TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9434, 4 June 1896, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The brilliant success of A Young Mr Marris, formerly of New Zealander Canterbury College, in at Home. the last Indian Civil

Service examination in England has been equalled, if not eclipsed, by the efforts of another young New Zealander, Mr K. E. Rutherford, who was also at one time a stuo'ent. at Canterbury College. Mr Rutherford gained his M.A. degree here with double first-class honours in physics and mathematics, and winning a science scholarship awarded for original research went home to Englaud and pureued his studies at the Cavendish " Laboratory. He has made a specialty of electricity, and has performed some remarkable experiments, which, besides beiug of intense interest to scientists, may be of great commercial value. He first directed his energies to his " Periodometer," an instrument for measuring the periods of very rapidly alternating currents. He then turned his attention to the study of Hertzian waves, using his detector for the purpose. This detector surpasses in sensitiveness all previous ones, aud Mr Rutherford has been able to detect electrical waves at a distance of 100 yards, the radiation having to pass through ten walls. At a conversazione held in the Cavendish Laboratory, he wa3 able to detect radiation passing through five walla at a distance of forty yards. Sir Robert Ball, Astronomer Royal of Ireland, takes a great interest in the detector, and thinks that some such means may be used for signalling ships at, sea in time of fog. Sir Robert Ball haa also offered Mr Rutherford the use of the observatory for his experiments. Other eminent scientists, such as Sir G. G. Stokes, and Mr J. J. Thompson, have taken a great interest in his work. Mr Rutherford's letters to his friends iv Christchurch strike a very cheerful note, and he seems to be thoroughly wrapped up in his work. Ho is particularly joyful over the fact that ho is freo from examinations, which he terms " the curse of modern academical education." Mr Rutherford might have let some less successful student make that remark. Coming from a man to whom examinations appear to have had so few terrors, and who attained such honours Iby their means it sounds decidedly ungrateful.

Tun Matabele*-*, whose j An Incident "rebellion appears now to j of the be very nearly supMt»t*bele War. pressed, have always had a reputation for a love of war aud fur raiding their weaker neighbours, bub the experiences of the late war show that to these qualities must be added a savage cruelty, almost equalling that of the Red Indian of fifty or a hundred years ago. Some ci the most painful-proofs of this were discovered by an heroic little band of four settlers, who with all the others in the surrounding districb came into Gwelo when tho natives began to rise. Arrived at the little settlement all the men were pub on to building a " laager*' round it, and it was then discovered that there wa3 bub very little ammunition in the place. The settler who tells the story was asked by the Captain iv charge of the station if he and three others would risk their lives in going to Buluwayo to get some more, and, as he says, "as the lives of the women and children were at stake, I said I would risk ib." Each armed with a rifle they started early one evening on their long drive to Buluwayo, through a country swarming with disaffected natives. All went well until they were fifty miles on their road and then the appearance on tho bills above them of hundreds of natives made them realise what a dangerous journey they had undertaken. Here, too, they came across two white settlers brutally murdered, covered with assegai stabs, and horribly mutilated. The natives gradually surrounded the little band, bat retreated, temporarily when the latter opened fire upon them. At the next tiny settlement which was passed the horrified Gwelo men found the remains of three white men and one white woman, most terribly cut about and who, from all appearances must have been tortured to death. The natives again mode a rush, but fortunately all their shots fell short, and they again fell back, with their numbers slightly diminished by tbe fire of the white men. The natives' shot consisted of pot-legs, stones, and piece 3 of iron. Then the moles knocked up, and the men had to abandon their vehicle and walk the rest of the

distance. Hungry, thirsty, and footsore, after some ten hours* walking, one or two of them had nearly giveu up all hope of reaching Buluwayo, when a heavy thunderstorm came on and greatly refreshed them. At last, more than twenty-four hours after they started on their adventurous trip, they arrived at their destination, halt wondering, apparently, after all they had seen, that they were still alive. " The ghastly sights we witnessed on the road down," says the writer, " were terrible—people lying about horribly murdered, and wo expecting the same fate every minute. From what I saw they must havo been tortured to death." Altogether, up to the end of March last, it was estimated that about 300 white men an d women had been murdered.