BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1386, 12 March 1912, Page 6

BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

» LONDON SUMMARY, BULL ON THE HOUSE TOPS. London, February 2. Amazing scenes wero witnessed in a block of model-buildings near Caledonian Koad, into which a bull, maddened by k'ar, dashed as he was being driven with tho rest of a drove to the abattoirs near by. Tho beast fitumbled up tho stairs, hotly chased by tho drovers, lo the alarm of the inhabitants, mid finally gained tho roof, which is used as a drying-ground, and is fully one hundred yards Jong ami ten wide. Watched by a'huge crowd in tho roadway, amateur cowboys and policemen, to the number of nearly twenty, attempted to lasso the bull, which careered madly about, and chased inoro than one of his would-bo captors. Several of the low walls by which the roof is divided tfcro knocked down by tho bull, which was hunted unsuccessfully for nearly two hours. Finally it was decided to shoot tho animal, and this was successfully accomplished after several failures. Great difficulty was experienced in getting tho animal to the ground, and finally tho carcass was pushed over the parapet, and fell, smashing two paving-stones when it struck earth, fifty feet below. SCENE IN A LAW COURT. An amazing sccno took place in the Central Criminal Court, wlien Mr. Justice Ridley was about to pass sentence on a man named Humphreys for seriously wounding his baby. The Judge began: "You havo been tried .with the gioatest •possible ," but the "prisoner suddenly started shouting fiercely, and both .ludg'o and tho man in the dock strove to make themselves hcar<l at tho samo time. Humphreys struggled and raved, but what he wished to say it was impossible to gather. "Take him away, take him ftwa3 - ," the Judge repeatedly commanded. Tho warders endeavoured to remove the man, but he clung to tho front of tho dock, defying their efforts. Finally he was wrenched away, and practically carried downstairs to the cells, the Judge telling the warders to bo careful with him. His Lordship ordered that tho man should bo transferred to Brixton until his Majesty's pleasure was known. AUSTRALIA'S BARGAIN. The London Countv Council has agreed to sell the eastern horn of the crescent site of Aldwych to the Commonwealth of Australia for .£379,750. Lord Alexander Thynne, who proposed tho acceptance of this Commonwealth offer, said that tho council had undeniably cut its price down for tho site as low as it felt justified, and the Commonwealth could bo congratulated upon tho nstuto business capacity with which it had conducted tho negotiations. Ho had no hesitation in submitting tho recommendation for tho acceptance of tho Commonwealth's offer. It was to tho advantage of the council to havo part of its Aldwych land occupied by the great Governments of tho Commonwealth, for tho council thereby made certain that the laud would be covered by dignified and imposing buildings. IN THE HOUR OP TRIUMPH. Tho first aldernianic poll in the City ward of Farringdon Within since tho (lays of the Indian Mutiny was marked by tragedy. As the result of tho poll, Mr. C. J. Cuthbertson was announced as elected by 331 votes, as against his nearest opponent's 159. He received the congratulations of his friends, and moved a vote of thanks to the Lord Mayor, who preside:!. Mr. 'Walter, one of his opponents, in congratulating him, said: "I hope he may retain his health and vigour to fulfil the duties of Lord Mayor when his turn comes." A few minutes after Mr. Cuthbertson walked out to his brougham. He had taken only a few steps when ho collapsed on tho pavement. Ho was hurriedly placed in an ambulance, but before the hospital could be reached he was dead. A CAREER, OF ADVENTURE. A remarkable career of adventuro was disclosed tho other day in the London Bankruptcy Court, at a meeting of the creditors of Mr. Donald Francis Charles Steuart Soton. It was stated that Mr. Scton, on coming of age, received a sum of ii' 25,000, which ho ran through in a year, with the exception of about .£7OOO. After ranching experiences, he fitted out a treasure-hunting expedition at Yucatan, and from there ho eventually drifted to Australia. Ho was engaged for boiuo timo in pearl fishing near Caroline Island, and mado X'COOO in that way. A deal in mining shares brought him in .£II,OOO, but shortly after he lost .C9OOO. which lie put into'an expedition to start a revolution in Honduras, Ho mado .£7OOll profit by trading in Matabclclaiul in 189 G. He had boon making money recently from sawmills erected on laud belonging to him at Vancouver, but last August tho buildings were burnt down. His liabilities wero estimated at .£I2OO. TUBE KINEMATOGRAPH THEATRE. The idea of converting the tube railways into picture palaces is the happy inspiration of Mr. George Phillips, of tho firm of Messrs. Keith, Prowse, and Co. By his invention the pictures would not bo projected before tho audience as at a kinematograph theatre, but the passenger would have tho experience of being projected through the scenes portrayed. Tho schemo is to fix tho pictures at intervals in tho tunnels, so that as tho train travels at high speed a quick succession appearing upon the screen would invest them with apparent animation. Tho secret is to devise a means of deceiving the oye 60 that it cannot detect that the picture is still when it is projected. Tho promoter is confident that tho difficulty will bo overcome, and that in the near future a traveller tired of his paper will be able to rest his eyes upon a series of apparently moving pictures, which will brighten "tube journevs.

liOAD PKOJECT. The cost of a scheme noiv before the Road Board for the construction of a new main thoroughfare through the western outskirts of London is estimated at about jC!O,000,000. ,The project, of course, would take years to carry out, and tho cost would be spread over a long period. All the country mid borough councils likely to benefit by tho scheme would, it is expected, contribute, and a conference of theso i 3 shortly to bo held. In the alternative a scheme will bo discussed for widening existing thoroughfares so as to abolish the present congestion of traffic. This latter project would entail the expenditure of about .£3,000,000. OMNIBUS AEROPLANE. A now British record passenger-carrying flight has been inado by Mr. S. F. Cody, the well-known nirnian. The aviator made two flights of three miles, and on each occasion he was accompanied by four pas-1 eengers. The aviator weighs over fifteen J stone, and the total weight carried was just under fifty-three stone. Tho flights were made at a mean height of 120 ft. at first, for the benefit of a (cinematograph operator. Mr. Cody steered his machine through a shallow pond, and, throwing spray ns high as tho passengers, tho biplane bore- noiuo rc-wniblanco to a hydroplane. The biplnno was fitted with an Austrian Daimler engine, which was driven at 1250 revolutions per minuto during flight, and lifted tho aefoplnno from tho ground after a run of sixty yards. EARTHQUAKES. Considerable excitement has been caused by earthquake shocks in Scotland and Smith Wales. At Llanhilleth, a. colliery township, tbreo distinct shocks were experienced, and people in the place, alarmed by the subterranean rumblings, rushed into'tlie streets, thinking there had been a mine explosion. Many of the workers in the colliery cuiiie to the surface, thinking there had been a disaster. Many people remained in the streets all night. At jjnnblane, in Perthshire, shocks were also felt, the doors and windows shaking and rattling from tho quake. Many peapie were awakened from their sleep. STAMPLESS liETTEHS. An automatic franking machine, which will do away with the need for a penny stamp, has been placed for public use in tho General Post Office. Anyone wishins; to "stamp" n letter places the envelope in the machine, puts a penny in a slot, and tho niachiiio impresses, in place iif a stamp, a circle of red. with the enclosed words: "London, 11.C, Id. postage paid," and a royal crown underneath. Any letter bearing this impression will lie. treated us if it bore, a postage stamp of tl\o vnlue of Id., provided thnt i' bears ulso tho uostinu.rk of tho office of poitiuj,— "Standard of Empire."-