Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills

REMARKABLE ADVENTURE. j An extraordinary adventure befel a boy named Garston, eleven years old, on Wednes- day morning, on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. It appears that he played truant from school on the preceding day, and it is sur- mised dared not go home at night. He managed to get into the station yard at Chorley with the intention of passing the night in one of the pas- senger carriages, but he failed to gain access. He then seems to have crept under the guard's van and pulled himself on the couple of short iron rods between the axle of the wheels and the carriage floor, and between which is the brake apparatus. In this uncomfortable posi- tion he went to sleep, and at five o'clock in the morning the train started for Wigan. The lad was actually taken to Wigan and again brought back to Chorley, still clutching the rods. At the latter place he was discovered, still fast asleep, and rescued from his perilous position.

AN IMPUDENT FORGERY, A recent specimen of successful forgery is worth recording for the amusing impudence displayed in ita perpetration. A certain City man is in the constant habit of making Saturday a holiday. Wet or fine, busy or idle, it is all the same. Never on the last working day of the week do, s he make his appearance within the sight of Corn Ilill. On Saturday, not long since, a gentlemanly-looking youth called at his office, and said that his "uncle," who was then at the seaside, had run short of money, and had given him a cheque for £ 250., to cash and take down with him. He had come up that morning but he did not know the City very well—would one of the cleiks Bhow him the way to the bank ? Certainly; so a clerk went with the soi-disant nephew. On their way the latter hospitably invited his companion to have a glass of sherry at a luncheon place, and the young man assented. The friendly libation over, the nephew, as they were leaving, lit a cigar; and the pair sauntered across leisurely to the bank. At the door, the clerk re- minded his young friend from the country that he could not smoke inside, whereupon the other asked his com- panion to draw the cheque forhim. To this very natural request the clerk agreed he went into the bank, drew the two hundred and fifty pounds in notes, came out, and handed them to the nephew. They then walked officewards together, where the 'sup- posed nephew bade his friend a genial farewell, saying he must be off to catch the train. The sequel is soon told. In five minutes the "nephew" had found his way to the Bank of England, where he changed all the notes for gold, and then he was off, laughing in his Pleeve at the verdant simplicity of the clerk whom he had used as so convenient a tool, and wondering whether the little incident would cure the old gentleman in the country of his inveter- ate habit of never going to the City on Saturday.

THE CORN TRADE. The Mark Lane Express in its review of the corn trade, says:— Supplies of home grown wheat at the country mar- kets have again been exceedingly light, last week's deliveries at tli:, 150 principal towns showing a do- U* V, iT,oon i- {- 1, "rt,od — Ulv those of tne corresponding week last year. Tho average price was also 4d. per quarter less than that of the preceding week, a fact which is of much signi- ficance as regards the defective quality of the offer- ings, when the strong upward turn in prices is taken into consideration. The samples shown at Mark Lane have likewise been few and inferior, but with the reserves of last year's crops at the lowest ebb, sales have been made without difficulty at an advance of 28. per quarter on the week- white descriptions having realised 50s. to 52s., and red 45s. to 49s. per quarter. The imports of foreign wheat into London have been very moderate, last Friday's return show- ing an arrival of only 36,720 quarters, and the week's trade has been marked by a degree of animation and even excitement which was not altogether expected. That a rise was probable was stated a few weeks ago, but the most sanguine operator could scarcely have foreseen the extent and the suddenness of the upward movement which has actually occurred. The im- provement has not been a weekly but daily one, on some days, indeed, even to an extent which has allowed the same parcel of wheat to change hands twice at a respectable profit in each case. Such ac- tivity has not been seen at Mark Lane since the memorable spring of 1877. All descriptions of foreign wheat have improved fully 2s. per quarter on the week, making the total advance about 7s. per quarter from the recent lowest point. The cause of the rise has been present for some weeks past, but the effect has been delayed until recentlyas millers have held back as long as there was any possibility of the home crop turning out more favourably than had been predicted. Such a possiblity no longer exists and the fact has suddenly forced itself upon the minds of buyers with the result recorded above. The amount of business done in wheat and maize in all positions has been exceptionally heavy, andthe slight reaction which took place during the middle of the week has been more than recovered. Nearly all descriptions of cereal produce have shared in the upward movement; maize to the extent of no less than 4s. per qr. barley and oats, 6d. per qr.; and beans and peas Is. per quarter. America as the dens ex machina pulls the strings on both sides of the Atlantic, acting and reacting upon one another to the advantage alike of shippers and merchants, and during the early part of the week the trade for wheat off cot st ruled very strong, and the advance was considerable. On Thursday a reaction ensued, which, was however of brief duration, as the trade speedily recovered, and closed firm at the end of the w: ek at the highest point touched, say, 2s. to 3s. per quarter advance on the week. Maize has participated in the improvement, and prices have lisen Gd. per quarter. There has been a very large business done in forward wheat, principally Califor- nian and red winter American, for both of which descriptions quotations indicate an advance of fully 3s. per quarter. Maize and barley have also been in good requesl, at Gd. per quarter more money. Tho sales of English wheat noted last week were 14,186 quarters, at 46s. 5d., against 70,791 quarter, at 41s. od. in the previous year. The London average for the week ending September 26th was 42s., on 5G9 quarters. The imports of the United Kingdom for the week ending September 20th were 1,692,731 cwt. of wheat, and 208,712 cwt. of flour.

Mr. Taylor, bookseller at Windsor, haa been charged before the local magistrates with sending a paper purporting to be a summons from the Berk- shire County Court to M. Jules Lacordaire, a pro- fessor of languages at Twickenham. The prosecution was instituted by the Treasury. At the request of defendant's solicitor, the hearing was adjourned for a few days. The Bill for the Reform of the Constitution of Victoria has been read a second time in the Legisla- tive Assembly. ° Mr. Singer, of Frome, has lost his famous blood. hound Judge. A post-mortem examination has strychnine the doS had ^cn poisoned by the Princess Louise has pre- sented the medals to tho successful exhibitors at the Dominion Exhibition. Dominion Exhibition. It is state [ that in the month of August the number of conflagrations in Russia reached the high figure of 2,987, doing damage to the amount of 20,856,000 roubles. 0 The town of Markinch is now in darkness, because the inhabitants refuse to pay the cost of lighting the street lamps, although the gas company will supply the gas for nothing. The banquet to be given by the members of the United Service Club to Lord Chelmsford has been postponed until November, owing to the club premises undergoing extensive alterations and re- pairs. A t a meeting of the council of the Royal Irish Agri- cultural Society, at Dublin, the other day, it was arranged that the show for next year should take olace in Clonmel, with the Marquis of Waterford as sresident.

I 4 WARNING TO CrnCFS PROPRIETORS. Mr. Myers, a. well-known circus proprietor, wa' ]ltfclY.1\ defendant at the Warwick County Court, i" an actiOn brought on behalf of a child named Mat' thews, the son of Charles Matthews, coach trimme*) Granvdle Street, Birmingham. The child wa* kIJockcd down in the Market Square, on May 10 last, by the "Grand Juggernaut Car," drawn by 40 horses, driven by ono man, when the circus made grand procession through the town. The leading horses in passing across the Market Square swerved on one side and when pulled straight by the driver swept a number of persons off the base of the Victoria Memorial Fountain. Amongst the number was the plaintiff, whose thigh was broken, which confined him to bed for 10 weeks, and his doctor's bill amounted to five guineas. His Honour said the very fact of permitting one of his servants to drive 40 horses through streets where people were collected to see them was itself an act of negligence which made the defendant legally liable for any consequencel which ensued. After taking time to consider what sum he should award, his Honour, just before the Court rose, awarded plaintiff £10 damages and costs.

BLACKS AND WHITES IN NATAL. Mr. J. A. Froude, in the current number of tho Fortnightly Review narrates a personal experience of his which he says made a deep impression on him- as well it might. "I was travelling," he writes, through the upper part of Natal. I had a black. Eervant and a white servant with me. The black was by far the best of the two; he was honest, steady, sensible, and thoroughly to be relied upon. One day he was taken ill, and I had to give him strong dose of calomel. We generally slept, all three of us, in a tent together; but that evening we came to an hotel, and I asked the landlady to give the man a bed. She said sharply that she had no beds for black fellows and I found afterwards that the colonists in the interior will never allow a native to sleep under the same roof with them. I said that she must make an exception for once, as the man was seriously unwell, and might die if he were exposed to cold. Let him die, then,' she said. He shall not sleep here.' The sequel of the story was curious. In my dilemma I wandered into the kitchen, where I found a Burmese acting as cook. The Burmese being an Mahometan with straight hair, and olive complexioned instead of black, wafl allowed to be a human being, and to live in the house. He looked good-natured', so I told him my difficulty. 'Well,' he said, it is a hard case. I aJI1 a married man but if my missus does not object, b6 may turn in with us.' Trial by jury is « the palla- dium of English liberty. Trial by juiy in South Africa acts some times as an arrangement by which a white man who has forgotten himself in dealing with a black may be relieved from the consequences. One of the Natal judges told me that he onco tried a farmer for killing a Zulu servant. There was no mistake about the facts. It was proved by tho plainest facts that he had brutally and deliber- ately murdered the man. Yet the jury returned a vcrdiet of 'Not guilty and when it was delivered ic, the spectators in the court rose and cheered. The judge said that he cried for very shame."

MORMON IMMIGRANTS. Among the passengers on the Guion steamef Wyoming, which arrived from Liverpool on Sept. 16th, were 335 Mormon converts. They were about one-half Scandinavians and the balance natives of England and Wales. They consisted of families with a large number of children, and were a good- looking class of immigrants. The party were in charge of Apostle N. C. Flygare, who was accom- panied by seventeen elders of the Mormon Church, sixteen of whom wero returning missionaries. All these dignitaries came in the cabin, while the poor converts had to be satisfied with steerage accommo- dation. They state that another batch of Mormons will arrive in October. Last night they left for Utah. In answer to tho question what they thought of Secretary Evart's letter to foreign Governments, requesting the latter to prevent Mormon emigration to this country, the elders laughed and said that when it was received in Europe it was considered a tan/ird. They contended that it would be impossible to stop Mormon immigration to this country on the ground that the immigrant might break the law. They stated that polygamy was not preached by them, but that it was allowable, and they claimed it was no crime. According to their statements the revelation about polygamy occurred about 1843, and it was not until J 8G that the United States Government passed a law against it, although no attempts have been made to onforce the the law. In conclusion, the elders contended that the conviction of George Reynolds was under a Territorial statute, and that it could only have been effected by the connivance of members of his own family.—New York Herald.

MEETING OF CHOIRS AT BATH. The annual meeting of the members of the Choir Benevolent Fund took place on Tuesday at Bath Abbey, under the patronage of the Royal Family* and an influential number of the clergy, from the J Archbishop of Canterbury downwards, and a large rjfj number of laymen of high standing. The choirs en. p-no-r. TBar-a lnun voices representing her Majesty's Chapel Royal, St. Paul's Cathedral, West- minster Abbey, and the cathedrals of Bristol, Gloucester, Hereford, Lichfield, Wells, Eton College, and St. George's Chapel Royal, Windsor, and a number of the members of each choir were present. The ordinary cathedral service, preceded by the National Anthem, was gone through in excellent style. rhe organists were Messrs. C. W. Lovington, of Wells Cathedral, J. K. Pyne, Manchester Cathe- dral, and G. Kisdy, of Bristol Cathedral. The Mayor and Corporation were present, and the congregation numbered nearly 1,000. The sermon was preached by tho Rev. H. White, of the Chapel Royal, Savoy. A concert was given by tho members of the choir in the evening, and the whole affair, though small, assumed an air of unexpected success and importance.

SINGULAR DISCOVERY DURING A SALE. Mr. John Bernal, Auctioneer, was conducting fl sale of household furniture and a collection of antiques and old paintings the other day in the rcsi. dence of an old gentleman, in Mallow Street, Limer. ick, who took a delight in the possession of sucb articleo. Mr. Bernal was about to offer three worthless-looking boxes and whatever they contained "on chance," when an intending bidder kicked one of the boxes with his foot, and, finding it heavy, he made further examination, when the box yielded up the sum of £.:10 in silver. This led to a search of the second box, in which £20 in silver was found. The third was next tried, and in it were found three gold watches, jewellery, and diamonds in antique setting s, and other valuables. The accidental discovery of the intending bidder will put a considerable sum into the pocket of the owner, an eccentric old gentleman, who might otherwise have let the treasury of money and jewels go for almost nothing.

THE MAGNA CHARTA ASSOCIATIONS AT RUNNYMEDE. The members of several of the Magna Charta and Tichborne Release Associations, under the auspices of Dr. Kenealy, made an excursion on Monday to Runnymede, near Egham. The party, carrying banners, proceeded by train to their destination. A procession was formed at Egham, several of the mem- bers carrying banners. Headed by a break and pair, occupied by the principal speakers and some ladies, the party marched in somewhat straggling order to Runnymede, and assembled upon a site on the Surrey shore of the Thames, exactly opposite Magna Charta Island, where about 400 or 500 people congregated- Capt. Morrison presided, and, addressing the meeting from the break, condemned the verdict which had In. carccrated the Claimant. He was followed by Mr. Chalcroft in a similar strain, the latter proposing the following resolution, which was adopted:—"That the meeting recognises in the unjust treatment of Tichborne, Dodwell, and Kenealy an entire absence of that spirit 01 justice which once characterised our land, and believes that the progress of corruption, tyrrany, and taxation can be stayed alone by a ro. currence to provisions of the Great Charted extorted from Eug John on this memorable field, and the sublime teachings of the Magna Chart* Association."

Tho Hev. \V. Jones Thomas writes from IJan Thomas, Hay, Breconshire, September wa buried on Thursday, the 18th instant, in Talgaith churchyard, in this county, a man named William lieevan, at the very advanced age of 105. This case of longevity is well authenticated. I encio c the certificate of baptism from the vicar of Glas- bury, Hadnorshire. He was never known to have received medical aid, and when, some years since, after he had reached tho patriarchal age of 100, his fiiends thought it right to summon a medical man for some trifling ailment. Beevan, becoming aware of this, concealed himself in a closet until the surgeon had left." A resident of Edinburgh, Alexander J. H. Robin- son by name, was in the habit of dressing himself in a white sheet and slouched hat, and wandering about at nightfall, near Forfar, frightening children and timid persons. The neighbourhood in which ho appealed was reputed to be haunted, and the name of '■ Spring-heels" was applied to him. A few evenings ago he presented himself before an excursion paity, but some of the men ran after the "ghost," stripped off the disguise, and found a man who when caught began to blubber and cry like a baby." His cap'ois marched him off to the police-station, and wi en he was brought before the magistrates they ordered him to pay a sovereign or undergo ten days' ililllrisonmeut.. r i PONTYPOOL Printed by HUGHES & SON, at the d General Printing Offices, for the Proprietor and Publisher, HENRY HUGHES, Junior, of Penygarn in the parish of Trevetbin, and published at th FREE PRESS Office, Market St,—October 4,18790

A PLEA FOR PUSSY. BY ARCHIBALD CAMERON, (Author OJ" Musings in an Infirmary Ward," I do not soar to giddy heights to flatter prince or king, My theme is one of low degree—in Pussy's cause I sing; The sleek, fur-coated forager, sly tenant of the hearth, A target for mischievous youth, fond cause of childish mirth. What slanders, libels, cuffs, and kicks, thick on her shoulders fall; Things broken, stolen, or mislaid, Grimalkin's blamed for all. Her stomach^raust be wonderful, such various things to gorge; Tarts, jewels, jams, and crockery, are all laid to her charge. Now, if she pilfers what's not her's, she's but a pussy cat. And human beings do the same so where's the harm in that ? By keeping rats and mice away, shesavesus oft a meal; Then surely we might overlook her tendency to steal. Besides, she in a thousand ways amuses and delights, And only in her own defence resorts to spiteful bites. She sometimes scratches, and is oft engaged in fierce combats: Yet, I have heard of scratches given by other things than cats. 'Tis just because she is ti cat she cannot understand The reason she one minute bites, the next one licks, your hand. Instinct, not reason, is her guide, though oftentimes we see The case reversed, see reason err, and man the brute, not she. Ill-use her as you will, she shows you no resentment J strong, Next moment she is on your lap and purring out her song. With cleansing paws her toilet makes, now left ear, now the right; Now with her tongue her velvet dress she smooths with all her might. Her company, I'm sure you'll own, repays a little care; The fireside picture's incomplete if Tabby be not there. With feline, as with human kind, 'tis kindness is the power That softens passions, kindles love—let this be Pussy's dower! Highgate Infirmary, London, N.

WIT AND HUMOUR. AtofO woulu-bo trentry tho boots and hats are frequently tho only things polished. THERE arc two things In this life for which we are never prepared-that is, twillS. A TYRANT is a husband who refuses to be a slave to his wife. BEST thing to do when you go shopping with ladies —take notes. IT is a great mistake to suppose that a widow's veil is always a vale of tears. 4 WE pray for meat as the foxes remarked when they jumped into a poultry-yard. Ax advertising jeweller compares the 'water' of his diamonds to widows' tears. A BLACKSMITH put up a sign, No horses shoed on Sunday, except Sickness and Death.' AN umbrella is said to be tho surest thing to keep that has yet been discovered. IT is vulgar to call a man bow-legged.' Just speak of him as a parenthetical pedestrian. A NEW book, like a fresh lobster, dosen't benefit a man much until it is read and digested. THE whisper of a beautiful woman cap be heard further than the loudest yell of duty. SOXE girls arc like old muskets, use a great deal of powder, but don't go off. ORNITHOLOGISTS toll us that the owl is a wise bird. He is certainly a very solemn-un. COURAGE and common sense do more for a man than money or hair parted in the middle. A NUPTIAL TIE.—When husband and wife both marry for money, and neither has got any. A CERTAIN young lady have lately won a wager by not speaking for a week. There are not many such to be found. A "Yo?iG man calls his girl, who has promised to tmah him, silence,' because she gives her consent o lID. 3IAs wants but little here below, but a woman wants almost everything she sees her other neighbours have. ° LET girls be girl?.' That may suit some of them, but nine out of every ten would rather be married women. PSYCHOLOGISTS say that the emotion of fear was unknown on earth until man was married and had a mother-in-law. WHETHER old age is to be respected or not de- ponds much on whether it applies to men and women, 3r poultry. Ax ardent youth excused himself for his anxiety to take her to his bosom, on the plea that his business tfas pressing. A city man being asked by his wife to buy for her the latest pattern sheet, callcd for' the latest pattern for a sheet. WHEN a iady stands at the hymeneal alter with her intended, you may know she is about to draw her beau into a knot. A coroner's verdict reads thus: 'The deceased came to his death by excessive drinking, producing apo- plexy in the minds of the jury.' PEOPLE who take their meals at restaurants must ihudder when they read the advertisement, Wanted —Women for puddings.' « DIPPED into a week solution of accomplishments,' is the term now applied to those of our girls profess- ing to be highly educated. H golden sovereign makes less noise in the con. tribution box than a penny-piece-principally for the reason that it is never put in. A Miss was asked recently which she preferred of brothers. She responded, When I am with iither of them Iprefer the other.' YOUNG Housewife; What miserable little 5ggs again! You really must tell them, Jane, to let the hens sits on them a little longer HE said but little, yet as he gazed on the mutilated sdge of his best razor, he mentally vowed never again to marry a woman with corns. IT is safe to guess of what a young man is think- ing when he takes short steps, and holds his arms as though a little hand rested on the crook of his elbow. CREAM COLOUR,' which is a popular shade, varies as in the milk trade from a beautiful blue to yellow. YOUNG MOTHER What do children say when they get candy ?'—Infant recipient of confections A WAG lent a clergyman a horse that ran away and threw him, and then claimed credit for spreading ihe Gospel. LAW is very like a sieve it is easy to see through it, but one must be considerably reduced before he gets through.

The first prize in the Exhibition lottery at Berlin, a silver table service, valued at nearly £ 1,500., has fallen to a poor sempstress. A case of rinderpest has occurred at Konigsberg, and the disease is extending into Russian Poland, notwithstanding tho exertions of the authorities. Truth states that the Duke and Duches of Norfolk intend to make another pilgrimage to Lourdes to offer up their thanksgivings for the birth of an heir. A meeting has been held at Aosta to consider the scheme of a tunnel under Mont Blanc, and the Duke of Aosta was nominated honorary president of the committee. The citizens, at a public meeting held at London- derry, the other day, rejected by 200 votes to 169 a a proposal to tax themselves for the maintenance of a school of art. The Board of Guardians at Burnley have resolved to form a committee to find employment for females, a large number of young women being now in receipt f relief THE REV JOHX SHEWARD, of Milton, Kent, writes October 29th, 1878 nerves were so shattered that I dreaded the simplest duties, and lost all energy and pleasure in the performance of them. The despondency I endured became almost unbearable. Since taking COBDEX'S PIUS the change in my health for the better is very marked. I have lost that horrible depression, my nerves are much stronger, and my feneral health very greatly improved. I cannot express ow truly thankful I feel for the remarkable and pleasing change." COBDE: S QUININE AND PROS- PHOROUS PILLS. give strength, energy, and vigorous vitality. Infallible in Neuralgia.—Ask for COBDEN'S PILLS," 2s. 9d. and 4s. 6d., and have no others. Any Chemist will get them if they are not in stock, or they will be sent, Post Free, on receipt of 33 or 54 stamps (great saving), by the Sussex Drug Co., 135, Queen's Road, Brighton. Local Agent:—E. B. FORD, Chemist, George Street, Pontypool. EPPS'S COCOA.—GRATEFUL AND COMFORTING.— By a. thorough knowledge of the natural laws which govern the operations of digestion and nutrition, and by a careful application of the fine properties of well- selected cocoa, Mr Epps has provided our breakfast tables with a delicately flavoured beverage which may save us many heavy doctors' bills. It is by the judicious use of such articles of diet that a constitution may be gradually built up until strong enough to resist every tendency to disease. Hundreds of subtle maladies are floating around us ready to attack wherever there is a weak point. We may escape many a fatal shaft by keeping ourselves well fortified with pure blood and a properly nourished frame."—Civil Service Gazette.— Sold only in packets labelled "James Epps & Co,, Homceopathic Chemists, London."

PURGATORY. By VERITAS. V. I observe that this anti-Scriptural andjpa-gandoc- trine of Purgatory is most prolific as a source of pecu- niary profit to the Church of Rome. By means of Purgatory the revenues of the Church are mightily increased but it must be borne in mind that it is at the expense of the most lamentable degra- dation of the people, both mentally and morally. As Purgatory is to the people a most powerful engine to work upon their feelings, fears, and passions, and so blinding and deluding them, so also it becomes to them the certain cause of ignorance, superstition, poverty, servility, and immorality. The corruptions and impos- tures of the Church necessarily debase and delude the people. Let us take a few points bearing upon the re- lease of souls from the dismal regions of Purgatory. (1) The most sure means employed for the release of souls is the saying or singing of Masses.—But I must not omit to say that the prayers of the faithful" are mentioned as also being of some value for this pur- pose but they are of such slight importance that they have only a secondary place, and sink into utter insig- nificance as compared with the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Indeed, without the Mass, the prayers of the faithful arc not said to have any efficacy at all to this end, for they would otherwise be meaningless, being offered in utter ignorance of the true state of the souls departed. The reason for their uselessness, adone, is not far to seek-the priest's work and power must be held supreme. Masses, then, are the prime and indispensable means for the relief of souls in Purgatory and the celebration of these Masses is entirely in the hands of the priest- hood of the Church. These means, therefore, cannot be secured on behalf of suffering souls without awaken- ing the interest and enlisting the sympathy of the priests. It would also be a vain and fruitless specula- tion to enquire into the length of the period during which souls are detained in Purgatory. Upon this point the doctors of the Church greatly differ; and the oracu- lar and infallible decrees of the Church are as silent as the tomb upon the subject. So that much latitude is here given to the priest for the exercise of his discretion. How masses effect the release of souls-whether they become substitutes for suffering, or whether they ex- piate the guilt, or render the fire more efficacious, so as to give a speedy and instantaneous effect to the work of purgation, or whether they stand instead of purification —all is a matter of conjecture and the holy and learned doctors have full liberty to say what they like upon the matter. Again-how many Masses will suffice to relieve souls from the pangs of Purgatory, is a matter undecided; and this again is left to the compassionate discretion of the priest who celebrates the Masses. For the question is not, How many will satisfy God ? but, How many will satisfy the priest ?■ A celebrated and witty Cardinal once proposed the following question to his Chaplain :—" How many Masses will fetch a soul out of Purgatory?" His Chaplain was staggered and unable to reply, whereupon the Cardinal very pleasant- ly solved the difficulty thus:—"Just as many as it would take of snowballs to heat an oven." Masses, then, are indispensable, but the number of them is not specified. (2) The most sure and infallible means for securing Masses is by paying money for them.—Masses are not lightly and indiscriminately disposed of "without money and without price.' No, no an equivalent must be received for them, and nothing will come up to their value like money. And let it be understood, the payment of money for Masses is no abuse of the doctrine of Purgatory by a corrupt and grasping priesthood. It is no such thing. It is established by a bona fide decree passed deliberately by the holy and inspired Council of Trent at its 25th Session. In this decree the Bishops are charged to "take care that the suffrages of the faithful who are alive, viz., the Sacrifice of the Mass, orations, acts of charity, and other pious deeds, which it has been customary for the faithful to perform, on behalf of the other faithful who are dead, should be piously and devoutly performed, according to the insti- tutions of the Church; and that those (religious ser vices) which may be owing on behalf of such, to the legacies of testators, or on any other account, be, by the priests,ministers of thc'Church,&- others whose duty it is to performthose matters, not slightly,but diligently and accurately discharged. The Council also very piously prohibits those things which have reference only to a certain curiosity or superstition, or which savours of filthy lucre." That which savours of filthy lucre" is forbidden as it seems; but to convince a priest that the taking of money in the shape of acts of charity" and "legacies" is filthy lucre," would require many co- gent and infallible arguments. That it is lucre" they may acknowledge, but that it is "filthy lucre" they will soon deny. Thus the sale of Masses was not only sanctioned but appointed by the Church in Council and thus the supposed grace of God, which flows through the channel of Masses, is sold for money by the express appointment of the Church herself. It is true that the Council of Constantinople, held in 692,decreed "that no Bishop, Priest, or Deacon shall demand money or any- thing from the communicant, on account of his com- municating > for yracc is not to be sold, but freely imparted without any trick" (23rd Canon). But tho Church was a mere baby in those early days, and had scarcely opened its eyes to the real need of men and the O'lc absoluteness of her own authority. What, then, was the Council of Constantinople as compared with the mighty Council of Trent|? The Church has spoken let us hear one or two of the minor voices. The oracu- lar Dens says Suffrages infallibly profit the souls fo which they are made (Theologia, torn. vii., De Purg., No. 31.) Gother, another great authority, says:— Those who are in Purgatory, being the living members of Jesus Christ, are relieved by the prayers of their fellow-members here on earth, and that the cha- ritable ivories performed upon their death-bed, and the alms disposed of in their last wills are very available afterwards in order co cDdi. speudici telease." (rapist Misrepresented and Represented). Thus it will be seen that the priests of the Church of Rome have full war. rant for the exaction of money for Masses. And from this it becomes evident that the rich are in a far better condition in prospect of their future safety, in the esti- mation of the Church, than the poor. The unfortunate poor, on account of their poverty, are in a sorry plight. Gother, it is true, says that they are not neglected by the Church, which makes a general commemoration of all the departed faithful in every Mass, and in every one of the canonical hours of the divine office." They are prayed for en masse, and no one is remembered particu- larly but according to the doctrine of Intention, as laid down by the Church, such remembrance of souls can be of little avail. The sum of all is this,-if the faithful would have their souls Massed for individually and particularly, they must be prepared in life here to leave legacies to the clergy of the Church, or they must have friends after their departure to expend money in Masses on their behalf. There is nothing so efficacious to make the passage through Purgatory a speedy one, as a good round sum of money paid for Masses. And, therefore, there is no fact more patent than that the souls of indigent poor may remain in Purgatory until doomsday. But, after all, there is a very important point bearing upon the validity of even those Masses purchased by the rich legacies of the millionaire, viz., the intention of the officiating priests. The doctrine of intention, as laid down by the Church, is too extensive a subject to be treated here, but I may briefly state its nature. The priest, &c., in performing the offices of the Church, must have within him the actual intention of doing what the Church prescribes in the matter, otherwise the performance is invalid. He must be sure that the priest who baptised him, and the bishop who ordained him, were fully possessed with the same intention, and that those who performed the same ordinances upon them were also similarly intcnt upn them, and so back- ward, ad initium, to St. Peter himself. If a single link fails the whole is vitiated. This in brief is the doctrine of intention and who can possibly be assured of all this P We may well consider such a doctrine as an endless maze, a chaotic confusion, which must ne- cessarily be the source of painful uncertainty to every thoughtful Papist respecting his salvation. Thus, after expending fabulous sums of money, they may all become fruitless through want of intention on the part of some pope or bishop in the middle ages or it may be through want of intention on the part of the officia- ting priest. Nor would it be difficult to give the names of distinguished cardinals, bishops, priests, who de- clared they never believed the absurdity of Transub- stantiation, &c.; and this would at once destroy the validity of every Mass they celebrated. In connection with this doctrine of intention, I would just refer to an interesting point elucidated in the -will of Father Lonergan, before referred to in the article on the Mass. In this will 1100 were bequeathed towards his burial, month's mind (i.e., monthly remembrance of him), and Masses—Masses to be at Is 6d each." Then he assigns his reason for setting the Masses at Is 6d and not at a guinea each. I do will and direct that the money be applied in Masses at one and sixpence each, being per- suaded that there is more intention (i.e., more priestly thought of him) in a hundred Masses at one and six- pence each, than in twenty or more at a guinea each, and therefore more benefit to my soul." Father Loner- gan could not be thought a disbeliever in the efficacy of the Mass service, but even he had some misgivings as to the reality of intention on the part of officiating priests. What shall we say, then, of the want of fidelity on the part of priests in celebrating Masses paid for ? and this is undoubtedly the case often. Cases of this kind have sometimes been confessed by dying priests, smarting, possibly, under the lashing of conscience. Mr Nolan, in one of his pamphlets, says that one Rev Mr Curran, parish priest of Killuchan, Westmeath, an in- timate friend of his own, had at death bequeathed to the Rev Dr Cantwell, of Mullingar, S300, to be ex- pended on Masses (at 2s 6d each) for such intentions as he (Mr Curran) had neglected to dischage. Mr Cur- ran therefore died, as it appears, owing 2400 Masses, most of them, doubtless, for souls in Purgatory and through this neglect they had been jweltering in flames perhaps for many years. But again, if space permitted, I could enumerate several cases in which priests have been prosecuted in law, by living relatives, for the non-celebration of Masses paid for by rich legacies. Much did such priests believe concerning the sufferings of Purgatory when they could be so easy and remiss in the work of relieving souls when they had been paid for doing so. Money, then, is essen- tial to secure Masses; but even when money is paid down for them, want of intention may destroy their va- lidity, or the infidelity of priests may deprive souls of them. (3). Multiplicity of means have been devised by the Church to enable the faithful to secure Masses for the relief of souls in Purgatory (a) By Legacies or Bequests.—In Rome's best days, even in this country, enormous wealth wasleft the Church in this manner—in money, lands, houses, and other pro- perties. In modern times, in this country, the gifts of land by the dying is not so easy, on account of the inter- ference of the State. In those days, freehold farms and even estates were wrung from dying men by the un- scrupulous and avaricious priests, and applied for the sole use of the Holy Church, and the lawful heirs were disinherited and left to poverty, beggary, and want. To such a frightful enormity had this grasping policy of the Church of Rome grown that the statutes of mort- main, originally passed to regulate the purchase of lands by corporations, were applied and adapted as re- strictions upon the priests of the Church, who were rob- bing and beggaring widows and children by carrying on a system of terrorism at the bedside of dying husbauds or fathers. Blackstone, in his Commentaries, says of King Edward 1. that "lie strengthened the statutes of mortmain, thereby closing the great gulf in which all the lands of the kingdom were in danger of being swal- lowed."—(Vol. iv., 121, edit. 20th) In the reign of George II. (9 Geo. II., c. 36: 1736) other limitations were added to these statutes, by which it was enacted that a person on death.bed cannot, in England, give land, or money to buy land, for a charitable purpose. In those days, ■' the charitable works performed on death-bed" and "the alms disposed of in last wills," as Gother would say, were numerous and profitable. The Church thus became affluent, but rightful heirs were made penniless. I have before me some statutes of the Church in the diocese of Sodor. I give two as exam- ples :-In statutes passed A.D. 1232: In regard to mortuary fees, let the best animal be paid over to the Church, whether it be a cow, or an ox, or a horse, if the value thereof be six shillings or less," &c. (the amount of money is not to be judged by its value at the present day.) Again, statutes passed A.D. 1291: It is decreed that "according to the custom of the neighbouring pro- vinces, the Church shall have the option of all the cattle of the deceased, except one with all his clothes and his bed or couch," &c.-(Concilia Magnfe Britannise in stat. synod Sodoriens, volume i., 66-1, and volume ii, 176. Wilkins, London, :1737). This is how the Church of Rome, in her halcyon days in England, dealt with the possessions of dying and dead men and the above, as we see, was the custom not merely of the diocese of Sodor but of the neighbouring provinces"—all of them. I would refer to another ra- ther large bequest of very recent date, bearing parti- cularly upon my present point. The account is taken from the Illustrated London JYews, a few weeks ago:— The will (dated December 31,1874) with codicil (dated September 6th, 1875), both made at Paris, of her Majesty the Queen Dona Maria Christina de Borbon y Borbon, who died August 22nd of last year, at the Pavillion do Mondeir le Havre, Franco, was proved in London, Aug. 13 last. The personal estates in England are sworn under £ 6,000. The textatrix directs that 5,000 recited Masses shall be performed for her soul, 5,000 for the soul of her late husbands, 1,000 for the souls of her deceased chil- dren, and 500 for the souls of her deceased grandchildren —to be performed by poor priests in the churches to be selected by her executors; the alms for each Mass to be 10 reals." Here is a godsend for some poor priests- 11,500 Masses at 10 reals (i.e., 2s) each, being the sum of £ 1,150. Who will say that Romish priests have no means of getting money? Observe, her Majesty seems to have held the same views as Father Lonergan, and so the Masses are set at a low price, in order to be sure of securing more priestly intention in the service. (b) Another ingenious device by the Church for the purpose of providing Masses for the repose of souls is what may be termed Purgatorian Societies. These are formed upon prudential principles, the same as the be- nefit societies of the present day. They have been ori- ginated by the clergy of the Church in order to enable the poor to provide during their lifetime for the reposo of their souls after death. This is the professed object of these societies. The rules of one of these societies would fill a whole column I must therefore content myself with giving only some little of their substance. In the beginning of this century and on to the middle of it, they were very flourishing, especially in Ireland, as may be found from Catholic Directories, 1838 and 1841. These societies of course bear very pious designations Society of the Office for the Dead and Spiritual Association, in honour of the Most Holy Trinity, and under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the Relief of Souls in Purgatory and Instruction to the Ig- norant." It is advantageous, no doubt, to have a good name for such pious institutions. Then there are pas- sages from the Apocrypha blazoned on the heading of them, for no passage from Holy Scripture could be found to warrant the object in view. The weekly subscriptions to these societies is one penny others admit of a higher sum. The spiritual benefits which accrue to members are various. One Mass at death, another at the expira- tion of a month, and another at the end of 12 months and, in vague language, some little help is promised to the souls of members' relatives—" that is to say, their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, &c. Those who have been dignified with offices in these so- cieties have increased privileges. Superiors" shall be entitled at death to three Masses and Rectors to two. Observe, also, the names of those departed souls already in Purgatory, may be inserted for membership in the books of some of these societies—that is, if living friends or relatives will pay their weekly subscriptions. This is how the famishing poor in Ireland and other priest-ridden countries are eased of their pence, and by such as profess great love for their souls. (c) Another mode-Itlvc)-tisci)ie)its. Let anyone read but occasionally some of the Roman Catholic news- papers, and he will generally find half-a-dozen adver- tisements, or letter by some priest, friar, or missionary apostolical, begging "alms" in the shape of subscriptions for some "charitable" purpose, and the subscribers shall receive the benefits of Masses and the prayers of the faithful." These are to help them in life and after death. (To be continued).

HORRIBLE DEATH. A peculiarly shocking fatality has occurred at the village of Coalville, about five miles from Ashby de la Zouch, which formed the subject of inquiry on Tuesday. A lad, named Ghent, who is employed at some brickworks at Coalville, was engaged near a mill, and by some means or other fell headlong into it. The poor fellow's head and body were crushed in a most frightful manner, killing him instantly.

THE POETRY OF WOltDSWORTII. The poetry of Wordsworth has a bracing eitect, moral tonic, so to speak, is to be found in it. It presents a high ideal of life, elevated alike above the sordid and capricious, above the trivial, the artificial, and the ignoble. Hence there is no ennui, no tedium vitce. in Wordsworth. Everyone knows his reference in the sonnet to "plain living and high thinking;" but few have adequately realised the immense serenity, the large divine tranquility and the indefinite hopefulness that breathe through all his writings., In him aspiration blends with contentment, placidity and calm with effort to be other than we are, and with a belief in the endless possibilities of human nature. This is the secret of what Mr. Arnold has so happily called his "healing power." You feel it, just as you feel the effect of mountain air after languishing in a city. The strength of the hills," is in almost everything he wrote. And there is no influence so good and gracious as Words- worth's, so directly sanative to those who have felt a relaxation of fibre from long pondering over the riddle of the painful earth," or brooding over the antinomies of our intellectual and moral nature. There is a well-known sense of hopelessness when one is beaten down before the mysteries of the universe, if these have been wrestled with and found insoluble, and a feeling of langour and indifference—the cui bono feel- ing is incipient. To one in such a mood of apathy or life-weariness, the influence of Wordsworth is incomparable. His poetry is a moral tonic, reinvigorating the heart by taking it straight away bysome fresh natural well of feeling or of thought. Great as he is, therefore, as a poet, I consider him still greater as a moralist. His sense of the infinite moral unity of which we are but parts, and his convic- tion of a Central peace, subsisting at the heart Of endless agitation, are as guideposts in ethics. In the forest-paths of hu- man lite, with their labyrintine windings, or when, out in the open, crossways meet and perplexity is inevitable, he, of all poets, best helps you to know where you are, ivhat diiection to take, and how to travel forward with serenity, and even with joy. If his teaching, as em- bodied, for example, in the 'Ode to Duty,' or in the chapter of The Excursion' entitled 'Despondency Corrected, is inconsistent with a Goethean sweep and universality, delighting in all things with frank obiect- lvity,. simply because they are, its narrowness is the nar- rowness of one who has a root in himself, of one who has found within himself a measure and a rule and one thus taught and disciplined will live and breathe s he says— For noble purposes of mind hi heart Beats to the heroic song of ancient days. lis eye distinguishes, his heart creates. -Pnifcssor Knight.

Those who believe nothing often makes others be. lieve most; as the best actors in our theatres are those who retain the most perfect command over their feel. ings, voice, and countenance. Let us never forget that every station in life is necessary; that each deserves our respect; that not the station itself, but the worthy fulfilment of its duties, does honour to <\ m-til. Wisdom is tho olive branch that springeth from the heart, blooineth on the tongue, and beareth fruit in the actions. — A PROMISING YOUTH.-At the sitting of the county magistrates at Brighton on Monday a boy only 12 years old, named Tapner, was committed for trial for wilfully stabbing one of his compan- ions named Puttick. The latter had struck the prisoner for throwing stones at him, whereupon Tapner, having a large clasp-knife in his hand, stabbed him twice in the side, causing the blood to flow freely. Prisoner, who was said to be utterly beyond his parents' control, was recently charged for the third time with theft, when it was stated that he had taken two boats from the beach, which were only recovered with great trouble some miles out at sea.

II.R H. THE GRAND DUKE OF BADEN AT LLANOVER. When His Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duke of Baden visited Lady Llanover on Friday week, he was met atNantyderry Sta- tion by Mr Herbert, of Llanarth, accompanied by his two sons, the grandsons of Lady Llan- over—Captain Ivor Herbert (Grenadier Guards) and MrArthur Herbert, of Llanarth. The prince, who was attended by his aide-de-camp and a small suite, proceeded to Llanover, and was re- ceived at the entrance by Lady Llanover; the Hon. Mrs Herbert and Miss Herbert, of Llan- arth the Hon. Mrs Ivor Herbert, and the other inmates of Llanover Lord and Lady Raglan Mr Graham Sandford, Secretary of Legation, Berlin Miss Johues, of Dolau Cathy; Mr A. J Ram; and Mr Augustus Hare, the celebrated editor of the life of the late Baroness Bunsen. During his stay at Llanover, the Grand Duke appeared much interested in the ancient music of Wales played by the celebratedGruffydd,\vho has the honour of holding the appointment of Welsh Harper Extraordinary to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. National Welsh reels were also danced in the native costume by about 30 per- sons, and the Cantorion" sang the ancient melodies of the Ptincipality from the gallery of the lofty hall. On Saturday, His Royal High- ness, attended by his aide-de-camp, the Hon. Mr and Mrs Herbert, Captain and the Hon. Mrs Ivor Herbert, of Llanarth, and Lord and Lady Raglan, made a private visit to Raglan Castle, the warden of which formerly belonged to a Baden regiment. Lord Raglan acted as special guide to His Royal Highness, who inspected every part of the castle. The weather was very favourable, and after partaking of luncheon, at Llanarth, the Royal visitor returned to Llan- over before seven o'clock. The following day being Suaday, private service was performed at Llanover by the Rev Evan Bevan, domestic chaplain to Lady Llanover. During his stay His Royal Highness visited the second mansion of Llanover (Ty Uchaf), and walked through the old gardens, there manifesting the greatest interest in everything he saw, especially in those objects which were associated with the revered sister of Lady Llanover, the late vener- able Baroness Bunsen, for whom he and his royal parents and imperial grand-parents had testified so great a regard. His Royal Highness also visited on foot the park and the whole of the extensive grounds, with the tomb of the late Lord Llanover, the design of which, by the late eminent Welsh sculptor, Mr Meredydd Thomas, had been approved by his lordship previous to his last illness, and was afterwards executed in stone. His Royal Highness was anxious to obtain information as to the manage- ment of the coracle (the Welsh Corwg"), still used upon the River Usk and in other parts of South Wales, in which, it is said, the ancient' Britons crossed the sea between Dover and Calais, and the chief water bailiff, Acteson, had the honour of showing His Royal Highness how to manage it. His Royal Highness left Llan- over on the following Monday, and depar- ture, which took place from Nantyderry Sta- tion, was mentioned in our last.

IRON, STEEL, AND GLASS IN RIVALRY. At tho recent meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute, held at St. George's Hall, Liverpool, under the presidency of Mr Edward Williams, some very interesting papers were read on sub- jects of considerable importance to this and similar districts. FORGED STEEL FOR SHIPBUILDING, &0. Mr G. Hatcliffe, manager of the Mersey Steel and Iron Works, Liverpool, in his paper on the Manufacture of large forgings," said that of late much had been heard about building ships of steel instead of iron. Where it had been tried, steel had shown satisfactory results as to its wear, except when it was used in combination with iron, in which cases it was observed that the steel plates next to the iron (whether in the form of rivets or otherwise) oxidised more con- siderably than the others, and that the conclu- sion was that steel throughout should be used. It would be seen that a]) keels, stern frames, and other parts, which were of very awkward shapes, could now be made readily of steel, so that ves- sels could be built entirely of it, instead of par- tially, as hitherto. His experiments pointed to the conclusion that welded steel was the most suitable material, not only for shipbuilding and hf-aw forgings, but also for armour plates and gutfs. A discussion followed, from which it appeared that many so-called steel shafts for .marine' engine^ were little better than crudet steel castings, and it was no wonder that such shafts failed to give satisfaction when crank shafts broke, it was not of necessity from a fault in the steel, for they were exposed to very sud- den and unequal strains, and being frequently permitted to run in slack bearings, every stroke of the engine shook the shaft, and the jarring on the bearings tended to crystallise the metal. CONSOLIDATION OF FLUID STREL. Mr Alfred Davies, of Westminster, described the system invented by Mr H. R. Jones, Edgar Thompson Steel Company, United States, for cobsolidating fluid steel by admitting steam at high pressure to the top of the ingot mould im- meniately after the pouring of the metal into it, which had proved completely successful. Ex-. periments proved that ingots were much short- ened (and therefore compressed) by this me- thod. By this means, a saving of scrap was ef- fected amounting to 2.6 per cent., or, in other words, what in 1877 was scrap, was souud steel in 1878. In addition to consolidation, there wefe other advantages. The end was cooled and hermetically sealed by the steam, so that the men could get the ingot out and convey it to the re-heating furnace ten minutes earlier and in hotter condition generally than before. and the moulds also lasted better, their average duration in 1879 being for 95 ingots, or nearly 112 tons of steel each. This method has been recently adopted at the works of Messrs Bole- kow, Vaughan, and Co., and although the ar- rangements were not perfect, enough had been accomplished to justify the expectation that by this simple and inexpensive process a result might be obtained equal to that by present costly and elaborate systems of compression. NITROGEN IN IRON AND STEEL. Mr Alfred H. Allen, F.C.S., Sheffield, gave some results of experiments for determining the presence of nitrogen in iron and steel; but although valuable to the metallurgical chemist, his remarks are scarcely popular enough for our columns, and, moreover, the quantity he has been able as yet to detect is exceedingly small. More attention will probably be given to the subject, now a more perfect analysis can be made. IRON SLEEPERS FOR RAILROADS. Mr C. Wood, of Middlesbro', gave a descrip. tion of a length of two miles of a rough iron permanent way, recently laid on the North Eastern Railway, between Middlesboro' and Stockton. The sleepers wereof iron,and weighed 1351b. each. The ballast used was coke breese cinder, or ashes from the coke ovens or from iron works, and so far there did not appear to bo any corrosion worth noticing, nor any tendency to work out at the ends of the sleepers. The elasticity is said to be the same as that of wood. Mr Wood estimated that by the use of the wrought iron sleepers a saving of about £100 per mile would be effected in the construction of an ordinary railroad. TOUGHENED GLASS AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR IRON AND STEEL. Mr Wood also read a paper on the application of toughened glass to sleepers nnd chairs for railways or tramways, the invention of Mr H. L. Bucknall, C.E. He explained that the glass was moulded into various forms to suit the different requirements, the cooling of the glass being so regulated that the casting was equally affected throughout when undergoing the tempering or hardening process. The glass was heated to a high temperature, and then plunged into a bath of cool oil or other liquid, the result being that the glass became converted from its own characteristic brittleness to a remarkably tough and fibrous material. This toughened glass was almost as strong as iron, while it possessed greater durability. Its qualities certainly de- serve a fair trial and investigation, and the time might come when we should see not only glass sleepers, but glass tools and implements, and many other things. Some of these glass sleepers were laid upon the North Metropolitan Tram- ways. The average transverse resistance was found to be about five tons, and other experi- ments were equally successful. It was proposed to make these sleepers out of blast furnace slag nnder Mr Buclcnall's process, combined with the toughening process of Mr F. Siemens. Mr Wood described some of the difficulties which the in- ventor met with in endeavouring to get experi- ments tried in England, more especially as re- gardsthe moulds of presses. Glass manufacturers referred him to press-makers, from some of whom he received a quotation asking for bo- tween £70 and £80, and that it would take thre 1 months to do, and he must be responsible for al extra charges. He then went to the glass works of Mr F. Siemens, at Dresden, taking a week to obtain his introductions and arrive there. In another week," he says, a wooden model, which cost 2s 6d, was produced, and an iron mould mado from it, would cost about 30s and two days afterwards I held in my arms the first baby glass sleeper but so heavy was this first-born that it suddenly slipped from my grasp and fell with a heavy thud upon the flags. I feared for the safety of my darling's carcase, but upon careful examination I found it to be unim- paired. Its longitudinal form lay upon the floor, not dead, but a veritable sound sleeper, still living, and probably worth more than a dozen dead ones." In the course of a brief dis- cussion which followed, Mr Henderson, of Ir- vine, N.B., at whose works the tests on the toughened glass were carried out, described how a weight of 9001b., falling from a height of 20ft., was necessary to break the samples. He believed that if they could manage to get fur- nace slag adapted to the manufacture of this glass, the invention would be one of very great importance to the iron trade.

THE LONDON WATER SUPPLY. DR. Frankland, in his report on the water supply of the Metropolis during August, states that the Thames water delivered by the Chelsea, W est Middlesex, Southwark, Grand Junction, and Lambeth Companies were again so strongly pol- luted by organic matter as to be quite unfit for dietetic purposes, although, with one exception, all the Companies had efficiently filtered it. The exception was the Grand Junction Company, who delivered slightly turbid water, containing abun- dance of moving organisms. The Lea water dis- tributed by the New River Company was of much better quality, but that sent out by the East London Company was scarcely superior to the Thames water; it was, moreover, slightly turbid, and contained moving organisms. The purity of the deep well water delivered by the Kent and Colne Valley Companies and by the Tottenham Local Board of Health was still quite unaffected by the weather. It was, as usual, clear, bright, and of excellent quality for dietetic purposes.

AGES OF ANIMALS. i. bear rarely exceeds twenty years a dog live* wellt years; a fox fourteen or sixteen; lions are .long-lived Poinpey's lived to the age of seventy. The average age of cats is lilteen yearsi a squirrel and hare seven or eight years rabbits seven. Elep- hanls have been known to live to the great age of seven hundred years. When Alexander the Great had conquered one Ponn, King of India, ho took a great elephant, which had fought very valiantly for the King, named him Ajax, dedicated him tothasun, and then let him go with the inscription, "Alexander tli, son of Jupiter, hath do iicated Ajax to the sun." This elephant was found with this inscription three hundred and fifty years aft,r. Pigs have been known to live to the ago of tiiirty years the rhinoceros to twenty. A horse has been known to live to the age of sixty-two, but averages twenty-five to thirty. Camels sometimes live to the age of one hundred. Stags are long-lived. Sheep seldom exceed the age of ten. Cows live about fifteen years. Cuvier con- siders it probable that whales sometimes live one thousand years. The dolphin and porpoise attain the age of thirty. An eagle died at Vienna at the age of one hundred and four years. Ravens frequently reach the age of ono hundred. Swans have been known to livo three hundred years. Mr. Mallerton has the skeleton of a swan that attained the age of two hundred. A tortoise has been known to live one hundred and seven.

THE MOUES'A QiypwAR Bonaparte lost four aides-de-camp during the short time he was in Egypt, One of them Croisier, ap- pearing to Napoleon to lack the proper degree of boldness at the proper moment, he burst out against him in one of his violent and humiliating attacks of abuse and contempt. The word coward escaped him Croisier determined not to survive it; he sought death on several occasions, but did not succeed until the seige of Acre. He was in attendance on Napoleon in the trenches there, when such a sharp look-out was kept by the garrison that if an elbow or feather showed itself above or beside them, it was imme- diately grazed by a bullet. Croisier watched his opportunity and jumped upon the platform. Come down, I command you!" cried Napoleon, in a voice of thunder: but it was too late; the victim of his severity fell at his feet. Murat, the chivalrous braver of all danger, had also his moment of fear, which lost him the countenance of his general until displeasure could no longer resist the brilliancy of his achieve- ments. It was in the seige of Mantua, in the first Italian campaign, that Murat was ordered to charge a body of troops that were making a sortie from the garrison. He hesitated, and in his confusion declared himaalf wounded: he was removed from the presence of the general and in every way discountenanced. In Egypt he was sent out on the most distant and dangerous services in short, he more than recon- quered his character before the battle of Aboukir, on which occasion Napoleon himself was oblighed to de- clare he was superb. The brave Marshal Lannes one day severely reprimanded a colonel who had pun- ished a young officer for a moment of fear. "That man," said he, is worse than a poltroon who pre- tends he never knows fear.

Mr Bignell is about to make a renewed application to the Middlesex Magistrates for a license for the Argyll Rooms. PENETRATION OF ELECTRIC LIGHT.-Experiments have shown that a concentrated beam of electric light, after travelling a distance of seven miles, has suffi- cient illuminating power for a person to read by it. THE WINTER ASSIZEs.-Lord Justice Brett wil' be the Judge on the North and South Wales circuit whereon the winter assizes will be held at Chester and Swansea, DEATH OF A W ATERLOOVETERAN.-Field-Marshall Sir William Rowan died at his residence, Gay-st., Bath, on Friday morning. He was one of the sur- vivors of Waterloo. REDUCTION OF RENT.—Lord Fitzhardinge has is- sued a circular to his tenants, informing them that he has determined to reduce all rents on his estate which have been raised since 1855, to the amounts at which they stood in that year. FATAL FALL.—On Friday morning, while two men named Silver and Campbell, employed at the Burrow Rolling Mills furnaces, were ascending in a lift to as- sist a man at the top of the furnaces, the rope sup- porting the cage broke, and the men were precipitated to the bottom, a distance of 60 feet, and were killed. FROG FARMING.—Frog-farming is carried on pro- fitably in the United States, and one well-known breeder finds a good market for his improved goslin frogs in St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Chicago. He has an acre and a quarter devoted to the raising of the croakers. THE Freemason says it is interesting to note that in February next there will be five Sundays. This occurs but three times in a century. Thus, after 1880, we will have to wait till 1920 before the short- est month in the year can again boast of five Sundays. SHOT DEAD BY Accl]DF.NT.-A boy about 14, the son of a farmer named Doble, living near Chard, Somerset, was carrying a looded pistol in his trousers pocket, when another boy threw a stone which struck the pocket, and caused the pistol to go off. The charge disembowelled the unfortunate youth. He was taken to his home, but died shortly afterwards. ALARMING OUTBURST OF GAS.—During Monday afternoon a sudden outburst of gas occurred at Den- alry Main Colliery, between Mexbro' and Doncaster. At four o'clock in the afternoon some parts of the east side of the workings began to sway, and suddenly an outburst of gas occurred and extinguished the safety lamps, Fortunately all the men were safely drawn out. REBUILDING OF SZEGEDIN.—A letter from Szege- din, in Hungary, which was recently destroyed by floods, says that the whole area of that unfortunate town has now been laid dry, and the construction of the circular dykes will immediately begin. When this is finished the work of rebuilding the town will com, mence. The new town will be divided into the inner city" and the outer town," the former con- taining courts of justice, town-hall, schools, &c., built of stone and brick. The suburbs, where perhaps j four-fifths of the population live, will probably be built of cement and wood.

THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE ON MERV ABANDONED. The Berlin correspondent of the Stanaard says,- Orders have been sent to General Lomakin to give up the idea of penetrating to Merv. The expedition is to proceed to Sarin Kuch, a ridge on the eastern extremity of the Kopet Dagh Hills, north-east of Sherawan, whence practicable roads, skirting the Persian frontier, lead through Deiegaz to Herat direct. Merv, if taken in hand at all, will be ap- proached from the north, via Bokhara. The change of plan is principally owing to the representations of General Teigukasoff, who remonstrated against the idea of menacing IleTat by a circuitous des' rt road, via Merv, when a much more practicable route along the outlying provinces of the Shah was at hand. As General Tergukasolf's plan of proceeding straight to Herat, through Doregaz, and without touching Merv cannot be carried out without the connivance of the Persian government, who either would have to pro- vision the Russian troops marching along their frontier, or, what is more probable, to permit them to traverse their north-eastern provinces, the Russian diplomatists at Teheran have been instructed to obtain the Shah's consent to these proceedings. The Shah is to be tcld that the subjugation of the Turco- mans is all to his advantage. There is, however, little prospect of the Russians getting beyond the ca tern slopes of Kopet Dagh this season. If the contemplated loan can be raised, part of the proceeds will be employed to puah the army forward, and thus create direct communication by water from the Baltic to the confines of Afghanistan and Badakshan.

IMPORTANT DECISION AS TO OCCUPIERS. At the Liverpool Revision Court, Mr. Collins gave judgment in a number of cases heard during the week, in which persons occupying one room of a house had claimed to be placed upon the parlia- mentary and municipal register, though not them- selves rated for the hereditament.—Mr. Collins said the question arose for the first time since the Act of last year came into operation. Both he and Mr. M'Connell, the other revising barrister, had con- sidered the cases very carefully, and were of opinion that the applicants were entitled to be put upon the register. By section 19 of the Poor Rate Assessment Act, 1869, as now interpreted by section 14 of the Parliamentary and. Municipal Registration Act owners were bound to enter in the rate book the name of the occupier of every rateable hereditament, whether the rate was collected from the owners or the occupiers, and every such occupier should be deemed duly rated for any qualification or franchise depending upon the payment of the poor rates. This section was of general application, and followed therefore that if part of a house was a rateable heredi- tament, the occupation of which for the requisite period is capable of conferring the franchise, the fact that the occupier had not been rated in respect of it would work no disqualification.—Mr. Bennett, the Conservative agent, gave notice of appeal.