HERE AND THERE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1819, 18 June 1897, Page 3

HERE AND THERE.

At the annual meeting of the Rifle Association of f he Dominion last month, Sir Richard Cartwright, who is the Minister of Defence, delivered a speech that must have gladdened the hearts of the Imperialists present. He said that while Canada could not maintain a large army, still it would be necessary to have 20,000 or 30,000 men in the country, and anything the Association could do to make members of the militia good shots would be rendering a valuable Bervice not ODly to the Dominion, but also to the Empire. War clouds were now havering over Europe; nnd while it wa3 not 00bry probable that Canadians would be called upon to fight upon their own soil, it was nevertheless within the bounds of possibility that they would have an early opportunity of showing their loyalty to the Empire in a stronger way than by mere empty wordsT They had done so in the past, and they were ready to do so again. What was necessary was to have, available to take the field at any time, a contingent of men who were good shots and well drilled. Needless to add, the Bpeech wa3 cheered to the echo. The British Government paid a rare compliment to Dr Nansen, the famous Arctic explorer, by presenting him with a complete set of the Challenger reports in recognition of the eminent services he has rendered to .the cause of scientific exploration in high latitudes by his recent exploration in the Fram. 'The Times' believes this to be the only instance in which this great hati6nal publication has been presented to any individual. There are fifty volumes quarto. The reception of the Arctic explorer by the German Emperor was quite characteristic of the latter. He received Dr Nan3en in Berlin with gr at cordiality, remarking : " I took the greatest' interest in your bold undertaking, doctor, and I am glad to make your acquaintance." The Empress, like her husband, conversed most amiably with the explorer,- When luncheon was over and the moment had arrived for Dr Nansen to take leave a pretty scene (saya the correspondent of the ' DiilyJSfewß') was enacted. The Emperor had sent for his children, and made them stand in a. row before Dr Nansen. He then said to them : " Shake hands with this

man, and look well at him, so that when you Vare older and understand better you cau say ./that you have seen Nansen." They one after the other stretched out their little hands to the famous explorer, the Emperor remarking that he was sorry his eldest sous were absent, as they, of course, understood better what a North Pole journey was. The French are carrying things with a pretty high hand in their newly-aquired colonies. The exile of Ranavolona, the unfortunate Queen of Madagascar, is a fair example of Gallic courtesy. The determination of General Gallieni to pack the Queen off was made known among tho French officers some days before, but to the victim it came like a shock. Oa February 26 General Gallieni sent the Queen word at eight o'clock in the evening that she should be in readiness to leave at 2 a.m. (at six hours' notice). After the first moments of grief the Queen (who, says a French officer who witnessed the scene, behaved with great dignity) sent word to the General that since she must leave she would as soon leave at once, but the General would allow no departure from the arrangements. The Queen left at the appointed hour of the night, with three maids and two menservants. She.elept every night in a French blockhouse, and started on her journey on the following morning before Bunrise, so that no Native ever saw her on the way. She behaved very bravely on the land journey, and it was only later, when, on board the La Perouse, she saw the coast line of Madagascar disappear below the horizon, that she gave way to grief. She told the captain she would allow herself to die of starvation, but she eventually changed her mind. The Queen has been treated civilly, but without honors. Her royal chaplain was handcuffed during the passage to Bourbon Island. The French have at last added the island of Riiatea to their colonial possessions. It has taken them ten long years to put down the rebellion in Raiatca and Huahine Island, and to force Queen Mamai, who sought in vain to obtain a British protectorate, to her knees. The Queen and her chief men were captured by the gunboat Aube and the transport Caroline after a hot fight, in which thirty-six Natives were killed and sixteen drowned. The Queen and 136 of her subjects were sent on February 28 to exile for life in New Caledonia, and an armed force left on the island.

The Fatherland has lost a loyal son, u benefactor of humanity, and a distinguished co-operator in the great work of German unity in the person of Dr Von Stephan, who died somewhat suddenly at Berlin on April 8. The late Postmaster-General, who was one of the most popular men in Germany owing to his great services on behalf of the postal, telegraph, and telephone depart- * ments, had suffered for some years from diabetes, and some weeks ago mortification set in in one of his toes. The removal of the member brought only temporary improvement, and some days before his right leg was amputated up to the knee. On April 6 the Emperor sent his aide-de-camp with a bottle of hundred-year-old hock. Dr Von Stephan was ignorant of his hopeless state and was exceedingly pleased. Holding the cob-webbed bottle up to the light, he said : «' Well, I hope I shall live long enough to sip this noble growth with due appreciation." British rule in Egypt is showing its value in the increase of population. The preliminary returns of the Egyptian census iadicate that the entire population is now about 9,000,000. It has never been so large before. There has been ac increase of 30 per cent, since 1882, and in 1845 the population was only 3,000,000. Even in ancient days, under Rameses tho Great, Strabo and Diodocouß put the Egyptian population no higher than 8,000,000. Meanwhile another great advance in material prosperity is foreshadowed by Professor Forbes's report on the possibility of utilising the cataracts for generating electricity. Professor Forbes has been to Wady Haifa, and his verdict is entirely in favor of a scheme for supplying electric 1 power from the cataracts to work the railway, cotton mills, sugar factories, irrigation machines, etc., at a cost much below that of coal. It is hardly possible to exaggerate the importance of such a scheme, for the success of which the country is, of course, peculiarly suited. And it is worthy of passing note that the Greeks, who are the money-lenders and the liquor-sellers in the land of the Phareo'is, have more largely increased in their numbers in the provinces than any other European nation. The Emperor William has just been guilty (says the London ' Chronicle') of yet another pictorial indiscretion, this being the fourth of the series wherewith he has endowed an unappreciative world. It is understood to be produced without the aid of Professor *K nackfuss, and we can quite believe the ■ fcatement. Upon a plinth in the middle I i, ance » displayed a medallion portrait of the grand old Emperor William I. To the left of the foreground stands the usual mailed figure, repre en ting, of course, the illustrious designer himself. The right hand grasps a ■ sword with down-turned point, whilst the other waves a laurel branch over the venerable warrior's head. Germania becomingly kn«els on the opposite side, and offers, upon a cushion, what looks very much like a set of spirit decanters in an elegant case, though the object may be intended for a medieval crown. Below wo scattered, wreaths,

banners, and other suitable properties, and nine very fine and large sun raya down from above without illuminating certain dim outlines in the background which may be trees or demons. On the lower margin appears the signature " Wilhelm, R 1.," beneath the words " To the memory of William the Great."

Glasgow is noted for its lodging-houses or •'models," both Corporation and private, and municipal deputations from all parts of the kingdom travel to Scotland to inquire into their working. A new " model" which has just been opened in that city is claimed to be the finest of its kind in the United Kingdom. Everything is provided for the lodger, even to a shaving and hairdressing saloon. Every inmate has his own little private apartment, with feather pillows and patent spring mattres3—all for 3{>d per night. It is a popular fallacy—just as much as that only "loafers" are iu the habit of frequenting a public library—that the "dossers" in these "models" belong to the lowest classes of Glasgow's population. Many of the dwellers are, as a matter of fact, well-to-do clerks, engineers, moulders, joiners, plumbers, and other skilled tradesmen. One died recently and bequeathed £SOO to a city institution, while in a recent Police Court case it was brought to light that another inmate had £l2O on deposit in one of the city banks. How would a proposal to found a municipal lodging-house in Dunedin stir the wrath of some people ? M. Emanuel Arene, the well - known French writer, has been telling in the pages of the ' Figaro' some amusing anecdotes of the judicial procedure of his country. Here is a typical one. At a recent Normandy Assize it was discovered that one of the jurors, who had acted in several cases, was as deaf as a post, but always gave his decision against the prisoner, on the ground that he thereby ran least risk of mistake. The final day of the Aisiza he relented. The business was drawing to a close, and, before going home, he wished to acquit somebody. The last case, reserved as a bonne bouche, concerned a har?!y ruffian, who had burnt a farm, after assassinating the farmer and his wife. The usual question was put to the jury : " Is the prisoner guilty or not guilty?" "Not guilty," cheerfully replied the deaf juryman. There was"a moment of absolute amazement, then one of his fellow jurors questioned him in a tone of profound surprise. " But you really can't think that," he said; "he is a contemptible incendiary and assassin." "Thanks," affably replied the juror, " and how about yourself?" Then the Court noticed for the first time that this juror was somewhat deaf. Amo-ag the recipients of the degree of LL.D. at the annual graduation ceremony at Edinburgh University on April 11 was the Lord Chief Justice of England. In presenting the greatest advocate of his time, Sir Ludovic Grant stated that there was no one on whom the University could with greater propriety bestow this honor than on one who was so long the chief ornament of the English Bar, and who now occupied such an exalted position on the English Bench. The mere mention of his lordship' 3 name was sufficient to recall to their minds a brilliant career of forensic virtue unsurpassed, if not unparalleled, in the annals of advocacy. The University of Edinburgh was sensible that she was not less honored than honoring >i asking Lord Russell's acceptance of the highest dignity in her gift. A brave man" has gone to his long rest. The late Arthur Carkeek, who died at the Wairau Hospital last week, at the age of sixty years, was an old settler at Otaki, and served with conspicuous gallantry in the last Maori war. H«' gained the New Zealand cross for bravery at Ohinemutu on February 7, 1876, his achievement being thus chronicled in Gudgeon's * Heroes of New Zealand': —"While the force under Lieutenant-colonel M'Donnell was serving in the Patetere Country, Te Kooti with his force came out of the bush on the farther side of the ranges and attacked Ohinemutu, where Captain Mair and some Arawas were posted. It being of the utmost importance that immediate notice of the same should be despatched to Colonel M'Donnell, Sergeant Carkeek used every exertion to get Natives to convey a note to him at Tapapa through the bush ; but, as no one could be found to incur the risk, Sergeant Carkeek determined to carry the note himself, and, finding a Native who knew the road, started at daylight, and arrived safely at Tapapa about 3 o'clock p.m., having travelled upwards of thirty miles through dense bush known to be in the occupation of the enemy, with the danger of being surprised at any moment, when certain death would have been his fate."