NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13235, 21 July 1906, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

DUTCH -CASTLES ■. IN SPAIN*."

Imagisakt estates in Holland—the :^ most; . modem" substitutes' for **■ chateaux ea 355-,j pagne"— to have been giving trouble ; to insav people besides supposed heir*, j There are quite a number of such " estaws," including the *' Anneke-Jans," the " Cf©ak- i heir or "■Cronckheit,*' the "Van Cot," .the \ "Tan Ihis»en;" the "Webber." the •■Brandt,' and the " Meizgcr," which are supposed to represent millions of money, : but which actually represent nothing. ■ Nevertheless,:' people continue to be duped . by the tales spread to serve other people's; ends, and in Oregon even a society has been formed recently whereby the 'wipposcd heirs may prosecute their imaginary -claims. : in common. ■;' As the talcs are not- confined to America, it may be desirable t•» circulate a statement issued by the Government of the United States. Frequent inquiries are made at. the Department of State by citizens - of this country (says the United States notice) in regard to estates in Europe, to which they are led to believe they have I legal claims as heirs. In many cases this! belief arises from statements widely adver- i Used by designing persons describing supposed estates and soliciting contributions in 'j money from persons bearing the name by j which the imaginary estates ,'are known. ! Notwithstanding the fact that- all thesfl.-j cases have been fully inquired into by the diplomatic officers of the United States, and the results of their investigations widely ; published from time to time, the- imposition I continues to bo practised at intervals. Mr. David J. Hill, United Stales Minister at The Hague, calls attention to one of''these, alleged -estates in Holland, known as the "Metzger estate." This estate has been worked by sharpers for a period of more than 30 years, and the fact that tbeir efforts are renewed periodically indicates that the. business is found to be profitable. Minister Hill writes that the number of communications received from various parts of the United States at The Hague have multiplied within the past few months, and therefore the matter is again brought to the attention of the Department. That the- fortune-hunters are engaged in a hopeless quest is shown by the fact that the Netherlands passed a law in 1852 providing for the establishment of a commission to settle claims against estates of deceased persons as well as against the Government. This law provides for (he final disposal of all estates that were in the hands of the Commission beginning with the date of its establishment, within five years and some months after 1852, when the law wont into effect. From this it is evident that all such ancient estates, even if they had ever existed, would now under the present law have irrevocably escheated to the State. It may not, however, be amiss to add that so far investigation lias shown that these estates never did exist except in imagination. ...':"•../• .:_.■ ' ' .r-,' v ;.':'":"■;■'

. THE DECLINE OF DANCING. h A ladies' paper claims to have found out why there are nowadays ko few dancing men. The modern "girl, we are told, is so fine and large that those who should be her partners, fearing to; look ridiculous beside her, cease to be dancing men for Very shame. There may be something in this theory, but not, we : should: imagine, very much. Is not the disappearance of the dancing man—in so far as he has disappeared—due; rather. to the disappearance of the chaperon? The dance, and the interval 1 between the dances, used, in the age of a more rigid etiquette, to be his principal, if not his only opportunity of a tete-a-tete." Since that time such ■ diversions as ; cycling,; golfing,, and motoring have I gradually enlarged the circle of his facilities. One motive, and that a- very potent one, i for; dancing* is , thus being :' by degrees eliminated; and dancing tends more and ; more to become the diversion of those .only who. love rapid gyration fo%its own sake. ■ Let us hope that the modern hostess may find some consolation in the hypothesis. . . • - ..,