THE TAB

A W e e k ly N e w s p a p e r a n d LET R e v ie w .

DUM VOBIS GRATULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS.

From the. B r ie f o f H is Holiness P iu s I X . to T h e T a b l e t June 4, 1870,

V o l . 60. No. 2209. L ondon, A ugust 12, 1882.

P r ice 5c! , b y P o s t ,

[R eg iste r ed a t t h e G en er a l P ost O f f ic e a s a N ew spaper.]

C hronicle of t h e W e e k

Page

The War in Egypt— The_Landing at Suez— Renewed Fighting— The Suez Canal—The Lords’ Amendments in the House of Commons— The Proposed Landlord’s Veto— The Lien on the Tenant Right— The Smaller Holdings— The Duke o f Abercorn’s Amendment—The “ Hanging-Gale ” Difficulty— The Remaining Amendments — The Attitude of the Opposition— Lord Salisbury on the Situation— The End of the Session— Grievances of the Irish Constabulary — The Work of the Irish Land Commission— Emigration Accommodation — Catholic Chaplains for Naval Squadrons— Catholic Chaplain for the Naval Force in Egypt— Catholic Chaplains for the Army— Catholic Chaplains for the Indian Contingent— Plurality in the Army — The French Crisis, &c................ 237

C O N T

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P e t er P e n c e . . . . . . . . 241 L e a d e r s :

The Dublin Festival . . . . 241 A Protestant Religious Order . . 242 Catholic Work in India . . . . 243 Protestantism in India . . . . 244 Two Theories o f Progress . . 244 Obituary ........................ .-245 N o t e s ................................................. 246 R eview s :

Gosse’s Life of Gray . . •• 248 The Month .. . . •• •• 249 Safeguards o f Divine Faith *. 250 The Synod o f Elvira . . ... 250 S hort N otices :

Margaret Roper ._. . . . . 251 The Garden that paid the Rent . . 251 Tourist’s Guide to Essex . . . . 251 Moore’s Irish Melodies . . . . 251

N T S .

S hort N otices (Continued) :—

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The Granville Series . . . . 251 Foreign R e la tion s ............................251 C orrespondence :— Rome : —(From Our Own Corre­

spondent) . . . . . . . . 253 Paris :— (From Our Own Corre­

spondent) .......................................254 Dublin (From Our Own Corres­

pondent) ....................................... 255 L e t t e r s to t h e E d it o r :—

The Work o f the Catholic Union 256 The Catholic Union and Registra­

tion . . . . .. .. . . 257 Catholic Inaction and the Catholic

Union of Great Britain . . 258 Catholic Action or Inaction . . 259 Catholic Children in Workhouse

Schools . . . . . . . . 260 M on e y a n d T r a d e ........................... 260

SUPPLEMENT.

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Decisions o f Roman Congregations 269 N ews from t h e S chools.. . . 269 E ngland

Westminster . . . .

„ . 272

S o u th w a rk ....................................... 272 Birmingham.. . . . . . . 272 Hexham and Newcastle .> . . 272 Middlesbrough ........................... 272 Nottingham....................................... 272 Plymouth . . . . . . . . 272 Portsmouth . . 273 Scotland:—

Glasgow ....................................... 273 A Visit to Coomassie........................... 273

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

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TH E long inaction in Egypt came to an end on Saturday evening, when

English b lood was shed and the campaign begun. T h e position o f the

English forces, gathered at three centres— A lexandria, Port Said, and Ism ailia— and without the means o f telegraphic communication, would be perilous in the extreme in the face o f an active enemy, and the danger that A rabi m ight send his regim ents by train to Port Said or Ism a ilia without the knowledge o f the English in A lexandria forces upon our generals the necessity o f keeping them selves acquainted w ith every movement in the rebel camp. I t was this need for accurate information which led Sir A rch ib a ld A lison on Saturday night to order a reconnaissance, which, being persisted in, brought about the first trial o f strength between the soldiers o f England and the Egyptian rebels. For some days past persistent rumours had reached the English entrenchments that A rabi was about to break up his camp at K a fr Dowar and retreat into th e interior. Uneasy at not knowing the truth o f these reports, Sir A rch ib a ld A lison determ ined to throw forward a force which should oblige Arabi to show his hand. For this purpose six companies o f the 6oth R ifles, four companies o f the 38th, and four o f the 46th, together with seven com panies o f the Marines, were told o ff for service. T h is force, amounting in all to about one thousand four hundred men, was d iv ided in to two, and advanced on either side o f the Mahmoudieh Canal up to the isthmus leading to the enem y ’s position. In the desultory engagement that followed, lasting three hours, from five to eight in the evening, the enem y were driven from one position to another by our men, advancing in skirm ishing order. T h e first shots showed the rebels, posted in force, in a group o f palm trees on the east side o f the canal, and in a loopholed house on the other, and from these they were speedily driven with loss, but not before a young officer o f rare promise, Lieutenant V yse, had been struck down, fatally wounded. T h e next serious stand was made about half a mile further on, amid a tangled jungle which here and there gave way, corn fields, and cottages. B y the tim e this position had also been carried darkness was drawing on, and the English Com mander, having satisfied him self that Arabi, with the bulk o f his forces, still lay before him, gave orders for the troops to fall back. T h e retreat was carried out with the regularity o f the parade ground, and, the railway being reached, the soldiers, in spite o f stray shots from the enemy, quietly “ entrained,” and were soon back within the lines o f A lexandria. T h e reconnaisance thus successfully carried out was achieved at the cost o f three killed and about 26 wounded. T h e enemy’s loss was not accurately ascertained, but is known to be considerable, and reckoned at over 300. Thus ended what may claim to be considered the first action o f the campaign, and though the English purpose was carried through, and the artillery practice good, and the behaviour o f the troops excellent, we have still to remember that the necessary retreat o f the English back upon their own lines is construed by the friends o f A rabi as a repulse o f the Infidel.

T h e landing o f English marines at Port the landing Said, which has so seriously scared M . de at suez. Lesseps, seems to have been a very simple affair. Adm ira l Hewitt, having some sick on board, intim ated to the authorities that he was going to send them to the hospital. U pon hearing this the authorities sent back word that they would not be answerable for the lives o f English sailors. Whether or not there was any danger o f the sick men being murdered in their beds, the English Admiral, after the warning he had received, was not prepared to run the risk, and accordingly sent a force o f marines to guard the hospital. T h e most serious consequence o f the action thus forced upon Admiral Hewitt has hitherto been the excessive indignation o f M . de Lesseps, and, however laughable under other circum stances this result might appear, the illw ill o f the engineer is causing inconvenience. Unfortunately M. de Lesseps has the control o f the Suez telegraph, and refuses to allow it to be used for any purpose but giving details about the ships entering and leaving the Canal. It is to be hoped that the Eastern Canal Company will lose no time in freeing us from this difficulty by at once laying a wire from A le x andria and Port Said. In the meanwhile political news comes id us, judiciously filtered, through the French Admiral.

T h e morning after what may be called the fkh t in c - ^rst s^ri°us brush with the enemy, activity was the ' again noticed in A rabi’s lines. But it was not suez canal, until M onday afternoon that any hostile move­

ment was made. About three o ’c lo ck a train was seen steaming out from the rebel camp until it came to the spot where our own ironclad train had been drawn up

New Series Vol. XXVIII. No. 716.