BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 906, 27 August 1910, Page 11

BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

' i , i LONDON SUMMARY. MR. ''CHAMBERLAIN'S BIRTHDAY. t ' . London, July 15. Jfr. Joseph Chamberlain's seventyfourth birthday was uia'de the occasion of a great popular demonstration of the 'esteem and regard iu which the great Imperialist is held. Over a thousand congratulatory telegrams aud cablegrams were received in the course of the day, several coming from the Oversea States, people in Canada, Australia, and Souih Africa sending greetings to the statesman who has done so much to foster the spirit of Imperialism. Ninety peers and members of Parliament were present at a complimentary banquet held at Prince's Restaurant in honour of Mr.- Chamberlain's birthday. The Duke of Marlborough presided. During the- evening tho following telegram was seat to various Oversea Prime Ministers: "A number of personal friends of Mr. Chamberlain who are this evening celebrating the occasion of his soventy-iourth birthday desire to send Imperial greetings to the colony through the medium of- its Prime Minister—Marlborough, chairman." .In reply to tlin cablegrams, the following replies have been received:—"St. John's, Newfoundland: Your 'message highly appreciated. Newfoundland extends hearty felicitations to. distinguished statesman whose birthday you celebrate. —Robert Watson, Acting-Prime Minister." ""Wellington: Every strenuous friend of Imperialism, wherever he may be and whatever be his political party, is in this country esteemed a friend, and he whose ■life reaches to-day its , seventy-fonrt]i milestone is known and • honoured here 'for the splendid work he 'has done "to draw pur Empire into closer \unity and greater harmony. For this reason New Zealand sends its greetings and best wishes for many liappy returns of his birthday to Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain.—Ward." : ' ■ • . EMPIRE UNITY.' , It is officially announced that, in accordance with instructions from the' Earl of Crewe,. Secretary of State for Greater, Britain, Mr. H. W. Just, C.8., C.M.G., one of the Assistant Undor-Secretaries of State for. the Colonies, and Secretary to the Imperial Conference, will pay a visit to Canada, accompanying his Excellency the Governor-General when the latter returns to Canada to-day. . ■ . \ NEW 0.11.'5; . Sir William Crookes, F.E.S., and Mr. Thomas Hnrdy have been appointed members of the Order of- Merit , Sir William Crookes is the famous scientist, and Mr.' Thomas Hardy the most distinguished of living English novelists. 'A number' of interesting and well-known names arc included in the .official list .of those to whom Civil List pensions have ueen granted during, the year ended March 31. Among them are: Mr..Arthur Granville Bradley, in consideration of the value of his writings on Canadian history, £S0; Mr. Thomas Rice' Holmes, in recognition of the value of his historical writings on tho Indian Mutiny • and the campaigns of Julius ' Caesar, .£200; Mr. Richard Whiteing. tho wellknown author' of "No. 5 John Street," .£100; and Mrs. Ellen Bear'dsley, in recognition of tho .merits of her son, the late Mr. Aubrey Boardslcy, asnn artist in black and white, and in .consideration of her necessitous circumstances, .£55. EMPIRE LABOUR EXCHANGES. ■• In reply to a question.in the House of Commons, Mr. Sydney • Buxton, ■ tho President of the Board of Trade, stated that the Central Office of Labour Exchanges was in constant communication with tile Emigrants' Information Office, who supplied, the. latest information available as to (he labour conditions in the dominions and colonies, overseas for exhibition in the waiting-rooms of exchanges. Ho stated that tho Government was at the present carefully considering the question of opening up com•munieatiin with, and obtaining information in regard to the supply of and demand for labour from, tho Labour Dppartments in tho various oversea States. They were also considering the importance and desirability of linking up.the labour exchanges of "tho Empire. '. BIG TRADE INCREASE. . .Tho .official, returns of the.foreign trade for the month of Juno show the following (increases in. imports .- and exports, compared, with June, 1909: Imports, iC5i,C3G,758, an increase of ,£2,924,881; exports (British), ,£34,7!1!1,G54, an increase of .£5,081,679. The figures ■ for , the halfvenr, now, complete, .compared with tho first half of 1909, are as. follows: Imports, .£334,452,000, an increase of. .£32,805,000; exports (British), .£204,585,000, being an increase, of- .£27,651,000. : . ■'.;•' CITY'S NEW SEAL.' . . Tho Court .of Aldermen of the City have decided to provide a new seal for stamping official documents iu the Mayor's Court, .in tho place of the one which has been in use continuously since 1381. The old seal, which dates, from the mayoralty of Sir William Walworth, is made, of silver, and is about tho size

of a crown piece. At present it is stamped on. about 1400 documents annually— principally on verification of ' the Lord Mayor's signature for use abroad. A fee of 9s. 6d. is charged for each impression. In the course of the five centuries in which it has. been in use this design or device has become partially obliterated. The new • ssal will lin a replica of the old, subject to such alteration as may ibe deemed desirable to distinguish therefrom. The old seal will bo deposited in the Guildhall Library. LORD STRATHCONA'S MUNIFI- • CENCE. At the summer graduation at Aberdeen University, Principal George Adam Smith, who presided, aunounced a gift of £10,000 from Lord Strathcona, High Commissioner for Canada,' Chancellor of the "University, for the endowment of a chair of agriculture. . Lord Strathcona has hitherto been, a munificent donor of money to . the university, his financial assistance contributing largely towards the completion of the Marischal College buildings. VOYAGE OI"THE SUNBEAM. , The Sunbeam has left Dover on her voyage to Canada with Lord Brassey on board. The former Governor of Victoria, although seventy-four, will navigate himself the famous yacht which, in thirty-four years, has travelled • considerably over 300,000 miles. The Sunbeam is a three-masted vessel, half schooner and half barqile, with auxiliary steam. The yacht will probably go through the canals to the lakes, and so to Port Arthur, whence the party will travel inland. The vessel will be rejoined at Quebec, and will touch at Sydney, S.S.AV., on "the homeward , voyage, and Stobably also will call at. •Newfoundland, luring his visit Lord Brassey intends to inquire thoroughly into the various methods of colonisation and land settlement. ■ CHANCELLOR CENSURED. . . • The Law Society, at its annual meeting, passed a resolution .of censure on the Chancellor of,the Exchequer.for a speech he made in the House of. Commons reflecting on the motives'of-the legal profession. The resolution was, in the fol- , lowing terms: —"That ,, this meeting protests against the attack made upon, the society by the Chancellor 'of the Exchequer in his speech in .'the' House of Commons on the third reading of tho Consolidated Fund (two)' Bill, Juno 15, 1910, and declares that the allegation made by him in that, speech—to the effect that the society's opposition to proposals in Parliament has been iiniformly based bna selfish desire to maintain professional charges, of the public interest—is unfounded in fact, and is an unjust' aspersib'n'-'ujj'oii the honour of .the profession of which he is a.member." FIGHT PICTURES BANNED. \ By 15 votes to 29 the London-. County Council has decided that it is not expedient that, the pictures of the Jeffries and Johnson light at Reno should be exhibited in London. Captain Swinton,-the chief. Municipal Reform Whip, in second--ing- the resolution, said:.'"The fight : was boomed ris a , fight between black r and white, and 1, the; result, is all the more dangerous ,on. that account.. Tho council miist remember what the Empire really is;-and the many coloured races-of which, it is composed. Here, at the top of : the Empire, we ■ ought to set them a good example, and■' then they may-follow the lead of London." ■'". ' : AIRSHIP'S. JOURNEY. Tho Army, airship .Beta-has , accomplished, for. the second- time, a highly successful ..journey- from Aldershot to St. Paul's and back. iTherc wasj not a 'single checlt of any kind during the entire trip, and the aeronauts' were- loudly cheered' by. tens of .thousands.of spectators, along this route.. r Despite''a.head wind_ of ten miles an hour, and- time spent (in manoeuvring-, on the way, the Beta accomblished.tlie thirty-oight-mile journey to London in two hours and a> half, while the return trip occupied only, an hour. No . one knew that, the. neronants , meditated' such a trip, "arid ;it was 'all .'tho more unexpected because; the Beta had met with a mishap on the- previous evening. ■

;■■■-. PISTOL FIGHT IN-SOHO. Revolvers; knives, a life preserve) , , ami a bar of iron were used in a fight in Soau, as' tho result of'which' v. porter named. Byfield' was. charged ■ at i. Jiarlborough Street, with: the attempted . murder or Matthew M'Causland, ' while . Michael ' M'Causland. and Sidney Bennan ' were charged with being coucerued with Matthew in a liko attempt on Byfield. The evidence showed a state of things associated, with" Western miners' .camps rather than with streets in tho neighbourhood of Piccadilly ■ Circus!' There appears to havo beeu shooting at-sight, in which threo revolvers were used., One prisoner said: "As sopn as. they saw us they all commenced to shoot" He .added that ho- was-hit by a bar. and drew a life preserver, with which lie hit his assailant over tho head.

COLONIAL CEOWN LANDS.- ; The Secretary-of- State for. Greater Britain, the Earl of Crowe, has received a deputation from the Association of Chambers of Commerce on the subject of tlio reservation of Crown lands in British.

possessions. Tho deputation was the . outcome of a resolution passed at the association's recent annual meeting, to the effect that it is desirable, in the development of British possessions and Crown colonies, that provision should be made for. the reservation of Crown lands in return for any expenditure from the ; national exchequer, with a view to reimbursing in the future such outlays and. providing for tho relief of the taxpayers . in this country. Lord Crowe, in reply, promised to give the .matter, of iaent his consideration, and .to discuss it with tho Treasury. The fact that the : Treasury had not put forward , a scheme ' of the sort suggested indicated ihat there ■'- must .bo grave difficulties in the way. He invited the deputation to" submit some practical scheme.—"Standard of Empire."

CADET'S DISMISSAL hi the King's Bench Division a pets tiou of right was down for trial in which . the suppliant, Jtr. Martin Archer-Shee, asked lor damages for tho alleged wrongful request )i>.-l.hu Admindiv- for tii« withdrawal of his son from ..the Eoyal Naval College at Osborne. The SolicitorGeneral, for the Crown, raised a demurrer, rlo submitted that the foundation ior the petition of right was contract aud m this case, there was no contract between the petitioner aud the Sovereign. JL he petition could not lie against the' brown. A naval cadet, he argued, haa ; entered the service. of the Crown, and was therefore liable to dismissal at plea. • sure. It was stated by Sir-E. Carson. K.C., for the petitioner, that tho allege. lions against the boy were that he had forged a cheque while at Osborne. bat that uo proof of'-, this had been given, lie.judge , gave judgment Wr the Crown on the demurrer. Sir Edward Carson thereupon declared'that it was a case of the grossest oppression without 'remedy he had ever heard. The Admiralty had been guilty of a gross outrage, he said. '