GOSSIP FROM ABROAD

Bush Advocate, Volume VII, Issue 475, 30 May 1891, Page 7

GOSSIP FROM ABROAD

• ■ ; (FEOM OUR LONDON CX)N*n__tPO_*A_lE3). L Herr Windthorst, tho German Ultramontane * leader, figures as an idol in a Chinese temple near Amoy. A young German, travelling in the neighbourhood recently, entered a temple | dedicated to the " Seven Geniuses," and, to his surprise, he found a dilapidated bust of his countrymen among the divinities. Evidently the bust had been lost out of some Teutonic vessel. A Washington telegram says :— " The Acting-Secretary of the Treasury, in a communication to the Senate, states the basis on which he estimates the market price of silver is the daily quotations in London, New York, and San Francisco. Tho rule is to accept the lowest offers, provided they do not materially exceed the hignest market prices in those cities. No silver bullion is purchased outside the United States, but the Acting-Secretary Bays there is no doubt that large quantifies of foreign bullion have been delivered to the Government on purchases from parties residing in the United States." The removal of the seat of the Hungarian Primacy from Gran to Budapest ie another step in the aggrandizement of the capital of Hungary. For years past the sister-towns of Buda and Pest have been waxing fat and flourishing at the expense of Vienna, and, despite its past magnificence, Vienna seems to be steadily going down. In Hungary the removal of the Archbishopric of Gran to the capital has, as might have been expeoted, been received with enthusiasm, and the new Primate will no doubt find that Budapest is a much more convenient residence than Gran. There seems to be some uncertainty afc the attitude of the Pope in the matter. New regulations concerning the marriage i affairs of Siberian exiles are published in the official journal of the Governing Synod. Exile | to Siberia under ordinary circumstances entails , the dissolution of marriage in the event of the innocent partner not electing to go with the guilty. "The Synod now issues rules for the regulation of marriages in Siberia between those whose previous marriageß have been dissolved on their being sentenced to exile. _ It is the policy now to concentrate serious criminals as much as possible in the island of Saghalien, in the North Pacific, and to take away the terrors of Siberian exile by fostering colonies there. Dr. Nansen has intimated that he proposes starting on his new Polar expedition aboufc the middle of June. He will endeavour to get through Behring Straits to the islands of New Siberia, aud ho hopes to find in September open water stretching far away towards the north. His crew will include only eight men, and his vessel will bo provisioned for five years. But he hopes to reach the Pole within two years. The Danish Governmeut contributes 50,000 kroner (about £2,750), and M. Gam el, a leading merchant, gives a similar sum. Tents are being taken as part of the equipment, to enable the party to stay on land or ice should the vessel be fatally injured. Strong boats will also be provided. Dr. Nansen expects to find hitherto undiscovered land in the neighbourhood of the Pole, and he expects to have to make a good part of the journey at a temperature as low as from 3Gdeg. to 40deg. below zero Centigrade (equal to 64deg. to 72deg. below freezing point of Fahrenheit). He proposes making excursions for the purpose of meteorological observations, and also to investigate the conditions, etc., of the ice. One of the luckiest women in Paris at present is Madame Maisch, a cashier in the Cafe de la Paix. She has won £10,000 in the lottery of the Panama Canal. Her husband aud daughter were looking over the Hat of winners on 17th February, when thoy discovered — but could hardly believe their eyes— thafc she was the possessor of the fortunate number which entitled her to receive 250,000 f. Madame Maisch will receive the sum due to her by the Panama Company on 16th March, 4 per cent, boing deducted by way of tax on the bond. As a fierce light boats in Paris < on the winner of a gros lot, it is now a matter of public notoriety that Madame Maisch had condemned herself to the monotonous occupation whi;h she held iv order to be able to provide a dowry for her daughter. Her husband earned enough money to keep the whole family in comfort, but there was the awful dot to think of, so the worthy couple both worked industriously to this end and intent. Their daughter, who is only 17, will doubtless experience no difficulty in "getting off" when she comes of age, now that her parentß have been favoured suddenly by fickle Lady Fortune. Writing on the tour of the Cezarewitch, a St. Petersburg correspondent cays : —"The chapter of accidents in the journey of the Cezarewitch is not yet closed. The visit to Constantinople had to be abandoned on account of the disputo between tbo Porte and tho Patriarch, and the consequent closing of the orthodox churches in Turkey. The journey in the Holy Land was similarly cut by the board. Next, on arrival at Bombay, Prince George got a chil from the cold laud wind that blows at night in December and January at that place, aud becoming feverish, he was prevented from touring through India with the rest of the party. Much agaiust his will he returned to Europe, Disagreement among the naval officers has led to some resignations, and, lastly, the vioifc to Chinese ports, whero so much that is strango and novel presents itself, has had to be curtailed to a mere look in at Nankin on account of the difficulty in _ connection _ with Chinese etiquette, which requires the foreigner, however distinguished, to stand in the presence of the representatives of the Chiucße ruler. Many well-informed people think that the Siberian tour will likewise be abandoned, though I believe I am right in saying that this will not bo so unless some unforeseen accideg. requires it." Miss Menk- Meyer is, by all accounts, carrying everything before hor in Italy. The successes of Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and St. Petersburg havo been repeated in Rome, and tho musical critiques of the Roman papers which have come to hand have simply exhausted their vocabulary of enthusiasm and praise in their effortß to convey an impression to their readers of the pleasure they derived from the performances of the young pianist and composer. Society in Rome has lost no opportunity of showing its appreciation of her talent, and both tho Queen of Italy and Lady Dufferin have assisted to swell the chorus of appreciation. Miss Menk- Meyer _ youthful appearance has occasioned much surprise, and one lady who saw her for tho first timo was heard to exclaim, " Why, she's a child." Miss Menk-Meyer soon showed, however, that there is nothing of the child phenomenon, that painful eccentricity of art and humanity, about her. Her performance of Beethoven's Sonata seems to have given most catisf action, and Miss Menk -Meyer has no doubt by this time fulfilled tho promise she made, in response to innumerable requests, to give a recital exclusively of Beethoven. Tho new Imperial defence gun vessels Boomerang and Karrakatta, 2,735 tons, 4,500 horse-power, having both satisfactorily completed their gun and machinery trials, were delivered to tho naval authorities at Sheoruess on 14th February, from the works of Sir W. G. Armstrong and Co., of Els wick, where they have been built and equipped for sea at a cost of nearly £50,000 each. Tho Boomerang and Karrakatta were immediately commissioned with complements of 80 officers and men each for despatch to Australia, tho Boomerang being commanded by Lioutenaut Thomas C. Fenton, and the Karrakatta by Lieutenant W. J. ticullard. The Boomorang is intended to strengthen the British Squadron on active service in Australian waters, but tho Karrakatta, on her arrival at Sydney, is to bo paid off and placed iv the Australian Stoam Reserve, being kept in readine°s for active service when required. The Admiralty have issued instructions for the third-class cruiser Bapid. 12, 1,4-0 tons, 1,400 horso-power, Captain William MC. F. Castle, to bo recommissioned at Sydney for another term of service on the Australian station. Tbo Ilapid is in future to be in charge of an officer of commander's rank iustetid of a captain, as during hor fornior c-ramissions. Madamo Sarah Bernhardt is attracting notice to herself and her doings in a varety of ways in New York. In the first place, Rhe is appearing before the public iv her several roles, with mnrp or loss success, according to the piece in which she plays. In addition, she has been creating, it appears, a sensation by half poisoning herself from eating too freely of tinned mushrooms. Sho way brought to death's door by her illness ; but a couple of physicians mauaged to get her through. Lastly, sho has confided to a Now York paper her views about the stage, and about the real and tho ideal. Evidently, to judgo frora what the talonted jictress says in her communication to the American paper, sho abhors tho tendency of tho present day to supplant tho ideal and the poetic on tho stage by the roal, however hideous and revolting mav'at times be the aspect of realism. Alluding to "tho fact that a drama is being written in France on tho Eyraud-Bompard trial, Mdme. Bernhardt remarks that Shakespeare has introduced these two wretches on the utnge in the persons of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The passions that drove these four personages to crime are, she contends, the same, though iv the one case it was a throne of which a king was to be robbed, and in the other a processserver's money. The drama, as she rightly observes, in the one case is Bublime and terrible; iv the other it is repugnant' and vulgar.