County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser Abergavenny and Raglan Herald Usk and Pontypool Messenger and Chepstow Argus

APPLICATIONS for orders to authorise the construc- tion of light railways under the Act are made half- yearly. Last month 40 applications for orders were wiade. I

I NEWS NOTES. PRESIDENT KBTTGEB, according to a remarK once made by the late Prince Bismarck, is one of the astutest of modern diplomatists. Oom" Paul, in his negotiations with Sir Alfred Milner, is evidently striving well to keep up the reputation he long ago gained for re- markable cleverness in statesmanship. He will get for the Boers all there is to be got out of the Uitlander question, that is certain. Eng- land will have to be very alert in every move she makes in the direction of championing the claims of the dwellers on the Rand against the tyranny of Pretoria. The point is to secure the right without coming to a breach with the Boers which would lead to bloodshed; and some fear exists that the Transvaal Government may presume too much upon Britain's pacific predelictions. It will behove Mr. Chamberlain and his colleagues in our Ministry to exhibit patient wisdom, combined with firmness, in this extremely critical matter. THE Premier's garden-party at Hatfield on Saturday was a very brilliant function, shadowed only by the unfortunate illness of Lady Salisbury. The beautiful park was look- ing its loveliest, and the Royalties and other distinguished guests there foregathered in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Queen's birthday, greatly enjoyed themselves. A garden-party in early summer in the pleasant domain of the Cecils is a much more attractive thing than a reception at the Foreign Office, and Lord Salisbury's substitution of the one for the other is highly appreciated by the fortunate folk invited. -c' QUIETUDE reigns for the moment in Paris, and the President was permitted to disport himself on Sunday at a popular race meeting without molestation. But how will it be when Dreyfus gets back from the Devil's Island? He is on his way home now, and the General Staff of the Army, who are powerful and de- termined, are very much chagrined, as also are the Anti-Semites. The latter are notoriously spiteful, not to say malevolent; and it would not be surprising if some miser- able tool of his merciless opponents should make a last desperate endeavour to do away with poor Dreyfus yet. But he is to be guarded carefully, and fickle public opinion in France has now turned so strongly in his favour that any further persecution or injury to the man so long sacrificed for a military fetish would very likely precipitate a revolu- tion. If the Army has any prudence left, and the Government are sage, Dreyfus will, as far as possible, be rehabilitated, and that without further avoidable delay. Of course such righteous action will involve the meting out of justice to those who hounded him down; but even this should be done in a dignified judicial way, and without vrndietiveness. The difficulty is to reduce the French temperament to a condition of calmness. ONE is afraid that nothing beyond impotent talk will come, after all, from the deliberations of the Peace Conference asse nbled on the Czar's initiative at The Hague. None of the Powers can see practicality in the idea that the arma- ment of the nations should be reduced; and Acit approval of the arbitration ideal without permanent fixture of a W orld's Tribunal endowed with tremendous potentiality means little in the presence of armed myriads. The dawn of the millennium is not yet 1" IT is lamentable that the strong antipathies of class and creed existent in India should lead now and again to bloodshed, despite all official precautions. Consolation may be derived from the reflection that the energetic oversight of the Imperial officials in our vast Eastern domain greatly minimises an ever-existent danger; and the firm but sympathetic action of the Madras Government m suppressing the recent disturbance in South India leaves little to be desired. LOVERS of London's ancient river have heard of the poetic likening of its stream to silver though the Thames has long, save in the upper reaches, lost its title to be in any way considered silvery." But when a number of ingots of the very desirable metal were discovered the other day in the river bed there seemed some chance of Father Thames regaining justification for the picturesque adjectival prefix which imagina- tive writers of a less material time bestowed upon his moving waters. WITH a continuance of delightfully pleasant weather great interest has centred upon jthe chief cricketing fixtures of the season, and the way in which the present Australian team has distinguished itself at all points of the game under every condition, almost stamps them as a most masterly combination. On any but a rain- sodden wicket, matters being otherwise equal, they will want a lot of beating by England's best. The home country's chief element of weakness just now is manifestly the want of fast bowling of high order to give variety to the attack. It was said when the Australians came that their bowling would hardly suffice to give them success; but it has hitherto been enough for their purpose as managed by Darling, save when Essex scored their very surpriseful win at Leyton. It is stated that the Australians have stated their willingness to start early and play late, if necessary, in the "test" matches, in order to secure if possible a definite result; and as the giving of more than three days each to the fixtures presents difficulties not to be over- come, the suggestion should have careful con- sideration. A fight to a finish is the only really satisfactory outcome of these interesting encounters. THE Chatham lad who sought to pose as a pirate on the Medway and came quickly to grief on a mudflat has, no doubt ere this, lost his liking for daggers and boomerangs and the rest; and he will not, probably, make any more amateur adventures in buccaneering. He had been reading some of the pernicious printed trash purveyed for juvenile buyers in which the lives of corsairs and the like are glossed into attractiveness. His father has undertaken to look after him for the future, but one is tempted to think that if some matter-of-fact outward-bound skipper of the old sturdy sort had rescued and then rope-ended him during an enforced voyage of some duration, the lad would have been served right, and well cured of his delusions. We are surprised that the rubbish of the class referred to should continue to find a place in the stock of vendors of serial literature. One would have thought that advancing know- ledge would by this time have Knocked such deplorable "stuff" on the head; but it seems that those who reap profit from catering for immature depravity have still their field for exploitation. The worst of it is that the sing- ling out of offensive publications for public condemnation but affords them advertisement; so that stern general denunciation, coupled with the provision of a sound counter-attrac- tion,, seems herein to be the only way.

AH interesting discovenr to antiquarians has been made at Oldbridge, near Drogheda. A labourer who was excavating in some quarries turned up a bronze crucifix about two feet six inches in length, and a small bell, made of some white metal. On the apex of the cross was the figure of an eagle with out" stretched wings, and on the end of each arm a lion and a lamb. No idea has yet been formed of the period of the relics, but from the fact that a consider- able quantity of decayed wood was found close to I them it is conjectured that they have been buried a long time, and that they were encased in a box. I

THE "DEADLY LEAD." I aCT THE ONLY DANGER.—A TALK IN TUB POTTERIES. I By Parliament, public platforms, and the press, widespread attention has been called to the dis- tressing results affecting the operatives from the usa of lead in glazes for china and earthenware. In- deed, so much has been written and said, that a stranger visiting the Potteries, and meeting a pale and palpably weak girl or woman, might naturally assume that the delicate person in question was a victim of the insidious disease. But the odds may be that the stranger would be mistaken. There are treacherous causes of ill-health other than the dreaded lead," says the Staffordshirt Sentinel, one of the most influential newspapers in the Potteries, which prints the story of a local girl. This young lady-Miss Mary Underhill, of 26, Peel-street, Dresden, Staffordshire-had lived up to eight mont.hs ago in an agricultural district, miles away from a china^or earthenware manufactory, and, as she had not entered a pottery, she had made no acquaintance with the lead. Still, Miss Underhill was, up to a short time ago, a victim to an ailment as terrible and as fearful in its effects. About two years ago," said Miss Underhill, I eras apprenticed to the dressmaking, but my energy miss Underhill. I The Staffordshire girl interviewed by the Stafford- shire Sentinel. (From a photograph by Messrs. Lathom and Bott, Longton.) seeined to leave me, and I could take no interest in my work. I had headaches, from which I was many times prostrated; my appetite was very fickle, some- times allowing me to take my food and other times not; and to aggravate my case my weakness was so bad that I was frequently seized with fainting fits. My colour left me, and I went about as best I could, looking more like a marble figure or a waxen model than a living person. Money took me to several doctors, who said that anaemia was the cause of all my trouble. The doctors had very poor hopes of mc. The neighbours said they had never seen a girl look worse. If I went upstairs I had to sit down before I could dress myself. I only went into the street once, and then I fell down in a faint. My appetite got worse, and if I did eat, I had acute indigestion, and all the time I was racked with neuralgia." Miss Underbill is now a healthy-looking girl, of winsome appearance, and a brisk assistant to her mother. How came you to obtain such a remarkable revolution in your health ?" was asked. Well," said Miss Underhill, as her eyes lighted up with the pleasure afforded by the recital of her •lory, one day my mother read in the Staffordshire Sentinal of the wonderful results achieved by Dr. Williams' pink pills for pale people. We had also heard our friends talk of them; they had been re- commended to us; a friend said they had done her daughter much good. I had been so discouraged, I did not like to see any more doctors, and one day I sent for a box of Dr. Williams' pink pills, and to be quite sure of getting the genuine ones sent direct to Dr. Williams' Medicine Company, London. When I had taken half of the second boxful my colour began to come back, my appetite became better, neuralgia, giddiness, and headache had disappeared, my strength began to return, and my spirits were much brighter." And have you kept on 1" Oh, yes; I had six boxes. I often say to mother that it feels like being in heaven, because I have been like a different person since I took them. People who saw me before and have seen me since, can scarcely believe I am the same person. I can now help in the house and take an interest in it; indeed, I am so well, I think of going back to my dressmaking, and have got a new machine for that purpose." This is, of course, only one case among many thousands which Dr. Williams' pink pills have cured. They include eases of paralysis, locomotor ataxy, rheumatism, and sciatica; also all diseases arising from impoverishment of the blood, scrofula, rickets, chronic erysipelas, consumption of the bowels and lungs, anaemia, pale and sallow complexion, general muscular weakness, loss of appetite, palpitation, pains in the back, nervous headache and neuralgia, early decay, all forms of female weakness, and hysteria. These pills are a tonic, not a purgative. They are genuine only with the full name, Dr. Williams' pink pills for pale people, and are sold by chemists, and by Dr. Williams' Medicine Company, Holborn-viaduct, London, E.C., at two and ninepence a box, or six boxes for thirteen and nine. Pills sold loose or from glass jars are not Dr. Williams' pink pills. And substitutes never cured anyone 1

THE STATE AND THE CYCLISTS. I Cyolisis will be glad to learn that by order of the First Commissioner of Works, a large cycle-house for the storage of machines is to be erected at Kew Gardens for the convenience of visitors cycling to that place. There has been a similar house at Hampton Court Palace Gardens for the past two years, and it is greatly appreciated.

THE HANDS OF JUSTICE. A London detective removed in custody from the Isle of Man on Saturday to the metropolis a man, who had been living under an assumed name at Onchan, near Douglas, where he was arrested on a charge of embezzling about R2000 while employed as a pawnbroker's manager in London. He is 33 years of age, and had been leading a quiet life. His wife died two months ago, leaving him with two children.

GREAT FIRE AT ELSWICK. 1"hree of the largest shops in the Elswicx Ordnance Works of Armstrong, Whitworth and Co., Newcastle, were demolished by fire on Sunday morning, and a vast quantity of guns, steels, costly machinery, carriages, cranes, engines, tools and stores was destroyed. The damage is estimated at nearly £ 200,000. The night shift men do not work on Saturday nights, or the work of extinguishing the flames would, it is thought, have been sooner accom- plished by the aid of hundreds of hands. The cause of the outbreak is unknown. Between two and three thousand of the 20,000 men employed are idle. One man was injured, and 30 horses had to be removed to a place of safety. The fire raged for six hours. Several valuable guns fell through one of the floor which was burnt through, and are probably rendered useless. Other finished guns and some near- ing completion are mixed up in the ruins. Sir Andrew Noble, Mr. Marjortbanks, and other officials were on the scene and helped to direct operations. The damage is fully discovered by insurance. The fire is one of the biggest experienced in Newcastle for many years. Sir Andrew Noble has made a state- ment to the effect that the shops destroyed would require months to replace, but the chief difficulty lay in restoring the valuable machinery destroyed. The 2000 men would not long be idle, but the firm would require to learn what damage had been sustained to work that was ordered for particular purposes, and what guns were disabled that were required early for particular ships. These guns might not be so easy to replace soon, otherwise he did not consider the inconvenience would be very great.

A Swiss scientist named Calladen made some ex- periments on Lake Geneva, to demonstrate the power of sound to travel a long way in water. A clock was made to strike under the water, and was heard to a distance of 12 miles. In a second experiment the striking of a clock was heard to a distance of 27. X-MATINWS POWDM.-Killg Bugs, Fleas, Moths Beetles, and all insects (perfectly unrivalled). Harm less to everything but insects. To avoid disappoint- ment insist on having Keating's." Every genuine tin has the signature of Thomas Seating on the out- side labeL Tins. 3d.. 6d« and Is.

QUIET IN FRANCE. I CHEERS FOE M. LOUBET. I The race meeting at Longchamps at which a dia- turbancewasfeared.passedoffonSunday without inci- dent. President Loubet was present and there was but little hostile demonstration, the principals in the riots at Auteuil on the preceding Sunday being con- spicuous by their absence. The paddock and grounds were guarded by police and bodies of soldiers. President Loubet left the Elysee at a quarter to three in a carriage drawn by a couple of horses harnessed tandem-fashion. A detachment of Cuirassiers formed the escort, while the road was everywhere kept clear by the police and dragoons armed with lances. Mme. Loubet followed in a second carriage. The drive to Longchamps was like a triumphal progress so enthu- siastic and continual was the cheering from the crowds lining the route. At the Cascade, where the mass of people was greater than at any other point on the route, and included a great number of Socialists, the acclamations of the President were especially enthusiastic. In the Avenue de Marigny a man shouted Vive le Roi!" and was at once arrested, but during the whole of the distance to Longchamps this was the only incident. At Longechamps, how- ever, just as the President's carriage was entering the gateway of the racecourse enclosure a group of demonstrators to the left of the stands outside the paddock tried to break through the line of troops shouting Vive 1' Armee A has Zola I" A good dead of scuffling took place and several arrests were made. The appearance of M. Loubet in the Presidential stand was greeted by an immense outburst of cheer- ing, shouts of "Vive Loubet!" and "Vive La Republique being raised on all sides. Some shouts of "V ive i'Armee were also heard, but they were few in number, and were almost drowned in the general acclamations. A good many vacant, places were to be observed in the stands, but the paddock was well filled with well dressed people. All the Ministers were present, and there was a large atteg- dance of the diplomatic body. M. LoubeC reached I the Elysee on his return from Longchamps at 20 minutes to five. He was loudly cheered. I DREYFUS HOMEWARD BOUND. A Cayenne telegram states that Dreyfus was re- moved on board the cruiser Sfax at six o'clock on Friday morning of last week. As soon as the mili- tary authorities had handed the prisoner over to the Captain of the cruiser Dreyfus was conducted to his cabin, and a sentry armed with a rifle and bayonet was placed on duty at the door. The Sfax weighed anchor and left for Brest at twenty minutes past six. Only the officers of the watch and the guard ware allowed on deck when Dreyfus was placed on the vessel. He was dressed in ordinary civilian clothes. and has allowed his beard to grow. TALL Or THE MINISTRY. I In the Chamber in Paris on Monday, M. Viviani, Socialist, raised the question of the violence said tc have been used by the police in the "fight at a cafa and elsewhere after the races at Longchamp on Sunday night. M. Dupuy, the Premier, said that an inquiry as to the alleged brutalities had been ordered, but he generally defended, the conduct of the police, and said that no government at all would be possible if respect for order were not enforced. After a number of Socialists and other Deputies had endorsed M. Viviani's complaints, the closure was pronounced, and several motions were submitted, one of which by M. Saumande, approving the declarations of the Government, was accepted by the Premier. Priority was, however, refused for it by 253 to 246 votes. Eventually priority was voted by 366 to 177 for a motion by M. Ruau, to the effect that the Chamber would support only a Government determined energetically to defend Republican institutions, and to ensure public order. M. Dupuy declared that he could only accept M. Saumando's motion, but M. Ruau's was carried by 321 to 173 votes. The Ministers withdrew from the Chamber immediately after the result of the division was de- clared, and the Chamber directly afterwards ad- journed to tender their collective resignation to President Loubet, who accepted it, and they only retain office pending the formation of a new Cabinet. I HEAVY SENTENCE ON BARON CIIRISTIANI. Baron Fernand de Christiani was charged before the Correctional Tribunal in Paris on Tuesday with assaulting President Loubet at the Auteuil races. He attributed his conduct to excitement, and denied that the demonstration had, to his knowledge, been pre- ( meditated, but evidence contradictory of this state- ment was adduced, and Baron de Christiani was con- victed and sentenced to four years' imprisonment. The Paris correspondent of the Times says there is general approval of the downfall of M. Dupuy. The Indictment Chamber in Paris on Tuesday dismissed the charges against Colonel Picquart.

I WESTRALIA WINS. The recent sensational advances which have taken place in the values of some of the companies working in the centre of the Kalgoorlie field is directing atten- tion to some of the less well-known but promising properties in the same district, such as Hannan's Belle View, which has an issued capital of E82,000 in El fully paid shares, at present quoted at over 25 per cent. discount. Seven companies working in the lame vicinity are, at present market prices, valued at over eight millions sterling, whilst Hannan's Belle View, it should be noted, is selling at less than £ 60,000. Brownhill Extended was less than a month since selling at £ 25,000, whereas to-day's market value is over £ 400,000. The same good fortune may await Hannan's Belle View shareholders.

AFFAIRS IN CHINA. On the occasion of the murder of the missionary, ( Mr. Fleming, in the province of Kwei-chau, the British Government formally demanded that the village headman who instigated the crime should be arrested and punished within a month, otherwise the removal of the provincial Governor would be de- manded. The month having expired without the required satisfaction being given, the British Legation in Pekin on Saturday presented a demand for the removal of the Governor. The Viceroy of Nan- king has recently, without preliminary notice, pro- hibited the export of rice from the province, to the serious injury of the British carrying trade. His real motive (says our Shanghai correspondent) is to control the market for the benefit of the provincial authorities. An application from the British Consul at Shanghai to ship a small quantity of rice for the use of the garrison of Wei-hai-wei was at first refused, but afterwards granted when the Russian Consul peremptorily demanded similar facilities for Port Arthur.

ONE HUNDRED INDIANS. Riots of a most serious nature have occurred in the Tinnevelli district of the Madras Presidency. The disturbances have arisen owing to differences between rival religious sects. It is estimated that a hundred murders have been committed, and that houses, gardens and property have been destroyed. Whole villages have been sacked. The military have been sent to assist the authorities in restoring order.

CANTERBURY MARTYRS. I Unveiling the memorial to the Kent Martyrs at Canterbury on Saturday, Lord George Hamilton said if they wished to do honour to the Reforma- tion, let them never forget that its outcome had been to establish in the highest degree the liberty of the individual not only in civil but religious matters. We are living," he continued, in a somewhat controversial age when not, only the Church but the laity and even Parliament are discussing with interest and vigour questions con- nected with the doctrine, ceremonial and ritual of the Church of England." He trusted that the out- come of those differences would be a settlement. in accordance with the principles of the Reformation, but no satisfactory settlement could be arrived at uuless the disputaivts would act with the greatest I toleration and consideration to those with whom they differed. He urged them to go from that I solemn scene with a determination to imitate in their daily lives the virtues and the demeanours of the Kent martyrs, and resolved to repudiate in their dealings with others that spirit of intolerance and assumed infallibility which led to the imprisonment, persecution and deaths of the Martyrs of Canterbury.

ONE of the New River mains at Canonbury burst early on Sunday morning causing much damage. A RATE-C0LiiECT0K of Sheffield has been sentenced to three months' imprisonment for embezzling £ 300 he had collected. THE Grand Prix du Paris was won by Mr. Dewar's Perth. President Loubet met with an-enthusiastic reception. I

TRAGIC DEATH OF A PORTSMOUTH I OFFICIAL. A verdict of "Suicide while temporarily inline* was returned at Croydon on Monday night in the case of a man named William Henry Hopkins, 46, a draughtsman, of Southsea, who was killed at Norwood Junction Station on Saturday. Deceased had been employed for 31 years at Portsmouth Dockyard. It was stated that he was a religious man and a lifelong abstainer. About Christmas he was appointed Recorder of Weights and Measures on the new battleship London. This work proved too much for him. and he resumed his position as a draughtsman. After a visit to Walmer for the benefit of his health he went to Norwood to see his brother, arriving on Friday afternoon of last week. He walked his room all night, and next morning took a ticket from Norwood Junction to London-bridge. As the 8.43 train steamed in he jumped before the engine and was killed instantly.

IRISH CHANNEL TUNNEL. I VIEWS OF LORD ROSEBERY. I A largely attended conference of members of both Houses of Parliament who advocate the construction of a tunnel between Great Britain and Ireland was held in the Grand Committee Room at the House of Commons on Monday night. The Marquis of Londonderry presided, and amongst those present were Earl Spencer, Earl of Aberdeen, Lord de Vesci, Earl of Erne, Lord Morris. Lord Monteagle, Viscount Cranborne, Sir Wilfrid Lawson, Viscount Chelsea, and the Earl of Arran. Only two Irish Nationalist members attended-Mr. S. Young and Mr. J. F. X. O'Brien. The chairman argued that the scheme they advo- cated was practicable, stating that the length of the sub-marine tunnel by the most favourable route was 25 miles. The extreme depth of water at -this point was 85 fathoms. Mr. Arnold Forster, M.P., said among those who had written regretting they: absence was Lord Rose- bery. His lordshipsSld: I am afraid after all that I may not be able to attend your meeting this after- noon, but I shall if I possibly can. I rejoice to see from the paper which has been circulated that a cunnel between Ireland and this island is possible, practicable, and, considering the great advantage to be gained by it, cheap. Of the engineering side of it I am, of course, no judge. But I have long been of opinion that there are few more pressing objects of policy from a British, Irish, and an Imperial point of view. Lord Wolseley wrote that "the sooner a tunnel could be constructed between Great Britain and Ire- land the better." Sir Douglas Fox, the eminent sngineer, was in favour of the project, as also were Lord Mayo, Lord Charles Beresford, and others. It was stated that the cost of the proposed tunnel was astimated at ten millions sterling, and two millions sterling for interest during construction, &c. The suggestion, added Mr. Forster, was that when the Lunnel had been completed and started as a running concern, the dividend on the subscribed capital from ha.t date should be guaranteed at the rate of three per cent. Mr. J. Barton explained in detail the feasibility of the proposed tunnel from the Island Magee, county Antrim, to a point near Portobello, in Wigtownshire. Earl Spencer moved a resolution to the effect that the First Lord of the Treasury be asked to receive a deputation on the subject. He attached immense importance to the freest development of intercourse, social and commercial, between the two countries. Moreover, the proposed tunnel would be of great ad- vantage with reference to the trade between the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Sir Mark Stewart, M.P., seconded the motion, which was supported upon imperialgrounds by Lord Morris. Lord Rosse, while not opposed to the project, ex- pressed some doubts, from a geological point of view, whether it was so practicable as had been assumed. Professor E. Hull replied to these re- marks, and, after other speeches in support of the scheme, the resolution was carried unanimously.

LOVER'S TRAGIC END. At Lynn, on Monday, a jury returned a verdict of Suicide during a fit of insanity in the case of a gasman named John James Edge, on the Great Eastern Railway, who was seen on Saturday to walk into the Ouse and was afterwards found drowned. He was engaged to be married, and the ceremony was fixed for Tuesday of this week. During the last few weeks Edge ceased to correspond with his sweet- heart. She visited him on Thursday of last week. They appeared friendly. On the following morning they went to the post-office about some money, and Edge left the woman during the afternoon, and did not return to his lodgings at night. ■ r ——————————————————

A GENEROUS GIFT. Lord Pirbright has presented a plot of freehold ground of between five and six acres in extent at Bisley, for the erection thereon of cottage homes of rest for discharged soldiers. In the letter conveying his offer to Lord Wolseley, the donor expresses his desire to add his contribution to the scheme by which soldiers diheharged from the service as in- valided or those who are permanently disabled, may find a home where they will be nursed. Lord Wolseley regards the gift as a patriotic one, that may lead to increased pecuniary support in aid of a worthy object.

LORD BUTE AND HIS WORKMEN. I The Marquis of Bute having, through his agents, issued summonses against 43 miners under the Employers and Workmen's Act, for improperly absenting themselves, application was made on Mon- day to Justices Day and Lawrance for a rule nisi for » writ of certiorari to remove the cases into the Queen's Bench Division, so that they might be heard tt the forthcoming Assizes. It was stated that ;he men, having given 24 hours' notice, left their work in order to attend a meeting to discuss business matters, and that the right to do this affected 90,000 miners. The judges held that there was no prece- dent for such an application, and refused the rule.

OUR NAVAL RESERVE. IMPORTANT SPEECH BY SIR CHARLES DILKE. I The annual meeting of the Shipmasters Society was held in London on Monday afternoon, Sir Charles Dilke, president, in the chair. In his speech Sir Charles Dilke dealt with a variety of topics affect- ing the welfare of seamen, referring especially to the juestion of the overcrowding of Lascars. Thesubje'ct )f British boy sailors, continued Sir Charles, was one )f national importance, thoroughly deserving the dis- Jussion it had provoked. In altering his Light Dues Bill the President of the Board of Trade bad clearly stated that the declining number of British sea- men was a matter of anxiety, and that the Naval Reserve opened the field of selection. His scheme, however, had failed. On the same day Mr. Goschen had told the deputation that he was not satisfied with the existing numbers of the Reserve, and would be glad to have a considerable addition. The Re- serve in this country, he (Sir Charles) would point out, was not so much a reserve as a portion of the first, line, for it was intended to use all the available men in manning the ships to be sent to sea in the first instance. The utterances of Ministers and others had led to the recent deputation at the Board of Trade, for which he thought the public ought to be grateful, seeing that the efforts made by the Navy League were in the public interest. He him- seif was a strong supporter of the present Lord of the Admiralty in the greater portion of his policy, and he felt it, therefore, the more incumbent upon him to complain of the reception which the Board of Trade and the Admiralty together had given to gentlemen who had devoted their time to inquiries upon the subject of our decline in British seamen. A weak point in the Admiralty administration was its resentment of public criticism. This he regretted, and hoped the practice attributed to Mr. Goschen of being disagreeable to deputations would not extend, and also that public men would not be discouraged in their exertions on behalf of British seamen by cold water thrown upon them in this way.

SIR EDWAKIV HUI.SE, BART., and Sir James Walker, Bart., died on Monday. THE latest returns show that no case of rabies has occurred in London for several months. H.M. GUNBOAT Alarm captured on Monday three French fishing boats within the three miles limit at Dungeness. A BOY of fifteen committed suicide recently by hanging himself at Camden Town. The inquest was held on Monduv

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WEI-HAI-WEI, A British adniiral with a squadron of warships at Wei-hai-wei, caught, without much warning, by a sudden outbreak of war with Russia, would find himself in a very tight place, says a writer in Black- wood. If his force were equal, or even slightly in- ferior, to that of his enemy in Northern Chiioa, he would no doubt go out and try to fight a decisive battle in the open sea; but it is extremely unlikely that the wily Russians would accept any such taetica, or fight in the open at all, unless they felt that they had time to concentrate their forces from Vladi- vostock and Port Arthur at a rendezvous well to the eastward of, and out of sight of, land from the Shantung promontory, and then fall upon the British with overwhelming force before the latter could be reinforced from the south. And in this connection it must not be forgotten that France and Russia are allies (for the present at any rate), and that France has a not inconsiderable force of modern warships in the vicinity of Saigon, which place is directly on our trade-route between Singapore and Hong Kong; so that it would be impossible to de- nude the South China seas of a force at least suffi- cient to meet the French, and it would take time for reinforcements to arrive from Australia and the Eastern Pacific. Assuming, however, that the British force in North China is sufficiently powerful to keep the Russians shut up in Port Arthur, and to prevent a junction of the ships from Yladivostock, what, then, is the situation ? Still extremely awkward for the British, as the Russians could remain per- fectly secure from all attacks either by ships or torpedo-boats in Port Arthur harbour, while the British, in their indefensible position at Wai-hei-wai, must either put to sea every night, or be subject to fre- quent attacks by torpedo-boats, some of which must sooner or later prove successful, as the crews of the ships would soon be worn out with anxiety and constant watching-for even at sea they would not be aafe. In short, the conditions of the game would be quite unendurable for the British; and they would either have to pack up their traps, embark the garrison (which would not be much trouble), haul down the Union Jack, and scuttle to the south on the first threat of war, or else stay in their exposed position at Wei-hai-wei, with the certainty of losing some, if not many, of their ships, by the repeated attacks of Russian torpedo-boats acting from a secure base. The question may then be asked. Of what use is Wei-hai-wei to the British ? The answer is that it is worse than useless (assuming war with Russia possible) unless a defensible harbour is constructed, at an estimated cost of between one and two millions sterling.

ACCORDING to a return just issued the quantity of wine imported to England in casks during the year 1898 was 15,163,722 gallons, and in bottles 2,975,930, making the total quantity 18,139,652 gallons. TIIB death is announced of Mr. James Lindsay, superintendent engineer of the Turkish Arsenal at Canea. Just before his death Prince George of Greece paid him a visit, and thanked him for his valuable services.

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SWEETHEARTING BY SEMAPHORE. Semaphore and heliographic signalling for army and navy purposes are to most men difficult enough to learn in their more complicated forms; but yon would be rather surprised how quickly the sweet- hearts of the signalmen in a garrison town pick up a knowledge of simple signalling," said a non-commis- sioned officer. "At several coast und garrison towns where I have been stationed I have seen the servant-maids carrying on quite < brisk conversation atl a great distance both with soldiers and sailors- -and a most amus- ing sight it is. I have seen these girls mount handkerchiefs and pieces of dress remnants on broom-handles, and I have read both their messages and the replies of the men at a distance perfectly. I remember seeing a young servant girl at Plymouth call the attention of certain signalmen, in the first instance, by means of a looking-glass, on which she caught the rays of the sun, and dashed her prelimi- nary 'look-out' signal. After this, she conveyed a perfectly correct and intelligible message to the effect that she was surrounded by the enemy,' the idea, no doubt, being that she could not get out that Evening.

IT 111 somewhat remarkable that Admiral Kautz, who has resisted so stoutly the German pretentions in Samoa, is himself a German by birth, having been born in Baden, whence his father, who was a car- penter, emigrated with two sons. Of these two sons one became a General, the other an Admiral. Here is an interesting example of the absorptiveness of the English-speaking world.

¡ I FRY'S | "PURE CONCENTRATED" COCOA MAINTAINS ITS PRE-EMINENOF- as a LIGHT and NOURI8HfNQ DRINK. I COCOA I the right brand, viz., FRY'S —FUKK—CQNCENTK ATwn

THE venerable Dueness of Cleveland, who 50 years ago married Lord Dalmeny, father of the Earl of Rosebery, is perhaps the most remarkable old lady in the British Peerage. At an age when most ladies like herself approaching 80 have long left the arena of active life, the Duchess exhibits all the energy and enterprise of a young woman. She has recently undertaken a journey to India for the sole object of hunting for rare exotics to add to her almost unique collection; and she thinks no more of a long over- land journey from Bombay to Darjeeling than a. drive in the Park. THE Calaveras skull found more than 30 years ago under 132ft. of gravel above the lava beds of Bald Hill, one of the" tatile mountains" of Calaveras County, is the subject of remarks by Mr. W. H. Dall in the proceedings of the Academy of Natural Science, Philadelphia. Mr. Dall was in California at the time and considers this supposed relic of primitive man in. America as geouine.