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

In some homes there is nothing thought of except to give the baby a chance to sleep. "Liberty" is always represented as a female, but it is difficult for some married men to under- stand why. "Ah," sighed the wretched Mr. Newpop, "what can be more wearying to the nerves than a baby that cries all night long?" "Twins," answered1 the man who has been through it.

I RUSSIA AND BRITAIN. I THE HULL INQUIRY. FRESH EVIDENCE. — PROCEEDING'S ADJOURNED SINE DIE. Admiral Sir Cyprian Bride and Mr. Butler Aspinall, K. C., sat again at the Assem bly Rooms, Hull, on Saturday, to inquire into fhe circumstances of the North Sea outrage. At the outset of the proceedings Mr. Collis Cnn- liffe, solicitor to the Board of Trade, said he found that three witnesses they had hoped to call had arrived in Hull, and, if the Court thought it advisable, questions could be put to them. One of the witnesses spoke to firing at seven in the morning by another vessel. Admiral Bridge suggested that notice should be given to Dr. Woodhouse, the solicitor for the Russian Embassy, who was not present. The claim for Lld of a man named East, third hand of the trawler Gull, who badly jammed his finger when lowering a boat to go to the help of the Crane, was then heard, after which it was intimated that Dr. Woodhouse had been communicated with, but did not think it necessary to attend. Herbert Henry, skipper of the trawler Majestic, of the Gamecock fleet, was then called. TWENTY MINUTES UNDER FIRE. He said that on the night of October 21, when he was heading east, about thirty lengths from the "Ad'miral's" ship, he noticed some large vessels passing. It was about 11.30 p.m. He first saw their green lights, and took them to be men-of-war. The vessels fired at him or near him for twenty minutes. He steamed away. He lost his "otter board," and had to put a new trawl on next morning. He had two small shots through his mainsail. The vessels steamed away S.W. by W. A large shot struck outside his vessel, sending a rush of water on board and down the engine-room. Another shot splashed in the sea near by and sent a cascade of water ten feet high across the ship. In the morning he found that the windlass had been hit and smashed. Did you see before this occurrence any etrange vessels with the fleet?—No. Not before I saw the warships. Ralph Hall, skipper of the Avon, of Hull, said about 8.30 on the night of October 21 he saw some larg,) steam vessels. They went to the south-west. They were about six or seven miles from him. He was about ten miles from the "Admiral's" ship. About one next morning other vessels passed' him, he was heading S.S.E. He noticed the lights of these vessels, asd they began showing searchlights. At the same time a shot whistled over his bridge, and afterwards there were two more shots. A fourth shot sent a quantity of water on board the vessel. The firing lasted about twenty minutes. Before seeing these vessels, had you seen any strange craft—torpedo-boats or Japanese? -No, sir. FIRED AT ABOUT SEVEN NEXT I MORNING. Joseph Lyons, mate of the steam trawler Kennett, of Hull, said that he was with the fleet on the night of the firing, and was passed by v4msele which fired on the fleei Mr. Cunliffe: At 7 or 7.15 next morning did you see a vwsel?-Yes. She approached us on our starboard quarter about a. mile and a half to two "miles away. It was thick at the time. What sort of a. vessel was shet-She looked like a warship she was black, excepting one funnel, and had two masts. She had two funnels. Did the vessel fire on you?—Yes. Where did the shot pass?—Between our funnel and maittnast. I called to the skipper, and he came up. All hands saw the vessel. Did she stop close by you?—Yes, sir, on our port quarter for three or four minutes, and then she steamed away S.S.W. Did slw hail you or you her; did you call to her?-No. Did you see anybody on her?—Yes, thirty or forty men—bluejackets. Did you see any flag?—I never took that notice. Did you hear them speaking on board?— Ne. Did you see any of your other vessels?—rvo; we were away from them. Did you see any foreign craft about before this?—fco. This concluded the evidence, and after a brief conversation Sir Cyprian Bridge announced that after some formal work the inquiry would be adjourned sine die. CONVENTION SETTLED. I Great Britain and Russia have agreed upon the text of the Convention, which t, will, it is expected, be signed in a few days. According to the St. Petersburg representative of the "Echo de Paris," the English text said: The Commission shall make an inquiry into all the circumstances of the incident and shall fix the responsibilities." It has been modified- thus: "The Commission of Inquiry shall determine whether the persons who took part in the incident, whatever their nationality, deserve blame in the event of it being found that they are responsible for the incident." The date at which the Commission will meet has not yet been fixed, but it is believed that fully a month will elapse before its first sitting. AUSTRIA TO APPOINT FIFTH COMMISSIONER. It is stated' in well-informed circles in St. Petersburg that at the request of Great Britain and Russia the Emperor of Austria will nominate the fifth member of the International Commission of Inquiry.

MEMORIAL TO DEAN FARRAR. I Viscount Peel on Monday unveiled a portrait Medallion of the late Dean Farrar at St. Margaret's, Westminster. In performing the ceremony, Viscount Peel said that no one who heard the late Dean's sermons could forget them, though some critics thought they contained too much of the glamour and imagery of the East.

BETHOTHAL OF THE GRAND DUKE OF HESSE. The Minister of State of the Grand Duchy of Darmstadt announces the betrothal of King Edward's nephew, the Grand Duke of Hesse, to Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich.

A disastrous fire occurred at the winery ot Messrs. Thomas Hardy and Sons, who own the oldest vineyards in South Australia. The nearest water mains were half a mile away, so the firemen played jets of wine on the burning buildings for an hour and a half. While the mail packet was crossing from Dover to Calais on Monday a large whale was seen making its way up Channel. The whale wa-s about mid-Channel, aod pa.ssed not far from the steamer, the passengers' attention being first attracted by the familiar spouting.

ART AND LITERATURE. ——-<& Mr. Maurice Randall, who is showing at the Stafford Gallery in London a collection of water- colour drawings and pastels, is an artist of pass- able ability. He gives the best impression of his capacities in his water-colours of sea and coast subjects, whch are treg ted with undeniable vigour, though without much subtlety or refine- ment of manner. The most noteworthy of these are "The Lonely Shore," the strong study of sunlight, "The Questing Whalers," and the small sketch, "The Silver Sea," In such, sub- jects as "The Needles," and others of the same type, in which he has dealt with atmospheric effects over the sea, he is inclined to be a little too assertive, and to miss those gentler charms of colour and tone which are of so much value in a really sensitive interpretation of nature. But despite these defects, he is decidedly an artist with possibilities, and as his observation becomes more acute the quality of his work may fairly be expected to improve. His pastel por- traits are fairly capable, but they are pot so promising as his sea studies. n Mr. John Bloundelle-Burton's new romance, "The Land of Bondage." will be published by F. V. White and Co., Ltd., immediately. The narrative, the main facts of which are drawn from contemporary documents and MSS. still in existence, deals with the traffic in those unhappy beings transported to our American and West Indian Colonies, who were, a couple of centuries ago, variously termed "Redemptioners," "Bond- r, slaves," and "Indented Apprentices." In this sale of human beings most of the characters are concerned, as they are with the terrible raids frequently made on the Virginian settlers by the native Indians. In the present story it is shown how all attempts to kidnap the hero re- coil upon the heads of his enemies. A special feature of the first two volumes of the Centenary Edition of Lord Beaconsfield's earlier novels, edited by "Diplomaticus" (Lucien Wolf), which have been already announced by the De La More Press, will be the illustra- tions. These include two drawings specially made by Mr. Herbert Railton illustrating the birthplace in Theobald's-roa-d, and the house in Bloomsbury-square in which "Vivian Grey" was written. The frontispiece to Volume II. is a photogravure of the bust of Mrs. Sara Austen, the staunch friend and adviser of young Disraeli. This has been reproduced from a bust in the possession of Miss Layard for the purpose of this work, and is therefore of especial interest as it is now published for the first time. Miss C. O'Connor Eccles is the author of "Aliens of the West," just published by Me-sers. Cassell and Company. Mrs. Harding Davis, in her recently-published book "Bits of Gossip," gives some interesting glimpses of Dr. Holmes, who spent a summer morning in wandering through Mount Auburn with her, in a mood half merry and half sad. He told her that he believed he knew every grave in the old villages within a radius of thirty miles from Boston. He searched out the histories of the long-forgotten dead, and "when I have found out all about them," he said, "they seem like my own friends lying there." Every spring, he added, "as soon as the grass begins to come up, I go my rounds to visit them and see how my dead men do The exhibitions of pictures by British Masters which are annually organised by Messrs. Agnew for the benefit of the Artists' General Benevolent Institution have always a very definite interest for lovers of great achievement. They usually include a number of canvases of the highest pos- sible merit, and command attention by their as- sertion of the best cha-ra-cteristics of the art of this country. The collection which now fills the gallery in Old Bond-street is decidedly one of tlie most important in a remarkable series. There is in it scarcely a single work that is not ade- quate as an illustration of the capacities of one or other of our greatest masters; and though not more than twenty-two works altogether have been. admitted the gathering is one of striking significance. It affords opportunities for com- paring the methods and intentions of half a dozen men who did much to establish the reputation of our native school; and not only does it show them under the most favourable aspect, but it has also the advantage of presenting examples of their practice which are mostly unfamiliar to the general public. The novel feature of the new Oxford editions of the Holy Bible is the type, which is "Clarendon Pearl." Though small it is extremely easy to read owing to the peculiar blackness of the let- ters. Both the reference and text Bibles are provided with maps, and they can be obtained! on ordinary or Oxford India paper. PrilJted on the latter and bound in limp or yapp leather covers it would be difficult to find volumes that better fulfil all the requirements of a really ideal pocket Bible. Their publication is timely, for doubtless :the new editions will be much sought after for Christmas presents. An Oxford edition of Shelley's poems is nearly ready for publication. It will contain material which has never yet been printed; the early poems first published in Professor Dowden's^Life of Shelley, but omitted from his edition of the poetical works, and all other poems which have appeared in any previous edition and the im- portant fragments recovered by Mr. C. D. Lo- cock from the Bodleian MSS. The volume will be uniform with Canon Beeching's Oxford Mil- ton, and will consist of about 1,CCO pages, with three collotype illustrations, one of the Bod- leian portrait of Shelley, the other two facsimi- lies of his handwriting." Mr. Thomas Hutchin- son. editor of the Oxford Wordsworth, has seen the'new Shelley through the press, and he has supplied footnotes where the variant readings are important, in addition to a few longer noies and a general preface. Those interested in the maintenance and re- covery of health will find something of great and even absorbing importance in the third edi- tion of Dr. Rabagliati's book, "Air, Food, and Exercises." When we say that in the whole five hundred and sixty pages of this remarkable work there is scarcely a single word to be found about the taking of medicines, and not one recom- mendation that drugs should be administered, we think our readers will be struck by its unique character. As a doctor with a long and varied experience of both private and hospital practice, the author speaks with, authority, the special character of the book being that attention is concentrated on the means, of maintaining heaxth and preventing disease rather than on its cure, although on this latter subject he has really a very great deal to say. To use the terse lan- guage of the author of the "Religio Medici," Dr. Rabagliati tells us in plain English that we eat most of our diseases and that, if we dieted ourselves properly, between two-thirds and nine- tenths of the medical faculty would have to join the unemployed. At the Modern Gallery there is to be seen an exhibition of pictures and sketches of Irish sub- jects by Mr. J. W. Carey, Miss J. O. Douglas, Mr. Percy French, Mr. C. Maclver Grieison, Mr. G. Wakeman, and Mr. Alexander Williams. Much of the work is of only moderate interest, but a good many capable sketches and pleasant notes of attractive bits of nature are scattered through the collection. The most commendable performances are Miss Douglas's fancirul heads, "A Broken Song," "The Water sprite ancr ffThere's nothing half so sweet in life as young dream," and her low-toned landscape, JTL Wild Donegal" Mr. Percy French s Tramore Sands," "Fair Head, from BaUvcastte, and "The Twelve Pins"; and Mr. J. W. Careys "Dunseverick Castle"; but there are others which deal not unsuccessfully with the piclt.i- esque scenery of the more remote districts of Ireland. _————

Sir Martin Gosselin, British Minister at Lisbon, who (according to the usual custom), kas come to England for the visit to this country of the sovereign to whom he is accredited, is a musician of no small ability. Etonians of his generation remember how he and his friend Parry, now Sir Hubert, used, to be the musical stars of the school concerts in the 'sixties, winning unstinted applause for their brilliant piano-playing. Sir Martin is, married to an aunt of Lord Gerard's, and arrived in England just in time to wish the young peer joy OB the attainment of hia majority.

PRINCE AND PRINCESS AT ORMSKIRK. GUESTS OF THE EARL OF LATHOM. I On Monday night the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived at Ormskirk Station from London and drove three miles to Lafchom House to be the guests of the Earl and Countess of Lathom for four days. The Prince has been enjoying shooting over the estate, where game is very plentiful. The Royal guests, accompanied by the Countess of Airlie and Lord Crichton, were received by Earl Lathom and a guard of honour from the Naval Volunteer Reserve, of which his lordship is com- mander. As their Royal Highnesses alighted the band of the Liverpool training ship Indefatigable plaj'ed God Bless the Prince of WaJes. The Royal visitoi-s were preceded in their drive to Lathom House by the superintendent of police and a constable in a motor-car, and were followed by mounted county police. The Prince nodded to Sergeant-Major Nunnerly, a Crimean veteran, who stood among the local councillors. The Princess, who looked in excellent health, bowed her acknowledgments to the greetings of the local townspeople.

I HOME HINTS. Oilcloth will last much longer if rubbed with a cloth moistened with paraffin oil than if washed with soap, ammonia, or soda and water. Copper saucepans should be washed in hot Bcda-water, and then cleaned with soap and silver- sand. Rinse, dry, and polish with a leather and dry whiting. Children under eighteen months of age should not be given bread-and-butter except in very small quantities. When given, the bread should' be cut as thinly as possible. Children under two yea.rs of age are generally better without any meat, though gravy or beef-tea may be given with vegetables for dinner. No feeding between meals should ever be allowed. Pineapple Sauce.—To three-quarters of a cup- ful of fresh-grated pineapple add three-quarters of a cupful of water, and cook until the fruit is tender, then add three-quarters of a cupful of sugar, and cook until the fruit is dissolved. Soften a teaspoonful of gelatine in two table- spoonfuls of water, dissolve over hot water, and strain into the first mixture. Add a tablespoon- ful of lemon juice, the juice of an orange, and chill on ice. Fruit Puneb.-Finely chop a small, fresh pine-apple, cook it in two quarts of water for twenty minutes, and strain through a flannel bag, pressing out all the juice. To six cups of the liquid add three cupfuls of sugar, and boil for ten minutes. Cool, add two cupfuls of straw- berry juice, the juice of three oranges, the juice of two lemons, and four cupfuls more of water. Strain through a fine cloth and chill. To serve, fill small, thin glasses about a third full of craekea or shaved ice, and fill up with the punch. Tapioca Custard Pudding.—Put two cupfuls of milk into a saucepan over hot water; when hot stir in a third of a cupful of quick-cooking tapioca. Add a few grains of salt, and cook until the tapioca is transparent, then add a table- i spoonful of butter. Beat two eggs and a third of a cupful of sugar until light, add a grating of orange or lemon rind, a few drops of vanilla and the hot mixture- Turn into a buttered pudding dish, and bake in a slow oven about thirty minutes, or until firm to the touch. This may be served hot with vanilla. lemon, or orange sauce, or it may also be served cold. London Journal." To Prevent Steel Rusting.—To prevent bright steel from rusting, shake over it unslaked lime. To Purify Meat.—Meat that is slightly tainted may be made edible by washing in mild borax- water. ——— Smoky Lamp-wicks.-A good way to avoid smoky lamp-wicks is to soak the wick in strong vinegar and dry it well before using. It is not a bad plan to sprinkle unslaked lime around the dark corners of your cellar to absorb the dampness and kill disease germs. For the Window-Boxes.—A few drops of am- monia twice a week in a can of rain-water will make fuchsias, geraniums, and other flowers bloom freely. A Hint About Silver.—When putting silver away, with several lumps of camphor wrapped in flannel, in an air-tight box, the brightness will be preserved. j A Creaking Hinge.—Some persons will en- [ dure the annoyance of a creaking hinge until they are almost distracted, when the mere appli- t cation of a little soap will remedy the evil. < Never leave vegetables, fruit or cooked meats in a tin vessel over night, or any length of time, as there are poisonous substances in the tin which are highly dangerous and often do in- i jury- When Dusting Furniture.—Many people pre- fer to use warm dusting cloths when dusting fur- miure, as they claim a nice polish is thus secured with ease on the wooden frames of the furniture and on the mirrors. J Don't let rolls of goods, scraps, and shoes lie about on cupboard floors. Wall pockets of old sacking tacked on the walls will be much neater, handier, and more economical for storing away your old odds and ends. Spots on Dresses.—A quart of water poured over twopennyworth of soap bark and boiled for an hour and strained is invaluable for cleaning spots from woollen dresses or men's clothing. Rinse the garment well to remove all trace of soap. If you get badly burned, at once dip old linen or fine cotton cloths in milk and bind loosely on the burn. Then put over that a thick layer of flour, wiiich dampen with milk, poured on as fast as it dries. No scar will be left, and the burn will heal rapidly, unless, of course, it is of such a character as to need a surgeon's attention. Blanquette of Veal.—For a small dish two pounds of the fillet will be ample. Tie it round, and lay it in a stewpan with just sufficient water to cover. Add salt, a bunch of herbs, a clove, a tiny onion, and a sprig of parsley. Cook very gently for two hours. Now strain off the liquor, keep the meait hot on a dish, and put the liquor in a small stewpan and let it boil up. Skim thoroughly, add to it the yolks of two eggs and a squeeze of lemon-juice. Stir quickly, taking great care that it does not curdle, then pour over the veal. (Garnish with julienne vegetables and tiny rolls of fried bacon. Stewed Mutton Steak.—Trim the steak very j neatly, taking care to remove every particle of j fat. Put it in a saucepan just large enough to ] hold it, with about half a pint of good stock (boiling), a carrot, an onion cut in slices, two or | three cloves, a 'tiny bit of mace, pepper, and salt. Let the steak simmer in this as slowly as pos. j sible for over three hours. Then strain off th. j stock into another saucepan, and put it over a j quick fire, so that it may reduce to half its quan- titv. Then lay the steak without the vegetables i on"a hot dish, pour over the reduced gravy, into j which some chutney is mixed, and serve at once i with chip potatoes. Macaroons.—One pound castor sugar, lIb. | sweet almonds, three or four bitter almonds, whites of six eggs. Blanch the almonds, cut them in shreds, and dry them in a cool oven. j Whisk the whites of eggs to a stiff froth. S'tir in the sugar, lastly the almonds. Drop the mixture in small round heaps on a tin rubbed with white wax, and bake in a moderate oven from fifteen ] to twenty minutes. A few strips of almond may | be reserved to place in the middle of each maca- roon. | Cocoanut Cakes.—Beat 6oz. of butter to a cream with 8oz. of sifted .sugar, add the yolks of three eggs. Stir in gently one pint of fine flour, to which has been added a desertspoonful of baking powder and a good pinch of salt. iMd three tablespoctesful of desiccated cocoanut and the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth. Bake in well-buttered tins, filling them only three-parts full, in a moderate oven for about twenty minutes. Beetroot.—The roots should be freshly dug and the soil carefully washed off in such a man- ner as not to break the skin or any of the root- lets. Boil until quite tender, remove the skin, cut into slices and put into jars. The vinegar should be prepared by boiling, together with half an ounce of peppercorns, cloves, ginger, and salt to each quart; this should then be strained, and, when cool, poured over the beetroot. Mixed Pickle.—Chop up finely half a peck of green tomatoes, half a white cabbage, three large onions and two heads of celery. Boil up a quart of vinegar, together with peper and cinnamon a teaspoonful of each, cloves and allspice half a tea spoonful, half a cupful of sugar, and a table- spoonful of salt. Strain, and, when cold, pour over the chopped vegetables in the jars.—"Agri- cultural Gazette."