CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIX, Issue 11556, 18 April 1898, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

DO ANIMALS TALK ?

A writer in a recent number of the Spectator discusses the ■ question of

speech among animals, and is so convinced that animals do talk that he proceeds to explain what they say and how they say it. Speech used to be divided, according to old grammar-books, into (1) statement of fact; (2) request, including command; (3) question. Animals omit the last form ; they do not ask questions. On the other hand, they “ look ” questions, and a terrier, for instance, can almost transform his body into a note of interrogation. Of the two remaining forma' of speech—statement and request—the animals make very large use, but employ the latter' in a far greater degree than the former. They use sounds for request, not only in particular cases in which they desire something to be done for them, but also in a great number of cases in which the request is a form of warning. Birds, for instance, have separate notes of warning to indicate whether the danger is in the form of a hawk or a cat, or of a man. If a hawk, cat, or owl is on the move the birds ) especially blackbirds, always utter a clattering note, constantly repeated, and chickens have a special sound to indicate the presence of a hawk. But when disturbed by man the blackbirds have quite a different sound of alarm, and the chickens also. Animals on the march are usually silent; but the hamadryad baboons use several words of command; and the cries of cranes and geese when flying in ordered flocks are very possibly signals or orders. Most people have noticed the various tones used by cats and dogs to express auger or pleasure, or, again, to make a request, as a cat will mew to have a door opened. tc Statement ” in animal speech appears to be mainly confined to indications that the creature has made a discovery good or bad. One has, only to go to the fowlyard to hear the barndoor cock speak when he finds something good tc eat, for he uses sounds quite unlike any that he makes at other times. There are men,iowlers and others, who profess to know every note that birds utter. They can tell, for instance, when a starling is chattering for the pleasure of hearing his own voice, and when he is telling his wife to go home and feed the children. Many accounts, too, have been written of rook-trials and stork-trials, and if they have any foundation in truth, speech must surely play a considerable part in the proceedings. There can be little doubt that animals do communicate with one another, and, indeed, the weight of evidence seems to show that they possess a certain reasoning power, limited, of course, by tbeir experience.

Tlie little gift of a cruiser that the .French Eothsohilda made the other day to

SPAIN AND PBANCE.

Spain, besides being of special interest at the present moment, may serve as a reminder that Europe does not end at the Pyrenees, in spite of the epigram to that effect. France is a close neighbour of Spain, and is naturally concerned in the destiny of that country; indeed, it could not be otherwise'when one country has a land frontier of three hundred miles with another. Writers in the English journals are beginning to wake up to the fact, and to consider the consequences. In spite of the fact that Spain is, from a military and naval point of view, a weak State, her direct hostility to France might be a matter of the most vital importance. France has, besides the neutral States of Belgium and Switzerland, three neighbours —Germany, Italy and Spain. Suppose her at war with Germany and Italy, and obliged to place armies along both the Alps and the Rhine. It is clear that under these circumstances the ability to leave the line of the Pyrenees unguarded would be most important. Spain may be weak, but, however great that weakness, a hostile Spain would require at least 100,000 men to watch the Pyrenees, and prevent the south-west of France being plundered. But 100,000 men locked up in might mean the difference between victory and defeat. Thus, though Spain may bo a negligible quantity for the rest of the world, for France her attitude during a great struggle might be a matter of the utmost moment. In the light of these facts it is not altogether surprising that on the several occasions when Spain has been on the verge of collapse, she should have managed to struggle on. At the same time the relations between France and Spain may have their influence on the Cuban question. More than one writer believes that when the United States almost came to close quarters with Spain last year she found a certain stiffness in the Spanish attitude that wat due to foreign influence. It is not likely that France will actively interfere in the present crisis; but it is quite probable that the “ continental sympathies ” with Spain, of which the cable tells us this morning, are duo as much to the goodwill of Republican France as to the selfish interest

ofMonarchical Austria and Germany. It ftis pleasant to know that Great Britainis K&ble to take a Higher view o£ the situation, and that all her sympathies are on the side of the United States and with the struggle for the liberation of the unfortunate Cubans.

WHO SHALL BE POPE ?

The question of a successor to the present Pope, Leo XIIL, is already being

discussed in Roman Catholic circles in Europe, and “parties” are beginning to take definite form. The electing body or “Sacred College” consists in theory of seventy cardinals. They, are divided into three ranks—cardinal bishops, priests and deacons—bat as far as power is concerned, there, is no essential difference. The number is never quite Ml. Two hats at least are always supposed to be kept vacant in case of emergencies. Two more at present “reserved in petto,” that is to say, : cardinals for them may be nominated at any moment. Besides these four there are only seven vacancies. The special correspondent of the Daily Chronicle has been indicating the state of parties, and, according to his showing, the balance of power between the Italian and the foreign Cardinals is more even than it has usually been; in fact, the Italians are only , one vote ahead, for the foreigners number twenty-nine. But there is, nevertheless, no serious doubt that an Italian will be chosen Pope. The Cardinals of Italy may not agree in favour of any individual Italian, but they will probably combine to vote against any possible foreigner, and on the other hand, the foreign voters are most unlikely to combine for any purpose whatever. They, include, in effect, four groups ten Cardinals of Germany and Austria-Hungary, seven Cardinals of Prance, with one Belgian, six Cardinals of Spain and Portugal, and the five Cardinals of the British Empire and America. Yet some of these groups are again divided by serious differences of opinion. The last is the weakest. Its votes are really not more than three, since the Canadian Cardinal is completely broken down, and the Australian could never hope to arrive in time Whoever is elected, there does not seem to be any doubt as to the policy that will be pursued. There can. be no reversal of the social and pro-' gressivo part of the policy, but for the moment the questions of the hour are rather those which concern advanced opinions in scientific and critical matters than those which concern advanced ideas of the social or democratic order. In this respect the situation is most remarkable. There : are in, and in touch with. Borne a ring of powerful men who are perfectly loyal Catholics, but who nevertheless take the most modern views ' about such things as the problems of the Pentateuch. Altogether the special correspondent concludes that the current appears to have set strongly in favour of a reasonable liberality, and it is highly probable that anyone who was suspected of being likely to “put the clock back” in tbis respect would be barred by a large body of votes jn that ground alone. Apart from this it s possible that the choice will fall on :ome comparatively colourless man, whose eminent spiritual ( gifts and personal saintliness are his only qualifications. , During the past few

quartz BEKITNG ON THE WEST COAST.

months a great deal more attention has been directed tothe Premier’s connection ■with a certain mining syn-

- ' - dicate than to the pperaions of the syndicate itself. These operaions are, however, of very considerable mportance, not only to their promoters, >ut also to the general public, and in the lear future will probably result in a arge increase in the gold production >f the colony. The Globe and Pfofress mines at . Eeefton, for instance aore familiarly known as the “ Ziman rroup,” are being opened up in a compreLenaive fashion that would have been quite tnposaible without the employment of the ery latest appliances,and, the expenditure f a large sum of money. In two years the lonsolidated Company has spent, on these roperties alone, .£55,000, permanently emloyed 423 men, used 800,000 ft of timber nd erected an aerial line 6800 ft in length, rith a carrying capacity of thirty tons per our, equal to 4350 tons per working week f three shifts. The mining operations cart at 1700 ft above sea level, and shaft nking has been carried down to 915fb •om the surface. The fact that the grade ad regularity of the lodes increase ith the depth of. the shaft confirms 19 theory that the blocks of quartz met ith in tho upper levels under the old fstom of working were merely upheavals y great convulsions of Nature in ages ist from the main and .permanent bodies b the greater depths. In the No. 7 level, ist opened out, the ore has already been roved for 800 ft, with a width of 30ft aross the reef. It is an immense body of ■e, and the amount actually in sight will rovide remunerative work for thenextfour ■five years. The machinery employed by the tmpany is all of the most approved and qdem type. The hoisting-and winding igme is capable of working to a depth of )00ft. The battery, concentrators and her plant are worked by Pelton wheels, ie motive power being supplied by a iter-race ten miles and a half in length, om the Inangahua River. A series of ck breakers will grade the stone for a 40■ad stamp battery, and the snlphnrets ill be saved and treated by chlorination, ereby ensuring complete extraction of all e gold. A perfect system of assaying e ore bodies has been adopted, and everyingthat science and skill can suggest has en adopted for the perfect development the mines on a truly splendid scale, xere are probably many thousands of res on the West Coast that are capable profitable treatment in the same way, d the success of the Consolidated Comny will give an immense impetus to New aland quartz mining. ‘