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.1,' INDIA AND THE COLONIES.I
1, INDIA AND THE COLONIES. I Ten British servants of the Crown in India have (the Times says) entered on a painful and a protracted struggle- The purchasing power of their salaries is melting away; and a considerable proportion of them find it impossible either to procure for themselves the comforts heretofore held necessary for European existence in the tropics, or to give their sons such an education as will enable them to compete with young Englishmen of their own rank in the battle of life. No one is to blame. A salary of 1000 rupeesa month, which was popularly reckoned as equivalent to nearly £ 1200 a year in sterling when the middle-aged class of Indian public servants went out to that country, cannot now be reckoned at much over JE750. and may before long be worth little more than £600 in gold. The Indian services are face to face with the fact that within a single generation their salaries will have been reduced to almost one-half, in regard to all the European comforts and appliances which render the Indian climate endurable for Europeans, in regard to the education of their children, and in regard to any savings which they may have been able to make for their old age. SPEAKING at a meeting of gentlemen interested in the affairs of the British Empire in the East, held in Westminster, the other day, Surgeon-General Sir William Moore, honorary physician to the Queen, argued that while opium smoking is less injurious than opium eating, still the latter is not the destruc- tive habit which it has been portrayed that the effects of opium taken in any manner are altogether on the nervous system, and. however great, pass off; that no organic disease is traceable to the use of I opium, whether used in moderate quantities or in excess; that opium is almost a necessity of life to some people; and that there is no more immorality in smoking opium than in drinking wine or in smoking tobacco. The Chinese, he added, carrying their opium pipes, invade the world, proving themselves the strongest, most industrious, and enduring, as well as the most thrifty and prudent of all people, labour- ing for very small wages, and living upon food that a Briton woald acorn. AN interesting correspondence has passed between Miss Florence Nightingale and the Secretary of State for India on the sanitation of Indian villages. That unwearied worker on behalf of the neglected and the suffering has during many years made a study of the causes and the possible remedies of the unhealthiness of small Indian towns and hamlets. The evidence which she has collected proves that the Bombay Village Sanitation Act (1889) has failed to produce the desired results, because, inter alia, it failed to re- serve a definite proportion of the village cesses to .meet the cost of sanitation, while the rural inhabitants are too poor to bear further rates for the purpose. She refers to the debates on the Bombay Village Sanitation Bill to show that a main object of the measure was to constitute a good village organisation for village sanitation and she asks that a sufficient proportion of the money raised shall be devoted to this object. Her views found support at the Interna- tional Congress of Hygiene, which the Prince of Wales presided over last autumn; and a powerful memorandum, signed by the Chairman of its Organis- ing Committee, by Sir George Birdwood, Sir Guyer Hunter, M.P., Surgeon-General Cornish, and other experts, has been submitted to Lord Cross in support of her views. The matter will, we understand, be referred to the Local Government of Bombay; and meanwhile Miss Nightingale has again earned the gratitude of India by this temperate and effective statement of a question which vitally affects the wel- fare of the rural population. LETTERS from Capetown state that her Majesty's gunboat Thrush had just returned there from the West Coast after an eventful cruise. Her mission to the Congo was to ascertain the truth or otherwise of rumours that the hired labourers from Sierra Leone employed on the construction of the Congo Railway were being ill-treated and shot down like dogs. These rumours were found to be entirely false. The labourers, however, are badly paid, and are some- times obtained in a curious way. The King of Dahomey, it appears, is accustomed to have a bath in human blood once a year, and for this purpose a number of lives are sacrificed. But latterly the King has been subjected to a little civilising influence, and is content to imagine that he has had his gory pleasure, and he sells the slaves for what the Portu- guese will give for them. The wretched creatures are then sent to St. Thomas's, and are sometimes supplied as labourers to the Congo Free State. The Belgians are said to be very wasteful with their money, and have erected a fort and mounted six or eight large guns at a place where there appears to be no necessity for such precautions. The Thrush also called at Bonny River, where Commander Pullen, of H.M.S. Stork. died about two years ago, and the oSc-ers erected a tombstone to his memory. Bonny is a frightfully unhealthy place, and out of 10 white inhabitants. 110 fewer than nine have died in one month recently. ÅS showing the changes wrought by the decimittion of the people, none of the inhabitants now there could point to the sp^* where Commander Pnllen had been buried. The English Consul at Bonny has his residence on board an old opium clipper, which serves as the Customs House, as well 1>9 barracks and gaol. There are cannibals within live miles of the place.' The cruise of the Thrush was not without its injurious effects on the health of those on board, as Navigating Lieut. Pasley and several seamen were stricken severely with coast fever, and were removed to hospital directly the vessel returned to the Cape. IT appears (says the Grocer) that certain firms in Australia which have made for themselves a name in connection with canned goods have complained that articles of very inferior character have been placed upoi the same markets, and even been decorated with the r labels, or labels sufficiently closely resembling them to deceive customers, and thus almost incal- culable injury has been done to their trade. But even where a firm has always exported first-class produce the quantity is so small in proportion to the require- meats of consumers that it is lost in a measure, and two or three lots of rubbish put upon the same market by other persons will give such a bad name to atything coming from "Australia" as will injure t le reputation of other exporters. This hnsbeen the cise in respect to "Australian honey," of which some lots purporting to come from Australia lately were so strongly adulterated that experts unre- servedly condemned them as worthless and now, as a consequence, Australian honey is at a discount on the English market. The same thing occurred in respect to Australian wine many years ago. Certain wine-makers sent to London a shipment of South Australian "wine which was found quite unsaleable at home, and they found also that the Londoners did not appreciate vinegar as a beverage. The result was that for a long time Australian wine had a bad name in this country. Olive oil had a similar experience when some people mixed cheap Chinese oil, im- ported, with the pure product of Australian olives, and the consumption of olive oil in South Australia received a check then from which it has not yet re- covered. MBS. BERKELEY-HILL, of Wimpole-street, Caven- dish-square, has received an interesting letter re- specting the terrible cyclone in Mauritius from her son Lieutenant Howard Berkelev-Hill, Royal Artillery, written from Curepipe, Mauritius, the summer quarters of his battery. After describing the first Sart of the hurricane on the morning of April 29, e says:—" With scarcely any warning, at three p.m. a hurricane burst upon us from directly the opposite quarter that it had blown from in the morning. My quarters were now quite exposed to it, having before been on the lee side of the building. I had locked and bolted my door and placed a heavy chest drawers against it. but several times it burst open, and required three of us to shut it again. In a very short time my room was flooded. I had put every- thing spoilable in a big tin-lined box I have and in tin-lined cases, and these kept the wet out, but every- thing else except my bed was quickly wet through. My sitting-room was a mass of leaves and mud next uiorning, as the window had blown in. We sat in my bedroom expecting every moment the roof to come off or the windows to be blown in. My hammock, which hangs in the verandah eutside, yot loose, and got flapping about, so that I was afraid it would break the window, and I deter- mined to go and cut it loose, but I had then no idea of the power of the wind. I got out through the door, and was at once flattened out against the wall, but by degrees worked my way along it was only five paces-and managed to cut the hammock loose. In a moment it was far away out of sight. The rain cut like small shot. I managed to get back at last completely breathless and speechless. It was like going into a big breaker on the seashore, I couldn't see five yards in front of me, and the scream of the wind was like nothing I ever heard before. Even inside the room we had to shout to hear ounelves speak. The ram was just like thick amoke, and came horizontally on to the house. We < aat in suspense till half-past six, when the wind went < down a bit, so we crawled out to the mess and brought back anything we could find to eat. By eight p.m. the wind was quite down. One fellow had gone to the station during the calm and was caught by the wind as it returned. He was about two hours coming a quarter of a mile, having to make short rushes between the gusts, and then lie flat down in a ditch. He was nearly hit several times by trees which fell all round him, and once or twice was lifted right off his feet and carried some distance. He was a most pitiable object when he got back, and has scarcely recovered yet. The second part of the hurricane was far greater than the first, and it was then all the terrible destruction and ruin took place at Port Louis. Next morning iie aspect of the place had quite changed. Every tree of any .1ze was down, and others absolutely bare of leaves. It was a change in one night from midsn mmer to midwinter
LONDON CART-HORSE PARADE.
LONDON CART-HORSE PARADE. An interesting annual display was, on Whit- Monday, seen in Regent's-park, when the London Cart-horse Parade Society had their march past. This institution does an immeasurable amount of good so far as horses are concerned, for it encourages drivers to be careful with their animals, and conse- quently kind to them. A horse that has been mal- treated stands no chance of gaining the coveted brass, which can be fixed to the harness, or a money prize. THE LONDON WHIT-MONDAY CART-HORSE PARADE. Mr. Walter Gilbey, the well-known horse-breeding and agricultural enthusiast (who»e portrait we give), is the originator and chief cause of tbe success of this useful movement, which has its counterpart now in many provincial towns. Mr. Gilbey writes I can- not, perhaps, better explain the purpose of the society than by stating that its object is to improve the general condition and treatment of London cart- horses by encouraging drivers to take a humane in- terest in the animals under their care. "Each year a parade is held, and the competition is open to all drivers of cart horses within a radius of seven miles from Charing-cross, no entrance fee being asked, but on the contrary each competitor receives a J MR. WALTER GILBEY. small gratuity to cover expenses, viz,, the driver of a single horse, 2s. 6d.; of a pair, 3s. 6d.; and of a team, 5s. Prizes are awarded to drivers whose horses testify to exceptionally good treatment, and whose harness shows superior cleanliness, at the rate of 10s. for a single horse, 15s. for a pair, and jSl for a team. To these awards the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals adds a diploma, or an ornamental brass tablet, given to all drivers specially commended by the judges. This ornamental brass tablet is valued by drivers, as it is suitable for affixing to their harness. In addition to these honours, the Shire Horse Society offers three premiums of E2 each for the best team of horses, ten premiums of P-1 each for the best pairs, and ten premiums of £ 1 each for the best single cart horses. All your readers will recognise the obligation we are under, looking at the frequently very trying cir- cumstances in which the heavy traffic of London has to be carried on, to do our utmost to enlist the sympathy of drivers in the good treatment and comfort of the animals committed to their care." The entries for the sHenth annual parade of the London cart and van horses were very considerably larger than in preceding years. It was found neces- sary to have two sets of judges, and the services of Sir R. N. Kingscote, General Ravenhill, the Chief of the Army Remount Commission, Mr. P. A. Munti, M.P., Professor Pritchard, and Mr. Garrett Taylor were secured. After a preliminary examination of the teams, several of which were sent back because they were not in proper trim, the others were drawn up in single file and paraded before the judges, who took up their stand at the principal entrance to the Royal Botanical Gardens, opposite to York Gate-road. With so many entries, it was impossible for the judges to make very rapid progress, for there were over 400 single horse vehicles, 138 pairs, and 49 teams of three and four, but the work was completed by half-past two, and the prizes were distributed by the Lady Mayoress in sufficient time for the competitors to drive through the streets and on to the Thames Embankment before returning home. The weather, in striking contrast to last year, when rain fell in torrents, was very fine, and the competition evidently excited great interest among the carmen and their friends, for all the roads leading to the Botanical Gardens were crowded with sightseers, the great majority of whom were of the class from which the drivers of these carts and vans spring.
WHITSUNTIDE ARTILLERY j OPERATIONS.j
WHITSUNTIDE ARTILLERY OPERATIONS. FATAL ACCIDENT WITH THE 38-TON GUN. A terrible accident occurred at Garrison Point Fort on Saturday during the progress of the opera- tions at Sheerness, to test the efficiency of the scheme of land defence at the entrance to tho Thames and the Medway. A large number of Royal Artillery and Royal Engineer officers were present watching the practice with the 38-ton 12.5in. rifled muzzle-loading guns, the heaviest in tbe fort. Towards the close of the operation the 38-tonner was loaded and run out ready for firing. Corporal H. Diprose, R.A., the captain of the gun, was taking a last sight, when the bugle sounded cease firing." According to particulars which have transpired, Diprose opened the shutter" to withdraw the friction-tube without first unhooking the lanyard. The resulting strain on the latter caused the discharge of the gun. Diprose and Gunner T. Archer each bad a foot on the carriage when the gun went off. Not having time to get clear, they were struck by the gun in its recoil. Medical assistance was promptly obtained, and the injured men were immediately removed to the Garrison Hospital. An examination showed that Diprose was suffering from concussion of the brain and serious internal injuries. Four of his toes were completely smashed. Archer's foot was hurt in the recoil of the gun. The trumpeter, who had sounded the Cease firing," had just removed the bugle from his mouth when the gun went off. The concussion caused the mouthpiece to fly back on to his forehead, cutting it. The injuries to Corporal Diprose were so j serious that the unfortunate man died 12 hours after the accident.
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THI jTdwfouudland Legislature has been proroguea. The Governor, in his speech on the occasion, said that he deeply regretted the rejection of the French Shore Bill, and hoped that the colony would not be injured thereby. His Excellency, in conclusion, congratulated the colony on the good results of the seal fishery. The Hon. A. Harvey has left on a mission to Spain to negotiate a commercial treaty and avert the threatened inerease of the duties on fish. Mr. Harvey is instructed to co-operate with this object with Sir Charles Tupper, the High Com- missioner for Canada- 1
ELECTIONS OF NINETY YEARS…
ELECTIONS OF NINETY YEARS AGO. The general election in 1802 was that which found iir. Addingtoi installed in office as Pitt's successor, and which gave him a continuance of Pitt's majority. A greet many contests took place at this election, and few wera more interesting, a writer, Lord Bra- bourne, in BlacJcaood, says, than that for Kent. In Nichols Literary History," vol. vi., p. 674, will be found a curious letter from the celebrated antiquary, the Rev. Samuel Denne, upon this election. He tells his corresDondent. Mr. Gough. that. in Kent it was till 1700 a laudable and convenient usage to elect a member from each grand division of our county. At the last election I was zealous for Mr. Marsham, who had been the western representative for three Parliaments; but to the disgrace of the freeholders, he was despatched to Coventry," It was my wish this time to have looked to the west, and to have left the two eastern candidates (Knatchbull aud Honywood) to themselves and their partisan? but there was in my opinion an insuperable objection to the candidate of the west (Sir W. Geary). and I therefore resolved not to stir from home." He goes on to ask-" What shall we say of a gentleman, turned of 30, who shall sell his paternal estate, some say for £ 18,000, avowedly for the purpose of squandering the greater part of the purchase-money in a couuty contest, though not six years before the two winning candidates had paid above JE30,000 for the honour of being humble ser- vants to the men of Kent? Mr. Honywood acknow- ledges that the last struggle cost him £ 18,000. The amount of Sir E. Knatchbull's expenses cannot be ascertained, because it now appears that there are long bills in arrear in divers parts of the country. Had the late Sir Francis Geary left his estate at Polesden in Surrey in the hands of trustees it would have been a fortunate circumstance for his son. As I am told, the three candidates have appeared in caricature at the west end of the town; one of the baronets being exhibited in a poorhouse, the other in a madhouse, and the squire in his coffin; but whether the portraits bear any resemblance to the originals my informant was not apprised. So prevailing is Ministerial influence in Kent that if the two candi- dates named in it really join, votes are thrown away upon a third man." HOW COUNTRY GENTLEMEN RUINED THEMSELVES. For some reason or other, Ministerial influence was not exerted in favour of Sir E. Knatchbull, and we are informed by a little book published after that general election, entitled The Picture of Parliament; or, a History of the General Election of 1802," that the avowed friends of Government deserted Sir E. Knatchbull," and many exalted characters who had promised their support to the two baronets latterly transferred their interest to Sir William Geary." The real secret of Knatchbull's defeat is to be found in the split votes: 1962 votes were cast Knatchbull and Geary-1490 Honywood and Geary; but this does not tell the whole story. Knatchbull's friends believed him so secure that they exerted themselves greatly to persuade his supporters to split their votes with Geary during the first days of the election, There was an old yeoman of the name of Cole, who car- ried two or three hundred votes, and was "Knatchbull to the backbone," and I have heard my father tell how his father (the candidate) rode up and down the line as these men were marching to the poll at Penenden Heath, persuading Cole and his party not to giva him plumpers, but to split (as most of them did) for Geary. But at the close of the poll on the fourth day, Honywood, being ahead of the poll by 3652 to 0001 for Knatchbull, and 3082 for Geary, found himself safe enough to revenge his disaster in 1796, and threw his second votes to Geary, with such effect that Sir Edward Knatchbull retired on the ninth day, the numbers being-Ilonywolid, 4763 Geaiy, 4085; Knatchbull, 3933. The Picture of Parliament" concludes its account of this contest by the remark that" the expenses of this contest amount, it is said, to not less than £ 36,000," which gives some idea of the way in which country gentlemen ruined themselves in the "good old times" of elec- tioneering. AN EXTRAORDINARY CONTEST. One of the most extraordinary contests in 1802 was that for the count v of Middlesex, when Sir Francis Burdett opposed Mr. Mainwaring, the Ministerial candidate. Of this Lord Brabourne says I came across a book called The Parochial List of the Poll; Middlesex Election, 1802,' which contains the poll, but no account of the proceedings, which, however, are briefly Riven in my Picture of Parliament.' The first day's poll placed Mr. Bvng at the bead of the poll with 1303 votes, whilst Mr. Mainwaring with 1097 had a majority of 398 over Sir Francis, who polled 699 votes. This majority was maintained and in- creased until the tenth day, when the poll stood: Byng, 2925 Mainwaring, 2534 Burdett, 2032. In addressing the electors after the close of this day's poll, Sir Francis Burdett called attention to the case of a girl of 13 years of age, who bad accidentally kicked some mortar off the roof of a house, which had fallen upon Mr. Mainwaring's carriage. A party of Bow-street officers immediately rushed into the house, dragged the poor child out, and took her to Bow-street, where, after an examination, she was ordered to be committed, and, but for the humanity of some gentleman who bailed her, would have been sent to gaol.' In thia strain,' says my book, Sir Francis proceeded at some length,' and either by this appeal or by some other means certainly succeeded in turning the tide, which seemed to have set in against him. For on the 15th day the poll was closed, and the result de- clared to be Byng, 3848 Bnrdett, 3207 Main- waring, 2936-a majority of 271 for Sir Francis Burdett. Mr. Mainwaring had 1354 and Sir Francis 1023 plumpers; but perhaps the most curious thing disclosed by the poll-book is that Sir Francis ob- tained his majority not in Westminster or the dis- tricts of London proper, but entirely in the Isle- worth Hundred, where he polled 11 1 plumpers, and a total of 423 to Mr. Mainwaring's 93 votes. The election of Sir Francis was hailed as a great political triumph; but, like other victories of the same kind, it will be seen that its effects ware aot perma- nent."
"CIVIL BAPTISMS."
"CIVIL BAPTISMS." Saint Denis has the distinction of being the first town in France which has introduced a system of civil baptisms." Weddings and funerals un- attended by any religious ceremony have long been of everyday occurrence, but hitherto the parents of newly-born children have either had them bap- tised in church or have been content with simply registering them at the Mairie. The Freethinkers have now (says the Paris correspondent of the Telegraph) recognised the utility of the Church's system in providing the infant with a godfather and godmother in case of its own parents dying, and in future at the Mairie of Saint Denis a register will be kept for the names of persons who will be formally inscribed as parrains and marraines of the child for whom they were willing to act in that capacity.
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SOMEONE started the gossiping httle statement lately that the Queen would shortly visit the Comte and Comtesse de Paris. The gossips spread the re- port quickly, but it was soon seen to be absurd and buried in the large cemetery for canards. AN English tourist has successfully opened the Alpine season by ascending the Dent du Midi. There may have been peasants and guides who have been to the top earlier in the year, but, not being amateurs, they are not counted as having shown the way to London mountain-climbers who go away to cool during the summer moatlu.
THEATRES AND MUSIC HAIXS.
THEATRES AND MUSIC HAIXS. The Sel' ct Committee on Theatres, in their report, disapprove of the proposal to give the Lord Chamber- lain power to license music halls, the commissioners believing that duty can be more wisely performed by local bodies. Outside the county of London, which is under a different law, the existing arrangements have worked well. It is admitted on all hands that within the lost 14 years many places of entertain- ment in London have properly been closed because their proprietors could not comply with the require- ments for the safety of the public, and that there has been a great structural improvement in those now open. The committee are unable to concur in the resolution arrived at by the London County Council, at it" meeting on 5th April last, that the Council should be the licensing authority for all thtatrea within the administrative county of London. They recommend that the Lord Chamberlain's authority should continue to be exercised as at pre- sent, and should be extended to the licensing of those theatres within the county of London, which are now outside the limits of his jurisdiction. His decisional to the original granting of licenses might, however, be made subject to appeal to the Home Secretary. The committee are also against the Council having power as a licensing authority to examine witnesses on oath. They also suggest that the licensing authority for the music halls of London should be a small standing joint committee of the County Council and of the quarter sessions. The committee think, indeed, that there should be at least three classes of licenses, one for theatres proper, where smoking and drinking would not be permitted on the auditorium one for those music-nails which are now sometimes called theatres of varieties and one for concerts and dancing-rooms. Upou the motion of Mr. Dixon- Hartland, it was agreed to fix 40 minutes as the limit for the performance, of sketches or ballets of actions which theatres of varieties might present without the possession of a license for stage plays. They also suggest that the censorship of plays should be ex- tended to music-halls and other places of entertain- m ents.
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UNUSUAL interest attaches to the annual regatta of the Royal Yacht Squadron in August, from the tact that the German Emperor will be present in the capacity of a competitor as well as in that of a spectator. His Majesty was made an honorary j member of the Royal Yacht Squadron some years back, but he prefers to take rank as a yachtsman on his merits; and at the annual meeting of the club in May, 1891, he was balloted for and elected as an ordinary member. His ROYAL HIGHNESS TUB DUKE OF EDINBURGH has Eresented to the Royal South-Western Yacht Club a andsome silver challenge cup, to be sailed for by service boats. Matches will be sailed on July 15th and August 12tb, and the winners will compete for I possession of the CUD QD 2nd,
NARROW ESCAPE OF A CHANNEL…
NARROW ESCAPE OF A CHANNEL STEAMER. EXCITfNG SCENE. The Albert Edward, one of the South-Eastern Railway Company's old steamers running between Folkstone and Boulogne, met with a serious accident on Whit-Monday while crossing from the French port. She left at half-past three in the afternoon, m lovely weather, with about 500 passengers on board, most of them having gone over with excursion tickets on the previous Saturday or Sunday to spend the Whitsuntide holiday at Boulogne- sur-Mer, which offered a number of special at- tractions. The water was as smooth as the pro- verbial millpond, and there was every prospect of a safe and pleasant passage. When in mid-Channel, however, a thick niist suddenly enveloped the steamer, and it was impossible to see more than a few yards ahead. The captain at once put the vessel at half speed, and the whistle was blown more or less continuously to warn off any craft which might happen to be in the vicinity. The danger was increased as there was almost a dead calm, and a sailing vessel, even if duly warned, would probably be unable to get out of the way. The Albert Edward proceeded for about half an hour after the fog appeared, when without the slightest warning a large sailing vessel came down on her starboard bow and crashed into the steamer, making a large hole in her side eight feet long by three feet about a foot above water-line, and a smaller hole was at the same time made by the violent swinging of an anchor. The colliding vessel turned out to be a Norwegian fore-topsail schooner, the Jane Anne, whose jibboom was carried entirely away by the force of the impact. Tb" holes in the side of the Albert Edward being above the water-line, and the sea being perfectly calm, there was no fear of her shipping much water, and the captain soon ascer- tained that there was no imminent danger. The pas- sengers, however, were naturally much alarmed, and at first there was something like panic. A rush was made for the boats, while several ladies, of whom there were many on board, fainted away. The captain after a while succeeded in calming the fears of the passengers, and then dispatched a boat to ascertain if the Jane Anne required help. Beyond the damage already mentioned the Norwegian schooner appeared to have escaped unhurt, and the Albert Edward proceeded slowly on her way. After nearly coming into collision with another sailing vessel she reached Folkestone about half-past six, being an hour overdue. Even then she had considerable diffi- culty in entering the harbour, the fog being still dense. Guns were fired from the pier-head, and the fog-bell was rung while the steamer responded with her whistle. At length the Albert Edward was worked in between a large fishing smack and a yacht, and the passengers were safely landed and brought on by special train to Charing-cross, which station they reached about ten o'clock. A passenger on board, who was in the saloon drinking a cup of tea when the jibboom of the Jane Anne came crashing through the opposite side of the vessel, says the captain and crew acted with great coolness throughout, and that much credit is due to the former for the skilful way in which he steered the vessel into Folkestone. Some of the passen- gers picked up pieces of the splintered vessel and carried them off as mementoes of an exciting adven- ture.
TERRIBLE CLOUD-BURST IN PENNSYLVANIA.
TERRIBLE CLOUD-BURST IN PENN- SYLVANIA. A terrible disaster has occurred in the Pittsburg oil region. Early on Whit-Sunday morning a cloud- burst suddenly inundated both Titusville and Oil City. Numbers of the inhabitants fled to the hills for safety, but. many of the women and children were unable to escape, and took refuge on the housetops, where their pitecus cries to be rescued were most heartrending. To add to the horrors of the situation, several refineries were struck by lightning, and the property not destroyed by the floods was consumed by fire. At three o'clock in the afternoon one-half of Titusville was reported to be in flames, and it was feared that Oil City would be entirely destroyed. For a time Oil City was entirely cut off from all communication with other towns. At Titusville four of the largest refineries were on fire, and the conflagration extended for at least half a mile in length und two blocks in width. A later telegram from Pittsburg says that the losa of life is estimated at over 150. It appears that the water in Oil Creek rose so suddenly that with hardly any warning the low-lying portion of the city was flooded as far as Spring-street, a lake nearly half a mile in width and two-thirds of a mile in length being formed. The inhabitants precipitately fled in all directions, but many were overtaken by the rushing torrents and drowned. The Acme Oil Refinery was struck by lightning, and in a few minutes the whole building was enveloped in flames. Amid the confusion which prevailed nothing could be done to check the progress of tbe fire, which spread wit^^tartling rapidity. Soon five blocks of building8, from Perry-street to Drake-street, were involved in the conflagration, which, in the end, extended also to Washington-street, Franklin-street, and Mate- street. From the Western, New York, and Penn- sylvania Railway Depot to Spring-street all the houses were laid waste, and half-a-dozen of the largest oil refineries in the district were burned to the ground. The latest reports obtainable stated that the only buildings not destroyed in the quarter of the city affected were the Titusville Ironworks and the depot of the Western, New York, and Pennsylvania Rail. road. The inundation begun to subside about noon, and the water is now rapidly receding. Many of the bodies of those who were drowned have been re- covered, and their identification gave rise to scenes of the most heartrending character. It is further reported that great damage has also beea done by the cloud-burst at Corry and other neighbouring towns in the petroleum region.
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY.
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY. MR. BLAINE RESIGNS THE SECRETARYSHIP. At the last moment, Mr. Blaine, the American Secretary of State, has taken decisive action. Dalziel says that all hopes of a reconciliation between him and the President are at an end. Both have finally determined to become candidates for the Presidency. Under the circumstances, Mr. Blains felt that he could no longer retain his post in the Ad- ministration of Mr. Harriaon. On Saturday after- noon he resigned the office of Secretary of State, and his resignation was accepted. The excitement in the United States is intense.
DEATH OF MR. BRISTOWE, M.P.
DEATH OF MR. BRISTOWE, M.P. We regret to announce the death of Mr. Thomas Lynn Bristowe, member of Parliament for the Nor- wood Division of Lambeth, which took place quite suddenly at midday on Bank Holiday. The hon. gentleman was among those present at the formal opening, by the Earl of Rosebery, of the magnificent natural Brockwell-park (secured for ever for public enjoyment at Herne-hill by local exertion and the action of the County Council), but had taken no part in the proceedings. Shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony Mr. Bristowe was introduced by Mr. N. W. Hubbard (one of the local representatives on the London County Council) to Dr. Verdon, the Glad- stonian candidate for the division at the forthcoming election, with whom he conversed for some minutes, in the presence of numerous friends. He then walked with the Earl of Rosebery and others into the mansion which baa been allowed to remain on the summit of the hill. A few minutes later a cry was raised for Dr. Verdon, in consequence of Mr. Bristowe having apparently been seized with a fit. Dr. Verdon, Dr. Harris, L.C.C., Dr. Knight, and several other medical men were promptly in attendance, but despite their combined and sustained efforts the hon. member never rallied. About noon he breathed his lAst, in the midst, of a beautiful park which he had rendered no slight service in acquiring for the permanent enjoyment of the people. Heart-disease was the cause of death. The sad news soon spread amongst the crowds who had been present at the opening, casting a gloom over an otherwise joyous occasion. Until Monday, Mr. Bristowe appeared to be in the best of health, and as recently as Friday of last week (when the House of Commons adjourned for the Whitsuntide holidays) attended to his Parliamentary duties as usual. Great sympathy is expressed with Mrs. Bristowe and the family, who were staying at Weybridge, upon their severe and unexpected be- reavement. The deceased member, who was the son of Dr. J. S. Bristowe, of Camberwell. was boru in 1833, and married in 1857 Frances Ellen, daughter of Mr. Joseph Paice Mason, of Mincing-lane and Champion- park. He was a member of the firm of Bristowe Brothers, and from 1868 to 188;) was on the Com- mittee of the Stock Exchange. For a time he was captain of No. 1 Company °f 1st Surrey Rifles, and had been Chairman of the Herne-hill and Brixton Conservative Association ever since its formation in 1880. In 1885 be was returned as the representative of the Norwood Division of Lambeth in the House of Commons, and was re-elected at the general election of the following year, when opposed by Mr. Oscar Browning.
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DRESSING to match your dog is considetea imperative by New York belles of a sporting type. To accompany I an Irish setter in his morning stroll, the mistress finds that a golden-brown toilette harmonises best with her pet's tawny fur, while when she takes out her fox-terriers, a white und green costume is the most effective as setting for the beauty of both dogs wd fair owner. « ¡..I.
HOMES OF THE ARISTOCRACY.
HOMES OF THE ARISTOCRACY. HAWARDEN CASTLE, RESIDENCE OF THE RIGHT HON. W. E. GLADSTONE. It is difficult to describe a modem house as pleasant and stately as Hawarden without falling into the ornate style of the auctioneer; the more, perhaps, since Hawarden affects the ancient in its modernity. Built, a square brick house, in 1752, it was extended, cased in stone, and castellated in 1809—about what one may call the Abbotsford period. There is a round tower in the middle, a square tower at almost every corner, here a buttress, and there and everywhere battlements; and I am bound to say (writes Mr. Edward Rose in the Illustrated London Aews) that to my oyes the result is very handsome and good to look upon. For one thing, the colour is warm and plea- sant and in so many great houses the colour is the un- satisfactory part-their chilly, yellowish stone does not harmonise with the strong tones of an English landscape. Think how the yellow Parthenon tfould look against an English -sky! But here the walls are of a comfortable grey and they are coated with dark ivy, and broken up with flights of steps to the terrace, and deep mullioned windows, and shadows of the towers jutting out; while, at their feet, bright beds of flowers, scarlet, blue, and gold, sparkle in the sun, against smooth lawns of grass and trees of all greens stand round, from the lightest of young leaves to sombre hollies. The principal entrance is a modest one. Narrow steps run sharply up to a little hall, with a passage before it, from which our host and hostess look down in welcome—here, a pieasant picture in black-and- white; his, a bust of some years ago, so striking in its likeness that it is only at a second look that one sees how great are the changes later years have brought with them. The face was stouter then, there was a sweep of hair across the forehead, and it hung loager behind. Of the private rooms of a bouse such as this there is but little to be said and there are no show rooms at Hawarden-though one room there is into which all England would gladly peep. Everything is old- fashioned, quiet, and comfortable; and on all hands one hears of the absence of pretence, the entire home- liness of the private life of our Great Commoner and his family. Through the cool little ball to the small library- which was a billiard-room, but at Hawarden the rising flood of books gradually covers everything. Mr. Gladstone's books must number a good many over 15,000 now. His bookcases are arranged in an ingenious way, by which much space is saved they etand out into the rooms at right angles, and each pro- tecting case faces both ways, holding a double row of books. Between each pair of cases there is interval enough to give easy access to the shelves. Double doors lead to the small drawing-room, which looks on to the lawn, and is full of books and a large, handsome, white-pillared loom succeeds, the library en titre. Here hang portraits of faces known to history-among the rest a Vandyck of Sir Kenelm Digby, who wasgreat-great-great-grandfather to Mrs. Gladstone. Here, too, is a drawing (by Burne-Jones) of his granddaughter a step further removed—with yet another great" added to her title-Mrs. Drew, Mrs. Gladstone's not-long-married daughter. Other pictures are by Sir Peter Lely and Snyders; and there is a replica of Millais' striking portrait of Mr. Glad- stone. painted in the memorable year, 1880. Below the pict ures are bookshelves, of course; but in this room they do not project from tbe walls, and some alas! are mere shams, concealing doorways- one of which leads to a very pretty tiny chamber in the adjoining tower. Altogether, this is a spacious, open room; more, perhaps, of the drawing-reom-at it is sometimes called—than the library. It is, of course, the room of the house—Mr. Glad- stone's study—which best deserves this name. The Temple of Peace as its owner calls it, is a corner chamber, ill the block lately added at the north-west angle of the house. It is light and cheery, though sober enough in colour—the russet backs of the books reach nearly to the ceiling, the walls above are of a deep Indian red, with white plaques here and there. A white chimney-piece, with brass dogs on the spacious fireplace, gives brightness to its corner of the room and, for light, there are three windows, one in the main north front, two to the west. There are many busts in the room, of old comrades, rivals, and famous friends. Cobden stands in the midst, with Spurgeon hard by him and at one end is, you may be sure, John Bright—who, long before the political estrangement of late years, pointed out the great statesman to a young friend with the word*, Look at that man, for he is the greatest Englishman that you are ever likely to see." And, in a high place of the room, looking down on one of Mr. Gladstone's especial seats, there is a terra- cotta bust of his great opponent in the House of Commons, Benjamin Disraeli, afterwards Earl of Beaconsfield. Other busts and photographs are those of the Queen, Sidney Herbert, Canning, Lord Richard Cavendish; and there is a portrait in relief of Tennyson. On Bank Holiday Hawarden was crowded with excursionists, the numbers being far in excess of those on any previous holiday. Mr. Gladstone is at present staying at the Rectory, which was visited at noon by the members of the Druids' Friendlv Society, I HAWARDEN CASTLE. THE HOME OF THE RIGHT HON. W. E. GLADSTONE. who, together with the local lodge of Shepherds, celebrate their anniversary each Whit Monday. The ex-Premier, however, was out at the time with Mrs. Gladstone. The friendly societies afterwards par- took of their annual dinners at the National and Infants' Schools, the Rev. Stephen Gladstone pre- siding over the Druids' gathering.
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"THE machinery of the Thunderer has been sur- veyed, with the result that the determination of the authorities to pay her off has been abandoned, and the is to be temoorarily repaired and her boilers fer- ruled. On completion of this she will be ready to take part in the forthcoming manoeuvres, when the value of this new plan for preventing, boiler tubes from leaking will be fully demonstrated. Should it prove satisfactory, the Thunderer is then to be tho- roughly repaired and sent back to the Mediterranean, THIS is an extract from a letter by the King and Queen of Denmark to the nation at the conclusion of the Golden Weddiag festivities The countless Eroofs of sympathy received by us have filled our earts with inexpressible joy and thankfulness. Our words cannot reach all our subjects, but all that our hearts contain of deep and sincere gratitude we j express in our daily wish and prayer that God's I blessing may rest UQon our beloved country and I
( RECENT WILLS.
RECENT WILLS. Probate duty has been paid on £18,868, M the value of the personal estate of Mr. Thomas Theobald Hohler, late of 15, Hill-street, Berkeley-square, formerly of the War Office, who died at Monit Carlo on May 2 last, and of whose will, dated Jan. 12, 1891, the sole executrix is his wife, the Most Noble Adele Henrietta Dowager, Duchess of Newcastle, daughter of the late Mr. Henry Thomas Hope, of Deepdene, Dorking. Mr. Hohler gives, devises, and bequeaths all his real and personal estate, including his house in Paris, to his said wife. The Scotch confirmation of the deed of settlement (dated Sept. 24. 1888), with five codicils (dated Nov. 12, 1888; Feb. 12 and 24, 1890 July 29, 1891; and March 29, 1892), of Mr. Alexander Allan, merchant and shipowner in Glasgow, who died on April 2, at Blackwood House, Kirkmuirhill, granted to Henry Allan, Robert Smith Allan, James Alexander Allan, Charles Edward Allan, and Claud Andrew Allan, the sons, the executors nominate, was resealed in London on May 23, the value of the personal estate in Eng- land and Scotland exceeding £ 519,000. The will (dated March 7, 1889) of Dame Cecilia Salomons, widow of Sir David Salomons, M.P., late of 26, Great Cumberland-place, who died on March 23, was proved on May 11 by Joseph Philip Salomons, the son Mrs. Anna Hendelah Waley, the daughter and Maresco Pearce, the executors, the value of the per- sonal estate amounting to over £ 34,000. The testatrix bequeaths 19 guineas to the Jewish Board of Guardians (Devonshire-square), 10 guineas each to the Jews' Free School (Bell-lane, Spitalfields", the Westminster Jews' Free School (Greek-street, Soho). the Jews' Orphan Asylum (Goodman's-fields), the Jews' Infant School (Commercial-street), the Jews' Lying-in Charity (Baroness de Rothschild's), the Jews' Hospital (Lower Norwood), the Hospital for Paralysis and Epilepsy (Queen's-square, Blooms- bury), and the Jews' Bread, Meat, and Coal Society; and legacies to executors, grandchildren, and servants. There are also some specific gifts to children. As to the residue of her property, she leaves one-fifth to her said son; one-fifth, upon trust, for her daughter, Mrs. Bertha Cohen, for life, and then for her husband, Lionel Benjamin Cohen, for life and the ultimate residue to her daughters, Mrs. Anna Hen- delah Waley, Mrs. Amelia Judith de Saisset, and Mrs. Henrietta de Vahl, in equal shares.-lllustrated London News.
THE SAVINGS BANK.
THE SAVINGS BANK. The Treasury's annual statement in connection with the Post Office Savings Bank is interesting reading. From this it appears that the balance brought for- ward at the close of the year 1890 as due to all depositors, inclusive of interest, was £ 67,634,806. This balance on 31 Dec., 1891, stood at £71,608,002, thus showing a difference to the advan- tage of depositors of £ 3,973,196. During the year the sum received from depositors in these savings banks amounted to £ 21,334,903. Repayments during the same period had been made to the extent of £ 18.941,846; and the warrants issued but not cashed when the acount clcaei on SlIe Dec. repre- sented £ 78,008. In this statement we have also an account given of the charges of management and of expenses incurred for Post Office Savings Banks from their establishment on 16th Sept., 1861. From 1861 to the 31st December, 1890, the charges and expenses amounted to £ 4,761,872, this representing a yearly average of £164,202. But, of course, as the business of the department grew the expenses and charges grew in proportion, and last year the charges and expenses totted up to the sum of £343,614.
-" WITTY AND WISE.
WITTY AND WISE. AN old woman named Bridget Matthews, residing near Dundalk, was complainant lately in a litigious case at the local Petty Sessions, and in reply to a query from the Bench, she answered in theverDacuh "Tha. Here was a difficulty; no one in the court had a knowledge of Gaelic, and, on inquiry from the Bench as to whether she understood English, she shook her head, gesticulated, and still responded Tha." In despair on8 of the magistrates ventured on the role of interpreter. I think tha means yes,' said the dignitary of the law. Oh, thin, sure your honour will translate for me!" spoke forth Biddy, in a charming brogue. A MONUMENT of the demoralising and degrading power of genius may be stamped with immortality, but, like the Coliseum at Rome, we deplore its magni- ficence, because we detest the purposes for which it was designed. A SPIRITED woman of our acquaintance caught her husband the other day in the act of breaking up her hoops. The exertion, or something else, had a singular effect upon him. His hair came out at an astonishing rate. "Tnm ere chap can't give no account of himself/ said a policeman, who was trying to lift a drunken man from the gutter, to a passer-by. "Of course not," was the reply how can you expect a man to give an account who has lost his balance 1" LADY: "Now Mr. Snapper, as I saw you at church last Sunday, tell me what you think of our new preacher ?" Snapper: I think he would be a first- class martyr at the stake." Lady: Why so, Mr. Snapper?" Snapper Because he's so very dry." TAKE off your hat and march with reverent steps when you enter a library—that intellectual heaven wherein are assembled all those master spirits of the world who have achieved immortality; those mental giants who have undergone their apotheosis. MRS. HENPECK: How stupid that you can't recollect when Mrs. Major Shouter called Mr. Hen- peck I—I know it was the day you hit me with the camp-stool." Mrs. H.: Then it was on Friday." Mr. H.: No. no; that was the day you threw the teapot at me." JONES: II Hullo, Smith Haven't seen you for an age. How are ye?" Smith: "Don't stop me, there's a good fellow. Just bought a new bonnet as a present for my wife, and I must hurry homo with it, or it might be out of fashion by the time I get there As William drew his Susan near, t Be whispered to his bride, Though queer it sounds, I love, my dear, To live by Suey's side." JOSH BILLINGS says, There is two things in this life for which we are never prepared, and that is twins." SIIE it insupportable," said a complaining husband of his wife but, as if he had gone too far, he added, It is her only defect." "THERE are ties which never should be severed," as an ill-used wife said when she found her brute of a husband haneing in a hayloft. THE great difference between the young and the old is this—the young have the world before them, whilst the old are behind the world. A CRUSTY old bachelor says that Adam's wife waa called Eve because, when she appeared, man's day út happiness was drawing to a close. JONES, directing Brown's attention to the fiashv equipage of a noted corn doctor, was answered by his friend that it was an illustrated edition of Bunyan's Progress." You will walk more erect than usual, my friend." Yes, I have been straitened by circum- stances." A CLERGYMAN in the country had a stranger preaching for him one day, and, meeting his beadle, he said to him, Well, Saunders, how did you like the sermon to-day Y* "I watna, sir, it was rather plain and simple for me. I like thae sermons best that jumbles the joodgment and confoonds the sense od, sir, I never saw ane that could come up to yon reel' at that." A GALWAY bailiff having been questioned as to whether be had spoken to any of the locked-up jury during the night, gravely answered, No, my lord they kept calling out for me to give them whisky, but I always said, 'Gentlemen of the jury, it is my duty to tell you that I'm sworn not to speak to you. "LIGIIT" reading—A treatise on photography. OUTDOOR Relief—A breath of fresh air. THE best paint for faces—Water-colours. MEN of decision—Judges. A CAPITAL skylight The moon. UNSATISFACTORY Find—Fined 5A. RETIRED Bills—Bill the Conqueror, Bill Shake- speare. WUAT is that which increases the more you take from it ?—Why, a hole, of course. WHEN a couple go abroad on the bridal tour, could yon call it a marrytime excursion ? Too much of a good thing," as the kitten said when she fell into the milk pail. THE Feast of all Fools—More than is good for them. TrppER says that a grain of corn is better than a diamond. Certainly it is, for a barn-door fowl. GREY hairs, like honest friends, are often cut from us for telling unpleasant truths. MOCK-AUCTION stores are places where the buyer is lold. SAID in innocence—The jewellery trade has been dull, but dealers say there is a movement" in watches. "WuAT is the plural of a penny ?" inquired a schoolmaster. Twopence!" shouted the sharpest boy in the class. A DREADFUL old bachelor defines a dowry as a lump of sugar intended to nullify the bitterness of the dose." WHY should there be more marriages in winter than in summer ? —Because in winter the gentlemen require comforters and the ladies muffs. WHAT is the difference between a Christian and a cannibal ?—One enjoys himself and the other enjoys other people. BE jabbers says Pat, who was born on the last day of the year, had I delayed a bit, where would I been ?" CAN you spell donkey with one letter ?" asked a silly young man of a bright girl." Yes," she answered, "it." SYDNEY SMITH said a Bengal tiger with his tail in the air is a much less dangerous animal than an honest man with good intentions." HúRNE TOOK, when asked by George III. whether he played at cards, replied—" I cannot, your majesty, tell a king from a knave." A MISER having threatened to give a poor labourer some blows with a stick, I don't believe you," said the other, for you never give anything." I HATB masquerades," said a beautiful young lady to a gallant officer. No wonder, madam," he re- plied, "since you do so much execution unmasked." I'D have you to know, Mr. Stoker, that my uncle was a bannister of the law." A fig for your ban- nister," retorted Mrs. Grumly, turning up her nose; haven't I a brother as is a corridor in the navy ?" AT a coffee-house, a countryman of Dr. Lucas, the Irish patriot, speaking of that gentleman as an orator. said, Upon my word, he speaks with the tongue of an angel; for when I heard him I thought the fiend was in him." ONE Scotchman complained that he had got a ring- ing in his head. "Do you ken the reason o'that ?" asked his worthy crony. No." I'll tell you; it's because it's empty." And have you never had a ringing in your head?"quoth the other. "No,never." And ye ken the reason ? It's because its cracked." IF a small boy is called a lad," is it proper to call a biflver bov a ladder 1' A PHYSICIAN advertises to cure all kinds of disease by electricity. What are we coming to ? This is really a shocking business. A YOUNG man of observation recently remarked that" more men than women had been married" among his acquaintance during the last year. TiiN Chinese agree to pay the doctor an annual stipend so long as they are in good health but the moment they fail the pay ceases. HORNE TOOKE, when at Eton, was one day asked by the master the reason why a certain verb governed a palticular case. He answered, "I don't know." "That is impossible, said the master. I know you are not ignorant, but obstinate." Horne, however persisted, and the master flogged. After the punish- ment the master quoted the rule of grammar which bore on the subject, and Home instantly replied, I know that very well; but you did not ask for the rule; you demanded the reason." ORIGINAL Water-works-A pair of eyes. THE Question of the Hour"—What o'clock is it? IN an old-fashioned church fitted up with galleries and high pews, the congregation were in the habit of dozing during the sermon, and the children in the galleries of indulging in a loud and lively game of play. This state of affairs came to an end at last. The clergyman stopped short in his sermon, looked up sternly at the children, and pointing with one finger to his sleeping congregation, said, in a loud tone of command: Hush, children Don't make so much noise, or you'll wake your parents." His words had the desired effect. Seldom after that were there any closed eyes during the sermon. "YES," said a venerable and benevolent-looking old man, I've always really enjoyed living in an un- healthy climate." That's queer," said a bystander. What'i the reason ?" I rather think," responded the venerable and benevolent-looking old man, that it is because I am a Dhvsician." Fruited and published bv the Proprietor, JOHN OoNWYSoN ROBERTS, at hi» General Printing Office, No. 1, EbonVlan# Cardigan, in the Parish of St. Mary' in th« Countj ot Cardiraa —fjaturday, June 11,1892.