The Aberystwith Observer

COUNSEL: "Your age?" Young lady, bashfully.. Oh, I hardly like to tell you!" Counsel: Yet I must insist on knowing it. Pray tell me how old you were ten years ago ?" Young lady, cheerfully Oh, i twenty-three

AN HISTORICAL ENGINE- DRIVER. Intelligence has been received at the chief offices of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants in London of the retirement through ill-health of Mr. R. Billingham, engine-driver, who has a record which can scarcely be equalled by any man of his class. For over forty years he has been an engine-driver, and was the oldest driver in the employ of the Great Northern Railway Company. In the year 1848 be was engaged as a driver on the railway between Paris and Rnuen. When the revolution broke out which caused Louis Phillipe to flee Billingham remained at his post, and drove the last train which went from Rouen to Paris prior to the mob burning the bridge across the Seine, and by that means cutting off railway com- munication with the northern provinces of France. After that he returned to England and entered the service of the Great Northern Railway Company. When the Horncastle Branch of that system was opened, more than 33 years ago, Mr. Billingham drove in the first train to Horncastle, and from that time up to a few weeks since has remained at work on the line between Horn- castle and Kirkstead. The trains driven by this his- torical engine-driver have never met with anything approaching a serious accident, while by good judg- ment, care, and coolness he has, as acknowledged by his superior officers, prevented accidents which might have proved most disastrous. This old servant of the Great Northern Railway Company has been obliged to send in his resignation in obedience to medical instructions. Mr. Billingham is a member of the Peterborough branch of the Amalgamated Railway Servants, and it is understood that he will receive superannuation from that body.

AFRAID OF RAILWAYS. I The extension of the Tien-Tsin Railway to Tung- Chow has encountered an unexpected obstacle, which, it is to be feared, will prove fatal to its progress, for th" present at least. The great fire which destroyed part of the Imperial Palace in Pekin on the 17th of January, caused much disturbance in the minds of the old-fashioned and superstitious, M ho are still strong in the capital. In consequence the Emperor and his mother consulted the Imperial astrologers, who, after much deliberation, declared that the fire was an evil omen, and was intended as a warning against per- mitting the approach of the Western invention to the sacred city. The further extension of the railway has, the Standard Shanghai correspondent under- stands, been prohibited by Imperial decree.

THE DEAD PRINCE'S LITERARY WOBK.—Among his other gifts the late Crown Prince Rudolph possessed no inconsiderable literary talent. It may be of interest to produce the characteristic preface he wrote to the nar- rative of his travels in Egypt and the Holy Land. It was in these words: Legendary lore and the pious faith of men have alike placed the cradle of humanity in the distant East. The migrations of the great fami- lies of mankind having all, as a matter of fact, had their origin in the East, and the mightiest religions, similar at least in their being and their birth. have all sprung from the land of the rising sun, where the glory of nature incites to belief of the supernatural. The earliest history of the human race, the ruins of primeval cul- ture, the home of philosophy, of fable, and of myth, of our speech, and of our faith, all meet us face to face in the resplendent sun-illumined East

A BANKRUPT CONVICT. The bankrupt convict, Henry Wyndham Carter, described as of Kennington Hall, Ashford and Picca- dilly, was again brought up from Chatham Prison for public examination in the local Bankruptcy Court on Monday afternoon. He proved more tractable than on the occasion of his first appearance, and submitted to be sworn and examined. The examination dealt chiefly with bills and loans negotiated upon the ex- pectation of a reversion, the bankrupt being a man of good family, and living at the rate of about j6700 a year previous to difficulties accumulating upon him. He again complained that he was prevented from bringing out of the prison important documents rela- ting to the case, and said he believed this was in con- sequence of pressure from the Home Office, exercised through the influence of his brother, whom he alleged to be endeavouring to deprive him of his property. The Registrar remarked that if the bankrupt was not allowed to bring the documents out it was most improper. The Official Receiver intimated that he would communicate with the Treasury on the sub- ject through the Board of Trade. It also transpired that the bankrupt at one time thought of putting up as Conservative candidate for an Irish constituency.

MORE ABOUT THE DIARY. The Vienna correspondent of the Exchange Tele- graph Company writes Official communications have been made from Rome denying the statements that the material for the recent publications of the late Em- peror's diary were obtained from Italy. The diary was lithographed, and only three copies remained in Italy, these being presented by the Emperor himself one to the King, one to Prince Carignan, by whom it was bequeathed to Prince Amadeo, and the third to Carlo Minghetti, who, before his death, deposited it in the Italian State Paper Office. It is declared to be impossible for any of these copies to have been used for publication.

A DISCONSOLATE KING.—The King of Wurtemburg is sulking. His Queen and Minister have, says the Nice correspondent of the New Yorlc lierald, not only dis- missed his American favourites, but sold their house and furniture. He refuses to be consoled, and drives out daily all alone. The expenses of the Court have been ruthlessly cut down, and the fetes given here are limited to a few official dinners. THE CHARGES OF RAILWAY COMPANIES.—Under the Railway and Canal Traffic Act of last Session, aa order has been made by the Board of Trade to the effect that, where a railway company intend to increase any toll, rate, or charge, notice of the intended increase shall, not less than 14 days before the date on which the increased toll, rate, or charge is to take effect, be duly published in a newspaper circulating in the locality of the proposed change. THE REGISTRAR AT NONCONFORMIST WEDDINGS.— It is extremely probable (says the London correspon- dent of the Birmingham Post) that Mr. Henry Fowler will re-introduce next session the Nonconformists' Marriages Bill, which would dispense with the neces- sity for the Registrar's presence at weddings in dis- senting churches, which he failed to carry last year. A committee of Nonconformists has the matter in hand, and the right hon. gentleman, to whom that body en- trusted the question for Parliamentary settlement, will have a conference with it before the bill is again brought in; but there is no reason to doubt that the result of that meeting will be as indicated above.

=- Though you Rub! Rub! And you Scrub! Scrub! find that It's not in your power In the old-fashioned way To do in a day, What Hudson's vV ill do in an hour f lu ORB& ire Ail- a o oÑ ri jr'' ttov 0 Al'h &45 r 'J perl8 A*% Li 0 f 11, 1. Ili 4d ..ur::i. =- ^HUD^N's'so^ is a pure Dry Soap in fine Po'w^er — dissolves immediately — softens all waters — makes a foaming lather and leaves no grnoii ? HUDSON'S SOAP is excellent for washing Flannels and Woollen Underclothing, as well as Linen, Shirts, Collars,* Sheets, Table Cloths, &c. HUDSON'S SOAP is Sold Everywhere, in 1 lb. i lb., & i lb. packets. For Family use, in parcels containing six or twelve packets; also in 14 lb. & 28 lb. boxes. "WO^tTKE A. FQXJND A PAOKBT.

FOOTBALL DANGERS. We have admitted (says the Field) that football has its element of danger-one of its attractions, no doubt, to Englishmen—but we must join issue with the gentleman who is reported to have stated at Blackheath that scarcely an important match takes place without its accompanying accident. This, as every football player knows, is not the case. Of course, accidents do occur among good players poor Cropper's untimely death, and Thomas's broken leg, are instances; but, as a rule, it is the inexperienced and unskilful player that receives or causes a hurt. Such men naturally do not get the chance of taking part in important matches, and it is their rude attempts to make brute force take the place of skill that cause injury to them- selves or others. Most of the accidents we read of with guns or on the water have been the result of ignorant attempts to shoot or row, and just as the shooter and the oarsman become more careful as they gain experience, so the old football player knows exactly where risks are likely to be run, and takes every precaution to avoid them. If any one doubts this, let him read the reports of the international matches played for a long series of years between the picked players at each game of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Let. him count the number of accidents that have occurred in the yearly competi- tions for the Association Challenge Cup, or in the contests between the counties and leading clubs. Very strong evidence is afforded by the career of those players who went out to Australia last year. The end of their long season saw them still as well and as strong as when they arrived in the Antipodes, with one sad exception, that of the poor fellow who went out sculling and was drowned. The team of New Zealand players now in England have for more than a couple of months played two or three matches a week, but no bad accident has occurred to any of them, and surely their games are worth being called important. Just as each form of the game has its followers who claim that it is the best, so some pronounce the one to be most dangerous, and the second party the other. The question cannot well be decided, but the fact remains that the scrimmages at the Rugby game and the charges at the Association are the cause of most of the injuries that occur. If a heavy man falls on another, or if two meet in full career, one may easily be hurt. But those who know the game will admit that there are two ways both of falling and charging, and when a player is careful to avoid rough- ness the risk of hurt is minimised. At the beginning of the season the Rugby Union passed a law inflicting the severest penalties on rough players, and the example has been followed by the Association. By these laws the referee has the power of ordering a wil- fully rough player off the ground, and it is to referees, therefore, that we must look for the aboli- tion of this evil, of which some complain. Many a young player, however, unintentionally abuses his weight and strength, and to the heavy man we would say, Use as much caution as if you were on thin ice, and remember that, to play well, the brain must be used as well as the limbs." with the exercise of more care by referees and beginners, the roughness charged against the game would soon disappear alto- gether, and until some stronger argument than its dangers can be brought against it, football will con- tinue to flourish, even though occasionally marked by such distressing accidents as those that have just taken place.

CHIEF SALAPAW. It is the chief, Salapaw, who is the great receiver of stolen property in Upper Burmah. Sir George White is on the look-out for him, and Mr. Hildebrand, the political agent, is also on his chase. Colonel Sartorius is after him, with 50 men of the Rifle Brigade and 100 Bteloochees. General Collett is likewise on Salapaw's hunt, and so is Captain Pinto, A.A.S. But Salapaw keeps in hiding in the Karennee country, and cannot be found. It is agreed, however, that there can be no peace till he be found; because for three years his district has been a refuge for dacoits and a recep- tacle for stolen property." He it is who has been sending forth the gangs to murder and plunder the villagers, enriching himself with the spoils.

BIG BLAZE AT BUFFALO. A terrible fire has been raging at Buffalo. It broke out on Friday night, and by Saturday the damage exceeded 1,000,000 dols., while the flames were still spreading rapidly. It seems to have broken out in one of the hotels or near them. The Arlington Hotel is destroyed as well as the Broezel Hotel. Both these buildings are in what is known as Jewett's block. The Empire Coffee Mills and the Holmwood Confec- tion Factory are a heap of ruins. A number of other I large stores and warehouses, covering nearly three blocks, have been destroyed. The guests at the hotels had a narrow escape, many losing the whole of their property, and several being carried away half clad. The fire-escapes were greatly hampered by the number of low telegraph wires crossing the streets, which prevented the machines being run up as ex- peditiously as they should have been. Most of these were cut down. The chief of the fire brigade was cut and disabled by sheets of plate-glass breaking and falling upon him. A heavy gale was blowing, and this rendered the efforts of the firemen almost fruit- less.

SAID Will to Phil: What is it that must be taken from you before you can get it ? "Why, that's as easy as A B C," replied Phil. Your photograph, of course."

IN AN OPIUM DEN. I have been in East-end gin palaces on Saturday nights, have seen men in various stages of delirium tremens, have visited many idiotic and lunatic asylums, writes Mr. Caine, M.P., from Lucknow," but I have never seen such horrible destruction of God's image in the face of man, as I saw in the 4 Government' opium dens of Lucknow. To my dying day I shall carry the recollection of the face of a handsome young woman of eighteen or nineteen years, sprawling on the senseless bodies of men, her fine brown eyes flattened and dulled with coming stupor, and her lips drawn back from her glittering white teeth. Another girl of the same age was sitting in a group of newly-arrived smokers, singing some lewd romance as they handed round the pipe. I went from room to 'room and counted ninety-seven persons of both sexes in variousistages of opium stupor. Green hands could could get drunk for a penny or less, but by degrees more and more opium is needed, and the callous keeper of this hideous den showed us men whom 180 drops of thick opium, mixed with tobacco, hardly sufficed to intoxicate. I came out staggering and faint with the poison-laden atmosphere. After a few minutes walk, my guide said, Here is another opium shop; will you go in ?' I could not believe there was more than one such abomination in Lucknow, and, mastering my disgust, I entered a second. It was even worse, and more squalidly beastly than the first. Again I went from room to room, and counted on the ground floor alone 117 human swine of both sexes, noticing among them a bonny little lad of six or seven watching his father's changing face with a dreadful indifference. Having counted 117, I was asked to go upstairs, where there Were many more customers; I had had more than even my strong stomach could stand, but I was told that there would be probably fifty more. It was three in the afternoon when I visited these places and I am told that after dark the attendance iF, doubled. I have felt the effects of the fumes ever since, and the slight headache produced will probably last for two or three days. In the city of Lucknow there are thirty distillers of native spirits, 201 liquor shops, twenty-four opium shops, and, ninety-two for bhang and other intoxicating drugs. An opium sot is the most hopeless of all drunkards-once he is well into the clutches of this fiend, everything gives way to his fierce promptings. He only works to get more money for opium. Wife, children, and home are all sacrificed to this horrible lust. The receipts of the Government of the North-west Province and Oude from opium, bhang, and other in- toxicating drugs, is no less then £ 67,000, and is steadily on the increase. It will give your readers some idea of the way in which this horrible traffic in intoxicants is being stimulated, if I give the average revenue for the North-West Province and Oude from all intoxicants for the three years 1878-9-80, as com- pared with 1885-6-7. In the former case the yearly average was j6284,000, in the latter it had run up to £ 546,000, showing a doubled consumption within seven years. Every day I spend in India brings fresh proof that the Government are stimulating the sale of intoxicants to the very verge of decency, for the sake of the cheaply collected and rapidly increasing revenue which it furnishes."

CHEBK in man is not to be admired; but what is nicer than a woman's cheek ?

< OUR FIGHTING RESOURCES. It is not a pleasant position of affairs (remarks the Graphic) that Mr. Stanhope presents to British patriotism On the one hand, the War Minister dis- cerns the approach "of one of the most sanguinary and horrible wars the world has ever known; on the other, he candidly confesses that the English Navy is not what it should be. That cannot be disputed, nor is it open to controversy that a considerable time will be required, even if all hands are set to the bellows, to construct the deficient ships and guns. But the second Ene curious that Mr. Stanhope should have omitted from consideration the depart- ment specially under his control. All he had to say about the Army was that arrangements are being made for the issue of improved firearms and field pieces. And then, of course, the usual groan about the costliness of modern armaments. Thev do run away with a deal of money, but whether it be always spent to the best purpose is open to question. There are many-not pekins, either-who believe that our defensive force might be largely strengthened without any serious increase of expense. According to the latest returns, fifty-five thousand Reserve men-that is, soleiers in the prime of life trained to perfection-cost the country about £440,000 per annum, or less than £10 a head. Would it not be possible, then, to so alter our arrangements as to admit of this splendid force being trebled within the course of a few years? Even if the Reserve pay had to be doubled, in order to attain that end, the accruing advantage would be well worth every farthing of its cost. And in that case, too, the military authorities would not need to be so nervous about embodying the force for Autumn Manoeuvres, or what not. The period of service with the colours might have to be reduced in order to maintain the requisite flow into the Reserve, but that would be a slight drawback compared with the enormous gain to the defensive strength of the kingdom.

FROM FAMINE LAND. The information respecting the famine which has been brought by the mail which has just arrived from China is as follows From Manchuria, around Newchwang, it is reported that bands of homeless men, women, and children are roaming about the country. They are styled" the devourers of villages," because wherever they settle down for a time they eat up everything. These human locusts threaten and insult nobody: they simply squat on some rich man's property and devour whatever there may be. It is impossible to get rid of them. They will not go, and are too numerous to be carried away. The pro- prietor dare not allow the poor wretches to die, for then they must be buried at his expense. In certain districts of the Moukden provmce whole villages and harvests have been annihilated and large numbers of the inhabitants drowned, while the survivors htve neither house, food, nor clothing.