The Bystander, October 4, 1905

of

notices, and is no doubt hard at work upon a new play. The new playwright has published several books under her own name, notably, "How I Spent My Twentieth Year" and "Seven Love Stories." The Duchess Sutherland is the sister of the Countess of Westmorland and Lady Angela Forbes. She is also the younger half-sister of the Countess of Warwick, whose Socialist leanings are SO well known. Mr. G. R. Sims, by the way, pokes some mild fun at Society Socialists in his revue at the Palace Theatre. Duchess of Doric, M.P.," capitally played by Miss Lottie Venne, is imprisoned in the clock-tower for defying the Speaker. And there is a catchy chorus duchesses and working-men which proved one of the brightest numbers in the revue.

"The

of

An Exciting Water Party! Society is still talking of the very serious boating accident

Photo by

Crichton, on Lough Erne.

Fortunately, the three victims of what at first promised to be an exceptionally pleasant water party, were strong and young; and they clung to their upturned boat till assistance could be procured. Lord Dudley is connected with the family of Lord and Lady Erne, owing to the fact that one of his brothers is married to the charming Irishwoman who was, before her marriage, Lady Evelyn Crichton, and the young couple are both highly popular members of the Viceregal Court. Lady Mabel, the heroine of the accident, is engaged to Lord Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster's youngest uncle, and the marriage will probably be one of the great matrimonial functions of the early winter. Lord and Lady Erne had been entertaining a Viceregal house party at the time the boating accident took place, and it is easy to imagine with what feelings of horror Lady Mabel's fiancé must have seen her terrible plight. Crom Castle is a very beautiful place, and its owners spend a great deal of their time at their Irish seat, making full use of their splendid lake.

Lafayette

The Real Rulers of China

The world knows as little of the great men of China as it does of that mysterious country itself. We have just received most interesting particulars of the three men recognised in diplomacy as leaders of China in thought and action. They are Chang Chih Tung, Viceroy of Hunan and Kupeh; Yuan Shih Kai, who succeeded Li Hung Chang as Viceroy of Chibli; and Isên Ch'un Hsüen, Viceroy of Canton and Kuangsi. The first Viceroy is the first scholar in China. He is about to join the Grand Council of Nonogenarians at Pekin. He was a contemporary force with Li Hung Chang, and it may be said that his day is over. The greatest statesman in China to-day is Yuan Shih Kai. He is the great advocate of the policy, "Japan, the friend of China.' Moreover, he is soldier no less than statesman. For years he has been massing an army of foreign drilled troops which may be relied upon to settle any future crisis which may arise in internal affairs. But stronger by far than these is the Viceroy of Canton and Kuangsi.

uncommon thing to see him hurrying off to his work vainly pursued by some miserable official who has come a little late, and so lost his opportunity. Though he is the nightmare of all the rogues and scamps who live by extorting money from the people, no one is more quick to acknowledge merit, and to reward it handsomely. Wherever he goes he is followed about by his executioner, whose office can hardly be regarded as a sinecure. In appearance he is a stout, dark man, of medium height, with one of the strongest faces it is possible to imagine stern, domineering, and punctilious.

Oddly enough, a rumour once got about that he was travelling through the Province disguised as an old man, and riding on a donkey. The result was that, for the first time in history, the gates of all the cities

were closed punctually at

sunset, as the law said they should, and it was simply impossible for anyone riding on a donkey to obtain admission, no matter how large a bribe he might offer the porters.

Gold in Lake Titicaca

Every reader of Prescott's fascinating book, "The Conquest of Peru," is aware that the Incas of Peru are said to have buried treasure in fabulous quantities in the waters of Lake Titicaca, in the days when the Spanish pioneers were decimating their people in search of treasure. For hundreds of years the Inca Indians have passed down to one another stories of the immense treasure in gold, silver, and precious stones, which lies buried hundreds of fathoms deep in the lake. A private syndicate was formed in England some time ago to drain portions of the lake. The shares were, we understand, 10 shares, and if the legends prove true and treasure is found, the owners hope to get thousands of pounds for each share. The draining carried on with the aid of the Peruvian Government, which has a share in the expedition, is now nearing completion, and the syndicate before long will know if its members have lost their 10 notes or if they are wealthy men.

A Terrible Viceroy

A remarkable man is Isên Ch'un Hsüen, perhaps the most remarkable in the world; and though to us China may seem still the same sleepy, helpless monster that she was a hundred years ago, yet this is not so. The very existence of such a man is proof to the contrary.

Intensely loyal, absolutely fearless, full of a resistless energy, he can work wonders by the force of his personality. He rises at four in the morning, winter and summer, and at once institutes secret inquiries about all his subordinates, censuring any neglect of duty, or even the slightest breach of etiquette. Like all great men, he is acquainted with every detail of his administration; and there is not one of his servants, however humble, whom he has not tested in one way or another. Those who have to meet him do well to be in time, for the Viceroy will not wait a second; and it is no

The Vagaries of the Artistic Temperament The artistic temperament proper- not that curious disease now taken for it, which drives people to paint Academy pictures and write six-shilling novels-is of en capable of going to the most incomprehensible extremes. Few people even understand it, though Mr. George Moore is certainly one. In "Evelyn