OUR LONDON LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9311, 30 December 1891, Page 3

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(JPuoli Oun Own Correspondent.) London*, November 13.

S-DAIZIF.L J_-n SHE BISHOP OF ADELAIDE. I The agency, which Jias been running as a » valTo Reuter, has had ai> ignominious tumble t rer an Australian cable. D.liriels have been t otorious since they started for their wilel state- c lents ami blunders of more or less account. < Nevertheless they have frequently been racy • aud up to date, and appeared to outsiders to f conduct matters in a very different fashion from j the sleepy Reuter. When The Times took up f Dalziel it was considered that his future was assured, Mid certainly the result has been to 1 waken up Renter. This was no doubt the object 1 of the Times, which, by arranging for specials - per Dalziel sought to frighten the monopolists t of Old Jewry. But really the Times has found ■ ihe -.dclaide canard too much. Dalziel an- i nouueed the death of the Bishop of Adelaide, i which was accepted in good faith by everyone ; ] and the supposititious deceased becanio the ] subject of appreciative comment. But Mrs "Walter Severn (known best as a relative of I Buskin) happens to be Mrs Kennion's sister, and Sir James Fergusson happens to be her j Jjrother. Mr Severen therefore telegraphed 1 to Adelaide and immediately discovered the ; news was false. The Times thereupon called _ i npon Dalziel for an explanation and got it. It \': appears that a cable somewhat to this effect r arrived in London; "Bishop Adelaide found ; dead sea serpent." There was a word or so more, but they are of no consequence. The question now was, what this meant. To an outsider it would seem as if it might mean that a man named Bishop, of Adelaide, had discovered a dead sea serpent—another tine large and overripe gooseberry. But this was not good enough for Dalziel, could it mean that -the Bishop of Adelaide had discovered a dead sea. serpent? That were plainly beneath tbe /iignity of the Bauds. No; it must be somcihmg else. Then a happy idea occurred to Dalziel. Why not cut off a word or two and Jsee how it read. We then get two facts : either ■the Bishop of Adelaide has discovered the Dead rSea, or the Bishop of Adelaide has been found dead, according as we stop at the 'Mead" or ilie :xsea." The ** serpent" would prove a little too foolish for the Times. And of two sensational statements choose the best. Hence the startling news that appeared in the Times. 1'oila! A CURIOUS INS!;i*ASCK CASE. JJIr Justice Wills and a special jury havo just disposed of a curious action in which a gentleman who, if I mistake not, was well-known in Christchurch or Dunedin —or both, was a defendant. Major Johu Eustace Jameson sued the Equitable Life Assurance Society of U.S. and M-fton D. Moss for breach of contract and misrepresentation in October 1890 Moton D. JMoss, who was the London representative of ihe Equitable Life Assurance Society, requested the plaintiff to insure his life in the society. The plaintiff refused unless be was made a director of the society. Thereupon, as -allced by the plaintiff, Mr Moss had various interviews and wrote letters to him, and ultimately told him that he would be appointed on the advisory board to -the society at a salary of 1,100 per annum, and afterwards to the executive board of directors at ra salary of L3OO per annum. The defendant, according to the plaintiff's statement, falsely and fraudulently represented to him that it -was a necessary qualification for a seat on the I -advisory board to be insured for 1,10,000, and -for a director on the executive to be insured to the further extent of 1,10,000. In consequence I the plaintiff became insured for 1,10,000, and | paid as first premium LIOB4. Having paid this he was never made a director, and the •society had never appointed him to either the advisory or the executive board. The plaintiff alleged that he insured his hie and paid the premium induced by the false and fraudulent representations of Moss acting for the society. He claimed to recover the LlOS'l he had paid, and L 2500 damages. The Solicitor-general (Sir Edward Clarke, Q.C., •M P ), Mr Atherley Jones, M.P., and .Mr Hans Anderson, appeared for the plaintiff. Sir Charles Russell, Q.C., M.P., and Mr I-note were for the defendant. The plaintiff and Captain H. H. Grenfell having given evidence, his Lordship suggested that this was a case that -jii"bt well be settled amicably. Counsel -iecO'-(F"-*!v had a conference wiih his Lordship in his liiTvate room, as a result of which terms were 'arranged, whereby the company is to repay to the plaintiff the two premiums oi LIOB4 each which he paid, and LIOO in addition

His Lordship said that there was no ground for impeaching the straightforwardness ot the company : but he thought they had done what tbey ought not to do.

THF, I.AHOUI! QUESTION. Sir Tom Mann has declared himself tired of the constant strikes, ami most people will sympathiser with him. At the. same time Mr ?j..-v.\ has not much belief in the good faith of _h< (lock directors and wharfingers, and says so. ■These masters assert that they arc really anxious for the welfare of the men, but "Mr Maim says he knows all about their •"'permanent schemes.'' The schemes are impossible, won't wash, in fact, in the present _rircr;!jistances, an.l labourers don't want a plcn by which 100 men would receive good wages and 1000 starve. Mr Mann has a plan of his own which will do better than that, and though he does not explain it in detail, it would appear to be very comprehensive. By it, we jearn, the work of the Port of London would be

entirely rearranged, and be done quicker, better," an.l cheaper; wbile the men would receive good wages for fewer hours. This is obviously the ideal plan for which we. have all been seeking, and we shall await- its publication most anxiously. Mr .Mann hris forwarded it to Lord Hai-tiugtmi, as president of the Labour Commission. ll b is e.irricd out it will mean the wiping away of the present dock directors aud whr.r fminr-rs and the placing in their- stead of a responsible corporation which would conduit the wjrk for the benefit of the people. It se. nis too good to he true. Also it seems that t'e plan partakes of the nature of State-Socialism, and involves the nationalisation of the docks and wharves. This is a big question, and will take more than Mr Mann's vec .miiieinlatum to carry it into practice. iMe.uiwhile the report "of the New South Wales strike commission has induced rolled ion here as to whether it does not foreshadow the sort of conclusion our own commission will come to. The scheme, of a. Board of Conciliation is generally approved by Tories an.l Radicals alike. The former, however, take co-ni'ort iv the fact that Socialistic remedies are impossible even m Australia, for " not even a minority of the commissioners have anything to say in favour of such nostrums as eight hours' bills," land nationalisation, mtiiiicipilisatioii of the instruments of production, compulsory profit sharing, and the like." Ml! -.IlilSTll* 311'lCIfAV'S AITAIIiS.

I believe that it is owing entirely to the pressure of one creditor that Mr Christie Murray finds himself compelled to take refuge in the"bankruptcy court. Anyhow, there does not seem to be any particular keenness on the part of the creditors, for at the meeting last week only two were present. The debts are put downatLllOO and there are only 1,21 10s to divide between them, ln tlie course of the proceedings a very unpleasant discussion toolplace between the bankrupt and Mr Flegg, the solicitor to the petitioning creditor. The evidence was instructive, if unedifying. According to Mr Murray's statement he has not had a banking account for years, but simply kept his money in his pocket, and used it when necessary—a highly Bohemian state of affairs; LSOO is the sum he received during the last year, and this came to him in driblets, week by week from various sources. He said that he had no interest in any of the Christmas numbers this year, having arrived too late to make any arrangements. All his unfinished stories were literary chips, which an author collected about him, and were valueless. Mr Flegg r "But sometimes chips are solid and can be made of value. Will you hand them over to the official receiver ?" Mr Murray:'' Most assuredly, I will hand him over everything." The Chairman: " They will be valueless to me. I suppose Mr Murray does not consider them worth completing." Mr Murray : " That is so, sir.'' Mr Flegg: "I see. you only account for 10s of the LBOO you received J-"' Mr Murray: "That is so." Mr Flegg: "I see that 'Ned's Chum' was only performed at the Globe Theatre for one night ?" Mr Murray again " That is so." The Chairman-. "Was that for copyright purpose:-"' "No," said the bankrupt blandly, " it was to allow the London managers and critics to sec. it, so that offers might be made for it. If these proceedings had not been commenced against me it might have been made of considerable value." Mr Flegg: "Are you prepared to hand the manuscript of the piece over to tbe official receiver, so that the creditors can make what they can of it ? " Murray :"I am prepared to hand the whole of my property over to the gentleman." Mr Flegg : "Did you see a statement in the public press that these proceedings were the result of a speculative transaction on the part of the petitioning creditor's solicitors 'i " " I did," said Murray, very indignantly, "and you know that you purchased the debt for L 5. I saw tbo transfer, and consider that it was a disgraceful transaction." "I. don't think," remarked the chairman, throwing oil on the troubled waters, "that we need go into this." And here spoke out Murray's solicitor, Mr Alexander Collyer, " J appear for Mr .Murray, sir, and I can assure Mr Flegg that the whole transaction shall be examined into at the public examination; I will take care of that." The Chairman: "_ There is no offer, and a summary order haviug been made, the official receiver will wind up the estate in bankruptcy."

ANGLO-COLONIAL JOTTINGS,

The latest news about Lord Carriiigtou is that he intends to stand as a candidate for the next London County Council in the Progressive interest. This, I presume, is on the recommendation of Lord Rosebery, who was himself a member, as everyone knows. Lord Rosebery is Lord Carrington's cousin, and the ex-gover-nor swears by him. Indeed, 1 have reason to believe that it is out of deference to Lord Rosebery's views that Lord Carrington has abandoned his intention of publishing the story of his governorship. There is, I understand, a definite promise that Lord Carrington shall go to the Colonial office when the Gladstonians return to office. The Key. Jfark Guy Pearse says of the Maoris j—" They are a fine race ;. in intelligence aud quickness they are little inferior to Europeans. The older ones amongst them are almost all tattooed, and even tho younger women tattoo the lips. I asked tho reason of this custom, and the answer was that they thought it made them look such charming corpses. Whilst I stood on the steps of the train, watching them rub noses, which is their sign of greeting, a tall and handsome lady who was standing at my side said to me, 'You seem much interested in the Maoris.' .'Yes,' I replied, ' I am. This is my first sight of them.' To my surprise she said quite calmly, 'My mother was a born Maori.' And then her father joined her, aj) English officer. He had married a Maori. Many of them are very wealthy; and in one instance I was surprised to see a rough Maori building, in_ front of which was placed a handsome bust in Italian marble. It was the bust of a lite chief, and at much expense had been scut from Rome, and placed here amidst the plains and hills of Waipukurau." Mrs Rose, wife cf the Commissioner of Customs for Christchurch, is now in London. Mr Cramer (of Williamson, Garner, and Musgrove) has given up all intention of going back to Australia. He has taken a house for seven years in Hampstead, and has definitely settled in London. Moreover, he is now engaged upon his reminiscences ; that is to say, he is writing au account of the inner workings cf Australian theatrical ami managerial life, as he knew it for 17 years. An Mr Garner has " seen a heap "in that time the book should be worth reading. I have no doubt, too, we shall hear of his investing in London management shortly. Bishop Selwyn is somewhat better, and is mending slowly. The Southern Cross has left Cowes for Jfw Zealand. From what I can gather in theatrical circles here it is thought that Mr George Darrell's contemplated expedition to London with a troop of Australian actors and a pocketful of Australian plays has ended in smoke. It is said that even the Dalys have not made money. . It is definitely arranged that Miss J,el.ue Stewart is to play Susan in "Blue-eyed Susan" when it is produced at the Shat'tsbury in January. Miss Marian Burton, well known to New Zealanders, is also in the cast, and Mr Alfred Plumpton will conduct, so the fair actress will have an opportunity of shining after all. The New Zealand singer, Philip Newbury, has been engaged by Signor Lago, at the Shaftsbiiry, for Italian opera. Mr -I. F. Hogan has an article in the Westminster Review called "The Outlook in Ireland," It is strongly Home Rule. Slavin has got into trouble again. The other day he and a certain dentist, Boutall by name, were found hammering at the doors of a club— the El Dorado—two hours after midnight. As tbey would not be quiet, a constable obtained tlie assistance of another and took them into custody. According to the defence, Boutall had invited Slavin and other men to supper at the club. Tlie door was opened a little, and they were told they couldn't be admitted. While they were expostulating the policeman ran tbem in. Frank Ilhiile the boxer, who was one of the "guests," vowed no^ one was intoxicated, but the inspector at Vino street thought otherwise, and as the policeman said " How could I have run Mr Slavin in if lie hadn't been drunk ■"' so Frank Patrick parted with ss. Sullivan, by the way, having failed to capture the Australians, is going to take it out of the Australian .pugilist. Charles Johnson has issued the following challenge,

after depositing 2500d0l with the New York Herald as forfeit on behalf of Sullivan-.— " I am empowered by Sullivan to arrange a match with Slavin for the championship of the world

for as much money as Slavin can possibly raise. The battle is to take place in America before

some responsible club offering the largest purse, and is to he fought in September or early iv October 1892, under the recognised rules." Johnson has issued tbis challenge in consequence of the receipt of the following letter from Sullivan, dated San Francisco, November 2:—"I wish you to make a match between Slavin and me for September or the middle of October next, for the largest purse offered and an inside bet to the largest amount the other side will put up. All 1 ask is a chance against this fellow Slavin in the ring with gloves. Everybody will then be able to jq-lgo for themselves who is the better man," Johnson says that the light will be conducted under Queensberry rules, and that the winner take all the money.

—The Folk-lore Society of Massachusetts, forsaking its more legitimate objects for the nonce, is arranging with Colonel Gouraud for g series of phonographic records of the "street sounds ef London.'' A photographer is simultaneously to "catch" the characteristic scene, whatever it may be, of which the phonograph "has made a note." 'The photographs, reproduced as lantern slides, and the phonograms should provide an excellent entertainment in New England, ]t is curious how equivalents ot our own well-known proverbs are to he found amongst alien races. Thus, the negroes and the French West Indians have a common saying to the effect that, "You needn't teach an old monkey to make faces," clearly a variation oi onr proverb abont teaching the sucking of eggs to one's gi-aiulmotlier. Another negro proverb is. "You must not tie up a <lu S with a string of sausages."