LONDON TABLE TALK.

Evening Star, Issue 10314, 14 May 1897, Page 4

LONDON TABLE TALK.

[Fiiom Ocr Special Correspondent.]

London, March 26, the cost ok an agitation.

The frightful, uay, appalling, penalties which present and future generations will have to pay as the cost of the successful agitation of Mrs Butler, Lady Henry Somerset, and Miss Willard against the Cantonments Act in India is outliued in a parliamentary paper which has just been laid on the table of the House. After perusing it I no longer wonder that Tommy Atkins bursts into coarsest blasphemy at the mere mention of those excellent ladies' names, nor that Lord Roberts is said to have reduced two of tiem to tears by the brutal candor of his language anent their " sacred mission." For w; read that the health of the Indian Army has, chiefly owing to the prevalence of certain diseases, become very bad. A Caitonment Act was passed in 18S9, and renamed in force till 1893, during which period the health of the troops improved steadily. Then L»dy Henry and Miss Willard gained their great moral victory, and deterioration rapidly set in again. Iu 1595 no fewer than 522 men out of every 1,000 were all the year round in hospitals with contagious diseases. Amongst 5,882 men detailed for field service with the Chitral relief force 40'2, or nearly 8 per cent., had to be rejected owing to disease ; 279 more, or au additional 4A per cent., had to be transferred from the field hospitals to the base. According to this ratio, S,BSomen out of a total force of 71,031 British soldiers in India would have to be put down as useless. Perhaps, however, the most effective manner to show the condition of afl'iiis is to compare moral England, which doe 3 nothing to protect her men, with other countries which adopt reasonable precautions : RATIO Of ADMISSION PER 1,000 STRENGTH FOR ALL FORMS OF DISEASE. Great Britain. Year. Germany. Russia. Fiance. Home. India. ISMO ... 2i1.7 43.0 43.8 212.4 503.6 IK'.U ... 27.2 41.5 43.7 107.4 -100.7 IS:'2 ... 27.il 44.(1 44.0 201.2 400.9 Mean for 3 years 27.3 13.0 43.8 203.7 435.0 It is particularly noted that this deplorable state of things does not appear to be attributable to increased immorality in the army, drunkenness and crime haviDg greatly diminished. A terrible feature of the report is the reminder that in many of the eases where our soldiers have become tainted with disease recovery is hopeless. The Departmental Committee found in Netley Hospital 263 cases, of which 196 had a "history" of such diseases, and never were there so many nor so virulent cases as during the last five years. "Before reaching the age of twenty-five years these young men have come home, presenting a most shocking appearance. Some lay there having obviously but a short time to live; others were unrecognisable from disfigurement by reason of the destruction of their features, or had lost their palates, their eyesight, or their sense of hearing ; others, again, were in a state of extreme emaciation, their joints distorted and diseased. Not a few are time-expired, but cannot be discharged in their present condition, incapacitated as they are to earn their livelihood and in a condition so repulsive that they could not mix with their fellow-men. Their friends and relatives refuse to receive them, and it is inexpedient to discharge them only to si < k the asylum or the poorhouse, so Wif-y remain at Netley in increasing numbei.:, which, as matters now are, seems likply to continue to increase. The ward at N :tley is known among the doctors as "The Inferno."

The report further gravely points out that "the present condition of the army in India, yearly sending Home thousands of men infected with constitutional taint, is a great aud growing source of danger to the whole community." As the disease is easily communicable, and passes by descent to the third and fourth generation?, " the influence which it is liable to exercise upon the health of the Homo population," the report ob. serves, " is one of the gravest aspeots of the whole question." No fewer than 13,000 soldiers come Home from India yearly. AN' IMPORTANT CHEQUE CASK.

Since under existing circumstances the final legal settlement of all business disputes rests with Her Majesty's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, merohants throughout the Empire will be interested in a case tried by Mr Justice Grantham, at Leeds, on Saturday. His Lordship's decision is, to put it mildly, astounding, and in the interests of the mercantile community at large it is to be hoped the case will be carried to the highest tribunal. Briefly put, the facts are as follow : Messrs John Crossley and Sous, Limited, posted to Mr J. W. Pennington a cheque for £503 9s in payment for goods supplied. The cheque was stolen in transit and misapplied. The question Mr Justice Grantham was called upon to settle was whether the sender or the intended receiver was liable for the loss thus incurred. The judge's decision was that the posting of the cheque was payment of the debt. According to the report in the ' Leeds Mercury' the defendants had exonerated themselves from liability by having paid this account by sending a cheque to the post office on the 24th December, 1896." The cheque did not reach its payee, who was consequently made the victim of the theft. It is not very clear on what grounds the learned Judge arrived at this conclusion. He admitted the difficulty of the case, as involving a hardship to one or two innocent parties, but appears to have ruled that these two parties had agreed that the payment should be made by cheque, and that proof of posting the cheque would be proof of payment that must be held good in law.

Another extraordinary feature of this case is that the thief opened an account at the Headingley branch of the York City and County Bank by paying in this cheque with presumably a forged endorsement. It passes comprehension how any banker could have opened an account in such an irregular fashion without any introductions or credentials, and the Judge's strong remarks regarding this peculiar procedure are not surprising. He said he would be very sorry if he thought bankers usually acted in such a manner, for if it was the custom for banks to receive cheques as in this case the value of crossing was destroyed. Surprising as the manner of opening the account was, it is still more astonishing to learn that the person who presented the cheque was allowed to draw out forthwith £2OO in gold. It is an open question whether such gross carelessness as was exhibited in this case by the banker carries with it no pecuniary liability. In the interests of commerce it is to be hoped that it does, and Mr Justice Grantham threw out some plain bints that the matter was one which it would be desirable to try. "WILLIAM THE GREAT." That preposterous young man, the Kaiser, enjoyed himself mightily last Monday, and afforded Europe an amusing, if 'not particularly instructive, spectacle. Berlin was full of troops, and the troops were full of beer. From morning till night the streets resounded with trumpet and drum, with "Hochs" and with patriotic songs, all in honor of the creation of German unity. The generals and statesmen who assisted " William the Great"—as the Emperor's grandpapa is now officially designated—to the triumph which culminated with the fall of Paris are not referred to by His Majesty in the jubilee proclamation, and posterity will have to look elsewhere to learn that Bismarck and Moltke had anything to do with the momentous events of the early seventies. It is all, of course, highly characteristic of the present ruler of the " dear Fatherland."

He, as 'The Times' remarks with unkind caudor, " basks in the reflected glory of his grandfather," and naturally endeavors to enhance the latter's position. The proceedings muabj however, read oddly to poor old Bismarck at Fredrichsruh, who finds himself exiled and forgotten, whilst the worthy old J.". I "'tertian whom he raised to power and Imuor ;.=■ rapturously worshipped alongside of J'lvJ'jriuk the Great.

Meanwhile mischievous Englishmen are possibly nOt ill-pleased to read that the German populace and German Parliament do not seem to be at all in accord with their impetuous Sovereign. A few days ago the Emperor informed his confidential friend Baron Von Stumm that if the Reichstag did not vote "his" ships there would be "such a Madderadatsch as has not yet been seen." On Saturday the Reichstag, by a large majority, rejected the vote; and now we shall see what is meant by a " Madderadatsch." If (says the 'St. James's') \WUiam 11. follows his grandfather's precedent, as he is fond of doing, he will defy the Reichstag and complete his naval programme as if nothing had happened ; but there is a wide gap between 1862 and 1897, and the methods of the former year are scarcely applicable now. The superstitious may be reminded that March has before now been a critical month in Prussia, Not to speak of 1848, when the Pricce, whose anniversary is being celebrated today, had to fly for his life to England, it was in March, 1862, that the long constitutional struggle between Bismarck aud the Lantag began, and on Saturday it was just seven years to a day since the great Chancellor was dismissed from office. THE BOGUS DUEL. A bogus duel, not unlike that described by Mr G. B. Burgen in his entertaining novel 'Tomalyns Quest,' took place last Saturday at Bristol, and caused a great sensation, the fact that the combat was a hoax being successfully concealed for nearly twelve hours. As usual with such practical jokes, the affair arose out of a wager. Amongst the gentlemen engaged in a travelling company playing the well-known melodrama 'True Blue,' on tour, is an ex-officer in the army. This individual put on many "frills" on the strength of having been uuder fire here and there, and was shrewdly suspected by his comrades of being a " windbag." Bets were laid and taken that he would funk in danger, and arrangements were made to put him to the test. Ultimately the conspirators decided to fix up a mock duel, To everybody's surprise this proved quite easy. Captain A. (as we'll christen him) rather jumped at the necessary quarrel, and agreed cheeifully to a duel. The affair was arranged in a few minutes, and Brandon Hill was selected as the scene of action. A couple of cabs conveyed the duellists, their seconds, one or two friends, and " the doctor" at half-past five o'clock on Saturday morning to the spot. Pistols were the weapons chosen. The customary paces were measured with a seriousness befitting such an occasion, and the whole party were engaged in sober preliminaries at a point of the hill tolerably free from observation when an inconsiderate policeman passed close by on his patrol. This involved slight delay. An out-look carefully reconnoitred, and when he had announced that there was no longer any stranger within the gates the principals took up their allotted positions, revolvers in hand. To all present save one it was known that those revolvers were loaded with blank cartridge only. The exception was Captain A. He remained, however, quite cool, and gave the jokers a bad two minutes by expressing a desire to make quite 'sure the pistols were properly loaded. The expression of his rival's face (he went white as a sheet) at this suggestion nearly gave the show away. The two seconds duly examined the weapons and pronounced all serene. One ! two !—at the call of " three " both men fired. One of the combatants staggered and fell, face downwardf. His second and "the doctor" ran to his assistance, and after a pretended examination announced that he had been shot through the lung. Captain A. then, for the first time, exhibited some emotion. "I call you gentlemen to witness," he said solemnly, "it was a fair fight." "Fair or not, you'll hang, old man, if he dies," said an actor present, cruelly. The captain was hustled off as quickly as possible and driven at once back to his lodgings. He kept to his quarters for the rest of the day, whilst friends, cognisant of the morning's occurrence, discussed the situation with him with mock gravity. The man alleged to have been injured went home to bed. There were others still ripe for mischief, and reports of the duel were telegraphed to the London evening papers, the story being aftorwards taken up by Press agencies, who wired it all over the kingdom. " A duel was fought, with serious consequenoes. One of the men fell at the first fire, shot through the left lung. His condition critical "—this was the hurden of the message. By midday a couple of London journalists arrived in Bristol post haste from the metropolis, bent on special inquiry. Towards evening it was necessary to vary the story of the duel. The man with the " injured lung " had, of oourse, to appear on the stage, and by eome plausible reasoning his wound was now located in the shoulder, and he carried his left arm in a sling. He was wearing the sling when interviewed by a Bristol reporter, whom he assured that the whole affair was a joke, but that the other principal was not aware of it. Complications were carried a step further by the military gentleman being told at night that the serious nature of the duel had not been allowed to transpire, but that on the contrary it had been reported to be a pratical joke in order to stave off police intervention. It is said he accepted this view in good faith, aud expressed his sympathy with his unfortunate opponent, who went through his part at the Theatre Royal with arm still in sling. Altogether Captain A.—though a bit of a goose—seems to have pulled through the ordeal with dignity, and those who doubted his pluck will have to pay up their wagers aud look pleasant. SIMS REEVES. The public examination in bankruptcy of Sims Reeves will arouse considerable sympathy for the great tenor, who seems to have come to grief chiefly through liabilities incurred ou behalf of his son-in-law, a defaulting stockbroker named Wigg. Examined by the Assistant-Receiver, the debtor stated that he had been a public singer since his boyhood. For some tweuty-five years he resided at Grange Mount, Upper Norwood, which he was compelled to give up owing to the mortgagee having foreclosed. Since that time he had lived in apartments, and more recently in a flat, the latter at a rental of £l5O a year. His average income the last three years had been between £SOO and £6OO a year. Mr Pope : Has that been sufficient for your personal and household requirements? Yes, by exercising great care. Continuing, the debtor stated that in December, 1895, the creditors were called together, and an arrangement was come to by which the creditors accepted an'offer of 15s. They had received lis 6d in the £ out of his earnings. Many of the debts were incurred during his first wife's lifetime, and should have been paid out of the funds he provided her with. He afterwards ascertained that the household bills had not been paid. Questioned as to the oause of his failure, the debtor stated that as far back as 1886 he had guaranteed his son-in-law, Mr Wigg. That gentleman had been a stockbroker, and from time to time he assisted him with accommodation bills. He might have had a small amount of the proceeds of those bills. He knew nothing whatever of the present petitioning creditors' debt (£250). He had never had a penny piece of the money from the bills they discounted. He had not the least idea where Mr Wigg was now. It was suggested at first that these debts should be paid outside the court, but it was thought better, with a view to his explaining his position in the matter, for him to go through the court. PIETIST V. PUNTER. The flat racing season, which was ushered, in by the tintinnabulation of the historic saddling bell at Lincoln last Monday, will, without doubt, witness the commencement of a momentous struggle between the pietist and the punter. The latter at present altogether underestimates the capacity of the former for mischief. " You can't ston ready-money betting, so you needn't try," is his defiant challenge. Similarly, in former generations, the proprietors of gaming-houses and, later on, of list-houses confidently reckoned on public opinion assisting them to confound or convert the Legislature. But they were, nevertheless,

speedily wi|jed out. At turf resorts I notice a touching confidence exists in the power and inclination of the Prince of Wales and the Dukes of This and That to intervene on behalf of Dick Dunn, Alec Harris, and Co. Needless to say, they won't stir a finger. It is not as though the betting of the upper ten would be interfered with. The bookies who do business "on the uod " should be busier than ever. As yet, too, no one can be sure that the stoppage of ready-money betting would be detrimental to the best interests of the turf. That it would, if persisted id; kill the big gate money meetings, put an end to leviathan stakes, and reduce the attendance of the public on racecourses two-thirds seemp certain. But it would also get rid at a blow of much of the blackguardism which disgraces English oourses. The only body who could interfere effectively at the present juncture is the Jockey Club. But not even their impritnatur. would persuade the House of Commons to legalise betting in any form. Holders of stock in Sandown, Kempton, Hurst Park, and other racing companies paying thumping dividends are naturally looking exceedingly blue. If 'Arry can't "down a dollar" on his fancy at these resorts he won't attend, and 'Arry is their backbone. Already the Kempton directorate are talking of totalisators, but the B.P. don't take kindly to this machine. One has not been seen on an English racecourse since Doncaster's Derby Day. Over the great race that afternoon the Pari-Mutuel, as it was then called, took 1,200 half-crowns, and paid out the eight lucky winners 30s apiece, or a limit of 10 to 1. As Doncaster started at 40 to 1 there were ructions, in the course of which the crowd converted the machine into matchwood. RECRUDESCENCE OF CHARLES WOOD. The feature of the first day's flat racing in 1897 was the reappearance in the saddle of the well-known jookey Charley Wood. This famous horseman has been in enforced retirement since the Success scandal of nine years ago. Nothing was ever clearly proved against him, but certain coincidences were awkward, and the Jockey Club took a nasty view of them. They resolved to make a lesson of Wood in the best interests of the turf, and a lesson indeed he was made. At the lowest computation the faux pan must have coat the jockey over £50,000. He was earning between £5,000 and £6,000 a year in riding fees alone when his license was refused, without taking into consideration presents and shares of bets, etc. On Monday in the first race, the Trial Stakes, Wood appeared in his old master's (Robert Peck) colors on El Diablo, Blight odds were laid on the latter, but the good thing didn't come off. After looking all over a winner El Diablo faltered, and Overdue catching him in the last stride made a dead heat of it. LINCOLNSHIRE HANDICAP, Despite the small entry there was an average field of eighteen for the Lincolnshire Handicap on Tuesday, including such celebrities as Victor Wild, Clorane, Winkfield's Pride, La Sagesse, Strdis, and Court Ball. The race was worth 2,000 sovs, and is run over a straight mile. Directly the weights appeared, last year's Cambridgeshire hero, Winkfield's Pride (4 yrs, 8.9), became favorite. Horses which do well in the Cambridgeshire nearly always run forward at Lincoln, and sometimes, as in the cases of Bendigo, 'Fulmen, Tonans, and Veracity, win outright. The burden awarded Mr Sullivan's colt did not seem excessive, remembering Clorane got home last year with 9.4 and The Rejected proved successful under 8 11. The public, at any rate, declared to a man on the Irish horse, and ultimately the absurdly short price of 3 to 1 was takeu about him. Next to Winkfield's Pride Mr Albert Calvert's Bridegroom (4yrs, 7.0) had most followers. This animal's public form did not amount to much, but he had won a high trial, clearing out all C. Peck's horses easily. Others fancied were "Teddy" Hobson's The Tup (5 yrs, 7.3), the Irish Bellevin (4 yrs, 7.10), on whom 0. Wood had the mount, Lord W. Beresford's Diakka (4 yrs, 7-7), and La Sagesse (5 yrs, 7.9). As an Oaks heroine, carrying under S.O, the last named looked good enough for anything ; but she ran very indifferently all last year, finally winning the Derby Cup when all her connections had deserted her. Amongst the outsiders Sardis {4 yrs, 7.4), like Lincoln, had plenty of friends, and, of course, many for auld acquaintance sake, threw away a pound or two over old Victor Wild (aged, 9 9).

THE LINCOLNSHIRE HANDICAP, of 2,000 sovs, of which the second received 100 sovs and the third 50 sovs ; entrance, 40 sovs. One mile. Mr J. (';. Sullivan's ch c Winktield's Pride, by Winkfield—Alimony, 4 yrs, 8.9...(M. Cannop) 1 Sir E. Courage's oh e Funny Boat, by Fernandez (Janoe, 4 yrs, 6.9 (car. 0.11) (N. llobinson) 8 Mr A. F. Calvert's eh o Bridegroom, by Swoet-hem't-Goldsmith Maid, 4 yrs, 7,0 (car. 7,3) (C. Madden) 3 Mr A, F. Basset's oh hj Clorane, by Castleroaeh -May Girl, 0 yrs, 9,8 ... (W. Bradford) 4 Betting: 7 to 2 Winkfield's Pride, 20 to 1 Funny Boat, 11 to 2 Bridegroom, 50 to 1 Glorane.

Funny Boat, Bridegroom, Court Ball, and Teufel made tho running for the first half-mile, with Clorane and Bellevin close up and the favorite nicely placed. Approaching the distance Court Ball, Bellevin, andj Teufel lost their place?, and Bridegroom took second place to Funny Boat, with Clorane drawing up on the rails in front of Green Lawu and Winktield's Pride. For a hundred yards Clorane almost held the leaders, but weight told its tale, aud Winkfield's Pride coming with a wet sail at the finish bore down on Funny Boat and Bridegroom, whom he caught in almost the last stride, and pulled the race out of the fire, amidst the greatest excitement, by a head, while Bridegroom was only beaten by a similar distance for second place. Clorane was fourth, and the last pair were Bellevin and Diakka, except Victor Wild, who was pulled up and came in with the crowd. Time by Benson's chronograph, Imin 4Ssec. Value of the stakes, £1,815. ATHLETICS. The most important of last Saturday's sporting fixtures was the loOyds race for £IOO between A. R. Downer and W. Cross, decided at Wigan. When the men met previously over a 300 yds course Downer won so easily that for the present race Cross demanded three yards start. To these terms Downer readily agreed, and so confident were his party that the ex-Pelican could beat Cross that they laid as much as 3 to 1 on him. The result justified the odds, f>r Downer collared his opponent 40yds from the tape, and, finishing strongly, won by a long yard in less than 15aec. Some watches made the ex-amateur do 14 4-ssec, but the official timekeeper returned a good yard inside 15sec. Whichever record is accepted, Downer put in a very fine performance, for the track was rather loose on the surface, and what little breeze was blowing told against the runners.

Next month Downer has to compete against Bredin over a quarter-mile at Rochdale. The pair met a few weeks ago at 400yd8, and Downer won after a magnificent struggle, but the general anticipation is that the extra 40yds will enable the ex-quarter-mile amateur champion to turn the tables on his speedy opponent.