Flintshire Observer Mining Journal and General Advertiser for the Counties of Flint Denbigh

INFIDELITY IN LONDON. The Bishop of Winchester has made public some facts gathered from the recently executed convict, George Mason, alias Beckwith, as showing the great need of missionary work in the metropolis. Mason stated that he was born m East London, and was brought up-bv his father, a professed Atheist, who, together with a number of Freethin ers, rained the lad to condemn Christianity. After is reception of religion, Mason wrote to Mr. Justice Haw ins, whom he cursed in the dock, asking forgiveness, an act which touched his lordship deeply, and produced the pardon sought.

A CURIOUS SIGN-POST. Polkritz, a little village in the Altmark, has a sign- post which points the way to London and Paris, among other places. The old sign-post, which stands opposite the village church has one arm pointing north, and on it is printed Kiisel 2 kilometres, Hindenburg 3*5 kilometres, Ostenburg 14 kilometres, Hamburg 196 kilometres, London 938 kilometres;" on the other arm may be read Hohenburg 3 kilometres,. Stendal 15 kilometres, Brunswick 98 kilometres, Paris 882 kilometres."

A SLEEPY fellow was reproved for lying in bed so late in the morning, when he replied he was obliged to do so to invent excuses for not getting up. NEVER associate with a person that does not pay bis debts. If a fellow won't pay, his company won't. A FAVOURITE mode of introduction in Brazil is said to be: This is my friend; if he steals anything from you, I am responsible for it."

IMPRESSIONS OF CHICAGO. Mulji Devji Yedant, a Brahmin who visited the World's Fair at Chicago, contributes to the new number of the Asiatic Quarterly Review an account of the impressions made upon him by the show. He begins by declaring that the spectacle exceeded all his expectations of grandeur. The majestic White City' where poverty has no place to live exercises over the mind such a charm, that its defects, like the dark spots of the sun, are invisible to the naked eye, owing to the great halo ef lustre that pervades throughout. Look from the lake, from the tower, or from the flying trains, its attractiveness is the same. Poets evolve creations from their imagination, which can be enjoyed by the imagination alone. But here, the great poets of science and art have created things which can be perceived by the senses and then dwelt upon by the imagination. When I entered the Transportation Building by the golden gate I felt as if I were in a world of unmixed bliss. Of the multi- tude that meets the gaze on all sides, no one is sullen or sad." But soon our Brahmin finds something to sadden him, even in this earthly paradise. It was the sign of India's impoverishment, in the form of a small, yet nice exhibit, in the gloomy verandah, from which an Indian visitor cannot but avert the gaze in shame and dismay." "Where, where," he asks, is her ancient glory ? By this mournful miniature she reproaches her sons for their narrow-mindedness, disunion and impotence. She laments to see that, though under the rule of her enlightened, honest, just and free sister, instead of respecting her common bond her sons slaughter one another at the instigation, direct or indirect, of some blood-thirsty Rakshasas." The Woman's Building "seems to have been a little surprise for the Brahmin. "In it," he writes, "we do not see women of different sizes, colours, and form, like fishes in the Fisheries Building; but we see how far woman competes with man in manufac- tures and fine arts." Then follow some interesting remarks, though at times odd, on the relative position of women in India and England: The union of man and wife is not broken before the death of either. Woman's interests are so closely interwoven with man's, that the rise or fall of one is necessarily that of the other. Man must procure subsistence and provide against danger; and woman's duty is to manage the home. If anything is done by the husband it is done mostly for the welfare of the wife. However much husband and wife may be strangers to each other before marriage they soon manage to make a world of their mystic affections in which everyone else becomes an in- truder. Though our women are almost illiterate, our home happiness is more enduring, more elevating, and more sincere than what is found in England. In India woman rules man not by threat of tearing asunder the ties which are sacred spiritually and beneficial materially but she rules man with her tender tongue, appealing eye, and loving heart. It is easier, for an Indian to oppose the armed legions of a tyrant, than to oppose the tyrant will of the wife who is classed among slaves by foreigners-who judge Indian life by their own limited experiences, which, at best, are always superficial and confined to the few monstrosities such as may be found in any civilised community. I am sure that if Mahomedan [ind Indian girls are well educated, they can exercise It greater check on civil commotions, such as recently disturbed the peace of many towns, than mounted artillery. "This being the status of woman in India, the Woman's Building' seemed to me a great curiosity. Tlien naturally the question arises, Why is woman totally separated from man in this exposition ?' In Europe and America there are thousands of women who will not marry, and many more who cannot. Competition for husbands is as keen among English women as for civil appointments among the educated Indians. In the poorer classes the wife marries dress and the husband home in the well-to-do classes the husband marries wealth or influence, or both, and the wife marries the prefex Mrs.' to show her sisters that she has made a successful haul, of course with due regard to her position in Societv.' It may be one in a hundred where heart marries heart. Marriage is a contract or sale of goods which are to be delivered by instalments for a valuable considera- tion, to be paid from date to date. In such societies it is, of course, necessary that woman should be able to support herself and to provide for decreptitude which steals upon an old maid sooner than upon an old bachelor. Here are, in this building, exhibits of her self-help. But these articles do not tend to prove that civilised woman can undertake works requiring great physical. or mental force. Woman is an excellent nurse, lively painter, effective preacher, sweet musician, melodious singer, ingenious needle- woman, and, above all, a charming companion of man."

NONE are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them; such persons covet secrets as a spendthrift covets money for the sake of circula- tion. Tilia relationship between Balliol College and Scotland has been made noteworthy by recent events. The memory of John Snell, who founded the exhi- bitions for educating Scotch students at Oxford, is certainly being kept green. It was his will" that brought so many northern youths under the influence of Jowett. The seed thus sown has produced a satis- factory harvest. The late Lord Sandford was an exhibitioner, so was Dr. Gaird, the new Master of Balliol. His friend and fellow-student, Professor Nichol, was also indebted to the same trust. Among others was the late Mr. Colin McClymont, whose promising career at the London bar was cut short by sudden death. J •

THE BANK OF ENGLAND AND ITS CRITICS. The financial disasters of the past year, and the widespread losses which have been suffered by the business community, and by investors generally, have naturally created-a certain amount of ill-feeling in London City circles. It is felt that somebody or something is to blame (observes the Daily Graphic) for a state of affairs under which, during the past year, profits have not been forthcoming, while savings have taken unto themselves wings. An increased disposition is shown, it may be feared, to believe ill of one's neighbours and of their business methods, and to advocate drastic means for their punishment or reformation. It is not of much avail at such times to point out to those who do not of themselves recognise the fact that the depression from which we are all suffering in various degrees has followed, as a natural conse- quence, from a period of excessive speculation and unwise investment, and that, judging from past his- tory, the cycle will repeat itself in the future, not- withstanding all the teachings of experience. The f>resent is the period of penitence and good reso- utions, and the advocates of reforms and changes of all sorts can secure a more patient hearing for their indictments and panaceas than is usually accorded them. A PARALYTIC BANK OF ENGLAND. Under such circumstances an article in the Inn vectors' Review, under the mild heading of A Para- lytic Bank of England," has attracted considerable attention, and has been the subject of animated discussion during the last few days. Mr. A. J. Wilson, who edits the magazine in question, is an able and forcible writer, and his obvious sincerity of purpose carries conviction to many of his readers. Like most avowed reformers, however, Mr. Wilson permits himself to be carried away by his subject. To use an expressive Americanism, he "writes himself sick" about the evils he denounces, and loses all sense of proportion in his accusations. The suggestion of a Board of Trade inquiry into the affairs of the Bank seems an ex- treme remedy for the existence of a few rather anti- quated forms, which have, however, sufficed for 200 years to carry on the business of the nation while yielding large profits to the shareholders, and for the making of an avowedly small amount of bad debts during a time when more modern institutions have suffered in far larger proportions. INVEBTKBNTS OF THE DIRECTORS. There are two classes of readers whom Mr. Wilson's strictures, so far as we can learn, affect, and in widely different directions. Business men generally are not inclined to attach importance to the vatici- nations of the Investors' Reviexo. They haV8 no mis- givings as to the stability of the Bank of Bngland, and are on the whole as well satisfied as can reason- ably be expected with the working of a mere human institution performing such complex duties. They do, however, show an unholy delight at seeing in print some portion of the gossip of the past few months which Mr. Wilson has served up in an attractive form for the public palate. The dish is rather highly seasoned, but, save in one case, no evidence is shown of personal malice. For the rest, Mr. Wilson's revelations chiefly go to prove that even Bank of England directors and their relations sometimes make unprofitable investments. We learn, for instance, among other interesting facts, that the partner of a member of the Board at one time held X350 in a trust whose opera- tions have not been particularly fortunate. As Mr. Wilson himself confesses, there is nothing desper- ately wrong in all this," but to the impartial reader it may appear that the details of the private investments of the Bank of England directors do not form very cogent arguments wherewith to impugn the standing of the Bank itself. The question of good taste again arises, but an ardent reformer does not generally hold himself bound by such considerations. TUB BANK RETURNS. In discussing, however, the financial position of the Bank itself, it is impossible to acquit Mr. Wilson at least of disingenuousness. His financial know- ledge enables him to make a clear exposition of the business of the institution, and to avoid any glaring errors of detail. The statements, however, are palpably addressed to the gallery," and the re- servations and acknowledgments which rob the indict- ment of nearly all its force would be overlooked by most people rather less intimately informed on the subject. If the purpose of the article were to create an unreasoning panic such as would try the stability of the financial system of the world, Mr. Wilson could hardly have arrayed his facts and deduc- tions in better order. We gladly acquit him of any such intention, but evil is wrought by want of thought as well as want of heart," and a proper sense of responsibility should have modified many of the statements made. Mr. Wilson, it is true, still has a lingering faith in the value of a Bank of England note, the credit of the Government being behind it, but he; is confident that if the affairs of the Bank are allowed to drift along as they have done more, or less since the Act of 1844, the end must be a crisis beside which the Baring collapse and all that followed it will dwindle into insignifi- cance." If we investigate the grounds for this' belief they resolve themselves finally into the' facts that the Bank has made some bad debts during the past year—the comparatively small amount of which is approximately known, and will be fully1 shown at the next meeting of shareholders-and that the Board is not directly chosen by the proprietors. Unless it be supposed that the directors and officials are concerned in a huge conspiracy there is no more reason to doubt the bona fides of the periodical state- ments of the Bank made strictly in accordance with the form prescribed by statute, or to require the pre- cise details of its acceptances and investments, than in the case of any joint-stock bank in the country. TUB BARING RUBBISH HEAP." A great deal is made of the Baring rubbish heap," and the unmarketable securities therein con- tained, but not a word is said as to the guarantee by all the leading banks and firms of the advance made by the Bank to prop up the failing house. In no event much short of universal insolvency could the Bank lose by the Baring advance. Mr. Wilson does not in so many words question the policy of a measure which at the time was hailed almost universally as an act deserving of national grati- tude. It is now as widely recognised that there have been compensating disadvantages, and the Bank itself has incurred some small losses bv further advances of the same character in another quarter, made on its own responsibility. Mr. Wilson chooses to assume that one result of the Baring advances has been to permanently in- crease the other deposits" of the Bank, though incidentally he does admit that the increase in question may be partly due to the heavier balances retained by bankers in general at the Bank of England," an explanation which will occur to every one familiar with Mr. Goschen's recommendations a year or two since. Elsewhere complaint is made that the Bank does not hold so much commercial paper as formerly. It is, of course, well known that the volume of float- ing bills has been and is diminishing with the reduc- tion of long credits, and that the Bank is kept out of the discout market by the cry that it would be using the money of the joint stock banks to compete for their own business. The directors have thus been forced to invest an increased proportion of their available funds in Government and Colonial securities to which latter Mr. Wilson especially objects. A MATTER FOR THE BOARD AND THE SHAREHOLDERS. It may, in short, be said that an- answer is at oftce apparent to each head of the charge which Mr. Wilson has drawn up, and in some cases he supplies incidentally that answer, though not in a way to make its cogency apparent. If the purport of the article be an indictment of the whole monetary system of the country, it is made under cover of a special attack on the Bank of England. If the con- stitution of the Bank alone has to be remedied the matter lies between the board and the shareholders, and the latter will certainly be slow to move so long as dividends are maintained, according to Mr. Wilson's own showing, at their singularly uniform and satis- factory level.

SUBJECTS of Examination—Witnesses. AN observer has taken 1000 notes of the conversa- tion of passing young women. Out of that number 780 began ^it-h either, And I said to him,"or, He said to me," or, "She told me that he said," One hundred and twenty referred to dresses or hats that were either perfectly lovely or "just splendid," and the remainder were pretty evenly divided between comments on other girls, who were" horrid" or "stuck up and hateful," new novels, studies, the summer vacation, and the latest scientific dis- j coveries. <

I MARKET NEWS. WOOL.—A comparatively quiet market. Spinners are not found to respond very readily to the advance which has recently taKen place in wool, and they operate only so far as is necessary to cover orders in hand. Bright wether wools are again in demand, but hogs are neglected. Hops.-There is a fairly brisk demand for hops of all kinds, and prices remain at the same level. English hops continue to be exported to the Continent for use by brewers there, the supply of home-grown hops being exceedingly limited, and the prices quite double the values commanded on this market. Californian hops are moving off rapidly at the very reasonable prices now demanded for them, but States" Americans hang fire on account of their very poor quality. Old English hops can now be purchased at very low prices, but the demand for them is almost at a standstill. Quotations as follows: East Kent Goldings, E6, £ 7, E8; Mid-Kent Goldings, F-6, E7, £7 10s; Weald of Kents, £5 12s, £6 10s, E7; Sussex, £5 12s, E6, E6 15s; Farnhams and Country Farnhams, £5 15s, £6 15s, £7 10s Worcesters, £5 12s, £6 6s, £7 10s; Burgundies, P-9, £10; Americans and Pacific Coast hops, E5, C5 10s, £6 10s yearlings, S:4 10s, £5 5s per cwt. SEEDS.—Rather more business now passing in seeds. A substantial advance has recently been established in American red. Alsyke, white, and trefoil showed no change. Very high rates prevail for Italian ryegrass. Sainfoin is also this season exceedingly dear. Mustard and rapeseed keep firm. As regards canaryseed, the upward movement makes further progress. Later reports just from Constanti- nople indicate that but little seed now remains in Turkey for shipment. New hempseed offers at tempting rates. For peas and haricots there is a better feeling. CORN.—MARK-LANE.—The trade all round is firm. In the leading provincial markets of the United Kingdom wheat and flour are fully firm, and spring corn occasionally dearer. Most generally white wheats have sold at 29s to 31s and reds 27s to 29s, in some instances rather over. At Mark-lane a firmer tone prevails, but prices of breadstuffs showed very little improvement until near the close, when, with more doing, they hardened. Best English white wheats closed 6d higher, and foreign the turn in sellers' favour. Flour found a more ready sale at full but not quotably dearer rates. Oats, with more demand, ruled 6d to 9d higher on the week. Maize showed fully 6d advance, fine Cinquantina 22s, and 21s for Galatz landed. Barley finished 6d dearer for grinding sorts, with a fair demand; malting kinds firm. Beans and peas firm and quoted in sellers' favour. Wheat cargoes held for full rates, and occasionally higher for Russian and American parcels. Caiifornian off coast sold 28s net for France. La Plata f.a.g., May-June shipment, sold 24s 3d; and parcels of Nicolaieff Gliirka, March-April, at 26s. American red winter, January despatch, made 24s 9d. Maize firm to rather dearer. Danubian due at Gib- raltar sold 20s and Galatz-Foxanian Rachora about loading, 21s. Forward position more freely offered. Parcels American mixed, January shipment, including Tilbury, sold 18s nd and 18s 3d; 1st to 15th Janu- ary brought 18s 4-*d. Barley firm but quiet. For Crimean due out 14s ld paid, and for Azoff, May- June, 14s. Kustendje, prompt shipment, sold 14s Continent. CATTLE—METROPOLITAN.—Quotations: Best Scots, 4s 6d to 4s 8d exceptionally, 4s lOd best Norfolks, 4s 6d to 4s 8d; shorthorns, 4s Od to 4s 4d; plain, 3s 8d to 3s lOd best 9-stone Down wethers, 5s 4d to 5s 6d smaller, 5s 8d; 10-stone half-breds, 5s 2d to 5s 4d 12-stone and 11-stone, 4s 8d to 5s Od white-faced wethers, 4s 8d to 4s lOd; ewes, 3s 6d to 4s Od. Calves, none. Pigs, 3s 8d to 4s 8d per 81b., sinking the offal. LIVERPOOL-CATTLE. The supply of stock was much larger than last week. The weather very cold, and favourable for slaughter. The demand fair for cattle. Prices still very irregular, but without material change in value. The quality of the cattle was by no means first class. There was a fair trade for Scotch sheep, but Irish met a very slow sale at con- siderably lower prices. Beef, first class, 6!d; second class, 5fd; third class. 4ld per lb. Scotch mutton, Sid to 6d per lb. Irish mutton, 7d to 5!d per lb. MEAT— CENTRAL.—Beef: Scotch, shorts, 4s 2d to 4s Gd; sides, 4s to 4s 2d; English, 3s lOd to 4s 2d American, Deptford-killed, 3s 8d to3s9d Liverpool, 38 7d to 3s 8d; American-killed, hindquarters, best, 4s to 4s 2d average, 4s Id seconds, 3s lOd to 4s 2d; average, 4s, weak fores, 2s 8d to 2s. lOd average, 2s 9d. Mutton, Scotch, 4s 2d to 4s 6d exceptionally. 4s 8d English, country, 4s to 4s 2d; Antwerp, 3s lOd to 4s; New Zealand, 2s lOd to 3s Id. Veal, English and Dutch, 3s 4d to 4s 4d choice, 5s. Pork, English, small, 4s to 4s 4d; large, 3s 8d to 4s; Dutch, 3s 2d to 3s 6d Irish, 3s 2d to 3s 6d per 81b. FISH. BILLINGSGATE. Supply short. Demand slack. Turbot, 10s to 14s; brill, 6s to 8s halibut, 7s to 8s per stone; live cod, 40s to 180s per score; salmon, 2s 6d soles, Is Id to Is 5d red mullet, Is 3d to Is 6d; dories, 8d per lb.; plaice, large, 20s to 25s; others, 10s to 15s; whiting, 10s; dead cod, 18s to 25s: herrings, 5s; Glasgow, 15s per box; salted herrings, 12s per barrel; haddocks, 7s to 10s per box, and 18s per turn; eels, live, 20s dead, 10s per draft; lobsters, Is 6d 'to 3s 6d each crabs, 22s 6d per hamper: bloaters, 2s to 3s kippers, 2s to 3s per box; smoked haddocks, 3s to 8s per dozen shrimps, Is 6d toe 2s 6d per gallon. CotENT GARDEN—FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.— Supplies of fruit fair, and trade steady. Greenstuffa: Washed carrots, 3s 3d to 4s per bag; savoys, Is; cauliflowers, Is 3d to 2s per dozen Brussels sprouts, Is 6d to 2s 6d per half-bushel; parsley, Is; mint, 2s to 3s 'per dozen bunches; horseradish, Is 3d. to Is 6d per bundle; cucumbers, 2s to 6s; endive. Is; artichokes, 2s mushrooms, 9d. Potatoes, English Hebrons, 90s to 100s; Regents, 60s to 70s; Black- lands, 45s to 50s; various other sorts, 50s to 60s per ton. Fruit: English grapes, Is to 2s 6d; English tomatoes, 3d to 8d per lb. English apples, Is to 8s per bushel; walnuts, 4s 6d to 5s; chestnuts, Redon, 14s to 15s per bag. LONDON HAY AND STRAW.—Prime picked meadow hay, 150s to 170s; good do., 130s to 150s; useful do., 100s to 130s; prime clover, 130s to 140s useful do., 105s to 130s; inferior, 90s to 105s; straw, 36s to 57s per load. Canadian hay, 120s to 130s per ton. CAMBRIDGE—CATTLE.—A few lots of store beasts business slow. A fair number of fat beasts, and prices not so good. Trade for fat sheep slow, and prices lower for all classes a few lots of stores, and all sold. Not so many fat pigs, and trade slow stores a better trade. Hay, straw, and roots a brisk trade all round. Beef, 6s 6d to 7s 9d mutton, 4s 4d to 5s 2d; pork, 6s Od to 7s Od. READING.—CATTLE.—The beef on offer was of fairly good quality, and sold at the following quotations Best, 4s 8d to 5s; secondary,. 4s to 4s 4d per stone. The sheep pens were moderately filled. Prime sheep realised 5s 8d to 6s; coarser sorts, 5s 4d to 5s 6d per stone. Calves sold slowly. CORK BUTTFR.-Ordinar. y: Seconds, 109s; thirds, 91s; fourths, 85s. Mild-cured firkins: Fine, 115s; mild, 103s. GRIMSBY FISH. Good supply good demand. Prices as follows Brills, Is per lb.; live cod, 4s to 10s 6d; dead, 3s to 7s 6d each; salt, lis per cwt.; coalfish, 20s to 40s; catfish, 20s to 50s per score codlings, 18s to 22s gurnets, 8s to 10s perbox; dabs, 3s 9d per stone haddocks, 34s to 40s per kit round, 14s to 20s per box; finnan, 3s 9d per stone; live halibut, 9s 6d; dead, 6s 6d per stone; hake, 2s to 5s each; kippers, Is 6d to 2s 9d per box; live ling, 5s to 9s and 3s to 7s each lobsters, Is 9d to 2s per lb.; oysters unaltered; plaice, 3s 6d to 5s per stone; reds, 2s per box; roker, 12s to 18s per score; soles, Is 6d to Is 9d per lb.; lemon, 10s to lis per stone; sturgeon, 9s 6d per stone; live skate, 5s to 9s; dead, 3s to 5s each turbots, Is to Is 2d per lb.; tusks, 20s to 40s per score.

TIIE most laconic will on record is that of a man who died in 1767. It runs thus I have nothing I owe a great deal-the rest I give to the poor." O arrival of the 9.30 p.m. train from Waterloo at Teddington Station on Saturday the body of a well- dressed gentleman was discovered in one of the first- class compartments. His brains were blown out, and in his right hand he held a large six-chambered revolver, five of the barrels being stul loaded. In the pockets of his clothes was found a card, printed on one side-" St. Quintin and Son, auctioneers, 50, Threadneedle-street, Royal Exchange," and there was written in pencil on the reverse side—" C. Farris, 80, Bishopsgate-street," and there was a printed wrapper, addressed to Mrs. G. E. Scott, I, Victoria-road, Teddington. The body was removed to the mortuary to await an inquest. The deceased is apparently about 35 years of age. A telegram says the deceased has been identified as Mr. Scott, of Teddington.

WILLS AND BEQUESTS. The will (dated May 24, 1890) has been proved of Mr. Henry Ravenhill, late of Clapham-common, who died on Nov. 23, the net personal estate being sworn at £ 83,407 2s. 5d. Subject to provisions for his widow during her life, the testator's residuary estate is left to his children. The Scotch confirmation, under seal of office of the Coinmissariot of the county of Edinburgh, of the general disposition and deed of settlement and codicil, dated respectively Jan. 15, 1853, and Sept. 28. 1893, of Major-General Thomas Andrew Lumsden Murray, R.E., of The Knoll, Camberley, Surrey, who died at Canisbay, Caithness-shire, on Oct. 3, granted to Lieut.- Colonel Henry Champernowne, R.E., and William Hugh Murray, the surviving executors nominate, was resealed in London on Dec. 18, the value of the per- sonal estate in England, Scotland, and Ireland amounting to over £ 49,000. The will (dated Dec. 17,1885), with a codicil (dated Jan 21,1888), of Mr. Robert Henry Pearson, late of High-street, Notting-hill Gate, ironmonger, and of 23, Campdeu-hill-square, who died on Sept. 7, has been proved by Jonathan Pearson, the brother James Bailey, and Alfred Chiltern Pearson, the son, the executors, the value of the personal estate amount- ing to upwards of £ 31,000. The testator bequeaths his furniture and effects (except a few articles given to his son), £ 150, and an annuity of 000 to his wife E300 to his son Alfred Chilton; and annuities and legacies to sisters, brothers, relatives of late wife, executors, and cook. He also bequeaths £100 to the Iron, Hardware, and Metal Trades Pension Society. The residue of his real and personal estate he leaves, upon trust, for his said son. The Irish probate of the will (dated Dec. 29, 1891) of Mr. Richard Farrell, late of Thorahill Bray and Arno Bray. county Wicklow, and 21, Fitzwilliam- place, Dublin, who died on Nov. 1, granted to Major John Charles Farrell, the brother and sole executor, was resealed in London on Dec. 16, the value of the personal estate in England and Ireland amounting to over £ 28,000. The testator bequeaths £ 100 for such charitable purposes in Ireland as his brother, John Charles Farrell, shall think fit; P-2003 to his godson, Arthur F. R. Power and £ 5000 to his sister, Agnes M. Power. The residue of his property he gives to his said brother. The will (dated Jan. 12,1891) with a codicil (dated Feb. 3, 1892), of Mr. Edmund Locock, J.P., late of Thorpe, Louth, Elkington, Lincolnshire, who died on Nov. 24, was proved on Dec. 19 by the Rev. James Grenville Smith, John George Allott, and the Rev.. Henry Bedford Pim. the nephew, the executors, the value of the personal estate amounting to over £:25.000. The testator bequeaths all his household furniture, plate, books, effects, wines, horses, and car- riages, and pecuniary legacies amounting together to. £ 1700 to his wife, Mrs. Catherine Mary Locock. The residue of his personal estate lie leaves upon trust for his wi £ e for life, and then to pay EIOOO to his godson, Edmund Locock Hughes. As to the ultimate residue, one third is to be held upon trust for his brother, the Rev. William Locock, for life, and then for his children one third upon trust for his sister Mrs. Susanna Pim. for life, and then for her children and one third upon trust for his sister Frances Gardner, for life, and then as to one moiety thereof to go with the one third left to his brother William, and as to the other moiety to go with the third left to his sister Susanna. The. will (dated July 13, 1892) of Miss Georgiana Croulie, late of Cheltenham, who died on Dec. 8, was proved on Dec. 19 by Henry Crooke, the brother, and Frederick James Crooke, the nephew, the executors, the value of the personal estate amounting to over £ 23.000. The testatrix bequeaths £100 to the Cheltenham General Hos pital Z50 to the Delancey Fever Hospital, Cheltenham; £ 5000 between her great-niece,. Alice Mary Bromhead. and her great- nephe.w George William Freckleton; and legacies to other ..of her relatives, executors, and servants. She gives -all the property she has power to appoint under the will of her late brother, Arthur Anne Cooke, to her nephew, Frederick James Cooke. As to the residue of her real and personal estate, she leaves one third between the said Frederick James Crooke and her niece Ellen Howorth one third to the children of her late brother Edward; and one third to her niece Mary Whittingstall. Th. will (dated Nov. 27, 1890), with a codicil (dated Sept. 7, 1891), of Major Henry Scott, formerly 18th, Hussars, and of Great Marlow, Bucks, and late of Elgin Lodge, Osborne-road, Windsor, who died on Nov. 6 at Whitstable. was proved on Dec. 19 "by General James Thomas Walker, C.B., and Robert Eden George Cole, the executors, the value of the personal estate amounting to over £ 14,000. The testator bequeaths EIOO to the Institution for Trained Nurses, Dover £ 25 to the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society: E2400 to Ada Judson and other legacies. The residue of his real and personal estate he leaves, upon trust, for his wife Emily Louisa Harriet Scott, for life, and then for his nephew Francis Rodes Hutt. The will (dated June 10,1892) of Mr. Robert Henry Johnston, J.P,, late of Grantham, Lincolnshire, who died on Nov. 23, was proved on Dec. 20 by Miss Jane Annie Johnston, Henry Hammond Johnston, and John George Johnston, the children, and John Caru- thers Little, the executors, the value o'f the personal estate amounting to over £ 13,000. The testator gives, devises, and bequeaths all the real and personal estate he is possessed of as a partner in the banking firm of Messrs. Hardy and Co., Grantham, to his co- partners, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles John Bullivant Parker and Henry Hammond Johnston, upon the several trusts under which he holds the same. He bequeaths legacies to children, godchildren, nieces, great-nieces and nephews, grandchildren, clerks, ser- vants, and others; and leaves the residue of his real and personal estate equally between his six children, Jane Annie, Henry Hammond, Edith Hannah, Maria Jemima, John Geojjge, and Thomas Leathes.—Illus- trated London Xeivs?

LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE MONSON TRIAL. There can be only one opinion, we should imagine (says the Law Journal in an article on the subject), as to the propriety of the verdict. Indeed, such cases as this almost reconcile one to the intermediate course which Scots law leaves open to a jury between the conviction of a prisoner and his absolute acquittal. It was not clearly proved that Monson had that commanding motive to kill Hambrougli which determines the criminal will. The absence of an opening statement by prosecuting counsel is a serious inconvenience, and there is at least a superficial confusion in the double and triple cross examining and re- examining of witnesses with which Monson's trial has made us unpleasantly familiar. But the rapidity with which—thanks to the official shorthand writers of the Scotch Courts—the trial proceeded, the entire absence of scenes between counsel and wit- nesses, the judicial mode of Mr. Asher's very able and lucid speech for the Crown, and the perfection of the Scotch system of dealing with productions or exhibits are worthy of all praise—and of English imitation. It is also a question deserving of con- sideration whether the Scotch practice is not superior to our own in (1) giving the last word to the prisoner, and (2) entitling the defence to have regular notice of every production on which the Crown proposes to rely, although we are not prepared to accept Lord Kingsburgh's dictum that it is the duty of every good citi- zen, even if he be an expert retained for the defence, to submit to examination by the prosecution on the nature and the details of the evidence which he is prepared to give. The last point to which we will refer is—the effect of verdict of "Not proven." There seems to be noJ doubt, in spite of the state- ments which h^e been made to the contrary, that Monson cannot be arrested and re-tried for the old alleged offences, no matter what fresh evidence of his guilt the prosecution might imagine that it possessed. In the language of Scots law he has "tholed his assize," and lie could not be tried again for the alleged murder of Lieutenant Hambrough even upon his own confession.

GOSSIP is a sort of smoke that comes from the 11 dirty tobacco pipes of those who diffuse it it proves nothing but the bad taste of the smoker. HAVE a purpose in life, and, having it, throw into vour work such strength of mind and muscle as God has given you. LORD CHESHAM, whose allotment experiments in Huntingdonshire are exciting much interest, has not a grear territorial holding in any particular county, but has a considerable estate in at least five. The family residence, Latimer, Bucks, is one of the loveliest places in that part of England. He is Master of the Bicester Hounds, and has thus to live a great deal in Oxfordshire. Another prominent believer in allotments is Mr. Charles Sharpe, of Sleaford, who has been the means of creating more allotments in this country than any other person.

THE PORTLAND MANUSCRIPTS. Another bulky volume has been issued by the Historical Manucripts Commission dealing with the manuscripts at Welbeck Abbey. In the introduction it is stated that though not entitled to the recom- mendation possessed by its predecessor of being associated with the name of Nalson, it still contains much that should be of interest to antiquaries and students of history. The same remark applies to it which might have been made with reference to the first,.Iliat it contains nothing relating to theBentinck family. This is not, of course, because the Welbeck muniment room contains no records of that family, but because it is intended to treat of them in a later volume, when the correspondence of the earlier families now represented by the house of Portland, and which were flourishing before the Bentinckg came to England, has been thoroughly disposed of. The bulk of the papers in this first category relate "0 to the Harley family. They commence with the seventeenth century, and appear to include the whole of the correspondence, public and private, of the minister, Robert Harley, first Earl of Oxford, or at least so much of it as he thought fit to preserve, or neglected to destroy. But the publication of these Harley papers has been postponed, with the exception of the correspondence of Nathaniel Harlev, the youngest brother of the minister. This Nathaniel was for many years a merchant at Aleppo, and having been cut off from his family by the distance at which he lived, the imperfect means of communication which then existed, and the wars which raged throughout Europe during nearly the whole time of his residence in Asia Minor, he was quite out of touch with England and English concerns, and was frequently ignorant of the most important events for years after they happened. His correspondence has, however, been thought to be worth reproduction at some length, as giving a curious account of the mode of life and thought current at an English factory at the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th centuries. Next to the Harley papers the most important series is that relating to the Newcastle Branch of the Cavendish family. It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to mention that the granddaughter of the last Caven- dish, Duke of Newcastle, Lady Henrietta or Harriett Cavendish Holles, married in the year 1713 Lord Harley, eldest son of the Earl of Oxford, who was then at the height of his fame. It would appear by reading between the lines in this and other contem- porary correspondence that Oxford had long schemed and laid his plans for this marriage, and that with his usual cunning and ability he was successful in keeping off other suitors, and winning the prize for his family. It may serve to show how brilliant a mar- riage it was for Lord Harley if attention be called to the fact that it was at one time suggested that Lady Harriett should be married to the eldest son of the Electorof Hanover, that is to say, to George II. Bvthis achievement the worldly position of the Harleys was immeasurably increased. The lady's fortune was immense, for she not only brought to her husband all the wealth of the Newcastle family, but she was also the heiress of the Holies, Earls of Clare. Her father was originally Earl of Clare, and was created Duke of Newcastle in succession to his father-in-law. who chose his daughter, the Countess of Clare, to be his ,heiress. in preference to her sisters, who had also all married noblemen of high rank. Of Holies' papers there are comparatively few. Possibly they exist in some other unexplored collection, and were not removed, when the family migrated to Welbeck. It is not improbable, that they may have been destroyed or confiscated during the Civil Wars. Those that there are have been incorporated in the Newcastle series. There are also a few Vere papers, consisting, almost without exception, of an isolated correspondence between Francis Wrenhnm. who appears to have been in the service of Sir Horace Vere while he was in the Low Countries, and Lady Yere. wife of Sir Horace, who remained in England. It is not quite easv to say why these papers come to be at Welbeck, but as both the Harleys and Cavendishes were related to the Veres it is not altogether surprising to find some relic of them there. In passing it may be mentioned that Harlev's connect ion with the Yeres. Earls of Oxford, was through his grandmother, the celebrated Brilliana, Lady Har- ley, daughter of Viscount Conway, and wife of Sir Robert Harley. It may have been on this ground that he chose the title of Oxford when the principal branch of the the Yeres became extinct. His doing so, how- ever, seems not to have passed without protest, and he is supposed to have joined the Earldom of Mortimer to that of Oxford to secure his position in case any serious claim were made upon his first title. Having arranged for the disposition of the various groups of papers under the headings of the families to which they belonged, there remained a consider- able mass of documents which could not be assigned to any of the above-mentioned categories. It became, therefore, a matter of some difficulty to decide under what heading they were to be classed. The early charters, for instance, with which this volume opens, could not be treated as belonging to any of the before-mentioned families, and the same remark applies to the valuable and interesting series of royal and other letters which follows the charters. It has been thought best, therefore, in the absence of any sufficient data for doing otherwise, to put all the charters together, and then to class under the head of a general series all the isolated papers, the waifs and strays, so to speak, of the muniment room, which could not be reason- ably and definitely attached to any particular group. Such a mode of classification can be nothing more, at best, than a matter of opinion. Errors and oversights may well occur in it, which will become apparent when an external and comprehensive view can be taken of the work in its entirety. Following on the general series are some papers r&- lat ihg to naval matters. These also appear to have no right to be considered as family papers. They relat* principally to Sir William Penn, who does not seem to have been a connection, and was certainly not a near relation, of any of the above-mentioned families, though his son, the Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, corresponded on terms of some intimacy, as will appear in a subsequent volume, with Robert Harley. It can only be a matter of speculation how these documents- the early charters and the papers in the General and the Navy Series—ever found their way to Welbeck, but the most probable explanation is that when the Duchess of Portland, the daughter and heiress of the second Earl of Oxford, handed over to the nation her father's collection of manuscripts for a consideration that was little more than nominal, the sweep that she made was not quite so thorough as was intended. It is very unlikely that some papers should not have been overlooked when we consider the mass of them which was being handled. If that be the case, these papers must have been purchased by the duchess's father, or by the first earl, for Robert Harley was as eager a collector when he had leisure for such things as was his son. Possibly they were forgotten or mislaid bv the collector himself, who, in themass of valuable matter which surrounded him, lost count of his treasures. Anyhow, from whatever source they proceed, their resting place is at Welbeck and now, thanks to the kindness of their possessor, they will perhaps be more easily referred to by the distant student than if they were incorporated in the price- less Harleian collection in the British Museum.

= TilE new Horticultural Society at the People's Palace in East London, over which the Duke of Fife is to preside, will probably have the largest member- ship of any horticultural society in the world. It will be essentially the poor man's society, the subscription for exhibiting members being only one shilling per annum. For this modest sum it is proposed to grant the privileges of entry for the special prizes offered to working men horticulturists, of free admission to the two or three shows held in the course of the year, and of an issue of seeds at a specially low price, together with leaflets bearing upon the growing of the plants, and flowers scheduled for exhibition. In case the gate monev taken at the shows and the members' subscriptions should n0^J suffice to make the concern financially sound, a large number of gentlemen and ladies interested m East London will be asked to become associates and vice-presidents, the former at half a guinea and the latter at two or three guineas annually. The governors of the People's Palace will, of course, put at the disposal of the com- mittee the magnificent Queen's Hall and a good deal of clerical assistance and labour. In fact, they are beginning to realise that technical schools are not the only method of fulfilling their mission to make their institution the centre of "sweetness and light for the East-end. The occasional costermongers' donkey shows, and the isolated flower shows of the past are but an earnest of what it is hoped to accomplish ulti- mately in the direction of really reaching the mass of poor people for whom the palace was intended to ter.

POLLUTION OF PONDS. Professor J. Wortley Axe, in an article on water in relation to health and disease in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, states that ponds, like streams, afford immense advantages to owners of stock, and, like them also, they sometimes prove a source of serious loss. Very few indeed realise the evil conse- quences resulting from these generally ill-conditioned stores of water,, and when this knowledge is brought home to the farmer by bitter experience it cannot be said to exercise any far-reaching influence in the cause of sanitation. The importance of the lesson irresistibly forced upon the sufferer seldom evokes more than a passing recognition from the less interested neighbour. These places, although indis- pensable, are often little better than plague-spots, and thousands of young animals in particular die every year from parasitic infection incurred by drink- ing from them. It has fallen to our lot, he says, to witness many valuable studs and flocks crippled and eurtailed from this cause, and, by acting upon our knowledge of parasitic life, to prevent a recurrence of the disease. The larvre or young of some of the most destructive parasites take up their abode in the mud and organic filth in which ill- kept ponds abound. The blood-sucking Strongylus contortus," a parasite which causes immense losses in our lamb flocks, as well as other nematode worms, revel in the dirt of our ponds, in slow- running streams, and swampy places. How they get there will be understood when it is remembered that our farm animals frequently deposit the eggs or embryos of various parasites in and about the water from which they drink. That these organisms subsequently find their way into the bodies of other animals is in a great measure due to the fact that stock are usually permitted to walk into ponds for some distance to procure their water, and in doing so the mud and such parasites as it contains are stirred up and swallowed in the act of drinking. The remedies against parasitic infection of pond water ca* never in all cases be complete, but by providing a proper slope and laying brick earth or some other such matter at their entrance, and fencing them across so as to prevent stock from going into them, some degree of security might thus be insured. Where these provisions are not obtainable, thorough cleansing at every favourable opportunity should be resorted to. Mud removed from ponds should not be used for dressing pasture land immediately, but should be thoroughly mixed with lime and allowed to stand in a heap for two or three months, when it may be used for arable land or high-land dressing, but on no account should it be applied to damp or swampy meadows. It is only recently that a serious outbreak of parasitic disease among lambs followed upon the dressing of some park land with mud re- moved from an adjoining pond. Ponds in proximity to farmsteads are not only a source of danger in this respect, but they are also liable to serious befoulment in other ways. Dead fowls, not infrequently affected with tuberculosis, and also dead cats, and portions of the carcasses of other animals are often put out of sight by being cast into the horse-pond, where besides being out of sight, they soon become out of mind, and seldom receive consideration in estimating the possible causes of any prevailing disease. Trees overhanging ponds are a source of organic pollution which should as far as possible be done away with.