CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9153, 7 September 1888, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

A LITTLE CRYPTOGRAM. TO mil' ''V.. Sir, —In the controversy as to the Baconian origin of the plays commonly attributed to Shake pere, the essay on Bacon by Lord Macaulay has been frequently referred to. It'may surprise your -readers to learn that this very essay contains on its first two pages a cryptogram to the following effect:—" Bacon is the writer of ShakBpere, his works." The first four words occur on page '280 of Volume 11. of the large edition of Macaulay's Essays, the last four occur in corresponding places on page 281. "Bacon" is the second word on page 280, and occurs twice on that page. The word "is" and the phrase "the writer" also occur twice. On page 281 the word " Shakspere" occurs once, and also the phrase "his works." The sum, therefore of the number of the page and the number of times the important word occurs on it, is always the same, namely, 282. We may notice further that, in accordance with this law, the word " Bacon" occurs only once on page 281. This number, '282, is the one root number from which all the other numbers involved in the cryptogram may be derived by using suitable modifiers. These modifiers can be obtained from the numbers 245 and 335, the number of words on pp. 280 and '281, the number (12) of words in italics, 4 the number of words in capitals, which is also the number of words divided by hyphens at the end of lines on page 281, and so on. The secret sentence is traced out as follows, counting from the top of page 280:—Subtracting the number of the page, 280, from the cipher number, the remainder is 2, and the second word on that page is " Bacon." The word Bacon being thus obtained, we notice that it also occurs as the seventh word ; adding 2 and 7 we get 9, and the ninth word from the bottom is " is." Thus the second word is obtained. The word " writer" occurs as the 94th and 181 st. Both these numbers can , be obtained from 282 by using some of the : modifiers mentioned above, or some others which may be found by adding the number of fall stops on pages 280 or 281. A confirmation of the truth of this cipher is found in the fact that the word " Bacon"'occurs on page 281, in the 144 th place, while 12 •is the number of words in italic on page 280. The word " Shakspeare" is the 318 th from the. top and the 18th from the bottom of page 281, and these numbers can also be derived from the root number. Thus it is evident that Macaulay was well aware of the Baconian authorship of the plays, although, for reasons which can easily be guessed, he did not wish the fact to be known in his lifetime. If the above reasoning seems at all deficient in soundness, my excuse must be that I have been reading Mr. Donnelly'B book, and consequently, in Bacon's words, find — Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and cryptograms in everything. —I am, &c., W. Steadman Aldis. AVONDALE POST-OFFICE. TO THE EDITOR. Sik, —In your report of the meeting held in Avondale on Monday night last there are statements made therein which are calculated to convey a wrong impression. The report says, "Mr. Bollard, sen., being called upon for an explanation, gave one which was received with mixed approbation and disapprobation, and in reterence to his doings on behalf of Avondale South was quietly brought to task by the chairman, as not stating facts." The impression left on the mind by the above statement is that I had been stilting something in explana tion about the mail delivery in Avondalo South, when the chairman took mo to task for not stating facts. Now, in giving my explanation I stated that I always tried to do all 1 possibly could for Avondale South ; that in fact I was the first to move in the matter of opening up the district for settlement. The chairman then said that 1 got suggestions in this matter from him, and then energetically carried them out (in fact he paid me the compliment of stilting that I always cooperated with him in anything that was for the benefit of the district of Avondale South), and, as the opening of the district had no direct bearing oil the question before the meeting, I did. not think it desirable to dispute the point, as the chairman may be right. Such, then, is the plain truth as to the chairman "quietly taking me to task for not stating facts." I also wish to draw attention to the fact that your report does not give the resolution in full as passed at the meeting, the following should be added : "And that the Lunatic Asylum be cut off from the delivery." The following resolution was also carried by acclamation : " That the thanks of the meeting be given to Mr. Bollard for his explanation, and to the chairman for his conduct in the chair." —I am, etc., John Bollard. Avondale, September 5, 1888. THE CHARITABLE AID BOARD AND THE LUNATIC ASYLUM. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —The differences of opinion which have arisen between Colonel Haultain and the Charitable Aid Board, and the light which lately has been going on in your columns on the subject, assuming the character of a duel between Colonel Haultain, seconded by Mr. Ewington, on the one hand, and Mr. Crowther, seconded by Councillor Atkin on the other, remind me very forcibly of the ancient though possibly mythical story of the celebrated duellests, who were so tenacious of defending the right and the truth, that they slew each other in the defence of that which each believed to be true, but in which each was in a measure mistaken. The shield was neither altogether of gold, nor yet altogether of silver, but had a side made of each of these metals. The unfortunate knights engaged in this fatal controversy had looked only each on one side of the shield. Had they been careful to look at the subject (or rather the object) from every point of view, their difference would never have arisen. Now, being of a peculiarly peaceloving disposition, I cannot but think it a pity that gentlemen, each deeply impressed with the importance of one side of this most important subject, should not rather join their forces together in endeavouring to obtain a remedy for the admitted evils of the existing state of things than waste their valuable fighting powers in attacking and possibly weakening each other. The whole fault, in my opinion,speaking in the self-assumed character of mediator between the opposing forces, lies in the radical defects of our present lunacy laws. The Lunatics Act makes no provision of a specific and satisfactory character, nor indeed provision of any kind whatever, (other than that of committing them to the Lunatic Asylum), for persons who may be described as harmless lunatics ; and until our statute is amended so as to secure that persons confined in our lunatic asylums proper shall consist alone of -such persons as may be of unsound mind, and further dangerous if set at liberty to themselves or to other persons, and shall, also make efficient and definite provision for persons of unsound or weak intellect, who may be perfectly harmless if set at liberty, and who are in destitute circumstances, it is a matter of certainty that no possible administration according to law, even if we could get an angel from Heaven as the administrator, could possibly be other than of the most unsatisfactory character. It is probable that the cost of looking after and efficiently treating the " dangerous lunatic " is at least four or five times greater than that which would be incurred in supporting and managing the " harmless lunatic." There is, therefore, evidently an unnecessary and heavy loss to the State in confining one class with the other in a single institution, to say nothing about the wickedness thereof, and the serious andhurtful consequences which must ensue from such intermixing. A person of unsound mind, however harmless, if incapable of managing his affairs, is by our present lunacy statute properly committed to the lunatic asylum, and it would be a monstrous thing to expect that public bodies appointed for totally different purposes, should take charge of persons which the law as it stands contemplates placing beyond and outside of their sphere of operation. Much, therefore, as I feel the gross inhumanity as well as impolicy of confining harmless persons of unsound mind, and in destitute circumstances, to the Lunatic Asylum, I cannot but feel that the Charitable Aid Board is perfectly right, as a Charitable Aid Board, in refusing to receive them. The weakness and wrong from which they suffer must be laid, not at the door of the Charitable Aid Board, but at the door of the General Assembly of New

Zealand, and I venture to invite Mr. Ewington and Colonel Haultain on the one hand, and Mr. Crowther and Mr. Atkin on the other, to join together in knocking so loudly afc the door of that House as must result in having the wrong remedied.—l am, &c., J. Aitken Connell.