WHAT THE WORLD SAYS.

West Coast Times, Issue 2509, 16 April 1877, Page 3

WHAT THE WORLD SAYS.

(BY "ATLAS," FEBRUARY 7TH, 1877.)

I understand {hat a motion for the appointment of a Government, tjoirimission to inquire into the constitution and functions of the Committee of the Stock Exchange will shortly be made b} tlie Hdii. Elliott Ybrke; It will be' $iippfrrted by Sir Charles' Rufl&lL V.C. ; Sir Henry James, Q.C. ; and many other. leading members on both sides of tlie. House.

According to official statement there is iib dearth of recruits fdf the army ; b'tit this is hardly indorsed by pfivatfe fep'bVt. At a dinner party ttie other nighfc the point was mooted, and an officer from one of the brigade depots questioned on the" subject. ' I only know,-' he saidj ' that in the last twelve months we enlisted just six men : tvvo of them proved to be fraudulently enlisted j one has since dererted ; there is one in MiHbank ; another, in the guard-room— going there, unless his brains fire kicked out first j and the last of all is medically unfit.' Nor is the quality such as to compensate for lack of quantity. ' NicG soft chaps we're getting now/ I heard an old recruiting s&gteiHt say 'They're that old', and tlieir boheS that stiff, that shdre a stam'e' roller wouldn't straighten' em.' From Maltal hear that they are having a very nice time* and that the Duchess of Edinburgh is winning golUeh opinion's everywhere by the heartiness anfl suns geiib irt which slie takes psirt in all that goes on. She is especially popular among naval men, having the good sense to make no secret of the fact that she has a. great liking for her royal husband's profession and all who belong to it. Even the Maltese nobility, who have held aloof from English society since their (quiet, imaginary) snubbing at the time of the Prince of Wales's visit to the island, have beeii conquered by the Duchess's kindly arid unaffected enjoyment of all that takes place ori the island her daughter has be'eti named after.

A pleasant little story comes to me from Sweden. The church of Wexio, the principal town in the province where Christine Nilsson was born, has long been disfigured by some Very insufficient and shabby lamps, having all the failings,' but none of the interest of antiquity. When the great songstress was there last autumn, she asked whether the town couid not afford some new dhe ; but was told that its fioarices were fey 1 no means equal to the .necessary expenditure. At Christmas three magnificenL large gilded chandeliers arrived anonymously at the church. Where they came from nobody knbWs ; blit eoine people think they can guess. A curious legal question arose a few days since, viz., is a power of attorney suspended when notice has been received by the attorney that the grantor is

dead ? lam told that the only case on the books is an interesting one. A well-known London firm of bankers had made advances by way of mortgage td a tidbleinrtii wlib desired to pay Back the I'oati ; but was then discovered that tile 1 bnly SurvMHg partner whs insane, and an application had to be made to the Court to determine whether a power of attorney given by such partner prior to his insanity was in Force. I believe the Court held that, as he could not revoke, the power was suspended. The recent Conference at Constantinople bas proved that diplomacy is after all a business, arid tHat the eraploymebt of amateurs is dangerous; Many amusing stories are curretit connected with the failure of the special Envoy, of which .the following is not the worst : Soon after Lord Salisbury's arrival, lie went to call 6h tile th>n Grand Vizier, Mehemet Rusclidi. The conversation turned on Montenegro ; and the British Plenipotentiary stfdhgly urged that ia thb coming settlement a pbrt on the Adriatic hittst be accorded to her. The Grand Vizier seemed reasonable, acknowledged that there was some justice in the demand^ and added} ' The .Boeche di Cattaro would suit her best.' 'Then why should she tidt have it ?' replied. Lord Salisbury': Mehfemet Ruschdi lboked grave, but saidi * I think 1 can promise that oB this point no opposition will be raised by the Ottoman Government." Elated at his first diplomatic success^ the English Envoy went to the Preliminary Conference, and triumphantly announced that through his exertions the question ol Montenegrin demands might be considered settled, for that if the Conference would only propose the cession of the Bocche di Cattaro, he could answer that no opposition would be raised. Igiintieff sailed blandly; Count Zichy sprrtng- to iiis feet in dismay, and wildly Hsiied whether the distiiettiberment of Austria was contemplated. If then dawned upon the British Ehvdy that he had been giving away an Austrian port. How buribu.ily East-end preachers obtain the atteniion of their congregations ! Ned "Vyriglit secures a hearing by a casual reference to past burglaries, and * Fiddler Joss' appeals to the bettfer feelings of his listeners by itlfdrrtiing them that 1)6 was drunk for five years. Cbhld not something of tliis soft be done nearer iiome ? A confession of h Stock Exchange swindle from an Evjuigelist, an admission of tailors' and milliuers' bills fioni a Ritualist, abd a hiiit at lidavy bettiiig from a Broad Churchman might perhaps more effectually claim the sympathies of our gilded youth, male and fetiiale, thau the systems in vogue at preseht seem to do.