Rhyl Record and Advertiser

1 —0§0 • PLEASANT SATURDAY EVENINGS. Last Saturday's crowd which assembled at the Boy's Brigade Hall, even .surpassed the previous Saturday's. At 7 30, the starting time, a seat could not be obtained and soon afterwards not even stand- ing. Mr Mostyn Williams, who was the chairman, spoke as follows I want if possible to draw the attention of the younger portion of this audience to the wisdom and pleasure which may be derived from objects within their reaeh. Nature is an open book which may be read profitably by young and old. Books are useful in their way. English literature is rich beyond description. Welsh literature contains many gems of purest ray serene." But nature may be studied apart from books as well as with the aid of books. Its lessons are inexhaustible, and the variety of its objects infinite. To be a keen observer of nature we must have a love of nature and a love of knowledge. There must be enthusiasm in the heart and an acute sense of observation in the mind. As the old Welsh adage has it:— Llygael i weled anian, Calon yn teimlo anian, A Glewder a faidd gydfyned ag anian. That is, An eye to see, A heart to feel, And daring to make it your own. You have only to take a walk on the sea shore and you are in the midst of wonders at once. You will find sermons in stones if you examine the pebbles on the beach. Ask them where they have come from ? What are their ages ? What adventures they have gone through, and each tiny stone will have a tale to tell that will astonish you. Then ask the shells to what family they belong ? Who and what were their occupiers ? How came they to be formed with such exquisite taste ? What gave them their beautiful colours ? And the answer which comes from study and observation will make you wonder Collect them and classify them, and then get to know all about them, and you will never grow tired of them. Then take up the seaweeds look at the delicate structure of them stems and branches, the beautiful and haromonious colours and the grace- ful effect of the whole on the mind and imagination. An album made up of these weeds would enable the student to produce artistic effects that would charm the obseiver. Then watch the movements of our sea shore from the smallest insects to the largest fish that visit our coast. If you love the country better follow our footpaths and green lanes and you will find lessons from every object that meets the eye, grasses, flowers, trees. Hills and valleys and rivers are full of interest and instruction. Then examine the living inhabitants of land and water earth and sea, and the wonders revealed will never cease. If you are ambitious you can climb to the regions of science in Botany, Geology and other stages. What I want to impress upon you now is the study of those things which are under your feet and all around you a study which will be a pure source of pleasure to you, and a means of elevating the mind and a help to you in the path of progress. The following is a copy of the programme:—Piano- forte duet, Misses N. Williams and Elsie Davles; song, Miss Bertha Hewitt; recitation, Master R. Jones; quartette, Old folks at home" Misses Winnie Williams, Amelia and Ethel Hughes, and B. Hewitt; recitation, Miss Daisy Allison; hymn and chorus," Count your blessings" Misses Nellie Cheney, Kate Jones, G. Hindley, and May Moriis; chairman's address; pianoforte solo, Miss Winnie Jones, A.L.C.M. dnet, "Home Sweet Home" Misses Bertha Hewitt and Amelia Hughes; recita- tion, "The Women of Mumbles Head" Miss Meyler Jones song, Mr J. Roberts Jones whistl- ing solo, Master John Hughes; duet, "Daddy at the War" Misses Laura Bathgate and Amelia Hughes reading—Lancashire sketch, How Jimmy saved baby" Mr H. Halstead; quartette, "Pre. vention better than cure Misses W. Williams, A. and E. Hughes, and B. Hewitt; National Anthem. The accompanists were Misses Winnie Jones, A.L. C.M. and Laura Bathgate.

FLINTSHIRE TEACHERS IN CONFERENCE. The quarterly meeting of the FHnt County Teachers Acaociaticn was held at Connah's Quay on Saturday afternoon, when about 100 Teachers were in attendance. Mr J. W. Cornell presided, and there were also present Messrs. Morris and Rbydd- erch, (Government Inspectors). Mr L. J. Roberts, the chief Inspector of the district, wrote regretting his inability to attend, and adding that he under- fltood the Flintshire County Council was about to appoint a body of officers who would devote their time to looking after school attendance, a work which he considered would amply repay the expense incurred, which he regarded as a happy omen for the fftture. The Vicar of Connah's Quay, (the Rev. T. Wil- liams), welcomed the Association to the school on behalf of the managers With legard to the educational outlook, they were inclined to take a hopeful view. Jbe was quite sure it thev all governed their tempers and tried to do the best they would not fare so badly.(hear, hear) There might be difficulties ahead, but he thought, with a little good temper and good management, they might be able to overcome them, (hear, hear) A vote of thanks was passed to the Vicar. -Mr F. Phillips, (secretary), proposed that a quarterly review be published by the Association. Mr Haswell seconded this and it was carried. Mr Rhydderch read an interesting paper on Nature study in schools." He considered that the true observational lessons were those given to the children on the things which environed the school, which met their eyes daily, and in which tnfev were bound to be interested. He particularly recommended the seasonal" method of imparting such instruction, and visits to factories, brickyards, and tops of coalpits, which would brighten up the children's intellects, and bring them face to face with facte as they are.

THE SUICIDE ON THE RI-IYL PROMENADE. ADJOURNED INQUEST AND VERDICT. The adjourned inquest into the circumstances attending the death of Llewelyn Lloyd Davies, painter, 33, John Street, Rhyl, was held at the Town Hall, on Tuesday, before Mr. F. Llewelyn Jones, coroner, and the following jury: Messrs. Alfred Torkington (foreman), William Rees, George Newman, T. W ills Jones, Ernest H. Wright,' Thomas Davies, Charles H. Con- nah, Charles Egerton, Edwin Brown Jones, Frederick Park Arthur, J. H. l'a, J. Burley, and John Talbott. John Asher, Grasmere House, Rhyl, said that on Wednesday, the 28th ult., he was on the when his attention was called to a man in one of the shelters a few yards to the west of John Street. He went to' the shelter. At the side of the shelter facing, the sea he saw a poor man lying donw with his head half under the bench. He was breathing very heavily and groaning slightly. At his feet he saw the small bottle now produced. He took it up, and having uncorked it he came to the conclus- ion that it had contained carbolic acid. He did not think that the deceased was conscious at the tini3. He immediately reported the matter to the police. Sergt. Richard McWalter said that on Wednesday, the 28th ultimo, shortly -after three o'clock in the afternoon, he went on his bicycle to the West Parade. In the shelter referred to by the last witness he saw the deceased lying on his back. He was breathing very heavily, and appeared to him to be almost choking. He sooke to him, but had no reply. The bottle produced was handed to him. He went for some oil which he tried to administer to the deceased. In the meantime he sent for Dr. Hughes Jones. A medical man (a visitor) came up and examined the deceased, but while he was there the deceased died. He had known the deceased well for the past 12 years. He was at times very much addicted to drink, but always very quiet. He had never heard him threaten suicide. Thomas Manley, painter, Wellington Road, Rhyl, said he had known the deceased from his boyhood, and he used to work with him. Deceased had often told him that he would take his life. After he had been drinking he used to become very despondent. On Monday morning he came and spoke to witness, and said that he was tired of his life. He had been at work with witness all the week before. He could not say what the deceased did on Tuesday. He saw him about 10 30 a.m. on that day, and did not see him afterwards. As he was leaving on Tuesday he took a bottle from his pocket and pointed it out to the witness. George Edwin Gratton, chemist, Queen Street, said he knew the deceased well. On Saturday week, at 12 15 p.m., the deceased bought a quantity of carbolic acid. He asked for two- pennyworth of carbolic acid, and was supplied with it in a half-oz. bottle. He said he re- quired it for disinfecting purposes. He was quite sober when he spoke to the witness. Dr. Hughes Jones said that at about 3 15 on the 28th ultimo he was called to see the deceased. He was already dead when he arrived. tie was not able to satisfy himself as to the cause of death, and on the following day he made a post-mortem examination of the body. On opening the body he found the stomach intensely congested. The contents rmelt of beer and carbolic acid, and he was of opinion that the deceased had died of carbolic poisoning. The Coroner having summed up, the jury re- turned a verdict to the effect that the deceased committed suicide on the 28th of October, 1903 on the West Parade, Rhvl, by taking a Quantity of carbolic acid.

n p THE, P\N-CF.T.TT-" rONFF.T? -\NCF AND THE RfTVT FT^TEDr>F^r\ Lord Castletown lectured on Monday at a m'estnnf of the Liverpol Welsh National Society, on "The Pan-Celtic Idea." Lord Castletown, who was heartily received dealt with the Pan-Celtic movement from the national, social, political, and religious aspects. He was not speaking clap-trap when he s.aid that Welsh nationality was really magnificent. They had resisted the effect of Anglicism, and had done it in no carping spirit.They had set their minds on remaining a nation like their forefathers, and, please God, he trusted they would be the same nation a thousand years hence. The obiect of the Pan-Celtic Association "•as to unite the Celtic races in maintaining the Celtic life intact. Speaking of the religious aspect of the question, he said that the Celtic nations were holy nations in the highest sense of the word. With regard to the future of Celtism, all they had to do was to work on in strict accordance with the principles of truth ond justice. What they might ask for as an unquestionable right was freedom to live their own national lives. The movement in which they were engaged would lead them to a higher plane of thought and existance and to a more perfect and vigorous national life than anything they had vet seen. A cordial vote of thanks was passedto his Lordship, on the motion of Mr. W. Evans, sec- onded by Mr. W. R. Owen. The Mayor of Canarvon presided on Fridav niqht at a meeting of the Committeeformed at Canarvon to arrange for the Pan-Celtic Congress which is to take place there next year. Tt is stated that the Committe of the Rhyl National Eisteddfod had signified their approval of the .mgsrestinn to hold the congress in the week before that gathering. The meetings will ex- tend over three days. Several of the most influential residents, together with the Lord Leiutenant. were added to the Committee, and four sub-committees were appointed. The secretaries. ( Messrs. Gwynn Jones, and R. Gwyndon Davies) were requested to communi- cate with the secretary of the Association, (M. Fournier) in order to obtain further particulars as to the arangements to be made, and ;t was expected that also the officials would have an opportunity of consulting Lord Castletown on Tuesday or Wednesday.

DENBIGHSHIRE EDUCATIONAL COMMITTEE. The Provisional Educational Committee for the County of Denbigh met at Chester on Friday. Mr W. G. Dodd piesided, and there were also present, the Rev. E, Roberts, Messrs Simon Jones, E. Hoosor;, J. W. Lumley, Christmas Jones, E. Lloyd Tones, W. G. Rigby, O.Iscoed Jones, and E. W. Thomas. It was expected that the work of preparation for putting the Act in operation would he so far com- pleted that several important decisions could be made at this meeting. Owing to incomplete infor- mation, however, the Committee had to adjourn the consideration, amongst other matters, of the returns of the School Board loans, the return of the endowments to which section 13 of tbe Act applies, tbe question of the clerical staff required, tbe appointment of a permanent surveyor of school buildings, the present position of expiring bodies, and the mode of appointment of managers of non- provided schools.

Our deeds hurry before us to open or to bar the way. When the eve has its last streak the night has ita first star. 0 Despair is sometimes as powerful an inspirer as genius. Break not the will of the young, but guide it to right ends. It's afn easy matter to ignore an insult aimed somebody else. Some writers suffer from cramp in the fingers and others from cramp of the brain. Public men should be public spirited, or private ends will be served at public cost. If there were nothing else to trouble us, the fate of the flowers would make us sad. Always give the benefit of the doubt to the person who is only suspected of doing a wrong. A tale-bearer revealeth secrets, but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. He who makes a practice of deceiving others is often the worst fooled man in the crowd. Men who have done great and memorable feats may be made miserable by failure in trifles. The grave of each conquered sin is an earthwork behind which we can fight and conquer a greater Mil.

FIGHTING IN NIGERIA. CAPTAIN RODDY WOUNDED. k stirring story comes to hand of the operations in the Niger Protectorate by the Eket expeditionary force, and of the dash and bravery maintained by the Houssa troops. Major Mackenzie's column, which left Opobe (the coast town; on September 16th encountered some severe fighting. On September 24th the column left their bivouac at Efoi and proceeded towards Okwo, another of the unfriendly villages. It was found to be deserted, and the columu, after setting it alight, moved on to Ikpa, with the intention of camping there. As the column was nearing the town, and passing through one of those interminably thick pieces of bush which usually mark the approach to an African town, the in considerable number and rt close range suddenly opened fire. Captain Roudy, of the Cheshire Regiment, who was commanding the advance guard and scouting c- through the thick scrub, received a AitkdUgh severely wounded and sob. ring Irom loss of blood he very pluckily held his ground until relieved by Captain Hume, who then led the advance. The enemy fired with great detei initiation on the column, subsequently killing tv/c ,11 and wounding nine others. .Maj ;r Mackenzie, having in the meantime made provision for the safety of the wounded, gave an ord< r for a general advance, and on nearing the few". s untied the charge. The Houssas readily responded, and rushed the market square, clearing the enemy out. While the Maxim gun was being placed in position the enemy crept up again and wounded two men who were serving the gun, but as soon as it opened tire they were rapidly dispersed. The rear guard, under "Captain Carlton, at this moment came safely in, and in a few moments the town was in possession of the British. All the wounded, it is reported, are doing well.

WRECKED OFF TUNIS. The sixteen survivors of the Loch Marie, which was wrecked last Saturday off the coast of Tunis, have been brought into Algiers by the Dutch steamer Olanda. Captain Allison and six of the ship's company were drowned, as well as Mr. A. R. Marquis, a Dundee spirit merchant, who had gone on the voyage for his health's sake. On the day of the disaster his wife received a letter from him telling of the benefit he had received from the voyage.

RIOTOUS CONDUCT AT A POLLING STATION. The end of the polling for the candidates for the Forest-hill Ward of the Lewisham Borough Council, at the Dalmain Board School, almost ended in a free fight on Monday night. As early as a quarter- past seven large crowds were waiting out in the rain to get into the booth to record their votes, but owing to bad management they were let in only by twos and threes. After waiting some considerable time the door was rushed at three minutes to eight, some 200 people bursting into the room. It was impossible to hand papers to a tenth of them by eight o'clock, when the officials declared the poll closed. A scene of the wildest excitement ensued, while the electorate., or would-be electorate, clamoured for their voting-papers on the plea that they were in the polling-station before the closing hour, and, consequently, were entitled to vote. The officials, rightly or wr ngly, were obdurate, and after violent speeches the police were called to clear the room. The affair caused a sensation in the district.

THE WORSLEY DIVORCE SUIT. The Appeal Court has granted a new trial of the divorce action Worslcy v. Worsley, on the application of the co-respondent. The jury in the court below had found for the petitioner, with £1,500 damages against the co-respondent. Since the trial a year ago, a detective who had given evidence as to misconduct had admitted that his story was untrue, and had been convicted and sentenced for perjury.—The application was not opposed by the petitioner.

SHOCKING DOUBLE SUICIDE IN FRANCE. A remarkable double suicide is reported from the Tillage of Marcilly, in the department of the Eure, where a farmer and his wife took their lives rather than survive the dishonour of the arrest of the man's step-brother on a charge of wife-murder. As far as can be gathered, the woman placed the muzzle of a loaded fowling-piece under her chin, jerked the trigger with her foot, and nearly blew her head off, death being instantaneous. The husband must have been too unnerved by the sight to aim properly, for he only inflicted a slight wound on turning the gun against himself. Still determined to die, he seized his razor and gashed himself fearfully across the throat, falling across his wife's body. A neighbour, alarmed by the shots, rushed iu, and found the farmer still alive. The farmer was unable to speak, but managed to make the neighbour understand what had happened. He died shortly afterwards. The couple were well- to-do and highly respected.

MORE CATTLE MAIMING. On Tuesday morning the discovery was made in a field in the parish of Great Wyrley that two horses which had been left grazing there overnight had been terribly mutilated in the manner which characterised the previous outrages. The injuries to one of the horses were of such a shocking nature that the animal has succumbed to them.

WOMEN'S SUICIDE CLUB. To San Francisco belongs the doubtful distinction of a suicide club for wealthy women. Society in that city was much startled a few days ago when it became known that Miss Isabella Clark, daughter and heiress of the late W. S. Clark, had committed suicide by locking herself in a room and turning on the gas. She had a w ill leaving her handsome house and £ 1C0.0C0 to her sister in Chicago, whilst among her papers a copy of the rules of a suicide club was found. She had an idea that she was consumptive, and it is thought that her dread of the disease prompted her to take her life. The next day, Miss Adelina Waldorf, an intimate friend of Miss Clark, poisoned herself by drinking carbolic acid, and within twenty-four hours Miss Bertha Page, a friend of the two ladies, drowned herself in the sea at San Jose. All three ladies belonged to wealthy families, and their self-destruction was in accordance with the rules of a suicide club con- fined to wealthy women to which they are said to have belonged. It is probable that the social position held by the members of the club will induce the authorities to take steps to consider whether the surviving members cannot be treated as insane.

EDITOR FINED £50. Mr. Thomas Catling, editor of Lloyd's Weekly News, appeared before Mr. Justice Kennedy and Mr. Justice Channell, on a rule nisi calling upon him to shew cause why he should not be committed for contempt for publishing certain statements and comments respecting James, the ex-detective- sergeant, who is now awaiting his trial on a charge of murder and attempted murder. Mr. Lawson Walton, K.C., who appeared for Mr. Catling, contended that although some of the com- ments in the paper were unfortunate and deplorable, yet there was no intention of committing contempt, and no contempt of court had, in fact, been com- mitted. The whole tone and spirit of the article in question was intended to assist James in the plea of insanity, which, it was suggested in the news- paper, would be set up. Mr. Justice Kennedy, in the course of the counsel's argument, interposed with the remark that in his view it was prejudicial to justice that when a man was to take his trial his antecedents should be discussed, truly or untruly, in the public Press. Counsel proceeded to read an affidavit by Mr. Catling, in which he stated that he had no personal knowledge of the article, but accepted full responsi- bility, and tendered an apology to the court. In the result Mr. Catling was fined £50, and ordered to pay costs. Councillor George, a meat salesman of Derby and

Manchester, fell dead whilst making a speech at the Derby Cattle Market on Tuesday on the death of a well-known auctioneer of Cumberland. A fire broke out at Bury St. Edmunds during the early hours of Tuesday morning. The conflagration spread very quickly, and eventually involved the premises of Messrs. Harvey, Stubbington, and Harvev, grocers, Messrs. Bloomfield, boot and shoe dealers, and Mr. Travis, naturalist. Damage estimated at nearly £2,500 was done. A woman patient met her death in a curious manner at the Gouverneur Hospital, New York. An owl flew in at the window, and alighting on the foot of her bed gave her such a shock that she died. Six hundred thousand acres of India's best buitf, savs a circular issued by the Christian liuion against the opium traffic, are used by the Govern- ment for the cultivation of opium, the great bulk of which goes to China. Inquiries are being made by the Secretary for I War into the recent prosecution of the bandsmen of the King's Colonials for absence from training. Mr. Arnold-Forster wishes to know why the cases came before a court of summary jurisdiction.

A WARWICKSHIRE TRAGEDY. A laundry-maid, named Annie Devall, has been found dead in a ditch at Compton Verney, & village about five miles from Warwick. The girl was n the employment of Mr. Herbert Smith, a member the well-known London banking firm, who is at resent tenant of Compton Verney. She had been n this situation about three months, her home icing near Leamington. There were signs of a struggle having taken place near where the body was found. The girl's throat was cut, and there were wounds on her hands and face. Close by was razor-case and razor, the former bearing the nan?' of Walter Cozens, a groom. Cozens comes from Wiltshire, and became acquainted with the eirl some two years ago, when she was living at Chippenham. They were engaged, but letters found on the body shew the affair was broken off, the girl having become betrothed to the groom at (\'mpton Verney. Cozens himself was missing, but I he police instituted immediate inquiries, with the i" =ult that he lias been arrested at Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire. At the inquest on the body of Annie Devali, a sister of the deceased produced a letter she had from th3 murdered girl, in which the writer said she had given up Cozens. Annie went on to say that Cozens had told her that if he saw anyone else with her it would be death to them or to him- self. He was dreadfully jealous, and said if he did not have her nobody else should. ^r. Oldmeadow described the terrible injuries to the deceased. There were eight deep incised wounds in the neck, which would have proved fai ah There were s.ig-ns of a severe struggle. The inquest was adjourned for a week. THE MURDERED GIRL'S LETTERS. Letters written by the murdered girl throw con- siderable light on the quarrel with her lover. One which she wrote to her mother at Leamington on Saturday said: "Well, I may tell you I wrote and gave that chap np. He landed here yesterday. I was surprised to see him—a straw would have knocked me down. The best of it was, Tom directed him to the laundry but I shall not have any more to do with him. I told him he could go. I said I should not give up my pleasure for any man. Of course, he does not like me dancing, so he can go to the devil for me. I asked him if he wanted the ring back he gave me, and he said he did not want anything. But Tom and I will be coming home again soon, so I can tell you all about it then." A postscript added: "Don't forget my dancing shoes, because Tom is going to take me to a dance next Tuesday. I have had to tell him all about it, but he has taken it in very good part. Bless him, he knows it as well as well." The letter which apparently brought Cozens to CcmJton Verney ran: "Dear Wall,—Just a line in answer to your Jettn. No doubt you will be sur- prised to get this from me, but really I must tell you that I feel 1 really could not keep true to you, for there are so many dances and concerts going on, and when any chap asks me to go I go, of course, and you know I always like dancing, so I really could not give it up for anything. Also I like plenty of life, so I go first with one and then another, and I know you are very jealous, so I thought I had better write and tell you. I think the best thing for us to do is to part friends, for I would not like you to find me out at the last. But no doubt you will find another that will be more d< serving of your love than I am, for I will say I flirt first with one and then another, so I don't think I shall have another to stick to. and then I shall cause no jealousy with anyone. Of course I shall leave it to you the way you like to take it. I am very sorry to do this, but really I must tell you about, my flirting, and really if you came down here 1 really could not get out to see you, so I think I must close. I remain, yours sincerely— NANCE."

KING DINES WITH THE LAWYERS. The King, who is a Bencher of the Middle T mple, attended the Grand Day dinner of Michaelmas Term on Monday night. The approach to the building was lined by Inns of Court Vol un. teers, and a large crowd assembled to greet his Majesty. Twenty other distinguished guests were invited to meet the King, including the American Ambassador, the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Devonshire, Lord Lansdowne, Lord Rosebery, and the Lord Chief Justice. The toast uf "The King" was pledged with the utmost enthusiasm, as was also that of the Queen and other members of the Royal Family. His Majesty has been a Bencher for forty years, and has on previous occasions dined in Hall as the Prince of Wales.

NEW SCHEME FOR NATIONAL DEFENCE. The Daily Mirror makes an announcement of great national and Imperial importance. The public will shortly, it says, be officially informed that a committee of three, with powers of the most liberal character, has been appointed for the reorganisation of the national defences. The Committee will consist of one of our ablest admirals, one of our best generals, and a third member who will be a civilian. It will superintend the reorganisation of the War Office, consider the organisation of the Navy, and bring two great services into harmony. The civilian member will be Lord Eshcr. The naval officer selected will be Admiral Sir J. Fisher, Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, and the officer mainly responsible for the new naval education plan. The soldier will be selected from the follow- ing names: The Duke of Connaught, Sir H. Brackenbnry, Lord Kitchener, Sir Ian Hamilton, and Sir W. G. Nicholson. The revolutionary measure has been vigorously urged forward by his Majesty, and is meant as a real movement towards complete reform. The work of the committee is expected to occupy at least six months.

SEVERE FIGHTING IN THE ADEN HINTERLAND. News comes by way of Aden that Captain Lloyd- Jones and sixty men were surrounded by 1,000 of the Kotaibi tribe at Sulaik, four miles south-west of Ilardaba. The captain reported that he was running short of ammunition and had eight men killed. Captain Burton, with thirty men of the 23rd Bombay Kitles, was sent back to break through to his assistance from Hardaba, and Colonel Scallon, with 2CO men of the 23rd Bombay Rifles, 1CO men of the Hampshire Regiment, and four guns left Dthala on October 27th to rescue both Captains Lloyd-Jones and Burton. Captain Shewell was also despatched with another party, and the post at Sulaik was relieved by Colonel Scallon after a sharp fight, in which Captain Lloyd-Jones was wounded, but is doiug well. The following is the list of casualties among the Dublin Fusiliers in the last skirmish at Nobate- lakin Private Kegan, G Company, killed; Private Carr, II Company, badly wounded; Corporal Gaffnoy and Private Daly, D Company, slightly wounded. In addition one native was badly wounded.

PROFESSOR MOMMSEN DEAD. Professor Theodor Mommsen, the famous his- torian, who was scruck with paralysis on Friday, died on Sunday morning. Dr. Mommsen, who was in his eighty-sixth year, retained his faculties almost to the last. His great work, the history of Rome, first appeared in 1854, and has been trans- lated into all the principal languages of the world.

CAPTAIN AND COLONEL'S WIFE. Lieutenant-Colonel Randolph Nicholson told to Mr. Justice Bucknill in the Divorce Court the story of his married life, and was granted a decree nisi. Colonel and Mrs. Nicholson were married in 1885 at Dublin. While in India in 1892 they made the acquaintance of Captain Cameron, of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who paid marked atten- tions to the lady at a ball. The husband com- plained, but was assured there was nothing wrong. Alter his return to England Colonel Nicholson was ordered to South Africa. When he came back his wife declared she would live with him no more. A letter was put, in from Captain Cameron to Mrs. jVicholson, written on the eve of the Colonel's departure from India. It began, "My darling Nellie," and went on, "To-night I am very unhappy about you. You say you have left a part of you with me; you have taken a big part of me away, and what you have left is valued above all things in the world. I want you so much, dear."

C-V.-N. nuituings near to me, isoara ot Trade Shipping Offices and Victoria Docks have been handed over to the Missions to Seamen by the Marquess of Northampton. They are intended for the free use of seafarers of all nations. Miss Sara Mitchell Barrie, sister of the famous novelist, Mr. J. M. Barrie, died suddenly on Sunday at Strathview House, Kirriemuir, the resi- dence of her uncle, the Rev. Dr. Ogilvy. While travelling from Manchester to Crewe two seamen, one of them a foreigner, fought in the rail- way carriage, using bottles as weapons. The other passengers in the compartment stopped the train, which was delayed some considerable time while the men were being put into separate carriages. Ihe combatants were each lined a guinea at Crewe* Three thousand persons were present at a memorial service in Chicago for the late Mrs. Booth- Tucker, daughter of General Booth. Commander Booth-Tucker stood at the head of the coffin and delivered a speech on the work and character of the deceased woman. Two men and a woman, who are suspected of robbing and defrauding servants all over London, have been remanded at Southwark.

m NEWS IN A NUTSHELL. A Yorkshire mill-hand, named Goddard, has been arrested for attempting to murder his sweetheart at Batley. He met her, and fired three times at her. but fortunately her corsets stopped the force of the bullets. A report just issued shews that at the end of last year there were 23,917 boys and 5,218 girls under sentence of detention in reformatory and industrial schools. This is a decrease of 691 boys and scventy- nine girls as compared with the previous year. The King has presented to the Parish Church ot St. Thomas a Becket, Old Portsmouth, a handsome polished brass eagle lectern. The lectern bears an inscription commemorating the presentation. A lady, residing in London, who desires to be known merely as "M. J. K. has transferred the sum of £10,000 Indim stock to the funds of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The Progressives have secured a remarkable victory in the London municipal elections. Lord Strathcona has been unanimously appointed Chancellor of Aberdeen University. A legacy of £50 bequeathed by the late Miss Camille Holland, of the Moat Farm, Clavering, Essex, has been received by the Home of Rest for Horses. The sum was given to aid in raising the £2°,000 which is required permanently to endow the Home. Marlow Fair is to be abolished, and the decision of the Home Secretary has given great satisfaction to the inhabitants. Held for three days in the main streets of the town for the last 600 years, the fair had of late become an intolerable nuisance. Mr. Moody, Secretary for the United States Navy, addressing a Harvard political club, denied that the marksmen of the United States Navy were deserters from British service. If the United States Admiralty learnt that a man was a deserter from another navy he would be instantly discharged. At Sotheby's a Richard III. half angel, of London mint, one of the rarest coins in the English series, only fetched £34- at auction. At an inquest at Teddington on a boy who was killed by an electric tramway-car, it was stated that the "cow-catcher," or lifeguard, had failed to act. In reply to a charge of cruelty to a kitten by throwing it out of a top-storey window, a Notting- ham woman excused her conduct on the ground that the animal had eaten her dinner. Fashionably attired, Jennie Graham—who was arrested in London—appeared in the dock of Cardiff Police-court on the charge of receiving the proceeds of a local jewel robbery. The prisoner was remanded. To a mother-a certificated teacher—who had sent I her son to school for companionship" in the morning and had taught him herself in the after- noon, the Penge magistrates said that she must either send him to school regularly or teach him entirely herself. On her 101st birthday Miss Pattie Littell has just died at Herne Hill. Together with her catch and gear, a Scotch herring steamer sank at Yarmouth on Tuesday. For leaving work without notice a colliery engine- man at Churwell (Yorkshire) has been ordered to pay £10 damages. Decreasing demand for ordinary carriages, due to the popularity of the motor-car, is the explanation given for his failure by a Windsor coachbuilder. Twenty shillings was the price given at a London sale for a shuttle-shaped leather box, with a com- pass on the lid, that formerly belonged to the poet Byron. Four millions sterling is the estimated value of the land over which flow the waters of Lough Neagh (Ir-^nd). A proposal to drain the lough is on foot. Further steps, it is believed in Washington, will be taken by the British authorities to secure the extradition of Lvnchehaun. Proceedings may be taken before any other United States Judge. For disturbing the rest of an Englishman in Paris by piano-playing at night, the occupier of a lower floor has been ordered to pay an indemnity of £40 and the costs of the proceedings. Out of revenge for being brought back to school, a half-caste boy at Otaki, New Zealand, attempted to fire the building. The school was burnt down six months ago, and he now admits that he then set it on fire. Thirteen persons have been charged at Belfast with impersonation at the recent Parliamentary election. In the five cases dealt with the accused were com- mitted for trial at the assizes, bail being allowed. Mrs. Graham, wife of Robert Graham, alias Moffatt, now undergoing penal servitude, has been remanded at Cardiff charged with unlawfully receiving jewellery alleged to be part of the proceeds of a robbery from Mr. Crouch, jeweller, Cardiff. It is stated tfcat the Princess Catherine Radziwill has entered an action against the late Mr. Cecil Rhodes, the amount of the claim being £1,400,000. Before the London Water Tribunal Sir Alexander Binnie and Mr. G. F. Deacon both characterised the water of the Lea as utterly unfit for the purposes to which it was put. Thomas Winter Calverley, a City of Westminster inspector, has been committed for trial on a charge of demanding money by menaces from a Soho- street restaurateur. For sending the carcases of two diseased pigs to the London market Charles Hansen, of Boston, Lincolnshire, has been lined £5 and £3 3s. costs. Mr. John Morley, speaking at Nottingham, said the policy now advocated by Protectionists was contrary to experience, argument, and social justice. There was no finality in a policy of retaliation. At the meeting of the council of the Associated Chambers of Agriculture a debate on a resolution in favour of fiscal reform, and an amendment affirming the desirability of further information before the council pledged itself, was adjourned. The Xing laid the foundation-stone of the new sanatorium at MidhurSt, Sussex, on Tuesday. The British advance in Somaliland has begun. The coast is to be patrolled by warships to prevent the Muliah escaping by sea. It is announced from Constantinople that the reply of the Porte to the Austro-Russian joint note for reforms in Macedonia will be of an unsatis- factory character. An Indian rising is feared in Wyoming, under the chief Eagle Feather, who was formerly a college graduate and a noted football player. Canon Major Lester, whose work as a philan- thropist in Liverpool endeared him to all classes, died in that city on Tuesday, aged seventy-five. He was the founder of homes for boys and girls in Liverpool, and only a few days ago steps were taken and a committee formed for erecting a statue to his honour. At Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.A., a mob, mostly of blacks, has hanged a negro named Cradock and burnt his body for murdering two other negroes. A regular revolution has been created in the Bucharest petroleum industry by the Roumanian Government, which is about to buy from all private persons and companies. The Appeal Court has ordered a re-trial of the Worsley divorce case on the appeal of the co- respondent, "Uncle Joe." At Cardiff, Nazareno Milioni, aged eighteen, an Italian, was committed for trial at the assizes on a charge of attempting to murder Marie Fragnola, an organ-grinder, by shooting her. It was said that the prisoner was aggrieved because the prosecutrix would not consent to marry him. Count Lamsdorff's secretary confirms the state- ment that the only reason which caused the Czar to postpone his visit to Italy was the attitude of the Socialists. Three Englishmen have been arrested on suspicion in connection with daring bank robberies in Paris, including the sensational theft of £63,000 from a van at the Gare du Nord Station in March, 1900. Speaking at Erith, the Primate said the passive resistance movement, if persisted in, would reduce the nation to anarchy. He was surprised that his proposals to Nonconformists had been negatived by one of the leaders of that body. It is reported that Mr. M'Clellan, the Tammany nominee, has been elected Mayor of New York by a majority of 50,000. The Governor of Gibraltar received on Tuesday the first wireless message from England. Mrs. Mary Wood, wife of Councillor Charles Wood, jeweller, of Mossley, fell down the stairs fairly on Tuesday morning, sustaining a fracture of the skull, which resultedi in her death. H.M. battleship Centurion has been commissioned at Portsmouth for service on the China station. Her last duty was as the flagship of Admiral Sir E. H. Seymour, during the operations in North China in 1900. A wall in the garden at the back of a house in Portland-terrace, Regent's Park, fell upon a Mrs. Edwards and her daughter, aged four years. The mother was badly injured and the child was killed. A gentleman who brought an action against a firm of publishers for reproducing a photograph of his daughter without written permission was awarded one farthing damages. The French deputy for Oran believes that the Sultan of Morocco will soon find himself a prisoner at Fez. "The Pretender," he says, "holds the country, and the time has come for France to act." A number of Capuchins have been expelled from the monastery in the Rue de la Sante, Paris. The police had to break through several doors to get at the inmates. During the week ending October 31st, British wheat was sold at an average price of 26s. per bushel—an advance of Is. on the price realised in the corresponding week of 1902. Mr. John Morley has been elected to an honorary fellowship at All Souls' College, Oxford. The only other honorary fellow on the foundation is Mr. Hubert Herkomer, R.A., Slade Professor of Finf .Arts at Oxford from 1885 to 1895.

I @ 1ft U! !II W 1ft @ J; THE MOST VALUABLE FOOD BEVERAGE I t :æ I is one that not only nourishes your body, but gives you strength and I energy for the day's work. vanflouteri^Qacoa will do that for you and more. It is a Healthful and Refreshing Stimulant, a Nourishing and I Invigorating Food, The Best Beverage for I I EZSAKFAST, LUNCH AND SUPPER. 1/1111 @ 1ft II! II! m li->z.Ç&fr:i{i,ii:.}i.

•"1«. «•" j FACTS AND FANCIES. LESS than one per CPlIt. of the bind in S"r,\<LV i3 in use for growing grain crops. THE world's manufactures use 9J tons of gold and 515 tons of silver every year. ALL the princes of the Caucasus claim direct descent from King- David, and some of then, base their descent from Noah. In the United Kingdom there are 63.000 postmen, and in the course of a year nearly 3,600.000.COO letters, post-cr.vds, parcels, circulars, and newspapers are delivered. WORLD'S IBARJVSR IW.L. The Chinese lian-e clii-n to possess the largest bell in the world, in a Buddhist monasterv in the vicinity of Canton, but a bell in Moscow Cathedral is really the largest. The Canton bell, which was cast in 1400 A.D.. is said to have cost the lives of eight men, who during the process of casting. Tlie whole beJl is covered with an inscrip- tion in embossed Chines3 characters about half an inch long, covering even the handle. WHY BEES WORK IX DARKNESS. Bees go out all day gathering honey and work at night in the hive, building their combs as perfectly as if an electric light shone there all the time. Why do they prefer to work in the dark ? is often asked. Everyone knows that honey is a liquid with no solid sugar in it. After standing it gradually assumes a crystalline appearance, or granulates, and ultimately becomes a solid mass. Honey has been experimentally enclosed in well-corked flasks, some of which were kept in perfect darkness, while the others were exposed to the light. The result was that the portion exposed to the light soon crystallised, while that kept in the dark remained unchanged. Hence we see why the bees are so careful to obscure the glass windows which are placed in their hives. The existence of the young depends on the liquidity of the saccharine food presented to them, and if light were allowed access to this it would in all probability prove fatal to the inmates of the hive. AVERAGE Dm-vr-os OF The average duration of life is esiiinit vd to have been increased in the last half-century at least three years in men and three and a half years in women. Dr. Parker .of London, finds tint small- pox has been reduced 95 per cent. deaths from fevers in general 82 per cent. death-; from diphtheria, 59 per cent. an.i death-; from phthisis, 46 per cent. Antiseptic surgery has lessened the mortality from ope^stions 20 per rent. EGYPTIAN" PROVEHBS. If the moon be with thee tiiou needest not to care about the stars. The dirt of labour rather than the saffron of indolence. Work, though thy gain be merely the oil (for the lamp), rather than sit idle at home. They came to sho? the horses of the Pasha, the beetle then stretched out ilS leg io be shod (vain pretensions). If a worthless fellow be with thee, d) not let him go, or a worse will come to thee. ^This is a favourite proverb regarding servants.) The danger of sudden elevation is expressed in the saying If God proposes the destruction of the ant-He allows wings to grow 0:1 Concerning those who judge of the world merely by their own sensations: A splinter entered the sound eye of a one-eyed person. "I wish you good- night," said he. He fancied that night had arrived. 0- How OFTEN- CkN A MAX GET DKUVK ? Various eminent physicians of America. have recorded their observations and experiences at the New York Academy of Medicine in connection with alcohol and its effects. Dr. Charles L. Dana based his observations on the careful study of three hundred and fifty cases of alcoholism at the Hellevue Hospital. The most frequent form of alcoholism was periodical dipsomania, and the next was pseudo- dipsomania. Over two-thirds of the to, al number of patients had begun to "drink" before the age of twenty years, and all of them before thirtv vears. "As a rule." said Dr. Dana, "the drunkard did not live more than fifteen years, and it was seldom that the human organism could outlive more than 3,000 intoxications." That seems a large number. THE ODDEST THING ALIVE. As a rule, it is easy to distinguish between mammals and birds. No one would mistake a bat for a bird, except when it flies by in twilight. Nevertheless, in the lowest order of mammals, the Frotothcriu, there is one species which pariakes so much of the characteristics of a bird as to have offered when first discovered, a serious problem to naturalists. There is nothing more paradoxical or improbable in "Alice in Wonderland" than the duck-billed platypus (Platypus oniithorynebus) of Australasia. In general shape it resembles a miniature beaver or gigantic water-rat; its habits are aquatic, and, duck-like in its haunts and food, its mouth is just like a duck's bill. It would almost seem as if the creature wore a mask. Moreover, its feet are webbed like a duck's, but on each of the hind-legs is a spur like a cock's, yet still more like a serpent's tooth, for the spur is traversed by a canal connected with a gland exactly analogous to the poison gland of a snake. Strangest of all, and as if to perfect the mimicry, the platypus lays eggs, two at a time, and this is its sole mode of reproduction. j Ilwns AND FINOSUS. According to a scale of value furnished by the miners' unions and miners' accident insurance companies of Germany, the ims of both hands is valued at 100 per cent., or the whole ability to earn a living. Losing the right hand depreciates the value of an individual as a worker 70 or 80 per cent.. while the loss of the lplt hand represents from 60 to 70 per cent. of the earnings of both hands. The thumb is reckoned to be worth from 20 to 30 per cent, of the earnings. The first finger of the right hand is valued at from 14 to 18 per cent., that of the left hand at from 8 to 13 per cent. The middle finger is worth from 10 to 16 per cent., the third finger from 7 to 9 per cent., and the little finger from 9 to 12 per cent. ♦ Wordsworth's lines of the child at play, "as if his whole vocation were endiess imitation," were recently recalled by a conversation overheard in the children's ward at a New York hospital. A little girl of mine, whose role was that of nurse, rang an imaginary telephone on the wall to talk to her companion at the further end of the room, who played the part of doctor. "Hello said the nurse. "]s this the doctor r" "Yes," answered a deep voice; "this is the doctor. "This lady is very sick," lie was informed. "Well, what seems to be the trouble ?" a bit gruffly. "She has swallowed a whole bottle of ink said the nurse. The doctor, not flurried, inquired what had been done for the patient; but the nurse, too, was ready in emergencies. She answered,— "1 gave her two large pads of blotting paper:" --1" '@;'œ:J. 'VSPHCIALS." The writer of an article in Casscll's ;7Jdfjf;iile, on "Stories of Soecial Trv.na says "An American one day just lost the Liverpool express. 41 want a special.' drawled he in nasal twang, as if he were asking tor a mutton eltop. It will cost you a good round sum.' 4 Don't care. I have taken my berth on tha t boat my friends are there 1 guess I'm coin' with them.' 4 The charge is live -hidings a mile. plus the ordinary fare, paid in advance.' Out came the iii P..i arL engine under full st<••••• m is always kept at Euston ready for any emergency, a carriage and <1 guard's van were soon hooked on, and the American was thundering away to the Mersey only a iew minutes after the other train. He also caught his boat, and whatever elt-e he may have though*, of England, he had no reason to complain of the smartness of railway officials. Perhaps the roost lemarkable special in the annals of British railways was run for a man who suddenly telephoned at. night to Euston for a private express to North Wales. The oflicials to this day do not know the reason for that escapade. It was after a dinner and the man might have desired excitement, or there might have been a bet attached to the freak; but the cost ngured out to about iL70, and apparently for no good reason whatever. The money was paid as usual in advance, and the hirer of the special fled away to the land of Snowdon, but what lay behind the strange journey no one knows. In such a case The engine would probably run from Euston to Crewe without stopping. That is a distance of 158 miles; and then another engine would take its place. But all railways have engine depots at various points along the lines,with one or more locomotives waiting with steam up, so that when necessary an engine can speedily be procured. And as a mattel of fact engines are thus regularly changed one for another at various points for all long-distance trains." A 1 \URCJv r A",O-r. With one exception, all parrots are vegetarians. This exception, says the Family Doctor, is the Btrange New Zealand lory, the kea, which alone among its kind has developed the habit of eating flesh. From a psychological point of view the case is interesting, because it is the best recorded instance of the growth of a new and complex instinct under the eyes of human observers. The kea, before the arrival of the white man in New Zealand, was a mild-mannered, fruit-eating, or honev-sucking bird. But as soon as sheep-stations were established, these degenerate parrots began to acquire a taste for raw mutton, and would proceed to the length of attacking a weakly member of a flock. As many as two hundred ewes are said to ave been killed during one night upon a single sheep "station." A WAVE OF WATER. There is no necessary connection between the advance of a wave and the forward movement of the water composing it. as may he seen by running the fingers along the keys of a piano. An inverted wave travels along, but the keys merely move up and down. Similarly, a wave may often be observed running along the ripe ears of golden grain while the stalks are firmly rooted in the soil. The onward progress of a sea wave is easily perceptible, and by watching some light substance floating on the surface the fact is revealed that the water is not moving with the same velocity. NEW USE FOR THE POST-OFFICE. The Post-office in India not only collects and delivers letters, parcels, and other articles, but acts to a certain extent as a banker to the general public,sells quinine and salt,pays military pensions, and collects the revenue accruing to the Govern- ment from land and other sources. But to the fertile brain of one of the oldest officers in the department is due the latest development in the work of the Post-office. The Punjab Post-office has come forward as an elementary teacher. It not only collects letters and delivers them, but teaches boys in elementary schools how to write them and address the covers. DISTANCE TRAVELLED iN DANCES. The distance travelled in dances has been calcu- lated by some statistical mind. An average waltz takes one over about three-quarters of a mile. A square dance makes you cover about half a mile, while a rapid gallop will oblige you to traverse just about one mile. It will thus be seen that if a girl with a well-filled programme dances from eighteen to twenty dances in an evening, the result is really appalling. Say there are twelve waltzes— a fair average—this alone makes nine miles. Three gallops added to this makes it twelve miles, while from three to five other dances, at half a mile apiece, bring her close upon thirteen or fifteen miles. This is exclusive of the usual promenade and "extras." THE LARGEST THINGS. The largest cavern in the world is the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. The largest inland sea is the Caspian, between Europe and Asia, being seven hundred miles long and two hundred and seventy-six miles wide. The largest empire in the world is that of Great Britain, being 8,557.658 square miles, and more than a sixth part of the rlobe. The largest suspension bridge is Hie Brooklyn. The length of the main span j 1.595ft. 6iu. The entire length of the bridge is 9,9 :9ft. The largest tree in the world as yet discovered is in Tulare county, California. It is 275ft. high and 106ft. in circumference at its base. The largest body of fresh water on the globe is Lake S iperior-fotir hundred miles long and one hundred and sixty miles wide. The greatest depth is two hundred fathoms. Its surface is 635ft. above the level of the sea. How TO LAY A "GHOST." Sir T. Lauder Brunton, addressing the London Medico-Psychological Association on "Fairies, Apparitions, and Visions," said nearly every one of these phenomena was traceable to mental causes. The premonitions people had of coming evil were usually caused by an unconscious train of ideas carried in the mind. A person could often wake himself at a required hour by impressing upon his mind the necessity of doing so, and premonitions were of much the same nature, although they were much more mysterious to the average mind. Atmospheric conditions, strange to say, wera often responsible for premonitions. Hi'! wife, when abroad, had a feeling that her mother required her presence, and this turned out to be the fact. The reason was to be found in the unconscious association of the ideas of a certain state of weather with the illness produced thereby. Visions of human beings and animals were traceable to peculiar diseases, notably epilepsy. He was of opinion that the Seer of Biblical history was only an epileptic. and the same disease took a different form in a young student of his acquaintance, who persistently saw visions of human beings. Sodium salicylate, used in rheumatism, often had the same effect on the nerves. Certain forms of headache, especially megrim, produced peculiar zigzag apparitions, which he thought, in conjunction with excessive imagination, were more accountable for fairies than anything. This zigzag appearance was to be found in the drawings of spirits by Dor6 in his "Dante," and the speaker believed that Dante himself was affected with the same disease, as he likened the appearance of the spirit-trains to these megrim apparitions. Ho was of opinion that if Mohammed had been dosed with bromide of potassium when lie had "visions," there would have been no l Koran and no Mohammedanism, for there seemed to be little doubt that the visions were the result of I physical disease.