To-day is the day appointed for the official celebration of the King's birthday in London; and as his Majesty left Another distinguished personage who has been honoured by the sovereign, though not in the birthday list, is "General" Booth, who was received in audience the other day by the King and was subsequently described in the "Court Circular" as " Commander chief of the Salvation Army," though it true that the phrase was enclosed in inverted com It is stated that his Majesty displayed very deep interest in the social" side of the Salvation Army and expressed the warmest sympathy with its objects. To-day the " General" opens a great international congress of the army in London. The opening ceremony takes place in the Albert Hall; but the meetings of the delegates will be held in a great temporary structure which has been built at a cost of about two thousand pounds on the great block of building land inthe Strand on which Holywell Street and Wych Street used to stabd. It is all built of corrugated iron, but has been fronted with painted woodwork of a by no means unpleasing appearance; and as, of course, all the materials will be available for other purposes afterwards the plan. of erecting a building for o fortnight's use will probably not prove extravagant.
The Woes of the Government.
So rapidly have the troubles of the Government been accumulating of late that there is now a very general opinion that the General Election cannot be put off till next year. There are undoubtedly differences of opinion in the Cabinet over the Army reorganisation scheme; and although it was announced a day or two ago by Government organs that these differences had been practically settled, Mr. Balfour is even now unable to assign a date for the introduction of the Army Estimates by Mr. Arnold Forster, who in introducing them is to unfold the whole scheme. Then the Government are having a lot more trouble over the Transvaal Ordinance. Mr, Lyttelton,! the Colonial Secretary,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.