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TOWN TOPICS. I

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TOWN TOPICS. I (From our London Correspondent.) Americans in London are greatly pleased ,\t the interest which the King is taking in the Metropolitan Museum at New York, over which Sir Pardon Clarke will shortly assume con- trol. When investing Sir Purdon with the i insignia of Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, in recognition of his long^ and valuable services as Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the King made special inquiries as to progress of the Metropolitan Museum. As a contribution to the Museum, his Majesty was graciously pleased to say that he would give Sir Purdon Clarke two valuable and beautifully illustrated works, being "Vfindsor Gastle Armoury," by Mr. Guy Laking, wnd a superbly produced work on the furniture of the Royal j palaces of Great Britain, by Mr. Lionel Cust. I These works Sir Purdon Clarke will carry with him to New York when he leaves for the United States, The King has seen and approved of the new motor-car which has been specially constructed for use at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, the Royal residence given by his Majesty as a convalescent home for officers of the services. The car is arranged to carry eight passengers, or an ambulance may be placed inside for the use of a patient. Although there is a general exodus to the seaside this month, there are something like four millions of people who must perforce re- main in town. Among them are a vast number of children, to whom the delights of the beach are but a name. To alleviate the lot of such, the school garden of the vacation school in I Tavistock place have been turned into the semblance of the seashore, many tons of fresh sea sand having been unloaded in them. There the children can play to their heart's content, and instruction will be mingled with pleasure so lightly that its presence will hardly be noticed. For them there is no question of the real seaside. But for this school their holiday would be spent in the hot and dirty streets playing in the gutter near their homes, or wandering through the inhospitable city. Would that such schools were more numerous than they are. The Commercial and Industrial Section of the Naval Exhibition at Earl's Court has just been opened, and to many people will prove one of the most attractive portions of the show. There are thousands of exhibits to engage one's attention, occupying a large amount of space. In the Prince's Hall the display is, in more ways than one, unique. It contains, among other things, numerous objects lent by the Lords Commissioners of the Ad- miralty that have never been shown to the public previously, including models of historic and modern warships. The firm of Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth, and Company exhibit a full-sized apparatus for discharging sub' merged torpedoes, and also another for above-water discharging. All the large ship- builders and mercantile companies are worthily represented in the Ducal Hall by models of their finest creations, and Messrs. Yarrow and Company have several models of torpedo-boat destroyers constructed for the Japanese Navy. In the wings of this hall will also be found grouped record specimens of all kinds of fish stuffed or in picture. The Queen's Palace pro- vides a mass of engrossing exhibits, the most Impressive being naval ordnance, projectiles, armour-plating, and warship models. The Lord Mayor has sent a letter to the leading firms in the City, to the effect that as the Admiralty has recently given the name of "His Majesty's Ship London" to one of the most powerful battleships in the British Navy, it would be an appropriate and pleasant thing, if some of the leading firms in the metropolis were to combine to make some suitable present of plate to the officers' mess, and to give a challenge shield for the best gunnery team, and a silk ensign. The idea has been well received in the City, and between £ 700 and C800 has already been subscribed. The work of electrifying the Underground Railway is making rapid progress towards completion, and by the autumn the last of the steam trains will, it is hoped, be seen. On the section of the District Railway between Rich- mond and Whitechapel the steam trains have been superseded by electric trains, about twenty of which are now running. The section I between Whitechapel and New-cross will con- tinue to be served as at present, the trains which will be withdrawn between those two stations being made up for by a service supplied by the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway. The Parliamentary Session has made heavy demands upon the Kitchen Committee of the House of Commons, notwithstanding the fact that the dinner interval of two hours now enables most members to dine either at home or at their clubs. In their report the Committee state that 105,000 meals have been served. In the late sittings which were forced upon the Government early in the Session there were 76 breakfasts and 403 suppers required, while in the ordinary course of dining-room business, 24,344 luncheons and 26,542 dinners have been served. The balance-sheet is interesting. In the purchase of provisions, V.7000 was ex- pended in cigars, E486, and in wines, £ 3181; while on the other side it is found that for pro- visions, £ 7435 was received for cigars, E859, and for wines, £ 4534. He is a bold theatrical manager who produces a new piece in the first week of August. But the success which has attended the production of What the Butler Saw," at Wyndham's Theatre, shows that; even in the present summer weather, people can be attracted indoors if the entertainment be of a sufficiently light and mirth-provoking character. One of the joint- authors of the piece is a county-court judge which no doubt accounted for the presence of such eminent personages as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Lord James of Hereford, the Lord Chief Justice of England, Sir Edward Clarke, and many other notabilities. The play is a harmless farce of the lightest possible nature. The story concerns a fascinating Irishman named Barrington, who has been passing himself off at a "hydro." as a bachelor and winning the hearts of the ladies. His wife arrives with hardly a warning, and he pretends, with her consent, that she is his sister. Complications follow which any experienced playgoer would expect, and there is introduced an episode founded upon the fact that the Irishman mistakes the number of his wife's bedroom. A fair amount of skill is shown in treatment; the dialogue is full of jokes, many of them quite judiciously selected and there are a great number of characters, drawn with a considerable amount of cleverness. The piece was well played, and the audience gave it the seal of their approval. The latest trade, or profession, to form a combination for mutual protection is that of the conjurers, or, as they call themselves, u magicians and illusionists." Its chief object is to form the nucleus of vast congress of magicians of all creeds and nationalities 'striv- ing to elevate and purifying the art, and raise it to the rank of one of the first professions." The social side of the magician's Hfe is not to be neglected, for the committee propose to hold weekly at homes," where magicians will meet in their own abode of magie and, secure from prying eyes, exchange ideas, originating new tricks and illusions, witness the skill of their confreres," and generally combine to promote good-fellowship among thp profession. No doubt this combination will become known as the Magic Circle, T. j

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