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-._--LONDON CORRESPONDENCE,
LONDON CORRESPONDENCE, [Wedeem It right to state that we do not at all times identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions,] The terrible event which has befallen the Imperial house ot Austria in the suicide of the Crown Prince Rudolph, has caused an amount of sensation and concern in England which, even at this lapse of more than a week, continues to be worthy of note. The sadness of the tragedy was the more apparent because the Emperor Francis Joseph is held in esteem by the whole of Europe, which has recognised the dignity and patience with which he has met a series of mis- fortunes that might well have crushed an ordinary man. Coming to the throne forty years ago in the midst of revolutionary agitation, and when only little more than a boy, he had at the very outset to employ foreign aid to enable him to overcome rebellion at home. Eleven years later, as a consequence of the war with France, he was compelled to see his power over Italy lost, in 1886 he had to reconcile himself to the cession of Venetia and to Austria being lowered from her position as chief of the German nationalities, and now this personal blow has come to prostrate him after he had encountered so many others in the national cause. The European public generally took little heed of the political considerations involved in the sad event; it was to them something which appealed to the inner consciousness of all; and the sorrow ex- pressed was far from conventional, and was dis- tinctly real. We are now officially promised thorough exa- mination into the state of our Imperial defences when Parliament resumes its work, and the ne- cessity for strengthening the navy is in par- ticular to be Ministerially enforced. The general opinion is likely to be that the first step, at least, is urgently demanded, for many curious stories are afloat as to the condition of our war-ships at the present moment, and it will be good for all concerned to have these thoroughly tested. It is not remarkable, of course, that in so vast an organisation there should be some blunders dis- covered, but certain of these are of a kind which oughttoberegardedaspreventable. Forinstance, it was reported a few days since that a certain new ship upon a distant station, which had been built at enormous cost, could not fire her guns because the concussion was so great that at every discharge she was seriously strained. In another case, the vessel could not be fully armed, because it was found that she could not carry the weight of guns for which she had been intended. These are only a sample of the stories which are con- stantly current in naval circles as to the condi- tion of the fleet; and as the navy is our first line of defence, it is only natural that the tax-paying public should wonder whether such instances are fair tests of the whole. That, of course, they are not; although they are sufficiently serious to justify thorough examination, there is little doubt that certain of them could be paralleled in foreign fleets. It is right enough to learn the truth, but it would be foolish to think that Eng- land has the monopoly of making mistakes. Once more there is a re-arousing of interest in the electric light, and a number of schemes for establishing the new illuminant in various quar- ters of town and country are being laid before the public. But, as is often the case where there is great competition, some of the promoters are over-zealous to be first in the field, and the Board of Trade has had to issue, within the past few days, a caution against this too great promp- titude. It appears that some of them have not waited for the statutory authority before break- ing up the streets in their district, in order to lay their mains but, as is now officially pointed out to them, this may entail awkward conse- quences. Not only do their works run the risk of being stopped by direction of a court of law, at the instance either of some public authority or aggrieved person, but they do not possess the remedies for enforcing against their customers the charges which the Legislature 11 cl has given to those who obtain statutory powers. These dangers are so clear that is well that such a caution should have been emphatically given, for it may prevent unfairness as well as friction and loss. The electric light has had a host of obstacles to overcome in the endeavour of its friends to make it popular and generally acces- sible, and it would be a thousand pities if these were increased at the present favourable moment by any injudicious or premature action. Those acquainted with financial affairs in the City are of opinion that the coming spring will see a great wave of speculation pass over England. Already there have been abundant signs of the rising of the speculative tide, and cautious per- sons are already looking with something not alto- gether removed from alarm at the prospect now promised us. The worst of all such" booms is that, not only are large fortunes often placed in peril, but that small competences are frequently submerged. The amount of interest which in these days can be realised from what are known as first-class securities" is so small that it is no wonder that people who depend for their livelihood upon what they can get from their investments, should be tempted to speculate in stock which promises them more. It is upon this knowledge that many a financier depends for his success, and a glowing prospectus proves a most powerful engine for extracting money from the pockets of those not over well-to-do. The consequence is that, at a time of general speculation, many enterprises are launched which are of a some- what risky character, and it is not given to all would-be investors to possess the faculty of determining at a glance which are good and which bad. This is the reason why those who have nothing to gain but all to lose by a panic always dread the advent of a great I I boom," The question of railway rates is one which is so intimately bound up with the trade of the country, that the effect of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act of last year, as touching their incidence, will be closely and, indeed, jealously watched. The Board of Trade has made an order under that Act to the effect that, where a railway company intend to increase any toll, rate, or charge published in the books re- quired to be kept by the company for public inspection, notice of the proposed increase shall, not less than fourteen days before the date on which the increase is to take effect, be published once, at least, in a local newspaper, and be printed in large type, and kept posted for not 11 y less than twenty-eight days in a conspicuous place in each of the stations on the railway affected, the traffic at or between which is subject to the toll. This is a good regulation as far as it goes, but it seems to be the opinion of a good many persons directly interested in the question that it does not go far enough, for complaints are being made by traders in various parts of the country that the railway companies have taken advantage of the new Act to raise their rates, and that it is of no particular comfort to be told of it. What was wanted was not that the rates should be heightened, but that they should be lowered, and the latter result has certainly not as yet been attained. Her Majesty's judges of the Queen's Bench Division have had much of their time occupied of late by the hearing of applications from candi- dates at the recent County Council elections for relief from penalties incurred for offences unwit- tingly committed under the Municipal Elections i (Corrupt and Illegal Practices) Act. The occu- pants of the bench have more than once expressed wondermeat at. the number of such applications but when it is considered that an entirely new system has been put in operation in every countv in England and Wales, and that the elections have been taken upon a plan which, in most of the districts concerned, was practically unknown, the amazement ought to be the less. One point worth noting is that the majority of the offences adnutted related either to the circulation of bills and placards to which no name of printer was attached, or to the holding of committee meetings in premises on which intoxicating liquors were licensed to be sold. The former practice was evidently a survival of the old idea that at election times people were privileged to issue scurrilous attacks upon their opponents, to which naturally no printer's name would be appended, while the second is a very modern pro- vision of the law, with which it was excusable for most folk to be unacquainted. The judges have taken a lenient view of the acknowledged oflences, very much on the grounds just stated, but have felt bound to append a caution that future offenders would be severely dealt with. The warning was necessary, but it may be hoped that three years hence, when the next County Council elections take place, it will not be needed, because by that time all intending candidates ought to have had sufficient experience to cause them to keep well within the law. Among the social controversies of the hour is one of especial interest to the gentler sex, for it is an attempt to answer the question, Why do so many Englishmen marry American girls 2" It has been suggested in various quarters that this may be construed as an affront to our countrywomen, and though this in any case would be strained, seeing that the proportion of Anglo-American to completely English mar- riages is exceedingly small, it must be a comfort to those who are inclined to take the matter to heart to feel that it is equally an affront to the American men. The real fact, of course is that the whole controversy is I an exceedingly profitless one. Joined as Eng- land and America are by a thousand ties of race, religion, and speech, and linked the closer by the facilities for oceanic travel which now so abound, what wonder is it that there should frequently be marriages between the two peoples? It may please American women to think themselves superior to their English sisters, and Englishmen to consider that, on the whole, they are better than their American cousins; but all the argument in the world will not prove conclusive upon such delicate points. There the marriages are, and more are likely to come. A F. R.
PRINCE RUDOLPH'S DEATH.
PRINCE RUDOLPH'S DEATH. The sad truth respecting the circumstances con- nected with the death of the Austrian Crown Prince Rudolph was on Friday of last week officially ad- mitted. The unhappy Prince died by his own hand- not in a fit of sudden frenzy, but alter calm delibera- tion and preparation. It had become apparent to the Government that their efforts to conceal the real facts could not possibly succeed, for even the confis- cation cf newspapers which ventured to hint at the truth served but to confirm the suspicions already rooted in the popular mind, and to spur other journalists to greater and more risky efforts to obtain the facts and publish them to the world. TELLING THE TRUE STORY. Consequently, after the post-mortem examination, the Emperor's counsellors prayed him to permit the publication of the true story of his son's death, and his Majesty, after hesitating with natural reluctance for awhile, finally gave his consent. An official version was accordingly drawn up and communi- cated to the Press Bureau, whence it was com- municated to the official Wiener Zeitung. Curiously, however, a second official account was sent to the Biidapester Correspondent, and published in Pesth simultaneously with the Wehier Zeitung's story. The accounts agree fairly well in the main points, but there are some differences in the details. It seems that the Prince obtained little sleep during the night, and it is even doubtful whether he went to bed at all. At any rate, a light burned in his bed- chamber all through the night. At half-past six o'clock on the Thursday morning, the chief valet, Loschek, who was on duty a'one in an ante-chamber, was aroused by the opening of the door leading into the Prince's bedroom, and the Prince appeared at the the Prince's bedroom, and the Prince appeared at the door clad in his dressing-gown, and, addressing Loschek in his usual tone, ordered him to give in- structions to the people in charge of the stable to get ready a carriage. There was no necessity for the Prince to give such an order, as the carriage would have been ready at eight o'clock, in pursuance of in- structions. There is no doubt that the Prince's object was to get Loschek temporarily out of the way, and that he had at that hour completed his letter-writing and other arrangements preparatory to committing the fatal deed. When Loschek had left on his errand there were no persons withia hearing of the Prince's chamber. THE FATAL SHOT. The Prince then closed, locked, and bolted the door, took off his dressing-gown,]and retired to his bed. At that moment it was quite dark outside, but a candle was still alight in the bedroom. The fatal shot must have been fired between twenty minutes to seven and seven o'clock, because Loschek returned to the ante- chamber at seven o'cleck. and remained there, ex- pecting every minute to be called to assist the Prince in his toilette. As breakfast time drew near the valet began to wonder at his master's silence. Finally, knowing that the Prince had arranged to go out with a phooting party, Loschek ventured to'knock at the door, and receiving no answer he became thoroughly alarmed, and sought assistance. He found Count Hoyos and Prince Philip of Coburg, who had gone down from Vienna specially to take part in the day's sport. They had begun to get impatient at the un- usual delay, but they were not at first disposed tc share the valet's fears, believing rather that the Prince had fallen into a deep slumber, as he frequently did in the early hours of the morning after a restless night. They, therefore, waited a little longer, and then went upstairs. FINDING THE BODY. Both listened for awhile, and then, hearing no sound which would indicate that the Prince was about, they knocked loudly on the door. Finally they forced the door and entered the room, where a terrible spec- tacle met their frightened eyes. The room was not in disorder, but upon the bed lay the Crown Prince quite dead. From the mouth, which was partly open, oozed partly congealed blood, and the right band and arm were hanging out over the bed, The blood in the mouth suggested to the observers the idea that the Prince had burst a blood vessel. They were too frightened to investigate further, even had they not known that it would be contrary to rigid etiquette to meddle in any way with the body, or with anything <ia the room. All left the chamber, and after a hurried consultation, Count Hoyos started for Vienna to convey the news to the Emperor. AWAITING OFFICIAL INSPECTORS. Meanwhile Prince Philip of Coburg re-fastened the door, enjoined the servants to secrecy, and then waited in the next room for the arrival of the court officials and physicians, which he knew would be speedily despatched from Vienna. The first to arrive was Dr. Widerhofer, the well- known Viennese profesoor and Court physician. He was iollowed almost immediately by the Court Chamberlain and other officials belonging to the Imperial household. The door of the Prince's room was opened in their presence, the actual fact being duly recorded. Dr. Widerhofer at once went to the bedside &nd examined the -body. He found that a bullet had .gone clean through-the skull. The revolver had evidectly been grasped in the right hand, and the muzzle ipressed close against the right temple. The combined effects of the explosion and the bullet had caused a terrible wound, which, by the way, it is :j impossible co«Id have escaped the notice ot Prince 1 Philip and Ceimt Hoyos. Death saust have been iastantaneous. | A REVOLVER BY HIS SICE. The most casual observer could have &&d no need to seek for its cause. Upon the floor wriiere it had dropped from the daad man's hand was a-six-cham- bered revolver. Upon the table were several letters addressed in the Prince's handwriting to the Empress and other members of the Imperial fasaily, aad to Herr Szosgyenyi, chief of a section in the Foreign Office, who has long enjoyed the complete confidence of his Royal Highness. Berr Szoegyenyi is reminded that he had undertaken the settlement of the Prince's affa«a in the event of his death. This arrangement was made two years ago, and Ilerr Szoegyenyi was then fully informed of the dispositions which the Prince desired should be made with his property. In this letter not a word is said of the Prince's intention to commit suicide. But it is stated that the letter is somewhat incoherent in manner, and that most of the Crown Prince's correspondence has of late be- trayed considerable mental excitement. THE PRINCE'S WILL. On Friday night the will of the Prince was opened in the presence of a special commission composed of High Court and Government officials. It is dated 1886, and it gives to the Crown Princsss Stephanie the use for life of the whole of his property exclu- sively. At her death it is to go to his daughter the little Princess Elizabeth. Herr Szoegyenyi is ap- pointed chief executor, and is charged specially with the duty of putting in order the papers private and public of the deceased. It is understood that, except the small estates at Wererling and the island of Lacroma, the property is entirely personal. THE POST-MORTEM. The post-mortem examination of the remains of the late Prince took place in the presence of a Court Commission. The examination lasted nearly three hours, and at its conclusion the operating surgeons drew up a report, signed by them and the chief officials. The report will not be deposited in the Im- perial archives, and will not, it is believed, be pre- viously made public. At half-past one o'clock in the morning, the body having been partly embalmed, was redressed and recoffined, and taken into the great dining hall of the Hofburg. WAS IT A DUEL ? A news association has issued the following story, which may be taken strictly for what it is worth: Prince Rudulf's death, according to later telegrams, is due to a duel. All news despatches from the Austrian capital which touch this painful tragedy are carefully and inexorably censored." The consequence is that they are late in reaching London, and are just what the Austrian officials will allow them to be. The truth about the Prince's death was being conveyed by train across the frontier, and then telegraphed. After being shot, his Highness, it is said, was laid in his bed, and paraded as a suicide. THE LYING IN STATE.-SCENE IN THE DEATH CHAMBER. From Monday morning until the funeral on Tuesday, the body of the late Crown Prince was laid in state in the Court chapel and exposed to public view. On Sunday a few hundreds of persons, members of the aristocracy, and the Diplomatic Body, officials, and members of deputations, carrying mortuary wreaths, and some others were allowed to see the body, lying in the Crown Prince's study, where it remained until ten o'clock in the evening. I was among those (says the Vienna correspondent of the Times) who had the melancholy privilege of ad- mission. I went soon after eleven, and the small party which I had joined, entering at the door usually opened only for great Court festivities, were conducted up the deserted grand staircase and through long suites of splendid empty rooms to the late Prince's apartments. I have so often seen these rooms thronged with Princes, Ministers, Generals, great lords and ladies, in dazzling dresses and uniforms, that the im- pression of being almost alone in them, with a few ladies in black attire, was most strange. The polished oak floors, gleaming like ice, the enormous gilt mirrors, the Imperial family portraits, the crimson- covered furniture, aed the black-coated, brass-hel- meted palace gendarmes mounting guard looked as usual; but all around was silence, and, tread softly as one might, the creaking noise of a footfall on those glittering boards was painfully audible. We reached the Prince's dining-room, and there sat an officer at a small table in a window embrasure taking down the names of visitors. A great number of wreaths were lying on the floor here, with streamers of different colours bearing inscriptions in gilt letters. But the next chamber—the Prince's draw- ing-room — was literally carpeted with wreaths and bouquets. The most noticeable thing in this room was a life-size portrait, standing on an easel, of the Empress Elizabeth, in ball dress, a beautiful pic- ture of a lovely woman. A few steps more and we stood in the Crown Prince's study, facing his corpse. In this room there are a half-length portrait of the Emperor Francis Joseph at the time when his Majesty ascended the Throne, and two long glass cases hang- ing on the walls and filled with beautiful specimens of bronze and ironwork, bought by the Prince during his travels. The Crown Prince lay in a deep black coffin, with gilt ornaments. He was wearing the white coat and red trousers of an Austrian Lieu- tenant-Field-Marshal, round his neck hung the red riband and gold pendsnt of the Golden Fleece, and on his breast was the star of the Order of St. Stephen, with its green and red cordon. To those who knew the Prince before he had shaved off his beard his face seemed wondrously changed, that is, smaller, and, one might almost say, fiercer, for the moustache, instead of lying smooth on the lip, had been combed out into two bristling bushes, in Hungarian fashion. A black riband had been tied round the head and the chin to keep the mouth closed. A lock of hair had been brought over the brow, to conceal a wound in the right temple, and the overhanging branch of a. palm-tree, which had been cleverly arranged so as to touch the forehead, ministered to the same kindly purpose. Two large tapers, sst in enormous silver candlesticks, burnt on either side of the coffin, and at the foot a surpliced priest was kneeling on a footstool praying. An elderly nun, in a black robe and white cap, walked softly about like a nurse in the room of a sick child, and glanced wistfully at visitors with a look that seemed to say "Do not disturb him." It was infinitely pitiful. The young Prince lay motionless, and yet with an expres- sion so different from the placidity of rest. Un- deniably there was a look of pain and trouble on the features, and all this again recalled the sick-room rather than the grave. Among the many wreaths round tho Prince's coffin one of the most conspicuous was from his old nurse, the streamers of which bore the words From your dear Vovo." A white wreath from the Prince and Princess of Wales was deposited during the morning by General Keith Fraser, the British Military Attache. THE PRINCE'S FUNERAL. The funeral of Crown Prince Rudolph took place at four o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, but the narrow- ness of the streets of Vienna is such that the vast crowds which congregated were utterly unable to witness the procession as it was passing along the short distance that it had to travel between the Hof- burg and the Capuchin Church in the new market place. Nevertheless, all the adjacent streets were thronged by crowds of the inhabitants, even where the smallest chance of obtaining a glimpse of the pro- cession was perfectly hopeless. The small Capuchin Church was crowded during the service, and considerable bodies of cavalry and infantry were required to keep the route clear for the .proces- sion. The few windows which command the view of the Augustiner Strasse and the Neuer Markt had been readily let at exorbitant prices, and were all filled closely with spectators. The funeral procession was one of those magnificent military spectacles to which the variety and brilliancy of the different uniforms of the army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire so largely contribute. In the procession, however,no Royal rela- tives or mourners were represented. These had already proceeded silently in closed carriages to take their places in the Capuchin Church. Meanwhile, to the sound of muffle d bells from all the churches in Vienna, the gilded coffin covered with black velvet was being re- moved from the Kapelle in the Hofburg, and carried, surrounded by the Court clergy, the officials, the Chamberlains, and the body guams,through the Swiss Court. There it was placed in the funeral car, and tfaesn the slow procession began to defile along its course, while the people in the windows and on the housetops gaxed with moist eyes on the last honours which were being paid to the Prince, who was endeared to them even by his failings, and was him- self, above all, a Viennese in nature, habits, and ideas. Around the car walked pages of noble birth carrying blazing wax torches. Six body guards walked on the right of the coffin and six on the left. The Hungarian Body Guard, with the panther skins fastened over their shoulders with great silver clasps, their high boots of yellow leather, their close fitting red uni- forms embroidered in gold, and their plumed helmets attracted especial attention. The cavalry and infantry, represented for the occasion by one squadron and one company, closed the procession. The Capuchin Church being one of the smallest in Vienna, the Musicians' Gallery was the only space which it was found possible to allot for members of the Diplomatic service, the ladiee with them, and the Press and it was possible only to give two tickets to the English journalists. From the gallery the church below was seen to be draped in black, the altar and the floor being also covered with black, and the effect being increased by four double lines of white, like the marking of a lawn-tennis court, which ran across and along the sides of the central space reserved for the eoffin. Here a temporary, altar-like erection covered with cloth of gold, was placed to receive the coffin on its arrival. The Court clergy, the high military officers, and the foreign Ambassadors had gathered below. At the end of the seat for the Ambassadors sat the Papal Nuncio, Monsignor Galimberti; next to him sat the Prince of Reuss, the German Am- bassador, and next the Turkish Ambassador, Sadoullah Pasha; next sat the Ambassador for Great Britain, Sir Augustus Paget, and standing near the altar, iu his scarlet uniform, was Major-General Fraser, Military Attache to the English Embassy, who was here representing the Prince of Wales. These were all on the right side of the church as one is looking towards the altar. At the same side stood Count Kalnoky, M. Tisza, and Count Taaffe in one group. The seats opposite, on the left side of the church, were empty, awaiting the arrival of the Imperial Family, and over the black draped space the faint rays of the wax lights shed a sombre glimmer. On the walls at intervals were emblazoned the arms of the dead Prince, the red, white, and gold of their armorial design forming a striking contrast with the black background. Some stir was to be noted below as the higher clergy began to arrive, preceded by the choir, carrying tapers. Then was to be seen the venerable Diocesan Cardinal Archbishop Ganglbauer, of Vienna, who moved past the altar with tottering steps, the aged prelate being upheld by his attendant clergy as he makes his obeisance to the Host. Other mitred prelates followed, among them being certain Archbishops of the Greek Church, wearing mitres which resembled the English Ducal Coronet. These ranged themselves on both sides of the altar, and Cardinal-Archbishop of Ganglbauer descended the altar steps to the place where had been fixed the stand to receive the coffin. Here he took his stand amid his clergy, awaiting the arrival of the proces- sion. Now there was a slight commotion noticeable in the neighbourhood of the door on the left side of the altar. The Master of the Ceremonies, Count Hunyady, disappeared for a moment, and then returns, walking backwards and bowing to the Em- peror, who follows him. The Kaiser, holding his grey head erect, wore the dark uniform of a General of Infantry, with red facings, and carried a green- plumed General's hat in his hand. Upon his arm was the Queen of the Belgians, so deeply veiled that her features could not be recognised. The King of the Belgians followed, wearing a uniform similar to that of the Emperor. On his arm was his widowed daughter, as all suppose, but the ladies were so deeply veiled that no one could recognise them individually. The Emperor took his place at the corner next to the bier. Outside the building was heard a military com- mand and the rattle of arms it was the presentation of arms on the arrival of the funeral procession. The Emperor bent forward and looked wistfully down the aisle of the church. The pall-bearers entered, with the Hungarian Body Guards on either side of the coffin, advanced slowly, and deposited their burden in the centre of the church. Only three wreaths re- mained on the lid of purple velvet and gold, and they were those of the Emperor, the Empress, and the Princess Stephanie, which had already begun to wither. a Then with trembling voice the Archbishop of Vienna, Mgr. Ganglbauer, began to read the Service, the choir standing near the altar repeating the re- sponses. The Archbishop stood close to the coffin, and around him were his deacons supporting the book from which he read the Mass for the Dead, and the choir chanted the Libera." Then the Arch- bishop sprinkled the coffin with holy water, and waved the censor containing incense over it. The moment was one of solemn impressiveness. The darkness of the building was scarcely relieved by the few wax lights fixed on the walls. Only around the catafalque a mass of burning candles shed a brightness on the coffin with its floral wreaths, and on the faces of the prelates and their high, white, glittering mitres. The head of the House of Haps- burg stood erect with a steady, clear-eye I glance. He had mastered his grief, and bore his part with the dignity and strength befitting the Ruler of a great Empire. And then the solemn office was ended. The pall- bearers again resumed their burden, and descended into the vault where reposed the mortal remains of Rndolph's ancestors. As they vanished into the door- way of the crypt those of the Court rose and passed out by the door beside the altar. The King of the Belgians went first, bowing to the clergy and the diplomatic representatives as he passed and made his obeisance before the altar. It was then noticed that the Emperor had not left the building. He had un- expectedly followed the procession into the crypt, there to see the remains of his son laid in their last resting place. On descending into the crypt, accompanied only by his nearest kindred, the self- control of the Emperor entirely vanished. He threw himself upon the coffin and kissed it many times. All present were moved to tears, and the sobs of the Emperor were heard throughout the crypt. The clergy had preceded the coffin into the crypt, and thither also followed Prince Hohenlohe, the Chief Court Marshal. On its arrival at its final resting- place the body was again consecrated by the clergy. Then Prince Hohenlohe addressed the Prior of the Capuchin monks in these words, which echoed solemnly in the hollow vault, Dost thou recognise in the departed the most illustrious Archduke ?" whereupon the Prior replied, Yes, the body of the illustrious dead will be well guarded by us here with due care." Then Prince Hohenlohe handed to the Prior the keys of the coffin, and all left the vault. In the church above the mourners of the Court had returned to their places, the Emperor being there so that he might be the first to leave the church. Still holding himself erect, and without any betrayal outwardly of the emotion from which he suffered, the head of the House of Hapsburg passed through the sombre church bending and crossing his forehead and breast in front of the altar, and after him those in the church slowly passed out leaving the remains of Crown Prince Rudolph to rest among the illustrious dead of the House of Hapsburg. A Requiem Mass in memory of the Prince was cele- brated in the Roman Catholic Church in Farm-street, London, on Tuesday, and was attended by represen- tatives of her Majesty, as well as members of the Diplomatic Body in London, and other distinguished personages. Messages from various capitals in Europe have given accounts of similar services. IMPERIAL PROCLAMATION. The Emperor Francis Joseph, in an autograph letter to Count Taaffe, has instructed the Austrian Premier to give publicity to the following Imperial Proclamation: "To my Peoples,—Overwhelmed with grief, I humbly bow my head beforo the inscrutable decree of Divine Providence, appealing with my peoples to the Almighty to give me strength so that I may not falter in the conscientious performance of my duties as ruler, but may keep before my eyes that course, my steadfast ac herence to which is still assured for the future, of bravely and confidently persevering in unremitting care for the common weal and the maintenance of the blessings of peace. It has been a consolation to me, in these days of bitter wee, to know that I was upheld by the hearefelt sympathy ever secured to me by my peoples, and of which I have received from all sides the most touching and manifold tokens. It is with profound gratitude that I feel how the bond of mutual love and faithfulness uniting me and my House with all the peoples of the monarchy only gains in strength and security in times of such great affliction." The proclamation further expresses heartfelt thanks in the name of the Emperor and Empress and their sorely-stricken daughter-in-law for the sympathy accorded them, and concludes by asking God's help for the future co-operation of the peoples and their ruler for the welfare of the Fatherland.
EPITOME OF NEWS,
EPITOME OF NEWS, The inquest on the bodies of the crew recovered from the wreck of the steamship Lymington was con- cluded at Ilfracombe on Wednesday evening. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental drowning," and added arlder to the effect that they considered that the coxswain of the lifeboat deserved censure for not proceeding to sea on receiving intelligence that the steamer was in distress. They further considered that the crew might have been saved by the rocket appa- ratus, had it not been for the delay caused by a mis- understanding of orders on the part of the coast- guard. The magistrates at Alnwick committed for trial ex- Palice Inspector Harrison, Sergeant Qair, and Police- constable Sprott on a charge of conspiring with Superin- tend Harkes, now dead, to give false testimony re- specting the Edlingham burglary. Brannagan and Murphy gave evidence denying that they committed the burglary, but admitting that they were poaching on the night in question. g The convicts Edgell and Richardson stated that they committed the burglary, and witness^ were called in corroboration of t 1eir eviden ce. Mrs. Weldon on Wednesday applied to the Court of Appeal for an extension of time for appealing against the judgment of the Divisional Court, which affirmed a decision of Mr. Baron Huddleston, dismissing her action against Mr. Riviere. The application was re- fused with costs. At the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday, Thomas S. Cottam, desciibed as an engraver, was indicted for having feloniously in his possession a copper plate for engraving forged Bank of England five pound notes. The evidence of detectives sub- stantiated the charge, and the prisoner was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude. The coal-masters of Mid and East Lothian met on Wednesday afternoon at Edinburgh, and decided to give an advance of ten per cent. They also decided to raise the Plice of coals accordingly. A banquet was given at Guildford on Wednesday night to the Earl of Onslow, prior to his departure to assume office as Governor-General of New Zealand. The Mayor of the borough, Alderman Stephenson, pre- sided, and proposed the toast of the Guest of the evening." A handsome album, containing an illu- minated address, was presented to his lordship, who replied in suitable terms. At Aylesbury Assizes, on Wednesday, before Mr. Justice Stephen, the trial of Alfred James for the murder of Charles Dance, a blacksmith, at Chalvey, near Slough, on December 31st, was concluded. The jury found the prisoner Not guilty," and he was dis- charged. Colonel J. T. North has consented to become a can- didate for the office of Sheriff of the City of London, for the civic year commencing at Michaelmas next, and will be nominated by the Lord Mayor for the position. The Queen has been pleased to approve of the appointment of the Earl of Homney to be Lord in Waiting, in the room of the Earl of Limerick. Lord Kensington has announced an abatement of 20 per cent, to all the agricultural tenants on his Welsh estates. The Earl of Powis and Lord Mostyn have granted a remission of 10 per cent, to their tenants in Anglesey, Flintshire, and Montgomeryshire. The Dublin Gazette of Tuesday night contains notices revoking the proclamation of certain districts in Louth and Sligo under the Crimes Act, also notices placing certain other districts of Sligo under the Crimes Act, and suppressing the National League in certain baronies of Donegal. After several trials. it has been decided to use the electric light at Windsor Castle. The machinery at the Palace is now in working order, and a portion of the corridor will, it is understood, be illuminated by incandescent lamps on the return of the Court from Osborne. A German spy, an officer of the reserve, named Cscar Schmidt, has been detected near St. Pierre d'Albigny taking plans of the new forts which are being constructed by France on the Italian Savoyard frontier. Schmidt has been imprisoned at Chambery. The receipts on account of Revenue from the 1st of April, 1888, when there was a balance of £ 7,647,072, to Feb. 2, 1889, were £70,455,960, against £71,662,392 in the corresponding period of the previous financial year, which began with a balance of £ 5,950,107. The net expenditure was jE70,304,408, against £72,527,383 to the same date in the previous year. The Treasury balances on Feb. 2, 18,19, amounted to £3,353,425, and at the same date in 1888 to £ 4,141,478. The Secretary for War has called for an estimate of the cost of completing all the barracks in the United Kingdom up to the generally approved standard, and the General Officers Commanding have been directed to send into the War Office information as to the neces- sities in every case, special attention being paid to the drainage and other sanitary requirements. About a dozen members of the Council of the National Rifle Association, including Lord Wantage and other well-known gentlemen, paid a visit of inspec- tion on Tuesday to the site under Dunstable Downs, offered for the New Wimbledon. The visitors travelled from London by special train, and were met at Dun- stable by Earl Brownlow, to whom most of the ground belongs. The sexton of St. Bartholomew's Church, Notting- ham, entered the church at half-past seven on Tuesday morning to ring the bell for matins, when he was knocked down by a man, who escaped into the street. The church was in great disorder, and the communion plate, altar cloth, surplices, cassocks, &c., were piled up in a heap ready for removal. The alms boxes had been broken into, but luckily had been cleared on the previous evening. The grey mare which was in the car in which Skin the Goat" drove the murderers of Lord Frederick Caveadish and Mr. Burke from Phoenix-park in 1882 died at Menai-bridge on Monday night. After the murder the animal was bought by an Anglesea horse- dealer, who sold it to a Menai-bridge hotel proprietor, who used it for posting purposes. On Saturday the mare cut her foot on a rusty nail, and lockjaw set in. The Holyhead lifeboat crew which a few days back gallantly pulled out in terrible weather to the distressed steamer Lee, and having landed the crew and passengers, then returned and assisted a tug to take her into harbour, have sent a claim for X500 to the Cork Steamboat Com- pany, the owners, for their services, the tug-boat com- pany having also forwarded a substantial claim. The Board of Trade have ordered an inquiry to be held into the circumstances attending the disaster. The London Gazette states that the Queen has been pleased to give directions for the following promotion in, and appointment to, the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George •—To be Ordinary Members of the First Class, or Knights Grand Cross of the said Most Distinguished Order:-The Earl of Onslow, K.C.M.G., on appointment to be Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of New Zea- land the Earl of Kintore, on appointment to be Governor and Commander-in-Cbief of the Colony of South Australia. The Lord Mayor of London had an interview on Tuesday with the Education Committee of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, in reference to teach- ing the elements of agricultural chemistry and agri- cultural science in all rural schools. He suggested that these studies should be "extra subjects," and that grants should be made for proficiency in them by the Science and Art Department. The Committee, over which Mr. J. Dent-Dent presided, passed a resolution to specially consider the proposal at their next meet- ing. An agreement has been entered into between the British and Belgian Governments in relation to marriages between Belgian and British subjects in this country. A form of certificate has been prepared, which will be issued only by the Belgian Legation, either on the direct demand of the parties themselves, or on the demand of the Consuls of the district in which the parties reside. The Hon. Spencer Lyttelton, for some years Marshal of the Ceremonies to the Queen, died at his residence in London on Monday night, after a very short illness. He was the second son -of William Henry, third Lord Lyttelton, by his marriage with Lady Sarah Spencer, and was born June 19, 1818. He was for some years in the navy, and afterwards entered the Scots Fusilier Guards, but retired in 1841. He was attached to the Legation at St. Petersburg in August, 1847, and shortly afterwards resigned, when he was appointed Marshal of the Ceremonies to the Queen, but relinquished that position in 1877. Mr. Lyttelton married in August, 1848, Henrietta, eldest daughter and co-heir of the late Mr. Frederick Hamilton Cornewall, of Delbury, Shropshire, and granddaughter of Dr. Cornewall, Bishop of Worcester. Special arrangements are being made by the War Office for enabling volunteer artillery corps to practice with the guns they would have to man on the coast in case of an emergency. At a meeting of the Court of the Homers' Company of the City of London, the Master and Wardens for the year ensuing were elected, viz. Master, Major Cockle; Upper Warden, Mr. H. W. Christmas Renter Warden, Mr. W. H. Collingridge, of the City Press. Mr. John Laker, an owner of a farm at Bishopsteign- ton, Devon, while breaking in a colt, was thrown off and pitched on his head. lie died from injuries he re- ceived. Mr. Gladstone has communicated to the Riforma the text of his letter to the Marquis de Riso, which speaks in favour of international arbitration as a general principle, but not in relation to the position of the Pope. The French decoration of "Officier d' Académie" has been offered to the Rev. Dr. Dangar (Principal of the Exeter Training College), in recognition of his honorary services to the French Republic in the matter of public education. The Tasmanian Parliament has passed a Ministerial Bill authorising a loan for £1,000,000 sterling, at 3^ per cent.; £300,000 of the amount will be employed in the redemption of debentures and the remainder in perma- nent public works. The Duke of Westminster and others have presented a petition to her Majesty in Council, praying for the grant of a charter of incorporation under the name of Queen Victoria's Jubilee Institute for Nurses." The petition has been referred by the Queen to a committee of the Privy Council. The Court of Appeal in Dublin has confirmed the decision of the Exchequer Division remitting to the county-court judge the actions brought by the evicted tenants on the Vandeleur estate against their landlord. Colonel Vandeleur, Colonel Turner (divisional commis- sioner), the sheriff, and the sub-sheriff. Canon Whelpton presided at the annual meeting of the Princess Alice Memorial Hospital at Eastbourne, which had, it was stated, owing to the pressure of cases, to be enlarged at a cost of several thousand pounds, only a portion of which is at present sub- scribed. The Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt and others have subscribed, and expressed approval of the hospital scheme. The Rev. Richard Craven Garnett has been electee by the trustees to the living of Settle, Yorks, valued at JE200 per annum, with a parsonage. A large steam boiler at the Crown Smith Works, Coatbridge, exploded on Monday morning, and con- siderable damage was done to the shed and the sur- rounding works. Fortunately most of the men em- ployed on the premises had left for breakfast, and thus.. escaped with their lives. On Monday morning a fire was discovered at the Monmouth Tannery, owned by Mr. W. Stephen, who sustained considerable damage by a similar outbreak three years ago. The Fire Brigade were quickly on the scene, and prevented the flames spreading to the adjacent dwelling-houses, but the engine-house, two large bark-houses, and other buildings of the tannery were totally destroyed. It is stated that a fire had been- left banked up under the boiler since Saturday, and it is supposed that the high wind blew out the flames, and so caused the outbreak. About five hundred tons- of bark were destroyed. At Belfast on Monday, a respectably-dressed man named Wm. M'Leod was sentenced to six months' hard labour for cruelty to Agnes M'Donald, two years old, daughter of a woman with whom he lived. On the 19th ult., going home intoxicated, he stripped the little girl, kicked her several times about the bodv, held her fifteen minutes under a water-tap, and finally threw her naked into an empty room, where she was found unconscious by the police and removed to the hospital. Complaints having reached the Bsard of Trade of the shipping of incompetent seamen at Liverpool to take the place of the sailors on strike, on Saturday one pas- senger steamer, which was on the point of sailing to New York, was visited by the Government inspector. As a result of his scrutiny, the majority of the sailors shipped were not passed, and fresh men had to be obtained before the steamer could proceed to sea con- sequently the full demands of the men were acceded to. The movement during the last few days has appa- rently been on the wane, but this incident is likely to give it fresh life. There were a good many vessels on Tuesday requiring crews. In some cases the owners' terms were accepted, and in others the men held out for their full demands. Carlos Wilcox, of Minneapolis, makes a long state- ment concerning the reason of his daughter's reported elopement with Sellon. Both the girl and the mother are very high spirited, and the mother has but little control over her. He believes the girl was coming home to him, as she could not live happily with her mother, and that Sellon simply volunteered, with all good in- tentions, to see her off by the steamer. Ida had no thought of wrong, except that of leaving her mother. Mrs. Gladman, aged 82, when she retired on Satur- day night put a paraffin lamp on the bed and fell asleep. It is supposed that she kicked it over. She was found in the morning under the bed with her gar- ments burnt off, and her body frightfully charred. She died on Monday. A single woman, a domestic servant, named Stock- dale, was brought up at the Sunderland Police-court on Monday on a charge of murdering her child aged 15 months. She took it away on Sunday night from the woman with whom she had left it, and threw it over a high wall into a pond. A workman found the body next morning. The mother says she did it, but she explains her conduct by saying, "I must have been daft when I did it." She was remanded. Bessie Tamblyn, aged 25 years, a domestic servant at Truro, complained to her mistress a few days ago that she was not well. The girl was sent to bed and a doctor fetched. Upon arrival he found a child had been born, and a cord had been tied round its neck causing strangulation. Bessie's explanation of her con- duct was that she did it to prevent a disturbance." The Truro magistrates on Monday committed her for trial at the assizes. The President of the Church of England Working Men's Society, in a letter addressed to the members and friends of the society, says: "We must do our part, not only in vigorous and manly protest against the revival of persecutions, which are a disgrace to our boasted religious liberty, but by spreading far and wide amongst those with whom we come in contact, sound information as to the lawfulness and reason- ableness of those practices which are being called in question in the case of the venerated Bishop of Lincoln." A French vessel, whose papers were in order, was recently boarded at Pemba, a point situated outside the blockaded territory, on the East African Coast, by an officer commanding a British war-vessel, and was subsequently taken to Zanzibar. In consequence of the immediate representations of the French Govern- ment, the officer was deprived of his command, and excluded from the blockading service. This dis- ciplinary measure was notified by the British Admiral in a general order to the vessels of the squadron, in which he strongly urged upon officers and men scrupu- lous respect for the Convention. A copy of the order was sent to the French Consul at Zanzibar, with a letter expressing the regret of the British Consul and the Admiral at the occurrence In the Queen's Bench Division on Monday, Mr. Coch- rane, a money-lender, the plaintiff in an action against Mr. Benzon, well-known on the turf, to recover S2700 on a bill of sale, appealed against an order of Mr. Justice Denman, giving the defendant unconditional leave to defend. On the strength of an affidavit by the de- fendant, alleging that he had been induced by fraud to execute the bill of sale, their lordships dismissed the appeal with costs.
THE MARKETS.-
THE MARKETS. MARK LANE. J At Mark-lane trade has been a shade weaker, but the market has not been active. The sales of home- grown wheat in the leading markets of England and Wales during the past 23 weeks of the season were 1,158,820 qrs., against 1,442,412 qrs. last season, at an average of 32s Od, against 30s 2d per qr. barley, 1,713,722 qrs., against 1,968,615 qrs., average 28s Od, against 29s 2d per qr. and oats, 155,724 qrs., against 166,573 qrs., at an average of 16s lOd, against 15s 7d per qr. English wheat changed hands quietly, at 6d per qr. less money. In foreign wheat business was limited, at 6d reduction. Flour was quiet, and 3d lower In barley there was not much doing. Malting remained about the same in value, but grinding fell 3d. Oats changed hands at 3d per qr. decline. Maize was quiet, and 3d easier. Beans fell 6d; and white peas Is. Lentils were Is to 2s cheaper. METROPOLITAN CATTLE. The cattle trade has been quiet without any special feature. Supplies were by no means extensive. In the case of beasts there were less than usual, forming in fact a rather meagre lot in point of numbers, but the- quantity and condition was satisfactory. There was a rather brisker demand, and the advantage was with the seller. The best Scots and crosses sold at 4s. 8d, to 4s 10d per 81b. Foreign beasts were in short supply and slow request at about late rates. A moderate supply of sheep was in the pens. Business throughout was very slow, and prices were weak. The best Downs and half-breds sold at 6s to 6s 2d per 81b. Calves sold at late rates. Fair demand for pigs. The following are the quotations: Coarse and inferior beasts, 2s 4a to 3s second quality ditto, 3s to 4s prime large oxen,. 4s 2d to 4s 4d; ditto Scots, &c., 4s 8d to 4s lOd coarse- and inferior sheep, 3s 4d to 4s 4d second quality ditto, 4s 6d to 5s 4d prime coarse-woolled ditto, 5s 8d to6s Od;: prime Southdown, 6s Od to 6s 2d large coarse calves,. 3s 8d to 4s 6d; prime small ditto, 4s 8d to 5s 8d large- hogs, 2s 6d to 3s Od; neat small porkers, 3s Od to 4s per 81b. to sink the offal. METROPOLITAN MEAT. A large supply was on offer. The trade was bad, and the market was not clear. Scotch beef, exceptionally, realised 4s 2d. The quotations were as follows: In- ferior beef, 2s to 2s 8d; middling ditto, 3s to 3s 6d:. prime ditto, 3s lOd to 4s; Scotch ditto, 3s lOd to 4s American, Liverpool killed, 3s lOd to 3s lid; ditto killed, hindquarters, 3s 4d to 3s 8d; ditto killed, fore- quarters, 2s 4d to 2s 8d; English veal, 58 to 5s 4d; Dutch ditto, 3s 4d to 5s inferior mutton, 2s 4d to 3s 4d; middling ditto, 3s 8d to 4s 8d; prime ditto, 5s to 5s 4d Scotch ditto, 5s to 5s 4d; New Zealand ditto, 2s 4d t; 2s 8d large pork, 2s 8d to 3s and small ditto, 3s 8d to 48 per 81b. by the carcase. FISH. Shorter supplies; trade fair. Prices: Wholesale: Brill, 5s to 6s per stone; turbot, 10s per stone; cod, 2s to 4s each; soles, 120s per box; plaice, 16s to 24s per box; fresh haddocks, 6s to 8s per box; whiting, 7s per box; spratss, 6s per box; live eels, 18s to 20s per draft; dead eels, 12s to 14s per draft; red mullets, 10s to 12s per dozen mackerel, 8s per score; whitebait, Is 6d per quart; smelts, Is to 2s per basket crabs, 12s to 15s per basket; lobsters, 20s to 30s per score oysters, 2s to 14s per 100; shrimps, Is 6d to 2s per gallon bloaters, 2s to 3s per box; kippers, 2s to 3s per box; smoked had- docks, 2s to 6s per dozen. Retail: Soles, Is 6d to 2s per lb. turbot, Is to Is 2d per lb. brill, 9d and lOd per lb. cod, 6d per lb. sprats, 2d per lb.; live eels, Is. to Is 2d per lb. dead eels, 8d and 9d per lb. fresh haddocks, 3d and 4d per lb. red mullets, Is to Is 6d each; mackerel, 6d each; whiting, 3d to 6d each; crabs, 6d to 2s 6d each; lobsters, Is to 3s each; smelts, 6d and 9d per dozen; oysters, 3d to 2s 6d -per dozen; whitebait, 2s per quart bloaters, 9d per dozen; kippers, 9d to Is per dozen pairs; smoked haddocks, 3d to 9d each. POTATO. There was a moderate supply of potatoes on sale. The trade was dull, at the annexed prices :—Mag- num bonoms, 60s to 115s; regents, 60s to 120s; Hebrons, 60s to 105s; and champions, 50s to 90s per too.