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

DREYFUS HONOURED. I At the Paris Higher Military School, the place where he was publicly degraded and his sword taken from him more than eleven years ago, Major Dreyfus on Saturday received full reparation, France's highest decoration, the Cross of the Legion of Honour, being conferred upon him. The whole ceremony was extremely simple. The troops were mustered in full parade order in the Cour des Jardins. Among those present were General Picquart, Mme. Dreyfus and her sons, and M. Anatole France. General Guillain, representing President Fal- lieres, performed the ceremony, which was ac- companied by full military honours and an in- spection of troops. At two o'clock precisely the general arrived, and immediately the cere- mony commenced. Not more than two minutes were occupied by the inspection, and then General Guillain ordered Major Dreyfus and Major Targe, who was also honoured, to ap- proach. In a voice heard throughout the square, the general spoke the few words conferring the cross, and as the grand salute rang out pinned it on Major Dreyfus's tunic. Immediately the Major was surrounded by his brother-officers, and cries of "Vive Dreyfus!" Vive, l'arméa 1" funded on all sides. He smilingly acknow- redged their greetings and drove away gaily waving his hand.

OUR LONDON I it is understood that we do not necessarily identify fll-rselves with our correspondent's opinions. Profiting by their experience at the wedding of the Marquis of Graham and Lady Mary Hamilton., the police made due provision for keeping the crowd safely at a distance at the m??age of Mr. Austen Chambe?a,in and Miss Ivy Dundae at St. Margaret's—the Hou&e of ?OBtmons Church-Westminster, on Saturday, and though the populace attended in its thou- sands, there were no unseemly rushes, and the carriage of the bride was not mobbed. Much regret was expressed at the absence of the bridegroom's father, who had not suffi- ciently recovered from an attack of gout to attend, but, before going off for their honey- moon, Mr. and Mrs. Austen Chamberlain drove to Prince's-gardens to visit the right honourable gentleman. Of course, nearly everybody who was anybody in the political world attended, and, if Parliament had been sitting and the division bell had rung, the singular sight would have been seen of a great portion of the male guests aving the church to do their duty in the House. A novel feature in the church was the presence of a number of police- men, who acted as ushers a post usually filled by the personal friends of the bridegroom—and had the duty of showing the guests to their seats. They were all men who have at one time or another rendered special service to Mr. Joseph Chamberlain and his family, and they received a special greeting from the bride and bridegroom as they passed down the church. The wedding favours, which were, as usual, distributed by the bridesmaids during the signing of the register, were of ivy and stephanotis and ivy and gardenias, the little green leaf being a compliment to the bride's name. Of course, as should happen at a wedding, all went merry as a marriage bell, but there was very nearly a ceremony without the organ, for something went wrong with the instrument on Friday, and, with men working all night, it was not until six o'clock on Satur- day morning that things were put in a satis- factory state. London continues to increase its number of open-air spaces, and the very latest is Hainault Forest—a beautiful tract of country which Earl Carrington dedicated to the use of the public on Saturday. The new space contains over 800 acres, and it has cost E21,000 to acquire. Lord Carrington in his speech re- called days when all Essex was a great forest, and the haunt of wild boar, red deer, wolf, and wild cat, while in later days Hainault Forest was a hunting ground for the Kings and Queens of England. But all that is altered, and so many of the copses, thickets, and pieces of woodland have been torn UiJ, that large portions are being re-afforested, one special plantation alone, some six acres in extent, bearing 1,750 trees. Golf links are likely to be made, and, if the London County Council approves the scheme, anyone will be able to go round the links for 6d. Some trouble occurred with gipsies, who had formed a camp 1 in the forest, and objected to being ousted, but, after several scenes, they obeyed an order of the Courts, and now many have settled at houses in the neighbourhood. Then there is the opportunity of acquiring another open space, this time at Bow. All readers of Dickens remember Mrs. Nickleby's little cottage at Bow, and her experiences with the eccentric gentleman in the next house, who threw marrows and other vegetables over the, garden wall. The scene of these incidents, now known as the Grove Hall Estate, and until recently, curiously enough, the site of a private lunatic asylum, are for sale by auction, and the Dickens Fellowship suggests that the authorities should secure the place for the public-the same as Little Dorrit's playground has been preserved—for, with the exception of a very small space, children have to walk over a mile to reach an open park. The estate comprises nearly twelve acres, and is surrounded by a high wall, on to which the back gardens of some cottages still abut, ex- actly as the garden of the Nickleby's cottage did, and it will be recalled that Mrs. Nickleby's mad admirer first, paid his addresses to her from the top of the wall. At the time the book wao written the district was, as Dickens states, entirely rural. With the object of seeing Ireland for them- selves, a number of members of Parliament have arranged a novel tour in the Emerald Isle during August, after the House of Com- mons has, for the time being, rested from its labours. Mr. Percy Alden is to be in charge of the party, and accompanying him, in addi- tion to several economists, will be Mr. Gooch, Mr. Arthur Black, Mr. Stopford Brooks, Mr. Mackarness, Mr. H alley Stewart, and Mr. Frank Newnes—all members of the House. The party travel by motor-cars—mostly their own-and the tour, which is to be especially devoted to studying the condition of the West, will be practically conducted under official auspices. The Irish members will do the local honours, Mr. O'Malley, M.P., for instance, being a personal guide in Connemara, for which he sits in the Commons. When travelling through the squares of the West-end of London one has often wondered why some practical use could not be made of them. They are always kept in beautiful order, with their broad gravel walks, and turf as soft and smooth as velvet, but, with the exception of a nursemaid or two in charge of some favoured little ones, no one ever seemed to be in them. Now comes the news that the grounds in Cadogan-square have been used for a garden party, the first entertainment of its kind ever held. It is not surprising to read that it was a striking success in every way, and, now that the ice has been broken, no doubt the example set by the hoste&s-,a Mrs. MacDonald—will be followed by other London residents. The gardens in Cadogan-square are always charming at this time of the year, and their beauty was enhanced by the lavish use of Turkish rugs brought from Mrs. Mac- Donald's house, a line of which rugs stretched from the entrance to where the hostess re- ceived her guests. Under the trees were banks of roses, and refreshments were served at I small tables. As many as 500 guests were welcomed during the afternoon. Following upon the sad death of Viscountess Althorp, comes the news of the quite unex- pected demise of Lady Curzon of Kedleston. She had been in failing health for some time past, and had never really recovered from the severe illness which she had at Walmer Castle some two years ago, when on a visit home from India; but no announcement had been made that she was ill, and the news of her death came as a great shock. Lady Curzon, who was a daughter of the well-known American mil- lionaire, the late Mr. L. Z. Leiter, of Chicago, was one of the most beautiful women in So- ciety, and was descended through her mother from John Carver, the first Puritan Governor of Plymouth. She possessed intellectual gifts of no mean order, made many friends as soon ag she settled in this country, and was every- where acknowledged as a leading hostess in Society, while in India she seconded her hus- band's ambition in every way, and was a de- eded success as Vicereine. It is only eleven years since Lady Curzon was married to Lord Curzon (then the Hon. G. N. Curzon), and she leaves three little daughters, the eldest- of whom is ten yeara of age, Whilst the youngest, to whom Queen Alexandra stood sponsor, was born a little over two years ago. Although, with the close approach of Good- wood, the London season is on the wane, Society seems determined to keep up the gaiety as long as possible. Town is still full, while the hotels are fuller than ever, if that can possibly be, and, in spite of the rise of new and enormous hotels, t here seems to be no room for the large number of Eicfb popk who are pouring in from all quarters of the globe. The Savoy on a recent night had to turn away no fewer than fifty-five would-be guests from its doors, besides those who were refused by telegraph and telephone; the Carl- ton and the Ritz are full to overflowing, while the Cecil has beaten its last year's figures, which were those of a record. But the arrivals must find room somewhere, and, as there was no room for them in the inn, they have gone further afield, and the proprietors of the small boarding-houses in the streets which lie between Piccadilly and Oxford-street are reap- ing a golden harvest. The Londoner himself, however, is now off for his aatnual holiday, and long strings of cabs, heavily laden with lug- gage, are to be seen day after day wending their wav to the various termini of the rail- ways. s. J.

THE EDUCATION BILL. The House of Commons, having entered upon the Report stage of the Education Bill, the recommittal of the bill was moved on Monday by Lord R. Cecil, but was defeated by a Government majority of 133. Several clauses, proposed by the Opposition, with the object mainly of protecting the interests of voluntary schools, were, after discussion, rejected when pressed to a division.

RUSSIAN DUMA DISSOLVED. I Important events have taken place in St. Petersburg. After a Ministerial Council held at PeterLof on Saturday under the presidency of the Czar, an Imperial Ukase was published late at night dissolving the Duma, and ord-ering the convocation of a new Duma on March 5, 1007. In a characteristic manifesto, the Tsar states his reasons for dissolving the Duma, declaring S\g members have strayed into spheres beyond their competence, and committed various, illegal ade. In the most emphatic terms, his Majesty states his determination to impose his Imperial will upn the legislation of the Empire; but he promises certain ,ameliorative measures for the peasantry and agricultural classes, with a view to preventing the despoiling of the landlord elasoos by agrarian disorders. Another Ukase relieves M. Goremykin, the Premier, of his post, to which M. Stolypin, Minister of the Interior, has been appointed, while retaining his former post. The Minister of Agriculture, also retires. The Duma building was closed on Sunday, and the entrances guarded by police, who refused admission to everybody except the President and Vi ce-Preei dents. Large numbers of troops have been concen- trated in St. Petersburg, which is officially stated to have been placed in a state of ^proper pro- tection," and: martial law has been proclaimed throughout the Government of Kieff. A number of the Opposition journals have been suppressed and their offices closed. A general strike is said to have been organised for August 18. There are reports of military and naval disaffection at Kronstadt and Sevastopol. In St. Petersburg all meetings and processions are forbidden, and numerous expulsions have already taken place. All the cavalry of the Guard, the whole of the second division of the Guard), a-nd 40 battalions of the line are now concentrated in the city Semi-official statements are issued that the dissolution of the Duma has not produced such an impression as the Press foretold, and M. Stolypin, the Premier, says that the Czar is firmly determined to maintain the system of national representation granted to the country. It is for this reason that the dissolution of the Duma has taken place, as its attitude threatened to make the new system a failure. A large number of the members of the late Duma assembled at Viborg, in Finland, where they held a conference, and resolved to issue a manifesto protesting against the action of the Government, and adding that, as a logical conse- quence of the violation of the Constitution by the Government, it appears to be the duty of citizens not to pay any taxes, sanction loans, or furnish a single soldier. This manifesto was signed by everyone of the ex-Deputies assembled, except Count Hey den and M. Stakhovitch. "DUMA WILL REVIVE." J The Inter-Parliamentary Conference was opened on Monday in the Royal Gal- lery of Westminster Palace. There was a very large attendance of delegates, in- eluding representatives from most of the Parliaments of Europe, and from some in America. Lord Weardale was elected president, and opened the proceedings in an address in which he dwelt on the remarkable progress of the Inter-Parliamentary Union for Peace. Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman next spoke, welcoming the delegates in the name of the British Government and nation, and stating that he was also autho- rised to welcome them in the name of the King. Sir Henry referred to the presence among them of representatives of the Russian Duma, and said he would make no comment on the news received from Russia that morning except that the Duma would revive in one form or another. He urged the delegates, when they returned home, to invite their Governments to go into the Hague Cc gress, as Great Britain hoped to go, pledged to disminish charges in respect of armaments. After Professor Kovalevsky, one of the delegates from the Russian Duma, had announced that he and his companions regarded their mission at an end in consequence of the dissolution of the Duma, and would at once return to Russia, the conference proceeded to the discussion of reports and resolutions.

DRESS OF THE DAY. I A DAINTY FROCK. I To thoroughly enjoy seaside or country holi- days one must be provided with a couple of prettv and extremely simple cotton frocks, which may be worn on beach or rocks without any fear of consequences, and which, when soiled, will return from a visit to the laundress in all their pristine freshness. If one does not already possess such a frock now is the time to acquire one. Cotton and linen dress lengths are to be purchased during the sales for ridiculously small sums, as well as all sorts of dainty embroideries and trimmings to adorn them. The charming frock illustrated in our sketch has been fashioned from just such an odd sa'le length. The ma,terial of which it is made is a fine zephyr, in colour a pretty mauve. The bodice is arranged in cross- over fashion, the fronts being edged with a scalloped band of black-spotted white cambric, bordered with a piping of plain white material. This black and white fabric, needless to say, was an odd sale remnant, too short for blouse pur- poses, and therefore sold for a very small sum. In the opening between the fronts was displayed a I A rSETTY AND INEXPENSIVE HOLIDAY FROCK, I FASHIONED FROM SALE REMNANTSOF ZEPHYR AND BRODERIE ANGLAISiE. dainty vest and neckband of broderie .an.glaise, I worked1 on fine, clear lawn. This again, was a sale length, too small to make a blouse, but of sufficient size to provide trimmings for the cotton frock and for the material for the dainty, becoming hat which accompanies it. But ta return to the details of our gown. The sleeves were very short indeed, and consisted of a small puff of the material finished with scalloped cufFs of the black and white cambric. Beneath these sleeves appeared little puffs of the bro- derie anglaise, which terminated just below the elbow in small buttonholed frills. The skirt, of the umbrella shape, was cut of sensible walking length, and was trimmed with a piped! and scal- loped band of the cambric. A folded belt of the same black and white fabric completed the pretty frock, the whole of the materials of I which were purchased for the modest sum of I half-a-gumea. 1 THE LATEST THING IN COATS. j There is quite a pronounced vogue this summer for linen coats of a decorative and dainty type, far removed from our old friend the linen "duster," as our American cousins call it. These pretty new coats are fashioned from linen of a rather loose weave, and are trimmed with varying degrees of elaboration, from a. simple em- broidered collar or a plain morning coat to a very smart affair consisting principally of broderia anglaise relieved with touches of linen. I SMART AND DAINTY. J A typical example of these new coate, is illus- trated in our sketch. It is fairly simple in shape and trimming, and yet quite smart and dainty enough to wear over a dressy afternoon frock. The fronts of the coat, as you will see, are quite loose, but the back fits ,accurately to the figure and falls in low folds from the waist. On either 8id.e of the front the coat is split up to within a few inches of the waist, which gives a. very LINEN COAT MADE WITH CAPE SLEEVES AND I TRIMMED WITH BRODERIE ANGLAISE. pretty effect. The sleeves consist of small, full capes just long enough to clear the elbow. The whole of the coat, as well 66 the sleeves, is edged with a broad, band of brodierie anglaise piped on either side with plain linen. Round either shoulder runs another band of the em- broidery, simulating a smart little bolero. The coat fastens down the front, with invisible hooks and eyes, but is really intended to be worn open. ABOUT SLEEVES. I The fashionable sleeve of the moment istili con- tinues to be the short, full affair, which has en- joyed such a vogue during the entire spring and summer of this year. On the latest models, how- ever, this ehort eleeve has become even shorter, and now reaches barely to the elbow, band and frills inclusive. These little sleeves are very full and bouffant, though during the last two or three weeks a slight but noticeable tendency towards a. more drooping shoulder line has de- veloped itaelf, and are infinitely various in style and trimming. They are generally finished with a wide piece of insertion backed with muslin and chiffon .and a succession of minute little lace frills, set closely one above another. A very favourite sleeve just now that is to be «een on many of the best Paris blouses is made of chiffon or muslin, completely covered with narrow Valenciennes or Malines lace, slightly gathered, and set on in close overlapping rows. Theso- sleeves are wonderfully pretty and dainty in effect, and as they are introduced into all sorts, and conditions of blouses and frocks, are. ex- tremely useful for renovating a demode garment

NEWS IN BRIEF. I Tragedies and Disasters. George Scrimshaw, 46, a butcher, whilst cycling at Worksop, collided with a trap driven by the matron of Worksop and District Isola- tion Hospital. The shaft of the vehicle pierced him, and he died on Monday morning. At a Manchester inquest on Monday on Frederick Rowledge, an unemployed waiter, and his wife, both of whom committed suicide by taking poison, it was stated that the woman had heard that some shares she possessed had be- come valueless. Whilst crossing Church-road, Bethnal-green, on Monday, a man was run over and killed by a motor 'bus. At an inquest at Great Chart (Kent) on Mon- day the jury returned a verdict of Wilful murder against Robert White, who drowned himself after shooting his wife. The jury did not consider that White was insane at tne time hot the tragedy. Owing to the capsizing of a boat off Shoreham on Sunday a man named Tyler, of Brighton, was drowned. While bathing at French Drove (Lines.) on Sunday Ernest Hardy, aged 24, of Crowland, was drowned. Edward Paul, 11, of Eagle-street, Holborn, was knocked down and killed by a hansom whilst he was running from Macklin-street into Drury-lane on Saturday night. Alderman Wood, of Stockport, aged 70, was found dead in bed on Saturday at his lodgings in Douglas, Isle of Man. Whilst stepping back to his ladder a Lowestoft window-cleancr missed his foot- ing, and, falling 22ft., received fatal in- juries. Joseph Dowell, 78, of Newtown, Unthank, was knocked down and killed by an express on Saturday whilst crossing the Leicester and Burton line of the Midland Railway. First-class Petty Officer Weeks shot him- self through the heart at Sheerness Gunnery School with a service rifle. A visitor at Lynton was found dead from poisoning. His visiting card read: Charles Cnsworthj Madras, India." Accidents. Three members of the Post Office boys' drum and fife band were slightly injured by a runaway horse in St. Martin's-le-Grand on Monday. The liner Deutschland, which was seriously damaged at Dover, has arrived at Southampton, and will undergo repair in the Trafalgar graving dock. Traffic from the City to the West of London on the District Railway was stopped for thirty minutes on Monday night by the signals failing at South Kensington. The residence of Mr. F. Savile-Lumley, at Rutland-gate, Knightsbridge, has been badly damaged by a fire, which originated from a spark. In an explosion at Pentwyn Colliery, Machen, on Saturday, Mr. Trump, assistant inspector, and the under-manager of the col- lierv were seriously injured. While an engine of the London County Council Fire Brigade was proceeding to a fire in St. John-street, Spitalfields, on Satur- day, one of the back wheels broke in the Bethnal-green-road, and the engine had to be conveyed back to the station. A small craft from Brighton containing four men capsized near Shoreham on Sunday, and Robert Taylor, of Brighton, who was unconscious when brought ashore, suc- cumbed. The other three were saved. During the execution of some repairs to a row of houses in Northampton-street, Mile End, on Saturday, the fronts of three of them fell out on to the path and road, but no one was seriously injured. Whilst walking behind an excursion train on Saturday John Woodward was struck in the back and thrown some distance by a train which he had not seen. He was re- moved to the North Western Railway hospi- I tal at Crewe. Walter Lefever, who went to Hastings from Malliam-road, Forest-hill, went to sleep on the top of Easthill. During the night he rolled over the side, and next morning was seen on a ledge 30ft. from the top. lie was rescued with difficulty. Told in the Courts. Lord de Clifford was fined P,5 4s. at the Shore- ham Petty Sessions on Monday for driving a motor-car without a license, and exceeding the speed limit. The Recorder, in charging the Grand Jury on Monday at the opening of the July Sessions at the Old Bailey, said the calendar was un- usually heavy, containing 103 charges. He could not account for the sudden increase in crime. a deterrent Herbert Collins, a motorist, was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment at Warwick Assizes on Saturday for the manslaughter of Harold Price, a cyclist, who was run down by Collins' motor-car and hurled into a hedge. Hugh S. Jones, chauffeur to Prince Hatz- feldt, was fined ClO and costs on Saturday at Leicester for driving a motor-car at a dan- gerous speed. Martha Slaughter, who appeared at the South-Western Police-court on Saturday to prosecute Margaret Stevenson for stealing a silver flask, said she dreamed that the flask was stolen, and when she woke up it was gone. The Liverpool police on Sunday arrested Austin Gibbons on a charge of causing the death of Herbert Henry Harris. Gibbons was a passenger and Harris fireman on the Blackpool steamer Greyhound, and during a quarrel it is alleged that Harris was knocked into the river. A police-constable named Hugh Daly pleaded guilty at Belfast on Saturday to having received a gold watch and small sums of money by false pretences, and was sen- tenced to three months imprisonment. The World of Sport. Fishing in the Thames in the Abingdon district, an angler has just landed a barbel weighing 91b. 5oz. The sum of X120 is to be added to the gold cup given by King Edward for the yacht race to be started on August 24 in connection with the Societe Nautique de la Baie de St. Malo. Music and the Drama. Mozart's "Don Giovanni," with Signor Scotti in the name part, was given at Covent Garden on Monday night. The Dairymaids," the American rights of which have been purchased by Mr. Froh- man, was performed for the hundredth time at the Apollo Theatre on Monday night. Puccini, the eminent composer, has at- tempted unsuccessfully to obtain Rostand's consent to turn his famous play, Cyrano de Bergerac," into opera. M. Antoine, the great French actor, ac- hieved distinguished success at the New Royalty Theatre on Monday night. Military and Naval. The official description of the new battle- ship Dreadnought issued by the Admiralty shows that the vessel is practically invin- cible. The type has been unanimously, ap- proved by the committee of experts ap- pointed by the Admiralty. The torpedo boat Thresher, which struck on the Horse Rock in Bantry Bay, has been refloated. An insurance amounting to < £ 1,000,000 has been completed on the battleship Inflexible, at present under construction on the Clyde. H.M. battleship Lord Nelson, now build- ing at Jarrow, will be launched on Septem- ber 4 by Lady Ridlev. The White Star liner Adriatic, 26,000 tons, which is the largest vessel ever built in Belfast, will be launched in the third week in September from Messrs. Harland and Wolff's shipyard. Social. Several members of the Rehearsal Club, of which Princess Christian is president were invited to Cumberland Lodge, Windsor, by the Princess on Monday afternoon. Rowland Petrie Hill, an English youth oi eighteen, residing at Antwerp, has been de- corated by King Leopold with the first-class gold medal for life-saving. The Prince of Wales, as president of the London Playing iFelds Society, has con- sented to allow the society's ground at Edg- ware to be called Prince Edward's Playing Fields. The King has granted the petition of the Institute of Directors for a Royal Charter. It is announced that the Archbishop of Canterbury will not be able to attend the un- veiling of the memorial of Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone in Harwarden Church. The Prince and the Princess of Wales, the Duke of Sparta, and Prince and Princess Alexander of Teck, were present at the per- formance of "La Boheme" at Covent Gar- den on Saturday evening. The Duke of Devonshire, who was born on July 23, 1833, celebrated his seventy-third birthday on Monday. Commercial and Industrial. A loss of £1,594 14s. 3d. is reported on the maintenance of the Brighton Aquarium, which is controlled by the Corporation, for the year ending March 31 last. The French railway companies have placed at Cardiff contracts for more than half a million tons of small coal and 100,000 tons of large coal, to be delivered in 1907. Hull Corporation on Monday accepted a ten- der of over IZ23,000 for a new reservoir capable of holding ten million gallons at Cottingham. The Fishguard and Rosslare Harbour and Railway were opened on Saturday by the Earl of Aberdeen. Deputations from the Northumberland Colliery Mechanics Association waited on the I Northumberland Coalowners Association in Newcastle on Saturday, and it was decided that with pays commencing August 6 and August 13 wages be advanced 1-2 1 per cent. per day. Serious distress exists in many parts of South Wales owing to the depression in the tinplate trade. At Llanelly three of the largest works in the town have been practi- cally closed. The Swaffham Norfolk) Urban District Council has decided that all their workmen who have joined friendly societies, or other- wise provided for illness, shall be paid as usual when absent from work through sick- ness, but that no wages shall be paid to such employees who have not made such provi- sion. The annual excursion of the employees of Messrs. Bass and Co., brewers, of Burton- on-Trent, took place on Friday, and more than 8,500 of the employees, their wives, and sweethearts visited Scarborough. To repair damage done to the liner Deut- schland by collision with the pier at Dover will, it is stated, cost £ 70,000. National and Political. Mr. Keir Hardie, M.P., addressed a women's suffrage meeting in Stevenson- square, Manchester on Sunday. The pro- ceedings were orderly. The Government of the Isle of Man is re- ducing its National Debt of about X-250,000 rapidly. The numbers are announced of 3i per cent. debentures to the value of X5,100 drawn for repayment at par on August 1. Unfortunately, the redemption of the British National Debt of about X796,000,000 pro- ceeds at a somewhat slower rate. The House of Lords is to read the Educa- tion Bill a first time next Monday, and the second reading will be from Wednesday, August 1, to Friday, August 3. The House will reassemble on October 23. Mr. Birrell has given notice of over three pages of amendments on the report stage of the Bill. A marble bust of Lord Chancellor Cairns, presented by his son, the present Earl, has been placed in position on the court corridor of the Royal Courts cf Justice opposite that of the late Sir George Jessel. Consols fell below 87 for the first time lor over two years. The fall from the highest price recorded last year represents a total deterioration of nearly < £ 30,000,000. From Other Lands. A Bohemian coal-mining company has bought up a village named Sobrusan, near Dux, which stood on a valuable surface coal deposit, and moved all the sixty-five houses of which it was composed to a new situation half a mile away. An agreement is said to have been arrived at between the Kaiser and the Czar whereby the former will send German troops to Russia in the event of an outbreak of armed revolt. In view of the uncompromising attitude of Switzerland, the Spanish Government will begin a tariff war upon that country. Mr. John D. Rockefeller and family sailed on Saturday evening for New York from Cherbourg. Mrs. Stanford White will leave New York for Paris early in August to remain away until the Thaw case is concluded. The representatives of the Powers at Athens have met and discussed the question in what form the Note regarding Cretan affairs should, be submitted to the King. It 3 the King. It is believed the Note will not be delivered for some time. When two excursion steamers collided in a fog off Staten Island, New York, 1,500 pas- sengers became panic-stricken, but they were, taken off by two vessels which came along- side, and it is thought there was no loss of life: Baron Komura, the newly-appointed Japa- nese Ambassador to Great Britain, has left Tokio for London. Christian Langer, a Danish lifeboat man, has died at Harboe, Jutland, at the age of 83. During the past 48 years he had saved over 500 persons from drowning. Thirty-five thousand people are homeless and destitute in consequence of the destruc- tion of a town in the Russian province of Simbirsk. Lieut General Ivan Georgivitch Mac- donald, a member of a Scotch family, who served for many years in the Russian Army, has died at Warsaw. Other Interesting Items. In reply to Mr. Redmond, the Prime Minister announced that he was unable to give any pro- mise for facilities for the passing of the Irish robacco Bill. The Great Northern Telegraph Company, Limited, announces that Iceland and the Faeroe Islands will be telegraphically connected with this country by the end of August. The Exeter Corporation has rejected the pro- posal to permit advertisements on the electric tramears of the city. The "Sunderland Daily Post, for many years the. recognised Conservative organ on Wearside, has ceased publication. Speaking before the House of Commons Stand- ing Committee on Trade, Mr. Campbell, Unionist M.P. for Dublin University, said that he knew of a. case in which a. county court judge's note of a case was submitted to the Court of Appeal. It consisted merely of a caricature of one of the counsel engaged in the case. One thousand nine hundred and sixty- seven dogs, were received at the Battersea Home for Lost Dogs last month. Mr. Denier, of Blackheath, left Harwich for Cromer on Friday in a small half-decker yacht. The boat was afterwards found off Dunwich bottom upwards and with sails set. On Saturday evening it was stated that Mr. Denier had been picked up alive, he having been in the water a considerable time. The Bolton Co-operative Society, which has over 30,000 members, has given £500 for the endowment of a cot in Bolton Infirmary. Mr1. F. A. Powell, the Mayor of Lambeth, on Saturday laid the foundation stone of the new town hall for Lambeth, to be erected at a cost of £ 40,000.

I LITERARY CHAT. Earl Roberts has written a preface to the book form of Mr. Le Queux's story, "The Invasion i)t 1910." He advises all who have the welfare of the Empire at heart to read the book. It appears that the opening chapter of "The Jungle" is based upon an actual experience- which Mr. Upton Sinclair had in "Packing- town," Chicago. He had thought out the story, but could not decide how to open it. One Sun- day he saw a crowd and some carriages stop before a saloon—a Lithuanian wedding in pro- gress, as it proved. He went inside, and found the scene which commences "The Jungle." Mr. S. R. Crockett, the novelist, used in his childhood to read the biographies of the Cove- nanters by an old Scottish writer named Patrick Walker. From Walker Mr. Crockett says that he got his first idea of style, for he had, "with all his roughness, the wisest possible discriminar- tion for a clean-cut phrase or a sonorous sen- tence"; and even now it is said, Mr. Crockett invariably takes one ot that author's books with him wherever he goes. A book which tells the story of Staple Inn has been written by Mr. E. Williams. It traces the history of the site back to the year 1204, shows how it received its name in 1313, and brings the record down to the dissolution of the Society of the Inn in 1884. The course of the narrative has necessitated the inclusion of much information respecting the beginnings of the Inns of Court, the institution by Edward II. of the Staple of Wools, the ownership and history of the manor of Holborn, and other matters. Rolf Boldrewood, who was born in London on August 6, 1826, and will therefore be an octo- genarian in a few days' time, intends taking his farewell of the reading public in a final collection of Australian stories and sketches. Son of an adventurous naval captain, Rolf, or to give him his real name, Mr. T. A. Browne, arrived in Australia as a boy of four, and has had his share of the ups and downs of Colonial life.. But he has turned prosperity and adversity alike into "copy" for a score of books and countless, contributions to newspapers and magazines. In his youth Rolf was an eye-witness of the beginnings of Melbourne, in whose Viceregal ,suburb he is now passing the evening of his life. Before he was out of his teens he was a pioneer squatter in Western Victoria, and while still- in the twenties his cheque was good for a quarter of a million. Then, if unfortunately for himself,, luckily for novel readers, a long drought killed off his flocks and herds and compelled him to; enter the Government service as stipendiary; magistrate, coroner, and goldfields, warden. It was while exercising these official functions anct keeping his eyes open that he met most of the- characters and gained the greater part of the experience embodied in his numerous stories. v A book on the Thames has been written by an American—Mr. Henry Wellington Wack, who will be remembered for a volume in which he told the romance of Victor Hugo and Juliette Drouet. He judges that visitors to England— especially Americans—find their immediate in- terest in the Thames Valley, which he himself has sailed or rambled over from end to end. His impresions are incorporated with a historical account of Thames-Land, of which there are; many illustrations in the book. Jack London, the American novelist, famous for his studies of the primeval in man and beast, is having a yacht built for him at Oakland, Cali- fornia, and is to go for a seven years' cruise round the world, gathering materials for new stories. He was married recently, after having- been divorced from his first wife, and Mrs. London will accompany him, together with a Boston student, who will act as secretary and one of the crew, and a Japanese cook. Mr. London is humorist as well as realist; on his home in San Francisco was a eign reading "No admission except on business. No business trans- acted here," ,and on the back door was tbo. notice, "Please do not enter without knocking. Please do not knock. Miss Marie Corelli's new novel is being "sub- scribed" to the trade, subject to the, condition that-copies must not be sold at a reduced price- within a certain period. "Sydney C. Grier," whose story "The Heir, has been appearing in the "Graphic," is a native- of Gloucestershire—a daughter of the Rev. John R. Gregg, and granddaughter of Dr. Gregg, who- was Bishop of Cork. Like Miss Beatrice Harra- den, ehe is a B.A. of London and a most con- scientious writer. She was engaged for some- years in tuition, and knows India—as the locali colour of most of her books t,estifies-as thoroughly as any of our Anglo-Indian novelists. It was in a weekly journal that Miss Gregg first; found her way into print. She was only 16 then, and confesses to having "written steadily since' 1881," which means that she could only have been about 13 when she started her literary career. The proposal to form a Thackeray Club in- London has been so well received that it has been decided to carry it out. There can be, little doubt that by the autumn the organisation will have come into existence, probably under" the name of the Titmarsh Club. General Sir Thomas Edward Gordon,. K.C.I.E., K.C.B., C.S.I., whose autobiography? has been published, comes of a remarkable- family. He is the great-grandson of Adam Gor- don, who lived at Kildonan, Sutherland, and,, dying in 1831, gave thirteen descendants as dis- tinguished officers to the Army, while a four- teenth, the late Lord Gordon of Drumearn, be- came a life peer. Sir Thomas is the twin-, brother of General Sir John James Hood Gor don, the historian of the Sikhs, and they were;, born in 1834 at Aberdeen, where their father, Captain William Gordon, after a strenuous, career in the Regular army, became adjutant of the Militia. Sir John Gordon has given two. sons to the Army. Their kinsman, Lieutenant- Cdlonol Frederic Gordon, D.S.O., is second' Jek command of the 1st Gordon Highlanders. After "Faust," Mr. Stephen Phillips next-- play will be upon Harold. The cr text" upon/ which it will be based is that Harold's deatn was necessary for England. He was the pure Saxon, and the future of England rested upon the neces- sity of the welding of the sturdy Saxon and the, impetuous Gaul. That was what the Norman, Conquest meant. Harold's death prepared the way for everything that followed. Such histori- cal figures as Harold and William of Normandy should prove impressive at the hands of Mr. Phillips. The scene upon the stricken field of' Hastings, with the Saxon mother searching for- the body of her son, and claimin it at uie hands of the victorious invader, offers the opportunity for striking spectacle. Mr. William Archer, who is to revise the new edition of Ibsen's complete works, comes from. Scotland, having been born in Perth close upon fifty years ago-the son of Mr. Thomas Archer, C.M.G., formerly Agent-General for Queens- land in London. Mr. William Archer took his M.A. degree at Edinburgh University, and after some journalistic experiences in the same city, and travels in Australia came to London to. become a dramatic and literary critic. A volume by Mark Twain, entitled Eve's: Diary," is a companion volume to "Extracts from Adam's Diary," and purports to be a. translation from the original." I Mrs. Russell Barrington's life of Lord Leigh- ton will be published in the autumn. Mrs. Bar- rington knew Leighton for thirty years, and she is being helped in her task by his only surviving sister, by other members of the family, and by his brother Academicians and friends. The diaries and letters written by Leighton, and covering a period of fifty years, will appear in the biography. Among other letters to be in- cluded there are several from George Elict,, Ryiskin, Browning, Henry Greville, and Charles^ Dickens.