LONDON CHAT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13649, 19 July 1906, Page 10

LONDON CHAT.

(Fspit Otn Own CoRREsfONnm.) LO.VDOX, June 9. This is Whitsim week, which is as much as to say that a large proportion of London's citizens may be regarded as absent, from town, holiday-making. Whitsuntide, is tho most popular holiday season with Londoners. It comes at what either is or should be tho best time of the year, when tho day* are longest and the weather usually sunshiny, while the temperature .is much more moderate than in July and August, and so everybody who can get out of London from tho Friday preceding Whit Sunday to the Wednesday which follows it makes a point of doing so. Visitors from New Zealand are invariably not a little puzzled to understand the English system of holidays. They are amazed to find the thoroughness with which Whitsun. tide is observed—especially Whit, Monday. On tho other hand, they are no less amazed, and aro often deeply disgusted to find that New-Year's Day, the King's birthday, the Princo of Wales's Birthday, and Empire IJay aro not observed as public holidays. There aro certain official celebrations, but tho regular routine of work and business goes on jest, u-> usual: all the shops are open, and the workers go to their ordinary toil, just as if no New Yea>- had como in, or King or l'rjnco had been born, or any Empire Day had Ixsn int reduced.

•At Windsor Castle, on Tuesday, the King conferred medals upon (he officers, noncommissioned oflioers, ami men of the Ist Battalion Rival Fusiliers who served in the recent Thibet expedition. About a dozen officers and 200 men paraded in the Grand Qitadntnglo before the King and. Queen, having travelled from I'arkhurst, Isle of Wight, and of these 150 rcccived the decoration. The battalion was under the command of Lieuk'nanl-eoionel Bird. The •battalion, having marched past in column and formed in line, the oilicers and men passed the King in single file, who banded each his decoration. The presentation aver, his Majesty, in addressing Ihe battalion, ,said he desired lirst to apologise for the absence of hi< son. the i'rincn of Wales, who is cntoncl-in-c'nief of the Royal Fusiliers, but he was pleased himself to meet the British regiment which look part in the .Thibetan expedition. Although they M to fight in veiy high altitudes, he was 'lad to know thai, their disunities were lingularly few, while Ihe hardships they indonrent vwre exceptionally severe. He Nit very proud indeed of having liatl the iriviloge of conferring a coveted 'distinction on so distinguished a regiment. lie Mis proud of their conduct as a battalion, )t|d was sure they would always bo as dis. liuguishod for Btich good conduct in tho future .'is now.

A tremendous fensation u'i- o.iu-'<"d in this country by the infamous attempt of an Anarchist jo murder the .voting King •and Q tic on of Spain on iiieir wedding day. I need not recapitulate Ihe particular l ) of the outrage, which have been duly cabled, while the circmisl.rmes are si ill under the investigation of tho police. Opinions are most discrepant ns regards lh« actual explosive used. ft is generally. lx?lieved lo havo liden either fulminating mercury, fitlminnting silver, or one of the salts of picric acid: nil of these substances ere described in scientific works us "horribly explosive and extremely daugwous lo meddle with." T may add that t.hov are often scientifically designated as fulminate of mercury, fulminate of silver, and carbazotic acid. Fulminato cf silver is an explosive of so ferrifio :i charoetor that in comparison dynamite is relatively mild and harmless It. is a / curious chemical fact thai. Ihe element which is common to all Hire is nitrogen, which, as a component of the iihnowpheric air, acts as part of the water, Hvhilr> the other component (oxygen) may stand for the whisky mixed therewith. ■. I dwell on those details because i(. is disquieting to find lliat. such appalling powers for evil have got inlo tho Jiaricl.i of a body disposed t« use them with such relentless malignity and devastating effect. Hitherto tho active Anarchists havo been mainly identified with dynamite, gunpowder having been, discarded as effete and rehilively weak. In this new outbreak of murderous anarchism an agent, roughly, as much more potent than dynamite as was dyiiamite than mere gunpowder has now been employed, and may come into extensive use. Tlio would-bo assassin of the Spanish Sovereigns appears to have gone straight to tlio editor of an Aniirchisl journal' in Madrid, and, nflor plodding lit-? hitter to georcey, lo havo told him with (lie utmost candour wlial he had just done. The editor apparently regarded the pledge thus extorted as a valid one, and allowed the murdcror to escape, for which connivance at a hideous erinic—wholesale murder, in fact, for a number of innocent persons woro destroyed by the explosion of Iho bomb—this worlliy editor is now in durance vile, pending his trial as an " accessory-dfier-the-fact."

Not unnaturally this affair lias revived iho old Continental complaint that England is the refuse ami asylum of flu' murderous brotherhood, and that all their plans are in reality hatched in England under the shelter of British protection. A demand has again been raided that. Kngland should join the Continental I'mvi'is in refusing asylum to those infamous criminals. But that Ik very dangerous ground for any British Government lu venture 111:011. in Lord Palmerston found to hi-s iv.it. Even the Aliens Bill by the late Government is coldly regarded by the present Ministry and the Radital party. It is decmul that it might Iv employed by a friendly (ion'riinicnt a< <t .wtvippn .against Continental reformers or politic at. agitata':;, and groat reluctance is felt, to fbpavl in any way from England's traditional practice of affording refuse in foreigners who aro persecuted and virtually expatriated on ; account of their political opini'jTis. True. ■ the analogy don net. hold Ncverih"le?i, our ruiers are oweodiug timid of j •Wen the appcuranoe of iiver-stoppim; tlw < traditional bounds in this respect. Bn; there is another reason. nlthouoh from j motives of pol-loy this is kept -tudiou'dy in tlio background. It is not «*.dy lislwwd. 1 Imt absolutely known, th;ti Ee'dish rnleis have hitherto escaped tin. 1 attentions of the Anarchist*, through sheer dread that the. I outcome of any attempted outiMC on British royalty would he th" iuiijediatc forfeiture h.v liie iK'rpetrators of nil priviU'KO of asylum on British sx»il. The iconchist'e Iralernity eamiot alford to run this risk. 1 b?eau<e if definitely expelled fiom England 1 they would have literally no :i!aco te the '■ imltv-no plate, that is. which would he j ot nnv -service t_> them as ,i fulcrum for their lever of destruction. Hence th,' com- ; mand has long since gone thai I'lug- j land is to le exempt from Anarchist out- I rages. And as ihe |tree!mi- had been ' effectively laush: hy ex-Supcrintcmlrtil Melville that short shrift would he the lot j of any outrage-mongers who might- attempt to try their trade in this country a whole-! so mo fcelimr of uwo has heen inspire*!, the 1 eonsequcnee of which is that whatever may lie plotted npainsf othe" countries or their nt'-M** ftn?ltM"t :~ni:i;'ns itinirene.

International relations at I lie present moment do really appear lo tend toward the n'K'tintoiNUjco of peace. Affairs so tun to drift steadily toward 'lie permanent establishment of a now ami valuable balance of power. The entente between England and France strengthens daily. Official visits between ihe two countries—the visitors being prominent men of each—are of almost weekly occurrence, anil invariably pass oil most pleasantly and favourable. And the incipient, entente between England and Russia shows every sign of persistently, if gradually, gaming in strength. Neither entente mar develop into an alliance, but the more fact of there being so good an understanding among England, France, 11 ml Russia constitutes a powerful factor for good. Germanv feels this so acutely that the Kmser bad deemed \t necessary to send out another 0/ his remarkable telegrams. He is at present on a visit to the Austrian Emperor at Vienna. He suggested yesterday to the Emperor Francis Joseph that a joint telegram be sent to the Kbig of Italy, and is stated to have drafteij it himself. It was written in French. " We two, united, send to our third true ally the expression of our unchangeable friendship.—William. Francis Joseph." Lale at night, an answer from King Victor Kmanuel was received by the Emperor Francis Joseph. It ran:—','l share the satisfaction of your Majesty and of his Majesty (he German Eni(>eror at your meeting, and beg the two allies to accept, together with my thanks for their kind telegram, the assurance of my true and unalterable friendship." These telegrams were issued by the Official Agency towards midnight, too late for much Journalistic comment. The Berlin Neue Freie Prosse alone dealt with them editorially in an article which concluded: "Thus the phantom of the isolation of the German peoplo fades into nothingness. After such iiianifestalions. after these assurances of inviolablc loyalty, faith in the firm cohesion of the Triple Alliance must revive. The meeting at Vienna has given the world a new nlotlire of pcacc." It was only to be anticioatcd that with the situation r.ntl the outlook so pacific. and the friendship between England and France so close, the promoters of the Channel Tunnel Scheme Company should lake heart of grace, and endeavour to rouse popular feeling in favour of their

ptoject. Accordingly, at their annual meeting. held a iky or two ago, the desirableness of a stilimari'io tunnel between England and France, tlit? absurdity of all ihe fears that such a tunnel might lie used for purposes of invasion, and the ridiculous ease with which any swell invasive attempt* could bp nipped in the bud, were strenuously insisted upon. I cannot discover, however, that anybody has been influenced by this latest, channel tunnel propagandise. It is not surprising that the shareholder.-, who have sunk a considerable sum of money i/l the preliminary boring!-', should be anxious to see some hope of getting their money back, or, at snyrate, some return upon it. But. the naval and military authorities of this country hold as (irmly as ever the conviction that, .notwithstanding all the precautions which might lie taken to guard against a surprise, or lo repel any attempted invasion per tunnel, the sanction of such a scheme would virtually mean tho abandonment of our valued insularity, ami would involve the creation of a standing army 011 lines similar to those enforced upon Continental Powers. It is improbable, therefore, that for the sake of saving a few tourists a single hour's occasional sca-sie.kness, England would consent to abandon tho splendid moat, which has for so many generations proved the invulnerable safeguard of her island realm.

A new era in ocean travel was practically inaugurated the day before yesterday when the first of the two gigantic turbine Cuuardei's, tho Lusitania, was launched from tile shipyards of Messrs John Brown, on the Clyde. Tho length of the LusHania is 790 ft; breadth, moulded, 83ft; depth, GOifl-: gross tonnage. 32.500: displacement, 45,000 tons; and load draught, 37jjfl. She will have turbine machinery driving four propellers with 72,000 developed horsepower, and a speed of 25 knots. Tho construction of tho vessel was begun in September, 1904, ami it is expected that 6ho will be in commission bv August of next year. Site will then -have accommodation for some 550 lirst. class. 500 second class, and over 1200 third class passengers, making. with officers and crew, a total of over 3000 y.Wiplo. She will be both the largest and the fastest vessel afloat, and it is anticipated that she will bo able lo oross between Queer.stown and Sandy Ilook in four and a-half days. The christening ceremony was performed by Mary Lady Invcrclyde Almost immediately the great- vessel began, to move, and in about 20 seconds she was in tho water. Tho launch was most successful.

London was enlivened yesterday by the invasion of somo 12,000 Lancastrians, «.II Members of the Church of England, and headed by tho liishop of Manchester, who oaino up to London in no fewer .than 32 special trains to make a public demonstration and protest against tho provisions of tlio now Education Bill, They assembled in Regent's Park, and thence inarched in procession to tlio Albert Hall, where thc.v nil found comfortable accommodation. A most, eloquent'and stirring snecch was delivered by the Bishop of Manchester, other speeches following, antl several wellknown hymns were sung by the whole assemblage, the massing of thoso 12,000 vaiccs producing a splendid and most impressive volume of vocal sound, especially in so majestic a tune as that which is wedded to tho old English hymn " 0 (lod, our help in ages past." Everything went oil' well, and the demonstration was a most impo-ing ciie. lteolulions condemning Iho bill were carried with vociferous unanimity. Of courso it. is not to be supposed that the mero passing of adverse resolutions will havo any direct effect, but so striking an expression of feeling on the part of so important a county a.s Lancashire tunnot well be totally ignored. Jt is an old political saying that. "What Lancashire thinks io-day England thinks to-morrow." And this may yet be borne out in the present case The Government is already beginning to realise that in bringing in so drastic and confiscatory a. measure it has "bitten off more than it can easily swallow," Naturally (lie .Ministerial papers ami speakers are trying to make out that the Lancastrian demonstration was a. mere

picnic," but they ignore the fact, that those sturdy Lancashire workers voluntarily sacrificed their day's wages and defrayed the cost, of tho journey as a voluntary "proclamation," if the word be allow, able, of the great value which they attach to their Church schools, and their determination to resist. as strenuously as possible tho present attempt io deprive them o! thr-so cherished institutions.

A few days ago TI.M.S. Montagu was stranded in a fog on Limdy Island, where, at the time of writing, she still remains a fixture. Tremendous efforts ar v '. being made to got- her off, but her bottom has been ripped out by the jagged rocks on which she* rests impaled, and so a false bottom of wood and steel has to be constructed, in order that if she can bo towed oil she may be ablo to float itito the nearest harbour. Everything depends on a continuance of the present calm weather. With a heavy galo from west or north-west, this splendid ship of' war, which cost a million sterling. and is practical; new, would speedily bo converted into scrap-iron. No explanation is yet forthcoming as to how she came to lie so far off her proper course as she must have been to run full butt on to fiiindy. Hut the whole of that North Devon coast is an extremely dangerous one, bristling with vast and jagged rocks that might make the stoutest battleship ipiail. The little island of Lundy, which lies in the mouth of the Bristol Channel, is the private property of a clergyman, who, curiously enough, bears the name of " Heaven."

I'r tho death of Mr Francis William Wclib. which occurred this week, tho engineering world loses 011 c who has been for many years among its most prominent members. Tho Into Mr Webb served for more than half a century in various engineering capacities 011 the London and North-western railway, and for more than half that time was its chief mechanical engineer. He retired from Hint post (wo or i'uroe years ago. The circumstances of his retirement were somewhat mysterious. One morning he left the company's locomotive headquarters ;it Crewe for London to meet the directors. Before he started h» had Keen engaged in some arrangements which involved his |iersuual attention for some years lo come. When he returned to Crewe the same evening he had tendered his resignation, which had been .accepted. Shortly afterward it became known that lie nas in ill-health. Later it turned out that ins ill-heidlh was "mental," and that In; had become the inmate of a private asylum for the insane. As ihe event proved, the ease was one of total brain collapse, and his life seemed gradually to pass iiuay until the end came a few days ago. He was a man of remarkable ability, if not of absolute genius; indeed, but for a curious sort of "twist" in his mental methods, due doubtless to the incubation of the terrible malady which was ultimately to crush him, lie would' have been reckoned among the greatest geniuses in mechanical engineering that England has produced. Many of his minor inventions are marvels of ingenuity arid usefulness, Imt ho preferred to rest his whole reputation upon the two systems of locomotive compounding which he had devised and first brought out in 11132 and 1897 respectivelv. Each possessed many points of merit, yet both were practically spoiled through the inclusion of "fads," which were not only obvious to engineers of capacity far inferior to his own. but actually were mutually self-con-tradictorv. Ilis method in the 0110 case was absolutely contrary to that in the oilier. Thn consequence was relative failure. However. Mr Wobh retired with a handsome fortune, which is not surprising, seeing that he Imd for many years been in receipt of £7000 per annum in official salary alone, while his patent royalties were numerous and valuable, ami lie was tv bachelor of careful personal habits.

Another death of a celebrity, which was reported this week, proves, happily, to be, as Mark Twain put it. "exaggerated." The Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould, the popular Wossox novelist, has had the rare privilege of reading his own obituary notices, which, so far as I have seen, have all been remarkably complimentary. Ho received yesterday a sporting offer from one English journal to write for the remuneration of £10 a special article, describing his sensations on reading the record of his own death. Mr Baring-Gould declined this olTcr. but did consent, to contribute to one London paper a few remarks on the subject. Unfortunately, -they ore by no menus in his happiest vciji, but are dis tinctlv commonplace and uninteresting in tone. So T do not think it- worth while to quote them. It turned out that the actual corpse was that of a cousin who bore tho same name as the novelist. Tt used to be said of the Rev. S. Bnring-Goii'd. in his college davs. long before he himself or anyone else dreamt of his future success as a novelist, that ho was " the voung man who did the marvellous for the Churchman's Companion," a lone-defunct periodical which used to publish monthly descriptions of wonderful miraeles'br horrible martyrdoms. all of nost-aposlolic days, and highly imaginative in character, to which were aonende.) the initials "S.R.fi."' The writer evidentlr regarded tho suoplv of legitimate miracles as unduly limited, and, therefore, deemed it as a pious duty nn bis part lo furnish supplementary simply, which, if not authentic, were at least highly impressive—especially to children!