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EPITOME OF NEWS.
EPITOME OF NEWS. FIFTY years ago the income of the labouring popu- lation of England was 500 million sterling, or about £ 20 per head; it is now between 1400 millions and 1500 millions sterling, cr £37 per head. MUCH regret will be felt amongst Queenslanders and in Colonial circles generally in the City at the recall of Sir James Garrick, K.C.M.G., Q.C., the Agent-General for Queensland, consequent upon a change of ministry, Queensland in this respect being singular, inasmuch as her agency in London is re- garded as a political office. It was hoped, however, that as Sir James had survived one coalition ministry he would be similarly successful with the new Cabinet just formed under Sir Thomas McIlwraith. His successor is the Hon. William H. Forrest, a member of the Legislative Council. Sir James Garrick was appointed to his present poet in 1890, having already served his Colony in a similar capacity in 1884, owing both appointments to Sir Samuel Griffith, now Chief Justice. He has always taken a prominent part in pushing the interests of the Colony, especially in relation to the frozen meat industry. Quite recently he headed a deputation to the War Office, and was successful in prevailing upon the officials to give the jneat another trial, by erecting a storehouse for it at Gibraltar. He has also taken an active part in col- lecting subscriptions for the sufferers by the reoent disastrous floods. The post is worth E1500 per annum. THE Hon. Muriel Devereux, who is about to be married to Mr. Anthony Denny, will have no diffi- culty in obtaining the customary number of brides- maids, for she is the eldest of Lord Hereford's fire ughters, and her four sisters are all of a marriage- able age. In addition, she has quite a host of female cqusins, her mother, the youngest sister of Lord Tre- being one of a family of 11, and one of her l rnal uncles having four married daughters. Miss W»ereux has some reason to be proud of her pedigree, for whilst her father is the premier viscount of Eng- land, her mother can trace back her ancestry to Cadivor Vawr, Lord of Kilsaint, and Rhys, Prince of South Wales. The family of Devereux claim to be descended from William d'Evereux, third son of Count d'Evereux, who fought by the side of the Con- queror at Hastings. Four hundred years later a Sir Walter Devereux distinguished himself by his staunch adberenee to the cause of Richard III., and fell at Bosworth Field. The third viscount was the unfortu- nate Earl of Essex, beheaded at the Tower in the reign of Elizabeth. THE fifth summer assembly of the National Home Reading Union will take place at Ilkley from July 1 to July 8 next. The inaugural address will be delivered by the Rev. Dr. Butler, Master of Trinity. Special sermons will be preached on Sunday, July 2, and special excusions to various places of interest will be organised by the committee. Mrs. Henry Fawcett, Sir Robert Ball, Dr. Kimmins, and Mr. Collingwood, Oxford University Extension Lecturer, and others will take part in the proceedings. THE report of Dr. Bateson Wright, the headmaster of Victoria College, Hong-Kong, and the speech of Sir William Robinson at the annual distribution of prizes at that institution, bring to light some in- teresting facts. It appears that the college roll now musters 1062 scholars, of whom all but one-ninth part are Chinese: also that the cost of the establishment is defrayed by a rate of only one-half per cent. on the hcuse rentalof the oolony. The discipline, both in the English and Chinese schools, is reported to be exemplary, the use of the cane being rarely resorted to, and that chiefly in the preparatory school. Six out of eight candidates from this college passed the Oxford Local Examinations. THE pearl shells found on the coast of Western Australia are principally used for the manufacture of buttons. The shells fetch from E20 to £40 per ton, according to the quality and market value. Mother of "arl in Australia is subject to an export duty of E2 per ton. THBRB are in connection with the Church of Eng- land Young Men's Society about 87 branches, of which 26 are in the metropolis and 61 beyond it, in- cluding two branches at Belfast and Cork, numbering 1100 and 500 members. Altogether about 20,000 young men belong to the society. FROM the name of a mountain near the famous Canadian Pacific Railway, Lord Mount Stephen, a prosperous colonist took his recent title, and he worked hard from the first for the success of that monster enterprise. Yet not so long ago it was a toss-up whether it could be completed. The treasury was eupty, everyone had put in nearly his all, and at a Montreal board meeting the message arrived that unless £ 60,000 is found to-day we are done." A certain director stepped out to his lawyer, and returned in half an hour with the money, his wife having consented to reduce her settlement by that aaaount. IT seems strange that no mention of the cat occurs in the Bible or in any Assyrian record. Even in India, Professor Max-Miiller is quoted as saying that it was but recently known as a domestic animal. Its Sanscrit name is marjara, from a root meaning to clean, from the creature's habit ot licking itself at its toilet. The cat's mousing habits were well known to the Romans, and even to the Etruscans, as shown by antique gems and even wall paintings. A GUARB in charge of an express train from Edin- burgh to London was recently offered drink by passengers 32 times in the course of the journey! MR. J. NBWTON MippiN has written advocating a glass-roofed city-a scheme to cover the most im- portant commercial avenues of the Metropolis with glass. THE Baroness Burdett-Coutts, at the request of the president of the Ladies' Committee of the British Commission, H.R.H. Princess Christian, last year became the president of the "section" charged with the duty of preparing for the Chicago Exhibition a Report on the Philanthropic Work of British Women. The baroness's first object was to collect authentic information about all philanthropic work originated or carried on by Englishwomen, and for this purpose she addressed a letter early last year to the heads of all religious bodies, large charitable organisations, and private individuals. In response to this letter several hundred interesting and ably-written reports were received. These have been carefully arranged and classified, and have now been sent to Chicago. They form five large volumes, which, at the close of the exhibition, will be deposited in the free library in that city. LIEUT.-GEN. THB HON. WILLIAM FEILDING, who is about to lead to the altar a daughter of the late Sir Baldwin Leighton, must not be confounded with his brother, Gen. the Hon. Percy Feilding, who com- manded the troops in Malta from 1885 to 1887. The bridegroom-elect is Inspector-General of Recruiting at Headquarters, and he is understood to be marked out for further promotion at no distant date. Some- how the Feildings have always been a fighting family. In the Wars of the Roses a Sir William Feilding, a staunch adherent of the House of Lancaster, fell at Tewkesbury; and his son, Sir Everard, had a com- mand in the King's army at the Battle of Stoke in 14:87. The first Earl of Denbigh threw in his lot with Charles I., and was mortally wounded in a skirmish near Birmingham. His eldest son, who succeeded him, however, took the side of Cromwell, and became one of the most eminent of the Parlia- ment's military commanders. The present earl, who is (jen. Feilding's nephew, served with the Royal Horse Artillery in the Soudan, and during the cam- paign received a sabre cut in the thigh, which at one time threatened to have serious consequences. THim double-turreted battleship Hood is to be commissioned at Chatham on April 21 for the Mediterranean station, where she will be a valuable addition to our none-too-powerful squadron. For work in fairly smooth water she may safely be re- garded as in all respects the most formidable battle- ship in existence. She is, moreover, unique in her clafs. The last and only other Hood was built at Chatham in 1859, and was a 91 gun ship. She bad been for 11 years on the stocks, and had been originally laid down as an 80. She was never com- missioned, but after many years of idleness was lent to the War Department to serve as barracks for a torpedo company at Chatham. WHATEVER may be the truth about the over-crowd- ing at the Bar, it cannot be much more severe than in the medical profession. The Medical Register just issued shows that during 1892 no fewer than 1513 newly qualified practitioners registered their naroes, against 1345 in the preceding year, and the total number of practitioners in the United Kingdom, which at the beginning of the year 1876 was 22,200, has now risen to 30,590. This increase in numbers has been attained notwithstanding an average annual death-rate of 569, or an average annual removal from the Register, from all causes, of 834 names. Of the 30,590 practitioners whose names now appear in the Register, 18,622, or 60'88 per cent., were registered in England 7320, or 23"93 per cent., were registered in Scotland; and 4648, or 15'19 per cent., in Ireland. There are 4817 registered dentists. <' A prapos of the prominence lately given to the Waterloo Gallery at Windsor Castle and its architect, Sir Geoffrey Wyatville, it is interesting to note that there is just now hanging in the window of a Strand pawnbroker an architectural water-colour drawing purporting to be from the hand of the late Sir Geoffrey. Yet such is fame that the little picture, which is dainty and pleasing in effect, is valued at the somewhat low price of 28s. SIR BRCCB BURNSIDB, Chief Justice of Ceylon, who is over 60 years of age, went on a shooting excursion in the north of Ceylon a short time since and bagged a crocodile, an enormous brute, which the party encountered at Madawachi. The Chief Justice suc- ceeded in sending a bullet down the crocodile's throat at long range, killing it on the spot. THERE are 17 persons now detained in prisons in England and Wales under committal by judges for contempt of Court, or who are otherwise in prison without trial and are not awaiting trial. The earliest committal dates from December, 1891. SIR CHARLES A. ELLIOT, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, will take six months' leave in June next for the benefit of his health. RJlltE are some remarkable coincidences recorded in the Australian newspapers. While Western Queensland was suffering from the effects of a great drought at the beginning of last month, terrible floods were devastating the southern portion of the colony. At tJ., same time bush fires were raging over a large portion of Victoria, while much damage was wrought in Tasmania by heavy gales. THIS is the list of nominations made by the Home Secretary to fill the newly-creal ed posts of inspectors' assistants under the Factories and Workshops Act: Messrs. J. Bineham, T. Brown, J. Burns, N. Daly, T. Davis, T. Gavan Duffy, S. Fallows, G. Galloway, R. A. Goddard, A. A. Goodwin, T. Hayward, J. Mackie, J. J. Pender, H. Tait, and C. E. Whitelaw. Miss May E. Abrahams and Miss "Vary Muirhead Paterson have been nominated as female Factory and Workshop Inspectors. A NOTABLE Nonconformist has passed away in the Rev. Dr. Cox, of Nottingham. One of the greatest of our Hebrew scholars, he bad an honorary degree conferred upon him in recognition of his attain- ments in this respect; but his views on controversial subjects were too advanced for the Baptists, and he had, consequently, to abandon the editorship of the Expositor, which he bad undertaken for some years. He was an able preacher, though he bad rather a bad delivery and one of his special gifts was his power of interesting children. His tastes, too, wero so simple that he might frequently be seen playing at ball with his wife-they had no children—in the front garden of his villa in one of the suburbs of Not- tingham. THE late Duke of Bedford (the World says) pro- bably knew more about zoology than any other member of the House of Lords, and organised quite a menagerie at the house he once occupied in the wilds of the Stewartry." THE announcement that the Duke of York will re- present Queen Victoria at the silver wedding of the King and Queen of Italy has produced a very favour- able impression at Rome, as tending to draw still closer the ties of friendship uniting Great Britain and Italy. His Royal Highness is expected to arrive on April 20 or 21, and will be received at the railway station by King Humbert and the Princes of the Italian Royal House, and the staff of the British Embassy, where the duke will reside during his stay. MR. THOMAS STEEL, of Victoria, has been visiting severalzoologicalgardens in Great Britain and America; and in the February number of the VïctQrianNaturalist he gives an interesting account of some of his experi- ences. In the London Zoological Gardens he was naturally attracted especially by animals and birds from Australia. The kangaroos seemed to him to have very small quarters compared with those set apart for kangaroos in the Melbourne gardens. Never- thelesss, he thought them fairly healthy and sleek." Mr. Steel was much pleased with a pair of Australian brush turkeys, who were evidently quite at home in their enclosure." The laughing jackass, however, was the animal which interested him most strongly. He bad quite a thrill of pleasure when he recognised its well-remembered voice." Of the collection of animals: in the Central-park, New .rk, Mr. Steel formed no very high opinion. He was much sur- prised that so mighty a city should be so far behind in a matter of this kind." Of the dejected-looking lions in the Central-park he says that they were greatly to be pitied. They were cooped up in the smallest of cages, with no proper shelter, and no exercising yard." ONE curious result of the introduction of the elec- tric light into Oxford has been, according to a pro- vincial contemporary, to attract moths of very rare species to the brilliantlv lighted streets. One gentle- man caught recently, in Broad-street, a specimen of the very rare Elephant Hawkmoth, doubtless attracted by the electric light. A SINGULAR wedding has recently taken place at Christchurch, New Zealand, a woman without arms being married to a fine btalwart young man. The ring was placed on one of the bride's toes, between which she grasped a pen and signed the marriage register. MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN, M.P., receives daily over 1000 letters by the morning post. Every officer in the army, whatever his rank, is known at the War Office by a number, and any letter referring to him in any way, though dating back half a cen- tury, can be produced in three minutes. TUB Legislative Assembly of Quebec has just adopted a pi see of rather unusual legislation for the restriction of the use tobacco among minors. The sale of tobacco is absolutely forbidden to persons under 18 years of age, while boys under 15 years found using tobacco are to be punished by fine or imprisonment. THE second volume of the digest of evidence given before Group C of the Labour Commission contains a glossary of technical terms and trade slang. Among the curious expressions are the following: Bate, bell-horse, caunched, cut-up, fudd, mungs, slop-dash work, sprigger, snigging, subbing, tingles, slugger." MR. A. J. BALFOUR, M.P., has given Pc500 towards the erection of a new free church (Presbyterian) at Stratbconan, of which estate he was formerly pro- prietor. THE Earl of Jersey will soon be in England again, and society, says the Sketch, may hope during the summer to enjoy some of those delightful at homes for which Osterley-park is famous. Osterlev- park-where, thanks to his lordship's kindly courtesy, I, and doubtless many another angler, have enjoyed some excellent fishing in the well-stocked lake-came to the Jersey family by marriage. It was once the country seat of the wealthy banker, Mr. Robert Child, whose daughter married the tenth Earl of Westmorland—if my memory serves me right, she ran away with him—and their daughter, who in- herited her maternal-griind father's immeniie fortune, together with Osterley-park, married the fifth Earl of Jersey. It is as the representative of this lady, his grandmother, that the present Lord Jersey has an interest in the great and historic banking business of Child and Co., one of the oldest, if not the oldest bank in London. Child's kept the account of Nell Gwynne and other historic personages, and their old estab- lishment, pulled down a good many years ago, was connected with the room above Temple Bar, where many old books and documents were stored. COL. AMBROSE MARSHALL CARDEW, who in a few days will have retired from the army after 40 years' service, once surprised his friends by reappearing after he had been mourned as dead. He served as adjutant to the 19th Regiment during the Crimean War, and at Alma he was severely wounded in two places, and his horse was shot under him in crossing the river. Lord Raglan reported him as having- been killed, and his friends paid proper and affec- tionate tributes to his memory, but he lived to receive the medal with clasp and the Turkish medal, and to render valiant service in many quarters of the empire. He was but a lad of 17 when he first entered the army—that was about a year before the Crimean War broke out. After serving with the 19th Foot, he became associated with the 9th Foot, and some years later was appointed Staff Officer of Pensioners, He is, in fact, the last of the staff officers, and when he retires there will be remaining but the memory of an interesting department of the service. THE issue of the report of the Committee on Target Practice at Sea has been closely followed by the un- premeditated bombardment of Penlee by Plymouth Breakwater Fort. It is to be regretted that the bombardment, which seems to have resulted in the destruction of a portion of a bed of very promising Cjvbbages, did not occur before the committee had finished its labours; but the episode will at least serve to draw attention to the necessity of new regulations, and will probably lead to the adoption of all the committee's recommendations. The most unsatisfactory feature in the business is that the shell which landed in the cabbage-garden failed 1, to explode. A shell that is intended to and that fails to explode is not a creditable product of British industry. .[.. i. AN ancient relic has just been unearthed at a farmhouse in a Midland county. It is an interesting old bell bearing the initials H. S." and the date 1590. These refer to Henry Sacbeverell, of New Hall, Warwickshire, who purchased that ancient pl,.tee from Gybons, the first Warden of Sutton Colcifield. THE Jewish Board of Guardians last vear lent about Y-2900, without interest, to assist "deserving small tradesmen in the Eist-end who were pressed for money. GENERAL MARK WALKER, who retires at the end of this week after 46 years' service, received his, Victoria Cross for conspicuous bravery in the Crimea during which he was twice wounded, losing an arm on the second occasion. The special act of bravery for which he was rewarded occurred at Inkermann, when General Walker jumped over a wall in face of two battalions of Russian Infan- try who were marching towards it, for the purpose of encouraging his men to advance against such heavy odds. They followed this bold example so spiritedly that both battalions of the enemy were driven back. His retirement sets free a distinguished service pension of £ 100 per annum. IN June an examination will be held for the Indian Civil Service, when 56 appointments will be offered, This is double the number taken last year, or in 1891. The increase is partly to be accounted for by the demands of an increased staff for Burmah, and to the number of retirements due to the silver question. TIIB Dean of St. Paul's has agreed to permit a memorial to be placed in the crypt of St. Paul's to the life and work of Mr. Vansittart Neale, the co- operative leader. A position has been selected for the memorial. TIll: Duke of Westminster has given £ 100 towards the cost of sending to every c'erayman in the kingdom a copy of the first number of Temporal Welfare, the organ of the Church of England Sanitary Association. DURING the half-year ending the 31st of December last the locomotives of the Midland Railway ran 8,222,166 miles with passenger trains and 12,318,428 miles with goods trains. This is a total of 20,540,594 miles, excluding the mileage run by other companies. The total, including mileage from other companies, reached 21,385,681. This train mileage cost for i locomotive power 118. The total number of miles worked by the engines was 1947. GREAT BRITAIN'S exports of salt have of late materially declined. Last month, for instance, she sent 687 tons to Montreal and 4385 tons to New York. In February, 1892. the respective quantities sent were 1520 terns and 8024 tons. DEVONSHIRE HoufeE, the town residence of the Duke of Devonshire, is the gloomiest feature of Piccadilly, for it is a vast space closed in by dirty brick walls and by great green doors. No other English nobleman has at this day a town house occupying such a great extent of. valuable land. The Duke of Devonshire can at any moment sell this somewhat unprepossessing residence for a good deal over a million pounds sterling. The interest on a million at 5 per cent. is £ 50,000. This, therefore, may be taken ss the sum that the Duke. sacrifices yearly by way of rent for his house in London. IT is curious to note what changes in Parlia- mentary representatives take place in the course of a quarter of a century. Of the members who entered Parliament before 1868 and have preserved their seats continuously since that time, only 16 are left. Of the members, nearly 300 in number, who were elected for the first time to the Parliament of 1868, only 12 have kept their seats continuously since that time. Wii-E-, only two months of the new year had passed no fewer than six peers had died, all of them from the Barons' bench. During the same period ne fewer than 16 baronetR passed away. and two of the titles-McClure and Lewis-have become extinct. So rapid a succession of deaths has not been known to occur before. THE Great Westem is the oldest English railway company, having been se called in 1835: the South- Eastern was so known in 1836; the London and South-Western received its present name in 1839; the Midland in 1844 the Brighton, Great Northern, and London and North-Western in 1846. This does not give the dates when the railways were made, bat merely when they took their present names. THB Rev. E. C. Wickham, who hands over the headmastership of Wellington ge to Mr. Pollock, has held that post for just 20 years, succeeding the present Archbishop of Canterbury, who was its first occupant. Mr. Benson went to Wellington from Rugby, where Bishop Temple was his head. The latter portion of Mr. Wickham's tenure of office has not been untroubled; his plan for improving the financial position of the college by admitting the sons of civilians in increased numbers having been bitterly criticised, and defects in the drainage lately necessitating the removal of the whole of the boys to Malvern in mid-winter. IT is uncertain how long the Princess of Wales will remain the guest of King George and Queen Olga, but the Duke of York is to arrive at Rome- on April 20 to represent the Royal Family at the celebration of the silver wedding of the King and Queen of Italy. It is understood that early in the summer the Princess of Wales will stay for some time with the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland at Gmunden, in Upper Ahstria, when the Emperor of Russ:a and the King and Queen of Denmark are expected to meet her. About the middle of August there is to be a great gathering of the Royal Family of Denmark (including the Emperor and Empress of Russia and the King of the Hellenes) at the Castle of Fredensborg in Jut- land. IT is said that the Duke of Fife never wears the same suit twice in one week. THE small-pox epidemic at Manchester is practi- cally at an end. The medical authorities at the Royal Infirmary report that not a single patient out of the hundreds admitted to the hospital was re-vaccinated. HER Majesty's twin-screw cruiser Edgar, which recently arrived at Gibraltar from Plymouth, performed the passage in i2 hours. A STAINED glass window, given by the Duke of Cambridge, has been placed in Kew Church as a memorial of the late Duchess of Cambridge. SOME monster specimens of the crested grebe may now be seen on one of the lakes of the Great Park at Windsor. IT is proposed to build a church for the Chinese in Sydney. The Rev. George Soo Hoo Ten is to be the minister. Tuasilk industries of England promise to revive under the encouragement of many patriotic ladies, headed by the Duchess of Teck. The districts of Leek, and Congleton, and Betbsal-green are the chosen centres of those who are engaged in the work- ing of silk, and the hopes of the workers are very sanguine, as much is promised by those who have so kindly interested themselves in the project. It has been wisely reasoned th-tt while the raw material can be imported into this country with cheapness and facility, it is absurd to leave the trade in the hands of continental manufacturers. It is estimated that a million a month ia paid for foreign made silks im- ported into England. Six of the new torpedo-boat destroyers are already in course of construction. They are estimated to cost £ 35,000 each, and according to the statement of the Secretary to the Admiralty will have a guaranteed speed of 27 knots or a little more than 31 land miles per hour. They will vary in length from 180ft. to 190ft., with a beam of 18ft. to 20ft., and their arma- ment will consist of one twelve-pounder, three six- pounder quick firing guns, and three torpedo tubes. The first to be ready for her trials will be the Daring, on the 27th July, and though all the others are to be commenced this year, the orders for the construction will not be given until after the Daring bas j>een jected to an exhaustive series of trials. All the vessels are to be contract built. COLONEL E. T. H. HUTTON is off to Australia for A stay of three years. He bas been appointed com- mandant of the New South Wales local forces, a post tenable for that period, and worth £ 10*0 per annum, plus liberal allowances. Colonel Hutton, who is one of the most brilliant officers in the army, was, until very recently, holding a staff appointment at Alder- shot, where his versatility made him one of the most serviceable officers in the oamp. He is, however, best known for the services he rendered in connec- tion with the organisation of mounted infantry, a force which he studied in South Africa and which is now recognised as a valuable adjunct in military operations, thanks, in a great measure, to his per- severance in the face of bitter prejudice. HENRY STORR is well-known in county Montgomery, Kansas State, He is declared to have recen J murdered Floyd Wilson, a LTnited States j Recently he and a man named Newcomb^ in a daring attempt to rob the Caney TTollinee- They appeared suddenly at the desk of fa.g bead> worth, the cashier, and, presenting pw robbers, who hade him hold his hands up. -tamers in the had locked up the clerks and JER amounting back office, escaped with their p to 2000 dols.
THE EASTER MANOEUVRES.
THE EASTER MANOEUVRES. BRILLIANT ENGAGEMENT AT EASTBOURNE. When the volunteers composing the South London Brigade congregated for Easter at Eastbourne retired to rest on Sunday night, it was with many misgivings as to the kind of weather that would be experienced during the extensive operations arranged to wind up the Easter programme. The wind had veered round to the west, and the mercury was on the down- ward grade, but when reveille sounded at five o'clock in the morning the sun was streaming in through the windows of the men's quarters, and what little breeze there was came from the north —a much more favourable point of the compass. Break- fast having been disposed of, the outward movement to the theatre of war was begun, and by nine o'clock the whole of Colonel Gascoigne's force was formed up on the Downs ready for the big fight. Lord Methuen, the umpire-in-chief, surrounded by a bril- liant staff, was also present. The idea governing the day's battle was that an enemy having landed near Pevensev bad occupied Eastbourne. To check the further progress of the invader a home defence field had been mobilised at Ash- down Forest. The invader was represented by the eight battalions forming the South London Brigade, with nine companies of the Oxford University Corps, the 1st Sussex Engineers, and the 2nd Sussex Artillery. General Hamilton commanded the defenders. In this force were the eight Surrey battalions, 200 Surrey cadets, the 1st Sussex Rifles, and the lst Sussex Artillery. Each side had a few mounted infantry, and the big guns were equally distributed. Altogether about 9000 men were on the field. When the signal-gun fired for the operations to begin, it was seen that the left half of the Surrey Brigade bad lined the brow of Jevington Hill, while two companies of the 4th East Surrey, Elaced in echelon, commanded the side of the same ill, which constituted the defenders' left flank. Almost immediately two companies of the Queen's Westminsters were discovered in ambush at the base of the bill advancing in extended order across a narrow plain. They had the temerity to open fire on the redcoated men, who were at least 600 yards above them. Their stay was, however, a short one, as an umpire at once ordered them to retire. Retaining hold of the hill General Hamilton pushed forward to the 2nd East Surrey from his left, and ordered up his men in the centre and on to the right. The invader had thrown out the 5th Middlesex to the extreme right, holding the 2nd South Middlesex and the 4th West London with the Inns of Court in reserve to guard the Polgate Read. Extending from right to left were the 2nd Sussex Artillery with four 16-pounders, half a battalion of the Queen's West- minster, the 1st Sussex Engineers, the London Scot- tish, the Civil Service, and the Artists in the order given. Firing was now proceeding along almost the whole line, which, on either side, extended for about one mile. The Surrey men were gradually gaining ground, and their reserves were swarming over the tops of the neighbouring hills. It was impossible for Colonel Gascoigne to hold on any longer against such pressure, aud he withdrew his front line. The retreat was performed in a most excellent manner, the men keeping their distances well, and taking advantage of every piece of cover which the country afforded. At this moment the defender made a feint attack on the invaders left flank. So well did he do it that Colonel Gascoigne instantly ordered up several battalions, and what was intended only as a draw-off developed into a frontal attack of the most vigorous description. Volleys were not quick enough for the defender, and independent firing was resorted to. The noise was appalling, and the men were almost hidden from one another in the smoke. It was obviously too strong to last, and at 12.2U the cease-fire sounded, with the invader as the conqueror. At this time there were thousands of spectators present, and Lord Methuen, with a view partly to afford them the opportunity of witnessing some further manoeuvres, but chiefly because the lecond and third lines of the defenders' force bad not fired a shot, ordered a resumption of hostilities. But there was no serious business in it, except, perhaps, to afford some practice to the men engaged in the new attack formation, The second cease-fire was ordered a few minutes after one o'clock, and Lord Methuen addressed the whole of the commanding officers on the day's work. He expressed his satisfaction with all he had seen, and declared he had noticed many and great improvements in the conduct of the men under fire. After hearing the verdict in favour of Colonel Gaaooigne, the officer. rejoined their batta- lions, which had meanwhile marched off to the links to prepare for the march past. The number of civilians present was enormous, and at 2.40 the defile past the saluting base was began. The artillery led, followed by the mounted infantry, these in turn being succeeded by the infantry of the South London brigades. The Surrey brigade came next, cyclists and ambulance parties bringing up the rear. Where all did so well it would be invidious to make comparisons, but it must be confessed that, taken all round, the marchiug of the Surrey and Sussex regiments was much steadier than that of the so-called crack London corps. Owing to the great heat, and the fact that the men had been on their feet since early morning, Lord Methuen very considerately decided to have the men pass before him only once. The Surrey men, who. had journeyed from Brighton, proceeded to a neigh- bouring field, where they rested, while those corps who have been billeted at Eastbourne returned to their quarters to await the hour at which they were to depart for the metropolis. In all, 15 trains were re- quired for the men, the last contingent being sent away at eight o'olock. OPERATIONS AT CANTERBURY. A successful field-day on Barham and Cooting Downs, near Adiaham, was the work of the North London Brigade on Easter Monday. This brigade represented a force detached by an imaginary enemy landed at Whitstable to attack Dover preparatory to a tmarch on London. A skeleton force of the squadron of the 1st Life Guards, four field guns, and 200 Royal Scots opposed their advance, but the left of the brigade completely crumbled up the Life Guards by the clever flank attack of the 1st Middlesex, and drove back the artillery by the splendid echelon movement of the 18th Middlesex, with 1st and 9th in support. The London Irish, and Finsbury in the centre, were tardy in leaving the covert of Ileden Woods, otherwise, although the 19th took their place in the first line, the repulse of the Dover force might have been turned into a rout. Colonel .Ault's Rangers on the right of Blue, holding the Dover-Canterbury-road with four machine-guns, were practically unmolested, and could not use the machine-guns, as the Government refused gratis ammunition. In spite of the difficulty of the new extended 'order eniolned by the regulations, all the movements were well executed. Especial praise must be given to the East Kent Yeomanry for their clever and success- ful scouting in search of the enemy's cavalry, and to the brigade cyclists, who, passing round in rear of the Life Guards, drove them under the fire of the 1st Middlesex, who were lining the hedges on the crest of Cooting Down, and in the valley beneath. The usual march past on Cooting Down, near the race- course, concluded the operations. In this the 1st Middlesex (Victoria and St. George's) went past with elastic step and good dressing, the 18th and 19th with sturdy tread and erect bearing. The Brigade Collecting Stations, under the charge of Surgeon-Captain Fenton, were in communication all day with the Field Hospital on the racecourse, but there were few casualties, chiefly cases of sore feet and exhaustion. The volunteers entrained amid the farewell cheers of Canterbury, wh\ch turned out en masse to see them off. THE BATTLE OF WALDBRSLADE. The fortress (said a Chatham correspondent, writing on the evening of Easter Monday) is still safe, the reconnaissance in force having ended in something like a volunteer fiasco. The brigades under the command of Colonel Trotter, C.B., marched gaily out of the town on the Maidstone road before nine this morning, and had reached their first posi- tions, six miles south of Chatham, by eleven, at which hour the engagement was to commence. The defenders, under the command of Colonel Dor ward, R.E., having but three miles to march, moved an hour later, but simultaneously reached their first positions at Walderslade, a valley which forms a very ef-fcily defensible natural entrenchment. The volunteers moved in three columns towards the Walderslade valley by three converging routes, the L.R.B., Colonel Cholmondelev, coming on the right; the 1st V.B.R. Fusiliers and the 17th (North) Middlesex, commanded by Colonel Brown, on the left; and the 2nd and 3rd London, commanded by Colonel Cantlon, in the centre. The further boundary of the tactical area was reached within less than an hour after the start, and the umpires, of whom there w.. s a brilliant staff, with General Forster at their head, could not account for the fact except by supposing that Lord's Wood had been passed almost I without examination by the L.R.B. The fight was I therefore stopped for 20 minutes, during which the I invaders retired to reform, and the defenders stood by their position-an admirable boat-shaped hollow which allowed their opponents to see any number of heads, looking for all the world like those of a crew peeping over the gunwale of a ship. In detail, parts of the work of the L.R.B. were well done-particularly those of D Company, which, with the Gardner guns of Captain Dungee worked the right of the attack-did some smart bits of work. They stuck to the trail of the Leicesters before-mentioned, whom they appeared to have caught trying to get into the big wood, and they got the machine guns plying from excellent cover upon the beads looking over the gunwaje. But they dared not leave the shelter of the wood because a double slope was before them, in crossing which not a single man would have been left to tell the tale. Two volleys into the orchard," cried out a staff-sergeant, and two volleys were delivered, which sent a score of sappers occupying a hop cast close to the boundary line helter-skelter under a bank. Then came the L.R.B., numbering just over 600 men, like an avalanche down to the bottom of the slope, unmindful of the fact that it was only half a company of sappers that was running away. The heads-some hundreds of them —were still looking over the gunwale, and every bead was spitting fire and belching out smoke, and the L.R.B. would fain have run back up bill faster than they had run had the thing been possible. Poor L.R.B.! Again 600, undiminished by a single man, charged down the slope, and, strangely enough, the heads neither volleyed nor thundered. Why ? Can it be true that the defenders were only served with 10 rounds of ammunition per man ? The centre and left columns did their work genuinely and well; but their progress was completely stopped through their inability to drive the defenders out of the woods. The cease-firing sounded about half- past one, after which a defile took place before General Forster and his numerous staff. In the march-past the volunteer battalions, without excep- tion, highly distinguished themselves. CAPTURE OF TILBURY. Springhead, a popular resort of visitors to Graves- end, will henceforth be famous for something besides shrimps. Near it was fought on Easter Monday a tactical battle (certainly a bloodless one) which has decided the fate of London. In spite of all the gar- rison of Gravesend could do, aided by the Thames Militia-whoever they may be-the sub- marine miners of the Royal Engineers and the Gravesend Artillery, the invaders have succeeded in seizing the ferry at Tilbury, and in cutting off all communication between the north and south banks of the Thames. At least, that is the theoretical effect of the result of the battle of Spring- head, in which Colonel Plunkett, Commanding Royal Engineers at Gravesend, at the head of the Engineer Brigade has defeated the troops which he himself is paid for commanding. Colonel Althorpe, C.R.E., of the Home District, the chief umpire, warmly congratulated the Tower Hamlets Engineers, commanded by Colonel Whetherley, especially, and the other battalions on their victory. DEFENCE OF LONDON. For volunteer troops in the Home District com- mand who have not been participating in the four days' campaigning on the south coast, a programme based on the scheme for the defence of the metro- polis was on Easter Monday effectively carried out in the north of London under the superintendenee of Colonel Oliphant, Grenadier Guards, and several other officers of the regular forces, besides the well-known volunteer leaders. Four metropolitan corps were en- gaged in Monday's operations, which were carried out in the presence of an immense number of holiday makers and in splendid weather on the general idea that an invading force, under the command of Colonel Hennel, 3rd Middlesex Rifles, had made a torpedo raid by the Thames as far as Waltham, Chelmsford, and Enfield, scouts being reported on April 2 from Edmonton. To resist this attack, Colonel Routledge, commanding the defending force, was hastily despatched with his two Fusilier battalicns to insure the safety of Enfield, and, in order to reach Muswell-hill before noon, had them concentrated in and near Regent's- park at nine a.m. The 2nd and 3rd Volunteer Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers, all told, made up about 1000 officers and men. Each man was pro- vided with 20 rounds of ammunition, and after an interchange of shots with the cyclists for the posses- sion of the culvert north of Amos Wood, a general engagement followed which was understood to have resulted in favour of the defending force. At the close of the operations the whole of the troops marched past, and after partaking of refreshments returned by march route to their respective destina- tions. DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT BURNLEY.
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A spinning mill at Burnley was totally destroyed by fire on Easter Monday, the damage amounting to several thousand pounds. The property, which belonged to Mr. Mark Keppax, was the oldest in the town, and was only partially insured. After the roof had fallen in a portion of the outer wall collapsed, burying two firemen and a civilian. One of the fire- men Was fatally injured, and the other has a leg broken and sustained several other wounds. The civilian was badly hurt.
MR. BALFOUR IN ULSTER.
MR. BALFOUR IN ULSTER. Mr, Balfour arrived in Ulster on Easter Monday and had a most enthusiastic reception at Lame from his political sympathisers. On landing he was pre- sented with an address of welcome, and in reply said be believed the people of Ulster were unalterable in their determination to preserve liberty for themselves and children. If that determination were unalterable it would also be irresistible. Nothing would make him yield from the conviction he entertained that, if Ulster and England were alike determined that no Home Rule should be, the Home Rule Bill would never pass. Whatever the forces arrayed on the side of the iniquitous measure the forces against it were so united, and above all so strong in the righteousness of their cause that in the end they would prevail. Pass- ing through the city en route for the residence of Lord Londonderry, the horses were taken from Mr. Balfour's carriage, and in reply to loud calls he made a short speech. Later on Mr. Balfour was presented with an address by the Town Commissioners of New- townards, in replying to which he said that he was the spokesman of those in England, who were deter- mined to resist to the utmost the Home Rule pro- posals now before the House of Commons.
ACCOUCHEMENT OF THE DUCHESS…
ACCOUCHEMENT OF THE DUCHESS OF FIFE. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Fife gave birth to a daughter at one o'clock p.m., on Easter Monday at East Sheen Lodge. The Right Hon. H. Asquith* Home Secretary, reached East Sheen shortly after the event, in accordance with the Queen's commands, to carry out the nsual formalities. The following bulletin was issued: Her Royal Highness Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife, gave birth to a daughter at one o'clock to-day. Her Royal Highness and infant daughter are doing well. "JOlIN WILLIAMS, M.D. East Sheen Lodge, April 3."
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TUB old Hearts of Oak spirit still survives the metallic period of the English navy. The vessels are iron, but the men, and officers, too, are of the same type as depicted years ago by Captain Marryat, who, despite the sneer of contemporary sea novelists, had a knack of portraying a sailor that was truthful for all times. The report of last year's naval manoeuvres, just submitted to Parliament, contains a little anec- dote that might have happened in the days of Nelson. The story is that a boat's crew having been sunk were rescued by the enemy's steam launch; but the blue- jackets, finding the act of mercy was to be followed by a bit of realism, and that the men were to be regarded as prisoners, jumped overboard and pre- ferred to keep one another afloat until a boat from their own ship should pick them up. The uncon- scious humour of the proceeding was characteristic of the man-of-war's man, even as he is depicted in fiction. MBDICAL experts are discussing the question of the quantity of food necessary for an adult to live upon in health. Lord Playfair gives the following as a week's fare: Three pounds of meat with one pound of fat, two ordinary loaves of bread, with one ounce of salt, and five pints of milk or, for meat, five or six pounds of oatmeal. Dr. Pavey gives a higher standard, but even that is low compared to the actual practice of the most abstemious viz., 16 ounces of food per day in absolute rest; 23 ounces during light work 26 to 30 ounces for a man doing hard laborious work. Dr. Pavey's estimate is based on dry weight; now, as all our food contains more or less moisture, it would appear 48 to 60 ounces of ordinary food are necessary daily for a healthy adult, in active life.
THE QUEEN AND FLORENCE SOCIETIES.
THE QUEEN AND FLORENCE SOCIETIES. The interest taken by her Majesty in most things Florentine includes many of the charitable institu- tions of the city and suburb, notably the admirable organisation of the 'Misericordia.' Then, again," says the Lancet, her Majesty's known solicitude for the better treatment of the lower creation is ex- pected, as in 1888, to give a salutary stimulus to the somewhat languishing Societa' for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals'—a societa,' it ill fair to say, much more efficacious in Florence than in Rome or Naples, but still, even in the former capital, far short of the required efficiency. Anotberorganisation in whi ch the humanitarian instincts of the British Queen have quickened Florentine charity is that of the Society for the Protection of Abandoned Infants, and here again the promoters of the movement look to her Majesty's presence and encouragement as effective influences for good. Concurrently with these special institutions for the relief of suffering, some notice is claimed for that other organisation, of which the leading consultants of the city are at the head, direct- ing the operations of quite a little army of medical workers, mostly students, for the treatment of patients too necessitous to be able to call in a regular practitioner."
HOUSE OF COMMONS DANDIES.
HOUSE OF COMMONS DANDIES. SCME PECULIARITIES OF MEMBERS. An article in the Million gives details of the dress of some of the dsndefied members of Parliament. The Duke of Rutland and Lord Rowton are types of the dandy in the one Chamber, Mr. G. W. E. Russell is a type in the other. Sir William Stirling Maxwell, in his day, was a dandy of the perfect type, and Mr. Spencer Walpole, the Home Secretary who I fell with the railings of Hyde-park, was known as the Gentleman of the House." Mr. Arthur Balfour is a dandy in many aspects. The perfect dandy of the House of Commons, however, is Mr. William Ewart Gladstone. Such is the fact, notwithstanding the shock which the announcement may occasion. Mr. Gladstone assimilates himself to every condition of the perfect dandy. There is nothing in his nature or bearing of the sour demagogue. The upper side of his character is brightness and light. He has all the cultured instincts of the true gentleman. His deference to his opponents when they appeal to his indulgence is one of courtly grace. There is no smile so ready or so ingenuous. It breaks out all over the face. Every wrinkle, pucker, relic of age, is softened by it it is a smile from the eyelids to the chin. His very collar appears to join in the carnival. Few men look better in evening dress; none walk up the floor of the House with such stately dignity. Mr. Gladstone is thoroughly self-contained. In the summer, dressed in a suit of grey cashmere, with a light stick and a flower, our octogenarian is the embodiment of sprightly vigour. He ripples with self-contentment. The old dandy is shown also in the Premier's enor- mous understanding of the world-of men and their ways. Mr. R. C. Spencer is sometimes mistaken for a dandy. But he is not; he is simply a serious- minded butterfly. Lord Elcho approximates more nearly to a dandy. He is not only perfect in his dress, but has a storage of force which makes him an unknown quantity. He is a cynic, a comic actor, a gentleman who studies the art of making other gentlemen laugh while his own linea- ments areas hard and grave as cast-iron. Hostudies drees to adorn his body. His white dinner vest is the most fetching" in the Chamber. Lord Elcho is amiable, clever, witty, cynical, and in many respects a dandy. So is Sir Herbert Eustace Maxwell, Bart. Another dandy is Mr. Stanloy Leighton, who distils refinement as he walks, and whose swaying grace as he approaches the table seems to speak of five cen- turies of backing before the face of kings. Sir J. Blundell Maple would be a dandy if he were not a middle-aged gentleman in a hurry. No dandy ever is in a hurry. Sir Blundell dresses up to the part, and looks very spruce seen whenever he may be— at the House. Sir Algernon Borthwick is a dandy. He is to the House of Commons what Lord Alcester, known when he commanded the fleet in the Mediter- ranean as the Swell of the Ocean," is to the Upper Chamber. At one time the dandy of the Iri sh benches was Mr. Sexton. Now, Mr. Sexton is too grave to care for such frivolities a9 dress.
THE CAREER OF THE CONVICT…
THE CAREER OF THE CONVICT HOBBS. A correspondent of the Morning Leader has sup- plied the following story of the convict Hobbs's career: The son of a joiner, James William Hobbs was born at Portsmouth in 1843, and, losing his father when he was only 11 years old, obtained em- ployment in the rope-walk of Portsmouth Dockyard. He has often boasted of having assisted to make a 25in. cable in the presence of the late Prince Consort and the King of Italy. After serving an apprentice- ship with a local joiner Hobbs went to Littlehampton, where he worked on some buildings for nine months, after which he came to London for the ostensible purpose of visiting the Temperance Fete at the Crystal Palace. Instead of doing so, how- ever, he searohed for and obtained work at South Norwood, shortly afterwards going to the neigh- bourhood of the Borough, where he took lodgings in Great Suffolk-street. At the age of 22 he became a foreman, and married his first wife, by whom he had a family of 10 children. Mrs. Hobbs died in May, 1890, and her funeral in the Croydon Cemetery was very largely attended. The spot where she was buried is marked by a very elaborate erection of marble and granite, bearing the inscription, The family grave of J. W. Hobbs, Esq., J.P., of Norbury Hall." At the time of his election as Mayor of Croydon, in 1877, Hobbs, in the course of an inter- view, said, "In 1871 I was introduced to J. Spencer Balfour, whose name will always be honoured in Croydon, and who has proved a fast friend to me." At the date mentioned the amount of work he had in hand and in prospective was estimated at one and a-half millions, and he was employing 2000 hands. His favourite pastime were shooting, music, and cricket. During his mayoralty he was most lavish in his ex- penditure, and on more than one occasion entertained Royalty at Norbury Hall. The coming-of-age cele- bratiQns in honour of his two sons were carried out in the most princely style, the presents on each occasion including a cheque for £ 500 from Hobbs. As a magistrate he was most voluble in dealing with prisoners, always reminding small boys charged with applerstealing that these petty thefts lead to bigger ones. For an example of the way in which Hobbs de- ceived his colleagues of the County Council it is only necessary to quote from the speech of Mr. Alderman Rymer, who proposed him for the office of Mayor. He said: Outside the Council Mr. Hobbs is well and favourably known, and as a commercial man has attained a very important position—a position won by the exercise of remarkable talent, integrity, and perseverance. He will follow Mayors whose names —Balfour, Cooper, Barrow, and Layton-are held in the highest esteem." At Hobbs's inaugural banquet Mr. J. Spencer Balfour proposed the toast of the evening. The late member for Burnley said that when he heard that it would fall to his lot to propose the toast of Mr. Hobbs's health, he imagined that he might possibly be permitted to indulge in some biographical re- miniscences, but he found that he had been antici- pated by the interviewer. Reading with rapt admiration, he might almost say awe, the description of the momentous interview, he found that Mr. Hobbs was the habitual associate of Princes, and that not merely was he successful in his own busi- ness, but that he had also conquered and appropriated to himself both the world of sport and the world of art. Few could bear testimony as he could to the sterling work which Mr. Hobbs had done. It was some 17 or 18 years since he first had the pleasure of making his acquaintance. He believed in that respect that his memory was fresher than his, and that he remembered the actual day when he first set eyes on Mr. Hobbs. He then impressed him with a strong sense of his personality and of the vigour and industry and devotion with which he could undertake great public works. Having followed his career since, he could bear testi- mony to the fact that his success in life, great as it had been, was owing to those sterling qualities— honesty, industry, and self-devotion—which, thank God, still always secured success when properly applied.
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A PIKE weighing 37 pounds, length four feet, girth two feet, said to have been caught by rod and line, has been received by the editor of the Fishing Gazette from Athlone, Ireland, and sent to the Fishing and Yachting Exhibition at the Royal Aquarium.