THE ENGLISH MAIL. A BISHOP ON THE MORALS OF YOUNG AUSTRALIA. THE ENGLISH MAIL. (FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.) [VIA BRINDISI.]

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 295, 1 September 1888, Page 4

THE ENGLISH MAIL. A BISHOP ON THE MORALS OF YOUNG AUSTRALIA.

THE ENGLISH MAIL.

(FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.)

[VIA BRINDISI.]

Tin? Bishop of Sydney, speaking at the annual meeting of the White Cross Society last nighb, waxed enthusiastic anent the morals of young Australia. In a congregation of 600 or 700 young men in Sydney Cathedral theie were, he said, hundreds voluntarily enrolled members of the Church of England Purity Society, and engaged in assisting its noble work. The Bishop of Nehon also bore witness to the improving bone of morality amongst young men in the colonies.

NATIONAL BANK MEETING. At tho annual meeting of the National Bank of New Zealand on Tuesday, an additional dividend of 2A- percent, was declared, making, with the previous interim dividend, 5 per cent, for the year. The Chairman (Mr Hoare) explained that the position of afiairs in New Zealand had led them to curtail their business rather than run any risks. This policy had naturally resulted in reduced profits,. The organisation of the Bank had, however, been caret ully maintained, so that they were in a position to take advantage of any revival ot confidence or prosperity in the colony. The past year had been one of exceptional difficulty, but from telegrams just received they were glad lo leain things seemed to be improving. They were doing business which was .safe, and the Board were certainly prcpaied with a very good heart to fight the thing through, and they were confident that time and circumfctances would in tho long run work in their favoui. Their prospects would to a certain extent depend upon the future price of agricultural pioducc, but he thought they might al&o have to look forward to a development of mining and manufacturing industries, which would add ! largely to the \aluc ot land.

THE UORDON-BAILLIE FRAUDS. Mrs Gordon-Baillieis fairly in the toils at last. During the week that elapsed between the second remand and her appearance at Westminster on Monday last, Mr Frost's friends made a desperate effort to extiicate him and his wife by redeeming several of their spurious cheques, or "stunners," as vulgar people call them. The payee was a clergyman named Moll, and an intimate friend of Mrs Frost, sen., who, it seems, is an infirm old lady buttering from heart disease. Tho icverend gentleman assured the magistrate that he only paid the money to ease the sick woman's mind, and not with any idea of thwarting justice. Detective Inspector Marshall, however, took a different view of the proceeding, and the magistrate cautioned Mr Moll not to meddle further with the ca&e. As a matter of fact, he might just as well have saved his money, ior though the tradesmen settled with laid no charges against the prisoners, they came to the Police Court and told their stories, which was quite as damning. The feature of Monday's pioceedings was the changed demeanour of Mr Percival Frost towards his doi-cHiant wife. Removed from the personal fascinations of that lady, and faced with the actualities of prison life and the possibilities of penal servitude, he appear.s to have reconsidered hid position, and re&olved to separate his case from hers. Mr Frost's friends were loud in their wailings over his falling away from the paths of rectitude, and, of course, blamed Mrs Bailhe entirely foi it. Inßpector Marshall himself seems to think the man more sinned against than sinning. He had a good name at Oxford, and appears to have been doing fairly well till he fell into Mr.s (t.-B.'" clutches After proving several cases of tendering spurious cheques againt-'t the prisoneis, and producing pawnbrokers' assistants to --how that Frost personally had pawned tho Palmer Lodge furniture, Detective Marshall requested the magistrate to grant him legal assistance. The case, he <*aid, was getting complicated. Mrs d'ordon-Baillie's frauds appeared innumerable and extended over a period ot fifteen years. ISe: t Wednesday he should prove the series of frauds perpetrated by the female prisoner at Walthamstow in 1881. After that, it might be well to go back to 1877, w hen a warrant from this very Court (Westminster) was gi anted against Kate Miller and Annie Bruco for defrauding a lady of £300. Kate Miller was arrested, but Miss Bruce (as Mrs Baillie then called herself) fled the country. The secret of Mrs Baillie's immunity from arrest for so long lies, of course, in her good looks, pretty ways, and the beale upon which she proceeded. Tradesmen believed her unbusinesslike, ignorant of commercial morality, anything but deliberately fraudulent. Even the manager of a house like Hatchard's in Piccadilly, who had been humbugged more than once by her years ago, changed a spurious cheque for £10 tor her like a lamb, under the impression (which she gave every dupe) that at least she meant to act straightly by him.

THE WALTHAMSTOW FRAUDS. Wednesday's proceedings were confined entirely to an examination into Mrs Baillie's (then Mrs VVhyte) Walthamsbow escapade The landlord of the house she took there (a Mr Harding) narrated with a good deal of unction the history of his being- taken in and done for by the dashing Mrs Whybe. You have heard ib all before. How the lady drove up in a &nmrt brougham, talked of her aristrocratic relations, the Hope Johnstones, Lord Aberdeen and theresb,and generally dazzled and charmed him. Mr E. Hard ing, of Gordon Square, Bloomsbury, in narrating: bho affair deposed : She &aid that she was a connection of the Earl of Aberdeen and Mr A. Hope Johnstone, and bhab that was her name before marriage. She also said her marriage settlement was £1,000 a year, and that Sir Fred. Johnstone was a trustee under the settlement. She spoke about her husband. She said that although he was called Whyte he was an operatic singer performing under bhe name ot Knight Aston, and thab he was proprietor of the comic opera of " Olivette," which was being &o successfully performed at thab time. She said also thab her husband was really Baron Aston, of Birmingham, and that there was a lawsuit then pending by which he expected to get possession of his estate. She also told witness thab she had a large house ab Pinter, which she let for £500. In consequence ot having married only a professional singer, her family, she said, were much incensed, and on that account she would rather witness did not make any application to Sir Fred. Johnstone, but she would give other reference.*. She further said that when hor husband established his right to the barony of Aston, her friends would be reconciled ito her niairiage. At the termination of the interview ib was arranged she should bring her husband to the p?ace. She then left in her carriage and pair. Her next vieit was with a, genbleman in a carriage, and he was introduced a& her husband. Mr Whyte had veiy little bo say. He simply wore an oye-glass and looked on, and only said "'yes' 3 " or *'no" when she spoke. Sho familiarly addressed him as "T«m,"

The netb result of these calls were that Mr Harding and his partner let their house and. sold their furniture to the too charming Mrs Whyte, receiving in exchange £70 (secretly raised by bill ot sale on the f urni ture, which was worth £200), and a choice assortment of pledges and promises. The Whytes stopped about three months at Walthamstow, when thtir whereabouts were discovered by some metropolitan creditors (lawyers), who promptly seized and &\\ept off the furniture. At Wednesday's sitting it was announced that the Tieasury had taken up the case, and that on Monday next Mr St. John Wontner would prosecute.

FROZEN MEAT. The pi-ices of frozen meat this week ha\e continued steady, with very little variation. Home-grown mutton has fallen since last week, with a decline of 2d to 4d per 8 pounds. Scotch mutton, 5s to 5s 4d per 81bd ; English (wether), 4s 4d to 5s per 81bK ; Cierinan, 4s 8d to 4s lOd y>er 81bo ; New Zealand (Canterbury), Ss to 3s 4d per 81bs : New Zealand (Wellington), 2s lOd to 3s per Btbs ; Sydney, 2s 8d per Slbs ; River Plate, 2s 4d per Slbs ; Zealand lamb, 4s to 4s 4d per 8lb«.

MOSTLY ABOUT PEOPLE. The Rev. W. S. Green whose name I mentioned last week in connection with Emil Bess's death is still hule and hearty and as a great a climber as ever. The Geographical .Society have just selected him as the fittest person ' to explore the glacier regions of British Chimbia. Lady Bell as her friends in New Zealand | will be glad to hear is in better health than she has been for a long time. She was able to be present at the wedding of the great Antipodean heiress Miss- Henty to Captain Starkeg last week. The Boweii?, the Samuel Wilsons, the Blights and most of the Anglo-Victorian set were amongst her guests and Bishop Moorhouse performed the ceremony. The Hey. Dr. Hannay and Mr Lee who have been commis&ioned to vif.it the Australian churches by the Congregational Union arc passengers by to-day's Orient boat for your part of the world. There was a big farewell meeting of ministers, deacons, etc., at the Memorial Hall in Farringtonstreet on Monday afternoon to bid them "God speed." The Morgan Mine shares are still ao a small premium. The. indefatigable promoter, by way of keeping them up, ia inviting parties of shareholders to (champagne) iunch at the mine, and afterwards inspect their property. Keally this Australian solicitor is a wonderful little man. It. is still on the cards that Mr Charles Dickens may "do" the colonies with readings, from his parent's masterpieces. He goes down well in the English provinces.

THE NEW DUCHESS. The Duchess of Marlboroueb made he chhut at .Mrs OppenheinVs ball last Friday chessed in plain white, and nob wearing a single diamond The sole ornaments were a necklace and bracelets of priceless pearls. She is very tall, very dark, and fairly goodlooking, but in no sense of the word a belle. The good taste her diess implied was a surprise, as MrsHammer&ley was famed in New York for the bad taste of her costumes and jewels ; in fact, usedtodriveabout inalandau lined with— just think of it— yellow satin. The Dowager-Duchess and Lady Randolph Churchill are introducing their new relative everywhere. She is of course the lion of the dying reason, an even to have achieved an introduction is to shine with reflected glory. What does poor Lady Blandford think of it all I wonder, ani in what relation do the two boys, the Duke's children, stand to the new Duchess. They can scaicely be expected to recognise two mothers, can they '(