In the eyes of the law we can hold but one man responsible for one of the greatest financial crimes of the century.
Even in death, Robert Maxwell dominated the trial of his two sons, Kevin and Ian, much as he dominated and blighted them in life. All his life, Hamilton used religious terms to express his personal creed, and one day distilled his tolerant wisdom into three short, memorable sentences:My study of antiquities has kept me in constant thought of the perpetual fluctuation of everything. The whole art is really to live all the days of our life; and not with anxious care disturb the sweetest hour that life affords – which is the present. Admire the Creator, admire all His works, to us incomprehensible, and do all the good you can upon earth, and take the chance of eternity without dismay.’Amen to that.Yours sincerely,Stephen HowarthShelton,Nottinghamshire16 January.

So it seems that nobody is to be held criminally liable for Britain’s biggest and most dramatic post-war financial scandal, the collapse of the Maxwell empire and the plundering of more than pounds 400m of pension assets. From Mr Stephen Howarth

Sir: It was very refreshing to read, among the discussions of the existence of heaven and hell, Fr Dobbie’s sensible and sensitive observation “I cannot and will not believe in a God who is more unpleasant than I am.” (Letters, 16 January.)
Something very similar was said equally well by a contented non-Christian, the antiquarian Sir William Hamilton, husband of Emma Hamilton and (probably compliant) cuckold of Lord Nelson. “Hatfield and the North” and “Kilburn and the High Roads” (featuring the young Ian Dury, later of Ian Dury and the Blockheads fame), were groups named after road signs.
Yours,Chris WestwoodLeeds18 January. From Mr Chris Westwood

Sir: I, like Ted Draper (letter, 18 January), was intrigued by the road signs relating to Sixties pop groups’ stories There is another side to this, however. From Mr Robert Vincent

Sir: One can be sure that when the massive 9p per gallon cut in the cost of petrol is restored some time in the future after the price war, it will then only increase by a mere 2p per litre.
Yours faithfully,Robert VincentAndover,Hampshire17 January.

From Mr David Smith

Sir: In the event of the Duchess of York being unfortunate enough to find herself imprisoned for debt, I am sure the prison authorities would ensure she was treated in the same way as any other inmate.
However, if on temporary release – a hospital visit or to the shops – it would surely be appropriate for the shackles to be made from a noble metal.Yours faithfully,David SmithTatsfield, Kent. From Mr Ian Butterworth

Sir: I am somewhat mystified by the current Conservative obsession with the votes of the middle classes. I seem to recall Mr Major speaking of a “classless society”.
Yours faithfully,Ian ButterworthSanderstead, Surrey18 January. From Mr Garnet Langton

Sir: Your correspondent, Christine Smith, seems to be surprised that hot-cross buns are being sold in January (letter, 10 January).
My wife has been buying them all the year round at Kwiksave in Bournemouth. They have a distinctive flavour which we enjoy, so why restrict them to Easter?Yours sincerely,Garnet LangtonBournemouth10 January. Wallpaper paste itself does this, as it contains a lot of water and it sticks to the paper!Yours faithfully,Ian R McLauchlinDursley, Gloucestershire. You can use water to do this, but it must soak through the paper to get to the paste Unfortunately, it runs down the wall and off the paper.

Any water that does manage to wet the paper evaporates quickly. The problem reduces to one of keeping the water on the paper. From Dr I R. McLauchlin

Sir: The success of wallpaper in paste in removing old wallpaper (Letters, 13 January) does seem incredible, but there is a simple explanation.
To get paper off the wall, the old paste must be softened. Petrol, too, is expensive.At one time we were promised that a special bus pick-up would be arranged We waited an hour for this in drizzling rain.