BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 13, 23 December 1911, Page 18

BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

LONDON SUMMARY. j TO ACT l"<>R Till-; KING. ! London, November - 111. During Hip King'.- absence in India a commission. appointed by t IrdiM-in-Couu-ril. will art. lor liiin ill tlf matter of certain executive I'un.-lioii- of the Crown. T.I IP inc-nInTS nl thn eonimiv.-iuu . are J'liiKP A r I li !i r i,( the Areliljishop of- Canterbury. tin. I 'l.rird ( linucellor (l.nril I.orrliiirnl, ;i ml. I In • lord President of the Cnimpil < Viscount Morleyl. Piliercnt ariangcmcnts liavcliecn made in Hip past. During Genrge Hip First's ab.-encp in llaiuver I lie Lard* ■ .liis-t ices were appointed, and,it wis laid d wu Hint w.henever any three of them appeared lnjji'ilipr they won' ontitled l.i Hip <a\no military ,-nlules from nf honour as noulil .-bp paid t/i Hip Kin;:, though mi compliments were lo be paid to th>ni sintjly. : ' riiYST.W, PALACE'S KATE. • I/oril T'lymoiilli is'stated to bo negotiating nan- I'ur the purchase of I ho Crystal rala.ee. His lordship lias already found I he deposit money of .1:20,1100. and if this is aceppted Lord I'lyiuouth will hiuisc.it' CDiiipletP- Hip purchase, and lip Hip solo owner of the great Sydenham. in-lii.nlion. Ail application for consent to' Hip sale was ma do nil Tuesday un l.ord Plymouth's behalf before a judge in oliainbeic--. and his decision■ will be made known wilhin tho next lev,' days. \o syndicate is being formed to-lake over Hip Palace; when (hp necessary legal formalities are completed Lord Plymouth himself, will find the money' far 'its purchase. . Over .t'200,000 will bo required. Wo'..u!idcrstnnd that, the Crystal Palace, "if acquired by Lord Plymouth, will: be.'preserved as fa'r as possible in its present state for tho use of the public in perpetuity. An official announcement to I his; 'ofi'ccf, howover, will not be made for.some weeks. men (riBL sunt to prisox: Margaret Holder,' the adopted daughter of a wealthy Devon lr.tly, and the ikisspssnr of considerable 'private means, hiis been sentenced ■ lo eighteen months' imiirisonmcnt 'at footer.-.' A seizes lor . theft. Mis.sjlolder denied - that the writing on Mrs. bain:s, of J'aigitiou, -aiid if was staled that■ after .paying Hip family a visit >1)0 stole a. number of. laluablo silver articles. Wlieu-the .discovery .was made .Miss Holder rfoneid that • the writing , on the label of. (he cardboard box in which the things were found was hers. For the defence, it was suggested that .Mr. Baincs had ■ made improper overtures-to Miss Holder, and put the articles in the box. his object being to -anticipate Miss Holder's t.iTcat, to. reveal his proposals, to his wif?; and other people, and thus discredit her statement. It. was stated that two rings belonging to . tho Baincs .family, which had been missing previously, wore, found at. Miss Holder's lupme. The..prisoner drove to court i'u a carriage and pair., LIGHTING LONDON. After prolonged experiments nud : investigations, the Streets Committee of the Corporation have agreed i port what may be. regarded as the filial scheme of street lighting ill the eily-' and it'will.be laid in dethil before the Court nf. Common Council- at au'carlv dale.- The scheme provides, it is, understood. for the Use-of both gas and electricity in almost., equal proportions.' 'As far as possible, the latiips will be hung in 1 the'middle nf the street bv means- of wi'rt-s from tho buildings on each side. 'As regards '. electricitv, the kind of lamp fpiiolimietidcd' is" that'to -be seen at 'Paul's Cliiir'chyarH end ,of Clieapjide.' lir street's where ccntrally-hung lamps-would-be impracticable or 'incouyeiiioilt resort 'will 'b'o'' had to' brackets, except in eases lviero these, - too, would be difficult to . fix. is'not possible to have either ..suspended Tamps or brackets, standards;' w;i['f ,be' used, but every ellort will bo hi a do. to dispense with them as far as possible. These arrangements apply equally to gas and electricity. If the scheme about, to be submitted is carried into full effect, there will bo.au increase of'nearly 50' per .cent, in the'illumination power, and at the game time a saving of many thousand --ounds a year m the cost of public lighting. ' - PRINCESS AND UNEMPLOYED. "At a-.recent, meeting : of- the Central unemployed Body, the Women's Work Committeo reported tJiat they had been tavoured with an order for from Princess Mary. The Princess liersoll- took the iu'communicatihg with the workrooms in conseqnciice of oue of the lists comiti; into her hands. A-letter was received from thn Local Government Board, stating that' the president was willing to make an immediate payment of e l'tooo in aid of the'main* tenanee .of the; women's workrooms,•'which provided work for 315 women during .tho past season. > ■: Ckuiimit-. tee reported-.that.during.: 1911.-666 porfon's had sailed -for: Australia:; and -156 -for-■ Cn'ii-..' ada. The ctim'niiHea re'coinmeiided-that !rom January 1 next 'tho amount to'bo' repaid by men proceeding to Australia and New. Zealand be fixed at, nnd rCl7'respectively, of which should be secured by a guarantee. "LADY WITH THE LAItP." , Tlio national memorial to tho memory .of Miss I'lorence. Mightiniale is to take Hip form of a statue, and Lord Pembroke announces that "tho very. host —hecauso tho most appropriate—site in all London "has been granted.by the Offico of Works for. tho statue, immediately opposite the .Guards' Crimean Memorial. . Tho statuo ot 'The Ladv with, the Lamp' will stand oe.tweou .the Athenaeum and Senior Utiitod Service Club." The memorial will' cost about' JJ6OOO, and of this so far only .£2BOO 'lias been, raised; .of -which . .£9OO :c«raes from soldiers,: and_ has been igiVen by nurses. Lord Pembroke appeals :for furtherisnbscriptipnsj'-ajd! it'is-hoped .that, .after.' the. memorial "is -paid for ; a balance will be left' for providing an annuity.fund for'nurses who are'past work pr disabled; through, illness. •• • ■ ; PRISON FOB '.'FORTTJJvE-TELLER. ~ In passing sentenco.on-.a coloured man named Blair, who has been carrying' on a palmistry business in Edtjwaro-Road, W., for over' a year. - Mr. Plowdou said: "It is -hiirli- time this fraudulent practice, tight and. left; should be ..p.ut a stop to. It. is fraud upon: credulous, sillv, .and romantic, people. ■ Vho fall an easy ,pr?y to.,people'like, yourself. .'.Tho poor Ptop.lo. mnst .be protected'; tho'.rich:can lopjc:.. after tliems.elves.". The,, charge .against the accused was of'pretendin" to tell fortunes.by palmistry, -with" i|itent>to deceive. A police witness said-that' a cash book which had been, seized-'on-'the .jiremisfrs'' showed (hat...tho. defendant made iiliOO in fifteen, months. At. a pre:vious hear in j; it was.stated t.hat therpricbher's.'fcc was 2s:!6d.'' . Blair was sentenced'to six/weeks' imprisonment. . " BANK PANIC. '. . : Extraordinary scenes wore witnessed in Commercial Itoad, where, a.- panic among the 'depositors at tho- local' branch of. the Nationar.Penu.T Bunk, took place. Tlie/rush..began on'; Monday, lvhen by noon sonipthing -. like 1000. foreign .Tewswere .Wiiifing.in a ijueue outsidn the hank. Tl\e alarm spread to other ~branches'of the - bank, and so . greatwas .tjio crush at Shorcditch that, mounted .liolice, had to bo rffiujsitioriwl to ie'pp, the. crowd from etonning 'the .premises. The. authoritinp. in an authorised • -announcement, ■■ state that.-"l Here is no occasion whatever, for any .'alarm as ' the. /depositors - are. amply secured,; and: all 'who-wish to .--withdrawtheir money, will lx! paid in . full. ' • IHio Bank of England are the bankers to .tho National Penny Bank." The officials are at a loss to-account for the panic. THE VICTORY'S LOG-BOOK. , In a little while there will come up for auction at Sotheby's a book .entitled "His' Majesty's. Ship Victory's ' Log-book : , No. 10; 180'5." This ancient volume gives a brief and. unadorned. account of the events of that. historic day, October 21, 1803. The .book contains—says the "Daily' Telegraph"—some account in another hand of the nian who tua'de Iho. entries, Atkinson, ,thp.failing-piaster of the Victory. From.this it: appears that Atkiiisoii. becanie sailing-master on the Theseus, Nelson's ship, in 170(i. While on this ship, at Teneritle be supported Nelson during the amputation of his right arm. and it. was largely through his exertions that the Theseus was. subsequently'saved, from 'destruction by fire at Acre; ' lie served with Nelson, till, bis death, ill all the great naval engagements, and 'was a Special favourite with the admiral. In JSO9' Atkinson was appointed King's Har-

bour Mii'ler at Port.iiipmlli, and held t.'ie posl till hi- death in IS'l'i. I'.A 111, IHSI Nil lil! ITKI). A curious nelkin lo -*-ttlt- the ownership of the estate of Amhmaco.v, in Alcrdeenshire, just, been decided in the lidinburgh I'uurt of Sps-inn. Ily Hi" terms of a btrjucsl made by Mr. .1 :iinrl.iiiphan ill 1.571, I lie istalc whs only lo pas- lo heirs who should a-siime the surname aiol arm- of llui-han, and il uaI'ui'ther provided thai any heir siiei-eedini; lo a peerage should d-'iiude all li-jlit lo the land-, whirh ,-liouhl tiren devolve upon Hip next heir. The ilirpi-t heir is Hip present Karl of I'ail line.-s, and I he apt ion was tn decide w belli"!lie or ! hi.- younger brother, the lion. Norman Maeleod Sinclair, u.-is entilb'd to Hip estate. The Court decided -in lavpur uf Ihe Hon. Norman Maeleod. Till; TAXI STIIIKE. All flic taxi-cab drivers employed by Hie leading compnnies have gone out on strike. ■At a mas- nieetinfr at Karl's Court they passed a resolution declaring that they would not return lo work until ordered by their representatives. Half a do/.eu out, of mOO ciibs owned by the Gi-neral Motor Cab Company are on flie streets. The main gates of tho garage are picketed by strikers, with whom troublo ocenrred wlu-n drivers took out Hip cabs. . The garages of tho other principnl eab coui|ianics will remain closed until a settlement has been arrived at, and an additional 12, OIK) men have bwu thrown out of work consequently. The drivers are'striking for the right, to take the. "extras,", which aro.'supposed to' be registered on the' taximeter. . , OmSEA' PHARMACISTS. An important step was taken at the Inst meeting of tho Pharmaceutical So-ciety.-when a draft: of two new by-laws affecting the registration of oversea pharmacists in .this country was agreed upon. Hitherto all pharmacists desirous of practising their calling',and selling poisons ill Grtat-Britain'h-Tvc had lo pass the •English examination and serve the customary three' years' apprenticeship in a, chemi.-t's sh.'.p' before presenting themselves for examination. Thn Poisons and Pharmacy Act. IMS, however, empowered the Pharmaceutical Society to alter this state of . affairs, and mako by-laws providing for (ho . admission of oversea pharmacists to tho English register without .examination. ■••The by-lawswill havo to be submitted, to. the, members of tho society arid,also lie approved by the Privy. Council before they come into force, but, little or no opposition is anti-cipated.-—"Standard of Empire."