NEWS AND VIEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10837, 22 August 1898, Page 3

NEWS AND VIEWS.

—— ; - S: LORD CHARLES BERESFORD ON A WATER-CART. '/ g It is one of the proud boasts of Lord Charles , ~-' Beresford that he can ride or drive anything. One day he may be seen tooling a ... four-in-hand, the next scurrying across coun- - -;' try on a hunter, or riding a bicycle. Perhaps the most curious ride Lord Charles ever ' r ;5 had, however, was on a water-cart, and - $H thereby hangs a tale. He had wagered that vj he would drive down Rotten Row in broad davlight, and as our readers know, vehicles are forbraden in the Row. At the appointed time the other party to the wager, with a few friends, took up a position to see if Lord Charles would attempt the feat. While they ■. waited a water-cart came along, and some of tins party were liberally sprinkled with nono too clean water. The' victims protested in forcible, terms, when, to their unbounded astonishment, the oilskins of the driver were pushed back, revealing the merry features ot the popular sailoi. "Hand over that hundred, old fellow !" he remarked, calmly. Lord Charles had squared the driver of the water-cart, and had won his wager. i IN QUEST OF ANDREE. AN EXPEDITION ON ITS WAY TO THE POLE. Mr. Walter Wellman, the American explorer, has left Tromsn, on board his icesteamer Frithyof for the North Polar regions. Just before his departure from England Mr. Wellman gave to Renter's representative the following account of his expedition: —" Our aim is to reach the North Pole, but wo hope .to explore the still unknown northern parts of Franz Josef Land. In my party are Professor James H. Gore, of Columbian University, a. noted geodesist; Lieutenant Evelyn B. Baldwin, who was on the Greenland ice cap with. Lieutenant Peary; Dr. Edward Hofma, naturalist and medical officer, and Mr. Quirof Harlan,physicist, from the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. Norwegians experienced in Arctic work mako up the remainder of our party of 10." Regarding his plan of reach- | ing the Pole, Mr. Wellman said: ' 1 propose to reach it by sledging expedition over the pack ice. A Archangel, Russia, wo shall take aboard 75 sledge dogs, procured in Siberia. At the end of Juljt\we shall probably be at Cape Flora, Southern Coast of Franz Josef Land, latitude 80. There we shall establish a base station with two or three men left in charge, while others search for Andree before the steamer returns in August. Half-a-dozen of us, with small canvas boats, sledges, and dogs, are to push on at once for the northern parts of tho archipelago, passing successively the point reached by Mr. Jackson, the spot where Dr. Nensen and Lieutenant Joliansen wintered, and Cape Fligely, lat. 82, reached by Payor in 1874. Somewhere beyond 82 wo shall build a but to winter in, shooting Polar bear, - seal, and walrus for food. Next spring, as soon as the light returns, we are to set out on a sledge journey towards the Pole. If the conditions are unfavourable, we shall wait till tho second spring. Probably the start will be made early'in February, before the sun lias risen, and in the cold dim twilight." The best season for sledging is the spring. In June the sun's rays melt tho surface of the floes, and mako the travelling very hard. We shall have about 120 d;iys "in which to reach the Pole, if possible, and return to the land, requiring an average trivel of nine to ten statute miles per day. We <• have a rubber pneumatic boat that inflates with a pump like a bicycle tyre, and also a folding canvas boat, built on my own designs. We have special sledges of metal, watertight, so built that they may turn over and over in rough ice, or float on the water, without injury to their contents. Each dog is to draw one sledge, practically without assistance or driving by the men. This device was suggested by my sledging experience in the rough ice at the north of Spitzbergcn in 1894. For the most part, however, we use only tried and tested methods and appliances. THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT. Professor Adolf Erman, of Berlin, has ■ again earned the thanks of all Egyptologists by his publication of the contents of a very curious Egyptian papyrus of an ethical character. The papyrus, which dates from about B.C. 3200, gives us a. supposed conversation between a man and his soul. It would appear that the person speaking was tired of his life in this world, for be says that there is nothing but deceit everywhere, and that even a man's friend often becomes his enemy ir time. The papyrus is verymuch worm-eaten, and is most difficult to read, nevertheless Professor Erman has succeeded in making a very readable rendering in spite of these defects. At the conclusion, the soul advises the man to forget his troubles, and to enjoy the good things '-oi'*'-' ■ this wor'd, and try to live Us long as ho'' can. THE DEATH DUTIES. In Chambers' Journal for July there is an article on " Three Years of the Death Duties." The sums that have been paid in estate duty on single estates are, the writer points out, startling, a millionaire being mulcted in estate duty alone to the extent of £80,000; while if his estate descends to others than children another £-10,000 at least may be claimed for succession dutv. In Scotland the estates that have paid the largest duties are those of the late Earl of Moray and the late Duke of Hamilton. In England they havo been matched recently by the estate of tho late Mr. Isaac Holden, and in other cases considerably surpassed. One effect of the' Act has been to drive many people to insure against the sums which' would have to be paid under it, i#£ Royalty, it is said, led the way, the Princess "fj Royal, the Duke of Connaught, Princess Beatrice, and others all insuring for large sums—in some cases for as large policies as '*: the insurance companies Were prepared to grant. The Duke of Edinburgh's proposals to insure were, however, not accepted, " his ' ' life' being from the insurance point of view, it appears, not a promising or reassuring' one." MR. GLADSTONE'S CHARITY. In an article in the Fortnightly, Lor& Stanmore mentions among Mr. Gladstone's characteristics his magnificent and unostentatious generosity. "I do not think," he says, "there can now be any objection to saying that, even at a time when he was a comparatively pool man, he belonged (as did somo other persons of distinction) to a private association, the bond of which was the'pledge of each member to devote a considerable part / of bis annual income to works ot public charity and personal benevolence. The names of members of this association were never published or even made known to the association generally while the amounts they gave were I believe known to the treasurer only." How unlike the present day—when charity and newspapei paragraphs V. often accompany each other. Mr. Gladstone's innumerable postcards in reply to officious correspondents once formed the subject ■>! remonstrance by a, friend. He took the remonstrance in good part, and admitted that 99 : per cent, of his correspondents had n< right to an an we., and were guilty of impertinent intrusion ; but, he added, " there might b- • one who was really seeking for help, and might listen to bis counsel, and that he should not think he did his duty if, for the sake of bis own case, lie denied' help which might be sincerely sought for, and which it was m his power to give. On the fall of Lord Bcaconsfield's Government in 1880, a friend who wished to spare Ml'. Gladstone (who bad not yet any private secretary avail- , able) some of the trouble of writing note? and sending messages, asked if he could in any way help him. The answer was" Pray " Lord Stanmore truly calls this " a most characteristic reply, showing the feeing deepest ■ in Mr. Gladstone'- mind, the .implicit)* with which he gave utterance to tlr dominant thought of the moment, and the unworldli- , ness which fa ; led to see the incongruity, not ; indeed between the question and the reo|y, , but between the tone in which it was asked i and that in which it was answered." Lord Stanmore counts among Mr. Gladstone's I great advantages his prepossessing exterior" '■ It is certainly the fact that a large number of the most eminent public men of all times 1 and countries, have been in one way or J another of a striking and not displeasinc ap- ' , pearance. But, on the other hand, Disraeli can hardly have been called prepossessing •■ , and Brougham and Aberdeen are said to have f , discussed on one occasion which of them was i ' the uglier. ■' - - : % i !' ' " •—' ,'yV ; -£

Spkociatobs and Others should consult Mr. Thornes, 91,' Queen-street, at once about v the purchase of desirable blocks of land and r. v.' houses. Delays are dangerous. . .:,.•■: