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

How SHE PURCHASED A POST STAMP.—She went to a post-office, asked for a penny postage stamp, and offered a sovereign in payment. The busy clerk couldn't give the change. She asked where she would be likely to get it? He said Probably next door." She thought it strange that he could not oblige her; he said he couldn't help it." Then she flounced out, came back, and offered a half-sovereign. Could they not give you something smaller ? he inquired. "I did not like to ask him," was the answer. Then why do you bother me ? said the irate man. Oh, that is another matter; remember, I buy a penny stamp from you."

CAPTURE OF A WILD BOY. A wild boy" has, according to the Monitor Rrpuhlicano of Mexico, been lately captured in the Santa Rosa mountains in the vicinity of Tancanhuitz, and seoms by all accounts to be a most unpleasant acquisition. He was when caught carried to the town and put for security in a well-fenced garden, where he greedily consumed fruit, lettuce, roses, and the roots of several plants. He retained a remarkable taci- turnity, never speaking to anyone or appearing to notice the many persons who went to see him. He was considered to be perfectly harmless; and if he had continued simply to hold his tongue and confine himself to a vegetable diet, no fault would have been found with him. The other day, however, he showed a decided tendency to cannibalism, and behaved in such a manner as to call forth general anxiety and reprehension. A little child, only three years old, happening to come into the garden, he immediately pounced upon it and began to eat it. The child's cries attracted attention, but before assistance reached the spot the wild boy had devoured the flesh of the right arm of the infant and part of its face. On seeing that his prey was about to be taken from him, he squeezed it to death in his arms, giving utterance at the same time to a horrible noise—something between a howl and a laugh The untamable youth is now chained up; but his captors are at a loss to know what to do with him, and sincerely wish they had left him alone in the moun- tains.

IBiscfKancotts |ntc(licimcf. HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL. Six MEN DROWNED.—A painfnl scene occurred late on Friday night in last week, on the Tyne, at Telling, near Newcastle. Two men were going to teke some German sailors from the Telling landing stage to a German gunboat in the river. One of them, who had intended staying behind, foolishly jumped in the boat, and it immediately capsized. Oars were thrown from an adjoining factory, but six men were drowned, four Germans and two Englishmen. One body only has been recovered. THE WIMBLEDON MEETING.—The preliminary prize list for the next meeting of the National Rifle Associa- tion, to be held at Wimbledon in July, has just been issued by the Council, which, in consideration of the financial success attending the last meeting, has sanctioned a net increase of about JE1200 over the amount shot for last year, when, exclusive of challenge cups, it reached over £ 7000. Among the numerous changes which are made in the list is the institution of a series of Evening prizes, to be competed for after 5.30 p.m. DRINKING IN SWITZERLAND.—A report has just been drawn up in Switzerland as to the best method of checking the rapidly-increasing consumption of alcohol in the cantons of Berne, Argovie, Soleure, and Lucerne. It embodies the result of inquiries made a. to the measures employed in those European countries, the climate, revenues, and social condition of which most resemble those of Switzerland. The three remedies which have been recommended are, first, that the police should be empowered to interfere in cases of drinking to excess; the second, that a high duty should he levied on the manufacture, commerce, and the retail selling of alcoholic liquors and third,that educational methods should be employed to combat the evil. AN IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE.—John Churchill Sikes, of Chipstead, Kent, sends to Notes and Queries the following anecdote, taken from a little book on the money market An eminent judge, when a junior at the bar, in referring to some questionable proceedings, observed, Now, gentlemen of the jury, the unfortunate defendant had been amusing himself by flying kites.' Doing what ?' interrupted the judge. 'Flying kites, my lord; putting his name to accommodation bills.' Why are they called kites?' inquired the judge. Why, my lord, as in the case of schoolboys' kites, there is a connection between the kite and the wind; only, there the wind raises the kite, and here the kite raises the wind. FRUIT PROSPECTS.—The long-continued prevalence of east and north-easterly winds and the recent frosts have considerably damaged the prospects of the fruit crop in the market gardens in the south-western suburbs of London. Plums and gooseberries have suffered seriously. A Covent-garden salesman writes: It may interest your readers to learn upon good authority that the gravest fears are entertained with regard to the safety of the fruit crop for the ensuing season. We learn from some of our most important growers in Kent and Middlesex that the recent severe frost has totally destroyed the crop of stone fruit. The pears are certainly decimated, if not totally destroyed. Even the apples have been frozen through, and there- fore cannot possibly come to maturity. Black currants are very greatly injured but the gooseberry, owing to its abundant foliage, has partially escaped the general destruction." THE EARTHQUAKE AT D.TAKOVAR.-It is stated that the damage caused by the late earthquake at Djakovar amounts to 40,000 florins. The first earthquake hap- pened on the 24th March, at nine p.m., driving the whole of the population out of doors a second fol- lowed in two minutes, and the whole of the night sub- terranean thunder was heard at intervals of a quarter or half an hour. After that the earthquakes were re- peated every day to the number of thirty, with greater or lesser violence. The bishop's residence, the seminary, a cloister, the barracks, and other public buildings were greatly damaged. The tops of three small towers on the cathedral and the whole of the fourth tower fell, damaging the roof, while in the interior great rents were caused in the walls. THE HAYTIAN MASSACRES.—The Havannah press gives horrible details of the massacres that have been con- tinued without intermission since the suppression of the rebellion in Hayti. All who had taken part in the insurrection are being shot in the most cruel manner. Tied to t rees they form targets for the soldiery, who begin by firing at the lower parts of the legs, gradually raising the aim to the body and breast, and, if the victim still exist, until the head has been reached and pierced. THE SALVATION ARMY IN SWITZERLAND.—The Geneva correspondent of the Daily News" says that sixty persons, including Salvationists, have been brought before the magistrate at Neuveville charged with dis- turbing the peace. Fifteen Salvationists were sentenced to three days' imprisonment and fined ten francs each. The others received sentences of fifteen days' imprison- ment, and were fined sums varying from ten to twenty francs. The punishment awarded co the Salvationists, who were the victims of the mob, has caused great surprise and indignation. AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The following arc the average prices of British corn for last week, as received from the inspectors and officers of Excise: Wheat, 37s. 2d.; barley, 31s. 2d.; oats, 20s. Od. per imperial quarter. Corresponding week last year: Wheat, 42s. Od.; barley, 32s. 9d.; oats, 21s. lOd. MORTALITY IN RUSSIA.—The paucity of medical men in Russia, writes a correspondent, and the habits of the rural population combine to make the Russian death- rate the highest in Europe. Excepting the two capitals, where there are many German physicians, there is no district in the empire sufficiently supplied with doctors. According to the latest returns the average duration of life in Russia is only 26 years. Tho mortality among infants is frightful. More than 60 per cent. die before they reach their fifth year. Nearly 2,000,000 children perish every year. Of 8,000,000 boys, only 3,770,000 attain the age of military service—that is to say, their twenty-fifth year; and of these at least 1,000,000 are found, by reason of shortness of stature and weakness of body, unfit for military duties. THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY AT BERLIN.—For the last ten years Berlin has been in the possession of a circular railway similar in character to that which runs round Paris, and serving to connect the principal stations on the main lines which run into Berlin as well as to facilitate suburban traffic. This network of railway has recently been completed by the opening of a transversal line from west to east, which runs through the heart of the city and places it in direct communica- .tion with all the main lines. The Stadtbahn (city rail- way), as it is called, which is about 6 miles Ion, is 2 1 carried nearly all the way upon arches, and there are four lines of rail, two being reserved for the local traffic and two for trains from the main lines. The construc- tion of this railway has necesfitated the demolition of many insalubrious dwellings and for some distance the line is parallel with the ancient fortifications of the city. At another point a viaduct has been built in the bed of the Spree, thus avoiding the ex-propriation of many warehouses, which have been left with means of access to the river. As Berlin is pretty much on the level, the gradients are not very steep, and only 43 per cent. of the line is on the curve. There are nine stations in all, four of which are for the main line as well as the local trains, while the five others are for local traffic only, the main line trains not stopping at them. The stations are large and well arranged, and the number of passengers on week days has averaged so far about 22,000, while on Sundays there are as many as 90,000. Upon the local line there are trains every ten minutes between five a.m. and mid- night, and fifty-four extra trains on Sunday, their uniform speed being twenty-seven miles an hour. These trains have only second and third-class carriages, the latter being so comfortable, that they are always full- No goods trains are running at present upon the Stadt. bahn, but a large covered market is about to be built near the Alexander Platz Station, and then this rail- way will be of immense value for the provisioning of Berlin. The total cost of the line was £ 2,600,000, or 1400,000 per mile. Il"p;;f THE HIGH STEWARD OF WESTMINSTER.—The office of High Steward of Westminster, which has become vacant by the death of the Duke of Buccleuch, is a singular relic of antiquity. The post has always been held by a nobleman, who is appointed by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, and holds office for life. His main function appears to be to appoint a deputy, who is confirmed by the Dean and Chapter, and one of the duties of the deputy is stated to have been to preside at the court leot, an institution which, as Blackstone remarked, had, even when he wrote, been for a long time in a declining way."—" Solicitors' Journal." A FIREMAN'S FUNERAL.—On Saturday the body of James Jones, aged 29, a member of the West Ham Fire Brigade, who died after falling from his engine while on the road to a fire on Good Friday, was interred at West Ham Cemetery. The coffin was conveyed from the residence of the deceased on a manual fire-engine,, the mourning coaches being followed by numerous bodies of firemen, police, and members of the Ancient Order of Foresters, of which latter body Jones was a member. Upwards of 50,000 people congregated in the throughfares through which the procession passed. THIA CROPS IN INDIA.—The reports as to the pro- spects of the crops received from many parts of Northern India are still disheartening. In Tirhoot the failure of the kharif, or rice, and of the rabi, or spring crop, seems to be widespread. Regarding the adjacent districts of Sarun Chumparun,it is said that the ex- pectation of half an average crop is a sanguine esti- mate, and that there will probably be much suffering. In Behar the prospects of the indigo crop may almost be regarded as hopeless. The drought in Darjeeling will interfere seriously with the opening of the tea season. FIRB IN A COLLIERY.—On Sunday morning a fire broke out at the surface works of Page Bank Colliery, Spennymoor. The 11 stead consists of sereens, engine- houses, coal belts, coal crushing machines, and some eight hundred tons of coal intended for coking purposes. Four engine-houses were burnt down, and much of the valuable machinery was seriously damaged. Several lailway trucks standing at the screens were consumed- The flames spread rapidly among the highly combus- tible material, and at last caught the shaft pulleys,, which fell with a crash, fortunately missing the shaft. No person was injured. Several horses and ponies were down the pit at the time, but the ventilation is good, there being connection with another pit belonging to the same owners, Messrs. Bell Brothers. The damage is estimated at £ 30,000. A FALL FROM A RAILWAY TRAIN.—An exciting scene was witnessed the other day on the railway between Pesth and Vienna. As the morning express entered the station at Neuhasel, cries for help were heard from tho sleeping car, and at the open window of the carriage were seen two ladies and a gentleman, apparently in a state of much excitement. When the train had been stopped it was found that some mem- bers of the Roumanian Ghika family had passed the night in the sleeping car, and that a little boy eight years old had fallen out of the open window. Some workmen hastened back, and soon found the child, who had providentially only leeeived some bruises by the fall. THE REVOLUTIONARY PARTY IN RUSSIA.—Intelligence from St. Petersburg states that three naval officers named Rachmanoff, Dobrotvorski, and Postelnikoff, were arrested on the 18th inst. at Cronstadt, charged with belonging to the revolutionary party. They were subsequently imprisoned in the fortress of St. Peter and St. Paul. Nine superior Government functionaries were arrested on the same charge at Saratoff last week, and sent in custody to St. Petersburg. A SKATING CONTEST.—M. Nordenskjold, the famous Arctic traveller, in a letter which was read at the last meeting of the Soci6te de Geographie in Paris, gives an interesting account of a long distance skating contest in Lapland. In order to test the powers of the natives in this respect, M. Nordenskjold offered prizes, the highest being 350 francs to the winner in a race upon skates or skidors," along a distance of 227 kilometres (about 142 miles), starting from Quickjock, and return- ing to the same point. The winner accomplished the distance in 21 hours and 22 minutes, besides taking rest on the way, and the race was so close that the second arrived only half a minute later, and the third 11 minutes later. AN EXTRAORDINARY SITTING.—At six o'clock on Monday evening the first meeting of the Thornhill (Yorkshire) Local Board commenced, twelve members being present, and the proceedings lasted until three o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, the time of sitting having thus extended to 21 hours. It appears that on the question of the appointment of a chairman being con- sidered an equal number voted for each of two candi- dates, and as the meeting could not, it was thought, be legally adjourned, the members sat throughout the night. On Tuesday afternoon, however, it was decided to adjourn until the second Monday in May, no ap- pointment of chairman having been made. TIIB OAJUNET.—Since Parliament reassembled, after the Easter Vacation, special precautions have been taken for the safety of the Cabinet Ministers. When the Cabinet meets in Downing-street and when Ministers may be expected to be in their offices, several plain clotliDs constables and others in uniform are stationed around the Government buildings to inquire into the movements of all suspicious characters seen in the neighbourhood. INTERESTING EMIGRANTS.—About 100 stoats and weasels, which have been caught with considerable difficulty in different parts of Lincolnshire, were on Tuesday conveyed to Loudon, eu route for New Zealand, they having been purchased by the Govern- ment of that country for the purpose of destroying the rabbits which overrun the colony. As the journey out will occupy about forty-five days, 1500 live pigeons have been shipped for the consumption of the animals during the voyage. A consignment of about the same number was taken last year, but during a storm all but ten of the stoats and weasels were washed overboard. These ten were liberated as soon as they landed, and within a fe ,v hours, one of them destroyed seveu ducks, several miles distant from where it was sot free. H.M.S. MIRANDA IN A GAT.E.—Letters received from the Australian Station announce the arrival at Sydney from Hobart Town of the Miranda, Commander Acland, after having experienced a terrific gale on the voyage. The Miranda left Hobart Town in fine weather, but next day a strong gale sprung up from the W.N.W., accom- panied by very high seas. The gale increased in force during the day and night, and two huge seas broke clean over the ship, washing away one of the upper deck ports and carrying away n portion of the netting on the port bow, besides which tho captain's galley was 5tove in and other damage done. The storm raged with great fury for about forty-eight hours, when it gradually sub- sided, and the Miranda was then able to make a twelve hours' full speed trial, in which an average speed of 8i knots was attained. AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL roiriiiiy.-A daring theft involving a serious archaeological loss, is reported from Florence. It seems that for the last four centuries a most valuable bishop's cope has been preserved in the treasury of the cathedral church of Pienza, an old Tuscan town, lying about thirty-three miles south-east from Sienna, formerly of importance but now much decayed. This cope had been made for Pope Pius II., better known as _Ent, \.s Sylvius Piccolomini, one of the most distinguished of the early humanists and a native of Pienza. It was a masterpiece of Italian embroidery and work in the early renaissance. The material was gold brocade covered with wonderful designs carried out in needlework, represented saints and angels, trees and birds, and arabesques, exhibiting the same style of composition which is to be found in miniatures and fine wood carvings of the 15th and 16th centuries. The whole was profusely adornol with pilaris and procious. stonen, the value of which alone was estimated at abcut 2,000,000 francs At his death the Pope bequeathed this precious vestment to the cathedral of his native town. One night last month the cope was stolen from the Treasury of Pienza, and a few days ago it was dioveleJ in the shop of a dealer in antiquities in Florence, but completely shipped of its pearls and precious stones and some of its more valuable em- broidery. KILLED ON THE RAILWAY.—Mr. S. F. Langham hae held an inquiry at St. George's Hospital touching the death of James Jordon, 31 years ef age, a labourer in the service of the London, Chatham, and Dover Rail- way, and lately residing at Camberwell. John Jordon,. brother of the deceased, stated that he saw him in the hospital, when he said, He was at work in the tunnel at Penge, but owing to the dense steam he was unable to see a pilot engine coming, and although his fellow workmen called out to him, he was too late to get out of the way." Charles Morr, a platelayer, said he was working in the tunnel with Jordon at midnight on the 6th inst., and heard an engine approaching from Syden- ham-hill. He told Jordon to lie down in the 6-foot way, but before he could do so he was struck by the engine. The engine whistle was sounded. There were fifteen men in the tunnel. Dr. Arnold said death arose from three fractured ribs and a scalp wound. A verdict of accidental death was recorded. REMARKABLE FROST ON THE CONTINENT.—A pheno- menal wave of cold swept over part of Switzerland on Monday night without any premonitory warning, the thermometer falling many degrees below zero. The damage to agricultural interests is enormous, and at least one-third of the vintage has been destroyed. It is telegraphed from Macon that a disastrous frost lias devastated the vines in the Saone Valley, and that the damage is estimated at many millions of francs. ALLEGED Pl'.IZE-FI(ilIT.- At the Highgate Police- co'irt, on Monday, Timothy Connor, 19 years of age, was charged on remand with having been concerned in a prize-fight at Hornsey. George Lisles and William Waites, greengrocer's assistants, were brought up' as the principals. The magistrates discharged Connor and called him as a witness; but he professed to have1 met the others accidentally, and said ne knew nothing of the circumstances under which the fight took place. The defendants were discharged.

fonian vLuuf^i-'viuviit. [We deem it risi'it to sts-to that v» > net •> all times .Mcntiiv ouisolv-es with our ROMS; OIUSCBI S UAOA8.J The gradual advance of the finger-posts of Time in the history of the present Parliament becomes more apparent. It met on the 29th of April, 1880, and judging from the previous Parliaments of Queen Victoria's reign, hns- arrived at nearly an average age, which is four years and a half. The large number of new members elected to this Parliament mado its assembling one of unusual interest. Night after night every seat was crowded, and even the members' galleries were filled because there was no room on the floor. One evening Mr. Mitchell-Henry addressed the Speaker from the Gallery, to the horror of the officials, who regarded the proceeding as a departure from all recognised Parliamentary traditions. Mr. Gladstone was entreated to propose a vote for such a structural change in the House as would really accommodate all its occupants, who were fresh from the country ardent with a zeal for work and burning with a desire to get to business. C, This, however, was not the first House of Commons of which the veteran Premier had had experience. It was, in fact, his twelfth Parliament, for he had sat in two of King William, and this is the tenth of Queen Victoria. So Mr. Gladstone humorously sug- gested that, without being in a hurry, they might perchance, after a little time, find room for the greater number of their members. For this he was gravely rebuked by a London evening paper, which pointed out the extreme impropriety of the Prime Minister even suggesting that the anxiety for work on the part of this Parliament ever could grow lees. Perish the thought! Well, after four years' experience, the public can see which was right, Mr. Gladstone or his censor. The greates: difficulty is experienced in getting the House of Com- mons together, as was seen on the first Wednesday after the Easter recess. The Speaker was ready to take the chair at noon, but a whole hour elapsed before a quorum was obtained. That is to say, forty members were not in attendance out of a total of 6.58. No thronging the floor now; no overflowing into the galleries no demand for additional seats. The whole place has a desolate aspect which is dispiriting to look upon. The wave of abnormal cold which has of late swept over Europe has borne upon its wings illness and disease not only to the cottage of the hnmble, but to the palaces of kings. Happily, in the case of our own Queen, there was no truth in the report telegraphed from Darmstadt that her Majesty was confined to her room through indisposition, although the fact men- tioned in the same message that snow was falling heavily had an ominous look about it. But both the aged Emperor and Empress of Germany have been laid up, and indisposition has seized upon the Crown Princess of Austria. In our own islands the distinguished invalids have been numbered almost bv the score. Some of these, like Mr. Charles Reade, who returned from Cannes all too early, speedily went down before the eastern blast; others, after lingering for days, and even for weeks, on the mysterious borderland between life and death, have manifested a sufficient reserve of strength to pull through the crisis, and are slowly getting better. The English climate must have altered considerably since the days of Dr. Isaac Watts, who wrote of the rose that it was the glory of April and May." In these more degenerate times we are accustomed to see the rose in its glory in June and July so that either Dr. Watts must have dealt in poetical license, and used the word May so that it might rhyme with day; or we have two months more of cold now than the people had then. Possibly the truth is that at that distant period thl) seasons came at their proper time cold in January, spring in April, summer in July, autumn in October. This is not the ease now. It was warmer in January than in April; and as to the merry month of May," de- scribed by a poet of the olden time as the fairest of all the year, for a long while past it has been asso- ciated with memories of frosty nights and bitterly cold days, when the north-easterly wind is laving low the aged and the infirm, and gathering the sickly young into premature graves. The fascination possessed by the mysterious or i the supernatural for the human mind has again been illustrated by the interest caused all over these islands at the intelligence of the recent earthquake shock in -itel some of the eastern counties. However vast a calamity may be through fire or water, or even through a great hurricane, it is obviously produced by something which we can trace. Fire, water, and air are familiar to us every day of our lives. But it air are familiar to us every day of our lives. But it is widely different when we are brought suddenly and unexpectedly acquainted with the mighty forces pent up in the earth beneath and in the water under the earth. The people of Java, of Calabria, and of some parts of South America have had unhappy ex- perience of the bursting forth of tli030 powerful gases which have been confined for countless ages beneath the surface, and, suddenly releasing them- selves, spread death and devastation for miles around. And as no one can know when this is going on, or the particular spot where the earth will next be rent in twain, it is no wonder that the news of an earthquake so close home as the eastern counties is not pleasant reading. The Budget of the Chancellor of the Exchequer was a very quiet one but, as Mr. Childers truly pointed out, there was not much room for great fiscal changes with a surplus of only S2C)3,(W. The announcement of the great loss resulting from nine months' working of the Parcels Post, came as a sur- prise, and was received with regret, more especially as it necessitates the postponement of the introduc- duction of sixpenny telegrams until next year. Of course the Parcels Post is a great public convenience, as will be the sixpenny telegrams; but if the Post Office has to work at a loss this must be made up by the taxpayers generally, and to that many of them might, perchance, have a strong objection. The Lord Mayor of London throws open the Mansion House for the advancement of many good causes but his lordship never presided over a more worthy object than that for establishing a home at Cairo for the reception of freed women slaves in Egypt. It is new to many in this country that slavery survives in Egypt at all; but of the existence of the slave market at Alexandria there is no doubt whatever; and at the meeting a few days ago the iniquities of the system were forcibly dwelt upon by Mr. Forster, M.P., Mr. Arthur Pease, M.P., Mr. Edmund Sturge, and others who have taken a life-long interest in the suppression of a traffic which was extinguished in the British dominions more than half a century ago, and is so utterly opposed to the instincts of the English people.

AN INDIANA FOX HUNT. Saturday was the day appointed for the fox drive at Forest Hill, Ind. (says an American journal). The day was fine, and there was a general turn out of men, women, and children, the number being esti- mated at between 1200 to 1.500. The territory em- braced about six miles square. According to previous notice, the lines being formed, the hunters started for the centre precisely at nine o'clock a.m., each coming up on time and in good order. The result was a catch of seven foxes and a good day's fun. There was a wolf seen on the grounds, but it got through the south line. This line was composed largely of ladies, and the sight of his wolfship caused a panic among the latter, hence his escape.

———————1L II GREAT FIRE IN LONDON. IMMENSE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY. For the third time within the space of some eighteen months the well-known and vast promises of Mr. W. Whiteley, the Universal Provider," of Westbourne grove and Queen's-road, Bayswater, London, have been the scene of a great and destruc- tive fire. It may be remembered that the first was in the month of November, 1882, when several of the shops of the drapery department in Weetbourne- grove were destroyed. This was followed by another outbreak on Boxing-day of the same year, when considerable damage was done to the cabinet- making shops in the rear of the Queen's- road premises. The third, the present, which if by far the greatest in magnitude, broke on on Saturday morning in the bedding and carpet dt "nent of No. 149, Queen's-road, forming part of tl block of buildings extending from Queen's- ro feet to the rear of the older houses of the sai. vrn. The fire, so far as is known, broke out abo three o'clock in the morning, and, consequently, in the brief period of not more than two hours when the metropolis might be said to slumber. A constable on his beat at half-past three saw the reflection of a strong light in one of the upper windows of the carpet warehouse, and within a few moments the bursting out of flames. When, in response to his alarm, a crowd began to gather and the engines to arrive, the fire, which had no doubt been burning for some time before the discovery, was showing fiercely also towards the rear. The nearest Fire Brigade station is at Her- mitage-street, Paddington, and from it arrived the first engine, which was at work by four o'clock. Already a large crowd had collected, police were appearing in force, and the quick arrival of other engines with thundering clatter along the silent streets soon awakened the neighbourhood. An eye-witness describes the fire, as he saw it soon after four o'clock,' as one of the most terrible sights he had ever seen, and the occupants of the row of houses on the oppo- site side of the way were kept in a fever of fright by the strengthening heat from the burning premises. Queen's-road block consists of seven warehouses, and the mischief was first perceived in the bedding and carpet warehouse adjoining the Paddington Baths and Washhouses. This shop was from the outset beyond the hope of saving, and the streams of water from the hose had no effect whatever upon the overmastering flames. At the rear of the block—which, as indi- cated, is some 300 feet deep from front to rear, and near the cabinet works, where the worst fire of 1882 broke o.:t--are the stables, containing at the time more than 100 horses. With admirable forethought one of the police suggested that they should be turned loose, and although, as it transpired, the fire stopped short of the bulk of the stables, the precaution was wisely taken. The animals, upon being untied, galloped out by the side street into the Queen's-road, along which they tore madly, adding considerably to the intense excitement prevailing. They did not wander far, and by Sunday evening had been re- covered and stabled in different directions. The firemen had. to begin with, to work hard to Erevent the destruction of the public baths and wash- ouses, and the demolition of the carpet warehouse at about six o'clock enabled them to turn their attention to other portions. The baths, however, had a narrow escape, the walls at one time being exceed- ingly heated. Captain Shaw and Mr. Simonds were on the spot soon after four o'clock, and in an incredibly short space of time twenty steam engines and manuals arrived from different quarters. At six o'clock the bedding and carpet warehouse was, as already stated, destroyed, and a portion of its lofty front wall fell into the street with a crash that reverber- ated far and near. Several minutes of painful suspense followed, for it was feared that some of the gallant firemen might have been buried in the debris. The clouds of dust, smoke, and steam lifted, however, showing that the men were safe. The flagstaff tower, enveloped in tongues of flame, also disappeared in the fiery cauldron beneath. Above the hurricane roar of the fire was soon heard the fallirg of other portions of the building in the rear. The ruddy flames were now leaping high over what appeared to be a frightful area of destruction; the shouts of men, the whistle of the engines, the working 11 of the pumps, the hissing of water, added to the terror of the people in the neighbourhood, upon whose houses and pale faces a lurid glare was cast. In less than two hours from the discovery half the block from front to rear was a raging mass of fire, and it seemed as if nothing could sfeay its furious progress. First, after the carpet warehouse, t.l^e furniture department was destroyed; than the linen and blanket warehouse, and the china and glass shop. In succession, five out of seven ware- houses, separated from each other by brick walls, were attacked, and it was fortunate that here the destruction was stayed, by the almost superhuman labour of the army of firemen, whose perilous exertions, frequently on the roofs, as it seemed to bystanders in the flames, had never for a moment slackened. That human life was not sacrificed is a matter for sincere con- gratulation. Happily the shops were not used as dwelling-places for the employes, and the only resi- dent persons who were in actual danger were the families of four or five carmen who lived over the stables. These were aroused in good time and found refuge in the public baths. Fireman Spencer was injured on the arm by the somewhat sudden fall of the carpet warehouse walls, but no other casualty was reported. The fire in its most virulent form was subdued by seven o'clock, at which hour, great was the consternation of Whiteley's workpeople, arriving to enter upon the labours of the day, to find the shops in ruins, and themselves kept back by the barrier of police, which, stretched across the end of the street at the Bishop's-road outlet, pre- vented the further advance of thousands of spectators. Most of the engines returned to quarters during the forenoon, leaving a couple to the lengthy business of putting out the smouldering remnants, which at inter- vals shot up into temporary flame. The nature of the goods destroyed may be gathered from the character of the warehouses, which were devoted to bedding and carpets, furniture, linen, hardware, and china and glass. The carpeting and bedding were amongst the least inflammable of the goods, and this fact increases the difficulty in ac- counting for the first appearance of the fire in that particular department. The probability, however, is that it originated in some quarters at present un- known. The furniture shop burnt with great rapidity, and as the large stock included the most costly as well as the most homely of fur- niture, here will be found a serious item of loss. Had the fire got to the painting, plumbing, and provision departments, or to the stables and cabinet-making shops to the rear, the destruction would have been appalling. The principal stock destroyed is, therefore, carpets, bedding, linen, turnery, pianos, portmanteaus, hardware, china and glass, oilcloths, rugs, reps, damask, and camp furniture. The goods in the pantechnicon, where customers store furniture and private effects, the value of which is unknown, are also destroyed. During the earlier part of the fire the fancy birds and animals that were the source of so much amuse- nl ment to the young patrons of Whiteley's were removed out of harm's way to the mews in the rear, where their screams and howls for a while added to the already horrible din. Of the damage sustained Mr. Whiteley himself gave an estimate to interviewers on Saturday. In the three shops that are completely destroyed, he states that the stock could not have been worth less than £ 150,000; the buildings which were erected about eight years ago, solidly of brick and iron, are put down at Mr. Whiteley, who was fetched soon after the fire broke out, from his residence in Kildare-terrace, is as much at a loss as any one to account for the fire, and expresses the opinion that the room pointed out as its origin was one of the most unlikely in the establishment for such an accident. It was used for the planning and cutting out of carpeting and cocoa-nut matting-smouldering: material both—and the watchman reported that it was safe, as usual, after the departure of the work- people at half-past seven on Friday evening. I have no theory whatever," Mr. Whiteley said it dazes me. He further remarked that the destroyed buildings were of his own planning and devising, made of the best materials, and without consideration of cost. He could not say how much of the damage would be covered by insurance, but knew that his loss must be very heavy. The fire, he added, could not have happened at a worse time, he having just received large supplies for the season, which had not been included in his stock, and were not therefore covered by insurance. He holds policies in nearly every London office. Al- ready on Saturday he had seen his builder, solicitor, and insurance agents and was projecting a rebuilding of the premises within three or four months. Although some hundreds of workpeople will be temporarily dis- possessed from their ordinary workshops, Mr. White- ley says that they will not be thrown out of employ- ment and meanwhile in the provision and other departments that have escaped business will go on without interruption. It need scarcely be added that the Westbourne-grove premises are comparatively far removed from the scene of the fire. Captain Shaw, C.B., drew up his report on Saturday afternoon, and the official details record the fire in the following manner: "Called at 3.45 a.m. to 147, 149, 151, 153, 155, 157, and 159, Queen's-road, Bays- water, to the premises owned and occupied by W. Whiteley, universal provider. Cause of fire unknown. Contents of building insured in the Royal and others. Damage, a building of four floors. 300 by 50 feet, and three other buildings of five floors each (used as show rooms, shops, and warehouses), and the contents burnt out and the roof off; three other buildings of five floors each, covered yards, and stabling of two floors, and contents severely damaged by fire, heat, and water all adjoining and communicating. Nos. 143 and 145 ditto, the public baths (H.Taylor, super- intendent of the Commissioners of Public Baths, roef damaged by fire and breakage."

OPENING OF THE TURIN EXHIBITION. On Saturday the Turin National Exhibition inaugurated by the King of Italy. The speciallottl- respondent of the Daily News says: The proceedings were somewhat marred by the weather, which was overcast and showery, not enough, however, to inter- fere with the carrying out of the programme. Early in the forenoon the Corso Dante, leading to the Moorish Gate, by which the Royal cortege was to enter the exhibition, was thronged with spectat-rs, whilst a no less animated scene was presented óv the picturesque Massimo Dazeglio BoulevkKf, from which the more privileged ticket holders effected their entrance within the < closure. The inaugural ceremony took place at <)' i one in a pavilion gaily hung with flags, where c. assembled the representatives of the Senate, Chamber of Deputies, the various Italian municipali- ties, &c. About twelve o'clock the strains of the Royal March announced the arrival of the King's brother, the Duke of Aosta, President of the General Com- mittee of the exhibition; and then successively came the King's uncle, Prince Carignan, the Queen's mother, the Duchess of Genoa; the Princess Adal- bertha of Bavaria, accompanied by the young Prin- cesses Amalia and Letitia; the Duke of Genoa, the Diplomatic Corps in full uniform, and many Generals and State dignitaries. At length, preceded by a detach- ment of Royal Cuirassiers, amidst the blare of trumpets and the huzzahs of the crowd, came the King and Queen and Crown Prince, accompanied by the aged Prime Minister, Signor Depretis. Appropriate addresses were then read by the Duke of Aosta and Signor Villa. After which Signor Grimaldi, Minister of Public Works, made a long speech on the progress of Italian industries, insufficiently guaranteed, he re- marked, against foreign competition, and concluded by declaring the Exhibition opened in the King's name. The Royal party then adjourned to the con- cert hall, where a song, composed for the occasion, was sung with orchestral accompaniment by 150 male and female voices. Their Majesties mado a tour through the Exhi- bition, which is the largest and finest ever held in that country. The exhibits amount to about 18,000, and some of the industries represented, particularly the Venetian glass, the Florentine painted earthen- ware, and the Piedmontese and Lombard velvets, silks, and woollen cloths, show a high degree of per- fection. The King and Queen frequently expressed their satisfaction, and on Sunday returned to the Exhibition for another visit. An interesting feature on this occasion was their reception in a castle and village built in the style of the fourteenth century ,i and peopled for the nonce with men and children in the rich costumes of that feudal age. The town was brilliantly illuminated.

THREATENING &THE SECRETARY TO THE POST OFFICE. In London, at the Central Criminal Court, Sarah Heath, 36, bookseller, was indicted for feloniously sending a letter to Stevenson Arthur Blackwood, threatening to murder him. Mr. Cowie, Q.C., and Mr. Baggallay prosecuted on behalf of the PC Office authorities; Mr. Safford appeared for thi prisoner. The prisoner had for several years carif 1 on business as a bookseller and stationer at Somef-, 1, in Somersetshire, and it appeared that for se years she had made complaints to the Post Office1, r subject of these complaints being that the letters t to her had been torn and tampered with. The Post Office authorities appeared to have investigated all these complaints, and a great deal of correspondence had passed between the prisoner and the Post Office authorities, and the letter com- plained of was addressed to the prosecutor, who is the Secretary to the Post Office, and it contained a statement that the bullet that would lead to the funeral epitaph was prepared, and it would give him very short shrift. The prisoner subsequently went to the Post Office and had an interview with Mr Mulveh, a gentleman employed in the Confidential Department of the Post Office, and asked to see Mr. Blackwood. Upon being told that she could not do so she repeated verbally the threat she had previously made in writing to murder Mr. Blackwood. No weapon, however, was found upon her, and when she was told that she vould have to go before a magistrate she replied that this was just what she wanted. Mr. Justice Stephen interfered while Mr. Safford was cross-examining, and said ho should not allow any supposed greivances sustained by the prisoner to be introduced into the inquiry. The only point to be considered was whether she sent the letter or not. If she chose to apologise and say that she would not do such a thing again, there would probably be an end of the matter. The officials of the Post Office had a good deal to contend with, and they must be protected from proceedings of this kind. Mr. Safford said the prisoner had never entertained any intention to injure the prosecutor, and her only desire was to bring her case before the piil)ll c. Mr. Justice Stephen said he should not allow that court to be made the medium for her doing so. The prisoner had com- mitted a serious breach of tho law, and it must be put a stop to. The prisoner ultimately, but with great reluctance, pleaded guilty. Mr. Cowie having stated that the prosecution had only been instituted on public grounds, and the only object sought to be obtained was to prevent further annoyance, the prisoner was ordered to be discharged upon her enter- ing into a recognisance in the sum of £25 to appear and receive judgment if called upon, and if she kept quiet she would hear no more of the matter.

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS. You're the greatest woman I ever heard of," said the boy to his mother; you tell me I have a bad temper and yet blame me for losing it A little girl while walking along with her mother, and seeing a near-sighted man reading a newspaper, asked Mamma, is that man trying to look through that paper ?" As a train from the East was discharging its cargo at the Union depot in Chicago, a man yelled out, Hurrah for the next president!" Instantly five prominent politicians lifted their hats in acknowledg- ment of the compliment. A fellow coming from the top of the Alleghanics to New York, in winter, was asked whether it was as cold there as in the city. He had probably been at some march of intellect school, for he glanced at the thermometer. Horribly cold," said he, for they have no thermometers there, and, of conrse, it gets just as cold as it pleases." A New York milkman was lately seeking the aid of the police to trace the whereabouts of a family who had left the neighbourhood owing him eighteen dollars. Well, I suppose there was nine dollars' worth of water in that milk account," remarked the policeman. "That's where it galls me—that's where it hurts," replied the dealer. They were new customers, and I hadn't commenced to water the milk yet." There was a very little boy wading up to his knees, almost, in the slush in Marquette, one afternoon this spring, when a passing gentleman said to him Why are you not at school, young man ?" 'Cos I've got the whoopin' cough he explained. A writer in a Philadelphia paper, commenting on school discipline says: Without a liberal use of the rod it is impossible to make boys smart."

AN ÅNTIlONY.-In a recent trial in a county court in the provinces, the judge having asked a witness, "What is an 'Anthony?'" he replied, The littlest pig, your honour. The little pig is always 'Anthony. On an inquiry why the little pig was so called, the attorney replied, I believe, your honour, it is asso- ciated with the saint of that name, from the fact that in his unhappy time the smallest and least valuable pig was usually picked for the Church."