BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1222, 2 September 1911, Page 15

BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

LONDON SUMMARY. INTENSE HEAT CAUSES DEATHS. London, July 14. SunAiuo and licat liavo characterised tho weather lately. The thermometer at ono time reached 83(!es. in the sbado in London and 92deg. in Cardiff—in fact, the hottest spell for several years has been experienced. So opprossivo was the heat that a number of deaths were caused and hundreds of cases of prcst:\itian and smistroke occurrod. One hundred and eißluy children fainted while taking part in a concert at the Crystal Palac'e, and to the increase in bathing and boating consequent on the great heat was due a large liumber of fatalities. The temperature has since moderated, and the weather is now much cooler, THE CIRCUIT OF EUKOPE. The following is tho general result of the great aerial race—tho Circuit of Europeorganised by "Tho Standard" < and the "Journal" of Paris:— h. m. 1. Beaumont (fileriot monoplane) 5S 38 2. Garros (Blcriot monoplane) ... (i- 1" 3. Vidart (UepenluMin monoplane) 73 32 i. Gibert (B.E.P. monoplaJie) ... 89 42 5. Kimmerling (Sommer monoplane) !)3 10 G. Eenaux (11. Farmnn biplane) 110 44 Tbo first to finish tho last stage of the great race was Vidart, whose arrival at Vmcennes was quickly followed up by Gibert, Garros", and Beanmont. Yedrines, who won fivo stages of the race, had bad luck, as ho smashed his machine near Amiens. Beaumont altogether wins .£6l(iG, made up principally by £1000 of tho "Journal" prize, d£looo of "The Standard" prize, and .£'loo of the "Petit Bleu" prize. The next largest winner is Vidart, with ,£2572, his best amount being iEGIO. Vedrines has won just over £2000 and also tho Baron do Crawhez Cup, whilst Gibert is rewarded with .-GISCO and tho Dover Cup for the fastest timo across tho Channel. This leaves about JMOOO to bo distributed amongst the others who completed the circuit or placed themselves in various stages. If the timo lost at eleven starts and in intermediate landings and such like is deducted, tho average speed for tho raco was about 47 miles an hour. The lesson of tho Circuit is that (regularity wins, for it was tho slowest m inoplanes who came in first and second. Vidart by cue stoppage lost 17 hours and the i.rst place. SHIPBUILDING SUPREMACY. According to Lloyd's Register of shipbuilding for the past quarter, there wc-rs 496 vessels of 1,476,391 tons gross under construction in tho United Kingdom at the end of June, as compared with 394 vosseJs with a tonnage of 1,118,587 for the corresponding quarter of last year. This does not include 'warships. The figures, which aro the highest reported in tho quarterly returns, are 62,000 tons moro than the previous record , total, in September, 1901, while the figure of June, 1909, have been practically doubled. Acoording to the- latest' returns there are 82 ships of 255,900 tons gross under construction in Germany, and 29 ships with a tonnage of' 126,150 in Prance. Thero aro 61 war vessels under construction in this country, of which eleven aro being built at Koyal dockyards, and 48 at

private yards for the British Navy, wliilo fivo aro being constructed at private yards for foreign Governments. STRUGGLE WITH MADNESS. A terrihlo story of a man's life-long light with madness was told at the Old Bailey, when George Douglas Hay, tho cyclist who "held up" and shot a motorcyclist named Splitter, near Barnet, was found to ba insane, and ordered to bo detained during his Majesty's pleasure. Dr. Dyer, medical officer of Brixton Prison'," said the prisoner was exceptionally well educated and of refined tastes. The witness then read extracts from an autobiography written by Hay while lie was in prison.* This remarkable document contains a most extraordinary self-analysis by the prisoner. Hay began to suspect tiiat insanity was growing on him, and fought desperately to retain his reason. The following is a passage from his autobiography :—"lt was nercssavy for me in tho conflict of personality, absolutely to dominate one —that was tho only test of whether I was succecding in killing my psychio enemies in the internal stmgs.o. and I instinctively felt that if I stayed hi tho presence of any one, the conflict, at first sub-conscious, would inevitably end in his killing me or my killing lrini. ■During these terrible, months I spent hours daily in the innermost eelf-dissec-tion and self-suggestion, lying for hours in my bedroom, with every faculty suspended save my thoughts, with which 1 wrestled until I seemed to agonise." ■£3,500,000 IMPORT DECREASE. According to the Board of Trade returns for June the imports have fallen off no less than <£3,529,000 to a total of •£51,105,000, the decrease amounting to as much as G. 4 per cent. Exports, however, comparo rather bettor, for they show a growth of jC1.313,000 to a total of 113,000, the ratio of increase being 3.7 per cent. For the six mouths the imports amounted to tho decrease being only ,£282,000. or a littlo more than one peT mille: whilst the exports for the same period came to ,£2!'2.G63,000, or an • increase of ,£19,052,000. being some 9.3 per cent. Badness during June was, of course, affectsd by the shipping strike and the Coronation festivities.

A SPELLING MISTAKE. Tho spelling of tho word, "skinny" was ■an important factor in deciding a society law suit at tho Bristol Assizes. The plaintiff was a Miss Kathleen Gransmore —since married lo Lieutenant Thurston, R.N.—and the defendant, Miss i Mary Norrington, a young lady 21 years j old. It was alleged that the defendant j wrote a series of anonymous letters in a ! disguised hand to Lieutenant Thurston ; reflecting on Miss Gransmorc's honour, i and designed to prevent her marriage to ' the lieutenant. In one of tho anonymous letters tho word "skinny" was written with one "n." After emphatically denying all knowledge of the letters, Miss Norrington was asked in Conrt to write one of ihe sentences appearing in tho libel, and, having done so, it was found ! that she had spelt skinny with only one ; "n." When asked to spell skinny sho made tho same mistake. The jury found for tho plaintiff, awarding her ,£SOO damages. STATE PENSIONS. ' Tho names of three who have this year been granted Civil List pensions have just been inado publio. A number of well-known people have had their work thus honoured by tho State. A pension of .-Cl5O per annum has been granted to Mr. \V. B. Yeats the well-known Irish [>cet and dramatist, while Mr. Josej Conrad, whore novels aro of a ver/ high ordtr of liU'raturi.', li.is bem granted an annuity of XIOO. Margaret Lady Ilugghs, widow of the celebrated astronomer, and a skilled student of astioiwr.iy herself. receives .£IOO a year. ' Tho list in- ( eludes, ft/mriii! tillir.i'/, llie name.i nl Mi. TVs. Kirkup. LL.D. (JL'SO). the historian of Socialism, Mr. Frederick Rogers (X'so), one fit the pioneers wf the old-age pennions movement, anil Dr. Charles Crcightou, M.D. (whose Civil. List pension has been brought up to a total uf £120), biologist. A RELIC OF THE ARMADA. Af. i«teru2ting relic of the early days . of tho British Navy and the defeat of llio Armada camo up for sale at Messrs. Sotheby's tho other day. The relic was an ova'l gold medal struck in commemor- - at ion of the defeat of the Spanish fleet, iiu.-l prebi'.Wv was one ul a few tpcelislly made for certain persons whom Queen KUznbeth favoured. On the obverse the V'ir"in Ouetv.l is seen in t'uil face, wearing tliu°iisiial wide ruff, open at tho I rout. Tho reverse is embossed with a small inland set in a rough sea and talking like a floating island. From its centre a tall bav tree springs; the words "iN'ou ipsa pericuia tanpunt"—"Even dangers do not (• fleet it"--which are embossed across it with lightning striking the tree, yet not injuring it, give the design n meaninc appropriate to the Armada victory. Tiie medal fetclicd jeCO.-"&taadard ol Empire."