SCOTLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 88

SCOTLAND.

CFeom Otjr Own Correspondent.) EDINBURGH, December 15, WOMEN GARDENERS.

For some years women have been gradxially taking up gardening as a means of livelihood, and, though the conditions of the calling deter a good many from enteringit, there- seems to be a measure of steady advance in it? adoption by women. For a good while women gardeners have been employed under Government in the Botanical Gardens at Edinburgh and at Kew, notwithstanding the fact that they had to don masculine habiliments while discharging their public dutie?. At Corstorphine, ju^t outside this city, there is a School of Gardening for Women. One of its pupils — iliss Gcorgina G. Balfour, daughter of the Rev. Dr R. G. Balfour, of Edinburgh, the present Moderator of the U.F. Church — has just been appointed head gardener to thu Guthrie Industrial School for Girls at Liberton. Those who look askance at ihe feminine invasion of masculine occupations, which is making such rapid progress in these unsettled times, will probably shake their heads at this last evidence of it, and say that Eve is giving up spinning and taking- to delving in competition, with Adam. THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND.

The annual meeting of the proprietors of this bank has just been held in Edinburgh. According to the directors' report the net profits for the year amounted to £24-1,056. A dividend for the half-year was declared at the rate of 9 por cent., with a bonu-5 of 1 per cent., making 9i pe-r cent, for the year/ The balance of £37,056 was applied in writing down the bank's marketable investments, and the reserve fund w?s left ac its former figure of £900,724. The bank's liabilities in respect to deposit and current accounts are set down as amounting to £13,761,281, ana in respect to notes in circulation at £1,010,708. The^e figures show decreases as compared with the previous year, and tho net profit is also loss by £9567, the year not having boon a favourable one for banks.

OBITUARY RECORD

The Rev. Dr Murray Mitchell, the eminent Indian missionary, died in Edinburgh on November 14-, in his ninetieth year. He was

a native of Aberdeen, and began his missionary career in Western India in 1838. Some years later he returned to Scotland, and became pastor of a church at Broughty Ferry, but again went to India, and laboured in Calcutta. He was distinguished by his knowledge of Indian languages and religions, and exerted much influence. On his finallyleaving India, ho was for some time minister of the Presbyterian Church at Nice. His latter years were spent in Edinburgh". He prepared a volume of Indian religions, which is to be published shortly. In earlier life he published several works bearing upon) Indian missionary topics. He is survived "by his widow.

Another veteran minister — the Rev. Dr George Philip, of St. John's U.F. Church, Edinburgh — died on November 13; aged 85. After labouring at Stonehaven and Glasgow, he came to Edinburgh in 1866 as colleague to Drs Guthrie and Hanna. He was one of the best preachers in the city, and! his solidity was a great contrast to tha froth of the vastly overrated Dr Guthrie. He celebrated his ministerial jubilee in 1893, and his diamond jubilee 10 years later, after which he retired into private life, though he preached in his old church only a fortnight before his death. He died very, peacefully, after only 24- hours' illness.

Mr Andrew Aikman, general manager of the Commercial Bank of Scotland (Limited), and one of the most respected business men; in Scotland, died on November 12. His whole life was spent in the service of the bank, of which he was manager during the last 20 years, and it is largely to his sagacious guidance that it owes its prosperous condition. He is succeeded in the managership by Mr Alex. Bogie, the secretary of the oank.

Dr Donald Macleod, a respected physician at Kilmarnoek, has died ; aged 78. He began practice in the town in 1849, and 50 years later his jubilee was celebrated amid many tokens of public esteem. On account of failing health he retired from practice 18 months ago.

Groat regret has been caused in Edinburgh by the sudden death, from pneumonia, of Mr J. S. Yeo, one of the masters at Fettes College since 1882. He was a second wrangler at Cambridge, and was a teacher of quite exceptional ability, while his character and disposition caused him to be idolised by the boys. Mr David Ballingall, factor to Colonel

Home Drummond, of Blair Drummond. has died, in his eighty-fourth year. He had held his post for 52 years, and was well known, throughout Perthshire, taking an active park in county affairs.

Pout Sutherland, known as " the Pecerhoad centenarian," has died in that town at. tho ago of 101. He was a farm hand till he was 30. and then worked in a sawmill almost up to his death. He had known scaroelv any illness throughout his long life. Ex-Bailie Archibald, at one time a leading* man in Leith municipal affairs, has died, atv the agre of 76. H© was in Victoria in the years 1852-56. He began his connection with' Leith Town Council in 1866, and was offereof "the Provostship in 1893, but. declined the honoui\ He rendered great services to both Edinburgh and Leith in connection with the Water Trust. In 1896 he was publicly presented with his portrait, and a cheque for, £600. His occupation was that of a baker. Dr E. B. Hector, medical practitioner aft' Castle Douglas, dropped down dead in his own house on December 2, just after returning from seeing a patient. He was a native of Montrose, but graduated at Edinburgh, and formerly practised at Bradford. Yorks. He was 42 years of age. and was well known and much esteemed throughout the Stewartry.

GENERAL NEWS

The building fund of the Glasgow and Wc=t of Scotland Technical College now stands at about £210,000.

In connection with the proposed extension of Anstruther Harbour, the engineer of the Harbour Commissioners has pre.pareJ plans involving a total expenditure of upwards of £30,000.

Officers of the Tay Salmon Fishery Board obtained the other day a record shot of A3O salmon at the confluence of the Almond* and the Tay. They were deprived of their ova and returned to the river.

An Edinburgh architect has reported thrift extensive repairs must be carried out in Obldstream Parish Church before it will h& safe to use it.

A seriotis fire has occurred in the premises of the Glasgow Weekly Mail in Union street. Glasgow. The damage is estimated to amount to £12.000.

A Dundee firm has sold scwt of whalebone ab the rate of £2800 per ton. The last preceding sale of the kind in Dundee was at the rate of £2250 per ton. A man in the employ of a firm of aerated water manufacturers at Falkirk baa received £51 as compensation for serious injury to his right eye, caused by the bu.atinsr of_ a lemonade bottle which he wast delivering to a customer.

Dingwall Town Council has decided to erect new municipal building. The total oosc is only £1800, yet JMr Carnegie has been applied to and lias promised to gae several hundred pound* This is a sp«ci» men of Highland self-reliance Swarms of ral-.. some of them of cx:.?p. tioual size, arc giving trouble at Glasgow

Harbour. They seem to be of a peculiar breed, and are supposed to have landed from' some of the Atlantic cattle-carrying steamers. Stirling is disquieted by an outbreak of smallpox. About 20 cases have occurred. The -Rev. Dr Frew, of the South 17. F. Church, St. Ninian's, Stirling, was on jSo vember 25 presented with an illuminated address in a silver casket, congratulating hum on his entrance upon the seventieth year of his ministry. Dr Frew is in his ninety-first year, and is stated to be the " father " of the churches in Scotland. A powerful fog horn has been installed on the Isle of May, at the mouth of the Firth of Forth. It is heard all along the Haddingtonshire coast, and as during • fog its blasts are at the rate of three a minute, landsmen are not enamoured of it. At an auction sale in London last week the honorary burgess ticket presented to the poet Bums. by the Burgh of Dumfries in 1787 was sold for ten guineas. The estate of Tarvie, near Pittochry, ba« been purchased by Mr Robert Barclay, of the well-known London-"" banking firm of 'Barclay and Co. (Limited). The price tas not transpired. Upwards of 100 tenders have have been received for the work in connecoitn v> ith the Usher Hall' in Castle terrace, Edinburgh. A Special Committee of the Town Council is considering them. The Countess of Stair has instituted i roceedings for divorce from her husband, to whom -she was married in 1878, when she ■was 21 years of age 7 She is a daughter of the late Sir James Grant Suttie, Bart., and has a son who is a captain in the Scots Guards, and who distinguished himself in the Boer war. She^has also two daughta-rs, aged 23 and 16. A line of electric tramway has been constructed from the cable tramway terminus al Joppa. Edinburgh, through Fisherrow and Musselburgh to Levenhall, and was opened f6> traffic on December 12. The following personal estates have been recorded: — Mr Peter Mackinnon, of Ronachan, Argyllshire, £577,510; Mr James T. "Smith, of Duloch, Inverkeithing. £348,820: Mr James Wilson, Trinidad merchant, Glasgow,-- £156,568; Mr D. Tullis, tanner, Rutherglen, £110,291 ; Lieutenant-colonel Hunter-Weston, of Hunterston, £71,1*7; Dr James Wallace, Greenock, £53,512; Mrs Moubray, of Balgonie, Fife, £43,940; Professor Pirie, Aberdeen University, £33.622; Mrs Bishop, the famous traveller, £33,321.