NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 August 1924, Page 1

NEWS BY MAIL.

QUEEN VI l TOE IA AND EX-KAISER. BERLIN, June LL Queen Victoria did not hesitate lo give the* ex-Kaiser a rap over the knuckles when she considered he deserved it. l’roof of this is found in one of the Queen’s letters just published ju the fourteenth volume cf diplomatic papers issued by the German Foreign Office. On -May 22. 1880, William 11. had sent Queen Victoria a long letter in which he complained with great bitterness of Lord Salisbury’s attitude to Germany, and especially of his conduct on the Samoa (|Uestion. Queen Vietoria did not reply until June 12, when she wrote from Balmoral as follows:

Dear William,—l thank you for your letter, which Uncle Arthur has sent me —your other letter 1 am hound to sav lias very greatly astonished me. I can only attribute the lone in which you mention Lord Salisbury to momentary irritation on your part, for l cannot think you would otherwise have written in this wav.

I doubt whether a Sovereign has ever employed such expressions about a Prime Minister when writing to another Soverign, when, moreover, that other Soverjgn is also a gentlewoman. I myself would never do anything of the kind, and I never attack the Prime Minister personally or complain of him although I know very well what a hitter enemy of yours lie was and all tlie damage he did.

CLOCK OF DEATH. LONDON, June 17

By the stopping of the famous astronomical clock of Henry VIII. Jit Hampton Court Palace, and the death within a few hours of one of the palaces inmates the ancient legend surrounding the “Clock of Death” has once more been fulfilled.

Tradition runs that the stopping of the clock portends the imminent death of a palace resident. ()n Friday afternoon, for the first time for many .vein's, the clock slopped, and mi Friday night an elderly woman, Al.iss Burke Cuppago, who fought el Waterloo, was found dead in her apartments. On Saturday morning the clock was started again, and no cause for its stoppage could lie discovered. An official of the palace said yesterday that twice wjthin his personal knowledge siiiiieoue lies died a few hours utter the clock has stopped. .Made in 3-j 10, the clock registers the hour of the day, day of the month, position of the sun, miniher of days since the beginning of the year, and high water mark at London Bridge.