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

SPRING-BACKED JIDJMY. 1 ERNEST H. HOBINSON. .t. "This is by no means what you'a call ;regular sailor ing," expounded Captain Riley as the Cockbird squattered out of Ceara and began her Journey north-east by north for England, horu^ ,and of Mersey river. t v The red-haired Welsh mate", who knew by experience what the beginning portended, •devoted himself obviously to the wheel and .the .binnacle. I was sitting over a cup o' cocoa in Nightingale's," continued Captain Riley, .frowning at the mate, ".when in walks the most magnificent fur. overcoat I'd ever bet eyes, on. There; was a, rnali iniiide it, o' course, and he says, Is a captain by the name of Riley .here?' < That's me,' ,sliys I: A, word in your private ear,' says he. Neither gf my ears is more private nor. the other,' says I, but there's a room upstairs where both ply ears will be as private as you like.' With that, we went upstairs, and you know the rest, Price." The mate, relieved that he had not to listen to the whole story, nodded cheerily. "So out we come to Ceara, look you," he said, and -ship -a, murderin' big load of serpints." Snakes, Price, snakes," corrected the captain. H < I want you to make a voyage to Ceara, a port of Brazil,' says Fur-over- coat, 'and fetch, a rather unusual cargo.' 'So as the money's right,' I says, I'll fptch you, anything 'cept nitro-glycerine or un- comfortable stuff o' that kind; but ;the Cock- bird's a tug, it ain't no cargo-boat.' 'That's all right/ says Fur-overcoat, quite affable. It's just snakes — emperor boas — from Brazil. My agent out there will tell you about feeding on the voyage and fix you up, with cages. If you bring me back, the whole forty alive I'll give you an extra five pounds a head, and your crew shall have a fiver .each. At any rate, it'll be a thousand pound job.' So here we are." The mate nodded. I'm thinking I'll not touch my five pounds," he said. "Those cages, rook you, they.'ll break to pieces the first heavy eea we have, and then them serpints will h. in: command of the Cockbird." The si-x men who, with the captain and the mate, formed the crew of the Cockbird, = for all they were nigh to prostration in the: :fierce equatorial heat, showed a tremendous' interest in the remarkable cargo" they had shipped, a few hours before. They re- garded 'each of the great reptiles as so many shillings iin the five golden sovereigns each man was to receive if the cargo came intact to Liverpool. Already they had nick-named ithe largest of their lithe guests Spring- backed 3'immy," in allusion to the obviously immense power of his huge body. The cages in which the cargo travelled "Were arranged down the centre of the deck abaft the deck-house that covered the spa- cious bridge and wheel-house. They w-ere jof the craziest description, consisting of rough boxes to which had been fitted wire nettin g lids. There were twenty of these improvised cages, and round them had been fitted a kind of tent, to protect them in inclement •w feather and also to keep the Cargo warm when the Cockbird left the tropics. To this end alsoi there had been fitted by the in- genious engineer a system of pipes round and between each box, through which ex- haust steam could be passed when needed. I am reconstructing this tale from the yarns of one or two of the crew of the Cock- bird, whom it has been my good fortune, to chat with in Liverpool Goree, and as they laid great stress on the details, I have just given, at any rate they help to elucidate the situation, so I make no apology for insert- ing them. The days passed without event,until the little Cockbird bad passed St. Vincent, where she coaled. The crew grew more and more sure of their bonus money, for so far the giant boas liad shown not the slightest uneasiness. Spring-backed Jimmy' Was a source of never-ending delight, for he was the most lively member of all the passen- gers, and repeatedly tried to get a. purchase on the, bottom of his cave and force open the strong netting that deprived him of his liberty. Even the pessimistic Price began to take an interest m the serprints," as be'' per- sisted in calling them.. Possibly ..this iIf, terest was in some measure due to the skip- per's promise that his share of the spoil should be twenty pounds if all, went but, at any rate, he* was extremely- solidito-us of the welfare of the reptiles, and himself saw that the tent covering w»s i securely fastened when the Cockbird encountered dirty weather. By the time ithey had passed out of the tuopies CaptaiIliRiley esteemed himself to be a complete authority on snakes and all their ways. At least once a day he held forth 09 V "> wisdom in choosing him for the task. Wonderful" how things get ^about,? h,e remarked one day. Fur-overcoat* 'must have heard what, a hand I was with snakes. Otherwise why',<iid.he ask jfor methatd,ay?. Price suppressed the obvious retort that the skipper had never"; seen' a saakJ é:XCléI'\ dead or stuffed before he had taken his çarg9 on board; but, influenced,10 doubt, by thoughts of his twenty pounds, eai4: Look you, them serpints are beginning to feel the cold. I've noticed it,and the* men have noticed it, too. Isn't it time we turned on the steam to 'em?" The skipper chose to be on his' dignity. I'm not saying you're not a good mate," he replied in his best dock-side manner, but you know nothing about snakes; Price. .When I want your advice, I'll ask for it." This remark the steersman duly reported to his mates in the fo'castle, and there it ,was received with ominous silence. Each man in the crew had a stake in the cargo, and did not intend to lose it through the skipper's obstinacy. One of their nuniBer was deputed to turn" on the tap behind the engineer's back. Now that night), whilst Price was on duty, the air struck very chill, as it will o' nights, even in the twenties," and he thought much of the snakes, which, when he had looked at them on his way to relieve the ekippbr, (had appeared very fmllen and lethargic. He thought and thought, and the end of the thinking was that he, determined, directly his watch was done, he would go below to. the engine room and persuade the second engineer to turn on the vfarmiHg steam. "I'll just give the feasts pne look finest,"• he thought to himself, when the skipper re- lieved him-they were taking turn and turn about—and to that end he went to the tent. As he lifted the tai'paulin a Waft of sullen heat struck his face. Someone had been be- fore him. The steam was on-very much on. But that was not all. In the boxes' there was a tremendous commotion. The heat had awakened the snakes to very unusual activity. « (I,1 My goodness gracious," muttered the mate, they'll bust the netting," and he drew the tarpaulin further back, so that the light of the moon flooded the tent. The sight that met his eyes froze his heatt to stilln e6S. L e > ..1 11. Several of the boxes had their netting torn slightly, and from one of them a sinu- ous black body was silently upcoiling. Price "recognised it at once. It was Spring-backed Jimmy." "There goes my twenty pound," muttered he, and without a thought of the tremen- dous danger, he flung himself headlong at the gr&at' teptile.' .• t l' L w He grasped it just .below the? heid, and t tried unavailingly to force it back --into its cage. The great body seemed to become all steel in his grasp. 11 Then he realised that he must fight, not for the money, but for his very life.: Suddenly he became obsessed with one idea-he must not let the snake get a grip; he must not let it get its body round any- thing, particularly not round himselfi Throwing all his strength into the arm and shoulder, he drew' "Spring-backed Jimmy from the tent on to the open deck. They were in deep shadow absolutely alone. Price had no breath for shouts. His "whole mind was bent on beating his tremen- dous enemy. The huge body coiled and writhed, throwing him this way and that way, seeking to wrap itself round him, seeking a purchase that would enable it to use to the full its tremendously powerful constrictive muscles. Price was a:, wrestler,, of renown. He used his leg* as only, a yrestler can, fend- ing pff. the twisting coils, knocking them from;, him as they la,shd towards his body. He had' nothing on" his feet, and this terrific fight Was -noiseless,save for his hard breath- ing and the dull rasping of the boa's skin upon the deck. It was a- nightmare a hellish dream. Gradually, the man's strength began to, ebb. Each kick he gave. had less power in each sucefeding attack with shin or knee was less effective. His breath came in great gasps. He could not hold out mudh longer. He felt a cold coil press against his side. Frenziedly. he lunged out with his leg, and round it immediately a coil was whipped. He was beaten. He fell wrapped in those gently tightening coils. As he fell he found his voice. With his last breath he yelled, and then he fainted. The skipper, pacing the bridge, instantly divined the trouble when that terrible yell cut through the moonlit softness of the night. "Holy Moses!" he shouted," tumble up there; tumble up, there; the snakes are out." But Spring-backed Jimmy" was the only one who had achieved liberty, and him; they found with fast slackening coils wrapped round the body of the mate. Knives were out in a second, but Jimmy was in his last agony. As he fell, Price had broken hifl own arm' and the snake's neck. And that is why you will find in the Wheel-house of the Cockbird a magnificent boa skin, roughly stuffed with tow, fastened round the cornice. "That cost me twenty pound, look you," -Bays Price, 'when he shows it vou. Me five," mutters the steersman under his breath. Captain Riley says nothing, but it is not -safe nowadays to ask him questions about ithe management of snakes.

n ( CHARING CROSS BANK. -r: j'. The Lord Mayor of London, Sir John Knill, has decline^ the request of Sir W. H. Dunn for permission to hold a, niedtiifg in the Man- sion House in aid of the sufferers by the failure of the Gharing Cross Bank. The Lord Mayor in his reply said:—- "As I am vacating the Mayoralty in a few "days, 1 have thought it riglit to consult '■ the Lord Mavor-e^ect and others of our alder- manic co|leagues on the subject, and they all concur with me that, for a matter of this kihdr the Mhnsion House cannot be appro- I priately employed. In declining, for this reason, your request, I, hope I may add that no doubt-' m in the Liberator caoo-- steps will be taken by private persons a.nd in other ways to mitigate the sufferings Attendant upon this unfortunate financial disaster, and 'that I sincerely trust such steps will be ample and successful." It is 1. stated that the reason for the refusal of the Mansion House is that the Charing Cross Bank was a commercial concern, and it Was 'feared that the use of the Mansion House for a fund of this character might create an un- fortunate precedent?.- An appeal under the .auspices of the Advisory Committee, soon to be appointed, is jpw* being' contemplated.

IJ ;¡f :1 SAD ^|lTO ''FAIAUTY. At Lambeth,^ on"' Saturday5, Mr. Troutbeck (conducted an ^inquiry regarding the death of James Mullender, aged, three yeais and nine months, son of a City, police-constable, living in Amelia-street, Walworth. Walter Mullender, the father, stated that on Thursday evening the child had had his -tea, and was sitting at the table. Witness's wife had taken the. atfliev., children into the scullery, and witness left the kitchen to get the children's bed suits. A moment later he heard the sound of a falland a scream,* and on running back to the kitchen he found the deceased lying-in''the fireplace with an overturned saucepan by his side. He was severely burned. The child told witness that he had got on the baby's chair to reach "Alec" (referring" to" a postcard con- taining the photo' of a friend's 'child) when- he fell over. The kitchen range, witness addded, wai. prQtected by a fireguard, which "made matters worse, as the child fell between it and the stove. The little sufferer died a-t • ^.t. Thomas's (Hospital. i f 1 A verdict of "Accidental death" waa re- turned. t (

POTATOES AS PEN CLEANERS. One hundred arid, fifty hotels in Kansas "City Tise a: Style, of' caBinpt on their'desk§ in which a place has been 'made for a raw ■ potato, in Which it is the c-ustom"of the clerk to stick the peri after it is used for any pur- pose. The pototo acts I a-4 a' cleaner for the pen, and also a handy'5 place in which it may be kept. A. fresh potato is supplied every morning.

SLEUTII-IIOUNDS. Such good results » are-being obtained by the employment of police-hounds in Ger- many that the authorities have decided; to in- crease the number of animals for use in con- nect,ion with the police-force. No fewer than 120 policemen have volunteered to? ttake a th^ee months' course of instruction in.; the. management and care of the dogs. <

A BIT ANCIENT. I It is probable that the oldest two people in the world to-day are Frau Dutkievitz and another old lady named Babavasilka. The former lives at Posem, in Prussian Poland, and was born' on February 21, 1785. She is, therefore, 125 years old. The latter, how- ever, is ni'ne months her senior, having been, born in May, 1784. still a fairly hale old woman, and for nearly a hundred years worked in the fields.. Her descendants num- ber .close 011 a hundrfed, and these now; make her a joint allowance. She lives at the vil- lage of Bavelsko, whose neighbourhood she has never- quitted during the whole of her long lift*. She remembers events which hap- pened at the beginning of last: century much I, lo tt' more ? cleanly than jthosc of thel; last torty years. '<

A LIFE-SAVING ELEPHANT. Had it not been for an intelligent elephant, the recent disaster to the Indian pilgrims in the; Ganges, near Sorori, would have been considerably more seripus,, -While thoiisar^ds' of; pilgrini? (were river suddenly rose, and 200 of the pilgrims were drovried. The elephant,, which belonged to .a certain Jung Bahadur, sav^d^at ,least thousand lives. Witlt ropes attached to its trappings, it repeatedly swam out to the dis- tressed pilgrims, who clung to the ropes, and thus landed safely.

» MARRIAGE OF THE UNFIT. There is a widespread movement on foot to check the marriages of unhealthy couples, and next year may possibly see the introduc- tion of :"Stiato tneidical ceftilifcates c^P'flie health of brides into Switzerland. In some of the jstates of the United States of America such Certificates are- already in".vogue. In Wash- ington State both man and woman must pass a strict medical examination before a mar- riagfe^licence! 'Will- lie ir/;sued 'J]e1'Mittiii them to wed, iind mftny' a lbver"is made unhappy through being, denied the right to marry the girl of his choice. But love laughs at medi- cal certificates—at any rate, frequently. Washington State is conveniently near the Canadian border, aüd" wilful lovefs easily defy the law by taking a run to Victoria, there to tie 'tlie knot under the less stringent Canadian laws.

!J' STRENUOUS HOCKEY. dO Australian girls play-hockey with charac- teristic strenuousness. fen girls were re- cently more 63r less' seriously injured in (a match between the Waratah and Bonnie Thistle Clubs at Broken Hill, New South. Wales. One had a, finger 'broken an'd V# blood-vessel ruptured. Another suffered from injuries to the face" and a. black1 eye. A third had her knee-cap dislocated, and a fourth found that her boot was saturated with blood through a wound on the leg. One of the Waratah Club girls had her face cut, and a t second 1-had her leg cut clean through her 'shin-pad.

| ,¡'J ",I A^HQ^K IN STQR^ The prison authorities at Dillon, -in-; the United States, have adopted an irigenio.us device, to frustrate an" nttem'pt 1 at escape which is believed is being planned by a mari named I-lalgey,. a Canadian desperado, with the aid'of >confedbriafce.-T'.jThey fhawe. had thEl steel bars of the windows of the gaol cont- acted with-; arc* lig^hfc circuits, .and have posted the 'following nfotioe on "the wfells: "Anyone touching this window does so at his peril, as 2,000 volts are passing through the bars."

PAWNBROKER'S FORTUNE. 1 Senor Miguel Orueta, a pawnbroker, 'of Lima,' Peru," age<|v ^ecii^twoy strangled to death JayC' a- negro. The .pawn^ broker left a fortune of more than £ 150,000, half of which was found in English sovereigns in the bottom of a safe. Orueta emigrated to Peru from Spain fifty years ago. He liveji '-jAipefjvbliy aftd •, slept on a straw mattress on. his cannier: He was re- turning from dinner wheni the negro ,followed him into his shop .and strangled;! • 'Irfiti?. rJsHe heirs, 't'^o elderly 'sisters of the deceased man, are expected her. shortly fromSpain to over Jthe-fortune. "i

HAT'IN A LAWSUIT. 1., The original and wonderful Oriental turban of silk, ornamented with an aigrette, -which was worn by the well-known actress, Mile. Gaby Deslys, at the Theatre aes Capucirics two years ago, has led to a law suit. It was at this theatre that King Maaiuel first saw Gaby Deslys, and it is pro- bable that the becoming turban played its part in the fascination which 1311e exercised.. The ^u^ban wjip mad& by "a modiste of ^he Kiie de la Paik, but another milliner, seeing the popularity of the turban, advertised a statement that she had made -it. The real creator of the turban, brought a suit against .1, !d the usurper\ina' has now been awarded J/¿,v damages. ,.tI >

<; j [ f STOWAWAY ON AN AIRSHIB. • i When the airship Parseval VI. rose from ,the aerodrome at Johanniethal, near Berlin, recently, with her complement of duly; (authorised passengers, a man wearing a blue apron crept from beneath the tarpaulin (Which covers the benzine tank, and accosted the captain with these. wotdsr "Excuse me, any name is Hase. I hope you don't mind, 'but you can't chuck me out now." 'It appears that the nun had been casually employed in the. aerodrome, and had been overcome by his longing to experience the joys of aerial travel, which he could,, of 'course, only satisfy by a subterfuge. 1

BORN MARRIED. .1 "I Am a married womau *-And always have beeil," declared a womail at Willesden Police Court. 1 r T i' i f

BREVITY OF THE BENCH. • • t J Mr. Justice Grantham, in summing up a case at the Norwich Assizes, said: "Gentle- men of -the juxyr, the prisoner has nothing to say, nor have I. Consider your verdict." ",t oJ'

INDIGESTIBLE. A legal -point was being argued' at the Lambeth County-court, when tnere was a half-hour's adjournment for lunch. Counsel, who had been quoting • cases in point, gathered up' a number of law books and in- quired if his honour Judge Emden would like to take them with him to glance at. His Honour: "No, thank you. I prefer a light lunch."

NOM-DE-PLUME. A defendant at the Willesden Police-court, gave the following, jname: "Carrumblus Jevillis, alias Karlo Gelo, alias Harry Jen- kins." >

A HARDY MAXIM. "I am in a great fix," said a well-dressed ')nau, in ..asking adviee rof Mr. Plowden at Marylebone Police-court. "I have a remit- tance from Peru which comes through a lady's hands." Mr. Plowden: I cannot imagine a more charming channel.. ;v. "Y$s," s^id applicant, "but she re- fuses:io see me now, and I haven't a penny in the world; I am destitute: What redress have I?" "I don't know," replied Mr. Plowdqn., "You must try and find the lady and get hold of her hand again. Never let go a lady's hand; that is -the general rule."

1 .'111 ij A X.C. AND HIS CASES. "I am anxious that my two cases should ;not b' ,divorced," said- Mr. Hugo Young,; K.C., in answer to Mr. Justice Coleridge, who was contemplating sending a certain case before another judge. "I think you mean you don't want a judicial separation," retorted the judge, .it. i V 01.). r. ■•

TO THE POINT. "What ate you doing now?" a solicitor asked a witness at the Shoreditch County- coUTt. • "Answering your silly questions," was the reply.,

THE WAY OF THE TRANSGRESSOR. "He .^as, smoking a good 'Tjraind of cig^r," said a creditor at Yarmouth Bankruptcy- court of a debtor who declared he was "liv- ing on his friends." "I have to make shift with a pipe." —

ANIMAL LANGUAGE. A;:wopin appli.ed at Willesden Police-cohrt for a summons against her husband for call- ing 'her flpig head." "'t The Magistrate: "And because of that little domestic quarrel would you drag riim into a" criminal'- court? 05 The Applicant: "Then am I to wait until he' strikes trie "How long have you been married? Fourteen years. r-" r And during all that time he has never struck you? "No." Why should he if .1 do my duty -by him ?" "Did you call him any names?" "No; I only asked him what sort of an animal he called- himself." 11 I-rl As the Scripture says, "Bear and forbear." "Takes a bit of doing, don't it?" "Oh, I don't know," concluded the magIs" trate. "Try him again." -K Ot", H(t 1(.: it." "Jt'\ '0r

THE ROWTON. Wife at Acton: "My husband is staying at the same hotel as before." Mr. Pearce (Clerk): "What is that-the ■ Kite? -• ,u, Wife: "Rowton House." r v i'j i ■- 1 |

*■ A HUNTING HE DID GO. Josh Slade, while out hunting deer Jast week, laid down beside a brook to take a drinks and while he was drinking a big hucK deer .r^n up arid jumped clean ,ovet him. By the trnie Josh ^got hold of his gun the deer had went.—"Bin^ville Bugle" (U.S.A.).

-ft*. '0 i j- l' AN IN AND OUT BUSINESS. A detective at the Willesden Police-court was detailing a prisoner's conversation: "My pal was chucked at the Sessions, and (Fns' under *hg>AeEi I'd sooner be in than [ Magistrate: "What does all that mean?" Detective: "He means that his friend was discharged at Itlie Sessions,1 strid that' he him- self was subject to the Prevention of Crimes Act, and" WOuld' iodner be ih^ prison than out."

-• -IN -KRIENDSHIP'S NAME. If { A prisoner at Middlesex Sessions said to. a witness: "I once brought a man to your, hiDuse.P The Witness: "Yes, you introduced him .as-^your friend." k' lit; k' ,ThetPrisoner:What>did he say?" The Witness: "Richard, you are a liar!" i). t „ -■ T, t;/

PICTURES OF PETER. It is impossible to imagine a more charming gift-book than "Peter Pan," with Mr. Arthur Rackham's pictures, depicting the life of that celebrated little person in Kensington Gardens. Everybody knows Peter, nowadays, and every- body has fallen in love with Mr. Rackham's delightful illustrations, so that there is no need to do more than reoord the fact that a ^iew edition "of the work has beeri published by Messrs. Hodder and Stcughton. The season for gift-books is coming along, and one. imagines that many people who have nobody in' particular to buy gifts for, will plank down six shillings and secure this thing of beauty for their own 6elfish enjoyment.

LOVE AND PRUDENCE. Young Jove in Action, generally laughs at pru- denc--i mid marries on nothing a year. If the hero of Minn Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler's new book, The Wisdom of Folly (Hodder and Stoughton,; 6s.), had been of the headlong type he would not have waited to realise that he was in no position to support a wife, and then the author would have had no story to tell. The tragedy comes about because Nicholas Ingoldbv, in his worldly \yibdom, decides to wait before telling his love. He goes away, and when his prospects improve, returns to find that he is too late. Zillar Treherne has married a brute, an incredible monster. For- tunately, Miss Fowler does not permit him, to occupy the stage very long, though his removal and the events that lead up to it are a ghastly business. Zillar haa to fly, and Ingoldby helps her and her sister to get away. Later on, he learns that Zillar is dead. Ingoldby next falls in love with the sister, only to find himself again too late. There are many complications, and not until many years have passed does Ingoldby get his heart's desire. His character is drawn with great skill, and the author haa devoted so much care and attention to him that the other people suffer by comparison, and hardly carry conviction. There is much clever writing in The Wisdom of Folly," but admirers of Miss Fowler's work who hope to find in it another Isabel Carnaby will be disappointed.

EMPIRE EXPANSION. There is a lad in Boston, the son of a well- known writer of history, who has evidently pro-, fited by such observations as he may have over- heard his father utter touching certain phases of British Empire-building. At any rate, the boy showed a shrewd notion of the opinion not infrequently expressed in regard to the righteousness of "British occupation." It was he who handed in the following essay on the making of a British colony "Africa is a British oolony. I will. tell you how; England does it. First' she gets a mis- sionary when, the missionary has found a epecially beautiful and fertile tract of country, he gets all his people round him and says, Let us pray,' and when all the eyes are shut, up goes the British ftag.Harper's Magazine."

Scotch distillers, contrary to custom, have not yet made a beginning with the new malt distilling season, owing to the lack of demand. They declare that whiskies can only be marketed at a heavy loss. Socialist revolutionary propaganda has been discovered in several provincial ortho- dox seminaries in Russia, three of which have been closed. Turkey has refused the conditions pro- posed by France for the X6,000,000 loan. M. Venizelos, the new Greek Premier, failed to obtain a vote of confidence, and announced that he would resign. Threshing operations at Sandford, Devcn, revealed -the fact that all .'but eight bushels I of corn in a large rick had been eaten 1n rate, 200 of which were killed.

EPITOMECF NEWS. A man named Johnson was rtaste- l alive irt a gas producer at the Atlas Works, St. Helens. Captain John Carter, the well-known master of King Edward's cutter Britannia, has died at Colchester. M. Hadji Micheff, formerly Bulgarian Charge d'Affaires in,- London, has been appointed Minister at Athens. While out rabbit shooting near his home, Mr. Richard Davies, a well-known Welsh singer, accidentallyrshot himself dead. During morning lessons at the Spring- gardens Council Schools at High Wycombe, a bullet crashed through one of the windows. The police are investigating the affair. Having lost her voice through a bad cold. Mrs. Lloyd-George, who opened a bazaar a-t Enfield Baptist Chapel, was only able to wish every success tc the workers. "I have a wife and three children," pleaded a man at the Tottenham Police-court. ''That," xetort,E-d- the magistrate, "is not in your; favour." For failing to stop his car after causing an accident, George- Wail, a chauffeur, was, at Bir- mingham, fined 40s. and costs, with an addi- tional 40s. for having no licence. Wigtonshire Liberal Association has received a leti-er from 111, J. J. Macpherson (barrister), of London, accepting the association's invita- tion to contest, the. county in the Liberal inte- rest at the next general election. Mr. Roiman Hunt, the celebrated painter, has left £ 16,169. On his widow's death his portrait, painted by Sir W. B. Richmond, will go to the National Portrait Gallery. Brighton Town Council has approved a. scheme for the erection of a winter garden on the Palace Piet, but a. scheme for linking up the Worthing and Brighton Tramways was re- jected. In explanation of the fact that an electro- plated iork and spoon were found in hib boots when he' was searched James Swaffield, of Picket-street, Balham, an employee of the Army and Navy Stores, said he supposed they had dropped in. He was.sentenced to three months' hard labour. Instead of a wreath, Wellington Coll-ge sent a donation of .25 to Middlesex- Hospital in memory of Prince Francis of Teck. Colonel Seely, Under-Secretary for the Colo- nies, inspected the Manners Colliery., Ilkeston, Derbyshire, and laying flat on the ground with pick in hand brought down the coal success- fully. King Alfonso was thrown from his horse on the manoeuvre ground of Carabanchel, near Madrid, but sustained no injuries. Later he returned to the capital on horseback. An order of the Great Eastern Railway re- quiring employees who stand for public bodies first to obtain the company's permission has been withdrawn. A loving cup made from 200oz. of silver is to i be presented on Tuesday by the City Corpcra- tion to Lady Knill as a memento of her term j as Lady Mayoress. J Appl-e blossom and strawberry bloom have been picked this week in the garden of Ilamsey Okd Rectory, Lewes, Sussex. An old man, who has been in receipt of poor relief for several years, was admitted to Inver- ness, poorhouse, when, carefully 'distributed in his rags, was found £Íü7 9s. Sjd. in notes, gold, silver, and copper. "I .know a case of a ohild of four months being fed on a bloater." said MT. R. J. Parr, director of the N.S.P.C.C., at Weybridge. William George Radley, who has retired from the Dulverton (Somerset) postal staff, walked 342,880 milee dvring his 35 years' ser- vice. Genera.l Sir Leslie Rundle has returned to Malta from leave with Lady Rundle, and resumed his duties as Governor. Restrictions recently imposed by the Govern- ment of Uruguay on the importation of cattle, sheep, goats, and swine from Great Britain have been withdrawn. Townsmen of Farnham assembled at the Corn Exchange to attend the annual venison dinner, whieh is believed to date back nearly 300 years. Bequests of £ 20,000 to the United Jewish t Synagogue and £1.000 to the Home for Jewish Incurables appear in the will of MI. Benjamin Levi, of Dalston, who has left estate of some £ 36,000. Hector tDepasse -has illtroduce-dmto the French \Ciiamher a Bill under which landlords who refuse to Jet.apartments "or give notice to leave to tenants because they have too many .children will be liable to a fine of < £ 1 to £ 2. After several months of controversy between' ,the Exith Council and a builder, a house on Picardy-hill, Belvedere, Kent, has been bodily set back nine feet to meet the requirements of the local building by-laws. Miss Marie Corelli, who has written so much against motorists and motoring, has bought a motor-car. The challenge certificate Ot the Kennel Club and numerous other prizes for ths best exhibit a-t the Bulldog Show were won by Wood cote Bouncer, shown by Mrs. W. K. Whishaw, of Rockholme, Gloucestershire. Both William Moore, of Lower Tooting, and his wife have died in Croydon Hospital from injuries received at Mitcham Fair on August 12, when th-ey were knocked d-own by a van. Giant chrysanthemums were sold in Covent Garden 5t. sixpence per dozen blooms, while bunches of Parma violets from France fetched 15s. per dozen bunches. Commander W. C. Crutch]eV will -relinquish the post of secretary to the Navy Leauge at the end of the yea.r, and will be succeeded by Lieu- tenant Brian L. Hewitt, R.N. When chased by a police-sergeant, a Difblin bookmaker jumped into a canal, but the offir followed, and, after a struggle, succeeded in fetting him to land. The defendant was fined ;io. By a deed of conveyance just- sealed, the rights over Mitcham Common hitherto vestoo in trustee.s pass to the conservators, the latter covenanting to use their best endeavours to prevent Mitcham Fair being held. Xo fewer than 323,646 steamboat passengers landed at Southend Pier during the past season. Surrey County Council decided to widen Kingston Bridge to 55ft., at an estimated cost, of £ 44,650. It is officially announced that Sam Apted's benefit (the Surrey and Kent match at Kenning, ton Oval in August last. to which fund, it may be recalled, the Prince of Wales sub- scribed), has realised £ 1.409 lis. lid. Mme. Frank, the woman aviator who was so badly injured in the sensational accident at Sunderland at the beginning of August, remains for two more months in hospital, her broken leg not having united. 1. The remains of the late Mr. Ralph Slazen- ger, ex-sheriii of the City of London, were int-erred in Putney Vale Cemetery. At Tower Bridge Police-court, Fredrick Law- re nee was sent to prison fof'six montiis with hard labour for stealing a suit-case containing jewellery, value £607, the property of the wife of the British Military Attache at St. Peters- burg. The Pope received Cardinal Yincenzo Vannu- telli, who reported to him the splendid success and excellent results of the Eucharistie Con- 'gress at Montreal, and the grandiose reception given to- there and throughout Canada as the Papal Legato. At the Millom (Cumberland; inquest on the bodies of Elizabeth Bradley and her live- months-old child, whose remains were found an the sands &-t Millom, a verdict of "Suicide" was returned, the jury adding that the child was found drowned, with no evidence to show how. )

i AIRSHIP FOR THE NATION. Mr. Arthur Lee, chairman of the Parlia- mentary Aerial Defence Committee, states that the airship Clement-Bayard1 II., which recently flew from Paris to Wormwood Scrubs, has (been ^purchased' by the War Office: From the correspondence which preceded the -acquisition it' appears that M„ Clement's price for his airship was'first fixed at £ 25,000. The War Office, pointing out that the envelope was somewhat worn, offered £ 17,000, subject to tests being satisfactory. M. (Clement then offered to provide a new envelope and to reduce his price to £ 22,000. The War Office expressed willingness to accept this offer, or to pay X18,000 for the airship with its present envelope, provided the tests were passed. The tests appeared, however, to be an ob- stacle, and ultimately the War Office agreed to pay tl2,500 for the airship as it stands without tests, and a sum to cover expenses incurred since its arrival in this country. M. Clement declined to; reduce his price, and ultimately the Aerial Defence Committee, rather than the negotiations should break down, agreed to become responsible for the £ 5,500 necessary to make up the zCl8,000 required. A generous donor has offered to provide the £ 5,500, and the airship therefore becomes tltle property of the nation, at a cost of ZI,2,500 to the public.

t (;J 'r .11 r:, West Ham Borough Coy.nc.il has made a rate of 4s. lid. for the next half year., the total for the year. being 9s. 9d., an increase of' TA. on the previous year. i The court-martial on the officers of the cruiser Bedford, which was wrecked off Korea two months ago, -yvill take place shortly,, officers and men having arrived at Chatham. The German Government has purchased for stud purposes the Freech horse Nuage, which defeated' Lemberg so decisively in the Grand Prix last June. The price is stated to have been 12,000 guineas. General Botha has taken up his residence at Groote Schuur, Cape Town, the place be- queathed by Cecil Rhodes as the official resi- dence of the Prime Ministers of United South Africa. The Portuguese Government is considering the suggestion that a great national sub- gcription should be opened for the repayment' of the external debt, which amounts to about < £ 41,250,000.

t>lisTtKBIN6 THE PEACE. j c t s.r? r •; Overheard m a suburban theatre the other night:— Manager of touring drama, replying to a question: 'fIs the piece effective? Why, a man in the dress circle had two fits last night." Unimpressed Pressman.: "Why did he stop for the second?" j—5 —It- lf

3' A KING'S ENGLISH. King Lewanika of. Baxotseland, N.W. Rho- desia," is anxious to attend King George's Coronation, as he did that of the late King. ,In a letter to Mr. C. Benn ,K?iye, of Harpendei, King Lewariika says: "I should like to see the new Coronation next year in June of our King George the Fifth and the Queen Mary, but the road is difficult to go to Englahu Shout the ex- penses, as when I went to the Coronation of our good late King Edward it was his invita- tion, so I went alri-ght and received very well. I still remember the sum of six hundred pounds (JS600) 'Which he gave me so I can pay my expenses. Hoping our new King also will follow his father's steps."

PICKINGS FROM "PUNCH." Prevailing English chorus at the Gare du Nord in "Paris during the late strike: "Will any one here see Calais?" Apropos of their interview with the Home Secretary last week, it .has been suggested that costermongers, whose rights are so often, threatened, should have an organ of their own. But surely there is such a journal already in existence.- What about "The Barrow News?" t A taxicab carrying Mr. Gerald du Maurier, Mr. Marsh Allen, and Mr. Lawrence Grossmith, last week dashed into and smashed a lamp-standard at Golder's Green and then felled a telegraph-post. It is supposed that the occupants were practis- ing the art of bringing the .house down.

OLD LONDON. I A book which should be very popular with visitors to London, and with Londoners also- most of whom know very little of their own city ■—is "Nooks and Corners of Old London," by Charles and Marie Hemstreet (Werner Laurie, 3s. 6d. net). The authors have previously done for New York what they have now done for London. They call their book "a writing of the odd nooks and quaint corners of wonderful old London town, arranged so that a wanderer may reach the points in consecutive order without going too far afield." There is a multitude of books on London, but room was left for one con- structed on this plan, and, given the necessary 1 interest in the, historic streets and buildings, there is a feast of pleasure waiting for the tourist who will ramble about the City and Westminst-er with this volume for his guide. There are a dozen choice illustrations.

AUTHOR AND LONGSHOREMAN. I Being a longshoreman himself, Mr. Stephen Reynolds knows the life; and being a writer of exceptional gifts he is to make his readers realise what sort of a life it is. He does so in "Alongshore" (Macmillan, 6s.), in a series of sketches of the longshoremen "of' Devonshire, men who "liv* upon; land with their eyes upon the sea." Wonderfully vivid and lifelike sketches they are, bearing ample evidence of having been written by a man who has lived time and again through the scenes which ;he describes. It is' a hard life, this of the longshoreman; a struggle oft-itimes for a I b^re liyiiig. his fishing brings too few fish, and sometimes too many, as when there was a "glut of mackerel":— "Hardly anybody was willing to buy fine mackerel at eightpence the dozen, or at six- pence, or even at fourpence. We asked people to take them away. 'Hae 'em at a gift,' we said. No fear!' they replied. Enough's as good as a feast.' Yet it is plain that Mr. Reynolds finds a joy in the life, and that he has a huge admiration for the hardy, independent, splendid feUo-ws. with whom he spends his strenuous days. He is the champion of the longshoremen, and while lamenting that most of the fisheries around the coast are declining, and some practically dead, .he makes some suggestions as to what might be- done in the way of organisation and improve- ment of markets, so as to give the fishermen a chance to live. That is all they want, he says.

THE IDEAL-CASUAL WARD. A thoughtful and suggestive article entitled "The Unemployable and the Unemployed" ap- pears in the "Cornhill Magazine," from the pen of Miss Edith Sellers. The writer makes an interesting comparison between English and foreign easual .wards, -and says A casual ward ought, of course, not to be, as it is here, a place where men, are 'pauperised-a mere stepping-stone to the workhouse. On the contrary, it ouglat to be a place where men are helped in all possible ways to struggle against pauperisation: Its purpose, be it remembered, is to help men out of work to find work, and to help them to keep themselves fit until work is found. Common-sense, therefore, would say surely that in every casual ward there should be a labour bureau, in which all comers could find out at once where, if 'anywhere, work was to be had. It might suggest even that they should, while there, be allowed to resjt in- stead of being called upon to work and that they should be given the chance of furbishing up their clothes, 80 that when the time came for them to start off on the tramp again, they might not only feel fit,, but look respectable. j Then what it certainly would suggest, and not only suggest but insist upon, is that casual wards should be reserved exclusively for I genuine wotk-seekers. No man ought to be allowed to enter a ward unless he can prove that he has be^h in regular work Within three months: this is a rule in force in all Conti- nental casual wards, and it works easily and .well.