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[No title]
DHliard-room for women ]B ln „mi^ ereotiop LpUis. Qpe department hi the ■ w! tu4*e win jje devoted to a school of instruction, where novices may receive lessons from an expert teacher 1, 'propri^r ^fill .expend R3000 in fitting up the gatooiK- The ^ew eiub-will be unique, as there is only one public billiard-salooa for wonien in the f°"d—ria Vienna r, J THE.KWJJR Greece toft i." vy: '1". »tyle, cheerfully adapting their expenses to the imperi,, nious plight of the country, and their Majesties ofren take the tram when thev want to run down to too port of Athens. The Queen is an accomplished -Scotswoman, holds a master's certificate, and II honorary admiral in the Bosnian Navy.
- MARRIAGE OF THE DEAD.
MARRIAGE OF THE DEAD. The new number of Dr. Richard Andree's geographical magazine, Globus, contains a remarkable article upon the strange East Asiatic custom of the marriage of the dead. Colonel Yule, in his observa- tions upon this eccentric ceremony in 1871, believed it to bei pf Chinese origin, and it is still practised in the northern parts of China. It appears, however, that it was originally introduced into China by the Tatars (" Kin-Tataren") in the 12th century before Christ. It is first mentioned by a Chinese author, Aang Yu-chi, in a book written by him in the year 1126, where he speaks of it as a new thing which was utterly un- known in China in his younger days, that is, before the Tatars bad entered his country. The two candi- dates for matrimony must have died unmarried. The parents on both sides apply to the so-called "Kweimer," which means "negotiator of marriage among the spirits," who arranges all the time- honoured details. The wedding ceremony between the dead son of one family and the dead daughter of the other is celebrated at the grave of the spirit- bridegroom or spirit-bride. A contract is drawn up, signed by the parents of the bridal couple, and then burned with great solemnity, in the be- lief that the business transacted between the living will thus become known to the dead and re- ceive their assent as obedient children. Thencefor- ward the parents regard themselves as legally related, exactly as if their children bad been married in this life. The custom is mentioned by Marco Polo, if we mistake not, but was received as one of his travel- ler's tales," for it is only in recent times that the credibility and trustworthiness of his narrations hate beien justified. Our Western saying that Marriages are made in Heaven is quite a thing of yesterday in comparison with this venerable practice of marry- ing on earth two persons supposed already to be in Heaveo.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. Another time-honoured English institution is doomed. Professor Skeat is attacking the Subjunc- tive Mood. He says there is no further need for it, and, except for antiquarian proposes, it ought to be abolished altogether. It is even now moribund, and is with difficulty kept alive in the interests merely of pedantry. People may preserve it in a few petri- fied phrases, such as If it be" or If it were not," but otherwise they may treat the Subjunctive Mood as disrespectfully as a scoffer once did the Equator. It is a pity learned men did not arrive at this decision years ago. Many birches would have remained unused, and hours of mental agony spared to thousands of boys whose opinion of the Subjunctive was none of the highest. Its disap- pearance will also be a great relief to after-dinuer orators, who usually came to grief among its intri- cacies. Still (as the Telegraph, remarked recently) it was an old friend, though rather pompous, and merits a tear of regret.
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[No title]
IN .France, pearls and rubies are 6tlUT!f/ fashionable than any other precious stone. which is tied loosely round then Mafa h ShuleUerpq™h, Z5 AlJSSSr? hisk6possels^ion°the^ti^°turquoise on whiclTale engraved the legends dictated by Mahomet. A BERLIN correspondent has been requested to state that the assertion of several French papers that M, de Witte, the Russian Minister of Finance, will go to Paris shortly for an important political conference with M. Faure is utterly unfounded. M. de Witte will, as usual, spend part of his leave at Vichy, and will go there via Paris, where he will, of course, call Ion the President, but his visit will be a mere matter of courtesy, void of all political significance.
.-WILLS AND BEQUESTS.
WILLS AND BEQUESTS. The will at Mr. Aostino Gatti, dated November 13, 1883, la*« of 10, Bedford-square, in the County of Middlesex who died at the above address on January 14, 1897, has been proved by Stefano Gatti, the brother, the executor, the personal estate amounting to £ 167,828. The testator bequeaths to hi3 wif^ Gialia Gatti, an annuity of £ 2000, to be paid half-^ yearly, and directs his executor to hold the residue in trust for all his children as he shall by deed appoint, and in default of appointment to raise the sum of £ 28,000, with interest thereon from the date of his P-8000 for his eldest dan.hter Maria, as to another £ 8<X»for hi. daughter loATr t daughter Lisa, and as to another £ 6000 for his m13 rldue in tri,st for qTh« Jsn B°a11 »tta,n the age of 21 years. late of No i8' A!argaret Elizabeth Finch, S2B Shifed- d bridge (wife of the Rev. Brwn B lGe™d( F'^h, solicitor, the son, and Walter aniftmi(inS0|C1r'n ? executors, the personal estate her or* ° ^e testatrix bequeaths to diamonrlUt°rS **j eac^ w'fk exception of a khfi ttof necklace given to her husban d, ^er je^lery and wearing Martrnr f ° ^"S^ters, Alice Mary and Isabel Knnt, v>6 that having given to each of her °\frnest, Gerard and Herbert King, £ 5000, she chiM the like sum to each of her other four XT ren' -A-'jce, Mary, Alfred Heneage, Isabel 0» 8arets and Arthur Joshua, on attaining 25 years hnoKo6'J e /es^ue ^6 testatrix bequeaths to her nd for life, and then to her six children equally. 1 ,rSOnal 08tate valued at £ 38,426 12s. has been left by Mr. Charles James Bruzaud, of 93, Holland- '°ad, Kensington, and formerly of the firm of • ■rt!>a6t!an an^ ^>ierre Erard, pianoforte manufacturers, P 01i *he 14th of February last, aged 78 years, fr of whose will, which bears date January 13, 1897, o-e e*ecntors are his son Edwin George Bruzaud, of 951 Cambridge gardens, his nephew Sigismund ArtW T?ruzaud> of 27, Holland-park avenue, Pearj>A «/eneau Pearce, of Higbgate, and Eobert Thn to t °otton Eeneau, of Wandsvrorth-common. and th« bequeaths to Arthur E. Pearce £ 60, Brii7An^ 1 are nunierous specific bequests. Mr. £ SOO u ^1ueathed to Amelia Isabel Walter ,because he considered that certain nrnAnnJi ln ^erefordshire should or could have conrln f ,m?re ^an it realised if the sale had been rSS™. m a different manner. He left his Holland estate, including his freehold house in as tn ~ro^d' which he valued at £ 2400, in trust Edwin for each of his children, the said Arthur u°T^e Camille Louisa Bruzaud, Walter n ruzaud, Emma Katharine Davis, and Camilla /Utaud» but as to the share of his daughter annlv fn» 1 pa7 to her £ 280 a year, and to pay or her shar T the remainder of the income of consent in f discretion of the trustees, whose The eha « °btairied in the event of her marriage. Unnn ,°; tlle testator's ecm Waltter' is also left at length*3 trusts, the details of which are set out
_I'.S, OCEAN'S GREAT DEPTHS.
_I'.S, OCEAN'S GREAT DEPTHS. The greatest depth of the ocean has never been "attefactorily ascertained, owing to the mechanical difficulty of constructing sounding apparatus that will bear the strain. Captain Ross adopted the plan or using a heavy weight with a small line, and by the'w USr4rhed 27,000ft., when the weight broft soundinaa >1 ugreatest depth. to which reliable tenant Wai t*f n made was ascertained by Lieu- ,iSi'0 ¥ 6700 f"tll0m8. 84,200ft." more thn Una i i • Rn then 110 h°ttom was found, X ♦ £ « break,Dg at the reel. There was no doubt the °f the test' for during the descent of a unif K:an exact plumb was preserved there was anv f;rtini1 1°crease in the tension, with no check at been reapl^}' W*"°k 8^ows that the bottom had not
CRETE IN LONDON;
CRETE IN LONDON; A ONE-MAN COLONY. There is a Cretan' colony in Lonc&n. It is not a very large colony, but it exists. He stands (remarks a writer in the Daily Mail) in Bishopsgate-street. cod Us bootlaces and collar-buttons. He—for, n"? \o 'n mystery, the Cretan colony consists of but one pi goes in for umbrella-rings and Ital'"Crf nerSi once tried hokey-pokey; but aa cam'e fnd a Greek, descendants of two mighty races, busin S aiid coerced him into retiring from the birth688 <a^e^. regarded as their own by right of sella | 0 Matapa, London's solitary Cretan, sells bdotlaces- and corar-buttme; and sniffs the battle J a ar; At present he resides^-that is to say, the Viet<?^ er8 0 tbe Crete in London are—-at the ^ut ria doaa-honse in Commercial-road, E., 80 many people are after M. Matapa his that he will be obliged to change vjp- ab'ttat_ by the time these lines are in It ■^ °r instance when the Greeks who assembled ? "%? tic became aware that the thin, shabby, old n ,n Bishopsgafe-street was a Cretan, they decided io annex him bodily. But M; Matapa has resisted their overtures; and remains faittiful to the Turks. ^ven the entreaties of M. Messenesi, the Greek Con- sul-General, have left him cold. The rumour that he is followed by a crowd of circus and music hall agents, who want him to appear at the Alhambra; the Palace, the Tivoli, Earl's-court, and the Moore and Burgess Minstrels at a fabulous salary, is devoid of foundation. Nor is there any that there is another Cretan in n.. w • Eftendi, the Consul-General for the oman Empire, in Old Broad-street, was moat positive to me on this point. Matapa is unique. now f f^U8 dwelt upon the Cretan colohy, We will London11 °$!i to the Syrian settlement in than-ib"W aire somewhat more numerous the P 6and somewhat less numerous than ^went^fi is to say, they number about the e' twohave brought over their wives, tebf -rc?Peet8t>f the colony's increase may be said to fru t fc' in London are chiefly employed choa arehouseg as clerks and sorters. They aro Currenlarg%'for their knowledge 6f the fig and their f1 ')U8'ness and being very docile, and holding e*n«n and Italian masters in high esteem, make ervants., ibe are n°t Mohammedans bnt Christians and deci'rt°J? ^"telligent of the lot has a first name that is chat -6 u^'renc'1—Georges Alexachi. I had a long bitterl 1 ^exachi, in which: he spoke quite provj a^a'nst theTnrka and their government of the to and I was furthermore surprised desert s that: Syria, in spite of its climate, its great 1 lot al> its Turks, has done and. is doing such a Khav r ^ap^jnd. 1 was amazed to hear that Omar J1* 6'hbi'ter iiind;'rMr. Gos^e have Syri. a twentieth-century demigod, was a j0u n and not a Persian ;and that Kossuth, Rossini, bloo^11* and Sarah Bernhardt have Syrian wak' ,l'n their .-veins. I hope M. • Alexachi • mentio °fcv..misleading me, for although I only f mativin u ^artette of names, lie named a great stjaw anU^runeaiier home, including Mr. T. Bernard a great andi fiyatfy brothers. Altogether Syr ia is to write a u ^110118 country, and M. Alexachi is going to ree it an aboutit ;vand would like very much Greece. Ce*ed to any European Power except -had of the Turkigjj, i °^e some space to a' description are very .agree^TjOI>y London. First, because they Pecondly;, because both; of them, and, But I;oan find nothiU*kfty on the tapis just now. D(,t gay ofa Frene them that 1 would in BfyaM§t'6i^a<^r^ na°''or; while the Ambassador the faubourg, the Cohfetil-«Cit!61^ lifce a Pa*sian Of looks and acts like a Parigiar,e^fra'' ia Union-court,. i to what Mr. Gus Elen calla •« thA • boulevards, even r And the councillor and the naval*11^0^ 'n ey0'" °ut of town. •" Taij attache are both
GREATER BRITAIN. .
GREATER BRITAIN. THE Indian troops for the Diamond Jubilee leave Bombay on May 15, and are expected in this country on June 10. For the next twelve days they will be drilling for the procession and' looking round London. TIIB elephant has become one of the most impor- tant adjuncts of tbe English army in India, where for years officers and men have been working with the idea of making the elephant more and more useful. At first the big beast was used on the fortifications for hauling timber and all manner of tasks, for which his great strength, absolute obedience, and docility were required. the elephant is not a particularly in- telligent beast, and therefore his progress was slow, but now he knows well what is required of him and will bring his gun to the front with as much precision asicould be desired. The particular uso to which the elephant is pat in the artillery line in India is as a beast of draught for the heavy batteries and for the guns of the siege train. These instruments of war are tremendous in size and exceedingly heavy. Until the regime of the elephant it had been the custom to have them drawn by long lines of bullocks. There was, however, no end of trouble with these beasts. They were hard to control and so many of them were required that the substitution of the elephant for the bullock has not been without its economical side. One elephant will draw without effort a piece of artillery which a long line of bullocks would have difficulty in moving at all. The elephant battery is always accom- papied by ammunition waggons and baggage. Owing to the fact that the supply of properly trained ele- phants islimited bullocks are still utilised as the ¡ beasts of draught for the battery accompaniments. The fact that 2ö2 bullocks are required to draw the ammunition and baggage form a striking contrast between their power? and tbo?e of the elephants, for I the gross weight of the ammunition andti.e baggage is infinitely less than that of the artillery itself. The elephants are not under the management of British I artillerymen. For every battery there is employed a staff of 12 mahouts, with 12 assistants, the latter being under the command of an official known as jemadar, or captain. All are nativesof India. Besides the elephant company, as it is called, there are with each battery a jemadar, six sirdars, and 131 drivers, who care for the bullocks. Therefore it can be seen that a battery of artillery in India is in reality a little army in itself, for everyone of the natives em- ployed is supposed to be competent and ready to fight if necessary. THE Australian Federal Convention, now sitting at Adelaide, with the object of framing a draft Consti- tution for a Federal Parliament and Government, has (says a writer in the Standard) by the unanimous ap- proval of the set of resolutions submitted by Mr. Barton, of New South Wales, brought to a more dfinite stage a movement of Imperial importance. Nearly 50 years have passed since Earl Grey, the great maker of Colonial Constitutions, submitted to Parliament an elaborate scheme for a common Legislature and Executive for our Australian possessions. It broke down under the stress of local rivalries; but the idea has had an inde- structible vitality, and, though it has passed through' many vicissitudes, each new attempt to produce a workable plan has been an improvement upon its predecessor. The Melbourne Conference of 1880, the Federal Council of 1883, the London Con- ference of 1887, which resulted in the scheme of Australasian Naval Defence, the Conference of 1890, and the Federal Convention of 1891 are successive indications of a general advance. Whether the present Convention will accomplish the great wor of giving Constitutional unity to Australia remains to be seen; but the resolutions agreed upon, which embody the principles of the proposed new system of Government, are so framed that they un- questionably bring union within the range of practical politics. They provide that the powers, privileges, and territories of each colony shall remain intact, except in respect of voluntary sur- renders; that there shall be no alteration of boundaries by a Federal Government without the consent of the colony affected; that the Federal Parliament shall have the exclusive power of imposing and collecting Customs and the sole control of military and Haval matters; and they affirm that trade and intercourse between the Federated Colonies shall be free. The Federal Parliament is to be formed by a States Assembly, or Senate, and a National Assembly, or House of Representatives, the former to consist of representatives of each colony, chosen in the manner best calculated to secure perpetual exist- ence, and the latter to be elected in districts, formed on a population basis, and to possess the sole power to raise revenue and impose taxation. The Executive is to be formed by a Governor-General, appointed by the Queen, of such persons as shall be constituted his advisers, and of the Supreme Federal Court, which is alpo to be the High Court of Appeal for the Fede- rated colonies. I ONE of the chief advantagep of Federation should be the improvement of Australian credit. In gpite of recent disasters which need not now be^ar^u: larised the several colonies stood high m the estinaa tion oftbe world's financiers; but under Federation they should rise much higher. In round figures, the Australian State Ldans reptesent the, investment of British capital to the amount of two hundred million pounds,, upon which interest varies from three per cent. to four per cent., by far the larger portion carrying three and a half or four per oent. One result of tho Federation will be the funding of all the debts, not perhaps, immediately, but in due time, and it is estimated that the cost of the Central Parliament and Government will be defrayed by the laving of interest which will follow the issue of stock backed by the entire Commonwealth. That will, of course, be very beneficial to Australia, but British investors must necessarily be well served by the great improvement in the security offered. And further sHould be considered the advantage to follow the establishment of effective loeal defence. British investments in Australia are jeopardised to some ex- tent by the inadequacy of preparation against attack by an enemy. The interests of Australians are, of course, more seriously endangered, so that they cannot be accused of neglecting those of investors, and at the same time eagerly protecting their own. The danger, nevertheless, is observable, and it is the natural result of divided responsibility. Each colony looks after itself, the larger and stronger, such as New South Wales and Victoria, being fairly well defended, but the smaller and weaker being left open to attack. THE relations of the Imperial Government to Aus- tralia must be immeasurably improved by the esta- blishment of a Federal Parliament and Government. At the present time, no one can speak with authority on behalf of Australia. Reasonable coucord prevails between the Governments on matters of general con- cern, but at any moment, should'a position of extreme urgency arise, it would not be surprising to find the Australian voices a mere confusion of tongues. The Secretary of State would be bewildered by the conflicting views. In relation to Imperial defence, it is in the highest degree imperative that there should be a clear understanding between Downing-street and Australia; but, failing Federa- tion, that seems to be impossible. The colonists are sometimes unduly blamed for neglecting their re- sponsibilities in reference to such affairs, but the difficulties with which they have to contend while separated should be appreciated. A Central Legisla- ture would be in a commanding position to consider proposals for, say, a contribution towards the cost of Imperial defence,and whether the result were the voting of an annual sum to that purpose or not, Great Britain and her Ministers would be in a position to feel; that they were in negotiation with a fully re- eponsibFe and entirely representative body. It is too early, of course, to surmise what would be the reply of Federated Australia to overtures for a vote for Imperial defence, but it is difficult to realise that some reasonable adjustment of views could not be attained. Australian feeling may be in favaur of Australia jointly with the other Dependencies sharing the cost of Imperial defence, but until that feeling can receive expression in the only Constitutional way, negotiations may be fruitless. It is in this connection i thati Britons will see what an immense gain Australian Federation must be to the Empire, and though the arrangement of details must be-left entirely to the Australians, Englishmen' canndt but offer, in the interest alike of Australia and the Empire, the most cordfial good wishes for the attainment of the object of tl^e Convention.
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'i'i.¡'' "1;' "r.- :¡:H" _T*if e$tposufe of 6uaek medicines is the object of a soeidty just formed. v now in process1 of building for the SLianW;89 ^"Wsi-fof th-e Fretieh, for tjie, 13 ofVk tlle German, 19; and for the Italian, Britain 48^ ves?el" ^h'oh are being built by Great Powers' iUlyVthr*0! Thile of other e °alT °ne ^"b-iWingany,
A VILLAGE SCHOOL IN DISPUTE.
A VILLAGE SCHOOL IN DISPUTE. An extraordinary dispute has occurred at Sulgrave, in South Northamptonshire, where the village school, owing to the proceedings of contending parties, is little more than a wieck. Two committees, differently appointed, are contending for the control of the school, and a few days ngo one of these bodies gave public notice that the school, which had been clceed for about six .months, would be reopened. The opposite committee, however, had the keys and refused to giro them up. The aid of the police was sought without effect, and the place remained unopened. The next morning the iron gates were battered in, and, a window being broken, entrance was effected and the doors were opened from within. School was then formally begun, a lady teacher from a Church school at Northampton being installed as mistress. During the night the opposite side fastened the doors with iron bars and screws, so that in the process of reopening in the, morning the doors, like the gate were seriously broken. Fresh locks were put on the door, and the vicar of the parish followed up this by effecting an entrance into the school at the rear, having a hole made through the brick wall, into which a wooden door was promptly fixed. One of the church-wardens, as a manager of the schools, has obtained two summonses against the vicar for damaging the buiidieg, and in reply, a numerously- signed document is going the round of the parish ex- pressing the greatest confidence in the vicar. The dispute appears to have arisen largely from the un- uncertainty of the right of control of the school owing to the deed by which it was transferred by purchase to a responsible committee only ten years ago being lost. The schools were closed for nine months during a similar dispute four years ago.
S:r;CK AND, AGF-D POOR IN…
S:r;CK AND, AGF-D POOR IN WORK- HOUSES. An interesting return has recently been issued as a Parliamentary paper relating to the number of sick, bedridden, and aged and infirm paupers in each workhouse and separate workhouse infirmary in England and Wales, and giving information as to the character of nursing arrangements in each establishment. The figures were taken on June 1, 1896, the total pauperism in that week in England and; Wales being 703,347 (188,760 indoor and 514,587 outdoor poor), of which London provided for 97,653 (61,459 indoor and 36,194 outdoor. It appears that in the 11 Poor Law divisions into which the country is divided there were 39,264 sick and bedridden paupers and 19,287 aged and infirm paupers. Of these 13,428 sick and bedridden and 4117 aged and infirm were under the care of the London guardians. The division having the largest number was the north-western, which includes the two union counties of Lancaster and Chester, and which accommodated 8312 sick and bedridden and 1371 aged and infirm. Then followed the south- eastern division with 3871 sick and bedridden and 2639 aged and infirm, the West Midland with 3461 and 1891, and the York with 2531 and 1861, the re- maining divisions having smaller numbers. The union county outside London containing the largest numbers was Lancaster, which had under its care 7603 sick and bedridden and 1038 aged and infirm. The union out of London having charge o^ the great-, est number was West Derby, in the north-western division, where there were 1237 sick and bedridden and 117 aged and infirm and then came Liverpool with 1202 and 93, Chorlton with 975 and 37, Manchester with 981 sick and bedridden, Brimingham with 917 sick and bedridden, Toxteth-park with 564 and 169, Leeds with 537 sick^nd bedridden, Salford with 501 sicS and bedridden, and West Ham with 418 and 181, the other unions having lower numbers. In London the most being heavily- burdened districts were St. Pancras, with 917 sick and bedridden and 763 aged and infirm, Holborn 733 sick and bedridden, Bethnal-green 690 and 138, St. Olave's 648 and 174, St. George's 623 and 195, St. Saviour's 623 and 177, Green- wich 611 and 367, and Islington 612 and 140. The improved treatment of the sick which has taken place of late years is shown by the special provision made for their accommodation in separate workhouse infirmaries. This is especially noticeable in London, where, however, in a few cases the sick are still lodged in the workhouses. In the provinces there are not to many separate infirmaries. Another satisfactory point in the return is the large number of paid officers acting as nurses, and it is evident that the majority of boards have improved the system of nursing. The Local Government Board some time ago called the attention of boards of guardians to the fact that, while this improvement was going on there were still many workhouses where the nursing arrangements had not been brought to the standard of modern requirements. It was pointed, C out that the office of nurse required to be filled by a person of experience, in the treatment of the sick, of great respectability of charac- ter, and of diligent and decorous habits; and that by appointing paid assistants the guardians would have an opportunity of selecting persons with proper qualifications, and be able to hold them responsible for negligence or misconduct. In cases where pauper inmates were directed to act as assistant nurses, the guardians were told that there was no stimulus to exertion, no test of capacity, and no responsibility for negligence, and the Local Government Board re- commended the guardians as far as possible to dis- continue the practice of appointing paupers to act as assistant nurses in the infirmary or sick ward. The present return shows that this advice has been largely adopted in London, where there were at the date when the figures were taken as many as 1514 paid officers acting as nurses in the workhouses of the 30 unions, 848 of whom had received training before their appointment, the number of pauper inmates so employed being 349. In most of the unions there were no pauper assis- tants employed, but in some the guardians still pur- sued the old policy. For instance, in Paddington there were 38 pauper assistants to 34 paid nurses; in the Strand there were 41 pauper assistants to 16 paid officers in Stepney there were 25 pauper assistants to ten paid officers; and in Greenwich there were 46 pauper assistants to 66 paid nurses. West Ham had 36 paid nurses to only two pauper assistants. Taking the divisions outside London there were 2201 paid officers acting as nurses, of whom 1113 had received training previous to their appointment, and there were 3094 pauper inmates assisting in the personal care of the sick. In, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield pauper help was not employed at all, and in many of the other large towns only a very small number assisted in the sick wards. Many of the rural boards, however, continued to authorise this kind of assistance. I.
'ITHE DUKE OF YORK AS A NAVAL…
THE DUKE OF YORK AS A NAVAL STUDENT. All the world knows that Captain H.R.H. the Duke of York is a close student of naval history. It is now roported that he will be among the early readers of Captain A. T. Mahan's forthcoming work, the "Life of, Nelson: the Embodiment of the Sea Power of Great Britain, "and also of Mr. W. Laird Clowes' important work, n(?w being issued by the same publishers, The History of the lloyal Navy from the Earliest, Times to the Present." Mr. W. Laird Clowes is being assisted in his undertaking by Sir C. B, Markham, K.C.B., P.R.G.S., Captain Mahan, Mr. H. W. Wilson, and other well-known naval authorities.
IELECTRIC TRACTION ON TRAM!…
ELECTRIC TRACTION ON TRAM- WAYS. <■ A special committee of the Birmingham City Council, which lately visited the Continent to collect evidence on electric traction on tramways, concludes that in a town the system of underground conduits., should be preferred to that of overhead wires. The initial disturbance to the streets is not considered to be important. The difference in initial cost between the two systetns also cannot be serious, and the com- mittee also believes the overhead system to be the more dangerous. Best satisfaction is expressed for the .conduit system adopted at Buda-Pesth and Berlin, where both forward and return conductors are carried in the tube.
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"CoMMANDpa" AND MRS. BALLINGTON BOOTH are 1St the head oij the "Volunteers of America," as the rival of the Salvation Army is to be called. It is claimed that there are 3680 soldiers and recruits, 160 organised posts or societies, and 600 commanding officers. There are 1200 members of the Volunteer Prisoners' Lea cue. JttousBWiyjss in Norway and Sweden nave started a scheme to ehcourage servants to remain, in their places. Mistresses pay into a general fund whatever they can afford for every servant that has remain pd Tvith them for 12 months. The money is registered in the servant's name, so that when old age overtakes her and she can no longer work, she has a comfort- able annuity to fall back or
HOW LONDON MEN DRESS IN ,SPRING.'
HOW LONDON MEN DRESS IN SPRING. The bright sunshine of the past week tempted us (says a writer in the Tailor and Cutter) to take a walk in Hyde-park, so that we might not only enjoy the fragrance and beauty of the hyacinths and daffodils, but also make a few observations of what was being worn by those who pay attention to matters oi drees, and who may well be said to lead the fashion. From the Strand to Piccadilly is only'a few hundred yards, but what a change was apparent in the attire of the frequenters of these thoroughfares I on The former was thronged with men and women hurrying along clad for the most part in overcoat or ulster; here and there these were lined and trimmed with fur, and as we felt how warm the sun's rays were, we could only regret that these gents had BO much to thick about that they conld not spare time to consider the suitability of their clothing, or to realise how absurd they appeared on this glad sun- shiny day attired in costume more fitted for Decem- ber than the end of March. How different it wftl when once we turned the corner of Pic E and wended our way to Hyde-park-corner. ¡.< r saw some specimens of tailoring that it would be diffi- cult to match in any other city in the world. Frock coats were, if anything, less in evidence than in former years, their place being taken by morning coats, which, in the present long style, have a very graceful appearance on a tall, figure. These gar- ments were cut fully 40 inches in length, and smartly rounded away at the bottom of skirt, gene- rally made, to button one or three, outside breast- pocket, and pleat pockets.. The material used was for the most part black Vicuna or Cheviot, with a rather smooth surface, and it was a little surprising to see so, many of these bound oa the edge, while here and there we noticed they were flat braided, present- ing a very striking contrast to the plain edge so gene- rally worn. Whether this innovation will receive general support it is difficult to say, our opinion is that it will not; there is rather a showy cha- racter about it which does not agree with the average taste of the English aristocracy, who prefer their garments kept as neat as possible, Long ere we reached Hyde park-corner we detected a change in the style of trousers worn, for on the smartest and best-dressed gents there was an evident narrowing of the legs the measures of these would be, say, 18 knee 17 bottom, or even a trifle less. The material was'of the same old grey-striped cashmere, though here and there a b'ack twill, with very fine white stripe, was worn. On one or two pairs made of blue serge we noticed a fin. mohair braid laid over the sideseam, giving them rather a military ap- pearance. There was not a sufficient representation of these, however, to warrant an opinion being formed as to its becoming popular, the impression being rather that it was a peculiarity of individual taste.
CATS, ANCIENT AND MODERN.
CATS, ANCIENT AND MODERN. Your, cat is a domestic animal, and naturally con- servative in its tastes-averse, therefore, to uproar, and to all those given to change. Its propensities, points out a contributor to Household Words, are to meditation azict contemplative tranquillity, for which 'reason it has ever been held in reverence by nations of a similar staid and composed disposition, and has been the favourite companion and constant friend of grave philosophers and thoughtful students. By the ancient Egyptians, cats were held in the highest esteem; and we learn from Diodorus Siculue that their lives and safeties" were tended more dearly than those of any other animal, whether biped or quadruped. He who has voluntarily killed a consecrated animal," says this writer, is punished with death; but if any one has even in- voluntarily killed a cat or an ibis, it is impossible for him to escape death. The mob drag him to it, treat- ing him with every cruelty, and sometimes without waiting for judgment to be passed. This treatment inspires such terror, that, if any person happens to find one of these animals dead, he goes to a distance from it, and by his cries and groans indicates that he has found the animal dead. This superstition is so deeply rooted in the minds of the Egyptians, and the respect they bear these animal is so profound, that at the time when their King, Ptolemy, was not yet declared the friend of the Roman people—when they were paying all possible court to travellers from Italy, and their fears made them avoid every ground of accusation and every pretext for making war upon them-yet, a Roman having killed a cat, the people rushed to his house, and neither the entreaties of the grandees, whom the King sent for the purpose, nor the terror of the Roman name, could protect this man from punishment, although the act was involuntary." 'f
THE FRENCH IN INDO CHINA.
THE FRENCH IN INDO CHINA. The present year is expected to witness a marked development in the French colony of Incfo-China, Preparations are being made to form companies for constructing railways and engaging in mining opera- tions, in which British capital will probably be invited to take part. M. Paul Doumer, the Governor-General of the colony, has recommended to the authorities in Paris the giving of facilities for the opening up of u I the I colont by railway and telegraphic communica- tions, and it is new known that his recommendations have the approval of the French Government,
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IIORS sweets-are sold in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago than in the whole of France. In each of these oities the delicacies are turned out by the too. The United States- contains more than 2000 manufacturers of confectionery, whose combined capital amounts to over £ 2,000,t)00; and who employ 16,000 hands. The amount paid in wages and for materials is close upon E6,000,000 per annum, while the yearly value of the products is half as much again.
--------------..W-LITERARY…
W- LITERARY EXTRACTS. WHAT ARE FOSEIT.S ?—By some persons fossils were formerly explained as the results of a,, plastic force in Nature preliminary and abortive efforts to pro- duce the more perfect form-very much as when, according to Burns, Her'prentice ban'she tried on man, An' then she made the lasses, O!" But such an explanation obviously was no better than a mental stop-gap, like the answers with which parents not too learned try to satisfy inquisitive children. It failed to content men wuo wanted to get at the truth of things. They set about to devise a more rational account of this strange phenomenon. Then a simple way out of the difficulty seemed to present itself. They believed that, as related in the Hebrew Scrip- tures and affirmed by the traditions of many nations, there was once a great deluge, when the whole world was overspread by water. By this the spoils cf the deep were supposed to have been scattered on the mountain-sides, and thus the tale of the flood is in- scribed on the records of the rocks. For a while this explanation seemed satisfactory. But it, too, has been tried and found wanting. Had these dead and gone organisms been found only on the surface of the ground, or in the mud and gravel which are plastered here and there upon the hard rocks, it might have been possible—though there would have been other and more serious difficulties-to account for them by the surge and ebb of such a mass of water; but fossils may be traced through masses of rtfek far downwards, they may be struck in borings, or brought up from shafts at depths of hundreds of feet below the surface. A more extended study and aq attempt to classify the results of the collector's r patient searching speedily disclose the fact that par- ticular groups of fossils are characteristic of certain localities—that they are not huddled together pell- mell, but occur in such regular association that if one or two well-known forms are picked up on enter- ing a quarry it can be predicted, after a little experience, what is likely to be discovered on a further search.- The Story of Our Planet. CHALK.—Tbe small piece of chalk, which, from its constant use in the school-room, the lecture-room, the billiard-room, and the workshop, may be regarded as a daily necessity of our modern civilisation, has, in spite of its simple appearance, a strange history, the unravelling of which through all its complexities is one of the most difficult problems with which science of the present day is called upon to deil. This piece it', in reality, a chip of an immense block of chalk that once filled an area the size of the present continent of Europe, and of which even yet several grgaintic fragments remain, each larger than the collective area of a dozen average British counties. These patches occur scattered over the region lying between Ireland on the west, and China cn the east, and extending in the other direction from Sweden in the north to Portugal in the south. In the British Isles the chalk is found in greatest perfection and continuity in the east and south-east of England. A sheet of chalk, more than 1000 feet in thickness, underlies all that portion of England which is situated to the south-east of a line crossing the island diagonally from the North Sea at Flam- borough Head to the coast of the English Channel in Dorset. This enormous sheet of chalk is tilted up slightly upon the west, and its depressed eastern portions, that dip towards the waters of the North Sea, are usually buried from sight by masses of overlying sands and clays. But wherever these are pierced through by the well-sinker, the chalk is in- variably met with below, as solid and compact as ever. Where the edges of the chalk floor come upon the sea, the cliff scenery to which they give origin is strikingly grand and beautiful. He who has once seen the magnificent rocks of Flamborough and Beacby Head, the jagged stacks of the Needles or the dizzy mass of Shakspere's Cliff near Dover, must have felt something of the majesty of the chalk headlands— the white cliffs of Albion. The massive sheet of white chalk which underlies the whole of the south-west of England is deeply dug into by the waters of the Strait of Dover; but it again makes its appearance in France, forming much of the floor of that country for many miles beyond Paris. It is found also at numberless localities in Europe, as far east as the Crimea, and even in Central Asia beyond the Sea of AraL Northward it occurs as far as Scania, in the south of Sweden. Southward, its limits seem to be near the centre of the Spanish tableland. How far it stretched westwards towards and into what is now the Atlantic we may never know but chalk of a thick- ness of at least 200ft. is exposed in the beautiful cliffs of Antrim in Ireland; while less conspicuous relics of the formation are found in a few localities in the counties of Argyle and Aberdeen. There can be little question that all these now isolated patches were once connected in a continuous sheet, which must therefore have occupied a superficial area about 3000 miles long, by nearly 1000 miles broad, an extent larger than that of the present continent of Europe.—Science for All. BHAHMIN AND MICROSCOPE.—An English naturalist residing in India tells a good story of a Brahmin and a microscope. Mr. J. had a fine instrument sent from England, and one day, soon after receiving it, he was examining some minute objects when a Brahmin called. The Indian eyed the microscope curiously, and Mr. J., thinking to amuse and interest his visitor, began to show him some of the wonders revealed by that instrument. Among other things, he showed him a drop of his own blood. His eyes grew big with something akin to terror when he looked into the tube, and saw the countless little bodies called corpuscles. But the climax was reached when he saw a specimen of water which had been taken from one of the tanks where he and the people obtained their drinking water. He looked and looked again. He examined the pitcher minutely. Then he went himself and brought a fresh quantity of water from the tank. Alas! the result was the same a drop of the fluid seemed swarming with myriads of living and rapidly moving organisms. He put a drop in his hand, and examined it critically with his naked eye. It appeared all right. Then he looked at the microscope suspiciously, and said, with emphasis "lIe witch He leetle deevil!" The naturalist attempted to reassure him, and ex- Elained the working of the microscope to the best of is ability. The Brahmin went away much mystified. Early the next morning the Brahmin made the natu- ralist a second call, and had scarcely finished his eourtly greeting before he asked to see the microscope. A little flattered, the naturalist brought it forth, and again arranged to show him a drop of water. He looked anxiously into the tube; and then, raising his head, he said: I want to buy the leetle witch. How much you ask?" I cannot sell it," was the answer. It cost a great deal to get it here, all the way from England." "Yes," he said, "I know. I want him all the same. How much ?" Again the scientist declined to part with the micro- ICOpe; but the native was importunate. Finally, to get rid of him, the naturalist named a sum which was designed to settle the question. "But before I could recover my breath, or offer further objections, the Brahmin had drawn a bag of gold from the bosom of his robe, and was counting out the amount. Amused at his eagerness, and supposing that he wished to astonish some of his brother Brahmins with the marvels of his purchase, and knowing, moreover, that I could replace the instrument in time, I took the gold, and gave him the microscope. To my amaze- ment, he seized it and began banging it upon the stone floor. When he desisted, the tube was wrenched and bent out of shape, and the valuable lenses were .scattered to fragments. What do you mean ?' I gasped. He leetle deevil!" the Brahmin replied, calmly. He tell no more lies!' WHEN EDWARD COMPTON MET THACKERAY—Mr. Edward Compton, the comedian, as a little boy, once met Thackeray, and remembers the occasion distinctly. This is how the encounter is described in the Memoirs of Henry Compton," written by Edward Compton and his elder brother, C. G. Compton, the novelist: I well recollect my brother and 1 meeting my father returning from a rebeareal in the Hay- market Theatre through Uyde-park, in company with a tall, burly man of ruddy complexion, and wearing gold-riu.med spectacles. My father carelessly introduced us as two of the varmint?,' and his friend shook hands with us, and inquired about our school affairs and sports more kindly than did most middle-aged gentlemen we know. They were then both engnged in conversation which we did not understand till, just before reaching the barracks, my father said, Well, we have to part here, as you are going to Oxford-street.' I Yes,' said his friend, I must leave you and your boys now,'and turning to us he wished us good-bye very heartily; then, said he, I wonder what there is in my purse; take it, my boys, there's not much, I'm thinking.' 'No, no,' said my father, 'you mustn't do that: Nonsense, my dear fellow I was a schoolboy myself once, and know the value of tips Everybody should tip the schoolboys, it does them good!' So saying he hurried off. 'Who is that?' wo both exclaimed. That's a very celebrated man called Thackeray,' said my father." FATHER BOLLES.-Tlie itinerant preacher was one of the features of American life. Many anecdotes are told of these stern old gospellers who travelled on foot or on horseback many miles yearly from one scattered flock to another in the wilderness, giving personal counsel and preaching godliness of life." One of the most noted of these rough but earnest men was Alexander Bolles, who pieached in three states among the Alleghany Mountains. "Father 1301les," as Tie was called, was much tormented by the influence of one John Rogers, a Jersey man, who openly taught atheism and abolis-hment of marriage. On one occasion, while holding a meeting in the woods of V irginia, a young man and woman pushed their way up to tbe stump which served as a pulpit. The man, interrupting the sermon, said defiantly, I'd like you to know that we are Rogerines." The old man looked at him over his spectacles, and waited. We don't believe in no Gød." No ? And then- ?" Nor in marriage. This is my wife, be- cause I choose her to be; but I'll have no preacher nor squire meddlin' with us." Do you mean to tell me," thundered Father Bolles, "that you have taken this girl home as your wife ?" Yes, I do," said the fellow, doggedly. And have you gone willingly to live with him as your husband?" "Yes," said the frightened girl. Then I pronounce you man and wife, and whom God hath joined together let not ma" put asunder. Be off with jou! You are married now according to the law and the gospel.