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

ISLAND WRECKED. From Paris comes information that the French island of Reunion, in the Indian Ocean, has been devastated by a furious and prolonged cyclone, which raged on the 21st and 22nd of March. Thousands of persons are without food or shelter. The disaster is unprecedented. All the crops are destroyed, bridges wrecked, houses in ruins, and railways and telegraphs broken. Twenty-four persons are already known to have been killed. At least £ 400,000 is re- quired immediately to relieve the worst distress and supplement the local relief funds, which are already exhausted.

feVYALLOWED UP BY MUD. An inquest was held at Gillingham, on Satur- jj day, on Robert Pinder, 59, night watchman, whose death took place under singular circum- stances. It was Pinder's duty to visit during the night various works on the shores of the River Medway which his employers are carrying out for the Admiralty. Late at night sounds as of a person crying for help reached two men named Walter Jackman and Alfred Welier, who set off in the direction of the cries, and; after a rough and trying journey across the marshes, made additionally difficult by the intense dark- ness, they found Pinder, who was hanging with one hand on to a punt on the foreshore of the Medway, while his-legs and body and half of his face were engulfed in the soft river mud. "Give us your hand," he said, and immediately re- leased his hold and became insensible. The rescuers, by great exertions, managed to extri- cate the unlucky man by putting chains beneath his arms, and they administered brandy to him and wrapped him up in their coats, the night being bitterly cold. Meanwhile their means of escape across the marshes had been cut off by the rising tide, and they had to wait 90 minutes before they could float the punt to get away. Pinder expired shortly before they reached the wharf. It is supposed that Pinder got aground and jumped out of the punt to push it off, and was practically swallowed up by a mud-hole. A verdict of "Accidental death was returned, and ™ie cP^°i^er and jury warmly praised Jackman and Weller for their gallantry, and, with the medical witness, subscribed £3 as a reward. j '"————*—- —— f

FUNERAL OF ADMIRAL MOLYNEUX. The funeral of Admiral Sir Robert Henrv More Molyneux, G.C.B., who died suddenly at; Cairo, took place at Guildford on Saturday, the remains being interred in the family vault at St. Nicholas Church. Eight first-class petty officers from the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth, acted as bearers, and on the coffin, which was enveloped in the Union Jack, were placed the deceased admiral's sword and medals. There j was a large attendance of mourners, and the floral tributes included an anchor from the officers and staff of the Royal Naval College in memory of their late President.

CONGO STATE LIBEL SUIT. Mr. Justice Ridley and a Special Jury, in the i King's Bench Division on Saturday, concluded the hearing of the action brought by Captain de Keyser, formerly a cavalry officer in the Belgian Army, against Captain Guy G. Burrows and Messrs. R. A. Everitt and Co., publishers, to recover damages for an alleged libel in connec- | tion with statements made in a work on the j Congo, written by the first named defendant, and published by the Messrs. Everitt. The jury awarded the plaintiff five hundred pounds' damages, and an injunction was granted pre- venting any further publication. In two other cases judgment for the plaintiffs for fifty pounds was entered by consent. | ii t

"Two retired tradesmen residing in the country, were discussing matters generally, when one asked: j How is your son doing in the city ?" Oh, he doesn't say much about his business," was the reply, but he writes me that he's got a lot of friends!" "That's very encouraging," remarked the other, for it shows that he hasn't had to S borrow money yet."

RISING OF SIBERIAN EXILES. i A rising of political exiles at Irkutsk, Siberia, has taken pla-ce in consequence of the severity of the authorities. Seventy men, well-armed, and with plenty of provisions, barricaded them- selves in a house, and have held the military at bay for three days. Several soldiers have been j killed by shots from the "fort." Whenever the j soldiers attempt to shoot, a child the exiles have with them is held out of a window, and the shoot- ing stops, as the men will not injure the child. The exiles ask for the concession of full personal liberty in Irkutsk before they will surrender. The authorities are endeavouring to starve them out, and have surrounded the house with a large military force.

A WORKING EMPEROR. Not even the hardiest of Japan's fighters but will tremble when brought into the presence of the Emperor, and even veteran statesmen who have been in his confidence for years dare not lift their eyes to his face. It is not their fault, it is rather the fault of all those circumstances which have combined to make Japan great. Officials raised amid Western civilisation, educated along the highest lines, stand in awe of the written thanks of any member of the Imperial family, and look forward to the day when a bountiful Providence may bestow such a wonder- ful honour upon themselves. With all this power (says the "World's Work") the Emperor of Japan is an able man, and that despite the narrowing influences of his upbringing. He has always been able to find room in his active mind for progressive ideas, as well as for thoughts of his own magnificent position. He works far harder than any other monarch in Asia, and than many in Europe. Secluded in his palaces, he is spared the endless drain upon his time which European monarchs have to suffer—laying foundation-stones, opening institutions, and so on. Personally, he is grave to severity in expression, and it is difficult to disconnect him from his high office. To the strangers presented to him he is courteous and full of kindly interest, but they feel that he can never escape from the weight cf his Imperial ancestors.

TO USE OUR CANALS. There is no doubt (says "The Builder") that one of the most important matters awaiting atten- tion in the present day is the improvement of the existing canal systems, which might be reorganised to the great benefit of trade and com- merce. A complaint frequently made by manu- facturers is that they are seriously handicapped in competition with foreign rivals by excessive railway rates. Agitation sometimes results in the granting of small reductions, but still no sub- stantial relief is given, nor can it be expected. The liberation of the canals from the stifling control of the great railway companies would be the first step towards affording the necessary relief, but considerable alterations in the existing waterways would be necessary before they could be of much use. An excellent scheme for the reconstitution of the canals has recently beer submitted to the members of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, and there really seem to be no engineering difficulties to prevent its realisation. The proposal is to make the canals at least 6ft. deep, with an average width cf 80ft., and to provide them, with locks 235ft. long by 32ft. wide, large enough for a tug and five barges j to pass at one time. The scheme in question relates to the improvement of 240 miles of canals connecting the most important manufacturing and mercantile districts of the country. The cost would be no doubt heavy, but the benefit to j be reaped in the reduction of freight charges I would probably be sufficient to justify the neces- sary expenditure.

THE YOUNG DUTCH QUEEN. The young Queen of Holland began early to interest herself in the rights and dignities of her position, and the story is told (says "The Liver- i I e pool Post") that, when she was but ten years old, she sent for her first Minister, and informed him that she had quarrelled with her French governess and dismissed her. "She was dis missed in disgrace," said the child Queen "you had better publish this among the Court news." The Minister gravely promised to obey, and as gravely asked: "And when is it your Majesty's pleasure that the culprit should be beheaded?" The Queen grew suddenly nervous, and the Minister went on: "It is the custom of the country that anyone who is officially disgraced should be beheaded. First of all he or 'she is put on the rack-and then roasted. It will be necessary for your Majesty to be present at the ceremony-" The Minister did not complete the awful catalogue of bogus punishments inflicted on disgraced persons. The child Queen, trembling with fear, had disappeared, and her first lessons in "kingship" was duly learned.

BATTLE OF FLOWERS. I The Battle of Flowers at Cannes on Saturday was .an immense success, and was witnessed by enormous crowds of spectators. For the few necessary hours the sun shone brightly, and the weather was in all respects perfect. The show of flowers was beautiful, and the number of richly decorated carriages far above the average. Among the winners of prize banners were Lady Decies, Miss .Philipson Stow, Mr. A. J. Drexel, Mrs. Herbert Ward, Princess Gagarine Stourdza., and Princess Mtzchowsky, while among the specta- tors at the Cercle Nautique and on the tribunes were the children of the Countess Torby, Lady Stewart, Count and Countess de Caserta, Baron and Baroness de Baude, Baron A. de Rothschild, Prince and Princess Sergius Galitzine, and others. Owing to the Far Eastern crisis, the Russian Colony was absent.

THE QUEEN'S CUPBOARDS. When their Majesties visited the working-class dwellings at Millbank in February, 1903, Queen Alexandra made the suggestion that ampler cup- board space would be of considerable benefit to the tenants. The idea was taken up by the County Council, and additional accommodation of this kind has been provided by them in the tenements on the Ann-street estate at Poplar, and has proved of great conven-pnee to the inhabi- tants. In reply to a communication stating what had been done in accordance with the Royal pro- posal, the clerk to the Council has received the following letter from her Majesty's private secre- tary: -"Sir,-I have had the honour of submit- ting the letter which you wrote to Miss Knollys to the Queen. I am, commanded by her Majesty to thank you for having informed her of the suc- cess of cupboards which have been made in the Ann-street estate, Poplar. The Queen feels sure c that the more this is encouraged the more it will be appreciated by the tenants, and her Majesty is very pleased to think that it was owing to her suggestion that this addition was made."

MYSTERY OF THE SEA. The North-Western steamer Anglesey picked up a ship's jolly boat when in passage across the Irish Channel fifteen miles from the South Stack. j The craft had been battered fearfully by the ele- ments and badly smashed. Apparently she had been filled with occupants, as canvas had been nailed to her bow to keep out water, and she showed indications of having been provisioned. Her na.me had been carried away, only "Liver- pool" remaining to indicate the port to which she belonged. j ■

The new fire station for Eltham, of which the foundation stone has just been laid, is being erected under the supervision of Mr. W. E. Riley, the London County Council's superintend- ing achitect, by the Council's Works Depart- ment. The estimated cost is £ 7,096. [ The King has approved the appointment of the Rev. Harold Brownlow, vicar of Otterton, Budleigh, Salterton, Devon, to the rectory of Cheriton with Tichborne, Hampshire, void by the death of the Rev. Henry Barber. In France, when a convict is sentenced to death by the guillotine, the day of his execution is not named in his presence, and he knows not when he is to be led forth until within fifteen minutes of the fatal moment.

ART AND LITERATURE. I The new series of the Magazine of Art," the first volume of which was completed with the close of the past year, shows (says the Westminster Gazette ") a distinct change for the better, not- withstanding the high character that the popular magazine has deservedly held in the past. The subjects with which it deals are so well chosen aud so well treated that even the most instructive of them is, as is not always the case, thoroughly interesting to the reader who is not a connoisseur and there is a degree of excellence in the repro- duction of its illustrations that the "Magazine of Art" has never attained before. Amou*; the noteworthy features of the volume are Mr. Spielmann's own articles on Art Forgeries and Counterfeits," which attracted so much attention as they appeared from month to month; a series of articles on modern British etchers a series for the student, by such authori- ties as Sir E. A. Waterlow, Mr. Melton Fisher, Mr. W. L. Wylie, and Mr. Harry Furniss, who tells some, at least, of the secrets of his beautiful line- work in pen-and-ink. Professor Herkomer, Prince Bojidar Karageorgevitch—very well known in Paris as an art critic of conspicuous ability; and outside Paris better known as the brother of the new King of Servia-Sir William Richmond, Mr. Tegetmeier, and Mr. Theodore Watts-Dunton at e only a few among the expert contributors to the magazine; and the illustrations, of which by far the most interesting is a fine reproduction Ù, colours of the first oil painting attempted by M t-. G. F. Watts, are, whether in colour or in black- and-white, admirably chosen and most artistic in their reproduction. A striking notion of the amount of literary activity of which Ireland is the subject at the present time is disclosed by perusal of the adver- tising pages of the programme of the Irish National Theatre Society's forthcoming perform- ance. Books, newspapers, magazines, and other publications of every sort and kind bearing on Irish history, poetry, mythology, politics, &c., proclaim the extent of that Irish revival which has been styled by a recent writer the most re- markable spiritual phenomenon of our day. Mr. Holman Hunt's new version of The Light of the World," which is now being exhibited in the galleries of the Fine Art Society, has (observes tlip Globe ") a breadth of handling and a largeness of style not often to be found in his work, and it is a little less harsh in colour than the original picture. It is chiefly remarkable as an intricate piece of symbolism, and as such it will appeal strongly to that section of the public which con- cerns itself more with the meaning than the manner of a work of art. By his long devotion to a particular artistic creed, Mr. Holman Hunt has come to be recognised as an established institution, and therefore this, his latest achievement, will not fail to secure acceptance. It deserves it un- doubtedly as the work of a man who is absolutely sincere even in his denial of the standard prin- ciples of art practice, and as the assertion of a life- long conviction about the mission of painting. Mr. Stoli's remarkable new work. The Grand .L Survival," is causing considerable discussion in scientific circles. The issue is nearly all sold, and it is likely that several more editions will be required. There is a fascination about a volume in which, we are assured that, given certain easily attained conditions, there is no reason why we should not indefinitely prolong our existence on this planet; and some of our leading professors are beginning to take Mr. Oswald Stoli's brilliant and remarkable book very seriously indeed. That such profundity should have been discovered lying latent in a music-hall proprietor is also the then e of much comment in several of our contemporaries. The Raeburn portrait which fetched so high a figure the other day was of a lady who was a daughter of the house of Stewart of Balleehai. j The name has its modern romance. For the house at Ballechin was reputed to be haunted; and the late Lord Bute, who loved ghosts and was not content with only one—the Ladyo Isabell on tt»«' Bluidy Stair" at Rothesay Castle--became its tenant, ard told the strange story of his investiga- tions in a volume. The owners of Ballechiu- though the place was disguised as B in tL" book—did not bargain for the publicity the house u- acquired. But the past yields its pleasant sur- prises also; and the sum of nearly £ 3000 fetched by the portrait of a Stewart of Ballechin may Weil be reckoned as one of them. The new edition of "Sell's Dictionary of the World's Press contains all the thankfully-accepted old features, carefully revised with the essential information conveyed amplified in every case without enlargement which is unavoidable for thorough satisfaction in the matter of refereii, as to the lists. These are now as perfection, as to classification and fullne- for the use of the advertiser and the business IK V paper man as is conceivable in an annual volume. Besides the reference matter there is the literarv prelude, of something like a hundred and thirty pages. This gives a changing charm to the work a. feature which in the present issue is at least as varied a.nd informing as ever. One of the articles in the purely literary introduction describes, under the heading of A Great Book Publishing House," the works and the enterprise of the Walter Scott Publishing Company at Felling, New- castle-on-Tyne, a very extensive concern indeed it] the production and dissemination of sound and attractive literature. There are many striking and illuminative blocks in the description of the processes involved in this important North Country business, and several interesting por- traits, including one of the Editor-Manager, Mr. Frederick J. Crowest, in his sanctum. Apart from the readable introductory articles, there is a deal of carefully obtained and collated statistical and personal information, useful to all moving in journalistic circles, in Sell's "World's Press," which contains 18,000 entries in the alphabetical and other lists, and some 4,500 separate announce- ments from newspaper proprietors themselves. rhe volume must be reckoned quite indispensable so all wide-awake advertisers or newspaper men. The Rev. Archibald G. Brown long ago worthily won wide fame in the religious world as the assiduous pastor of the East London Tabernacle, and has for many years been recognised as a lead- ngligh of active Nonconformity in the Metro- poiis. Since he undertook, towards the close of i8fi7. the pastorate of the Chats worth-road Baptist Church at West Norwood, his ministry has been increasingly blessed, and the circle of his loving" and admiring friends has widened greatly. In view of this and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the church an artistic, swd in all respects neatly com- piled history of the work at Chatsworth-road, | recently issued, will find a welcome amongst sym- pathetic religious folk. Its author is Mr. Thomas [ A. Curtis, the congregational secretary, to whom the production has evidently been a labour of lorn Photography has long been a favourite pursuit with many well-known people in society. The Queen and her daughters take excellent photographs. Princess Vict.oria of Schleswig- Kolsteiu is also an expert with the camera, and her aunt, Princess Beatrice, has many albums full of the photographs she and her sons have taken. Undoubtedly the best amateur photographer, if he may so be called now, is Baron de Meyer, who E "cs in Cadogan-gardens; but he has now so many clients that he has been forced to take studios where he is able to attend to his work better than at home. One of the finest specimens of Baron de Meyer's workmanship is a portrait of the King, According to the "People's Friend," Sir Conan Doyle, when a small boy, belonged to a hook, society. He was such a great reader that the society h'ad to pass a rule for his benefit that no member be allowed to change his book more than hree times a day. His first story was written at the age of six, and was about a tiger that swal- lowed a man. When the budding writer had got the man inside the tiger he had to finish the story; but as he sagely observed, it was easier to get a man into a scrape than to get him out of —which, by the way, may or may not throw some light on the position of the better-known iiger who was associated (in company with a big note of interrogation) with a lady. It is evident that Sir Conan's early experience of the syndicate system was peculiar, for we are told sbat "when telling stories to his schoolmates he insisted on tarts as payment, leaving off with some statement, such as Raising the knife in mid-air," or And then the wicked Marquis saw and declining to continue without a further supply of pastry-a case, to reverse the familiar saying of no supper, no Bong."

EPITOME OF NEWS. I Among the productions of the PhiliDpina Islands are two delicious fruits entirely unknown in the civilised world. One of these is the durian whose remarkable qualities were descanted uoon by Alfred Russel Wallace during his explora- tions in the Malay Archipelago. It grows on a lofty tree somewhat resembling an elm, is about as large as a cocoanut, has a shiny shell, snu contains a creamy pulp which combines some of the flavours of a delicious custard with those of a fine cheese. "To eat durians," said Mr. Wallace, "is a new sensation worth a voyage to the East to experience." American soldiers in Jolo call the durian "the vegetable Limburger cheese." The other rare fruit spoken of is the mangosteen, said to be the only fruit that Queen Victoria, never tasted. The exquisitely flavoured liquid it contains cannot be preserved for ship- ping abroad. Z, Silk designers of Japan look to the Mikado for suggestions for new patterns, and he does not disappoint them. Each year he selects the sub- ject for the New Year poem which all loyal sub- jects are supposed to write. Last December, 'Pine trees on the rocks" was announced as the subject, and before the poets had finished their j verses the merchants of Tokyo had painted silks in their windows showing rugged pine-trees springing from wild rocks. The subject for the 9903 poem was "Cranes among the pine-trees," and three or four years ago it was" Snow-laden bamboo." If one keeps track of these subjects and the year in which they were published, says the writer on Japan, he can tell the age of many silk patterns and how many years a woman has had a gown of a given pattern. Dr. Max Schlosser has made a singular collec- tion of fossil teeth from drug-stores in various parts of China, where they are sold under the name of dragons' teeth, and are valued for their supposed curative powers. Upon examining hem. Doctor Schlosser found that they are the -e remains of many species of extinct animals, such as the ancestral forms of camels, saber-toothed tigers, three-toed horses, and other creatures of vacient times, some of which, like the ancestral forms of camels and antelopes, were supposed to have had their original home in America and in Africa. Judging from the quantities of these teeth sold, Doctor Schlosser thinks they must xist in enormous numbers in some parts of the Chinese Empire. Lord and Lady Vivian, who have recently been ;llstalied in a pretty little house in London, will probably stay there all the season. The greatest disappointment was expressed when Lord Vivian eft the 17th Lancers, and it was thought at the time that he would in all probability accept a •50i«mi»sion in the 1st Life Guards, but L'vd Vivian had evidently enough soldiering in South \frica., where he was badly wounded. Lady Vivian, who was Miss Barbara Fanning, a daugh- ter of Mrs. Harry M'Calmont, is a tall, very pretty woman, with quite a talent for amateur Theatricals. Her step-father, the late Colonel McCalmont, left ber £ 20,000 in his will. The Queen Victoria National Memorial has been advanced a stage. The ground designs, which were begun about twelve months ago in front of Buckingham Palace, are now completed, and evervthing is ready for the erection of the monu- ment of the late Queen and the groups of allegon- cal statuary, representative of the extent and sower of the British Empire. The date for lay- Ing the foundation stone will depend on the pro- gress made by Mr. Brock with the sculptures, but it will probably be two years hence. All tiie new carriage drives in the Mall are completed, and the pathways nearly so, the total width of the grand thoroughfare being 10 feet, and the central carriage drive 65 feet. The Mall is lighted by 'oil lamps of immense power from the precincts of the Pals-ce to Marlborough Gate, but that is onh' a temporary arrangement, and the oil iliu- rainant will later give place to electric lighting, the standards having already been erected as far as the Duke of York's column. About two hun- dred voung trees of vigorous growth have been nlanted in place of the decaying elms which were jut down. As a result of some very interesting experi- ments made by scientists and physiologists, with a view to determine the relative strength of right and left limbs, it has been ascertained that over 50 per cent. of the men examined had the right arm stronger than the left; 16.4 per cent. had the two arms of equal length and strength and 32.7 per cent. had the left arm stronger than the right. Of women 46.9 per cent, had the right arm stronger than the left; 24.5 per cent. had the left stronger than the right. In order to arrive at the average length of limbs fifty skeie- tons were méasured-twentv-five of each sex. Of these twenty-three had the right arm and left leg longer, six the left arm and right leg, while in seventeen cases all the members were more or less equal in length. Mme. Patti is very fond of birds, whether dead or alive, and she has a collection of stuffed songsters from all over the world at Craig-y-Nos. They are artistically exhibited in glass cases, and have a large room to themselves; but the lives birds are perhaps more interesting. There are no fewer than seventeen of these, all parrots, many of them of most beautifully-hued plumage, and not a few quite savage. This fondness for parrots is one of the few traits in Mme. Pat'.i that is characteristically Italian. Her particular favourite among the animate animal life about her, however, is her dog, an Irish terrier called Ginger. Madame Amy Sherwin, the well-known singer, who has toured all over the world at one time or other, tells an amusing story of her experiences in Tokio. The concert she gave there was divided into two parts—the Irst made up of general songs, and the second of operatic selec- tions. The first part passed very quietly, the audience, which consisted of distinguished members of the Court and society, receiving each Hem with chilling silence. However, Madame Sherwin and her party comforted themselves with the thought that this was probably the aristo- cratic custom of Tokio, and did not allow it to disturb them. Their astonishment may be imagined, however, when at the close of the first half the Court Chamberlain sent round to know when the entertainment was to begin. It appeared that the audience had been waiting for the removal of a couple of screens placed at, either side of the stage for the exit of the artists, and that the concert itself had been taken as a stop-gap. In many churches of Provence and Italy, especially those near the sea, naintings placed oil the walls in accordance > h vows made by pilgrims in moments of danger are often remark- able for their frames. Among the curiosities j may be enumerated laths formed of splinters from ships that have been wrecked, also frames made ii pieces of heavy cables, occasionally painted oright hues, but sometimes left in their primitive grey colour splashed with tar. Nailed to the iaths surrounding a painting representing sailors fighting with fierce savages may be seen African Polynesian spears and darts or swords made of hardwood, evide-ntly mementos of terrible struggles. Sailors or landsmen who have made ■vows during times of peril at sea and who have no trophies to display will surround their par >9 ings with broad bands of wood heavily encrusted with sfrells and seaweed, not infrequently of rare md extremely beautiful kinds. A clock made in 1790 is owned by a gentleman Rt Lutterworth, and, according to the Jeweuer and Metalworker," it has a mahogany case, and its face is an oval of 19in. by 15in. On the ipper part is a band of music, consisting of two violins, a violoncello, and a flte (German), three vocal performers, a girl, and a boy. The hours and minutes are indicated on the lower part by snlt hands. Above the centre is a hand, which shows the true dead beat, while another hand to The right points to the chimes and quarters. On the left is a hand which points to the days of the week, and goes round in the course of seven days, and shifts the barrel to a fresh tune at noon and midnight. The clock strikes the hours and the four quarters, and plays a tune every three hours three times over, either on the bells alone, the lyricord, or on both together. Three ngures beat exact time to the music, and three play on their instruments, while the boy and girl dance through the whole. It has four I chime barrels, and plays sixty-five tunes on nineteen musical bells; the lyricord will play either loudly or softly. An attempt to smuggle jewellery has been frus- trated by the Customs inspectors at New York. Some dutiable jewellery had been sent through the post from Germany to Denver, Colorado, it being concealed in a huge book, whose leaves had been cut out in the middle. It was carelessly j packed in paper, with the ends of the leaves j showing, but ths Customs officials at once un- wrapped it, and began a desultory examination. In the back of the book, in a little nest made by cutting a hole through a number of leaves, they found a turquoise ring and two pins set with diamonds. The value of the entire lot was pro- bably not more than PQIIO or £ 120. The old Roman caldarium or water heater resembled a present-day water cooler. The method of heating the water was similar to that of the modern water-tube boilers. The bronze heater stood on three legs, and about half its interior was occupied by an arched chamber foi | the coals. In the bottom of this was the grate, j made of bronze tubes, 1 inch in diameter, through which the water flowed. The heatei was ornamented by the application of comic masks about the orifices, through which the water was drawn, and modelled ligures on th. top, on the handles, and on the legs. One of the leading dentists of Paris is using the phonograph to lessen the pain of tooth-draw- ing. When a patient is seated in his chair ht places the phonograph's tubes to the ears and allows the instrument to work for a little while. Then he administers the anaesthetic, and findl that the patient becomes unconscious much more quickly and easily, and requires much less anaesthetic than was formerly the case. Not only that, but he can perform the dental operation without interruption, and when the patient recovers consciousness the after-effects axe incon- spicuous. Steady and unimaginative Swiss vouch for the following story: At Le Pond, in the Canton of Vaud, twenty-five persons while at a rifle match were struck and knocked over by lightning, which played along an electric-bell wire. No one was killed, but several men were badly injured, falling senseless, and being revived with difficulty. On the bodies of all twenty-fiva persons were afterwards found photographs of fir trees. The lightning had imprinted on the skin of those whom it struck views of the wood behind the shooting-range. Scientific tests in substituting treacle for oats and other cereals in feeding horses have yielded surprising results. It is now definitely estab- lished that as a horse diet there is magic in treacle. With this syrup on his bill of fare, the horse rapidly takes on solid weight, develops pro- digiously in muscular energy, grows a glossy coat, and enjoys unintenupted health. For these animals, therefore, treacle is de-clared to be both a tonic and health food. In addition to the many desirable results a treacle diet reduces the cost of horse maintenance over 25 per cent. Some idea of the extensiveness of the frozen meat trade may be gained when it is noted that there are no fewer than fifty-eight freezing plants in Australasia and Argentina. Their estimated daily killing and freezing capacities are equal to 180,000 561b. carcasses (4,500 tons), and they are equipped with means of storing two or three weeks' killings. During the past year the total output of Australia, New Zealand, and the River Plate for all markets was equal to about 328,000 tons of frozen meat. In certain parts of the Himalaya Mountains the native women have a singular way of putting their children to sleep in the middle of the day. The child is put near a stream of water, and by means of a palm-leaf or a tin scoop the water is deflected so as to run over the back of the child's head. The water pouring on the child's head apparently sends it to sleep and keeps it so; while the mother proceeds with her work on the fields. No one seems ever to fear that ba:by may be drowned. The Khedive of Egypt is one of the potentates who have profited--borh morally and financiallv- from the protection of Britain. In addition" to his annual grant of £ 100,000 he has amassed an enormous private fortune, in the management of which he has had the opportunity, as well as the tendency, to be a good deal thriftier than his predecessor. Not only is he a monogamist' and a teetotaller, but it is said that he does not -smoke-not even an Egyptian cigarette! He gets up at six every morning, and can talk in six languages. Mr. W. H. Grenfell,. M.P. for Wycombe, is one of the finest existing types of the athlete. In his younger days he played cricket for Harrow and ran and rowed for Oxford he has twice swum across Niagara, has shot bears in the Rockies, stroked an eight-oar across the Channel, won punting championships, been war correspondent, mayor, and private secretary; To-day he has few superiors with gun or ro4, on a cycle, in a punt, or on horsebacks Lord Rayleigh has the distinction of being the only Senior Wrangler in the Upper House, though that illustrious body does include another Smith's Prizeman in Lord Kelvin. Lord Rayleigh (then the Hon. J. N. Strutt) was only twenty-two years of age when he headed the Tripos in 1865. Atmospheric phenomena have occupied Lord Rayleigh's chief attention, and long before the discovery of argon had made him a popular celebrity his "Theory of Sound" had, in the words of Professor Helmholtz, "merited in the highest degree the thanks of all who study physics and mathematics." Lord Rayleigh has a son in the Navy, who is appro- priately enough nicknamed "Argon" by his comrades. Emperor Menelik of Abyssinia, who has re- cently sent President Roosevelt two lions as a present, rules the only native Christian State in Africa. It was converted by Frumentius in the fourth century. Eleven hundred years later, stirred by rumours of a mysterious Oriental Christian monarch called Prester John, sup- posed to be fighting the cause of Christianity, against the Turk, Portugal sent out an expedi- tion to find and aid him. The Emperor of Abyssinia, ancestor of Menelik, was found ttt be the mythical hero, and his cause against the Turk was taken up by Portugal. For centuries the Abyssinians, almost lost to the knowledge of Europe, had successfully resisted the inva- sion by their Mohammedan neighbours. Within a few weeks now a Moltke will again figure as head of the General Staff of the Prus- sian Army. Moltke II. is the nephew of the great strategist of the latter nineteenth century, to whom for long years he acted as aide-de- camp, and will consequently be no stranger to the palatial quarters of the Koenigsplatz, when he aaain enters them as chief. Count Helmuth, who bears the Christian name of his great kins- man, is 56 years of age, and has passed the whole of his military career in staff and Court employments. He never commanded a brigade or a division, much less a corps. On the day of Count Moltke's death he became aide-de-camp to the Emperor. Poisonous honey is not collected in the British- Isles even if it, exists, the bees have learned to avoid it. Probably there is none, as the honey from at least one dangerous plant-the deadly, nightshade—is harmless. Ivy honey would be the most suspicious of any gathered on a large scale, but it only exerts, it is believed, si slightly laxative effect on the digestive organs. Poisonous honey is met with in other places, notably in Asiatic Turkey. It was in this re- gion. that Xenophon's soldiers were poisoned; 2,300 years ago, by honey from the Azelia pon- tica, a plant which still flourlshes in Armenia. Some centuries later a Roman army suffered: similarly, but less severely, there being nQ deaths. In France every carrier's and every market cart, instead of injuring the highway, improves it. Many of the tyres are ten inches wide. In the four-wheeled vehicles of that country the1 rear axle is fourteen inches longer than the fore, and as a result the rear wheels run in » line about an inch outside the level rolled by the frcnt wheel. After a few loaded waggons hav& passed over a road the highway looks as if steam roller had been at work. A national law in Germany prescribes that waggons heavily loaded must have tyres not less than four inches wide. In Austria the minimum for similar vehicles is six and a half inches, in Switzerland six inches,