BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1073, 11 March 1911, Page 15

BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

LONDON SUMMARY. THE KNIGHTS OF THE EMPIRE. London, January 27. The Society of Knights Bachelor are negotiating for permanent headquarters in Clifford's Inn. Sir William Dull, who is intimately concerned in the negotiations, states that the C'auadian knights are very keen on having a habitation where the knights of the Ennrirc can meet in (he metropolis, and are equally keen on having tho whole thine settled in time for tho Coronation. They undertake that if all tho other Dominions of the Empire will find "half the money they will put down the other half in cash. "I notice," said Sir William Bull, in an interview recently, "that a sum of .£39,000 has' been mentioned' as tho necessary figure, but it is more than that. Sir Henry Pellatt, our new president is, ot course, the wealthy Canadian. Ho is a Cecil Rhodes of Canada, a man with tremendously large ideas, wlio apparently intends to spend his money for tho consolidation of the Empire."

. MADMAN AT THE BANK.. .- Some excitement was given to tho everyday. round of business at the Bank of England the other day when a lunatic appeared and demanded money. The man went to the office of the cashier and presented a letter which declared that there was a considerable sum of money due to him. The letter contained a threat that if tho money was not paid a few people would be killed. The Bank official saw at once the sort.of man he had to deal with, arid telling h!m that the detective on duty was a Bank official asked him to accompany the officer, and told him all his demands would bo satisfied if he did so. When they reached tho Threadneedle Street entrhnco two other detectives joined them. At the corner of Dowgato Hill ho suddenly drew a revolver and was about to level it at one of the officers when the three threw themselves on him and overpowered linn after a struggle.

WORLD'S WORKERS. The Board of Trade has just issued an interesting-abstract of foreign labour statistics. Tho most striking- fact shown is that agriculture, which in foreign countries finds employment for 31.1 per cent, (highest) to 10.1 per cent, (lowest), can only give work to 5.0 per cent, in tlie United Kingdom, which sun easy "last." The following table shows' the percentage of tho population employed in various trades and occupations in tho foreign country with the highest percentage and in tho United Kingdom:— United Foreign. Kingdom. Agriculture 31.4 5.G • . Commerce 5.4 5.0 Transport 2.4 3.G Minos and quarries 3.0 2.2 Building and • construction 34 3.0 Metals and machines ... 2.7 3.5 Textiles 3.2 3.1 'Dress. 4,1 3.2 THE CORONATION.

'Preparations are already being mado for tho entertainment of the troops who will represent tho Oversea States at tho Coronation. In 1902 the Motherland's hospitality was organised by an influential committee, to whom Major-Geueral Lord Chevlcsmorc acted as liou. secretary. Interviewed by a press representative recently, Lord C'heylesmoro .said: "I am starting the Dominions' troops entertainment committee again. In 1902 the committee were greatly indebted to the proprietors and managers of the London theatres and music halls. No fewer than 15,000 complimentary tickets were received. _ Over 3000 tickets were given for /'Paris'? in.i'Loiidon' at. Earl's Court, the 1 Zoological-Gardens invited over.3ooo men, and free admission was also given at Ma-i dame Tussaud's, Mask-elyne and Cook's, and similar entertainments. Those of the officers who desired attended at Epsom. Races, Newmarket; andHenley Regatta, and the cricket, matches at Lord's and the Oval. Apart from providing brakes for trips all over London, wo sent a contingent of Greater Britons to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and they were then entertained by the various mayors at Brighton, Eastbourne, and Portsmouth. SOlllO were taken to Eton, where they had tea in the old College Hall. Then we chartered a special steamer for the naval review. As the troops wero quartered at different nlaees outside .London, I took a house in DoverStreet, arid furnished it as a club for the men. Ido not know whether this will be necessary this time, as tho Union Jack Club will help. This year's programme will be practically tho same as tho last one. The number of oversea troops at the Coronation will be, roughly, from 1500 to 2000. Last time, in conjunction with tho committee, entertainments were given the men by the Lord Mayor, the City Companies, and tho Brigade of Guards, and similar arrangements will doubtless bo made this year."

! . HOME-COMING SCOTS. ■ Scotland will bn both proud and busy this year, when 4000 of her sons who have spent the major portion of their lives oversea will come'home to take part in the Coronation celebrations. Many of those who will make tho journey left Scotland when in their infancy; others were born in tho New World, and will, .see tlio. land of their parents.for the first time. The idea originated in July of last year, and immediately local committees wero formed all over North America. Tho first estimate of the number of homecomors was 3000, but that will be exceeded by at least.another thousand. Two.steamers of the Allan Lino, the Grampian, and the Hesperian, have been chartered to bring homo the Scots, and it is believed that another vessel will have to be requisitioned. "When the project, became known in other British Dominions outside Canada," said Mr. Cooper, of Cooper's Tours, who is making the arrangements in the Home Country, "I received applications from South Africa,' Australia, and India, asking that arrangements should be made for them to join their Canadian brethren. There was not time, however, to do anything iu that respect, but I have no doubt that in the course of a few years Scots from all the Dominions will join and pay a visit to their native land together." A committee has been formed in Scotland to make arrangements for giving the visitors a real Scottish welcome. They will act in a body for n week after their arrival, and during that timo-.they, .will be received by the civic authorities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ayr, Dundee, Aberdeen, and other Scottish towns. They will visit the Burns country, the historic town of Stirling, with the adjacent battlefield of Bannockburn, and trips to Loch Lomond and tho Trossaclis will bo arranged.

KING GEORGE'S COINAGE. -The designs for tho new silver coinage of King Gcorgo havo now been finally settled. A■change has been made in tho reverse sides of tho florin and sixpence. In tho case of the former tho not very successful ficuro of Britannia introduced in the late reign makes way for the timehonoured device, dating from tho days of Charles 11, of tho shields of England (repeated), Scotland, and Ireland, arranged iu tho form of a cross, with the Star of tlio Gart;r in the centre and a sceptre in each angle. Tho roverso of the sixpenco is identical, exccpt for tho word expressing its value, with that of the shilling, and tho poverty-stricken design which had disgraced the coinage since the accession of William IV has been abandoned, it is to bo honed for over. The crown is not mentioned in the proclamation, and is, therefore, not intended to bo issued, at any rato for the piv .

EMPIRE POSTAGE. In a letter to tile "Times,'' Mr. G. D. Love writes:—"lt would be a splendid innovation if the postage stamps of all British Colonics, Dependencies, nnd Protectorates were to have impressed upon them the words 'British 'Empire Postage.' Tho idea is that all tho postago stamps of the Empire might be uf one design, the only difference being the names of the dominions from which I hoy are issued and the amounts. The stamps could be uniform in colour throughout the Empire, the Id. stamp of the United Kingdom being of the same colour as tho Id. stamp of New Zealand or the 2c. atamn oi Canada, and so on. The Unit-

cd Kingdom postage stamps should also boar the words 'British .Empire Postage.' for at [.resent they give no indication of I lie country of origin. It is understood that -Mr. Jlcnniker llcaton intends to bring tho matter before the members of the Imperial Conference in .May."

. PAUPERS AND PENSIONS. Interesting figures showing the incorrectness of the prophecy that the removal of the pauper disqualification for old age pensions would bring about the doom of tho Poor Law have been collected by the

"Local Government Chronicle." Inquiries were sent to every workhouse in England and Wales asking for the number of persons over 70 years of age in the institution, the number who had claimcd pensions, and t : ie number who bad been granted pensions. Replies were received from nearly threo-fourths of the total number, and these show that while tho number of inmates over 70 years of ago was 27,000, only -1465 have put in claims for pensions, anil of tho 2GG4 cases in which pensions were granted many afterwards withdrew their claims, while nearly 200, after trying tho experiment, gave it up in despair, and returned to the workhous.--.

MILLIONAIRE'S VISITOR. Sir Thomas Lipton had a somewhat unpleasant adventure at Osidge, his Southgato residence, the other day. Early iu- the week, it appears, he received a telephone message stating that Mr. Ivenney, of the London and South-Western Bank, was on his way to see him with regard to an attempt to forgo Sir Thomas's signature. Nothing further, however, happened till later in the'week when a message over the telephone purporting to come from Scotland Yard, announced that "Inspector Weldon" was on his way to see Sir Thomas in connection with an alleged forgery of his name. Tho visitor shortly afterwards arrived. 110 peremptorily requested Sir Thomas to sit down, and after admitting that ho had gained access to the house by a subterfuge threw a razor on to the billiard table and asked for financial assistance. Sir Thomas excused himself for a moment, and leaving the room telephoned to the Southgate Police Station, who sent two plain-clothes constables to the house and Temored the visitor to ■_ Edmonton Workhouse, whore he was detained in the observation ward.

INTERRUPTED WEDDING. A charge of bigamy at Sheffield against a young labourer named Albert Butcher was the sequel to a remarkable scene at o wedding at St. Luke's Church, butcher was being married when his mother hurried into 'the Church crying: m btop the wedding; he's a married man. 1-ho bride and bridegroom, who were 011 their knees, stood up dumfounded. Tho man s mother produced a marriage certificate and pave it to the clergyman, who read it and ordered the removal of ■ the ring from the bride's finger. After the wedding Butcher went to the brides house, but the party were pursued by an excited crowd, who threw orange peel old rags, and other missiles at them. Butcher afterwards rejoined his wife, from whom he had been separated for canteen months. The accused was remanded for a week on bail.

BRITISH COLUMBIA DINNER. In the large hall of the Camberwell Mission in Toulon Street, S.E., over 500 poor children of tho district were enteitained at dinner and afterwards at a conjuring and ventriloquial, as the guests of British The menu was 11 simple one, consisting of roast beet' and- potatoes and plum -pudding.'"'The'banquet was the outcome ot a visit'bv Sir John Kirk, director of tho Ragged School Union, to Victoria, 8.C., seven years ago. lie told the children of that and other cities of the poverty of the children ill London, and ever since there has conic from British Columbia annually a sum sufficient to provide nearly 1000 London children with. a.substantial New ..Year's dinner and.li "good evening'*; cjifertgjpyignh n , iid CLAM AM MURDER CASE. At the South-Western Police Court Stinie Morrison lias appeared again 011 tho charge of murdering Leon Beron 011 Clapham Common. Tho' first witness, , a girl named Eva Flittermau, stated that she had met the prisoner four or five times after the date of tho murder. A dramatic scene took place when she said that the first time she saw Morrison a .£5 pieco was attached to a watch-chain lie was wearing—Beron, it will bo remembered was said to havo worn such a coin. Tho prisoner hero interrupted excitedly, and exclaimed:■ "By telling lies vou-'are taking my life away." Morrison's counsel stated that tho defence was that tho crimo was one of vengeance and not robberv. The mutilation of tho body threw 'a vivid light on tho whole affair. After some further evidenco the prisoner was again remanded.

THE HOUNDSDITCH MURDERS. Tho case for the Crown was outlined at the Guildhall Police Court this week \vhen the three men and two women charged in connection with the murder of three City policemen ,011 December 16 were brought up again. 011 behalf of tho prosecution Mr. Bodkin said that tliey alleged complicity in tho murders on the part of the men and charged tho women with being accessories after tlie fact. AH the prisoners were charged with being concerned in the attempt to break into tho jeweller's shop in Houndsditch which preceded tho murders. Counsel went on to describe how. 011 tho afternoon of the day of tho murders, four of tho five prisoners met Svaars, Petor tho Painter, and Gardstein at Fitz's lodgings in Grove Street to arrange the final details of the burglary. He suggested tho probability that Gardstein was shot by two members of the gang, who, seeing Constable Clioat about to arrest Gardstein, fired at tho officer and hit their companion instead. Dubof and Peters—two of tho prisoners—had been identified as tho two men who afterwards removed Gardstein to Grove Street. A young Russian named Tocmacoff spoke to the meeting of the gang at Fritz's lodgings on the day of the murder. He .-aid that 110 went there to show some songs to be played on the mandoline. Statements by Dubof and Peters alleging they were at home at the time of tho murders were then read in Court, and the prisoners remanded.— "Standard of Empire."