The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1885.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3329, 29 May 1885, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1885.

In his recent speech at Auckland it will be remembered Sir George Grey threw out dark hints as to certain intrigues which went on during last session, and having excited the public curiosity by his mysterious innuendoes, left them still gaping open-mouthed just as it was thought he was going to tell them all about it. Somebody who seems to know as much about the matter as Sir George himself, has been whispering m the ear of tho New Zealand Herald, however, and that journal recently came out with some particulars not heretofore made public. " Somebody," it may be added, is of opinion that Sir George Grey behaved m a very noble, self-denying and dignified way, refusing to be caught m any of the wicked wiles of Sir Julius and Mr Stout, and altogether " Somebody" appears to have a very intimate knowledge of Sir George Grey, and a very high opinion of that gentleman's charactei*. According to the statement of this well-informed person it appears that before the meeting of the House last session the Stout- Vogel party had been moving m the South to seize the reins of office, but they did not know what to do with Sir George Grey. "He gave them considerable uneasiness of mind," we are told, " because it was felt that he would be no party to their jobs or their manoeuvres to outflank him." Mr J. 0. Brown, whip of the party, sent a telegram to Sir George Grey asking him to go to Wellington a few days before the meeting of the House, for consultation it was presumed, as it was seen that Major Atkinson was m a large minority. Sir George did so, and met Mr Stout and one or two others, as he stated, m the Whip's room. According to the statement m the Herald Mr Stout at once played the part of the candid friend. He frankly told Sir George that he was not by any means a popular character m the House — a statement undeniably true, if not very delicately put — but, considering the position he occupied, he should have the right of nominating two members of the Cabinet. Thereupon Sir George put on that innocent expression which he can assume so well, and asked who was to be the Premier, and what was to be the Ministry — apparently astonished that anything m the shape of Cabinet-making should be on the boards. Mr Stout; modestly replied that it had been thought advisable that he (Mr Stout) should be Premier, and Sir Julius Yogel would be Treasurer. Sir George thereupon stated that be did not think any knot of men had a right to seize office m that manner, and declined to have anything to do with the Ministry. This, we are further informed, rather staggered some of the members, and next morning a deputation consisting of Messrs Stout, Montgomery, Ban-on and another member waited upon him at his hotel and again pressed him to accept a portfolio, but "Sir George very courteously replied that he would not enter any Ministry where office had been taken m that manner." Our own information at the time was that he spoke out m very decided terms, and roundly attacked Mr Stout personally for having brought Sir Julius Yogel back into politics, when the Opposition, as he considered, already contained leaders fully capable of steering the party to victory. However, this is a , minor point which may be allowed to pass. It will be remembered that the first Stout- Vogel Ministry were defeated by an overwhelming majority, Sir George Grey voting against them ; that he also voted against the second Atkinson Ministry ; but that m the second Stout- Vogel Ministry, Mr Tole, Sir 1 George Grey's nominee, was included, and the Member for Auckland ' City East refrained from any active attempt to throw them out of office. His support, however, was always considered as of a very doubtful character, and as soon as the present Ministry were strong enough, they rather assisted than endeavored to restrain his avowed transfer of his influence to the Opposition. One fact related by Sir George Grey's intimate friend m the Herald has, so 1 far as we are aware, never before been published. It is that at one time an attempt was made by the Stout-Vogel combination to get Sir George Grey out '. of the way, or to silence him to some 1 extent, by the offer of a comruissioner--1 ship m the King Country, similar to that held by Sir William. Fox on the West Coast. On this subject theremarks of our contemporary are suffi- ; ciently suggestive to deserve quotation m full :— > The offer was put to Sir George m a > delicate fashion by Mr Stout, who said the Ministry would be very glad of his services , m a great work m another direction. They proposed to appoint a Commission to make < arrangements with the Natives about lands m the King Conntry. Tho Commission was to consist of three gentlemen, nominated, of courßO, by the Ministry. Sir George was actually to be Chairman, but the deoiaion of the majority was to be binding, bo that ho might be out-voted on every point m a very - simple and dignified manner. Sir Qeorge declined the offer. The public will probably wonder why such an offer was ever made. to a man who has been High Commissioner of J South Africa, and Governor of this and other Colonies. Sir George Grey has bis prioe, as it l is believed every man has, but Sir Julius evidently does not understand him m the least by offering baits of this description. From these acts it will beeeen Sir George kept bim- , Bplf a tolerably free lance. Towards the end c/ th» icißioß be itronffly opposed theCfoveru-

ment. Ho did so Bolely, we believe, m consequence of proposals with reference to certain jobs and railways and schemes m the South, m one' at least of which both the Premier and Treasurer are personally concorned—tho former as solicitor to the Company, and the latter as having been chairman for many years at a high salary. The story bears the strongest stamp of probability on its face, and letß m a flood of light on the way m which things were managed during the troublous times of last Bession, and also, it is very probable, on the mysterious workings of the Government during the recess. The feeling of the public, we are sure, will be one of shame at the degraded tone of politics m New Zealand, when it is attempted to carry on Government by bribery and corruption of this sort. As to whether Sir George Grey is the pure, Bpotles3 political seraph he would make himself out to be, that is quite another matter. We respect him for his personal character and bis literary attainments, but we have no hesitation m saying that whatever is degrading m New Zealand politics he is mainly responsible for having introduced it. He attained office m the first instance by an intrigue of the most scandalous type, and he maintained himself m power by jobbery the most shameless m the annals of the colony. His conduct during last session is very easily accounted for. He was vain enough at first to imagine that, m the extraordinary confusion of parties, he would be able once more to seize the Premiership. Hib rage with his old colleague, Mr Stout, when he found the latter had thrown him over, and had entered into a compact with Sir Julius Yogel, was extreme, and we believe that the Old Adam was almost as nearly getting the mastery of him ac it waa on that memorable occasion when he turned Mr Ballance out of the Cabinet room. He was induced to tolerate the present Ministry for a time ;by a variety of reasons. In the first place, he couldn't help himself, because the Atkinson party were disposed to give them a trial, and without the aid of the former he could, of course, do nothing. Secondly, he may have desired to reward his faithful adherent, Mr Tole, by giving him a taßte of office m somebody else's Ministry, as he couldn't it one of his own ; and, lastly, there is no doubt he flattered himself that he would be able to keep the balance of power m his hands, and sway the Ministry to his will. In this he discovered he was mistaken, mainly because the Atkinson party still refrained froru any hostile ! demonstration, and then his mortification found vent m virulent attacks upon the Government. As to District Railway jobs, Sir George Grey would have swallowed a dozen of them if it had suited his purpose.

I Football — The match to-morrow will be English versus Colonials. It is to be hoped that a good muster will roll up, and that o thorough good practice will result. Thb Club Hotel. — To suit the convenionco of the public, from to-day the Is luncheons at the above Hotel will bo from 12 noon sharp to 2.30 p.in. — [Advt .] The Beeakwatkb. — Messrs Jones and Peters, contractors for the Breakwater, are to commence filling m another monolith early this morning. When it is filled, and the concrete set, block-laying will be again resumed. "Tebbnce." — It -will be seen from our Cbristchnrcb. telegrams that the Governor has declined to interfere with the action of the Senate m regard to the introduction of the ■works of this author into the B.A. course of tho New Zealand University. Tbee Sale. — Messrs Jonas and Bourn desire to draw attention to their large sale of trees, which takes place at their rooms to-day. As the sale is the first of the season and now is the best time for planting fruit trees, no doubt the sale will be well patronised. The Travelling Public are reminded that Breakfast shall for the future be ready at tho Railway Refreshment Booms m time for the Early Trains at Is 6d. Is Hot Lunch as usual from 12 till 8. Is fid Tea Dinner from 6 till 8 o'clock. What a Boon !— [Adyt.] Loan Bill. —We publish m another column some particulars respecting the Timaru Harbor Board Loan Bill of 1885, which is to be introduced into the House o£ Representatives during tho ensuing session. The Bill ia to grant further borrowing powers to the Timaru Harbor Board. Poll. — In accordance with the provisions of tho Licensing Act 1882, and Licensing Act Amendment Act 1882, a poll is to be taken to-day at the Town Hall, for the purpose of taking tho votes of tlie ratepayers as to whethor the number of publicans' licenses may or may not bo increased. The poll will commence at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Bbsident Maoistbate's Coubt, Waimate. — At this Court yesterday, before His Worship the Mayor and J. Manchester, Esq., J.P., T. Johnson was brought up charged witli being drunk and disorderly and with assaulting the police whilst m the execution of their duty. Constable Field, E. George, and G. Fow gave evidence which proved the charges. Accused said he was drunk and did not know what he was doing. He was fined 10s, 20s, and 40s respectively for the offences mentioned. Another man, a first offender, was fined 6s for drunkenness. The Court then roee. A Cikan Swebp. — The large pile of short lengths, odds and ends, and remnants of all descriptions of drapery goods, which have accumulated since the commencement of the Monster Bemoval Sale at Messrs Davies and Murphy's, the Cash Drapers, will bo offered for sale this day and to-morrow (Saturday) at an enormous sacrifice under English cost prices. The room is required, and, as usual, wo stick at nothing to effect an immediate clearance. In addition to the above, we will have a grand show of new goods just opened, which have been specially reduced, a glance at which will convince the most sceptical of tho genuino saving to be effected by purchasing new and seasonable drapery for a mere trifle. — (Advt.) Mb. Booth. — We were informed yesterday that Mr Booth does not intend to visit Timaru. In looking over files to hand yesterday we find the following .- — " The North Otago Times states that Mr Booth promised, if health permitted him, to return if possible m a twelve months' time, and hold a fortnight's mission. Tho failure m Mr Booth's health is attributed m a great measure to the state the Public Hall was m on Sunday afternoon and evening. The ventilation of tho building is defective, and m addition the gaapipea were leaking or were also defective. Mr Booth will not now visit I Timaru, Temuka and Ashburlon, but proceeds to Christchurch, where he awaits a steamer proceeding to Wellington, at whicl place he gives addresses." Bbbidbmt Maoisxbate's Coubt, Timabu. — J. 8. Beswick, Esq., R.M., and E. G. Sterricker, Esq., J.P., presided at this Court yesterday. James Scott, alias David Gray, alias John Stewart, alias James McKillop, against whom thirteen previous convictions were recorded, was charged with drunkenness, and sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labor. John McComesky, alias John Hall, was charged by the police with having no lawful visible means of snpport, and was sent to gaol for one month with hard labor. William Stevens was charged with having unlawfully and violently assaulted his wife on the 26th inst. Dr Hogg attended and certified that Mrs Stevens was unable to attend. The accused was thereupon remanded to the 4th prox., bail being allowed m two sureties of £25 each. James Cain, charged with driving a horse without reins, was fined 20s and coßta, Us. John Carmichael, for allowj ing a horse to wnndor at large, was fined 5s and coste, 7s ; and Martin Whelan for allowa bull to be at large was fined 20s and costs, 7i. -

i Pabliambntaby Union. — The Speaker ' will take the chair at 8 p.m. sharp this even--1 ing m the Foresters' Hall, next the Fire 1 Brigade Station. \ SINGULAB WEDDING IN "WELLINGTON. — A most remarkable marriage (says the Evening Post) has just been celebrated m | Wellington. The bride is a good-looking woman of under thirty years of age, who has ■ just taken to herself a fourth husband, her three previous spouses being all alive, and : yet she is not now amenable to a charge of bigamy. When a girl she married her first \ husband, and afterwards discovered that he had a previous wife living. Leaving him she married No. 2, a single man, but after living ' with him some time they separated, and ■ although tho marriage was a good one, sho 1 risked a prosecution and contracted a third | marriage, also with a bachelor. Husband No. 2 obtained a divorce, and marriage the third being of course invalid, the parties • after a time separated. Now a fourth husi band has led the much-married woman to tke [ altar. ( The High School. — Captain Sutter, M.H.R., and a member of the Timaru ' High School Board of Governors, has kindly I furnished us with some very interesting and ! important statistics concerning the High , School. From them we learn that the , receipts for the year -were: — Income from _ rents, £1038 9s 8d j do school feeß, £900 ; interest on investments, £142 10s ; total, I £2080 19s Bd. Tho expenditure for the same . period was :— Teachers' salaries, £1650 ; . Secretary's do, £70 ; Janitor's do, £100 j pupil \ teachers' do, £80 ; fuel, £17 j ■ printing and stationery, £67 ; repairs, £36; rents und insuri ances, £17 ; interest on overdraft, £11 ; sundry ; accounts, £50 ; total, £2098. There are now , 127 pupils on the roll, 115 of whom pay fees. 5 Four pupils, holders of South Canterbury s Board of Education scholarships, and eight pupils, holders of High School Board echolar--1 ships, get their education free. The staff i comprises six teachers, and as it is thought j 127 pupils are too many for such a staff to do justice to, it is understood a recommendat ion is to be made to the Board of Governors 1 that the services of tho pupil teachers shall J be dispensed with and one competent teacher t be added to the permanent staff. If this 3 alteration is made it will cause an additional t expenditure of at least £70 per annum. » Death of a Legislative Councillor.— The death is announced of Mr Nurse, M.L.C., > one of the early pioneers of the Southland » district. In early life Mr Nurse entered the t Royal Navy, and saw a good deal of active , service m Chinese waters and also m the ' Baltic during the Crimean War, but retired ! on account of ill-health at an early age, with I tho rank of lieutenant. He came to New ) Zealand and took up a cattle run on the I banks of Lake Te Anau with the Messrs Hankinson about 1858. Some years after- ' wards he purchased the estate of Blackwater, near Eivcrton, where he resided up till the 1 time of his death. He was for some years m ) the Southland Provincial Council, and at one 1 time occupied the position of Deputy-Super-t intendent. He was called to the Upper House about 18 years ago, but never took a very prominent part m colonial politics. It ■ was noticed last session that his health had t very much broken down, and on one occasion » he was found m a lobby m a fit, and had to . be removed to the Wellington Hospital for treatment, 1 Death of a Remabkable Colonist. — • The late Mr Robert Graham, of Auckland, 3 whose death was recently announced, had a I very remarkable career." He -was originally, we believe, a draper m Auckland, but early engaged m native land transactions, and must - m the course of his life have made several ' fortunes, generally contriving, however, to • lose them again. Ho was the founder of 1 Grahametown (the Thames), which -was named after him, and was at one time ' Superintendent of the Province. Latterly he 1 has been best known as the proprietor of Lake ! House, Ohinemutu, and the Waiwera Hot Springs estate. During last session he I endeavored to float a company to take over 1 his interest m these undertakings, and caused a small commotion by summoning a meeting > of Members to be held m one of the rooms of 1 the House, without first obtaining the permission of the Speaker. Tho matter was re- ' ferred to the Parliament, and Mr Graham ' had a narrow escape of being " called before ' the Bar." He was a man of fine presence, J and of great natural enterprise and ability, as : must be evident even from the briefest record of his career. [ " Bohn Lttcky, not Rich." — From an : Auckland paper we take the following : — • "A man named James Clout, a carpenter, ' engaged m the supervision of the removal of > the old wooden Robert Burns Hotel, Union street, hud an extraordinary escape from 1 death recently. The building had been ' moved back 40 or 50 feet, and was resting ; on screw-jacks about eighteen inches from ' the ground. Clout was crawling under the 1 building, when it suddenly listed, crushing him to the ground with his knees under his ■' stomach. Everyone believed that he was 5 killed, but this did not prevent the workr men from expeditiously ripping up tho c flooring boards. They found Clout pinned to • the ground by a large joint. Tim was quickly 1 sawn through, and m a few minutes of the listing of the building the man was released 1 from his perilous position. The poor fellow ; was much crushed and shaken. Medical 1 assistance -was obtained, but an examination ' showed no bones were broken, and that there 1 wore no external injuries. The accident is 1 accounted for by tho fact that some of tho L screw-jacks rested on clay, and the weight of the building caused them to sink." Staetling Information. — The latest ' illustration of the old adage that one goes ■ from home to hear news, is contained m tho ' following extract from the Evening Press i (Wellington) : — " It is stated, apparently on 1 trustworthy information, that the wife of a r small settler near Timaru who has recently ' been m vory embarrassed circumstances, has • come into a fortuno of three million sterling. ' When the news came, so the story goes, the 1 husband had left his family, and was trying i to pick up a living among some of the islands, ' and the children were out m service or employed m other humble pursuits." We ' should be glad to hear some confirmation of L this news which seems almost too good to be ' true. Aesumingittobewell-foiinded-weshould » imagine the lucky couple are still "m em- ' barrased circumstances" — not knowing what ' to do with their three millions. No doubt, 1 however, they would find plenty of sympa- ■ thising friends ready to help them. i Settlement m the Hakateeamea. — 1 According to the Oamaru Mail, the following t petition is being forwarded to the Governr ment by the settlers of the Upper Waitaki : — j | " We, the undersigned residents and settlers : m Bakateramea, South Canterbury, pray that 1 you -will cauie to be thrown open to settle--1 ment a block of 15,000 acres under the perpetual lease By at em. The land referred to is ' the southern portion of the Hakateramea run, '■ at present leased by the Government to the I New Zealand and Australian Land Company, > and adjoining the Hakateramea Valley settle--1 ment. The boundaries of tho portion we > desire to have opened for settlement would L be along the front of the run and running f parallel -with the Hakateramea Valley settlei ment for seven miles, and then m a north--1 west line to Coal Creek, said creek to be the ' boundary on that side, with the Waitaki i river on the west. Your petitioners would ' point out that this land referred to is well t adapted for and would make an excellent • settlement under the perpetual-leaso system, i m blocks of tho maximum size of 640 acres. > Your petitioners, therefore, earnestly hope that, with a view to the permanent 6ettloment of the waste lands of tho Crown with an industrious class of bona fide settlers, you I will at the earliest possible timo cause the said block of land to bo opened for settlement." ! Thh New Zealand "Inpebno." A eon- ■ tributor to the Argus, who is " doing " the ■ Hot Lakes district of the North Island, , writes : — " Ono of the peculiarities of the > place was that you passed from scenes of ■ fairy beauty like the terracos at once into i regions of tho utmost horror, ' the nbominai tion of desolation.' Tho names given to i some of the places — ' Sodom and Gomorrah,' I ' The Valley of the Shadow of Death '—are i significant, and appropriate. Tho quaking 1 pools of boiling mud, the geysers suddenly i throwing columns of boiling water far into i the air, the miniature mud volcanoes, i the sulphur pits, the steam holes, the ■ withering vegetation colored red by the i sulphur fumes, combined to give the latter Slace s truly terrible appearance. It was unday, and some asked Kate (the guide) vher« »h« •would hold lervjce. • Hero, at tho

Devil's Hole,' she replied ; and as we gazed at the horrible boiling mud and ' burning marl,' seething m fury, and rushing up apparently from the nethermost hell, we agreed that the name was merited, and thought with R., that Milton and Dante must have been here before. We no longer doubted the Btory Dr C. had told us of his friend, whose only viye, m his own estimation, was profanity, and who, after gazing into (he dreadful pit for some moments, said, 'By , I'll swear no more.' " Masonic— The re-installation of the Prince ot Wales as Grand Master of English Freemasons was to take place m the Temple, London, on April 29th. On that day, for the first time, the hall which was destroyed by fire a week after a similar ceremony two years ago was to be opened completely restored and with all the renovated portraits of royal and noble Grand Masters adorning the walls; and the occasion was to be celebrated with something more than the usual formalities. Encoubagembnt of Yachting. — The French Government hare taken heed of tlie growth of the French yaehtiDg interest, and intend ij give it support m money and m deed. They will offer prizes to be contended for, and the brevet of captain will be issued to yachtsmen who give satisfactory proof of their capacity to navigate their vessels. It will be a rank, though, of course, a minor one to that of the navy proper. An Alabming Position. — A remarkable scene was witnessed at ConstantinoDle on Monday, March 30th. An immense crowd of infuriated women surrounded the Ministry of Finance, and, despite the efforts of the guards to resist their entry, forced their way into (he building. An advanced party burst yelling and gesfieulating into the office of the Minister, and, to his great alarm, demanded with many threats the arrears of their husbands' pay. In the meantime the crowd of infuriated wive 3 poured into the building, and the situation of the Minister became every moment more critical. A large body of police were summoned, and soon afterwards made an attempt to clear the premises ; but their efforts were unavailing, and they were at laet forced to retire, leaving the women m possession of the field. The Minister managed amid the confusion to make his escape by a back -window, after having made plausible promises to the enraged women. The New Govebnob of Fiji.— The Colonial Office list gives the following particulars regarding the new Governor of .Fiji :— Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock, K.C.M.G.,'entered the army, 32nd Light Infantry, January, 1862 : captain, 1873 ; Private Secretary and Aide-de-Camp to the Officer Administering the Government of Mauritius from July, 1873, to January, 1874 ; Acting Chief Civil Commissioner, Seychelles Islands, from April, 1874, until February, 1875 ; member of the Executive and Legislative Councils of Fiji May, 1876 ; appointed (provisionally) Colonial Secretary and Receiver-General, Fiji, September 1, 1875 ; President of Nevis, 1877; administered the Govern* menfc of St. Lucia from June, 1878, to August, 1879 ; Chief Civil Commissioner of the Seychelles, October, 1879, Governor of West African Settlement*, 1881. In April, 1881, he was sent on a mission to Paris m conjunction with Mr Henning of the Colonial Office, to assist m negotiating the settlement of certain questions at issue between Great Britain and France m regard to territory on the West Coast of Africa. Appointed H.M. Consul for Liberia, December, 1881, sent on a mission to Liberia to negotiate the settlement of a conterminous boundary between Sierra Leone and Liberia, and to enquire into the claims of British, subjects against the Liberian Government, March, 1882. Afterwards appointed Governor of Sierra Leone. In 1884 ho was raised to the dignity of a K.C.M.G., and the latest edition of Who's Who for 1885 gives him as Governor of Trinidad, W.I. He is 41 years of age. A Victorian Convict. — William Barnes, the murderer of Joseph Bragge Slack, who is to suffer the extreme penalty of the law this morning, at the Melbourne Gaol (says the Melbourne Argus of May 15th), was born at Chillingham, a small village near Chatham, m England, -where his father was a bootmaker. When Barnes was about eiglit years of age his family removed to London, -where, after ho had received a fair commercial education, he learnt his father's trade. As he grew into manhood he associated with bad companions, and was arrested for a burglary m which he and some of his companions were implicated. For this he web trans* ported to Western Australia, where he was subsequently convicted of a similar crime, and imprisoned for 10 yeaTs. At the expiration of that sentence he migrated to Victoria. He always ascribed his detection m both, these cases to the treachery of confederates, and resolved m future to carry on the nefarious calling m which he had resolved to embark single-handed. He has stated during his present imprisonment that he has committed a great many crimes which have not been detected. He has frequently expressed his sorrow for having murdered* Slack, and has given as his reason for confessing the enne, that he " could not live with the murder on his conscience." He said that when he spoke of Thompson, a fellow-prisoner at Pentridge, having given him information regarding Slack's house and habits, he did not wish to injure that person, but what he had said m this connexion was true. He expressed a wish yesterday to see a prisoner m the gaol, who was sent to Western Australia withhim, and whom he had known ever lince but subsequently said that he would rather not Bpeak to him. Siuce the beginning of the present week Barnes hns felt his position keenly, and when not engaged m conversation with Mr Dwyer, the governor of the gaol, or the Rev. H. F. Scott, the chaplain, -who has attended him frequently, has seemed quite despondent. On Wednesday and Thursday, whilst engaged m prayer with Mr Scott, he sh' d tears and appeared to be suffering great nervous excitement. The execution will be carried out by the man who banged Wm. O'Brien, the Lancefield murderer, and who, for obvious reasons, gives the fictitious name of John Jones. Gordon at Khabtocm. — The letters of Mr Frank Power, the English consul and The Times correspondent at Khartoum, have been published. They were sent by Mr Power to friends before and during the siege. The Times concludes it* notice with two brief extracts relating to Gordon. They add little that is new to what we already know of the man, but they are the independent testimony of one to whom he was a perfect stranger until his arrival at Khartoum : — " Gordon is & most lovable character — quiet, mild, gentle, and strong ; be is so humble, too. The -way he pats you on the shoulder when he says, 'Look here, dear fellow, now what do you advise?' would make you love him. When he goes out of doors there are always crowds of Arab men and women at the gate to kiss his feet, and twice to-day the furious women, wishing to lift his feet to kiss them, threw him over. He appears to like me, and already calls me Frank. He likes my going so much among the natives, for not to do so is a mortal sin m his eyes. I often speak of you to General Gordon j he Bays he must make your acquaintance before we go to the Congo ; he would like a day m Dublin. He is Dictator here. It is wonderful that ono man could have such an influence on 200,000 people. Numbers of women flock here every day to ask him to touch their children to cure them ; they call him the 'Father and the Saviour of the Soudan.' He has found me badly up m Thomas a Kenipi*, which he reads every day, and has given me an Imitation of Christ. He is indeed, I believe, tho greatest and best man of this century." The second extract is less cheerful m tone, and seems to show a presage of the end : — " I like Gordon more and more every day } he has a most lovable manner and disposition, and is so kind to me. He is glad if you show the smallest desire to help him m his great trouble. How one man pould have daron to attempt his task I wonder. Ono day of 'his -work and bother would kill another man, yet ho i? so cheerful at breakfast, lunch and dinner ; but I know ho suffers fearfully from low spirits. I hear him walking up and down bis room all night (it is next to mine). It is only his great piety carries him through." Alleged Successful Tbiaihent or Hydrophobia. — A native surgeon, M. NursimJo, has written a letter to the editor of the Times of India, from which it would appear that he has treated successfully » case having all the symptoms of hydrophobia. The treatment adopted was the subcutaneous injection of a sixteenth of a grain of atropia,

The breathing became infrequent (twelve per minute), and the pulse slowed to the rate of fifty per minute. A quarter of a grain of morphia was injected hypodermically as an antidote to the atropia, and this was repeated several times. The symptoms disappearedthe third day after the onset of the malady. Ihe patient was a soldier, aged twenty-four, who had been bitten by a dog the week boForo the symptoms resembling hydrophobia appeared. If tho case were one of hydrophobia (remarks the Lancet) it must be allowed that tho period of incubation was very short ; the dog is not stated to have been mad, and it must not be forgotten that the presence of symptoms closely resembling, if not identical with, hydrophobia do not prove that tho case was one of genuine rabies. The Brooders. — In tho High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, on 13th March, before Mr Justice Kay, the case Garstang and Brogden v. Mayson came on. This was a petition asking that the action m this suit might be wound up, and all further proceedings stopped. Mr Pearson, with whom was Mr Mulligan, stated that he appeared for Messrs Alex, and Henry Brogden, who were trustees of the trusts of James Garstang, and having power by the will to invest the trust funds m shaves of incorporated companies, they advanced to the firm of John Brogden and' Sons, of which they were partners, upwards of £80,000, the security being shares m the firm. In July, 1881, the firm was dissolved, the business being • carried on by Messrs Alexander and : Henry Brogden ; but m December, 1883, they went into liquidation, when it was discovered that the liabilities were £569,839, and the assets only £3,800. By the compromise now asked for by the petition the Court was asked to make an order staying all further proceedings m the action, and to allow a Mr Judd to purchase the balance of the sum due to the estate of the late Mr Garstang for £1203, and to pay the costs. Mr Hastings, Q.C., for the infants, assented to the proposed arrangement. — Mr Justice Kay remarked that it was evidently a gross breach of trnst, that it was a robbery of trust funds, for which these gentlemen each deserved a j term of imprisonment. Did anyone wish to j punish these delinquent trustees ? Mr j Hustings Baid there was no such, wish, and to continue the action would only be to waste more money. Mr Justice Kay then granted the prayer of the petition. Death on the Football Field. — A singularly sudden death took place during a football match m Moore Park, Sydney, on Saturday, the 9th instant. At the inquest it transpired that the deceased was a young man, aged seventeen, named John William Cahill, living with his widowed mother at Surry Hills. The game he was engaged m was a scratch match played by the members of the "Victoria House Club and their friends. He had not been playing more than three minutes, when, m running m the direction of the ball,he wbb observed to fall forward on his face. As he fell, one of the other players fell over him. The other player jumped up immediately and ran on, but Cahill did not rise. Thinking there was something wrong, a number of young men ran to his assistance. When they picked him up he was breathing heavily, and while being removed to Furness' Hotel he expired. On the medical evidence of Dr Gilhooly tbe jury returned a verdict of death from sanguineous apoplexy, the result of congestion of the brain and its membranes. Scotjting with a Balloon.— l have (writes the correspondent of the Times at Souakim) had a conversation with Major Templar and Lieutenant Mackenzie, of the Balloon Corps, regarding the ascent on Wednesday last, thinking that an authentic account of the first ascent ever made on active service m the English army m presence of the enemy might be interesting, I Bend a brief resume of what they were kind enough to tell me :— The balloon was taken to the right Water Fort on Tuesday, and filled from the compressed reservoirs during the night. At daylight, when the convoy was ready to start for the zareeba, Lieutenant Mackenzie ascended 200 feet, and was then towed by a rope, attached to a waggon, m the centre of the square. Major Templar was m charge below — a post requiring much care and attention, m order to keep the waggon Bteady, if possible, so as to avoid breaking the rope. Lieutenant Mackenzie says that the bush, which seen from the ground is dense and obscures the view, seems quite open from a height. He saw the enemy's camel posts out a mile on the road towards Hasheen. Another body was retiring towards Tamai, and a third, near the sea-shore, was engaged m capturing or destroying the stampeded camels. Tho enemy were also seen at some 400 yards distance from the convoy, and they came out into the open space left m front to examine the balloon. Messages passed between Lieutenant Mackenzie aud Major Templar, written on small pieces of paper attached by a loop to a ropo. On the arrival of the convoy to the zareeba, the balloon was hauled down, packed, and brought back to Souakim. It is made of goldbeater's skin, contains some 7000 cubic feet of gas, is 23ft m diameter, and its total weight is 901 b. I asked L>eutenant Mackenzie what ho would do m the event of a disaster below. He replied that ho had thought of that point while m the air, and had decided to come down and anchor 50ft from the ground, and defend the anchor from the balloon until rescued. Major Tomplar is much pleased with the result of the ascent, as proving that a war balloon can vender good service far from Home, and remain up for nine hours with gas made m Chatham. Besides the balloon, ho has a portablo limo search light, which is constantly used m the camp and zaTeeba with success. The Utility of the Classics. — The long and fiercely-waged battle between those who are m favor of tho classics as an indispensiblc feature of higher education and those who would make them merely optional, is plainly going to be decided m America (writes the New York correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald) by the victory of the latter. Harvard, which is one of the three great historic American colleges, and which for two centuries and a half has insisted on teaching.boys Latin and Greek, whether they liked it or not, has formally taken down her colors, and now places Greek m her curriculum as a merely "optional" study. Yale and Princeton energetically declare that they at least will never descend to such weakness ; but the pressure of public opinion will, m the end, be too much for them. For a dozen years past tbo great prizes of life havo been palpably awarded to the men who have been educated m the more liberal and technical school. In the one calling of the ministry — the worst paid and the least popular of the intellectual pursuits — proficiency m the classics has been serviceable; but m all the othors the man who has not begun m youth to master the established facts and principles of modern science has been fatally handicapped m the race for distinction. Even lawyers find familiarity with mechanics and electricity of far more professional use to them m these times, when tho courts are so largely occupied with patent and similar cases, than an apt quotation from Horace. The question of the value of the two curriculi as means of intellectual discipline remains unsettled ; but m America the belief prevails that there is no longer time to master classics and science both, and that tho former is the less indispensable. None of our colleges are rich enough to subsist without the support of voluntary students, and these can only bo attracted by a course of study that seems to them the most desirable. Yale, m a few years, will follow the lead of Harvard and Comoll, or will lose its popularity. Tho end of it all will probably bo the relegation of Greek, and possibly Latin also, as a necessary part of education, to the purely theological seminaries, most of whom, even now, exist only by charitablo contributions, and ore abandoned by nearly all young men who haTe money enough to pay fees for tuition.