The Cambrian

t poet's Center. LET IT PASS. Be not swift to take offence, Let it pass, let it pass. Anger is a foe to sense, Let it pass. Brood not darkly o'er a wrong Which will disappear ere long, Rather sing this cheery song, Let it pass. Merrilv, cheerily, sing this song, Better to be wronged than wrong, Let it pass. Echo not an angry word, Let it pass, let it pass. Think how often you have erred; Let it pass. Since our joys must pass away Like the dew-drops and the spray, Wherefore should our sorrows stay ? Let it pass. Merrily, cheerily, &c. If for good you've taken ill, Let it pass, let it pass. Oh, be kind and gentle still. Let it pass. Time at last makes all things straight; Let us not resent, but wait, And our triumph shall be great, 71 Let it pass. Merrily, cheerily, &c.

(Dttr Complete Starn. TENFOLD REPAID. BY ISA LEON CASSILIS. It was a curious scene. A room in a far Western caravanserai, called by the propriet or a bo-tel" but in truth a disreputable whisky saloon and inn, the resort of all the desperadoes of the surrounding country. It was night, and the light of numerous kerosene lamps fell on a group of half a dozen men and a girl. The men were as ruffianly-looking a set as could easily be found even in such wild places as this. One of then^was Jem Steadman, the landlord of the "ho-tel"; the other five were railroad thieves the girl was their captive. She was not more than nineteen or twenty, a lovely creature, whose superb dark eyes and raven tresses bespoke bar Spanish descent. Her features were rigid, her lipa and cheeks livid with terror, her eyes appealed in dumb agony from face to face at the pitiless crew, who were disputing as to how her ownership was to be decided !-for the precious gang, fresh from an express car robbery, had surprised the lonely dwelling where Maraquita lived with her aged uncle. A bullet from a derringer settled the old man on the spot, the girl was reserved for a worse fate. They had brought her straight to Jem Steadman s, who was, in fact, sub rosa, the chief of the gang, and had, by the secret rules of the infamous confederacy, a primary claim upon a certain portion of all 0; swag and was a final referee in all disputes. Jem, a broad, squat man of about sixty, with a coarse, hard face, stood aloof, personally, from the quarrel. He" preferred dollars to gals," he; remarked, but presently observed that as the disputants couldn't agree, the best way to settle matters was by the dice. This was a natural enough decision in a community in which disputes are almost invariably settled by eitherl dice or bullets. l; Right you are, Jem," said the eldest of the freebooters; and the dice were quickly produced. The unfortunate captive, whose hands had been tied behind her back, made one last appeal for mercy, trying to throw herself at Jem Steadman's feet, but one of her cipcors caught hold of her, and with an oath, pushed her roughly back. Now then." he added, turning tojthe others," air you ready A general affirmative response was|given but at that moment, the door was pushed opened and a new actor appeared upon the scene. This was a tall, light man of about thirty, with a remarkably handsome countenance, and a bearing at once graceful and erect. There was a touch of the Mexican in his dress which gave it additional picturesqueness. His sash bristled with formidable weapons, his long boots were adorned with long spurs which jingled as he walked he was altogether, with his dishing dark eyes, fine bearing, and haughty a r of independence, a very striking-looking persl n tge-not a very good one, to judge by his countenance, but a wholly superior villain-if villain he was-to the railroad thieves. He paused on the threshold, and his keen glance took in the whole position at once :-it rested on the girl's agonized face with an undisguised admiration which gave little hope of any mercy to be expected from him-if indeed he bad power to show any but the thieves did not look specially pleased to see him, and Jem looked decidedly uncomfortable. There was a pause, which the landlord broke trying to speak carelessly Waal, Dare-d^vil," he said, what brings you h'yar?" Reckon you know," replied the newcomer, in a soft clear voice. Dare-devil was the nickname of Val Hazeldene, the boldest rider, best shot, and wildest 4° plunger in the mountains, and some said highwayman to boof. He seated himself on the edge of the table round which the thieves wer*> gathered. Where did you light on that booty?'' he added, with a slight wave of his shapely hand towards Maraquita. He evidently knew his company whether he was quite in accord with them was another matter. Tom Haynes —" Denver Tom — explained, adding that they were going to throw dice for the girl. Hazeldene nodded, without appearing shocked at either the murder or the present pro- ceedings. Hold on a momenf," he said to the freebooters, and fumed to the landlord. "Say J "ro." he remarked, coolly, "that girl's vour booty—in a way-by the rules. Now, you've owed me two thousand dollars a good while, and I've come for the money." Give me time, Hazeldene, said Steadman • w You've had time enough—I don't mean to wait any more. But I'll take that Spanish girl for the ^There was an instant outcry from the thieves. Hazeldene eyed the gesticulating group with e c superb nonchalance and presently interposed "Of course," he said, folding his arms. "If vou choose to have your way—you're five to one 'ou can pot me; but I reckon you won't, hecause t' ev know up at the Creek thit I'm down here for the m ney and tfy> boys would burn the darned place to the ground, and make the country too hot to hold a galoot of you all. I ve taken a fancy to the girl, and I'll take her for the debt. That's so! Now then, Jem. hand over Jem, for his part, was glad enough to be so easily quit. He was in Hazeldene's power, and he knew it; and the thieves knew that they too, his power a word from him and their live not be worth a week's purchase; and they dared not, for the reasons Hazeldene gave, take his lite. They fell back growling and swearing. Jem said, roughly, Waal boys, Dire-devil's got the pull- there's no help for it. Writ me out a quittance, H*:>:»ldene, and the gal's yours. "Not me," said the other, coolly, "'you've plenty of witnesses, and you know Val Hazeldene never yet went back on his word. I take Maraquita for the two thousand dollars." Right. I don't want to fight you for her." "You'd best not try," said Hazeldene, quietly, He rose, and tinned to the girl. Come my de*r,' he sai«'i putting his hand lightly on her shoulder, i y,)ti belong to me aow." ,:Oh! for the love of Heaven !it was hardly a whisper from the parched throat. No fuss he said, frowning, yet not roughly. 'We 'n cut these cords, though." His bowie severed the cords in an instant- and then he flans his arm round the now almost fainting girl, and almost carried her out of the house. His horse stood outside; in an 'Vtent he was in the saddle, and Maraquita was lifted up before him, encircled by his strong arm. A volley of curses followed him as he gave rem he made no auswer but rode rapidly away. In three minutet ■' ho-tel" was lost to view, hidden by .turn in the rough road then Hazeldene slackened to a walk; and bent over the trembling girl m his arm., his whole face and manner changing. Don't be frightened, pretty one he sa,d "i. am bad enough for most things but I wouldn t hU{ir«# k^hke<fhip half stupefied into the handsome face she was still so paralyse*1 by t a awful terror that she hardly comprehended what the man said. Don't you believe me ? he went on in the same gentle w^y. I wanted to save you—that was it. You're safe with me, Maraquita, as you ij ifki trmir hrnthpr Tell me where I am WU\llU UC to take you-that', all! Then she understood and with a choking sob hid her face against his breast. The man looked down on her with a sort of agony in his dark eyes but he did not speak a word, and though he was forced to hold the slight form close to him as he rode on, there was nothing but reverence in his clasp. Her very instinct seemed to tell her that, villain though perhaps this man might be, she was safe with him. She looked up presently, the burning colour in her cheek, her lips quivering. God's dear Mother bless you she whispered. You are very, vpry good to me Good to you A fierce light flashed into the dark eyes. "Don't call me that! By Heaven, I'll make those cursed ruffians pay for to- lay's work.. You're not afraid, M.iraquita?" with quick softening of eye and lipa you trust me ? "Yes, "she said, her large, soft eyes meeting his for a second. I do trust you. He drew a long, silent breath, and said, softly, Thank you:" Then, after a pause, he asked again where he shonld take her. She had no home now, she said, and burst into tears. Would he take her to the Convent of Santa Marta. It was not far. The nuns would take care of her for a while. "I would take you," he said, "if it was a hundred miles. It's only fifteen." Perhaps he wished it had been a hundred miles: but he scarcely spoke during the ride across the moonlit country nor did the girl. It was broad daylight when Dare-devil Hazeldene drew rein before the convent gate. He put the girl gently to the ground, and swung himself lightly down to her side. She looked up to him with eyes aglow with gratitude. What can I say," she said, to thank you. Nothing," he answered. I want no thanks. "Oh but I can't feel so. You have been good to me! Is there nothing I can do for you? Nothing! with his hand on the bell. Good-bye, Maraquita." She caught his hand in both hers. Oh let me hear of you she said earnestly; let me know how"- Hush; child." He drew his hand almost roughly from her clasp. "There s no common ground between you and me. Here comes the portress. Good-bye'" Before she could speak or stop him he was in the saddle, and even as the grille opened, he had ridden away but he paused a few hundred paces away and saw the gate close behind Maraquita. Then he gave rein and spur to his horse and rode on-wards, blindly, madly. It was well that the Cid was sure-footed and knew his way as well as his master did, or Dare-devil Hazeldene must have come to grief within the next few hours. ft A sylvan glade on the verge of a California forest: an angry crowd of miners and other men of that type in their midst, unarmed, tall, erect, haughty as ever, deadly pale, but not with fear, a handsome man in picturesque garb, bareheaded, not captor now, but captive; Dare-devil Hazel- dene condemned, by the rough justice of the far West, to be shot for horse-stealing. The crime i had been committed without apparent motive-for Hazeldene was not a needy man—and with an opsn- ness that looked like courting punishment. He made no excuse, asking for no mercy; he only asked that soneone would take care of the Cid. There were some there who would willingly have spared the proud, generous-hearted fellow; but others, perhaps, were glad to get rid of a man who always outdid them in everything. Almost at the last moment Abe Landells, who was to lead the firing party, went up to the doomed man, and asked if he had anything to aay-any message to leave ? "No," he replied, quietly, "nothing. There isn't a soul who'll miss me. Good-bye, pard." The other turned away with a lump in his throat. As he did so, the swift thud of advancing hoof strokes made all present look towards the sound. A black mustang, its coat all flecked with foam, dashed into the open, scattering some of the crowd, and its rider, a Spanish girl, with black hair and flashing dark eyes, flung herself to the ground, and sprang towards Hazeldene. He had staggered back with a broken cry, the blood flaming into his white face. The girl flung her arms about his neck, clinging to him convulsively, and turned her glowing face to the amazed crowd. Don't kill him she panted. "Spare him! For heaven's sake, have pity." Hazeldene s arm swere round the slight form, pressing it close to his throbbing heart. No, no," he gasped; "let me die. I'd rather I they'Li kill me! She went on, not heeding him, her voice ringing like a bell through the summer air "Boys! you won't shoot Val Hazeldene. A year ago he saved me from worse than death. Jem Stedman's gang had got hold of me. Hazeldene claimed me instead of two thousand dollars Jem owed him. He took me straight to Santa Marta Convent: and I've ridden thirty miles to pay the debt I owe him. Give me his life, boys; I'll stand surety for him "Thunder and blazes!" cried Abe Landells, while the impressionable crowd broke into a hearty cheer. "We can't go agin the girl; and Dare-devil deserves his life-eh, pards? There was a shout of assent, and the men who, a moment ago would have riddled Hazeldene with bullet. now gathered round him, grasping his hands, and asked his pardon, and Maraquita's. Even the man whose horses had been stolen was eager to show that he bore no ill-will. Hazeldone accepted all these demonstrations in a dazed way. He hardly seemed to wake to the reality of things, until the crowd, led by Abe and one or two others, had melted away, leaving him alone with Maraquita. Then he turned to the girl, who hud sunk down on the roots of a huge maple, oovering her face.. Maraquita," he said, speaking with difficulty, you've done just the noblest thing a woman can do, I reckon but I'm sorry—you'd better had let them shoot me; you owed me nothing. Forgive me for what I did just now I could not help clasping you in my arms. You see, I"—his voice sank lower—" I loved you !— and that's why I stole the horses-only to get shot. I didn t feel like living." He stopped; he could not say any more. The girl broke out passion- ately: Oli I am so glad-so glad; it wasn't a crime, then And if-if you love me"—She, in her turn, stopped; the man was silent, turning away with heaving breast. Maraquita lifted her head her cheek was burning, her lips quivering. She rose slowly and stretched out her hands to Hazeldene. You saved me," she faltered. "I thought I never could repay you but uow—oh almost whispered-" don't you understand?" He turned then, and caught her hand in an iron grip. j "Maraquita!" ,L Her dark eyes met his, and then his arms were round her again, wrapping her to his heart, and her face was hidden against him; till, by-aud- bye, he drew it back to retd the blessed truth again in her dark eyes. It can't be he said brokenly say you love me, Maraquita, or I'll think I'm mad or dreaming I love you she said and the man's lips met hers. # They rode back side by side, under the moonlight through the forest glades, into the new life.— Weekly Budget.

WHOSE WIFE? [BY AN OLD SWANSEA BoY.J I used to be ship's carpenter on the Kate Longwav, as trim a three-thousand tonner as ever sailed away out of good old Swansea. We were coming back for Valparaiso, with a cargo of mineral, when it happened. As soon as we got into Valparaiso, a big brown-whiskered Englishman came aboard to see the captain. He told us his story while he was waiting to see the skipper, and f we all took a liking to him at once. It seems he had been knocking around amongst the "Greasers" in that country for about two years and had made a little money. Not much, to be sure, but enough so that he thought he would be able to settle down and stop ashure with his wife w when he got back home to Swansea. He did not like to spare the money to pay his passage, and wanted thfe captain to ship him. You have probably heard of Married men's luck." Well the stranger-he said his Lame was Htnry Davies ] -had it. Our second mate was a man who had been married about five years, and the only reason why he had shipped on the Kate was to get as far away from his wife as possible, and we knew that he intended to leave the ship at Valparaiso, Davis's discharges were all right, and so when we sailed out of "V alparaiso harbour one of the A.B's. had been promoted to second mate, and Davis was signed on as an A.B. We sailed for home the middle of August in good weather. Our boatswain was Bill Williams, a sailor from the time he was ten years old. Everybody on bord took a liking to Davis, especially Bill, they being in the same watch, i Bill was married, too, and I believe he thought more of his wife than he did of his own soul. One night, after we bad got far enough down toward the Horn, so that we found it more com- fortable around the fire in the forecastle than out. side, we heard the sounds of a row on deck. Now and then there would be a thump," "thump," that we recognised as the sound of a sailor's fist: hitting a sailor's head. We all rushed up on dtck, and there were those two married men fighting like a couple of tigers. The captain was out as quick as we were, and as he was one of the kind of skippers who never Itllow any fighting on board, he ordered the men to stop. You would have thought they never heard him, and maybe they didn'r, by the way they kept on fighting. Then the skipper ordered me and three others of the crew to pull them apart, and put the two of them in irons. I never saw two men more in love with fighting each other than these two were, but at last we got them separated, and handcuffed with thea hand hehlnd their backs. The captain talked to them like a Dutch uncle. and tried tn find out wnat, Ir. was all about. None of Us knew. and neither Bill nor the stranger would say -a word. The way they glared at each other showed that they were only wishing for a chance to go at it again At last the captain said he would keeD them in irons till chey promised not to fight any more, and went back to his cabin. After the skipper was gone, I went to Bill and told him not to make a fool of himself. Whatever the row is about," I said to him, tell me what it is and then I'll tell the skipper, and he can judge which is right and which is wronji. And if you don't promise the old man not to tight any more he'll keep you in irons the rest of the voyage, because he is in a temper with you for not telling him what it is all about." "All right," says Bill, "give me a pull at your pipe and I'll tell you. You know me and this bloke is on watch together, and he has been telling me all about his missis at home in Swansea. Now, you know, there ain't a nicer woman in the world than my little missis, and I told him about her, too, and the more we talked about our wives the more friendly we got. So to-night he asks me if I would like to see his wife's photograph. I said I would, and down he goes to his box to get,it. And when he brought it up and I looked at it in the moonlight, strikes me blind if it wasn't my own wife's picture. First I thought he had got the picture out of my box, and was playing a joke on me. Then it struck me that his picture was a lot cleaner than mine, for you know I have handled mine a lot, and, just tolidisfy myself, I went down to my box and got my picture. When I showed it to him he turned white as a sheet. The two pictures were exactly alike. What do you mean, you lubber, saying you are married to another man's wife ?' I said. another man's wife, be d- he said, and squared off to hit me. Then I went for him, and there you are." Well, I didn't know what to say. I went and told the captain, and he looked at the two photographs. Then he scratohed his head, and said it was no wonder the men had fought. He was a married man himself. He went forward, and hadis talk with Bill and the stranger, and at last they promised they wouldn't do any more fighting, not till they got ashore anyway, and he released them. They didn't speak to each other though, and I could see that there was likely to be trouble any time. So one day, a week or two after the fight, I got them both together for a talk. Look here," I said, "you two are both married to the same woman. Both of you say you are in love with her, as is right and proper for a husband to say. But you can't both have her, that is plain enough. Of course, if you go and make a row about it she will get chucked in gaol for bigamy. Now it stands to reason that she loves one of you more than she does the other. That being so, what you want to do when you get home is to both go to her and let her choose which ■ of you she will have. Then let the other show his love for the girl by goitig off like a man and getting married to someone else. Now, what do you say ? Well, they looked each other up and down for about a minute, and then Bill said, All right," and the stranger said, Right you are." "I'm glad to see you have come to your senses," I said. "Now, if you say so I'll go and tell the old man that you have come to terms, and ask him to say no more about the row." That was just what they wanted, because it isn't worth any man's while to be on bad terms with his skipper, and so I told the captain what Bill and the stranger and agreed to. He laughed a bit, and then he said be was glad the affair had been arranged, for the present at least. Then he had all hands up aft and made a speech to them. "As you all know," he said, I don't allow fighting onboard this ship. There was a fight between two of my crew the other day, but now I kuow what it was about I can't say that I blame the men very much for forgetting themselves. No the two men have agreed to a plan to settle their quarrel, and I don't want anything more said about the matter unless some of you should think that these men are going to forget themselves again, and then I want you to remind them of the promise they have made to me. That is all." And now comes the funniest thing I ever saw in the whole of my experience as a sailor. One day I saw Bill Williams sitting on a coil of rope looking at his hands. They were a big, honest pair of fists, good enough for any sailor. They were hard and brown, and had black lines of tar under the edges of the nails. Well, Bill took out his knife and began scraping the tar out. It took him the best part of an afternoon to get one finger nail cleaned to of an afternoon to get one finger nail cleaned to his liking, and for the next week he spent all his spare time getting his finger nails tidy. When Davis found out what Bill was up to he did the same, Not only that but he made himself a pair of gloves out of an old pair of trousers, and wore them all the time be could so as to make bis bands whiter. Then, of course, Bill had to have a pair of gloves, too. Bill and the stranger both wore heavy beards. One day Bill borrowed a razor, and got one of the crew to shave him. It made him look fifteen years younger. Then Davis had a shave, too, and once more the two husbands were on even terms as far as looks went. Then Biil got to spending half an hour every morning eombing his hair and plastering it with suet, to make it stay in its place, and Davis did the same. This sort of thing continued for weeks. If both of the husbands had cot been so deadly in earnest it would hav3 been bard to keep from laughing at them. But I must say that the crew all behaved splendidly, and took a great deal of interest in what was going on. They were fair, too, and if any of them bad any suggestions to make both of the husbands got the benefit of them. We were shaping our course for the Bristol Channel, when Bill came to me one morning and asked if he and Davis would be allowed to go ashore and buy some new clothes before they saw the wife. This was too important a question for me to decide off- hand, and so I called a meeting of the crew, and put it to the vote. There was a lot of talk, and it ended by the crew deoidiug that the talk with the wife should take place just as soon as we got into port. When they found that they would not have any chance to fix themselves up after they got ashore, they went at it harder than ever. Tuey practised polishing their boots till they had the thing down to a fine art. Every morning they used to shine the boots of the whole crew, just for practice, Bill doing half and Davis the others, and after they were finished we would compare boots and see which had the best polish. But all this was upset a few days later, when the captain took a hand in the aff dr. He said that if both of the men went to see the woman at once there would surely be a fight, and, come to think of it, this did seem probable. The crew held another meeting, and decided that I should go and see the woman as soon as we got into port, while the two husbands waited on board. I was to tell her what had happened, and ask her which she would have. I wasn't in love with the job, but the crew insisted that I should do it, and so I had to promise to take it on. We arrived off the Mumbles Head just too late for the morning tide, and had to lay outside, as it was stilt rotlgh after the storm the night before, and wait for the even- ing tide. As we came in through the piers Bill and Davis were standing forward looking very much down in the mouth as they watcbed the people on the pier-head promenade, and wondering what luck the next hour would bring them. They had got themselves up in their best, and were the two dressiest sailors Swansea ever saw coming home from a four months' cruise. Our arrival had been signalled to town from the Mumbles Head, and there was a crowd on the pier to see us come in, as the crew were nearly all from Swansea. All of a sudden Bill gave a shout, and I believe he would have jumped overboard and swam to the pier if he had not been held. A second later Davis took off his hit and waved it like a madman at someone on the pier. We looked, and there, side by aide, stood two women so much alike that it would be impossible to tell them apart, as far as I could see. They came down on the quay when we docked, and then it all came out. It seems that Bill and Davis had married twins.

In several hundred chapels connected with the Wesleyan Methodise denomination farewell dis- courses were delivered on Sunday by circuit ministers, who, in accordance with the decisions of the recent Conference at Birmingham, will this week remove to new spheres of Ishour. WLth the first week of September the new Connexion il year of ministeiial servics bcxitiii. These removals involve the payment of some tlioanands of pounds to ths various railway companies. DAVIES AND CO. MERCHANT TAILORS, 1, Gladstone Buildings, Alexandra-road, Swansea. Speciality-Business Suits, 50/. Perfeot Fitting Garments.

OIG ARETTE PAPERS: FOR AFTER-DINNER SMOKING. BY JOSEPH HATTON. (Author of Old Lamps and New," In Jest and Earnest, a Book of Gossip," &0.) IN THE SMOKE ROOM. So we went to Albert Chevalier's entertainment, and the smoke room of the Ilfracombe hotel occupied itself that night with expositions of stage ethics and the responsibilities of authorship. Salty with Atlantic breezes, and clean with the newness of a modern sea-side resort, it was just the atmosphere for a unanimons vote in favour of "My Old Dutch," and "Tick-hack." Even the was oaptllred with the respecta- bility of the idea of a moral music hall, and onr new-found friend, who turned out to be an army officer, was in touch with Toole in ranking "Chevalier's work with certain of characterisations, while Toole himself was willing to shake hands on the comparison of certain of Chevalier's vocal scenes with Dearer than life and "Dot," We came to the conclusion that the London halls had missed a great opportunity in not taking their cue from Chevalier, and that the provinces were getting the benefit of his retire- meat—only temporary it is hoped—from the music hall stage. The hall where he sung at Ilfracombe was crowded, the enthusiasm remarkf able, and this was only a repetition of the ac tor vocalist's general experience since he started on tour in the provinces. It was pleasant—one of the guests said "historical"—to see Toole and Chevalier engrossed in each other's conversation and to listen to the pepular comedian encouraging the younger artist to keep to his role of serio-comic ballads not only for art's sake but in the interest of clean and wholesome amusement for the people. And we druuk the health of the vacal interpreter of the domestic virtues, and found fresh axioms to match "Honesty is the best Policy," "Be virtuous and you'll be happy," and so on, with encouraging illustrations showing that the strength of a nation in peace and war is in pro- portion to its regard for the honour of its women and the morality of its men. As the prophets declare that sooner or later we shall be involved in a war in which France will not be our ally, perhaps it is just as well to take to heart the lessons of history. THE MAN WHO INTERESTED CHEVALIER. Talking of the artistic study of character for the stage or imaginative literature, Chevalier said one day in a Midland city he was struck with the singular individuality of a man who was standing near the entrance of the hall where he was to appear. The stranger looked neither to the right nor the left; he was pulling at a cutty. There was a couple of day's beard on his face. His manner was slouching, yet defiant. His clothes hung about him yet he seemed to stand firmly on his feet. When Chevalier went into the hall the stranger continued to suck at his pipe, and his manner expressed a stolid indifference to the world at large. "A curious chap, I thought" said Chevalier, "and he interested me still more when I came out of the hall an hour afterwards seeing him still standing exactly in the game position. "An odd bit of character no doubt," I thought, and I went up to him. Can I do any- thiug for you?" I said. "I want to see Chevaleer," he replied, without looking at me. I am Chevalier," I said. "Oh, are he remarked, now turning towards me. "Yes," I answered. "Put it there," he said, thrusting forth a big strong arm, and opening a grimy but no doubt honest palm. I laid my hand in his. He gripped it mechanically, and said, "A mate 0' mine sings your songs, and he sings 'em well:" and so saying he walked away. THIS DAY A STAG MUST DIE! » We drove the next day to Lynton. 'Three's company, two's none only when there is a lady in the case. We found the Major very companionable. With the resourcefulness of a soldier he combined the honhoujooie of a traveller. The scenery was lovely enough to keep us in the sentimental vein, and the well-known heroism of its sons stimulated our patriotism. We thought of Raleigh aud Drake, and the other heroes of the "glorious days of good Queen Bess," though with- in a day or two we began almost to hate" Lorna Doone" and Westward Hv:" Yes; let us be be frank in our confessions. Every steamer and coach was either a Lorna Doone or a "West- ward Ho and so was every other book in every shop window. The Americans at tbe Valley of Rocks Hotel were there to explore the Lorna Doone country; at a local table d'hote one of the dishes was commended as a favourite of the strong.arma,j Blackmore hero, whose picture tucking up bis sleeves it was impossible to get away from until we drove across Exmoor, and found the angler and the hunter in possession of the remainder of the world. The trout and stag were everything at Dulverton. One heard no more of "Lorna Doone" or "Westward Ho!" We wOllld not have minded just a little recognition of Kingsley and Blackmore; but The Badminton Library," the Fishing Gazette, and the Field were the sole literature of Dulverton. The hotel was full of the votaries of the hunt, tempered by one or two fishermen. They mocopolised every corner; they even slept in the sitting rooms; at dinner they talked stags in the smoke room they talked stags; at breakfast they talked st«gs; and then in a persistent drizzle that would have damped an ordinary enthusiasm they cantered off to the meet, in macintoshes and leggings, and on sturdy steeds that would need all their pluck, "for this day a stag must die." "WHY NOT LONDON?" A lovely country all thia land of Devon and Somerset, gay with wild flowers, musical with mountain torrents, rich in woodlaud, purple with moorlands that tip down to the sea and climb up to the c louds, the paradise of anglers, and equally adored by lovers of the chase, the finest hunting country In England, dotted with unsophisticated villages, populated by a people not above being polite to strangers, romantic from its association with the first great days of British pioneering, and altogether delightful. At the &ame time a day at Dulvectoc, with a steady rain, a crowded hotel and everybody talking trout or stags, takes a long time before it'gives place to night; and it was the Major who said Why not London 7" "HOME SWEET HOME." The same old bustle at the Great Western station, but with sufficient difference to mark the end of the season. A certain leisurely tone about the porters, contrasted, however, with a cheerful alacrity on the part of the ubiquitous canby, aud at the end of the journey an houest thank you, sir." Country people in the streets, policemen answering questions, all outsiders on the omnibuses, cabs crowded with luggage coming and going, lively streets with a change of motif, sombre skies, and the inharmonious shouts of the evening paper boys. Lamps newly lighted, dotting the ways, shops flaring with gas, here and there the electric light whitening the atmosphere in the suburbs the twinkling illuminations of your own windows, and the hearty welcome home as if you had been to the Antipodes. And the bit of dinner the food you like, no two-penny-halfpenny dainties" of table d'hote, your own special kind of coffee to follow, with that one thimbleful of liqueur your doctor does not object to a cigarette freshly made, the latest gossip about one's neighbours slippers, a cosy room, the lamp nicely, shaded in fact, Home! And how sweet it is even after the best hotel, and how infinitely sweet after Dulverton, with men in gaiters and macintoshes, loud of voice, and boisterous in their hopes, singing the glories of the chase and more particularly the only honest real wild stag hunting in England. A HOLIDAY CRY FROM THE THAMES. One of the first letters that I opened the nrxt morning was A Cry from the Thames." You are holiday-making say a word for Londoners whose only playground is the Thames valley, and for strangers who come to enjoy the beauties of the river," and then I am informed at some length that Mr. Wm. Waldorf Astor has revoked all the generous rules of the late owner of Clevedon Court, which used to regulate the pleasure reach of the river at Clevedon Woods. "The Duke of Westminster permitted boating parties to land; nobody ever abused the privilege some of us were in the habit of taking tea in the cottage of his servitor who looks after the shore on the Clevedon side it helped the small income of the servant, and gave pleasure to many a family party. Mr. Astor has stopped all this; you may not laud; you may not take tea in the cottage; you may hardly linger beneath the immemorial elms, or whatever are the trees that make the Thames hereabouts so lovely. But I am glad I prevented the carrying out of a Saturday night scheme to plant the Astor shore with American flags and a notice board warning Britishers off the Yankee territory." And so am I. Nothing is got by rudeness. It is better to petition than denounce. So soon as Mr. Astor reads this week's Cigarette Papers I feel sure he will hark back to the lines of the ducal hospital- ity. Perhaps he is himself the victim of unwise advice. OUR AMERICAN COUSIN. By the way, our distinguished American cousin has succeeded in maintaining a singular privacy on this side of the Atlantic, considering that he is a public man of influence and wealth. If he keeps his state in a spirit of retirement at Clevedon Court, we may hardly blame him for dropping into the idea of "Every Englishman's house is his castle." In America no man fences himself in with posts and rails and gates and lodges and I daresay Mr. Astor enjoys the English custom perhaps he pushes it a little too far at Clevedon. But as I was saying, he is a very private man, con- sidering how public he is. No paper interviews him, no paper publishes gossiping paragraphs about him his own reticence is respected; his enterprises are allowed to speak for him, and they are marvellously eloquent. But New York dis- cusses him, his work, his new home, and his London papers. Nor does Chicago emulate the courteous reserve which characterises London's treatment of the literary millionaire. The Times of that city has an English correspondent who learns from one who is close to the owner of the Pall Mall Magazine that Mr. Astor acknowledged to him that thus far he has lost nearly 250,000 dollars on this enterprise alone." The cost and revenue per week of the Gazette and the Budget are also set forth, but I refrain from quoting them, and I name the sum "invested," let us say, not "lost," in the magazine more by way of warning than gossip. Hardly a week passes that one does not hear of plans to start new magazines without capital enough for the initial outlay in advertising. Several proposals of this kind have come before me lately, something between the Pall Mall Magazine and the Ludgate don't you know, for 6d." The circulation of Mr. Astor's publication is going up rapidly, and it is a distinctly admirable magazine. Mr. Astor writes for it himself, and, for a millionaire, writes well, and dots his i's with literary skilfulness. Thirty or forty thousand a year more or less makes no difference to the master of millions." Moreover, it is surely some- thing to have a live lord, and a distinguished knight, on your editorial pay-sheet, and an English ducal residence as a suburban retreat. London is delighted with its Astor (some people attribute the success of The Yellow Astor" to a report that it was biographical), who is a boon and a blessing" to a little army of cultured" pees and pencils," but if I were our American cousin I would not bar my English fellow-citizens from the ancient usage of a strip of Thames shore at Clevedon. OFF TO THE EASTERN WAR. Frederie Villiers has gone out to Japan for Black and White. If any man can penetrate the mysteries of the war in the East, Villiers is the man. His career is full of the romance of war, his breast covered with medals for distinguished servioesin the field. He illustrated the march on Kartoum, when Cameron, of the Standard, and St Leger Herbert, of the Morning Post, lost their lives. Poor Herbert was shot by his aide. Later Villiers was nearly drowned inltbe Nile, and he had more than one narrowescipe in the square at Tamai. Talking with him recently about his earliest experiences of compaigning, he siid his first experience of war was with the Servians. "While we were marching, some shells burst in the scrub; I was watching them. Then one burst in the pines close to us. While I was wondering at the wild music it made, the Servian battery limbered up and began to retire. As they made for the road, a shell burst among them a body of Servian infantry rushed by me in disorder the next moment I realised all the horrors of war; half-a-dozen poor fellows lay around me literally torn to pieces. It was an awful sight; I tried to steady myself, and did, for I said to myself, After all, this is part of the tragic drama which I have come out to depict.' I drew my sketch-book from my belt, and made my first serious war picture." Forbes and Beatty Kingston both tell remarkable stories of the heroism of Villiers, who mote than once volunteered to fetch in the wounded of the armies he was attached to, aud on one occasion, I believe, was decorated on the field by the Russians. THE ARTIST AT HOME. When Villiers is at home he lives in the quaint village of Cricklewood, close to Loudon. Upon the walls of his studio most of the wars of our time are represented in relics and trophies which have been brought home by their English owner,who offers you a cup of Russian tea and a Turkish cigar- ette, or a Scotch whiskey and soda aod a pipe, and makes you at home if you are equal to tbt occasion in several languages. You walk on Oriental rugs, you recline upon divans, or sink into luxurious chairs. The walls are covered with lattice- work from Egypt, tapestry from Persia, and gilded screens from Burmah. Arabian lamps hang from the tented ceiling; pistols with jewelled handles, scimitars decorated in arabesque, curious pipes, and charms against the Evil Eye are clustered in corners. What sunshine there is comes through the antique window of an Egyptian harem; and a lamp that might have illuminated the mysterious halls of the wicked prophet of Khorassan makes the daylight visible. In an adjoining room, always ready packed, is a big, worn leather trunk, together with certain boots, sketching materials, revolvers, field glasses, and enabling the owner of the luxuriant studio to obey the first call of duty, involving the hardest kind of roughing it and all the dangers of war without any of its glory. WHERE THE PLAGUE COMES FROM. A new book by Mrs. Archibald Dunn gives a gruesome picture of Canton. The circumference of the city walls is about seven miles, within which live a million Chinese people. The smells of the place are worse than ail the concentrated odours of all the smells within Mrs. Dunn's travelled experience. The streets are open sewers. Wells in these narrow ways supply the city with water. The mouths ef the wells are level with the ground, and the main washes the refuse of the streets into them. The butchers' shops were loathsome sights, the "meat" bung out for sale being mostly cats and dogs skinned and dressed for cooking, mingled with rats both dried and hanging alive by the tails, and in tubs at the doorways frogs and unnatural looking fish, awaiting death and consumption. Luxury, happiness, wealth, everything is a question of degree. What a hygenic city London is compared with Canton. But how much behind certain provincial cities London lags in the matter of the ownership and management of water and gas- works GENESIS AND GEOLOGY. Last year we enjoyed the spectacle of a vigorous encounter between the G.O.M. and P.oftl!lIor Huxley, the former combating on behalf of I Genesis, the latter for geology. For once t'ie I G.O.M. came off second best, and since then geology seems to have been regarded as champion against all comers. The last word, however, has not been spoken, and now we have Mr. Cumpton Reade exploiting a theory, said to offer a middle term between the two "G's." Briefly stated, this theory postulates that the earth, or its crust, is made up of the fragments of other worlds. Thus a stratum from a world of chalk would be piled on another stratum from a world of coal, and this on a stratum from a world of granite or metal. These strata being piled, so to speak, higgledy piggledy, one need not be surprised at finding shells on the tops of mountains, or at such vast cavities as the oceans. The theory certainly possesses the merit of originality, and it is to be hoped that Mr. Compton Reade may develope it at greater length than in his interesting contribution to The Religious Review of Revieics. As it is running the gauntlet of geologists, who have pinned their faith to the almost endless past of our little globe, they will naturally find many flaws in the latest theory that rivals their own wonderful story of the world. —

THE LATEST FASHIONS. The votaries of fashion are hard-pressed jnst now, for what is there to chronicle out- side the Stockton races, where the London- derry's were in full force; the Southsea Regatta, and the Farnham manoeuvres ? At all these functions tailor-made simplicity seems to have reigned supreme, and consider- ing that August has been more like late autumn than aught else, many have already discarded flowers in favour of velvet or ADMIRED AT THE STOCKTON RACES. feather trimmings, quite forsaking straws, which are replaced by felt and velvet shapes. Very light fawn or tea colour (a delicate shade found in some of the latest six button suede gloves), and stone-grey are the tints mostly seen in the early autumnal felt cliapeavx. Black velvet, so eminently becom- ing to the majority of faces, no matter if they be no longer in their premiere jewneme, shows decided signs of being again fashionable this winter. At the above-mentioned race-meet- ing, a delightful blonde, of the Wynyard Park coterie, made quite a hit in a large black velourx shape, bent slightly down, both back and front, the sole ornamentation being a series of snow-white wings, manipulated so as to form a kind of fan-like arrangement. It was undeniably chic. Boots, laced up some inches beyond the ankle, with the lower por- tion in patent leather and the upper part in fawn kid, were worn by many of the elite. N EVENING BLOUSE FOR ORDINARY WEAR. Now's the time for looking over one's lingerie and general wardrobe. Being no longer in the giddy whirl of the season, we have leisure to reflect; and especially on rainy days, when the sea looks in a sorry mood, and even the charms of the continent seem temporally to have vanished. The dozens or half-dozens of under-clothes we possess should always be well kept up. That is to say, when one or more garments are past redemption (what looks more poverty-stricken than patched lingerie?) we should immediately have others made in their stead. The newest shape in chemises is batiste with a deep Valencienne berthe and mauve ribbon shoulder-straps tied in a dainty bow. The sheath" skirts of two seasons ago already look antedeluvian. But what is to be done with the two-year-old silk jupes, perhaps only slightly soiled ? Our second sketch shows how one of these white-elephants" can be utilized. A lemon-coloured bengaline skirt has been picked to pieces to form the lining of a very useful square-cut evening blouse. This foundation is veiled with citron chiffon, embroidered with black silk spots, the pointed band, collar and cuffs being composed of black jet. We are glad to note that these bodices, veiling the bosom and shoulders of the wearer, are once again de mode. They are a blessing to thin girls, and form so delightful a compromise between the out and out decollete and the regulation high corsage. A DISTINGUE BICYCLING COSTUME. The young Princesses of the Wales' house- I hold are going in for double-breasted coats during the coming cold season. Indeed, the best people will not be seen in the caped jackets so generally affected last winter. With the exception of short, crisp trumpet" capes, in one with the Medici collar, revers will be more distingue. Hoods lined with i some vividly coloured material are seen on the new tweed golf capes, and also on some jackets, but mostly on those of Parisian make. In England our demoiselles are now simply mad on golf, and, although bicycling has not yet reached that popularity it has already attained among Frenchwomen, a good many of our English maidens are experts on the iron steed. For their benefit we give the model of a dainty costume, planned on the useful zouave principle. This dress, with its full Turkish trousers and tight-fitting coat, fastened on the cross with pearl buttons, is made up of dark brown hop-sack. In conjunc- tion with this bicycling suit our sportswoman favours a plain white linen collar, chestnut felt hat, and fawn doe-skin gaiters over neat patent leather shoes. These loose zouave f trousers have a decided advantage over the short knicker-bockers fastened above the knee, arrayed in which the fair bicyclist enjoys not half so much freedom of movement. Every girl not blessed with a horse should go in for a two or three-wheeled machine.'

GLEANINGS OF THE WEEK. In Japan you buy a dress by the weight. Half a million clerks are employed in London. Blonde hair is the finest and red the coarsest. There are 13,000 distinct varieties of postage stamps. The Queen's walking-stick originally belonged to Charles II. Bermuda farms bear three successive crops in one year. The German Emperor has all his plain clothes made in London. Experiments in* weaving by electricity are being tried in Germany. In Japan every child is taught at school to write with either hand. Eighteen per cent. of the inhabitants of Glasgow are one roomed lodgers. The Denmark dykes have stood the storms of more than seven centuries. Max O'Rell like Dr. Conan Doyle, is about to go on a lecturing tour in the United States. The smallest living in the kingdom is St. Andrew's in Glamorganshire. It is only £ 5. The 124 largest cities in the country show a steady decrease in the average size of a family. S I E D L E BROS.' Photographs are the -HHAPKST, BEST, and do not fade. Dr. Hunter, M.P., has made such satisfactory progress during the past week that he is now regarded out of danger. Dr. Dvorak has arranged to come to England in the autumn of next year to personally conduct a composition for the Cardiff Festival. Several shipowners' organisations are making efforts to obtain a reduction of the fees oharged by Lloyd's for surveys and classifications. Lord Roaebery says he cured himself of sleep- lessnecs by drinking a tumbler of hot water, as hot as it could be drunk, before going to bed. Ashby-de-la-Zouoh has a oentenarian abstainer in the person of Mr. William Peplow, who has just been celebrating his 100th birthday. The great fashion feature at Dieppe and Trouville this year is the poke bonnet-the real, genuine article, without any modification whatever. The Lords of the Admiralty are asking £ 4,000. for the old and historic Benbow, wooden line-of- battle ship, which is being sold out of the service. It is confidently anticipated that Dr. Parry will compose a work for principals, chorus, and orchestra expressly for the Leeds Triennial Festival next year. Mr. James Mowdsley, general secretary of the Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners, has been offered and has accepted the position of a county magistrate for Lancaster. In Japan they don't throw flowers or wreaths at an actor. They give him a drop curtain. Every actor of eminence has at least a dozen drop curtains made of silk and satin, beautifully embroidered and decorated. It has been figured out that the energy exerted by a railway train running at a speed of seventy- five miles an hour, is nearly twice that of a two thousand pound shot fired from a one hundred-ton Armstrong gun. A recent order of the CzAr to search the sub- terranean halls and rooms of the great Kremlin, at Moscow, for hidden treasures, has aroused the expectation that the library of Ivan the Terrible may yet be found. The supposed death mask of Shakespeare is at present in the museum at DarmsUdt. When Mr. A. H. Wall, the librarian of the Memorial Theatre at Stratford, asked the price for which it would be sold, the sum named was ten thousand pounds. The popularity of the Australian station among men in the British Navy was shown on Friday at Plymouth. When the crew of the Astraea was paid off after mobilisation, upwards of 50 per cent. of the men offered their services for the Australian station. Miss Balfour, sister of Mr. A. J. Balfour, one of the few European ladies who have yet ventured as far as Buluwayo, was entertained by the spectacle of a Matabele war dance which had been arranged by Dr. Jameson, the Administrator of Matabele- land. Considerable sensation has been caused at Darwen by a startling discovery made by some corporation workmen as they were removing axbes. In one of the tubs they fouud a human skull, which was conveyed to the police station and the matter is being investigated. Only two strikes were ever known to occur in Turkey. One was of dockyard labourers in the Government employ for arrears in pay, and the other was of cigarette makers in Government factories for the exclusion of women. The dock- men got their money, and the women were turned out. It appears that the reports about "Mijor Le Caron's" extensive heritages were all wrong, and that the ex-spy's family are left in straightened circumstances. Mr. Heinemann, who published Le Caron's book, accordingly announces that he will be glad to take subscriptions on behalf cf the relatives. Ninty objections have been served on license- holders in Sheffield for the forthcoming brewster sessions. Some of the objections are made by the Chief Constable, and the remainder by the temper- ance party and the Social Question League. The houses pbjected to iaolud.e some of the best in the centre of the town. Professor Karl Giinther, of the Berlin University, is reported to have discovered a new bacillus, which differs from the comma bacillus in that it exists in the soil and not in water or the organs of the human body. He has named it the vibrio terrigensis, and says that so far as he knows it is perfectly harmless. Despite the measures which have been taken during the past two years to drain the bog upon which the town of Eisleben, the home of Martin Luthur, is built, the houses continue to sink more and more, and of late the subsidence has become so alarming that it is said tht the population are seriously thinking of abandoning the town. Sir John Bridge states that in the case of the three Cheshire Engineer Volunteers who were sV1- °1 P.a,1S0TT y the B|rkenhead magistrates, he advised the Home Secretary that in his opinion the committal of the volunteers was under the circumstances, improperly made, Rnd he advised that they ought to be discharged from prison. Onida deduces from history the fact that men of genius are fine, handsome fellows. So they are are as a rule witnes3 Tennyson, Musset, Scott- the strongest man of the Rough Clan- Marlborough, Goethe, "Bonny Dundee," Burns, JLjongfellow, Napoleon, Shelley, Byron—a gallery of beauties. Ugly men like Pope and Voltaire are tho exceptions. exceptions. Sarah Bernhardt does not share in the feminine worship of diamonds. This is her view of the queen of gems Mon Dieu They are horrible, kiHing the best expression of the tace, putting out the re of the eyes, paling the ear tints, and making the best teeth like porcelain, and the others like chalk. I might wear glass beads or Egyptian coins, but diamonds—never!" I An Englishman spends on an average 29 12s. a year for food, a Frenchman 29 8a., a German £ 8 8s., a Spaniard 26 12a., an Italian S4 16s. and a Russian E4 12s. Of meat the Englishman eats 1091b. a year, the Frenchman 871b., the German 641b., the Italian 281b., and the Russian 511b. Of bread the Englishman consumes 380lb. the Frenchman 5401b., the German 5601b' the Spaniard 480., the Italian 4001b-, and the Russian 6351b. A novel strike of auctioneers is exciting much interest at Canterbury. It has been oustomary hitherto to charge an extra toll of 50 per cent. npon animals sold by auction ia Canterbury market, but the various firms of East Kent sales- ?'en- b,w:end i f*Tr8' now '.fuse to pay thl t W UDfair and illegal, and a ?Ua 1 einon "rS, en ra'Sed to meet any possible if8" ?he Canterbury Town Council hnr navn,pn^er# redUOe the BPecial toll one-half, but payment of this is refused. eri?a?-r' havin8 purchased at Chester a ade of Hawarden oak, was anxious to have carved on it a message from Mt-. Gladstone, as he intended to presentit to the Congregational Church, New Bedford, ^a8s- His desire was made known to Mr. Gladstone, who stated that the concluding words of hisspeecltat the recent Harwarden ffite might he used. The words were as follows May God bless you, and may He endow yon with everything best in this world and the world to come. SIEDLE BROS. are noted for High-Claq Enlargements at Moderate Prices. A clothes washing competition is the very latest in connection with an athletic meeting. Some French women in the rural districts wash their faces with butter, and rarely use soap and water. The largest newspaper in China is so light that it does not weigh more than a man's handkerchief. The Six Finger Club is a Paris institution. Each member must have at least six fingers on one hand. In a book of confessions the Princess of Wales once set down Yorkshire pudding as her favourite dish. Vanity Fair hears that the Dake of Westminster will allow his daughter an income of t3,000. a year on her marriage. Since the assassination of President Carnot Italian organ grinders have found it impossible to earn their living in Paris. You can get drunk in China for 2Jd. The heathen Chinee does not drink to excess. The drunkard is practically unknown except in the cases of civilised Christians. In 1841 but 15 women were professionally engaged as authors, editors, and journalists. The last census gave 660 authors, editors, and journalists, and the shorthand writers had added 127 to their ranks. The Right Hon. William Coutts, seventh Earl of Albemarle, K.C.M.G, aide-de-camp to the Queen, died on Tuesday in his 63rd year from paralysis. He is succeeded by his eldest son, Viscount Bury, M.P. for Birkenhead. The story is told that over a bridal party whose combined ages did not exceed 26 years, a Hungarian priest, instead of the usual nuptial benediction, offered up the appropriate prayer, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." The commanding-officer of one of the regiments of Guards has received a letter from the chaplain of a cemetery whose feelings have been outraged. It was at a soldier's funeral, and no sooner had the salute been fired, and the parson had read the Benediction, and the men were taking a last look at the cpffin of their departed comrade, than the band struck up 'E dunno where 'e are," and marched away. We are threatened, now that the football season is upon us, with a novelty of a peculiar nature. A correspondent, writing to the Vegetarian, suggests that a very good means ofcarrymg on indirect propaganda work amongst athletes would be the formation for the approaching winter season of a vegetarian football club." Will the Blue Ribbonites, the anti-Tobacconists, and other similar bodies follow suit? SILK HATS Cleaned and Blocked on the Premises at shortest notice.—J. H. PANK Hatter, 4c., 7, High-street, and 105, Oxford' street. There is a curious sight to be met with in the London streets now. An enterprising coster has rigged up an enormous model of a Yarmouth smack, fitted it with masts and sails and gear, loaded it with shrimps, and launched it on a barrow, and sent it cruising through the side streets, tugged by a donkey. Their environment is found to give a marine suggestion to the shrimps, and quite a roaring trade is done by the coster habited as a tar. Of late years Englishwomen have excelled all others in the cut, style, and finish of their travelling costumes. Tweeds and serges are more used for this purpose than any other material, and the variety of these increases with every year. The wide-ribbed serges have had a long innings, and they are as much liked as ever. There are still many women who prefer the soft, clinging kinds, but the smart, well-dressed section like the stiff, well-set-out look that a large rib enables a gown to assume. A memorial in the shape of a Latin cross, 8ft. high and 3ft. broad, of roughly-hewn red Aberdeen m?we'i T • t"e and kerbin« of the same M! t V™4 i c, erLected over the grave of Mr. Edward Askew Sothern, in Southampton Cemetery. The old stone cross previously there has been removed to the eastern end of the grave. A polished surface at the base of the cross bears the inscription "Edward Askew Sothern, comedian born April 1, 1826; died January 20, 1881." The work has been carried out by Mr. E. H. Sothern, the actor's son. Fogs will no longer be a terror to railway com. panies and their servants if an ingenious inven- tion that has been examined by th6 North Eastern Railway Company corner to be universally adopted. The inventor claims to have discovered how to dispense with signalmen, pointsmen, and all their accessories. The main feature of the iftheme is that the signals are worked automatic- ally by the trains, and the switching is accom- plished by an arrangement of levers on the engine and on the permanaut way. The company propose to enter into communication with the Board of Trade on the subject. Good domestic servants are in great request in California. Though there are numbers of women there i who go out to service, few are really proficient. House servants' wages are from X4 A K™1 general servant gets t a a but ,for thiIS,t;he must be able to bake bread and make eatable pastry. Chinese are generIiesLvintf+1/y eTpl°yed aB cooks and have an avpr ?™' fth^up a ^reat many families a u m' or are s0 situated that a woman s help is wanted in the house. Wages per month.11 parIour maid8 are from to £ 5 singular case of death from an overdose of poison has occurred at Warboys, Huntingdonshire. Mr. Dunn, a surgeon, had been in the habit of taking opiates, and about five o'clock iu-the morn. ing woke his wife up and told her he thought he froai laudanum. Medical assistance was sent for, and deceased said he had t iken about four grains of the poison. Vigorous efforts were made to counteract the laudanum, but death ensued about nine hoars after. It was afterwards found that deceased had taken about an ounce and a half of laudanum, as well as some opium pills. The deceased was much respected in the neighbour- hood.

BORWICK'S BAKING POWDER. Best Bakinir BORWICK'S BAKIXG POWDER. Powder in the BORWICK'S BAKIIfG POW,)ER. World. Whole. BORWICK'S BAKING POWDER, some, Pure, and BORWICK'S BAKING POWDER. Freefiom Alum. BORWICK'S BAKING POWDER. Freefiom Alum. [5515

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With regard to the results of the diphtheria treatment with anti-toxin, invented by Dr. Aronson the following report (says the Daily Netos Berlin correspondent) has been published by the Empress Frederick Children's Hospital there From March 14 last up to June 20, 128 children died of diph- »fVa U Is 13 2Per cent, of the number treated whde the proportion in former years was between i and 41 per cent. Dividing these 128 cases into tour groups, there were 47 light cases, in which all the children recovered 35 medium, in which only one died; 42 very severe, out of which 30 were successfully treated; and 4 which from the very bpgginning were hopeless, and in which the issue was tatal. A favourable result was also achieved by inoculating 72 children, brothers and sisters of the little patients, with a very thin solution of anti-toxin as a preventive measure. Eight of these children fell ill of diphtheria, but in a very slight degree, so that their state was entirely without danger. A scandalous outrage has been perpetrated at the beautiful church of St. Mary, Portsoa, which was erected mainly by the munificence of the late- Right Hon. W. H. Smith, M.P. It appears that between -aturday evening and Sunday mornin°- an entrance to the sacred edifice was effected through a window in the south porch. On the Commuuiou table wai a beautiful cloth, which ha.d been work;d by memhers ,f tle family of the late Mf. Smith. This cl"th was ruthle-slv The°?as' waTP, t,0f?ether< a»d then set on fire, ohnrcii mi>rh l J ?n at east end of the the vlcinTtv of +f9 Splrits beingr als0 P0Ul'ed in fJth0 communion table. Nothing bufldino-n+8^ aY1 C^retaker entered the earlv k l ha,if-pa<t six to prepare for the S celebration of Holy Communion, when he c?oth h filhn- the churuh. The table- ciotn had burned itself out, and the table h»d been considerably diima^ed. There had been no attempt at robbery, and no cine has been obtained. It is believed that the outrage was the work of some fanatic who objected to the work done at the church. The early Communion Service could not bo conducted at the usual place, but had to be held in the outh Chapel. An inquest has been held at Bra imore, near Wolverhampton, respecting the death of a com- mercial clerk named Francis Barney Faulkner^ He had purchased a red herring, and although- told at his home that it was unfit for food, cnolv-ed: and ate it for his tea. Soon after, lie wa. < seized with illness and died, the medical evidenca show- ing that his death was due t3 irritant poison, caused by the eating of decomposed fish. Respecting this incident, says the Lancet, the symptoms produced by poisonous fish are, very distinctive, and have been pointed oat by several writers. They Itre Usually of two kin is-one. a a severe attack of indigestion, parsing in acute cases into the srastro-enteritie form, attended with an icy coldness of the bJdy and depression, accompanied by great nervou-t disturbance the other, a worse form, the attacks of which are marked by nausea and vomiting, first of food, then of mucus, with depression of the pulse, cold- nes cramps, and diarrhoea followed by con- vulsive movements, and sometimes after recovery Jh £ <kr[°U*S ^Ptoms, especially want of power, which lasts for several days. The faintest trace of decomposition in fish forbids it" use a an article of food.