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Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 473, 3 April 1909, Page 12

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INTERESTING ITEMS BY MAIL. London, February 19. Judgo Rentoul, K. 0., in tho courso of an address to tho members of tlib Guild of Freedom of tho City of London on tho subject of "The British Empire: its Grcatnesu, Glory, and Freedom," urged that such questions as alien immigration and Tariff Reform should not enter the realm of party controversy. "I loft tho Old Bailoy this afternoon, " ho said, "after sitting a week, ami three-fourths of the eases tried wore thoso of aliens of. the very worst typo. Thero wore the Russian burglar, tho Polish thiof, tho Italian stabbor, and the Gorman swindler. On the question of Tariff Reform or'Frectrado, again I deprecate the question coming within the area of party politics. It is an amazing thing and prejudicial to tho Empire that such a state of things should have ar>«u." Considerable excitement has been caused in tho heart of industrial Leeds (says tho "Standard of Empiro") by tho discovery of a seam of coal of good quality under Briggate, one of tho principal streets of, tho city. Tho seam is 21t. thick, and already nearly two tons of coal, which is declared to be quite fit for household purposes, have been excavated. It is stated tliat Leeds, with a population of 480,000, stands on a coal bed. A remarkable tribute to a dog's long memory is luld by a correspondent in tho "Daily Express." Tho writer says ho bought from a friend in 1897 a spaniel, which was then between eighteen months and two years old. "My friend did not return from abroad for three years, wlion he had the dog to stay with him. for a week, since which time they have never met, except on one occasion more than two years ago. Last week tho dog was being exercised as usual when it suddonly stopped, sniffed the air, exhibited unusual excitement, and could not bo induced to procc-ed. Soon afterwards a gentleman emerged from an adjoining house, when the dog sprang forward and greeted him. Its former owner happened to bo in tho neighbourhood making a call." In his first public lecture sinco his return from tho mysterious land of the Tibetans, Dr. Sven Hedin related several interesting stories of his adventures there. Some of tho lamas, among whom hoi sojournod, spent their lives in grottoes, ho. said, into which not a ray of light could penetrato One of thom had entered a grotto when 16, and had lived in darkness for 69_ years. The lama who imprisons himself in this way does so because ho believes that when he is dead ho will bo reborn into a very happy existence. He has no communication whatever with tho world. Tho other monks convey food to him" by means of a long pole, passed underground. If one. day they find ho has not touched his food thoy conclude that ho is dead.

Tho cruiser Diamond had to remain behind, when tho Channel Fleet left Torbay, in order to recover her signal book, which had hen lost. Divers sent from Portland succeeded in finding it, however. The explanation of tho incidont is a most extraordinary one. It appears that the vessels of the-Channel Fleet were greatly puzzled by strange and incomprehensible messages signalled by the Diamond to 'tile other vessels of tho Fleet. On inquiries being made it was found' tl'at tho signaller on tho cruiser had suddenly become insane. The climax was reached when, in a fit of frenzy, tho man throw ovorboard the signal book. Ho was'immediately put under restraint. Had the book not boen recovered its lossvjould have involved the revision of tjio whqlq, signalling code of the Navy.

'> 'Statistics compiled by tho Automobile Association show that SO persons were killed and. 176 injured by motor-vehicles of all descriptions in England from November 14 to Fobruary 13, a period of thirteen weeks. In 85 cases verdicts of accidental death were returned by coroners' juries, and in 23 of these tho drivers were exonerated from blame.

! A. wonderful perforhiaiicd Has, been occom.plislioi %•; tlib Swift, while undergoing trials on,the Clyde. After having had now wing propellers fitted sho steamed up to 36 knots, but under pressuro two moro knots wero run off—equal to forty-throe land miles an hour. 1 The Swift may thus claim to bo the fastost ship afloat. Sho was built by Cammell, Laird, and Company, of Birkenhead, and is described as an "experimental" destroyer. As a matter of fact, sho is twice tho size of the usual oceangoing destroyers, and her special business is tho destruction of destroyers.

The Comptroller-General of Patents has issuod his decision in the matter of two applications for the revocation of patents, under the' Act of 1907. <In the one caso the ap'plicaiit is Gcorgo Braulik, and the registered proprietors- of tho patent aro the British Westinghouso; Electric ■ and 'Manufacturing Company' (Limited). The invention protected by the patent relates to electric arc lamps. In his report the Comptroller-Geno-ral stated that ho was satisfied that tho allegation that the patented articlo is manufactured mainly outsido the United Kingdom was correct; that tho patented article was not manufactured to an adequate extent in tho United Kingdom, and ho, thereforo, decided, subject to an appeal to tlie Court, to revoke tho patent forthwith and order the patentees to pay to the applicant tho sum of 75 guineas in respect of his costs. In tho sccond Case the applicant is Edward Samuel Jones, and the patent dealt with tho manufacture of adhesive stays or fastening strips' used in box-making. The patent was revoked.

A largo number of towns and villages in England and Wales are in open revolt against the reoldesß motorist, against whom tho leading motor clubs aro, of course, equally sovcre. Since tho .beginning of the year tho Local Government Board inspector? liavo attended numerous local inquiries on tho subject. No fewer than 26 towns and villages have appealed for a speed limit. In somo cases the inquiry has not yet been held, in others it has been held but tho result is not yet known. During 1908 thero were many similar applications, and reduced speod orders were granted for 24 towns.

At the annual meeting of tho Royal Humane Society, the Stanhopo gold medal was awarded to George H. Smith, of Woburn Sands, for the best caso of rcscuo in 1903. On October 24, a man named Griffin was fit work clearing ballast from the top of a kiln at Woburn Sands Brickworks, when part of the roof gavo way, and ho fell into the kiln, buried up 'to his waist in red-hot ■ballast. Tho barrow he was using blocked tho entrance to tho kiln, except a space of about a foot across. Through this opening Smith mado his way, and, in intense boat, surrounded with choking dust and poisonous gases, with tho remainder of tho roof threatening every moment to fall, ho succeeded in releasing his fellow workman, who, however, was so fearfully injured that ho died somo days later.

Tho result of a census of homeless persons taken by tho London County Council on the night of Friday, January 15 last, has just been made 'public. The number found destitute in tho streets, on staircases, uiulei arches, and 011 the Embankment are given in tho following table, with tho comparative figures for previous years: — Men. Women. Children. Total. 1909 1,895 170 23 2.OSS 3907 1,998 -102 4 2,40.1 1905 I.BGO 312 — 2,181 1901 1,5G3 184 50 1,797 Sevoral institutions provide bods free of charge, and tho inmates could be classed as homeless, but 2083 persons here refcrrqd to had no bod on tho night in question.

One of tho Law Courts, formerly "The Insolvent Debtors' Court," in Portugal Street —a link with Dickens —which has played ail important part in tho legal history of London, lias just been closcd. For two years it lias been used as tho Westminster County Court, which is now being removed to new premises in St. Martin's Lane. Considerable interest attaches to the premises justclosed.. TIIO two houses fronting Lincoln's Inn Fields are. old, and one is regarded by many as the liouso referred to by I'epys as the residence of Lord Sandwich. ' Tho court is at the rear, in Portugal Street, and was the old Bankruptcy Court, and, before that, tiro Insolvent Debtors' Court, described in "Pickwick Papers" as "a lofty room, illlighted, and worse ventilated, situated iu Portugal Street, Linooln's lan Fields."

Tho latest statistics of tho Board of Trade givo tho total trado returns for 1903 of fivo countries as follows:— Imports. Exports. £ £ United Kingdom 513,475,000 377,220,000 Germany • ... 309,018,000 332,030,000 Belgium ... ... 11)4,904,000 103,413,000 Franco ... 342,034,000 210,878,000 United States ... 232,534,000 360,238,000 Mr. Keir Hardie, speaking in Central Glasgow, referred to the action of tho local Socialist party in asking Mr. G. Bernard Shaw to bccomo a candidate for tho Parliamentary vacancy tlicro, and said: 'T resent the contempt and ridicule that has boon brought on the movement, first of all by inviting a man who has no claim to bo'considered as a candidate, and then publishing his buffoon letter of roply, Wo want to retain tho self-respect of our movement." Pedestrians crossing Westminster Br id go during tho past few weeks have witnessed the initial stages of tho great work which will eventually transform a dreary frontago of warehouses into a magnificent embankment crowned by tho London County Hall. The rivoj-—or rather a groat waste of mud —will bo "reclaimed" for a distanco of about 280/ yards. Eighty men aro at pro. •sont employed upon tho work, but this num. her will bo increased later on. Tho contract requires tho new ombankfiient to bo completed in eighteen months. At tho end of that timo tho architect will appear on tho sceno with his plans for tho great County Hall. The awful hand of Doatli has struck a terrible blow, at tho t heart of tho Durban coalfield. An explosion took placo in tho West Stanley pit, and tho firo which followed led to tho entombment of 153 men and boys. In a short space of timo Mr. doslop, tho undor-manager, was at tho mouth of tho shaft, and a rcscuo party of shaftsmeti and others was organised. An attempt was made to desoond tho shaft, lite first attempt failed, the party being only able to get down about fifthy fathoms, °cTi° ?• injury dono to tho shaft. News of the disaster quickly spread to neighbouring collieries, from twenty tp thirty in number, _ and parties of managers and officers nurried from all sides to givo. what assist-* ance was possible. Unfortunately, several weaiy hours passed before tho firo was overcome, and then it was only found possible to descend tho wrecked shaft with tho great, est possible difficulty. ' Hundreds of men and women stood'round' (lie pit-head talking in whispers.. Their motionless figures, tho grim faccs of tho mou, tho red, swollen eyes of many of tho women alono spoko of their foreboding of ill. Thoy hoped only as women hope; hut they felt that their hopos were all but dead. 'When tho heartrending work of rescue was possible it becamfc apparent that tho toll of death was great. Tho latest report from tho soono of tragedy and desolation shows that moro than thirty miners had been brought up\alivo,' but tho rescuprs passed scores of dead and mutilated bodies. Those rescued wero sufferiiig from tho choking cffccts of after-damp, Many pathetic stories are related. One man. who came up from ■ tho wreck said tho sight down bow was too awful for words, "J Picked up one boy who was terribly injured,' l ho said, and-carried him along tho seam, and told him not to worry as daylight and safety were at hand. Ho gavo a little sob, and his head fell back strangely. Ho Jmd died jn my arms. But I went on carrying him, unconscious of tho fact for some time.

•Preaching at tlie < City Temple, tho Rev. K. J,. Campbell said that during tho past six years he Lad been subjected to a considerable amount of opposition from pulpit, platform, and press. ''Practically all tho existing religious organisations liaye tacitly or overtly excluded mo from their fellowship. lhe?o facts mean that something roallv serious is at stake. Not onlv have I bocn discriminated against by official Nonconformity, but tho samo troatment lias been meted out to my followers. Tho City Tomplo has never been stronger than it is to-day. 1 want it to do morn practical work, and I want you ono and all to take a hand."

At a meeting of tho Church and ModionJ Colonel, HepHouse" witlr resident cWrcy, set apart by tlio Bishop, should bo established in each diocese to attond to rich and poor alike. "The Chiiroh has tho gift of healing, but has allowed it to .slumber, said Lieutenant-Colonel ,T. S. Hcpuortn. It should bo tho object of fchig society, in conjunction with tho medical profossion, to restore the uso of tliat gift.'!