The "Cleopatra Needle In London.

THE "CLEOPATRA NEEDLE IN LONDON .

Tha voyage of the " Cleopatra " from Ferrol was of such an uneventful character , that there is scarcely anything to record concerning it . She started at seven a . m . on Sunday , the 16 th inst ., in tow of the " Anglia , " with a short length of hawser , and was found to steer very b xdly ,

a defect which was to some extent remedied by lengthening the tow-rope to about a hundred fathoms . Ther weather was beautiful during the whole voyage , the wind being very light and the sea smooth , with a bright moon at night . Communication was kept up between the vessels by means of signals , a black board being used by day and different coloured lights by night . On Sunday ,

the 20 th inst ., at ten p . m , the " Anglia" came to anchor off the Chapman Light , near Southend , with the "Cleopatra" hanging astern by the tow-rope . Next morning at half-past seven the vessels were again in motion , and by ten o ' clock had reached Gravesend , where they stopped two hours , and w-re visited by thc Customs Officers , and where also Mr . and Mrs . Dixon went on board , and a

congratulatory telegram was received from the Queen . The " Cleopatra , " was then towed further up the river , and by four p . m . the " Needle " was snugly berthed in the West India Export Dock . Thc " Anglia" tug is a paddle-boat , with three funnels , with engines of 140-horse power , nominal ,, but capable of working up to 700 . She is thc largest tug in the Port

of London , and has doni a great deal of ocean towing . Her navigating cap'ain is Mr . John Tracey , and her towing captain Mr . David Glue , and she has a crew of seventeen hands . The cable used at sea was a fifteen-inch hawser , but a much smaller one was substituted on reaching the river , when thc length was also reduced to about fifteen fathoms .

The " Cleopatra " is built in the form of a cylinder , sharpened at each end , and is about 95 ft . in length by 16 iu diameter . Upon her convex deck , about the centre of her length , is erected a structure which contains two small cabins , one for her commander , Captain Henry Carter , and the other for her crew , which consisted of five men . As soon as arrangements have been made with the

Thames Conservancy Board , the " Cleopatra" will be brought up the river , and moored either alongside the Thames Embankment , or at some other convenient place , where she will for some time remain for public inspection ; it being intended to remove some of her upper plates to facilitate the examination of the interior of the vessel , and exhibit the peculiar method in which her singular and

valuable cargo is packed . The vexed question of thc most appropriate site for thc erection of the Obelisk is , we believe , still unsettled , but whatever spot may * ultimately be determined upon , it is to be feared that thc damp smoke-laden atmosphere of our metropolis will soon have a very damaging effect u | ion the stone , which in a more favourable climate has lasted

so long . The Pall Malt Gaxelle states , on thc authority of a certain German doctor , that the Luxor Obelisk has suffered greater deterioration during the last thirty-six years by exposure to the atmosphere of Paris , than it did in the purer atmosphere of Egypt during the same number of centuries . Bro . Professor Erasmus Wilson's striking and

original act of public spirit , was first made known in the Times without his name . But the nation ' s anonymous benefactor could not be long be hid , and what he forbade should be whispered in the ear has long been published on thc housetops . Till lately the eminent surgeon was , perhaps , better known to scientific men , especially of his own profession , than—but for such deeds

of splendid charity as his saving the Medical College at Epsom from threatened financial collapse , by handing its treasurer a cheque for £ " 18 , 300—he was to the woild at large . Professor Wilson is of about thej same age as Mr , Gladstone , having been born in 1809 . His father was the late William Wilson , surgeon in thc Royal Navy , of which hereditary connection with thc United Services he speaks

with patriotic pride as having greatly interested him in the proposed transfer of Cleopatra's Needle to London . In 186 9 nc founded the Chair and Museum of permatology in the Royal College of Surgeons , and , having been freely elected the first Pre lessor , was made a Member , of thc Council of that body in the following year . Dermatology is thc science of the skin in health and disease *;? it is a

branch of surgery which he may almost be said to have created by his many learned and splendidly illustrated monographs on the subject . The Professor , in what he himself styles " Wilson's Narrative , " tells as follows the story of his own share in the Obelisk enterprise , and how he and Bro . John Dixon , C . E ., were first brought face to face : — "In the autumn ot

18 76 1 received a note from Sir James Alexander on professional matters , in which he referred to Cleopatra ' s Needle , which he was then busy in drawing attention to . As a sailor ' s son I took an interest in the matter ; and on my return to London , having had a visit from Sir James , 1 was informed that a site for the Obelisk had been awarded by

the Metropolitan Board of Works , on Sir James ' s solicitatation ; and that Mr . John Dixon , an engineer , had contemplated the means of effecting the object . A few days afterwards ( we were then in November ) I called upon Mr . Dixon , whom I had never seen before , nor heard of , save through Sir James Alexander . Sir James Alexander had [ eft him a few minutes b : fore I entered . I soon found that

-Mr . Dixon was a Freemason , hence all formality and ceremony was at once banished , He told me that he had long contemp lated bringing the Obelisk to England , and hoped some day to do it himself , when he should be rich enough ; he ssid that he and Mr . Fowler had talked over bringing ¦ t , but tbat political reasons had left the matter in abeyance . He then said , ' I should enclose the monolith in

The "Cleopatra Needle In London.

boiler plate , and roll it into the sea ; I would then steady the cylinder by means of bilge plates , ballast it , fix a rudder , fix a cabin and spar deck , and then tow her to England . ' He said he thought it might be done for £ 3 , 000 , but he would enter into a contract to do it for £ 7 , 000 . Some further conversation touk place , an I Mr . Dixon wis so confident of his success , that wc sai i this : Tile undertaking is

not an easy one ; there may be unexpected difficulties ; we must succeed ; you say you can do it for £ 7 , 000 ; will you undertake to set it up safely on the banks of the Thames for £ 10 , 000 ? No cure no pay . ' ' Willingly , ' was his answer , and we parted for thc second time . ' Mr . Dixon , I have one marc favour to ask of you , which is to give an interview to my firi nd , H . P . Siephenson , who is a civil engineer , and will influence us with his opinion ; also a

Freemason . ' The following week we four met at the solicitor ' s office in Bedford Row , and agreed to the terms of a contract . Our next meeting was to sign that contract , in January . Mr . Dixon then went to work in earnest , the cylinder was built on the Thames banks , and sent out in pieces . " Wc are indebted for this interesting sketch to our admirable contemporary the Graphic .

Reviews.

Reviews .

" Points for Refer ° nce , Sec . By Brio . J . toi ' . Wyman nnd Sons , Si , Great Queen-street , W . C . Wtfhavc received this little work , convenient alike for reference and the pocket , and we are glad to call attention to it . It is , for those who need it , a very useful aid as a "Misonic technica , " and the " cue" judicously employed and seasonally remembered , may restore the "lost links " of the oral ritual . We are not on the v / hole favourable

to this " genre" of Masonic publications , but probably fewer objections can be made to " Points for Reference , " than to any other similar publication . Practically we hardly know of any other work exactly analogous , and certainly not iu its unostentatious and unpretending form . We , therefore with pleasure , mention to our many readers its special existence , its admitted correctness , and its intelligent utility as an " aide memoire , " as the French

have it , and while wc make these remarks sincerely we must not be supposed to assent in any degree to thc question of ritual publications . Of its undoubted evil we are fully assured , and as Freemasons feel strongly that it is distinctly opposed to the best interests and good work of Freemasonry . But we do not consider that this little work comes under that category , and regard it as intended to be of help to many of our brotherhood .

"The Liberal Freemason , " Edited by Bro . ALFRED CHAPMAN , Boston , U . S . A . We are glad to be permitted to call attention to this very well edited and admirably piintetl Magazine . We always find , it to be original and woith rending .

"Night and Day ; ' Edited by DR . BAHNARPO . This serial deals with a most interes'ing subj .-ct per sr , thc " Wild Boys" and the " Wild Girls " of London . It is often to us , as we fancy it is to all , a v : ry sad fact to realize that amidst our wealth , our greatness , our civil , ization , there are " plague spots , " in all large aggregations of our fellow creatures , which weaken and disgrace

humanity , which serve to introduce disease , decay , and not unfrcquently despair , into thc common course of what ought to be well ordered social existence . It bocts not here to go into the recondite causes of this untoward state of thing .- ; it is idle , it appears to us , to blame anyone section for neglect or oblivion of the'r fellow mortals , when all are probably more or less equally to blame . But the

sensible , the safc , the proper course , is to endeavour to rectify evils whose existence is admitted , to go to thc root of matters , remembering that prevention is better than cure , the healing effort , than punitive sternness . Dr . Bamardo ' s seems to be a practical work , . appealing to the sympathies and good will of all . He seeks the sufferers in noxious abodes of vice and squalor ; he looks for thc

" wild animals" in their dens , which ab . und where such classes do " most congregate , " even in this mighty London of ours , and he offers a home to the young of both sexes , friendly advice and help to others . Such a work as this is alas imperatively needed , and deserves to be commended and supported . Inded , we wish to say this : —If the great black cloud of pauperism which now bancs over the

history of our people is to be lessened nnd removed , if we are successfully to cope with those special forms of suffering which seem to be the product of civilization itself , we must break down those hedges which red tape and conventionality have erected around us , and throw ourselves into the good work , with

earnestness , sympathy and sincerity , [ alkingis very fine , but working is iar better . One of the most serious pioblcms of the day is how to deal with that curse of degraded pauperism , wh . ch like a gangrened wound is spreading and is dangerous , because it undermines the great fabric of social security , because it shows , •' Of all the ills which human hearts endure ,

How few there are which human laws can cure , " if we may thus slightly alter these well-known lines . We want the emotion of genuine religious philanthropy to direct the head and heart of true charity , and until true charity comes to the rescue , in vain arc Consolidated Orders or Boards of Guardians , in vain are Relieving Officers and the Workhouse Test , in vain Chaiitv Organization Societies

and official red tape , in vain the panacea of reform , in vain the hopes of economists . We must supplement the treatment of casual and permanent poverty by tiue-heartcd religious sympathy . Instead of sending old couples tothe workhouse , we must have parochial or denominational asylums for thc aged , the decrepid , and the incurable . We must put an end to workhouse schools , the true foundation

Reviews.

of a large amount of vicious views on the subject , and throw the children into Board Schools , National Schools , Orphan Schools , any where but workhouse schools . Such a subject is worth all thc political disputes of thc hour , and demands alike the consideration and study of thc philanthropist , the patriot , and thc statesman .

Notes On Art, &C.

NOTES ON ART , & c .

On Wednesday a deputation from the Grelic Society had an interview with the Duke of Richmond and Gordon at the Privy Council Office , Whitehall , to ask that a grant of money might bs made for teaching the Gaelic language in Scotch schools . The deputation consisted of the Rev . Dr . M'Lauchlan ( Edinburgh ) , the Rev . Alexander M'Kenzie ,

M . A . ( Edinburgh ) , the Rev . J . Calder Macphail ( Edinburgh ) , Mr . Hugh M . Matheson ( London ) , Vice-President of the Gaelic Sehool Society , and Mr . A . Macnicoll , Treasurer of the London Auxiliary to the Highland Schools . The Duke of Richmond and Gordon , in reply , said that the Estimates had been already given in for this year , and they did not include the grant now asked for . The Chancellor of the Exchequer was constantly complaining of the annual

increase in the educational estimates . He reminded them that the teaching of Grelic was not prohibited at present , and that School Boards were competent to authorize its teaching , although it was true that no grant from the Government funds could be made at present . It was matter of considerable douot whither the intelligence of children in the Highlands would be enhanced by the teaching of the Gielic tongue .

Mr . S . R . Van Carapen has been asked by the Hon . B . A . Willis , of the Committee on Naval Affairs in thc United States Congress , for a report on the Arctic expeditions abroad , and has complied with thc request . Besides spcak ' nig particularly of tbe proposed expeditions of Holland and Sweden , Mr . Van Campen suggests to thc Committee ,

as it has in charge thc Bill now before Congress for an American experl ' ticn , proposed in accordance with Captain Howgate ' s scheme , thc incorporation of a clause granting rewards upon a graduated scale to individual explorers of whatever nationality who may reach latitudes or make discoveries in Arctic territory beyond points hitherto attained .

Japan has an active archaelogical society , bearing the title of Kobutzu-Kai ( Society of Old Things ) . Its members , numbering 200 , are scattered throughout the land , but meet once a month in Yeddo . They consist chiefly of wealthy Japanese gentlemen , learned men , and priests ; the latter csptcially have been the means ot bringing before public attention a vast number of ancient object *

which have been hidden in the treasures of the temples or preserved in private families . 11 . von Siebold , Attache' of thc Austrian Embassy at Yeddo and a member of the society , ha 1 lately published a brochure , which will serve as a guide for thc systematic archaeological study of the land ; Von Siebold has lately mitle a mo ? t interesting discovery of a prehistoric mound . it Omuri , near Yeddo ,

containing over 3 , 000 different alleles in stone , bronze , Arc . In a recent communication to the Berlin Anthropologische Gescllschaft , he describes thc origin of the tcrra-cotta images found in old Japanese burial grounds . It appears that up to thc year 2 n . c . it was the custom to surround

the grave of a dead emperor or empie-s with a number of their attendants , buried alive up to thsir necks , their heads forming a ghastly ring about the burial spat . At the date referred to , the custom was abolished , anrl the living offerings were replaced by the clay figure-- , which have hitherto attracted so much attention —Nature .

The first Howard quinguennial prize , of the Institution of Civil Enginceis , being that for the year 18 77 , has just been awarded to Mr . Henry Bessemer , member , as —in terms of the bequest—' . he inventor cf new and valuao ' e process relating to the u ? es and properties of iron . COLOURS FROM COAL . —Professor Armstrong writes with reference to the short notice of his lecture on

"Colours from Coal , " in The Times oi January 22 : — "lani repirtcd to have said that England is gradually falling further and further behind France and Germany as a colour-producing country , the reason being ' that our manufacturers do not attempt to employ the co-operation

of skilled chcmi * t =. ' Ihe words used by me , I believe , were 'that English manufacturers do not sufficiently avail themselves and are not sufficiently aware of the importance of scientific aid . ' Some few of our manufacturers , however , are certainly most fully a'ive to the benefit to be derived from scientific aid . "—Times .

GUILDS BANK . —The removal of Temple Bar is tn be immediately followed hy the rebuilding of Messrs . Child ' s bank , which when completed will form one of the most striking architectural structures in thc locality . Thc new building will stand in two pnrishes , one portion being in St . lunstan ' s parish , lhc other in S > . Clement's , and will have a frontage to the south side of Fleet-street

and thc Strand of abrut Soft , in length . It will not only occtipy the site of the present old sti uclure , but will also absorb thc two shops immediately on each side of it . The premises will also be carried for a considrrable depth southwards , covering almost the rr . tire area of Child ' s-placr , vvhich extends to a depth cf about 90 ft . from the Fleetstreet frontage . Thc inlcn'icn is to erect the rear of the premises in the first instance ; and , preliminary to

commencing the new str-ciure , the whole of th . e buildings in Child ' s-place are to be cbrued away during the next few weeks , and after the erection of this prrtion cf the bank is completed it will be opened for business before the old edifice facing Fleet-street is disturbed ; and until this is demolished the arch and piers forming the south side of the Bar will remain standing . We understand that the designs for the new bank buildings have been furnished by Mr . John Gibson , architect .