LONDON LETTER.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1893, 18 March 1880, Page 3

LONDON LETTER.

[COBBESFONDEIfT OF THE " PBESS.'H LONDON, January 29. The war of words between rival politicians has raged incessantly during the last fortnight, and is not likely to cease outside the House of Commons until Parliament meets this day week, though then only the soene will be changed, and the play will proceed without interruption. We now know what are the intentions of the Government with respect to the approaching session, what will be the conduct of the Opposition, and what attitude will be taken by the Home Bulers, who evince no slight disposition to be more obstructive than ever, if the Government and the House do not repress them with a strong hand. The Ministry, which has of late held more Cabinet Councils than usual, will I learn come out with a strong programme for the final session of the present Parliament, and they will present a series of measures not intended so much to become law during the next six months as to pave the way for that appeal to the constituencies which must be made soon after the turmoil of the next session has been overcome. I can confirm what I have recently stated more than once—that the Government do not contemplate a dissolution until the latest possible period, and one of their number, Sir Michael HicksBeaoh, in a speech he delivered a few days ago at Tewkesbury, verv opportunely reminded the country of the difference between the present position of Lord Beaconsfield's Cabinet, and that of Mr Gladstone's Ministry at the end of its fifth and last session of the last Parliament. Then, as he pointed out, we had a Cabinet that had nearly wrecked itself by internal dissensions, and that had repeatedly had to face adverse votes in the House of Commons, in which it had a nominal majority of about sixty. Now, however, Sir Stafford Northoote leads a party with a similar but compact majority, and not only has he never had to deplore any vote that has been given in any division on any question, however small, but he can boast that on all the important questions which he has had to submit to their judgment he has received no inconsiderable support from the other side of the House. Clearly, then, the Government are right in saying that they are only pursuing a constitutional course when they resolve on letting the present Parliament expire only by the efflux of time, and of making its seventh session as hard working and practical a one as the first. If my information be correct, not only will the Government be found to have a distinct foreigrupolicy and a programme of domestic legislation which will command Bupport, but they will also have something to say, if not at once to do, on colonial affairs. They appointed last year a Royal Commission to inquire into the Bubject of colonial defence, and, although we do not yet know what course that inquiry is taking, its report will probably be presented to Parliament during next summer. And in this connection I cannot omit to mention that a most thoughtful paper on colonial defence and preservation generally was read a few nights ago by Mr Thomas Brassey, M.P., to the members of the Huddersfield Chamber of Commerce. The hon. gentleman, it may be recollected, made not long ago a tour of the world in his yacht, and the book in which he recounted the adventures of hiß voyage is one of the most readable of modern publications. Mr Brassey is a man with great powers of shrewd observation, and he has surveyed mankind with a more extensive view than that suggested by the poet. He is, in a word, in favour of the colonies assisting the mother country to maintain an Imperial Fleet which should effectually serve every purpose of defence. He maintains that they have abundant resources to enable them to meet the necessary expenditure. For the Australasian colonies generally and for New Zealand in particular, he thinks there is a great future. He endorses the views of Sir Julius Yogel that the progress which New Zoaland has made is not merely an ephemeral one, but is solid and enduring, and he points to the immense seaboard of your country and to your distance from Australia as likely to lead New Zealand people in the future to a great development of maritime enterprise and power. Next week wo shall have a good opportunity of ascertaining now the conduct of public affairs by the present Government is regarded by one of the largest constituencies in this country, viz., ihat of Liverpool, where a vacancy has unexpectedly occurred by the almost sudden death of one of its members. Both parties have engaged in the battle with great ardour and a thorough determination to win, while politicians in London on both sides aro only lamenting that the election could not take place a day or two sooner, so that it might have an effect upon the opening of the session. Liverpool has been represented in the present Parliament by two Conservatives and a Liberal, the latter being what is called the " minority" member. The surviving Conservative member is Lord Sandon, a member of the present Government, and ho attended the first meeting of his supporters and delivered a speech recommending them to elect as his colleague Mr Edward Whitley, a Liverpool merchant of the very first position. On the other side, the Liberals have put up Lord Ramsay, the heir to the earl-

dom of Dalhousie, and they reckon on returning him, with the help of the Earl of Derby, whose house the Liberal candidate has been allowed to make hia head quarters. The conduct of the ex-Foroign Minister has been very sharply criticised here, but those who are best acquainted with Lancashire feeling assure me that the result of his defection to the Liberal cause will hare but the very smallest effect on the prospects of the Conservative candidate. The chances of the latter are by no means doubtful, although sinoe the last election nearly ten thousand names have been added to the list of voters. Politics, however, have always been intense in that part of England, and so carefully is the register looked after that at the clubs last night it was the common belief that Mr Whitley would be returned with a majority of from eighteen hundred to two thousand. Indeed, the Ministers themselves feel sure of winning this election. It was stated yesterday morning that in view of the importance of the election several Cabinet Ministers were about to visit Liverpool in order to vindicate their claims to a renewal of support from the constituency of that town. The rumour generally prevailed that at all events the Home Secretary, Mr Cross, who is a Lancashire man, would go down amongst his own people and prevent any wavering, but this is contradicted to-day, and it is firmly asserted this afternoon that the conduct of the election will be left to the excellent men who have it in hand, viotory befog certain. Mr Gladstone, however, who has jußt buried his sister in Scotland, is hastening from her grave to Liverpool, where he will arrive to-night, in order once more to harangue the people and accuse her Majesty's Ministers of every conceivable political crime. I have received from the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company (Limited) a copy of the fifteenth annual report of the directors, which is accompanied by the accounts made up to September 30th in New Zealand, and December 31et in London An available balance of £53,216 is shown, which, after providing for the interim dividend at the rate of 10 per cent., paid in July, is sufficient to admit of a further similar distribution, together with a bonus of 5 per cent. The sum of £BI7O is carried forward. The reserve fund stands at £160,000.

A very pretty quarrel has arisen between the Post-office and the companies which have been formed to bring the telephone, in its various forms, into commercial nse, and this adds another to the many previous instances of the stagnation and indifference to public wants which has been displayed by that department in modern times. Some eight or ten years ago Parliament allowed the Post-master-General to acquire a monopoly of all the telegraphic lines within this Kingdom, and in consideration of this the House of Commons granted a magnificent sum of money, though the expenditure, of course, was found in the end to very largely excee the estimate. It need scarcely be said that since that day there has been no advance in telegraphic invention in this country, and the 4,000,000 of people who now occupy London, to say nothing of the greater population of the provinces, are obliged to content themselves with badly written ill-spelled messages on the meanest little slips of paper that will suffice for the purpose. I should be ashamed to show any of my telegrams to a person from Paris or Berlin, where they employ the clean and plain Hughes' printing telegraph. Now, the Post«office, which refused to adopt the telephone when it was first brought out, is seeking to prevent its public adoption, and has commenced legal proceedings against two companies in order to restrain them from an infringement of what the Postmaster-General alleges to be his monopoly ! Why, the telephone was not dreamed of when he obtained his powers, and I shall be much surprised if they are found to prevent the public use of this valuable invention. Because both are worked by electricity he cannot see any difference between them. For all that we have heard of late of the pacific intentions of all the empires of Europe there is too much reason to believe that some mischief is brewing between Germany and Russia, in which it is not impossible that France may become involved, in spite of the firmest determination to the contrary which she at present entertains. The German Government suddenly determined last week to largely increase the strength of its army, even on a peace footing, and the present law, which allows one soldier for every hundred of the entire population of the Empire, is to be put in force to its full extent. This will involve a large outlay, but a further enormous sum of money is to be spent in armaments. What is the meaning of all this ? I have heard twenty answers to that question, but not one that can give a satisfactory explanation of it. Russia has given assurances that the large concentration of troops on her Polish fi on tier means nothing offensive, and has even offered to hasten their departure for inland quarters ; while, as far as public opinion in France goes, it sneers at this step, which it thinks has been taken in one of Prince Bismarck's phantasms. Anyhow, the Prince's own conduct is inexplicable. For seven months past he has secluded himself on his estate at Varzic, under the plea of illhealth, but yesterday morning he suddenly reappeared in Berlin, to the astonishment of all the Government officials. Ho and the Grown Prince had an interview during the morning, and later in the day the latter had an audience of his venerable father. The Crown Prince had come to Berlin in order to make his departure thence for Pegli, in Italy, where his family are staying, and whither he also intended to go for the benefit of his health.