LONDON TABLE TALK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 190, 10 August 1895, Page 4 (Supplement)

LONDON TABLE TALK.

(FBOJH OT7R SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.}

London.^ June 21 THE SHAHZADA AND THE * ' PROVINCES.

The popular nobion of the Shahzada has undergone noma modification since that whibey-brown pobenbabe started on his tour. The interest he displays In . bhe factories, cotton mills, docks and warehouses he is being shown day after day, seems genuine, and his attempts to grasp bhe signification of bhe various eights are almost pabbebic. On the Manchester Ship Canal, His Highness could nob for bbc life of him understand what,the locks were for. Tbe entire staff seb to work to enlighten him, but the' more they talked the more sadly the Royal visitor shook bis head. Finally, he demanded tbe steamer should re-enter the lock, and bhe enbire business of raising it bo a different level and lowering ib again be gone bhrough a second time. Fortunately, when bhe lock began to fill, the Shahzada suddenly, as the saying is, ' bumbled bo ib,' and bhe operation was suspended. Ab Birmingham, His Highness upset bhe enbire programme and reduced the Mayor almost bo bears by bhe elaboration with which he insisted on going through the , small arms factories. He devoted so much tame to gun-making tbab the Town Hall lunch waited an hour, and a -vifsib to Elkingbon's Electro-Plabe Works had to be given up. Moreover, Naarulla declined bo write bia name in bhe visitors' book, on bhe ground that it would he, untrue to say he had seen the factories. He had merely been over parb of them. .Later, ho would return and finish tho inspection. Bub, of course, this-could n't be., His Highness bad, however, an equally enjoyable time at the works of Armstrong, Mitchell and Maxims last Saturday. Nor is ib merely big guns and engines of destruction which atbracb him. He ; ; "waa almost as genuinely interested in ■abh'e over ■ head railway ab Liverpool. -On bhe other hand, the Ameer's son no remark on the great military .review at Aldersbot, though it contained a moment which seriously _ried bis belief in -our good faith. Thia was when, to display 'the suddenness with which a cavalry advance can be checked, tbe Lancers charged direct ab the staff. Even to experts bhis ia a somewhat nervous experience. As bhe troops with lances levelled, come thundering across tbe sward ab fu'd gallop ib appears physically impossible they should pull up in time, and uo ,ysib perfecbly quiescenb, awaiting a seemingly inevibable avalanche, requires a strong exercise of faith: Tbe Shahzada's neirve failed him at the critical momenb, and apprehending a disaster His Highness turned, bis horse to fly. Bub an attendant seized the bridle and dexterously bwisbed the animal round again. By this time the Lancers had pulled up a couple of yards away as if by the movement of a single pair of bands. His Highness drew a lc.ng ibreabh. TEMPERANCE WOMEN. ' '''

The British Women's Temperance; As" spciation Congress ab bhe Ciby TempJ.e bhis week, afforded Lady Henry Somerset an opportunity to discourse' on the se_^ novel. The moderation of these fair reformers fills me wibh admiration. One of theya called on young womanhood to 'plunge, straight to the reeking heart of the drink fiend the sharp dagger of prohibition, evon though ehe be guillotined for ib by tha axe of public sentiment,' and later r.djured her sex to'step out of their barped cages of conservatism and use their slumbering powers,'

On the subject of the '.sere p<pyel' Lady Henry Somerset said:—'What is bhe meaning of .the eer -novel by woraen or by men ? for they are both writing ib, and bad as are bhe women's the men's are worse. Of whab is ib indicative, anri wherewithal are we to be rid of this l&'tt curse or craze ? Why cannot a great and helpful sex novel foe wribten, if we must have any ab all? Perhaps ib is because " fools rush in where angels fear to tread." These noveU are mostly pub forth by new comers in the field of literature; they/are bewildered by the advent of women, like the locusts of Egypt, as some say (bub we think like bhe beneficenb breezes of heaven) upon the wide fields ot human /activity. The thought of ccx is doubtless /more present in the average mind when the relations of sex are rapidly and universally changing. The pent-up thoughts and feelings of imaginative and high-strung women writers find venb along the lines of bhe new liberty, insbead of engaging actively in some beneficent work with women who are doing whab bhey can bo to guide the movement bhab ib shall nob overflow itß banks, and these neurotic and keyed-up temperaments fly to pen and ink, and wreak themselves upon expression. It is bat a sign of the times, the excrescence of a growth, bhe ehadow caßb from a greab lighb in bhe heavens. We musb bear wibh our brothers and sisters of the quill, who are bewildered by the bursting of what we believe to be a purifying whirlwind of the Lord, and we musb hope thab ib will nob be long until bbc sburdier pen of men and women who bear aboub in bheir nabures the besb qualities, masculine and feminine —those * creatures nob boo brighb or good for human nabure'B daily food'—shall give us harmonious panoramas of the new social life wherein sex is nob the central thought, font which bave for tbeir motif those qualities bhab we all share in common ; bhe intellect, radiant and serene, the resistless will, the mellow heart, and firm, untiring band. Shall not theae be the central lights and glowing colours in bhe picture of the golden age ?' GLADSTONE'S VOYAGE. The Grand Old Man has noTHeen lucky in bis weather during the cruise of the Tantallon Castle, and was unable bo do many tilings he would bave liked. Amongsb other arrangemenbs made for him was a visib bo Bismarck. Sir Donald Currie, Mt Lucy and friends, decided bhat a meebing between the two aged statesmen would be what the papers call 'a picturesque incident' and of ' permanent historical interest.* They reckoned, however, without the bwo parties chiefly concerned. Whether Bismarck wished it we have no means of knowing, but as the time approached for the excursion, ib became evidenb bhab despite apparenb bland complaisance, bhe G.O.M. did nob mean to go. In such cases Mr Gladstone never says directly out that be will or won't do a thing, nor does conacienco permit him to palter with white lies like ordinary poor humanity. Hia family, however, know him and exacbly when to come to bhe rescue. On Friday morning 'twas Mra Gladsbone forbade bhe viaib to Bismarck after her husband had wandered round and round the wind and weabher and his growing tendency to shiver. • Quibe impossible for Mr Gladßbone to venture so far on such ai day,' she said, decisively. ' Quite impossible,' dutifully, yeb lugubriously repeated Sir Donald and his guests. ' I will Bond Prince Bismarck,' said the veteran statesman blandly. 'I will send him Henry (i.e. Mr Henry Gladstone, now Private Secretary) and —my card.' So the distinguished party wibhoub iba famous chief proceeded bo Carlsriihe where Prince Bismarck slammed his fronb door (metaphorically speaking) in tbeir faceß. Like the G.0.M., he stated hia health precluded hia seeing Sir Donald Currie and friends. Bub he senb them a meaßage by hia Privabe Secrebary, and he returned Mr Gladstone .—a card. The * Right Reverend '. Gladstone. The same evening Mr Gladstone had recovered sufficiently to play a prominent parb in bhe banqneb and reception given by Sir Donald Currie to the Burgomaßter and ejbizens of Hamburg. The Burgomaster,

who proposed bhe G.O.Ms. health in excellent Engliah, created much amusemenb by referring bo him as bhe ' righb reverend— I beg pardon—right honourable gentleman.' If, as seems to be generally thought, this was an accidental slip of the tongue done on purpose, ib shows the Hamburghers are familiar with tbe view of bho Gladsbonian character which regards him as a bbeologian gone astray in politics—an ex - Prime Minisber indeed, bub nevertheless a Bishop manqiu.. The Burgomaster's little; joke delighted Mr Gladstone himself. He did nob resent bhe ascription of clerical honours like the orator ab bhe Oxford Union, who rose indignantly bo objecb, and was meb by the retorb, 'I withdraw the opprobrious epitheb.' THE G.O.M. AND STANSFELD. Mention of Mr Gladstone reminds me he looms large in the character sketch of the ' Review of Reviews' for June, which is devoted to Sir James Sbansfeld. Though a very good man indeed, wibh bbc record of a long and noble lifo behind him, I know many people who do nob like Sir James. The facb bhab he is bnilb afber Mr Stead's own pattern in many parbiculare.will explain much, Mr Stead asked Sir Jae. Sbansfeld bow Mr Gladstone behaved in bhe eecreb conclaves in Downiug-abreeb. He replied:— *Mr Gladsbone's oonducb in bbc Cabineb was very curious* When I first joined, in 1871, I naturally bhoughb bhat his poaibion was bo commanding bhat he would be able to say, " Thia is my policy ; accept it or nob as you like." When Sir James Graham was examined before a Committee on Admiralty Administrabion, be was asked, " Whab weald happen if a member of your Board did nob agree wibh your policy ?" He answered, "He would ceaae to be a member of my Board." I bhoughb Mr Gladstone would have baken the same line. Bub he did riob. He was always profuse in his expressions of respecb for bhe Cabineb. There is a wonderful combination in Mr Gladstone of imperiousnessand of deference. In the Cabineb he would assume bhab he was nobhing. I bhoughb Mr Gladsbone should have said, "This is my policy. Whab do you bbink of ib?" and bhen have foughb ib oub until they had come to an agreement. He always tried to lead them on by unconscious stops to bis own conclusions. „ 'vv_-..,f ;v Gladstone and Garibaldi. "?"•> 'There is a mosb curious similitude between the actions of Mr Gladsbone, a highly educated statesman in public affairs, and bhe tactics of Garibaldi, who was inbellecbually a perfecb savage. Garibaldi was always ruse in his military tactics. He did the unexpected thing. Where they expected to find \ him they never found him, He almost persuaded himeelf that he was going another way till he reappeared. He acted instinctively, and this has ofben seemed to me true of Mr Gladsbone, His bacbical genius seemed bo me ofben more like an instinct than the ordinary reasoning process of a greab, and a highly-brained, and educabed mind. How Sir J. Stansfkld Came to the Rescue. Sir James Stansfeld firsb sab in bho Cabineb in 1871. In Mr Gladsbone's second Cabineb he found no place. In 1886 (after his work for bhe repeal of bhe CD. Acbs bad been crowned by success) Mr Gladsbone again invibed him bo enber the Cabineb, bub only afber the exodus of Mr Chamberlain and Sir Goorge Trevelyan. The following is Mr Sbanafeld's account of bow ib came aboub :—'Trevelyan lefb bhe Cabineb. Mr Gladsbone senb for me. I did nob wanb bo go, bub he pressed me. We balked mabbers over. I Baid, " Chamberlain and Trevelyan have lefb you, and before I can join bhe Cabineb I _ musb ask bhe cause of bheir resignations. I don'b wanb to come in and bhen have to leave." He assented. Bab ib ended in this way, thab I pub my views inbo writing and left it to him to determine whether I should join or not; and bo decided to take me in. The Unionists, in my opinion, oughb never to have lefb tbe Liberal Parby. If they had determined to remain they could have tied Mr Gladstone's hands. He would have been compelled to retain them in his Cabineb; the insbincb of bhe Prime Minister would have been to keep the Cabineb together. It was a great tactical mistake in my view to vote againsb the second reading of the Bill.' How Sir J. Stansfeld was Shelved. When the short-lived Home Rule Governmenb of 1886 came to an end, Sir James Sbansfeld bhrew himself wibh greab energy into the Home Rale campaign. This, together wibh other considerations, led everyone to believe, says Mr Stead, that Mr Gladstone would at least treat Mr Stansfeld with ordinary courtesy when he was framing his last Cabinet:—'l happened to meet Mr Stansfeld just before the last general elecbion, and knew from him thab he did nob wish (bhough he would nob have refused) to form part of the new Minisbry, and was all in favour of bhe introduction of new blood. Nothing, therefore, would have been easier forMrGladsbone than to have senb for Mr Sbansfeld, and in a few friendly and hearby words conveyed bis recognition of his services in the cause of Home Rule, and expressed his regret that he was nob able bo offer him a place in bis Cabinet. In bhab case, Mr Sbansfeld would have assured him bhab he had no wish bo reburn to office, and that he might counb upon his loyal supporb. Instead of bhab, if reporb speaks true, Mr Stansfeld was excluded—by the octogenarian Premier —on bhe score of age. Thab he felb keenly bhe method of bia treatmenb is generally known or believed, and thab he declined the offer of a peerage is indubitable. But whatever he may have felt, he never showed ib in bhe House, and was as steady a supporter of Mr Gladstone to the end of his lasb Administration aa ever. Ho has now accepted an honour nob hereditary, that of the Grand Cross of the Bath, from the sympathetic hands of Lord llosebery.' •MURDER WILL OUT.' '"** A double murder of a peculiarly revolting character came to light early this week at Helmsley, a village near Hirsk, in Yorkshire, the bodies of Mrs Hudson and her year-old infant being discovered buried on the moors about four miles from the bamlet. The throats of both had been cut, and a carving knife was found in bbc shallow grave. Suspicion naburally fell upon bhe husband, who had ' vamoosed,' bub up bo bhe present the police have nob been able to arresb Hudson. The only motive for bbc husband's crime, if he were really the perpetrator, at preaenb apparent is the fact thab bis wife and his child recently came in for legacies of aboub £170 each. The murder appears to have been deliberately planned, and so far as bhe circumstances preceding ib which have been elucidated up bo now go to show, planned some time in advance. Hudson, who was a native of Helmeley,visited the place with his wife and child aboub a forbnighb before bhe murder. They took lodgings with a Mra Holmes and drove oub frequently inbo bhe surrounding counbry, bhe beauties of which Hudson Baid be deBired to show his wife. On Saturday, June Bbb, the trio made an excursion i as usual, but Hudson returned alone in the < evening. He had, be said, left hie wife and child wibh his annb ab Hovingbon, where ' they would stay over the week's and. Mrs I Holmes promptly reminded him that the i child would need some fresh clothing, and I Hudson went into his rooms, ostensibly to i prepare the necessary bundle. He then ! lefb the house, saying be would return with i hia wife and child on Monday, and asked j Mrs Holmes if she would accompany them on the excursion they had planned to make 1 that day. But Monday came and went i wibhoub bhe Hudsons,' and on bhe following i day Mrs Holmes received a lebber purporb- i ing to come from Mrs Hudson and asking if she would kindly forward the latter'e be-

longings bo Darlington, as something had occurred to prevent their return to Helmsley. Mrs Holmes accepted this lead pencil written missive as genuine until on the Friday following, Mrs Hudson's sister came from Sheffield to Helmsley bringing another lead pencil note. In this Hudson stated thab hie wife had eloped wibh a Helmsley man, taking her child and her money with her. Suspicion was aroused by this missive, and a visib by Mrs Holmes, bhe Bister and a cousin to Hovingbon discovered bbc facb tbab the Hudsons had never been to ccc bheir aunt, who was expecting bhem daily. A visib to Darlington was nexb undertaken bub no information could be gleaned there. On returning to Helmsley, the Bister and cousin, together with several people who had made friends with the Hudsons during their visib, came to the conclusion that 'foul play' had been done. A party determined to search the lonely moors, and after many miles of vain tramping, they came .upon a place nob far from bhe moor road where tbe earth had evidently been disturbed recently. A hooked stick was thrust into the yielding soil, and on being withdrawn brought wibh ib bhe body of the infanb. A second brial broughb to light a human leg, and bhen bbc police were sent for. On arriving, the officers soon unearthed Mrs Hudson's body, for the soil thrown upon the corpses was bub three inches thick. On the woman's body was a a large carving knife—evidently the weapon used by their murderer. Mrs Hudson's clothing was torn, and her body showed signs of a desperate struggle. Meanwhile^ Hudson, having despatched messages to certain friends stating thab hia wife had gone off with anobher man, and expressing a determination to spend every penny in finding her, disappeared. The principal victim of thia tragedy was a prepossessing woman of 25. Her husband has lived the greater part of his life at Darlington, and seemß to have been a steady, sober, and industrious man, and so far as the friends of the family could diadem, a model husband. The murder has created an intense excibemenb in bhe Helmsley diabricb. The villagers cannob make oub how bhe double murder and burial could have been performed wibhoub someone seeing the miecreanb ab work, for bhe moor road, bhough unfrequented and lonely enough in bhe winber time, is well patronised in the summer by tourists from tbe neighbouring manufacturing bowns. •.(,.«, •'" '"• ' ARTHUR AND EMlLY.'.""#s' The famous Romford lovers, Arthur Hill and Emily Spooner, are in trouble again with cub bhroats. Some of your readers will be able bo call to mind how, lasb autumn, thia precious pair of love-sick lunatics seb oub for Soubbead on suicide inbent; hew bhey wandered on to Dogenham, nipping laudanum on bhe way, and how, when the drug made them drunk aa owls, Hill pricked Emily's throat wibh a penknife and then made a small incision in his own neck : how, these things failing to send them to eternity, the fuzzy brained couple walked into a pond, walked out again, were rubbed down by a friendly fanner, and went home to tbeir friends. Hill gob a month's hard labour for this eecapade, the more serious charge of attempted murder being withdrawn. Now the unhappy creatures have been at it again, and Hill has been commibbed for trial on bhe major indictment this bime. Ib appears thab Hill, who now lives at Ilford, belegraphed to Emily bo meeb him ab Fen church-6treob Station. The foolish girl did bo, and they wenb in company to Welwyn, near Hatfield. They mooned tbe afternoon away, and when Emily wanted to geb back home Arthur dieclosed the facb that he had no money. Miss Spooner recognised bhe impossibility of walking back bo London, and tearfully asked Hill whab he intended bo do. ' I'm going to kill you, and then cub my own throat,' was the quick response, and .producing, .-a -razorHill caught his sweebhearb by bhe neck. She sbruggled desperately bub was quickly overpowered, and aa bbc weapon bouched her flesh, swooned. When bhe girl recovered consciousness she found her bhroab had been slashed to the depth of half aninch. Hill was lying near her wibh a slighb gash across his throab, bub quibe conscious. ' Why did you do ib ?' asked Mias Spooner, tearfully, and Arbhur answered 'I don'b know,' which was probably true. By this time nighb had closed in, and bhe unhappy pair were compelled bo spend bhe hours of darkness by bhe wayside. As soon as the sun was up Hill lefb his sweebhearb to geb some milk aba farmhouse near ab hand, and reburning he bound up Emily's neck as beat he could, and his own also. The pair then set out in the direction of Hatfield, and meeting a policeman en route Hill tried to sell hie watch for four shillings. Bub bhe officer nobed bhe blood on bhe young man's garmenba, and naturally inquired its meaning. Hill confessed to his crime, and with the tears streaming from his eyes was hauled off to tbe local lock-up. Mies Spooner, half dead with fright and exhaustion, was conveyed bo bhe infirmary, where she rapidly recovered. Hill would seem to bo more or less insane, and tbe girl also. Bub bheir insanity ia of the sorb curable by judicious applications of bhe cab, and motherly spankings, respectively.