Evening Express

TO-DAY'S WEA THEE. The forecast of the weather throughout the West of EU!riaI1Q aad :-ioutu .Ie.. for t.'II. I VedUI'R.ja.:r) 18 as folieiTH --N. W. winds, light; 'ine, but not settled, backing to S. W. later, and less/air. WEEKS TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL. J The following' table gives the temperature and rainfall at Cwrt-y-Vii. Penarth, for 24 hours, as read at 9.0 a.m., and entered to the preceding ùay. I TEMPf-RlTUSK. I DA TK. —— RAINFALL. pi ax 'Min. Mta-i Wedu-sday 9 75 57 66 0 "00 Tnnrsduy 10 7i 57 66*0 *00 I ridav 11 77 58 67*5 '00 Saturday 12 7rt 59 6i*5 *00 Suudnv 13 77 58 67 5 "00 Monday 14 80 60 70'0 '20 Tuesday 15 81 60 70"5 00

Telephone: National. 502. Poat-offlce. 95. Teleerams: Expreds," Cardiff.

POWDERftWOSHOT. Heigh-ho! 'Tis a sad, weary world. my masters, and these temperance men, as they term themselves, forsooth, are sad wags. Per- haps it be the hot weather that makes me harp upon the question 80 much. or it may be that I am annoyed at having to decline the Cardiff publicans' outing to Porlock on Mon- ,I day. Or if I bethink my,oelf the bull pap is no batter than he might be. and I warrant yon, my masters, this is a serious matter. I have never been in the House of Commons, and I may not be a genius, but when a man has eyes he is a fool if he does not use them. Look you, up to the present the world has produced jut one "Jaggers," who is a living flesh and blood epitome of the age. He has done nothing particularly, and done it well and quickly, too, wherein h is emblematical J of the closing days of the nineteenth century. But, as I have had ision to say before, all this by the way. And now to our muttons and the hull pup. This everlasting temperance question has bothered me sadly this week, and now again this morning, without a shadow of rhyme or reason, it crops up once more. I suppose the cause is my discussing with a friend the constitution of the licensing bench. For my own part, I have Ino great feeling on this matter, but I am always open to argument, and even in the interval between luncheon and dinner I readily abandon myself to interrupters. For the matter of that, a good deal of literary work is accom- plished in the intervals of hunt-the-slipper, or frivolous amusements of that kind. But to return to the subject. My friend-and an argumentative friend at that—asks me in all sincerity why this law should exist that imposes a penalty for any magistrate connected, how- ever indirectly, with an establishment that sells liquor, malt, or otherwise to vote on the com- position of the licensing magistrates' bench. » • • • » • • Now, for my own part, I have never been of an argumentative turn. Rather have I pre- ferred to listen in all humility to the sugges- tions thrown out by my superiors. At the same time, one cannot help a stray thought now and again, and one of these stray thoughts Somes to me—in a sporting sense-when I recollect. that fairplay is a jewel all the world over, ) Mark you, I am no publican, nor yet a bloated capitalist, otherwise I had not been "slavering" j out these notes. Still, the fact of being a "boiled rice" journalist need n^t, of necessity, destroy a man's ideas of fairplay; and this, look you, is where I contend the licenced niaii comes in. Let me go ba<k to my original argument that, even supposing a magistrate be the chair- man of an extensive and respected grocer's establishment, euch establishment holding a wine licence, that self-same magistrate is, according to the laws of this country, debarred from voting on the composition cf the licensing bench. And here. again, let me revert to my question of fairplay. Let me take the other side of the question. If a magistrate and a respected townsman—such as Alderman Caroy or Councillor Hughes—be by reason of their connection with the trade debarred under a penalty from voting on this question, why should any of the other magistrates who hold teetotal views—such as "Cochfarf," for example —be allowed to vote in favour of a trade for which he has more than a sympathy, to wit, an interest in the teetotal tr:de? As I s:y above. I will not say temperance ncr tem- perate, because I have ere this contended such words are misapplications, and under such conditions the word "temperance" is in d::nge»- of losing its real meaning. Indeed. I have often wondered by what right the-cental party lay claim to the title Of the temperance party, when their avowed object js ab»!:t:en. Rather should we des.'j j nate 'them the party of intemperance, for the injunction, Be temper,e in all tilingsI even in speech—is one ihut zhey at all time, forget. «••»«« Sarnie cf ihe-e days i .«h til wilJ ■' n article on the ethics of The Hooii^an," and sell it cheaply, tut prontab'y, to one of the illus- g, trated newspaper:. I have always thought that "The Hodj,} all int"r2stjQ; member of í society that ought to come under the con- ser ption—conscription, that u. til a'. Ae should, be compelled to either take his term in the ordinary way cn ,lie wi'nout any attempt to prove his offence whatever, or fifteen of them should be u,cl simply for the purpose of practice—ail the year ronncl-fùr the Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Lianeily. Neath, or some of the Ehondda fcotbal! teams. Iin- pris -ling Ihe Hooligan is ail very well, bat I do contend most strenuously that eighty minutes' argument with some of our H1l'.(1J\' footballers would do more towards depriving I him of his sand-br.gging habits cr his litt'e playfulness than all the penal establishments in the world. And now for the "Pote." who has something to say on the subject of- THE HOOLIGAX. The Hooligan's a wretched blot Upon the country's face. He lives to bully, LaC, and plot; H-iisafouldi-grace. He never seeks for work to do, Hp's far too fly for that: No honesty's among his crew. He is ihe social rat. He ,ves to sneak through Llandaff Field* When nght is falling fad. All for the fun the pastime yields- He's tried it in the past. Of course, he goes no', by him3e1f- A coward to the bone: The a eif- He dare not go alone. Some luckless couple they espy A-taking of the air. The Hooligans are f1-- They scent their prey just there. S "• in some dark and lone'.v place They on the couple spring: To Hooligans 'tis no disgrace To do so mean a thing. And if the luckless pair show fright Blackmail they swift demand 'Tis under cover of the night (The wise will understand). But if the young Adonis knows The use of fist or stick, And vows he'll break the blackguard's nose Or tan his hide so thick, Behold a change comes o'er the scene, With twitching face and wan, Our Hooligans who bold hare been Now pass like sneaks a10ng. For Hooligan a coward is In every nerve and bone, And we've sufficient proof of this- He dare not go alone Come. bustle up. PoHceman X., Patrol our rural parks, And Hooligan's bold spirit vex By putting down his larks. Come, clear our pretty rural ways For future wives and hubs t It is a sport that better pays Than keeping watch on pubs In several parts of Wales of late cases have occurred of poisoning streams with lime. caus- ing the wholesale slaughter of fish. The prac- tice is very common in the small streams of Brecknock, Montgomery, North Cardigan, Car- marthen, and Pembroke, and it is seldom the culprits are brought to light. In fact, it assumes a very serious aspect. Recently there has been much comment on the question of the deaths from poisoning of trout in the Wye, and in connection with this a correspondent writes to a contemporary to the effect that small crayfish, once so abundant in the Jfeuse, has entirely disappeared, owing to the dis- charge of chemical matter into the water. The danger is not confined to the neighbour- hood of factories, even remote tributaries being affected. Surely, it is time these things should be pot a stop to, or scientists should dis- cover some method of rendering harmless the I necessary discharge into rivers.

WIT FROM THE BENCH. Before Mr. Plowden, at Marylebone, appeared a very portly woman who, in reply to a charge of being drunk and disorderly and using obscene language, pleaded that her husband had starved her since Christmas. Mr. Plowden: You will forgive me saying the traces of famine are not very noticeable from your appearance. (Laughter.) I hope you are not confusing hunger with thirst. Prisoner: No, I don't look very hungry, do I? It's the contented mind. (Great laughter.) Mr. Plowden: A contented mind is a con- tinual feast. Five shillings. (More laughter.) The next prisoner was a man who was alleged to have aroused a constable from sleep in the middle of the night by his quarrels with his wife. Mr. Plowden (to the prisoner): Do you under- j stand the full gravity of your ,ffnce? (Laughter.) You may go this time, but remem- bcr that the sleep of a constable is precious to 'he public service. (More laughter.) A conscientious objector to vaccination (lskeù his worship for exemption. In reply to questions he said be did not believe in it, did not want to believe in it, and he would not believe in it. Mr. Plowden: That is a verv intellectual position to take up. You may have your cer- tificate. Following him came a woman who wanted damages for a dog bite. Mr. Plowden: You must go to a civil court. I don't, mean that this is a rude court- (laughter)-but it is not a civil court.

,.I UNIONISTS AND TH.EIR VOTES. Cardiff Conservatives and Unionists are re- quested to examine the new lists on the church doors and in the Conservative club, and if their names are not properly registered to call at the club, Mr. V'addington's olfice, or send a postcard. Friday is the last day for making a claim. Persons occupying apart-I ments should apply to Mr. Waddington at I once and claim as IOlhrers.

Gwilym Evans' Quinine Bitters strengthens that part of the system which is weakest, or has been weakened by disease, and, therefore, more liable to efids and their attendant ail- ments. Bottles 2s. 9d. and 4s. 6d. e4919-3 If Gwilym Evans' Quinine Bitters is fairl3 tested and tried, it will be found that ai symptoms of General Debility. Palpitation Nervous Trembling, and Sleeplessness will di3 appear. Bottles 2s. Sd. and 4s. 6d. e4919—2 The success of the year is the "REX" BRAND OF OX TONGUES and LUNCH I TONGUES iCUDAHY rii. There is nothing to equal them. One of the greatest delicacies of the day. Once tried always used. e7276-1 1 •_ the Cllai of our Sins. J Author of Author of j Lady Audley's "The Fatal I Secret." Three." I b s h | BY X t, i'IS B ADnOfl 1 SEE EXPRESS. tli' I (.- i ■ ■■ .4,#, Author or | I Author cf "V /"One Life, | Sons of Fire," One Love." TO COMMENCE ON MONDAY NEXT. -a. T

3H5, l>. SH 551'IIEKD ON THE "C5I AB-ACl'ISIt" THE J4EX. ;¡ ,.J-) .l. \¡ _.l:J.t '(., .a: .r Ji.:o I IIOW THE VOTES WERE GIVEN. The- transformation in the Cardiff Licencing Committee appointed this year as compared with those ol previous occasions has caused a I gooil le :,I,.i comment in the town. The teetotalers are particularly annoyed. although in Alderma i Baavan ami Mr. Robert Bird they have a fair representation. Mr. David Shep- herd, however, Goes not appear to think so. He stated on Saturday night that they (the temperance party) had at first been in doubt whether to inenr the expen.-e of opposing licences in Cardiff this year, but when they saw whr.1; the character of the licensing com- mittee w s T.O be the; determined to oppose, and iie wished it to be known that the tc-m- psrance party wc-uld be represented at the l-rewster sei A few people in Catdiff want to know who appointed Mr. D. Shepherd judge of ethics. He is the secretary of the governors of the intermediate school, and 'mens: those r.;Bn;i;:1en there happen to be Messrs Lewis \7i:li;;ms, Carey, Jacobs. White, Robert Hughes, F.bcntzer Beavui, and T. Andrews. Those men were all pre- at at the meeting when the licensing committee was appointed, and seine of them na uially want to know from their secretary what is the matter with their "character." It may be necessary for Mr. Shepherd to prlater on what fault he finds with a considerable portion of his committee. The objection which lie takes, however, cannot be drranded on noli Heal or teetotal lines. Look at the voting for the ediiimittee:- The I.: ay or 19 votes. The St;pendiary 19 Mr. T. Andrews 15 „ Alderman David Jones 12 1 Councillor Morgan Morgan 11 Mr. Robert Bird 9 „ Aid. Ebenezer Beavan 8 „ Mr. Lev/is Williams 6 „ Mr. T. I-T. Stephens 6 „ Mr. Henry White. 3 „ Aiclerman Ramsdale 3 „ Councillor J. H. Ilailett 3 „ Alderman R. Cory 2 Dr. C. Vachell 2 „ Dt. Wallace 1 Mr. F. J. Beavan 1 Mr. R?es Jones. 1 Mr. James Allan 1 „

IN ICELANDIC WATERS. SUICIDE OF A BRITISH NAVAL OFFICER. We regret to learn (says the Daily Chrunicie") that Lieutenant Wyndham H. Sandl'ord, who was appointed on May 16 last as navigating lieutenant of her Majesty's ship Blonde, third-class cruiser, now employed in Iceland waters on fishing duties under the Admiral Superintendent of Naval Reserves, has destroyed himself by blowing his brains out. The Blonde arrived at Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, on August 3, bringing the sad in- telligence. The late Lieutenant Sandford was one of the supernumerary lieutenants brought into the Navy from the Royal Naval Reserve. The navigation of an iron ship in Iceland waters, c wing to the incessant fogs and abnor- mal variations of the compass consequent on i the magnetic attraction of the masses of lava, both submerged and on shore, is rendered more arduous than usual. For several days before his rash act Lieutenant Sandford was heard to complain of the difficulty of his posi- tion, but his complaints were not regarded by his messmates as singular. After a specially heavy bout of duty, the Blonde having twice circumnavigated the island of Iceland, Lieu- tenant Sandford shut himself in his cabin, loaded a rifle, placed the muzzle against his head, and pushed the trigger with a walking stick. The bullet nearly caused a second catas- trophe, It passed through the bulkhead divid- ing Lieutenant Sandford's cabin from that of Lieutenant A. Rice, and passed within a few inches of the head of the latter. The d'fficulty of navigating Iceland waters, particularly on the western side, owing to local attraction and the Greenland pack ice, is scarcely appreciated. The charts leave much to be desired, as no survey has yet been undertaken by the Euglish Admiralty. In the course of her duties in regulating the fisheries the captain of the Blonde had occasion to warn no less than 23 British fishing boats for trawling in prohibited waters. The offenders hail for the most part fnm Hull and Grimsby. I

NEW AERIAL SlitP. A Vienna corres-pondent says:—Much in- terest is felt in the approaching trials of Count Zeppelin's wonderful aerial ship, with which the inventor claims to have solved the problem of flying. Count Zeppelin is an enthu- siast, and has spent £ 10,000 in building a "dork" for his ship near the Bodenzee, in Upper Austria, while the ship itself has cost him a furcher sum of £ 40.000. The description of the vessel is suggestive of Jules Verne. It is long, thin, and cylindrical in shape, and is sharply pointed at one end. It is similar in form to a lead pencil w th a very sharp point. It will be driven by two set of sere-sa, vertical and horizontal, and the motive power will be electricity. Coant Zeppelin declnres that the new airship will be able to travel at the rate of 25 miles an hour. He anticipates its adoption for purposes of both war and commerce throughout the civilised world.

AMERICAN ABDUCTION CASE Mr. Justice Cozens-Hardy. sitting oil Wednes- day as vacation judge, had in the list of cases to be heard before him an application for a writ of habeas corpus, calling up^n Mrs. Let:tia Ann Perot, alia.s Letty Pierce, to produce her child, whom she was accused of abducting within the jurisdiction of the United Smtes,- Mr. R. Newton Crane, who appeared for Mr. Perot, sen.. stated that arrangements had been come to under which the child had been delivered up, and Mr. Rose Innes, for the lady, desired to add that it was a perfectly amicable arrangement between the father and mother, one of the terms of which was that certain affidavits filed before Mr. Justice Lawrence for the purpose of the ex parte application on Saturday should be withdrawn.

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ATTEMPT TO FORCE A TV 031 AX THROUGH A WINDOW- Charles Taylor and Annie Taylor, of Corn- uail-road, Stamford-street, were charged at Southwark on Tuesday with assaulting Mrs. knnie Randall.—Prosecutrix stated that the was the wife of a printer, with four children. Prisoners were her landlord landlady, and the previous night they entered her room and ordered her to leave the house at once. She asked permission to stay there until the morn- I ing, for the sake of her children, but the male prisoner took hold of the bed and bedding to put them downstairs, and threatened that if she did not leave iie would throw her cut of the window. She had her baby in her arms, and he took hold of her and put her half-way tiuough the window. Mr. Coates (clerk): Do you really mean that? Prosecutrix: Yes; I cried for mercy, and struggled and screamed. There were crowds of people below. Eventually I got back into the room. and Mrs. Taylor and another woman got hold of me by the hair, struck me with a plate, and then, ripping open the mattress, buried my head in the shavings to smother me. Mrs. Taylor had bolted the street door, but somehow or other the police forced an entrance and came to my assistance. Mr. Paul Taylor: How long have you been in this house? Prosecutrix: Eight weeks, and I owe only 3s. The Male Prisoner: You owe me lis., and you have done JE5 worth of damage. You have smashed the windows, shutters, and the panels of the door, and aJl manner of things. You come home at two o'clock in the morning, and make yourself a great nuisance. You have had many notices to leave. Prosecutrix: I have not had any notice. William Day said he was passing along Corn- wall-road and heard screams. He saw the woman with a baby in her arms half-way out of the window. A man had hold of her legs, trying to force her out. He and a friend made a rush to the door, but found it fastened. They there endeavoured to force the catch of the window with a pen-knife, but somebody else smashed the glass, broke in the panels of the door, and undid the bolt. Mr. Paul Taylor: You did all this to get to the assistance of the woman?—Witness: Yes, we got into the passage, and two women tried to stop us. A sailor gave corroborative evidence, adding that prosecutrix's window was 38ft. frcm the ground. Mrs. Cook, a witness for the defence, declared that prosecutrix wanted to jump out of the window, and they held her back. Mr. Paul Taylor: What did you go into her room for? Witness: To keep the peace. Mr. Paul Taylor remarked that prisoners, as landlord and landlady of the house, had no right to take the law into their own hands in this violent manner. He ordered each prisoner to pay 20s. fine and 20s. costs, the latter to be handed to prosecutrix as compensation.

SPEED OF MOTOR CARS. A SON OF LORD LLANGATTOCK SUM MOISTED. The Hon. Charles Rolls, son of Lord Llan- gattock, residing at South Lodjpe, Knights- bridge, and Mr. Ernest Hutton, J.P., of North- allerton, Yorkshire, were summoned at West London Police-court by the police for unlaw- fully driving motor-cars at a speed greater than is reasonable or proper, having regard to the traffic in the highway. Mr. T. W. Slaplee Firth represented the defendants. Police-constable B2ck said the defendants on the 26th ult. each drove a motor-car along Palace-gate, Kensington, and witness estimated the "peed they were travelling at as between fourteen and sixteen miles an hour. They pulled up at Kensington-gate, and witness then took their names and addresses. Both of the defendants gave evidence, and asserted that their rate of speed did not exceed nine miles an hour. M.r. Staplee Frith reminded the court that the maximum speed allowed for motor-cars was twelve miles an hour. Mr. Rose: I don't know of any law saying that motor-cars should travel at the, rate of J twelve miles an hour. Mr. Staplee Firth: That is not my suggestion. Professor C. V. Boys, F.R.S., said the car ridden by Mr. Rolls was an electrical one, and could not be driven at a high speed. Mr. Rose observed that motor-cars seemed to be associated with an optical delusion, as they appeared to travel faster than they actually did. He was satisfied on the evidence that the police-constable had been mistaken, and dis- missed the summons. —

WANTER-A HAUNTED HOUSE The following curious letter has lately been received by a firm of provincial house agents from a man in London "Have you a reputed haunted hou-e on your books? I am not afraid of ghosts. I do not, as a matter of course, believe in their existence, and I am willing to live in a house for a long or short te. m by arrangement, of course, rent free. Should there be no ghost, then, if you wish it. I shall be willing to testify on oath to the fact, but should I see an apparition I wil! keep the matter secret, and only acquaint you with the circumstances. I will pledge myself not to pander to local gossip. I have a small income on which I can subsist. My sole object in thus applying to you is to be allowed to live in a place in which I do not need to pay any rent." i'he reply he received was to the effect that the firm had no haunted house at present on their list, but would communicate with him when they had.

SAMPLE OF HORLICK'S MALTED MILK which is sent, carriage paid, to every applicant, is accompanied by explanatory matter which offers the fullest proof of the citt;ms made in favour of this del:ghtful pre- uaration. namely, that it is the true food of infancy, sickness, and old age-f infancy, because it is a perfect substitute for Nature's own provision; of sickness, because it is light, nourishing, assimilable; of old age because it is invigorating and recunerative. It is also good in health, because it ensures t. Of all chemists. Price 1< 6d., 2s. 6d., and 118. Write at once for the free sample to HorlicV and Co., 34. Farringdon-road, London, E.C 27 A SPOTLESS COMPLEXION. -Stt lvh,)l i ne Lotion clears off all imperfections in a few days Pimples, Roughness, Tan. Uncomfortable Skin Disfigurements entirely fade away. leaving o beautiful skin. Shilling Bottles of Sulpholine everywhere e-j A FAIR, BEAUTIFUL, SKIN.-Sulpholine Soap gives the natural tint and peach-like blcom of a perfect complexion, makes the skin smooth, supple, healthy, comfortable. Tablets evffrrwVire. e—1

ALL PROPHETS WIDE OF THE MARK. The "Express" Births' Competition last week proved too much for the prophetic skill of our readers. The number of infants born into the world took a, sudden and unaccountable drop from 6,676 of the previous week to 5,778, and completely upset all calculations." No competi- tor gave the correct number, and the winner is Mr. WILLIAM RICHARDS, 5, School-street, Deri, whose prediction was 5,754, the nearest approach to the right number. Mr. Richards is evidently well up in his subject, for he was one of the three to divide the prize on the last' occasion. This week he takes the whole sovereign.

LO BEN INTERVIEWED. CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY SO MUCH FUSS HAS BEEN MADE. Prince Lobengula, who is at present staying with his bride in a hotel near Southampton Pier, was interviewsd by the Exchange Tele- 1 graph Company's representative on Tuesday morning, at a well-known restaurant in Southampton. The Prince was inclined to make merry over the interest which was shown by the people of England in his marriage. The wedding, he said, took place three weeks ago, and they intended staying in their pre-tnt quarters till the next mail boat sailed, when their destination would be Durban. He considered that he had been very badly treated in this country. It was quite a usual proceeding, he said, for English- men :1t the Cape to marry native women, and he could not understand why such an outcry had ben raised against his aIJiaJJce wjh an English girl. Everything concerning him had been grossly misinterpreted, and all sorts of insults had been heaped upon him and his wife. Lo Ben concluded by shaking hands with sovera1 of the company present. and said sor- rowfully that he would never see them any more. The Prince's Appearance. Another correspondent writes: Some injus- tice has lately been done to Lo Ben in regard to his appearance and manner of talking. He has neen alluded to [.0 if he resembled the stage nhtger. and his talk has been called "jargon." The truth is that, barring the colour, there is very little of the negro in his face. He has a high forehead, beautiful eyes keen intelli- gence, a winning expression, and a gracious amiable manner. If he were white few people would refu-e to call him handsome. Some fine pictures of him have been published, but they acemtuate too strongly the negro trails in his features, and fail to give the bright, attractive expression habitual to him when talking. As for his alleged "jargon," it does not exist. He speaks excellent English, with readiness and good taste, and without the least trace of the Christy Minstrel. M-inv natives of these Hands would speak better if they could talk as well as he. The present writer with a crowd of other persons wa in Lo Ben's hut at the Earl's Court Exhibition not quite three weeks ago. It was before the project of marriage between him and Miss Jewell had benn made known to the public. A motherly lady asked him whether he had brought his wife, whereupon he replied, "I am very sorry. fll.dame, but I am not married. I am only sweet 24."

WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. APPARATUS TO BE SUPPLIED TO THE DEFIANCE. The Admiralty are so well satisfied with the experiments with the Marconi system of wire- less telegraphy on the cruiser Juno during the manoeuvres that they have ordered a com- plete set of the apparatus to be supplied to the torpedo school ship Defiance, at Devon- port, where further experiments will be carried out under the direction of Commander Nichol- son. This officer has made a special study of wireless telegraphy, and was sent to the Juno as second in command to watch the working of the system.

A PETITION TO HIMSELF. Mr Duffy. Postmaster-General of Victoria, recently had an experience in regard to the signing of petitions which has proved valuable. Touring with his deputy in the Ballarat dis- trict, he stopped at a wayside inn in a remote cornr of the bush for rest and refreshment. A resident of the place walked in and asked "if the gentlemen had any objection to signing a petition." "What is it for?" asked the Post- master-General. "Oh, it's just a little local thing," explained the resident; "just put your name at the bottom here." Mr. Duffy took hold of the paper, and was as much amased as surprised to find that it was addressed to himself, and "humbly prayed, ii* the interests of a large and rapidly growing population, that the Minister would c-xtend the mail servicc." "I^'not a resident of the district," said Mr. Dutty. "Oh, that doesn't matter at all, observed the man, as he apparently pitied the other's innocence. "All you want to make a petition go is to crowd en a host of names. The Minister doesn't bother ahout whose they are, and even if he had a suspicion he is pro- bably too easy going to trouble himself." "Is there a big population," asked the Deputy Post- master-General, "to where you want the ser- vice extended?" "Oh. no," was the candid answer, "there's only a couple of UR living there, but we might as well have a shot at a petition. They all do the same." Mr. Duffy did not sign the petition, and he did not cause a sensation by rlramntically deflarir.g his idn- tity, but he refused to extend the mail service, notwithstanding that the petition in favour was "most extensively and numerously signed."

THE WRONG PREACHER. An extraordinary and amusing incident was brought to light at Winsford. Cheshire, on Tuesday. On Sunday morning in elder of the Winsford Primitive Methodist Chapel drove to Cuddington Slation to meet the Rev. Princinal Parkin, Theological Institute, Manchester, who was to conduct the re-opening serviceo, A gen- tleman in clerical attire came off the train, and was asked if he was Mr. Parkin. Replying in the affirmative, he was immediately driven to Winsford, and expressed surprise to learn that he was not to preach until the afternoon. At noon another gentleman, hot and dusty, arrived at the elder's residence, and. to the astonishment of all, gave the name of the Rev. Principal Parkin. Explanations fol-! lowed, showing that the similarity of the names had led to an embarrassing mistake, whereby a Manchester Baptist named Perkin, who had planned to preach at Onston, had been driven to Winsford, leaving the Rev. Principal to walk five miles. Perkin was speedily driven to Onston, where his non- arrival for the morning serrica had occasioned surprise.

THE LADY OR THE LIVING An agitation is vexing the congregation of a popular Church at a southern seas'de reort. It is not concerned with lights or incene or any such thing. It relates to the question wheiher the vicar shall be allowed to marry. The vicar was presented to the benefice—so the story goes —cn cond'ti^n that he remained a bachelor. Now, h<.> has nnnQunced his engagement to a young lauy, and a section of the congregation are c1"manring for his resignation. The vicar, who. it is said. is the very soul of honour has stated that he is quite ready to resitrn his position if his marriage will interfere with the progress of the work of the parish. But he is not prepared to give up the lady. )

A LEAP FROM THE GALLERY. During a performance at the Empire Palace Music-hall, Portsmouth, a sensation was caused during the singing by Lily Marney of "The Boy in the Gallery," by a Bluejacket mounting the box adjoining the gallery, and jumping on to the stage, a dislance of 30ft. The sailor, it is supposed, tho' 4'ht that he was "the boy" referred to in the song. Strange to say. he was unhurt. 'n I

NEW ZEBRAS AT THE ZOO. I The Emperor Menelik's gift to the Queen of a pair of rare zebras has happily arrived at the Zoological Gardens safe and sound. The beast are the first of their kid which !1:we ever set foot in Europe, and <;0 important was the event considered that Mr. H. Thomson, the assistant-superintendent of the gardens, was! sent out to Somaliland to receive them and convey them home. The animals were very sea-sick on the way from Aden.

MADAME PATTI. A Berlin correspondent telegraphs that Madame Patti (Baroness Cederstrom) will sing | twice in Brlin nxt winter, and will receive 30,000 francs for the two concerts.

When ask;ng for Cocoa, insist on having CAD- BURY'S—sold only in Packets and Tins-as other COCOAS are often substituted for the sake of extra profit. j

THE ff.C.U. AND THE GATHERING. It causes no surprise to learn that the sporte of the Cardiff Boilermakers on Saturday next bids fair to be a terrific success. Mr. Harry Duggan, the genial hon. secretary, informs me that he has nearly 300 entries, and, aa these include such men as Downer, Keene, Bredin, Cullum, and, indeed, all the cracks, one cannot wonder that Mr. Duggan is so con- fident of the success of the gathering. Another point is that the prizes offered by the society are just a bit above the common, for the value in each case is undoubted. They have been supplied, I believe, by Mr. Sol. Phillips, of Caroline-street and High-street, Cardiff, an ex- cellent guarantee of their value, and are on view in the window of a St. Mary-street tradeap man at the present time. A point in connection with these sports-a most regrettable point, too, and one that I have had occasion to mention before-is the decision by the local centre of the N.C.U. to debar anyone from competing in the boiler- makers' race unless they are licensed members of the N.C.U. The unfairness of this is obvious. Supposing there are 580 members of the Boiler- makers' Society, all of whom are fond of cycling. Those 503 range in age from sixteen to 60. The majority of them are ardent sports- men. who at a meeting of this sort are will- ing, on fair handicap terms, to ride a race, not so much for their own good as for the success of the sports, and the admirable society for which the sports are held. The N.C.U. step in and say to the 60 years man, "We can- not allo'v you to ride and enjoy yourself after your own fashion unless you become a member of the N.C.U., or some club attached to it, and, in addition to paying your fee, you, a sixty- year-old cyclist, must submit to our hard and fast limit in re=pect of the handicapping." Now, the absurdity of the whole thing is pal- pable. First, .vhy should the liberty of the sub- ject be so far interfered with. It is just the same to lay down this restriction as for the Government to say, "You shall not wear a top- hat unless you are a member of the Militia." This is a private race-a club race, as it were, or. at any rate, a race strictly confined to n embers of a society—which, to all intents and purposes, is the same as a club. Why, then, should the local centre of the N.C.U. make themselves so confoundedly ridiculous on the present occasion as to lay an embargo upon this race. I ray on the present occasion more particularly because scores of races of a similar character have been held in Cardiff without any interference from the N.C.U. officials. On the occasion of the Jockey Club sports there was a race of the sort held on the grounds of the Cardiff Athletic Club. Well, wherein lies the difference between the Newport-road ground and that adjacent to Cathedrai-roadf I do not wish to be pessimistic in my views of the N.C.U. officials, but I do strongly contend that the.y "ave on the present occasion unwar- rantably interfered with the liberty of the sub- ject. The entry for the race now numbers seven, with the result that what at one time promised to be one of the most enjoyable features of the programme, has now devolved into an ordi- nary event, the prizes being competed for between those younger members of the society who happen to be licensed racing amateurs according to the N.C.U. meaning of the word, whilst the elder members—as to whose ama- teurism there can be no doubt, and whose pre- sence in the race would give it a smack of the old-time and truer amateurism—are debarred from competing because, forsooth! they do not choose at their fifty or sixty years of age to apply and pay a fee to the N.C.U. for the liberty (sic) of being allowed to be-amateur racing men. Save the mark! But these are "parlous times" in cycling circles! I have received a letter from Bancroft thi' morning, who is having one of those enjoyable trips down Devonshire way that are so mucy in vogue with Welshmen both from a cricket and a football point of view. The oldest inter national writes:— am delighted to hear that a. Gentlemen v. Players' match has been arranged. Depend upon it, we, players, will make a big effort to win. It ought to be a very interesting match, too, and, knowing the exceptionally keen interest the people of the Cardiff district take in the game, I shall be sur- prised, as you suggest in your notes, if we do not have a bumpmg gate." Cheltenham will be very gay during the next few days; the Australians match commences on Thursday, while on Monday next Surrey play their return fixture against Gloucester- shire. In addition to the cricket, there are lots of other attractions in the shape of fetes, feasts, and fireworks. At the opera-house on Friday animated photos will be shown of the Australians' match. My Gloucester correspondent is early on the job with football, and hopes, so he tells me, to deal with the Gloucester Rugby club's pros- pects in a day or so. At present he is content with saying that the 'Cestrians ought to have an exceedingly strong first fifteen in the coming season, as, with the exception of Percy Stout, practically every member of last season's victorious team will again be avail- able. If, he continues, the Northern Union clubs cannot offer a bigger wage than 25s. per week, they are not likely to induce many players to leave their native home and friends for the sake of taking up football as a pro- fession. More than one Gloucester player has been approached recently by Northern Union emissaries, but "they're not having any," and intend to stay in Gloucester. Gloucester this season has fixtures with the following Welsh Rugby clubs:—Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Llanelly, Llwynypia, Penarth, and Treherbert. The last-named have not, I believe, been met before by Gloucester, while Penarth did not figure on the citizens' fixture card last season. WELSH ATHLETE.

PRIESTS POISONED. An extraordinary case of poisoning, with three priests for the victims, comes from Ber- gamo, in Italy. A few days since Don Pietro Finazzi. vicar of Rota-Fuori, near that city, invited to dinner three other priests who were making the sulphur water cure in the district. The three priests are Don Bartolomeo Orio, rector of Vigano, in the Como province; Don Giosne Covelli, curate of Valsecca; and the chaplain of Grumello. A brother of the last- named was also of the party. After leaving their host at night, the three priests were attacked with intestinal pain, vomiting, pains in the head, and fever. The symptoms were so acute and sever that a doctor called in had no difficulty in declaring that the case was a. very serious one of poisoned food. One of the three poisoned clergymen, Don Orio. died before morning; the Vicar of Valsecca, thanks to an exceptionally strong constitution, has been pronounced out of danger, but the chap- lain of Grumello was oil Saturday believed to be at the point of death. The brother of this last, who is a layman, and says that he barely tasted the soup, escaped any serioui inconvenience. It reflects the peculiar ways of Italian re- porting that nothing is said as to how far Don Finazzi, the host of the evening, suffered from the misfortune which had befallen his guests.

0.- NEW MAIL CARTS.—Encouraged by the ?pPrft> ciation of the public. C. HENRY THOMAS has opened two new and fine Showrooms at his Queen-st. Depot for Mail Carts. Prams &c., and invites the pthh; to inspect the enormous and well-chosen stock. The latest designs are really works of art. The cane bodies of the carts are beautifully designed, and studded with wooden beads, and interwoven with coloured canes to match the upholstering.which is of all the newest and most charming t;nts. The front seat. to hold a second child, is so made that when only one in- fant occupies the cart the front seat folds back and shuts the little one in. thus securing greater warmth. The Showrooms are also stocked with Toy Mail Carts and Prams., Rocking Horses, Mangles, Sewing Machines,andArtistic Furniture, Don't forget the address-122, Queen-st., Cardiff. e7375—m.w.f. Bv taking a course of Gwilym Evans' Quinine Bitters sufferers from Indigestion, Biliousness, and everv phase of Dyspepsia are rapidly re- lieved. Bottles 2s. 9d. and 4s. 6d. Avoid imita- tions. e4919-1 P:rI-PER'S QUININE AKD IRON TONIC. embracing, vivifying, sustaining, dispels depres- sion, cures indigestion, neuralgia, and all achee or pains. Pepper's, the only real tonic. Shilling bcttle& so