County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser Abergavenny and Raglan Herald Usk and Pontypool Messenger and Chepstow Argus

TODDINGTON VIADUOT FATALITY. I The inquest on the four men who lost their lives through the falling of the viaduct at Tod- dington, on the railway in course of construc- tion between Honeybourne and Cheltenham was concluded on Tuesday at Evesham. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death" with the following rider:—"That considering the weather sufficient time was not given for the mortar to set before the centres were removed; that arches of that kind should be set in cement; that the steam crane was carried fur- ther on to, the centre of No. 10 arch than was advisable."

REMARKABLE WILL RECALLED. I Estate valued at E194,000 gross was left by the late Mr. Herbert Thellusson, of Brodsworth Hall, near Doncaster. He was a descendant of the famous Peter Thellusson, who left VW0,000 to accumulate during the lives of his three sons and of their sons. If no heir then existed the whole was to be applied to the discharge of the National Debt. This led to the passing of a special Act restraining testators from devising property for purposes of accumulation for longer than twenty-one years after death.

Messenger girls have been employed by the Western Union Telegraph Company to deliver telegrams at Havard University. The president ( the University has now written to the company, lying that "ladies without escort" are not admitted to the college buildings. "What did you do with that fellow who stole the horse?" asked the tenderfoot. "Nothin' much," answered Broncho Bill, "jist took the hoss away from him." "Is that all?" "Yep. He war settin' in the saddle with a rope around his neck tied to a tree when we took the hoss away, though."

CURRKNT SPORT. I' u M.C.C. TEAM BEAT NEW SOUTH WALES. The third match of the Australian cricket tour terminated on Monday afternoon in another brilliant victory for the M.C.C., captained by Mr. P. F. Warner, New South Wales having been beaten by an innings and ten runs. The M.C.C. team had practically assured themselves of victory over New South Wales at Sydney on Saturday. Following a Colonial first innings of 108, the Englishmen hit up 319, Tyldesley (80) and Hirst (66) being the chief contributors. New South Wales again made a poor show in their second venture, and with six wickets down for 114, they on Monday morning wanted 97 runs to ward off the single inning's defeat. Warner having put his opponents in on the opening day, they failed completely, and at their second appearance did but little better, considering the improved conditions under which they batted. At the luncheon interval on Monday the home eleven had brought the score up to 197, but nine •batsmen had been sent back. After the interval, however, the end soon came, and New South Wales, being all out for 201, Warner's team has "won as stated. Victor Trumper played a fine innings of 46 in the first "hands" of New South Wales, while Duff's 44 in the second innings was ft meritori >us contribution. Arnold bowled finely for England in both innings of the New South Welshmen, and Rhodes, in the first part of the game, after having a few runs hit off him, became practically unplayable, capturing six wickets at a very small cost. The wicket-keeping of Lilley was magnificent, and the visiting team fielded in fine style. THE "SOCCER" LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP. The results of the matches in the League Championship on Saturday were:-Sheffield United beat Bury, at Bury, by one goal to none Sheffield Wednesday beat Derby County, at Sheffield, by one goal to none; Manchester City beat Notts Forest, at Nottingham, by three goals to none; Sunderland beat Stoke, at Sundeiiand, by three goals to none; Middlesbrough beat Aston Villa., at Middlesbrough, by two goals to one Liverpool beat Newcastle United, at Liver- pool, by one goal to none Wolverhampton Wan- derers, beat Small Heath, at Wolverhampton, by one goal to none; Blackburn Rovers beat Notts County, at Blackburn, by three goals to none West Bromwich Albion and Everton drew, at West Bromwich, neither side having scored. THE SOUTHERN LEAGUE. The results of the matches in the Southern League were:—Bristol Rovers beat Fulham, at Fuliiam, by one goal to none; Tottenham Hotspur beat West Ham United, at Tottenham. by two goals to one; Swindon Town beat Ply- mouth Argyle, at Swindon, by two goals to none Millwall beat Wellingborough, at Millwall, by four goals to none; Luton beat Brentford, at Luton, by one goal to none; Portsmouth beat Kettering, at Kettering, by one goal to none Southampton beat Brighton and Hove Albion, at Southampton, by five goals to one Queen's Park Rangers and Reading drew at Kensal-rise, one goal all; New Brompton and Northampton drew at New Brompton, two goals all. THE AMATEUR CUP. Further progress was made on Saturday in the third round of the qualifying competition for the Amateur Cup. The matches, however, were only of local interest. "SOCCER" CLUB MATCHES. London v. Corinthians At Ilford, the Corin- thians won by four goals to two.—London Cale- donians v. Oxford University: At Tufnell Park, Oxford won by one goal to none.—Cambridge University v. Clapton: Playing on their own ground, the Light Blues gained a victory by three goals to one. THE RUGBY COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP. Somerset v. Gloucestershire: This match ended in a draw, with neither scoring.—York- shire v. Lancashire At Wakefield, the result was a draw, with no score. NORTHERN UNION LEAGUE. Division I.—Batley, 7 points; Halifax, 4.— Hunslet, 15 points; Swinton, 5.—Leeds, 6 points; Runcorn nil.—Broughton Rangers, 6 points; Hull Kingston Rovers, nil.—War- rington, 7 points Huddersfield, 3.Oldham 10 points Keighley, 2.—Salford, 5 points; Wigan, nil.—Hull, 25 points; Widnes, 5.—Bradford, 9 points; Leigh 8. Division II.-Castleford, 12 points; Millom, nil.-Pontefract, nil; Wake- field Trinity, nil.—Holbeck, 3 Normanton, nil. —Morecambe, 6; Dewsbury, 2.—Rochdale Hor- nets, 13; South Shields, nil.—Bramley, nil; St. Helens, nil.—York, 23; Birkenhead, nil.-Brig- house Rangers, 15; Lancaster, 2. "RUGGER" CLUB MATCHES. Blackheath v. Northampton Played at Black- heath, and won by the home side by three goals and three tries to Northampton's two tries.—Ox- ford University v. Richmond: The University just beat Richmond at Oxford, by a single point —three tries to a goal and a try.—London Scot- tish v. Ca. bridge University: At Richmond, Cambridge University beat London Scottish by two goals and five tries to a try.-R.I.E.C. v. London Hospital: At Cooper's Hill, the College won by four tries to nil.—Old Merchant Taylors v. Guy's Hospital: The Taylors were beaten, on their own ground at Richmond, by Guy's Hos- pital, who won by a placed goal and a try to a dropped goal.-Kensington v. Harlequins: Played at Wood-lane, and won by the Harlequins by two dropped goals to a placed goal—8 points to 5.—Marlborough Nomads v. Lennox: Lennox won, at Surbiton, by a goal and two tries to nil. —Leicester v. Swansea: At Leicester, Swansea won by a goal and two tries to love.—Gloucester v. Bath Bath were quite outplayed at Glou- cester and defeated by three goals (one penalty) and four tries to nothing.—Coventry v. Rugby: These clubs played a draw at Coventry, each side obtaining one try.—Dublin Wanderers v. Birkenhead Park: At Dublin, the Wanderers gained an easy victory by 20 points to none.—Car- cliff v. Newport: At Cardiff, where Newport were beaten by two penalty goals and a try to a try. LONDON LEAGUE. There were 5,000 spectators of the London League "Soccer" match at Tottenham on Mon- day between the Hotspur team and Millwall. Neither side was fully representative. Totten- ham began well, scoring twice in five minutes, and leading at the interval by two goals to one. Subsequently Millwall had the better of the game, and they beat Tottenham by three goals to two. At Brentford the match in the same competition between Woolwich Arsenal and Brentford was drawn at one goal all. Woolwich Arsenal were without several of their best players, BIRMINGHAM CHARITY CUP. In the final tie for the local Charity Cup at Birmingham Aston Villa on Monday beat Small Heath after a good game by four goals to two.

A DEATHBED WEDDING. An interesting wedding was solemnised a few days ago in a sanatorium at Vienna between Count Chamari, on his deathbed, and a singer. Before the ceremony, which the Count did not long survive, he made a will (our correspon- dent states) leaving his newly-made wife sole heiress of his property, valued at four million kronen. His family were at first disposed to contest the will, but now it is said an arrange- ment with the widow will probably be made.

WEDDING RING FRAUDS. I REMARKABLE STORY. I At Shrewsbury, on Tuesday, a boy named Sidney Watkins was charged with stealing two gold wedding rings, the property of his em- ployer, John Kent, pawnbroker. Mary Wat- kins, the mother of the boy, was charged with aiding and abetting. The evidence revealed a prolonged and daring fraud. During the stock- taking it was recently discovered that in a large number of instances where wedding rings appeared to have been pledged, the rings were not in stock, and there was no trace of re- demption. Suspicion eventually pointed to the boy, whereupon his mother went to the police and made a remarkable confession. She stated that, having several children to keep, she in- duced her son Sidney to steal two rings, which she had pawned with his employer. The rings were then re-pledged and re-stolen by the boy, time after time. Investigation showed that the same two rings had been pledged and stolen no less than eighty-three times during the pre- sent year, the amounts repeatedly received on each ring varying from 10s. to £ 1. The boy was dealt with under the First Offenders Act, but Mrs. Watkins was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, with hard labour. A woman named Smith, who had pledged the rings forty- seven times, was reprimanded.

THE REVENUE. I The receipts on account of Revenue from April 1, 1903, when there was a balance of 96637,127, to November 21, 1903, were £ 77,839,375, against £ 80,937,535 in the corre- sponding period of the preceding financial year, which began with a balance of £ 8,566,947. The net expenditure was C-91,417,632, against £ 124,435,199 to the same date in the previous year. The Treasury balances on November 21, 1903, amounted to C3,019,142, and at the same date in 1902 to £ 5,619,405.

PEERAGE ROMANCE. I COUNTESS' DEATH CLOSES A STRANGE CHAPTER. I The death of the Countess of Euston, who suc- cumbed to bronchitis at Fulham on Tuesday morning, closes an astonishing and melancholy chapter in the history of the peerage. Thirty-three years ago, when the present Earl of Euston, eldest son of the Duke of Grafton, was the Hon. Henry James FitzRoy and was barely two and twenty, he met a pretty, dashing girl called Kate Walsh, who as "Katie Cooke" had earned some celebrity on the variety stage. Her career had been even then a somewhat re- markablie one. In 1863, seven years, before, she met the future Lord Euston, she was married at Glasgow to George Manley Smith, a commercial traveller. Manley Smith disappeared, and his wife joined a travelling circus with which a man named Cooke was connected. For some time she lived with Cooke and took his name. In the meantime, news came that Manley Smith had sailed for Australia, and that the ship on which he travelled had been wrecked and he himself had been drowned. Then young FitzRoy came on the scene, and, as "Kate Walsh Smith, widow," the girl was married to him in Worcester on May 29, 1871. The marriage turned out to be a very unhappy one, and after several temporary separations they agreed to part. For seven years matters were allowed to drift along on this basis. In 1882, when the then Lord Euston succeeded his father as the Duke. of Grafton, the Hon. Henry FitzRoy became Earl of Euston, and two years later he instituted a suit for a declaration of nullity of marriage. The ground of action was that when he mar- ried "Kate Walsh Smith, widow," George Maaley Smith, so far from having been drowned, was still flourishing in New Zealand. The defence was an amazing one. The Countess declared that when she went through the ceremony cf marriage with George Manley Smith his wife was still living, that the marriage was no marriage, and that she was free, therefore, to marry Lord Euston. The suit was heard on April 4, 1884, and George Manley Smith was the principal witness. He said that he was married in June, 1862, but when he married Kate Walsh in the following year he was informed that his wife was dead. As a matter of fact she did not die until 1867, and two of her sisters came forward to establish this fact, and, produced the certificate of death.. The petition was accordingly dismissed, and the marriage with Lord Euston pronounced to be legal.

l A DOG'S DEATH. I I The case in which Mr. Henry E. Packwood, a breeder and exhibitor of dogs, residing at Bir- mingham, sued the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company to recover fifty-five pounds, the vaJue of a collie dog which was lost overboard whilst on a voyage from London to Capetown, was con- cluded in the King's Bench Division on Tues- diay. Mr. Justice Walton held that, even if there had bep-n negligence on the part of their servants, the defendants were exempted from liability by a clause of the bill of lading, and be, therefore, entered judgment for them with costs

HOOLEY CASE IN COURT. I The Lord Chief Justice and a special jury, in the King's Bench Division, on Tuesday, con- cluded the hearing of the action brought by Mrs. Annie Maria, Hooley, the wife of Mr. Ernest Terah Hooley, against Mr. Frederick Handel Booth, of Manchester, to recover the balance of money said to be due in reference to shares purchased by him through her husband, who acted as her agent. The jury found that the plaintiff was not entitled to recover the three hundred pounds nor the two thousand five hundred pounds. They also found that the defendant was induced to part with two hundred pounds by untrue representations, and' that he had not by his conduct waived any misrepresenta- tion. Judgment was accordingly entered for the defendant on the claim and counter-claim, with costs.

GIRLS AND THE LIQUOR TRADE. The National British Women's Temperance Association have issued a memorial against the employment of young girls in the sale of intoxicat- ing liquors. This memorial will be presented to the licensing justices next January. "We emphatically disclaim any desire to do anything to injure the women who have already been allowed to enter the barmaids' calling," the memorial sets forth, "but we are concerned with the perpetual waste of girl life from this source, and desire to prevent others entering an a life likely to be so disastrous to them, and which so often unfits them physically and morally from honourable wifehood and motherhood, even when they escape absolute ruin."

The Duke of Fife holds a record. He is the only man who has ever been known to change his rank while he ate his breakfast. After the marriage ceremony had been eelebrated in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace, on the morning of July 27th, 1899, he led his Royal bride into the dining-room, where the wedding breakfast was laid, as an earl. When the meal was half over, the late Queen, in raising her glass to the toast of the young couple, conferred a dukedom upon him, and thus, as he ate, he passed through two ranks of the peerage- surely the quickest promotion ever recorded.

NOTABLE DEATHS. PRINCE SOLTYKOFF SUCCUMBS TO PNEUMONIA. The English turf has lost a staunch supportei by the death of Prince Soltykoff, who passed away at his London residence in Curzon-street, Mayfair, on Saturday evening. The Prince was in his seventy-fifth year, and the cause of hia death was pneumonia. Prince Soltykoff came of a distinguished Rus- sian family, one of whose members had had the doubtful fortune to be given in marriage to the Muscovite Nero, Ivan the Terrible. Educated at St. Petersburg University, the late Prince Soltykoff was intended for the Diplo- matic Service, but on the outbreak of the Crimean War he donned a private's uniform and speedily fought his way to a commission. The war ended, he came to England, where his passion for the turf found opportunities de- nied to him in Russia. He came, he saw, and was conquered. Racing was the breath of life to him. In England he could indulge his taste íQr horseflesh as nowhere else. Like another distinguished foreigner, Prince Ranjitsinhji, he renounced the fieshpots of Egypt for a favourite sport. Self-exiled, he settled at Newmarket in 1858, and ever since the pink jacket and black cap have been well to the fore in English racing. Since 1867 he had been a member of the Jockey Club, and in 1889 he was elected a steward of that august body, the only foreigner who ever enjoyed the distinction. Immensely popular, a friend of royalty, "Solty" was a familiar figure on every racecourse. His Newmarket residence, known as "The Kremlin," a title jokingly bestowed upon it by Admiral Rous, was the scene of an almost limitless hos- pitality. In 1865 he married Elizabeth Yakoleff, the only daughter and heiress of a high Russian official. Prince Soltykoff's chief turf successes were the. Cesarewitch of 1875, with the Duke of Parma, which, in addition to a large stake, won a handsome sum in bets for its owner the (Good- wood, Ascot, and Newmarket Cups; the Grand Prix, the Great Eastern Railway Handicap on four separate occasions, the Lincolnshire, the Cambridgeshire, and Newmarket Handicaps. In all his turf success, however, Prince Soltykoff never won either the Derby, the Oaks, the St. Leger, or the Two Thousand Guineas. c DEATH OF LADY WALPOLE. Lady Walpole, one of the grand dames and most familiar figures at Hampton Court Palace, where she had resided for nearly twenty-six years, died on Sunday morning at half-past nine o'clock. She survived her husband, the dis- tinguished Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Wa.Ipole, who fought in the Indian Mutiny, for twenty-seven years, and attained to the good age of more than eighty years. Like another Palace resident, the late Lady Georgiana Grey,, who lived to within a few months of becoming a cen- tenarian, Lady Walpole was distinguished for charity. She was, for her age, remarkably active. The illness to which she succumbed had lasted about six weeks. Her death was announced at the morning service in the Chapel Royal of the Palace, and Chopin's funeral march was played on the organ. For upwards of a century the Walpole family ilave been connected uninterruptedly with Hampton Court by residence. The late Lady Walpole, who lived with her daughters, occupied her apartments, which were granted her by Queen Victoria, for twenty-five years. TWO M.P.'S DEAD. The Right Hon. Charles Seale-Hayne, Liberal member for the Ashburton division of Devon- shire, succumbed to a stroke of paralysis at 9.45 a.m. on Sunday, at his London residence, 6, Upper Belgrave-street. Mr. Seale-Hayne was treasurer of the Cobden Club. His majority at the last election was 771. Mr. John Penn, the Conservative member for Lewishmam, died at midnight on Saturday at his London residence, 22, Carlton House-terrace, at the age of fifty-five. Mr. Penn's daughter is married to the eldest son of Mr. Gibson Bowles, M.P. Mr. Penn was well known as a. cricketer and golfer. His majority in Lewisham at the election of 1892 was 2,414.

AN AUTUMN GALE. I NATALITIES AND DAMAGE BY LAND AND SEA. I Saturday's gale serves as a reminder that this is the bi-centenary week of the Great Storm. On November 26, 1703, it broke out and raged with record violence for twenty-four hours. Warships and merchant vessels were wrecked, trees and buildings were levelled wholesale, and the destruction of live stock was prodigious. The Eddystone Lighthouse was blown into the sea with its constructor, Win- stanley. The Bishop of Bath and Wells was killed while in bed. The damage in London was widespread, and was estimated at 92,000,000. Sunday night's reports from many parts of the country, but especially from the Midlands and still farther north, give details of the severity of Saturday's gale, which in some instances is said to have been almost a hurricane. A peculiar and fatal accident happened at Ardrossan, where about a hundred labourers were engaged in closing the storm gates at the harbour. A tremendous sea struck the gates, and, forcing them back, caused the handle of the closing machinery to revolve rapidly. One man was struck by the revolving handle and hurled to a considerable distance and killed. At Nuneaton two children were caught up by a strong gust and were dropped into the canal, whence they were rescued by a collier. The worst disasters were on land, but ship- ping as not been left untouched. A schooner bound for London with firebricks went aground on the Maplin Sands on Saturday night, but was floated on Sunday. Lowestoft has again suffered severely. Time after time have the artificial works been wrecked by the angry seas that throw the spray right up the cliff and give a shock that can felt more than a hundred yards inland. The upper esplanade roadway has been washed away. In the midst of the heavy gale the schooner Jack Snipe put into Lough tlwilly short of sup- plies. She dragged her anchor, and was in great danger, but a party of Bunchana coast- guards boarded and navigated her to a safe anchorage. On their way back in a boat they were swamped and were battling with the waves for three hours. One of the men rose from a sick bed to help his comrades.

THE ROYAL LOVE MATCH. I Rumours are afloat at Windsor that the wed- ding of Prince Alexander of Teck and Princess Alice of Albany will take place early next year, and that St. George's Chapel is shortly to be placed in order for the great event. The mem- bers of the choir have been warned to hold themselves ready, and everything points to a wedding at no distant date. It is said that the same ceremony will be observed as obtained at the Duchess of Albany's own marriage, and that most of the members of the Royal Family will be present.

"That is Ajax defying the lightning." "Well," answered the man with the timorous manner, "there's always a strong chance that lightning won't hit anybody. If the same amount of electricity had been after him in the battery of an automobile, I don't believe Ajax would have been so courageous."

OUR FISCAL POLICY. MR. CHAMBERLAIN AT CARDIFF. I APPLIES HIS ARGUMENTS TO COAL AND TINPLATES. Mr. Chamberlain on the 20th inst. visited Cardiff, where he addressed a great meeting in the Drill Hall. Amongst those on the platform were the Duke of Sutherland, Lord and Lady Windsor, Lord Llangattock, Sir W. T. Lewis, Sir Joseph Lawrence, M.P., Dr. Rutherford Harris, The Mackintosh, Lord Tredegar,, Celonel Pryce Jones, M.P., Lord Romilly, Lord Dunraven, Mr. W. J. Bryan (formerly candidate for the American Presidency), the Earl of Selkirk, Sir V. Caillard, Sir H. Lloyd, Colonel Wyndham Quinn, M.P., etc. Mr. Chamberlain said that gathering confirmed him in the conviction that there was no class of the community which, was so deeply interested in the success of this campaign as the working classes, and it convinced him that the working classes did not believe all the statements of his opponents^ for he was sure that if they thought he was going to make the poor poorer and the rich richer—going to bring starvation and suffer- ing to the homes of the working people—they would not have given him so cordial a greeting. I NOT AN INVENTION OF HIS. I The question was not an invention of his own. It was referred to in the House of Commons twenty years ago by the present Prime Minister. It was raised again and again by the late Lord Salisbury. The question had formed the pro- gramme of individual politicians or statesmen, but somehow they had hitherto failed to make it an immediate issue. He was a comparatively recent recruit. He would not have made himself a. protagonist in the great struggle had it not been for his experience at the Colonial Office, and his know- ledge of the feelings of our kinsmen beyond the seas that this Empire could not be kept per- manently together without some strengthening of the bonds which now knitted us together. THE SAME STALE ASSERTION. I I How was it that the question had been sud- denly brought into prominence? The honour of that result he gave entirely to Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, to his colleagues, and to I those institutions which followed his lead. When tljfi question was raided he (Mr. Chamberlain) and his friends asked th»t it should be discussed not fn a party, but an Imperial-EptFif. It was Sir Henry Campoell-Bannerman and his followers who had thrown it into the furnace of our local politics, who had created a monster which they would find it very difficult to lay. The policy of unrestricted free imports, which had existed for the last fifty years, was doomed. It could never he restored to its old position. The people were tired of always lying down to be trampled upon and always being bullied when they tried to get up. They had made great progress. The Prime Minister's speech at Bristol contained a clear and definite expression of the views of the Government, and after that speech it was impos- sible for any honest man to pretend he did not know what the Government policy was, or that Mr. Balfour had not a mind and a policy of hit own. I NOTABLE CONVERTS. I Mr. Balfour was followed by Sir Michael Hicks- Beach, and he made a speech which, under exist- ing circumstances, was perhaps even of greater interest viz., "I am prepared to support the policy which the Prime Minister laid down at Sheffield and also in his speech to-night. That was a remarkable declaration. He (Mr. chamberlain) accepted it with gratitude, although Sir Michael went on to say he was steadfastly opposed to the unauthorised pro- gramme, meaning (he supposed) the reciprocal preferential treatment between our colonies and ourselves. There was the Duke of Devonshire, who re- signed because he did not agree with the Sheffield speech of Mr. Balfour, which Sir Michael Hicks Beach was prepared heartily to support. The last information was that the Duke was not op- posed to the Government, but that he hoped to be a drag upon the wheel. The great Pitt was now known to history as the pilot who weathered the storm. He (Mr. Chamberlain) should not care to go down to posterity as the "drag on the wheel." Then .there was Lord Goschen, who, at Liver- pool, said if circumstances required heroic legis- lation be would be prepared to consider it favour- ably. He was afraid his friend Lord Goschen had also some desire to attain posthumous fame as a drag on the wheel. Still, he had made pro- gress. THE SOUTH WALES COAL TRADE. I The right hon. gentleman then referred to how the present fiscal system affected the coal trade of South Wales. The growth of Cardiff had been almost phenomenal, but he. thought he saw symp- toms which, if not 'taken in time, would lead to danger and disaster. They in that district did a large export trade in coal; but their prosperity in the long run must depend upon the home trade, except for maritime purposes. Coal was being produced in large quantities in the United States, France, and Germany, and they must see that it was inevitable in the long run that these countries must 'be self-sufficient. The time would come when coal in this country must depend upon the home trade, and therefore it was to their interest that they should foster home industries. M'KINLEY TARIFF AND THE TINPLATE TRADE. I Then, owing to the McKinley tariff, the tin- plate trade of South Wales had been greatly en- dangered, and if we had not been bound hand and foot by our policy we might now have all the American tinplate trade. Sir William Harcourt had said that the tinplate trade had been entirely revived in South Wales. That was not so it had retrieved some of the ground it had lost owing to the abnormal demand of South Africa diuring the war and to the continually increasing demand from British colonies. But even now the exports last year amounted to only 370;000 tons. Therefore they had lost, as compared with ten years ago, 80,000 tons. By this decrease there was a loss of X60,000 per annum. Suppose this were carried all through the trades, what happened? Some workmen went to the workhouse, some got casual employ- ment, and others emigrated. For those who emigrated we got undesirable aliens in return—that was what was called free exchange; but was it a good exchange for us? (Cries of'-No.") He did not blame the manufac- turers for taking advantage of this dumping, be- cause they must buy in the cheapest market. It was the fault of the statesmen and politicians of this country. The tinrplate trade showed that a hostile tariff, when scientifically directed, might kill a trade which under normal conditions would remain with us. The McKinley Tariff had killed the American trade in tinplates, and when once a foreign coun- try had found its advantage in a manufacture we could not in reason expect that it would allow us to take it away. Nothing of this kind was fore- seen by Mr. Cobden and his friends. LCRD ROSEBERY'S MESSAGE. Lord Rosebery had now come out to offer the hand to those who had denounced him to say, "Whatever we do, let us put all differences aside let us fight this policy." And what did they think the alternative was? What we wanted,.said Lord Rosebery, was "com- mercial repose." Rest and be thankful. Go to sleep and forget your troubles. Did they fear danger, had they nightmare-if so they must try Lord Rosebery's specific, "Try the world-famed soporific pill." It was not commercial repose that we wanted, ;t was commercial activity. We were surrounded by active, energetic and successful rivals. It was time to change our system. Above all, let us draw closer to our friends, to those who had made offers better than any other countries could give us. What Washington did for the United States of America, what Bismarck did'for Germany, it was our business to do for the British Empire. APPEAL TO PATRIOTISM. I Mr. Chamberlain made two remarkable speeches on Saturday. The first, delivered at a private luncheon at Cardiff just before his departure for Newport. Important as money considerations are, said Mr. Chamberlain in effect, I care much less for them than for the imaginative side of the ques- tion. "My proposals, I believe, will put money into tha pockets of all. But you are something more than mere seekers of lucre you are Britons, patriots; you are not living for yourselves alone, nor merely for this generation. Your fathers gave not only their wealth but their lives to make this Empire great. Will you think only of your material benefit? "Great Britain and her Colonies used to be the phrase. They are not our Colonies—they are our daughter States—they are no longer to be called Colonies. Each for all, and all for each. £ 1,800 was subscribed at the luncheon for the Tariff Reform League. MR. CHAMBERLAIN AND THE WELSH I WORKERS. Mr. Chamberlain on Saturday addressed a meeting, chiefly composed of working men, at Newport. He declared th&t he was absolutely indifferent to the abuse lavished upon him by opponents, and invited his hearers to consider his arguments quite independently of his character. He had two main objects—to secure more employ- ment for the people of this country and to effect a closer union between the motherland and her children across the sea. His opponents argued that no reform was necessary, that the. country was never so prosperous, and everything was for the best in the best of all possible worlds. But he did not believe it, and if, as Sir H. Campbell- Bannerman asserted, a third of the population were on the edge of starvation, there must be something wrong which ought to be set right. He should never be satisfied till there was in this country full "-employment at fair wages for every industrious man. Every year work was being filched from our people by the hostile tariffs of foreign nations, and, when we appealed to them, they said we had nothing to offer them in exchange for tariff concessions. As we stood at present we had to take that answer. He refused to take it. If foreigners shut us out of their markets, he would shut them out of ours. There was no salvation to be found in any other alter- native. It was said that this would mean a tariff war, and that all the Great Powers would attack us. He was impatient at this cowardly doctrine he did not believe in any tariff war, and, if there were one, he supposed we could get out of it as well as we had done on other occasions. Mr. Chamberlain proceeded to refer to the Sugar Con- vention as an instance of successful retaliation, and to the manner in which German threats to punish this country for the Canadian preference fcad been silenced by the warning that two could play at that game. TKe argument of his opponents, that "dumping" was a positive benefit to this country, was surely rather silly. The foreigners dumped because it cost them nothing, but it cost us our employment, our profit, our trade. The Germans and Americans not only ha.1 their own mar < which we were shut out of, but they had ours as well. After further reference to the evils of dumping, Mr. Cham- berlain went on to declare that the statement that the Colonies would not respond to our offers was a slander upon them. When they came tc us with proposals for binding the Empire closer by material ties, we ought to meet them in no peddling or huckstering spirit, quarrelling with them about farthings when the existence of the Empire was at stake. I MR. BRYCE AT WALSALL. The Right Hon. James Bryce, M.P., addressed a meeting under the auspices of the Walsall Liberal Association at Walsall on Monday night. Sir Arthur D. Hayter, M.P., presided. Mr. Bryce said that the Government was a Govern- ment of caretakers. What was its policy? It was believed that it was going to try and secure the Irish vote by doing something for Ireland. It was going to take away the discretion of justices with regard to the granting of licenses. It had also revised a policy or retaliation which was practically indistinguishable from Protec- tion, and which was intended to lead them to taxes on food. He described it as a policy of less food and more drink. The Government already had the power to retaliate. If there were half a dozen general elections held on the question it could no-t give them a wider power. Was it not the fact that retaliation was only a road to Protection? There was no doubt about it that the Government was doing the work of Protec- tion, and the people of the country must assume that the policy VfhtCh the Government was adopt- ing would lead to Protection, and that the issue fought at the election would be the issue of Protection. No one had argued more strenuously against Protection than Mr. Chamberlain. His speeches were perfect arsenals of arguments against protective duties. Mr. Chamberlain's scheme was based on figures which in almost every case had been proved to be wrong, and in some cases monstrously wrong. No reply had been made to the damaging criticisms with which the scheme had been riddled through and throa- h No scheme deserved to be considered which could not defend itself from such criticisms as Mr. Chamberlain's had encountered. The three assumptions on which the whole scheme was based were that the British Empire was going to pieces, that the British export trade was declin- ing, and that Protection would give more employment to the working classes. Everyone of these assumptions was untrue. Protective duties checked and injured the export trade, the carry- ing trade, and home trade. There was not a single class in the country except the landowners and, perhaps, the capitalists who would not suiter < from Protection. He did not believe the policy of the Government would commend itself to the working people of the country. I SIR E. GREY AT SALISBURY. I Sir Edward Grey, M.P., addressing a Liberal meeting at Salisbury, on Monday night, said he should like to offer a word of caution to Sir Michael Hicks Beach. He seemed to think that, in postponing an election for some two or three years, in other words, in keeping Mr. Balfour in, he would keep Mr. Chamberlain out, and that by supporting Mr. Balfour as a retaliator, he could prevent him from becoming a Pro- tectionist. That was rather a dangerous policy. They had asked Mr. Balfour definite questions as to what he meant, and he replied by asking them abstract questions, which were more suit- able for a debating society than for practical politics. But his belief was that Mr. Balfour had retaliation on his lips, Protection in his thoughts, and taxes on food up his sleeve. Look at the confusion that this had brought about amongst the friends of the Government. The Duke of Devonshire, a Free Trader, had resigned because of Mr. Balfour's Sheffield speech. Sir Michael Hicks Beach, a Free Trader, was now supporting Mr. Balfour be- cause of that same Sheffield speech. Sir Michael Hicks Beach opposed Mr. Chamberlain's proposals and supported Mr. Bal- four. Mr. Chamberlain said that Mr. Balfour agreed with him. Well, that was a pretty state of confusion to have got a party into. And what was Mr. Balfour doing? They were told that he was playing whist. If the Premier was playing whist, his was the dummy hand, with this difference, that the dummy hand was to be played with cards face down upon the table, and to be played by the active partner, Mr. Chamberlain, who alone knew all that was in that hand. This fiscal question was too serious to be played with as the Government were play- ing with it. The uncertainty that was hanging over the country was bound soon to paralyse industry, if it were not cleared up by a general election. They missed in Mr. Chamberlain's later speeches any mention of old-age pensions. They were told now that Protection was to benefit everybody. Money was to be put into everybody's pocket. Wages were to be in- creased, though the cost of living was not to be raised, and every honest and industrious man was to be secured for ever a fair wage and con- stant employment. These prophets believed they could increase our home trade and export trade by artificially increasing the cost of the articles which we used and made. Exactly the reverse would be the case. If they artificially raised the price of everything people would be able to use less. They would restrict the con- suming power, and the home trade was bound to shrink. We now maintained our export trade by competing with other nations abroad, and producing more cheaply than they could pro- duce. If we artificially increased the cost of production we should not be able to produce f.) cheaply at home, and we should be handicapped in our foreign trade. I FREE FOOD LEAGUE. I SPEECH BY THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE. The Duke of Devonshire presided on Tuesday night at a crowded meeting held under the auspices of the Free Food League at the Queen's Hall, in London. Among those on the platform were Lord Goschen, Lord Balfour of Burleigh, Lord James of Hereford, Lord Lytton, Lord G. Hamilton, and Sir M. Hicks Beach. The Duke, in opening the proceedings, explained the objects of the league, and said that it was not solely opposed to the taxation of food, but sought also to resist any attempt to impose protective duties generally. He claimed for himself the full right to oppose anything in n el the nature of a return to protection. He held that this question must be a political one, but in his opinion it was not the policy of the Government which was before the country. The public liked a clear issue, and a clear issue had been placed before them by Mr. Chamber- lain, but men had not yet made up their minds upon it. The policy of the Government must be more clearly defined. It was not upon the results of their inquiry that that policy had been framed. There was Mr. Balfour's pamphlet, and his speech at Sheffield; but some of the expressions used by the Prime Minister might lead them to think that no new departure from the picsent system was intended. It surely could not be contended that the country should be asked to confer on the Government a dis- cretionary power to impose taxation without the express consent of Par- a merit. Within certain limits there was a goct". deal to be said for re- taliation, but he trust, J that no Government would ever enter upon uch a policy under the delusion that it was a good thing in itself. If he could have been assured precisely what was meant by the moderate use of retaliation re- ferred to by the Prime Minister he might still have been a member of the Government. If they could not have free trade all round they would only injure themselves if they built up tariff walls to restrict the importation of goods which for their own advantage they took from other nations. After criticising the arguments of Mr. Balfour's Sheffield speech, the Duke contended that the taxation of food was the keystone to the whole policy to which he was opposed. He dealt with some of Mr. Cham- berlain's arguments, and said that by every test they could apply the prosperity of the country was increasing. He would take no part in a policy founded on the inversions of fact to which they had listened. The leaders of the Unionist party were allowing its direction to fall out of their hands. He trusted that it would not be long before they told us whether they intended to join their late colleague in his retrograde career. A resolution expressing readiness to consider any Government proposals for mitigating the effect of hostile tariffs in special cases, but offering strenuous opposition to any fiscal policy which involves the protec- tive taxation of food and the establishment of a general protective or preferential tariff, was moved by Lord Goschen, seconded by Lord George Hamilton, and carried. Mr. W. F. D. Smith also spoke. MR. ASQUITH AT BARNSTAPLE. Mr. Asquith, speaking on Tuesday night at Barnstaple, said the fiscal issue raised by Mr. Chamberlain was the greatest danger of our time. He admitted the gravity and urgency of the industrial and social dangers menacing the nation, but the causes were imperfect educa- tion and blind adherence to antiquated methods. We must not be taken in by a practitioner who prescribed quack medicines. Retaliation harmed those who used it more than those against whom it was directed. He challenged Mr. Chamber- lain to show that «.ny British industry of any magnitude had been ruined by dumping-

THE CHAMBERLAIN CLOCK TOWER. When Mr. Chamberlain returned from his progress through South Africa his con- stituents in West Birmingham decided to mark his triumph by the erection of a permanent memorial in the division. Nearly E400 was raised by subscription among the electors, and a handsome clock tower has been erected on land given by the owners in a conspicuous part of the constituency. The work will be com- pleted in three or four weeks. Mrs. Cham- berlain has promised to unveil the memorial and start the clock.

GUIDE TO MARKETING. An interesting scheme with the object of bringing farmers and consumers into closer touch is being instituted by the Great Western Railway Company. They are preparing for public distribution a pamphlet containing a list of farmers and others residing in districts served by their system of railways from whom eggs, butter, poultry, vegetables, etc., may be ob- tained direct by the consumer. All that is necessary for any one to do in order to get his jiame included in this pamphlet is to apply at the nearest Great Western station for a form which will be provided for the purpose.

BRIGHTON TRAGEDY. J An inquest was held at Brighton, on Monday, respecting the death of Mrs. Kate Wortham, aged thirty-eight, who was found dead at 11, Great College-street, on the preceding Friday morning. Mr. Wortham, a clerk in the London Law Courts, told the jury that deceased, whom he married as his second wife in October, 1900, had at various times attempted to destroy herself. Two months after their marriage he returned home sooner than was expected, and found her unconscious owing to her having tried to strangle herself with a piece of tape. On another occasion he had to follow her to the Thames, as she had threatened to drown herself. She had been certified as insane, but subsequently her condition seemed to improve. Recently, at hsr request, as she wished to live with her mother, he had arranged for a deed of separation, and on Friday morning of last week, before starting for London, he bade her farewell for the last time. She had appeared distressed when the time approached for the separation to take effect, but he considered she was fit to be left alone in the house. In answer to a solicitor, who appeared for the relatives, Mr. Wortham said his wife had accused him of setting spies on her and so forth. The separation was not sought by him. It was entirely her own wish. Mrs. Katherine Anne Smith, deceased's mother, gave evidence corroborating her soin-in-laws story, and also described how she was the first to find her daughter's body. Mr. W. D. Calvert, surgeon, who was called when the discovery was made, stated that in De- cembei last he certified Mrs. Wortham as insane. and considered her to be dangerous, but nothing further was done, owing to her husband's un- willingness to put her under restraint. Death was undoubtedly due to strangulation, a silk handkerchief having been tied tightly around the neck, and, in his opinion, there could be no doubt it was a case of suicide. The handker- chief was so fragile and so easily torn that it was most improbable that anyone other that deceased herself had tied it, besides which the fact that the knot wag just under the chin indicated that she alone had tied it. There were no marks of violence on the body, and no signs of any struggle. The coroner observed that at first sight, in the absence of any explanation, there was a certain amount of suspicion in the case, but after hearing the evidence the jury could have no doubt that it was a case of suicide. The jury returned a verdict of suicide whilst of unsound mind, and expressed their sympathy with the relatives.