CLIPPINGS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8482, 13 May 1893, Page 6

CLIPPINGS.

John Watts, the jockey retained by th« late Mr Abington at a very large lee, has not had long to wait for au eugagement to supply the one so tragically concluded. Before tho Lincoln meeting hud terminated* he had accepted Sir John Blundell Mapliyj offer of £6000 for the first call on his aervices for three years.

Lord Roaebery recontly had some curiosity about tho use oi haschisch, or as it is mors generally written "hasheesh." In a Par. liamentary paper just issued it is showu to be a preparation of the flowers, tho sterna, or the husks of Indian hemp, and iv the East it is smoked with tobacco or consumed with syrup. It acts directly ou the brain, and thence disturbs digestion, circulation, and the muscular Bystem. It conduces to violent and homicidal or suicidal mania, and the majority of the luuatica iv Bengal mi, Egypt are driven to the asylums by the. abuse of haschisch, the sale of whioh ia now Erohibited iv Egypt and Turkey. But ia Igypt it is largely smuggled, mostly from, Greece, where the sale of it is allowed as merchandise, but its use forbiddou. In* lurkey the cultivation is prohibited, but it is grown nevertheless. As it ia of no special use in modern medicine, the Powers might well unite to stop its growth and sale altogether.— Daily Chronicle.

The West London Coroner has held tt inquest relative to the death of Thorns! Samuel Miuett, aged forty years, a dentist in practice at 97 Bloano street, Chelsea, and lately residing at 19 Dewhurst road, Brook Green, who was found dead in his surgery under peculiar circumstances. Elizabeth Sal* livan, servant, on eutering deceased's surgery found her mastsr half-sitting in the choir with the machine partly covering his mouth. Dr. Herbert Charles Gage Brown, pracbia* ing at 74 Cadogan place, said he was called, and found life to be extinct. Tho body was warm. He found no marks of violence, but the ears and lips were extensively livid, and the finger nulls blue, which were the symptoms to bo found iv deaths from the inhalations of nitrous oxide gas. Ho examined the apparatus and found no gas iv the bottle. The valve was closed,' so that the deceased must have been inhaling the gas without air. There were no signs of ft Btruggle in the room. Ho could nob say whether that was due to the inhalation or that the deceased had a little gas in his system, and, being iv a stooping position, prevented air getting into his luugs. Tile Jury returned a verdict of "Death> misadventure from the inhalation of mtroui. oxide gas."

Many members of the House of Commons (says an English paper) have been amused at receiving a printed document h sailed '•An Appeal and a Warning," and.purporting to come from women. advocates of women's suffrage. This indiscreet appeal contains these curious passages. It says that amongst their opponents are "men whose"reasons for denying to us equal rights with themselves may be stamped as ignoble. Many of them, while posing as the protectors of society and models of all th« virtues, are, we know, men of evil minds and secretly dissolute lives." " These are the men we wish to warn. They know themselves, and we know of them ; and we now solemnly declare our intention of, in due course and at the right time, publish* ing and laying bare before their constituents and the world their evil doings, that they may be driven from public life and give place to better men." A portentous threat truly. Wo hope no frail M.P.'s are shaking in their shoes. !

The New York Herald's gentle breast ia agitated by tho question, " Shall America have a poet. laureate ?" Portraits of Dr. Holmes, Bret Harte, Mr Aldrich, Mr Riley, Mr Stedman and Mr Winter embellish the four columns in a recent issue devoted to a discussion of the subject. Tse two contributors who have the most to say are Mrs* Frank Leslie and Mr Wirt Arjand. If life. were longer—a good deal longer—l might spare the time to read their letters. As it is, I prefer to read the very brief one signed Thomas Nelson Page. The creator of " Marse Chan'' and "M«h. Lady " says :— " I don't think we want any poet laureate. Wo are too much given to blowing, anyhow." Dr. Albert Shaw writes :—" I sso no reason for instituting an official poet; but manifestly Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes should have the. houour if it were conferred upon anyone. And this is what John Habbtrton " If America is to have a laureate, he should, be a man who is full of true American spirit and destitute of buncombe. Some unconscious pupil of James Rus3cil Lowell, would fill the bill—l wis* he would appear in print." Charles Warren Studdard doesu ft " see that anything is gained by the l* 0 ! 65 * tion of a poet p and Marion Crawford stigmatises the idea as unpleasantly imitative of monarchic institutions.

Some time ago (writes the New York correspondent of the Melbourne Age), I mentioned the proposal of a clergyman, o* this city, the Rev. Di Rainsford, to combat the evil of drinkilg saloons by *&*f' lish others that might be called respectable, under the patronage of at any rate under the control of the church. There was to be a careful Bupervisim oi the qualities <*■ the liquors sold, ani no improper mance or objectionable language should «• allowed. The projecs has ,been revived bya-. clergyman in Boston, who endorses W Rainsford's scheme, md thinks the chv&h ought to adopt it & once and thus comb** the evils of the saloon as it exists at pr®***¥| The newspapers an« the public g en * r *Y* do not take the schume seriously, with the exception of some of foe steady drinkers, wo©; look favourably upoithe promise of a better quality of liquor tlat the church saloons promise to supply. There could bo no doubt of the general popularity of the measure if the revereid gentlemen would arrange to have the most charming oi tne young ladies of thur congregations act as barmaids, though i; is quite possible that the parents of these young ladies might raise objections. Ta be successful in own*, batting the evil th«re would need to be a church bar-room by the sidei of every secular one. As there are 8000 licensed bars in New York city, we should then have no fewer than 16,000 places for tho gratulcation of the appetite for strong dunk, ana it is to be feared that the consumption o: intoxicants would be vastly increased.

James Richard Thompson, of Leioester, described as "a commercial traveller, but in fact a professional fortune teller, is evidently a cautious person; but his cm~o». » one instance at least, has availed hia little. Mr Thomson has been accustomed t* advertise in a local paper desiring all penon* WB< * are desirous ol having a description or " future partner, time of marriage, *«» other prospective events, to apply tp Mm at an address in that town. Two poLt* constable* in plain clothes aocordkgly «*

apply, whereupon Mr Thompson said, " Befopel oegintogiveyouany information as Lj-rds yourself, I wish you to understand that I give all the information free, but first I »iU s 6ll you - uttte k for **> M°y *jiis means 1 can just escape the hand of the law. If I made an actual charge for information, you could go to the police•Ution if yon thought fit, and cause mc to j- apprehended. If you pay 3s you can bare a full account written upon a printed form, containing matrimonial prospects, what you will be most fitted for, and what faculties to cultivate." The cautious soothHvver then showed a printed form, and continued:-" In return for the 3s 1 will jell you three copies of the same pamphlet, that you purchase the books and not the information. The strangers then paid one Sailing each, and Mr Thompson gave them * jj a pamphlet, and proceeded to tell one ofhis visitors about the girl he would have for a vi fe - They would > he Baid » t* s a ouarrelsoine pair, because "he was born under the planet Venus and she under the oUnet Mercury, and the signs of these Sanets were in direct opposition to each other " Mr Thompson has been fined _JlO, with the alternative of two months' imprisonment.