Empire Notes

Clattered smartly into Dublin, last week, a troop of mounted infantry, escorting His Majesty's newly appointed Governor General of the Irish Free State, James McNeill, who has been for the past four years Free State High Commissioner at London (TIME, Dec. 26 et ante).

Alighting at Leinster House (Parliament), His Excellency soon stood respectfully in the presence of Free State Chief Justice Hugh Kennedy who solemnly administered the Governor General's oath of office in both English and Gaelic. Thereafter unassuming Governor & Mrs. Mc-Neill quietly took up their residence in Phoenix Park, Dublin, at the Vice-regal Lodge.

Irishfolk were content because the new Governor General is of their blood and has already served them diplomatically and well. Britons were not less pleased, recalling Mr. McNeill's loyal service to the

Crown during more than a generation when he was a leading administrator and expert on public sanitation in the Indian Civil Service.

Droll was an adventure which befell last week, James Albert Edward Hamilton, Duke of Abercorn, since 1922 Governor of Northern Ireland. To his personal motor car the police of Belfast had just assigned a distinctive combination of lights, so that even at night instant right of way would be accorded to His Grace.

Purring forth along the Hillsborough road, on a moonless night, the Ducal motor was suddenly hailed by a plump, determined wench who had planted herself and a huge basket of eggs so strategically in the road that to circumvent either was impossible. Resolute, she wrenched open the limousine's door and clambered in, clutching her basket, slumping down cheerily beside His Grace, who is four times a baron, twice a marquis, twice a viscount, as well as being Earl and Duke of Abercorn. Wench and Duke rode on into Belfast, jointly steadying the eggs.

Eventually research established that the Belfast police had assigned to the Vice regal car the same running lights as those already held by a local bus route.

First in authority and prestige among news organs supporting the British Liberal Party is the famed Westminster Gazette, to which regularly contributes that patrician journalist, J. Alfred Spender, recently in the U. S. (TIME, Jan. 23). Last week the Westminster Gazette quietly merged with the London Daily News, a more materially potent Liberal daily, which has flourished vastly since Charles Dickens became its first editor, 82 years ago. As the fruit of last week's merger there will shortly appear The Daily News and Westminster Gazette. Survives unmerged, in London, only one Liberal paper, the morning Daily Chronicle.