COMMENTS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1935, 29 November 1884, Page 2

COMMENTS.

The release of " The Claimant" has revived public interest in a case which attracted a large amount of attention a dozen years or so ago. There are few belonging to the present generation who do not know something about the great Tichborne case, and out of the total number a respectable proportion cling to the idea that the man who has just secured his discharge from the convict prison at Portsmouth is the real Sir Roger, whom a tyrannical law, administered by a corrupt judge and an incompetent jury, has kept so long out of his patrimony. How they can, in the face of the damning testimony produced at the double trial" hold to such a belief, is one of those things which nobody outside their own charmed circle can possibly understand. And the most inexplicable part of the business is that many, indeed the majority, of those who have given practical proof of their adherence to the Claimant are people belonging to the upper strata of society, of the rules and usages of which the sham gentleman from Australia was almost totally ignorant. Young Tichborne had moved in good society with his father and mother in Paris, had received the benefit of a good schooling at the college at Stoneyhurst, mixed with polished men of the world in the Carabineers, and learned something, at any rate, of the graces and refinements of life at the house of his uncle, Sir Edward Doughty, at which he was a frequent and welcome guest, and where, in the company of his consin Kate (whom the blackguard Orton afterwards slandered), he might have acquired that " liberal education" which the knowledge of such a woman as she is described to have been would impart. The hapless heir of the Tichbornes was, moreover, of an enquiring turn of mind, greatly given to miscellaneous studies, and he is known to have dabbled a little in science. His journey to South America was undertaken, among other reasons, with the avowed object of familiarising his mind with the wonders of that great country, and his letters from abroad are those of a man who — to claim no more in hi 3 behalf — possessed eyes and cars, and who knew the uses of those precious organs. But the primary cause of his leaving England was connected with his cousin. Between the young couple there existed a strong attachment, and though the uncle and aunt were not exactly averse to the proposed union, they were not unmindful, in the first place, of the circumstance of Roger's somewhat fast life, or, in the second, of the fact that the Roman Catholic Church, to which the family belonged, discountenanced • marriages between first cousins. To procure a dispensation froni the Church would not have beeD very difficult, "and had Sir Edward been out of the way there can be little doubt that the match would have been consummated. But under the circumstances, the not unusual plan of trying the effect of a separation was had recourse to, and the ardent young Carabineer gave up all hopes of glory, and sailed from France in "k Pauline " for Valparaiso. Thence succeeded a life of adventure and travel, full accounts of which duly reached' Jjome in his letters. Meantime, Sir Edward Doughty died, and long before the prescribed period of absence had expired* we find Roger Tichborne at Rio taking a passage to Jamaica; en route for "Home, in the ship " Bella." l That the Belli was lost at sea is a conclusion that t admits of no doubt, and that poor Roger Tiphborne; went with her to the botton *we are" equallybourid'tobtelieve. I Fourteen years afterwards, an igporanfc and illiterate f man, going by the name of Thomas .Castro', and following, the "calling ,of a'alau'ghter-, man at' Wagg'a WWj^WMLfe the, .advertisement^ which La<Jy. Ticji^ borne' circulated la^the^ hope* of ceding tidings of her 'lost -son; 'declares" $it&at he filj the' miVsing -bironet. ip&alLhe y adef 3-himsell^acquainted! withbjt.be jatit 'ctimetances attending RagaOT^Mraete •'disappearOTWandthetti^con^tedlhirfj |^ifcamstence ; Vl%|!''«h>P.PJ»^E^i?i AuBtraliaVVyi9»yJ^^»ttli4|f§|rrVlvors"

that no tracts of such a vessel at the Oapiey could be .discovered. Was it not something ittd're than strange that Roger Tiohbofue, the regular corrospoiulont, should .suddenly cease from writing ? Was, ? it not a remarkable thing that a young man going to Kingston, to secure his remittancess preparatory to hurryingt, to England, which at that time possessed all that he believed to be worth living for, should on his arrival at Melbourne have forgotten not only his money, but his promised wife, — should have renounced both to lead a precarious, if not criminal existence in the never-never country of Australia? Is it not n singular thing, not to be accownted for by any ordinary method of reasoning, that the youth of the yParis salons, the student of Stoneyhurst, the officer of tlie , Sixth Dragoons, ansl the intelligent South American traveller, should in the space of a few years, have degenerated into a butcher's assistant of the commonest type; that he should have lost all knowledge of the extent and situation of the family estates ; that he should have lost not only all knowledge of his cradle language, French, but of the Queen's English as well ; that he bhould have forgotten the name of the ship in which he sailed from France, or that he sailed from that country at all : tliat he should have forgotten the very name of his mother ? But in spite of all this, — in spite of the fact that his letters to her conveyed no suggestion of her lost sod's method of correspondence, the dowager Lady Tichborne unhesitatingly declared the Claimant to be the missing Sir Roger. The explanation of this strange hallucination, for such it undoubtedly was, is not easy, but its effects were disastrous. The mother's alleged recognition deceived such men as Mr (afterwards Justice) Hannen, Sergeant Ballantine, and many^ other prominent members of the English bar, as it deceived scores of laymen. In his " Experiences " Sergeant Ballantine ftacitly acknowledges that in his opinion the Claimant is a fraud of the first water, though he confesses his inability to account for the declaration of Lady Tichborne. But other commentators, with less reason for reserve, have demonstrated that the unfortunate lady vras. always more or less eccentric, and in the coudition to which she had been reduced by family troubles was prepared to acknowledge anybody 'who came to her in the guise of her idolised sou. What shattered the belief of such men of brains as were led astray by Lady Tichborne was the episode of "Sir Roger's," commercial transactions with the Orton family, who were paid to hold their tongues on the subject of the Claimant's identity with Arthur of that ilk. The Jean Luie business was only so much corroborative evidence. Within the last few weeks evidence has been adduced to show that, after all, the Oaprey was not a myth. Several reputable people in this colony have stated that such a vessel was known in these waters twenty years aco, and the authorities at Wellington, in turning over some old lumber, have hit upon a number of ammunition cases endorsed " per Osprey." This is very satisfactory as far as the Osprey is concerned, and if ships are things of life, no doubt the ghost of this vessel will rejoice to find its existence asknowledged. But beyond proving that Castro had the nous to give the name of an actual instead of an imaginary ship, the discovery will resuit in putting nothing in that gentleman's pocket. It strikes us as a little odd that those people who can now remember the ship so well should have neglected to make use of the knowledge at a time when it *vas a marketable commodity of no small value, but in consideration of its unimportance now we are content to waive the point. We have detailed the circumstances in connection with what has been called the Tichborne romance in the belief that such information will prove of general interest at this time. We have no moral to point, and the only adornment we shall venture to apply to our tale is the expression of a hope that the English people will not again run mad about the " wrongs " of a man who has been convicted on the clearest possible evidence of the most impudent fraud of modern times, and whose identity with the lost Sir Roger nothing short of a miracle can demonstrate.

One of the healthiest signs in connection with our colonial trade is the difficulty experienced in getting a passage to New Zealand in one of the direct steamers. A well-known resident of Waikato received a letter by the last mail from a friend in England touching upon this snbject. This friend, who is a colonist too, went home at the beginning of the year on business, intending to be back again in Waikato before Christmas, but he had been prevented from carrying out his object. He made application for a berth six weeks in advance, thinking that would be sufficient ; but it was not ; aud though his application for a passage for himself and his wife was seconded by several influential people, he had to remain behind. Three or four years ago the bare idea of a direct steam service between England and this colony was laughed at in many quarters, and when tho New Zealand Shipping Company went into the business it was predicted that their venture would, result in loss. Nobody would hiat at such a contingency now.

In another part of this issue Mr W. A. Graham thanks the burgesses of Hamilton for the honour done him in electing him mayor of the borough.

The Revs. H. R. Dewsbury and J. Dukes exchange pulpits to-morrow. Mr Dewsbury will also preach at S. Stephen's, Tamahere, at 3 p.m., and Mr Dukes at Tauwhare at the same time.

The following tenders were received at Wednesday's meeting of the Waikato County Council for the Wairangi road contract:—l. Lovetfc, £96 15s 8d ; J. C. Booth, £83 3a ; Ross and Bruce, £82 9a 4d ; J. Casbey, £76 Is 5d ; W. Stanley, £74 16s 8d: Jas and P. McPherson, £72 3s (accepted.)

On the fourth page of this issue will be found a most interesting report of the survey of the King Country, by Mr Laurence Cussen, District Surveyor. It is extracted from the annual report of the Survey Department.

By special request Bishop Cowie will preach the sermon he lately delivered in Auckland, in connection with the Auckland society for promoting Christian knowledge at S. Andrew's, Cambridge, to-morrow evening. The title of the sermon is " Some evidences of Christianity not yet out of date." There will be a confirmation at the morning service.

We are requested to state that the caucus of the Opposition members of the Hamilton Legislative Association has been postponed until Monday evening at 8 o'clock. The Government supporters will also hold a meeting at the same hour. Both meetings will be held at The Waikato Times' Buildings.

The following special messages ,to the Press Association, dated London, November 27th, have been published: — Lord Derby has intimated to the AgentsGeneral that the initiative in connection with Imperial federation rests with the colonies.—-The German Reichstag has adopted the payment of members in spite of the opposition of Prince Bismarck.

Iffr' P.' R' Ftfaser, Te Kowhai Waipa, has just returned to Wi ik vto from *apßortf visit ttiTthVold^country. Though Mr Eraser-fully enjoyed-his"holiday, it is gratifying to know that he was glad to be "under the blue skieVpf New Zealand again. -lAfrAF.JßVolalidet 'wHo accompanied Mr Fraser Home, expects to be out again in" "March. '•*& «*'' J" Jib.uOJL - -J.

JJ 1 .* Wevffre£retto'learn that.Mr T. 4.;, *BelH musical' instructor to • the! Schools in Waikafctfj'mijfc fwittf *a y rather eierioiw,Jicci- <- dent* yesterday» afternoon.;.,, Mr, ?Be]l had, iust'finwliM^vinrMe'psiial lossdhiin the f(MfC4<jb^lSMi^l loa'4his' way to !'M&W^hwW^hpra^s|sk6led, fell^ f»6B^llMFWeW^m^^rtdnatBly,\'Mo. s

before the Auckland Parliamentary Union. , As maybe supposed, the document embodied a comprehensive scheme of railway reform on the principle Mr Vaile has so ably enunciated. Aa Mr Vaile intend)* speaking at several of ihe-centres of population in Waikato during the coming week, it is not necessary in this place 'to examine his Publio Works Statement at length.

The Hon. John Ballance, Native Minister, wn.3 entertained at a banquet at Wanganui on Thursday night. Among the guests was Mr John Bryce, the late Minister for Native affairs. Replying to the toast of his .health, Mr Ballance referred at some length to the policy of the Government. He justified the change of Ministry on the principle that a new broom sweeps clean. Referring to the Married Woman's Property Act, passed last session, he said the time was not far distant when the country would advance another step and give the women the franchise. Speaking of the Main Trunk Railway, he said the central route was undoubtedly the best and the work of construction would be gone on with forthwith. Referring to the unemployed, he said the Government did m t contemplate introducing any mons mmigrants until the present surplus labour waB absorbed. He believed the solution of the difficulty lay in the settlement of the land. Government only proposed to borrow sufficient money to complete works already authorised and those which would be reproductive. Measures would bo taken to put the colony in an efficient state of defence. It was the intention of Government in future to acquire lands for settlement only and to establish land associations that could take up land to the extent of 5000 acres. Restrictions were placed on the sale of laud on the line of the central railway. The pastoral land of the colony would not be alienated, Particulars of the association system would be shortly gazetted.

When looking into one of the drawers of a game dealer's stall in Lead mhall a short time ago, (says the London corespondent of a contemporary) I saw it crammed with grouse in such a very advanced stage of inustiness that I opined the birds were useless for food. '* By no ifteans," said the proprietor. "We pluck and truss them, and send them to the hotels, where the cooks dip them into a solution of permanganate of potash, which entirely removes all the objectionable twang." I tested the recipe on some partridges and a badly-shot hind-part of haunch last week, and found it aa my friend of Leadenhall had stated. A one-shilling bottle of permanganate of potash will make about 500 quarts of dip. I feel confident that your enterprising storekeepers will be able to supply your Iriends with the permanganate of potash, which may prove a useful substitute for ice till your local factory is Btarted.