HOME NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 660, 10 November 1909, Page 8

HOME NEWS.

; , INTERESTING ;ITEMS ; BY MAIL.,, ": •■ ,■. . i .v '*, London, October-l..;: '■ A severe "magnetic storin";-as underground electrical disturbances are called-;occuxred .in England in th'e beginning'of'the week. The storm is a-phenomenon' of rare occurrence, and (has apparently no relation with air storms of a, cyclonic type. Little' is known of it'.scientifically, "but it appears to.consist' of wives ,of "magnetic disturbance passing through, the earth and disordering tlie currents passing ov'ir such telegraph wires as have" connection- with the earth. The extent'of ,'the; delays-is shown-by the,fact that there was a delay of_four hours in communication with , the Continent,- with Newcastle three . and' a half hours, /Norwich, Yarmouth, .and Scotland;;,three' hours, 1 and .Dublin trfo. hours. A 'magnetic storm .on a small' scale occurred six years; ago, but there ■has been no'storm of such.severity, as this for 'thirty or forty years. •'..'■"' V . , ;' .-••': A Chat:with the iDead. :";.,-'' V:

In connection with - "Julia's' Bureau," Mr. W;.'T. Stead relates a curious story in the Paris : "Matin." ■ During' a ■ conference with- "Julia" in'.her sanctum at 3lo«bray ■ Houso, Norfolk Street, Strand, Mr. • Stead said. ho had a con- • vorsation with M. Lefevre, the French aeW' pianist who was killed si tew days bofore in an accident. -The spirit,.in the course of his comninliication, said Hint at-fhc/tinip of■ tne accident: lid Was conscious that he-was.falling, but on touching'ground he felt, no , pain or any sensation'in, his physical body.' .'-'l' had a sensa-' tiou of rapid rotation,:, then something suddenly gave way, and I-found'.myself in the air t seeing beneath Hid my dead body and. the machine: It'was not , disagreeable. I obsorved, too, that'a being who W RS vo . r y 'P ower£ul ani who , calmed me was near." . Mr. Stead says:he has'.'witnesses.to.'prove the truth of his statemonts, and further that Tiefevre warned,.'him that the motor.of another aviator,'.whom;:-he liamed, would not .work properly.: Curiously enough, this prophecy was fulfilled,.. . •:. •■■ Smaller Drink Bill.: ' ; : ; ■" ; , V The report of the Inland. feevenue Commissioners for the year ending with.March,. which was' published as a Blue-book recently,, says that the gross receipts 'were ~£109,160,899,; and: of this the commissioners disposed.^of..all,but The most interesting feature, and to the temperance ro'formor. most; gratifying, was the decrease in the Bxcise' duties' obtained from the liquor trade' The principal' decreases wore .half a on "the .boer , duty, a quarter' of a million on the: spirit-duty,;, and .a million and a quarter on , licenses.,;As regards beer,' the figures have. :bcen.-.getting smaller, yearly'since 1899.';.■-' : ', >;.-'.;.. ■ ■ ~ School- o? Oriental.Languages;-;... ;■' ..-.".-.':,. The report of/-the Treasury, appointed to consider.the. organisation\pf. Oriental etudies in London has just:;b'een' published. .Thereiis .urgent .need, they say.for. theiprovisioii of suitable teaching. , in London for..persons''about to. take up administrative or com r mereifcl i posts: in the Ease'and iii' Africa. To meet the.-heed they,.suggest that, a (School 1 of Oriental-Studies should, be,built ,'up. from 'the nucleus.of.-/ Oriental teaching-now. existing at' University and' King's Colleges; - and . should be. incorporated in the University of London. .The ' school- should provide• bot'O for living Oriental languages and for claLsical. Oriental studies; .but the'. committee, bs!j for a gran); to be. made: from ;Goyern"ment'guilds, at .the. foundatioh\ of the school, j for; living Oriental languagos'.only.'. They desire.,to' call..attention to',, the. disadvantage' , under , , which; >h,this re-, epeot London lies as. compared.,with' Paris, Berlin, .and ,, St. Petersburg. ■"!-'■■■.■■■•■■ A" Curious Story. " 3-7 ' -,'

-. '-In .a., letter to: "The Tiinesj"; a .correspondent . Binning.. himself"Templar"-: mSkes' piiblio ■ the following' extraordinary, •story,;-aUeKinß.how ■-,& ni other was able to. send'her 'son* to'prison, for. an'aot of disobedience; A'boy'b£'l7 is , irregular in ■ his conduct and disobedient? to his. mother., To. deal, with this.state of affairs an ingenious expedient is devised. The-.'mother, "makes.-;a settlement by,,which she/places in the hands of ]a,-trusteo a. sum of t-tb' hold 'in trust for the eon, and; three days .afterwards a.'suit -is .commenced, in Chancery for.* the administration of: the trust. "AVtW judges , have occu-, pied their time in : this■■:solemn -;'administra- ; ;tion,'"'says i: ''Teiiiplar," ,'.'li liesitato ' to '"• de-.,' soribothe, proceedings 'as 'a- put-up; job,' .but jtheir■*WJal ll ;pbject :'A- '. fe\y. months later' -the. , son , ' , 'marries "■without ■"" the' consent of, his mother,: whereupon,, on. the-ap'-. plication' of. ; that lady, ; he , , is .'committed ■ to .prison; for 'epntempt t>l court.'' , '■ "Templar" .points', put", that it: is open to any parent.".by. mereli": settling' upon' his childyi,to- havehim' Senji to prison for disobedience by ; some "grandmotherly' judge."; ,- ':.■-(.;■ ■Climbing-:Accident. Vi, :■;,;■■: . ': ■'~'■:: . ■ A fatal, climbing, accident has. ocourred :bn ■ the Gyent'Napes, a'.motintaitf In' the. Wasdalo district of, Cumberland, the victim being 1 a Mr'.'. Thomas J. Eennison: Mr. Ren'mson ivent out early in the morning 'to dimb.the Eagle's Nest, on' Great Gable with three companions. 'The' Eagle's Nest 'affords, three; olimbs,-: all of which are mo-it difficult,:but' especially the one the party ■ were, essaying.: ,when' thßi :sad calamity took place. This particular.climb' was.firat accomplished in' 1892,' and • has several times' been successfully negotiated, by, ,'Mt.V Botterill. The rooks, are .regarded, ;by' climbers ,as:-Robd; ■ but the.holds aro very slight.'; "When some 200' feet up Mr. Eennison The rope broke, and,he. fell into.-.'Needle Gnlly 200 feet below, being, instantaneously,' killed.' An inquest wss held at the Wastwater Hotel, wKena v'er-. diet of accidental death' was'fetarned. • !■•: ''"'

.Exeter Catlredral Preservation., ,•'■■ V : i ; ;■' ~ The Dean'and Chapter of Exeter,have-issued a- lengthy statement in- explanation-and defence, of tUe ; .stops, they : liave .taken' to .-pre-', serve the fabnc of the cathedral; , in tkecourse of "which they state that a sum' bf has been , spont. during the years on the cathedral, and.a further sum of 57000 is'note wanted-to complete the-arrest of decay. and to_secnre the .safety, of. the fabric.". "No attempt has been made/', continues ;the Deanj /•nor Trill be made so long as I am Dean, .with the present Chapter, around me,- to deal with, the ancient, figures of, the west front; 1 ■■!?' [ or ,, tneir/ preservatioii we.'• are dealing with the canopies,'niches, and'other architectural surroundings; if.these are not.most care- , - fully ; preserved nothing ,but-.featureless ruin awaits the whole front. .' The': beautiful Chap-' ter-hduse:(the, work, of Bishop' Briwere the .Crusader, who founded'the Deaniry in" 1225) is also.in a.very serious state, and attention will next bo, given to; its. preservation.;'. ■■■'• ,- . ■ ,■ ■ •■. Nimr'od on' View.; •!, ■';■'■'.■:■:•.;■■ "?':.' ,'!.■'.■

The 'Lord Mayor has formally opened to public - inspection Mr.' ShaclUetpn's ■• ship, -.' the JNitnrod, which for .'some days has bCSn lying in the Thames, by the' Temple Pier/f A : chargo'-is made to visitors,-the proceeds'going to charity, •lliis charge.also'-' covers admission ■ to Mr! snackleton's collection of. ■ Polar relics and objects, which will be on view.at Examination. Hall, Savoy, Street,, the /Embankment. Here realistic pictures of Antarctic- .life,' 1 against a background of. artificial snow and ice,, meet the eye of the visitor; a figure.in'the complete equipment of a Polar explorer is' shewn.' Close by, is an ice-sleigh,'loaded with the impedimenta necessary for the expedition. Here, too, is,,the ice-tent; ; the feature of which is the extremely small admittance flap, . which/can- bo fastened so as to-be airtight. lusido the tent a number of figures! of explorers are extended on' the;skin carpet, protected k :by. 'their '.', sleepingbags., '■ The famous Antarctic-book,' to wliich the name of "Aurora Aiisltralis", was;; given,' is shown in'ife packing-case covers^.'. ' -.;."'.. Empire' School of Law,;.--':''.':-. ' v '-;".:; :'.•■.. .. ? A -.Central, School, of 'Tiaw.hfor' .the . .whole Empire ; was one of the ideals, laid down at theautumnal meeting of at New-testle-on-Tyne by the, president, Mr. William Howard Winterbotham, official solicitor to the Supreme Court of Judicature.'. :llr. Winterbotham^said.that if the profession was to. take the' position; which they all desired they must face, this question of'systeiaatic legal education. , The time had come 'when they' should insist upon a propor, legal-'-oducatibn before admission to practice. He felt certain that before long a central school of-, -law-' would ■'•. be ■ esfahliEhed, which would bo the'eohtro of legal education for the whole Empire;vSuch a school would provide for the itrainmg" not only, of members of tho Bar, and their own branch of the profession; but for all who We're called, upon to administer justice in WnyV'paH of bur Empwe, o? Civil, servants, or' as -magistrates',or in any other capacity. '-....': ■.;.•■■;•• ~',.--, -.. Aorial Fleet . i-. . i. •■'":" ,' . It -is announced. that the-' Government has selected a spot near Trevbse;'H6ad, : on the north-west •' coast of Cornwall;'for-'the experimenting .ground for- the aorial-fleet- which- »t proposes to bring into existence;: Although'Tre: TOse Head itself is highland rugged, there is plenty of level ground in the neighbourhood suitable for aviation'trials. As long ago)?as May 5, the Prime Minister announced in' th° Honse ,pf'-Commons that the Government was making arrangements to iplace its organisation for _ aorial navigation on a more, satisfactorv *fc SlB ;j H - e PF? 1 "' 11 " 1 Hiattlie War Office and the Admiralty would share the-work cf planning.and building dirigibles, while the f-?mer would havo solo char Eft of;'everything : 'ipper. k ta . , ! l^. B ; to , of EmpikH