NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10014, 28 December 1895, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The Saturday Review tells a story of the new Commander-in-Chief. The following was elicited by A question as to whether Lord Wolseley knew Charles Gordon in the CrimeaOh yes, I knew Gordon—knew him very well. Wo were subaltern? together ; young fellows, just beginning life, full of spirits and p. In spite of all the hardships the road before us seemed bright, interminable — always leading upwards. Gerald Graham, Gordon, and I, were often together in the advanced works, in the front of the Redan. We had already come to look oil Graham's courage as something almost supernatural. You know his height, well on to 6 feet 6 inchts, I should say. Well, he used to stand up on the trenches and pay no more attention to the Russian fire than if the bullets had boon snowballs; and when ho was relieved in the evening, instead of crawling along the trench under covor, he used to step out of it on to the open ground and make a bee lino for his quarters. At first the Russians wero too astonished at this piece of cheek to take j any steps to put an end to it, but as it was repeated again and again their sharp-

ihootara grew more numerous, till &(•, i Mb a perfect mob cf them used to wait for Graham's appoaranco and then let fly,' But ho walked away, with his back to'them evening after evening, as cool as a cucumber, and was never touched. Again and again we remonstrated with him, told him he had no business to make a cock-d/ oi himself; but nothing we could U y altered his resolution. 'He'd be hung,' be said •before he'd take the troublo to crawl a quarter of a mile out of his way to avoid the Russian fire - let them shoot, and be ilamn'd to them." 'And you,' We asked, interrupting the narrator; 'how used you to go to your tent ' Oh,' he went on, modestly, with a gleam of bumoui in his eyes, ' I crawled along the trencb in the mud and Blush till I was well bjyond gunshot. I suppose my disposition wat calculating and ambitious. I did not Bee what could be taken by getting a bullet in ho back for no reason.' ' And Gordonagain we interrupted. 'That's the curious part of it,' was the reply. 1 0n» evening Charles Cordon would link aim. with Graham, and walk away as if a hail, storm of ballets had no power to hurt baa, and the very next evening he would crawl along the trench after me as if he would like to hide in the slush.'"

At the Cambridge Assizes, last month, Mr. Justice Hawkins commented (trong.y upon the absurdity of the oath administered to witnesses. Was there a juryman who understood this: " The evidence you shall give to the Court and jury, sworn bet wen our Sovereign Lady the Queen &..d the prisoner at the bar," etc. ? Counsel were engaged in asking a child of seven whether she understood it. He did not believe that one witness sworn that day could explain it, and his lordship was astonish that no one had supgested a simpler font than tho complicated formula usel in Courts. It was surprising that, the Lejn. lature had not turned its attention to ti,a matter and devised a much simpler form. His lordship suggested the words, "I swear to God that I will (peak the truth," would be sufficient for all purpose.*, and would be understood even by little children.

An interesting account of the working o 1 the medical arrangements of the Japanen army in the field was given at Aldersh by Surgeon-Colonel W. Taylor, M.L). The lecturer dealt at loncth with the regulation! of the medical branch of the Japanese service, which were complete down to the smallest detail, and which during the whole of the campaign were carried out to the strictest letter. So admirable was the system, and so modern in all its conception, that he did not believe that during the whole campaign a tingle life was lost which, under any circumstances, ceuld hare been saved. In the course of the discussion which followed, Surgeon • Major • General I'aterson, th« principal medical officer at Aldershot, remarked that he was sorry to hare to saj that, up to the present time, the organisation of the English military medical service was not eo advanced as it was in Japan, and that we should have to take lesions from » country that was only just taking its place among the Powers. Major General Combe thought there must be an innumerable number of Japaneso medical officers to do all that had been described, and General Butler, the chairman, said it was a revelation to all of them. It was a triumph ol organisation, and no doubt a great deal ol it was explainable by tho fact that the Japanesehad taken up the German system.

A writer in the Spectator has been set amusing over the really great, and useful, and noble things that billionaires might do with their wealth wero they so minded, instead of lavishing it upon diamonds and pearls and such like, They have not, he ■ says, given us anything which will last lor ever, us the Pharaohs did ; or anything of which the world is proud, as Lao X. did ; or anything which has relieved mankind of a terror, as Elizabeth of Russia at all events helped to do. Still, we do net altogether despair. We have little hope that the plutocrats of to-day, especially those of America, will do much for art, give us a church, for example, that will last 2000 years, like the Mezquita of Cordova, and make all the 70 generations of those around it more reverential, but they may do something far science. That is positive, that requires, in one department at lea«t, astoundingly grandiose expenditure, and there are signs that they are attracted towards this. They might do miracles for medicine if only by a few yearn - of steady and co»tly experiment on the possibility of throwing rays of light through the human body, or a search through the world for the score." of drugs which half-civilised tribes have in ages of experiment found to exert specific effects in removing pain or disease. The virtue* of the poppy were not discovered by graduates; Peruvians, who could not write, u?ed quinine to cure low-fever ; and the native* of Bengal made a poultice of leaves—leaves of the neein-tree, we believe, but do not know—which has on severe bruise" an almost magical effect. Thoy may even find, if they will search on for a generation, a sedative without reaction; and so extinguish at a blow much of human misery. There are experiments still to be made with tolescopos which avo hopeful, for though Mr. Yerkos—is not his name Yerkes ?— may have reached tho limit of magnitude with his new object-glass, there are liquids which, inclosed in transparent films that will give telescopes a power that nothing melted out of Bin* will ever yield. There is a whole world of experiments to bo made in agriculture, in which tho European or American millionaire might guide the almost mystical knowledge of the Japanese gardeners to a practical result—just imagine the value of a cereal independent of weather '.—and it is little we know of the mothods, which must) be possible, and would be of the highest) advantage, of preserving food for ages without decay. There are a hundred things to be done besides giving away gifts if tho plutocrats will only do them ; and as we say, we do not despair, by the time they , have grown from mammoths into mastodon?! I of seeing them attempt them.

Although tho Anglo-American dispute continues to afford the press of both countries ample material for comment, it may new bo regarded as having passed out ot tho critical stage. The best opinion in America is opposod to President Cleveland i action which apparently only find? favour among the Irish element which however much it may count for in domestic politics has no weight in international affairs. The financial condition of the Republic is a far more serious problem for American statesmen than the Monroo doctrine. It Moms to be inevitable that nob only should a loan be raised but that tho rovenuo should bo increased by the imposition of additional duties. What the outcomo of the attempt to increase the tariff will bo it i? difficult; to forecast. The fighting in Armenia has, according to the latest news, resulted in the capture of Zeitoun by tl' 9 Turks. The situation in the East is not * whit bettor than it was months ago. Apparently the Powers are unable to do much. They are unwilling to take mntwrs into their own hands, They are trusting to 110 Sultan to carry out, with the aid of th ®; Commission appointed, the reforms agreed

■"""""This arrangement is not, however, ""Vine satisfactorily. It is reported that "t ,»ne.=e cruiser has been wrecked, and ' s '',he deck officers and aixt of the crow jre •" i " inpr '