TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8780, 28 April 1894, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

We described in yesterday' 3 The issue the perils encountered Wellington by the ship Wellington on at Rio. her voyage from New Zealand to England, and mentioned that, owing to the damage she received from colliding with an iceberg, she had to pub into Rio d<3 Janeiro for repairs. This proved to be anything bub a harbour of refuge, for within a month of the Wellington's arrival the war broke out, and from that time onwards for the next few months the work of repairing the vessel was only carried on at intervals, so that her expected stuy of less than two months extended over six months. During nearly the whole of this time those on board the ships lying in the harbour experienced many thrilling adventures and hairbreadth escapes. Shot and shell were flying in all directions, and it was not until the Wellington had been moved four times that she got into a place of tolerable safety. She was struck several times both aloft and in the hull, and on one occasion a bullet passed through the galley, breaking the cook's lamp while he was at work beside it. Other ships were more unfortunate, and a good many deaths were caused among tiie men on board by stray bullets. There were, it seems, no pilots in Rio, and though a shipmaster could anchor where he chose, he did so on his own responsibility. Oα the last occasion when she was shifted the Wellington had to be towed some three miles by her own boat, and as the weather was scorching it may be imagined the men had no easy time. The delay in port was caused to some extent by the local workmen, who are independent in the extreme. Their hours are from* 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., bub as they decline to work on wet days, holidays, fast days, and Sundays, they manage to reduce the average rather considerably. Aa for working overtime, they laugh at the suggestion, so that altogether to anyone accustomed to British ways of getting through an urgent job dealing with Rio workmen must be a rather irritating proceeding.

Naturally Capt. Cowan Treatment; had something to tell by the his interviewers about Rebels. the bombardment, of which he saw a good deal too much for his own comfort. The firing was especially directed to the business streets of the town, and most of the business houses facing the harbour were barri-

caded with bales of cotton and soft goods

for the protection of thoee ab work in the 7 offices. Even war, however, is controlled by the weather,, and both aides took a rest during the heat of the day, resuming operations in the evening. Spies abounded, and the Captain says that the system of espionage was most remarkable. This, however, was not without ita "advantages. " On one occasion the crew of the Wellington got short of water, their condenser having broken down ; but no water could be supplied with safety. The rebels soou became possessed of the information that the mutton-laden merchantman was in

straits, and came by night and filled their tanks. At another time the engine of the Wellington broke down, and the rebels, hearing of this, came after dark and asked if assistance, was wanted, as they could Bupply them with mechanics." We have heard before that parb of the Wellington's cargo was sold at a good price to the combatants, bub we now hear for the the first time how the sale occurred. It appears that Captain Cowan opened negotiations with President Peixoto for the sale of bis entire cargo, in order that it might

not fall into the hands of the rebels, who were apparently in the habit when they wanted anything out of a ship of tak-

iug it. According to Captain Cowan, they stole everything — cattle, coals, wines, provisions, coffee, and on one occasion a Brazilian steamer with 1800 tons of flour on board. The negotiations with the President fell through, and Captain; Cowan then found that even the rebels were not ao black as he had painted them, for thougft they wanted the mutton they were quite prepared to pay for it.

"Admiral Da Gatna (of the Insurgent Squadron) wanted to buy the ship and cargo —the cargo for food to the rebels, and the

ship as a warship. Captain Cowan could

not negotiate, however, because, although he coutd have disposed of the cargo, he could not part with the ship without authority, and any negotiations with tbat view would have been detected and stopped by the Government through their espionage of the cablegrams. Admiral Mello (of the Insurgent Squadron) asked Captain Cowan if he would supply him with mutton, but the captain declined. The Admiral then asked if he was supplying the Government, because (he said) if he did not supply the rebels he (Admiral Mello) would take good care that they should not supply the Government. Captain Cowan said he had made arrangements for selling part of hie cargo, out he had not parted with any of it up to that time. As matter of fact, how* ever, some of the mutton went to the rebel army. Captain Cowan sold to the captains of the merchantmen, who, in turn, sold it— at a profit—to the insurgents." The long-delayed repairs were at last

effected, and the vessel cleared for London

about the middle of January. Captain Go wan, however, had to go to England by steamer, as the accident hi had suffered aud the worry connected with bis long stay in Rio told severely «g"n his health. . With her recent arrival'a* Home the Wellington ended one of the longest and most hazardous voyages ever experienced, the like of which, it is to be hoped, will not fall to tlie lot of any other of the vessels which trade between our shore* and England. „

Is a recent book Hazing at which purported to American Colleges, be a novel giving a correct idea of ljf e at an American College, an unfortunate youth is described as being seized at night by a party of fellow collegians, tied hand and foot, stuffed into a coffia with an open, ing in tho lid over his iace, and then taken, to a graveyard and lowered into a freshly" dug grave. Hia porsecutora then takq fright at some approaching lights and bolt, leaviug oae of their number to pull up the coffin. Its occupaufc is found to have fainted from horror at his surroundings, and he suffers from an acute brain foyer from which he nearly dies. This is a good example of tha Anicricau undergraduates , idea of a practical joke, aud though it may soem exaggerated a recent oeauirence at Cornell Uuiversity, in tho State of New York tends to give it verisimilitude. " Hazing, ,, it may be mentioned, is the term by which all such jokes played on Freshmen, or firsb year students by tho Sophomore claas, op second year students, is known. The Cor« nell aff.iir, which hae again brought the question of the suppression of " hazing* boforo the public, arose out of tho annual banquet held by the Freshman class of thatt University, which festivity it is always the aim of the Sophomoree to spoil. According to a New York correspondent they have generally managed this on previous occa» slons by kidnapping tho men w'ao wero to preside or speak at the banquet aud keeping them in durance uutil the next day.

" This year the Freshmen tool: Ruch pracautious that thn Sophomores were unable to kidnap their officers, but they broke up_ the banquet by securing admission to a room below the dining hall, and filling the latter and the kitchen adjoining with chlorine gas, A coloured woman who acted as oook in the kitciiea -was overcome by tno gas so that aha died, and somo of ttio students were taken out of the hall in n precarious condition ; bat subsequently all recoveiod. Search re* vealed in the lower room the apparatus fop making the gas aud the tubes which led to the floor of tho-dicing hall. The town authorities, together with tho local officials, are investigating the case, and endeavouring to find who were the guilty individuals." ; When the mail left the culprita had nob , been found but several Sophomores had been, arrested on suspicion. "Hazing," ifc nsaid has been going on in the States beyond tha memory of man ; the Freshman class' being maltreated in the fint year of its college course by the class above, ib uad seeking to got evea by maltreating the class that succeeds it,. Readers of " Tom Brown's Schooldays, , * and those whoso personal recollectiou can go back as far 113 the times in which the , scenes therein depicted are supposed to have taken place, do not need to be told that life in tho groat public schools of Eng'and in those days was occasionally disgraced by acts which in many cases verged on brutality and sometimes crossed the line. But they were committed by boys, and have now almost entirely fallen into disuse, whoroae in Amsrica far worse , thing 3 ere done by young men to-day. Every attempt to etop "hasilng" has hitherto failed, but there is now a prospect)' of tho Legislature stepping in and passing V severe law against n custom which nov* disgraces American colleges.