NEWS AND NOTES

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1530, 27 June 1901, Page 58

NEWS AND NOTES

The following telegram has been received in Paris from Buenos Ayres : General indignation has been aroused here by the action of Chili, who, disregarding her formal pledges, has been opening roads across the Cordillera of the Andes into the territories in dispute between Chili and Argentina, and even into districts which have already been recognised as under the sovereignty of the tatter country. A diplomatic protest made by the Argentine Government has been well received by public opinion, which sees with alarm that, despite the submission of the boundary question to the arbitration of Great Britain, Chili continues to refuse any compromise, and is thus causing anxiety throughout the whole of South America.

A- remarkable scene, recalling the early Puritan days, has just been witnessed at Suffolk, Virginia. Two women who refused to obey a public notice to quit the town, were publicly whipped, receiving twenty lashes each with a whip wielded by the Chief of Police. A large crowd witnessed the scene without any sign of disapproval. The women shook with terror, but did not cry out, although their backs were bleeding. After the whipping the women were ordered to leave the town, and warned that if caught again they would get fifty lashes more. They left by the next train.

Professor Goldwin Smith warns Canada that if she must participate in Imperial wars she must pay her share. He declares that the Canadians have been misled by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and asserts that the Boers are fighting for their independence and national existence with “an heroic resolution to which there are few parallels in history, and the effect of which on the general heart of humanity cannot be annulled.”

The following anecdote is sent by an ©fficer serving in the Transvaal, where it lias gone the rouhds of the camps. It naturally lacks official confirmation, but happily ’ this does not affect its merits as a story. “They tell a story of Botha and Kitchener’s meeting about terms of peace last week. At the end Botha said, ‘Well, I must be going.’ Kitchener replied, ‘No hurry, you have not got to catch a train.’ ‘But that’s just what I have got to do,’ said Botha, and two days afterwards a train was held up and looted on the Delagoa line not very far from the place of meeting.”

The officials at Dawson City estimate that. th e value of the year’s production of gold in the Klondike district amounted to 25,000,000 dollars. Mr Ross has been sworn in as Governor of the Yukon territory, in succession to Mr Ogilvie, who has resigned. According to an unconfirmed report from Dawson City, which is published by the Alaskan papers, 200 miners were frozen to death during a blizzard at Cape Home early in the year.

Sir Philip Francis figures in a somewhat new light in the Francis letters, just published, viz., as a man of pleasure. 'The acid satirist wrote to MacraDie chronicling his diversions like a second Pepys. 'T am just returning from spending a riotous fortnight at Bath. Gravier and two others filled .

post-coach, which was dragged with no small velocity by four horses. We travelled like gentlemen, and lived like rakes.” And some years after he was seized with a successful passion of o-amfi-ling. “You must knovt, my friend,” h# writes in 1776, “that on one blessed day of the present year of our Lord 1 had won about £20,000 at whist. Io is reduced to about £12,000, and row 1 never play but for trifles, and that only •nee a week.” In a note on the Junius controversy appended in these letters Mr C. F. Keary shows the decided strengthening of the case for the identity of Francis and Junius brought about recently.

The objection that King David’s life was inconsistent with the authorship of tne Psalms is met by Dr Margoliouth, Professor of Arabic at Or cord, in his new work, “Defence of the B'bheial Revelation.” The professor urges that, even in the matter of Bathshefia, David behaved unusually well m feeling any compunction for such a t r ansae lion—better, in fact, than many later crowned heads would have done. He says: “Mary Queen of would declare that she was above the law ; Charles I. would have thrown over Bathsheba; James 11. would have hired witnesses to swear away her character. Mohammed would have produced a revelation authorising both crimes; Charles 11. would have publicly abrogated the Seventh Commandment; Queen Elizabeth would have suspended Nathan.”

A Yokohama correspondent sends the following tradesmen’s cards as showing how the modern Jap. assimilates European methods: -“Jewelry Maker. A finest in town. WhisjrHhoy. No. 17 Aioichio Itohome. Show this card to Jinrikshaman. Our shop is best and obliging worker that has everybody

known,'and having articles genuine mese Crystals and all kinds of Cunos. Gold and silver plate in electroplate or plain mending. Carving in Laid, work own name or monograms or any design according to orders we can work how much difficult Job with lowest prices insure, please try, onpe try. Don’t forget name, Whisky!” ft ft / ft ft ft

The gaiety of the House of Commons will be much eclipsed by the death of the redoubtable Dr Tanner, though of recent years ill-health had somewhat withered his boisterous humour. That he was not present at the discreditable combat between the Nationalist members and th© police wa* probably a satisfaction to him, because if Charles Kearns Deane Tanner was “named” by the Speaker, perhaps more often than any other member of the Hoase during his career, he always left the Chamber without physical assistance, and generally with a parting compliment to the Treasury Bench, shouted at the top of his voice. In spite of his many eccentricities, he was well liked in the House by members of all parties. His constant defiance of tile chair ras more or less a pose, and for his many good -qualities much was forgiven him.

The “New Yqrk Tribune” has just been celebrating its sixtieth anniversary. When Horace Greeley issued the first number of the “Tribune” the Holy Allian®© still dominated the Continent of Bur ope. Jirngland still suffered from the Corn Laws, and slavery was rampant in America. Mr G. W. Smalley won his first great success as war correspondent of the “Tribune,” and later on sent from London record-breaking reports of Sedan and Gravelotte. Bayard Taylor’s “Views Afoot,” the first of a series of travel notes covering all parts of the world, first appeared in the “Tribune” in the forties. Colonel Hay, now Secretary of State, was another of the “Tribune’s” contributors, and it is pleasant, though not surprising, to learn that Dr George Bipley, one of the “Tribune’s” literary critics, exercised the utmost vigilance in everything that conrerned the dignity of the language. “The most trifling hint of slang or bad English that crept into the paper was sufficient to rouse his wrath.” What, however, the “Tribune” most prides itself upon is, no doubt, the influence it exercised in the great movement for the abolition of slavery.

A Stockholm correspondent says that at the rifle range of the Swedish navy in Karlskrona some trials have lately been-made to ascertain the bulletresisting power of a ’kind of papiermache manufactured by th® great pulp factory of Katrinefors. The experiments were made in the presence of the Chief of the Artillery Department and of a number of military and naval authorities. The weapons employnd in the tests were the new army rifle (Mauser), the naval Mauser-carbine also used by the mounted troops, and the Nagant revolver, adopted by the Government. The paper is 72 millimetres (not quite three .inches) thick, and ats preparation is yet kept secret by the manufacturers. It perfectly withstood the projectiles of the above-named arms, not being pierced by a single shot. When exposed to the fir e of the Nordenfeldt guns, it was perforated, and the jagged edges of the shot-holes resembled bvliet-hole's in thin iron plate.

On the Majestic, which 1-eft New York recently, was Mrs Sawyer. Just after she had sailed her son was drowned. Mrs Sawyer is an invalid, and her husband had grave fears for her health if the news of the fatality should be made known to her suddenly by cable or other means upon her r.rrival in England. He therefore conceived ‘.he idea of taking advantage of the speed of the Deutschland, which was to leave New York on the following day, to come to the country, niping that he would arrive before his wife, and be able to break the news to her. In the race against time the Deutschland won. Mr Sawyer met his wife as she was leaving the Majestic. There was a most affecting scene between the bereaved and grief-stricken parents. * * * * *

They have a vtry stringent law against the Sunday sale of liquor in Victoria, N.B. It provides, amongst other things, that the door leading into the bar of every hotel must be kept locked throughout the whole of the Lord’s Day. A curious point in this connection was raised in a recent case. The police raided a certain hotel on a Sunday night.. They found a number of men seated in one of the parlours, but could discover no sign 4 * that liquor had been served. The bar door was locked, but they key was in the lock. That being so, was the door locked within the meaning of the Act? The superintendent of polic© answered this question in the negative, and ordered a prosecution. The Bench dismissed the case, holding that the door was undoubtedly locked, and that the Act said nothing al cut the disposition of the key. It is strange that in spite of this rigorous law there are more drunken people about the streets of that city on the Sabbath than on ordinary evenings.

What kind of dog is the Dog Star? A sky terrier, of course.

AFRICA: PAST AND FUTURE

"THE MISTAKES OF 1880 Mo ST NOT BE REPEATED.' 7 The sessional dinner of the Anglo-Af-rican Writers’ Club was held recently at the Grand Hotel, Charing Cross, London. Mr Arnold White presided, and among others present were Sir Bartle Frere, Mr J. W. Leonard, K.C., Major Maud (Imperial Light Horse), and Mr Dalziel, M.P. After the loyal toasts had been honoured, that of “The Visitors” was proposed by the Chairman. Sir Bartle Frere, son of the former British South African High Commissioner, in responding to the toast, said that it had frequently- been stated that his father died of a broken heart, due to the result of his experience in South Africa. This was hardly the case. ±iis father suffered deeply because he foresaw the results which would accrue from the fatal policy England was then pursuing in South Africa. For his father all this was past, but it was some gratification to realise now that the great bulk of his countrymen recognised that he had been right. Now in looking to the future they had to see that the same course of folly was not carried out. Even now, when the generation of 1879-80 was still with them, there were in their midst people who talked of repeating, in the case of Sir Alfred Milner, something of the same course of action that had been taken in regal’d to Sir Bartle Frere. He would like to remind them that even now some of their colonists were discussing whether it was any longer worth their while being loyal to England. What business had the Imperial Parliament to seek to thwart again those who had been appointed to carry out the business of the Crown in South Africa ? Their function was to assist th© loyal colonists of South Africa in governing themselves. The whole of the British Colonies were watching how England proposed to behave in regard to the South African question. On the action of the Government in this matter depended the cohesion of the whole Empire. They had made fatal mistakes in the past. Let them beware lest they did it again. Accidental mistakes could b© forgotten and forgiven, but not again would they be allowed to blunder with impunity. If neglect and want of tact were again to confuse affairs in South Africa, they would be thrown aside; and their influence and power would be humbled in the dust. The Colonies would have to do’ without them. (Cheers.) *

A discussion ensued as to the best means of strengthening British rule in South AfricaThe Chairman contended that when the war was over England must still be prepared to pay £10,000,000 or £15,000,000 for judicious colonisation, unless she wished the war to break out afresh. He favoured the establishment of small colonies of settlers on purchased land, where natives and intoxicants not be allowed to enter-

Mr Leonard, K.C., as one who knew South Africa, said there was no need to be pessimistic in regard to the future of that country. They should rule with a firm hand, and there should be no conciliation of traitors and enemies to British rule.