TABLE TALK.

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 491, 23 July 1890, Page 3

TABLE TALK.

(From Our SrmAL Correspondent.)

London, May 23. A very interesting literary secret has juet transpired. It is to the effect that the exEmpress Eugene has been seized with the current craze for ** reminiscing ” and written a most entertaining chronicle of the early days of tho Second Empire, which will, however, nob bo given to the world until after her death. That Her Majesty could reveal many etrange e'entful histories and quaint wclandret of that brillianb period if she chose is, of coarse, indubitable, and once npon a time she might have enjoyed doing so. Nowadays I doubt the poor lady possessing tho spirit. HorMaje6ty’s first intention was fcocomplebs the chronicle up to the fatal days of 1870, but she tired of tho labour ab 1859, and has, on dit, abruptly broken off with the war of that year. The Empress, after reading the MS. through twice, handed ib with other papers to Baron Jeromo David, who is to be her literary executor. The papers include a number of letters from the ill-fated Prince Imperial to his mother, and from the Emperor Napoleon 111. to his wife. None are to be utilised for publication till the Empress baa been dead six months. Her Majesty is in very weak health, and quite persuaded she cannot live long. She nevertheless keeps up a fairly brisk correspondence with our own Queen and other friends. The now generations of Parisians the old lady cannot abide. Stanley’s Bride. The wifo Mr Stanley has boon looking for for twenty year.*, and has at last found, is in every way worthy of the Buccaneer of tho Congo. Miss Dorothy Tennant is in her way as exceptional a woman as Henry Morton Stanley is an exceptional man. To rare beauty and intelligence, tho lady adds artistic and literary abilities of a very high order. She is also a well-known philanthropist, devoting much timo and thought to the reclamation of the street arobs whose characteristics she so successfully portrays on canvas. Readers of tho “ English Illustrated Magazine ’’ will remembor Miss Tennant's articles therein, on the small vagrants of the London streets, illustrated as they were by marvellous life-like sketches. Miss Tennant has pictures both in tho Academy and New Gallery this year. Tho one in tho latter, “ Street Arabs at Play,” hangs on tho line, and is admired by- all sorts and conditions of critics.

Misa Dorothy Tennant’s face happens, curiously enough, to bo familiar to thousands, as the lady stood for tho model of one of Millais' best-known and most popular efforts, “Yes or No.” This picture some of your readers are sure to remember. It represents a tall beautiful girl meditating on the answer to a fateful letter, which she hold* in her hand. The engraving sold far and wide, so that thero a e sure to bo copies in tho colony. Mies Tennanfc became engaged to the explorer before he started on his last expedition, but in view of tho dangers to be encountered, and tho terrible possibility of bis never returning, both parties preferred the matter should bo kept a secret. What tho brave lady suffered during those terrible times when Stanley was reported dead one can only imagine. Let us hope all such troubles aro now finally over. Doubtless Mr Stanloy will return to Africa, but as reformer rather than explorer, and accompanied by his wife. The marriage is to bo celebrated at the end of .Tune, and, needless to say, promises to be the generally interesting wedding of the season. In love, as in war, the resolute explorer has succeeded where many others have failed. During the last four or five years Miss Tennant is said to have had many highly flattering and eligible offers. Mr Balfour (nosr engaged to some one else) was at ono time supposed to have been actually accepted by the young lady, and a prominent Rechabite M.P. was also not long ago rejected. Miss Tennant, who lives with her brother in a comfortable house in Richmond Terrace, Whitehall (next to Lord Onslow’s town residence, and within throe minutes’ walk of Westminster and Downing streets), numbers amongst her friends Mr Gladstone, and most of the remarkable men of the day. She is present ab all the functions in honour of the returned hero to which ladies aro admitted. Stanley’s Book,

Mr Stanley finished revising the final proofs of “ In Darkest Africa” on Monday last, and the work is now announced for publication on June 10th. The first English edition will consist of 2,000 copies, which is, of course, an unusually large one for so expensive a book. Mudio and Smith will between thorn ab a orb three parts of this issue, and collectors of first editions are certain to be well on the spot. Copies of the first edition of Stanley’s “How I Feund Livingstone” nro already worth double the published price. The second and all subsequent editions of the new book (in library form) will be 2,000 copies apiece also. In America a firm of unprincipled pirates are advertising a spurious farrago called “ Horos of the Dark Continent,” as containing the whole of Stanley’s work and much besides. Should this fraudulent publication reach the Antipodes on no account buy it. Stanley’s Idea. Stanley has a pet scheme on hand which he airs on every opportunity now, and for which the money will almost certainly be found. It is to transplant negroes from the Southern States of America to tho Upper Congo, the climate of which is healthy, and which reeembles Arkansas and Louisiana without their swamps. Anything could bo grown there, ho says, from oranges, sugar-cane, and col ton, to the wheat of California, and rico of South Carolina. The Newton Case. Mr Newton, tho Police Court solicitor whoso questionable doings in connection with the Cleveland-street scandals seemed likely at one time to get him into very serious trouble, has escaped well nigh scathlea*. The so-called trial last Friday amounted to little more than a farce. The serious charges were incontinently withdrawn, and Sir C. Russell pleaded guilty to the lesser ones. It was, ho said, no doubt tho esse that in order to defend his clients from tho blackmailer Hammond, Mr Newton had ae?igted that Ineffable ecoundpel to escape,

and so brought himself within reach of the law. He would only point out that Mr Newton had tio personal end to eerre in acting as he had. It was aimply excess of zoal in a client's cause which had led to the difficulty. The Attorney-General for the Crown accepted these explanations in a most friendly spirit, and Mr Justice Cave was finally left to administer nominal punishment. Hi* lordship postponed judgment till Tuesday. Mr Newton is one of the sharpest and ableab solicitors practising ab the Police Courts. He has on more than eno occasion managed ticklish eases wibh rare tact and judgment. Thin time, howover, when the proceedings at Marlborough closed, the general impression was the man had done for himself. He bold his friends confidently ib would be ell righb, bub he looked the reverse of comfortable.

On Tuesday, when Mr Newton came tip for judgment, ib soon appeared thab Mr Justice Cave was in anything but a lenient mood. Ho altogether pooh-poohed the iron dt zelt excuse, and indulged in sutidiy biting sarcasms at bhe expense of the At-torney-General, whose facile concurrence in Sir Charles Russell's lame explanations he professed himself entirely unable to understand. Reverting to the Police Court ovidence (which counsel had judiciously ignored), the learned judge showed up the case against Newton in all its ugly nakedness. Then stating that a fine would be no punishment, as the peccant solicitor’s nristocrabi* employers would of course pay ib, he sentenced the defendant to six weeks’ imprisonment. Whether wo hear “ the truth, bho whole truth, and nothing but the truth ” about the smart folk involved in the scandals will now depend on whether Mr Newton is struck off the Tolls. His clients were successful apparently in persuading the Crown nob to press the case against him. What they didn't reckon upon was bucking up against an honest, independent judge. The Engel Case. The 2,ooosovs. damages awarded the unfortunate Miss Knight by a sympathetic and horrified jury, on Tuesday, might just as well have been peanuts for all the good they will do the young lady and her mother. Dr. Engel, of course, is without tho jurisdiction of the Court, and being a ruined man in England, will indubitably keep so. No one can make him pay bhe £2,090. The Queen and the Canon. Canon Liddon has refused tho bishopric of Sb. Albans, without giving reasons. As, however, the rev. gentleman is perfectly well aware of the Queen’s prejudice against him, one need nob seek for bis motive.. Truth to tell, there is considerable excuse for Her Majesty’s attitude. On the sole occasion Dr. Liddon preached ab Windsor, ho committed tho inexcusable error of tasio of turning to the Queen and addressing her personally. Conceive what you would sufler if a strange clergyman were to single you out for admonition before a large congregation, and you will realise the Queen’s anger and embarrassmonb. She always held afterwards that a churchman capable of such n glaring bntene was unfit to fill a bishopric, ami, till recently, whenever the Canon’* name was suggested Her Majesty ruled it out. Lady Ely- has tho credit of modifying tho Royal displeasure. Sho persuaded the Queen to road some of tho Canon’s sermons, or rather hail them read to her without tho Royal listener knowing (till afterwards) whose thoy were. As a result tho Queen presently informed Lord Salisbury that she had “ no prejudice against Dr. Liddon,” and the see of St. Albans was offered tho popular preacher. By the way, an admirable collection of some of tlie worthy Canon’s finest discourse* has been published in two volumes (2s 6d each) in the Contemporary Pulpit Library. Volume I. is already in a fourth addition.

Tiieatkkwl Notes. The ridiculous Gilbertand Sullivan quarrel alfords “ Dugonct” an opportunity fora nenfi apropos jokelet. “Sir Arthur’s name,” he remarks, “ suggests Irish descent. Perhaps that accounts for his putting tho Carto before the G. The Carte and the Van remain, and it iB tho G who trots off merrily whisking his tail and neighing 1 I think 1 can sell yer (Cellier) after all.’ ” Jesting apart, there can be small doubt that Gilbert has behaved with characteristic bad temper and obstinacy in this matter. Tho original dispute with Mr Carte was of a most trivial description ; something to do with the purchase of a couple of carpets for (ho .No. 2 Gondoliers Company now touring in the provinces. At first D’Oyley Carle was inclined rs usual to laugh and give way, but he reflected that he and Sir Arthur were nowadays always laughing and giving way to tiio autocratic Gilbert, both in largo and small concerns, and that, in fact, their partner's tyranny had becom* altogether unbearable. He consequently made a stand. Gilbert was furious. The friendship and alliance of long years went overboard in a moment. He threatened to unmake Carte as he had made him, and said other nice things. Sir Arthur Sullivan, on being appealed to, declined to mix himself up in the quarrel, and Gilbert thereupon excommunicated him also. If this had keen all, people wouldn’t l)R\e said much, but there is a general feeling that in at unco opening negotiations with the opposition shop (ue the Prince of Wales’s Theatre must be considered) Mr Gilbert acted meanly. Goo. R. Sims and Robert Buchanan are busy writing the new melodrama for the Adelphi. It will be in four acts and deal with modern Irish life. Leonard Boyne has been engaged to succeed Terriss and Alexander ns hero, and Miss Olga Brandon will b« heroine. Miss Brandon, I may mention, is just now tho most run-after young actress in London. She had simultaneous offers from Willard, Hare, Bcerbohm Tree, and the Gatbis. At the Adelphi she will receive £SO a week. Nob bad,is it,for a debutante with barely eighteen month’s experience? The three vagrants with bears whom the Queen stopped in Windsor Park a fortnight ago and ordered to porform before her are now earning £45 a week at the London Music Halls. They had had a particularly unlucky day on the evening that “an old lady in a carriage with trvoothors” [lulled up alongside the little party in’the park. “We were beginning our show without much spirit,” said the elder German, “ when the footman ho comes and says : ‘ It is tho Queen, do your beet.’ Then believe me wo did. Her Majesty smiled often and asked many questions through the long Scotchman. At last the Scotchman gave us a sovereign and the carriago drovo on.” Tho full significance of this incident doesn’t appear to have dawned on the bear men till next morning’s papers made it public. Then reporters and music hall managers simply swooped down upon the “ Three Royal Benra ” (as they are now called), and their owners are able to look forward ~to earning a comfortable living for many yeat-e to come. N .

“The Red Hussar” was withdrawn from the Lyric Theatre.on Saturday. The house will not re-open till September, when Mr Sedger (rice Leslie, deposed) produces an English version of Andran’s " La Cigale oh la Fourmi,” the libretto translated bv Mr “Punch” Burnand ; Gilbert ami Cellier’* first attempt to follow,