The Aberystwith Observer

The Dundee ship-carpenterr who tire ok work six weeks ago against a reduction of 2i 3d. per reek j'ssomed work on Wednesday at a reduction of fid. AN INTERESTING PHENOMENON. The Vienna Correspondent of The Times says :—"A short time ago, it may be remembered, the country of the Lower Danube, from Belgrade to Drenkova, was visited by an earthquake. The two short shocks then felt passed away without inflicting much damage. Now, however, information reaches us of an interest- ing phenomenon to which the earthquake has given rise. Just above the entrance to the mountain defile, extending down to Orsova, is the large island of Moldova. The earthquake had torn up the soil on one spot on this island, and out of the rent thus created a high and powerful column of water was ejected, partly inundating the island and raising apprehensions of a total inundation of that fertile and well-cultivated piece of land. Oa Saturday, the 18th inst., however, suddenly, the gigantic fountain ceased throwing up water, leaving to view a number of crater-like depres- sions vomitting up sand and earth. All over the is. land, too, a constant movement is felt. A commission accompanied by engineers has inspected the spot, but, as yet, only conjectures can be formed as to the ulti. mate result. Some see a volcano in course ef forma- tion others anticipate a total submersion of the island. The late earthquake has destroyed the ruins of the old castle of Colubay (Doves' Nest), perched on a high solitary rock on the Servian side close to the entrance of the Danube defile, thus effacing a most picturesque object in the scenery, with all the copious legendary lore attached to the place."

FIGHT BETWEEN A MONGOOSE AND A COBRA. The mongoose approached the cobra with caution, but devoid of any appearance of fear. The cobra, with head erect and body vibrating, watched his oppo- nent with evident signs of being aware of how deadly an enemy he had to contend with. The mongoose was soen within easy striking distance of' the snake, who, suddenly throwing back his head, struck at the mon- goose with tremendous force. The mongoose, quick as thought, sprung back out of reach, uttering at the same time savage growls. Again the hooded reptile rose on the defensive, and the mongoose, nothing daunted by the distended jaws and glaring eyes of his antagonist, approached so near to the snake that he was forced, not relishing such close proximity, to draw his head back considerably; this lessened his distance from the ground. The mongoose, At once seizing the advantageous opportunity, sprung at the cobra's head, and appeared to inflict as well as to receive a wound. Again the combatants put themselves in a position to renew the encounter; again the snake struck at his wily opponent, and again the latter's agility saved him. It would be tedious to recount in further detail the particulars of about a dozen t uccessive rounds, at the end of which time neither combatant seemed to cuffer more than the other. The fight had luted some three. quarters of an hour, and both combatants seemed now to nerve themselves for the final encounter. The cobra, changing his position of defence for that of attack, advanced, and seemed determined now to do or die.' Slowly on his watchful enemy the cobra advanced; with equal courage the mongoose awaited the advance of his still unvanquished foe. The cobra had now approached so close that the mongoose (who, owing to want of space behind, was unable to spring out of reach by jumping backwards, aa it had done in the previous encounters) nimbly bounded straight up in the air. The cobra missed his object, and strack the ground under him. Immediately on the mongoose alighting, the cobra, quick as thought, struck again, and, to all appearance, fixed his fangs in the head of the mongoose. The mongoose, as the cobra was withdrawing^his head after he had inflicted the bite, instantly retaliated by fixing his teeth in the head of the cobra. This seemed to convince the cobra that he was no match for his fierce and watchful antagonist; and now no longer exhibiting a head erect and defiant eye, he unfolded his coils and ignominiously slunk away. Instantly the mongoose was on his retreat- ing foe, and burying his teeth in his brain, at once ended the contest. The mongoose now set to work to devour his victim, and in a few miantes had eaten his head and two or three inches of the body, including the venom so dreaded by all, We should have mentioned before that, preview to this encounter, the snake had struck a fowl, which died within half-an-hour of the infliction of the bite; showing, beyond doubt, its capability of inflicting a deadly wound. After the mongoose had satisfied his appetite, we proceeded to examine with a pocket lens the wounds that he had received from the cobra; and on washing away the blood from one of these places, the lens disclosed the broken fang of the cobra deeply embedded in the head of the mongoose. ■ We have had the mongoose con- fined ever since (now four days ago), and it is now as healthy and lively an ever." The Indian mongoose is about the size of a ferret; the Egyptian ichneumon is larger, measuring about 21 inches, not including the tail, which is some 16 inches more. The colour of the mongoose is a most pleasing mixture of grey and dark freckled hairs it is an inquisitive little creature, fond of poking its sharp nose into every corner, and frequently hiding in holes. From the description of its manners the mongoose must be in this respect very like the weasel of our English lanea and hedges. The Greek name, Ichneumon, which signifies the tracker," or hunter," was evidently given to the animal on account of its exploring and inquisitive habits. The generic term Herpestes denotes "a creeper." Although both these species are valuable on account of their destruction of poisonous and dangerous animals, yet they are too partial to the flesh of a delicate chicken to be trusted near be a-roosts. -Leisure Hour.

LORD HARTINGTON AND MR. BRIGHT AT MANCHESTER. An enormous liberal gathering took place to the Pomona Gardens at Manchester last Saturday, representatives of all the Liberal Associations tn North-east and South-east Lan- caahire being present. Mr. R. N. Philips, M.P., presided, and a resolution was passed condemning the Government for its neglect 01 necessary domestic legislation, for the arrogant, pretentious duplicity and Incompetence of its foreign policy; for its mtudled evasion ef Parliamentary counsels and control; and for a financial cowardice which has sought refuge in debt from the bxrdens of its extravagance. The Marquis ot Hartlngton, In a speech ot considerable length, proceeded to institute a contrast between the length, proceeded to institute a contrast between the j present and the late administrations, ana declared that when the time came the iLloerals would not be afraid to appeal to the country upon the ground of any comparison that may be made. The noble Marq&ls said Wehave not brought forward our accusations and our indictment* against the Government for the Bate of -raising a party cry, or securing support to a discredited faction at the next election. We have impugned the policy of the Government because we believed in our hearts that ,it was one which was unnecessary in the interests of tke nation, and one which was calcu- lated to imperil some of the beet interests of the country. (Cheese.) We have not eeen any reason to withdraw from the indictment, and the sooner that challenge is offered to us the better. (Cheers.) At all events, whatever may be the result of the next elec- tion, it cannot fail to bring great relief to those who, like many 61 those by whom 1 am surrounded, feel a grave and heavy responsibility. \Hear, hear.) We havo been engaged during the last three or four years in waging in Parliament an unequal con- test. We have been uniformly voted down; we have felt that a grave responsibility rested upon us for much th&t was being done, and that mueh that we disapproved might possibly be attributed to short- comings on our part. B<at when once the opinion of the country has been tahen, if it be—as we confidently hope and believe it will be—a verdict in our favour (cheers;, then th»t undoubtedly will be the greatest and the highest gain to which we can look. But if, on the other hand, the verdict be against us ("No ") a great load of responsibility will be taken from the shoulders of your Liberal representatives—when the country has taken upon itself, as it never has yet done -{hear, hear), the responsibility for those acts and for that policy which have been and are being practised in its name. (Cheers.) When the moment comes we shall not be afraid to appeal to the country upon the ground of any comparison that may be made between the acts of the late Liberal Administration and the late Liberal Parliament and the acts of the present Ad- ministration and the present Parliament. (Cheers.) We shall remind the country that five years ago, when we resigned the reins of office, we left peace abroad and contentment at home. (Cheers.) We left trade and manufactures lfourishing, we left the revenue daily increasing—increasing at a far greater rate than the expenditure of the country. Since the advent of the present Administration we have had apprehensions of war in Europe.; we have had actual and unnecessary war in Asia and Africa. (Cheers.) Trade and industry have been at a standstill. Confidence is gone—(hear, hear)—the burdens of the people have been increased -(hear, hear)—and as to the finance of the country, there are no words of mine which can adequately de- scribe the condition in which it has sunk. (Cheers.) It is a degradation of the term "finance" to call the administration of your revennes by the present Government by that name. (Cheers.) If the finance of the Conservative Government deserves to be called finance, then the reckless expenditure of every spend- thrift who spends large revenues without knowing from what source the money is to come—then that course, I say, is equally worthy of the term "finance." (Cheeis.) I need not remind you that we left a surplus of fire millions—"{hear, hear)—and that everything which the Government has done in the way of the reduction of debt and of the relief of the burdens of the people has been done by means, and solely by the means, of that surplus which was left to them by the Liberal Government. Since then the burdens of the people have been increased, and although it was an- nounced as part of the policy of a Conservative Govern. ment to make more regular and more consistent -efforts for the reduction of the National Debt, those efforts and that pretentious pelicy have so completely failed that during the last three years the debt of the country has actually increased, and there are at this moment large liabilities outstanding, which we have not the slightest idea how the Government is to meet. (Cheers.) If the foreign policy of the Government has been so successful as we are asked to admit tbat it has been, surely we ought to see some result. When the country is involved in war, or under the apprehension of war, it is natural that internal affairs should be neg- lected and should attract less attention. But when we are told that the-foreign policy of the Government has not only been a wise one, but that it has also been successful, than we expect to see some of the results which would naturally flow from a wiae and also a successful foreign policy. We should expect that the country would be invited and would be found ready to respond to the invitation to devote itself calmly and tranquilly to the consideration of internal reform. But what have this Government—what have the Conservative supporters of this Government-to iffer you on the subject of internal reform ? What is their domestic policy? What are their views on the question of Parliamentary reform ? What are their views upon the depressed condition of the agricultural interest, and I may add, the depressed condition of every other interest? (Hear, hear.) What are their views upon the financial con- dition into which they have brought the country ? Gentlemen, when this Government speaks of internal policy they have one, and only one, answer to make to us. When they refer to domestic affairs their one and sole resource is to point to the alleged division which exists on questions of domestic interests in the Liberal party. Well, I have always admitted the existence and the necessity of the existence of differences of opinion in the Liberal party, but those differences are now urged against us as a reproach, when, after all, they are nothing but a necessity of our existence and they are not only urged against us as a reproach, but they are turned by our opponents to a more useful purpose—the purpose of diverting the at- tention of the people of the country from those sub- jects on which the Liberal party are agreed to those others upon which more or less difference of opinion exists. His lordship concluded a vigorous speech by urging upon his audience not to let their enthusiasm die out, but to occupy the interval which will elapse before the general election in the arduous but necessary duties of preparation and organization, and resumed hiN seat amid loud eheers. When Mr.^Brlght rose to address the meeting, the cheer- ing was deafening, The audience rose, too, and the band played the accompaniment to a verse of "The fine old JSogUsh Gentteman," which was sung apparently by thousands. Afterwards the cheering was renewed and sus- tained with unremitting ardotr. Mr. Bright, who spoke for exactly an hour, proceeded to dwell upon Lord Salisbury's speech at the Mauchester Chamber of Commerce, and after summarising the beneficial results ot a free trade policy, glanced at the claims of the-Liberal party to the support of the peopte. So characterised the policy of the Conservative Ministry as one that malend a seeming glory to the Crown, and may give scope for patronage and promotion, and pay and pension to z limited and flavoured clas*; but to the people It brings expenditure of blood and of treasure, tn. creased debts and taxes, and ad«s risks of war in -every part of the globe.—The following Is an extract from Mr. Bright'* .-peech If Mr. Gladstone and the Liberal party had re- mained in office,-ihere would have been no danger of a war with Russia (cheers), and I believe there would have been no war-between Rueoia and Turkey. (Loud and repeated cheers.) There would have been no Zulu war (hear, hear), and there would have been no war against the Aiceer of Afghanistan. The finances of India would not have been tbos disordered, and our friends of the Chasaber of Commerce and their con- stituents might without doubt new in all probability, or immediately, have had the eciton duties of which they corn plain so much entirely abolished. (Cheersi) And with regard to English fin anas, there woutd have been no juggling (cheers); there would have been no deception; no thimble-rigging (loud )a«ghter and cbsering); everything connected with your finance would have beec^ound and above board (bear, hear); the income-tax would long Biace have beec re- pealed (uheerc), and the depression ia trade, if it bad come—and some of it nuisft have coc:e; from the state of things,in the United-States particularly, and the fltate of our own harr-ast—-but the depression of trade, if it had come, would not-have been aggravated by a policy resttMs and wieked. (cheers) m three quartose ef the globe. (Cbeere,J ;New, I put to you one or two things, and I shall not asfc your attention for more than'a few miautes. (Cheers, and cries of Go on") It a came to any conclusion as to the epiniens of this meeting, and those thousands and hundreds of thousands whotx you represent out of doors, it is that we want worthier and wtter .men at the .helm of affair*. (Cheers ;) If the naeuehants, the manufacturers, the teaders, and,ble working men of Lancashire prefer the seen who lasaeat the policy whioh untaxed their food and unchained their indoatry. who have wrougbi mischief through half the world, and &ave used a great PaaksiMntary majority Etainly to sanction .and cover their own erimeg (hear, hear); if these men are to be yaxr political leadera and guides, I advise such of you as have children to seek a home for them in the colonies of the North Amencam continent, in Canada, or in the U oited States, or in the new nations that are growing great in the South Pacific. (Cheers.) We have heard lately w, great deal of "Imperial policy" and of a 's great empire." These are phraees which catch the ignorant and unwary. (Hear, hear.) Since this Government camo into office your great empire upon the map — has grown much greater. They have annexed the islands of Fiji (laughter); tfcey have annexed also the country of the Transvaal in South Africa, which is said to be as large aa France. They have practically annexed the land of the Zulus, also in South Africa, and they have praefct- ally annexed- jot it is now vxttmly disorganized and hey seem to toft alone to repair, if it is possible, the aischief tVey have made-the, have practically nnexed Afghanistan. They have added also to your lominioyjig the island of Cyprus. in the Mediterranean -(mo^h laughter),—and they have incurred enormous, ncsJicaiafele responsibilities in Egypt and in Asia ^-VQOT. All these add to the burdens, not to the imprre—just listen to this,—they add to the burdens, not to the empire in Canada or Australia-all these colonies have nothing to do as a rule with these things —thev add to the burdens, not of the empire, but of the 34,000.000 of people who inhabit Great Britain and [reland. We make the burden and we pay the charge. This policy may land a seeming glory to the Crown, and may give scope for patronage and promotion and pay and pensions to a limited and a favoured class, but to you, the people, it brings expenditure of blood and treasure, increased debt and taxes, and added risks of war in every quarter of the globe. Look on our posttion for one moment. You have to meet the competition of other countries; your cwn race on the American continent are your foremost rivals. Nobody denies that, I believe. There are 50,000,000 now, and happily for them they hive no's yet bred a Beaconsfield or a Salisbury (laughter and cheers) to misdirect their policy and to waste their resources. {Loud cheers.) If at some distant period, it may be centuries remote, an Englishman-ooe of that great English nation which is now so rapidly peopling the American con- tinent—if such an Englishman should visit and explore the sources of his race and the decayed and ruined home of kis fathers, he may exclaim, "How are the mighty fallen! whence comes this great ruin ?" and the answer will be that in the councils of the England of the past—I pray that it might not be said in the days of a virtuous Queen—wisdom and justice were scorned, and ignorance and passion and vainglory directed her pelicy and wielded her power. (Loud and prolonged cheers.)

An overflow meeting was held in the Agricultural Hall, at which a resolution was passed similar to the one at the above meeting. Mr. W. 8. Catne, of Liverpool, presided, and the Macquis of Hartington came upon the platform during the proceedings and made a short rpeech. Several thousands of people also assembled In the open air under a balcony, from which addresses were delivered by several gentlemen. In response to persistent cries for "Bright end «• Hartlngton," those gentlemen subsequently appeared, one after the other, on the balcony, and, after having been received with loud and prolonged cheering, also briefly addressed the assembly. Mr. Bright, on coming forward, said It is quite impossible for anyone with ordinary human powers to address with any advantage this vast, this wonderful audienoe, and I am sorry that I cannot speak to every- one of you-(hear. hear)-or shake everyone of you by the hand-(loud cheers)—and ask you, as opportunity offers, wheresoever you be to give your assistance to what you deem to be honourable and true and wise in the government of your country. (Cheers.) I say that speaking with advantage is not possible here, but you speak to me in your tens of thousands (cries of We will," aud cheers), and your countenances speak to me of the interest you feel in the great time at which our country has now arrived, when we are about before long to determine whether men who, we think, have misdirected all your powers shall re- main to administer the forces of this great Empire, or whether you will call to the helm wiser, more experi- enced, worthier, and more truthful men. (Cheers.) You will excuse me from attempting to go into any questions which we have been discussing inside. I can only offer you my heartfelt thanks in the name of every Liberal elector for your appearance here to-day, for your conduct under these circumstances, for the grand manifestation you have made of your great and growing interests in public affairs. There has been nothing like this within my memory {loud cheers), and I know not that I have ever before seen a multitude like this assembled to take an interest in public questions and to express their sympathy with the great movement of the Liberal party throughout the kingdom. (Cheers.) Don't be afraid of your opponents. (Cries We are not," and loud cheers.) Your cause is one which, I hope, even sensible men among them may yet come to regard as just—(cheers)—and, at any rate, your children after you will not have to be ashamed of their fathers. (Hear, hear.) They will say, My father fought in the ranks of the Liberal party, and whatsoever there is of freedom and of greatness in this kingdom comes from the free principles of that party." (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I thank you from my heart for permitting me to see you, and I bid you, with feelings that I can- not express, farewell—(loud cries of "No, no")—and hope that you may find your prinoiples will speedily triumph. (Loud cheers.)

Colonel Stanley and Sir J. Holker were present on Wednesday night at a Conservative gathering at Preston. Colonel Stanley defended the foreign policy of the Govern- nent, and particularly the acquisition of Cyprus, which In- stead of being an armed place was merely a place of arms, t was no worse off In regard to sanitation than Corfu, dalta, and Gibraltar, and wherever It was necessary to tccupy Important positions we must be prepared to meet inheaithiness of climate, He declined an answer to an ap- peal from Mr. Hermon to say whether or act the rumours if an immediate dissolution were true.

TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTION. It is efefcftnated that of the world's population about three million persona die annually of consumption. In view of this fact, Dr. Talbot Jones has recently pub- lished in the New York Medical Journal an elaborate paper, in which he aims to show that of all the re- sources in our command against the malady, threatened or established, dependence can only be placed on climate. A careful study of the numerous facts adduced leads Dr. Jones to the following conclu- sions L No zone enjoys entire immunity from pulmonary consumption. 2. The popular belief that phthiats is common in cold climates in fallacious, and the idea, now so prevalent, that phthisis is rare in warm climates is aa untrue as it is dangerous. 3. The disease causes a large proportion of deaths on the sea shore, the mortality diminishing with elevation up to a certain point. 4. Altitude is inimimical to the development of con- sumption, owing chiefly to the greater purity of the atmosphere in elevated situations, its freedom from organic matter, and its richness in ozone. 5. Moisture arising from a clay soil or due to evapo- ration is one of the most influential factors in its pro- duction. 6. Dampness of the atmosphere, from whatever cause or in any altitude, predisposes to the develop- ment of the disease, and is hurtful to those already attacked. 7. Dryness is a quality of the atmosphere of decided value. 8. The most unfavourable climate possible for a consumptive is one of uniform high temperature and of high dew point (warm and moist). 9. The effects due to change in the atmosphere are by no means so pernicious as are generally sup- posed, and on this Subject present views require modi- fication. Dr. Jones commends the climate of Minnesota, and thinks those predisposed to consumption, or labouring under its first stages, would very likely be benefited or cured by a residence there. Between the pleasant rolling prairie, the wooded lake region, and the dense pine forests of the northern section of the State, they can choose what seems most agreeable and beet adapted to them, while the dry, bracing atmosphere will enable them to live much of their time out of doors without fear of taking cold. He insists, how- ever, on the inutility of sending patients thither who are in the advanced stages of the disease.—Thursday's Timtt.

A YEAR'S WRECKS. The Wreck Register" of the past year shows that the number of shipwrecks, casualties, and collisions on and near the coasts of the United Kingdom from July 1, 1877, to June 30, 1878, was 3,641, of which, however, only 422 cues involved total loss, and loss of life occurred in only 126. This is not a large pro- portion, considering the dangers of the coasts, and the fact that the number of British vessels alone entering inwards and clearing outwards to and from ports in the United Kingdom in one year averages 600,000, representing a toanage probably of 102,000,000. Since 1352 the number of wrecks and casualties on the British coasts, according to the records of the National Lifeboat Institution, has been 46,320, with a loss of 17,829 lives. The loss ot life during 1877-8 was 892, including 318 in the Eurydice.

The Standard of Wednesday had a leader on the subject of the Wreck Regieter, from which we make the following extracts The Wreek Register, of which we publish an abstract to- day, tells once more Its tale of a year's disasters in the home waters. In addition to shipwrecks properly so called, we have casualties of all kinds, and numerous cases of collision. Despite all that science has done and experience has sug- gested, disaster still awaits many of our hardy seamen; and every storm that breaks over these Isles produces more or less havoc among the shipping along our coasts. Navigation is not the rude uncared for thing in these days that it was in olden times. We have lighthouses on our headlands, some of them flashing with the intense radiance of the electric light. Far out at sea where danger may be apprehended or a delicate course has to be steered, our Trinity House has Its lightships and buoys. The steam siren, and the fog-horn utter their notes of warning when the air is thick by night or day. Skilled pilots await the vessel that comes from a distant voyage. Every shoal is laid down upon the chart, and every inch of the coast is duly mapped. We have rules and regulations to govern the navi- gation, so that the transit of the narrow seas shall be as well ordered as the traffic In Cheapslde. Science gives the barometer, which heralds the approaching storm, and telegrams from distant stations enab!e the Meteorological Department to issue warnings to the various ports. Tbe drum and the cone hoisted on the flagstaff tell the sailor in the offing what kind of gale he may expect, so that he may shape his course with the lair est chance of escape. Ships also are built with Increasing »kill. Unknown to pre- vious generations were collision bulk-heads, water-tight compartments, or the statutory precaution of the load line. Steam aids the progress of our ships, which are no longer dependent solely on the winds of heaven. In countless de- tails the sailor receives the benefit of the advance which modern times have witnessed in the arts and sciences. Still the storm cannot always be weathered,and the best of seaman- ship Is sometimes balled by the raging of the tempest and the nearness of a lee shore. The heavy list of casualties among the shipping on our coasts is of course largely due to the Immense Increase in our mercantile marine. The coasting trade is large, and the vessels engaged in It are continually subject to the dangers of a crowded and Intricate water- way. The great ocean-going steamer has dangers of her own, but her hours of real peril are fewer than those which beset the tiny schooner or moderately-sized brig which Is never many miles from reef and sandbank. It is a dark catalogue, this list of broken and foundered ships with its terrible cost of human lives. A more pleasant side to the painful picture is that given by the exercise of benevolence on the one hand, and manly Intrepidity on the other, as shown by the operations of the National Lifeboat Institution. The Board of Trade, with its rocket and mortar apparatus, affords another meane of rescuing human life, and one which Is often found of great service. Bat this Society, which studs the coasts of the United Kingdom with life-boats, is dependent solely on the iiberatity of the public for Its support, whilst its gallant crews are composed of volun- teers from among the seafaring population. Mo Govern- ment Department Is needed to provide the agency which is thus ever ready to brave the terrors of the storm. Men are never wanting for this dangerous service, let the night be ever so wild and fearful. Some of the regular crew may be absent, away on a voyage, or perhaps laid by with sickness; but others are ready to take tueir places, with an eagerness proportioned to the desperateness of the enterprtte. The growth of this Institution shows how keenly the British public appreciate anything which relates to the wellare qt the sailer. In thirty years the Income of the Society has risen from little more than three hundred pounds a year to the noble sum ot forty thousand pounds and the value of its property in life boats and stations round the the coast Is estimated at three hundred thousand pounds. Its fleet of life-boats Is now not far short of three hundred, and its expenditure on life-boat stations and other means of saving life from shipwreck on the coasts of the United Kingdom has amounted from first to last to very nearly half a million. Its life-saving flaet is manned by about twelve thousand persons, and its service Is marked by deeds of heroiim which bear comparison with the most daring achievements on the field of battle. It Is, Indeed, almost a trite raying amongst foreign seamen that they always know when they are wrecked on an English coast, from the efforts made to save them. The aid thus rendered last year, in combination sometimes with other means, allectell the rescue of four thousand lives. Never was the need for such an agency so great as it Is now, and unless British enterprise suffers a strange decline the need will Inevitably Increase still further. British commerce has grown immensely in the last forty years, and every stage of grewth puts more vessels on the seas. The growing list of marine casualties is one consequence of the perpetual augmentation In the number 01 our merchant and trading ships. The Wreck Chart shows its thickest clusters of black spots, betokening casualties, in the vicinity of our great trading ports. The west coast of Ireland, despite its Iron- bound shore, is nearly free from the tokena of disaster. Where there Is commerce there the wrecks are found. The dark spots, every one of which shows a ship suffering more or less damage, congregate in heavy masses near the Thames, the Tyne, the Severn, and the Mersey. Our commercial great- ness is purchased at the peril of the merchant seaman, and every storm that sweeps our coasts overwhelms some of this also In the broken waters. British ships alone, entering inwards and clearing outwards to and from ports of the United Kingdom, are said to average six hundred thousand, representing a tonnage of more than a hundred millions. Adding to these the foreign ships, we see how vast a fleet is continually passing around and near our coasts, and It will be seen that three hundred life boats, distributed over Ive thousand miles of coast, are fully needed to watch over the lives thus placed more or less at the mercy of the waves."

A STRANGE DEATH. The death is announced at Heidelberg of Dr. Adolf Sander, who wat formerly in large practice as a physician in Elberfeld and its neighbourhood. One morning in 1874, while dressing, he contrived in some way to get a shirt button between his teeth. Uncon- sciously, while laughing, the button slipped into the back of hie mouth, and thence into the larynx. All the exertions of his surgical friends to remove it were vain. It was ascertained that it sank into the right lung, which soon became irritated. Spitting of blood ensued, and he was himself looking forward to his death as not very remote. He removed to a villa he had near Frankfert-on the Maim to pass his last days in quiet. Here ha was surprised by a violent fit of coughing, accompanied by spitting of blood, in a paroxysm of which the button was ejected. His health rapidly improved, and in a couple of months, regarding himself as quite cured, he resumed his pro- fessional work, and endeavoured to gather ap the threads of his former practice. But last yet r amnia. takeable symptoms manifested themselves that the lung had not fully recovered from the preeence in its substance of a foreign body for several months. He spent the winter in the south of Europe, I" at returned almost worse than he went. He gradu ally wasted away, and sank a few days ago.

THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. The area of the Sandwich Islands is officially stated as follows, in acre. Hawaii, 2,500,000; Maui, 400,000; Oahu, 350,000; Kauai, 350,000; Molokai, 200.000; Lanai, 100,000; Nichan, 70,000; Kahulin, 30,000 acres. The census taken at the end of 1878 shows a total population of 57,985, being 1,088 more than in 1872. The natives and half-castes decreased from 51,531 in 1872 to 47,508 in 1878, but the foreigners increased from 5,366 to 10,477. This last number includes 883 Britons, a considerable increase over the number in 1872. The Americans were 1,276 in 1878, and the Chinese 5,916, the latter increasing very fast in number. Both exports and imports exceed 3,000,000 dols. in value. The British Consul states that the reciprocity treaty with the United States has had the result of largely increasing the volume of English trade with these islands; but some important articles, notably cotton manufactures, are in effect excluded by the 10 per cent. differential duty. The number of passengers in transitu arriving at the port of Honolulu was 2,006 in the year 1878.

THE LARGEST OAK IN BRITAIN. The Times of Wednesday published the following letter Sir,-In answer to the inquiry which you kindly allowed me to make upon this subject I have re- ceived notices and descriptions of several very fine oaks. Of these, the Cowthorpe oak, Yorkshire, seems to be regarded by many of my correspondents as the largest oak in Britain. Its measurements, as furnished to me by the Rector of Cowthorpe, are—at the ground, 55ft. 6in. 5ft. above the ground, 38ft. 4iin. Those of the Newland oak are—at the ground, 46tt., and 5ft. from the ground its girth is 47ft. 6in. Opinions may differ as to which of these fine trees is the larget, but I submit that a tree which measures 47ft. 6in. at a height of 5ft. from the ground is a larger tree than one which measures even 56ft. close to the ground, where it is unavoidable to take the roots or some part of them into the measurement. It may interest your readers to know that the New- land oak, which from the above measurement seems to be the largest in the country, is mentioned in Domes- day Book as a large tree in the new lands at that time cleared. This, allowing, for the slow growth of oaks, will give it an age probably not inferior to its Yorkshire or any other competitor.—I am, yours obediently, BASIL EDWARDS. Blalsdon Rectory, Glocester, Oct. 27.

A NEW VIEW OF CREMATION. A lecture with this title was recently given in London by Mr. Armytage Baker. The lecturer (whose address was the third of a series of lectures and entertainments) obeerved that he had to ask their attention not to the birth but to the sepulture of man. It had been said that the whole world was covered with memorials of the dead. The earliest re. mains told of burial and not of cremation. In the earliest days of Europe burial was unknown, and fire was known also. When they entered the age of bronze fire was used to fuse the metals for the use of man. He was willing to take cremation from the bronze age, but when was that! Was it not beyond the ageof history and tradition ? Tnen they came to the iron age, with which might be associated the name of Nineveh, though he might say, by way of parenthesis, that he could not but think that this was the real iron age. What was the origin of cremation ? He held that it arose from the highest religious reverence, and gave a culminating expression to a living faith. Neither sun worship nor star worship came to be thought sufficient. Sir Henry Layard thought that the Persians owed their idea of fire worship to the Assyrians. It might be said that cremation sprang out of fire worship, though fire worship did not always carry with it cre- mation. In Persia they neither burned nor buried their dead, but they placed them in high places where they were exposed to the ravages of birds of prey. The oldest religions showed the highest reverence for the dead. He would connect cremation not only with reverence but with religion showing marvellous ubiquity, the religion which found its visihfo expression in fire. Cremation was at one time thought the highest honour to the dead. Why was cremation not practised by Christians ? Simply because it was a Pagan practice. The cemeteries which had been extra-mural were now becoming i it. a- mural. Every one ot them was a centre of disease, nd might prepare the ground for epidemic. At least, let a commission be issued. People were apt to think that this was a new question. Sir Henry Thompson had raised tha question a few years ago, but it had been raised long before by Sir Thomas Browne. He believed this was a pressing question, affecting the health of every one. He did not regard this as an economic question, but the process was not expensive. There was no prohibition in Scripture against cremation. If it were said that cremation was contrary to the idea of the Resurrection, he would say that burial did not preserve the human form, and he thought the objection was utterly worthless. The ashes of the dead might be again gathered into the churches. In some European countries the process of cremation was going on. What was the difference be- tween burial and cremation ? The one was long and dangerous, while the other was quick and safe. A vote of thanks was passed to the lecturer by ac- clamation, and it was briefly acknowledged by him.

ANTIQUITY OF BRACELETS. The chroniclers whose business it is to report or predict from Paris each rapidly-changing fashion declare that the rage for bracelets, which has long been on the increase, is assuming unparalleled dimensions. One of them, in expatiating upon the subject of these metallic "ornaments" as he calls them, is rather hard upon the fashions and utters dismal warnings as to the bad results of wearing such "false badges of slavery." It will, however, occur to many of his readers that the bracelet was not originally so much a mark of slavery as of honour and dignity. Armlets, which are a very different thing and are fastened round the upper arm, may perhaps have been, at various times, more commonly worn by slaves than by free persons. But the bracelet, pro- perly so called, is mentioned by almost all ancient writers as a distinction of wealth and high rank, and the reviving taste for them is only a return to a custom of immense antiquity. It may even be supposed, without much fear of contradiction, that these were the earliest ornaments by means of which the precious metals were utilised for personal adornment. The messenger from Abraham to Rebekah is described as carrying and presenting to her two golden bracelets, and at a very early period in our own history a number of similar gifts were sent by Earl Godwin as a peace offer. ing to Hardicanute. In fact, so far from the wearing of bracelets being an innovation, we are still a long way behind the ancients in our partiality for them. In the early days of all nations it appears that they were worn as commonly, or nearly as commonly, by men as by women, and for a precisely similar purpose—the gratification of personal vanity, or the ostentation of superior rank. Saul was in the habit of wearing a bracelet even on the field of battle, and was adorned with one at the moment when he was killed by the Amalekite. In the Celtic countries warriors are also found buried with the same ornaments round their wrists; and there is some reason for supposing that in the time of Edgar bracelets were bestowed in England as a special reward for valour and virtue.-Globe.

EARTHOUAKES IN CHINA. The North China Herald publishes a translation of a memorial written by Tso Tsung-tang, the Governor General of Kansu, regarding the very disastrous earth- quakes in that province a few months ago. The shocks are said to have extended from the 29th of June to the llth of July, with greater or less severity, and news of the destructive effects experienced in loss of life and demolition of property has been received from no fewer than nearly thirty cities and districts. The memorial aays:— On the 1st of July, at about four a.m., a violent shock occurred in Chieh Chow, Wda, Hsien, and Hsi-ho, making a noise like thunder and causing the ground to open and water to rush out. The city walls, as well as the public offices, ancestral and other temples, and private houses were either levelled to the ground or split and rent asunder. The number of per- sons crushed to death varied from ten in some places to 200 or 300 in others, in addition to which a large quantity of cattle was destroyed. On receipt of the information the Financial Commissioner sent off agents to ascertain the extent of the damage, in order that relief might be sent, and at the same time reported the circumstances to the Governor General. The latter observes that, in consequence of the thickness of the crust of the earth and the depth of the water in Kansu, there is constantly an accumulation of subter- ranean gases and sub aqueous vapours which find a vent in frequent earthquakes; but as a rule these are very slight, and all is over in a moment. In the pre- sent instance both Sbiasi and Kansu have simulta- neously reported disastrous results from the earth- quake, which has been particularly severe in the east of Kansu, though the amount of damage done varies in different departments and districts. In some places one shock only was felt; in others, several in succes. sion; while in others, again, thay continued for the whole ten days, causing the people to live in constant dread of being crushed. Many of them passed their nights in the open, and at moments when the danger was im- minent their cries of distress wire truly piteous to hear. There being no one to attend to the animals, even more of these than of human beings were injured or crushed to death; while most of the city walls, temples, public offices, and private dwellings were destroyed, and havoc wrought of far greater extent than in disasters of an ordinary kind. Providentially, it so happened that the summer harvest had just been gathered, and this being a plentiful one, the measures of relief required were easily carried out."

A ROYAL VINE. The origin of a famous and delicious grape, little known in England, but highly appreciated in Paris under the title of 11 chaaselas," is said to have been derived in a curious way from the regions of South, France, and to be almost contemporaneous in date wita the advent of the Bourbon family to the throne. Ac- cording to the orthordox legend that part of the park at Fontainebleau where the grape is now grown was formerly a barren spot, and was noticed as such by King Henry IV. as he was walking one day in the grounds. The gardener to whom his remonstrance was addressed excused himself and his predeces- sors by declaring that nothing would grow on so unfavourable a soil; and it was then that the Due d', Epemon who was present, suggested planting some vines brought from the hardy vineyards of Gascony. The hint was taken, and in the very last year of the 26th century a vine from Béun was brought and ac- climatised at the Royal residence. The spot at which it found a home was a low and sheltered part of the park, guarded from the north winds by a wall, and approached by a double flight of steps from the flower- garden. The plant attained immense proportions, and was known as the "treiUe du roi," and the leading re- presentative of the species of grape called chasselas." Its produce was a standing dish all the year round at the royal tables from the time of Henry IV. to that of Louis XV.. and it was always a special mark of favour to the Ministers of the day that they should be Bupplied at the proper season with baskets of fruit from the royal tree. Richelieu, in fact, is said to have so greatly delighted in the grape that, when on a visit to the King in 1625, being taken into the garden by Marie de Medicis, he ate so many bunches off the famous tree as to almost kill himself, and to require all the ensuing night the most careful attendance of physicians and domestics. It was only in 1730, as it is stated, that cuttings from the "treiUe du roi" found their way beyond the Royal walls, especially to a place called Thomery, were in a similarly unfavour- able soil, the vines have done extremely well.-Globe,

CURE OF INEBRIATES. To whatever of will may be left to the victim of strong drink—and very often there seems, alas, nene remaining-we must look for true reformation and a permanent cure. If all moral power have vanished, and every spark of mental energy fled, the only thing left is to forcibly keep the miserable wreck of humanity where no alcohol is; but all long as reason, however dimmed, survives, and conscience, however seared, lingers, there is hope for the least hopeful, and the prospect of a happy futuro for the most despwrwg. No charmed potion will ever slay the dragon of dipso- mania, no potent talisman will ever have power to exercise the demon of the drink crave; but wise medical, dietetic, and hygienic measures willstrengtben the hands of the good Samaritans who undertake the treatment of the fallen through drink, while reviving the drooping spirits and cheering the fainting hearts. of those whom the arch robber, Alcohol, has left to die by the way- side. The following extract from the last report of Dr. Day, of the Washingtonian xlome, Boston, is worthy of profound consideration, and is confirmed by the observation of every faithful worker in this field. For forty years I have been an observer and parti- cipant in the temperance reform in its various periodical phases. It has sometimes taken on a political form, then a religious tone; but I can safely say that any movement to check drunkenness which does not include entire physiological rest to each case is devoid of all elements of success. Lam so confirmed in this view that I do not hesitate to say that I know of no indi- vidual case of inebriety that has been cured in any other way than from the basis indicated. The direct path to inebriety ia a pathological one, and when this point is reached the whole condition is one of disease. Hence the return to perfect sobriety must be physiolo- gical. All healthful conditions must be observed, and the path which leads up to true reform, or cure, can only be pursued by strict conformity to the laws of health.-Quarterly Journal of Inebriety,

FLOODS IN NEW SOUTH WALES. The Sydney Morning Herald of the 11th of Sep- tember says Sinctl the gale reached Sydney, the rain has been incessant. The heaviest shower was on Tuesday, when half an inch of rain fell in three- quarters of an hour. On one occasion the gale had a velocity of 64 miles an hour. Tne rainfall from 9 a.m. on the 9th to 9 a.m. on the 10th was ù'691m.. which, with 2.760 on the day preceding, makes 8"45lin., the heaviest rainfall recorded here in Sep- tember. The nearest approach to this waa made in 1859, when 7'998in. fell in four days. Easterly gales so late in the season are unusual. They seldom come after August. In looking over his re- cords of easterly gales Mr. Russell, the Government As- tronomer, finds none in which the rainfall has equalled this. The country districts have been flooded, causing TIT and damage to railways and buildings. I he water in the Hawkesbury commenced to rise about four o clock yesterday, and rapidly increased its rate of progress, at one period during the night rising as much as 5ft. an hour now 32ft. above high water. All the land along the left bank of the river is deeply submerged, as well as half Wilberforce and Freeman's Reach. Along Bardinerang Bouth and Eastern Creeks there is a great flood. Many settleis have been driven from their homes during the night; they were busy removing stock. The greatest fears are entertained of a repetition nf 1867. All communica- tion, except by boats, cut di,"

A LAND OF PROMISE. The following account of North West American wheat-raising power, as given by the Chicago Tribune, will convey some adequate idea of the extent, even after deducting a fair amount for patriotic exaggera- tion. The observations are confined to one farm-an immense one certainly-upon the Northern Pacific Railway, extending over twenty square miles, only bounded by the horizon. Over the whole expanse 115 self-binding reaping machines are at work, each sup- plying the place of six men, and superintended by the mounted officers of this strange army of industry. This year the wheat crop of Oregon is estimated at ten millions of bushels, and that State and its neigh- bour, Washington Territory, have an area of 106,000,000 acres, much of it prairie land, with yards deep of rich virgin mould. The western portion of the great Republic is as rich below as on the surface. Its stones are iron, and you may dig copper, if not brass, out of its hills. The brass is, perhaps, to be sought elsewhere. The attractions of gold mining, too, are likely to draw emigrants for some years to come, but latterly silver has apparently been in greater request. Many possessors of small holdings have been made rich by the unexpected discovery of petroleum springs, and not very long ago a productive silver lode was openei at the very threshold of a farmer, who ia now working more contentedly under than he hereto- fore did above ground, A noticeable feature in Amer- ican agriculture is the all but universal use of reapers and other labour-saving implements. While the former cut down, the portable steam machinery threshes and cleans the grain. It is then taken to the place of export by rail, or in barges towed by steam- tugs, and transferred from them to the Rrauarie3 or ocean ships by means of elevators, at the rate of two or three thousand btishelb an hour, being weighed in the process automatically by Fairbank's standard scales. By means of these elevators upwards of two- and-a-balf million bushels have been shipped in one week from New York,—Land and Water.

A ROYAL CONSERVATORY. Probably the largest private conservatory in the world is that just completed for the King of Holland in the Schloss-Park. adjoining his favourite country residence (says the Daily Telegraph.) Its dimensions are, indeed, enormous, for it contains above lorty-eix thousand cubic yards of space, while its glass dome ia ninety feet ia height and one hundred and eighty in diameter. This imposing cupola is flanked by two lofty towers, resembling Turkish minarets in shapa, which give an Oriental character to the whole structure. The hot-water pipes laid down for the heating of the gigantic greenhouse are no less than fifteen thousand feet long. Among the tropical plants which have been purchased by his Majesty for the adorn- ment of his new conservatory are two huge palm- trees, which arrived at the Schloss in the ear) y part of last week from the Royal forcing-houses at Enghein. Twenty-one horses were harnessed to the platform on wheels whereon reposed the smaller of these magnifi- cent trees, the trunk of which measures forty feet in length, and its crown of fronds twenty-four feet in diameter. This tree weighs two tons and a half, while its companion, a much larger specimen of the date palm, s'xty feet in height, weighs Dearly a ton more. They have been planted under the very centre of the great dome, where there is plenty of room for them to grew as fast as they please for the next half-century,

SHOOTING STARS. Every one has heard of falling or shooting stars, and most people have probably seen one or more of these bright meteors rush across the sky on a calm summer evening, and then vanish as suddenly as it appeared. The rude Lithuanian peasants have a touching legend about these falling stars. To every new-born child, they say, there is attached an invisible thread, and this thread ends in a star when that child dies the thread breaks, and the light of the star is quenched as it falls to the earth." Science has taught us a different, but not a less wonderful history. It is now known that these meteors are solid stones, "pocket planets" as Humboldt called them, which form long elliptical rings round the sun, many of which cross our orbit in various direc- tions. When we pass through one of these rings, the stones rush through our atmosphere so fast that they become heated, and give out light for a short time, tiU they disperse into fine dust and vanish. When they are too large to be consumed before they reach the earth, they fall, often with great violence, and are split into countless fragments. A large collection of these meteoric stones is to be seen in the British Museum, some weighing hundreds of pounds, others only a few grains. They have been analysed, and are found to be composed chiefly of iron, tin, sulphur, phosphorus, carbon, and oxygen. Before the presentcentnry all that was known about these bodies was very vague and unsatisfactory. From time to time accounts of stone- falls came from different parts of the world, but they were not much attended to, and people found it diffi- cult to believe that stones and mineral masses actually fell from the sky on to the earth. But in 1803 a fiery globe was seen to rush over the town of Aigle, in Nor- mandy, and a stony mass was dashed to the ground and shattered into thousands of fragments, some of which weighed as much as 17i lbø. This created so much astonishment that the French Government sent M. Biot, a celebrated French chemist, to examine into the matter, and he reported that there could be no doubt of a shower of hot stones having fallen upon the earth.—From e" A Short History of Natural Science."

A FATAL FIRE. The Geneva Correspondent of The Times writes, under date October 25 :—" The Patriate, a paper pub- lished in Neuchatel, describes a terrible scene that 00- curred at a fire in Coffrane on Thursday morning last, when the Hotel de la Couronne was burnt to the ground. The hotel was connected with some farm buildings, in which a large quantity of hay and straw was stored. Here the fire seems to have commenced, for at one a.m., only the closing of the house, and before the umates had the slightest sus- picion of the danger with which they were threateued, the entire block of buildings was in a bhze. All ordi- nary means of exit were cut off, and visitors and ser- vants appeared at the windows imploring the people who surrounded the house to save them. There was, fortunately, a large garden at the back. the aoU was aoft, and many jumped into it from the second and third stories. A woman, inj ADVANCED state of pregnancy, threw thrae °* er children into the garden and then, taking the youngest in her arms, leaped after them. None of the children were hurt and the mother re- ceived only a trifling injury. Two men jumped at the same time from the same window; one fell on the other, and the undermost sustained a compound frac- ture of the leg. A few minuted afterwards a youth of seventeen, whose parents lived at Neuchatel, appeared at another window of the same Itory-the third—and prayed pitifully for help, but the flames were bursting with such violence from the lower windows that ladders were useless, and in obedience to the behests of the spectators he disposed himself to jump. Just then a tongue of fire struck him full in the face, and he fell back in the room and perished. A little boy of eight years was also burnt to death. In little more than an hour from the outbreak of the fire, the H6tel de la Couronne was utterly consumed, and it required the utmost efforts of the firemen to save the adjacent buildings from destruction."

The Daily News Correspondent in Rome that the speeches of the Marquis of HartinRto d oD Bright are extensively reproduced and peel ally the Italian papers. A moderate Journal reVindloa- lnterestlng to Italians the Marquis of Hart 8 Gf Italy tion of the principles by which the various Staw became free and united.