SCOTLAND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11195, 18 August 1898, Page 2

SCOTLAND

: » j (From Our Own Correspondent.) EDINBURGH, June "30. SCOTTISH HONOURS TO LORDS WOLSELE7 AND , LISTER. I' War and medicine are two professions which Scotsmen delight to honour, and they ' have recently been gratifying their predilections by conferring civic honours tipon the two noblemen above-named. Lord * Wolseley on 14th June was welcomed at Dumfries, where he received the freedom of. the burgh, and afterwards opened a volunteer bazaar. At the latter ceremony he made a long-and interesting speech, in which he referred to a number of his predecessors on the burgess roll. Among these was Car- .. lyle, regarding whom he told -',an amusing story. Be asked the " Sage of Chelsea ' what he thought of the British Parliament. In reply Carlyle " hissed out between his teeth with' that accent which proclaimed that he came from the north of the Tweed—, , "Six hundred otalking asses.'" O,f',anot^.f; /Dumfries,, burgess, '.Sir; John jVtftove, ~Lprd /.Wolseley s^ioke in the most eulogistic terms,. :-and saidl that, if he lived if.-is almost .-•■certain-''he would have-been- the^great-com- '■ -mander in the Peninsular War,-'arid it was' 'cjuite,pjbssible the name of the Duke of Wellington might never have been beard of. Referring to the volunteers,; Lord Wolseley said he was convinced that but for its torma- ! .i tion- some system of .'compulsory military \ service, similar to those in operation on the | :Continent, would have been established in .this country. As it, ."was, however, he believed that this country would, always be j , able to botain sufficient soldier* without hay--in? recourse,.to any such system, provided. ; that sufficient inducement were offered to working men to enlist in the army i •In the.evening Lord Wolseley proceeded | 'to Edinburgh, where on the following day i he reviewed..,the troops in garwson. _i.n. the district in the Queen's Pack. .In thp after- j noon.he and Lord Lister were presented with the freedom of the city in the presence of a. brilliant, assemblage in the new M'Ewen j .Hall- of. the university. Lord, Wolseley made but. a- short speech on this occasion; Lord Lister, in acknowledging the honour* conferred upon him, said that highly as he ; esteemed it, he-regarded that and all worldly 1 distinctions ?as nothing in comparison- with' | •the hope'that he might hnve been ah? means ; ;of reducing in some degree the sum r.f hmin | misery. Before his return to London, Lord Lister was entertained by the .members of ;his profession... in , Edinburgh, under the .auspices/of the^Royal.^College of Surgeons,.. i■' ..-.>..-' DEFENCE OF TtJE.'CLYDEi.V ■•.■ -~ : ' ';; An influential ■: deputation, representing '■%h6 cdtpotat.ioris and- other public-bodies •■>{ i'Gla'sgoV,. G-reeripck,';: 'and<-..other■• to^'Xs ■on j the.Cl^dfe,- h&d $7 interVie';w Svith t'iie Miirii qu{s' of Lansdowne,: the Secretary of ■'■State for .War, on June 24, with.respect to the question .of the: more efficient protection; of the. upper- part of the Firth of-Clyde.--The., proceedings have-not been published, but ■'■..it is stated that Lord Lansdowne gave the deputation a cordial,- not to say syrnpa- j ~thetic yecep.tion. 'It was alleged that at the ; ■ present time ,tlje Clyde was, so inadequately defended that a single, armed cruiser could go up to Glasgow anddestroy all the battle- ; ship's .on. the -stocks' in-.-the shipbuilding "yards.' It Was also'stated that for want of j 'a proper,dock for war vessels at Greenock, i I H.jv£S.,Benbow,:the Clyde guardship, had had to go to the South of England for re- < pairs, w.hich was. a scandal,'to such a, ship-. buildinc centre as the. Clyde.- -Lol'd Lansdowrie admitted' that owing to the increased range ,of modern' cannon and -other things,, ■ the'situation was-changed-since it was re-i ported, upon ■.by .la"' skilled''commission a \ . number of -years ago, and he prorriised to.j have., the- question again carefully, exairi'iried..- ---:■ into by.'experts.- .'.;.. > -.! > ■ . TRAtiB. AND.'INDUSTRY. : ' 1 Owing to the collapse of the American wheat "cornei),". the1 price; of bread has fallen ■ l^d.per "41b loaf 'in Scbtland,, and 'now stands ( at,-6cL. ■■* the .relief [to the poor is great..,;'.; ;> i The" passenger trade between-America andj Scotland-is,suffering verymuch tbrough,tb.e., wM lr;/Ifi'''.conse4ite'nce ■■of-',this tb.e:-'€ity.,..o.f<fi ' RoW, tje'-largeststeainei''running' between the Clyde atiif.tjbe" United 1 Stat'es.-hais ju-sV : be^vlajdi^Eiy-'it^nybe^^jd^ypa^for the"} Scottish; hotels. '..'',. "'. ■■••;■■;■ -. ;.■ -j -On the other: hand the. shipbuilding lndus- , try;;is 'exceedingly .notwithstanding, .. 'that builders", have advanced ■ ;theic;i;.ratpa- ;- from 10 tp'lSifpercent. The opening up of Chjinals;expected to'lead-to'4 large demand. i for-'new^steamers,' bpth'fqr ocean and river-; ; traffic.:' tfibgi^de.,.¥r%np.OTially,,-bflsy ,^ith'' ■■ ttielconstructipn Qf;fle'\?;:^Birships. .A,second- r classc orujsei;- of" 56QP tons and 10,000 horse-^ power was launched .-this .month.-by- the ; * Fairfieiu':ICb!y and was christened' the High-i flyer!: She will-carry* 32' guns and two sub. \ merge'd.iorpedt) tubes, arid will be a very j swift.'^essel.•'.';...■->■,■;:•:•.:'.r.-.,.i'-.. : ~."■■£.<. .'- T ',' i Another .Dundee firm, that of Ross, Insh, 1 andi Ker, yarn .merchants and .Bleachers,,. Douglasfield Works, has suspended payment, owing t6 recent heavy losses by bad debts.'. i Tliel(rarqui.s' of Huntly ism. the .Bank-.;. i ruptcy Court in'Eng'larid. He complains that 1 undue pressure,of,his creditors. has brought ; I him1 to,this. •., ... ~. ~; ■' ! t The locomotive manufacturing industry, I which' is now a very important .one,,in.Glas-.. gow is in a very'thriving condition at. pre : sent. India', in -particiilar,-has been send-. me; large:' orders for locoilotives, including ; 30 for the Ivizam's, State.rail ways. , -'. ; The?Hebridean,herring fishery has been ■ doing remarkably well, especially at Storno--way, "where the record total catch of. 20.UUU crans in cme'weelc has just been effected. ,; The boomiin whisky manufacturing con- | tiiiues.unabated. 'In the Glenlivet district j ! alone the distilleries Have increased»from ii. j ! to- 46 in)the last; five years, and. it is ex- ; pected their produce ior 1898 will amount to 8A million gallons. Distilleries are also some up in many, other places over a,wide area, and: the price of fensfor their sites has also risen frdni £6 to ijdi per acre, even, when .the■,land;,is,otherwise.. worthless. ■If m refuse^iproducts';, cqjiia'. ! ,be ( ,;g6f v/ nd ;.o.;l cheaply V still rmbre.idißtilleries would , go,, up,.-.j fhe*Ctr'eat' N-Ortliern -of Scotland yraiUray/is:.! f*r'ea:tly"^n?fiting byrthe. boom, .while the,.; trade of Elgi'n'haslncreased' immensely..; Us-; barley ;..niarliet',-■ for''''instance, 'is now -the■■ largest :in Scotland,, after that of Edin-, I burgh.- ■-;■- •■•■■ V i | .««■ THE QTTEEN-AT A CIRCTJS. . ....,„ [ :Her-Majesty has been reviving her acquaintance with an amusement of her earlier years, by. witnessing a circus entertainment at Balmoral. A large marquee was pitched for the-occasion upon a liaugh outside the grounds of Balmoral, where the Braemar Gathering has more than once been held. The tenantry on the estates of Balmoral, [ Abergeldieratld Birkhall had a holiday, and j assembled in force, "with their wives and children. The circus, w.hich was Sanger's, j came by special train from Aberdeen to | ■Ballater. Her Majesty was accompanied ' by a nrimb'erof royal ladies, including Prin- ( cess Henry' :of■.■■Prussia. The performance, which 'was .of' the usual'description, was ( well-nigh marked by ; a serious accident. ■ A "clairvoyant and talking horse" was I being led into the ring to go. through its | tricks; when it bolted and made for the open field, where it'rushed-up and down at a tremendous' speed, and twice charged through the. Queen's horses, . These had been unyoked from the carriage, and the grooms*:managed to control them, though with difficulty, and the delinquent animal was at length captured and led away in disgrace. Soon .aftenvards..a pony emulated its badiexamp'ie.ybu^ did ':'ri6 harm,':and only added"'ito the:,generaL ; amusement.' It is doubtful, however, if her Majesty will again expose herself ta such risks. The incident caused Tib little; cqnsternution to ter. attend-: ants and the'entire comparty present. ■•" ' ",''.*. '•" EPIDEMICS OP MEASLES ' This disease is one of the chief foes to public education in Scotland, and is almost always cau'sirig.the shutting up of the schools in some place or other. Paisley has just appointed a lady sanitary inspector to visit :in the houses of,, infected families and see. that proper. precautions are being taken to pr'ey'ens the spread of the disease. In the. Ediriblirgh Town Council, Bailie Pollard, convener of the Health Committee, has been sounding a warning . note ir regard to ineaisles.. He said: that their whole experience in'connection with it in Edinburgh went to1 show t,ha,t, whereas people regarded it as much less serious than scarlet fever, and had much less dread of it, it had been proved to- be a more fatal disease than scarlet : fever. He desired to impress upon the pub- ; lie tha.t..it was a disease to be avoided by all j possible means', and when it had been con- ' tracted, to be carefully guarded against and watched. He added.that there had of late; been some very distressing cases of measles | in Edinburgh. ~..-•■ A CHAIBOF. FT3BLIC HEALTH. The neceisary preliminaries for the institution of the Bruce and John Usher Chair ; of Public Health in the University of Edin : burgh Being now completed, the; appointmefi t y of.-the- first professor is to take place oii .th'e:lßi;h ' July. '"'A benefactor of the.

university " has liberally supplied the funds required to build and equip a laboratory and class-room in connection with the chair, so that it will start under very favourable circumstances. If a good appointment to it is made, it may be of the greatest service to the community, and not-be v costly farce j like one or two other chairs in the university. For instance, the Chair of Fine Art had only two students last session ; and the Chair of Celtic Language and Literature, which Professor Blackie made such a stir about, had only one student, and the Chair ;of Geology was not much better than these. Public Health, however, is a subject whicft is likely to attract more students. FATAL ACCIDENT ON TBE Q/UKEN'S TRAIN Her Majesty1 left Balmoral for' England on June 21, and her. usually' uneventful journey was/on this occasion marred by a ■ lamentable accident. The Royal- train .hadjust left Aberdeen, .about 5.30 p.m., drawn by two of the Caledonian Company's spleiv did new engines of what is known-as-the " Dunalastair" type, which have attracted much notice among railway engineers throughout, the kingdom and on the Con-, 't-inent, ,i,.On passing* Cove station,,'tjayid', i Fen.wick:, „ the driyer o( ' the .second, .'.engines'; .! noticed;.that the communicating cQi:d, n^acl.. .become twisted, and heclinihed-upv on. the . tendefHo put it right,. ,-As lie whs doing iso// ■his head struck a bridge.and half of.his'skull.; ; was sliced off. His fireman signalled to the j leading engine, on which Mr M'Donald, as- i j Risianfc locomotive superintendent of the ; line,.-was riding. He made bis way to the I rear engine, and drove ijj. to, Perth. . Speed j was not slackened. ,and the. accident was kept from:the knowledge of the Royal party, in order to spare her Majesty's feelings. In the meantime the severed portion of Fen^ wick's head, with his cap, had been found by the Cove officials, who. telegraphed the ; fact to Perth, the neki- stopping" place. As soon as the train 'arrived, .there . the.' .engine? j were detached and run ."into- a shed, from whence F»tivinck'6 body was takeii ro bis ' liome in •l Jert|i i ; bin /<h<i nnMl" K-Tiqw v .iv.] thing of. the accident till long (liter-the.train,-.: keeping its lime punctually, had left. Her] Majesty did not know of it till next day As'was expected, she was greatly shocked,, and at once sent a telegram"ol sympathy to the widow. The tenders of these new" p;i■gines. are higher than those.hitherto in use N while Fenwick' was' 'd' very 'ta.ll man.. To these ,two . facts' .the sad . accident, which .caused his sudden death ,-isi due. ...It must have- been: a gruesome two hours', ride on his engine to Perth beside" his well-nigh.1 headless and bleeding corpse. ■ MOTOH CARS AS MAIL CARTS. '. :.! V , A very sucqe^sful experiment was made .on; 16th; .June, with' a.'rnotoi- <:ar put.on:(he! ,jrout£',..b'et\veen : :Ardrishaig'arid'lhve'faryV t;o;| •;ca.rry the mails,: arid, a, few .pa'ssengersi ' .Tlie I ■■•car.,iwa^^ofr-tny.^£iimler;.flii;type,\.o^-4^h'.ji,.',.:' : 'shaped■•-.■like aj waggonette,..and constructeel, j •Jto carry--eight :people;":."besides the i-nnt-Us-rl The distance run was 26£mi)es, which wftst| accomplished in 3hr 7mm, 'Or ancaverage of 8^ miles an hour, though 15 miles an hour could have' been' run if necessary1. There ■ was no smell of oil and no disagreeable vi■bration. Jt is believed these, car's will generally supersede riiail carts* especially in the ■ Highlands,'and they will;,be'. a great boon to districts ;nofi served by railways. ; ; In j .Edinburgh they, have been successfully tried j ;in taking some of the, numerous visitors from the city to arid from:the Forth Bridge.----j They are bound in course ■of time' to supi plant horses on hilly roadsi- in particular. In jthe case above-mentioned, the Highland ■'■ cattle and horses regained". the 'motor car with curiosity, but- did not ■ Seem at all alarmed by i^. In Edinburgh also horses! dd' not seem to mind them..; any more than they do the cars on the cable tramways! If '■ motor cars come-into general, use, the panif- > fin oil industry' will'be-ii" gainer, as well as ptKe: J steel:mahufa'cturing'';"aM engineering trades,;' '• i ' ■■' '• ■ ■'•■''.':''•'' '■■ •■ ■ - ■■••' ' ■;, ! : VANIS&ING. EDipppRGH. ' ; Edinburgh';'is, rapidly iiopsing ' one after another of its quaint, old houses arid closes,' 'so that there will soon be. left very little, of , the kind1 for visitors to see. Lord JRosebefy^ | is: 'rebuilding -Lady Stair's .-'house in: ,the'i ! Lawnmarket, and the-widening of -North, Br^dg¥'jrtre'^t''^lt'cause\the!r?ittßvai'''of.'!Allan; ! Karrisay $'* hjou^e in the,Bffgh'•^treetj'.'fejnd:-'of•--theV-once-^as^joMbjle'/btffc.'liit^rly^'dingy'aß^: , disreputable ;j^iilne/,squajrei'. : . .The.tradition:: [ runs:-that the Deed-.of U.nipn-.betWfign^ScOt--; land and England :was:,:..signe.d in the;'latter locality.' The commissioners .met for the' • signing of the-deed in>-the summer./hojise q|, ; Mpray-House,-in'the Canongate,. i bwt the,m'6br'burst in upon them andithey.had tP takej refuse in .flight. .They made their, way to Milne square, 'and""in a? cellar beneath.; a house there.,the de.e<l wa's-'completed.^i-The j whole ,lo,callty.js jhow";in jpro'c'^ss^qf: 'demplii' tion, and ■yriil be occupied 'b^'jtiV.Wejv^TJf'e-;"----•mises..df; the Scotsman. . ,TJ&§;,"(nia!h^er- M; that" ■na-terandi an- Edinburgh rarciiitect'ileft aicw days ago for Americaj to-sec sQirig p.f; the principal newspaper pffices in that, country, before proceeding with the Scotsman's new buildings: I may.also add that, at the, present moment' the famous Martyrs. Monument in Greyfriars/Churchyard is ►dismantled and lying uport;the ground in sections, during tbe. rebuilding bf'that part of the wall in which it stands;, ...It. is impossible, rTot to -view with regr.pt ..the disappearance, one. by one,. of ; Edinburgh's, historic,buildings, which: gave the city a deeper interest than the' attractions -of nit,? beautiful site. and stately modern- edinces.-;It is. like watghT me; the gradual "dying of the heart; Of: the. history of the Scottish nation: Every year: Edinburgh^ becomes "of; greater importance as a .financial' and indii^tna;l centre, while retaining;,its, educational.-and i legal supremacy as well, but its antiquarian cfcarm is rap-idly fading-away.. .'••■;■ :, '" PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF OYCLING. Professor Matthew Hay,'- Medical Officer.--of' Health for Aberdeen, has.made an official report to the Town Gouncilon the injurious effects of cycling by boys'and girls on cycles intended for |the c use of adults; These effects are most serious when the cycle is ridden up hill, -as it constantly:,, is; by boys. ' The result of such a practice-is excessive strain^ to the body, and especially to ;the; hear,tj. arid'althougli the strain may .nob be-greatly,-feit'.o^.cbihplaincd otatt/the^ time,.theKheart? may "bet permanenrly /Weakened; "•■" '■'• - 1 ■> y•■ ■■-"■■ pt i H.avelock,."the' p'hjsiciari superinteh'' derit of i the large, .asylum; tiear Moritrose;/ re ports that .he has .found* c^qling'".ihirjrcv^';tne; mental and physical, health of some of the gentlemen inmates! He says that it has a beneficial effect in the early stages of some forms of mental-disorder, and in some cases it has hastened, convalescence and established, a BouhdI.recovery. Dr Havelock adds that "cycling seems to distract-.the mind from the.morbid trains of thought and intense self •absorption in such cases more effectually, perhaps, than any -other kind of recreation, available,. 11 ■• .' . GENERAL NEWS. "7 ' \At the annual meeting of-,the shareholders !of the British Linen Company Bank, held in Edinburgh on 20th June, the net profit for the year was stated to amount to-£251, 754j and a dividend was1 declared at' 'the'" rate of 18 per cent. - '"'■■'"•'" ••■ The Rev. Dr .Patrick, ministerof Greenside Parish ."C hurch, 'Edinburgh, has-been appointed Professor of. Criticism and Antiquities, in Edinburgh University, in*succession to the'Rev*.Dr Cbarteris, retired. ■-.■ ■.' i -;: V i.'- :■;■ - Mr'D. Bryden,.a recent arrival from Australia, was backing a horse- on. his father's farm'.-Vneat1. Kirkmichael, Ayrshire, ■ when | the bfeast caught aim by the lower lip arid | tore away the flesh for several inches. It | seems, that when Mr Bryden was on fhe voyage home,; a fortune-teller that;he would met,'with, a serio.us .accident soon after, his arrival, in Scotland.; ~«;..-.,i.-; .* 'Mi' George Roy, wbo was known throiighr (jut Scotland as the' author1 p.f 'VGeneralship" arid :•' The Stair-Head Battle;"''died'in Glasgow; on 12th June, aqed-76/: '.s r,. ... Regent Bridge in Aberdeen docks is about to be reconstructed at an estimated cost of £49,740. ' ;':•■•."' '-...',.''.' Ayr is being threatened with a scarcity of water. According to the town surveyor the consumption lately has been at the: rate of 83 gallons per head of the population daily, which is an enormous 6gure. At a meeting, of the Selkirk Town Council it was stated that a lady reporter came from London, to report the procedings at the late sitting of the General Assembly of the Established Church, but was, not allowed to take her place with the other reporters. Amid laughter the Town .Clerk said—"There is a lot said in the General Assembly ,tuat is not fit for female ears." What, then, about the ladies who always form by far. the larger-proportion of the public in the* galleries? • Extensions are .to be made to King's Cross Hospital, Dundee; at a Jcost 'of about £16,000 Mr Quarrier, the orphans' friend, has received an offer from a gentleman in the eastof Scotland of £8000 to build .the second j block of the consumption hospitals at Bridge j of Weir. . j Mr John Adams, Rector of the Free Church Training College at Aberdeen, has been appointed rector, of the.sister college at Glasgow, in succession of the; late Dr I

' i\lorrison. There were 12 candiates for the j post. * . '. _ I A service in commemoration of the Battie . , of Drumclog was held on the battlefield on1 Sunday, 12th June. .: , There was a large gathering of people from the surrounding . towns, and the Rev. Andrew Alston, of Car- ■ luke, preached a sermon in which he' defended the memory of the Covenanters. j Gladstone stories are cropping up pletiti- : fully just now. Amdng others it is recalled j that when Mr Gladstone visited GorebHdge - in his first Midlothian campaign, a local ' worthy known as " Atild T'oshie," mounted the step of his carriage, gripped his hand and j exclaimed —"Aye, man, Wullie" "Gladstarie, ! ye're just Uka R.6bbie Burns ; yell be faur i more thnc'ht'o' wi' a' body when ye're deid." j Mr Gladstone's reply, if he made'ahyV is not I recorded. . . ' In one of the Board Schools in Edinburgh there is a boy , who during 9^ years has never been absents.and never late in 3890: attendances.- ■ ■. ■ . . j The squabbles in the Gilfillan Memorial j Church, Dundee, have been ended by the malcontents,, to the number of, 200, includ- , ...ing 19 ojffice-beaVersC leaving"it-and joining '~4 neighbouring '.Ccingregat'i'onal.'Church.'.' ' , The personal,estate 01-the late.Mr Carrick Moore, : 'Of~Corsw:al],[.WigtoVh, has been, re'-. '■. corded^at- £70.125; -and. thafc-'of- fhe Earl ot ;>Cawdor at£45,216. -~•"• .: ~-..■.,..- -1 ..... i The Rev. Dr Story, Professor of Church j History in Glasgow University, has been ap- | pointed Principal of the University in sue- j cession to the :late Rev; Dr Caird, whose j | resignation of the office I noted in my last letter.' .'. .''.'"'•'. ' . .'"