NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9710, 4 January 1895, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Now that we have entered upon another year, our attention is naturally called to the calendar—and to some of its curiosities, lb has many. curiosities, for instance, the year 1900 will nob be a leap year, simply because, being a hundredth year, although it is divisible by four, it is not divisible by 400 without a remainder. This is nob the real reason, but a result of it, the real reason being the establishment of the Gregorian rule, made in 1582. The nineteenth century will not end till midnight of Monday, December 31, 1900, although the old quarrel will probably again be renewed as to what constitutes a century and when it winds up, and thousands will insist on a premature butial of the old century at midnight on December 31, 1899. . But as a century means 100 years, and as the first century could not end till a full 100 years. had passed, nor the second till 200 years had passed, etc., it is not logically clear why the nineteenth century should be curtailed off before we had the full 1900 years. To find out on what day of the week any day of this century fell, divide the year by four and let the remainder go. Add the quobienb and year together, then add three more. Divide the result by seven, and if the remainder is 0, March 1 of that year was Sunday ; if 1, Monday if 2, Tuesday, and so on. For the lasb century do the same thing, but add four instead of three. For the next century add

wo instead. Christmas of any year always alls on the same day of th* week as Janutry 2 of that year,, unless ib be leap year, then it is the same week day. as January 3 11 that year. lister is always the first I Enday after the . full moon . that happens ojht next after March 21st. Ib rs nob easy to\e how ib can occur earlier than March 22, V later than April 26 in any year. NewJVear (January 1) will happen en Suncy bub once during this century ; thai will Bin 1899. In the next century it will occur|4 times only, as follows :—1905, 1911, 822, 1928, 1933, 1939, 1950, 1950, 1961, 967, 1978, 1984, 1989, and 1995. The infryals are regular—6-5-6-11, 6-5-6-11 —excel the interval which includes the hundre|h year that is nob a century, when tiie is a break—as 1893, 1899, 1905, 1911 —wen three intervals of six years come toather ; after that plain sailing till 2001, will the old intervals will occur in regular Oder.

A proponent place in the list of New Year honors has been given to Mr. Cecil Rhodes, no has been created a Privy Councillor. 1 ; The man who vanquished Lobengula k for more reasons than one, a man who the attention of the civilised worj " Cecil Rhodes looks as if he could eaj a whole country for his dinner," saidLobengula once. He knew the man and, ad a presentiment of his own fate. And, indeed, everything about Rhodes is powrful and colossal. Tall and heavily-boned with a magnificent head, a large chin, at* a stomach like an ostrich, he appears cade to resist the inroads of time for many sears. His steel blue ayes may appear a litbli dreamy to strangers ; bub Cecil Rhodes p no idealist. ' His speeches are short and to the point. He is neither a hard drinkes nor a glutton, and has no liking for gamling. He lives only for the creation of a Siith African empire, and hia Gospel is the triumph of the Englishspeaking natios over all others. With the inward conviction of a fanatic, he believes that tb» English-speaking peoples are the masters \t the present time and of the future, that they will crash every one —Germans, Dutci, Spaniards, and Portuguese. " A eelf-willed man," said Gordon, bub he asked Rhodes to accompany him on his expedition tc Khartum. "A man worth knowing," slid Mr. Gladstone, when Rhodes told him his view of the Irish Question. " A mai of wonderfully strong I character," said Lord Salisbury.

Cecil Rhodes is rich, immensely rich. His influence in politics is, therefore, very great, and it is nob impossible that he may live io 8® a consummation of his hopes : a United Sauth Africa. But this lofty end is

nob easiljr attained. The bitter enmity between the Dutch and British Afrikanders is a seriois obstacle. The interference of the British Colonial Office is no less a stumbling-block. As for the natives, Cecil Rhodes despises them. He only values them as so many labourers, and he knows that the negro is destined to be exterminated, soccer or later. Nob much higher does he ram: the Portuguese. To him they are a mixture of criminals and negroes, who, in their capacity as pirates and slavers, close Africa; against civilisation. Ib is partly due to Cecil Rhodes's energetic opposition thib the rights of Portugal to Mashonaland vere denied. Cecil Rhodes is called already .he Great Amalgamator, the Colossus of the Diamond Fields, the Warren Hastings of the Cape. Is he, as many persons believe, destined to become the first President cf the United States oi South Africa ?

As an instance of his 'cuteness in whab the Americans call a deal, we may relate a smart transaction he had some years ago with his financial colleague, Mr. Barnato, another of the diamond magnates of Kimberley, and as well and widely known throughout South Africa as Mr. Cecil himself. Mr. Rhodes, as chairman of Do Beers Company, has often had the disposition of the company's outpub of diamonds within his control, while Mr. Barnato, on behalf of his firm, Messrs. Barnato Brothers, has been one of the heaviest purchasers of the glittering vanities. He had made Mr. Rhodes an offer for the whole of De Beers' stock, which practically meant all the diamonds in the market at the time. Mr, Rhodes replied that he would let him have them on condition that they should pour the whole lot, 220,000 carats, into a bucket, and thus be able to gaze upon what no human eye had ever previously seen—viz., "a bucketful of diamonds. " Done," replied Mr. Barnato, in his characteristic fashion ; " I'll take them." So the bargain was completed, and they poured the mass of glittering gems into a bucket. lb is said that they gazed long and attentively at the unique sight, and after the bucket had been photographed the goods—diamonds are termed "goods" in the trade ab Kimberley—were duly delivered to the purchasers. Then the acuteness of Mr. Rhodes showed resplendently. Sorting aud classifying diamonds is a tedious, responsible, and lengthy pro—much more so than sorting and stapling wool— in this bucketful there were. 150 different sorts or sizes. Messrs. Barnato Brothers were six weeks in completing the re-sorting, and the gems.wero necessarily kept off the market all that period. And, of course, Mr. Rhodes had the market to himself all the while, and scored one over the deal.

It is doubtful whether the efforts thab are now being made to bring about peace between China and Japan have any likelihood of proving successful if, as is reported, China is determined not to cede a single inch of territory. It is nob probable that Japan will be content to accept a mere indemnity without any territorial acquisition. She has proved herself superior in the field and on the sea to China, and is, therefore, not by any means in a frame of mind to make easy terms with the Chinese. The latter hope before long to be in a* position to re-capture Port Arthur, bub nothing short of a miracle can enable them to accomplish that task. To all appearances they are hopelessly defeated, and although during the winter, which has pub a stop to military operations on an extensive scale, they may succeed iu reorganising their defences, their army is thoroughly demoralised, and their chances of successfully ■ coping with the victorious enemy are very remote, It is reported that) the French expedition, under the command of Colonel Monteil, which has been operating ngainsb the natives on the Ivory Coast, has met with a serious reverse, twenty of its European members having been killed in an engagement with the entimy. A telegram from Colonel Monteil was published in tha French papers lasb November, announcing that Bonoua, an important native redoubb had been captured without any loss. Bonoua lies between the left bank of the Comoe and the west bank of the Aby Lagoon. lb was stated at the same bima that in some earlier operations many of the enemy were killed, while the French had & sergeant killed and six officers and several men wounded. Kassala, an;' important position in the Soudan, which the Italians captured soma time ago, v is ' reported to be in imminent danger of again falling into the bands of the ; Dervishes,-fifteenj thousand of whom are in its vicinity, while the only troops available for its defence are » battalion of

natives. An attempt has been made to poison the young King of Serbia by two agitators who are said to have been in the pay of Russia- The object of the conspiracy „ it is believed, to pave the way for placing'prince Karageorgevitch on the throne. Russia has made an important concession to England in the Pamirs, having assigned to her the road-said to be tb« only practicable route to India through the mountain chain—which General Yanoff discovered. The latest sequel to the Armenian atrocities is said to be the murder of tba Governor of Bitlss by an Armenian W revenge for the recent outrages. Tip murderer afterwards committed suici'j. The financial crisis in Newfoundland dds not appear to be abating. On the contrapr it is reported to be increasing. Owing to the absence of money all business S3 paralysed. Mr. John Burns who isfet present visiting America in a spefch delivered at Philadelphia denounced ihe millions of soldiers maintained in Eunlpe is so many legalised murderers. /