HOME AND FOREIGN

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1747, 30 August 1905, Page 14

HOME AND FOREIGN

'BOERS AND BRITISH] GRAVES. Speaking at the fourth annual meetmg of the South African Graves visiting last autumn a Boer farmer at Driefontein, Be was much struck by the neat and well-cared-for appearance of a small graveyard on the, farm. Id contained the graves of about twenty British soldiers, and Lord Roberts learned that the Boer farmer had fought against us and had been deported for two years, but on returning he had looked after the graves of his fallen foes, considering it his duty to do so. THE WHITE SLAVE traffic. The Earl of Aberdeen, who presided over a conference in connection with the National Vigilance Association on the ,7th July, reported that good progress had been made during the year in checking the white slave traffic. The society had been the means of Bending back 11 French girls, 10 German, nine one Belgian, one Swiss, and one* Austrian.: Papers dealing with the work of the association, were read by the Dowager Duchess of Newcastle, Lady Emily Lutyens, and Mrs J. H. Tritton. . - Rabbi Singer moved a resolution expressing a hope for some co-operative arrangement between the British Society and similar institutions of France, the International Catholic Institution,* and the International Guild of Women. He expiessed disappointment that in the Aliens Bill there was not a single word which would enable, them to deal wii~h the alien white slave trafficker. ' EXPLOSION AT SEA. Six lives were lost in an explosion, on • board the British steamer Johannesburg She'was bound from London to Table -Bay South Africa, with a large number • of passengers. ’ Whilst she was steaming down the Channel the principal steam-pipe burst, arid six; Lascars, who were near it, met with terrible deaths byr the large volume 'of steam which was emitted.' ' A German steamer answered the Johanresburg’s signals of distress, and towed her into Weymouth Bay. The bs. Premier, belonging to GJosens and 00., and commanded by Captain Cox, went to ber assistance, but the Johannesburg was in no further need of help. . Fortunately, no passengers were near the engines at the time of the explosion. The Lascars were buried at sea. The Joharmesburg is a steel screw steamer of 4444 tons, and was built at Newcastle ten years ago. She is a Buoknall liner, and sails between London and the Oape. - v THE JAPANESE NELSON. Between the battle of Trafalgar and the battle of the Sea of Japan, said Earl Spencer on the sth July, at the Navy Records Society’s meeting .in. Whitehall, .there was some rcseraVaree, but a gieater difference. Prior to both, great naval tactical sr.a uoeuvres ’ were carried out. Nelson Bailed to the West Indies before Trafalgar, and in the same way great manoeuvres were carried out by Admiral Togo with consummate skill. Both bal ties were decided by heavy gun fire, though when we came to consider how thr.so guns were worked and wliat they did w«’ fonnd at once one of the greatest; differences in naval warfare. Ii was an interesting and instructive fact that the Japanese acquired their knowledge from our own naval officers. He was proud to believe that our navy was pre-eminent to-day in the same great qualities that characterised the battle of Trafalgar a century ago. FIRE DAMP EXPLOSION IN BELGIUM. A terrible colliery disaster has occurred at Anderlues, near Mons, in the province of Hainault An explosion of fire damp took place at a distance of 1250 ft below the surface, and a number of workmen were entombed in the workings by a heavy fall of the coal. Rescue parties were at once organised, bu-c help arrived too late in many cases. Already 12 dead bodies have been brought up, besides 10 men still alive, but badly injured'. Efforts are being continued in the hope of saving the rest. The grief among the viotiiris’ families is intense, ani heartrending scenes are taking place. HER MAJESTY’S GIFT. A charming story of the Queen’s kindness to her servants is being told. It having come to the knowledge of her Majesty that one of her personal domestics was about to be married to one of the gardeners employed on the Sandringham estate, the Queen has had an old building in the royal grounds at

Windsor Castle made into a pretty little cottage for the couple, and her Majesty has ordered that it shall he appropriately furnished for their reception. An appointment has also been found for the gardener in the gardens at the Castle, and, like the married people in fairy stories, .they should “live happily ever after.”

The Queen has personally examined the cottage, which is situated near the East Terrace, and every modern improvement has been introduced.

WITNESS’S COSTLY PANAMA STO LEN IN A FRENCH COURT.

The audacity of the thieves who have hitherto with impunity made the Palais de Justice their happy hunting ground, has reached such a pitch that the very witnesses are no longer safe while giving evidence.

On the 7th July an action for damages brought by M. de Biasily against the Otmnibus Company was being heard before the Seventh Chamber when & gentleman, who had been giving evidence/ suddenly cried out, "They have stolen my panama!” A hubbub of voices interrupted the solemn proceedings. The victim, with a woebegone face, went up to the president. “It was a magnificent new panama M. le President, and I paid a lot of money for it.” \ "Ah! well, you know, they wouldn’t have stolen it if it had been an old one” was all that the president could think of in the way of comfort. And so witness bad to go home hatless, and the thief is laughing over the powerlessness of Justice to protect her temple. . GOLD IN IRELAND. . Great : interest has been created in Ulster by the report first submitted at a meeting of the Royal Antiquarian Society, sitting in Belfast, to the effect that gold had been discovered in County Down. About two years ago a weil was being sunk near Ballyroney, Down, when the sandy clay attracted the attention of an American financier who was visiting the neighbourhood at the time. Further investigation, it is said, demonstrated that the clay contained both gold and silver. The fortunate American was anxious to form a syndicate, but there was a difficulty about the question of title. Now such obstacles are disappearing, and the “distressful country” may dream of an opulence to which she has hitherto been a stranger. TROUBLE ABOUT THE KHEDIVE’S FLOATING PALACE. The reasons for the placing of the Khedive’s steam yacht Mahroussa under arrest at Glasgow are peculiar. The Mahroussa was built in 1865. Since then she, has worn out three sets of boilers. When the last set were fitted, about 12 years ago, the finances of'Egypt were in a low condition, and in order to save money ten of her furnaces were withdrawn, the result being that ber speed was reduced from 17 to 11? knots. Last year, however, it was decided that the floating palace of the Khedive should be brought up to date, and fitted with turbines of 5600 horse-power, giving the original speed of 17 knots. All those arrangements were made without much fuss, and practically the first iriti motion the public received in the matter was when Messrs A. and J. Ir.glis were commissioned to do the work. Some time before this, however, Mr A Gordon, a naval architect, had been interesting himself in the yacht, and he had even paid a visit to Egypt, where he went over the vessel carefully, subsequently preparing plans for the overhaul and mating an estimate of cost. Whether he did so with the authority and cognisance of the Khedive is a matter which will probably be decided in a court of law, and meantime he has had an arrestment order placed o-n the Mahroussa. Messrs A.'and J. Inglis, who are not really concerned in the matter of the arrestment, admit that at the beginning of July a sheriff’s officer boarded 'the yacht at Yorkhill and stuck an arrestment on the mast, “but since the wind had blown it away.” . Sb far as they knew they were the only firm who were asked to prepare plans and make an estimate for the overhaul of the Mahroussa. STRANGE TALE OF MURDER. A farmer, aged 70, was at Enniskillen, on the 7.th July, indicted for the murder of the baby child of his housekeeper, a girl named Mary Clancy. Counsel for tli3 prosecution described the murder as particvlarly saa and cruel. Rooney was a widower, Lved on Inmslimoro island in Loch Eine, and became intimate with the girl. In December last he took her to a doctor’s house in Enniskillen, where she gave birth to a male child. That same evening, as he was returning home

with the mother and child in a- cart:, Mary Clancy said she was afraid she was getting weak. Rooney replied, “God help you! Do not get weak ti l l we get home,” and added, “If we go home with, the child, Patrick (his son) will kill us.” Olanoy said, “What about him? I will lear the child.” At Innishmore viaduct Rooney got out of the cart. Putting the child into a bag with a number of stones, he threw it into the river Erne. The jury found him guilty, but- recommended him to mercy. Mr Justice Madden, in passing sentence of death, said he would forward the recommendation to the proper quarter. WAS BUGLER AT WATERLOO. There is now wandering about Shropshire and Denbighshire probably the most interesting old warrior in the world in the personage of John Vaughan, who ha© the unique honour of having been bugler at the famous battle of Waterloo. Vaughan, who has lived under five sovereigns, was born in the Army with the Royal Warwick Regiment. He saw daylight first at the remote date of March 13, 1801. As a mere boy he joined the Army in the reign of King George the Third, serving twenty-nine years with the 17th Lancers. He was bugler at the battle of Waterloo at the age of fourteen years three njonths, and clearly remembers the famous victory. Vaughan served through the Crimean war and the Indian mutiny, whefe he was badly wounded. STAMPING OF FOREIGN WATCHES. An action brought against William Wyatt, a jeweller, by the “Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of the City of London,” at the request of the Board of Trade, in order to ascertain what the law is with reference to the assaying, marking, and stamping of imported gold and silver watch cases, was heard the other day in 'he King’s Bench Division before Mr Justice Channel, who reserved judgment. It was stated by counsel that the defendant is a watchmaker. It was alleged that on 14th March last, watches, of which two were in silver oases and two in gold, were sold, for £7 7s to plaintiff’s agent. None of the watch cases were assayed, stamped, or marked by any duly qualified assay office