OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10625, 21 March 1896, Page 3

OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

(Fbom Our Own Cobbesfondbnt.) San Francisco, February 7. ronD dunbaven's charges. Although the press of this country had long Eince passed judgment upon the above and assailed Dunraven with every choice epithet known to the editorial vocabulary, it was not until the 31st ult. that any authoritative i decision wa3 given to the world by the only' ones qualified to judge. And tho verdict of the Investigating Committee, whilst completely exonerating Mr Iselin and those immediately connected with him in the famous yachting fiasco, does not indulge in any tirades of invective against Dunraven, but, on the contrary ,•• lets his Lordship down remarkably soft. The charges brought by the Earl were, as some of your readers may recall, that the yacht Defender waa surreptitiously loaded so as to sink her 4-in deeper in the w&ter; that she sailed in that condition the first day ; th»t immediately after the race the ballast was secretly removed so that when measured the next day no discrepancy was found to exist between the two Measurements; and upon these the committee reports:— "After a careful consideration of the whole case, the committee is unanimously of the opinion that the charge made by Lord Dunraven had its origin in a mistake ; that it is not only not sustained by the evidence, bat is completely disproved, and that all the circumstances indicated by him aa giving rise to his suspicions are entirely and satisfactorily explained. It deems it, therefore, but just to Mr Iseiin and the gentlemen concerned with him that the committee should express emphatically its convicbion that nothing whatever occurred in connection with the race in question that casts tha least suspicion upon the integrity or propriety of their conduct, and the committee is not willing to doubt that if Lord Dunraven had remained present throughout the in- ' veetigation so as to have heard all the evidence that was introduced he would, of his own motion, have withdrawn a charge that was so plainly founded upon mistake, and that has been so unfortunate in the publicity it has attained aod the feeling to which it has given ! rise." Up to this hoar oE writing no apology has been forthcoming from the Englishman expressing regret at the action he has pursued, and,although the St. Jomes'sGnzotte's peculiarly loud demands that the Earl does so apologise are quoted with marked approval by the press here, I doubt if time will bring anything more substantial from the hero of the hubbub than a mild expression of regret, if it brings even that. THE SOCIAL WORLD. After the pomp, glitter, and publicity of the marriage of Miss Consuelo Vanderbilt to his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, it seems rather far-fetched, not to say classically severe, that Mrs W. K. Vanderbilt, mother of the latest American addition to the British peerage, Bhould, in the cold grey mist of early dawn, hie her to the sombre and formal offices of New York's mayor, there to be bound by that official once more in those bonds that are so secure that nothing but a divorce—private if possible—can sever them. The happy groom was Mr 0. H. P. Belmont — himself a rich man among the rich, a proud roan among the proud, and a divorced man among many who have travelled the same worn path. Therefore Mr Belmont is not altogether destitute of romance. True, he hardly comes up to the Tennyeocian ideal: To live sweet life in purest chastity; , Te love one only, and to cleave to her. But then Tennyson ia dead, and his views of life and conduct shoekicgly oM-f&ahioned. Nowadays, to count one's wives or husbands as we count oar rings aad finders is the correct thing, and society, like Mrs F. H. Burnett, Amelie Rives, and Mrs Craigie, always does th« correct thing.

But, bsiog married, the most important question of all confronted tbe happy couple— Can we capture society ? Will it receive ua ? Where are we at ? Nifcnrally such important phases of this great social avent cansed a visible tremor from Blenheim Palace to Twenty-fifth avenue, New York. Clearly, society would split again. Again would the exclusiveness and refinements of. the four hundred be proclaimed to the vulgar millions ; and the vulgar millions, with haud placed scoop fashion at the baslt of" its big ear, and with a leer upon its open mouth, stooped forward to listen. And thia is what the vulgar heard. Willie K.—that's the firsb husband, yon know—was very weak. "It was an insult to him; why, bless you, she's my wife, isn't she ? and—and—why, it's shocking! so indelicate !" &e., &c. And society smiled approvingly and said: "Willie, it's your turn now; you must marry ! " " Bless me," cried little, stocky, under-sized, over fed Willie K., " bless me, I didn't think of that, but so I will! " And at once, as by inspiration, the papers carried the news from the Bowery to Barbary Coast that Mr William K. Vanderbilt would shortly lead to the altar Misa Amy Bend, an heiress, a beauty, a social light, an accomplished la-iy, an everything and anything. This, obviously, had to be dsnied two days after, and the world was kept busy wondering who he would marry, for, of course, if he married, he must marry somebody—even society recognised that. So we went to London for the news, and Vanity Fair assured an expectant republic that the Duchess of Manchester was the fortunate woman. At first there seemed to be BOme truth in this report, for it was well known to everybody who knows anything at all that there was r. time when it was freely whispered th&t had not, &c, &c, certain other things, &0., &c, &o. ; and so society logically concluded it had struck oil at last, when who should come ont with an authoritative denial of the whole business, coupled with the additional information that no marriage of any kind, or with anybody, was contemplated, but Mr Willie K. himself. " Ob, the mean fellow; for did not Mrs So-and-So solemnly assure me with her own lips, but the other night, that she hid it on the very," &c, &c., &c. Acd so scandals and rumours live, thrive, die.

It seems true, however, that the newlymarried coaple will be snubbed by many. The bridegroom's brother gave a magnificent reception at his New York house a few days after the legal ceremony, and ostentatiously invited Mr W. K. Vauderbilt, but as ostentatiously did not invite Mr and Sirs Belmonfc—and so the gossips are kept well and busy.

Old scandals also loom up. It is rumoured that William Astor's daughter, Mrs Colemin Drayton, and her husband ars to be reconciled. It is nearly four v«ars ago since half Europe and America were laughing at the angry husband, and the craven lover, and the band of titled roues, debauchees, and rascals who constituted a "court of honour" to decide whether the alleged lover ought or ought not to meet the tame but talkative husbaud in a duel. Some have passed to their final rest since than, notably Millbank—the English adventurer, —others linger on the stage, and, now, when severed hearts are being drawn together, the kind and considerate newspapers are rehearsing with gusto the old stories and old lies for the benefit of a race that knows Dot Joseph.

Yonng Macksy's body has baen brought from Paris, amid all the gorgeous paraphernalia that wealth can give, aud laid in Greenwood vault, Brooklyn. A chapel was fitted up on board La Tourraine specially to hold the casket, which rested on a standard covered with white draperies. Fresh flowers were kept on the bier throughout the voyage, and two French undertakers accompanied the body across the ocean. In death aa in life the overpowering influence of money was apparent, and the body of the young millionaire rests as far apart from the common people now as it ever lived in life. Death does not level all. The distinction is as clearly marked, and the prejudices of life as plainly proclaimed—" You are not in our set"— now wnen the spirit's gone, as when, amid the trappings of furs and silks and jewels, Dives and his kind swept on to their palaces. NOTES AND COMMENTS. Hall-Caine, in hie report to the Society of British Authors, affirms, and I think truly, that if ever war eventuates between the United States and England the cause will be through some act of Canada's. It is asserted that every schoolhouse in Canada has, since the war scare, bean given a coat of orange paint. For weeks past the columns of the daily press have been filled with the arguments of the representatives of A P.A.-ism and the Catholic Church upon the relations of the latter to the State and the doctrines it maintains. Father Yorko and Dr Wendle (Unitarian, aud the editor of the A.P.A. magazine) have been the chief contestants, and the papers have thrown their columns open to them. In addition, public meetings are being held, hot and bitter language has been indulged iu, and there seems some prospect of a more than literary or wordy contest before the next election.

Senator Tillman referred in the Senate to Cleveland as follows :—" In the entire history of this country the high office of President has never been so prostituted, aud never has the appointing power been so abused. Claiming to be the apostle of civil service reform, he has debauched the civil service by making appointments only of those whose, sponsors would surrender their manhood, aud, with bated breath, walk with submissive h<tad iu his presence. With relentless purpose he has ignored his oath of office to uphold and obey tbe law, and has paid out gold instead of coin, and issued bonds to buy more gold, by both actions overriding the law, and giving no heed to the interests of any but moneyed triends—l might say his owners or partners. While to this besotted tyrant coin has come to mean gold alone," &c, &c. Of course this is all unmitigated bunkum, but it shows the politician in his warpaint.

John Li. SuUivan, whilst drank, walked off a train into a ditch and some ice. Unfortunately ha was not killed. Truly the ways of an overruling Providence ate difficult ta fathom.

Nicola Te3ta, the electrician, is said to have invented an apparatus with which it is possible to cure any organic disease, including cossamption. No one need, now, die exwipS from old age or consumption. Tha ide& is not generally accepted as probable by experts. The cablegram from New York to tha New Zealand press that'the President's celebrated message on Venezuelan affnirs "is gecerally denounced as the crime of the century" may be truthfully described as "tha lie of the century." No more popular message ever emanated from any President. The Faculty Council, of Kansas University, refused to permit Ingersoll to address tho stadentß on the subject of " Law." Ingersoll took the refusal quite philosophically. The latest thing in American freaks was a baby who,, at the mature age of six hours, cried oat, " Oh, Lord! " three timed, and " Oh, mamma! " thrice. Then it died. The attendant physician vouches for the accuracy of the tale.

The members of Congress have not yet forgiven, nor forgotten, Ambassador Bayard and his criticisms on American politics. The Honao Committee on Foreign Affairs in determined to get at him if possible, ami resolutions varying from censure to a peremptory dismissal are to be submitted to the House. I don't think anything will come out of them. Dr Brown's case is still the source of muob. discussion, and the reverend gentleman has so far bowed to public feeling as to refrain from preaching until the various charges and assertions have beau proved falsa or true.