at the lavish display of wealth in carriages, Howoi.s, gay dresses, &c , and remarked to his conductor, "Verily the present world i 3 undoubtedly yours, but whether the next will be yours also is, to say tho least, uncertain." It may perhaps be doubted, though, whether he would even have gone so far as this had he been taken to chc East End and shown some of the back slums. Judging from the manner in which he expresses himself, it would api ear that his highness is a man of affectionate disposition, and well qualified to appreciate the happiness of the domestic circle. Speaking of his visit to the Prince of Wales, he is stated to have said —"I felt at once that my reception was not to .be cold and formal, but warm and hearty. When his Boyal Highness introduced me to the Princess, his sweet consort, I was bewildered with gratification. Yet, even that was nothing to the feeling I experienced when his Royal Holiness asked me if I should like to see the children. Yes, he said " the children,'' just as a loving father, who is not a mighty prince, would say it. In my highest expectations I had never anticipated such a pleasure. Someone, with a. soft voice, thinking, doubtless, that I might feel embarrassed, suggested thai only some of the children should be brought; but I know a few words of hinglish, aud I heard the Prince say- -"All, all." I cannot express the joy I ielfc when these sweet children entered the room, and saw them all put their arms round the Prince's neck and embrace him ; and he, too, embraced them lovingly, lifting the little ori?8 off the ground to kiss them, jrvt that moment my heart was full, and I prayed that the blessing' of God might rest upon them. In maimers they were so natural, so cheerful, so trusting. They sat down by my side with the utmost confidence—by the side of me, an Arab, whom they had paver seen before ; and I can truly say now, in reply to the question which his Royal Highness had previously asked me, that the most pleasing sight which I have witnessed in Eugland, and that which impressed me most, was this royal English home. In fact, I almost forgot everything which passed at the interview except tho picture presented by that bright and noble tamily—a picture which will never be erased from my memory. Moreover, Ino longer | wonder, since I saw the royal boys clad in sailor's uniform, that the navy is the glory of England ; and, again, I say, may the peace of God, and His blessing, rest upon Her Majesty the Queen, aud these her illustrious descendants."

On a subsequent occasion the Sultan was taken to the Post Office", and, whilst he stayed, a message was telegraphed to Aden uud a reply transmitted. The great event of his visdt was, of course, his presentation to the Queen, 6f which he is said thus to have expressed himself in writing to a correspondent:—" I have now seen with my eyes what I have so long desired tosee, Her Majesty the Queen of England. My father, who has been taken to the merey of the merciful, used often to talk to us of the Qusen Victoria; but he died without seeing her. I must now tell you why I <;o often said that it was the summit of my ambition to see the face ot Her Majesty :—I have met mitny Englishmen in my time, not only of the royal navy and army, but al*o civilians, merchants, and travellers; and I wondered why they all spoke of their sovereign, not in > formal way as did the people of other nations, J l Ut With enthusiasm and affection. I come to England and find the .-arce hearty loyalty pervading all classes. You saw thousands the other evening at the Crystal Palace all stand up when the music played the Queen's hymn. No one tells them to stand up, but they stand up of their own accord from affection to her, and no wonder; for verily she is the centre of all the glory, all the greatness, all the prosperity of this grand empire. And she is a woman, too ! Piaise be to tho Sovereign Creator who endows whom He will with fitness to rule, and with qualities to attract loyalty and affection ! 1 fancied that I should be overwhelmed when I had the high honor of seeing the face of the Queen. I was, indeed, wonderstruck with all the sumptuousness which surrounded her; but her's is the simple majesty that captivates- not thaf- bewilders. Nevertheless she was majestic in her simplicity, and my heart wept for her when 1 aaw the two princesses, her royal daughters, by her side, and remembered that her beloved consort had been taken to the mercy of God. May the great God Wess her and her royal offspring, and the mighty people over wheiii she rules. I can say no more, for words fail me to express wilftt my heart feels." A very remarkable article npon the recent war panic has appeared in the St. Petersburg ' Goloss.' After stating that the recent alarms were not devoid of foundation, the writer proceeds to say that the danger was removed, thanks to the friendly counsels of llussia and England, to which the Enrperoi- of Germany could not be indifferent. "The recent mis understandings between France and Germany put the friendly alliance of Russia and Germany to a certain test. If Russia had approved of the views which it is clear have been openly expressed in higher at Berlin, the German regiments would at this moment, without the slightest doubt, have been preparing for an invasion of France." The article thei:, after congratulations for the dissipation of all present apprehensions, goes on to ask what security can be depended on for ensuring a permanent European peace. "As for the alliance of the three Emperors, it certainly affords an excellent guarautee for the maintenance of peace by all the powers who do not belong to that alliance, . . . but does it secure Europe agiiinst warlike projects which I might bo entertained by one of the allies themselves ?" Russia, and Austro-Hungary, it says, may safely be trusted to keep at peace, but warlike designs are quite familiar to persons in high positions in German society. ' Erom these premises the writer points to the desirability of an alliance between England and Russia, to which, at present, there is but one obstacle—the suspicion that Russia has designs on India, i This idea, however, the ' Goloss' brieves is now disappearing from the minds of English statesmen. " We are convinced," it continues, " that we are not the enemies of the English in Asia, and that we may be their friends J jf they will only believe in the sincerity of our friendship, and not raise up difficulties. If. they could only be persuaded that an extension of tho Kussian dominion in Centra^' Asia up to the summit of the snow-clad mountains which divide it from India would strengthen the English rule in India, and free them for ever from the dread of insurrections, the greao problem would be solved, and tho two nations would assise each other to enlarge the spheres of each other's influence."

In the House of Commons, thb Diseases Bill have elicited 'probably tlw* warmest discußt-iou of the present session. Sir H. Johnstone, in moving the .second muling of

Mi Act for their repeal, laid down three principles—firat, that it was not the duty of the State to provide immunity from such dUeives for the aviny or iip.vy ; secondly, that bouse.-! of ill-fame should bo suppressed. m>t eomdved at; thirdly, that no regulations slu.nlii In- framed anywhere, or for any purpose, who. !l w ■.-, e -:r consistent with lli" common i i'.s or "ho hi■( -rt.;: of thy subject. Cd'oiujl A 1 \:u..b-r iepli<-d that a, groat amount of good had bcea elleoLed l>y the Acts, and tli.; petition- a'/nin-r. them came principally from town:- which v.. re ik.>'. in any way affect-d hyfheni. »'< thing en-.dd hmorj beneficial to the women i than the operation of ;ho-e Acts, which all'orded an opportunity for their u e"unu>u'.>n. in c inclusion, hj» a.'ikud the House not to disregard the protests of eighty of w\- most, eminent pUysiciiian, and send back those pom creatures to their dens of infamy, but rather to obey tho injunctions of One who took such poor women tinder his Mp"cial protection, ami hade them to g<> ami N<-ek

and save that which was lost. hi reply to this it was urged by Air llopwoo | '.hat there were instances of the interference of i he police by way of warning women of i»'-meetable character, and he asked if meiiw.iuldt.oU-i.de surveillance of that kind . Mr Cave .-- vi<l lh,-:l if they were to believe thai; disease was s'-nt from heaven as a punishment ihey miii-t shut. up the hospitals and proscribe the use of modi cine. He defended the police agamsfc the insinuations made against them. In Mich oaue;, as i)i those of tieket-of-!eave men, if. generally turned out that the reports had been e.vtg.-.e-rated. By the operation of tlif> Acts a saving had beeneffected intho army oi'iiJ-S meuperday; bad houses had been shut up, and fallen women reclaimed. Mr Childer.s, who had administered the Acts for two years at the Admiralty, bore similar testimony. The rend '-, lie said, v, as that the number of young gi hj; Lading a vicious life had been considerably le I need, end large numbers had been .••'•id; back to their homos, who, hut for the Act ■.' w odd lu <! have gone there. Mr M.asKey, who was a- member oi the commission .-appointed t.> iiepiiru in!.,; f]j. alleged inimoial tendency of the; Acts, o.iid if was the unanimous opinion that in that i'c>p'jct it. great success had been aehiev< d. Mr Stan.s- ---| field repudiated the doctrine atliihiUed to the opponent* of the Acts, that the Stale had no right to attempt the ciue of (tie diseases in question as being visitations of Providence. i hey approved of hospitals «md lvlamatory agencies, but they objected to the (he periodieul examination, and the Uom'mmmt guaraut"e. Mr Hardy, who spoke onbehol' of the Government', ivgid tiiat it it was right i'mthe State, as a matter ~1 philanthropy and Christian charity, to siibscriiv to tbe/.;'pj;i."-f, of voluntary hospitals for the eure of ihis special disease, be could not see how tin.- State could be doing wrong in t.;l;ij: -s hold of people who were bringing pollution and n,-;A); into their m'uht ; and, in conclusion, implmed the opponents of the Aet-j to cease tiie di.diibutio'.i of their " horrible literature." On the Jlou---dividing, the mimbej,, were Pmnd \,« V, . for the repealing Act, 12d ; agajn.-t it. :j'i.'i. Tiic existing law thereloie rcmaiifs \iuaj i .ei, .1. Au awful calamity hius visited the soutli of France in the shape of flu xls. In one (pi a ;•'.;•. y of Toulouse alone tho loss of life has been -Jl.i, whilst an immense ana,mil •>{' pp-oputy lias been destroyed. Altogeth- rjL is e.-ijhnaled iiiafc 2,(100 persons have lo.t their !!ves ; whilst the destruction of property is set dowu ,(.<■ jjot hj ,v than LI2,00(|,00l). r l'he damage done in the , valley of Garonne is enonnous iMni-liie.;>,. crops, cattle, all swept away, The scene of the calamity was visited by 3tajvh.il MijcMali-m. M. ButlVt, and General do ('issey, and the I'larshal is reported to have >aid that ho ne.cr saw a biittle-held that presented so hoj-riblo a spectacle. The ;/reatest energy and courage are said to have been shown by the snldieis in rendering assistance, ami everywhere (lumost generous spirit has been manifested in endeavors to alleviate the catastrophe. The Assembly has voted a muii of .L.VO.tltKi the Bank of France luh subscibed l/.;.fl(H), the Pope LBOO. and the London i : om fc... Oommon Council L."ioo. Subscriptions are being ma ie in all parts of France, as also in Switzerland. Belgium, and England. The latest telegrams give the most appalling account of' the devastation. Where the wators have Uioro is a perfect monotony of rum and hon.,r, Ju tins tijwns whole quarters have been ; <weiit away, whilst de-id bodies shoekin-iy mutilated are fouad among tho ripjis. l Ine newspauer coirespondent taking a walk rhn ugh ;-, j.-ai i, where the waters had receded found nothing but corpses, not a single living being. Where the streatna atjll run bodies of men. hor-c.-;. and cattle, and Jr,us>;l(o]d goods of eveiy description float upon thftin. ' \vlieie vtd.-e'y terraces of houscc stood is im-v a ulunlf spaae and what were spacious thoroughfares aie nmv bfccltiad up with il<'hi-t«. Win;re, by cicnu-e, or l>v reason of sijbstantial c-instruction, a few buildings remain,, thev arc far fj f e nmst pait marked to be blown \ip, r'or aliijost at: ail au damaged as to render their romdniug very danj;ero«« iSiieh poor victims as have esca|)'od the water Wavcjj.one so with the )o-s of everything they possessed, foj, n'uod them in their beds, and in many «i'a\cn iuey \tu* almost naked. The public buildings, with few <?>, cations, have becu turned into temporary hospilb!» ar.i'l refuges, whilst umnihuses go round to receive oontrih; f tioj;s of food, oiothim.--, ftjrd bedding. ' ! Count Arnim'rf second trial has just terminated. Tjpi counsel for the prosecution held that a penal oftVjptc liad lie n cmninittp.j, a-ntl demanded a sentence of two and adiaif vears' imprisonment, which it however nuhsorpicntly reduced to a dc-uiatid for twelve months'; whilst the counsel for the defence contended that the sentence of the Municipal i-uurt of Berlin should be annulled on the ground of the incompetency of the tribunal, i'he decision of the Kainmetgorioht, however, allirms the competency of the Municipal Court. Inasmuch as Count Amini did not appeal against it at the time, and the judgment of that (Jonrt is virtually confirmed, 'i'he ae-tjof Couur, Arnim in taking the docujiient:; with him from Paris was not pun ; shahlc, liut his Midwe.jiio.nt retention of them was so, because it cimld'only havc been done with intent, and for this offence the Count is now sentenced to nine months' imprisouuicnc. t-Jje farmer s ntcnoe Iniving been for only three. Jt ii> ,M,id \}\ul Arnim ;viU now appeal to the Supreme Court, but the cane eaunot come on before December. A great portion oi the summary was devoted by the Court to the question a* to wlr.'t could be regarded officially as deeds, and it .leclares in the most explicit manner that the documents in question were [public dee-Is. inasmuch as they might frustrate the mo.-ii; important political plans, dissolve .ddahees and treaties, and be of significant importance lor the fate of nationl•i. , ' Thi.-, vie.v of the case, if is Haiti, materially inttiuuee-! ii,..■ ;.| i;u uia; or punishment awarded.