LONDON CHAT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10571, 18 January 1896, Page 2

LONDON CHAT.

(Feom Ode Own Cojjrespondent.) London, December 6. ~. ' . . A GALS. Another tremendous gale has raged over Great Britain during the past two days, and even now it is only dying away by degrees. Happily, however, ths loss of life and injury to human beiugg has been very small, nor have the shipwrecks on our coast been nearly so numerous as' is usual when storms of such severity are. experienced. ' "■" Several curious incidents occurred. The wind, getting iuside a conservatory in B«!----gravia, absolutely burst the whole''building into a mere mass of wreckage, which was whirled far and wide.

A milk-cart was not only blown orer, but was also flung bodily on to a passing vehicle, knocking i 63 driver off into the road aud injuring him ssmewhat! severely. A labourer was blown off & scaffold aad was killed on the spot. Many womea and children aud several men waiting alonp the streets were taken off their feet by the'fierce blast, acd several were more or JfS3 injured. One boy staudiog in a balcony was caught np, whirled over the balustrade, and dashed on the pavement beneath, his skull being fractured. A cyclist wag whipped np into the ai- and tnnsed into a hedge, his cycle beinß Emtuhsd and himself much lacerated. A cart-load of hay was turned rijjht over, and fcho driver was blown head foremost over the horse's back, landing on the road in front of tha horse's nose, to that animal's marked astonishment. .Bat I might run on for h-iurs and not exhaust the matvela and.eccentricities of this week's great gale. ■

THK EDUCATION QUESTION, ~ Eduoabiou is the vpxed question of the day in domestic politics. Large capital is being nude of the enormous increase in the'Bcbool rates and of the steady forward march of thab increase. Even to-dny the London School Board ha 3 issued its financial statement demanding an additional three farthings in the pound. On the oijher hand the Church of England and tha Roman Catholic body, from their different view points, claim further State aid for their "^voluntary" schools, and the grave problem has to bu solved by the Salisbury Government. Lord Salisbury doss not hesitate to say that the rat's are e-xcessiva, and ought b-i be diminished. For this bo is fiercely, abused as seeking to impair the standard of English education at, the very time when this most urgently needs improvement in order that England may compete industrially with foreign countries. The feeling grows, however, that there ought to be i some sort of finality, and that to teach drawing and physiology to every street arab is in eooio j degree "piling io up rather too rnountaynions," las Sam Weller says. 16 is believed that th°. Government will propose to vote a million in aid of tiho voluntary schools, and to take another | million of the law tax to relieve the agricultural | interest, tl\e balance of the expected fonr millions surplus beiDg probably, devoted to necessary increases in naval and military expenditure. AS"Cit.O-COLONIAL NOTES. Lord Glasgow's sensational interview with that prize bull at Napier and his Excellency's acrobatic'flight over the fence, received full justice at the hand? of the London papers, aud : llie news was read in society, London, with much interest, not unmixed, 1 am ashamed to say, with some unsaemly mirth, However, everybody was very glad that your respected Governor received no personal injury during hi* remarkable " aerial flight in one act."

There is a newspaper row over the importation of live stock from Australia on account of the excessive mortality and evident suffering' among the unfortunate animals. - The Soqisty for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has tikeii up its parable against lha practice and demanded its suppression by law,' whereat a writer signing himself " Stockwhip " make* his lash crack over the shoulders of the society for " considering brute animals before men." He contends that the ciuses of the mortality and Buffflring "will be removed, and claims th-it the efforts of Australian colonists to meet thf.ir financial obligations ought not to b?. thwarted by irresponsible bodies lite the S.P.C A., tied be winds up with this rather bold sentiment .- "If 50 per cent, of the live stock died on the passage I would boldly say, ' Let them die, so long as tho other 50 ' bring additional relief and ease to a hard-hit community oa the other side,' and so I beliove would all men and women of healthy sympathies."

With rcgird to New Zealand mines there is not a large amount of business bsing done just now in the London mining market. This is no doubt largely owing to the Eastern question being still, unsettled. Moreover, there is not a large amounc of dealings expected to be done this side of the Christmas holidays. It was the general opinion tbat the Paris settlement would be of a disastrous character, bat fortunately the account passed off very satisfactorily without any failure whatever! Markets are considered much stronger, and what business in bring done is of a good class, consisting shiefly of investments rather than of mere speculation or ({ambling. The prevalent opinion in the London Stock Exchange is that when the Eastern question issetWed, and Christmas]over, things will begin to make an upward move, especially if the present abundance of cheap mousy continues., MISCELLANEOUS. All literary Great Britain this week haß been engaged in celebrating the centenary of Thoma3 Cirlyle,' who was born' on December 4, 1795. There was a formal delivery of Carlyle's old house at Chelf e.i to the Cirlyle Memorial Trust, and a,most eloquent and most abmirabte speech from Mr John Morley—by far the most notable feature of the occasion. . . ,

Lord Lorrie htss at last been allowed by his morher-iu-iaw to enter Parliament Hitherto he has hivd to cease.himself in a measure from his natural place in eocief.y, and to be known only as the sou-in-law of the Queen. Into the family circle he never penetrated, and^he has bad to submit to the greatest civil aiiubbir.g that such elevated personages could dcvisis. When ke went over to Ireland some years ayo with the Princess, his wife, the Prince of Wale3,and tho Duke" of Connaughfc, he never once breakfasted with his wifej it not beirg Eoyal etiquette that royalties should parb&ke of that matulinal meal with anyone of- low.r degree. When the train met the party at the pier of Kingstown he essayed to entsr the carriage sst aside for the royalties, when the Prince of Wale 3 said very curtly to him, with a wave of his hand towards another compartment, '• That is your place, my lord." Then when at the cattle show in Dublin a photographer had been requisitioned to take the distinguished group, my Lord of Lome was not included. He had left the sacred circle, and wa3 sitting in the gallery "beside some acquaintances, one of whom said to him, "Why are you not to the front, they will be wanting you." "Not if I know it," was his reply, " I have had eoough of them.' But the opportunity he earnestly desired at one time i or political distinction has come at last, though.perilously late in'the day. It is quite true tbafc the Cziritza is nursing her own baby. The young mother has immense strength of character, and it would seem that she, will rule her slightly yielding husband. How her advanced notions, will fit in with Russiau Imperialism remains to be seen. It 13 to be doubled if the Russian people at large would understand; or appreciate a higher degree of liberty. It is only a very small minority who agitate.

' The Prince of Naples has written a novel, and ib is to ba published in the ordinary manner. It is said to ba romantic and pleasing. Most of our Royal Family have the fad of collecting, each member having her or his own particular fancy. The Daka of York is a philatelist, and has. a valuable collection of stamps. The Prince3S of Wales gathers old Jaoe, and is credited with the possession of £50,000 worth. Princess Bland, the coming bride, has a pasoion for ivory, of which sho owns quite a costly quantity. She has the tusks of the elephants killed by her father, and by her undo of Conoaught. The Duke of S»xe-Coburg collects violins, and the late Daks of Albany had » fad for tapestry. Railway aooi dents hava been alarmingly frequent-of late.. There Reams quite an epidemic of these disasters, which have in no case been due to any abnotmal conditions of weather, or ttaffio, or working, but purely to errors of judgment on tie part of the employees. Several lives liavo been lost and ranch damage has been done. Tha usually immune London and North Western has been tha principal snfferer, or offender, whichever way you like to put it. Suicide still continues an epidemic, and is resorted to on the Emaileah nrovccatino. If a

man finds his monetary affairs looking dull, or a wife detects her husband in a miM flirtation; ' or a maiden's lover has to go ou k j nrney, or a ■ youth'B sweetheart is a little co o him, off each and all of them go and "jump the life to come." Nay, even if a boy is punished at school or a girl is scolded by her mother, o£E he or she or it flies'to revolver, or river, or knife, or cord, or poison ; and then comes the inque.it, followed, of course, by the verdict of "Temporary insanity." Instances of each of such cases have occurred during tha last few days, and doubtless they will have imitators. It is a most unwholesome state of things. Another child hiss been butchered at IsliDgton, and the half-wstted youth Gamble is again arrested on suspicion. This time his victim (a boy of three) waa not quite killed, paying ,- merely bean mutilated with a knife and half ' suffocated. But a little girl narrowly.escaped, on the same day, (Jambie making an attempt " to seize her; and ii now turns on!; that previous to the murder of the poor little boy in October another child was horribly mutilated io circamsfcaooes that throw strong suspicion on thin youth. If these fiendish atrocities can' really be sheeted home to him he will never be safe to be at large, and a lethal chamber would be s the best place for tiim. ■

A further disagreeable oircumstance. is the present asserted prevalsnce of hydrophobia in England, There is. a-growing conviotion that Pa«teurism, so far kb hydrophobia ia concerned, is a mere " fluke." If the treatment influences tha nerves with sufficient vividness , it may, 'succeed, but this cecms its one. real chance. On the other hand it is asserted that the majority of the deaths from hydrophobia are due solely to fright and nervous action.

Now that Lord James, of Hereford, hastaken in band the shipbuilding strike we all , hope for an early settlement of that.very stupid dUpate. But a settlement will not replace lost - profits or lost wages in the pockets of masters ■ i and nieni nor.will it restore the present and ,- prospective trade that may have been lost to. Great Britain,by the tronble. These -labour. disputes ard killing England's commercial ", eupremacy. ■ . ' •

That very divsrtiug farce (us it was in itj original performance) "•Tb.ft New -Boy" ha? just been revived, sco ij drawing good h6u£G3i Hut the revival labours tinder two most serious drawbacks.. No longer does pretty May Pal- , frey—paw Mrs Wae<ion Grossmith—enliven tfca • piece with the ajoat charmingly audacions dictations ever seen on any stage, nor is Mies' -: Esrae Beringer. in the caste. Bath of these attractive actresses are much miosed.

' Plymouth census Southampton, Groat Western versus Soulli-Wvfstem, promises to be' a really good fight. Like the East and Western Coast Northern lines the competitiors are not going to "race." Perish the thought! But they arc going to sse who can deliver the roaHs in London Qtsfc. At present the betting is on the Plymouth roote, which ha 3 160 mile 9of rail in lieu of the ZOO miles or so of sea on the Bonthampton route. It is true that the first; 30 miles of the Great Western line, east of. Plymouth, are frightfnliy severe as to gradient*, still even so I fancy land will beat sea "handa down."

On the 21st will be celebrated the third p.univeraary of "Charley's Auut," when Mr Penley will present to every person in the audificoe a silver souvenir—a matchbox to each gentleman, a bonbotmiere to each lady. These souvenirs cost' 2s 3d each to procure, yet the eagerness to possess relatively worth-, less mementoes of a commonplac« theatrical event is so extraordinary that Mr Fenley finds himself in an awkward fix. He cannot accommodate half or a quarter of the crowd who. want to be present;. Of course tiwy will have ts stop outside. But the odd thing 13 . that a most earnest aud pathetic petition has been sent to Mr Penley by intending occupant? of the pit; and gallery that he will open the theatre for the reception at midday.' They intend to be at the door at least by that time for the 8.30 p.m. psrfoimance, and only ask humbly to be permitted to wait thooo weary hours inside under shelter instead of in the open street expossd to- the wintry weather. Is it not amazing ? Yet it is the simple truth. On the occasion of Mrs Keeley's birthday reception people were waiting before 7 a.m.