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

NEWS NOTES. I THE continued absence of reliable news, good ti r evil, from Pekin, of the menaced foreigr g( jegations, naturally occasioned the most acute r< 'ef, nxiety in London and all the European o: apitals. A message, received on Saturday s< rom our Acting Consul at Shanghai, stated tc d iave been derived from a thoroughly reliable K ource, to the effect that two Legations were till standing on the 3rd inst., and that the Joxers had been severely punished, and dared if ot renew their attack, served to set up hopes nd somewhat relieve the severity of the ension. But doubt and uncertainty overhung h he whole terrible situation in China like a tr hick cloud, for China is a land of lies and un- h eliability. It is to be gravely feared that the h fations have before them a tremendous task in a: acing the Yellow Peril; and it will be ex- remely difficult to maintain the essential har- nony amongst the interveners, whose interests IE re very variant. Something tangible was ained when Russia withdrew her antagonism o Japan's initial action against the element of h isorder in the vast Celestial Empire: for some Ii ime must elapse ere the Western Powers can ut any considerable military force into the 0 eld. d ——— a SIB REDVEES BTJLLER has completed his v mion with Lord Roberts's main army in South Africa, and joined the Field Marshal in » 3retoria, looking, as the chief puts it, none the vorse for the hard work he has gone through d luring the past eight months." This junction >f the Natal force and the legions of Lord Roberts, taken in connection with the libera- ;ion by the Boers of the recently-captured iTeomanry and Derbyshire Militia looks to be t] ignificant of approaching success for the final l( British strategic move. 81 ——————— ci THE Bisley Rifle meeting this year, like the ither summer and autumn functions of a mili- ary and semi-military character, naturally uffers from the circumstance of the war. Vhile active service is going on there is not nuch room for any less strenuous soldiering. t the same time the call to the front ought a lot to be permitted to prevent the preparation a, if relays of efficient fighters. ONE can but be sorry to learn that the R abour dispute between masters and men in v :he dock business shows no sign of speedy settlement. Not only at British ports does i ;he trouble continue, but it is spreading on the 1 Continent. The steamer service from and to Rotterdam, for instance, has had to be sus- 5 )ended. This is a particularly unfortunate t ;ime forstrike-s in such a connection, and will v iell hardly against all concerned. # g THE Christian Endeavour Society has been molding a great convention this week in s London, the Alexandra Palace on Muswell-hill c )eing the venue. This must be regarded as a -emarkable gathering, drawing together as it las done over twenty-five thousand delegates t rom all parts of the world. The objects of v ihe Endeavourers compel the general ap- s )roval, and the common striving after good c traws- together adherents of almost every j variety of the Christian religion. t THE bat dominated the ball completely in ihe inter-'Varsity cricket match, which ended in j m abortive draw on Lord's Ground last Satur- c lay. It was a match of huge scores, the Dark 1 3lues in their initial venture leaving the lighest record in the tussle far behind. Cam- e )ridge would have broken the record for best, ;oo, had not Oxford forestalled them, and at ;he finish the Light Blues had actually the tdvantage in average per man; so that there is ( 10 saying what might have eventuated had ;ime permitted the match being played out. VIr. R. E. Foster, the Oxonian captain, will jarry through life pleasant memories of the natch, in which he personally demolished tha :ecord for individual highest score in the ixture so long held by Mr. K. J. Key, the old Surrey skipper. AMERICA captured eight out of thirteen of the amateur athletic championships at Satur- day's Stamford-bridge meeting, which is rather humiliating for those proud of what British wind and limb can do and have done to think of. With American runners and leapers beat- ing our best, and cricketers from Australia show- ing superiority over the picked representatives of the Old Country, it behoves young Britain to put forth sturdier effort. There is one con- solation, it is only sons of the blood that get the better of Englishmen born in this matter of muscle. 01JR imports and exports continue to in- crease largely, according to the Board of Trade figures, showing that the war has had no general ill effect on the volume of British com- merce. This is well, for we shall need the but- tressing of good trade to support the State later on when the war bill comes up for liquida- tion. HENLEY Regatta was as enjoyable a function as ever this year as regards the racing, and it has rarely taken place in better weather. The temperature was never too hot, and the rain did nob come to spoil pleasure at all. One feature of the river carnival this year was the decline of the house-boat, which seems to have had its day and almost ceased to be. THE result of Mr. W. L. A. Bartlett-Burdett- Coutts's allegations concerning the neglect of our sick and wounded out in South Africa, has been the appointment of a commission of in- quiry of three. Lord Justice Romer, Dr. Church (President of the Royal College of Physicians), and Professor Cunningham (of Trinity College, Dublin), are to investigate, and it will be but right to wait the result of there labours before continuing the painful controversy as regards the whole subject. THE young Khedive of Egypt has carried away with him agreeable memories of his brief visit to our shores, notwithstanding the throat trouble which upset the beginning of his pro- gramme. His Highness made quite a favour- able impression on all who saw him by his frank manner, and he was evidently highly gratified by the cheering which greeted him in the streets. LORD WOLSELEY is optimistic as to the possi- bilities to the private of promotion under the present Army regime, and has been virtually telling the Duke of York's schoolboys that every recruit nowadays carries the baton of a field-marshal in his knapsack, point- ing to the example of Fighting Mac." But all recruits-not even all boys of the Duke of York's School—are not Hector Macdonalds. However, there are twenty-six commissioned officers at present in the Army who went through the school; and this certainly shows that merit and cultivation will go a long way to command success in the case of those who take up the British Army as a career from the humblest starting point. THE United States hospital ship Maine has been placed at the disposal of the British Government for service in connection with the operations to come in China, instead of South Africa. This is another indication that not much more actual fighting against the Boers is expected. The Maine goes out almost directly, as the Government are convinced that the vessel will be more likely to be useful in the Far East than in Africa..

A STRANGE SPY. J A LATTYSMITLI DOCTORS STORY. N AL any lime, a ngni in my neiguDOur nrman s sit- ng-room after midnight would have surprised me, t ) regular and methodical were his habits. But, 9 turr;ing from a very critical case of peritonitis late t ne night, or rather early one morning, during the g conrl month of the siege, a thin streak of light t own one side of the ground-floor window caused c le something bordering on alarm. It was too faint to be visible in the moonlight to ie Boers on the distant Rietfontein Hill, but we in « adysmith were living under strict martial law. and I the patrol came along, it would, I knew, be a seri- r us matter for Firman. g He was a middle-aged bachelor with a woman for e ousekeeper who, he told me, had, a couple of lonths before, come out from England-where she ad been a music-hall entertainer-hoping to recover er voice, now only a remnant; a hoarse, barely J rticulate whisper. s I crossed the road to warn him. a The light may be due to the housekeeper's care- sssness or forgetfulness, or perhaps to illness. ] As I drew near, however, the sound of a heated I [tercation hastened my steps to the window. A ark, opaque blind or curtain seemed to have been a ung inside. It was down the edge of this that the 1 ghts appeared. e The voices seemed to come from the further side f the room, and I could hear nothing coherent or 1 istinct but this-they were voices. Not one voice nd the housekeeper's hoarse whisper, but two 1 oices, and men's voices, one being Firman's. ] I listened a few moments, the altercation becom- t ig fiercer, the strange voice threatening. t What could I think but that Firman was in some ( ifUculty if not danger ? « I turned to the door and knocked loudly. The al- rcation ceased, but no one came to the door. I fi aturned to the window. Either the light had been stinguished or the window completely covered. I To my mind, this move put a dubious aspect on 1e affair. Far from satisfied, I knocked again, < )uder and more persistently. This brought a ( huffiing of feet, and presently Firman himself t illed. Who's there ?" t Doctor Surtees," I replied. I He unbolted the door. Come in, doctor," he said, leaving just room for 1 le to edge in, then closing the door again quickly, c Is anything wrong ? Is the enemy making a night c ttack ?" What the deuce are yeu doing with a light ?" I t sked, following him into the sitting-room, where wo candles were burning. f Firman, evidently under excitement, laughed in a ervous way, and going to a sideboard, asked if I « 'ould have a drink. mu„ — — -1 L' L_1-1- _1- -l JLU» JJUUtJlitJtJptJC was sib'.iug at me clloUltj Wlcll writr ng material before her, but I saw no sign of a second J nan about. Hullo, Eldred," I said, nodding to her; is rour throat any stronger ?" She was not under my treatment, but it occurred ;o me to ask the question. She shook her head and t vhispered, No, sir." Her face was pale, her eyes quick and bright, and ihe bit her under lip rather frequently. I thought there was illness in the house when I Jaw the light," I said, making another attempt to Iraw Firman into an explanation. ] It's Eldred here, hang her I" he said. "I was < ;\oke up by a noise a few minutes back. Thought I'd Mirglars in. Came down to find my house-keeper vith candles alight, composing a topical song. I was mnoyed and I argued instead of blowing the lights )ut." I had known Firman nearly a year, but I could lot believe this lame story. Either he was lying or ;he housekeeper's loss of voice was a sham-a sham known to him." f My suspicions were thoroughly roused. However f if he could act a part so could I. I drank the whisky ( md seltzer he had brought, and soon afterwards bade 11m good-night. ( As I crossed the road, a man came to me from the shadow of my own porch. Is someone ill across there, sir?" he asked. He was one of the Natal police, and I felt in doubt aow to answer him, because, although Firman had deceived me, his motive might possibly have been t guileless, t Something wrong with the housekeeper," I said evasively, tapping my forehead suggestively. Housekeeper, eh ? he repeated quickly. How many people live there, sir ? Only the master of the house and the woman." "Phew!" he whistled, then, as if in a hurry, "Thank you, doctor. Suppose you find me outside { your place again to-morrow night? You'll not be there without reason," I said. -Not quite, sir." To-morrow is Sunday." The better the day the better the deed, sir." I'm sorry I can't ask you any questions," I said, Jt hoping he would gratify my curiosity. j He shook his head. I should be just as sorry I couldn't answer them, doctor." At that I left him, but before I had unlatched the door he came and whispered: There's no harm in telling you this is not the first time I've watched the house and someone in it." To remember now that Firman of his own boast- ing was an honest Englishman neither quelled my suspicions nor relieved my anxiety. Being Sunday, the Boer guns gave us a rest next day, and I slept later than usual. Firman was waiting to see me when I came down to breakfast. I want you," he said, to keep last night's light affair dark—light, dark, see ?-Will you, doctor ?" Despite his feeble chuckle at his feeble joke, his manner conveyed the impression that he feared my ears had heen as useful as my eyes. My dear fellow, why shouldn't I ?" was my rep'y. •' I—I really don't know, except that we all drop casual remarks in conversation, don't we ? And you see a lot of people, don't you ? And, after all, it's a matter of no importance to you, is it.?" I took the trouble to warn you, anyhow." He was irritatingly fidgetty and nervous, quite con- trary to his customary habit. Yes, yes," he stammered. To tell you the truth, doctor, the thing has upset me, and I fear Eldred and and I will part company over it. Being a woman, she can't see the enormity of the offence. She can't realise the stringency of military law, and you see, doctor, I'm the responsible party. You don't mind doinj me the favour, do you?" "Not at all," I said, with an inward resolution to keep an eye on Firman and his house. His look of care and anxiety, his whole attitude did not seem at all warranted by an explainable act of carelessness or ignorance on the part of his house- keeper, nor were they in keeping with honesty and truth. So weak an attempt to play on my credulity annoyed me. With the freedom of movement which suspension of hostilities allowed, my day's calls were finished by two o'clock, and after dinner I took up a position in the drawing-room, where I could read and smoke and, at the same time, watch the house opposite and trying work it proved. A few minutes before three tne nouseireeper went out, carrying what appeared to be a hymn book or a prayer book. A little later, after a rapid glance at my house, Firman walked leisurely down the road, his hands clasped behind, his gaze bent earthward. He returned before five, while I was talking to a patient who had called. Beyond that, nothing happened before nightfall. The night was clear and starlit, and the moon rose early, but the enforced night-silence of the be- leaguered town was, in the circumstances, oppres- sive. The road, as I saw it, was merely a play- ground for memory and imagination and shifting shadows. Many a time I felt inclined to abandon the watch. It became so irksome and monotonous when I could no longer see to read. It must, have been nine o'clock when the steady tread of the distant patrol broke on my ears. I remember distinctly my interest in marking the gradation of sound as it approached. Then. suddenly, the rhythm of the regular tread was broken by other steps, hurried, and increasing to a run as they came nearer. Before I could reach my window, a woman darted into view, ran up the path and into Firman's house. In another minute, the patrol passed, but from the rear, six police fell out, two hastening noiselessly to the back of Firman's house, the rest approaching the front, door. I laid down my pipe and crept through the win- dow. The police knocked loudlv. Thev were not kept aiting. I could hear the bolts unshot, and as ttie oor opened, the moon's rays catching Firman's hite face, gave the man a look of ghastly fright. Not more than half-a-dozen words were exchanged efore Firman drew the door wide open with a bang. his must have been a prearranged signal, for, as is le men passed in, an upstair window opened and )mething that looked like a small white ball was D irown out. I could see nothing of the thrower, who le losed the window immediately. 0: The ball fell into a mimosa bush in the garden. ti Without waiting to think twice, I dashed across to ff cllre it. As I did so, the dark lithe figure of a h, .affir boy sprang from among the bushes, and seeing ti ie, tried to break away towards the hills. But the t; rip I got on his shoulder brought him up with a oppressed cry of pain. C You picked something out of that bush," I said Hand it over." y Like a flash his right hand went to his mouth, but D gave him no chance of swallowing the ball. Thirty t, Bconds' pressure made him glad to open his mouth aJ nd disgorge. With the ball, which was paper, safely in my pocket, hauled the Kamr up to Firman's house, curious to pI sarn what was happening there. The hull was dark, but immediately the door closed, light was flashed upon us by one of the police who P1 arred the way. Firman, Eldred, and another, all semed to be talking together in the back room. Catch hold of the nigger," I said, and let's see, r"! y your lamp, what I've found." bl I stripped the first layer off the ball. It was a w, lank sheet of paper. So with a second and a third. P Anally, came a hard screwed up lump of tough thin al •acing paper. What that at length revealed caused be police to start with surprise and sent a cold shiver ver me. The next moment, however, I was hot with I rcitement and indignation. C( I was holding a detailed military plan of Lady- tl mith, copiously annotated in Dutch. er Hold the begger tight," I said, going to the back oom. A For a moment I stood at the door, behind two of be police. The only light in the room was from It ne of their lamps, the windows being heavily cur- oj lined. tu u n.f racing jjirman ana ms nouseseeper, across the u able, stood the officer who had watched from my t jouse the previous night. C And this person," he was saying, indicating the 11 lousekeeper, will, be required to explain, amongst 3 >ther things, a good deal of prowling round the d :amps and military positions." 0 "I am trying to get a word with my brother in r he artillery," Eldred whispered sulkily. B You must tell that to e authorities. We shall learch the house." Ycu'll find nothing incriminating in my house," a laid Firman. e Your persons will also be searched." v It is monstrous!" stammered Firman indig- lantly. I am an Englishman-" v Your mother was Dutch," the officer quietly in- <' ;erposed, and you will be searched." i Here I advanced. a Is this what you are seeking ?" I asked, taking 11 ;he open plan into the room. h One tense moment of tragic silence followed my t idvent, then, with a: yn, the housekeeper turned, f jerked aside the curtain, and throwing herself bodily t igainst the window, crashed through. t Let him go cried the officer, whipping out his I revolver and covering Firman. They're waiting t outside for him." t "Him I" I exclaimed. 1 Yes," he answered. He's a man, right enough, c and Dutch at that, you'll find." I [

THE ORIGIN OF SOLDIER." £ 1 o 1 T I) Z i. it n » • il.. t; ooiaier ^wrnes wrrammauuus m me juiucr- vool Daily Post) is a pedigree word. Its connection with the Queen's shilling may not be obvious, but .here it is, all the same. Shilling," in Low Latin, is solidus," whence comes soldum," wages." The man who fights for soldum is a soldier." In Wickliffe's New Testament (Luke iii., 14), John the Baptist bids the soldiers to be apayed with your ;owdis ("be content with your wages"), sowdis" aeing the North Country rendering of "soldis," like ovrd from old."

COMMANDANT ELOFF. T t .I ill a vUu.rt:ltjl Vi vuimnouuauu .L:.tI..1Vl.l, wny was recently captured outside Mafeking. the Iiia- mond Fields Advertiser says that Sarel Eloff, while yet i boy, was thrust into positions of importance for which he was in no wise qualified, and made to a man's part. After holding a very subordinate post in a financial department at Pretoria, he was ap- pointed lieutenant of police at Krugersdorp. It was long a standing joke that he wore the slothes of the officer while the actual work was done by a subordinate. At the time of the Jameson raid Sarel went out booted and spurred, with half-a-dozen policemen, to meet the doctor and his merry men. He rode right into the camp of the raiders, and promptly ordered them to go back or take the consequences. The reply was a command to clear away to Krugersdorp or he would be taken prisoner. Eloff chose the former course, but the little affair was the cause afterwards of Sarel having to go to England at the expense or the Home Govern- ment to give evidence at the trial. While there he was a perfect masher, and he also "did" Holland and other parts of Europe in grand style. He further achieved notoriety by lending his name to certain questionable gold properties which were then being foisted on the British public.

WOULD FRIGHTEN THE FRENCH. -1-, -I- I- Itl- l i ». it is prooauifcj WJ™ me wryae win Do lert unpro- tected next month, when H.M.S. Benbow takes part in the mobilisation of the fleet at Portsmouth. On the last occasion when the Clyde was left in an un- guarded state, the proprietor of an Isle of Arran hotel was bewailing the fact to the genial chief con- stable of the county. Suppose," said mine host, "that the French fleet were to come up the Firth, they wonld send a few cannon balls first thing through my new establishment." My dear sir." replied the chief, just, you present the French Ad- miral, when he comes, with one of you:- hotel bills, and hs'll very soon clear out."

THE MAINE LAW, 1 O 1.. L- I jx uurrespuuucui/ vi ujaoguw puper, WIJU lias seen the working of the liquor law in Maine, states that the operation of the prohibition law does Portland no credit. He was told, on the best authority, that there were 700 places in Portland where liquor could be had. and that there was only one, perhaps two, chemists' stores where liquor was not sold. This selling of liquor at chemists' stores makes the number of chemists' stores far in excess of the requirements I of the sick. or even of the thirsty temperance man, -.vho wants his ice cream soda."

TITR Battle of Alleman's Nek is considered to he one of the finest, and most dasbinl- engagements of the Natal campaign. It is reported that the Boers regard it as one of the worst disasters to their arms that has yet occurred. Alleran's Nek is a position which might easily be held by 500 determined men against 10,000. It is estimated that the Boers held the position with ROGO men. TiTv, Boston Globe has uttered a note of joy because in London's new subway American motor cars and American-made engines are to be used." The journal cites this case as another instance of lively competi- tion on the part of the Yankee with the Briton on IT it; own soil. Unfortiinaftly for the Boston Glohe it has made a mistake. The slow and sluggish Briton was wide awake enough to find that they had better cars in America, 110 steps were taken to secure plans of American cars. But the order for the cars them- selves was placed at home, to wit. with the Ashbury works in Manchester.

ART AM) LITERATURE. L THE value of the pictures in the National Gallery n about £ 1,250,000. b< THE late Professor W. G. Blaikie, who succeeded b, r. Guthrie in the editorship of the Sunday Magazine, 61 ft a large amount of autobiographic material, part ef f which had been arranged with a view to publica- C( on. At a not remote date a volume may be looked P' Ir, containing the professor's impressions of men— tt [j had corresponded with many literary men of dis- tl notion—and of the various countries he had from w me to time visited. IN view of the crisis in the Far East, Messrs. assell and Company have arranged to issue a cheap iition of "The New Far East," by Arthur Diosy, ice-Chairman of Council of the Japan Society. Mr. 1( 'iosy, writing to the publishers, says I read my CE Dok over again last summer whilst in the Far East. id I found no necessity for altering a single state- a' tent therein. What is happening now in China is ti ie logical outcome of the conditions described in my eI iges." a' TnE bronze bust of Shakespeare that has just been Q resented by the family of the late Mr. W. Page, • >rmerly President of the National Academy at New J ork, to the trustees of the Shakespeare Memorial at tratford, came into existence through a curious com- 84 ination of circumstances. Early in the sixties what as supposed to be an authentic death-mask of the laywright was discovered at Mayence, and it was by 1 examination of this mask that Mr. Page, after >mparing it with all the best available portraits of hakespeare, was inspired to produce the bust that 5, is now found a permanent resting-place in this mntry. The gift i3 a very welcome one, and is all w ie more acceptable because it expresses the American ithusiasm for ShakesDeare and his works. f" MR. MORTIMER MENPES has returned from South 'a Africa with a very large collection of pictures and 1 Irawings executed during many weeks of wandering n those districts where the most stirring incidents a >f the war have taken place. He had the good for- une to be present at Paardeberg and to witness )ther engagements that marked important steps in he advance of Lord Roberts; he accompanied the Guards' Brigade in its march to Bloemfontein; and ie visited other places, like Kimberley and Ladv- imith, that have become historical. Among the Irawings he has brought back is a series of portraits )f the men who have played prominent parts in t -ecent events. Later on in the year he will hold an a sxhibition of these works, an exhibition for which 8 t is safe to prophesy the greatest success. ] THERE is (according to the Bookman) to be yet 0 mother great edition of Shakespeare, under the sditorial charge of a literary man who has recently von his spurs in the Shakespearian field. J THE collection of water-colour drawings—" Sou- J renirs of the Sunny South "—that Mr. and Mrs. ilbert Stevens are exhibiting at the Modern Gallery e n London, is a little unequal in merit. It includes I altogether rather more than 100 works, and this c lumber seems unnecessarily large. Rather less than lalf the collection would have sufficed for the effec- ;ive expression of the observations of the two artists, t 'or the remaining drawings only repeat ideas that a iave been already stated with more conviction. The Dest things by Mr. Stevens are the large Silvery ifternoon, Monaco," the Rough Sea, Mentone," ;he broadly and simply-handled Ventimiglia," and ;he delicate Cioudland," and these are quite excel- t !ent; and Mrs. Stevens is seen to advantage in such r iainty foreground studies as Wild Flowers in the 1 Engadine," and Meadows in the Engadine." The 1 [ess notable drawings, however, swamp the good r jnes, and give a touch of monotony to the show. 1 THE latest issue of the Quaritch Catalogue, besides ( being generally interesting to the booklover, bears) smphatic testimony to the value of Edward Fit.z- erald's name in the literary market. Sixteen volumes from his library are included in the list, t ind are offered at £ 36: none of these is possessed )f any merit arising from rarity, but most have Fitzgerald's bookplate and enrichments in the shape t )f MS. annotations from his pen or pencil-in one instance some amusing lines on the poetaster Hayley —and in these lie the augmented value of the books. Much has happened since the famous first edition of the translation of the Rubaiyat gravitated into the Eourpenny box! ] A CATALOGUE of the contents of Leighton House < has just been issued by the committee that has 1 undertaken the task of keeping alive that rather un- I necessary institution. Included in this catalogue is < an account of the house, and various bits of gossip about Lord Leighton himself are also presented. It s is permissible to regret that the misdirected enthu- siasm of a few friends of the late President should have made possible such an undignified proceeding. To a man of his refinement and cultivated taste the idea of making his house a show place, and of pro- viding visitors to it with anecdotes about his private life, would have been particularly distasteful. There is an element of vulgarity in this publication of per- sonal details; and the whole thing is jarring in con- nection with an artist whose greatness certainly will not be forgotten so long as his works exist. THE correspondence between Mr. Max Miiller and Professor Mommsen on The Question of Right between England and the Transvaal," originally published in the Deutsche Revite, and frequently referred to in the English Press, has been repro- duced in English, in the form of a pamphlet (6d.), by the Imperial South African Association. Mr. Max Miiller naturally takes Professor Mommsen as the spokesman and ablest representative of German opinion in the matter. "To say nothing of the fairness and straightforwardness of his language, the absence of all personalties and innuendos, the careful avoidance of all suggestions of motives, the masterly command of all the facts, as far as they were known to him, made it a real pleasure to dis- cuss purely historical questions with one so full of the true historical spirit as he has always shown himself. It should be remembered, however," adds Mr. Max Miiller, "that I wrote on the question of right only, therefore on a question that entirely beloners to the past. Neither Rhodes, nor Jameson, nor Beit, nor even Kruger in his latest character could affect the question of right, nor had their recent proceedings to be discussed by me." THE celebrations and presentations in connection with the Dictionary of National Biography" are now over; and the promised statistical information regarding this great work may be found in the last volume. The number of memoirs exceeds that of any other biographical dictionary. These memoirs distribute themselves over time as follows: There are memoirs of 76 people in the 10th century, 186 people in the 11th, and the number grows to 2138 in J the 16th century, 5674 in the 17th, msü in the LSth. Of 19th century memoirs there are 12,608. The alphabetical arrangement of ) the record has also interesting features. Under A there are 870 memoirs, under Z 21, under Q 31, and under X none at all. The letter that is most, prolific of celebrities is B, under which.3078 memoirs are grouped. Letters with more than 2000 memoirs are C, H, M, and S while next to these in pro- minence come the letters D, F, G, L. R, T, and W, each of which governs considerably more than a thousand entries. The total number of memoirs is 29,104. The admirable uniformity of che Dic- tionary of National Biography is perhaps its most striking feature to those who reflect what this means in editorial care and labour. Mr. Leslie Stephen, the first editor of the "Dictionary," and one of its largest contributors, wrote the memoir of Addison as a model for contributors to follow and it was followed by Mr. Stephen himself when. 15 years later, he wrote Wordsworth" for the last volume. Mr. Sidney Lee, with whom the editorial honours of the last seven or eight years rest, has been himself the heaviest contributor. The memoirs he has written number 820, and would fill three volumes if arranged consecutively. Mr. Thompson -Cooper comes next with 1422 shorter articles, equal to two volumes. The longest article in the Dic- tionary is Mr. Lee's on Shakespeare. IF the Plain Truth about Current Literature." which Mr. Churton Collins intends to offer us in the autumn, are even half as plain as some which he uttered a few years ago, in the pages of the Quarterly, concerning a work on Elizabethan literature, the promised book ought to provide some lively reading.

PRTNCE FERDINAND OF BULCAITTA, who. with his suite and his mother, the Princess Clementine, is staying at the Hotel de Londres, has been invited by the President of the Republic to be the official guest ALTHOUGH thousands of our horses have succumbed to the fatal disease known as "pink-eye," the precise cause of the malady has not up to the present been discovered. Fame and fortune await the man who can discover a cure. for the horses stricken with the disease rarely recover.

ACCURATE TUNNELLING. In a description of the recentiv onened Central ondon Railway, the Builder says the longest sepa- tte lengths of tunnel driven was from the West- jurne shaft to the Marble Arch shaft, the distance ing over 1200 yards, and the work resulted in IWIt ror of only jin. at the point where a junction was Tected with the tunnel driven by another firm of )ntractors. In two of the sections bore-holes were ut down into the tunnel for the purpose of testing 16 lines, but generally the lengths were driven irough so accurately that no recourse to bore-holes • as found necessary.

THE CHINESE ARMY. When a Chinese force encamps for a nisht. the oldiers always construct an earthwork round th. amp, which is quite proof against a sudden rush 'hese works, moreover, are constructed in a remark- bly short space of time. All military judges hold rlat Chinese soldiers can never be formed into an ffective army, on account of the almost insurmount- ble jealousies pervading all ranks of mandarinw, oth civil and military. It is true that General lordon succeeded in keeping them successfully in and, but them he had for a colleague Li Hung ihang, a mandarin possessed of a mind far in dvance of his times.

BLEAK HOUSE. There has been a great deal of discussion atBroad- tairs over the sale of that interesting curiosity, Jleak House, remarks C. IC S." in the Sphere. Ivery visitor to Broadstairs knows Bleak House ^11, standing as it does in a very isolated and con- picuous position within sight of all. It is said that 13000 is wanted for the building, and there has been ilk of an enterprising American carrying it oft iecemeal and setting it up in the States. A novelist, owever, invariably draws from so many sources for ny one building in his romance-a bit from here nd a bit from there—that one is necessarily scep- ical as to the full identification of any particulac Lructure, with its presentation in the realms of ction.

THE WRATH OF THE GODS. A singular discoverv which has iust been made at he British Museum attracted much attention at the nnual dinner of the Ex Libris Society. It is an in- ception which Ashur-Bani-Pal, King of Hosts, Ling of Assyria," caused to be placed on the tablets f the Royal Library at Nineveh. The following are tie concluding sentences of the inscription as trans- ited "I have inscribed upon tablets the noble pro- ucts of the work of the scribe which none of the ings who have gone before me had learned, ogether with the wisdom of Nabu in so far as it xisteth (in writing). I have arranged them in my ialace that I, even I, the ruler who knoweth the light f Ashur, the King of the Gods, may read them. Vhosoever shall carry off this tablet or shall inscribe lis name upon it, side by side with mine own, may he gods Ashur and Belit overthrow him in wrath nd anger."

TO BRING OR PREVENT RAIN. It was Oom Paul's V olksraad that once discussecl, he wickedness of using cannon-lire to bring down ain. Up to quite recently people have refused to elieve in the usefulness of the invention. In Italy, lowever, cannon have been used during the last aonth for an exactly contrary purpose, and with ery good results. At Rogano (Como), where much lamage has been done to the vines in previous ears, 14 cannon opened fire on some clouds that yere gathering for hail, with the result that nothing ell but a little sleet here and there. In several dis- ricts where cannon were fired fOl dispersing the lail, the results exceeded all expectation, whereas ound Alessandria, where this precaution was not aken, the vineyards were completely destroyed.

A STAG CAPTURED IN A LAKE. The North Tlri.tish Dailn Mail describes a snmft- vhat exciting scene that was recently witnessed on Loch Fyne. From the deck of a steamer, there was lescried about a mile from the Arran coast a stag iravely breasting the waves, and in a direct line with he shores of Skipness. On he came steadily and easily through the rather choppy sea, and probably vould have accomplished the four-mile passage in safety but for a Tarbert crew who gave chase, and in i short time captured the deer about a quarter of a, nile from the Argyll coast. It is surmised that the lrran stag had been deputed by his fellows on fa. nission of exploration, preliminary to a general xodus from the island, where deer, it is said, have ncreased beyond the means of subsistence.

PADDY AND LORD ROBERTS'S "STUCK" TELEGRAMS. A good storv reaches us (says the Irish Times) from the Trossachs. One of our countrymen has been doing the sights there, and on a recent occa- sion when driving on the char-a-banc which runs between Inversaid and Stronalacher he had as a companion on the box-seat a staid, though somewhat inquisitive, Saxon. Paddy was in the gayest of spirits, and kept up a running fire of comment, on everything he saw and heard. The Englishman's reserve thawed under the influence of his genial neighbour, and, noticing the small bits of wood, in appearance not unlike envelopes, suspended at inter- vals from the telegraph wires, he ventured to ask if they were placed there to keep the birds from the wires. "Not at all, man I" answered Paddy, confidentially, "those are telegrams from Lord Roberts that have got stuck on the way. He is wiring for more Highlanders.

JOHANNESBURG UNDER BRITAIN. It is confidently hoped that the Rand mines will be working in the course of a few weeks. A cor- respondent has made a calculation of the economies that may be expected to be rendered possible within a short period by the transfer of the administration from the Boer to the British authorities. He reckons that on the average the present cost of working per ton is 25s., made up of 7s. 6d. for white labour, 7s. 3d. for native labour and food, 2s. 6d. for coal, 2s. 6d. for explosives, and 53. 3d. miscellaneous. charges. He thinks that the cost of labour will fall by about 33 per cent., that of coal by 40 per cent., that of explosives by 50 per cent, and miscellaneous expenditure by 30 per cent. Against this has to be set the tax for the liquidation of the war debt and military administration, which he estimates at equal to 2s. 6d. per ton. The cost per ton would therefore be 18a IQd,, as compared with 25s. under Boer rule.

A STORY OF LORD CHICHESTER. The following storv is told (by a correspondent of M.A.P.) of the Earl of Chichester, who spends a large part of the year on his beautiful estate in Sussex, a few miles from Brighton. The greater portion of Stanmer Park is open to the public. Two young ladies cycled in from Brighton one day, and were resting when a man with a basket of oranges on his arm passed along the footpath near them, dingily attired in a suit of yellowish brown and a clumsy felt hat. One of them held out some coppers, and asked for oranges, being rather taken aback when he replied that he hadn't any to spare. I daresay they will give you some at the house," he added, before turning away, indicating the earl's residence, just visible through the trees. Seeing the same man at the station an hour later, but minus his oranges, they questioned a porter as to his identity. "That is the Earl of Chichester," he replied. The ladies promptly went up to his lordship, and apologised for their mistake, and he explained, after laughing heartily, that the fruit was intended for the children of one of his tenants. • i. — iU.i.

THE Admiralty nave issued lnsiruuiiuaB UNIT no more so-called non-inflammable wood is to be used in the construction of ships for the Royal Navy. MR. G. W. FITZWILLIAM, of Milton Abbey, North- amptonshire, has presented the Rev. Percy Wyndham Williams, curate of More Crichel, Dorsetshire, to the rectory of Marholm, near Peterborough. THE committee of one hundred citizens which has charge of the Indian Famine Fund in New York City has collected altogether over £ 19,000. Six additional members, including Mr. Asquith, B.C., and Mr. C. F. Gill, Q.C., have been appointed to the General Council of the Bar. IT is proposed to invite Lord Roberts to Birming- ham, and to confer on him the first honorary degree of the new University.

THE natives of Gomera, one ot the Unnary j Ietl converse with one another by whistling on their finders. It, is possible to understand a message a mile off. Each syllable of a word has its own pecn- liar sound., Gomera is cut up by a number ot de^p glens which are not bridged oyer, and as it would otherwise be impossible for the inhabitants on sepa- rate sides of a glen to talk with one another without poirur a long; way round to meet, they have hit upon the whistling device as the best means of communi- cation.

THIEVES AND MADAME CALVE. ir.j ..1)1èJ.,U(1,.(l10 VftlVC, DO/JO TtVUUAIbO J.J vith the assertion that she is thinking seriously of 'orsaking the operatic for the dramatic stage. She inds the opera affords no opportunity for the display )f histrionic ability. The artiste, who is having; her isual great success at Covent Garden, tells of a surious eiperknce she once had. She was touring, vhen two Spaniards stole a note-book from her. In t were many luck pieces and talismans, and their loss vorried the singer greatly. When the newspapers 'eported the theft the polite thieves sent her the -elic, neatly enclosed in a bag, and with this a cour- ,eous note requesting that they, as finders of the bag, night be allowed to keep the money that was in it as L souvenir of so great a singer I