The world.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2283, 26 February 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

The world.

[The following paragraphs are extracted from tho London society papers and other journals.] A " Literaby Bcreau " has been established at Chicago, which supplies every sort and description of manuscript at a minute's notice, including " sermons for clergymen, fairy tales for children, and patent medicine advts. for a suffering world."

No fewer than fourteen tenants on Lord Exeter's Burghley estate have given notice to quit their farms. Lord Exeter has already several farms on his hands, for which he is unable to obtain tenants, and many other Northants landlords are in t'ne same plight. I alluded recently to the impending sale at Cologne of the famous Felix' collection of paintings, sculptures, and old furniture. I learn that the sale, which has just taken place, occupied six days, and realised ,C<54,000. A splendid curved cabinet of the fifteenth century went for £'2,'J,'!o. Sir Redvors Buller has been sot down in several quarters as a Homo Ruler. Tho reverse is, however, the fact. General Buller is nearly related to f.he Portsmouth family, aud holds similar views to tho.se of L ird Lvmington, whom he .supported at the last election mi public us well as private ground*. Lady Audrey Buller intends to remain at Downes for the next fe>v weeks. She returned to Devonshire last week, after spending a few days in town with her husbaud before his departure for Ireland. It is not surprising that the, brief speech of. Count von Molkn has created n sensation on the Continent. Tho great German soldier lias always observed the maxim that silence is golden. He has only spoken now because he considers it essential to make it clear that Germany will at all costs protect her own interests. He cannot be blamed. The conduct of Russia and the threats of France justify the detenniued attitude of the Reiehstag. Both tho speeches of the War Minister and Count Molke will not, however, make war. Until recent times, the marriage of a bishop after his consecration was almost unknown. Oh Thursday, however, the Bishop of St. David's—the fourth prelate within a very few years—was married a second time to Miss Ann Locksdale, in the parish church of Grassendale, near Liverpool, the Bishop of Clogher officiating. The bride was married in iter travelling-dress of sapphire blue' The four bridesmaids, nieces of the bride and bridegroom, were in dresses of white cashmerc, trimmed with sapphire blue.. All Aigburth turned out to witness the ceremony. A curious scene took place in a parish church in the country at the beginning of last week. A gentleman and lady presented themselves with a request that they might be te-married, the first ceremony having been performed some years previously by a registrar. The officiating clergyman was a diguitary of the Church, and all scruples on his part wera removed by the intimation that the Bishop of the diocese had been communicated with and had given his sanction. Only Christian names were given for purposes of the service. No entry was made in the parish registry, and no fees could be charged, but a handsome offering was made. In spite of all opposition, the " Church House "is to be built, established, and endowed. The site suggested is the land lying to tho South of Westminster, including the site of Abingdon-street. This sight ought to be acceptable to Chnrchmen, because it will give to the proceedings in Convocation a position important and ecclesiastical, both in tradition and surroundings. Mr John Morley took a distinctly lower tone at Hawick aud Edinburgh than he did at Leeds ; aud the language of the late Chief Secretary probably represents a change of view at Hawarden Castle. A few weeks ago the opinion of Mr Gladstone and his friends was that the Liberal Unionists ought to be left severley alonu, and that if on tiie meeting of Parliament they declined to act with the majority of the party, they ouirht to be formally excommunicated. It was found, however, that this would only land the Liberals in deeper and more hopeless diHiculty ; aud .\lr Gladstone has gone on a different tack. His whole efforts are now to be directed to win over the Liberal Unionists, or, if that be impossible, to break up the party. There will be no banning and cursing to the Secessionists, but questions will be raised with the obj'.-ct of destroying the alliance between the Tories and Liberal Unionists. If tho Colin Campbell case will be tho grave of several reputations, as it promises to bo, it has at least already made 0110 reputation, or perhaps it would be more correct to say, has assured and extended h reputat.iou already made. 1 refer to that of Mr R. B. Finl'iy, the loading' counsel for Lord Colin Campbell. Mr Fitilay, I believe, was onoe a doctor, but on the advice of his friends, who admired bis voice and faculty of speech, he went to the Bar, and, I presume, sees no reason to regret it. lie got into Parliament for distant Inverness, and made a first-rate speech against Gladstone's Home Rule Bill. His position as a politician and debater was fixed by his speech, and now, while still in tho prime of life and in robust health, he has got the ball of his foot at, the Bar as well as tho Senate. Ho has perhaps reason to thank the lucky cliauce which forced Sir Henry James to throw up the leading brief he had for Lord Colin Campbell. Vanity Fair has been long fond of reviling Sir Redvers Buller, partly because his politics are decidedly Radical, and partly because he is not a quand mime partisan of Irish landlords. " The Cbiel" has thought fit to assert that although Sir Redvers Buller is not ardent in aiding his distressed brethern in Ireland yet on his own estate in Devonshire he insists on getting his fall rents. This statement is both malicious and reckless, and there can be no excuse for it, as the slightest inquiry would have shown "The Chief" that at Michaelmas, 1885, Sir Redvers Buller granted a reduction of twenty-five per cent, on his arable farms, to continue for three yeaas, and there was a reduction to the whole of his tenants averaging about sixteen per cent. Sir Redvers is one of the most liberal and considerate landlords in Devonshire. He has always been on excellent terms with his tenants, and he is invariably ready to accede to any reasonable demand that may be made by them. That interesting anecdote about Messrs Guinness's princely present to their chief brewer has, I fancy, been somewhat exaggerated in the telling. That the valuable servant in question received a salary of £0000 per annum—£looo more than the Prime Minister of Great Britain and Ireland ! —I do not for a moment doubt, but that the bonus cheque presented to him a week or two since should have been for the enormous sum of £217,000 is a detail which it is rather difficult to swallow. The story goes that some twenty years ago this unique chief brewer absolutely refused to allow the firm to raise his salary, on which the latter, whilst acquiescing, seemingly, in his view of the matter, quietly credited to him the excess

salary he had refused ever since. And the cheque lately given him is for the excess salary thus accumulated, with interest. But even if the rejected offer had liecn one to double the £6000 annually paid the chief brewer, it would not have amounted to anything like £•217,000 in twenty ynars. Is there, I wonder, a nought too many in the stated total of the cheque ?