SCOTLAND,

Otago Witness, Issue 2173, 17 October 1895, Page 50

SCOTLAND,

(From Otra Own Oobbwoxtdhnt.j Emtrnxmon, August 22) POLITICAX,. The excitement connected with the geaerT* election has subsided as qaicldy'aa it aronr, sy that tho belated contest in Orkney^and Shefy land— in which the seat wis retftmea^fcftiyj Separatist?, though by a decreased majority — came upon tho people In the south ftloioafj with a shock of surprise. Tto couiplatefl returns show that even in Scotland, which had &l*ajß baen so strongly anti-ConHi;rvatlvo, II change of feeling m coming over the peopl' 1 , »• th» Separatists have now a majority of only six, out of a total of 72 members. Homo flute ia now only spoken of with unawmeni or oorttoaapfc, and it is remarkable that Mr Glad* stone's name tuts dropped outi of men** mouth* almost as completely as if he had been dead fur years. Thus ire are taught again the useful lest on that no man is indispensable. As a rule the recent ntcuggla was ouried off, in Scotland at all events, in & decorous manner. An exceptioDi however, jmy ba recorded. At Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, some 50 or 60 boys and girla paraded tha streets carrying Turkey red banners, to which were f.wt».utid open Bibles apd empty buer bottles. The B ; dIob had evidently come in for haid usage. The inscriptions on the banners sfc*feii that find pro* oessionists were the " Young Liberals of Daltnuir," and tho •• Captain Sinolnir Brigade." Things are certainly changed in Scotland when it« youth treat the Bible ia such a fiwtbion, and it is not earpcirticg to h^ar that tha spectacle disgusted respectable people, irrespective ol their political party. THK SEASON. The drought of May aud Juno was succeeded by a showery July, which euded in hnavy flood-*, and of these there have been repetitions I during Augnßt, especially in Perthshire and Berwickshire. In the former couuty m particular the rainfall was pheucm u nnl, and did greab damage. In tha lower purb of Cricff houses have been flooded six times in about as many weeks. A good many sheep and cattle were killed by lightning in Perthshire and Dumfriesshire. At; Tallocb station, on the West Highland railway, ■ waterspout descended and swept away dome 12 yards of fche pla-lform, with aooio of tue perm<n«'iitway. N«*r Thurao n man was struck do id by 1 ghfcuiDg while walking along the highrc v a 1 O'i hi» way to church. In spite of this untoward weather, fcho harvest is a iittlc ear'ier th ; s yeivr than it whs 'ast, and is iv pn gvo»3 in tho Border counties. Owiug j to the drought, rtf»vro<l to ab»ve, the harvett in Scotland will not come up t.o its early promise. Wheat und barley uro fair crops, but oats are thtn, and all three crops ure short in the fttoaw. Pofca'O"* -in 1 an «xc«-lii»nr ciop, but turnips are fchts reverse, nn<i rottowtng has had to be Li.gely r^-nurtid fcj. Hay in a ory poor ' crop, being only one-half thnt of lost year. Dry »n,d steady weather is now our great de«i''vrfttuoi. G«ouso B'uToliug began under unfavourable coi d lions, tha moors being ooxkoit by exces I sively hi'nvy rains, and from thu name cause the bats hftve fchuo far been small. It was fean-d thxt, owing to the oxce^tioutil Heveritj of laat winter, the birds would be rather ecnrct thid year. This in nob found to be the oa?Q, and they ate m good condition, but are unusually wild und unapproachable. As to the heiviny Ji-hing, which is now drawing near to tin clohh m Scottish w/vttrl£ ♦ho yoai sterns to havo bet-n an uucventful oue. Tiu cvitcli is rather b?low 'be imr-Ago. An H\»empt is being mado to opon up a now market for cure'l herrings in Northern Russia, to whioh a trifl .ihipmftut ot 700 barrels tins been sent from Abi-.ideeu by tho Lorniv Dooup, which hw strtrtfii on a pioucer firading voyage fco ports in tho White and K«ra S<-as. The fl< od< iv tho rivers gave a ipt>rl to ftbo snlm«ti "suing, *nd ah Aoi-rdccn no lowa thtvn 10,000io weight of sulmon and grilso were biuughb to fcho fish market in onu day, bning a «• rooord " oatoh for oue day iv that locality. THK RAILWAY HACH. The struggle between tbo B*sb anfl WeV Ooast Rnilway Companies for pro-enjiuenoe ii the running of their trainn between London mid Aberdeen has beau oontinued with <«trftordinarj intennity since I last wrote, tind is bang watched with the keenest interest. Already it has- led to thi; North BliH^h railway rcfol ring to double its line between Arbrokth and Kimmbei Junction, a dfstanc» of 15 miles. The Highland Company are going to do the -wino on the much longer piece of their lino (70 milrs), extending from Stanley to Aireromo ; and the Great North of S<otlund is to double its lini' between Insch and Gurfcly. Quite <iv awakening is going on amongfit the aieepy 1101 them railways. Thus far the victory has lain with ' the West Co&6t route, in apite of it being both longer and steeper. T!it« week fche pace has been still further increased, until now the run* ning is without a parallel in railway annals. Only eight years ago the Flying Scotsman, carryi< g no third-class pRHHt-ngerß, took nhu ' hours horn London to Edinburgh, aud th third-c!as>fl tiaiu took 10 hours. This weel< , pahsenger.H have been carried from Loudor to Aberdeen ia nine hours. The Wcsl Co-vst conipuniea accompliphed tho wonderfn 1 feat— establishing a world's record— of runnfuj the 540 milen in question in 8 houts and 50 minutfH. The flfrtfe 100 miles from Euston thduah it included tlib cJijnb over che Hertfordshire hills, wan done at tho phenomenal speed of 64 miles an hour ; and thu 17 miles from Beatlock summit to Symington in 15 minutes. The East Coast companies, whose ronto is 16£ miles shorter, occupied 551 minutes in doing their 523£ miles. Extraordinary expedition is shown in changing the engines when required. At Newcastle this was actually done in ono miuute the other eight. Most of the travullera .'declare that the traics run very smoothly, but ono correspondent »»ys the oscillation was so groat as to make some tick. I have seen a similar result years ago, both on the Midland and NorthWestern, when racing was uuthoughfc of, so this statement may not ba of much weight. Excitement has been gre<tt all along both routes, so that many people came to the Btations, oven in the small hours of the morning, to see the trains. No one believes that this racing will continue long ; but it is hoped that it will have the good effect of leadiDg to a permanent acceleration of all the express trains between London and Scotland.

MAMUAGE OF THB DUKB OP AROYI.B. His Grace the Dake of Argjle entered into tho bonds of matrimony for fch« third time on July 30, his bride being the Hon. Ina Ersklne, an Extra Woman of the Bedchamber to net Majesty the Queen, and youngest daughter of the late Mr Archibald M'Neiil, of ColoDgay", Argyieshiro. The ceremony was performed oy the BNhop of Ripon, in the chapel at his palace there, and two of his daughters acted »a brides* maids. The proceedings were ttriotly private. The bride was given away by her cousin, MajorGeneral Sir John M'Neiil, C.B. Among hec ornaments was a present from the Queen eoneistiog of a minUtara of her; Majesty set (a

diamonds, and which can be worn either as a brooch, a pendant, or a bracelet. The newlywedded pair are spending their honeymoon at Castle Howard, and at its close will come on to Inverary. •WILL OP THE LATE DOKB OF HAMILTON. The nudn provisions of this document, whose contents were awaited with a good deal of curio.'ity f have been published. As was expected the cbief beneficiary under the will is Lady Mary, the Duke's only child. She is to receive £100,000 on marrying or reaching her majority, and is to receive the interest on that sum till the principal becomes payable. The English and Arr&n estates and the mansion houses upon them, are to be held in trust for her for life ; wad by a codicil she is also to receive £7000 a year from the Scottish estates other than Arran. The present Duke is to receive, at the discretion of the trustees, such a sum as, wben added to the income from the entailed estates, will bring his income up to £10,000 a jear. On the Scottish estates, other than Arran, becoming freeof debt, they sre to be entailed. The English j estates and Arran are to go, on Lady Mary's death, to hfer issue, nnd failing such issue they are to go with the other estates, along with the title ot Duko of Hamilton. I may also note here thtt tho art collections at Hamilton Pa l ace are to be sold by auction in London uext M»y Tbej have been valued for probate at £150,000. A BIVAD TO TUB I)IC¥CLH. An Edinburgh firm has patented an invention vshich has been wtonishing the lieges who slill remain in tbe city during- this month, when }• everybody " i« out of town. It consists 6f ' a new kind of skate for use on ro&ds. Tbo blade of the ordinary rkate is represented by a steel frame in tha shape of a girder, and wbich has a small wheel in ft out and- two Small wheels behind, with rubber tyres. The diameter of the wbteb is mx nnbt-fl, and each blrate weighs 3ilb, but it is eaid tbis can bo red'C^d. The new machine may consequently be defci^od as combining some of the characteristics of the roller skate and the tricycle. To set forlh tbe exce'lece'es of their invention, the inventor.- engaged tie servic s of Mr Jamei Smart, tbe champion English skater, who r*n out along the Queensfeiry road on the skates. Cabs had no chance with him, and he easily keiit up with a cycHst. He d a mi'e in four n:it u'cp, and csmc back, having the wind in his farcur in 3aiin 25sec, without a trace of strain or fati^ua. Going do .vn hill his strides were 20ft long, and averaged 80 per minute. Of ct urso this is au exceptional performance ; still it would seom to chow that a new method of Joonwiou, ea*ily lep.rced and ch-*.r*-r in yticc: than tho present cycle, has bet'u s iscovtrcd. TUB KILJ'OKAN ROLD DIGGERS. The timo h1!o«oJ to these mm having expired, they bave been bidden to cease work, but h&ve refused to do so. Tfvre are now seven men at work. Several of these have made fairly good wages, but ens or two huve £ofc practically no gold. Otio man has made £20 in the threo motitho. The gld lodged wiih the f.tationma6tcr at Kildoitan, in term^of thi a^reament, is only about 10.. Z. The men ate '• eing offered more tbau the value of tho gold by p. rtotis who wish to buy it as a curiosity. COLLIERY DISASTfc.iI IN AyiWHIRB. Auch^nbarvie Colliery, situated midway between Stevenst- n and Siltco^ta, has been the scene of a lamei>t<Mo a^cidout, r< suiting in the lo^s of nine lives. Some 90 nun Hiid b>>s werp at work in one of tie pits, when a sudden inrush of water took pluce— it is supposed from old . workings which had be m broken into unawares by come of the minerc. It rushed with such force that ib was sesreply possible to stand Kgninfit it, and it alt-o swept before it a masfi «f c al hutchefl, timber, and wreckage which b'ockf d pome of tho underground road?. In its track tbtro followtd, moreover, the deadly choke-damp. Some of tho men 6ucce°ded in stemming the torrent to the foot of tbe shaft, snd were refcued ; but 14 were cut off in low r wcrkings. and tho gravest fears were ertertaiu* d for their safety. The m^st Btrenuous exertions were made to rescue them. Air-pipes were fitted up for the übo of- the reFCiiing patty, »n1 djnamite wao used to break up the barrier of wreckage. The placa where the rescuers were at work at leujj-th bxcame so hot that the men bad to be relieved every qu»rtft of an hour. The accident occurred on n Fnd iy, and on the Sunday a kno ki g was heard below, inilica'ing fiat soaio of tho imprisoned mm were sill alive. After some further labour fire men wire reached, and w<ra sent up to the swfac", where an enormous crowd had assembled from all the towns and villages within a considerable radius. The men soon recovered, euly oco of them appearing to be much exhausted. Nine others, however, perished. .Three of these were married man, with 12 children in all. Another, 19 years of age, was culy recently mmied; and the remaining five were single lads from 14 to 19 years old. Fmr of the dect&sed vrcre broth, rs, and a fifth w*s their brother-in-law. Two of tbe others were brothers. AU who p<?»i«hcd belonged to Stevenslon. Nalurallv, the sad occurrence has caet a gloom over the entire district. A DKPOSIT RECEIPT CASE. A will ca*c, in which- a deposit in the ' National Bank of Now Zealand was involved, has been decided by the sheriff of Dumfries. The plaintiff was a Mrs Dinwoodie, of Lochmaben, and the defendant a butcher named James Wright. The depotit was for £4CO, of which £50 Vra9 contributed by the plaintiffs decea«ed husbaud and £350 by his sister, Mrs Mary Carruthers ; and the receipt wes in thtir joint name?, or the survivor. Mrs Dinwoodie, as executrix of her husband, claimed the money, as her ha»band survived his sisler by a few daye. Mr Wright, who was in possession of the receipt, laid claim to it as executor to Mrs C*rruthers, who left a will wlrch contained a clause declaring that the investment was made contrary to hef wicbe3 end without her authority. The plaintiff pleaded that the will was invalid, on the ground thnt the testatrix, wben she made it, was of unsound mind. She further pleaded that according to English law — which must apply in th ; s case, as the Nation %l Bank of New Zealand is an English institution — the terms of th<) deposit receipt could not be contradicted by another deed, and that a mutual contract of this nature could not be set aaide by one of tbe parlies. The sheriff sustained these plew, and ordered the defendant to deliver np the deposit receipt to the plaintiff. ADVBNTCBB OF A LADY PAHACHTJTIST. I mentioned in my last the sensation which watt being catfsed in Glasgow by the descents of lady parachutists f com. balloons sent up from within the city.' One of thceo parachutists (Miss. Alma Beaumont) had a narrow escape the other day. She dropped from the balloon while it was at a great height, but the wind caused her to drift considerably as she descended. Presently it wan Been that she was likely to fall into the Clyde, and the excitement of the watching crowds became intense. Mr Geddes, an officer of the Royal Humane Society, rowed out in a boat, and very Eoon afterwards Blifli Beaumont fctruck tbe water with force a little to the east of the Qreen {Suspension Bridge. The our rent dragged tbe parachute, in which she was entangled,

near to some pol<s in the river, but Mr Geddes dived from bis boat, caught her round the waist, and brought her to land. She was quite uninjured, and retained her self possession, her first remark on her head being lifted above the water being that the water was " dirty and horrid." Thia mishap, and the occurrence of a fatal accident to another female parcchubUt in EogUnd, has caused the Glasgow Corporate n to forbid such performances within its jurisdiction — a step which has meb with universal approval. OBITrjAItY HKCORD. Mr Theodore Cro»bip, who for over 50 years was rector of Annan Academy, died on Jul.v 29. at an advanced age. He wai greatly respected, and many of his pupils have done him honour in their after carcfrs. For some years, on account of failing streng'h, Mr Crcsbie had lived in retirement. Much regret has been expreneod at the death of Mr Joseph Thomfou, the African traveller, on August 2, at the premature ago of 37 yeara. Mr Thomsou was a native of Ttaoivibill, Dumfriesshire, and had a saoce.*«ful career at Edinburgh University. Iv 1878 he joined the U-yal Geograph'cal Soc ; en>'» expedition to Lake T-tngnnyika s« geologist, and on the death of it* leadf r, Mr Ke-t'o Johnston, in 1879, he succeeded to the command. In 1884- be led another of the sofiietj'* expeditions through an almost urknown region to tbe N B. corner of Lake Victoria N.?anz*. In 1888^ umbrtook a third (z,»diri>.n to Morocco, acroja the Atlas Mountains. Being then compelled to subsist on almost putrid meat for two months he contracted an internal di easo, which has now cut ibort his career. He was tbt> author of texer*] well-known works. His remains weroconvejed from London to Thornhill, and interred there in ths presence of a largo and sorrowing eonronr#o. The R»v. Dr K. T. Jeffrey, seu ; or mitiister of Caledonia road Uui'ei Pre^bjrtarian Church, Glasgow, and one of t^e foremost men of his denomination, died under p\lh';tic circumstances on the 2nd August The death of bin sister four days before hul gr-a'ly aft oted him, and a? her reimins wr-ro about to be takeu out of t c house he foil down and expired. Dr J> ffrey, w'r.o :iUo held n medical digree, was ord.tmed in 18'!4 lo a charge at Denny. In 1856 he \va« »>pp >inted to the oh.srge in Glasgow, which he continued to hold till the clo>-c of his life. Ho was for many years a very popular preacher Mr James Alex an Jer, principal partner of the great firm of Wm. Biird and Co., ironmasters, Gartsbertie, died on August 11, ogod 70. H»3 was ono of tho j i.i.-,ee'B of the volunteer move mriit in L-.wukeUce. The deaths of the following persons are also announced : — Mr Colin M. Putersou, for 18 years factor to the Marquis of Lo'hian, at Newbsttle ; the ltev. Dr Ock, of Ratben, "fathd 1 " of Ihrs Prr-abytory of Do^r, and who celebrated hia n i riin t</ ia t jubilee three years ago; Mr R. T. Booth! y, of HeUhcryhaugb, M>fftt; tho Rev. Thorn vs M Ewan, of Hope Pnrk United Presb.i t-rian Church, Edinburgh, Rgfd 61; Mr Thomas Bell, of Torbeckhill, Dumfrifsshiro, aged 76. GRHKUAL NEWS. Tho stoppage o F Iht City of Mdbourne BtLk bas CAuatd njuoh regret, though no surprise, in Sco'laad. The total amount of the Scott'sh deposits is cxtnmly large, tho iudividual deiosits varying, i*; v stated, from £50 to £50,000. Ediubii'gh is more largely iuvolvtd in the fniluic than G'asgow. Mr Chalmers, the disliugui"be<l New Guinea mifsii nary, was presented with tho freedom of Inverary, his naiivo to .in, ob the 19fch inst. The iiuw buildii gs in connection with Aberdceu Univi-r&ity are to be inauyurAtel on October 22 to 25. The freedom of tko city is to be conferred on Dr Charles Mitchell, of Newcaßtte-on-Tyne, the donor of Ihe' Mitchell Graduation Hall and Students' Union at Marischal Co'lege A nurrej i 1 a^oufc to be made with a view to ascertaining the cost if constructing a railway liv.3 to Conner t Loch Fyne with the West Highlft'i'l r«ilway a 1 ; Inveruglas. Durin» July over 800 visitors made tho ascent of Ben Nevis. A sick fisherman who was landed at Aberdeen from a French muck and talien to the hospital was found to be suffering from smallpox. Mr Carnegie Ins promised to give £2500. for the erection of n free library at Wick on condition that £1200 is rais d otherwise for its endowment. The offer has been accepted. A crofter at Croecby, Strathnairn, wbb straining a wire fence the other day, when the wire snapped and struck him in tho face with such force aa to kill him altnos-t instantaneously. He was about 60 years of ago. The cost of cleaning the streets of GUsgow last year amounted to £65 444. The insubordination among the bays at Old mill Reformatory, Aberdeen, having been notorious for soma time, a special committee was appointed to inqu're into it. la accordance with its reconrmendation, the board of directors have dispensed with the Bervicts of the governor, superintendent of industries, and mitron. A gamekeeper in Dumfriesshire was stung by a wa^p on the back of the neck, and for some hours his )i f e hung in the balanco, but ultimately he recovered. A le'ter wri'ten and posted in a sealed bottle from St. Kilda in January 1891 has just been delivered at its destination in Glasgow. After drifting about for a long time, ii wrs found on the co 1 sb of Norway by a fi»h"innn, who kept it for two years, and then showed it to his pastor. The letter took it tj the British consul, and the latter tent it on to the postal anthoii'ies in Edinburgh, who effected its delivery. Durirg one of the floods in Perthshire, ladies leaving the parish church at Mor,zie after service had to be carried across the road, which had become a torrent. *Mr John Morlcy has betaken him=elf to the Eecluiion of a lodge on Lord Twocdmouth's property at Guißicban, in order to execute some literary work. It is rumoured that he i* to resume his duties as "reader" for Messrs. Macmillan and Co. An Aberdeen U.P. probationer, hearing at midnight on Saturday that his services were urgently required at Buckie, started on his bicycle amid heavy rain, but on reaching Buekie was too exhaut ted to preach till the evening ; so there was no service in the morning. The cew missionary schooner Dayfpring, the third of the name, -of which the funds were chiefly rAißed by the Rev. Dr Paton, of the New Hebrides, was launched at Govon on tho 19th inst. L&dy Ovt-rtoun christened the vessel, and Lord Oertoun delivered a brief address. The new Dayspring's dimensions are 157ffc, by 23ft, by lift. She is three-masted, and has triploexpaneion engines. Her saloon is spacious, to allow of its being used as a hall for services, and her figurehead is a female figure holding out a Bible. . | Dundee ia in the throes of another serious ttrike. The mill operatives having demanded a rise of 10 per cent, in their wages, the owners refused to give it. A good many of the boys employed then struck, the girls followed, and then the elder hands, until ab the present time, the number of persona en strike \b 13,000,