Our Home Letter.

Otago Witness, Issue 1584, 1 April 1882, Page 9

Our Home Letter.

SCOTLAND.

{from our own correspondent.) Edinburgh, February 9th.

The past month has been one of tho dullest and least eventful of any within my recollec. tion ia Scotland. For want of anything more exciting, people have to a large extent given themselves up to wonder about the continued mildness of the season, which is certainly extraordinary. A common matter of speculation now is the probable effect which such a season will have upon vegetation, and more especially upon ,the crops. It is characteristic of the, despondent feeling which has become well-nigh chronic among farmers in Scotland, that they are now scarcely less apprehensive for their prospects this year because the weather is so mild, than they were last year because the season was so severe. However, they have had so much cause for anxiety for years past, that they are more deserving of pity than blame if they are a little unreasonably nervous. The Fanners' Alliance, the starting of which I mentioned last month, has already a membership of more than 4000. Nearly every tenant farmer in the northeastern counties is said to have joined it. Beforo long, doubtless, its power as a political engine will begin to be felt.

COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL NOTES.

The returns for 1881 of the Clyde shipping .trade with Australia and New Zealand exhibit an increase of 7000 tons as compared with the previous year, while during the decade the trade has trebled. The increase in 1881 is /nost marked in the case of Sydney and Queensland. There is a slight increase in the caso of Victoria, but a decrease in the trade with South Australia and New Zealand. In the case of the last-named the decrease is said to be in the despatch of vessels for Wellington and Lyttelton. ' Only one ship arrived in the Clyde from New Zealand direct during the year. She was laden with grain. A. remarkable export of potatoes from the Clyde to America has been going on for some time, and latterly has attained extensive dimensions, the mildness of the > season favouring the traffic, which has its origin in the failure of the American potato crop. It is stated that the freight, duty, and charges on the potatoes amount to 51s 6d per tonj which equals their cost before shipment ; yet it is found profitable to import them from Scotland. This is a small set-off to the imports of American meat, &c. I notice some of our Edinburgh butchers are selling meat which they state on large printed placards attached to the carcases has been im-ported-from Australia frozen. 1 have not tasted this meat, nor have I made inquiry as to the degree of favour with which it is received by the public, but I am bound to confess that its appearance is anything but attractive. The Admiralty has just given a large order for Smith's patent stockless anchors, weighing five tons each, to the . Glasgow agents. These anchors are finding great favour among Clyde owners, and the Cunard Company also are adopting them for their ships and moorings. At the annual meeting, last week, ■of the shareholders of the Clydesdale Banking Company, it was stated that the net ■ profits for the past year amounted to £136,434. being £7000 more than in 1880. This would allow the payment of a dividend of 13 per cent. ; but in view of the approaching change to limited liability, and in order to strengthen the reserve, it was proposed to pay only 12 per cent. It is, stated that the change to limited liability on the part of the several unlimited Scotch banks will be made simultaneously on April 3rd. The change is viewed with general favour, and has caused an advance in the quotations of the banks' stocks.

THE CITY OF GLASGOW BANK,

The liquidators of this concern issued last week their, third annual report, dealing with the 12 months ended on the 22nd October last. The liabilities of the Bankwere reduced to the extent of £485,057 ' during the year, and amounted to £1,338,116 at the close of that period. The assets are estimated to exceed this amount by £170,582, which is £116,095 less than the estimate arrived at a year previous. It is stated that the decline arises chiefly from tlie revenue derived from debts and properties being less than was anticipated, while legal expenses swallowed up £24,474, and £30,000 had to be provided to meet expenses incurred but not paid up to the date of the balance. The v.vlue of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company's stock is set down at £802,112, which is in excess of the sum likely to be realised if it were sold at the present time. The liquidators put- down £243,000 as the total amount which they expect to recover from the estates of large debtors. The notorious James Nicol Fleming was arrested in Manchester on January 23rd, and conveyed to Glasgow. He is charged "with havjng, on various occasions during the years 1873, 1874, and 1875, wilhin the head office of the City of Glasgow Bank, Virginia street, falsified the books of the said Bank by making or causing to be made false arid fictitious entries therein, in order to conceal and misrepresent the true state of the affairs of said Bank from the shareholders, creditors, and others." It will be remembered that Fleming absconded when the Bank directors were arrested, and a warrant which was then issued for his. own arrest could not be served in conSiquence. Some time ago he came to London, and there went through an examination in bankruptcy, which led to many appeals being made to the law officers of the Crown not to a" low him to get off without punishment. He is now 52 years of age, and it is* stated that he is in very delicate health, and but the shadow of his former self. He will probably be tried in Edinburgh, if he is not previously called a -vay to appear before a higher tribunal. Meanwhile he has been admitted to bail.

The annual meeting of the subscribers to the City of Glasgow Bank Shareholders' Relief Fund* was held in Glasgow a few days ago. _It was Stated that 948 shareholders, representing £456,685 of stock, had applied for relief during tio year. The Committee said that though t icy had been ablo to deal tolerably well with nearly all tho pases brought before them, yet the sum at their disposal, large as it was, was felt to be inadequate to the necessities of the CJise. They added that tho number of shareholders dependent upon the fund for their livi lg at the present time is 259, representing an a mual cost of -£13,153. No shareholder recaives a larger annual allowance than £150.

GIFT TO ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY.

Sir Erasmus- Wilson, of London, famous both as as an authority on skin diseases, and as the donor of Cleopatra's Needle to Ms country, has intimated to the Senatus of the University of Aberdeen that he has placed at their disposal a sum of £10,000 for the purpose of founding and endowing a Chair of Pathological Anatomy in that University. Sir Erasmus states that the gift is intended as an expression of regard to the seat of learning in which his father received his medical training. This chair has long been wanted in the University in order to complete its efiiciency, and Sir Erasmus Wilson's gift has consequently

been very gladly accepted by the Senatua, who has passed a v.ote of thanks to Professor Pirie, who is stated to have been mainly instrumental in drawing out the donor's generosity.

JOURNALISTIC ANNIVERSARIES.

The Glasgow Herald celebrated the centenary of its existence on the 27th ult., the occasion being marked by a banquet attended by a large number of local notables. The day before the editor, Mr Stoddart, was publicly presented with his portrait, the presentation being made by the Lord Provost. At the banquet some interesting particulars were given regarding the Glasgow Herald. It was started as a penny weekly paper, under the name of the Commercial Advertiser, and 20 years later it changed its name to the Advertiser and Herald. Later still it changed its name again to that by which it is now known. For 70 years its advertisements never exceeded 200 in a single number ; now they sometimes reach 2500. When it began publication it could not be printed at a greater rate than 100 copies per hour, while 50,000 copies are now thrown off in the same space of time. Throughout the century it has only 'had six editors. I am bound to add, however, that though the Herald has been a great commercial success, its influence as a literary and political organ has been by no means commensurately great. In this respect it is much behind its younger contemporary, the Scotsman. Mr Leng, editor and chief proprietor of the Dundee Advertiser, speaking on the occasion under notice, said that his own journal would celebrate its centenary in eight years. In some particulars I think the latter paper is a much more remarkable monument of ability than tho Herald.

Chambers' Journal completed the 50th year of its existence on February 3rd, when Mr William Chambers was presented with two congratulatory addresses — the one from tho booksellers and publishers of Edinburgh, and the other from his own employes. A social gathering of the latter, in honour of the event, was held the same evening. Mr Chambers details in a contemporaneous issue of the journal some' of its history and his own, and to this I would refer those of your readers who may care to know about oither. It will be noticed that Mr Chambers does not let it bo forgotten that it was through a suggestion of his that your city received its now widelyknown name.

OILING THE SEA.

A further experiment in the direction of smoothing a heavy, breaking sea by pouring oil on it, as mentioned in my last, has been made at Peterhead, and with such success that the harbour trustees of that place have taken over the apparatus. About three gallons of refined seal oil producod a wondrous calm on the bar, while beyond it the waves ran fiercely high. At Montrose a similar experiment was made from the lifeboat in a nasty sea, and a gallon of oil wrought such a remarkable change that the fishermen wore convinced of the value of the expedient, and it is stated that in future they intend carrying oil in their boats for use in this manner in case of need. It is reported that the Shetlanders have long had recourse to this expedient in a rough fashion, crushing the oil out of fish livers with their hands when in danger of being swamped.

OUTBREAKS' IN' REFORMATORIES.

A serious disturbance took place on January 17th among the boys confined in the Dukestreet Reformatory, Glasgow. Thereare 150 boys in the institution, and about a third of these seem to have taken part in the affair, which had evidently been planned beforehand, the object being to enable some of them to effect their escape. The governor, Mr Rae, had just conducted evening prayers, as usual, when a missile was thrown at him, and a riot at once ensued. The boys pulled off their boots, with which they pelted the governor and his assistants, and smashed the windows, gate-brackets, dishes, &c. ,The police were sent for, and meanwhile the boys broke everything they could,' including doors and furniture, and assaulted those placed in charge of them, while even the police had a pretty tough fight before order waß restored It was then found that six boys had escaped, while the place was a perfect wreck. The boys who escaped were recaptured next day near Paisley.

News of the mutiny was conveyed to the boys in the Dalbeth Reformatory, London road, Glasgow, by some of the inmateswhohad been allowed out on a holiday, and in a few days signs of rebellion began to manifest themselves, the first overt act of the kind being the breaking of windows. On the following night, as the symptoms reappeared, the police were sent for, and eight of the ringleaders were flogged and sentenced to solitary confinement. This reformatory, which is a Roman Catholic one, contains 195 boys, who are kept in order by adozen warders. These outbreaks, com'ingsosoon after the recent disclosures regarding the ill-usage of a girl in an industrial school at Glasgow, have increased the satisfaction felt at the announcement that the condition of such institutions is to be the subject of Government legislation during the session of Parliament just opened.

BURGLAR. HUNTS.

An exciting chase after a burglar took place on a recent night in Aberdeen. A constable on duty saw the man at a window in the Bursars' Hotel, Castle street, and immediately summoned other policemen and a number of firemen, by whom the house, which had been shut up for the nightj was invested. Ladders were brought and the house entered by a window, the burglar retreating to the roof, where he could only be got at through a skylight. Here he showed fight, throwing bricks, slates, and chimney-cans at his pursuers, who retaliated in like manner. At length, after two hours' combat, he surrendered, and proved to be an Irish miner named John Dofan. Several of the police had narrow escapes from serious injury by his missiles. The east of Forfarshire is on the alert to catch a scoundrel who keeps breaking into shops and fai-mhouses in a most daring manner. Two years ago, after breaking into no less than 44 farmhouses, he was chased by a farmer whose house he was robbing, and caught in a ditch knee-deep in water, under which tho farmer thrust his head to keep him from murdering him with a large knife. He then served a term of 18 months' imprisonment, aud about two months ago was caught in tho act of breaking into a shop at Montrose. Having served 30 days in prison for this, ho is again at large, and every few days perpetrates some new bit of housobreaking, each time in a different place, thus keeping the wholo district in a wonderfully wide-awake condition.

OBITUARY RECORD.

The list of deaths of persons more or less well known is a heavy one this month, as will be seen from the subjoined notes •.— Sir Daniel Macnre, president of the lloyal Scottish Academy, died on January 17th, aged 75. He was a native of Fintry, Stirlingshire, and received his art training first in Glasgow and then in Edinburgh, where the celebrated ongraver, Lizara, engaged him to make anatomical drawings and colour illustration!* for works on natural history. After three years he started for himself as a painter of figure subjects and portraits, and wan admitted as one of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy. In 1832 he returned to

I Glasgow, whore the greater part of hu workI ing life wan spent. As a portrait painter he 1 there made himself a reputation which brought him many important commissions from lingland as well as Scotland, and he frequency exhibited in London galleries. In 1876 he was elected to succeed the late Sir George Harvey as President of the Royal Scottish Academy, an honour which brought in its train knighthood, and tho degree of LL.D. from Glasgow University.' He then removed to Edinburgh, whore he resided up to his death He is survived by his second wife and five children, two ot whom are by his first marriage. Mr W. F. Douglas, R.S.A., who has been Curator of the Scottish National Gallery for some years, has been elected to succeed Sir Daniel Macnee as President of the Royal Scottish Academy. The choice would have fallen upon Sir Noel Paton, but he declined to allow himself to bo proposed for the post. ' Mr David Hunter, of Blackness, who for nearly 50 years had taken an active part m politics and other public matters in Dundee and Forfarshire generally, died on January ; 13th, at an advanced age. , Mr Francis Home, Sheriff-substitute of Linlithgowshire, died on January 20th, aged 81. He had occupied the judicial post specified for 41 years with marked acceptance, and till within three weeks of his death his faculties were as vigorous and his frame as erect as ever. His father was Dr Home, of Cowdenknowes, Berwickshire, which had been tho family seat for six centuries, but was sold at his death. The Rev. Adam Spence, of Houndwood, Berwickshire, a well-known Free Church minister, died on January 23rd, from the effects of a fall from his horse three days beforo. He had resided at Houndwood siuce his ordination there in 1545 ? and was much esteemed throughout the district. Captain Robertson Aikmaa, of Tho Ross, Lanarkshire, died in London on January 24th, aged 02. Ho was well known in the county, for which ho was a magistrate, and since his succession to the estate he had greatly improved and beautified it. Sir Robert Christison, one of the most distinguished ornaments of Edinburgh University, died on January 27th, aged 84. He ■took his M.D. degree in 1819, and in 1822 was appointed to the Chair of Medical Jurisprudence in Edinburgh University. In 1832 he exchanged this Chair for that of Materia Medica in the same University, from which he retired in 1577. In 1872 the jubilee of his professoriate was celebrated at a public banquet, attended by a large and distinguished company. In 1871 he was created a baronet, and he received more literary and medical henours than can be noted in a paragraph such as this. Sir Robert was greatly distinguished as a toxicologist, and when making his famous experiments with the Calabar bean, he accidentally swallowod one, but saved his -life -by instantly drinking his shaving-water. He g^ave evidence as an expert in many celebrated trials, including those of Burke and Hare, and of Palmer, the Rugeley poisoner, virtually securing the conviction of the last-named miscreant. He was a noted athlete, and even in his 80th year walked twice to the top of Ben Voirlich to exhibit the sustaining properties of phe' cocoa leaf, while he ascended Ben Nevis only Jast autumn. Sir Robert received a public funeral, among those who formed the cortege being the Lord Provost and magistrates^ the professors and a great many students, besides a large number of persons of every class in society, the procession being nearly a mile in length. . Mr William Miller, H.R.S.A., the eminent line engraver, died in Edinburgh a fow days ago, aged 85. He is especially, famous through his engravings of Turner's landscapes. '".For 20 years he had given up engraving, but amused himself with water-colour painting, in which he exhibited high talent. He was a member of the Society of Friends.

GENERAL NEWS.

At the annual meeting of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, held recently, a premium of £15 was awarded to Mr William Cochran, Overdale House, Dunblane, for a report on tea and silk farming in New Zealand. A 'paper en the same subject, by the same author, is published in the Society of Arts Journal for February 3rd. Sheriff Macdonald, Q.C., has been elected Dean of the Faculty of Advocates in succession to Mr A. S. Kinnear, who was lately raised to the Bench.

Another person is reported to have died a victim to exposure in the fearful weather which marked the Royal Volunteer review at Edinburgh last August. Tho poor man was a policeman, who ."was soaked while on duty, took to his bed as soon as he got home, and never rose from it again, dying the other day. Mr Smitholls, the general manager of the Caledonian Railway Company,, having been obliged to retire owing to failing h|ealth, Mr James Thompson, the goods manager, has been appointed to succeed him. Mr Thompson has been in the service of the Company for 34 years. • 4 ' Great rejoicings took place in Paisley on January 30th on the occasion of the opening of the splendid town hall presented to the town by the Messrs Clark. The town was gaily decorated, and there was a grand procession over a mile in lerigth. The building is to be known as the "George A. Clark Town Hall." It is not merely a substantial and spacious edifice, but it is also one of the most conspicuous and ornamental objects in the town. Its cost is estimated at between £80,000 and £100,000. The will of the late Mr Hugh Smith, of Newtonairds, Dumfriesshire, is likely to be disputed by disappointed relatives. The personalty has been shown at £60,158, and the bulk of it he leaves to his farm manager, coachman, shepherd, and other employes. He also leaves to the first-named the. estate of Newtonairds, whose annual value in the county valuation roll is £1155. Nothing whatever is left to his relatives. A wind-gauge is being erected on the island of Inchgarvie, in the Firth of Forth, with a view to ascertaining what lateral wind pressure the Forth bridge will have to withstand. Your scientific readers may be interested to know that the wind-board measures 20ft by 15ft, and is 100 ft above the sea-level.

At a public mooting held in Aberdeen on February 3rd, tho Lord Provost in the chair, it was resolved to take steps to establish an art yullory, indubli'iu.l museum, and exhibition building in that town. The promoters have already in hand for this object a sum of £2500, obtained from various sources.

The good folks of Dunse have formally resolved to drop the last letter in the name of their town. Lest anybody should think that this step is taken in order to get rid of unpleasant phemotical suggestions, it may be added that it is only since 1740 that the town has been known by the name of Dunso, instead of Duns.

An extraordinary temperance crusade lias lately boen going on in Dundee, carried on by Mr Francis Murphy, a.n American temperance advocate and evangelist. It is stated that during his visit of a fow weeks somo 32,000 persons took the pledge. Among his must zealous supporters was the Provost, Mr Moncur,