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Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 478, 10 April 1909, Page 12

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« INTERESTING ITEMS BY MAIL. London, February 26. A distinct note on tho naval question wai struck' at tho annual dinner of tho Cham her of Shipping (says tho "Standard of Em piro"). Mr. Lovcrten Harris, M.P., in pro posing tho toast of tho Imperial Forces, saic that as a shipowner tho two-Power standarc had never seemed entirely complete or satis> factory so far as tho needs of tho shipping industry wero concerned. It was a standarc o which was regulated only by battleships, o The duty of shipowners was to impress upoi: 0 whatever Government was in power the prou found need for an increase in tho class oi >- vessel designed to protect our oversea comr merco. 0 The launch of tho new P. and 0. Unci v Mantua marks the completion of a group oi '. passenger steamers which is remarkable foi ft several reasons. They aro undoubtedly more „ costly vessels than any of their forerunners 0 in Eastern waters, and are of an especial 1 typo which has been evolved with infinite 0 pains from a series of vessels beginning with t the Caledonia, built in 1894. The Mantua, 1 like her immediate predecessors, tho Morea . and tho Malwa, has accommodation for some t 600 passengers in her first and second I saloons: her accommodation is all on or above tho main deck. Tho now steamship's main dimensions are: —Length, 540 ft., breadth Gift. 2in., depth .33ft. 2in. She is - to bo propelled by twin sots of quadruple ? expansion engines developing 15,000 horsot power and a speed of 19 knots. Her maiden f voyage to Australia will tako place in July, j Considerable dissatisfaction is felt amongst J British granite merchants over tho Admir- . alty's decision to uso Norwegian granite in . preference to British in construction work ] at the Rosyth Naval Base. British granite ■ of any class, it is claimed, is more durable . and of far greater raluo for engineering and constructional purposes than any foreign granite. An expert of recognised authority in connection with stono and granite stated 1 that recently, when tho construction of a • new lock and entrance to Portsmouth Dock- ■ yard was first suggested, specimens of granite cubes wero obtained 'from Aberdeen, Cornwall, Alderney, and Norway. Tho decision of tho Admiralty, after exhaustive tests, : was in favour of native granite: There is no 1 doubt, ho stated, that the Government's mo- ; tivo was economy. According to a White Paper issued from the Board of Trade, tho output of coal in tho United Kingdom in 1907 was 267,831,000 : tens, in Germany 140,885,000 tens, France 35,586,000 tons, United States 428,696,000 tens, Belgium 23,324,000 tons. The production in tho first three countries was greater than in any previous year. The total known coal production of tho world (exclusive of brown coal and lignite) in 1907 was about 1,000,000,000 tens, of which the United Kingdom produced rather more than one-fourth. Both tho gross and net exports of tho United Kingdom and the United States wcto tho greatest recorded. Excluding coko, patent fuel, and bunker coat the total quantity of coal exported from tlio United Kingdom during 1907 was 63,601,000 tons, ar-com-pared with 55,600,000 tens and 47,477,000 tons during 1906 and 1905 respectively. Receiving information that an assistant overseer of Knaresborough was missing, the police forced open tho door of his office and discovered the man dead in a chair. One of tho jets of an ordinary gas bracket had been loft turned on. His favourite dog was found in the room, and staggered when it attempted to move. Tho animal had laid down at the foot of tho door, and, inhaling air through tho erevico between tho door and tho floor, had saved its life. Professor Karl Pearson, speaking at University College on "National Eugenics," used arguments which went to show that environment and nurture have not tho important influence on tho future- of the race which reformers attribute to them.- "You may give educational facilities to all," ho .said, "limit the hours of labour,, to", oighi a; day, with leisure to watch two football matches a week, givo a minimum wage, with free medical advice, and yet you will find tho unemployable, tho physical and mental weaklings, increase rather than decrease. Minimum wages, ball matches, etc., aro as much tho sign today as of old that natural selection has been suspended, and suspended selection means tho rapid multiplication of the unfit." According to tho quarterly return of the Registrar-General, tho births registered in England and Wales in tho fourth quarter of 1908 numbered 221,438, and wore iu tho proportion of 24.6 annually per, 1000 of the population. This is 2.4 per 1000 bolow tho mean birth rate in tho ten preceding fourth quarters, and is tho lowest birth rate recorded in any fourtli quarter since civil registration was established. In tho third quarter of 1908 the marriages of 147,524 porsous woro registered, being equal to an annual rate of 16.6 persons married per 1000, against an average rate of 17.3 per 1000 in the third quarters of tho ten'years 1898-1907. Cardinal Merry del Val, tho Papal Secretary of State, in a lotter ho has written to Archbishop Bourne, expressing tho thanks of tho Popo for tho work of tho British bluejackets at Messina and Reggio, says:—"Tlio Holy Father desires mo te ask you kindly to express to the British Government his Holiness's high appreciation of tho admirable work of the officers and men of tho Royal Navy for tho relief of the sufferers from tho earthquake, especially at Reggio.. Tlio Popo has learned what has been done by tho British sailors on this occasion, not only from competent witnesses on tho spot, but also from tho testimony of many of tho victims thomselvos, who havo lately boon hrought to Rome." A woman Crimean veteran has died at Southsea, in tho person of Mrs. Darcy, whoso body was followed to the grave by veterans who were her comrades in the field over fifty years ago. Mrs. Darcy was tho widow of a private in tho 23rd P'oot (Royal Welsh Fusiliers), and was with him throughout tho campaign. Sho was present at the Battlo of Alma, and took part iu tho nursing of tho sick ami wounded men. Tho'deaths in connection with tho colliery disaster at West Stanley, Durham, aro estimated at 163. Extraordinary scenes woro witnessed at tho funerals of 116 victims of tho pit explosion, and it is calculated that between 80,000 and 100,000 people collected in tho streets. No fewer than five coffins' woro carried out of ono home, four from another, and three from a third.' At the gravesido many widows and children fainted, and some fifty cases were dealt with by tho ambulance men. Ten minors' bands took part in the procession, while tho bodies of two men who wero in the Territorial Array wero followed by 600 men of tho local force. Messages of condoleuco woro received from tho King and CJjeen. Considerable stir has been made in tho Maniiingtreo district of Suffolk by tlio escape of Sister Madgo Moult, a beautiful nun, from St. Mary's Abbey Convent, at East Bcrgholt. From tho facts, which have only just become known, it appears that Miss .Moult left the convent secretly at dusk, and made her way, in hor nun's habit, to Maniiingtreo station. She was pursued by two of the sisters, who implored her te return with Iheni te the convent; but sho refused, and finally took train to liondon, tho stationmaster having lent her tho money for the journey. The Prioress has since had a letter from tho Bishop of Northampton to t|hc effect that the girl has written to hir.i expressing hor regret for what she has done. He will, in the course of a few days, conduct an inquiry. Sir Andrew Eraser, late Lieutenant-Gov-ernor of Bengal, speaking in Edinburgh on the recent political unrest in Bengal, said that there was real unrest —some of it natural and intelligible, and some of it wicked and deplorable. It arose in part from the pressure of circumstances and the high prices that prevailed. Ho heartily approved the proposals introduced by Lord Morley and the Earl of Minto to enlarge the Imperial Legislative and local councils, but he diil not believe that they would bo tho end of tho difficulties. Principles of government wero being taught to the educated classes, for which tho vast body of people wero as yet unfit. They must not, however, lake the ebullitions of a few editors and socalled leaders in tho largo cities for tho ex- i jirossiou. of the feelings of tho great masses [

of tho poopio, who were distinctly loyaL The repressive moasurcs, combined with tho publication of reforms determined on, had produced a very diiforont state of tilings in liongal from what existed previously. Tho old ceremony of "tossing tho pan. cako" was observed on Shrovo Tuesday, in tho great hall of Westminster School, hi tin prosonco of a number of parents and friendf of tho boys. When all woro assembled, tin school cook marched in with tho frying-pan, in which lay tho coveted pancake. Tho signal being given, he dexterously tossed the pancake over the beam, and a rush was made for it by tho 20 young competitors, each anxious for the guinea awarded to tho one who secured tho wholo or the largest part of tho pancake. Thcro was a scrimmage for threo minutes, at the end of which Dr. Gow, tho headmaster, called "Time." Frederick Tomlinsou, who was also successful last year, being then found in possession of tho pancake, was led by tho verger to tho office, where he received his guinea. The King and Queen, anxious to make th« fullest possible practicable use of tho Transvaal's magnificent gift, the Cullinan diamond, have consulted tho Court jewellers as to whether it can bo arranged that tho gem shall be so sot in the Imperial crown as to bo detachable for wear by her Majesty on groat State occasions, as it was at the recent opening of Parliament. The feasibility of the plan having been demonstrated, the Court jowellers have boon asked to carry out tho work. Tlius tho Cullinan, while retaining tho statue of a crown jewel, will be available for wear by tho Queen on some occasions upon which tho crown itself is not in actual use. It is understood that tho King's main object is to show to the fullest possiblo extent lire appreciation of tho Transvaal's gracious gift. Tho old churchyard -attached to St. Mary's, Itotherhithe, lias boon opened as a recreation ground. Several largo tombs havo not been disturbed, among them being that of Prince Lee 800, a native of the Pclew Islands, wha died in Rotherhifcho in 1784, aged 20 years. The tomb was erected by tho Hon. United East India Company, "in memory of the humane and kind treatment afforded by Lis father, Abba Thullo, repack or king of tho island of Cookoorra, to tho crow of their ship, tho Antelope, which was wrecked on tho island on the night of August 9, 1783." Tho anticipated acquisition of the Duko of Bedford's Tliorncy Estate by tho Crown is understood to initiate what an agricultural circles is known as tho Caiirington Land Policy. • This is tho gradual development of laiid nationalisation on anucablo line* between landlord and tenant, tho Stato. acting as a species of intermediary. Tho Woods and Forests Department, it is said, iB offering £650,000, while tho Duke's advisors are holding out for £750,000. Tho Tliornoy estate consists of 19,000 acres of good Fen land between Peterborough anu Wisbeoh. There is only ono puhlichouso on the estate. Tho drainage system, complete and adequate, i( said to bo so complicated as to offer difficulties to the cutting up of the estate. Ii the estate is not bought up by tho Crown, it will, however, bo sold in separate lots. In spite of all precautions, two suffragists attended the reception of Mr. and Mrs. M'Konna, at tho Admiralty. Ono of them edged her way to a couch in a window recess behind Mr. M'Konna, jumped up, and just as ono of tho guests was explaining excitedly that hero was tho identical spot where a suffragist had demonstrated a snort time before, exclaimed in loud tones, "Mr. M'Kcnno, when aro wo going to have votes for womon?" Two detectives, who had been Dtanding dn front of Mr. M'Konna scanning the faces of all-who came in, sprang forward and dragged her down, Haidly had thoy roturn«3 than another came forward to Mr. M'Konna and said, "Wo want tlio vote this session, Mr. M'Kenna." " I have nothing to say to you, madam," he replied; "do you not see you are making a disturbance?" " I know, but this is a vital question, Mr. M'Konna," tho suffragist retorted, and then tho detectives led her out.