ILLUSTRATED LONDON LETTER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1061, 30 June 1892, Page 11

ILLUSTRATED LONDON LETTER.

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(from our own correspondent.) London, May 3. The Tower Bridge. The Thames Is nobly spanned with bridges, and perhaps no river in the world presents a more splendid spootaole from Waterloo Bridge downwards than our great artery at full tide, rolling turgidly u ider the huge arches and metal roadways. Lit at night below by countless lamps oastlng their flickering reflection on the calm surface of the water, and above by the myriad stars, the sight is an ever-entranoing and suggestive one. There is something intimately poet'oal in bridges, making one that tho waters would make two—they are the endless figures in rhetoric, hard and mathematical facts as they praotically are. It is many a long month since the projected Tower Bridge was begun with all the opening ceremonial of stone-sinking and civio presence ; now it is approaohiog a stage which will make it an object of interest during the next month. The above illustration gives a good presentment of the shape it will finally assume. As seen at present the upper footway is thrusting out from tho lofty towers on each Eide, and overhangs the water below to the extent of about one-third of the space to be covered, with 60 or 70 feet between. From London Bridge the erection looks perilous, and so frail to the eye that it would seem bb if the weight of two or three workmen would bring it all down ; but the engineer states that these s’ight-looking projections might be carried out for a thousand feet without danger ; and, notwithstanding the strain on the towers, these lofty iron structures have not been deflected from the perpendicular by the 16th of an inch Numbers of people each day congregate on London Btidge watching with much interest the growth of the two halves of the upper platform. When finished it will be a monumental triumph of engineering skill. Miss A, B. Edwards and Her Life’s Work. Novelists of the day lose a distinguished member of their ever-increasing Guild in Miss Amelia B. Edwards, who jo : ned the great majority -in this month of alternate winter and spring. Her first novel, 1 Barbara’s History,’ was published in 1864, and achieved a great success. Two years after came 4 Half-a-Million of Money,’ and 4 Debenhnm's Vow, 1 in 1870, perhaps her widest known story. 4 ln dayß of My Youth’ and 4 Lord Brnckenbury ’ we r e the next, the latter coming out in 1880. But it was perhaps as an Archaeologist and Egyptologist that Miss Edwards’ olaim will survive. In

these departments she was second to none. Her latest work, 4 Pharaoh’s Fellahs and Explorers/ came out only last year. It embodies tho essence of a series of lectures on Egyptological subjects, delivered in the United States in 1889-90. Miss Edwards was the daughter of a Peninsular officer. She was in her 60th year. Her health had been declining for some time. She was an experienced traveller, and gave us in a learnedly, lively manner the story of her journeyiDgs in her 4 Untrodden Paths and Unfrequented Valleys’ and 4 A Thousand Miles up the Nile.’ A pension from the Civil List was awarded her recently. Women’s Suffrage. This question la the absorbing political topic of the week, and ono cannot help thinking that the movement has received a severe check in the publication of Mr Gladstone’s pamphlet. It is the unkindest cut of all, and oomes most unfortunately at a time when there is aiseension among the women’s suffragists. It seems that the advanced women of the day are now divided into two opposing camps, and there are rumours abroad that one party is ‘holding the fort/ or, in other words, has taken possession of the offices of the Association,

and have looked out the other party.— The door is now 4 tyled ’ by one of the sisterhood, and it is currently stated that others ate put on sentry go!’ This is a dreadful state of things. One party, it seems, are for extreme measures, the other half wishing to confine themselves to tho franchise only. Altogether it is 4 a very pretty qnarrol, my gentles,’ and some one might present the Association with a banner emblazoned with

the favourite design of tho friendly societies illustrative of the faggot of wood, whioh when bound is the emblem of strength through unity. Under the circumstances the attempt of Sir Albert Rollit and other friends of the movement to carry through the Women’s Enfranchisement Bill this week is a heroic effort, and the women’s suffragists are to be congratulated on having so energetic and capable an advocate in the House as Sir A. Rollit, the member for South Islington, to lead their forlorn hopes. French Amenities. The arreat, detention and brutal treetment in Paris of Mr A. B. Dalmard, an Englishman, following so soon on Bimilar oonduct to Mr Purdie, has oaused a feeling of general indignation. So far there seems no ground 1 for the action of the polio?, who acted with great harshness. Mr Delmard was taken into custody as an alleged German spy, kept in, literally, durance vile for eleven days, refused means of communication with hi* friends, and shat up with the lowest criminals and subjected to all sorts of iudignities, at the same time denied information of tho charge agaiDst him. The unlucky suspect is suffering severely from his treat ment. _ He was agent in Paris of the Projectile Company, an English company. He had previously been in the employ of the Nordenfeldt Company. Ho w s suddenly dismissed by bis employers, told lie was in had odour with the polio, and advised to leave Paris, which he did nob do, as he was writing for an nrtht tiie music of a libretto which had been accepted for production at Vienna on the iRt of May. Mr Delmard was handcuffed tnd pub in’o a coll for tho night. Ho demanded c.f tho chief of >he detective police the cause of suah treatment

of a British subject, and asked why he had not applied to the British Embassy. The functionary snapped hia fingers, said he did not care a fig for the Embassy, and that the Embassy dare not move in any way. Mr Delmard refused to move until shown the warrant, and was knocked down for reply, and hustled into a cab. 4 1 am sure there is nothing against you/ said one of the guards, ‘ but people are often treated in this way/

The cell had wretched sanitary arrangements ; a btraw mattress on sheets: tho unfortunate prisoner suffered greatly from cold and exhaustion, and was Boon covered with vermin. He was taken next day to Mezin prison, put into a bath, and left naked an hour and a-half. In his cell was Anastay, who was guillotined two days after. The rest of his treatment was all of a piece—arrestod without cause, kept eleven days in prison, brutally treated, turned penniless eventually into the streets when the charges preferred at Inst were proved baseless. Mr Delmard means to proceed against the Frtnch authorities for compensation. Ravachol. Crime has epochs. It advances, or its mode of operation does, with civilisation. Poisoning has always been a science, and counterbalanced by science. In that direction crime has had periodical outbursts. In tho beginning of the century wo had highwaymen and highway murders, the streets in crowded parts were nob safe, and tho river had its full tale of victims. Journalists told of the deeds of professional criminals, and of tho terrors or the peviod when robbery, lynching, and murder were remunerative callings. We are better now, our system of repression effective, but ever and again some gigantio criminal organisation is run to earth or some successful or wholesale assassin brought to bay. Today we have just finished witli tho brutalised, sordid, and unnatural murderer, Deeming, and our neighbours, the French, with the fiendish Anarchist, Ravachol, names that will in the annals of time stand alone in utter degradation and disunion from all we count human.

Ravachol began his career as a murderer of old men and helpless women for the sake of such money as they had about them. He butchered his victims with an axe. He was also a coiner. He then became the head of a group of Anarchis's, whose watchword was ’ murder—their medium dynamite. He was the means of bis own arrest. A waiter in a wine shop noticed

how exultant he was over the dynamite outrage, and comparing him with his description as given in the papers, he led the police to seizo him. This was attended with danger, and so desperate was tho struggle it was not until several policemen were called iu that ho was overpowered. When he saw tho game was up ho shouted : 4 Yes, lam Ravachol. Vive PAnarchic 1 vive la dynamite!’ Incriminating explosives were found in his lodgings, but knowing tho game was up, he, with callous effrontery, boasted of his part in the explosions of the Boulevai-d St Germain and the Kue deClichy. Ho is now iu tho Conciergerie Prison, and watched day and night by three warders. Ilis real name is Koenigstein. He is the natural son of a German father, but was born in France. It is believed that bis gang was the only group of Anarchists that had resolved to work with dynamite, and of these only Gustave Mabhieu is at liberty. The Picture shows.

Anyone fortunate enough to obtain a peep within the portals of the Royal Academy in the early part of this week would have found everything very much in a state of chaos, with tho pictures here, there, and everywhere, except on the wall. But the Hanging Committee, and their small army of satellite ‘hangers’ have been busily at work. Tho last of the 4 rejected ’ has gone down the lift to the ‘ place below,’ the rooms have been duly I swept and garnished in readiness for tho fashionable crowd which will throng the galleries next week. The press viowers have at last gained an extra half day, as the result of very persistent, appeals to the Royal Academy Committee. Year after year the journalists have appealed for some such concession as this. They w'ere always met with the stereotyped reply that their petition ‘would lave careful consideration.’ This year they sarcastically hinted that it was nob ‘ careful consideration ’ they w r anted, but a practical result. '1 his original way of putting the matter apparently had its effect. There is a rumour—it may be a canard simply—that the open quadrangle of Burlington House is to be framed in for the purposes of a statuary gallery. The Central Hall, which wo illustrate this week, has always some commanding sculpture en evidence. It is a pleasant; lounge when tho galleries are crowded to distraction. It is at the entrance door from this hall to tho chief gallery that the President takes his stand to receive the guests of the Society on private view days and soiree nights. A great divan in the centre is always monopolised by those who come to study clothes, and stare at celebrities, whose names are pronounced stentoriously by the maior domo. The New Gallery Picture Show this year is i quite up to the record, lb was delightful to feel the glowing sunshine, and to see tho gay troops of well-dressed private viewers crowd in all the long afternoon. Millais, Poynter, Watts, Alma Tadema, and Herkomer of the R.A.’s w'ere finely represented on the walls, and Shannon was grand in portraiture. There are not so many landscapes as usual, and

fewer seascapes. But all in all it is a good and strong exhibition. The rejected of the Royal Academy this year are in thousands—

a 4 rad ’ effect of over-culture. And now the New Gallery have announced that they mean to double the commission charged on the sale of the pictures effected. The charge hitherto has been 5 per cent, the Institute and the New English Art Club oharge respectively 15 and 12£ per cent. This action of the New Gallery will probably result in Llie establishment of a Landscape Painters’ Society.