Flintshire Observer Mining Journal and General Advertiser for the Counties of Flint Denbigh

NOTES ON NEWS. What memories of bravery,. hardship, and in- domitable perseverance are revived by the report of the discovery in Arctic regions of that 11 old British warship, the Investigator, in which Sir Robert McCInre sailed in search of the Franklin Expedition, fifty-eight years ago. It is more than fifty-six years since she passed into unknown seas and the ice closed round her. Ever since then the ice-fields have held her prisoner, but the stont old ship has been waiting through the long, long years, and now the ice has loosened its grip, and let her go. It is quite likely that she may, with a new snit of sails, come sailing back to England. Her commander died thirty-five years ago. When his ship was frozen in he set out on a sledge expedition, and made the discovery of the second" North-West "I Passage. If the old ship could only speak, .71 what a story she could tell! During the three months ended December oist of last year, the roturnsas to which have only just been issued, the number of railway servants injured while following their employ- ment was 1,665, an increase of 417 over the corresponding period of the previous year. This increase is contributed to by an alteration in tho definition of reportable accidents which came into operation at the beginning of 1907. Before that date an accident had to be reported only when'it was such as to prevent the injured man from following his employment for five hours on any one of the three days after its occurrence. Under that arrangement an acci- dent, the serious effects of which might not be at first apparent, might not call for a report. There was a slight decrease of fatal accidents to passengers and an increase of 588 in the total J number of persons injured. In this last total the servants are included, and it must be ad- mitted that the small percentage of accidents f to passengers is a very remarkable proof of the Way in which the safety of the public is safe- guarded by the railway companies. The chairman of the Scarborough magistrates gave utterance a day or two ago to an old grievance of railway travellers who are also smokers. The magistrates had to fine a man for smoking in a non-smoking compartment, I and the chairman evidently had a certain sym- pathy witn the defendant, for he remarked that smoking carriages were generally filled with women and children. He thought the railway companies ought to attend to it. There is certainly truth in what he said, but it is difficult to see what the companies can do in the matter. They set the smoking carriages apart, and they can hardly be expected to forbid non- smoking passengers to travel in them. That is a matter which must be left to the public. The smoking compartments do seem somehow to attract ladies, and it is difficult to say which is the most objectionable, sort of companion, the Jady who looks disgusted if a man persists in smoking in a compartment set apart for his use, or the man who makes himself disagreeable if hi3 fellow-passengers object to his indulging his fondness for tobacco in a non-smoker. Per- haps the latter is more entitled to sympathy, for probably he had found all the smokers" full of people who did not want to smoke. It would appear that the Siriall ftoiclitifx's Act which came into force this year may be the means of filling a long-felt want, as the adver- tisements say. Indeed, there are indications hat the applications to the County Councils for il little bits o' land under the Act may be more than can possibly be granted under pre- sent conditions. It is not very often that an Act of Parliament is so popular as to cause any difficulty of this kind, but in some counties, the councils will have all their work cut out to make provision for the land already asked for, with- out considering future applications. In one county alone 18,000 acres have been applied for, and to supply such a demand, it need scarcely be said, will entail the acquisition of a great deal of private land. There is naturally some- thing of a rush to begin with, and probably by the time the new system gets into working order the local authorities will be better able to cope with the matter. England is the country of gardens, and it is DO doubt true, as was stated at a meeting of the British Gardeners' Association, that the enormous developments in private gardening of late years have been due in larger measure to the-object lessons to be learned in our public parks and pleasure grounds, which are, on the whole, beautifully kept. Every country man, of course, has his garden, small or large, in which he takes a pride. It is part of his life but it is in the towns that the developments have been most noticeable. Even in the poorest districts of our big urban centres of population one fre- quently comes across a little bit of ground not very much bigger than a handkerchief which blossoms in its season, and is a much more lovely object than if it were merely a refuse heap, a3 it usually was a few years ago. The mechanic spends a little time tying up rose-trees before he goes to his work in the morning, and does a little weeding when he comes home at night, and he is all the better for it. One of the most important epochs in the history of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants is covered by the report which the secretary, Mr. Richard Bell, M.P., has just issued. He refers, of course, to the struggle which went on for many months during last year between the society and the railway com- panies. "While they did not get all they asked for, they obtained a good deal, and the men are ill a better position than ever before for nego- tiating with their employers. That this should have boen secured without the paralysis of the industry of the country which must have been the consequence of a strike is a matter for general thankfulness. The society gained 27,431 members last year. One of the most wonderful old men of this or of 'any time is General Booth, who has just entered upon his eightieth year. His is the brain of that marvellous organisation for the betterment of mankind which is carrying on its beneficent work in every quarter of the globe, and though the" General" has been working as hard as man could work for many years, his extraordinary energy shows as yet no sign of diminution. Ho is able to do as much, work as he did ten years ago, he says, and a little more. Some statistics which he gave give a remarkable picture of the work which his army is doing. In the last seven days. he said, its soldiers had been, preaching in thirty-two languages in fifty-two countries and Colonies. They had held 76.000 meetings, which were attended by 3,400.000 people. They had provided shelter for 191.000 homeless ..people, and served 264,000 meals in their social institutions. Before cora- plaioing of the local band which plays at the corner of the street at the time one wants a Sunday afternoon nap, it will be as well to think of these things. There is somsthing very pathetic about the following appeal which was published in the advertising columns of the Morning Post, the other day: "Gentlemen in good social position finds that wherever he goes friends ply him with whiskies and sodas, which he does not like, and which disagree with him they resent it f if he refuses them. He would like introduc- tion to society in which whisky and soda does not form so important an element." There are plenty of people now residing in national institutions-at the public expense who would probably be willing to arrange an ex- change- and who would not dream of hurting the feelings cf the gentleman's friends by refus- ing this kind of refreshment.

DRESS OF THE DAT. .x )i A SMART EVERYDAY HAT. I always think one's first spring purchase in inillinerv is a smart, useful hat for every- day wear." Ordinarily one's, everyday winter hats have grown so hopelessly shabby by this time that a new chapeau for Easter, especi- ally if a holiday trip be contemplated, is an absolute necessity. "Best" hats which have not seen quite such hard wear may be made feo do duty a little longer, but a regular knock-about hat one must have, the only question being a suitable choice. Now our artist has pictured for us this week a par- ticularly desirable little chapeau, smart enough for all but the most dressy wear, and yet practical enough for really hard use-In a word an ideal Easter holiday hat. The shape is new and modish, with a brim of moderate width turned up in front on the loft, and a crown cf considerable height, the SMART SVESYDAY HAT TRBfMEDWITlI PLAID RIBBON AND TWO HANDSOME QUILLS. straw used being rather coarse, very nrm, I and of the real old-fashioned "straw" colour, the shade of a man's straw hat. Right in front, and perched almost on the top of the crown is a big" many-looped bow, which is made of plaid ribbon, a rather bright pale-blue plaid on a white ground pat- terned with black spots. Through the centre of this bow, and standing out towards the left side, arc thrust two beautiful wide quills with white edges, shaded blue centres, and black quills up the middle. THE RETURN OF THE BONNET. At last, after many years of most unde- served neglect, we are to welcome back to fashionable favour the almost defunct bon- net. For a long period, how long I dare not venture to say, the toque has reigned supreme, as the correct headgear for the woman of advancing years, much as I per- sonally consider, to her disadvantage. Cert tainly, at a little distance the toque gives a fictitious effect of youth,, not always produced by the bonnet; but at near quarters the ad- vantage is all with tha lattor. A toque, I would have you remember, has no kindly s'tringshiding all signs of age in the neck (and it is in the neck that age first shows it- self) and softening wonderfully the outline of the face, nor dees it display pretty grat or white hair in the same way as does the despised bonnet. No! to my mind, at any rate, the bonnet has everything in its favour, and the elderly woman should gladly wel- come its return, for, I can assure you, ni out of ten elderly faces look younger and to better advantage in it than in the more juvenile toque. As regards the modioli boii- net of to-day, fashion seems to bestow about an equal amount of favour upon a variation of the "Marie Stuart" shape and a modification of the Corday" style. A SMART BLUE SERGE COSTUME. Never for many past has blue .serge been so fashionable as at the present moment; Nearly all the leading tailors in London are turning out as many costumes of blue serge as of all the other materials put together. The costume sketched for us this week is carried out in serge of a rather firm, wiry weave in the real navy shade., j The. little coat, which is of the newest and most modish shape, is cut to just cover the hips, and is rather shortcr. at the back than at the front. From the neck turn back the plainest of re- vers and collar made of the serge and edged SMART S?11ING COSTUME OF NAVY BLUE } SEKG35. t with a lino of machine-stitching. Below the waist the coat is cut sharply away to a point on either side, all the edges being finished with a. row of machining. A long breast seam runs from shoulder to hem on each side, and the coat is completed by the neatest of small sleeves, finished at. the wrist by three small buttons and a line of machine-stitching. The skirt is perfectly plain, fitting over the hips and very wide at the hem. This design will require 7\ yards of 44-inch material. 4 A NEW TRIMMING. Has a genuine rival to tht, hitherto indis- pensable soutache at last made an appear- ance? It would appear so, for I notice that during the last two or three weeks several of tho .leading dressmakers have been employing a thick cord in exactly the same way as they havo until now used soutache for outlining bands, edges of coats, and for the embroi- dery of various classical and conventional de- signs. The cord employed is thick and soft, and quite easily manipulated. MODISH CGSTUME OF SUEDE BROWN CLOTH. During the week I noticed another smart costume of a rather different type, the coat being of the new spring bolero shape. The bolero was cut just long enough to- cover the waist, and was edged all round with a narrow strapping of the material, the very small amount of fulness in front being set into this band. From the neck turned back re vers and collar of velvet edged with a narrow strap- ping of the cloth, the cuffs on the plain "coat" sleeves being treated in the same way A plain skirt decorated with several rows of the narrowest pin tucks completed this ex- ceedingly becoming costume.

FUN AND. FANCY. ■■ J "Do yotr take exercise after your bath in ihe morning?" asked Perkins. Jerkins: "Yes j I generally stop on the soap as I get out." ■ j "I notice that you always sit at your wife's left, Mt. Meggs- "Yea," frankly replied Mr. Meggs; "that's the side her glass eye is on." "Hist!" exclaimed the villain in a now play. "Are we alone?" "Not quite, said a voice from the solitary occupant of the pit; "I'm here." "Is Speedman a good chauffeur?" "Good! I should say so! He rap over a man yesterday that every motorist ^n the, city had, had a try at and inais 'I d. lJ". 1 Jim: "I say, George, I scorched a bit in my new motor-car, and now I fillCl myself in hot water." George: "Well, and what can I do for you?" "Why, bail me out." Wife (going over a prison with a party, to her husband as they came to a cell): "Moritz, don't go in before every one else. It looks as if you had already been in one." f She (after twelve o'clock): "And would you really put yourself out for my _sake?" He "Indeed I would!" Sha UYl?hen ,do itp, please. I'm awfully 61eepy t" '< 'u:, Mamma, (sternly): e'Do&'t you know'Vhal the great King Solomon said, Spare the rod and spoil the child'?" Bobb^: "Yes; but, he didn't say that until he was ^r'owed bp' Mr. Subbubs: "Great heavens.! I/pcy, Mary Ann tried to start the fire with g\m- cotton, and she has been blown through the roof!" Mrs. Subbubs: "Never mind; it's her day out, anyhow." Joe Carefhli Sixteen 'tiiiles ah hourf ITbo 1 f»,st! You ought to remember that it's the pace that kills,' old man." Sam 'SlajJdasfri Yes, but it only kills the fellows one knocks own, you know, and sometimes even they recover!" j Mrs. Buggs: "Why do you dislike Dr. j Curem?" Mrs, Muggs: "He cured my hus-j band's rheumatism.},^o h? can never tell when ] it is going to rain, and last week I spoiled a brand-mew hat." brand-new hat." f_ "At last," said the ambitious voung nove- « list, "I have written something,.tihat.Jjjyiink will be accepted by the first magazine it is tg sent to." "What is it?" his friend asked. A cheque for a year's-.subscription." [°'" ¡'J' Sfistress (midnight): "I don't intend to come downstairs to let you. in at this time of night again." ]^gwj Qirl (reassuringly) "You won't have, to, mum. One of my friends f6bk j an impression of your lock, ancl -he?s making a nice key fojf me.T [ I Nurse (who has been many hours on duty, to patient's mother): "When do you think I shall be able to go to bed?" Patient's Mother: "Go to bed? I" <thoug htyou were a trained s nurse!" j Wilfer<rTheM &r& hard 'times; Wh-Jt, I heard of a ihhn the other dsywho couldn't i raise, money even; pn..Government bpnds." Slimwit: "Indeed! What was *fhe' reason?" T Wilfer: "Well, .you see, he didn't have the j bonds." j £ j, | -j" ""1 ? "Now, Jol}^" said ;the j^rate, ,%ifp- "i», ,h|Br |, husfeaiadr, "I thought yen -said -yoo-*&adiJbeea j duck shooting." eg, >dpar-i—duck | shooting." "But these you've brought home }1 are tame ducks." "Yes, dear; I tamed after I sliot — J Collector: "If,{H<>OQst. YOtv 7,s, J5d. for a licence for that.-dog, muinJ.L Mjc3„ Moggs: "Seven-and-sixpence, indeed! Why,' that's all my old man had' to liay for Jth6 licence tq my old man had' to liay for Jth6 licence tq < marry me!" Mr. Moggs (from within): "Yes, but that animal's worth 'aving." j "'I bought-irhy wife the finest^ kind Of id | arrangement for long motor rides." "Whaii ia it?" "A sort of trap to wear" over her moifth, called a dust protector." "Does it work?" "I don't know about thfe dust part it> but it keeps her from talklng. it keeps her from talklng. Wyte Brawne is very economical, isn't he?" Black: "Browne? Well, I'll tell you.'? Browne is the .sort of man who, when he want an awl, and hasn't any, instead of buy- ing one, will go to work tomak one by straightening out a corkscrew." i Can any little asked 'the'' faeW" teacher, "tfell me-the difference between a 14ke and an ocean?" "I ican," replied Ed- ward, whose version had been learned from experience. "Lakes are much pleasanter to swallow when "you f all'i-n. •« Old Flink': "I doubt if one than out of twenty can recall to jpemory the language he lieed iu proposing, Y.OUOg Stewpid: "Probably n-pt. But the girl can., did. Wheji-, reach of promise siiit up she was" tilple fo-^epeat ,friy for word. '„.t 4 7 Would-be Considerate Hostess (to son "of the house): inattentive you" are" John. You really must look after Mr. Brown. He's helping himself to everything." (Discom- fiture of Brown, who, if* somewhat shy, is conscious of. a very healthy appetite.) I.; Î. Jim the M^djcant: "SoJ,#lp a^swr":&r three days I. ain't/ad a meal nor. 'eard a kind word." James the Magnate:, "You're hjeky. I've been to three City banquets --aij^ lis- tened to t gntv,, fQur speeches." < OIL \( In a rural district-a -.Scottish ^minister was out,taking an evening walk, wb^n he, eaqis upon one -of.his ^parishioners lying .in a ditch. "Whese have yout. been the niclit, Audrey?": "Weel, I-dinna -richi-,Iy ken, aiiswered the prostrate sinner, "whether it was a wadding or a funeral, but, whatever it -was,; it has been a most extraordinary success." After a short meeting a little singing was 'indulged in by'some of the members' of 'social gathering, and half-way down the pro- gramme the name of Miss Augusta Brown figured. Alas however, when the time came for her to appear a messenger arrived to say that the lady was suffering from a very bad cold, and therefore the chairman had to ex- cuse her to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen." he said, "I have to announce that Miss Brown will be unable to sing, as announced, and therefore Mr. Green "will give us 'A Song of Thanksgiving' "Ha! h.! ha!" ranted Hi Tragedy, in the dungeon scene. "I'm mad! mad! mad!" "I'll bet," yelled a voice from the gallery, "you ain't near as mad as us fellers that paid to git in!" "It is something," mused the poet, "to have an imagination that scorns the bondage of earth and soars untrammelled through the cerulean infinity." He paused to jot t-e phrase "cerulean infinity" in his note-book, hoping to inaKe use of it at some future time. "But"—he gazed wistfully into the window of the cheap cook-shop, where the white-robed proprietor was industriously turning sausages —"to have the price of a plate of ham aut eggs in your pocket is another thing."

HOME HINTS. To keep cheese from getting mouldy, wrap it in a cloth that has been dipped in vinegar and v?rung out almost dry. Keep in a cool place. An economical way of preparing apples: Place them for a few minutes in boiling water, when the akin will, peel off in thesa.me way as tomatoes. If the nose is inclined to redness the face should never be bathed in any but tepid water. Any extreme of heat or. cold will only increase the redness. Pliim Pudding.—A" nice dish Can be made by dividing up a plum pudding and boiling it "dttjis. Turn these opt when boiled, arfcf cover •with a' quart of custard. To preserve bamboo furniture keep it away from the fire and rub it once a week with equal parts of turpentine and, .linseed oil on a flannel. Always polish well., with a soft cloth. I To remove inkstains, wet the spots with milk and rub in as much starch as it will hold.; Leave for a week and than brush <out the starch; The stains will be found to have vanished. 1 C -v„r, ■-? ), ( Tafife '-fol'll' ourh&es of ivory-black, three etmcea of the coarsest sugar, a tablespoonful of ilweet oil and a pint of small beer. Mix I them gradually cold. c Thia makes a splendid Asking for shoes. •" f I < tv days: Che "coffee pot should be thoroughly cleaned by rubbing aalt on the in- side. This will remove the coffee and egg- I that adhere to the pot. This; should be weil rinsed after the salt is used. Bronze can be cleaned thus: Mix one part of muriatic acid and two parts of water. W,ash kthe; (a,rticle quitp., fjee froin,vgfea.se, and duat, and apply the mixture witli & cloth. Whp^,4ryr< polis|i syith sweet oil. It is better 4o prick a cake with a thin knitting pin than a knife to see if it is cooked enough. This should be done quickly, and the dvgfa &oor should' be shut quietly, so that the temperature may not be cooled too much. v- i:j.'1 cY >; '.». I' '1 J." .'I j i'j' r;)n f; -M" ,11.. :J: ji..y !?>' Do not set earthen dishes in a hot oven or upon the stove. It cracks the glazing and renders them unfit for use. The smell of such dishes is very disagreeable, and n cases of poisoning been i t'f.aced to their use. "H&wevsru damp :;shoesr,<ei' bobts><-may they can be given a lovely polish in a few seebnda if-drop, dr two of paraffin oil -be added to" the blacking. This also prevents Jfche-leather from cracking. To brighten and stiffen straw hats first hrush iwetlto: get rid of the dust; then add two tabiespoonfuls of boiling water to two lumps-of itigar, and apply with stiff brush. Dry in shape required. An excellent washing fluid: Use one pound c.f soda, two ounces of borax and five quarts of water. Dissolve by heat, and when cool bottle for use. Use one t-easpoonful of • the mixture to each boilerful of clothes; also add a little to the water in which they are soaked. When the lower roller of a; wringer is Worn, and the wood oomea off and sticks to th.4 tilothes', it is!a good plan'to vfra^ a' piece of calico tightly round the roller, stitching it to keep it m''position' The good results thus obtained will well repay the little trouble in- volved. r.. If a sliced onion and carrot are cooked with veal, it will be found that the flavour of the 'rather tasteless meat* is mutfh improved. Veal cutlets irelv for their favour on the tomato saucej that* is usually served with, the,m. t To Cook Old Fowls.-Cook i old fowls as fol- lows, and you will find them perfectly tender and tasty: After. killing" -.hang for a few days, if the ,weather perraite, pluck, and truss as for, roa-ting. Set. the fqwl in cold. at r, w ,e and oring it gently to the boil, "add' one onion stuck with ..cloves, a turnip, and a piece pij celery, Simmer -all for one and a, half tq two, hpure; thenv.drain the bird, -vyipe dry, flojir; tKickly, ,and roast i» the usual-, way, basting constantly. .< tl' :l: ""I ,1': }' r, To rid .a pan .vof the odour of oniqns, yyash it int the.,usual yjf^y with ,soapsuds and hot water. Wi]>e out wiiii, a di«h-cloth, then sprinkle freely with common salt, and place on the stove, shaking the pan so as*^o scatter the salt while ,it is browning. After the ealt has become brown, throw it away and wipe the pan. The salt will entirely dispel the favour ,of. th .I)ilion. j tlse §and andt. cpld,, yyater,. for scrubbing floprs, for cleai)iVg,.tlip breadboard, ,g.nd. all pt|ier articles of unpainted and unvarnished wood. (Jet SQjng. s.tyid, procurable at any/oil- ehpp, wash over the article vd. cold water, th^n dm the scrubbing brush in the s-ilVer- sapd." Scrub the" wood' we'll, tile way of the grain, and let dry. Any ivood" 'cleaned' in this way will be beautifully 'white'. The' same method- is excellent for stone cellar steps and ih £ sink. 0- ;J"i. Savoilry Salt Pork.—Put one' pbuhd" of sl%htiy "salt pork in A' stewpan, with a tea-i •pbonful each of pepper, sugar, and nutmeg1; a tablespoonful of chopped onion, two cloves, tofo chillies, a -tablespoonful of vinegar, and hslf a pint of cold water. Skim off some of the fat if tho gravy is very rich; mix up a teiaapoonful each of mustard (powder) iiid fhkur with a sjxsonful of water, or vinegar stir it into the liquor till it thickens, then rve with the pork. Game Soiip.—"3^.1 s soup may be. made from ffnv retrrainis of cold game, though it is better made from 'freshly cooked birds. If the lat- ter, th £ "riieat' should be,'cut off ii, shai^fiy pieces, t'hen the frame or boiled in Tflfbbit' broth, or a sheep's head bfoth fnakes a tasty, liquor, i When 'all is passed through a sieve tmd is clear, put* into the liquor the pieces, of bird with a large lump of parsley and a glass or two' of port Wine. ,_I_ until the bird is tender, then remove the parsley and dish. Pick|e, mustard, spoons of bone which have tyscoine' ''brown and discoloured may be easily restored' to their original colour by means of. (31 These should be rubbed, on .the. Surface of the spopn with a piece pi''rough llannel,or half egg-ahelle ma.y be used," the broken edges being worked against the stains until they are removed. The same procedure c:n be followed with, regard to bone egg,, and salt spoons or other bone articles in use in dining room or kitchen. How to Make Barley-water.—Wash one ounce, and a half of barley, put it into a saucepan with one pint of cold water, add two or three strips of lemon-rind very thinly pared, and1 one te?spoonful'' of sugar. Boil very gently for half an hour, then strain off. If it is wanted thick boil it' for two hours. ,1 Kitchen ranges that have, become rusty may be polished as follows: Boil two ounces of blacklead with half a pint'-of ale and a piece of soap the size of a hazel-nut. When melted, brush over the range with ,a soft brush; let it remain on for a minute or two, then rub with a stiff, brush, and polish with an ordinary polishiag-brush. •

HOUSE COLLAPSE IVIYSTERY. THE VISITATION OF <GOD." :lJV The inquest on the eight men who were killed by the collapse of two, houses inCastle-tret, off Oxford-street, London, ,W., was held at Marylebone. aNo fresh light was thrown on, the disaster, and the jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death." The houses adjoined the Berners Hotel, a new building, and were occupied by servants of the j hotel. The victims were mostly foreigners.. Mrs. Soaper said that during the two years she had been the housekeeper in the fallen building she had never noticed anything un- usual in regard to it. Before the accident she saw two small cracks, where the ceiling and the walls joined, in one of the rooms at the top of the house, but it was nothing to speak of. She slept in the front parlour on the ground floor, and was awakened by a noise like bricks falling. She found her door jambed by dust. By the time she got it f.open the ceiling waa, Mr. John Slater, architect and surveyor to the Berners Estate, on which,the houses stood, said that when the Berners Hotel was built certain houses were pulled down, and No. 72 (one of the fallen houses), was completely, shored up before the foundations of the hotel were laid. The work was done to the. satisfac- tion of both witness and the district surveyor. The witness did not think any precaution which "might reasonably have been taken vra.s not taken. The walls went in a way consistent with shock from the inside. The Coroner: In ancient days they used to say p, thing happened "owing to the visiting of God:" This seems to be a case of that kind. The work of the police, firemen, alnd> salvage1 corps, in removing the debris and' rescuing the survivors was warmly praised. It was said they did in a few hours what house-breakers usually took days to do. In returning their verdict the jury said there was ho evidence to show the reason of the collapse and no evidence of an explosion-

DETERMINED SUICIDE.. r A violent suicide at.the Bromley find Stepney Sick Asylum was described at the inquest on John Hoppus, 24, a .coal porter, of Eastfield- street, Limehouse. Deceased, who had been .heavy drinker, was t-ery violent: He threatened' to strangle a nurse; and had attempted to hang himself. He had to be strapped down after smashing a win- dow-, but in the absence of the nurse wriggled free of the straps^ and leaped through the win- dow, falling 30it., and dying of terrible in- juries. rii.

V EGONiOMY it PORXUGrA^. <v. ? ) Ÿ ':I'S, ~—Try ■> t. The expenses of the Royal House of Portu- gal will be considerably reduced by the action of Kijrtg.v Manuel in. handing over tli-Q,, ,Itpyal yacht to the nation.- It is announced that his Majesty also intends to reduce the annuities of th Dowager Queen Maria. Pia. and the Dulf.6, Affonso, who eacsh receive 412,000 annpally frqpa Government.. With regard to the proposal of the Govern- ment to vote a annuity to Queen Amelia, it is ap^tjlioritatively'stfited th^ti^Kihg Marftierwill'fe- (fÚs LÍlis, it being "Ma 'intenfJoh to' "defrafy 'tfiia mother's "expenses out bfhis -ptivy purse. ,Jõ .] ,e 'T.- Jx

TO "WGHT-SLEEPING SWKNES&f c Tlie British Government has decided to take ImiepeiNieatf actiott regarding sleeping sickness by establishing a national Sleeping .Sickness Bureau with headquarters in Lon- don. The recent international .conference in London collapsed mainly owing to the position offered to the proposal to establish, any international bureau in London. The British National Bureau will be man- aged by a. strong fcommittee. Annual grants will be made 'by the Imperial and Sudanese Governments.

Op-fT NATIONAL bjSF^NDEES;" ..J Lord Twesdmouth was the guest of the Ini stitute of Mechanical Engineers at the Hotel Cecil. c tg the toast of the evening. "Our "Na.tioxjjil Defenders^" Lord Tweedmouth re- ferred to. the disaster of the,,Tiger. He.jkn^w:, thqre were people, who thought it was. a mistake to carry on manoeuvres in peace after the, fas- hion of war. Well, he put it to them whetner it was ¡no.t a wise,,thing in peace to imitate the -of war. He thought it was clear that it duty of our officers and jailors in the, navy, so to practice the manoeuvres of, war that they would be likely to carry out with success on the difficult operations they had to perform when called upon to do so. No doubt" it ws' a. very serious thing to battleships to pass thrbtigh tHe dark with their lights out and to be sur- rdundld; by destroyers, bht it was'splendid practice for the4 men, and lie was sur& everyoni- in tni4 country felt that they owed a deep debt of gratitude to the officer# and men of the navy for; thfe, 'sacrifices they were willing to make in order that they might complete their training.

,DE .i ■' v>a an r no*« At the Southwark Coroner's Cpurt, Dr. F. J. Wqldo concluded f>n. inquiry concerning the death r of a phild of ,two months old/'who died strange,circumstances.' Dr. George Paton, who had attended the in- fant saidv!he gave a rtificate pf death from natural causes- without seeing the body afte$ deat11: He had a perfect right to do ihdt., The, coroner, said he -thought a change in deathpertification was urgently needed. There had been a Royal Commission; on the subject, and one of,the things they urged was that no doctor" should in future sign a death certificate until he had satisfied himself that there a body. The law required a coroner and his jilry., to inspect a body., Some peoplp were ing-t,(k do away with the view of the body, but he would be the very last to do so, as he xsaulcL see all sorts of evils and trouble that woula' ari&e^ Dr. Paton said parent^quit^ him that thefchild was dead. and, as a mattor of fact, a doctor only Ead to certify as I am/in- belief." .A).. A I. ::¡..

LAD'S ^GLQMOWrTIMR 't, Moses Newell; !a diminutive Potteries lady aged 13, -ra,n a.=wa,y from his- home at Fen ton; Staffs, with his mother's purse and lis. 00.. Pbi* four brief days. he lived in the lap. of luxury, regaling himself on ice cream and gin- ger pop, and, reading the adventures' of Dick Turpin and Robin Hood. In the evening he at- tended the local theatres and at,night, slept in a covered ashpit. Then he had a rude, awakening. The hoiise- wîfé, after emptyi-ng the contents of the dtist- bin over him; hauled the young adventurer Out. H.& was handed over to the police., In his possession was found a small diary, con- taining particulars of his expenditure. ,<; r, If.t¡"

WQMEN AND SMOKING CARRIAGES. In a, case heard at Scarborough, in Which a Filey hawker was fined for smoking in a non- smoking compartment of a train, the Chairman of the North Riding Bench stated that smok- ing carriages wer generally full of women, and children, and lie thought tlie railway ..coj^p panics should attend to the v> ,7

The newly-elected Cape Parliament has been summoned to meet on April 22. r Mr. William BtiddIctOla Campbell was elected Governor of the Bank of England. j Prince Bojidar Karageorgevitch. couaipi of the King of Servia, has died of typhoid fever in Paris.