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LONDON LETTER.

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LONDON LETTER. Specially Wired. By Our Own Correspondent. LONDON, Monday Night. Political secrets are never kept more than a rather limited length of time. It thus happens that, although the Liberal Unionists did manage to maintain the resolution binding them to secrecy during Saturday, Sunday—a day sacred to political revelation-and Monday, have some- what loosened their tongues, and people have a vague, but 'at the same time a pretty accurate idea of what took place at the conclave ou Saturday. The general impression left is that things did not go very well with them, that there was great grumbling and many mourners, and that the party altogether was not a particularly happy family. The determination to keep things secret, and the absence of any definite resolution, are a clear proof that there was much dissension, for the want of a definite resolution. The feeling indeed is general that not only:the Unionists, but also the Government, are by no means in a happy frame of mind. The fight in committee gets more dogged every day, and the exposure of the Government policy is more damaging at every hour and with every speech. Then the independence of the two sections of the Unionists is a thing fraught with hourly-increasing peril. The results of the struggle in committee will serve to encourage the already stroug desire among the Liberals to fight the good fight with unflagging courage and persistent amendments. For this reason, the question of securing the con- stant attendance of members has become every day a more burning one. The Radicals are gradually coming to recognise that their place just now is in the House of Commons. As to the Irish party, I understand that at a private meet- ing to-day the names of all the members absent were gone over, and the reasons for their absence enquired into. The feeling displayed was that members should not only remain in town, but should remain in their place in the House all through this struggle that is to say, should not leave even to get dinner outside the House, unless by special permission of the whips. The blood of the country is up against coercion, and there is evinced from all parts a desire tor the presence of speakers. Unfortunately attendance at these meetings means absence from the House of Commons, and the peneral conclusion arrived at by both Liberal and Irish whips is, that attendance at meetings should be suspended for the moment, except on Saturdays, and that the whole force of the Home Rulers should be con- centrated on the mighty struggle in committee. This evening we bad another specimen of the liveliness-not to say the fierceness-with which the debates on the bill are certain to be characterised. Mr Healy proposed to leave out the words in the first clause that limited the inquiries, which that clause abolishes, to places which have been proclaimed. Belfast, and towns towns like that are rarely, if ever, proclaimed; and so Mr Healy wished to have inquiry into the brutalities perpetrated in the capital of Orangeism. Mr Gladstone backed up the sug- gestion of Mr Healy. Lord Randolph Churchill was imprudent enough to enter into the debate, and he protested against any comparison whatever between Belfast and the rest ef Ireland. This gave Mr Healy the opportunity he wanted, and be used it to bring once more before the attention of the House the flagitious part which the ex-Tory leader had played in arousing the sectarian animosity of the Orangemen. The scene was very lively. Indeed, the reply of Mr Healy was skilful and crushing. The amendment, however, was withdrawn on the suggestion of Mr Gladstone, there being a better opportunity of raising the question at a later day. So point after point of the Government bill is debated, amid no signs whatever of waning interest on the part of its opponents, and the faces of the members of the Government grow longer daily and more sad-eyed. The trial for libel to-day which Mr St. James Brenon has brought against Mr Ridgway, the publisher of the Black Pamphlet," is a spe- cimen of the manner in which the calumniators of the Liberals and Irish party are determined to conduct the defence of their false aud malicious attacks. Neither Mr Ridgway nor anybody else bad the courage to go into the box in defence of the libel, and the whole case was made to rest on the cross-examination of Mr Brenon. No attempt whatever was made seriously to connect him with the conspiracy of which he was charged with being a member, and the counsel for the defence took refuge in investigations into the private character and general career of Mr Brenon. I have not read a full account of the evidence, but I can very well gather from the summary in the evening papers what the inquiry was like. Mr Brenon, in his young day?, was one of the band of young men who were carried away in the maelstrom of Mr Swinburne's hymnals to lust, and accordingly published poetry of an extravagant, not to say of a morbid, form. He has been also a writer of general articles in newspapers which are called society journals, in which his pen was loose and rather unchaste. It was on these sins of his youth, poetical and prose, that Mr Brenon was examined, and when he had to confess to some of this indiscretion, the counsel for the defence, in a toue of assumed indignation and frenzy, demanded if such a man were entitled to claim damages for in- jury to his character. This carries out the forecast I was able to give you of the lines which actions for libel ara certain to take. Hera was a simple point whether Mr Brenon was or was not an Invincible, a dynamitard, a Fenian, There could not be the smallest doubt that he was not either. Yet the counsel for the libellers took the opportunity of raking up the whole past of his private character, although the questions asked had as much to do with the particular charge against him as they had with his opinions on the binomial theorem, or his emotions in the nursery. Mr Parnell was not in his 'place to- night, and there is a report that he will not be able to come over till next Thursday. He is, I believe, far from well, and he is trying to recruit himself in his native air. Though I don't think that he is seriously ill, it is a fact that bis health is not making that rapid progress towards recovery which his friends would desire. Hitherto he has shown great signs of rapid recuperation, but now, though be does not seem to get much better, he does not seem to get worse. The corporation are getting deeper and deeper into tliomud. Mr Bradlaugh had another onslaught upon them to-day with good result. He made the assertion that in spite of recent experiences, the corporation are spending money in getting up bogus petitions in favour of the re-imposition of the coal and wine dues, and Mr Bradlaugh obtained the appointment of a special committee to inquire into the matter. The contest at St. Austell is exciting a good deal of attention. The Liberal Unionists have the best candidate they could obtain, but the Giadstonians are equally happy. The fact of Mr McArthur being a member of the Wesleyan persuasion, and a good speaker, as well as a fchorough-going Liberal, is greatly in his favour. Great pressure is brought on members to go down and speak in the contest, but a difficulty arises in this matter owing to the desire of which I have already spoken to keep all the members with their noses to the grindstone. One of the many fallacies exploded in the course of the debate has been the assertion that Scotch law and administration give the right of inquiry which is claimed by the Government for Ireland. On Friday night, to the bewilderment of the whole House, Mr Anderson pricked this bladder. To-night, hoiYAver, Mi Elliot, 000 cf tbd-post- fanatic of the Unionists, repeated the fallacy, I whereupon there occurred a remarkable little scene. Mr Gladstone turned upon this gentleman, declaring he had no right to speak of himself as a representative of Scotch feeling, and that he had entirely misrepresented Scotch law. There was a wild cheer from the Liberal benches, and Mr Elliot looked as miserable) as anyone could have wished. At midnight a bolt came from the blue. The Closure was suddenly moved by Mr Smith on an amendment which had not been under debate for more than an hour and a half. A disgraceful scene followed. Mr Gladstone, on rising to vote against the Closure, was received with loud cheers from the Liberal and Irish benches. A burst of laughter, loud and brutal, came from the Tory benches, and louder than any of the whole base gang was Mr Balfour, the Chief Secretary for Ireland. I never saw a more disgusting spectacle.

INTERMEDIATE EDUCATION IN…

THE AFFAIRS OF MR C. W.I INGRAM.

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A SCURVY-STRICKEN VESSEL.…

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I IN SELF DEFENCE. I

ANOTHER PRIZE FIGHT INI SOUTH…

SAVAGE ASSAULT ON A MOTHER…

--REMARKABLE INCIDENT AT NEWPORT.

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FACTS AND FANCIES. --o-

I THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE.I

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SALUTING THE FRENCH FLAG.

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