LONDON IN AND OUT OF SEASON.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7366, 19 July 1889, Page 5

LONDON IN AND OUT OF SEASON.

(nOM OUB COSR-BPOItD-ir-. LONDON, May 81. IN THE SWING OF THE SEASON. When the Four-in-Hand Club meets in the end of May the season m*y be looked upon as beginning to be at its best. Saturday, which was the day appointed for the opening meeting, waa also the official Queen's Birthday, aud earlier in the day crowds had witnessed the trooping of the colors in the St. James' Park It was a beautiful day, bright and warm, but not too hot, and the trees in the drive were delightfully green and refreshing to the eyes. While the coaches were arriving, the Prince and Princess and their family drove up in two Victorias, aud then cam e the procession of swift prancing chargers. A few years ago chestnut was the favorite color at the Four-in-Hand Meetings, but now brown has taken its place. Brown teams were driven by Sir Michael Shaw Stewart and Lord Cork, Sir Edward Guinness, Lord Rothfield, Mr Adrian Hope, son of Lord Beaeonsiiexd's favorite protege, and Sir SaTile Crot.sley. Sir John Thursby, Lord Kilmarnock (iv the coach of the Royal Horse Guards Blue), Lord Cheepsmore, and Lord Shrewsbury, of Hansom cab fame, drove bays, e>nd Lord Willoughby de Gresby, long known as Lord Aveland, drove a black team. " Charlie " Beresford combined two bright bays with two grays, crossways, and Lord Londesborough drove a mixture, which General Boulanger, who sat beside him, seemed to admire. Sir Richard Sutton was present also, but many of the well-known faces and teams were absent, including Lord Onslow, whose duties naturally prevented him from attending; Lord Poltimore, who used to drive four roans; the Earl of Fife, and the Duke of Portland, who was doubtless more profitably engaged with his jiancc'e, who is to become Duchess ou the llth of June. Count Miinster, who, while Austrian Minister here, never missed a meeting, has also gone from us, and the Duke of Beaufort, a veritable authority on driving, and the Earl of Macclesfield are never in these years. The Marquis of Watert'ord, who used once to drive his four greys, was wheeled about the " Ladies Mile ' in a bath chair. Tomorrow the first meet of the Coaching Club comes olf at the same place. " GEORGE RANGER " IN A MELEE. The extraordinary lack of management at the Fire Brigade Demonstration on Saturday, at Whitehall, led to a small riot, in which the following incident occurred:—The representative of a new Sunday paper, the Sun, got jumbled up in the crowd, thrown down, and walked over, and when he regained his legs was carried by the rush up to tbe gate 3of the Horse Guards. There, to employ the words of his own paper, " a temporary diversion was created by an elderly red-faced gentleman, respectably attired in a tall.hat and frock coat, who rushed from the side arch of the gateway and inserted his fingers into the collar of our representative, who " was standing hatless, panting, and out of breath, hardly able to stand from ill-health, and proceeded to shake him. " Who are you, and what do you mean by this ?." gasped the illused journalist. " Who are you yourself ?" bawled the individual, relaxing his hold and stepping back just in time to evade a blow. " That's the Dook of Cambridge," remarked a spectator. " Then why does he not bring his umbrella ?" asked our representative, " and then we might know him; at all events, duke or no duke, I'll treat him to a summons on Monday morning." At this open threat against a personage in high places the righteous wrath of another individual was excited. With commendable courtesy he observed, " Oh, I suppose you are some beastly newspaper man." "That," said our representative, "is exactly what I am, as the Duke will find to his cost." Further parley ensued with the Inspector of Police, aud the unfortunate Sun man was seized and accused of being drunk. He was later discharged, and then went up to the Duke, and wanted to know what he meant by such treatment, and also his name and address, and finally departed vowing vengeance. On Monday this gentleman, whose name' is Mr Simms, applied at Westminster for a summons against the Duke, for assault, but learnt that the offence, was committed outside the Court's jurisdiction, and so marched on to Bow street. Here he had an interview with the Magistrate, and the summons is to be granted if he will return in a few days' time with his witnesses. AN ADVENTURER ON AN ADVEN. TURE. Here is the Marquis de Leuville's new "poem" on Captain Kane's escape from Samoa, entitled " Samoa: Britons' Bravest of all." Music by Michael Watson. Wild off Samoa through the rocks and shoals Rolled the hurricane's heedless roar, And half a fleet full of human souls Was wrecked in sight of the shore.

One Captain alone had the courage and dash To gallantly put out to sea; The deed must be quick as the thought—a flash, Or the port isr-Eternity I

And crash o'er the ship came the cyclone's blast, O God, all on deck it must whelm: But a British Flag flew proud on the mast, • With a British hand on the helm.

How many a dear one had ne'er returned Had the chief but swerved for a space; , How many an English hearth had mourned For ever an absent face.'

Or some honored mother with aged brow Had died of grief that her son Would never redeem his boy lovers vow To the lass who would mourn him alone.

Bnt now there is joy from orchard to lane, And the lasses will hie to the shore; Aye I brimfulof love to greet Captain Kane, When he lands with his crew once more.

For his will was strong as his heart was brave, When he faced the storm and foam, With his-bonny voice high over the wave, And brought them their sweethearts 'home, , - ■ »■/;''.

And boldly we Britons plough field and flood,

For we know in the distant seas; Old England's honor and England's blood Are safe with such men as these.

Oh! terrible Heavens, whose stars are the homes .. r• , . Of tbe wind that shaketh the reeds, Mark him for thy altars beneath blue domes. Whose pavements are glorious deeds. —Leuvilije. ANECDOTES OF IRVING BISHOP.

Poor Irving Bishop, who, I am glad to see, the Coroner has just decided -waa actually dead at the time of the post mortem, was, though quite an unlettered man, extraordin-rily impressible in good company, and had a great knack of picking up and retaining literary phrases and turns of speech which he made admirable use of on theplatform. He could even, upon occasions, trot out a Latin quotation, though it is improbable in tbe extreme that he could have declined mens—, Here is an anecdote or two of him culled from the talk this unfortunate affair has made.—-A friend who wanted to test his capabilities as a thought-reader played him an ingenious trick one day.. He was lunching with Bishop and another in a Strand restaurant, and they stood chatting at the bar for a few minutes after lunch. The sceptical one, observing that Bishop's umbrella waa out. of his lx__id, abstracted it quietly,! and hid it. behind a screen. When they were out in the street. Bishop sud-' denly-__c—u—led, "Hullo! where's my umbrella ? I had 'it with mc, I know." '• I took it," said his friend. " Now-find it if yon can." As Bishop's back had been turned when his ip-breHa Was purloined* he had only his u&ktaeaimto snide him to its discovery. Tsklng his friend, fey thei arm. Bishop lea him auwkiy back isfest aad!

all round the restaurant; then, after .""-a moment's hesitation, he walked up to the screen, and drew his umbrella from|hehind it. One of his cleverest public performances was in Dublin. While staying at the Shelborae Hotel he gave out that he would on such a day undertake to find a pin hidden anywhere in the town within half a mile of the She-borne. The matter was put into the hands of a Committee of strangers, and when the day arrived the space in front of the hotel was thronged with people- The pin waa hidden, the Bishop attached himself to the wrist of the person—a short stout man—who bad hidden it. Dashing off from the hotel at a tremendous pace, he led his man, puffing, and with his wrist half severed, through Grafton street, and on into a side street, where there was a fruiterer's shop, the mob following. At the fruiterer's shop Bishop, who was blindfolded, suddenly stopped, much to the relief of his fat victim, put up his hand to a bunch of bananas hanging at the door, and from the topmost banana in the bunch, aud amid the excited cheers ot the crown, drew out the pin, embedded tC its head.