GOSSIP AND NOTES.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9817, 28 August 1897, Page 8

GOSSIP AND NOTES.

The clerks of the French Colonial Office have hit upon an ingenious solution of the problem of how to while away the time they are supposed to devote to earning their salaries. They organise snail races. The course is situated in an upper and empty chamber of the Pavilon de Flore. The runners, whose appetites have beeu whetted by a period of enforced abstinence, are started from one end of the room, and have to make their way to its opposite extremity, where a feast of cabbage awaits them. The races are either on the flat or over obstacles, the latter Usually a rivulet of ink and a " bullfinch" constructed of office rulers. A sweepstakes is got up over the result. The sport i<? at once absorbing, and exactly suited to the requirements of its promoters. It is found that a crack snail usually manages to catch the judge's ej'e between three and four o'clock in the afternoon, supposing the flag has fallen at eleven in the morning, so that the exeitemeut continues throughout the day, and the result is known when " work " is over. Moreover, although there is little to go by in the way of form, the punters are certain to have a straight run for their money, as the art of hocussing a hungry snail is still undeveloped. History does not say whether the runners are eaten after the race. The new sport will be a revelation in more ways than one. Its existence is doubtless one of the reasons why the Ftench colonies are so admirably administered.

The ingenious burglar has put in force a new discovery in America. A recent Dalziel's telegram from Cleveland, Ohio, says : —" Baukers here are excited owing to the discovery that an attempt had been made by burglars on Saturday night to open a safe in one of the Batiks by using the electric current supplied for the propulsion of the trolly street cars. The burglars attached a wire to the trolly line of an electric railway, and led it through to the safe. They then attached a second wire to the rail of "the car track, and led it also to the safe, and fastened carbona to the ends of the wires. With the arc light thus formed they nearly melted the knob of the safe, and only failed because the current was turned off at midnight. If they had had the current for ten minutes longer the safe would have been opened and robbed. The burglars escaped."

The flood of Jubilee anecdotes has not yet ceased. The authenticity of the following is vouched for by a member of the House of Commons:—Mr Samuel Young, the only Irish Nationalist member who accepted the invitation to the garden party at Windsor, was sought for in every direction, as the Queen had expressed a desire that he should be introduced to her. It was stated generally that ho had left the grounds of the Castle. He was, however, found after diligent search, and on being told of her Majesty's wish, prayed to be excused from appearing in the Royal presence on the ground that in the present critical state of the Irish question, produced by his action in going to the garden party, a personal introduction to the Sovereign would be inopportune. "It is better," he said, " that the Queen and I should not meet; it might compromise us both."

A well-known Parliamentary wit and raconteur, immediately after being introduced to the Queen at the garden party, was asked somewhat eagerly by his daughter to tell every word the Queen had said to him. " Yes, my dear, ,- was the reply, " the Queen said nothing whatever to mc I could not tell your mother."

Here is another incident of the garden party at Windsor, for which a Parliamentary correspondent is authority. When, after the departure of the Queen from the grounds, boxes of cigars and cigarettes were handed round by the servants, a distinguished member, who never smokes, took a cigarette. His wife deprecated his smoking, prophesying that he would certainly be sick. " Not at all," was the reply, " when the Queen offers mc a cigarette I should be wanting in courtesy if I declined to accept it." He accordingly lighted the cigarette at the gold-tipped end, and no evil results attended the venture. It is a mistake to say that the Queen looks with disfavour at the fragrant weed. The lace Prince Consort was devoted to the cult, and was permitted to smoke in the Queen's presence.

When Lord Robert 3 inspected the colonial troops on the Saturday before Jubilee Day he made a critical examination of each unit, and spoke to the sergeants. " How many men are there in your regiment, sergeant ?" he asked of Sergeant McNaughton, of the Victorian Mounted Rifles. " A thousand, sir." "How are you off for remounts?" " We have four horses for each man, sir." " Do you mean to tell mc that you all provide your own horses *" " Yes, sir." " Then all I can say is that you must be a very peculiar people."

On Wednesday evening (the second night of the illuminations), writes a London correspondent, I was crushing my way up Waterloo Place, when I came upon three troopers of the New South Wales Lancers surrounded by a hero-worshipping river of jubilators, cheering and shouting and chaffing. I thought the Australians looked slightly wearied of the mingled "jollying" and applause, and, knowing one slightly, squeezed close and whispered, " Like to get out of this?" "Wouldn't we!" he responded. So I led the way into the Cafe Monaco. It was about ten, and the great hall held perhaps 1000 persons, eating and drinking at the small tables. We hoped to slip quietly into a side overflow room. No sooner, however, were the New South Wales hats and uniforms recognised than the word flew round. In an instant everybody present rose, and, after cheering hastily for several minutes, sang " God Save the Queen " with immense enthusiasm. " Well," said the gratified but embarrassed visitors, " you have brought us out of the fryingpan into the fire." And I couldn't say a word, for it looked like a put-up job.

At the naval review.—French Visitor (to English host)—" Mon Dieu ! Vhat a nombere of your sheeps 'aye got French names!" English Host (anxious to bo pleasant)— " Yes ! you see there was a time when— ahem ! —we had to harrow some vessels from your country. We hadn't got enough of our own." (French Visitor is delighted at this proof of English sympathy).— Punch.

"I wonder," writes Mr Labouchere in Truth, " that no one has ever yet thought of putting soldiers into knickerbockers. There seems to be a growing feeling that when there is any hard work out of doors to be done, knickerbockers and stockings are the most convenient and comfortable wear for men—not to mention women ; and it is rather surprising that our colonial troops, who seem to be dressed with far more regard for the useful and less for the conventional than any European soldiers, have never yet been put into these particular garments. There is a fine opening here for some of those gentlemen at the War Office whose great minds are so largely devoted to elaborating new ideas of military costume."

It is said that there is a precedent for the action of the Cape Colony in offering a man-of-war to the augmentation of the British fleet. Daring the French war, at the end of the last century, the Colony of Barbadoes sent a message to the King offering to supply a frigate.

Mr Spurgeon left behind him enough material to keep Sicord and Trowel supplied with his sayings for many years. At present his answers to inquiries made by students at "The Question Oak" at Westwood are being published. Here is a sample : Q.—ls it right to apply the title "Rev." to a Baptist minister ?

A.—lt depends upon who he is. If he is a very small mite of a man that no one would see except with a microscope, call him " Rev." If he is anybody that is anybody, you need not.

the colonial Premiers, and hopes if they visit Ireland and spend some days in Dublin they will be kind enough to attend a concert of Irish music, which will be arranged to suit their convenience as far as possible. Foreigners generally like Irish inuaic, and Dublin can produce very fine performances, both by vocalists and instrumentalists. Miss , as a professional musician, would be glad to have the opinion of the colonial Premiers on her work. When the day of their Irish visit is decided Miss hopes to arrange a concert for one evening, and perhaps they wiJl be good enough to attend in their native costume. . . ."

Bishop Baklow, of North Queensland, had a curious experience on his way to England. According to the Church Timts, he was met at Thursday Island by two Japanese, who desired to pay their respects co him. The Bishop afterwards sent the steward to them with the message, " The Bishop's compliments, and will you gentlemen come to lunch ?" He then retired to the saloon. " What did he say ?" inquired Mr Morihashi of his friend, Mr Takihashigarna. " I believe," remarked the latter, in the polished phrases of Tokio, "that the Bishop sends us his honour able compliments, and asks us to come and dance ! Mβ must have been misinformed about us. True, when the honourable Primate visited us we hired musicians to show him our patriotic songs and sword dances, but ... to dance now . . .• "with all these people!

Horrible idea ! These Western people do not understand us ; they do not study our class distinctions !" And so they waited moodily on deck until the steward again returned, and said, " Tl>e Bishop's compliments, and will you gentlemen " "No, we will not," exclaimed the now excited Orientals : "we don't know how to, and we don't want to." "All right," said the steward, " don't." And it was not until all the lunch had been eaten that the matter was explained and smoothed over.

A romantic sequel to a daring escape from Carlisle Gaol transpired recently. In December last a prisoner named William Almond managed to file through the bars of his cell window, and by means of a ladder obtained from a storehouse he reached the outer wall of the prison grounds. This he descended by a rope constructed of his bedclothes, and made such good nse of his few hours' start that some days passed before lie was recaptured at Sunderiand in the house of a girl to whom he was affianced. Some persons interested iv his story found a home for the girl in London, and on the last three Sundays in June, while Almond was still in faol, their mtrriage banns were published at fc. Cuthbert's Church, Carlisle. Almond's sentence expired at the end of this month and on that day he went to London to join his sweetheart, to whom he was married two dsys later. In addition to providing the bridegroom with a wedding outfit his friends had also secured him work on a railway, thus giving him an opportunity for a fresh start in life.

Thk archreologists commissioned by Mexico to examine the Chinese inscriptions upon the antique monuments in the Magdalena district, in the State of Sonora, are returning with copies of them. They declare them to be genuine and centuries old. Interesting disclosures regarding Chinese exploration are expected—says the New York correspondent of the Standard —to follow the expert translation of these inscriptions. One Chinaman, to whom they were shown, made a partial translation of one of them, showing the inscription to be 2000 years old, which, he say 3, agrees with the Chinese tradition that the exploring expedition, divided into eighteen parties, were landed upon the west coast of Mexico. Excavation is expected to disclose other inscriptions. Near the mining camp of Jacoba, north of Magdalena, are other ancient tombs and monuments, which will now be explored.

The White Rose, as a badge of burlesque treason, appears to have retired from business in favour of the Bed Carnation, says the World, and the announcement is made of a new "Jacobite Association" which is to be known by the name of the latter emblem. The programme of the " Red Carnation Society" presents a really diverting blend of the High Toryism of the beginning of the eighteenth century with the Ultra-Radicalism of the end of the nineteenth. Its great fault is that it is a trifle too ambitious. Its first item, " the restora. tion to the Throne of the elder and exiled branch of the r»oyal Family," will probably take the lied (Jarnationists all their time to put through; bub when they have dealt with the usurping Hanoverian dynasty, they propose to go on to Home Rule " all round," nationalisation of railways and mines, State regulation of hours and wages of labour, and a few other small reforms of a similar character. In this association of the idea of a Stuart restoration with that of the triumph of the "social revolution" there is a great deal more humour than is usually to be found in these crazy manifestoes.

The work of the Oxygen Home, opened by Princess Louise last May, appears, says the Daily News, to be progressing very satisfactorily. There was for some time a doubt as to the nature of the process of healing so manifestly expedited by the oxygen treatment, and as to whether the cures could be regarded as permanent. It is declared that all such doubt has now been dispelled. Microscopic examination lias placed beyond all question that it is not merely a surface healing, but a sound and solid formation of good healthy flesh. Cancer has unfortunately resisted all efforts to subdue it, and there are some patients whose general condition is so hopelessly unhealtHy that nothing short of a miracle could develop sound flesh in them ; but ulcers and wounds in all ordinary cases are said to yield readily to the treatment, and one extremely satisfactory result is the almost immediate assuaging of pain.

Mant of our colonials have gone, remarks a London paper, but souvenirs of their visit are to be found in a slight variegation of our coinage. It was inevitable that it should be so, and some of the varieties are interesting enough. The most novel, and just now the r_.ost frequent, is the florin of the South African Republic. London cabmen eeein to be large holders of this medium, which they aro putting iato free circulation. It is in many respects an interesting coin, and shows a fine simplicity of design—a baggage waggon, a couchant lion, and a Boer with a gun making the coat-of-arms, and thus happily combiuing natural history, agriculture, and legitimate heraldry. The obverse is as successful ill its simple solution of a difficulty of coinage. Republics generally adopt emblematic heads for this surface of their oins, types of Liberty or the genius of the country. It is of the essence of that form of Government that dynastic claims should be discouraged. Boer ingenuity seems to have exhausted itself in the coat-of-anns, and so the obverse gives us Kruger himself in profile, the homely strength of the face in no *ise extenuated, and with no legend on the coin to explain or to perplex.