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New Zealand Mail, Issue 843, 27 April 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

It is stated on reliable authority (says the N.Z. Herald) that there is every probability of Mr -Bryoe leaving for England at an early date to prosecute an action for libel against Sir Arthur Gordon. ? It' will be remembered that when evidence .was produced for the defence by Mr Jdusden in the action for; libel brought against him by Mr Bryce, some'very foolish and .untruthful letters written by Sir Arthur Gordon to the author ot the “ History of New Zealand ’’ were impounded by the Court, and it is upon these letters ;Mr Bryce will found his case. It seems that. Sir Arthur Gordon has been called upon to! retract the libellous statements contained in the! letters, and to render a proper, apology for the aspersions oast upon the character of Mr Bryce. , To these solicitations Sir Arthur Gordon has vouchsafed no reply, and now a final demand has been macfe by Mr Bryce’s solicitors for a public retraction of all the untruthful - statements,.-contained v in v the letters. If no reply is obtained within > specified time, proceedings will'be instituted for heavy damages. ■ . . Under the heading “ A New Danger ’’ the Lancet Writes A dozen years ago one had, indeed, apotent, though.very rarely effective source of danger in the overhead telegraph wires of our large cities."> Now there are iu some towns not only this but two other kin--dred powers at work in the telephone and the electric lighting communications. The fact that these are-not always for the public mere matters of convenience has been repeatedly demonstrated by such accidents as 1 that which was. lately reported from New York. In this- instance' a broken telephone;wire coming in contact with One charged with ■electricity for: lighting purposes, became - itself "a conducting medium, and was Wound in. its fall round the fore-quarters of a passing horse, with, of course, fatal consequences. It is also said that the driver, in .liis ignorant endeavors to free the animal, Was barely prevented from handling the fatal wire. This and similar accidents which have occurred from time to time, while they counsel, on the oue hand, the most perfect insulation of the conducting wires, must also give weight to an argument in favor of the partly adopted and' most rational practice of carrying the wires underground instead of over the housetops, aaisVnow - too. much the rule. < ' ;