TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8583, 9 September 1893, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

WiTHix the la«t two or A Belie:of three weeks a remarkable Old Sydney. - relio of old Sydney has -disappeared before the destroying hand of the builder. Hancock's tower, as it was called, situated at the top of George street, wan a prominent feature of the Sydney of fifty ye»rs ago, before it was almost hidden by the growth of the city, and a recent article in the Daily Telegraph sets forth all that is known of the landmark. The square tower, eome9oftin height) lay at the back of a little ins* to which, ia prorate of time, it became attached, though originally a separate building. It was five stories high, , and was built of large blocks of stone which was cud to have been brought by convicts in wheelbarrows froca the P/rraont quarries. The first-floor was evidently at one time need as a kitchen, and above it were a sort of dining-room, a bedroom, and a spare room, a weather-board structure on the top leading on to the battlemented look-out. This look-ont was , ado?&ed in each of its four corners with a quaint stone figure representing an English King, which were labelled respectively Edward L, Edward UL, William, and Richard. Edward L wore & helmet and carried a battle-axe, Edward UL was crowned and held a sword in bis hand, while the other two were simply crowned. The wily*?or wherefore of the erection of the tower is lost in the mists of antiquity, which even at this comparatively early stage in the city's history begins to gather round the early days of Sydney. These mists are the breeding places of legends, and, therefore, it is not surprising to learn that popular report credited the old tower with " strange figures clothed in white, which flitted from the peculiar windows of the topmost storey,, and then disappeared, "for that there were tales" of secret chambers where women were confined for nameless offences, of the strange histories which surrounded its construction, and the stranger deeds which were perpetrated when the tower was completed.** All this is delightful, and Sydney jjeople must be congratulated on having got so far advanced as to possess a haunted tower.

which, from its look, at least from * distance, might almost be taken fur a castle. We, ia New Zealand, have only attained to the dignity of haunted hoases, of which it is said Ohristchurch possesses its share. Bat then comes uloag the iconoclast, who brings forward, the -fairly well established conjecture that the tower was bailt for the purpose of a shot tower. Its height, 90ft, would be insufficient, but local report iiaid that it once contained a cellar so deep as to bo "practically unfathomable," so that the shot tower theory is not untenable. Later 00, however, it became part of the inn, and was fitted up with room*. And then comes in more tradition, which assert* that Hancock, who either built the towar or bought it shortly after, used to imprison his wife in it. The - story is that he was jealous and she was very pretty, an.l that during his fits of suspicion* auger he " locked his wife in the tower, and kept her there sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks, sometimes for years. It ia said, indeed, that he once turned the key upon her and never drew back the lock for seven years. Ou the other hand, it is asserted that her mental capacity was deficient, and that compulsory coufinemsat was essential." The first ! part of the story, it is said, ha* general credence in the locality, ss also has I the statement that, Hancock, who was a i wheelwright, was in the habit of using I three small ceils in the yard surrounding' the tower for the purpose of reducing refractory apprentices to reason. Altogether one must regret that such an interesting old landmark had to be pulled down to make room for more modern building*. Fob over a hundred years A Royal the reigning sovereign* of Fanner. England navy endeavoured, by example, to lead the way in scientific farming. George IIL had model farms at Windsor, and it is primal ily owing to his efforts in this direction that English live stock and systems of farming are the best in the world. This is the opinion of a writer in The Times, but we may call to our reader's recollection the fact that the best farm in the world was recently pronounced by an expert to be not in England but at Loogbeach. Within the recollection of many the Prince Consort established model farms, and went in for stock breeding and high farming, rateing crops from improved varieties of seed, while at the same time his system gave employment to the largest amouut of labour. He looked after the welfare of his labourers, and the model cottages in which they lived were an important part of his system. Since his death, the Queen has carried on the model farms, as far as possible on the same lines as the Prince did. The Prince of Wales, as soon as he was settled at Sandringham, went in for breeding prize stock, and in his treatment of the labourers on the estate displayed the same care for their comfort as did his father, the labourers' cottages being models of convenience and comfort. Plenty of people will follow suit when Royalty leads the way, and the consequence is that the good example set by these model farms has spread throughout the country, and will no doubt continue to bear good fruit. Under these circumstances it pleasing to, learn that another member of the Royal family has, to quote the Times writer, " decided to follow in the step* oi his immediate ancestors, and has adopted farming as a profession." The Doke.of York, daring his honeymoon, took up some land adjoining his father's estate of Sandringham, and commenced to stock it. His first purchase appears to have been some very highly-bred black Berkshire pigs from the herd of Sir Humphrey de Trafibrd, which have won a great many; prizes! "It is to be presumed that the Doke's I purchases will not stop at pigs, bat Oβ farther information is given. As the writer says, in these times the Duke cannot expect tb reap much profit, he will only succeed in doing that when time? improve, bat he is setting a very good example, and all wIUL wish him success as a tenant farmer. Ax article in a recent Dentistry issue of the iTortfe Ancient and American Rivkw points Modern. out that though At the present time, freak various causes, dentistry is coming trapidly to the front among'the professions, the ancients knew considerably more about the J subject than the general pnblic give then* credit for. Toothache is apparently coeval with man on this earth. Five hundred years before Christ Herodotus mentions the existence of dentists ia Egypt, i the practice of medicine there being at thai time divided into branches, each physician applying himself to one disease and no more, and among these specialists i were those who devoted themselves to the teeth. Good dentists, too, some of these old Egyptians must have been; very wise in their generation, for mammies have been discovered having teeth filled with gold, while they were, as far as is known, the first people to supply the loss of natural teeth with artificial ones. One. would have thought though that they could have discovered a better material for artificial teeth than eycaaaor* } wood, which is not a hard wood by any I means and must have frequently had to be [ removed, in which case the ancient Egyptians were fonder of going to the daatist titan most people are nowadays. These : wooden pegs, for they could have beea little better, were tied to the natural teeth by cords or' gold wire, and this, too, seems an arrangement which is opes to objection on the score of discomfort. The Etruscans "went one better" than this clumsy mode of inserting false teeth, for in 1885 a Liverpool dentist J exhibited an ingeniously-made gold plate I with several human teeth attached, whfeh had been found in an £trasaaa tomb. Greece is also known to have had considerable knowledge of dentistry as far back as B.c 200, at which time several dental operators are spokea of, and Aristotle wrote extensively on the subject. Physicians in England and France puHldtod books on dentistry as early as the seventh century, but treated the subject anatomically and physiologically rather than practically* America, where the profession bat made enormous strides within the past twenty years, was without a recognised dentist, pare and simple, until 1766, when the population, was about two millions, & fact which speaks volumes either for the soundness of the Americans' teeth np to that time or lor their indifference as to whether their deatiat was a qualified man. Daring this century, however, the village blacksmith, with hi* pincers, has given place to the dentist, who has multiplied exceedingly, and at a sat* which augurs badly for the future Ammran. There are cow some thirty dental colleger in America, and a large number of manafactnrers of dental requisites, one firm a&soe employing twelve hundred employees- Sam« interesting particulars are also given aeto the material used. Gold is the recognised standard as a filling material, and is made up into over oae hundred and fifty forms, ready for immediate Mβ for any steed cavity. In the smallest *«a of theee preparations there are over 300,000 ia a pound. Poroelain, we learn, k mcch to, favour for front teeth, bat one would have thought there would be serious objection to it on account of ita brittleaeae. Of; course electricity plays its part nowadays

\ In the <lcntinl-'« room, and an electric i" : ' tor " t0 supply tho power where rotary r "otio ,, > s desiretl," is the only torfre which could surpass in horror that r jjjl e little apparatus, too well known to -.py of us. which tho dentist generally jorlje with hi« foot-