OUR LONDON LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9148, 22 June 1891, Page 3

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(Fhom Odh. Own Correspondent.) London, May 16. STIiICTUItKS ON TUB COLONIES. A writer in the St. James' Gazette deals [ somewhat severely with the colonial finances iv an article entitled " Colonies a Little out of Repair." Tho critic opines that "us there does uot appear to bo extant iv South Australia auy statesman or financier capable of telling .i.hand the difl'orenco between a deficit and a surplus, this mishap (ie., failure of tho loau) will cause but 6ubdued rogrefc there." It is possible, he thinks, that the recent failure of Victoria to raise her £3,000,000 was partly duo to offence taken by the banks and syndicates, but ho wonld attribute it largely also to tho decay of the company and lo.n-promotiug business of lato in London. " But why," he asks, " havo Victoriau 8_- per cents, declined from 103 too 7-£-? Why has a temporary blight fallen upon tho credit of tho colony?" Why, it seems that there has beon too much unpleasant criticism on the Australian colonies this year. Mr Fortescuo, in his paper in the Nineteenth Century called " The Seamy Sido of Australia," is alarmist and despondent. Once or twice he hazards tho word " repudiation.". Voila! It appears that wo aro n little afraid on this sido of tho drift of the public mind out yonder. Where is the current sweeping you ? Whero will you fetch up? There are omens, we reQect, in those labour movements—the 21 members returned to the House of Representatives at Wellington, tho changes in Victoria and Queensland. If " labor omnia vincit," as on the struggling course of time seems only too probable, will it mako any difference to oolonial security ? It will, oue would swear by all one reads and hears, to colonial credit. And yet this is the moment chosen by the Agent3*general and Sir Charles Tupper to press Lord; Knutsford for an answer in the matter of tiro trust funds investments. We have been waiting a long timo for some decision. Heaven knows when we began to expect it! But at last soraothingdefinitive (weare assured) has come out of the delicate negotiations. One would like precisely to know what that something is, for it would be odd if Lord Knutsford had chosen tho moment of Victoria's lamentable failure to yield to the demands of the grey-bearded_ agents. There was, we aro informed, considerable discussion, and the result was that " there is now every prospect of a satisfactory adjustment of tho question in practical accordance with the views of the colonies." Thus the newspapers. But this wordily _ expressed sentiment does not meet with the sanction and approval of many. One Tory organ desires to " commend to the attention of shallow optimists liko Sir George Baden-Powell (who has recently been arguing tbat British trustees should be permitted to invest in Colonial securities) tho prudent conduct of the New Zsaland Government. Rather than, increase the colony's indebtedness, which has long been a drain upon its great but still undeveloped, internal resources, Ministers have decided to take further steps towards retrenchment. Already they had cut down expenditure by some £300,000 per annum, and this handsome economy is now to be increased by another 10 per cent. The example of New Zealand should be followed by the Australian colonies: will be followed, indeed, if the Governments only lay to heart the lesson taught by the recent failure of the last Victorian loan. When the colonial administrators have entered on a course of steady retrenchment it will be timo for us to coneider whether their securities should be made available for the investment of trust funds," ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. Mr Patchett Martin is engaged upon a new book which should be of considerable interest to colonials. It is to comprise an account of tho Governorship of Lord Carrington in New South Wales, and is to be prefaced by a lengthy discourse upou the new era of colonial Governors, the fresh policy of the Colonial Office, and other points of concern to Anglo-colonials. The history of the five years' rule of Lord Carrington is to be compiled carefully from official documents aud papers supplied by the exGovernor himself. Messrs Hutchinson and Co. will publish the book. I bear that Lord Carrington has his eye upon the reversion of tbo Colonial Secretaryship in the uext Gladstonian Administration. With this prize before him the years in Sydney may bs considered well spent. MrHenuiker Heaton (poor man) has had a bad time with influenza and it 3 concomitant lomplications. But ho is now recovering (uietly, and will be able to return to his parlianentary duties, it is hoped, when the House leets after the Whitsuntide rccsss.

called upon him on the 27th ult. Ho arranged with the count to go to see tho prisoner at Storey's Hotel, aud to witnesa an experiment performed by him. Tho accused occupied rooma on the grouud floor of the hotel, and on arriving thero tbe count introduced witness to Pinter. They went iuto tho bedroom of tho prisoner, who represented that by a certain process he could melt a sovereign, and by adding certain materials make it into two sovereigns aud a-half. In fact, he represented that ho had found tho philosopher's stone—(Lauijkfcer.) Tho accused, prior to performing tho experimeut, told witness that before tho gold wus fused it would havo to remain in a certain acid for 18 days. The prisoner then placed one sovereign in a crucible, added a certain amouut ol black powder and other ingredients, aud set light to several liquid , which caused a horrible smell. Ho put the crucible ia a gas furnace, and after it had b.cn thero for about an hour it was removed, broken, and found to contain a nugget of gold weighing about l.ilwt, being nearly threo times tho weight of n sovereign. Tho witness sent tho nugget to Messrs Johnson and Matthey to havo it assayed, tbe result boing that it was returned as beiug between 21 cud 22 carat gold. Not beiDg satitfied, witness had tbe nugget melted, aud again sent it to Messrs Johnson and Matthey, who certified as before with regard to its quality. The iollowiug day tho prisonor called upou him and proposed that the witness should deposit £10,000 in a tank that was to bo filled with a certain acid, tho composition of which was a secret. Tha money was to bo left in it for 18 days, thou it was to bo put into a largo furnace sloug with certain powders and melted. When the process was over it was represented that tho £40,000 would be turned iuto nearly £100,000. The prisoner said that iv order to carry out (he experiment it would be necessary to take a house or a large room, and that if anybedy entered the apartment while the operation was going on he would be killed by the noxious vapours that would emacato from the stuif. He added that they were co poisonous that thoy would kill even a horse.—(Laughter,] Prosecutor said ho would think over the proposal, and suggested that, instead of using sovereign, bars ot gold should ba used. Piut6r replied that bar gold would not do, as he had based his calculations upon sovereigns. An appointment was made to carry out a second experiment on the following Monday at the prosecutor's workshop in Tysoe street Clerkenwell, in the presence of Count Kearney, the witness, and several of his assistants. In the meantime the authorities of Scotland yard were communicated with, and, while the experiment was being performed a second time, Inspectors Swanson and Froest were concealed on the premises. The same process was gone through at Tysoe street, with the exception that instead of one sovereign being used, 20 sovereigns wero put into the crucible. The prisoner (to the magistrate Can the law of England make mo prove tha

can make gold? Mr Hannay: No. The prisoner: Then I do not propose to tell my secret. Iv cross-examination by the accused, the prosecutor said he did not believe in the genuineness of the experiments he saw. He had said that the accused was either a swindler or a madman. The prisoner: Did you uot leave me alone in your shop when it contained jewellery and diamonds worth millions of money ? The prosecutor: No, I did net; you wore under tha observation of an sssistant, who was concealed on ihe premises.—(Laughter.) At this stage Mr Hannay remanded the prisoner, who was well dressed and spoke with a foreign accent, for a week,

LIEUTENANT GRANT'S EXPLOIT.

The Times correspondent gives a brief summary of the account given by Lieutenant Grant, who is now well, of the work of his little force.—"He left Tamu on March 28 with 50 Punjaubee Sepoys of the 12ih Burmah Regiment and 40 men of the 43rd Goorkhas. Tbe former were armed with Saiders, aud carried 150 rounds each, but the latter had Martinis and only 50 rounds each. Fighting bsgan within a few miles of Tamu, and continued till the force reached Thobal on the 30th. Tbere Lieutenant Grant entrenched himself in some deserted compounds, and held ont asainst the entire Manipuri army till April 7, when a peremptory order of recall reached him. The Manipuris opened negotiations several times, and tried to induce him to withdraw, Mr Williams, their only European prisoner, being employed as a messenger on oae occasion. Lieutenant Grant made a point of receiving the emissaries at some distance from the position, in order to conceal the smallnesa of the force, aud he represented himself as Colonel Howlett, borrowing two stars from a Jemadar's shoulder strap to carry out the ruse. It deceived Mr Williams as well as the Manipuris, and effectually prevented the only danger which Lieutenant Grant feared—namely, an attempt to rush the camp by an overwhelming force. To all messages he replied that he would not withdraw unless all the prisoners were released, and an officer of high rank was sent as a hostage. He describes the Manipuris as arrant cowards. Even when tbey brought guns and began to sholl him they soon retreated on finding the gunners picked off by the fire from the Martinis. His loss only amounted to ono killed anil two Sepoys and oue muleteer wounded. Lieutenant Grant attributes his success to the magnificent courage and coolness of the men, both Punjabis aud Goorkha?."