Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

with his death on one of the glaciers at the base of Mont Pelvous, in Dauphiné. M. Cordier was a cragsman of no mean order, and some of his expeditions of last year, including the ascent of the Aiguille Verte from the Argentière Glacier, of Les Courtes from the Talèfre Glacier, and of several peaks in the Pontresina neighbourhood, were made in conjunction with members of the English Alpine Club.

28. RECREATION GARDENS IN LONDON.-To-day, amid much public rejoicing, the disused burial-grounds of Old St. Pancras and of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields, which now join each other, were opened as public recreation gardens, in the presence of Lady Burdett-Coutts and other visitors. The grounds, which have some historic interest, are in the Old St. Pancras Road, and the church in the centre of one is stated to be the last in England in which the ceremonies of the Romish Church were performed before the Reformation. Part of the grounds is the spot formerly known as the burial ground of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields.

30. MR. BRADLAUGH AND MRS. BESANT were called up for judgment before the Court of Queen's Bench for the offence of publishing the "Fruits of Philosophy," a book declared by the jury calculated to deprave public morals. The Lord Chief Justice, after rejecting a plea that the indictment was bad, and a demand for a new trial, declared that, as the defendants had set the law at defiance by circulating the book after the verdict had condemned it, the sentence, which otherwise would have been light, must be severe. Each defendant was therefore condemned to imprisonment for six months, to pay a fine of 200l., and to enter into recognisances in the sum of 500l. to be of good behaviour for two years,-good behaviour including, of course, the withdrawal of the book.

THE COLORADO BEETLE.-Simultaneously with the passage of the Danube by the Russians, it is announced that Sir Wilfrid Lawson's favourite dread, the Colorado beetle, has succeeded in effecting the passage of the Atlantic, and has landed on German soil, being first observed, with numerous larvæ, in a potato-field at Mülheim, near Cologne. The German authorities were equal to the occasion, and promising to indemnify the proprietor, they covered the field with sawdust and tanning-bark, over which they poured petroleum oil, which they set on fire. One beetle, however, was seen on the wing, so that the whole invading force was certainly not exterminated. "Coloured engravings" of the insect have been issued by our own Commissioners of Customs-just as coloured photographs of escaped criminals are issued by our Commissioners of Police to all and sundry likely to fall in with the potatobeetle, if he does come. But it will be an unequal war. The beetle, like Shelley's "Desolation," is a "delicate thing," which can easily find harbourage without being detected by our coarse faculties at all. We shall find it almost as difficult as to make war on Professor Tyndall's "germs."

OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE.-At the match at Lord's between

Oxford and Cambridge, the latter team were strong favourites, even though they had not done so well in the trial-matches as their rivals, and never was there a more complete upset of the public fancy. Though they were indubitably a fine batting team, only one of the Cambridge men-A. P. Lucas-played up to his form, their bowling was weak, and their fielding very poor, though an honourable exception must be made in the case of the Hon. E. Lyttelton, who kept wicket in splendid style. On the other side, F. M. Buckland gave a grand exhibition of batting, scoring 117, and, as he took no less than seven wickets, at an expense of only fifty-two runs, Oxford has to thank him for a hollow victory by ten wickets. Cambridge scored 134 and 126; Oxford 214 and no wickets down 47.

[ocr errors]

THE CZAR.-The temporary residence fitted up for the accommodation of the Czar at Plojesti is most unpretending. It is but one storey high, and there are only eight rooms-a vestibule, an antechamber, a salon for the aides-de-camp and officers on duty, a smoking-room, a study, a reception-room, a bedchamber, and a salle à manger. Except the reception-room and the antechamber, they are all extremely small, but they are upholstered with much elegance. In the smoking-room, which is furnished in the Turkish fashion with luxurious ottomans and carpets, there is a portrait in oil of the late Emperor Nicholas and a chromolithograph of Princes Charles of Roumania on horseback. The Czar sleeps on an iron camp-bed, which he always carries with him. Sixteen is the largest number that sits at the Imperial dinner-table, and that only on gala occasions. There are no fewer than four hundred horses-many of them superb animals-attached to the service of His Imperial Majesty and his suite.

JULY.

4. BLEWITT'S BUILDINGS-The inhabitants of about twenty wretched houses in Blewitt's Buildings, a blind court in Fetterlane, were turned out by order of the Metropolitan Beard of Works, who had obtained the necessary orders to have the buildings razed to the ground, in order that artisans' dwellings might be erected in their place. The usual three months' notice to quit was given, but the majority of the tenants, who were of the very poorest class, had either forgotten the notice or were unable to get other lodgings. The authorities entered the court, accompanied by a number of police, and proceeded, as one old woman said, "to chuck the sticks out of window." In the course of an hour or two every house was empty, and men, women, and children, with their goods, were huddled together in the court. As the day advanced a few of the evicted tenants managed to get other lodgings, but most of them

being unprepared with money were unable to do anything but bewail their hard fate and keep an eye upon their property. The police frequently came round to tell the houseless people to "stir up and get out," but were unable to make them move. The scene in the evening was rendered more distressing by the heavy thunderstorm which broke over London, and which drenched people to the skin and saturated the goods. At nine o'clock at night eight of the families were still without shelter and resolutely refused to go to the workhouse and leave their goods to take care of themselves. The majority were Irish, who pleaded that they had "nowhere to go because no one would take them in."

-

RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN IRELAND.—A serious accident occurred at about ten o'clock last night on the Dalkley line of railway, near Dublin. The engine and the entire train left the line, and the carriages were all overturned. One man was killed and several persons were injured, chiefly the passengers in a third-class compartment. The accident is attributed to a defect in the points. The line from Dublin to Bray is completely blocked.

- LAKE THIRLMERE.-The Manchester City Council has just adopted a proposal of the Waterworks Committee to purchase Thirlmere, one of the Cumberland lakes, and to convey water from it to Manchester by an aqueduct 100 miles long! The project will, it is said, need seven years for its completion. The first portion of the work will cost 1,700,000l., and will secure a supply of 50,000,000 gallons of water per day. In the discussion of the subject, to the astonishment of non-utilitarians, it was stated that the picturesque scenery of the Thirlmere district would be no more interfered with than was that of Loch Katrine by the Glasgow waterworks!

THE SHAH OF PERSIA has presented to the South Kensington Museum an assortment of modern Persian textile manufactures, consisting of carpets and various kinds of embroidery. The gift, which was sent through Major Smith, director of the English telegraph establishment in Persia, was accompanied by a letter from the Shah's secretary, expressing his Majesty's desire that the gift should be accepted as a souvenir, and as an acknowledgment of the friendly manner in which Persian art has been regarded in England.

STRIKE IN THE BUILDING TRADE.-The operative masons of London have now struck work generally for two distinct objects. First the shortening of the hours of labour from 52 hours per week in summer-time, as now worked, to 50 hours per week. As to this the master builders object that the hours of labour having been already reduced within the last few years from 60 hours per week to 52 hours, the reduction has gone far enough. Secondly - the operative masons require a general rise of 1d. per hour for all-viz., from 9d. to 10d. per hour, without regard to the skill and ability of the operative. This, also, the master builders have declined.

VALUE OF CITY PROPERTY.-Many instances have been given from time to time (the City Press says) of improvement of the value of City properties, but one of the most remarkable is that of a house in Lombard Street, the property of the Drapers' Company, which in 1668 was let for 25l. a year. In 1877 the site lets for 2,600l. a year ground rent, and the lessee having expended 10,000l. on the building covering it, gets a return of 7,000l. a year rent.

CHURCH LEAGUE.-A meeting of the Church League to promote the disestablishment of the Church of England was held tonight at Freemasons' Tavern. The chair was taken by the Rev. A. H. Mackonochie, and Archdeacon Denison was one of the speakers. The Archdeacon moved the first resolution, "That the idea of the Christian Church is opposed to its union with the State." Mr. J. T. Micklethwaite moved, as an amendment: "That the union of Church and State is of itself a matter indifferent, but it is not a sound policy for Churchmen to agitate for this separation." A good deal of uproar followed, and there were several remarks made by persons in the body of the meeting about "The Priest in Absolution." The Rev. J. M. Ben-Oliel and other speakers followed. The amendment was ultimately put and lost, as were two other amendments disapproving of the objects of the league. Mrs. Paterson, the president of the Women's Protection League, caused great confusion by demanding to be allowed to speak. She wished to know whether it was the rule of the league that men and women might both be members, but the men only could vote. If it were so, they were taking the women's money and not granting them privileges. The original resolution was finally put and carried. Mr. J. C. Cox moved and the Rev. A. H. Stanton seconded the resolution, "That the results of modern voluntary effort afford the fullest assurance that the Church when disestablished will be amply provided for by the offerings of its members." The motion was carried. The other resolutions on the programme were not put, owing to the lateness of the hour, and the meeting broke up with cheering.

HUMANE DISCOVERY.--An interesting experiment was lately made at a horse-slaughtering establishment at Dudley, with the view of testing a new system of slaughtering cattle by means of dynamite, and thus putting them out of existence more speedily and with less suffering than by the ordinary pole-axe. Two large powerful horses and a donkey (disabled for work) were ranged in a line about half a yard apart under a shed, the donkey being placed in the centre. A small primer of dynamite, with an electric fuse attached, was then placed on each of their foreheads and fastened. in position by a piece of string under the jaw. The wires were then coupled up in circuit, and attached to the electric machine, which stood about five yards in front. The handle of the machine being then turned, an electric current was discharged, which exploded the three charges simultaneously, and the animals instantly fell dead without a struggle. The whole affair was over in two

E

minutes, and the experiment appears to have been a perfect success. It was conducted by Mr. Johnson, agent for Nobel's Explosive Company, Glasgow, assisted by Mr. Harris, one of the dynamite instructors. By this means, it is stated, any number, even a hundred or more cattle, may be instantly killed by the same current of electricity.

6. SUICIDE OF A BLUECOAT BOY.-Mr. Payne held an inquest this day in the infirmary of Christ's Hospital, in Newgate Street, as to the death of William Arthur Gibbs, aged twelve, a scholar, who committed suicide by hanging himself. The boy's father said that his son had been for several years at the schools belonging to the hospital at Hertford, and only came to London just after the Easter holidays. Since then he had twice run away. He had complained to one of his sisters of the treatment he received from one of the monitors. On July 2 he ran away again, and when found said that he would rather hang himself than remain under the monitor. He told his father that when at the baths some time previously, this monitor held him under water for some time, and frequently made him "fag." Major Brackenbury, the warden of the school, said the boy was rather troublesome, and of a determined and bad character. He received a flogging after his return. The Rev. Charles A. Lee, head-master, said that if there had been any terrorism he should have heard of it. Major Brackenbury, on being recalled, said that a few months since a boy attempted to commit suicide in the school. The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide while in a state of temporary insanity."

LOSS OF THE "CASHMERE."-The Daily News correspondent at Alexandria gives an account of the wreck of the British steamer "Cashmere" near Cape Guardafui, the easternmost point of Africa, at the very spot where the "Meikong" was lost only a fortnight before. The "Cashmere" was on her way from Zanzibar to Aden. All went well until July 5, when she ran into Sandy Bay, and it was at once seen that she must become a complete wreck. Several lives were lost in reaching the shore, but eighty-nine were saved. The shipwrecked crew and passengers underwent many hardships, and five days and five nights passed before assistance came to them. The steamer "Queen Margaret" then appeared and took them from the small port they had succeeded in reaching, about thirty miles to the westward of Guardafui, and conveyed them to Aden. It is stated that the British Consul at Cairo has called the attention of the Khedive to the necessity of establishing a lighthouse at Cape Guardafui.

- ANOTHER "GAINSBOROUGH DUCHESS."-A picture claiming to be "Gainsborough's renowned portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire" is now exhibited at the Byron Gallery, which resembles very closely the portrait that became so notorious last year when sold in the Wynn Ellis sale for the enormous price of 10,605l., and within three weeks afterwards was stolen in the night (May 25-6) from the exhibition room of Messrs. Agnew in Old Bond Street. The

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »