On Friday, January 28th, Mr. Hesketh Pearson was acquitted on
the charge brought against him by Messrs. John Lane of having obtained money on false pretences in connexion with the book called The Whispering Gallery. The jury found that Mr. Pearson had made a " representation " to Messrs. John Lane that Sir Rennell Roth! was the author of diaries from which the book professed. to be composed, but that he had not done so with intent to defraud. The only person with whom we can sympathize in this case is Sir Rennell Rodd, whose name has been vilely used. As he himself. has said in a letter to the Times, he has no legal remedy against such a transaction. When he wrote his letter the hook was still being widely sold in the United States, under the belief, no doubt, that though there might be official. denials here, it was really true that some diplomat's diaries formed the substance of the book since the publishers had guaranteed genuineness. It is satis- factory to learn that the American publishers, greatly to their credit; have since branded the whole book as an imposture by withdrawing it.
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