SCOTLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10240, 24 December 1894, Page 7

SCOTLAND.

(Fkom Our Own Cobrespondent.) Edinburgh, November! LORD SALISBURY IN EDINBURGH.

Scottish Conservatives had a field day in this city two days ago, when the National Union of Conservative Associations for Scotland held their annual conference, and tha Marquis of Salisbury addressed a monster Unionist meeting in the evening. His lordship was staying at Whitfcinghame with his nephew, Mi" A. J. Bslfour, M.F., who was also to have spoken en this occasion, bat was prevented from doing so by a temporary illness, which confined him to bed. Lord Salisbury spoke ia the Empire Palace Theatre, Nicolson street, which was filled by an audience of 4000 persons, including many leading Scotsmen, while a good many ladies'were'aleo'present in the dress and upper circles. On the arrival of the Marquis being heralded by a blast of silver trumpets, he was received with enthusiastic cheering, which was \ renewed with even greater vigour when he rose to spsak. The chair was occupied by Mr GU» mour, of Montrave, preaident of the uniou aforesaid. The Marquis of Salisbury's speech was a direct reply to the one delivered by the Earl of Kogebery at Bradford last week, and hence dealt only with the onasubjsct of tho House of Lords. He characterised Lord Rosebery'a speech as being, not' a progfanime of policy, but a string of conundrums, and said there was nothing in the working of the legislative machinery to justify the Premier ooming down and demanding at ths present time a revolutionary change in the Constitution. ■ The struggle on whioh they were asked to enter would be long aud desperate, and would, while it la3ted, stop t.li legislation for the elevation of the masses. While he did not argue for the maintenance of the House of Lords in its present form, if it was proposed to do away with, a second chamber they were face to face with one of the most serious questions which the British, people bad had to face for centuries. Though the House of Commons had done splendid work iv the past, there was grave danger in giving it uncontrolled power. His Lordship's address, which occupied 85 minutes in delivery, was ! warmly applauded throughout. THE COAL STBIKE. I am glad to be able to record this struggle as being now a thing of the past. In the v/tst of Scotland it lasted 15 weeks, and ia the e»st for two weeks longer. Fife was the bwt district to give in, its union having bsan the beat provided with funds for the contest. The disastrous struggle has proved entirely fruitless, so far as the men are concerned, us they have had to accept the masters' terms, while not a few of them found that there wus no longer any work for them at all. The only people who have benefited are the English miners, who egged oa their Scottish brethren, as the lattar now tee, for purely selfish reasons. The Scottish mining leaders have cut a most sorry figure in the affair, and this is almost its only redeeming feature. As to tho money loss occasioned by the strike, it is not possible to speak with precision, but it must be enormous. The loss in wages to the miners alone is computed as follows :—West of Scotland, £1,010,000; Fife and Clackmannan, £200,000; Lotbians, £80,000; total, £1,290,000. The union fuuds and levies speut amount to £100,000. Thera has also to be taken into accuunt the loss in wages to men of other callings, such as iron and steel workers, whose work was stopped for want of coal. I have seen no estimate of their losb, but it must be very large. During the first 15 weeks of tha strike the exports of eoa.l from Scotland, as compared with the corresponding period of last year, showed a decrease of 2,383,887 tons. II; is feared that some of the export trade is permanently lost to Scotland. Thus ends, in the meantime, the most disastrous industrial struggle in Scottish history. It is to be heped it will not be repeated for a very long time. NEW NOBTH BRIDGE FOR EDINBURGH. The protracted discussions and negotiations in regard to the rebuilding of the North Bridge, which is one of the most prominent, important, and hideous structures in Edinburgh, seeai to be at length nearing a practical issue. The Lord Provost's Committee of the Town Council, which has had the matter ia hand, has recommended the council to accept the offer of Sir William Arrol and Co. to reconstruct the bridge for £81,89*. The new bridge is to consist of three spans oE 175 ft each, with a width of 75ft between the parapets, as compared with 54ft at present. The gradient will be uniform from the post office to the High street, and will be reduced from 1 in 18, as at present, to 1 in 27. ! This will necessitate the taking down of the i neare.it blocks of houses on each side of the j roadway at the south end of the present bridge, j The piors will ba of masonry, but the rest of the struotnre will be of uteel. A really elegant and j commodious North Bridge will be one of the greatest improvements c&rried out in this oity tor many years. Besides facilitating traffic over it, the removal of its present numerous and ] oumbrcms piers will greatly' condnce to ths better working of the Waverley station, which is to bo entirely reconstructed. A number of years muot elapse before this latter , work can be completed, as the railway traffic must be carried on whiln it is in progress, and that means blow work. Whan it is done, however, the gain to the city will be enormous, for at present the railway is nearly strangled in this narrow throat, so to apeak, and most vexatious delays occur in consequence. I mt.y suitably add, in this connection, that the North British railway has just announced that it will rebuild the Waverley bridge at its Own cost, in carrying out the reconstruction of the station, _ The. present bridge will ba too short, and it is intended to replace it by an entirely new structure, both longer and stronger than the present one, and with its piera differently placed to suit the liueß below, but in other respects similar to the present bridge. The work is to ba carried on in such a way that half of the bridge will always be available for use. BtJBNSIANA. The number of visitors during the past year to Buruß's cottage and monument, near Ayr, shows a diminution, which is attributed to the .depression ia trade aad the coal strike.... Tbe

| number who paid for admission to the cottage was 26,721, which is 4-51 less tnun last year. Tha number of visitors to the monument (32,033) also shows p. Blight decrease.'

! The "Auld Brig" of Ayr, immortalised by j Burns, and which is a very reinarkftblo j structure, seeing that it was built ia the J year 1252, has just been strengthened. A brick wsll has bsen built under and around the foundations oE the central pier. These reab upou a frame composed of small logs of oak, which are apparently quite sound still, in spite of their having been under water for so many centuries. The bridge is now used only for foot traffic. At a meeting of tho Bothwell School Board ! it ws3 decided not to ailow Bnrns's " Address ! to a Haggis " to ba included in selections from | Kama's poems for recitation by tho school children in competing for prizes offered by the 1 looal Burns Club. Ono member oE the board said that the poem named " was far too rough | for their children." Another said that while he 1 s considered it a suitable recitation for the Burns I Clnb he did not think it proper for children, j Thrc-o members of the board declined to vote. j WOMEN IN COUNCIL. j The National Union of Women Workers held | a conference in Glasgow for several days of last week, and its sittings were largely attended by ladies froru all parts of the kingdom. At one of the sittings Miss A. W. Riohardson, 8.A., rt-aa a paper oh " latemperancs Among Women." She asserted that the evil was steadily growing, especially among poor women, and that although intempsranae had disappeared from the surface of "society," it was secretly increasing among educated women. These views were controverted by Dr Sophia Jex Blake, of Edinburgh, and Dr Elizabath Paok, of Glasgow, who maintained that alcoholic intemperance was not growing among women of the middle classes, and that the really growing evil among the latter was interaperauce ia tea and coffee. Another lady doctor from London, however, 3aid that her experience was that drinking was increasing among women of the middle class. Other speakers said that when women drank they did uofc consult doctors of their own but of the oilier sex, aud that this accounted for the discrepancy iv the figures given by men and women doctors respectively. Afc another sitting some interesting accounts were given of the student life of women at J Kuglish and Scottish universities. Mrs Campj bull, of Tillichewan, wha presided, stated th»t the women students at Qaeen Margaret's College, Glasgow University, took an active part in all university life. They had debating societies, correspondence classes, a union, and ».n extension guild. A hall of residence had just been founded, and she hoped that & gymnasium might soon be added. EXTRAORDINARY CAB ACCIDENT. A fatal accident of a very peculiar and distressing kind took place in Leith dooka on October 13. Professor Dcwar, of the Royal (Dick) Veterinary College, Bdinburgh, had occasion to go down to Lcith to inspect some j sneep. which had arrived that day from Iceland. S Ha took with him his son, a boy of twelve, and a friend, Mr John Keys, science teacher, CaparHfe. They drove down in a cab to the Albert Dui:k, where the professor accomplished his business, and they then re-entered the cab to return. 1 By that time it was dark, aud tho cabman, losing his way among goods sheds and piles of timber, took a wrong turning and drove down a slip. The horse went over the edge, dragging the cab after him into the dock. The occupants ' did not instantly perceive what had happened, ' but as soon as they did so they broke the window of the cab and managed to get out into the wa-jer. Some men on board tho Dido, an old war.ihip permanently lying in the dook, had 1 witnessed the accident, and threw lifebuoys to the drowning men. Mr Devrar secured one and Mr Keys another, and soon both wero taken on board a boat from a foreign barque. The boy could not be found, but in groping for him in the dark his father came in contact with the uuconscious' body of the cabman. He was pulled out and found to be still alive, but succumbed, before medical aid could arrive. The boy's body was not recoverfed till about two days afterwards. The sud accident caused a great sensation in Leith, and many thousands of persons visited the spot. The cabman was 56 years of age, and has left a widow and grown-up i family. : THE HATtE AND THE CYCLIST. A cyclist who was riding along the Carlyle road from Lockerbie the other night had a str.mge experience. A. hare suddenly started up aud ran in front of him for some distance i within the light of his lamp. It then turnad rouud and made a spring at the lamp, striking tho handle of the bioycle with euch force as to stun itself and nearly throw him off. The man recovered first, and poor "puss" was captured. CARE OP THE INSANE. Edinburgh has long been honourably distinguished in regard to tha treatment of the insane in iC3 asylum at Morningoide—an establishment which has a world-wide celebrity. Of late years i 5 was found necessary to make changes aud extensions, owing to the increase in the number of the patients, and to the fact that the growth of the town caused the asylum grounds to be overlooked by blocks of new houses. Accordingly the Craig House estate, which is only divided by a road from the asylum grdunds, wan acquired, and on it has been erected a splendid building capable of accommodating J 150 putieuts. Two hoapitals and three villas have also been built, and a fourth villa is to : fellow. The grounds cover 60 acres, are beautifully wooded, command magnificent views, i and nan never be overlooked. Ia the internal , details nat merely safety, as in former days, . but comfort and cheerfulness, have been studied ; throughout. The total coafc of the schema is expected to be about £110,000. The ceremony of deoiaring the new building open was performed on October 26 by the Duke : o( Buccleugh, the fourth holder of the title ; wbo has been governor of the institution • since its foundation in 1807. In fact, : tho post has naver yet been occupied ; save by a Duke of Bucoleugh. A large aad . disUoguished company were present oa the , occasion. The most interesting part of the . proceedings was an address on the medical I , aspects of the institution, by Dr Clouston, the | 5 physician superintendent. Referring to im- j pruvements in this medical treatment of persons suffering from mental disease, he said that the I > receat use of thyroid juice had been little short i of miraculous in curing many patients. Passing ; oa to speak of the influence oE light, he said . that as & matter of science they found that -, sunlight aud brightness had an actual physical . effect on the brain of man and woman, just as > much as an electric magnet had on a needlo : neni- it. It stimulated tha circulation of blood • to the brain, and produced a more healthful j feeling than in cases without light. They had, , therefore, in that building, endeavoured to [ take full advantage of that means of cure. Ha , also referred to the ample provision made to ! foster cheerful social intercourse in thabuiidi ings. , Modern civilisation, he added, had r brought them, to a certain extant, certain forraa I of brain trouble, and they therefore called upon . civilisation to undo the evils that it had brought ! in its train. The Duke of Buccleugh, in his ; speech, mentioned that there were only fear j patients in the asylum when it was first opened, ; whereas at the present time the number of j patients was 870. ) NORTH OF SCOTLAND BANK (LIMITED). i The'annual meeting of the shareholders of [ thia bank has just been held in Aberdeen. The f directors' report stated that the net profit for t the year amounted to £38,714-. Oat of this it s wa3 resolved to pay a dividend at the rate oE 6| ( per cent.; to add £12,500 to the reserve fund, I bringing it up to £62,500; and to carry forward ! to next year a balauca of £2030. The deposit 3 and current accounts amounted to £3,542,950, i or £39,604 more than a year ago; aud tha I notes in circulation to £390,317, being an I increase oE £421. BUILDING IN ARIUN. This beautiful island has hitherto been pre--3 served from the incursions of the builder, owing to the Duke of Hamilton, its proprietor, f refusing to allow houses to be built. In this 3 way its rural beauties have been preserved, 5 though visitors have groaned much at having to put up with accommodation of a very primitive '. kind. It is now announced that his Grace haa r granted permission for the feuiog of Kings--3 cross, a pretty locilifcy between Lamlash and f Whiting Bay, and ib ia stated that this i 3 but I; the first of several places which are to be dealt t with in iike manner. A Glasgow firm ot archi--3 tects is preparing the plans in accordance 9 with the Duke's instructions, which direct the erection of "simple, modest houses, a rather than those pretentious villa resi--3 dences which, unfortunately, characterise so many British watering places, and have spoiled j so many naturally beautiful districts." Let us 1 hope that Arran may not become vulgar in s being rendered habitable. t p- HELPING THE CROFTBBS. - Another ducal landlord, the Duke of Suther--1 laud, ia setting a good example ia regard to 3 seeking the welfare o£ his tenants. He has , arranged to meet, on two days a weak, any oE s, them who wish to speak to him. They are to r bo free to make to htm, in person, any comB plaint, or to ask advice or information from 1 him. His Graca has also prepared a scheme by . which industcioun tenants may obtain on r favourable terms additional laud to enlarge ! their existing crofts. Tue basis of value is to t ba tha "fair rents" as fixed by the Crofters' Comiaisaiou, aud the purchase price is to bs (i fixed by mutual agreement, or failing this by ] arbitration. The Duchess of Sutherland has a been conferring with the spinners and weavers { of Rogarfc, giving them practioal hints how to •) adapt their handiwork to the demand in the i south. She promised to give them a loom of c the newest pattern, to provide them with a , teacher, and to give prizes for spinning to the t girls in the schools. OBITUAEY EECORD. t j Mr Donald Beith, W.S., a leading Bdinburgh r lawyer, has died, aged 79. Iv 1869 he became solicitor in Scotland for her Majesty's Woods and Forests, and subsequently acted in a r j similsr capacity for the Treasury, the War j Office, and other Government departments. He 5 had alno a large pcivnto practice. He took an b .active interest iv Frea Church, affairs.

Much regret lias been occasioned by the death of Mr John Russell, assistant editor of " Charnbers's Journal," at the age of 50. He was born as Cupar, was trained as a priutsr at Alloa, mid began life as a bookseller at Tillicoultry. Subsequently ha became editor of the Border Advertiser, OJalashiela, and in 1879 he became connected with "Chambera's Journal." He was an authority on alt matters relating to the Border country, and alike as a writer and as a man was held in the highest esteem. Ha leaves a widow and six daughters. Mr John Nichol, emeritus Professor of English Literature in the University of Glasgow, died in London on October 11, aged 61. Ho was a native of Monfcrose, and was educated at Glasgow and Oxford. Oa the Chair of Literature being instituted at Glasgow in 1861 he was appointed to it, and coatinued to hold tho post till 1889, when ill-health compelled him to resign. His remains were cremated at Wokiag Cemetery. The Key. John CemipbrsH, minister of Monziovaird and Struaß. near Crisff, who was living in Edinburgh, disappeared from his home on October 3, and in spite of a diligont search nothing more was known as to his whereabouts until October 21, when his body was found iv Thriepmuir reservoir, near Balerno. He was 60 years of age, and had held tho charge named for 30 years. He was ono of the shareholders in the City of Glasgow Bank when it failed, and had to pay a large sum in calls. A recent call for some thousands of pounds made upon him by the Assets Company is believed to have unhinged his mind. In this connection I may appropriately note the death of Mr John Stewart, who was chairman of the City of Glasgow Bank when it collapsed. He died in Glasgow about a fortnight ago " at a good ripe age." Mr James Hogg, only aon of "The Ettnck. Shepherd," died ia Edinburgh on October 15, aged 73. He spent a good part of his life in the service of the Oriental Bauk in Calcutta and Ceylon, but retired a good many years ago. He is described as having been a man of kindly and retiring disposition. The Rev. Dr Ramage, a well-known U.P. minister in Glasgow, died there on October 19, uged 79. He began his careec more than 52 years ago iv Kilmarnock, and then laboured in East Campbell street Church in Glasgow. Iv 1856 he formed a new congregation in Borkeley street, Glasgow, cf_ which he continued to be minister up to hi» death, though latterly he had the assistanca of a colleague, and only preached occasionally. As a preacher he was much esteemed. Mr John Guthrie-Smith, ex-Lord Dean of Guild, Glasgow, died suddenly on October 19, at his residence, Mngdock Castle, Milngavie. He was examining a map when a bloodvessel in the head burst, and he died before a doctor could be called in. Mr Guthrie-Smith was 60 years of age, and did a good deal. of useful public work in a quiet way both jn Glasgow and in Stirlingshire, and was highly respected. GENERAL NEWS. The personal estate of the kto Mr William Cox, of Dundee, has been sworn os amounting to £250,758 ; that ot Mr J. J. Barrie, merchant, Dundea, at £125,000 ; that of Mr James Allan, i of Berwick, at £80,6H; and that of, Bdmund • Baxter, W.S., Bdiuburgh, at £30,000. Contract schedules are being prepared for the taking down and rebuilding of the Broomielaw : bridge, Glasgow. i The promoters of tfce scheme for running a line of tramway to the summit of Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, have abondoned the project. A number of social reformers in Glasgow are ■ going to take over tha People's Palace at the i East Eud, and "run "it as a mssio hall of a . proper kind. The prices of admission will be from 2d upwards, and " ladies " will be admitted free on Friday nights, i The crow of the Dundee whaler Terra Nova report having extracted from a whale killed by ' them at the Davis Strait fishing a harpoon bearing the name of the Bo'ness whaler Jean, which was lost in the use 37 years ago A clearance of insanitary nouses in Exchequer ' row, Aberdeen, is to be effected at a cost of £14,325. . The south wall of; Ayr Harbour, from the i Mochrum quay to a spot opposite the stores of Messrs Steel and Flint, is to be rebuilt at a cost of upwards of £21,000. The sum of £5000 has been collected to erect a residence for ijady students attending St. Andrew's University. i In spite of the vast improvements carried out , in Edinburgh in regard to the dwsliings of the poor, there are still 5000 people in this city i living in one-roomed houses. . , Tha steamer Innismore, when loading up with sheep at Bunessan pier, capsized, and over > 100 sheep were drowned. Their carcases were sold for 4s each. i A statue of Sir William Pearce, the eminent shipbuilder, has besn emoted at Govan Cross, and was unveiled by Lord Kelvin on October 6. It is in bronze, and represents the deceased in the act of examining a plan. . A vigorous effort is being made by a section , of the citizens of Aberdeen to secure the return . of councillors who are in favour of the Gothenburg licensing system. A blook of shops in Argyle street, Glasgow, i underneath the Caledonian Railway Company's bridge, is said to be steadily sinking. The 1 Central Underground railway, now in course of construction, runs under the shops. In Glas- , gow street, HiUhead, railway burrowing hits : rendered a tour-storey house unsafe, and the i occupants have had to clear out. i The will of the late Mr John Hope, W.S., ■ of Edinburgh, the well-known temperance , reformer, is to be contested iv the Court of . Session shortly, the petitioners being Mr James , Hope, W.S., and others. The amount at stake I is about a quarter of a million, and more than ; 200 witnesses are to be called. The Provisional Committee of the proposed ; new railway, described in ray last, from Glas- > gow to Newcastle and Manchester, have decided i not to uoe the Caledonian line between Biggar i and Glasgow, but to construct a, new lino via , Lanark, Crossford, and tho south bank of the 1 Clyde, to Hamilton and Glasgow. 1 New coal pits are being reopened in the j Irvine Valley, Aryehira. Among them is one i near Stevenston, which is the first "surface 1 mine" in tha west of Scotland. The coal s hutches run down and up inclinss on an endless • chain, and there is no shaft. Thu works will i strotch below the sea at Ardoer Bay, and the > mine, when fully developed, will be one of the i largest in Scotland. ; The Highland Railway Company has begun I to warm the carriages in some of its principal ; trains by means of steam from the engine. [ Thus far tho system has pcovod very satißi factory, brtt we have ha(| no really cold ) weather this winter as yet. '