GENERAL NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6489, 18 May 1899, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS.

A SPIRITUALIST IN TROUBLE. Spiritualistic circles in America are much exercised oyer an incident which occurred at Wasliington recently, when the death of Mr John Sherman, ex-Secre-tary of State, was reported on apparently good authority, but, as it turned out, erroneously. A leading spiritualist ill that city was holding a seance, during which the spooks of several more or less wellknown- deceased people, and relatives of the. believers present, attended. Some made themselves manifest in an exceedingly dimly-lighted room, and others made their revelations by means of the medium. The crowning evont of the evening, however, wa3 when the. spiritualist materialised the spirit of Mr Sherman. The supposed soul of the ex-Secretary of State appeared, and told the meeting how pleased he was to be in heaven, which web a beautiful place. The spiritualised, gentleman remembered his colleagues in Washington. He politely sent his compliments to Mr M'Kinley, and desired to be remembered to other members of the Administration. He next wrote a message on a slate, the writing beinef, it is said, an excellent imitation of Mr Sherman's caligraphy. Naturally all present were greatly edified at what they had seen and heard at the seance, and. went away ' deeply impressed. Next morning they learnt that Mr Sherman had not died. His spirit, therefore, could not have been materialised or brought from heaven, and they now threaten to sue the medium as an impostor. . AN INTERESTING RELIC. ' The "Southland Times" says:— "We were shown yesterday a fragment of Royal Stuart tartan to which a peculiar and romantic interest attaches. It is believed that the square is part of the plaid of Prince Charles Stuart. The relic has been in the possession of a lady in the town since her childhood, and was shown to Mr E. R. Wilson recently. That gentleman^ partner, Mr J. E. Mackenzie, brought it to the office that we might see it. The fabric is very different from the modern material. It is hard and tough to the touch, and was manifestly made on the hand loom from a careful admixture. of wool and silk— hence its endura uce. The piece of tartan is f uded and worn." In one or two places it is almost transparent, and there-is one hole in it. There seems to be every reason to believe that the history of the relic is authentic. The story goes that a larger section of the plaid was stolen from the War Office by a devoted Highlander, who made a bonnet (nob it may be surmised for wear) out of part of it, and the remnant Fell by a succession of steps into the hands of the present owner, by whom, it goes without saying, it is high y prized." THE DESERTS OF THE DEEP. After ballooning, submarine navigation is exercising the curiosity of the world. The " English Illustrated " lias two articles on the Lieutenant Armstrong, late R.N., describes the Gustave Zede, the trial (rip of whicb has induced the French Admiralty to order six sub-aqueous boats of the same type, but of much larger size. The writer points that a similar ship built by the Brazilian Government in 1889 was a failune, and he is certain thafthe Gustave Zede will be found ineffective, for- the same reason, i.e., the inability of the helmsman to see his way under water without disclosing his whereabouts to the object of attack. In the other article, an American inventor, Mr Simon Lake; recounts what he has actuallly done with his Argonaut. This d-cp not attempt to remain suspended 1 in midwater, but travels on wheels along the be«i of the ocean, its weight being regulated by admitting or expelling water from ballast tanks inside. It can cany enough air to allow submergence for twenty-four hours, and the inventor has done enough to convince him that his boat wpU enable him to recover millions of lost treasure now tying in the ocean depths.