TABLE TALK.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9494, 17 August 1891, Page 6

TABLE TALK.

London, June 27. A SENSATIONAL SPEECH. Sir John Gorst's sensational speech in the course of the Manipur debate, on Friday, has not led either to bis resigning office or being (as 'many believers in Lord Salisbury’s autocracy predicted) ignominiously turned out. In another place,” on Tuesday, Lord Cross repudiated the interpretation which Sir William Harcourt and the Liberals generally placed oh Sir John’s remarks. When the hon member said Governments always found it necessary to get rid of strong intelligent Native rulers who would think for themselves, ho was not thrusting at his own friends, but rather alluding to the policy adopted by Gladstone's administration with reference to Arab! and Zebehr Pashas, both men of originality and independence. Whether this was the meaning of the Under-Secretary’s reference, or whether it was charitably found for him the by superior he sneered at remains doubtful. Sir John indubitably finds the Secretary of State very trying. He has “ a heavy Cross to bear.” MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE. They seem a good deal disturbed in the States over the disappearance, whilst travelling between San Francisco and Chicago, of a Russian Imperial courier, homeward bound from Japan with despatches from the young Czarawitch to the Emperor. The missing man was a notable figure, being tall, dark, and an obvious Slav, and attracted attention up to the moment he suddenly vanished. Pinkerton’s detectives followed him up to Denver. There the man stopped a night at a certain hotel, and no one has seen him since. The general belief seems to be that to obtain his despatches —which contained the secret history of the attempt on the life of the Czarewitch—the courier was murdered and cut up into small pieces. In this manner alone the detectives think the corpse could have been removed from the hotel without attracting attention. The house is one of those huge barracks characteristic of American cities, not a small inn where such a guest’s every movement would be noted. The Czarewitch was really attacked, it seems, by the emissaries of a Japanese nobleman whom he agreed to visit at Tokio. On his way there the young man, good natured and ignorant of Celestial etiquette, allowed himseif to be persuaded to similarly honour another great man: Mortally insulted, the first big Jap (of Tokio), . thereupon hired a professional to assassinate his belated guest. These are the facta the Japanese Government hoped to prevent the Czar knowing, at any rate yet. They nob unnaturally think the story reflects on the barbarr.’n and vindictive character of the (tl'ili'/'d Jap nobility. THE NITRATE KING’S PALACE. But for nis easy, good nature (when things go right) and a certain amount of homely shrewdness, the much-belauded Colonel North would be an intolerable ruffian. I was glad to see that the Lord Chief Justice of England sat on him cruahingly the other day, during the hearing of the action brought against the nitrate king by an architect named Cutler. This person perpetrated the huge pile at Eltham known as North’s Palace. One fine morning, nitrates having gone up several points, the “ jolly Colonel” resolved to build a new house of unparalleled splendour and to give the job to his friend Cutler. Cutler’s head nearly turned with joy. “ What sort of a house. Colonel ?” he asked humbly. “ D——n it, man, I pay you to find brains to tell mo that!” replied the Colonel.

Flans and specifications were speedily drawn and submitted to Colonel North, who, however (Cutler says) hardly looked at them. He would hurry on everything, imperatively insisting that the residence must be built and fit to live in by the time the family got back from an expedition to nitrate land. Cutler explained extra speed meant extra expense, and the Colonel said he understood this. Ultimately a building which, ordinarily, would have taken two years to erect was run up in a few months. It was. unluckily, a hideous block, and North's friends told him so. Having approved the original- plan, -the Colonel.

could hardly blame the architect toewry* ing it out; but he found fanlt with tha details. Another architect was callea in* and declared the house full of fiawv« Finally, Cutler was dismissed, and hi* rival given the house to finish. Colonel North refused to pay a large portion of Cutler's commission, and the architect brought the present action. to recover it. The Jury gave the plaintiff a verdict for the full amount claimed, with costs; and Lord Coleridge reminded the Colonel many times that riches did nos justify a man breaking a contract, however carelessly it might have been made.