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

l f WHY does a donkey eat a thistle ?—Because he's an » t. WHAT is that which must stand before it can sit? —An M.P. WHY is the letter F like Paris ?—Because it is the laPital of France.

LITERARY EXTRACTS. CONVERSION.— Our minister cam' to the place. A Latin-crammed, ignorant body, WI a, d}I,Ö.uhaky bit fa.çe, T An' likin' tea, rather than toqdy. ;t c He could speak a^>out naethingbut books t An' the lear he had brought frae the College, Faith we soon made a change in his looks. An' pacjkit bis head wi, true knowledge. Nowte, an' naigies, an' neeps, Neeps, an' naigies an* nowte— • si When the weather is dry or dreeps* What else is worth. talkin aboutl < "If tou meet him the day or the morn ° j; I You'll find he's as cracky asony Ong immert, on tups, an' on corn I gir His language is rife as it's bonny. • His cheek iFf as red as a haw- In fact he's improved a'thegither. His relish for tea is awa', 1 An' he studies-the signs o' the weather. Nowte. an' naiglies, an' neeps, Keeps, an' naigies, an' nowte When the weather is dry or dreeps, What,else is worth talking about? --Nimmo Christie, in Black and White. AMIKICAH WOYIIN IN EUROPE. — An American minister to a continental court who had been recently recalled, states that the large number of American women who travel in Europe unattended by husbands, fathers or brothers excite not a little comment among Europeans of the better class. The question was asked him by a prominent official, Haf American wifes no husbands at all, then ? They come-three, four, six at once to court. They ask to be presented to the king they ask to be invited to state dinners; they most walk in with a duke. There are not dukes enough to go round. Why do not their husbands come and walk in mit some duchesses ?'' At the Austrian court no Americans outside of the diplomatic circle are presented; very few at Berlin; while Queen Margherita of Italy, who has been more hospitable to our people than any other continental sovereign, has recently declined to receive any married American woman unaccompanied by her husband. Have they no homes in their own country, these poor ladies, asked a Frenchwoman, that they spend months or years in Europe wandering about alone ?" It was explained to her that American men often re- mained at home, earning the money necessary to send their wives and daughters abroad for the education which foreign travel gives. If that be so," she re- plied,they will study art and languages Bard, so M to return quickly to those who work for'them. They will not buy costly clothes nor push their way into every court in Europe." The facts are that there is much in the romance, the art, the historic remains, the long established phases of social life in Europe that draws over-worked, educated Americans to the old country. It helps and strengthens so many of them that Europe now actually serves as a rest-cure hospital for thousands of nervous Americans. In a large proportion of cases it is the women who go, while the bread-winners stay behind. The criticisms we have quoted are genuine, and show how any pre- tension, or vulgar display, or forced intrusion into titled society on their part is noted and sneeringly oondemned. IT ENDED IN ZON.—The recent biography of Jean Francois Millet, by Julia Cartwright, gives a charm- ing glimpse of the great peasant painter of the Gleaners and the Angelus at the time of his departure for that little village of Brabizoh which his name, and those of his artist friends, were to render famous throughout the world. He was still living in Paris, making a desperate fight against'poverty and deeply concerned for his brood of young children, for whom it was often hard for him to obtain the bare necessaries of life, when there arose yet another cause for anxiety. Cholera broke out in the city, and raged with especial virulence in the quarter where lived Millet and his friend Jacque, also the father of a family. Hundreds of children died of the disease, and the two friends longed to leave thecityend carry their families to a place of safety but neither could afford to do so. Then Jacque fell ill from worry, and hardly recovered when Millet burst in upon him one micwnitfg, full of joyful excitement. He had just received the long-delayed payment for a picture. Here is a thousand francs," he cried; I will lend you half. Let us go together into the country I do not care where. If you can tell me of some place, so much the better. Anyhow, we will leave Paris." Jacque agreed, and suggested a little place which be remembered once visiting. It was on the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau, and its name, which he could not more definitely recall, ended in zon. So the two families, full of delight, started off one fine day in the diligence for the Forest of Fontainebleau, talking and laughing so gaily that they forgot to ask for Barbizon, or any other zon, and passed within sight of its roofs unknowingly, to Fontainebleau itself. There they stayed for a few days at the inn, until Madame Millet took Slarm at tha prices, and begged the men to find the village of which Jacque bad apoken, which must be cheaper, and the two set forth once more in quest of the forgotten zon. After a long walk. through the forest, they met a wood- cutter, who was able to direct them. He showed them the nearest way by a woodland lane and they entered Barbizon together, through the cowherd's gate. They were charmed with it, and next day brought their wives and children. It was necessary to leave the coach at a point where a road branched from the main highway, and they all arrived on foot, an odd little procession indeed. Millet led the way, bearing his two little girls of three and two years old on his shoulders. His wife followed with the baby boy in her arms, and accompanied by a maid-servant carry- ing a big baket of provisions. A storm of rain came on just as they started, and Madame Millet threW the skirt of her gown, over her bead to protect her baby. As they entered l ot the village, Millet heard an old woman call out: "Look. There goes a company of strolling actors!' That little holiday of the two artists flying from Paris ta escape the cholera, lasted fur VAillot twenty-five years. Never again was he long absent, willingly, from the country life he loved; and he established his home and his fame in tho out-of-the- way little village that ended in zon. OUTLINES.-n In a country far away". the king s person was sacred. Revolutions might come;, new men and new parties might come into power;, but none could lay a finger upon him, or make him less u king. But none gave heed to his counsel. He was fed, clothed, and cared for as a child; others ruled the State. But a certain prince came to the throne; who chafed at this. He would rule. He gave counsel that was not heeded; he gave commands that were not obeyed. At length there came a time of trouble, when the people armed in revolt. The king stood at his window, and watched the crowds and the tumult and the rallyings. And when night came, he stole out of his palace in disguise, and joined himself as a common soldier to the side where his heart was; and he fought the next; day in a battle. And in the midst of the battle an arrow oierced his breast and he fell wounded to death. And p they found him'lying on the ground, dying; and r the great men lifted him tenderly, and chided h.n. for his rash deed. But he rebuked them and said I have lived a puppet and a slave, but I die a king To a great man were given two seeds. One he planted in the sand, and for lack of nutriment and 1 care it grew a withered life, and bore no bloom ?r any good thing. The other he planted in rich gry^nd, and it flourished greatly, and bore beautiful tiowera and good fruit. And the man said, Blood will tell. He did not know thaeboth:came out of the same pod. Through fear of being laughed at, a man refrained from doing a certain thing which he believed it to be right and wise to do- Now, when it came to be known that he had so refrained through fear of being laughed at, he was laughed at. Because it has always _been. therefore it will not always be. The one thing that is sure is change.-The Century/. IN our judgment of human transactions the law of optics ar) reversed we see the most indistinctly the objects wjhich are close around us.—Whately. If cheerfulness knocks for admission, we should open our hearts wide to receive it, for it never cornea inopportunely.

first to rural mothers a pattern full of care; My second brings destruction If no antidote is there. ( How vile a thing is slander— Stabbing, unseen, the soul- But slander's not more deadly Or poisonous than my whole.. < ■' Hen-bane. WHAT is that which is always fixed, but which sometimes runs ?-The nose. WHY are deaf people like Dutch cheese ?—Becaus" ou can't make them here.

CURRENT SPORT. tog was general all over the country on Saturday, and several football fixtures were interfered with in consequence. Amongst them was the Association League game between Sheffield United and Bolton Wanderers at Sheffield. .After all, Cardiff and Blackbeath did not meet, thanks to fog, but Richmond followed up their good form of the previous week by defeating Coventry. The North v. South contest at Carlisle only attracted about 3000 people. The play,, however, was of ex- cellent clafs, and although the North at one time led they were eventually defeated by two points, Percy Stout, Bunting, and J. F. Byrne having not a little to do with the result. At a meeting of the Rugby Union, held prior to the North Y. South match, a deputation from the Yorkshire clubs waited upon the Board, and urged the advisability of re-instating certain players gutlty of breaches of the laws relating to amateurism. So far as can be ascertained, there appeared to be a desire to grant the request, but eventually the pro- ject was referred to a sub-committee consisting of five Northern and five Southern representatives to report upon. As the Universities have not as a rule their best teams for the tours which follow the big meeting at the Queen's Club their matches do not arouse so much general interest as they would otherwise. In a hard game with Devonport Albion, at Devonport, Oxford on Saturday suffered their first defeat by a try to nothing, while Cambridge beat the Edinburgh Wanderers, at Edinburgh, by two goals and a try to a goal. Among Rugby club fixtures on Saturday were the following Royal Indian Engineering College (Cooper's-hill) beat Marlborough Nomads; Guy's Hospital beat London Scottish; Old Merchant Tay- lors beat Rosslyn Park; Lennox beat Croydon; Hon. Artillery Company beat Norwood; London Welsh beat Civil Service; Newport beat Bristol; Gloucester drew with Swansea; and Leicester beat Bedford. With Sheffield United and Bolton Wanderers unable to play owing to fog, as above stated, the Aston Villa team, by drawing with Stoke, secured first position, a6 least for the time being, in the championship of the League, but it must not be for- gotten that they have played two matches more than the United. Saturday's results were Stoke and Aston Villa played a drawn game (no score) at Stoke. Everton and Sunderland played a drawn,game (no score) at Sunderland. Blackburn Rovers beat Liverpool (1-0) at Liver- pool. Preston North End beat Sheffield Wednesday (2-0) at Preston. West Bromwich beat Bury (1-0) at West Brom- wioh. Notts County and Wolverhampton Wanderers tied at two goals at Nottingham. In the Second Division of the League Luton beat Lincoln City (9-3), Blackpool beat Gainsborough Trinity (5—0), Burton Swifts beat Newcastle, United (3-1), Manchester City beat GriniBbv (4-3), Leicester beat Darwen (2-1), and Small Heath beat Wallsall (2-1). The Southern League results were: Tottenham Hotspur beat Wolverton (2-1), Reading beat Chat- ham (1—0), Swindon tied with Bristol City (2 all), Sheppy United beat Northfleet (5—1), and South- hampton beat Gravesend (6—0). Mr. N. L. Jackson secured a good side to meet the Casuals in a charity match at Tuffnell-park on Satur- day. The thick fog prevented much of the play from being seen, by the publio. G. O. Smith quickly scored for Mr. Jackson's team, and a second goal soon fol- lowed from the foot of M. F. Stanbrough. Dunn afterwards scored twice again for Mr. Jackson's side, who eventually won by four goals to two. G. O. Smith injured his ankle and took no part in the second period of the game. Other Association resnlts On Saturday were: dSld Westminsters beat Old Carthusians (4—0), Mar&w beat Old Malvernians (4—0), Notts Forest beat Derby County (4—2), St. Albans beat Clapham Rovers (4—0), and Ealing beat London Caledonians (2—1/. J. D. Marsh, who won the Salford Harriers Clubs' Ten Mile Championship on Saturday, is a runner o more than average ability. He has good pace, and stays like the proverbial top. He has more than once been fancied for National honours, and is not unlikelv, ere his athletic career is elosed to fulfil the, anticipations of his friends. Dense fog prevailed on nearly all the golf courses in the London districts on Saturday, and consider- ing this fact, the scoring must be put down as dis- tinctly good. At Wembley, Mr. Francis Miller beat "Bogey" by one, while at Northwood, Stanmore, and Hayling, players finished all even with the mystic one. At Romford, a scratch player, Mr. 11. B. R. Mair, won the Ideal club's competition for the captain's prize and monthly medal. His soore--t)3 -would not win the average handicap at Romford, however. Oxford University hockey players met with their first defeat during their present southern tour on Saturday; but the result was not unexpected, na in East Sheen, the Dark Blues were meeting a powerful opposition. Cambridge, in drawing with Westgate- on-Sea, accomplished a fine performance, for there are some capital players on Westgate's side; and it is, indeed, a club which can give to the best of the Southern hockey organisations a really excellent game. Following the fortunes of the Cottesmore at Stapleford where Sir Samuel and Lady Sophia Scott, Earl Cowley, Lady Eva Wellesley, Colonel Bronkle- burst, the Hon. C. Fitzwilliam, Lord Henry Bentinck, Lady Manners, and Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Chaplin. The fog lifted sufficiently to admit of hounds being put into the Wheathill Plantation, which held a brace of foxes, but after a hunt across to Little Dalby the fog came on again and the pick went home. Fog was also dense in the Medbourrie district. An effort to hunt was not long sustained, for Mr. Furnie's hounds, owing to perils from the adjoining railway, were stopped in the open, after having found several foxes at Watson's Gorse. Despite the fog a number of interesting cross- country competitions were decided on Saturday but one of the most interesting had to be postponed. This was the race for the Nichols cup between the South London and Blackheath Elarrierv. An invitation five miles handicap, orgaaised by the Thames Valley Harriers, produced some good pacing at Twickenham, though the number of starters was not so large as had been expected. The two scratch men were absent; but J, F. Steadman, who received 40sec. start, ran well, and covered the distllncÍ" in 32min. lOsec. This, however, only gave him fourth place, the first three men being: W. Butler (Thames Valley), 5min. 15sec. start, 1; W. New (Acton), 2min. 15sec. start, 2; G. Hoare (Thames Valley), I-min. 30see. start, 3. The winners net time was 36min. 12sec. The Salford Harrier* held their club championship meeting at the Helie Vue Gardens, Manchester. There were 31 L-tarters in the 10 miles scratch race, among them being A. E. Tysoe, 10-miles champion of England. He was not in form, and retired after bing about three miles, the race ending in a win for the holder-J. D. Marsh —who beat A. Hayes, after a fine istrugg]le, yards. F. Hewson was third, and G. H. Morris fou#th. Winner's time, 54min. 4sec.

TUB United Kingdom consumes 600,0UUltJS, or about 4,000,000gals., of tea every day, which is as much as is used by the rest of Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Australia combined. THE Duke of Marlborough is one of the njost, enthusiastic of amateur firemen, and takes a keen, in- terest in the Fire Brigades Union. He occasionally dons fireman's uniform. IN stipends, salaries, and wages to their numerous officers clerks, and staff, the Corporation of London spend yearly upwards of £ 100,000. OUT of 100 teeth of adults that about-.5 year§ ago would have been ruthlessly extracted 99 are no* saved by the means of science.. TJ MORE than 2000 peppje earn a living, in I.ins by fortune-telling, their total yeerfy,eitrni riga being esti- mated at £ 800,000. F. Tivi 88th anniversary of M Gladstone s birthday wiil be celebrated at the National Liberal CJub on December 29 by a banquet, at which there will be a great array of Liberal members.

JEPITOME OF NEWS. A MOTOBWan WM 'recently driven from London to Glasgow, the actual running occupying 48 hours, being just under 10 miles an hour. ON an average each Englishman writes 40 letters a year, each Scotsman 30, and each Irishman 16.. CIGARS are given to soldiers in the Italian army as part of their daily rations. .1 A POUND- of phosphorus will supply heads cto 1,000,000 matches. THERE are nearly 400 varieties of humming birds. IT is said that there are more widows in Frauce than in any country. SIXTY languages are spoken in the empire governed by the Czar of Russia^ The gondolas of Venice-are being gradually dis- placed by little steamboats. ABOUT four-fifths of all the missionaries who go to foreign parts take bicycles with them. The suicides at Monte Carlo reach an average of 60 yearly. TUB Mexican Budget for 1898-9 shows a surplus of over 20,000dol. Last year's surplus amounted to nearly 8,000,000dol. THE great, cork forests of the world are in southern Europe, especially in Spain and Portugal. Ta. population of London is greater than that of the entire kingdoms of Greece and Denmark com- bined. Tilu largest bronze statue in existence is in St. Petersburg. It represents Peter the Great, and Weighs 1000 tons. COUNT TOLSTOI is said to have taken to chess. He and his family are so interested in the game that at present they do little else all day. Tgz notion that the Sahara is altogether a barren and Worthless waste is very wide of the truth. A few years back there were nine million sheep in the Algerian Sahara alone, besides two million goats and 260,000 camels. On the oases there are 1,500,000 date palms. 4 • THB Imperial opera management at Vienna, in the hope of stopping jealousies among the II stars," has just issued a new regulation, permitting no more than three recalls after the close of acts, except in the case of first nights and during special engage- ments of foreign artists. RECENT statistics show that Germany takes the lead of all European countries in regard to the use of electric railways. She has 398 miles of such roads in operation; France has 173 miles Italy 72 miles, and England 68 miles. All of Europe combined cor- i tains a little more than 900 miles of electric railway. [ A IfOVBL flower has been found at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It has a faculty of changing its colour during the day. In the morning it is white, when the sun is at its zenith it is red, and at night it is |! blue. The red, white, and blue flower grows on a tree about the size of a guava tree, and only at noon does it give out any perfume. i j Sfil WALTER PHILMMOKE, the newly-appointed judge, like most of his family, was, educated at Westminster School, to which he is enthusiastically attached. He rarely misses being present at the Westminster play, and this year will no doubt hear some laudatory allusion to the fresh honours he has gained for his old school. THE death is annoanced of Mr. O. J. Shoppee, Fast President of the Surveyors' Institution, and Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was well known as an architect and surveyor, and had considerable experience as arbitrator and umpire in-roferences and compensation cases. He served for two yews on the Tribunal of Appeal with regard to the Metropolitan Building Act. ANALYSTS of food are now enlisting the services of the Bontgen rays to discover adulteration. In pictures so obtained of powdered materials thinly Scattered on a sheet of glass the presence of any mineral adulterants is plainly visible on account of the raysoot being able to penetrate them. RECENT investigations by Dr. Linden-Kohl have thown that the principal source of the Gulf Stream is not the Florida channel, but the region between and beride the islands of the West Indies. At Binioni, the volume of this warm water is 60 times as great as the combined volume of all the rivers in the world at their mouths. AN inventing crank has constructed an electric motor in the form of a large swan. The swan is harnessed to a boat, and a man sits in the boat hold- ing ttw Mim. This driver turns a switch, and the swan eetQ off, drawing^the boat after it, and. is guided in its course by a jerk of the reins.. A B-" hf.STORING fluid of wide sale and celebrity, for wbicb a nigh price ia charged by the purveyors, c has recently been found, on analysis, to consist of a mixture of refined petroleum oil and essential oil of lemons. Sufficient of the more pleasantly-scented component is added to the other to disguise its odour. PARLIAMENTARY notice has bten given by the Com- missioners for her Majesty's Works and Public Build- ings, of their intention to apply during the forth- coming session of Parliament for compulsory powers to purchase land situate on the corner of Dock View- road and Station-street, Barry Dock, in close Contiguity to the docks, for the purpose of erecting II post-office, customs offices, and mercantile marine offices. THE new Board Schools at West Hartlepool, which are capable of accommodating 1495 scholars, have cost E14,440 to erect. The buildings are provided with eight entrances from the playgrounds, and a cloak-room is placed near each entrance. The Pl< num system of heating and ventilating has been fitted throughout. The contractor was Mr. Thomas Beetham, of West Hartlepool, and the architect lr. E. P. Hinde, A.R.I.B.A., of Liverpool. THill following notiee is published conspicuously in several Kansas newspapers: "Corn is legal tender. We have a large amount due on subscriptions. We will allow 20 cents (tenpenoe) a bushel for corn on both old and new subscriptions. Bring in your corn." One paper in Northern Kansas has been forced to build several barns as a result of this notice. THE best customer at the U.S. Patent Office during the past year was one Milo B. Kellogg, whose name appears in connection with 12t claims and specifica- tions for multiple switch-boards: The claims occupy 1421arge octavo pages of close print, and all appear in the October number of the official Gazette. The fees paid in connection with the matter altogether amount to £ 500. THE cravat was once the name of a great military nation, the Croats, or Cravates, of the Balkans. It was their fashion to wrap large shawls or pieces of cloth round their necks and shoulders. About the middle of the reign of Louis XIV. that monarch uni- formed several regiments in the Croat style. The fashion became popular and the shawl diminished in size to the present-day slight strip of cloth. EXPERIMENTS have been recently made in Brazil with the employment of hot talc for the dryirg of coffee, and most excellent results are reported, it is stated that freshly-gathered coffee can be dried in thi? way in four hours, and that the article thus pre- pared is superior in aroma, colour, and weight to coffee treated by any other process. WHEN completed, the, tunnel which is being cut through Pike's Peak, Celorado, will be the longest in the world. The main bore will be 20 miles long, and Connecting with this are subsidiary tunnels, with a total length of 30 miles. So, in reality, the task that has been pot under way is that of digging 50 miles of tunnels; and every foot of. this vast system will be under Pike's Peak and the mountains that tower on each side. ANESIN is the-name of an anaesthetic for local appli- eation which is said to be entirely free from danger. In some respects it is less efficacious than cocaine; but that drug in many cases cannot be used. The anesin is described chemically as aceton-chloroform, and many well-known surgeons find it of great value in Superficial cases and in ophthalmic operations. MADAME MODJESKA, when not actiDg, takes great delight in looking after her beautiful ranch and farmyard in Southern California. She has a thorough knowledge of the various duties appertaining to farm life, and has frequently exhibited poultry wi cess at local shows. Bee-keeping is another favourite PnMAJORfR.e F'. MOORE, in the Aeronautical Journal, describes his experiments with a new flying mac ine, made after the model of the Indian flying-fox. The Mtion of the muscles in moving the wings is imitated by means of spiral springs and an electric or other motor. Two or more pairs of wings, in tandem fashion, are employed, and Major Moore hopes to construct a machine capable of raising a man. THE theatrical season in St. Petersburg during the past winter has been rendered notable by the amateur acting of the Grand Duke Oonstantine, who is the translator of Hamlet into .Russian. While a £ fted actor and a scholar, tee "Grand Duke has his ilings. For instance, he played the part of Someo dot long ago, and, being near sighted, wore his tse on, an innovation which the audience seemed ttdiaed to resent.

I 1GAMAGE, for Cycles, Cycle Accessories, &c. LEADING THE WAY AS USUAL. CHEAPEST AND BEST HOUSE. Write or call for comprehensive Catalogue for the Season, Post Free ta any Address. — THE "GAMAGE" CYCLES STAND THE R.ACKET. — The 10 Gns. The I Camage I Li 2 19. ed. The I Special Camage. IS Gus. I The Gamspede' lO Ons. High igrade, Smart, Up-to-date! 12 Months' Warranty. Rough Roads will not Wreck them. I The" Lucissime "Lamp. -M. .-M =-)A,* I A I -!W,- 11 .I ITT -w I 7- 10/6 Poet Free. Burns Paraffin Odourless and NOR- explosive. Richly Nickel- plated. I The 'Camopedo I Lady's 11 Gns The I Garrage 1 13 Gus, The Special Ga,,nage 1 16 Gas. Tried and True f 12 Months' Warranty. Honest Workmanship in every part. I Tbe(iamage' Watch Holder I I a/ 'I' t No Very neat, Qlass face, Perfectly dust- proof, Spring clip pre- vents vibration, Locks on the Bar. Price 3/6; With Watch complete X2/9 POST EKES. Lady's and Gent's size. Gamage's Famous Bells. (AS ILLUSTRATION.) 'j :0-= ¡ 1/4, 2/3, 2/9, 8/3, 3/6, 3/9 I Postage, 3d.K Loud and clear toned. Marvellous value. THE POOT PUMP. VEBY POWBBFUL Can be carried in the Pocket. No Stooping. Pumping up a Pleasure. No Rattling on the Maehine, Paotage 2/9 Sd. THE ONLY BRAKE I HOLDER. -A,, PF 3/- Postage Sd. Holds Brake to any tension. Looks Machine to prevent Theft. Attachable to any Cycle. (Doctors do not differ In their opinions of Oamage's OSOEZI' SADDLE, And why t Because it is at once hygienic, anatomically cor- rect, ana pressure npon the perineum is avoided. No saddle soreness even alter the hardest and most continuous riding. POST FREE. 21/- POST FREE. Suitable for Ladies or Gentlemen. Easily adaptable to any Machine. |W^AMAGE^hio^ fi9; EmCm °>c*™s<

DESTRUCTION OF WROTTESLEY HALL. Wrottesley Hall, near Wolverhampton, tho scat of Lord Wrottesley, was completely destroyed by fit* on Thursday morning. Just before midnight Lord Wrottesley went to his dressing-room prior to re- tiring for the night, when he discovered that the room was on fire. He at once raised an alarm and the servants who bad retired to rest were aroused, but 10 swift was the progress of the flames that they were only able to escape partially dresfed from the mansion. The 'fire bell was rung and ail the work people on the estate were summoned whilst a mounted messenger was despatched to Wolver- hampton, four miles away, to summon the police and the Bre brigade. Owing, however, to the resolution of the town council not to allow the brigade to go to fires outside the borough, the firemen declined to turn out, but the Earl of Dartmouth's private fire brigade, at Patshull, were summoned and attended. Meanwhile, the fire, aided by the strong wind, got hold of the buildings so that when the Patsbull brigade arrived the hall was enveloped in flames. Lord Wrotteetey, who is 73, worked hard all might together with the servants and saved oil paintings, silver plate, heirlooms, and other valu- ables, but the mansion was Completely gutted and, after burning all day, only a portion of the bare walls remained. The laundry, stables, and coachhouses were saved, but the valuable library, which contained a first folio Shakespeare, many early and rare edi- tions of the classics, and one of the finest and most lomplete eets of ancient historical chronicles- extant, was reduced to ashes. The Hon. Evelyn Wrottesley, only daughter of Lord Wrottesley, had a narrow 1 escape in her hurried exit from the burning pile. She was only able to partially attire herself, and she after- wards assumed a gentleman's hat and coat and went across country to Oaken, the residence of her uncle, the Hon. Charles Wrottesley, to apprise him of the disaster. Wrottesley Hall, which was built 200 years ago, was insured.

THE Newhey Brickworks, Rochaaje, formerly the' property of the Waterhead Land Co., have been" sold by auction to an Oldbam syndicate for E2491). ACCORDING to the deductions of a well-known as" tronomer, we recei e as much light from the sun as could be emitted bv.GSO.OOO full moonk IT has been truly said that no man with the toothache is a philosopher, and Prince Bismarck has lived to give point to the saying. Recently, says a Berlin journal, he consulted his doctor, and received the cold comfort, At the age of 75 you ought to b. delighted to have toothache still." But the ageing ex-Chancellor cannot attain to this philosophy, and gets very depressed by the pain, though after a couple of hours' sleep he recovers his habitual serenity. lIe goes to bed at eleven, but rarely has a good night's rest a note-bookand pencil being put within reach so that he may record the passing thoughts of his wakeful moments. He bewails his loneliness, now that his wife is dead. DR. JAMES MARTINEAU, the doyen of Noncon- formity, and brother of Harriet Martinead, the gifted writer of a generation ago, is a tall, erect, silver-haired man of 92. Seventy-ifve-years ago he was a student of civil engineering, which he aban- doned to enter a divinity college at York, where for some time he filled the Chair of Philosophy before becoming Principal. His ministerial work was in connection with Little Portland-street Chapel, of which he was for about 13 years- tho beloved pastor. He is still a firm believer in pedestrianism as a form of exercise, and may fre- quently be seen, a distinguished and reverend figure, walking in the squares of Bloomsbury. A LASTING rubber stamp ink pad that will-continue to do duty for years without requiring re-saturation is described in a recently published recipe as follows: Glycerine 6 parts, water 1 part, gelatine,. 1 p irt, colouring matter 6 parts. Swell the gelatine wii h the water then boil and add the other ingredients. For black colouring matter, use gelatine glize 1 p irt, lampblack 3 parts, glycerine 10 parts, alcohol 1 p )rt, water 2 parts, Venetian soap 1 part, salicylic adid l-5th part. For red or violet, substitute 2 parts aniline red or violet for the lampblack. With bhe hot liquid, saturate a cushion of cloth clippings packed in a tin box and covered at the bop neatly with a smooth cloth surface. MR. JUSTICE DARLING is not tbeonly occupmtof the Bench who has been robbed in London. Only the other day Judge Addison complained that his watch had been snatched from him in broad daylight in the Strand. But neither of these luminaries en- joyed so striking an experience as that which Befell Bir John Bridge a few yeaps ago. During the hearing of a cage at Bow-street, Sir John mentioned inci- dentally that he bad left his watch at home. 13ohie smart thief who was in court found this a valunble piece of information. A little 1 iter in the day be pre- sented himself at Sir John's house, saying that Sir John had sent him for his watch, which was handed over to him, and has not been seen since. AN electric brazing and welding tool has recently been contrived. It is held in an operator's hand, And consists of two rods of carbon, each fastened by one end in a light frame and switched to flexible ljive wires. The other ends may be brought in conTact or tlose together on rolling a milled strevfhead by thullb., action. The rods enclose an angle of'aktout 90dtg^ and from their junction point the' arc is projected?, outwards like the flame from an air blowpipe, with- out requiring the directive influence of a magjet. The broken main body casting of a Worthipg>on pump was recently repaired With thi. appliance, working at 150 amperes and 50 volts. All kinds of welding and brazing jobs, large or small, can be done with it.

A LION TAMER'S EXCITING EXPERIENCE. A Standard message from Paris says the lion-tamer, Letort, was nearly killed the other night in the pre- tence of the numerous spectators who always fill M. Pezon's menagerie. The lion-tamer states that he noticed one of the lions, named Menelek, cr,puching on the ground refusing to obey him. Knowing he was a dangerous animal, Letort struck him violently with his whip. Roaring ferociously, the lion sprang at him, tore his chest with his claws, and seized his left arm between his formidable teeth. Tbe enraged animal, still mauling and shaking him, pushed him backwards to the further end of the cage. The horror- stricken audience had by this time for the incst part fled, but the servants of the menagerie now came with pitchforks, iron bars, &c. Letort added "I felt I was. lost, especially as I saw the servants some with pitchforks, &c. I shouted to them not to touch the lion because I feared that their blows would only excite Menelek all the more against me. My only hope was to free myself from, him alone. I succeeded at last in seising the lion by the throat and sought to drag him to the other extremity of the cage, where my long steel fork was lying on the ground. If I bad slipped or fallen it would have been all over for me. I do not even know now how I at length got the steel fork into my hand, but I did, and thrust it half down Menele)Cs throat. I was saved, and could leave the cage, for the lion had sunk back vanquished." Letort has decided to become a candidate for Parliament at the general election. He calls him- self a reasonable Socialist.

LORD BALCARRES, M.P., is regarded by those who are well acquainted with him and his quiet work as one of the most promising of our younger legislators. He has taken no part so far in the oratorical side of the proceedings at Westminster, but in committees he is now beginning to be known. Art and philan- thropic work on behalf of the very poor are the two subjects to which Lord Balcarres devotes a great portion of his time. He is known as a very earnest worker in the East-end of London. His fat-her, Lord Crawford, is recognised widely as one of the most cultured members of the peerage. TIIB ex-Empress Frederick is an excellent musi- cian, and she is also a talented artist in sculpture and painting. A most life-like portrait of her hus- band, a piece of bronze, was modelled by her, and the two castles she occupies at different periods of the year contain many creditable sketches by her on canvas and paper. Another of her Majesty's favourite occupations is gardening. She is very fond of roses for decorative purposes, and owns a large nursery garden at Friedrichshof, where choice fruit is cultivated for her table. THE popular idea that the age of a horse can always be told by looking at his teeth," said a veterinary surgeon, is not entirely correct. After the eighth year the horse has no more new teeth, so that the tooth method is useless for telling the age of a horse which is more than eight years old. As soon as the set of teeth is complete, however, a wrinkle begins to appear on the upper edge of the lower eyelid, and a new wrinkle is added each year, so that to get at the age of a horse more than -eight years old you must figure the teeth plus the wrinkles." TIlE man who either shuts the door with a bang or leaves it wide open may soon be unabje to work havoc with people's nerves. Doors can now be opened and closed automatically by electricity, the circuit being closed and the doors opened by the pressure ot the visitor's feet on the mat. After the visitor has passed through, the doors are shut by the epme current, and left ready to open with the next visitor. THERE is a curious fact in relation to Spanish titles which may be of interest to unmarried millionaires anxious to achieve greatness- th-rougb their wealth. Titles not only descend through the female line, but a man, upon marrying a titled woman, immediately assumes bis wife's title. There is at least one un- married duchess in Spain, and there are several mar- chionesses. A foreigner, therefore, upon marrying a duchess, would be created a duke and a grandee, and by purchasing a property with an annual rental of JE2000 would have a seat for life in the Senate. A LADY called at a large e-uployment agency recently and asked if they could recommend her a domestic servant, explaining that the latter's duties would include the looking after of 20 dogs, which required to be fed thricea day. And the pay offered was two shillings a week! Singular to say, thera have as vet been 'no applicants for this situation. A RBTPRIT has just been issued by the Board of Trade bearing on the naval expenditure and mer- cantile marine of Great Britain and all other mart- time Powers. It shows that in merchant tonuage the British Empire stands supreme- If the United Kingdom is taken alone, the figures are over 9,000,000; if our colonies are added, the figures are close on 11,000,000. Gtffmnny. whrch ranks highest among other PfttffcK can hoast only of a merchant navy of 1,600,000 tons; France comes next With less than 1,000,000 tons. Kufcsia, Italy, Spain, Austria, JapanT aftd the United States are still lower on the scale. So with the value of commerce. Adfing togetherimports and exports of the United R ing- dom, they come to the enormous total value of "4822;000,000. At least £ 20^,000,000 more reire- n"ts the shipping trade of India and our self-govarn- ibscolonies. W hat statistics can be set against other nations ? Germany is again first, but wi'-h a total ut only £ 400,000,000 the United States can lay claim to £ 322,000,000, and France to £ 264,000,000. but none of the relt run into nmft Ipree.