THE NEW CRUSADE, AND THE FIVE CHAMPIONS OF CHRISTENDOM. "I address myself to Christian England, because nowhere can I find a greater respect for liberty and human dignity; for it is England, who, in this age, has taken the initiative in the abolition of slavery in the West Indies, and this she has done with an indomitable energy and a perseverance which have at last obtained the concurrence of all nations, and the triumph of a noble cause. Noblesse oblige. After having destroyed Colonial slavery, England owes it to herself, to support, by her sympathies, those who wish to destroy African slavery,-a hundred times more horrible."-Cardinal Lavigerie, at Meeting of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, held in Prince's Hall. NOBLESSE oblige! Right, eloquent, preacher high When the long wail of the enslaved, tormented Of Christian chivalry to willing ears! When England owns not Duty for chief teacher, Slights honour, or takes counsel of her fears; Her name is nullity, her fame is dust. Noblesse oblige! This, like the war-drum's FORESEEN AND DRAWN BY OUR ARTIST (THE MELANCHOLY AND LEFT-ALL-ALONE-IN-LONDON ONE), AFTER A SOLITARY SUPPER AT Than the cross-flouting Saracen, more cruel Than SALADIN's desert swordsmen swart and stark. 'Tis ours to close in stern and truceless duel With the dread incubus that haunts the dark Of the Dark Continent. Oh, land of shadows, Which the whole Western World seems now to throng In ardent search of Trade's new Eldorados, Whose spoils there lie for the astute and strong; One shadow darker, deadlier than all others How glibly the old pulpit-tag still slips From thoughtless tongues; and there they lie and perish In myriads, prone, done cruelly to death. Where are the hopes brave GORDON dared to cherish, For which stout LIVINGSTONE his latest breath Drew painfully 'midst leafy wildernesses? Still on the roads our heroes strove to clear The ceaseless, ruthless, blood-stained Slavehunt presses. The fiendish Arab lurks, a shape of fear By forest-path, lake-border, hutted village, Where women toil, men sleep, or children stray, Pauseless as pestilence, intent on pillage, Ready to ravish, prompt to fire or slay. Think on that tiger-throng and the red ravage They make midst Afric's homes unchecked, unstayed, The long dread marches, and the slaughter THE "PORK-PIE CLUB," COLD HARBOUR LANE. [Happily Our Artist's dyspeptic Forecast has been falsified. LAVIGERIE pictures them till fierce compassion Throbs like the fire of hatred in the heart. Think of it, careless votaries of Fashion! Think of it, affluent masters of the Mart! This too is Trade! Mammon means Moloch often Even in factory cage, or Sweater's den; But there, no love may aid, no solace soften The doom of men the prey of fellow-men. Men? Miscreants, demons, tigerish torturers, rather, With whom we, terms should hold. And in those realms the Christian nations gather In hot earth-hunger, eager quest of gold. The Briton and the Teuton, flower of learning, And of civility, meet, as rivals there; Thither the polished Frank for wealth is turning. [care Brings cruelty no change, this curse no To the Cross-bearing West? Must greed's insanity save with sword, no Crush conscience thus, or shall the new Stir, not fanatic hate, but wise humanity, Noblesse oblige! To England, as seems fitting, Comes the first urging of the high appeal; There she should lead, no lesser hand permitting First to unsheathe the stern avenging steel. New Champions of Christendom, the nations, Beneath the old flag of Freedom fresh arrayed, Fired with the noblest of all emulations, Should join, for Honour calls, the New Crusade! IN HIS BAG. (What an august Imperial Traveller recently brought back with him.) From St.-Petersburg.-A Russian Rear Admiral's uniform, a little roomy in the back, complete, brand new. 66 Translation of Exercise from Ollendorf, commencing at,-"I prefer the Hussars of my Grandfather to these Dragoons," down to, "I cannot give you the boots of the Battenberg, nor the ultimatum of the SULTAN, but I can supply you with the Bulgarian umbrella of Prince FERDINAND," inclusive. A pot of genuine caviare from the Russian Foreign Office. From Stockholm.-A Swedish Post-captain's Uniform, a little tight in the waist, complete, brand new. A slip of paper, containing a neat translation of the phrases, "How are you this morning, Sir? Very well, I thank you, Sir. All right, Sir. Hurrah!" into the Swedish language. The Star of a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Blue Elephant in best Paris paste. From Copenhagen.-A Full-dress Parade Uniform of a Drum-major of the Royal Danish Guards, two sizes too large, brand new. A Hundred Ways of Meeting a Foreign Potentate. Beginners' Handbook. Shilling Edition. From Friedrichsruh. - The Chancellor's general approval, and a return-ticket to Berlin. FROM A NAUTICAL KNOW-NOTHING. All at Sea with the X. Y.Z. Squadron. I HOPE you have received my previous contributions all safe and sound, for in them I have described to you all that has occurred to us since the "Declaration of War" up to date. Seeing how at one moment the Authorities seem up to any larks, and the next appear to take the whole thing in grim earnest, I shouldn't be surprised to hear that my letter had been washed overboard, or seized, or done something to that had prevented it ever reaching you at all. What a time I've had of it! You know, as I told you, I began by hiding under the Admiral's table, and copying out his sealed orders to send you, and then, when I was discovered, and said it was only "my fun," and I thought "it didn't matter, as they were only playing at fighting," and he said "he had half a mind" to have me "put in irons," to teach me how to conduct myself on board one of Her Majesty's ships, I really felt so disgusted that, if I could have got off, I should certainly have thrown the whole thing up then and there. However, the incident passed, though I'm bound to say it left a nasty feeling behind. It is owing to this that I am rather vague as to what we are supposed to have been doing. When I go up to a First-Lieutenant, and slap him cheerily on the back, and say, Well, Mate, how's the enemy this morning?" he only mumbles something in a resentful manner, but gives me no information. I fancy, as far as I can gather, we are supposed to be watching a hostile fleet, or else we are blockading one; though, now I come to think of it, perhaps we are supposed to be blockaded ourselves. I must try and solve this, and then perhaps I may be able to give you some definite idea of what our movements mean. They certainly are curious. ،، 66 any conveyance to take me if I could manage to get ashore, I just ran up the answer, "No. But can I get a four-wheeler on the coast?" On this being reported to the Admiral, it has apparently put him in into a very bad temper, for he has ordered me to be put in irons for the night. This is very unpleasant. I have just remarked to the communicative Marine, that I think it rather a strong measure, considering that I have only been playing at being on board a man-of-war. He says, no doubt that is so, but that it won't do to be "too larky with the Admiral." Anyhow, the incident brings this communication to an abrupt close. More in my next. IF Amiens. You must expect rain in a foreign town without home comforts. Bath.-Go there. Ask for hairdresser. Boulogne.-Look for the perfumes of the Port in an East wind. Calais.-Accustom yourself to a rough sea-passage with the glass a few Coventry. Try it for the sake of your friends. Dieppe.-Prepare for a storm-beaten Casino without visitors. For the last few days we have been continually creeping along inshore, then on, suddenly sighting the "Enemy," dashing out,-at least, so it seems to me,-about 200 miles into the Atlantic, for the the Switzerhof. purpose of slowly creeping back again somewhere else. To-day there has been a good deal of signalling going on, and on a local Coast-round. guard Station displaying the question, Have you any message for Whitehall ?" I managed to get the advantage of the petty officers who were looking out the flags, and, I think to the surprise of everybody, quickly ran up "Walker!" This again seemed to annoy the Admiral, and a fresh nasty feeling has been the result. I believe he has threatened to put me on board the first torpedo-boat that comes within hail. However, meantime, I have made the acquaintance of a communicative Marine, from whom I have gathered several items of what sounds like reliable information. He has pointed me out some vessels in the offing, which he says are the Stagnation, Rattletrap, Blazer, and Ophicleide, who are watching us, and that, when we get within one thousand yards of them, the "fun will begin." Apparently hard-up for any excitement, the Admiral bears down on the quartette with alacrity, and we are soon in the midst of them. They have commenced blazing away at us with their guns on all sides. Two of ours won't fire, but that doesn't much matter, and I don't suppose it would in real warfare, for, what with the noise and excitement, we seem to get on well enough without them. After about an hour and a half of this, the other side suddenly stops and sends off a despatch-boat, bearing a flag of truce. It brings an Umpire, who says, that he has ruled us out of the game as "sunk." The Admiral's only reply is "Gammon!" The Umpire expostulates and says, that if that is the way his authority is to be treated, "the sooner the whole thing is understood to be a gigantic farce the better," to which the Admiral rejoins that he doesn't care a couple of brass farthings whether the whole thing is regarded as a gigantic farce or not, but that "he is not going to strike his colours in deference to the expression of a bit of beggarly opinion in an out-of-the-way nook on the Irish coast." This apparently settles the Umpire, who retires threatening that he will communicate with Whitehall. The Admiral thereon puts our head about, returning to the bay, which, reaching about dusk, we are, owing to there being some hitch in the working of our signals, taken for one of the enemy by our own ships, and greeted by a succession of heavy broadsides from the Dunderhead, Jackass, Catapult, Slop-basin, Blue-bottle and Boot-jack, who continue pounding away at us until they discover their mistake. The local Umpire upon this gives it as his opinion that as such a catastrophe might have occurred in real warfare, he is obliged to rule us as sunk," and therefore, out of the game. The Admiral merely again rejoins Stuff and nonsense!" and says that "real warfare or sham warfare," he is not going to be ruled out of his ship, by the decision of any pettyfogging Umpire alive, as long as he has a single blessed plank of her afloat under him." The Umpire says that that's all very well, but "it is not the sort of spirit in which to carry out the Naval Manœuvres," upon which the Admiral tells him to "Shut up and mind his own business." Upon this the Umpire merely retires sulkily. 66 Taking advantage of an inquiry by signal from the station as to whether we wanted any coals, and wishing to find out if there was This is the only contribution we have received from our Correspondent.-ED. Madrid.-Acclimatise yourself to bull-fights, and if you contem- Ramsgate. Go there. Air confers immortality, vide recent local Turin.-Do not weep if you find the rain as constant as at the Italian Exhibition. Uig.-Spend all your time and money in testing whiskey. Whitby. All clever people at Whitby. Here "Les grands esprits Zurich.-"On the margin of Fair Zurich's waters"-give your- THEATRICAL FORECAST FOR AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER.-Mr. CHARLES WYNDHAM will make the ascent of several mountains, giving performances in various languages of David Garrick. He will also try the N. W. Passage; if he doesn't like it, he'll give it up, and do a little Polar Bear shooting. Mr. WYNDHAM will play for one night only in Japan, and on his road home he will give a Matinée, under the patronage of the Grand Llama of Thibet. He will inaugurate his Winter Season with an entirely new piece entitled David Garrick. NOTICE.-Rejected Communications or Contributions, whether MS., Printed Matter, Drawings, or Pictures of any description, will in no case be returned, not even when accompanied by a Stamped and Addressed Envelope, Cover, or Wrapper. To this rule there will be no excention. MR. DAUBER AT LAST DISCOVERS HIS LITTLE GEM. POLITICAL GIPSYING; HE Or, Jottings by an Eminent Common-wheel-man. Any Time in August.-Holiday begun, thanks to SMITH. Why not take hint from Irish ex-constable who's going about Eastern Counties in a "Home Rule Van," and have van of my own in benighted South of England? I will. Next Day.-Van procured. Smells distinctly stuffy. Several vans, in fact, because directly I mentioned subject, GRANVILLE said "he must come too!" So did SPENCER, HARCOURT (why HARCOURT?), SHAW-LEFEVRE, HERSCHELL, and ROSEBERY. Each of 'em has a van but ROSEBERY says I'm in "the van of progress," and must go first. Start next week. miles out of Town by night-time. Put up on a common. HERSCHELL rather Tuesday Morning.-Wake up with happy notion. Why not signals between different vans? ROSEBERY takes to idea at once. Spends day in erecting complicated series of flags on roofs, which can be pulled by strings from inside. Also invents signalling code. [N.B.-Interesting subject for pamphlet, Signalling.] We all learn it, except HARCOURT, who's studying maps, as he's volunteered to be our guide. Says he knows the country by heart. Wednesday.-Got to Farnham. Agricultural district. Gratifying reception. Villagers turn out in hundreds, also turn out horses, and drag us into village. Long speeches. Give rustics lecture on Irish Land Tenure. Rustics go off to hear HARCOURT, who 's bellowing as usual. In evening horses can't be found anywhere. Some London thieves are suspected of having organised the reception, and eloped with horses! Query-is this a dodge of SALISBURY's? Or ARGYLL, in revenge for recent soliloquy in Lords? Must inquire. Begin notes for my forthcoming article on "Our Nomadic Population." Thursday. Somewhere in Hampshire. SHAW-LEFEVRE made speech before breakfast. Stupidly spoke of agricultural labourer as HODGE." Labourers very angry. When I try to pacify them with seductive speech on Home-Rule, they say they want to know about Allotments! Don't Remember Mitchelstown," but do remember "Three Acres and a Cow." Find they believe in JESSE singular delusion! In afternoon, HARCOURT found out guiding us all wrong. Seems he was trying to sneak down to New Forest. Provoking! Friday. Only drawback to complete enjoyment so far has been weather. Rain incessant. Home-Rule Van leaks badly. Can't study Irish History, or compose speeches with stream of rain-water coming down small of one's back. Awkward-hear that SPENCER, in moment of forgetfulness, and apparently fancying himself still Viceroy, has been saying "he wouldn't whine about imprisonment if he were Irish patriot." What made him say this? Put up signal-"Do you refer to DILLON ?" No answer. Curious. After an hour or two, SPENCER sends round boy who looks after his horses to say, "he doesn't understand the code." Fancy this an excuse, but don't like to say so. Saturday. Slight contretemps. Wheeler (a bay horse--ROSEBERY calls him a Botany Bay horse-Interesting subject again-" Colour in Horses "-why is one bay, another roan? What is the Home Rule about this?) goes very lame. Other horse doesn't care about drawing van by himself, and tries to lie down in road. Harness in tangle. Have to try and put it right in pouring rain, as boy has gone off to village inn "to get help," he says, but really to get glass of beer, I believe. Most unconstitutional. Shall suspend boy when he comes back, I think. Signal to ROSEBERY to come and assist. No reply. Singular! Send driver round (but isn't this contrary to code ?), and find that ROSEBERY has gone off to see somebody's stud-farm near here. ROSEBERY seems to regard whole affair as sort of picnic. Worst of it is that he's taken GRANVILLE and HARCOURT with him. HARCOURT would be invaluable just now to sit on horse's head while I undo harness. On his return ROSEBERY suggests that van is too heavy, and that I had better lighten it by "chucking out some of the Irish Histories." Surprised at ROSEBERY! He explains by saying that he finds "the less fact he puts in speeches, the better they go down." Sunday.-Dies non. Propose church. SHAW-LEFEVRE anxious to go. ROSEBERY, it seems, hasn't brought prayer-book. SPENCER and GRANVILLE both want to mend holes in their roofs. HARCOURT asleep. HERSCHELL offers to mediate with neighbouring Vicar, and tells him I'll read lessons. Good fellow, HERSCHELL. I do. Monday.-Curious thing occurred to-day. Met another van! A political one apparently. Painted outside with pictures of moon-lighting outrages. Asked driver (big man with black beard) if he was in favour of Home Rule. He merely answered "Yah!" Who can have invented this opposition van? Perhaps RANDOLPH. Now I come to think of it, boy attending horses very like RANDOLPH. Mention suspicion to GRANVILLE. He pooh-poohs ideaRANDOLPH away in Africa or America, he says. Mysterious van follows us everywhere. Comes to villages we've left, and distributes Primrose League tracts and blankets to adults, and sweetmeats to children. Query-isn't this corruption? Can't ask HERSCHELL, because he's gone back to town to attend (he says) at obsequies of Board of Works. Tuesday.-ROSEBERY complains this is "slow." Couldn't we all dress up as nigger minstrels? Remonstrate privately with ROSEBERY, who admits he had no sleep last night, owing to bedclothes being saturated, and smoke from stove. He says, "GRANVILLE and SPENCER both favour nigger plan-or if not, dismissing vans and going to first-class hotel.". Can this be true? And I'm not half through my educational course of Irish history, which peasants are dying to hear. Monday.-Our Caravan starts from Town amid indes- Still suspicious of opposition van. Now believe ARGYLL's inside. Why can't cribable enthusiasm. Whole of Piccadilly, Knights- ARGYLL stay in Isles? Can man on box be SALISBURY himself? bridge, Hammersmith Road, and as far as Hounslow, End of Tour.-Exeter.-Down here at last! Down with rheumatism, too. packed with crowds to see us pass. Query-Does not HARCOURT's van disappeared near Southampton. GRANVILLE telegraphed for this show that opinion of London is changing on Home at Wells. ROSEBERY left behind in hospital at Bath. SHAW-LEFEVRE worn Rule? SHAW-LEFEVRE says, "Not a doubt of it." and haggard, but still here; seems quite as lively as when he started,-but GRANVILLE suggests making détour to avoid mob." that's not saying much. Shall rest a week, and then back to Hawarden, Wish he wouldn't speak of mob 29 when he means not at all van-quished; only a fortnight spent on wheels is enough for anybody. electors. If one says, "making détour to avoid electors," folly of such a course at once apparent. Only get ten VOL. XCV. 66 66 REVIVAL OF THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA.-Betsy at the Criterion. H |