SCOTLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 54

SCOTLAND.

CFrom Oxjb Own Correspondent.) Edinburgh, March 12. POLITICAL. Owing to the retirement of Mr W. Shiresß Will, in consequence of his receiving a public appointment, a vacancy occurred in the representation of the Montrose Burghs. For this Mr John Morley became a oandidate in the Separatist interest, while the Unionists opposed to him Mr John Wiloon, a ris'ng Edinburgh a-lvocatc, who first mada hi 3 mark as junior counsel for the defence in the Ardlamont murder trial. Both candidates were personally strangers to the constituency, but Mr Morley, of course, was well known in his public capacity. He proved too heavy metal for Me Wilson, whom he defeated by 1993, being 861 votes more of a majority than at the last election. All part'es are well enough pleased to see Mr Morley back to the H )use of Commons, his spirit chastened, ifc is hoped, by adversity. The statement has been made without contradiction that Mr Morley's supporters will defray the expenses incurred by him in the late contest. Lerd Russell of Killowen, Lord Chief Justice of England, was aeked to stand for tbe Lord Rectorship of ' Glasgow University in the Liberal interest, but declined, on account of his holding a judicial position. It is affirmed that the Unionists in the university will put forward Mr Chamberlain as their candidate. THR CLYDE AND THE NAVAL PROGRAMME. Mr Gosohen's naval programme, proposing the building of a large number of new warships, has naturally been received with much satisfaction in Clyde shipbuilding and engineering circles, as a considerable share of the work is sure to be entrusted to private yards. It is expeoted that some of these will get orders equivalent to at least two years' work. Clyde shipbuilders say the programme can be carried out in tbe stipulated three years, provided no fore'gn nation orders ships within that time, and it seems not unlikely that Spain and Japan may do this. At Grcenook a memorial has been got up, and is to be presented to Mr Goschen to-morrow by an influential deputation, urging the need for a graving dook in the Clyde, where men-of-war oould be repaired or refitted in time of war. It farther urges tho better protection of the Firth of Clyde by the construction of a fort on each end of the Little Cumbrae to defend the two channels, and a third fort on the southern extremity of Bute, this last fortification to be supplemented by submarine mines. The decision of the authorities on these points is anxiously awaited in Greencck and the towns lower down the Firth of Clyde. Glasgow has practically nothing to fear from a naval attack, as the river could easily be blocked at very short notice. A CBINAN SHIP CANAL. A project for making a ship canal from Loch Fyne to Crinan has been under consideration in Glasgow for some time, and it is stated to be viewed with favour by gentlemen of influence both in Glasgow and in the Western Highlands. An eminent firm of engineers has prepared plans for a canal capable of allowing the passage of vessels of 1000 tons at least. They will enter at the Corran, at the head of Loch Gilp, and proceed in an almost; direct line to Biirnakill, whence a channel will be dredged to Old Crinan, the total distance being about six miles. A storage reservoir is also to be formed at the Crinan end, while at the other end a good deal of tidal foreshore will be reclaimed, and wharves will have to be constructed at Loch Gilp head, Bell&noch, and Crinan. The entire cost of, the undertaking is set down at aboub £500,000. Such a c^nal would doubtless tend to foster trade with the Wt stern Highlands and Islands. PHOTOGRAPHING THE INVISIBLE. The greatest interest has been taken in Scotland, aud especially in Edinburgh, in Professor RSntgen's discovery oi the possibility of taking photographs through skin aud flesh. Several lectures have been given on the subject;, with practical illustrations, by scientific experts, and the demand for Crooke's tubes has excaeded the supply. Already the discovery has been pub to practical us« in surgery, for the diecovei-y and removal of needles and oilier foreign bodies lodged in the feet or hands of several individuals. The first operation of the kind was successfully performed at Aberdeen. A curioui discovery made through the instrumentality of tbe new photography is that of one of the bones of tbe hand not being always in the place to which it is assigned by anatomists. It is felt thatrwe are but on the threshold of important and interesting discoveries, which may have a ' very great influence upon medical knowledge and treatment. Some medical men are sanguine that it may yet be possible to watch natural processes at work, both in health and disease. Others would fain hope that the new photography may render unnecessary many experiments in vivisection. According to one medical lecturer in Edinburgh, it rauks as the third great medical diecovery of the century, the- first being chloroform, and the second Lister's antiseptic method of treatment. Other scientists think that discoveries not less startling and important will take place through the perfection of this kind of photography in other branches of research and industry — such, for instance, a* the inspection of steel castings for the detection of flaws. BURGLAHS IN GLASGOW. The great western city has been suffering of late from an epidemic of burglary, which has kept the police busy, especially on the south side.. In several cases the burglars got in by climbing up the water pipes, coming down the same way. Two men who had jnst given this proof of agility were caught in a back yard as. they were patting on their boots again. In another case, several robberies having taken place in a warehouse, a man was put in to watch. He hid himself in a suitable place in the building, at the same . time attaching a strong wire to a gas jet, which was left burning low. Presently the thief appeared, and as he passed the man in hiding pulled the wire and turned the gas on full in his face. He was bo astonished that he allowed himself to be taken prisoner without making any resistance. THE TOWN AND COUNTRY BANK (LIMITED). At the annual meeting of this bank, held at Aberdeen on March 5, it was reported that the net profits for the year amounted to £36,096. A dividend was declared at the rate of 12£ per cent, (the same as last year), and £4000 was added to the reserve fund, bringing it up to £138,000. A balance of £1541 was carried forward. The manager stated that the three northern banks had held out us long as they could against the reduction of the interest on deposits to its present very low figure, but they were overborne by the large b&nks managed in Edinburgh and Glasgow. CO-OPERATION IN EDINBTJEGH. I have before noticed the great saccess whioh has attended the co-operative movement in this city, and am glad to have to record that this satisfactory state of things continues. The St. ' ftotbtestti Co-opentive AssooU^aa reports »

trade for its last year amounting to £4-57,488, being an increase of £46,935 over the preceding 12 months. The members number 13,400, with a total share capital of £184,299, and the profits divided ftinougst them for the year amount to £84,502. At a serial meeting of the members the chairman of the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society maintained that during tbe last 50 years the co-operative movement had done more for the working clauses than had ever been done for them by legislation. At a subsequent conference of the Eoat of Scotland Co-operative Societies it was resolved to go in for coal mining on the 00-operative principle. As showing the field before them in this particular, it was stated that oae of the societies represented purchased £56,000 worth of coal annually. The new step is being taken in accordance with the report of a committee which went fully into the details of the matter. Its success will be watched with interest throughout the country. CREMATION IN GLASGOW. | A crematorium was formally openod some months ago in the Western Nttcropolii, Glasgow, but it was only the other day that the fir»t cremation took place there. The remains were thoso of one of the directors of the Cremation Society, the late Mr W. P. Bachan, sanitary engineer. Several more followed almost immediately, one being at the express desire of the deceased himself, the body of the lnte De Clerk Eattray, of Blairgowrie. All the indications in England, as well as in Scotland, point to the probability of cremation making way at fir^t among the educated classes, and especially among scientific men. Among the humbler classes it is regarded with horror, as a heathenish practice, and it also runs counter to certain social customs which no .v survive among them only, but are tenaciously held" It is not likely, therefore, that cremation will r&pidjy become popular, in spite of all tha*> is to be said for it upon sanitary ground*, for these never carry very much weight with the poor. MURDER OF A SON AT QOVAN. A. sad tragedy occurred on February 29 in .the populous Plantation district of Govan. It seems that there had been a bitter quarrel in th« family of a shoemaker n%med Patrick M Go wan, leading t) his separa^inx frona thorn two months ago. On the day named his wife, seeing him enter his shop with another woman, followed him in and expostulated with him. A quarrel ensued, in which M 'Go wan struck his wife. She went home and told her eldeib son, » young man of 22, who went to remonstrate with his father, but did so in such bitter terms that the latter seized a sharp coHblor'e knife and plunged it into his son's neck, severing the .jugular vein. Two men who were passing a>:d witnessed the deed rushed to the younger M'Gowan's aid, but he died in 10 minutes. The police, who were promptly on the upofc, found the murderer still brandishing the knife, but closed with him and disarmed him. When formally charged with the crime at the police station, he merely remarked, "It is a great pity." M'Gowan in a powerfully built man, 54 years of age, and was at one time a frequent Sunday orator on Glasgow green. Occurring as it did on a Saturday night and in a crowded . locality, the crime caused no email excitement in the neighbourhood. TREATMENT OF THE INSANE. Dr Alexander Robertson, of tha Parochial Asylum, Glasgow, in his last leporfc mentions that seveial new methods of treat-ing the insane have bean tried . tinder his direction. 'Among these were percussion of the skull ; circulating hot water round the he&d in special apparatus, or alternating ifc with ice-cold water; and administering the fresh brain of the sheep, mixed with arojnatics, by the stooaaoh. These methods had proved beapfioial in cprtain oisea. The giving of the thjroid gland from the sheep's neck in tabloids had also been tried, but the results were still uncertain. In Edinburgh, Dr Clouston, of the Royal Anylum at Morning*ide, was not able to be present at the annual meeting of its managers, as he is taking a well-earned rest abroad, but his report, which is always looked forward to with interest, waa read. In reviewing the admissions for the year he pointed out that they proved that it was worry and not work which killed, for out of 89 cmses in which the brain had been upset by mental causes, only 17 were from overwork, while all the rest were from worry or sorrow in various forms. Amongthe physical causes, intemperance, as usual, headed the lirt with 87 cases. Influenza accounted for 15 cases. The recoveries numbered .170, boing a percentage of 41£ on the admissions, which is above the average rate Dr Cloustoa al«o noted with approval that a number of patients h*d been voluntary patients in the institution. In spite of the additional accommodation provided by the splendid new Craig Hoas«, the asylum is nearly full. Dr Ckuston said that if the subjects of mental disease would only con-ult, a doctor earlier than they usually d'd he be- i- 1< d recoveries would take place mord often and more thoroughly than is the case at present. TfIAWLING IN THE MORAY FIRTH. Great rejoicings have taken place within tbe last few days in most of the fnhing towns on the southern shore of (>he Moray Firth on account of the Court of Session, by a m\j irity of five judges to two, having upheld the by-Uw of the Fishery Board for Scotland closing <he entire Fii th within a line drawn from Duncansbay Head to Rattray Head agaio»t trawlers. Ac the line fishermen regarded tbe mattter as one of life and death to their industry, their jubilation can bo understood. Bunting was hoisted all along the coast, and at Nairn thrre was a torchlight procession and a b ; g bonfire. On the following night Bnckie h«d a similar ! proce-iion, in which 2000 fi<herm-n took parb, while the largest bonfire on record in the town was lit after ifc. The materials amounted to over 70 tons, and were over 30ft high, including among them four old fishing bouts piled tip one above the other. The flames were visible many miles out into the firth. There seems to be another side to the question, inasmuch as the prohibition of the Fishery Board only affects British trawlers, and those of foreign nations can continue their operations in the firth, outside the three-mile limit, as before. This may be unavoidable, bub it gives the foreigners a distinct adrantnge. Aberdeen capitalists who are interested in trawling say they will now fib out steam line-fishing boats, i which the fishermen will find more formidable competitors than the trawlers. It is impossible not to sympathise with the line fishermen on some accounts. Still they must learn to move with the times. .The day has gone by when trade can be confined within bounds whioh have nothing in their favour save antiquity. How far the Moray Firth fishermen are from understanding this may be seen from the fact that their representative aesooiation has jnst passed a resolution in favour of memorialising the Fishery Board to prohibit trawling within 13 miles of any part of the coast of Scotland. They might as well demand the abolition of all steamers* OBITT7AHV EKCOBD. Volunteers of the older generation will regret to hear of the death at North Berwick on March 2 of the famous marksman, Edward Ross, at the age of 55. He was the fourth son of the still more distinguished shot, Horatio Ross, of Rossie Castle, and while yeb a boy he wan 00 e*pwt in $&« oifr«£ the tost-iQ&«noir. (tat feq

could earily bring down & pigeon on the wing-J la 1860, when only 19 years of age, he won tha flrat Queen's Priza at Wimbledon. In later years he became noted as a deer-stalker. Mv Ross held for a number of years a post on tho Lunacy Board. He was a man of splendid physique, 6ft 4m in height, and broad in pro* portion. Influenza pulled down his strength^ and he never fully recovered from tho effects of being ran over by a cab in London a year ago. He leaves a widow and several children. Dr Robert Lawson, Deputy-commissioner fa - Lunacy for Scotland, died in Edinburgh on, February 22. He was a native of Kirriemufr, »nd graduated at Edinburgh University in 1871, He had some years' experience in Bnglisb - asylum?, and in 1878 received the Scottish appointment mentioned. His duties made him widely known, as he had to visit the in»ne in private dwellings, even in the remotest p*rtfl of the country. Mr Charles A. Mollyson, secretary of the North of Scotland Bank, died on February 25 at Aberde-n, aged 62. He had been in the bank's service since the year 1848. v The Rev. Donald M&cEaehern, minister of the parish of South Knapdale, died suddenly on Sunday, February 23. As he did not appear at the hour of forenoon service, an elder went in search of him, and found him lying dead on the road. It was found that he had burst a blood vessel. -The deaths are also announoed of the follow* ing persons :— Mr T. Waddel, of the Priory, Selkirk, "a notable Borderer"^ Mr GdorgeSang, 5.5.0., senior partner of the firm o£ . Adam and Saog, Edinburgh; Dr Clerk Rattrar, - referred to above, from the effects of a chill caught while fihing ; Dr James Gray, Airdrie, who was found lying dead (from heart disease) on the floor of his consulting room ; Mr James ' Proudfoot, the oldest inhabitant of Moffat, and - the last of the once numerous community of weavers in that locality. GENERAL NEWS. Several of the Scottish railway companies have declared their half-yearly dividend! within the last few d*yß— viz., the Caledonian, 5£ per cent ; Glasgow and South- Western, 5 per cent ; Lanarkshire and Ayrshire, ♦£ per cent.-; aud Great No»th of Scotland, 3| per cent. As the givat coal strike was in progress a year ago, a comparison with the correspond" ing six months would only be misleading. la the case of the Glasgow and South- Western, for -instance, thi tr»ffio receipts show a neb increase of £88,299, and the dividend has risen from 2% to 5 per cent. A letter from St. Eilda, whioh has reached Lewi* in a bottle carried by the ocean current, states that thfe New Stylo his been adopted in - the former island, which is thus ahead of tome parts of the Highlands. • The Marquis of Tweeddale, who has already filled the offioe three times with acceptance, is - to be her Majesty's Lord High Cotnmifsioner to the General Assembly of the Charon of Scot* land this year. The late Mr William Forbes, Doune Cottage, Dumbarton, has bequeathed to the corporation of that town the retidue of his estate, to be applied towards some local medioal charity. The bequest is expected to amount to over £6000. Captain H. J. Despard, Chief 'Constable of DdWßbnry, has been selected out of over 78 candidates to succeed the lato Commando? ' M'H.irdy as Chief Constable of Lanarkshire. Captain Despard is 36 years of age, and was 13 years in the arm v,- being at one time' adjutant of the Ist Battalion Royal Soota Fusilier*. A 4 a specimen of the trifling oares which often waste the time of our courts, it may be no^ed that Sbetiff Campbell Smith, at Dundee, had to try one the other day in whioh tha matter in di«pute was a crack three-eighfchs of an inch long, in a five shilling tobacco pipe. The Court of Session has upheld the validity of the will of the late Mr John Hope, W.S. Edinburgh, the temperance and Protestant reformal', which hid bien challenged by his next of kin on the ground of his alleged insanity. Among those on whom the Unirer»ity of Ss. Andrew's is going shortly to confer the honorary dogrea of DD. ii the Rsv. John Watson, of Liverpool (the " lan Maolaren " of fiction). The late Mr John Morris, formerly schoolmaster at Mains, F.>rf*rpbire, has b«quea f hed • I between £4000 and £5030 to the Dundee Arb ! Aesocia'ion, wh : ch ia to ppoid tho income d«riv d f * .m it in purchas'tig Wi»rks of art for I the Perumienl GaJI-ry in ih-vt city. I A man who maliciously rang a fire" alarm in* Glasgow while tuft ficamea were having thoic j annual dance wan fiwA £10, with the alternative of 60 days' imprisonment. - The largest steal io;e-and-aft sailing iohooasr ever built in th's country h is ju«.t been launched by RTp-srs II Duncan and Co., Glasgow. Sho i« 225f- m io igth and has fout steel m»3t», e*ob in oue leogth fiona kedi to track and about; 140 ft long. Sha has been built for a Honolulu owner, and is to be engaged ia the timber trade. ' The new Waterloo bridge over the Nes« at Grunt street, Inverness, was opened for traffic on February 26. Ii rop'aoes an old wooden briJijc', is in five sp«»s. with a total length of 350rt, and has coot £7000 It is reported that th« nutubsr of fine salmon caught in the Tay sines the present season began is remarkable. The quantity of coal now stocked at pit-heads in Fife is stated to amount to no less than 700,000 tons. The body of & sailor was brought up the other day in one of the buckets of a dredges which was at work io Glasgow Harbour. The plans for the pzc±vntion of Port HenryHarbour, Pcterhead, have been approved by thr Board of Trade. The cost is set down at £36 000. One of r tha exciting whale hunts for which Orkney is famous took place on Mnrch 3 new the inland of Sandsy. About 100 bottle-nosa whales were driven ashore by a fleet of boats and kilted. The personal estates of the following deceased persons have been reoorded hinoo my last : — Hr James Cowan, M.P. for Edinburgh from 1874 to 1882, at £99,523; Mrs Agnes Thomson, Bothwell, £67,042; Mr R R. Robertson, oE Montgrennan, Ayrshire, £54.251 ; Mr D. B. Johnson, of Kaira, Lochwinnboh, £46,098. The ancient bridge which spant the Tweed at Borwiok is now being examined by aa engineer with a view to it being widened.

Inspector Emerson, of Napier, has been pro* moted to be a first class police inspector from the l»t inst., Inrpector Hickson, of Auckland, from Jane 1, and Inspector. M'Govern, of Ne« Plymouth, from July 1, Floriline I— Foil the Teeth and Breath-* A few, drops of the liquid ".Floriline " «prinkls4 on a wet toothbrush produces a pleasant lather which thoroughly oleanses the teeta from all parasites or impurities, hardens the gums, pro vents tartar, stops decay, gives to the teeth a peculiar pearly whiteness, and a delightful fra>, grance to the breath. It removes all unpleasant odour aruing from decayed teeth or tobacco smoke. "The Fragrant Floriline, being com* posed in part of honey and sweet hexbs, is de« lioiousto the taste, and the greatert toilet dii« covery of the age. Price 2s 6d of all chemists ana perfumers. Wholesale d.ejwJ, S3 fftnfrfflkHfr/ itad, Loadon.—ADYxs,