OUR LONDON LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 8479, 2 April 1891, Page 2

OUR LONDON LETTER.

ANGLO-CbLONIAL NOTES.

Lokdok, February 23. In Anglo-colonial circle}, as In general society, the one all-absorbing topic of conversation this week is the great card scandal. Since the Mordannt divorce case the Prince 'of Wales—it seems to be generally admitted —has not been involved in a more unpleasant affair. The case is of special interest to Anti pod earns as several relatives of the accused officer—Sir William Gordon Camming—are well known In the colonies, and he himself will, it is stated, not improbably fill np the awkward time which most elapse between now and the trial of the action for slander by a tour in your part of the world. Sir William is a cousin of Sir Arthur Gordon and related to Miss Constance Gordon Camming, the clever lady who visited New Zealand and the South Seas some years ago, and whose chatty books of travel you all know. Up to six weeks ago, when the club flaneurs began to shake their heads) and ruse their eyebrows at the mention of his name, “Bill Camming" (as friends call him) seemed to be one of the most enviable of mortals. A distinguished soldier and the bearer of an honored name, the baronet was in the prime of life, fairly well to do as regards means, still unmarried, and a friend of the Prince of Wales. In appearance Sir William is a slight, fair-haired, ovalfaced man, forty-three yean of age. He wean a small bristly moustache, which he is in the habit of drawing down and biting. He is a lieutenant-colonel in the Scots Gauds and a deputy-lieutenant for Elgin, where he owns the family properties of Altyre and Gordonstown. The former is one of the loveliest places in Scotland. In town Sir William Gordon-Cumming has a small house in Harriet street, Lowndes square, where he gives rechercM little dinners which ue the envy and despair of his more married brother officers. At there His Royal Highness has frequently been present. As a soldier Sir William has k earned high honors. He served in Zulnland and Egypt, and his breast is covered with medals. On the road to save Gordon, he was the officer who chafed most bitterly over the delays; and if he had had his way (he tells people) Khartoum might havst been reached in time,

The papers represent Sir William as very popular in London society, bat this is not qaite trae. He can be very pleasant when he chooses, bat his manners have too much of the arrogance of his relative, Sir Arthur Gordon, for him to be universally liked. Moreover, the baronet inherits some of the peculiarities of bis ancle—the renowned African traveller and lion-hunter—who was what we should in these degenerate times call “a terror.” The defendants in the slander suit Sir William has instituted to clear his fair fame are, with one exception (that of Mr Bernard Lovett, a brother officer), all members of the Wilson family, bis entertainers last September. Mr Arthur and Mr Stanley Wilson are enormously wealthy Hull shipowners. They can scarcely be called n ouvetmx riches (as the Wilson line is some generations old), but 1 think we may take it that, barring the “Grand Old Gardener and his wife,” they make no claim to ancestors. Mrs Arthur Wilson entertains London society on a large scale, and Mr Wilson is said to have been privileged to be of nse to certain august personages. The family have at any rate the entrte to Marlborough House, and on several occasions His Royal Highness has graciously been present at Mrs Wilson’s functions.

The Prince of Wales learning, to his great annoyance, that all sorts of versions of the occurrences at Tranby Croft last September were town talk finally decided that the whole truth must be known. Upon, therefore, Sir William Gordon Camming taking out writs against the Wilsons the following communication (supervised, it is understood, by H.E.H., Lord Coventry, and General Owen Williams) was made to the ‘World,’ which vouches for the narrative being circumstantial, impartial, and trustworthy “ It will be in the memory of most people that in September a large party of guests, including the Prince of Wales, was entertained at Tranby Croft for the St. Leger week, by Mr and Mrs Arthur Wilson. Baccarat was played on the evenings of the Bth and 9th, On the evening of the 10th, the party having returned from Doncaster, Mr Lycett Green, who is a son-in-law of Mr Arthur Wilson, reported to Lord Coventry that he had been informed by his brother-in-law, Mr Stanley Wilson, that daring the play on the evening of the Bth he (Mr S. Wilson) had observed cheating on the part of Sir William Gordon Gumming, and that the nefarious conduct of the latter had also been noticed by Mrs A. Wilson, the hostess of Tranby Croft. The malpractice detected, as stated by Mr 8. Wilson, consisted in the surreptitious increment of his stake by Sir William when a favorable card was turned up by the dealer, and the surreptitious diminution of bis stake when an unfavorable card was exposed the specific variety of cheating, familiarly known on the Continent as the poussette. It was agreed, Mr Green proceeded to inform Lord Coventry that other members of the party should watch Sir William’s conduct on the night of the 9th ; and this duty was undertaken by Mr and Mrs Green and by Mr Levett, a brother officer of Sir William, with the result that all three testified to their detection of the same malpractice on Sir William’s part which the two earlier witnesses had observed.

"Lord Coventry took General Owen Williams into consultation in regard to a situation so serious and so complicated by circumstances. Their first step in combination was to hear Mr Lycett Green repeat in detail the statement he bad already made to Lord Coventry, to which that gentleman added that all the five persons who bad watched were prepared to swear to the truth of their averments. Lord Coventry and General Williams concurred that it was imperative to lay the matter before the Prince of Wales, and agreed to urge on H.R.H. the extreme advisability of the injunction of absolute silence regarding the incident on the part of those cognisant of it, for the sake of all concerned, as well as in the interest of society at large; but that, as the condition of this silence, which would save him from unpleasant consequences, Sir William must sign an undertaking not to touch a card for the rest of hie life. The Prince acceded to the representation on the part of Lord Coventry and General Williams that the solution of the complication suggested by them was a possible one.

“ Then Lord Coventry and General Williams had an interview with Sir William, and informed him of the accusation which had been brought against him. with support of so great apparent strength. Sir William 'denied the charge with surprise and vehemence, and begged that he should have an audience of the Prince. H.R.H. consented to this, stipulating that Lord Coventry and General Williams should be present; and late in the evening the audience was accorded, when Sir William emphatically reasseverated his innocence of the blighting charge. After Sir William had withdrawn the Prince saw Mr and Mrs Green, Mrs Arthur Wilson, Mr S. Wilson, and Mr Levett (who had been the watchers), together with Lords E. and A. Somerset and Mr Reuben Sassoon, all of whom had become acquainted with the circumstances; and with them he listened to the verification of their allegations by the five persons who presented themselves as witnesses of the ascribed nefarious conduct. It was then pointed ont what a terrible scandal would be the result of the divolgement of the incidents which had occurred, and how incumbent it therefore was to avert so deplorable an exposi. Whereupon a conspiracy of silence was ratified, all present pledging themselves to secrecy on the condition that Sir William should sign the undertaking whose nature has already been specified. "Then it was that Lord Coventry and General Williams went to Sir William, explained to him the character and stipulation of the pledge which bad been entered into, and required his signature to an undertaking that he would never again touch a card. In a crisis so abrupt and so overwhelming, suddenly dragged to the edge of an abyss so profound, the coolest and the bravest man might well lose his nerve, and take a panic of momentary pusillanimity. The cheap cynics, who are connoisseurs in the manifestations of conscious innocence, may

be fain to argue than a clean-handed man In Sir William’s plight would have tom the proffered undertaking into shreds, and thrown the fragments in the faces of the tenderers. Mortal organisations are made up of strange contradictions. Every one knows how rare Wellington pronounced what he called ‘ two-o’clook-in-the-moming courage.’ It is one thing, with grim cool constancy to hold the comer of a square against a furious rush of Arabs at shortspear length, quite another at a moment’s notice to confront all but inevitable disgrace in preference to the insidious alternative that may seem to avert it. Sir William signed the paper, which was subsequently signed by all the persons cognisant of the incident, which, it was vainly hoped, was terminated by it, and the document was placed in the keeping of the Prince of Wales. Next morning the party broke up for a reason quite unconnected with the episode. The persons named are those of the guests at Tranby who were in the secret; the remaining guests, among whom were Lord Craven, Lord and Lady Brougham, and Mrs Christopher Sykes, did not share in it. “The officer whom this scandal involves is the representative of one of the oldest and most honorable families of the north of Scotland. His estates are large, and while not wholly unencumbered, yield a free income which places him quite beyond embarrassment. He has been a persona grata in the highest society for more than twenty years, and in civil and in military life has been universally esteemed as a man of scrupulous honor, a staunch and loyal friend, a good comrade, and a sagacious adviser. No man is more popular in the fine regiment whose uniform he has worn so long. He has upheld its credit (as a volunteer) at Ulundi, where he was the first man into Cetewayo’s kraal; in the Egyptian Campaign, and through the desperate fighting of Sir Herbert Stewart s glorious if futile desert march. Until this baleful scandal tainted the air, there is not a man in society who would not have laughed in the face of any one daring to aver that Sir William Gordon-Cumming was capable of a dishonorable act.” That either the Prince or Sir William Gordon Camming should have conceived it possible that a secret shared by upwards of a dozen persons (three of whom were women) would be kept inviolate for ever shows a degree of faith in poor human nature decidedly unusual in shrewd men of the world. There are, however, indications that the story did not come out accidentally, but of fell purpose on somebody’s part. The sending of a written account the affair to the adjutant-general looks as if an enemy of the baronet’s were at work. Mr Stanley Wilson, who was the first to think he saw Sir William Gordon Gumming mameuvring his stakes, has been blamed for noticing the matter at all at Tranby Croft. For the Prince’s sake (some urge) he should have been blind. “What! lookonataman cheating without interfering ? ” he replies, “ Why, I should be parliceps criminis almost.” THE LABOR CRISIS. To write of the labor difficulties of the present so as to give a fairly dispassionate and accurate view is a matter of great difficulty, as the situation changes with kaleidoscope rapidity every day of the week. This is especially the case with shipping matters. Yesterday there seemed a roseate chance of a quick and amicable settlement between the Federation and the Unions. To-day, through a small aggression by one of the parties the whole aspect is changed, and the desideratum we all pray for seems as far off as ever. At the time of writing it is painfully evident that both the Shipping Federation and the Unions are nerving themselves for a final struggle for mastery. Such a catastrophe will, let us hope, be averted; but if it comes to pass there is only one possible end—the partial destruction of the British carrying trade. The theatre of the struggle between capital and labor has for the past month been at Cardiff, but signs are not wanting to show that London may at any moment become the scene of a strife far more terrible—both in its waging and in its ultimate effect—than the dockers’ strike in 1889. One of the most hopeful signs during the past week was the withdrawal of the affiliated unions’ manifesto of December 15 last, by which all members were called upon to refuse any work on the boats of the Shaw-Savill, British India, and New Zealand Shipping Companies until agreed to sign on their crews at the shipping offices, and to employ members of the N.A.S.F.U. only. This was a step In the right direction by the unions, as it opened the door tq negotiation. But a mere withdrawal of the manifesto, unless accompanied by a withdrawal of the boycotting which followed and which still obtains, is useless. Shipowners are in grim earnest now, as is shown by the recent arrangements of the London District Committee of the Federation. To provide adequate accommodation for free labor several firms have placed vessels at the disposal of the Committee, Shaw-Savill have turned over their Lady Jocelyn, the British India the Almora, the Orient Company the Chimborazo, and so on. Besides this, the dock companies have offered sheds for the same purpose at very nominal rents. To the fitting up of this heterogeneous accommodation the Committee is giving attention. There are now about 750 free men at work in the Albert Docks, and it is evident that the Federation means to be prepared to meet all contingencies. At Cardiff the strikers have begun to feel rather keenly that they are not on the winning side, Mr Wilson has been down there of late, and has succeeded to a certain extent in keeping the men’s spirits up to fighting point. His threat to entirely block the port unless the Federation gives way is rather a high falutin’ one. The partial block which has been existent through the strike of the coal tippers is nearly over, and the coal tips are, for the most part, fully at work. Mr Wilson, of course, maintains that the Shipping Federation cannot long stand the heavy strain which has recently been upon it; but hje l knows full well that the Federation is something more than a mere office in London with branches at Cardiff and elsewhere ; it is a body of shipowners, representing nearly five-sixths of the total tonnage of the country. It is a huge and powerful organisation, which will endeavor to maintain at any cost the independence of shipowners. As for the unions, it is well known that many of them are in “ queer street ’’ as regards funds, and the not rush to remedy this state of things, nor is it likely to do so unless their policy is materially altered, or unless —and I am sorry to say there are signs of such happening—the Federation begins to play the unions’ old game of “ boycott.” It may be said that retaliation by the same methods as those by which the attack was carried on is quite justifiable. Undoubtedly it is so, but at the same time it is a game which does not tend to the keeping of public sympathy, and the latter factor can convert an almost assured victory into an ignominious rout. SIR WILLIAM FITZHBRBEBT, Sir William Fitzherbert’s death was noticed at considerable length by all the English dailies. The ‘Chronicle’ devoted a leader to his career, and the ‘ Pall Mall ’ and ‘ St. James’s ’ contained appreciative biographies. Mr Gisborne, it is believed, wrote the ‘ P.M.G.’ article. Subsequently the same journal quoted passages from ‘ New Zealand Statesmen,’ eulogising Fitzherberfc as “a colonial Disraeli.” BANK OF NEW 7.EALANB ESTATES COMPANY. The money editors who advise investors in the ‘Star,’ ‘Truth,’ ‘ Vanity Fair,’ etc,, etc., seem curiously prejudiced against this venture. Again and again I notice that correspondents who write asking whether the investment is, in the editor’s opinion, a desirable one, receive replies amounting to a negative. The writers seldom care to commit themselves to a direct “ No,” but give some such answer as; “ Should prefer another stock,” or “ Have little confidence in New Zealand securities,” or “ You can do better than this.” The reason, I learn from a reliable source, of this distrust is that nearly all of them have received confidential letters from enemies of the bank in New Zealand, depreciating the globo assets, and hinting that disclosures of an alarming character are pending. The London editors don’t either believe, or altogether disbelieve, in these precious epistles; but the effect is naturally to make them very cautious re what they say of the company.

NEW ZEALAND SCHOLASTIC APPOINTMENTS. The ; School World,’ which is the organ of bighclass educationalists, draws atten-

tion to the frequency with which the i masters of the chief colonial schools are changed. One of the important high schools in New Zealand has for instance (it alleges) had eight masters in ten years. Intending applicants for attractive colonial appointments are warned that the reason for this is not (as many imagine) rapid promotion, but is to be found in the character of the men who go on boards of governors. “ Educated men,” writes this experienced person, “avoid politics as being too dirty, and refuse to associate on boards of governors with men who are qualifying for politics; accordingly the control of colleges and schools is left in the hands of those to whom the L3OO a year and perquisites that accrue to an M.P. are a greater temptation than the smaller income they could make from the trade which they are not sufficiently well educated to follow. Fancy such men dictating, as they will, to a head-master on the pronunciation of Latin, on the appointment or dismissal of assistants, on school discipline, the choice of subjects taught! Take another Instance. There is a fine college in Themistocles (N.Z ). A is a governor of the college, with two unmarried daughters, who yearn for a cultured husband ; B, a son-in-law, and G, a brother in-law, are also governors, so they choose a bachelor headmaster, D. D came, saw, and was conquered by the daughter of a non-governor. The town laughed outright, for of course it knew the scheme. A, B, and C wore furious, and within a year and a-half had made D’a position so uncomfortable that ho was forced to resign, though he had improved the school immensely during his term of office.” We coull multiply instances of intrigue and mismanagement, but will merely warn any of our readers who think of applying for head-masterships in the Aus tralian colonies to stipulate beforehand for at least five years’ tenure of office and the entire control of the staff, with power to appoint and dismiss assistants without dictation from the board of governors. The importance of this power arises from the fact that there are many “ colonials ” well enough fitted for assistant masterships who, from their local influence, are more likely to intrigue with the governors. The extension of time which Sir F. D, Bell wisely allowed to candidates for the Auckland College mastership has resulted in a considerable increase of applications. When the list was originally closed there were but seventy applicants; but now the Selection Committee has 115 men to choose from. From this fact alone it is evident that there are many men who, for L7OO a year and perquisites, are quite willing to run the risk of having a governor’s daughter “ who yearns for a cultured husband ” thrown at their heads, and take all other , risks as enumerated by the correspondent of the ‘ School World.’ PENNY POST NOT TO BE. In the course of an interview with the London correspondent of the ‘Manchester Guardian,’ the Postmaster-General stated that there was not the slightest prospect of Mr Henniker Heaton’s scheme of universal penny postage being adopted. Mr Raikes said the 2Jd post to the colonies only just , paid itself, exclusive of the mail packet subsidies, w : ich ace so much loss. If the i penny colonial post were granted it would not only involve a considerable present sacri- ; fice, but there would also be the certainty : of a largely increasing loss as the bulk of the mails increased. Moreover, it would tend to make the British public dissatisfied : with the inland post, which is the profitable mainstay of the whole service, realising from six to nine millions a year. The halfpenny post and newspaper post do not pay. The parcels post shows a small profit, and the coaches which have recently been started to supplement the railways for this service have been most successful. It is very evident that, in the face of this declaration by Mr Raikes, Mr Heaton will achieve no more postal triumphs during the Conservative tenure of office. He must wait patiently j till the country shall have lifted its voice in favor of the G.O.M. and John Morley. WHAT NEW ZEALAND LACKS. The following extract from a New Zealand squatter’s letter to the ‘Globe’ is calculated to make patriotic colonists “squirm.” He 1 says “ What this country suffers moat from is the absence of really first-class men 1 —men whose equanimity is undisturbed ' by prosperity on the one hand or adversity on the other. This remark 1 applies from top to bottom of the social 1 scale. The banks should be managed by 1 those who have an intelligent idea of the capabilities and resources of the country : over which their influence extends, and not, as at present in many cases, by individuals who may or may not have been useful ' accountants elsewhere. The House of Representatives should consist of men of 1 standing, and who are and have been successful colonists instead of needy adventurers, and those who are ever ready to ' adapt their principles (if they have any) to ' the exigencies of the moment. The landowners and farmers should study more the 1 application of science to agriculture; but 1 this, 1 fear, can hardly be expected until I the present imported generation, with their antiquated methods of tillage, are replaced 1 by a more enterprising community, who will be more eager to turn to profitable advantage our really magnificent climate and resources.” i THE INFLUENCE OF CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN NEW ZEALAND. The ‘ Anti-Jacobin ’ contains an article pointing out the rapidly-growing influence 1 of the Roman Catholic priesthood in Aus- 1 tralia and New Zealand, and declares that : their inclinations are all in the direction of 1 separation. The writer winds up thus;— ’ “ The Church of Rome in every great colony is, in a very real sense, an alien power, and 1 especially in Australia her rulers are beset ' with an immense temptation to further and 1 abet separatist schemes. For while she has to make head against the numerical superiority and loyalist instincts of the Anglican body, the Roman Church has to conciliate her Irish supporters and seek every chance of self-assertion. At present the politicians of the Vatican are content to use their opportunities for putting pressure on Downing street, an influence which would be lost or largely diminished by the withdrawal of Australia from allegiance to England. On the other hand, to pose before the democracy, already eager for federal independence, as the leader of national sentiment and patriotism, and so to advance to a position of commanding influence, must always bo a powerful incitement to the Australian bishops of the Roman hierarchy.” THE DECEASED WIFE’S SISTER MARRIAGE BILL. That hardy annual the Deceased Wife’s Sister Marriage Bill made its first appearance during the current season in the House last week, and was read a second time after an uninteresting debate. Naturally the speeches proved very worn and thin. Mr J. R. Kelly, who started the discussion, quoted the example of the Australian colonies. The measure bad been in operation twenty years in some of them, and worked most satisfactorily. Mr Jeffreys retorted that because the colonies set a bad example the Mother Country needn’t follow it. As for the measure working in Australia, that was just what it didn’t do. The law there was a dead letter. They had the word of the clergy in South| Australia, at any rate, and of Sir James Fergusson, an ex - Governor, that though the Act permitted marriages with a deceased wife’s sister, they seldom or never took place. Mr Maclaren did not think he ought to be allowed to marry his deceased wife’s sister, unless his widow were permitted to espouse his brother, Mr Heneage solemnly protested against a measure which would convert the beloved maiden aunt into the step-mother. The Solicitor-General for Scotland said such marriages would never be countenanced in Scotland even if legalised ten times over. Then the House divided majority, 44. The 1 Anti-Jacobin ’ says “The weightiest objectiqn against the Bill—its retrospective character was overlooked. Deliberate offence against existing law should be irretrievable.” MISCELLANEOUS. Regarding his proposed visit to your part of the world as commander-in-chief of an English cricketing team next winter, Lord Sheffield writes me as follows“ Since writing you before negotiations have been entered into with the principal English players; so far very successfully. . . 1 have now reached such a stage in the preliminary proceedings that I shall wait to see whether public opinion in England or Australia is favorable to the expedition. I care

very little for English opinion, but look forward with great anxiety to the views of the Australians, which are much more important in this case. . . So soon as lam informed of the general Australian opinion I shall decide whether to make the venture or not,”

The ‘Sussex Daily News’ states that Murdoch is residing at Brighton, in order to be able to play for the county, Ferris will have qualified to play for Gloucester in 1892.

Mias Emma Chambers proved unequal to' the new school of burlesque, as interpreted by Arthur Roberta and Co., and has surrendered her part in ‘ Joan of Arc ’ to the more modern and fin de aiecle Marion Hood.

Messrs Hutchinson have just published an attractively bound novel called ‘ The Black Police,’ by Mr Arthur James Vogan, of Tauranga. The story opens in Queen street, Auckland, which is picturesquely rather than realistically described. Who, by the way, can this be meant for: On harries the crowd, and somebody points out Auckland’s richest man. “ Entirely devoted to art,” says our informant, adding that the object of our attention “has found gin-spinning pay better than feeling the pulses of hypochondriacs.” Later on Mr Vogan enunciates strong views on the subject of womankind in the capital of New South Wales. “ Sydney,” says our author, “ is a gigantic bait pond, where the wealthy debauchee can luxuriously roll in sin, and feed, shark-like and unchecked, upon the daughters of the colony.” ‘ The Black Police 1 costs 2a.

John Roberts, jun., starts on a protracted tour of your part of the world on April 11. The champion’s great difficulty at the Cape last year was finding anyone with whom he could make any sort of a game. Mr Keith Angus, for some years editor and proprietor of the ‘ Whitehall Review,’ has been ordered to Australia on a health trip.

The Rev. H. C. M. Watson, of St. John’s, Christchurch, having completed his year’s furlough at Home, sailed with Mrs Watson, her daughters, and Mr W. H. Watson, per Orotava, last Thursday. Mr Fred Watson was to have sailed with them ; but he has decided to follow a theatrical career, and has accepted an engagement with Mr Arnold (“Hans the Boatman”), with whom he visits Australia next summer.

Colonel J. Draper, who served with dis tinction in the New Zealand war, died sud' deniy at Gibraltar last week.