TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXX, Issue 3784, 5 July 1899, Page 5

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

ILLNESS IN - CAPTAIN RUSSELL’S FAMILY.'

Very great • sympathy', will he felt .with the Hon Captain’ Russell, Leader of the' Opposition,- when ,It becomes known that ■ dohtihued'rillriess in his family is - giving 'him a great deal of anxiety ,at the present time., ' His medical -advisers have-■ informed Mum that as a result of a recent attack of ty r phoid -it will -, bo necessary That one of his sons shall at once proceed to California. ■ -Ajj- Captain -Russell cannot at this stage, owing to his T political responsibilities,! leave the: colony,. Mrs Russell, who is far.: from. strong herself, will have to accompany their son to his destination. This-will unfortunately necessitate the breaking :up of the household and the- sending of some of the younger members' of the family to boarding, school- for a? time; Captain Russell is at present"absent in Hawke’s Bay making arrangements ,in view of the change Of plans:which has been' thus' necessitated. 1 ' * ' . FEELING IN AFGHANISTAN.' A Router’s representative' had an interview' recently .with Sir Sglter Pyne, who has returned to - England from Afghanistan. Discussing the feeling for Great Britain', Sir Salter remarked : “The Afghans generally are now friendly towards us., MTho animosity against Englishmen, winch .was ..formerly universal, is not now apparent. Collectively, if not perhaps individually, - the Afghans like the English. With regard to the Ameer’s relations with the liovornmont of India, on the whole - they are friendly. The constant stories “of the contemplated despatch of Russian missions, to Kabul are purely mythical. All the years I was in Kabul I never saw a Russian emissary. I will not say that, the Ameer has not! a very high opinion of the might 'of Russia. He has seen it and realises it. He appreciates the autocratic Russian Government, which naturally appeals to him, while he regards the British humane administration as a sign of weakness; but on questions of policy he fully realises tho value of being on good terms with the British.” ■:

CHALLENGE BY A JUDGE.. The Vienna correspondent of tho- London “Standard” wrote a few weeks ago • A duel, of a rather,, unusual kind ° is reported ,to be pending" The .Vienna Town Council has from. time, to time voted large sums towards’the erection of Roman Catholic churches in, Vienna, but recently a Jeiyish'; member of that body disputed the legality , of these votes, and carried his action up to,the Supremo Court of■ Administration, , . which some weeks ago gave,judgment' to the effect that tho application of, municipal funds to. the erection of .churches was contrary to law, tho' use of such churches being confined to oiily. a portion of the population, whereas the' funds must bo applied for the benefit of all citizens alike. This judgment so incensed the Christian Socialist party, a term 'really synonymous with Clerical, that it started an agitation against the Supremo Court, and ■■ Dr Lueger, ' the Burgomaster of Vienna, speaking from his place in tho Lower Austrian Diet, attacked the Court in the most violent terms, actually denouncing the presiding judge as a rascal. The President, of the Diet,. Baron Gudonus, did not cn.ll him to , order, and as it is well known that Dr Lueger never accepts a challenge, Dr von Heiterer, the judge in question, has sent his seconds to Baron Gudenus, whom' he holds responsible for the insult. WAYS THAT ARE; DARK. : The following letter read by Mr John Holmes in the course’of his address to the Wellington Industrial Society last night may be allowed to speak for itself :—“Springfield, V] strqet, n Lancaster, January 9th, 1899. John Holmes,

Esq. Dear Sir,—You will remember when you visited England I met you at a Liverpool hotel, and we had a iconversation on the New Zealand mutton trade, I specially mentioned that I had frequently tendered for the supply of Canterbury mutton, but had not been successful, and was just about to Render again to the firm that had previously rejected my tender. I did so, hut it was not accepted. A Liverpool firm got tho contract for Canterbury mutton. I was determined to watch their deliveries, and I discovered that tho mutton was none other than River Plate. At the expiration of the contract I privately exposed the fraud to tho receivers, and the result was that when the contract was re-let they debarred this firm from competing. I tendered again, hut was unsuccessful, another Liverpool firm having preference to supply Canterbury mutton at 3.\d per lb. I have also watched this, and I am .suspicious that this so-call-ed Canterbury is nothing but River Plate, with false labels and wrappers, stamped “Canterbury.” Of course, I am not in a position to prove this, and I appeal to you to put me in the way of discovering the genuine brand, and give mo some information respecting it. lam sure this cannot fail to interest you, .as it will give some idea as to wliat extent this fraud is being carried on in this corner of the. globe. You will observe that I have not been idle since we parted, and I hope that before long I shall have the pleasure of supplying some of tho consumers of River Plate with the genuine article.— I bog to remain, yours sincerely, John Earnshaw.”