The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-01 00:00:00

The Late Dr. Baikie,

- .
At a time when his friends and the many who
are interested in African exploration and discovery
were anticipating with eager interest the arrival in
this country of Dr. Baikie, the sad news has come
giving information of his death, at Sierra Leone, on
Dec. 12, of fever and dysentery. During the past
six years our lamented countryman has devoted him-
self with extraordinary enthusiasm and energy to
African exploration, chiefly along the course of the
Niger, and a part of the time in the interior of Lhe
country, undergoing surprising privations, overcom-
ing the greatest difficulties, escaping imminent dan-
gers, and collecting, during these six years, an im-
mense mass of the most important facts in natural
history and physical science, as well as a large accu-
mulation of specimens, which we trust may be pre-
served as a fitting memorial of the perseverance and
heroism of this gifted Oteadian. Dr. Baikie had
made every preparation for returning. to his native
country by the American mail steamer, and had
arrived on Oct. 21 at Lagos, from which place his
friends had received letters from him by the previ-
ous mails. Indeed, had it been possible, he was to
have come home by the previous mail ; but the
labour of arranging his African collections occu-
pied longer time than he anticipated. Arriving at
Sierra Leone, " the European's Grave," he was
suddenly seized with illness, and died in a couple of
days. The loss of such a man to science and civi-
lisation is very serious indeed, and while we cannot
but offer our condolence with Dr. Baikie's relatives
in Kirkwall, we cannot but feel that the public loss
is in one sense even a greater cause of sorrow. Dr.
Baikie has for years been in a great measure lost to
his friends, and by his extraordinary devotion to the
mission with which he was intrusted has rendered
himself peculiarly an object of public attention and
affection, and we venture to say there are few public
men who have recently been called away whose death
will be more generally deplored. Dr. Baikie was born
in Kirkwall, and was son of Captain John Baikie,
R.N., long agent for the National Bank of Scotland.
He received his early education in Kirkwall Gram-
mar School, and thereafter studied, with a view to
prosecute the medical profession, at Edinburgh
University, whose diploma he carried. At an early
age he manifested unusual interest in travel and
adventure, and it was not difficult to see that, if
spared, his future life would be distinguished in
that respect. As a medical student Mr. Baikie
gave evidence of singular ability. and it was in that
capacity that he was first fixed upon to undertake
duties that ultimately urged him into the theatre of
African exploration. In that department Dr.
Baikie's history has been full of marvel. He has,
especially during the last six years, gone through
scenes of adventure and escaped dangers which en-
titled him to one of the highest positions in the list
of travellers, and renders his history since the day
he left Kirkwall Grammar School one of the most
wonderful of any age. And there is no doubt that,
whether Dr. Baikie's papers have been left in such
a state as to justify his friends in giving to the
public a detail of his last six years' adventures or
not, enough is known of him to justify us in placing
his name by the side of the galaxy of modern
African travellers who have done so much to en-
lighten the world regarding its swarthy tribes and
its physical characteristics, and to advance the in-
terests of scientific discovery and advancing civilisa-
tion. And certainly, among the long list of honoured
sons of which Orkney can boast, there is none of
whom it has more reason to be proud than " Dr.
Baikie, the African explorer."—Northern Ensign.

THE COTTON SUPPLY FOR 1865.—0ur estimate
of the probable supply and consumption of cotton
during the year just commenced appears to be regarded by
those qualified to judge to be as correct as such conjectural
calculations ever can be. On two points only have we re-
ceived criticisms which appear to suggest so slight modifi-
cation of the anticipations we expressed. 1. We are re-
minded that a considerable proportion of the increased
supply which weZhave obtained from the three Indian
Presidencies since 1860 is owing not altogether, nor per-
haps principally, to increased production, but in a very
considerable measure to the diversion to our markets of
the large quantities which used to be exported to China,
but which during the last four years have been attracted
hither by our high prices. For example, the real in-
crease of exports from Bombay has not been from
508,000 to 1,043,000 bales, but only from 710,000 bales to
1,043,000; and a similar remark may be made with even
greater force in reference to the Madras and Bengal ex-
ports. It is probable, therefore, that.the augmented growth
in India may not be as large as has been believed, and that
our calculation of the supply thence may be a little over
sanguine. 2. It is thought by some competent observers
that we have over-estimated the dispersion of the factory
population by :migration and permanent absorption into
new occupations. The most careful inquiries have, we aro
informed, only been able to trace the disappearance from
the cotton districts of about 40,000 persons ; and this num-
ber includes young children as well as actual factory hands.
Still, we incline to doubt whether the residual numbers
could work up more than 40,000 bales a week of such cotton
as now constitutes the average of our imports.—Economist.

THE ENGLISH STYLE OF DELIVERY.—A case aris-
ing out of the charges lately made against the Rev.
John Sharp, minister of the quoad sacra parish church, New
Pitsligo, and which are being investigated by the Presby-
tery of Deer, came before the Sheriff Court, Buchan, on
Thursday. Mr. Sharp prosecuted Mr. David Sturrock,
parish schoolmaster and session-clerk, New Pitsligo, on the
following grounds :—That he (Mr. Sturrock) had drawn up
and sent to the clerk of the Presbytery a statement to the
effect that on a Sunday, November 13, Mr. Sharp behaved
himself in a manner unbecoming and unseemly for a clergy-
man ; that at a meeting of the Presbytery at Now Pitsligo
on the 14th of December he voluntarily emitted a state-
ment in the following, or words of similar import :—" That
on the aforesaid Sunday Mr. Sharp came to the pulpit
with a hasty and hurried step, his face being red and
his eyes inflamed, and that he was under the influence
of drink or had been drinking ; that on said occasion Mr.
Sharp placed peculiar emphasis on certain words while
reading a chapter in the Book of Proverbs, aped the Eng-
lish style in delivering the sermon, and put on wry faces
in the pulpit. These statements having been drawn up
with an intent to damage his character and reputation as
a clergyman, and having led the Presbytery to hold an in-
Testigation into his conduct, causing him considerable loss
and trouble, and seriously affecting his feelings and repu-
tation, the libel concluded for £l2 damages. It was main-
tained for the defender that it had not been alleged his
statements were false or untrue, and that having drawn up
the statement as session-clerk, and given his evidence at
the request of the Presbytery, these were matters of " pri-
vilege." On the part of Mr. Sharp it was pleaded that
though it was not said the statements were untrue, they
were distinctly specified as prejudicial, and it was natu-
rally to be inferred they were false. The point of privi-
lege was denied, and a case in the Free Church referred to,
where it was held that in no circumstances was a person
" privileged" in giving evidence against his clergyman.
The case was then adjourned for a week.—Buchan
Observer.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC AND THE DIVIDENDS.—The
dividends which have been declared up to the pre-
sent time afford very gratifying indications of the sound-
ness and general prosperity of railway property throughout
the country. In the face of the steady growth of the
manufacturing, commeFcial, and shipping interest, it is
not surprising that railways should enjoy a large share of
the improvement manifested in all other branches of
industry and enterprise. The increased business of the
country has told with unusually good effect on the earn-
ings during the half year ending December, 1864, of all
these lines which traverse the manufacturing and mineral
districts. Thus the Cumberland lines—the Maryport, and
Carlisle, and the Whitehaven junction show receipts aug-
mented by not less than 13 per cent., and the Furness 12
per cent. The Great Northern has an increase of 11/ per
cent. in its traffic, the North Eastern 10j, and the Midland
10 ; the London and North Western shows an increase of
8 per cent. upon its already enormous traffic ; the Man-
chester and Sheffield 71, and had it not been for the strike
in the South Yorkshire coalfield, the per centago would
have been still greater ; so much so, indeed, that, accord-
ing to the statement of Mr. Watkin at the meeting held on
Wednesday, the Company would have been enabled to paY
a dividend of 31- instead of 2} per cent. The Lancashire
and Yorkshire, despite the difficulties under which
cotton manufacturing industry is carried on, still obtainedarto
an accession of traffic over the corresponding
7 Tyne,
cent. to
the amount of 7f per cent. ; the Blythe andlyhalf
Whitehaven and Cleator, each have added andye the
gton, 6 ; the
their traffics ; the Cockermouth and
4 per cent. The
West Hartlepool, 5 ; and the North Stafford,
si
and midland
The result of six
general
extent a
ino
the northern of
tShoeu tchoelri
nn
tl iun,e sthough
a lnsoo
principal lines is to show a total
X 1,368,000 over the gross earnings
months' working of the trsi ,tehrse:3
of
increase of receipts
tshtoardethd i n
of the corresponding half year of 1863. So far as the divi-
dends already announced are concerned, they indicate that
the augmented receipts have been earned without any cor-
responding increase in the working 16, expenses, thus afford-
ing atantio
• g evidence of greater n to the items of expendi-
ture on the part of managers of the companies. The Man-
chester and Sheffield has, for instance, earned in the last
half year £35,273, at an increased cost of only 21 per cent.,
so that the additional 7 per cent, of gross traffic has yielded
not less than 79 per cent. of net profit. We have reason to
believe that the accounts yet to be issued by the companies
above named will also show considerable improvement in
the important matter of working expenses.—Railway News