THE MALTA HONOR ENQUIRY.

Inangahua Times, Volume 74, Issue 74, 26 August 1878, Page 2

THE MALTA HONOR ENQUIRY.

(Prom tho Whitehall Koviow ) ' It was tho rhythmical Doctor Watts 1 who aphorisod not only that ' Children ' should novor let,' nud that ' dojjs delight/ 1 but also moro to tho point, perliups— :hat 1 ' Satan flr.ds misohiof still for iJlo hands ' to <?o.' .Recent history in tho island of ' Molita illustrates admirnbly tho tcrso ' apolhogms of tho Puritant dovino* The 1 c'uldron of oitlior sex hiivobcon ' letting' ' with a vengcanco ; dogs hnvo dcli^Med to 1 bark if not to bito ; and thoro would £p- > pour to hnro boon both n superfluity of : Satan and a melange of mischief. Moro< i oror, as regard* Lieut Scott-Stevenson, > lio has onaotod unwittingly tho port of a certain Apostlo in this samo venomou* region, and much tho sixmo result. A ' Court of Inquiry hold him blamoless, and 1 the world, whioh was only too roady to proclaim him cockolJ, now applauds his ' soldiorlibo bearing under very trying circumstincoi. In certain cxiltod circles it has become r tho fashion to regard tho diffusion of intolligcnco, except through tho medium oi salon gossip, as an unwarrantable impor« tinoncc' Kverybody abovo tho rank of a commoner is supposed to J)o endowed with tho nature of tho ostrich. No sooner has ho or she committed n faux pas, than instantly his or her head is buriod in tho sands of oblivion, and it is votod tho acme of intrusivonoss to glanoo in tho direction of tho gay bird in its inverted attitude Now, with doforonco to tho privileges of ostrichdom, wo arc not going to practico any so egregious on hypocrisy. Tho prime function of a journal, wo tako it, ia to disponso nows ; not merely to rogistor metoorclogical phenomena or astro nomioal observations, but to deal with topics of universal intotost, and this without prcjudico on the ono hand or covrurdico on tho other. In adverting, thoroforo, to tho Malta scandals which havo thrilled nil Kuropo from Moscow to Madrid, from Glasgow to Gallipoli wo shall write plain English. It is no part of our purpose to wasto good printors'»ink in enunciating quartcrntniths, and if it so happons that hero or elsotvhoro inferences undorlio facts, that is tho faults of tho fact*, not cf thoso whoso businoss it is to stato them Tho Court of vSt. Antonio has from tho first boon a trifto abnormal, and lattorly its tono m«y|best bo qualified as equivocal. Disagreeable has succeeded disagreeable, and imputations) haro sufforod liko rocks under tho influcuco of dynamite Wives, of course, ns is tho ugly rulo of this epoch, wero chargod with indiscretion, whilst officers and gontlcmon had to witness with rightoous indignation the wanton attention Of other offioors and gontlcmon to women whoso lives were bound up in thoirs. Ono day tho virtuo of Lydia was attackod ; a fow weeks later, after this belle had boon well quarrelled about, Chloo took her turn. Now tho •mauves* woro outraged booausoal. ' daughter of tho regiment ' wai rcrtfftHJ to bo too facilo ; now tho ' mariM^^^^^^ oxporioncod similar uncomfor^^^^^^^^ tious. Husbands' honor w^^^^^^^| of chronic joopardy and at culminated in nfracax whi^^^^^^^H tormod of small oonscqaenco^^^^^^^^| led to tho retirement of *J^^^^^^^|

MJia'our^li from Llio apostolic islatl^^^^^H the po.isiWlo br j.ifc-ttp ot t lie ,v^^|^| Court. Wo liaro before us original documents which reqiirohjl little d ivclailin ♦. Vemu them wo wither that Mrs Ksme Scott* Stevenson is a young married lady on* „ dowed with more than ordinary charms, ;uul that sho ooutJ not fait to have. obtf^J^ served tho incenso offered by tho Equerry J of a Jioyal Duke. In mutters of thi* ™ sort the flirtori and flirtoos generally ha»o \ taken tho troublo to go to ttio altar; - Spins torn never so much ns con'omplnto lUo possibility of w!ufc Ouiila call* ' polyu'idria,' whereas wives Invo got over their congenital Inrror of tho monstrous sex, and, unless restrained by thu I lore of husband or tho influence ot' I rolini 'in wilt walk without oom|)unution to the edge of a precipice, oven if they chnnco to quiil from the notion of toppling over. Wo nro not insinuating that tho chief lady actor in this Maluku drama was abnormally weak. On tho contrary, wo noto with pleasure hoc loyalty to Lient. Stevenson, und aro fully satisfiod that sho must profoundly rogrot having posed us tuo teterriinx causa of a stmngo cmbroglio. To roverU to fact Royalty's Equerry did not confine his ntloulions to Iho^e numerous petit* soins which tnarriod women nccopt as so many innocuous Jowta/w, saccharine indeed, yet notinossenco poisonous. Mr Monson must bavo bean epru cnteto, almost tctc monlc, or ho would not have tol.l his luvo on paper. Ho appears, however, to have been of all aniants tho m >st ardent and imprudent. Honoo it is not surprising that after tho fair Mrs JCsino Stevenson had boon boseigod for a whole yenr tbo mine laid for her oupturo should have exploded. Whotlior Lieutenant Stevenson exaggerated tho potential mischief his rival possessed is a matter for question. He this is it nny, Mr Monson's hi'letsdoux oirried on tho fuco of them su.-h a complexion us permitted of but ono course A chullongo win duly foiwarJiMl by tho injured lunban 1 to tho my Lothario and oourtoously doolin 1 ?!. NVliero • upon a seoond ohallen^o followed with fine promptitudo. Eventually, owlnot to the interference of 'he Du'co of K linbur^li it was arranged on board tho Snltnn I hah Mr Monson should resign tho oil! -e of Equerry and retire from tho islud.and had this proijr.injmo been carried out tho scan.lal would Invo b.j<vi nippc.l in tho bud. Most inexplicably, however, on tho day following that whon Lijulennnt Stevenson handoil in his written irq lii'S" eoncc in tho formnl pact Iho Dnku sont him a challongo to flght a pi»blio du;>l with a complement of four seoo'i.l.s nnd an abrqunte num'ior of witnesses nud doctors Fl.lt.il. to arrango details 1 l.'outonant Stevenson an<»weri'd thid missive in most proper and respectful terms, rouretfcin i his inability to moot 1f.U.1f., and cnl ir^ini; upon tbo wrong uttemptcd to bn dono lum wifo by one whom ho had hitherto <\s» teemed his friend. Tho reply to thi* cpistlo oomm«*nc(»d • Doar Stovenson.' nnd ended ' Yours very truly, Alfred.' [t was dated 3 a m,, Dec. 3lst, niul demanded not only tho acceptance of tho previous challi'mjo' but further that nn answer should bo sent on bonrd IheSnltnn on tho snmo morning. To this Lieut. Stevenson ma !o responso that subject to certain conditions, ho would at tho propor moment, en leavor Jo reconcile it to his conscience fo givo tho Duke satisfaction, but that ho disclaimed all ground of quarrel with him. Tho effect of tuis soldierlike cpistlo was most felicitous fo^^ all parties concerned. Tho Dnlto cvi^Qf dently thought that his punctilio was preserved and nt onco wrote tn sny »hit hi« Equorry .nust selllo his own nfTu'r, and that ho bcifixod to withdraw from tho businoss. Whcroupon, with tho view of nbtniniiit! ft Hnal settlemont, documents woro prepared and signed to tho rilcot that nil pnrfic.s agreed to hunh thematto' up, and that in furlhcrenco of (his Mr Monson 's lo tors to Steronson wore to b-j destroyed, the gnllant Equerry himself ad.livg n sUtemont on on in that Mrs Steven »on'» honor was inviolate. Shortly nfior this tho damaging Icttors were duly burnt and tho Monsons left Malta. Just previously to their depart turo.howovcr, Mrs Lloyd a mutual friond of tho Monsona and S'ovonsons, wrote a I letter to Mrs Monson stating that Mrs i Stcvonson had boon making a conddanto ofhor. This unforlunato cpistlo was shown to the Duko of Edinburgh who is 1 reportod to bavo expressed an opinion > that by reviving tho subject to a third [ party Mrs 3tovonson had virtually vio« lated tbo understanding that the subject* matter of tho disputo was to bo buriod 1 in oblivion, and that Mr Monson was • absolvod from his promiso not to return ; to Malta. Bo this a* it may, nftor tho Monsons had quitted ths island tho Duko domanded tho roturn of his letters which ' woro accordingly surrendered by Lieut. Stevenson. In the interim tho Monsoua had journeyed no farther afield than Pnlormo, nnd within throe weeks they wore back a^ain ia Malta. The scquol is too well known to nood repetition, Air Monson was horsowhippod by Lieutenant J'tovcnson, nnd a Court of Inquiry sat to diocuss this act of vivisection. Mr* Lloyd tho lady roforrod to, appearing is a witness. Wo havo not tho full roport of tho proceo.iings, but wo hay« beforo us verbal in extracts from the oUicinl finding. Snflico it that Lioutonant Stovcnson was lully justifiod, whilst Mr Mousou'd c»l. pability was reduced to nn indiscretion, Tho ono enigma in th« wholo comedictt ••. is tho lino adoptoi by tho Duko of Edinburgh in thus oknmpioning his Equerry. ' Wo shall not ossay a solution of thh^^L enigma on tho slender basis of ritm^l^^B| still less nro wo prepared j^^^j^J^^^^^J tst;cv&rfHifeMMflHMM|^^^^^^^^^^^^H

any orilioism of lli.) in tlio Picsh, and /oi'd puii-ihm'nt joumiilist.-i P^l^^wj^iro to dirirogird this prohibition. ; Tlio Kofonna having pointtsd out tint ri.'ri.iiin m'Hi'iui'OM t iko i by tlio Govern- ", Kient. woim uncon-ililutionnl, throo of tlio wrilc-i-ri on tlio .itntf of tbo nnpor nnrl itn k _.. ptj^r.i'H!r woro immo.lintoly aftortvnr Is |MM|Hit iiJ.o |)riMii, find then bnni-ilioil to dU'rici 3X) lo.igiiD.4 from Li B^^B^ ' Afmr muluriiig nmoli ftu/Torinpf for iivmUlih, Ibo publinhcr succocdo.l HBBj ol)l,aininc( porniiision to return, and |^|B paper thrn ro-apponrod, but only ns iiownniHliofit, wiihout aommontfl of miy on the ovcuts of tlio dny. Soon HHhrtdr it wna Iho President's birthday nnd rifli'iiul pnpor.n publishorl congrntula* HTtovy (u-Licle.l on Iho oucuxion, whilo Ihe Wf :i{('forrnn rotnninoJ silent. The Pro.sideiit B then guvo ordors for tho arust of tlio JF m-.w OyWboe and his aaaiaianls ; but they w..'.ro wurnoJ in timo and muna^ed to (!^ji|)o. Tho oflico of tho paper' how. vcr, bu.l to bo closed, nH tlioro wuh no one to curry Hon. Tlio .Vft'dic.il E xaminer mya that tlio English A.nti tolmcoo Socicly, nr"t*;r the ©x.-riions ol' leu joirs, numbers 705 meniH bci'H, • but 105 aro in arrour* wiih their flubscriptions.' Thin does not appear to bo n vary flourishing condition of tliinga, nnd if wo juduo from the rcully smull nntnbnr of U« momberu when coniD.rod L with the vast numbor of those who sinoko [ tlin indulgnnco in tobaooo ifl likely to c >n« ■ tinuo for n long time- to come. Tho I failure of Ibo Society is probably due to B tlio nbwd way in which they pfton at- j B Inmpt to enforca their dootrinoi, To , W toll niiyono thnb bo should losivo of snvik- . P ing bociimo ifc i« ' unchristian 1 is simply nlvinrd, nnd wo still m-iintnin tbnt ibn %v',oi^ of society — if tobacco smolfi g i* ono of them, it too must bo eradicated b; iho hi«li«r education' of the ma«Hes. BlufFnstbo following doca more harm than pood ; ' ilow enn any ono deny ungod!i» iiosh nnd worldly lu=itß, and yofc bo a slave to thin porniuioiH wood P' The motive for crima among the lower or.lnrsisofi.cn inoxpHc.iblo to those who nro not'acfjustomed to deal with them, the want, of proportion botwoen tho offon<;e, nnd itsobj.'ot boinjf so cxccssivc« A giri ]iM week was oharged with nltempiiny t..» poifon her own mother on two distant ocßHHions. From the evidonco it appears that slio had no pnrticul ir grudgfi against Jier, but they woro, fortunatoly, both ol n b'i«-;. Klio dorirod to possess hcMcif ol hoi 1 mother's cloUirts, hucnKso, she said, they would flb hor oxnwtly widiout lining ultored It is {iDbablc, judging (rmx fcllcir fll "vory to fashion, that die** has somo violent and iiiHl.ijictivo att.Mot.ion for women, such nu ni.'ti bnyc no idea of ; junt as sporting liuh an atl.racl.ion for men than women oiiiinot comiruhond, only the, former pnfj« nioii k Iho more general. Miny men don't caw about hunting and shooting, but tho women wlio don't care about dress arc about as numerous as those who care about Milton. A wretch, protending to bo a doctor, tho oilier day obtained access to tho sick ■ room of ft dying child, tended him, or, raUier feigned to do so, for hours, in conimitation with two Rouuiao modicos, road prayers by his bedside, andthon descend* ing into iho c'lning-room, und taking advanUigo of the carelessness wrought in thi cstnblishinont by doatli, took a good Hfj litre moal, and decamped with all tho V<ir(ablo property ho could lay bin hands on. His opportunity was chin, that pasn* inn by tbo house and soeinK ono of tlio fiorviinta rushing out for mo.ljaal aid, ho quiotlv said, ' I am a doctor," just as ho would hiivo suid, ' Inm a clergymen,' (ho o.'irrifid n proyor«book in bis pocket), bad n moro H|iiritual lino of business presented ifsolf.