NEWS FROM NEAR AND FAR

Evening Star, Issue 14003, 9 March 1909, Page 7

NEWS FROM NEAR AND FAR

It is believed tho niollyniawk which is soon in the sea near Oamaru bears a message of some importance. It has a piece of wood tied to its neck. It was first thought that if a message had been written on the wood it would have been washed off' by the, water, but the 'North Otago Times' states that a fisherman who has been observing the bird now states that the message has been cut into the wood. The fisherman intends to try to catch the bird with a hook, but he says that if he cannot do that he will shoot it. Light has been shed'on the disputed authorship of ' Rule, Britannia,' by a shabby-looking volume, partly in MS. and partly printed, which has come into the possession or Mr Quaritch, the bookseller. Tho MS. portion (says ' The Times') consists of fair copies' of certain plays sent to the Lord Chamberlain's Office for the official license to produce on the stage; and ' Alfred, a Masque,' by James Thomson and David Mallet, is one of these. ' Alfred ' contains the stirring song ' Rule, Britannia.' The MS. itself is additionally attractive from the fact that it contains on the first leaf the following inscription : Sir, —This masque we intend to have perform'd at our Theatre if it meets with ye approbation of my Lord Chancellor. From your humble servants, D. Gaiuuck, J. Lacy..

February 14, 1751. In tho current issue of ' Night and Day' (the organ of Dr Barnardo's Homes) appears this paragraph : Some of our gifts have a story behind them. This is clearly one. It has come with an anonymous letter, which reads thus:—"Will you accept the enclosed treasure (diamond ring), together with £l, and kindly turn them to the best account for your invalid boys? This gift is the result of a broken engagement brought about by myself, and by helping your work I hoped to make some small amends. Will you kindly acknowledge in personal column of . . . on Saturday or Mondav to 'Regret'?" The death is announced at Pittsburg (U.S.) of tho Gr»nd Old Man of that city in the person of Mr Joshua Rhodes, in his eighty-seventh year. Ho left a fortune of five millions sterling. He went to the States from England seventy-live years ago, and began his extraordinary career as a grocer's clerk. He suffered many reverses and great hardships, but finally triumphed, becoming in turn baker, brewer, coal merchant, banker, and steel manufacturer. He recently offered a million sterling to any doctor who could cure his only surviving son of the disease from which the latter suffers. In the course of an article on crime and its detection, a special correspondent of " The Times ' has some interesting observations in regard to modern methods of identification. Recognition by witnesses, he lays down, cannot be accepted as an infallible test. Then he gives a personal experience:—"Some years ago I was in the habit of dining about twice a week at a certain restaurant. After doing so for a year or more, my visits ceased for a period of three months. Upon going again at the usual hour, 1 was surprised to see the waiter who had always served mo start violently as I came in, drop two plates, and then, without noticing the accident, approach me with white face and staring eyes. It turned out that he had confused me with another man who a week previously had committed suicide. Now it is certain that this waiter would have conscientiously taken oath that my double and myself were one and the same person." Dealing with tho triumphs of the finger-print system, the same writer quotes some remarkable cases that have occurred in London. A thief entered a house, stole property, and got clean away. But he had helped himself to a glass of wine, and on the tumbler that ho used two finger-prints were visible. These were photographed and taken to Scotland Yard, and were found to be identical with those of a notorious criminal. This man was arrested, and, upon a charge being made against him for the now crime, confessed that he had done it. In another case there was a burglary where a pane of glasß was taken out. Five finger-prints were found in the pane and photographed. They were identified as belonging to a man known to the police, and he was arrested. Underwriters are being asked to cover strange, risks nowadays. The regulations restricting the importation of foreign meat unfit for human consumption are now in force, and underwriters am asked to cover the risk that the medical officer of health at the poit of discharge in the United Kingdom will refuse to permit the landing li meat on the ground that it .s unfit >'cr food. Iu the end 10s per cent, wns accepted. Miss Lyona Tollemache, who recently was married to Captain Stone, of Little Coxwell. Faringdon, Berks, has no fewer than seventeen Christian names. The full list, as tfiven in Debrett, is as follows: Lyona, Desima Veronica Esyth Undine Cyssn Hykla Rowena Viola Adela Thyra Ursula Ysabel Blanche Leline Dveart Plantagenet. Her late father had a likinc foe names derived from "Leo," by whicfi one ct hk sons is called. His other children are kno;vn as Lyonel, Lyulph, Leone, Lyonulph, Lyonesec, Lyonella, and Lyon-i