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

I RELIC OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. A shoe, which it is said was worn by Queen Elizabeth, and has been at Horham Hall, Thaxted, Essex, since the time the Queen was staying there, has been sold to Captain F. J. A. Skeet, of Bishop's Stortford. Captain Skeet purchased it to prevent it going to America or out of the hands of anyone taking an interest in the county.

"Do you enjoy your wife's teas and' recep- tions?" "No; to be candid, I do not. I can't help harbouring a suspicion that, if I didn't happen to be her foasband, my wife wouldn't consider me of sufficient social consequence to be invited."

I NEWS NOTES. The King has, it is hoped, by dint of exercis- ing the greatest care, staved off the effects of the slight chill caught by his Majesty OB the occasion of seeing off the Queen when she started for her sea cruise. The King's visit to Cologne and later to Copenhagen will, we trust, quite "set him up" again. The Queen after her stormy blow in the Channel reached the Tagus safely, first putting in at Vigo, and had a good time in Lisbon, where she met with a most enthusiastic recep- tion. There following trips to Gibraltar and elsewhere. Princess Victoria remains delicate after her recent severe indisposition, else the cruise would have, in its later stages at any rate, been altogether enjoyable. King, Queen, and Princesses a few days hence foregather again in Denmark for the birthday of the aged Danish Sovereign, where the usual happy annual Royal party will be held. After King Edward has paid his respects once again to his veteran father-in-law, he will probably proceed south, and perhaps enjoy a yachting cruise, visiting Malta and the vicinage; His Majesty's programme is not yet definitely fixed, and much will depend upon the health of the Princess Victoria, who mends slowly. The rumourings as to a wedding arrange- ment between Princess Patricia of Connaught and the young King of Spain have received no authoritative confirmation, so that speculation thereanent is perhaps a little beside the mark. Still all Britishers are interested in the future of the popular daughters of the King's only surviving brother, and would like to see them married happily in due course. The elder of Duke Arthur's children will wed the Swedish Prince, who in the course of nature will one day occupy the throne of the northern nation, and the match is in every way a fitting one. Whether concord would follow an alliance between Spain's young Sov-ereign-who has yet to prove his amiability and all-round eligibility-and a Protestant Princess who is not unlikely later on to develop a will of her own is another matter. Princess Patricia has all our good wishes, whatever her choice. The Kaiser has been high falutin' again in characteristic style about Germans being "the salt of the earth," and all that. Sometimes his Imperial Majesty's verbosity makes meaner mor- tals smile,but so long as he stops short at reckon- ing the Teuton "the chosen of the Lord," and does not rate all beside as heathens, one may look upon his fondness for hearing himself speak in public with equanimity. The Kaiser is our cousin German, and at bottom he means well, if he is not always quite felicitous as to expression. Count Bernstorff gave an exposition the other day of the art of speaking gracefully, which some in higher places in his country might advantageously note. At the German Society of Benevolence dinner this polished diplomat, in proposing the health of our King, said that not only had his Majesty at all times taken a graceful interest in the efforts of theif society, but he had won with his own people, as with all nations of the world, the name of a Prince of Peace. King Edward was incessantly endeavouring to bring nations more closely together and to clear away misunderstandings. It is this Heaven-sent gift of perfect tact which makes King Edward a pattern to all his crowned contemporaries. Someone has well said of Romance that its object is to make the impossible appear pro- bable, while Fiction only makes the improbable appear certain. Jules Verne, beloved of two generations of boys, who has just passed away at Amiens, must in this respect rank among the greatest of romantic writers. His science and his calculations convinced one against one's own reason and sometimes, as in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," he anticipated the discoveries of real science. One curious fact about him was that when he wrote Five Weeks in a Balloon," he knew nothing what- ever about aeronautics, and had barely ever seen a balloon himself. The brilliant Frenchman was indeed possessed of a most vivid imagina- tion Sir Oliver Lodge has been lecturing learnedly on electricity and fog. The professor,at the Royal Institution, described the electrical current which had been discovered as one which was persistent, and would overcome great obstacles and go in any direction, no matter what was placed or stood in its way. He had been looking for such a current since 1884, and had only recently come across it. He described in minute detail the manner in which the current was worked and showed itself, and gave many remarkable demonstrations. The chief of these was a demonstration of the creation and dispersal of a fog. A globe was fitted first with sulphur and then with com- pressed air, the two creating an atmosphere. This being chilled caused a fog. The H fog having been made complete, the globe or reservoir was supplied with a current of elec- tricity on the principle which Sir Oliver descrit 1 as a pertinacious current, and the 11 fog was within a very short time dispelled. All this is very interesting, if a trifle beyond some of us. A doctor who died the other day at a great age attributed his longevity to the practice of sleeping with head to the north and feet to the south. He considered this position favourable to the magnetic currents which run towards the North Pole and increase the energy of the vital principle. Certain correspondents have recorded results at variance with these views. One found that he slept better with his head to the east instead of to the north. Another found that a kind of nervous irritation to which he was subject ceased when he placed the head of his bed a little east of north. This position of the head of the bed brought him more sound and peaceful slumber, and with such regularity that when he wished to rise earlier than usual in the morning, all he had to do was to change the direction of the head of his bed, when his sleep became lighter and of shorter duration. Yet another found that the direction of his body made no difference to the soundness of his slumbers, provided he went to sleep in a comfortable bed, at the usual hour and at the end of a day of active work, a con- clusion with which it is probable most hard- working physicians will agree. With this latter opinion "the man in the street" will find little difficulty in coinciding. People who have fads usually attach more importance to them than they deserve.

*1 nave just been officiating at a wooden wed- ding on the West Side," said the parson. "Officiating?" queried the puzzled friend. "Yes," explained the good man. "I married a couple of Poles." After Mr. Casey had finished reading the "Declaration," on the Fourth, a man rose and moved tliat the speech be published, as it was one of the best speeches he had ever "heern" in his life." A "I'm sure I saw a cat over m that corner, said Tommy, sitting up in bed. "No, dear; go to sleep," said his mother; "it was just imagina- tion." "Has a magitnation got shiny eyes?" Uncle George: "I have read your article over, and I must say it shows a, great deal of origin- ality." Arthur: "Thanks, I'm sure! I flattered mvself there was some ideas, in it." Uncle George "Oh, I was not speaking of the compo- sition, but of the spelling

Imperial Parliament. I STREET BETTING. I There was an amusing little conversation in thi l. House of Lords on March 27 upon the third reading of the Street Betting Bill. When this bill was in Committee the other day the Lord Chancellor expressed his strong disapproval of a certain amendment which was calculated to extend the scope of the bill, and said that if this amendment were passed he would have to consider his attitude towards the whole bill on the third reading. The amendment was passed, and on Monday the Lord Chancellor moved to further amend the bill by omitting words which made it applicable to vacant ground open to the public, and to spaces under a railway arch. He contended that the inclusion of these words would lead to difficulty of interpretation and would puzzle both magistrates and judges. Lord James of Hereford strongly disagreed from the Lord Chancellor, and so also did Lord Davey. After they had been discussing the point together for some time, the Archbishop of Canterbury came to the rescue by moving the adjournment of the debate in order that a clear definition of the meaning of the words might be added to the bill. After some further discussion this was agreed to. JAM IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR. I In the Commons, on March 27, the South African War contracts were again the subject of questions, and Mr. Bromley-Davenport stated that in regard to the supplies of jam in all cases the country had received the full quantity that was paid for. UNDERFED SCHOOL CHILDREN. I On the motion for the second reading of the Con- solidated Fund Bill, Mr. Keir Hardie called atten- tion to the fact that many of the children attend- ing the public elementary schools were underfed, and urged that it was the duty of the State to see that meals were provided such pupils. Dr. Mac- namara, Sir J. Gorst, and other members sup- ported the same view. Sir W. Anson, in a sympathetic reply, pointed to the difficulties of State intervention, and suggested that volun- tary effort might do much to alleviate the evil. He would consult with the president of the Local Government Board to see whether it was possible to carry out a recommendation that had been made that poor-law authorities in areas where distress existed should provide meals for underfed children, and that the parents should be called upon to pay. An amendment which Mr. Keir Hardie had moved for the rejection of the bill was defeated by a Government majority of 56. At the evening sitting a discussion took place on the Irish fisheries.

ACCIDENT TO AN M.P. I Mr. J. H. Stock, M.P. for the Walton Division of Liverpool, was somewhat seriously injured during the run with the Cheshire Hounds, which met at Kelsall village on Monday. Mr. Stock was jumping out of the road above Tattenham, when his horse fell, Mr. Stock being underneath. The horse, in recovering itself, put one foot on Mr. Stock's face and another on his shoulder. He was speedily rescued by his friends, and was re- moved home to Whitehall, near Tarporley. Both his face and shoulder were badly cat.

MR. D. SULLIVAN, M.P. I AN ACT OF SUBMISSION. I The servants of the Serjeant-at-Arms will not I be called upon to-day to enforce the obedience of I Mr. Donal Sullivan, M.P., to the Speaker's order I requiring him to attend the Railway Committee of which Sir Henry Kimber is chairman at eleven of the slock." An arrangement has been come to whereby Mr. Sullivan will be discharged, and his place taken by Mr. Duncan. In order, however, to satisfy the Speaker's order, and conform to the rules of the House, Mr. Sullivan must attend the Committee at the opening of its proceedings. Having put in an appearance he may retire im- mediately. Mr. Sullivan has offered no objection to this course, and he intends to abide by the arrangement.

AVALANCHES IN THE ALPS. I TWO FATAL ACCIDENTS. I A telegram from Chateau d'Oex, in Switzerland, states that four tourists from Geneva, accompanied by a guide, were caught by a large avalanche on Sunday. The tourists escaped, but the guide was carried away, and the search made for him has been unavailing. He is the father of six children. On the same day nine members of the Lucerne Ski Club made an excursion to Brisen. One of them was caught by a moving mass of snow, and hurled down a precipice, while another had a narrow escape. The man who was killed was a postal eniploy6 from Colonne. A party went out on Monday evening to search for his body. I

EXPLOSION IN A GOVERNMENT OFFICE. A "PATENT" BOILER BURSTS. I Shortly after half-past ten on Monday morning I the staff and a considerable number of research workers in the new Patent Office Library, South- ampton-buildings, Chancery-lane, were alarmed by an explosion in the basement. Glass fanlights were broken, and doors swung open, and smoke and steam filled the Reading-room and the Foreign Specification Galleries, which contained an invalu- able collection of books and documents. Some minutes elapsed before the officials could see their way down to the scene of the explosion, and it was feared that the iron spiral staircase had been wrecked. A cursory examination, however, dis- closed the fact that an American upright 14 h.-p. boiler, connected with the heating apparatus, had burst. The Fire Brigade and the police were sum- moned, and the building cleared, but no one was hurt, and the damage proved to be slight.

LOST DESPATCHES. I The "Gaulois" publishes a statement, according to which it would appear certain that packets of despatches addressed to the commandants of the French naval stations in the Indian Ocean and the Far East, and handed over by the Minister of Marine to the Postal Administration, have Disappeared between Port Said and Jibutil.

REDUCED POSTAGE TO AUSTRALIA. I The Postmaster-General announces that arrangements have been made for the reduction of the letter postage to Australia to one penny per Joz. The change will take effect from April 1st, and, from the same date, the postage on letters from Australia to the United Kingdom will be re- duced to twopence per Joz. The present rate of postage to Australia is 2Jd. per half-ounce. To New Zealand and most of the other British colonies the postal rate has been ld. per half- ounce for some years.

WORKMEN'S LONG RECORDS. I Among the workmen who are now about to leave Lord Ellesmere's employment on account of old age are John Carter, colliery surface worker, of Mosley Common, and William Berry, of Winton, Worsley. Both are nearly 82 years of age. Carter has worked on the Bridgewater estates for 72 years and Berry for nearly 76 years, making a joint total of 148 years. Berry, who is still of fine physique, rang the bell daily for nearly half a century at Bridgewater workshops: Worsley. Ten of the men leaving have worked in the aggregate on Bridgewater estates for close upon 700 years, a sufficient testimony to the popularity of the employers.

Lord Derby, who was recently re-elected president of the Royal Sea Bathing Infirmary, Margate, has sent a cheque for F.1,000 to the funds of the institution. Widespread revolt, says the Berlin. "National Zeitung," prevails in the southern part of the Cameroons in German West Africa. Turkey is threatened by the German Embassy with a "diplomatic incident" unless she takes I all her new ordnance from Krupp, of Esaen.

I IN THE PUBLIC EYE. PRINCESS LOUISE, DUCHESS OF AEGYLL, is nol only a first-rate sculptor, but is extremely accom- plished with the brush. She is probably the only Royal personage who has ever painted a sign for an inn. The sign in question is to be seen hanging from a hostelry on the Duke's estate in Scotland. :o THE QUEEN OF THE HELLENES dispenses more oi what may be described as "official kisses" than anyone on earth. Every lady presented to her with whom she is on intimate terms she kisses on the cheek others who have not the honour of knowing her well she kisses on the forehead. o: VICTORIEN SARDOU, the great French dramatist, was for 18 months a medical student. He threw up the profession for journalism. To earn money for bare necessities he did a little of everything for very small pay. He wrote his first play in a tiny back attic, illuminated by candle-light. .— o: Miss LoIB FULLER, the famous American dancer, has a fund of stories of the late Mr. P. T. Barnum. One of the best is that relating to the elephant which the great showman advertised all over the world as the sacred white elephant from Siam. Everybody flocked to see such a wonder, and Barnum netted 2,000,000dols. Then the elephant died. It could stand the daily white- washing no longer! o: SOPHONISBA BENINI, A peasant girl who has been discovered in the Italian village of Copparo, near Florence, although only thirteen years old, stands 5ft. high, weigh more than 2101b.. and is 58in. round the chest. -0:- COLONEL JOHN RROWN, whose death is announced at the age of seventy-one, was a trumpeter in the 17th Lancers when he rode in the charge of the Light Brigade at Balacla-, a. He was brought to the ground near the Russian battery, his horse having been tilled by a cannon shot, and he him- self being wounded by a rifle bullet. He was, how- ever, able again to take part in the fighting before the fall of SebasfcopoL In the Indian Mutiny he dropped the. trumpet for the lance, and rose rapidly until he received his commission. After leaving the 17th Lamcers be served as an officer of the Army Pay Department with the Nile Expedition of 1884-5, and retired from the Army ten years later with the honorary-rank of lieutenant- colonel. -:0:- THE QUEEN is probably fonder of flowers than any other member of the Royal Family. She delights in old-fashioaed Bower-gardens, and when at her beloved Norfolk home-she takes the greatest interest in any alterations made in her gardens. Her Majesty's favourite flowers are violets and roses, and in order that she may always have an abundance of them over 200ft. of glasshouses at Sandringham are devoted to the cultivation of violets, while there are over 20,000 trees ol one kind of rose alone. 10: THE CZAR is very foad of his collection of bird's eggs and postage staxrps, in which he takes as keen an interest as a schoolboy. Many of the eggs he secured himself when a lad. He was a most daring and expertclimber, and on more than one occasion he narrowly escaped death while climbing some cliff or tree in search of his treasures. THE QUEEN OF HOLLAND is an enthusiastic farmer. A dairy has been established in con- nection with the Royal castle at Loo and it is run on quite businesslike lines by its owner, large quantities of butter and milk being sold regularly from the dairy, which is now self-supporting and profitable. O: MAJOR-GENERAL BADEN-POWELL is turning to the Arts for his latest inspiration, and his new hobby, sculpture, has resulted in his carving a bust of a Virginian ancestor, yclept John Smith. Virginia has already obtained possession of the trophy. LORD LYVEDEN has had a varied and pic- turesque career, but he has always, as he puts it himself," come up smiling." He has been a soldier in the ranks, an actor, a waiter, a steward on board ship, a theatrical manager, a nurseryman, a caterer, and a public reciter, and he is still a little more than forty-seven. o: THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY is, accord- ing to the North Mail," engaged in the formation of a league for the obliteration of the Godless Sunday from Society. The association is to con- sist exclusively of matrons of the higher life, and Lady Wimborne is to be president. Cold dinners will be one of the rules insisted upon. o: — THE BISHOP OF LONDON is probably' the most industrious of all English prelates, not even ex- cepting the Archbishops. Some idea of what has to be got through by Dr. Winnington Ingram may be gained when it is mentioned that under him are four suffragan bishops, two archdeacons, 560 beneficed clergy, and over 1000 curates. It is easy, therefore, to see that the Bishop has a very arduous life; but in business matters there is probably no more methodical man in London than he. -:0; THE REV. STEPHEN GLADSTONE has been presented with his portrait in oils by past and present curates of Hawarden. The portrait was handed over by the Rev. A. V. Lyttelton, who asked Mr. Gladstone's acceptance of the gift as a token of the subscribers' affectionate regard and unbounded devotion to him. o SIR LBWIS ANTHONY BEAUMONT, who has just hoisted his flag on the battleship Hood as Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth, has had 45 years of distinguished service in the navy. He was in the Arctic Expedition of 1875, he has been naval attache for Europe (an office not quite so formidable as it sounds), and he was private secretary to Lord Northbrook at the Admiralty. He has also been Director of Naval Intelligence and Commander of the Pacific and of the Aus- tralian stations. -:0:- THE MARQUIS QF TULLIBARDINE is described as having those gifts that go to make a leader of men. He is cool and self-reliant. He is wise enough to remember that the little things are the things which count in influencing mankind. He has a memory for faces. He never forgets a friend, and has been known to recollect an enemy. He can dance a reel, drive a motor, and speak Gaelic. -:0:- SIGNOR MASCAGNI and his wife wear most curious fobs on their watches which require con- stant explanatiod. The fobs are Italian silver pieces, each punctured with six round holes. In Signora Mascagni's these are hung with the five pearly first teeth of her little daughter, and upon her husband's coin are suspended those of one of their sons. Why not ?" said Signora Mascagni through an interpreter; "they are very much dearer to me than any one's jewels.' o THE MAYOR OF SOUTHWARK tells an amusing story of Wagner. The great composer became afflicted with headaches, and determined to have his hair cut. He accordingly arranged with a barber to peform the operation on a certain day. That worthy resolved to make a good thing of it, and accordingly informed all his customers of Wagner's impending sacrifice. Most of them paid him a certain sum down for portions of the hair cut off. To the barber's horror, Madame Wagner superintended the catting, and when it was over appropriated the whole of the coveted locks. The barber, in despair, confessed that he had sold them many times over, whereupon Madame suggested that her butcher had hair very much like Wagner's. And. the story goes that that night half Dresden slept with the butcher's hair under its pillow. o THE HON. J. G. JENKINS, who has relinquished the Premiership of South Australia in order to become the Agent-General for that State in London, will enjoy the distinction of being the Brat-born citizen of the United States to represent a British colony in our Metropolis. He is a native of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, and is said to have arrived in Australia as a canvasser for an American publishing house. He liked the country, settled there. became a naturalised British subject, was returned to the South Australian Parliament, filled various Ministerial offices, and ultimately reached the Premiership,

I ART AND LITERATURE. Speaking at the Royal Literary Fund meeting the other day, Sir Theodore Martin, the veteran author of the life of the late Prince Consort, said some spent hundreds of thousands in giving libraries. If they would give a few of those thousands to a few of the men who wrote the best books for those libraries it would be very desirable. It is encouraging to note that the idea of a separation between the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery, is, as the Globe" shows, being supported in other directions. The sooner this very necessary division of responsi- bility is brought about the better will be the chance that an institution which does not at present have anything like fair treatment will be given a proper position. While the Tate Gallery is controlied by the National Gallery board of trustees, there is little hope that it will be made the authoritative educational centre which it ought to be for all students of British art. It has been run hitherto under the mistaken belief that its mission is to provide a kind of permanent Academy exhibition which will amuse a Bank Holiday crowd and please the lovers of popular painting. Little of the really fine work of British artists has been secured for it, and the limited wall space the building is being steadily filled up with things many of which are unworthy of preservation in a national collection, and few of which are representative of the best achievement of our school. The only cure for this misuse of the gallery is to remove it from the control of the National Gallery authorities, whose incapacity to understand or deal with the claims of modern British art has been convincingly demonstrated. The provincial universities are going ahead in more ways than one, and never without an eye to hard utility. The one at Liverpool, which has done so much for tropical medicine, is turning its attention to the scientific study of our fisheries, and its Fisheries Laboratory is doing excellent work. One of its chief members, Mr. James Johnstone, has just completed a treatise sum- marising the results of its investigations into the administration of our fishery ports, and Messrs. Williams and Norgate are to pub- lish it in a week or two under the title of British Fishing Industries." As for Birmingham University, it will be interested in certain recent lectures by Sir Oliver Lodge on School Training and School Reform," which are to be published in volume form by the same firm in a fortnight's time. It is a plea for experience before theory. The firm is also preparing a half-crown reprint of Herbert Spencer's essay on Education." The work is being reset and is to be issued in a shape that is uniform with the recent edition of First Principles." Mr. Hall Caine, we are told, is visiting various gambling places on the Riviera so as to ensure perfect realism in the great gambling scene in "The Prodigal Son," when the drama is produced at Drury Lane on September 16. At a well-known cercle" at Nice, Mr. Hall Caine stood behind the chair of his companion while in less than a hour he lost over E2000. Devices and Desires," by P. Habberton Lulham (London: R. Brimley Johnson), is a dainty poetical volume, of which a second edition has just been issued. Of the making of many books of verse there is no end, but books of true poesy are few and far between, and will always find a large circle of delighted readers. That Dr. Lulham is a gifted dweller in the groves of Parnassus no one who has read his poems can doubt, and it speaks well for the popular appreciation of poetic genius that this charming little work has run into a further edition. Dr. Lulham, like all true poets, has plumbed the depths of the human heart, and sings of love, sorrow, and joy as one who has felt their intensest emotions. His thoughts, expressed in earnest yet elegant language, strike a kindred chord in the heart of the reader, which bears witness to their truth. We regret that space forbids us to quote from this graceful little volume, to which we have much pleasure in referring all lovers of new and inspiring verse. In succession to the late Mr. G. H. Broughton, Mr. J. M. Swan has been elected a Royal Acade- mician. He was made an Associate eight years ago. Much of his work is never seen in this country, for he has gained honours in almost every art centre of the world, and his pictures are quickly purchased. His early studies in France have been of solid service to him, and he had already a Continental reputation when the exhibition of The Prodigal Son at the Academy of 1889 drew the attention of British artists to the work of a man then almost I unknown in London. "The Prodigal Son" was bought by the Chantrey Trustees. At Paris in 1900 he won gold medals both for sculpture and painting. At the last exhibition of the Roval Academy Mr. Swan was represented by a little work in silver, The Mermaid," and by a picture in the Second Gallery, "The Young Bathers." Mr. Andrew Lang in his new book recalls the case of Bishop Thirlwall, who at the age of ten composed a sermon, in which he said "I confess when I look upon the present and past state of our public morals, and when I contrast our pre- sent luxury, dissipation, and depravity with past frugality and virtue, I feel not merely a sensation of regret but also of terror for the result of the change." At the annual exhibition of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts most of the 300 pictures shown are contributed by local artists, or by thog-. who have had some connection with the gre% cotton city. The artists resident in London whfr are represented in the exhibition-chiefly by small pictures-include Mr. H. Clarence Whaite, R.W.S., Mr. W. Bright Morris, Mr. Joseph Knight, R.I., Mr. J. Henry Henshall, R.W.S., Mr. Francis Dodd, and Mr. S. G. Enderby. I "Sell's Dictionary of the World's Press and Advertisers' Reference Book for 1905" has just been published, with all its cleverly-classified and wonderfully complete lists carefully revised to date, rendering the work an indispensable adjunct to the offices of all business concerns depending for success upon newspaper publicity. Mr. Henry Sell's preface to the present issue quotes a lauda- tory letter from Mr. Walter Williams, secretary to the World's Press Parliament held at the St. Louis Exhibition, who says he has found the book answer every purpose in connection with the organisation of the foreign Press work of the Universal Exposition," and testifies that it proved invaluable to all persons desiring comprehensive acquaintance with newspaperdom everywhere. Preceding the lists which form the body of this admirable wovk, there are nearly 200 pages devoted to literary matter bearing upon currently interesting subjects, which will be found useful to journalists generally. An illustrated article on journalistic enterprise in illustrated article on journalistic enterprise in North-West Rhodesia, showing how the Press is being extended to the uttermost parts of the earth deserves particular attention in view of the forthcoming visitation of many eminent British men of science and others to the Zambesi Falls. It may be noted in connection with the news issue of Sell's World's Press," that the total number of papers now published in the British Isles is 2508, as many as 496 of which are produced in London. Very timely is the issue of a handy volume on "Political Economy" by the Walter Scott Pub- lishing Company. This well-printed little work supplies classified expositions of the fundamental doctrines of an all-important branch of social science at present of great topical interest, I judiciously selected from the works of the highest authorities by William Bell Robertson, who has himself laboured diligently in the literature and elucidation of econo- mics. Mr. Robertson furnishes in crystal- lised form the weighty dicta of such eminent masters of political economy as Adam Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, James Mill, J. R. M'Culloch, De Quincey, and John Stuart Mill, the arrangement of the matter under ten heads being very convenient for reference by the reader. First, we have the subject and scope of politicaleconomy dealt with; then, in order, follow chapters on causes of improvement in the productivity of labour," "value," icrent," (Ewages," tcprofits," "foreign trade," "productive and unproductive labour," taxes," and money." A capital introduction by Mr. Robertson comes before the excerpts from the authorities, and this will afford the aspirant to public life and platform effectuality great assist- ance. Now that the fiscal question ia absorbing the nation's attention so largely, such a book as this must prove invaluable in many directions, and its publication in such an accessible and clear form calls for every commendation.