LONDON CHAT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12650, 30 April 1903, Page 10

LONDON CHAT.

(Feom Ovr Own Correspondent.) '•, .'.'. . March 6. In former-letters I have.several times had o'ecasion to mention Sir 'Francis and Lady Cook in connection witli tho generous hospitality which they used to extend to colonial visitors to England,: tq whom Doughty Home,'On Richmond Hill, with its unequalled collection , of art treasures, was ever pleasantly open: But Sir' Francis, the octogenarian mulfi-millionajre, British baronet and Portuguese viscount," has long passed to his rest, and his son, the present baronet, reigns in his stead, while his well-dowered widow nscv Tennessee ClafliWnow lives in a handsome suite of. rooms in a. West End hotel. She is rather widely, known through hor authorship of several books to which the question of sex relations iVliandlcd with rather more than ordinary' freedom—to state the case very mildly indeed! Lady Cook lias provided London chat with ono of ite salient topics this week. She defended, an action-to recover, payment of salary and damages for -slfadeiv "It was brought against her by her husband's quondam secretary, a mam. named Wallace whom Lady Cook had employed—according to his own statement and her;—to spy upon her octogenarian spcfie, as she siispectetl him of carrying on with a certain married woman who was referred to .only as "Mrs G." Lady Cook 'had ,pronikcd to " make him independßiit for life" if he could prove Sir Francis guilty, but in this attempt he wholly failed. After- tho death of Sir Francis, Lady Cook' assorted that' Wallace tried to blackmail her on the basis'of mi ■accusation that she had in some way caused her husband's death, arid (Ac demanded of the Home Office the exhumation of the corpse in order that thie /alleged - charge might bo tested. Nothing came of the matter, however, until, this action was brought by Mr Wallace.. There was necessarily a lamentable ''washing of dirty linen" during tho hearing of tho case. Sir Edward Clarke, who "led" for. lady Cook,- dcnov/dced the action with- such unusual vehemence as n, purely " bltickmiailing" one that I could not help suspscting'a'strong infiwion of tho ■ merely histrionic in his fierce deolamtion. Ho declared that he would not put Lady Cocfc in the witness box or call any evidence.- ■ ''

This gave Mr Marshall Hall, K.C, his chance, as leader for. tho plaintiff, mi he took full advantage of it, merely chaffing Sir Edward and inviting the jury to note his failure to call the witncEs who could liavo helped his case most had if been a good one. A verdict for the plaintiff was manifestly inevitable, and it promptly came—£so salary, £500 damages, and costs. Then arose Lady Cook in her wrath with shrilly violent denunciations. agairit her counsel who had thus, as sho.held, "sold" her by not allowing her to go into the box and make her own statement. She demanded still to bo allowed- to do so. but was gently told by the Lord Chief Justice that the caE-a was over.. She jiersislsd: "JCindly withdraw, madam," said t-Ko- judge impcrturbnbly. She shrieked. "Usher, remove this lady," ordered Lord Alvcrstbne• quietly, and removed die was, still vociferating .st'lhe top of her voice against.tho wicked wrong done her. "Oil, erne!, cruel mail!" elie lamented cm a " top note"—say, Cin alt—as she was gently hauled out of court.-How-ever, she is to to appeal—by counsel. So the oaso is not over. yet. Yesterday in the House of Commons, the Minister for War''made an official, statement with reference \to the . Grenadier Guards "ragging" scandai, and Colonel Kinloch's, removal from Hhe command.'- Practically it amounted to-this: That-so far from Colonel K-inlock. having'-been- judged and condemned unheard, lie was heard in full and was condemned wholly on his own statement of tho case! Mr. Brodrick said: "Lord Belhaven, the father-of one of the subalterns in the . First Battalion Grenadier Guards, and Lord de Saumarez, tlia relation of another subaltern,', called: on the Com-mander-in-Chief 12, 1902. and made a verbal complaint that young,officers in the battalion had. been tried by so-called subaltern court martial, not only for offences against regimental etiquette, but-for military offences, and, if found guilty, had been punished by caning, and that their ill-treat-ment had been 'so serious that it- celled for interference by tho authorities. Lord Roberts in reply, said he' would' take the matter up officially, and on the following day he sent for the general officer.commanding the home district and ordered him to investigate the circumstances fully. Tho Commander-in-Chicf did "not communicate with Coloael-Kinloch, became'by practice he does not communicate with officers commanding units. : The General Officer Commanding at .01100 assembled a regimental inquiry, which sat for two days, and reported to tho Adjutant-general on December 15, forwarding the evidence .taken.. "The character'of Colonel Kinloch, continued Mr Brodrick; " was not- in question, but he was the first witness called at the inquiry, and his ■ responsibility, like that of all the other officers called, was to bo brought-out by the' investigation. . The decision of the Commander-in-Oliief was communicated to the General Officer Commanding tho Home District on December 27, 1902, and wag promulgated at-, Aldprshot, where the First Battalion was quartered, on January 3, and in London on January' 15. .Colonel Kinloch, .in a letter .dated December 29, asked to see the. evidence taken, and wished to make* a statement. Ho was informed on January 3 that ho was at liberty to see tho. evidence,, and -that tho decision arrived at in his case was formed on his own statemotit*,-: arid on the results of the exercise of- , his command. Colonel Kinloch having urged that his personal honour was affected by certain' expressions in the Adjutant-general's letter of December 27, the- C'ominander-in-Chief gave him an interview on January- 12, at which he accspte-d Colonel Kinloeh's statement that he was unaware of the punishments inflicted by the so-called subalterns' courtmartial, and the treatment of these young officers. I may add , that .Colonel Kinloch is an officer who, apart from roecnt occurrences, has served with credit at Homo and distinction on active service. Hut the' Com-maiftler-in-Cliief holds that t-lie Btate of Colonel Kinloch's battalion, and the facts disclosed by his own evidence showed defects in liia -administration of his' command which made- it impossible' to retain him. lie -was consequently placed on .'half-pay." Mr Brodrick added/that another Guards' officer of distinction had been placed in command of the battalion, and, the; House might rest assured that tho. irregularities brought to light would, in future, .be- absolutely checked in this or any-other , regiment. To which all- decent-mannered and rational persons will cordially say "Amen!" Vulgar, low-bred ruffianism has been too long tolerated in tho British army among its officers. Assuredly it is high time that such ehameful blackguardism should bo sternly ended.

It 6an hardly bo said with truth that the international atmosphere is freer from disturbance and threatened trouble- than was the case when I iast rev'eiwed tho situation. Turkey is in reality still "the head and front" of this offending. -Her ob3tinato aggression on the .Aden hinterland continues in spite of the Porte's absolute verbal abandonment of its .position. Britain's attitude remains one of unabated firmness, as well as of menace .if Turkey . doos not speedily give way. As -usual, the case- has a Russian complication, . a Russian spy having been arrested, yesterday at Aden with elaborate information, drawings, etc., of that British coaling station in his possession. This in itself has an ominous appearance, especially when coupled with the rumour which was afloat'a few day 3 ago that Russia is secretly backing the Porto throughout in this matter. It would be quito consistent with tho traditional Muscovite policy if this were tho "case. But at present it appears improbable that- Russia will do more than verbally encourago Turkey, to give England as much , trouble as possible.

But trouble is much more imminent at the other extremity.of the Ottoman empire. I told you eome wee-ks ago of tho definite arrangements by tho Macedonian National Committee for a widespread armed insurrection against Turkish 'rule to' start in March or April. More recently I mentioned that a Russo-Austrian scheme r/. reform had been virtually forced upon' Turkey, and accepted by tho Sultan, thus rather cutting the ground from niidcr the'feet'of the Macedonian agitators.' It must be confessed, however, that the suspicious suddenness and readiness with which that archdodger the Sultan accepted the proposals so authoritatively' tendered to him. by Russia and Austro-Hungary. did inspire grave, doubts' as to hie sincerity.' Not only are those doubts shared by the Macedonian Committee, but, more than this, every man among their number is absolutely, convinced that the Portp has not the remotest intention of' carrying out any of the promised reforms,, or of mitigating in the slightest degree tho cruel- oppresaion so lonp; exercised upon the Macedonians. Accordingly the Macedonian Committee openly uroclaim that 'they mean to go on with their movement, irrespective of any arrangements made by Austria and Russia. Turkey accordingly continues to mobilise, her troops, and Russia and Austria are botll following suit. Meanwhile it is very broadly hinted alike in Franco, Germany, and Ita!y ; that should tho Macedonian spark really explode the magazino of-the near Eastern question , Russia will take good care that-her-intervention does not for a third time .end.-with- failure

to achieve the object of her long-cherished ambition—that of establishing herself at Constantinople, and also as a naval Powor in the Mediterranean. Returning for a moment to tho London and Globe scandal, I may just mention that tho application of the . Shareholders' Committee: for leave to prosecute Mr Whitakei' Wright and others was argued in court yesterday, tho decision being reserved until next Tuesday. Tiio .result turns-on purely technical point?, but it is much to be hoped on the score of tho moral side that this deplorable, scandal will be thoroughly thrashed out.