The North Wales Times

darkening. If any reader who is in difficulty with reference to his garden, will write direct to the ad- dress given beneath, his queries will be an. swered, free of charge, and by return of post. —EDITOR] Home correspondents omit to add their names, or merely end with initials. In these cases it is obviously impossible to reply.—E.K.T. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN IN FEBRUARY. GENERAL. When the soil is diy, dig all vacant ground and cleanse it of weeds. Continue manuring when the ground is frozen hard enough to bear weight without giving. During open, dry periods, fctencb or dig spare beds, leaving the surface of retentive soils as rough as possible. Many weeds will now be springing up, and it behoves the careful gardener to prevent them from seeding by digging them in after collect- ing them in heaps. FRAMES. If frames are desired on hot-beds for early work it will now be time to collect the manure, which should be uniform in character, that from highly fed horses at livery stables being desir- able as well as obtainable in quantity at almost any time. About half of the whole bulk should be bedding litter or straw. To ferment the manure, it must be piled in long shallow heaps and kept only moderately moist by sprinklings of hot water. The pile should be turned oc- casionally, to break up lumps and promote ger mination by distributing the hot manure from fermenting parts through the mass until the whole is steaming uniformly. Next make it up into a square heap, and allow it to settle down without beating or pres-ing. Place the frames in position, and cover with from six to twelve inches of rich, light soil. In the course of a few days a steady heat, suitable for sowings, will be attained. The manure must be so managed as to extend for some distance beyond the edges of the frame, lest the temperature fall too low Perhaps it is better on the whole to place the manure in a pit from 18 to 36 inches deep, and a foot wider than the width of the frame, before placing the frame over it. An inch or two of any coarse material, or a per- manent wall of stone or brick, will prevent the manure coming into actual contact with the cold earth. Surface with a thin layer of leaf- mould, and then with some five or six inches of light garden loam. When the pit method is practised, the manure must be placed in layers about six inches deep, each being well trodden down. A depth of about two feet of manure will generally last for two months, but the duration is naturally dependent on the severity of the weather. Permanent hot-bed pits must have drainage underneath, and be cleared out yearly in autumn. Protective coverings, such as mattings, old carpets, straw mats, etc., must lie provided for hot-bed frames on every cold night, and even through the day when the weather is severe. BROAD BEANS. Sow for early and main cropS in double rows three feet apart, making the two lines of each double row nine inches asunder, and placing the beans three inches deep to come alternately seven inches apart in the lines. Thin out autumn sown crops now, moving the thinnings, with good balls of earth, into double rows three feet apart in rich, light, and warm soil. BROCCOLI. Sow a little seed in a frame, covering with -inch of fine soil. Do not let the seedlings be- come drawn before transplanting them. CABBAGES. Since crops are welcome at all seasons, sow now in a cold frame, and prick out the seed- lings later into other frames. If plantations are crowded, it is advisable to pull every alter nate plant for use. CAULIFLOWERS. For successional purposes make another sow- ing under glass on a gentle hot-bed or under a frame in a sunny corner, covering the seed half- inch deep. Keep free from weeds, and prick out the plants from the earliest sowings into another frame, or under hand-lights, as soon as they are large enough to handle. CORNSALAD. This wholesome and pleasing spring salading is not nearly so much grown as it deserves. Sow in drills six or nine inches apart and one- third of an inch deep, and thin out the plants early to six inches apart in the rows. COUVE TRONCHUDA. Very few people appear to know this vege- table, the mid ribs of which are most delicious when cooked like sea-kale. GARLIC. Garlic bulbs should be planted more deeply than shallots, each being placed between two and three inches from the surface. LETTUCES. Make successional sowings in a frame and on warm borders. Harden off carefully any seed- lings large enough, and plant them out in light, rich soil, six inches apart. A little later draw every alternate plant for use, leaving the re tnainder to mature a foot asunder. MUSTARD AND CRESS. Successive small sowings will yield most ac- ceptable salading material, without costing Tauch trouble. PARSLEY. Sow towards the end of the month in rich, deep soils in shallow drills, a foot asunder. Thin out the seedlings at two or three times to six inches apart, transplanting the thinnings Qine inches asunder into good ground. Gather only two or three leaves from a plant at one time. PARSNIPS. As early as possible level down the soil into a fine seed-bed, and sow directly weather per- mits in shallow drills from 14 to 18 inches apart, Using an ounce of seed to a row of 100 feet, and cover with about an inch of fine soil. Commence systematic weeding as soon as the plants are visible in the rows, and when the seedlings are about two inches high, thin them out to 6 inches apart. Finally single out the young roots from 10 to 12 inches apart. PEAS. Make sowings of early peas when the weather is nice and dry, using a quart of seed to a row of 60 feet in drills two inches deep, allowing Efficient space between the rows to admit of Sowing early potatoes, cauliflowers, spinach, ce]ery, etc. Dust over the seedlings with a fixture of soot and lime, to protect them from the depredations of slugs, and thin them out to about two inches apart when they are two or three inches hhrh. Shield early outdoor crops from keen winds. Plenty of ai'r must be given to seedlings under glass. Do not neglect the rows by omitting to put sticks in in good time, because the sticks always afford protection to the young plants. EARLY POTATOES. Pack a number of sets on end closely, one 'jyer deep, in shallow boxes, which must be placed near the glass in a cool conservatory, or some other light position, where they will e safe from frost. Select a dry, warm, and good border, and if it be not sheltered by a good border, and if it be not sheltered by a wall, line it out into ridges six inches; high. and about two feet apart. The addition of mellow, thoroughly decayed manure and sand will be oeneficial. During February, sow every third or fourth row with a dwarf, hardy pea, that will serve to protect the young shaws, which must be further guarded by being earthed up "W appear. This process should be u °?Jnued, leaving only the extreme tops visible, hieh r^Se8 are from ten to twelve inches sevoi. i • urin& severe weather cover with inches °f clean litter. About mid-March van.? the best time to plant the sets, flhallowly in the ridges. If frames can be sp ired to put over the young plants, there will be much less risk of injury from frost. RHUBARB. It is a very good time now to make a new plantation. Some gardeners prefer to plant a number of single crowns this year, in order to have a regular supply of four-year-old plants for forcing. The usual method of forming a bed is to place roots firmly, three feet apart, in rows four feet asunder, the tops of the crowns being kept slightly above the surface. Deeply-work- ed, rich soils are to be preferred, but good crops can be secured on well-cultivated clays. An open position, that is at the same time sheltered from cold winds, is essential. Systematically keep down weeds. SEAKALE. Plants intended for the latest crops need not be covered until the shoots push naturally. Re- move the covering material gradually when the crop has been cut. SHALLOTS. Any well-prepared, friable soil answers for this crop, but a deep, rich loam is, of course, to be preferred. Tread the bed down, and plant the bulbs as early as possible, sufficiently deep to keep them firmly in place, eight inches apart in rows twelve inches asunder. It greatly facilitates complete ripening to gently draw away the earth from the clusters as the season advances. SPINACH. Make small and frequent sowings, afterwards thinning out the plants early to six, and finally to twelve, inches apart in the rows. TOMATOES. A first sowing may be made about the middle or end of the month in sandy soil in the green. house. E. KEMP TOOGOOD, F.R.H.S., pro Toogood and Sons, The Royal Seed Establishment, Southampton.

THE RHYDONEN CASE. THE DISPUTE IN THE APPEAL COURT. In the Court of Appeal on Monday, com- posed of Lords Justices A. L. Smith, Chitty, and Collins, the matter of an arbitration be- tween Lloyd and Tooth came up. This was an appeal by Mrs. Elizabeth Jane Lloyd, lately the tenant of Rhydonen Farm, near Ruthin, Denbighshire, from an order by Mr. Justice Channell giving to the respondent, the land. lord of the farm, leave to enforce an arbitra- tion award in the same manner as a judgment of the High Court, and it raised an important issue under the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1883. Mr. Lawson Walton, Q.C., M.P., and Mr. S. Evans, M.P., were counsel for the ap- pellant, and Mr. C. Russell, Q.C. t and Mr. S. T. Edwards for the respondent. It appeared that on the; death of her uncle, who had been in occupation of Rhydonen Farm for some yeirs, Mrs. Lloyd, the appellant, succeeded to the tenancy of the farm, a clause in the subsisting lease being to the effect that all questions arising between landlord and ten- ant in regard to the covenants of the lease should be dealt with under the procedure clauses of the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1883. Dis- putes arose in the year 1896, and in May notice to quit the farm wa3 served on the tenant, to operate in November. In the month of Sep- tember Mrs. Lloyd gave notice to the landlady, Mrs. Tooth, of a claim for compensation for unexhausted improvements under the Agricul tural Holdings Act, 1883, and she supplemented that claim by others made in January and November, 1897, as a set off against the tenant's claim, the landlady gave notice of counter-claim in November, 1896, and further counter-claims in the month of May and October following, in respect of allowance due to the landlord under the same Act, and for breaches of covenaut to cultivate certain fields according to the tenancy. As some of these claims and counter-claims were beyond the two months' time allowed by the Act, the parties signed an agreement sub- mitting all issues to the arbitrators and umpire already appointed at the time under the Agri- cultural Holdings Act. The finding of the urn. pire was that after the amounts due on the tenant's claim had been put against the land- lord's counterclaim, there remained a balance of E255 due to the landlord, and the sole ques- tion was how the amount could be recovered. The landlady sought to enforce payment by means of the Arbitration Act, and obtained an order from the Master to sign judgment, which was confirmed by Mr. Justice Channell. Hence the appeal. Mr. L. Walton, in support of the appeal, said that Mr. Justice Channell's judgment was baaed on an interpretation of the law, that the land- lord had power to recover an amount awarded to him under the Agricultural Holdings Act, not by power of that Act, but by the general law. His case was that there was no power given by the Agricultural Holdings Act to en- force an award which benefited the landlord. The intention of the Legislature in passing the Act was from first to last to compensate the tenant for improvements he had made on the land. The landlord might neutralise the ten- ant's claim by counter claiming, as provided by the Act, but the Act gave no new power to the landlord to recover amounts due to him. His counter-claim, which could be recovered under the Act, was limited by the, amount of the tenant's claim. Lord Justice Collins: Then the landlord must undergo two expensive processes to recover his indebtedness? Mr. Walton quoted in support of his argu. ment the case of Holves v. Formby, decided by Justices Grantham and Lawrance in 1895, when a writ of prohibition was issued preventing a landlord from enforcing a claim against a ten- ant in the county court under the procedure section of the Agricultural Holdings Act. Mr. Samuel Evans, M.P., followed on the same side. Without calling upon counsel for the res- pondent, Lord Justice Smith delivered judg- ment, observing th9t the extraordinary result of the interpretation which their Lordships were asked to put upon the Agricultural Hold- ings Act, 1883, would be that after an expen- sive arbitration in which the figures had been fully gone into and a result arrived at, the landlord should be put to fresh litigation with the tenant and to fresh costs and expenses in order that it might be found out how far the landlord's claim over-topped tnat of the tenant. It would require, a very strong case indeed to lead him to the conclusion that that was the in- tention of the Agricultural Holdings Act. There were few authorities upon the point, but as to the case of Holmes v. Formby which had been cited he was satisfied that that case only decided that where a balance had been found at the arbitration to be due to the land- lord, the landlord could not recover by the county court procedure specially provided by the Agricultural Holdings Act. In the present case it was sought to recover, not through the county court but through the High Court, and his Lordship found nothing in the Act to pro- hibit this. All that was asked was that the award on the submission to arbitration now existing in favour of the landlord might be brought into the High Court and enforced un- der the provisions of the Arbitration Act. In his judgment the order by Mr. Justice Chan- nell was right. The appeal must be dismissed with costs. Lord Justice Chitty concurred, holding that the Agricultural Holdings Act in no way pro- cluded a landlord where his claim over-topped that of a tenant from enforcing his claim in the usual way by action upon it. When there bad been a submission to arbitration it was clear that an action would lie upon the award within section 12 of the Arbitration Act. Accordingly the appeal was dismissed with costs.

Of all the torments known to man The greatest, we assert, Is to wear a fourteen collar Upon a fifteen shirt. I insist upon your leaving the house,' she said. angrily. 'Certainly,' replied the tramp blandly; 11 have no intention of taking it with me.'

AN IRISH UNIVERSITY. A conference to consider the present aspect of the Roman Catholic University question was held on Wednesday in Dublin. The Lord Mayor presided, and there was a large attendance, including many of the Roman Catholic clergy. Lord Emly, in moving a resolution demanding such a change in the system of collegiate and Univer- sity education as will place on a footing of equality with their fellow-countrymen those who entertain conscientious religious objections to the present system, said no one in that meeting could mention an instance of spontaneous justice done by England to Ireland. Did they expect their English masters to reverse their policy now ? They would never do anything of the kind, and unless the Catholic people put something stiffer than argument into this question they might as well stay at home. The resolution was carried. Lord Powerscourt, in moving a resolu- tion expressing disappointment that the Govern- ment had not yet taken steps to settle the ques- tion, referred to the proposals embodied in Mr. Balfour's letter as a great step in advance, thought they ought to be accepted by the Roman Catholics, and doubted whether the House of Commons would ever consent to more radical legislative action than was suggested by Mr. Balfour. Mr. John Dillon, M.P., seconded the resolution. He denied that the question was mainly an ecclesiastical one, or that the demand of the Roman Catholics was unreasonable or bigoted. Mr. Balfour had stated that the Govern- ment would not take up the matter as a party question. That was a grave and important declara- tion, but it would be ungenerous in the Irish people not to recognize the immense service that had been rendered to the cause of Catholic education in Ireland by Mr. Balfour's utterances, and he urged that at the meeting of Catholic Bishops about to be held to consider the subject Mr. Balfour's scheme should receive generous consideration. The resolution was carried. Dr. Healy, Roman Catholic Bishop of Clonfert, in moving a resolution for the appointment of a sub-committee of Irish members to press the question on the attention of Parliament during the coming Session, spoke of the unanimity of feeling on the subject. If all Irishmen joined in demanding full justice and equal rights for all, that demand must be conceded. He would not dis- cuss the proposals of Mr. Balfour's letter, but they must all admit that he had shown an earnest and sincere anxiety to settle the question. The bishops had shown a similar desire, and had, in fact, reduced their demands to the minimum that could be accepted without sacrifice of principle. The resolution was adopted. Colonel Saunderson, M.P., addressing his constituents at Portsdown, on Tuesday night, ex- pressed strong opposition to the idea of establishing a Roman Catholic University in Ireland. He and those who agreed with him were opposed to such a proposal because they were Protestants, and because they believed it would be bad for Ireland.

INVESTITURE AT OSBORNE. Her Majesty held on Monday a private investiture of the Orders of the Bath, St. Michael and St. George, and the Star of India. The Queen, accompanied by their Royal Highnesses Princess Henry of Batten- berg and the Duke of York, entered the Council Room at half-past one o'clock. Order of the Bath.—Sir Hugh Owen, late Per- manent Secretary of the Local Government Board, was introduced into the presence of the Sovereign, attended by the Officer of the Order, carrying the insignia, when the Queen invested him with the riband and badge of a Knight Grand Cross (Civil Division) of the Order (by placing the riband over the right shoulder, obliquely to the left side), and affixed to his left breast the star of the Order. Order of St. Michael and St. George.—Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, Bart., Governor and Commander-in- Chief of the Colony of South Australia was invested by the Sovereign, in like manner, with the insignia of a Knight Grand Cross of this Most Distinguished Order. Order of the Bath. Lieutenant General Sir Richard Campbell Stewart, K.C.B., was introduced into the Royal presence, when her Majesty was graciously pleased to confer upon him the honour of knighthood. The following Knights Commanders were severally introduced into her Majesty's pre- sence, when the Queen conferred upon them the honour of knighthood, and invested them with the riband and Uadge of the respective divi- sions of the Second Class of the Order, into which they had been admitted, and affixed the star to their left breast, viz.: Brigadier-General Richard West- macott, commanding a second-class district in India (Military); Carey John Knyvett, Esq.. late Principal Clerk, Home Office (Civil); Edward Wingfield, Esq., Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies (Civil); nl William Chandler Roberts-Austen, Esq., Chemist and Assayer to the Royal Mint (Civil); Henry Wil- liam Primrose, Esq., Chairman of the Board of Cus- toms (Civil). Order of the Star of India.—Charles Cecil Stevens, Esq. (retired), Indian Civil Service, was introduced in like manner, received from her Majesty the honour of knighthood, and invested with the riband and badge and star of a Knight Commander of this most exalted Order. Order of St. Michael and St. George.—The fol- lowing Knights Commanders were then introduced into the Royal presence, when the Queen conferred upon them the honour of knighthood, and invested them with the riband and badge,and affixed to their left breast the star of their dignity in the Order, viz.: William Turner Thiselton Dyer, Esq., director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in recognition of services rendered to Colonial Governments Colonel James Hayes Sadler, late her Majesty's Consul- General at Valparaiso. Order of the Bath.—The following Companions were severally intjjaduced into the presence of the Sovereign, preceded by the Officer of the Order carrying the insignia on a cushion. Her Majesty the Queen was graciously pleased to affix to their respective left breasts the decoration of the Civil Division of the Third Class of the Order, viz.: Charles Henry Alderson, Esq., Charity Commissioner; Jasper Capper Badcock, Esq., Controller of London Postal Service; Evelyn Ruggles Brise, Esq., Chairman jf the Prison Commission Sir Charles Alexander Cameron, Chief of the Public Health Department, Corporation of Dublin; Lieut.-Colonel Arthur Collins; the Hon. Sidney Robert Greville; Frederick John Jackson, Esq., her Majesty's Vice-Consul and First-Class Assistant, Uganda; John Joseph Casimir Jones, Esq., Chief Commissioner Dublin Metropolitan Police; Walter Loois Frederick Goltz Langley, Esq., Foreign Office; Henry Walrond Simpkinson, Esq., Education Department; John Steele, Esq., Chief Inspector of Excise. Order of St. Michael and St. George.—The follow- ing were then introduced, when the Queen was pleased to affix to their left breasts the Decoration of a. Companion of this Most Distinguished Order, viz.: Major Matthew Nathan, R.E., Eccretary to the Colonial Defence Committee; Captain John George Orlebar Aplin, Inspector in the Gold Coast Con- stabulary; Major James Henry Bor, Deputy- Assistant Adjutant-General, Royal Marine Artillery, for services in Crete Robert Unwin Moffat, Esq., for services during the recent Uganda Mutiny. In attendance upon her Majesty were the Duchess of Roxburghe (Lady-in-Waiting), the Earl of Hope- toun (Lord Chamberlain), Lieutenant-Colonel the Right Hon. Sir Fleetwood Edwards (Keeper of her Majesty's Privy Purse), Major the Hon. Charles Harbord (Groom in Waiting), Captain F. Ponsonby (Equerry in Waiting), C. G. Barrington, Esq., C.B. (Gentleman Usher of the Bath, acting for Sir Albert Woods, K.C.B., K.C.M.G.. Garter King of Arms,Regis- trar and Secretary of the Order), the Hon. Sir Spencer Ponsonby Fane (Comptroller in the Lord Chamber- lain's Department), and Colonel Lord Edward Pelham Clinton (Master of the Household). Major the Hon. Derek Keppel was in attendance upon the Duke of York. A guard of honour of the 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own), with the band, was mounted at Osborne. Luncheon was served in the Durbar Room. The band played a selection of music during luncheon, under the direction of Mr. Peachy, bandmaster.

Srx months' imprisonment was the sentence passed on Monday at Suffolk Assizes on Jane Smith, a travelling hawker, on a charge of the manslaughter of her child. A THURIBLE story is to hand concerning a stranded British crew. When seeking help from a French vessel, it is alleged that they were threatened with being thrown overboard. THE death is announced at Scarborough of Mrs. Elizabeth Mary Blunt, at the advanced age of 96. She was the mother of several well-known men, one of whom is the Suffragan Bishop of Hull. IN the Queen's Bench Division on Monday a Stratford doctor, named Vallance. obtained E150 and costs in an action for libel which he brought against a meat salesman, named John J. Terrett, of West i Ham. «

THE LEADERSHIP OF THE I LIBERAL PARTY. Sir. T. Ellis, M.P., the chief Liberal Whip, iss-41, a circular on Saturday to all the members of the j party in the House of Commons, intimating that a general meeting of the Liberal members will be held at the Reform Club, to consider the future conduct' of public business on the retirement of Sir William Harcourt."

FUNERAL OF MRS. PARKER. With an absence of ostentation wholly in con- sonance with the wishes of the deceased lady, the funeral of Mrs. Joseph Parker, the late wife of the Rev. Dr. Joseph Parker, pastor of the City Temple, took place on Monday at Hampstead Cemetery, not far from the residence of Dr. Parker, in Lyndhurst- gardens, where her death occurred a few days since. It was in this house that the first portion of the simple service was held, and from here it was that the cortege, shortly after noon, started on its way amidst manifestations that showed how deeply mourned was the lady who had always taken so prominent a part in the many-sided work of the religious community of which Dr. Parker is the head. Nothing could well have been simpler than the obsequies, an unusual and remarkable feature of which was the absence of the customary tokens of mourning in the dress of many of those who had made their way to the grave- side. But, in paying their last tribute of affection and esteem in their ordinary work-a-day garb, the friends of the lamented lady were acting in accord- ance with wishes to which it was well known that she had given frequent expression. Conspicuous among the mourners were Dr. Parker, who was deeply moved throughout the proceedings, Mrs. Yeld, sister of the deceased, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Common, and Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Common, these also being relatives. The Rev. Vaughan Price was the officiating minister, and an impressive share in the solemn rites was that borne by the choir of the City Temple, of which the late Mrs. Parker was a member. The service at the graveside, where a marquee had been erected, was opened by the sing- ing of the hymn, O God, our help in ages past," and subsequently Dr. Bonner's Beyond the smiling and the weeping was sung with moving effect, the solo being rendered by Miss Stanley Lucas, who led the choir. A number of beautiful wreaths were sent, accompanying them being many touching and appro- priate inscriptions, but the only emblem lowered into the evergreen-lined grave was that which had been placed on the oaken coffin by the bereaved husband. Upon the card attached to it had been written the words, Emma, heart of my heart; Life of my life; She is not here She is riben." Upon the lid of the coffin there was an inscription as follows: Emma Jane Parker, Born 20 June, 1846; ascended 26 January, 1899." Among many others from whom floral offerings had been received were Lady Henry Somerset, Sir George and Lady Mason, Dr. Guinness Rogers, Mr. J. Compton Rickett, M.P., Dr. Clifford, the Rev. Vaughan Price, the choir and staff of the City Temple, and Mr. J. L. Toole, whose circle of lilies was accompanied by the words, With affectionate remembrance and sincere sympathy."

-1! ANOTHER PEERAGE DISPUTED. The announcement is made that a London builder, James Stafford, of 103, Packington-street, Islington, is waiting only for some ready pash" to prosecute his claim to the Stafford peerage and estates, of which he alleges lie is the lawful owner. If the desired ready cash arrives, and the case ever reaches the Law Courts, -it is stated that it will be found one of the most interesting and complicated of its kind, Mr. Stafford's position being as follows: He claims that he is the direct male descendant of Hervey de Stafford, created a baron in 1193. The Act of Parliament provided that the barony should be given to Hervey de Stafford and the heirs male of his body." In 1640, Mr. Stafford says, the barony was unlawfully obtained through Charles I. by one William Howard, from whom the present baron claims to have descended, but this descent Mr. Staf- ford challenges, because, he urges, the male side of William Howard's family became extinct in 1762 and the female side in 1807. Mr. Stafford traces the ancestry of the present holder of the peerage in this way. George Jerning- ham's great-grandmother was, he contends, Mary Lyttleton (1700), a daughter of Sir Charles Lyttleton, Bart., not of Mary Howard, a descendant of the William Howard who received the barony in 1640. George Jerningham was succeeded by his son, who was succeeded by his nephew, the present Baron Stafford. One peerage gives the following as the ancestry of the present baron: Sir William Howard married Mary, the only sister of Henry, twelfth Baron de Stafford. In 1640 they were created Baron and Baroness Stafford. The viscoint was attainted in 1678, and executed in 1680. In 1685 the attainder on the barony and estates was re- versed, and his wife was created Countess of Stafford for life. She was succeeded by her son, with the re- mainder to his brothers, John and Francis. He was succeeded by his nephew, a son of the Hon. John. In 1750 John Paul Stafford was fourth earl, and he died in 1762. The earldom expired then. and the barony was invested in Mary, sister of John Paul Stafford, and wife of Sir George Jerningham, who, on July 6, 1825, the House of Lords decided had made out his claim to be eighth baron." Mr. Stafford has a room full of documents and papers going to prove in his opinion that he is the rightful owner of the barony and estates. Many years ago a collateral branch of the Stafford family, to which the claimant belongs, endeavoured to establish their alleged rights, but they have recog- nised, Mr. Stafford says, that the branch fnln which he descends is the older. One of the most important documents possessed by Mr. Stafford is a letter, dated 1869, from Lord Redesdale. then chairman of the House of Lords, with whom Mr. Stafford com- municated. Lord Redesdale wrote: I believe there is no doubt that Roger Stafford had to surrender his barony to the King in 1640, and that such surrender was an invalid Act, and would effect the claim of no one lawfully entitled to it, and if you can prove your descent in the manner you state you will establish your right to the barony." The claimant has led a comparatively quiet life. He was born in London some 62 years ago, and with the exception of seven years spent in Australia he has been for the most part in England. He is a builder by trade, following in this respect in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. It seems that his grandfather also held the opinion that the Stafford peerage and estates were his, and handed on very many of his documents to the present claimant, who is. a widower and childless.

A GANG of platelayers while engaged on Monday morning making alteral ions to the Great Northern line at Peacock's-bridge, near Peterborough, were run into by an express, two of their number being knocked down and terribly mutilated. A MASS meeting on Monday night of the Royal Army Clothing Department Employes' Union, at which Mr. Keir Hardie was the chief speaker, passed a motion expressing indignation at the low rate of wages paid to the men employed in the clothing factory, and calling upon the Government to put into force the model employer resolution of 1803. The wages at the factory were said to run from 19s. to 24s. a week. AT the Rhondda Police-court the manager of the Pandy pit was fined on Monday £ 20 and costs for not providing manholes for workmen. AT Swansea Rhys Davies has been remanded on a charge of murder. It was alleged that prisoner had carried the body of his victim in a sack. No further development had, up to the receipt of this brief report, taken place in the matter of the robbery at, Parr's Bank in London. It is now taken for granted that the ttleft was committed by someone connected with the place, and revenge is suggested as the motive. THE death is announced, from heart disease, of Mr. Harry Bates, A.R.A., the well-known sculptor. IN the Probate Division application was made on Monday to presume the death of Sir A. C. Curtis, Bart., who went early last year to Klondyke, and left his party—in consequence of a quarrel—on June 10, when they were 50 miles from the nearest inhabited place. Search was made, but proved unavailing. The application was eranted.

LAWLESSNESS IN THE CHURCB. On Tuesday afternoon a deputation representing the Manchester Protestant Thousand and the Man- chester Branch of the National Protestant League waited on Mr. A. J. Balfour, M.P., at the Carlton Club, Manchester, to lay before him their views on questions concerning lawlessness in the Church nnd the Irish Catholic University question. The deputa- tion was introduced by Sir Antony Marshall who, with Mr. Nott, Mr. Shaw, and others, addressed Mr. Balfour on the subjects mentioned. Mr. Balfour, in reply, said in regard to the subject of university education in Ireland, he was not. in accord with the speakers who had addressed him, but as to the lawlessness in the Church, so far as the broad principles were concerned there was no difference between them. His views as to higher education in Ireland, however, had been publicly expressed both on plat- form and in the House of Commons for 11 years. He entirely denied that the Protestant University in Belfast or the Roman Catholic Univer- sity in Dublin which he had proposed, in any way diverged in principle from Oxford, Cambridge, or Trinity College, Dublin. The conformity of those institutions with the provisions of the Test Act was universally admitted. They should not be so unjust as to suppose that ever) Roman Catholic was acting the part of a bigot who did not send his child, whom he wished to bring up in his own religion, amongst influences eminently hostile to that religion. He should be sorry to be responsible for a Roman Catholic University in Ireland under episcopal influ- ence in the Swiss and Belgian sense, just as he would be sorry to establish a university even under the Eng- lish bishops. The proposed Protestant University was not meant as a sugar plum to sweeten the bitter dose of another university and to make it palatable to Protestant consumption. Did they think it decent that they should propose to further endow Queen's College, Belfast, and turn a deaf ear to the demands from other parts of Ireland ? The cause of Pro- testantism was bound up with the cause of education. With regard to lawlessness in the Episcopal Church, he said he did not meet with such prac- tices in his own experience, nor did he meet with people who met with them but he accepted the state- ment that there were at this moment practices going on in certain churches which are contrary to the law of the Church of England. He, however, believed the erring clergy would admit the authority of those they are bound to obey, and the bishops have clearly vindicated their unanimous desire to see the law obeyed. He would as soon believe in a general con- spiracy against the law of gravitation as he would in a general conspiracy agains Protestantism in England, so firmly based w; a that faith in the country.

DEATH OF DR. BERRY. The Rev. Dr. Berry, of Wolverhampton, the well- known Congregational minister, fell dead in the Wesleyan Chapel at Bilston, Staffordshire, whilst conducting Dr. Totherick's funeral service on Tues- day afternoon. Dr. Berry was not permitted to perform duties calculated to interfere with his com- plete recovery. On Monday he had a sharp seizure while attending a meeting at Wolver- hampton, but appeared none the worse for it in a few minutes. On Tuesday he had arranged to conduct the funeral of Dr. Totherick, an old friend, at Bilston, and whilst the body was being interred the deceased fell and expired. The news of the death of Dr. Berry has cieated a great sensation in Wolverhampton and and the utmost sympathy is felt for his widow and family. As an indication that Dr. Berry was fully under the im- pression that he was gradually recovering his health, it may be mentioned that only on Monday he told a pressman in Wolverhampton who had been gleaning particulars with regard to the reverend doctor's life, that he would not have occasion to use the obituary notice for many years to come. The Rev. Charles Albert Berry, D.D., was born in 1852, and since 1883 has been pastor of the Queen- street Congregational Church in Wolverhampton. He was the chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales in 1897, and was first president of the National Council of Evangelical Free Churches. In 1887 he was asked to succeed the renowned American preacher. Henry Ward Beecher, in Brooklyn, but he de- clined. Dr. Berry had travelled extensively in America, in Egypt, in Palestine, and the East generally, and travelled round the world and visited Australia in 1891-92. In 1897 Dr. Berry went to America as the representative of the Arbitration Society to advocate the re-introduction of the Anglo- American Treaty. In this capacity he addressed large meetings in Chicago, Boston, New York, and Washington. He was personally welcomed by the President, and was invited to open Congress in both Houses as chaplain. Dr. Berry published a number of theological treatises. He had for many months past been in precarious health, but recovered sufficiently to resume his ministerial work in Wolverhampton a few weeks ago. It was obvious that his recovery was not complete; but his pathetically tragic death on Tuesday afternoon will come with a shock of surprise to his numerous friends both in his own and in other religious denominations.

FOUR SOLDIERS DROWNED. A boating accident, entailing the loss of four lives on Sunday, is reported from Queenstown. Four gunners of the Royal Artillery, named Barrett, Browne, Croyan, and Friend, who have been stationed at Fort Westmoreland, took their departure from the island on Sunday after- noon, about four p.m., in a small boat, and rowed in the direction of Fort Carlisle, some two miles distant, to meet a number of comrades. They reached their destination safely, and left again at 9.30 on their return journey. They did not, how- ever, arrive, and on Tuesday one body was dis- covered lying on the strand at Whitogate. A vigilant search resulted in the discovery of the boat lying bottom-upwards at Cork Beg, the island home of Sir R. U. Penrose Fitzgerald. M.P. Telegraphing later, a Queenstown correspondent states that Corporal McCarthy, of the Royal Artillery, had re- ceived information at the garrison office, Queenstown, that the first body recovered bad been identified, and that two more bodies were also recovered close to the scene of the accident. Their names are Croyan, Barrett, and Browne, and the other one, who is still missing, is named Friend. The bodies have been sent to Carlisle, where the inquest will be held. Barrett belongs to Killorglin. and Croyan is a native of Blackrcek, co. Cork. Barrett, who had seen much service, wore the Egyptian and two good conduct medals. Croyan and Browne were also possessed of good conduct medals.

FATAL RAILWAY COLLISION. The death of Chas. Silsby on Tuesday morning through a collision on the Great Northern Railway between a ballast and a manure train formed the subject of an inquest at Arlesey on Wednesday before the Bedfordshire coroner, Mr. Whyley. Several witnesses said the signals were against the driver of the manure train at the time of the accident, it being a road used solely for goods traffic. The permissive block system was in force, and on passing a signal box at the beginning of the section the driver was warned that there was another train in it. The coroner adjourned the inquiry for 10 days, saying that they could not help coming to the conclusion that someone was culpable.

LADY ABERDEEN AND WOMEN WORKERS. Lady Aberdeen took part in the annual meeting of the Aberdeen Union of Women Workers on Wednes- day afternoon. Her ladyship spoke of the success which had attended branches of the union, and dealt at length with the objects of the International Council of Women, suggesting that in order to co-operate more closely with sister unions in Scot- land of women workers, a Scottish National Council Of Women should be formed.

Two THOUSAND delegates attended the meeting of the United Irish League at Claremorris, where Mr. W. O'Brien was the principal spokesman. The League has a programme of nine planks, which in- clude full national self-government," the abolition of landlordism by compulsory sale-at whose expense ?-the suppression of famine by compulsory purchase of grazing land in Connaught, acre allot- ments—but no cow-and, lastly, preservation of the Gaelic as the living language." AN interesting and praiseworthy scheme has been devised to familiarise the children of London with plants and flowers. A fortnightly box of specimens will be sent to 120 schools, and the School Board will appoint a working gardener to fill the boxes as req,uisitioned by the teachers.

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