LITTLE DORRIT’S LAND DOOMED.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 14, 5 October 1910, Page 48

LITTLE DORRIT’S LAND DOOMED.

LONDON August 19. IT is not often that a piece of Old London is allowed’ to become the prey of the housebreaker without protest from some society or other, but the condemnation and demolition of Tabard-street, Southwark, has brought forth no outcries, though there is hardly a street in ]x>ndon so famously connected with history, poetry, and every circumstance of greatness. In the old, old days, ere the New Dover Road was made, Tabardstreet, then called Kent-street, was the main approach to London for everyone who arrived from anywhere in Kent, and Oiie might almost say from Europe. Down Tabard-street the Canterbury pilgrims clattered on their way to Becket’s shrine. Vp Tabard-street, nearly 600 years qgo, rode the Black Prince, victor at Poietiers, bringing with him in triumph the captive French King—a glorious pageant, the like of which Tabard-street had never seen before, and will not see again. It was up Tabard-street that the peasants of Kent, under Wat Tyler, and later on, Jack Cade, poured into the capital. Even in these far-off times Tabard-

street was quite unworthy of the honour of welcoming and speeding London's coming and departing guests. As long ago as the 13th century it was a haunt of depravity and poverty shunned by all respectable folk. And as time passed its character did not improve. Vice and dirt seemed to be in its very air, and when the creation of the Dover-road turned the stream of traffic elsewhere, it quietly degenerated into a noisome back slum, full of barefoot urchins in every stage of raggedness and dirtiness, playing in an atmosphere which can only be described as an indefinable blend of every kind of unpleasant odour, and surrounded by every conceivable token of poverty and uncleanliness allied. Yet, with all its disgusting features, Tabard-street and its environs have a romance for us to-day. Their last distinction was that of being touched by the genius of Charles Dickens. Here vias “Little Dorrit’s” land. Not a hundred yards from Tabard-street “Little Dorrit” was born. At St. George’s Church hard by she was married, and there, too, is the vestry porch where the kindly beadle laid her to sleep with the burial register for pillow.

Even the old Marshalsea, the debtors’ prison, where Mr. Dorrit was a distinguished resident, where Dickens’s own father was not unknown, and to which Diekens himself paid many a visit as a boy, is still to be traced. One has only to dive into Angel-place—the little court on the left just before one comes to St. George’s from London Bridge—to find the grim old walls of the Marshalsea standing as they stood a century ago, and the old Marshalsea belfry stands practically just as it was when it rang out locking-up time for little Dorrit and her father. To-day the housebreakers are at work demolishing Tabardf-street and the squalid little courts connected therewith. “Little Dorrit’s” land is doomed, and there are few people living—except, maybe, the actual residents—who will not rejoice that Talrard-etreet is to be wiped off the face of the earth as a disgrace to modern civilisation. Even for Dickens’s memories, it is perhaps best that a clean sweep should be made of Tabard-street and its environs. AMERICAN AIK-KI NG. Once again has the foreigner “ wiped the eye” of English airmen. For some weeks past we had been hearing of Mr. Latham’s intention to flv from Paris to

London, but whilst he was looking out for suitable weather conditions, he was caught napping by a new-comer to the aviation world. This was Mr. John Moissant, an American of French-Canadian extraction who last Tuesday left Paris in a No. 11 Bleriot machine to fly to London. He was accompanied by his mechanic, a burly engineer by name Fileux, and the united weight of the couple w as close upon 26 stone. Mr. Moissant has not yet reached London, but he has created several new records, and his Hight contained many remarkable features. In the first place Moissant only commenced his career as an airman a few short weeks ago and prior to ascending at Amiens on Tuesday had only' made four flights of an unambitious character. Moreover, he travelled over a country entirely unknown to him, never having previously visited the north of France, crossed the Channel, or seen England. And he made his way over this strange country solely by the aid of compass and maps. He is also the first airman to carry a passenger from France to England. Moissant’s journey from Paris to Amiens on Tuesday' night w'as entirely uneventful. There he rested the night, and on the morrow resumed his flight to

Calais, arriving there at ludf past seven in the morning. Three hours later he cvmmeni'ed the flight, across the Channel, and in spite of a strong westerly breeze, which rendered flying very dangerous, he safely negotiated the sea passage, and did not land till at 11.30 a.m. he had reached Tilnnnstone in Kent, about 0 miles inland from Deal. There lack of petrol compelled him to descend, and there it may be said his troubles began. Early next day he resumed his journey, anticipating arriving at the Crystal Palace ere now. His engine however, did not work as sweetly as he hoped, and at Sittingbourne, about half way to London, he was compelled to alight in order to adjust a loose valve. That did not take him long, but hardly had he got into the air again than something went wrong with the motor, and he had to plane down near Rainham. In alighting the propeller was broken, and the body of the machine damaged to such an extent that it is doubtful whether Mr. Moissant will be able to carry out his intention of concluding the journey to London ere the week has sped. EMPIRE RIFLE SHOOTING. The Home Defence Trophy Competition Challenge Shield, valued at £ 150, presented for a military shooting match, under conditions approved by the Army Council, upon 25-yards ranges throughout the Empire, has been won T>y the Miehaelhouse School Cadet Corps, Natal, South Africa, with an average score percadet of 137.3. The winning team, in addition to the Challenge Shield, to be held for one year, will receive, a pleasant surprise in the form of a cheque for

lad in thq battalion fired for the priMt thus giving literal effect to the object of the competition, which is to encourage a high average degree of skill in marksmanship rather than a high individual degree of excellence. This is acting on file principle that a good average ol marksmanship among a mass of men, not extraordinary skill in a few individuals, is essential for the defence of the Empire. THE FESTIVAL OF EMPIRE. I That the Festival of Empire, postponed last spring in consequence of tlio national mourning, was not abandoned, is a fact of which welcome reminder had been given this week by the announcement of the definite arrangements foi holding the Festival in 1911. Advantage has been taken of the greater length of time allowed for preparation to much enlarge the scope of the pageant. It will, according to present arrangements, be a fitting crown to Coronation Year.

The organisers announce as one of the new features an arrangement of courts representing all the overseas dominions. A scheme was drawn up, with the assistance of Lord Strathcona, which has received the hearty support of the High Commissioners, of the self-govern-ing dominions, and has been forwarded by them to their respective governments. This scheme, in which certain of the Colonial Governments have already cabled their willingness to cooperate, allows for the erection in the grounds of the Crystal Palace of a series of buildings, some two-thirds of the actual size of the Parliament buildings or seat of Government of each of the self-governing dominions. These buildings, which wil? serve as a remarkable illustration el the vast ecope of the British Empire, will each be filled with a series of exhibits, showing in a striking and original manner, by means of living tableaux, working models, pastures, and cinematograph lectures, as well as products, the extent, resources, industries, life, scenery, and development of the various overseas dominions. In order more fully to bring the cohesion of the Empire before the minds of the public a railway will be constructed round the grounds, flanked on either side by scenery representing the country and its industries through which it is passing, which will suggest, as nearly as possible, the progress of an All-Red route. At various points along the line, which will be about 1J miles in length, there will be stations for each of the great countries of the Empire, where tha traveller may alight to view the buildings of the country and the exhibitions contained in them.

The other arrangements made for 1910 will stand, including the great Pageant of London, in which 15,000 amateur performers will take part. The sita of the exhibition will, of course, be thei Crystal Palace. The Palaee building itself will be devoted to an AU-British Exhibition of Arte and Industries, with a special section for women's work, and a Country Life Exhibition on novel lines of particular interest to small holders. ,

£5O. Owing to the generosity of an anonymous friend the committee of this competition, of which Earl Roberts is president, has been enabled this year to distribute £ 125 in money prizes. An even larger sum will be distributed next year in fifteen prizes, including two prizes of £5O and one of £3O, besides several small amounts. The competition is organised by the Imperial Cadet Association. The following are the prize winners for 1910:— 1. Miehaelhouse School Cadet Corps, Natal, South Africa, Challenge Shield, valued at £ 150, held for one vear, and £5O. 2. Permanent Naval Forces, Melbourne, V ictoria, £ 25. 3. Greytown Government School Cadet Corps. Natal, South Africa, £~IO. 4. Naval Militia, Victoria, Australia, £5. 5. Ist Cadet Battalion King’s Royal Rilles, London, £5 and Special Prize of £2O. 4 « 6. “A” Company Ist Battalion Victorian Rangers, Australia, £5. 7. Senior Naval Cadets, Victoria, Australia, £5. The Special Prize of £ 20 was granted to the King's Royal Rifles, because every,

(A stoppage of a few minutes is supposed to take place) Dreadful boy (on lamp-post): “Oh! my eye, Bill! ’ere’s a rosebud!” —One of John Leech’s Famous Pieturees in “Punch.”