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

THJI 13th annual London Whit-Monday cart hoMe parade wras held in Regent's-park, the Duchess ^'r;or"a!j1 £ Lpresenting.pr'izes to the successful com- petooi* duriagrUM, ahomovn, *ean, Government has decided to open market.016 8 anc* to make Ping Yang an open

J, BRITISH FLAG HOISTED AT WEI-IIAI-WEI. INTERESTING CEREMONIAL. The special correspondent of the Shanghai Mqr- cuf.lf, now at Wei-Hai-Wei, sends to that journal' a full and interesting description of the handing over of Wei-liai-Wei to the British after the departure of the Japanese. Kirly on the morning of May 24 a British blue- jacket, accompanied by a Chinaman beating a gong, marched round the island of Liukuangtau, which dominates the harbour and is the key to the entire ire position. As the Chinaman thumped his gong lie cried out to the Chinese that the British flag would be hoisted at half-past one o'clock in the afternoon, and that all the inhabitants who cared to witness the ceremony were at liberty to do so. Half an hour before the appointed time 100 blue- jackets, under the command of Commander Charles L. Napier, landed from her Majesty's ship Nar- cissus; A few minutes later a detachment of 50 Chinese sailors from the cruiser Foochi appeared upon the scene, headed by a band playing "A Life on the Ocean Wave." The Chinamen marched smartly to the West Fort, where two flagstaffs had been erected, one bare, the other flying the Chinese flag. At the West Fort the British tars and the Chinese Bailors formed into a hollow square, and awaited the arrival of the Commissioners entrusted with the duty of carrying out the transfer of Wei-Hai-Wei from Chinese to British ownership. The Commissioners arrived at twenty past one o'clock. They proved to be Mr. Lionel Charles Hopkins, British Consul at- Chefoo, and Captain George F. King-Hall, commanding her Majesty's ship Narcissus, for tlreat Britain; and the Taotai Yen and Captain Lien, of the Poochi, for the, Emperor-of China. mlss] The Commissioners proceeded to the centre of the square, and, after the exchange of courtesies and some formalities, Captain King-Hall addressed the Chinese Commissioners and the assembled crowd. He said it gave him great pleasure to have as col- leagues upon such an occasion such a distinguished gentleman as the Taotai Yen, and an officer of the Imperial Chinese Navy. They were there to witness the consummation of a free action between tvoo friendly nations. ) Before formally taking over the lease of Wei-Hai- Wei, Captain King-Hall read the following declara- tion We, the undersigned, British Commissioners, appointed by Vice-Admiral Sir Edward H. Seymouir, Knight-Commander of the Bath, do hereby, on behalf of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, &c., take On lease, from the Commissioners appointed by the Tsung-li-Yamen on behalf of the Emperor of China, the island of Liukuangtau and Wei-Hai-Wei, and the mainland in the neighbourhood to the extent aijd upon the terms agreed upon by our respective Governments.— Signed by the four Commissioners aforesaid, George F; King-Hall, Lionel C. -Hopkins, Yen, Lien." • This formality completed, Captain King-Hall next read the following declaration The-British Govern- ment having leased Wei-Hai-Wei, with tlieconsentof his Majesty the Emperor of China and the Chinese Government, everyone is hereby enjoined to carry on his occupations quietly and peacefully and to obserjve' the law. Disturbers of the peace will be punished. The principal inhabitants of Liukuangtau will be held responsible for the good behaviour of the people from this day. New inhabitants will not be allowed to settle in the island, nor be permitted to rent buildings or reside in the villags without permission.—(Signed) GEORGE F. KING-HALL." ° The Taotai then delivered a brief address, which was scarcely audible to the crowd owing to his Excel- lency's nervous manner and low tone of voice. This concluded the legal formalities, and immedi- ately C'dmmander Napier gave the order for the British fllig to be hoisted on the bare staff. As the glorious old flag was unfurled at the top of the staff the band played the National Anthem and the blue- jackets gave-three lusty cheers for her Majesty the Queen, a similar compliment being given to the Emperor of China. The British flag' was hoisted at the mainland forts: at the same time as it fluttered in the breeze over Liukuangtau.

SIR T. DYKE-ACLAND DEAD. Sir Thomas Dyke-Acland died at his seat at Kil- lcrton, Exeter, at half-past twelve on Whit-Sunday. The late baionet was born in 1809, and edu- cated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford, At the latter college his principal friends were the late Mr. W. E. Gladstone, the late Lord Blacliford, and the late Lord Elgin. In 1837 he was elected as a Conservative to represent West Somerset in Parliament, and retained the seat for 10 years. After the general election of. 1841, when Sir Robert Peel began his reform of tariffs, Sir Thomas had no hesitation in supporting tllo, repeal of the Corn Laws, resigning his seat fo. West Somersetshire at the dissolution of 1847. He, however, retained his interest in general education, and was largely instrumental with Dr. Temple in establishing the system of local ex- animations. In 1859 he contested Birmingham as a Moderate Liberal against rr, Bright, but his candi- dature was unsuccessful. In 1865 he again entered Parliament, this time as a decided Liberal and a follower of Mr. Gladstone. He continued to repre- sent North Devon until 1885, when he was returned for West Somerset. In 1886 he again stood as'a Gladstonian Liberal, but was defeated.

A MANILA ROMANCE. The New York Herald (Paris edition) publishes a romantic story of the marriage to an Irish girl ol Dr. Rizal, who was shot last year as a rebel by the Spanish authorities at Manila. Mrs. Rizal was born inllong Kong, and had gone with her father, a My Taufer, to Manila. Dr. Rizal attended Mr. Taufer and thus made his future wife's acquaintance. Dr. Rizal was then living in banishment, but was subse- quently summoned to Spain, whence he was sent back to Manila for trial, and was there sentenced to death The day after the trial Dr. Biial was visited by his family, and also by his fiancee, Miss Taufer, to whom he proposed that their marriage should be celebrated before he was shot. She acquiesced in the arrange- ment, and at six o'clock on the morning of the, execu- tion she went to the prison, and they were quietly married. The soldiers then approached with a rope to bind Dr. Rizal, and his weeping wife had to leave him. He was conducted to the place of execution on the Luncta, his wife following behind, but not being permitted to go near him. Dr. Rizal behaved with great fortitude. He took off his hat and bade every- one good-bye three times, stating that he forgave all those who had done him evil. The firing party then shot .him in the back, and he expired immediately, A week later Mrs. Rizal set off on foot for the rebel position at Imus, where she first met Emilio Agui- naldo the. rebel leader, and was received with great enthusiasm as the .widow of a martyr to the cause. She subsequently assumd command of a company and has won more than one victory over the Spaniards.

THE cycle-improver's inventiveness shows no sign of abatement. Of the 516 applications for patents filed at the British Patent Office during the last week of April, 54 were connected with cycles and CY.I. appurtenances. This does not include the specifica- tions relating to tyres and wheels, which account, for 15 more. The whole of the patents touching chemistry and electridity only numbered 47. IT has been decided that Wentworth House, ,J ohn- street, Hampstead, well known from its association. with the poet Keats, shall be sold for building plr- poses. The house was the residence of Fanny and it adjoins the house in John-street now known as Lawn Bank, in which the poet himself lived. COMET'S tails appear to be repelled by the sun, and AT. Deslandres now ascribes the fact to "cathodic" rays emitted by our luminary. These rays arte, of course, like the rays from the cathode in a Crookes tube, as made familiar to us by ontgen s discovery. THE Queen has gianted unto Sir J. Scott authority to accept and wear the Insignia of the G "and Cordon of the Osmanieh, which the hedlve. has conferred upon him in recognition of his services as Judical. Adviser to his Highness, ACCORDING to M. D. Egnitis, the enlargement of the discs of the sun and moon near the horizon has not been satisfactorily explained by anyone, and the true cause of the phenomenon is still unknown. THE total length of the-world s telegraph system is not much under 5.000,000 miles. This is exclusive of 1,814,000 miles of. submarine cables. This mile, age is apportioned as follows: Europe, 1,765,000 Asia, 311,000 Africa, 100,000 Australia, 218,000 America, 2,500,000.

WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION. THE NEW ACT. Workman must not think (remarks a writer in the Echo) that every kind of employment in which acoi- dents are likely to arise is included Within the pro- visions of this Act. On the contrary, its scope is limited, and some employments of the most dangerous character are unfortunately excluded. The following are the employments within the Act: Work on railways, including siding, wharf, or docks bejonging to railways, and used for the purposes of public traffite; work in a factory; in a laundry worked by steam in a mine; in a quarry1; engi- neering work and building. Employers are technically called in the Act under- takers, and, as a rule, these undertakers are the persons who are liable to pay compensation. In the case of a railway, the undertakers are the railway company. The undertaker is the occupier in the case of a factory, quarry, or laundry. In the case of a mine, the undertaker is the proprietor, or lessee, or occupier. The person who undertakes the construc- tion, alteration, and repair ia the undertaker in the case of a6 engineering work, or in the case of a building. It ia thus evident that-the-term employer as used iu the Act is very comprehensive. In addi- tion to the persons generally included, according to the meaning of the word, it also covers contractors who employ sub-contractors to do "any of the con- tractor's trade or business. The Act prevents the undertaker from screening himself behind a con- tractor or sub-contractor. The persons entitled to compensation are work- men engaged in the employments we have set out. In case of death it has to be paid to the dependants of the workmen, and, failing them, to those persons who have incurred expense by reason of the accident. The dependants to whom compensation is payable are wife, husband, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, step-father, step-mother, son, daughter, grand-son, grand-daughter, step-son, and step- daughter, provided they are wholly or partly dependent upon the earnings of the workman at the time of death. The payment of the compensation will have to be made to the legal personal representative of the work- man, of if he has no legal representative, the person to whop the expenses are due. Workman is a generic term, and applies to any person, whether his labour be manual or otherwise, who is engaged in any employment to which the Act applies, It should be observed that the expression labour, manual or otherwise," gives the Act a wider scope than the Employers' Liability Act of 1880. The benefits of that Act were confined to persons engaged in manual labour, but did not cover omnibus-drivers and others employed in similar work.

We Give this Beautiful GOLD WATCH FREE. JtL rpO quickly introduce our new Family Magazine, "Hoihelaud," JwSKL j° 10,WO readers of this paper, we have decided to give away 10,000 Gold absolutely free of cost. The Watches are real Gold, Hall Marked, and at retail would cost J*7<vm Upwards of Five Guineas. If you MmWSr\\ !!al\t one, write to ua without delay. IWypWr* *xi\ with your letter send us la. 6<l., BgHSUj 1'ostal Order, for which we will I HEbSAV vH /'11 se y°u each issue of our 36-page HHSKptu OMLKWJM £ lW^ne, "Homeland, for one year, Hral" 3j! ail(i our.offer, on complying with HP b fcx( i fj which the Watch will be' sent free BBEHI* 4lii by registered post. "Homeland" is ■BBBIA-IJ' t l Zflll fiIled witlx most interesting stories, vjHHJVj 1 kirijjl good articles on timely topics, beau- \vjJJJj tiful pictures, and is a high-class magazine of pure literature that will delight everyone in the family circle. Our reason for giving away the watches is that you may talk about and recom- mend our Magazine to all your friends, so that we may quickly secure a very large circulation. Read what a S\ib»criber says:—"179, Sloane Street London, S.W. Gentlemen,—The Gold'Watch just to hand, and it is a beauty. U it astonishing how you can give away BO tine a watch. It U beyond all uiy expectations.—G. Btanesby." Address,—The Homeland Publishing Co., No 23 De- partment, 118, Newgate Street, London, JE.C. Silver Medal, Edinburgh, 1889. Gold Medal, famaica, 1891. Gold Medal, Derby, 1891. Highest Award at Chicago Exhibition. Altogether Six Gold Medals received. COLEMAN'S mom= li i= A m /s a delicious beverage and tonic made from Port Wine, Liebig's Extract of Meat, and Extract of Malt IX/INr A DIMIC is a Name Registered to prevent TT llwAMuO fraudulent imitations. OVEE SIX THOUSAND Unsolicited Testimonials have been received from Medical Men. l'he following Important Testimonial has been received from Dr. FLETCHEB. Applecross, Rosshire, N.B., July and, 1897. n Deat Sirs.-Please forward quarter-of-a-dozen 11 Wincarnjs immediately, as my patient's supply is about done. I trust there will be no delay, as he takes no other n°"rl- Bent, and has been sustained and gained strengtu by Wincamis" for twelve weeks. YOUDUNCaSFJ.ETCHER, L.R.C.P. WINCARNIS andPatent'Medu^ne Vendors. Ask foi j Coleman's" Wincamis," and see U»at the word "Wincarnis" kon the shoulder of the bottle. Sold in Bottles, as. gd. and 4s. 6d, everywhere. Sole Proprietors and Manufacturers of the above, COLEMAN & CO., Limited, NORWICH and LONDON. Sample Bottle unt free by Post on receipt offuU Postal Address.

HOME HINTS. --=- RHUBARB TEA.—Take a couple of rhubarb stalks and cut them into convenient lengths without peel- ing with a chopper bruise them well, put them into a jug and pour a quart of boiling water over them sweeten to taste, and leave to cool. This is a splendid beverage for cyclists, quenching the great thirst that usually attends that mode of locomotion, and at the same time doing permanent good to the internal organs by its refreshing and restoring properties. RHUBARB WI-N-r.-Tlie rhubarb, as in the case of the rhubarb tea, must be simply wiped, not peeled, and the hard ends cut off, then with a chopper, bruise each stalk, so that the juice will run freely out. It must not be cut, but the stalks as bruised, must be laid into an earthen or wooden vessel, and to everv five pounds of rhubarb put one gallon of water let it remain three days, stirring it two or three times a day, bring it out and strain it into a pitcher, then to every gallon of the liquor put three pounds of sugar and stir still dissolved. Put it in a moderately warm place and cover over for from three to six days. The crust will begin to rise with a head, and when it com- mences to crack it is fit for taking off. Then bottle and cork it, and stand it in a cool dry place. In a few months it should be fit to rival much of the cheap stuff sold under the name of champagne. Rhubarb wine is of a highly intoxicating nature, owing to the readiness with which it ferments, thus generating a large quantity of alcohol. Being a home- made wine, it is sometimes presented as a teetotal drink. But woe to the abstainer who, in an unwary moment, is induced to partake of it; unconsciously he may sacrifice his principles, and forfeit his self- respect, and he would be wise to stick to the rhubarb tea and a syrup easily concocted of rhubarb juice, using a pound of sugar to a pint, and boiling till thick. RHUBARB JELLY.—Having dealt with rhubarb as a drink, there is one form of it as a food that deserves mention. When stewing a quantity of rhubarb (and as it is quite as nice cold as hot, it is easier to do a good deal at once) there is always a superfluity of juice; pour this off to taste put it in a white enamelled saucepan, and to each pint add a cup of sago and boil till the latter is quite cooked and clear; if likely to be too thick, put in some boiling water as required, sweeten to taste, pour into a mould, and put aside to cool; when wanted turn out and serve with custard or good cream. In stewing rhubarb it is best cooked in pieces about three inches long, and kept whole to attain this end some pains is neces- sary. Each piece should be lifted out as done with a couple of spoons, and laid carefully into the dish, glass, or earthenware in which it is to be served. In this form it both looks and tastes better when cut into small pieces.—" A.L.O.S. in the Agricultural Gazette. RHUBARB JAM.—Wipe your rhubarb well, and if old,peel it; butit is much wiser to use ityoung enough to do without peeling. Cut off roots and leaves. Weigh it and put it into the preserving pan with one pound of crushed lump sugar, and the grated rind of a lemon to every one pound of rhubarb. Put the pan on one side of your range till the sugar is thoroughly dissolved, then place it in a hotter part and simmer slowly till it is done, stirring and skimming with a wooden or silver spoon. When you think it is done, put a little in a saucer, let it cook, and see if it jellies slightly. If not, cook a little longer. It will take from three-quarters of an hour to one hour and a quarter, according to the age of the rhubarb, and the rate at which you boil it. Pour into clean, quite dry, jars, and when cold, cover tightly and keep in a cool, dry place. STUFFED FILLET OF MUTTON.—Take the thick end of a leg of mutton which has been well hung (the shank is delicious boiled and served with parsley [ Sauce or caper sauce). Bone it carefully; fill the cavity with stuffing like that used for veal, and bind up tightly. Have ready some suet-paste, not over- rich, and with the suet very finely chopped. Sprinkle j the mutton with pepper and salt, and enclose in the paste. Tie it tightly in a cloth and put it into water which boils and simmers very slowly until cooked. It will take about one hour to each three pounds. Serve in the paste with red currant jelly. JERSEY WONDERS—TO BE EATEN HOT.—One pound of butter, four pounds of flour, quarter of a pound of sugar, one egg, well beaten, one large teaspoonful of baking powder, sufficient water to make all the in- gredients into a paste. Knead it well, and roll out as you would for pastry, cut into portions three inches long, and two inches broad; make two slits in each, and plait down, so as to make a shape like a small French roll; lay them when done on a flat dish, ready for boiling. Boiling: Put into a deep stew- pan, one pound of fresh lard when it boils drop into it for the "wonders." They will almost imme- diatety ri se to the surface; then turn them about with a steel fork until a rich brown colour. Take them out with a strainer on to a dish to dry. Be sure the lard j boils again before you put in others, or the wonders" < will be spoilt. I CLEANING GLASS.—Wash the glass in hot water, and rub them up, when well rinsed, with newspaper. This answers much better than wiping them with a cloth. If much stained, you will find that if torn-up pieces of newspaper are put into decanters with plenty of hot water, and then well shaken up, the glass will of hot water, and then well shaken up, the glass will be pure as the proverbial crystal. Glass windows always look better when cleaned in this way than when done by the more usual method. when done by the more usual method. when done by the more usual method. SOME HINTS FOR WASHING CAMBRIC AND LAWN BLOUSES.—Don't let them get at all dirty, so as to avoid using soap. Get ready some bran-water by j toiling gib. of bran in two quarts of water for three- quarters of an hour, straining and adding the same j quantity of soft rain water. Squeeze your blouse, child's frock, or whatever you want to wash, well in it. Avoid rubbing, and, if you want to keep the article stiff and avoid the risk of ruining in sferch- ing, do not rinse. This produces exactly the slight stiffness which you get in a new article. Iron when three-parts dry, with an iron which is not too hot. Different colours can be preserved in different ways. That of holland or straw-coloured lawn by rinsing in I a weak solution of tea or coffee; pink or green, by half a wineglass of vinegar to a quart of rinsing water; and mauve and purple, strangely enough, by adding a little common soda, which destroys blue.— Rural World. THE YOUNG MOTIIER.-Restlessncss at night, talk- ing in sleep, etc. These are often causes of great anxiety to mothers of children from four or five to 11 or 12 years old. Often these symptoms come from over-pressure with school work, or serious constitu- I tional disturbances. In such cases, a good doctor should be consulted, and the over-pressure stopped at any cost of rapid progress. But often they proceed from nothing but mismanagement, and this should be seen to and alteration tried before fearing graver causes. For one thing, children's evening meal should be a very light and digestible one, and taken at least an hour or hour and: a half before bedtime. Lessons, too, should never be done during the last two waking hours. Another frequent cause of rest- lessness is having the bedroom too light, and still overloading the bed. Blankets get piled on in winter and often, when warmer nights come, are forgotten and left. and feverish restlessness is the result. Ventilate your rooms well, and entirely avoid loading the little sleepers with hot and close coverings. POTATOES A LA MARfE-Peet eight raw potatoes, then cut them around as an apple is peeled,, let the paring be as near the same thickness as possible, and the longer they are the better; put them in a frying basket and plunge into boiling lard When they are a eolden brown drain them in front of the fire dish on a very hot plate sprinkle with salt and serve '"POTATO HALLS.—One pint of hot mashed potatoes seasoned with a half teaspoonful salt, quarter tea- Bpoonful of white pepper, half teaspoonful of celery salt, some chopped parsley and butter; moisten, if needed, with a little hot milk or cream. Beat one egg light and add part of it to the potatoes shape into smooth, round balls, brush over with the re- mainder of the egg and bake on buttered tins until brown. Be careful to not get them too moist. TuRNirs AND POTATOES AU GRATIN.—Mix throughly together a pint of hot mashed turnips and an equal amount of mashed potatoes add two tablespoonfuls of butter, a teaspoonful of salt and teacup of milk. Put into a baking pan; stew with bread crumbs, dot with bits of butter and bake to a delicate brown.

HONORARY degrees are shortly to be conferred at Cambridge University upon the Italian Ambassador, the Master of the Rolls, the Master of Balliol, Mr. Courtney, M.P., Mr. Bryce, M.P., Sir Henry Irving, Sir E. J. Poynter, and other gentlemen. AIT instance of the reduced value of country estates is afforded by the sale of West Deeping, m Lincoln- shire. Twenty-three years ago the property was pur- chased by the Countess of Egmont for £ 11,000, and has now been sold for £5000.

-4- jo B MORE TESTIMONY I More Sweeping than ever. From the Highest Authorities. Opinions like these unbiassed, unsolicited, prove beyond question the unsurpassed merits of IT IS IMPORTANT TO ASK FOR HOB PUHCTURABLf. The Lord Advocate of Scotland (on Expert Advice) Rides them! A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT. WM. O'MALLEY, Esq., M.P., writes:- I ride a machine fitted with A.-B. Non Puncturable Tyres, and I consider that as reliable and resilient tyres they are aF that is claimed for them. The tyre must in the end prove a very cheap one. It is, undoubtedly, a maivellous tyre." ANOTHER MEMBER. M. J. FLAVIN, Esq., M.P., writes:— II I should never have thought of cycling with puncturable tyres. I am convinced that the A.-B. Non-Puncturable Tyre it an absolute cure for this fearful unpleasantness." AND AN ARMY CAPTAIN. CAPTAIN D. J. W. EDWARDS, County Club, Cork, writes :— The A.-B. Non-Puncturable Tyre is the best I have ever had. I have ridden it now over 800 miles over rough roads, and have onlv pumped it twice. I mean in future to Use no other and will recommend it to my friends in Co. Donegal when the roads ",re very rough." ARE YOU IN DOUBT? Why should you be so any longer? FREE SAMPLE SECTION I sent to anyone contemplating cycling. Test them and satisfy yourself. I LOOK FOR THE WORD m-Prnmnm They are the only light tyres on the market that are ■ fully guaranteed. What more positive proof could there be of their superiority ? G. S. PARKER, Esq., Monmouth St., Bath, writes:- "I have ridden over 3,000 miles all through these country districts over many of the roads just relaid with new flint stones which had not been ridden in, and am, indeed, most happy to say that I have never had a puncture of any kind, and have not one?, since I fitted them to my machine, had occasion pump them." H. F. HARDING, Esq., Captain British Empire Cycling Club, writes:- "I have'ridden 6,233 miles on a pair of A.-B. Non. Puncturable Tyres since June ist, 1897, and have never yet had a puncture or the slightest mishap of any kind. I have ridden right round the coast of Devon, Sussex, Essex, Kent, and Norfolk, and toured inland in all the southern counties, and have come across some Shocking bad roads, so I and my friends consider them very wonderful." 'I E. F. WILSON, Manager Acton Cycle Co. :— "We believe the A.-B. N on-Punctura.ble Tyres aJ perfection." TWO YEARS I WITHOUT A PUNCTURE. S. MORLEY, London and South Western Bank, Chelsea :— J Having ridden your tyre for two years on bad roads with* out a puncture, I think it only shows what excellent material you use. An omnibus on one occasion ran right over my front wheel; though the wheel was entirely smashed, your tyre, with j which my machine was fitted, remained uninjured." IA GRATIFYING | CONTRAST. JOHN WOOD, Esq., Bellevue, East Hill, Colchester, writes:- •* I have used your A.-B. Non-Puncturable Tyres for three months, and have not had a single puncture or trouble of any kind. This is all the more gratifying, as last year I wore out fotlt t^res, a £ lc{ f,a<j at least 30 punctures with other makes of tyres. A EVERY TYRE STAMPED Hf-N-PUNCTUBABIF None Genuine without. They only require inflating every two or three months, not every time you ride as others do. Think of the. trouble and annoyance saved. 700 MILES I WITHOUT USING A PUMP. D. JONES, Esq., 14, Exmouth Street, Livarpool:- "After riding 700 miles on A.-B. Non-Puncturab!e Tyres, (hey are as,hard as whendelivered." Every tyre is tested to an enormous pressure, and is stocked for a long time before being sent out. So that there cannot well be a defective tyre. They are rapidly superseding all others We believe their success entirely unprecedented in the history of the trade. On several individual days the-output has exceeded 3,000 tyres. Don't be the last to take advantage of the progress in tyre construction. SWEEPING ADVANTAGES. Lightness. Speed. Durability. Freedom from Puncture. Perfect, NOIT SUPPING and Clean. SELDOM REQUIRE INFLATING. Any one point, without the other, is quite sufficient to place them clear in front of any other tyre on the market. INSIST UPON HAVING A. B. NOK-PUNOTURABLE TYRES. Don't buy your cycle until you have at least tested them and know them. SAMPLE SECTION and catalogue and book of testimonials, sent on request (mention this paper). You will not have any other after reading the opinions of those who are riding them. Address f- Catalogue and Fret Sample Section THE AMALGAMATED PNEUMATIC TYRE COS., LTD., CLERKENWELL ROAD, LONDON, B.C.

AN ingenious little machine for making gun cart- ridges for ordinary use in sport, &c., has been intro- duced by a Parisian. It is actuated by a motor of one-fourth horse-power, and turns out 1200 cart- ridges an hour; but it can be worked by a man and pedal with an output of 800 per hour. VENEER-CUTTING has reached such perfection that a single elephant's tusk 30in. long is now cut in London into a sheet of ivory 150in. long and 20in. wide, and some sheets of rosewood and mahoeanv are only about l-50th of an inch thick. THE London Polytechnic Council have passed a resolution to the effect that no scheme for the oational registration of plumbers will be satisfactory which does not, provide for the adequate representa- tion of educational interests on the Registration Council, and that the constitution of the Registration Council, as proposed in the bill, is essentially un- satisfactory.

L ;o Cheapest and Best House in the World for at! Sporting Requisites; Writs or Call for Comprehensive Catalogue (illustrated) Post 1 Free anywhere. > An M.D.'s Opinion of GAMAGni'S "OSOEZI" SADDLE. Han1.ut. Hants. i)p;tr Sirs,—I "have not ridden on Ihei "O.-oEZI" Saddle m s. if, but-hr«ve boon tryiisc: it for a ltydy ^iit'to who.n vibration vv;>jJd iiuran dreauful pain. She is vertecuy com-. 0.1 it. and axpressos her pleasure eTery time I .ee her. 1 have shoTTii t1,e drawing to seyeral people, and the T-)ticnt. who ciune sonic distance to see Hie,, ordered asaddie *>f tkia pattern from oii'e of the aver ts here "Aprils Yoai-s faithlnlly, M.D. ASK YOUR DOCTOR TfrinnH IS THE BEST SADDLE FOR CY< T.I\TG ? HE WILL AT ONUJE REPLY-Tli.U "OSOEZI." « :1 0 .¡ U l J "Tfi at on%e %v""e-iic. ur.ato'uirally correct, and pressure $>°n IS S.VOWB.1 No saMU £ «*«,even aft„ l/ls. Jul t .t/« i TW>2f c-nftnuottf* ttiyif/. v -01 TW9< tiee.: ^u't iblo forLstfties t>r Gentleman. i^asiiy ^sX/ tQ>.»Tjymachine. Oni.< Cycles "STAND TEE 11ACKET," and are ESarvciioiis VAIiUE FOR L10IJEY. !.r^ o/ %e7bw?c'n be had by Monthly Payments. The Parcel Post affords a rare opportmiit^ for country residents to deal with a first* class lionse. We despatch hundreds of par- cels daily to the remotest parts 01 toe United Kingdom and abroad. The &XFCXISIME: .1 .1. _r -a r. i Cycle Lampr: GOOD, LIGHT. Won't Blow. Out. All Parts Rivetted. ITo Solder Used. Richly Nickelled. FRICE S/0 Postage Id. The SPEINGFIEIii) Wrench. a sure gripper, nickel plated, very strong. Postage 2d. f THE "NEW ERA" CYCLOMETER. Made by the 4/6 STANDARD WATCH CO., N.Y. The Smallest and Most Accurate. MADE.JJKE A WATCII. DysT AND RAIN PROOF. Graceful in Beautiful in flnirili'. 'Eejrisfers 10,000 miles, and fractions. Gmuil.nleell, and weighs only loz, Price 4/6. In the new Uun Metal, 5/6. Postage 2d. Carriage Paid on all Orders over 10s. unless otherwise stated. r NOTE THE ADDKESS- A. W. GAMAGE, Ltd., Holborn, LONDON, E.C.

4- A ROCKET TORPEDO. It has been argued, says an American paper that > accuracy and range would be attained only when the rocket could be given the same rotary notion that a powder gun imparts to a stel projectile. To produce-this in an tdinary gun requires a pressure Of 15 or 23 tons per square inch-a force so great 1 that it would detonate any mass of high-, explosive at the instant of discharge. An inventor has, there- fore, conceived the novel idea of revolving, both the gun and its charge. The projectile, consisting, in the 10-inch calibre, of lOOlb. of gun-cotton, is incased 2 in a thin metal envelope, the rear end of which contains rocket composition, and the head a percussion fuse which is set in action by the force of impact. This projectile is placed in the gun, and wheh, by a mechanical contrivance, it has been spun up to 2500 revolutions per minute, a friction cap ignites the rocket composition, and the banked-up pressnre at the base starts the rocket. The shellthen begins its flight with a rotary motion Corresponding to that of the gun. The fact that this motion is due to neither the resistance of the atmosphere against vanes nor to the escape:of- a part. "•"«SfThe plrojfelling gas from a number of vents, give's' it great range, velocity, and, above all, perfect accuracy—while the absence of any initial shock of discharge renders it absolutely safe. The heaviest "war rocket fired from the new Howcll gun will weigh 3001b., the range will be about 3000 yards, and its accuracy almost equal to that of a rifle pjro- Jectile. The piece, although it cannot be called a hieh- angle-fire gun, nor one of point-blank range, is between the mortar and the rifle. The enemy is sup- posed to have been one of a large fleet that hasjert- gaged the Sandy Hook batteries, and, either through the smoke and confusion of battle or some o"her chance of war, has succeeded in passing the fort, p clearing the channel of torpedoes by cotinterminirg, and is speeding for the Narrows, from which point be expects to make of New York a mass of smoking ruins. He has not reckoned well, however, for, owing to great draught of water, the battleship is compelled to follow the tortuous main ship channel, which brings her within range of the new weapon's of destruction mounted on the point of Coney Island. FIRING OF THE GUN. ,7 A report, little louder than that of a toy pistol, however, at last attracts his attention—and, before he has time to reply with even one of his rapid-fire guns, a number of steel cylinders are hissing and sputtering through the smoky atmosphere. With accelerated velocity they rise as high as the foremast head, then turn their noses downward, and, with un- 1, erring aim, one of them crashes into his starboard (r side forward, tearing away the armotip-plates, and leaving a hole through which rush the waters of the bay. Another falls a little astern, too far away to do its work of destruction, though the concussion shakes the ponderous fighting machine from stem tp istern, disables her steering gear and puts her engines cut of line. The guns from the forts at the Narrows < now open fire at long range, and after a few well- directed shots, a white flag is floating at the mast- bead-and New York is saved. Or suppose a flag- IlIhip is forcing an entrance into a hostile harbour »• planted with submarine torpedoes. Knowing that, the concussion produced by any high explosive will detonate all others within a circle whose radius is 50ft., the starboard rocket-gun is' brought into -action. Five hundred yards ahead there i. a .1 muffled explosion, followed by a rising column of water that sparkles in the tropic sunlight. This is immediately succeeded by other and greater ex- plosions, and the flagship knows that she may pro- •i ceed in safety, followed by the other vessels of the fleet. The port gun also throws her torpedo- -destroying projectile, with a like result, until the • • -entire channel is clear and the:fleet is ready to en- the batteries of the inner harbour. The firing -of the gnn is accomplished as follows The breech" ublock is first opened and the projectile inserted. It ■7." is then closed and the primer attached. The gun it then spun up, and when revolving rapidly enough, --snd pointed at the target, the lanyard is pulled, the primer fired, and the flame communicated to the rocket composition in the end of the projectile. A certain amount of the gas is allowed to escape around the rocket, so that no more pressure will be banked jf1'" np than is sufficient to give the projectile a good start. After leaving the muzzle the burning of the rocket composition increases the density of the gas, thus imparting an accelerating velocity.

I' CONTAGION IN SCHOOLS. Xf every layman were possessed of such medical tnovtledge as to enable him to recognise the earlier symptoms of infectious disease we should be in a better position to control and to prevent epidemics than we are in at present, but pending the advent pf this state of nalr we must perforce do the best we Can (says a writer in the Lancet) with the imperfect material at Our disposal. If all our school children aould be examined daily by .medical men .who had v" bad exceptional experience in infectious disease and in diseases of the skin we should be able to reduce the Samage done by schools qua infection to a minimum, and; it may be that before the next century has far v tdvanced we shall see some such system as this generally in force. Meanwhile we must ask for the" assistance of the school teacher rand of the parent, t and the former of ,these-may render very valuable aid by virtue of the fact that he knows the children and is thus able to detect any-marked departure 1. from their normal condition. The teacher must, how- •' •Ter, have certain rules to guide him in arriving at conclusion as to what course he is to take, and it la in this direction that he may well look for the assistance of the medical officer of health. Dr. Mere- dith Young, the medical officer of health of Crewe, has recently forwarded to us a placard relating to Particulars of certain Infectious or Contagious Diseases for the Guidance of School Teachers," a copy of which is hung up in each class-room of every school in Crewe. The diseases in question are divided into two classes—A and B. In the case of A all children from the infected house are to be excluded from school; in the case of B the exclusion of the actual sufferer is alone insisted upon. In Class A are scarlet fever, diphtheria, measles/merman hieasles, whoopirfg-cough, chicken-pox, mumps,lTinuenza, and small-pox; in Class B are erysipelas, ringworm, skin deseases of the head, scabies, and ophthalmia. The placard is divided into three cdlunme. In the first is the name of the disease; in the second are the signs antf symptoms of each disease, together with the channels by which infection is supposed to be given off anr ,in the third column is set forth the period for which in each instance the childreh should be excluded from school. The suggestions are that when the teacher considers as.a result of his Observations that a child may be suffering!, from,. any of the ;2$t»e»ses' enunretareft the cEila. '(StiJ in certain cases 11.11, the children from the stoe hou^e) shall'be sent home with a note to the parents asking them to have the child examined by a medical man without delay. The parents is also to send word to the teacher as to the result of the medical examination. In the case of scarlet fever, diphtheria, and small-pox the chil- dren are not to return until a certificate is received from the medical officer of health, but in the case of all the other diseases the teacher is apparently to exercise his discretion after consulting the memo- randum. Apparently, in the case of Class A no dis- cretion is left to the teacher as to sending home the other children from the same house, but it appears to us that it might be well to modify this clause so as ,not of necessity in a doubtful case to send away ajl the children in the first instance. There will pro- bably, too, be some difference of opinion among medical men as to the inclusion and omission of Certain diseases in Class A; no reference in either clas[5 is made to enteric fever. But what in practice ,henemorandumamounts to is that if a child appears to be ill or presents any eruption or rash he or she should be sent home, and this is no doubt an excel- lept ,arrangement. The difficulty will begin when the parent is invited to call in a medical man. Dr. Young casts a wide net in enumerating the channels through which infection may be given off, but it is well to err on the safe side. The memorandum is one of considerable interest both from an academic and utilitarian standpoint,and it might be profitably discussed by the Society of Medical Officers of Health.

THE SEVEN SISTERS." The journal of the Asiatic Society, of Bengal con- tains the following good bird story, told by Mr Osmaston, of the Indian Forest Service. It relates to a species of small birds known as "Seven Sisters". l'"In the summer of 1895 I caught and trained a young 'Shikra,' the Indian sparrofr hawk (Astui badius), to cfcfcch mynahs and other small birds One morning in August, while walking round my garden with the shikra on my hand, I saw a party ol Seven Sisters' (the jungle babbler, Crateropuf canoras) feeding on the ground. At my ap- proach they all flew up into a tree, and as I cifne still nearer they began to fly across one by one to another tree. I threw t,he shikra up at one of them, which she succeeded in capturing after a short chase, bringing it down to the ground in her firm grip. The rest of the babblers, however, hearing the cries of their captured sister, came down to the rescue without the slightest show of hesitation, and in a shorter time than it takes tc tell were engaged in a spirited attack on the hawk apparently using both beak and claws in their effort? to make her relinquish her hold. The result was un- expected, for before I could reach the spot the shikra had let the babbler go and had taken refuge in a neighbouring bush. The seven sisters' then gathered in a tree near and began to abuse the hvtwk., ■about whose character and antecedents they made use, according to Mr. Osmaston, of extremely bad language."

NOT MADE IN ENGLAND. There is a curious story of a public personage who wanted to purchase a portrait of the Queen to present to an institution, and particularly desired a genuinely British Work of art. In Tain he hunted through print shops and picture dealers everything shown to him was either made in Germany or, at any rate, the {iroduct of some Other country than England. At ast, in Pall-mall, he inquired piteously, Can I really get no portrait of the English Sovereign that has not the brand of either Germany or France upon it?" The dealer shook his head; the best he could offer was the work of a German artist, engraved by French hands in Paritf or German paper, with a frame of American molding and Belgian glazing.

ABOUT SPAIN. All eves are looking to Spain just now. Do you know tnat from there 100 passages lead over th« Pyrenees to France ? But only three of these are passable for carriages. From the frontier ridge rises the Cantabrian mountains, which traverse Austuria and Galicio, and terminate at Cape Finisterre. To the south-east extends the Sierra d'Occa, five ridges of which, rnnning nearly east and west, separate the basins of the Minho, Douro, Tagus, Guadiana, and Guadalquivir; and two others, to the south-west, form the southern point of Spain, the island Tarifa. The valleys of the Xucar and the Ebro have a southerly direction.

^mmmm——— HEXHAM ABBEY. Hexham Abbey is a place of historic importance. Within the past few days there has been observed a serious shrinkage at the furthermost pillar of the northern transepts. There are ominous looking cracks in, the arch above; and to avert serious damage to that part of the noble structure a large out- lay of money will,be needed. Probably the erection of a buttress or arch against the north wall may be required.The, matter is likelv to receive immediate attention., At one time (says the Newcastle Chronicle) interments took place in the transepts, and it is sur- mised that a former sexton had dug too near this particular arch, nnd so caused the shrinkage.

WHY has Airs. ialigaou left her husband and gone back to her parents ?" She got to rummaging through his papers the other day, and found the receipt for his first wife's engagement ring. It cost two guineas more than- he paid for the'second one." AGENT t "Yon wish to join the theatrical profes- sion ? What experience have you had ?" Fair Can- didate Well, I've lost: all my jewellery three times!"