Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

9 articles on this Page

LONDON LETTER. .

News
Cite
Share

LONDON LETTER. [SPECIALLY WIRED. J [av OITR OAT.T.ERY CORRESPONDENT.] HUMOURED DEATH OF MR GLADSTONE— DON SOCIETY AND TH PRINCE'S DECEASE —'THE EFFECT OFTHE EASTWIND-VüLUN'- TEE R SHOOTING AMA TEUP. FIRE-BRIGADBa ■ THEATRICAL GOSSIP—COMING ARTISTS— THE GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL TAXATION. LONDON, Sunday Night. The report that Mr Gladstone was dead circulated through London yesterday with painful rapidity and persistence. This is one of the commonest phases of excitement in the public mind. When a notable per- sonage dies others are straightway killed off, just as, when there has been an explosion iø a particular district, rumours of others are industriously circulated. The fact is that Mr Gladstone was better yesterday than he has been for some days, so well that he was able for the first time since his illness to prev side at a Cabinet Council, It is, how- ever, exceedingly doubtful whether h6 will be in his place, to-marrow to move the vote of condolence with the Queen and Duchess of Albany. He iO personally anxious to do this, and assero his strength. It is to be hoped that Silt Andrew Clark will peremptorily forbid the experiment, and that the. Premier may be ex, induced to remain at Coombe Warren throughout next week. In such case he might with confidence look forward to the accomplishment of the task dear to his heart, and be in his place to wind up the debate on the Franchise Bill. The death of the Duke of Albany has up- set the whole social arrangements of London. Saturday night is one of the three political dinner-nights, perhaps the most important of all. In most cases dinners have been post" poned, including that to which over hundred Conservative members were invited to meet Sir Stafford Nortlicote at the Mansion-house. The condition of the health of Sir Arthut Otway is imperilling another dinner wbiell is fixed for next Saturday. The chpirrao of the committees is in his turn tit be the guest of the Lord Mayor, and tIO principle members "of the Liberal party inU- House of Commons have been invited meet him. But Sir Arthur is so bad vvitb the prevailing cold that he is confined to hii room. He was not about the House week, and such committee work as necessary was presided over by Mr Court* ney. Sir Stafford Northcote's cold is better but Mr Cubitt's case of Thursday, when he could not make his speech without the assist. ance of Mr George Russell's whisky and water, is a very common one. The brals old east. wind, which, according to Charles Kingsley, "makes brave English" men," still rules in London, and certain# makes Englishmen, hoarse. Some of the metropolitan volunteers who do'not happen to be among the crack shots of their respective corps do not join in tb* j chorus of approval raised in cup-hunting j quarters at the announcement that the shooting at Wimbledon Is this year to limited to competition with the Martin*! Henry. They argue that if the annfjjj meeting of the National Rifle Association fo to be looked upon merely as a pleasure nic, or as a happy hunting ground for • select few good shots, the new regulation admirably designed, but if it is intended develope the shooting powers of the volw teers as a body, it is rather absurd to tabo* the use of the only weapons which the teers as a body, have to use. The Martin*' Henry is without doubt a better rifle than tbØ Snider, butaslongas the Snideris carried bY volunteers, and is the weapon with whic" they have to do all their regulation shooting it is the one which ought to be used in fir*1* for prizes. The War Office lends to corps three or four rifles of the Henry pattern, but the use of these practically monopolised by the good shoW and the consequence of the new will be that Wimbledon will become and less a means of improving shooting among the volunteers. As surely as every spring comes round, 10 surely doe3 a caution appear in the press against subscribing towards fire-brigades. This must read strangely in many parts of the where such brigades are the only protected oj property from fire, but it has a definite value for dwellers in town. the remote suburbs there are sever* institutions professing to do things in the way of extinguishing fi1^ which have the vigilant eye of the Charw Organisation Society constantly upon It is not insinuated that the whole of are fraudulent, but it is freely asserted tb»J mo3t of them are useless, and that their ofl9 object in life appears to be to collect scriptions and hinder the work of Metropolitan Fire Brigade- Those who # ever been present at a suburban fire wh volunteer brigade is on the spot are lib<S to have a vivid remembrance of the sion their efforts have caused and the £ j burning which exists between them and ™ regular firemen. «, A great deal of curiosity is felt in the*[ cal circles concerning the forthcoming of The Rivals at the Haymarket. £ and Mrs Bancroft, in the old Prince dI Wales's days,, showed what they could m with "The School for Scandal" their production did not run q'jU three hundred nights, while that at Vaudeville of Messrs James and Tho" about the same period ran about 404), they were so struck with the success tl* then achieved that they caused a scene it to be painted as the act-drop when moved to the Haymarket. It remains to.. seen whether "The Rivals" will equally pleasant memories behind it, is not to be doubted that the cast as d nounced has more than astonished Loldaoio playgoers. Mrs Bernard Beere as seems as if she would be wasted, and Wrj Calhoun as Lydia Languish is a some'' curious experiment. The strangest selec1 of all is Mr Pinero as Sir Anthony Absol He has played an old man's part only before, I believe, in a production of^ note—that of the Marquis of HunUy Charles I. at the Lyceum—and this > not a sufficient guide to judge of his in that direction. u Mr Stanley Berkley has several P*cL^jf in hand. His principal work for the Aca" f illustrates the reckless daring of *rl Rupert, whose motley regiment of did so many acts of bravery and folly dr of the Cromwellian Wars. Across afield tlJe snow, probably in the early winter oi £ year, made memorable by the victory^ Edgehill, he dashes forwaid on his ch»*Cj into the midst of battle, leaving behind^ the border of cold grey clouds, touched the last gleams of golden and yellow ^'4 the sun dies in the west. With a rollic, t air he raises his sword above his 'gj few stray soldiers dash after him, the left of the foreground one has failed his horse. Sere, brown,, rushes stic^^i among the snow. The whole .jjt good harmony of idea and feeling, from the photographic represeutat10lJ flashing bayonets and confusion vroto confounded that frequently constitutes tio whole art of imaginative battle pictures. « o r sJ1"" Mrs Berkley, who is also an accolopliob artist and good colourist, has painted '°rel^v Academy a very real bit of road with an antiquated house at Ba where lives a strange old lady who 0 yf goes out. The building is partly iliddl" p bare and tscraggy tree branches. pleasant to come across a quaint old dence that makes us forget such nineteenth century bricks and mortar- t same artist has painted for the beautiful bit of nature in the portrait old woman sitting outside her cottage at Wargrave, reading.. The defeat of the Government S di^sion on Mr Pell's motion, taken oJ early hour yesterday morning, is dev yp" real political significance. It was jjit^ by the Conservatives, but by the Par'1 ^0^ who in this case, as they hope to be 111 tb' of more serious import to come, vvel*e boy absolute arbiters of the House. The øeø4 matter lies in a nutsheil. The <^°ve tjoix are prepared to deal with the local taxation in a comprehensive and manlike fashion. A bill has been with infinite care and trouble, a.n<J <juc0 is asked for is opportunity to intr jjj* I and make progress. This is denie rJj#f "very combination which yesterday -n3t»^ carried the resolution demanding t^* legislation. This is a state of aiaa_, jjigen complex for the least educated 1 '•} to understand. The people reap' gtioO the delay in legislation on the q ^w. local taxation are those gent ej of tg systematically obstruct the h a House, and build up of work, *• i

Advertising

Family Notices

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 184 1 -0

THE SHIPOWNERS' MISTAKE.

MERCHANT SHIPPING BiLL.

TAFF VALE RAILWAY.

-----__----PRESENTATION TO…

Advertising