NEWS AND NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LIV, Issue 21, 24 July 1897, Page 2 (Supplement)

NEWS AND NOTES.

* In the Queen's Bench Division recently, before the Lord Chief Justice of England, Messrs. Wilde, Burchell, and Burchell, j solicitors, claimed damages from Mr. Dalgleish, an accountant carrying on business as Cape and Dalgleish, for negligence in auditing their books, through which the plaintiffs' cashier had defrauded them of £1756. The defendant denied negligence, but, after evidence had been given of the conditions of employment arranged between the plaintiffs and hu deceased partner, Mr. Cape (of which conditions he had been unaware), he agreed to meet the plaintiffs half-way, and consented to judgment against bin for £860, whioh was entered accordingly, The King of Greece is said to be the possessor of vast wealth. He has a magnificent palace at Copenhagen, where all his treasures are stored. He arrived at Athens with scarcely a ooin to bless himself with, but he went in for speculation — so the rumour runs — in American wheat with the late General Meredith Read, at the time when the Turko-Kussian war of 1876-77 had the effect of closing both the ports and the grain markets of Odessa, and made a pot of money. If, therefore, the worst come to the worst, he will be able to live comfortably. M. Ralli, the new Greek Premier, is said to be very attractive socially. He knows the ancient Greek classics well. He speaks several lauguages fluently — notably English, French, and German. Notwithstanding his busy life he finds time to go into society, where he has the reputation of being a brilliant and entertaining conversationalist. His father was a highly distinguished professor of commercial law at the University of Athens, and was a Cabinet Minister for some time. M. Ralli is still very rich, although he has spent a considerable amount in propagating his political views. Has the Millennium arrived ? It almost would seem so when we (Westminster) read of the principal brewers of Birmingham agreeing that there were too many licensed houses and expressing their readiness to co-oporatewith the Magistrates in reducing the number. The proposal, it is said, is to do away with as many as possible of the lower-class houses, and in return to allow the building of one large house, to be under efficient control, in each district affected. This seems an excellent first step in Tempeiance Reform, and we certainly hope that it will be taken. All the guns, standards, and other trophies captured by the French from the Russians during the Crimean War were returned to Russia more than a year ago. Emperor Nicholas promised at the time that he would return the compliment. But, in spite of this assurance, no steps have as yet been taken to restore to France the guns and flags which she was compelled to abandon to the Russians during her terrible retreat from Moscow in 1812. The delay is causing both surprise and irritation at Paris, and ia tending still further to cool off the enthusiasm which, until the beginning of this year, prevailed in France in favour of everything Russian. A thousand pounds for a mosquito bite seems at first sight a somewhat disproportionate sum. This, however, has been awarded, in accordance with the decision of the Court of Appeals of Louisville, Kentucky, in an action brought against the United States Mutual Accident Insurance Company, by Mrs. Amberg, the death of whose husband was caused by the mosquito bite in question. The law court which first tried the case decided that a mosquito bite is not an accident in the ordinary acceptance of the term as used by insurance companies, but Mrs. Amberg appealed, and the Superior Court has just decided in her favour. The Grand-Duke Michael of Russia, visiting Paris, chanced to dine iv the company of Rosa Bonheur, the great animal painter. They got on very well, and at dessert they ate a • Philopoena ' together — that is to say, shared a double almond. But the Duke, whep next they met, forgot to say ' Philopoena,' and lost the bet. He asked the artist what present he should give her, and she replied, laughingly, 'Any pretty little animal that would do "to paint.' The Duke smiled and departed. Nothing more was heard of him, and the lady had forgotten the whole affair, when the Royal forfeit arrived — to wit, three enormous Polar bears ! After all it is very probable, writes a correspondent of a Home paper, that the Marquis of Lome, and not Lord Zetland, is to have the succession to the Viceroyalty of India. The fact of the matter is, the member for South Manchester has been desirous of engaging once more in serious administrative work, and he would like to take either India or Victoria — Dublin Castle being out of the question. The difficulty has been the health of the Princess Louise. It is just possible, however, that the matter may be compromised by letting Lord Lome, as Governor -General, be alone during the Calcutta season, while the Marchioness proceeds to Simla for the season in the hills. To some of the Boers who were talking large about war with England lately, President Kruger i< reported to have said : — ' If we try to fight England, it will be like a rat fighting a lion. If we go to war you will be killed and I shall be killed, and we all shall be wiped out.' To an ardent Boer who wanted to tear up the Convention, he retorted :—' You talk like a child. Destroy the Conveution, and you are British subjects.' A curious question has come up before a Montana Court. A man who was killed in that State at 11 am. on 22nd November was the possessor of an accident policy issxied at Davenport one year before. The policy expired at noon of the day on which the accident occurred. The company holds that the time is measured from the place where the policy was issued, and that therefore it had expired before the accident occurred, the difference in time between the two places being two hours. A French inventor is said to have devised a means for converting grain into dough at one operation, without milling, an invention which, if the claims of the originator are verified, will effect a revolution in breadmaking. The grain, which is first soaked, enters one end of the machine, where it is crushed and disintegrated, the paste passing to the kneading machine in the other end of the apparatus, where it is aerated and kneaded into dough which may be preserved indefinitely without injury. AHJthe nutritive qualities of the grain are preserved, and the bread is said to be more easily digested. According to a writer in the women's column of a Home paper, glass is to form an important article of female attire. A manufacturer is Baid to be turning out bonnets by the thousand, the glass cloth of which they are composed having the same shimmer and brilliancy of colour as silk, and, what is a great advantage, being impervious to water. To clean it, the spunglass s ; lk is simply brushed with a hard brush and soap and water, and it is none the worse for being either stained or soiled. The material is to be had in white, green, lilac, pink, and yellow, and bids fair to become very fashionable for evening dresses. The citizens of Dijon, France, recently voted a sum of money for putting a railing round a tree standing within the city limits. The tree bears a label which informs the sightseer that it is the oldest poplar in France. The Town Council has a record tracing the history of the tree since the year 722 a.d. It is 122 ft in height and 45ft in circumference at the base. • The philosophy of a well-known man of law as delivered outiide the Court-room the other day—' There are only two olasses of people who should go to luw : those who are so poor that the verdict makes no difference, and thoßO who are so rich that it makes no difference.' This just about bits off the situation as well as a whole course of lecture* would do.