Weekly News. — 1889-08-10 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

SEARCHING FOR MR. MACMILLAN.  Great anxiety still exists as to the fate of Mr. Macmillan, who has been missing since he attempted to ascend Mount Olympus some weeks since. In a letter, written by Mr. Arthur H. Hardinge, one of the lost tourist's companions, the following interesting details of the search are given: "We have proved to our own satisfaction that the moat painful of the many explanations and conjectures offered —.viz., his having fallen into some ravine or i hole n the rocks, whence he could not extricate himself, or of having lost his way on the mountain, and succumbed to hunger and exposure —may safely be set aside. We examined the mountain with the greatest care and minuteness, and bad this been the case should most certainly have found his body. Then is still a horrible possibility that in wandering down the mountain, from having taken a wrong turn, or failing to find the way back to the spot where 1 and the horses were awaiting him, he may have got into the thick forest at the bottom, and coin pletely lost himself there. But I cannot really belies-. this possible, for the road down from the mountain to Broussa was simple and plain-sailing, and even had he deviated from it by mistake once or twice, • day or two days' walking at the very utmost along any of the paths must have brought him either to one of the villages at the base of the mountain or to the high road, besides which he would have been certain to meet shepherds or woodcutters, who would have helped him to find his way back. I am inclined to think—though , there are objections to this theory, too—that ' he. must have come across some robbers, such as are constantly to be found in Anatolia, who have either murdered him for the sake of his watch and the chance of his having a little money on him, or are holding him to ransom. Though there is no regular organised brigandage in the immediate neighbourhood of Broussa, we have since di,,covered-that there are bad characters on Olympus. who might be ready, if chance offered, to do a little amateur brigandage of their own. One of the Albanians told me that he believed Macmillan to hare been seized or murdered by some of his countrymen—but as this particular man is not on friendly terms with the other Albanians, his unsupported statement is not sufficient evidence to go on. I still cling to the hope i that lie may be alive, n the hands of brigands, partly because wis-saw nowhere any signs of a struggle, or, though we looked for it most carefully, anything resembling a fresh grave."  It is reported that Mr. Limey, managing director of the White Star line, will be recommended for the honour of knighthood.  A satisfactory arrangement of the affairs of the Dorchester Trustee Savings Bank, in which defalcations to the amount of £l,OOO are alleged to have been recently discovered, has been arrived at, whereby the claims of all the depositors are to be settled at an early date.  Lord Tennyson who was born at Somenby, Lincolnshire, on August 6th, 1309, celebrated his 80th birthday on Tuesday.. Ile is staying at Aldworth, his beautiful residence oat Blackdown, whence he removed from Farringford, his Isle of Wight house, after his recovery from his recent illness. Ilia medical adviser pronounces that all those distressing symptoms are past, and his lordship is now able to take walking and driving exercise over favourite heathside, where h* it to be seen daily, 'realize permitting. -inc uommander-ui-Chief has expressed to the milltery authorities throughout the kingdom his entire satisfaction with the arrangements for the reception of the Shah during his recent viait. •  ..-... A publican's assistant, named Patrick Hughes, has died M Belfast Royal Hospital from an attack of hydrophobia. He had been bitten three weeks ago by a deg in which rabies became developed. Mr. Evan Spicer, the chairman of the South London Polytechnic Institute, has received from Mr. Frank Monism, of Cromwell-hr•uses, Kensington, a promise to give £1.0,000 towards the Battersea Institute.