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

I GARDEN GOSSIP. I I (From the "Gardener.") Freesias.—No time should be lost in potting the first blateh of these charming bowers. Where a number of bulbs are at hand a few pans may be planted, but, as. a rule, 5-inch potfuls are the most useful. Use a light, open soil, and place from a dozen to twenty bulbs in each pot. We have not found it necessary to providle shelter for them until f-,ro-stis axe imminent, but placed at the foot of a north wali they start into growth admirably if supplied with water as needed. » Propagating Bedding Plants.—It is rather early to commence cutting beds of Geraniums, but where stock is scarce of 'any variety, and cuttings can be obtained without spoiling the effect of the beds, a few cuttings may now be taken. They will root quite well in the open ground, but the method of inserting them in boxes is preferable owing to facility of removal. ♦. ♦ Fuchsias.—See that specimen plants, coming into flower 'have ample supplies of water; in hot weather they need attention two and three times a day. The plants will succeed quite well in a shaded position outside, though care must be taken to guard them from damage by strong winds. Young plants raised from cuttings inserted in spring should be potted on as needed, according, to the progress made; these ought to give useful material for autumn dis- play. » Winter-flowering Plants.—Many of the, plants ndw being grown on for winter display will need repotting. Cinerarias, Primulas, winter-flower- ing Begonias, and young Cyclamens must all receive attention- as the- small pots become filled with roots. The proper soils for each have been given many times in the "Gardener," but it is well to remember after each repotting that such plants, are the better for being kept slightly closer -and, warmer for a few days. < < Figs.—These succeed in many localities on south walls. The young shoots should be thinned, and those left laid in widely apart. At the same time the fruits., by the removal or rearrangement of leaves shading them, should be given every advantage of sun and air to ripen thoroughly. Peaches.—The earliest varieties on walls will now be attaining to maturity, and the trees must be netted!, the fruit frequently examined, and the ripe ones gathered. They are best gathered before being. fully ripe, a gentle pressure, without bruising, bringing away those that are ready. For use at home. they are best placed in a cool fruit room, but if to send a distance they should be packed when gathered. Grapes and! Wasps.—After this date one is never sure when foraging wasps may discover the grape houses and their luscious contents. the grape houses and their luscious contents. No better means of keeping them from grapes exists than hexagon netting, tacked in a loose manner, so as to prevent entrance by the top ventilator, those at the front being meanwhile kept close. Where only a few bunches are left, capacious muslin bags may be used, but these are, as a rule, not to be commended, as the grapes do not keep so well, and' some people consider the flavour of the grapes when enclosed some time deteriorates. Cucumbers for whiter cutting may be sown now, the advantage of early sowing being that the young plants can be grown on in a less exciting temperature, and therefore are more robust than if raised later. Bearing plants in frames may be rejuvenated by a careful cutting out of old and exhausted' shoots and training vigorous young ones in their places. Replace the exhauetad, surface material with turfy loam and leaf soil. Onions.—An older race of gardeners used to sow these at this date, believing that it was a certain method of securing to them immunity from miaggot. Onions for -any purpose sown at this date should! be grown in not too rich soil, and while dry it should be firmly compressed. Radishes.—A larger than usual sowing of these may be made at any convenient moment. A simple method- of securing equal sized roots, and at the same time giving them some protec- tion, is to make with one's finger a shallow hole in the ground; or a short dibber stick may be used instead. The holes should be, three inches apa,r,t, aaid one seed dropped into each hole. Cinerarias.—These useful plants will now be quite ready to transfer from boxes to four- inch pcts, using an open compost and not firm- ing it to any great extent. Keep the plants in the open, but in a place where they can bo protected, if necessary, at a moment's notice. Maidenhair Fern.—Plants grown in. a close atmosphere should now be gradually exposed1 to a drier and more airy climate, to harden the fronds and make them more useful for cutting. A little, manure at the roots is by no means despised by the Maidenhair. »" Summer Sown Annuals in Pots.—Now is the time of year to prove how charming simple hardy fannu-als are when well grown in pots. If the soil is fresh loam, and old manure, 32 sized' pots are usetcL, and overcrowding is absolutely avoided, the result should be numbers of delightful ornaments to place, when about to bloom, in rooms or conservatories. Stand the pots out of doors in semi-shade, where slugs cannot reach them nor worms enter tat the drainage holes-, and sow a few seeds in, each— about one-third more seeds than are required to germinate; thin out these seedlings when they are not more than one inch- h. Water each evening unless rain falls. Apply eticksaùldJ ties when necessary. Excellent annuals for pots are Cornflowers, Candytuft (the white Spiral), Giant Rockets (almost equal to Stocks), Eschseholtzias, Godetiae, Viscaria, ca.rdinalis, Erysimum pulcheHum, Ctarkias, Chrysanthemum, tricolor, Papaver umbroeum, Mignonette, Phaeelia campa.nularia, Cyno- glossum Imifoliunv, Calliopsis, and Larkspurs. When seedlings are growing well water occa- sionally with soot water, and use also some reliable fertiliser. Roman Hyacinths and' Narcissi.—Immediately these can be procured bulbs should be potted and 'boxed for conservatory decoration in the one case and cutting in the other; for both purposes the white flowers are indispensable. Inserted now they will bloom during November, when choice flowers are never too abundant. Use a mixture, of loam, leaf mould, and coarse sand, not making the soil too firm, and plunge bar obad of cocoanut fibre refuse or, failing that material, ashes, but there is always an element of danger with these. Mignonette in Pots.-The fragrant flowers of Mignonette are always appreciated' in our gardens, but never more so than in the green- house or conservatory during th7 e d'ull days of winter. A coIIllpülSli; of loam, the refuse, from aa old hotbed, and some lime rubbish should be put in well drained five or six-inch pots, and a few seeds sown and lightly covered. Keep them dark until germimatron has taken place, and then give them the benefit of abundant light and as much fresh air as possible. They must be watered carefully. Tomatoes in Pots.—These are now carrying heavy crops of fruit, and must be assisted with judicious supplies of liquid manure. Do not use anything strong, but rather err in the opposite direction. Should the slightest sign of diselase 'appear remove the infeeted leaf or fruit immediately, so as to prevent spreading. If the plants appear to be over burdened remove the fruits as they become half ripe, and I finish them off artificially.

Visitor (to youngster): "What became of ihatlittle .kitten Youngster: "Why, haven't you beard?" was it d!rowne<M" "No!" "Lost? • "Poisoned?" "No!" "Then whaetver became of tt? It into's cat.

I OUR SHORT STORY. ) I MY UNCLE'S GHOST. I Spiritualism has always appeared to me a craze, and spiritualists a set of crazy people, or, even worse, a. lot of tricksters. P whaps both are to be found in the ranks, and one set preys oil the credulities of the other. For this reason I ha-ve always declined to have anything to do y o with seances or .materialised manifestations, and have been a merciless critic of such of my friends as have taken part in them. However, at last I have been fain to acknowledge that there is "something in it," and how this change has come about I now purpose showing. It was thus. Not very long ago my wife and I were spending an evening at a friend's house, and in tne company was a. young gentleman who made some pretensions to being a spirit medium. Chaff was freely bestowed upon him, until he finally declared that he could obtain mani- festations which we could not deny. The challenge was accepted!, and preparations were made for the performance. A moderate sized hut heavy dining table was selected by him, and, seated, round this, we were soon shown table-turning, and lifting, some of it impossible to put down to trickery, but we accounted for the same by ascribing it to electricity or magnetism. When the huge table was elevated some two feet above the floor, and flung upon its side without iany apparent agency, then some were convinced, but others, amongst whom, I was most prominent, declared that even this was not enough. "Very well," said the medium, "I shall endeavour to remove your dotuuts in another way, and we will now have some table-rapoing." He proooeded to explain that this was done in the following manner:—A spirit by name must be asked for, and on his announcing him- self by raps on the table, then questions could be asl,ad, and his- answers would be given by rape. All questions must be put so that they could be answered by plain "yes" or "no" or by numbers. Three rtaps to mean "yes"; one rap, "no." Forthwith, accordingly, spirits were called for by various persons, and considerable amusement was created by the consternation of the ladiea, when they thought a "spirit from the vasty deep" was so near them. Many of these answers were wonderful. The time of a watch placed under a handkerchief on the table was told in raps, the number of coins in a purse- fortunately they were numerous-was correctly stated, and many other severe tests were applied, in most of which the table was suc- cessful. Still disbelieving, I was challenged to call a spirit unknown to any one present, and to ask any question I thought fit. Suddenly remembering an uncle who had died many yea.rs be-fore, who had' lived many hundreds of miles away from where we then were, and who, so far as I could tell, had never been heard! of, much less known, to. any one present, I asked for the spirit of Chester Wilde. In a moment or two three raps on the table announced the supposed spirit of my uncle. "Are you the spirit of Chester Wilde?" I asked. "Yes," was the immediate reply. "He who lived at Fromborough, in South- shire?" I persisted. "Yes." Then correct answers were given as to the date of his death, how long his wife had remained a widow before she married again, and her present abode, when the matter began to grow exciting. I next proceeded on to deeper water, relating to a matter that needs some explanation. The mother of my uncle was grand-daughter to a; baronet, Sir William. Chester, who had died intestate many years before. His estates had been thrown into, Chancerv, and, there remained. She had always declared that her son (my uncle) was the rightful heir, and on her deathbed had given to him a bundle of documents, which she charged, him never to part with, as some day these would enable him to regain the title, or at any rate the estates, which she said were his right. Amongst these documents was what purported to be a will made, by Sir William. Chester. M¡any years ago, when lai lad of twelve years of age, I' with my mother, was on a visit to this uncle. Some months before that time, he had been informed! that a, claimant to the estates had come from America, and that if he wished to defend his supposed rights he must take steps at once. He had the seeds of con- sumption in him, and knew his days were numbered. To this, and) the fact of having no children, we put down the unwillingness he evinced to act in too matter. Friends made offers to him of money to press his claims, but he refused them, on the ground that he would not like to risk other people's money in so uncertain an adventure. At the time of my visit the affair was much talked about. It fired my youthful ambition to have the prospect of a very wealthy uncle, perhaps a baronet, and I accepted the truth of the story without question. In my eyes he was quite a hero, and I almost assumed the airs of the nephew of so great a man. His wife was, a proud, ambitious woman, and she fanned my ardour, promising that if they obtained their rights, I was to have a pony ancl no end of good things. Within twelve months, however, the whole romance was at an end. Chester Wilde died, the American claimant was declared1 heir, and the whole affair became in our minds a dream of the past. But I always believed that had The received his just due, my family would liiave been the owners of a splendid estate, with all its accumulations. This was the matter upon which I wished to question my uncle's spirit, and in view of what affterwa-rda took place, it must be remembered whtat was my own belief. "Were you the rightful heir to the estate of Sir William Chester?" I asked the spirit. "No," was the, to me, astounding reply. If this were true, the will and other docu- ments I knew had been in my uncle's posses- sion, must have been forgeries, for they were clear enough. So that I next proceeded upon this hypothesis. "Were the documents you had forgeries?" "Yes," was the answer, and the table jumped quite excitedly. The situation now became a serious one, and I wanted to know who the forger was, so I began with my uncle, intending to go backwards and trace where the guilt lay. "Did you forge them?" was the next ques- tion. "No," came decidedly and' without hesitation. "Did! your mother forge them?" "Yes," and in the most excited manner the table rapped out this reply. Astounded I left the table, saying that it evidently told lies, but that it certainly was wonderful what I had heard. The effect this made upon my mind was very great, and some time afterwards calling upon my mother, who, it will be remembered, was with me on the visit to my uncle some years before, I told her all that had occurred. By then the effect 'had somewhat passed away, and I laughingly told the story as a very good joke. "You don't mean to say," she asked, in astonishment, when I concluded my narrative, "that the ta-ble said the papers were forgeries?" "Yes, but what of that?" I replied, noticing that a peculiar expression had come over ner countenance. "They were forgeries," she answered me. "Forgeries I How do you know tht.?". I excliaimed. Then she told me the following stran ge story. "You remember," she began, "when we were at Fromborough, one evening your aunt talking very boastingly of what She would do when they got their rights, and promising you a pony. That same evening you went down into the town with her to visit some friend's, and after you were gone I lasked Chester if he expected anything would ever come of the matter. He then brought out all the docu- ments and showed them to me, finally saying that they were nearly all forgeries, and that his mother had forged them. It appeared that ebe was a very eccentric sort of woman, one who was thought by many to be touched in her mind. After her death, when these papers came into bis possession, he naturally began to examine them, tand was astonished to find they were so clear. Something roused (his sus- picions, however, and on making inquiries of his sister, she told him some things which proved that his mother had forged neariy all the documents, the watermark on the paper proving the same thing. Of course, he thus knew that it would be folly to do anything, and hence his supineness. I asked him," continued my mothei "whether his wife knew anything of this, a no he then informedt me that he had never told her, because she had never got on well with his friends, and to tell her this, about his own mother, would give her a handle which she would not fail to make use of. Under promise of secrecy I have never said a word about this matter until to-day, and should not now have done so, had it not been for the wonderful result of questioning the table." I have nothing more to add; to this story. Understand it I cannot. No one amongst those who sat around the table, knew aught of my uncle, and the theory, that the mind of the questioner controls the answers of the table, does not here apply, because these answers were directly against what I believed, and opposed to all I had then heard. However, I cannot condemn spiritualism as I once could, though I have not seen enough to lead: me to believe in it.

SHOOTING WITH HORSESHOE NAILS. Horseshoe nails kicked about the roads of the world by horses innumerable' are far from the useless fragments we might think them. Gunmak,ers tell us there is no iron so well fitted for their 'purpose as that derived from horseshoe nails and similar worn fragments. The nails, made originally of the best stuff obtainable, receive from the constant pounding of the horses' feet on hard surfaces a peculiar annealing and toughening, making them a most- perfect substance for the manufacture of the finest gun barrels.

A WIFELY HABIT* I William' M. Harding, of Kansas City, asked a divorce from hiis wife because she had "the wifely habit of searching his pockets after he fell asleep." Though granting the husband's petition on other grounds, the judge said-- "I want it distinctly understood that I am not granting this divorce because the wife went into her husband's pockets. I shall do nothing to interfere with that ancient and honourable privilege of the fair sex. A wife has a perfect right to do that." Another American judge says: "That a husband is bound to furnish his spouse with clothing suitable to hie and her station in life is elementary."

A CELTIC GATHERING, I The Celtic Congress of Brittany, which will be held this year during the first fortnight in September at St. Pol de Leon, near Rosc-off, will be presided over by the Marquis de L'.Eetonrofeillon, deputy for Morbihan. Deputa- tions from Ireland and Wales are expected 14 attend, whilst America will be represented by a (Megat-ion with Mrs. Moser at its head. Lord Castletown will be one of the 'visitors from ecrces the Channel, and will, it is said, bring with him some Irish pipers. About a hundred Breton bards -and over 200 litterateurs are to take part in the proceedings.

THE CAMPANILE OF ST. MARK'S. The rebuilding of St. Mark's Campanile is being regularly proceeded with, says a "Times" correspondent. The work has now reached the level of the ground, and the engineers hope to get several metres up during the autumn. The foundation iha-s been very carefully and solidly extended considerably beyondi the limits of the. old one. The difficulty of dovetailing- the new work with the old has been the principal cause of the delay. B-at this has been most admirably accomplished-, aind it is hope,d! now to get ahead1 with the above-ground shaft more quickly than was expected. Nearly all the pieces c'f the Loggetta have been found, and can be put together. j -A —

WOMEN IN JAPAN. Mrs. Hugh Fraser, Mr. Marion Crawford's a, personal friend of the Empress of Japan, says that the war will leave behind it many difficult problems. But one of the most serious will be the position of the women. "The unmarried woman earning her own living and standing alone has heretofore been unknown in Japan," she says. "Now, there must he many such women. Their husbands, or the men who would have become their husbands, have been killed. I don't suppose we will ever know how many men have been killed1 in this war, and in Japan this is a. new thing. In the Chinese war the loss of life was slight, and previous to that the country bad been at peace for a couple of hundred years. Thus the unmarried womaii was unknown- and her appearance now must affect the position of the sex profoundly. "The great need of the Japanese women at this time is industrial and practical education. Education of the highest kind they have had before, but it has lae-ked on the practical side. Now every one seems to reoognise that this must be changed. In seeking a means of live- lihood the Japanese woman will find a good many occupations open to her. In many cases the only difference from her ordinary situation will be that she will work independently instead of in association with her husband-. Women are already engaged in most of the trades, and they are the shopkeepers of the country. They usually take entire charge of their husband's business, and therefore they have 'become expert accountants and book-keepers. "The Empress introduced the profession of trained nursing into Japan, and now there is an army of nurses. This, I thin'k, must Lead to the adoption of the medical profession by women, and there is a strong feeling in Japan in favour of women physicians for women and children. The 'highest profession in Japan for either sex is that of teacher. The teacher is absolutely revered, and members of the highest families enter the profession. Knowng what I do of the ambition and energy of the Japanese women, I have no doubt that the results of these new conditions will be far- reacihing, but, whatever progress they make, I hope that they will never give up their beau- tiful'home education."

GOODWOOD'S ORIGIN. The Goodiwood race meeting originated with some cfficem of the Sussex Militia, who, in conjunction with members of a local hunt club, arranged some races on the Goodwood course for the first time in April, 1802. A sum of Y,313 in public money was collected;, the_sweepstakes entered for amounting to £ 3(K). The meeting made wo-nderf-ul progress, owing to the large sums of money spent upon improvements by the Duke of Richmond and to the personal exertions -and good! mana.cr>ement of the late Lord George Bentinck. In 1831 the Royal puree of 100 guineas was procured and first run for.

"Prisoner," said the judge, "you say your wife hit you on. thohea-d, with a plate. Is that so?" "Yes, eor," ,answered, the prisoner, who rejoiced in the name of Mulligan, and; who had his Irish nationality written largely on his features. "But," said! the jud>ge, "your he|ad doesn't show any marks of any kind.' No, sor," aasw-ered Mr. Mulligan, with a touch of pride; "but ye should,, ha' seen that plate!" A Scottish parish minister met the ^laird's gamekeeper one day, and said to him "I say, Davidson, why is it I never see you in church?" "Well, sir," replied' Davidson, "I don't waat to hurt the attendance." "Hurt the attendance! What do you mean?" askedi the minister, in surprise. "Well, sir, you see," replied the gamekeeper, "there are about it dozen men in the parish that go to church when I'm not there who would go poaching if I went to church."

MISS GWLADYS WILSON'S WEDDING. PRETTY CEREMONY AT WARIER. I Miss Gwladys Wilson, the youngest daughter of Mr. Charles Wilson, M.P., and Mrs. Charles Wilson, of Warter Priory and 41, Grosvenor- square, was married on Thursday at Warter to Mr. Eric Chaplin, son of the Right Hon. Henry Chaplin, M.P. The pretty little church was filled by the many friends and relations of both families, and the ceremony was performed by the Rev. W. E. Booty, vicar of the parish; Mr. Charles Wilson, M.P., gave his daughter away. She wore a Venetian satin gown, the hem embroidered all round with dull silver and the bodice cut square and filled in with transparent lace. A wreath composed entirely of myrtle was worn under a tulle veil, and she carried a bouquet of flowering myrtle, but did not wear any jewellery. Directly behind the bride walked four little couples; first came Lord Stewart (who will not be three until November 19) and the Hon. Maureen Stewart (children of Viscount and Viscountess Castlereagh and nephew and niece of the bride- groom); then came Master Ferdinand Fairfax at d Miss Monica Wilson (nephew and niece of the bride); then Viscount Hastings (son of the Earl and Countess of Huntingdon) and Miss Joyce Langdale; and lastly Master Strickland Constable and Miss Hilary Wilson (the bride's cousin); while the rear was brought up by Lady Irene Denison (daughter of the Earl and Countess of Londesborough) and Miss Bingham. The boys were attired in white satin blouses, with lace collars and white satin breeches, while they carried large white hats adorned with long white plumes, and the girls wore long white satin frocks, very short-waisted and falling right to the ground, embroidered in myrtle and smart little silver caps tied under the chin and trimmed with bunches of myrtle. To the boys the bridegroom gave pansy scarf-pins set with, diamonds, and to the girls he presented velvet pansy brooches also set with diamonds. Mr. Vere Chaplin, cousin of the bridegroom, was best man. Later on Mr. and Mrs. Eric Chaplin left for Lilleshall, Newport, Shropshire, lent to them for their honeymoon by the bridegroom's uncle, the Duke of Sutherland. The bride travelled in a costume of pale blue painted silk, with green satin and mauve revers and a large black hat trimmed with pale blue feathers, mauve ribbon and lace, while over her arm she carried an old-fashioned taffeta coat edged with sable.

MURDERED IN THE BUSH. I TERRIBLE CRIMES BY AUSTRALIAN NATIVES. Many white men have recently been murdered by natives in the Northern di-strietc. of Western Australia. The police from Nullagine, under Constable Growden, accompanied by several native trackers, hiave arrested four aboriginals —Monkey, Leo, Toby, and George—who are supposed) to have committed the crimes. Two white men and a half-caste were camped at No. 1 Well at Goldfields Creek, when the natives, Toby and Monkey, with several others, attacked them while asleep. The elder man was speared to death by Monkey before he could offer any Besistance. The younger man was speared through his breast, but managed to shoot Toby in the leg before he died. The half- caste boy ran away, but wias chts-ed and strangled. His body cannot be found; it is supposed that he was afterwards eaten by the natives. Two other murders took place at Slate Well, Goldfields Creek. One victim was a "swiag- rn-n." He was killed by Monkey, who crept on him while asleep and chopped his head off. The second rvictim was a young white who owned fivei horses. He was speared, and his horses were killed. At the same well itwo men with pack horses were killed by Monkey and Toby. Both these men were speared while asleep. Their pa-ck-saddles and other belong- ings were burned, ancl the ironwork was carried into the hills. Three "swagmen" have also been murdered at Junction Well -and Granny's Gorge. At the latter place one of the men was having his tea when the native, Leo, suddenly attacked him. Anoither of the whites was asked by Monkev for some food), and on the native becoming threatening the swa-grnan threw a stick at him and ran for his life. The native followed him, and, creeping behind the unfortunate man when 'he was having dinner, struck him with a tomahawk across itbe neck, then chon-ned his head off, and, aifter mutilating the body, bound it up with creepers and buried it.

FRENCH WIDOW WINS £ 40,000. I MARQUIS OFFERS HER MARRIAGE. I Mme. Hofer, <the winner of the £ 40,000 prize in the French Press Association's lotterv. is the oaaiiteen-keet)er for the 28th Dragoon Regi- ment at Sedan. She is a widow, thirty-eight years of age, of preposessing appearance, and apparently not in the least excited by her good fortune. To a "Daily Mail" representative she pointed to a bundle of letters which had reached her from all sorts and conditions of people. There were the usual begging letters, but a telegram from a marquis offered "hand and heaIt" to the comely widow. Altogether there were seventeen offers of marriage, but Madame merely shrugged her shoulders and said she was amused. "I was very unlucky and unhappy last yea-r," she said, "for I lost my poor husband and my mother in six weeks. My hilsband was the canteen-keeper here, and by hard work we had saved enough to retire on. We had bought a small tenement at VilLemomble, near Paris, and intended to live there, but death intervened. I dietermined then to go on with the canteen. At least it would keep my thoughts occupied. "What shall I do with the money? Madame was silent for a moment. "I have no near relatives," she said at last, "but I shall -adopt two little children, a, boy and a girl, that I know of, ro'Iè then perhaps I shall have a. little villa built for me at Villemomble and go ithere Mme. Hofer, it appears, bought three lotterv tickets, Nos. 2,171, 2,172, and 2,174. She had the ticket 2,173, but rejected it because 13 occurred in it. No. 2,174 was the winning number.

IRISH FARMERS ATTACK TROOPS. I ARTILLERYMEN SERIOUSLY INJUtlED. A serious affray between local farmers and a squad of men of the Royal Garrison Artillery has taken place at Fort Dunroo, Lough Swilly, as the result of which one of the soldiers Hes in hospital in a precarious condition, and two others ,are suffering from more or less serious wounds. The cause of the trouble is otecmre. The Sol-diers were .crossing a-field, when a horse which was tethered there got loose. According to evidence given at the magisterial investigation the other day the injured men and Gunner Stephens caught the -animal and handed it over to a woman. The farmers then appeared on the scene. Rightly or wrongly, they were of opinion that the soldiers had been injuring the crops and abusing the horse. The farmers were greatly incensed, and an angry altercation was followed by blows. Soon a miniature battle was in progress. The farmers fought with their fisits and cudgels, and as the military were greatly outnumbered, they had eventually to take to flight. One of them, Gunner King, was badly battered about the lilead, and his depositions have been taken. Four men were arrested on suspicion of Deiug concerned in the affair, and three of them were remanded, the fourth being discharge -==

Thomas Melville, one of the oldest twins in the world, has died at St. An M-W e age of ninety-four. His twin brother is etill alive at Cupar, Fife. William E. Pollard, manager and secretary of the Huddersfield Brick, Tile, and Stone Com- pany, Limited', pleaded ,^>T>e'?? ino elevieox pounds odd! at Huddersnmd- Polioenxjurt, &nd was sentenced to tnontUis hard lahour*

NEWS IN A NUTSHELL. Mohammed Abd-el-Kadr, a grandson of the famous Abd-el-Kadr who led the Algerian armies against the French, is working as a coal- miner in Sacre Madame Collieries, Belgium. The bodies of two workmen of Grindewald- von Aarburg, a smith, and Signer, a joiner- who set out to make the ascent of the Jungfrau, have been found on the Guggi glacier. Mrs. R. Goodyer, aged seventy-four, who was knocked down and dragged along the road by a tramcar, obtained P-600 damages from the Cardiff Corporation at Swansea Assizes. There are no hopes of her being restored to health. On the German railways henceforth special compartments will be reserved for passengers travelling with their dogs. Two thousand Hungry reservists attacked and sacked the grocers' shops and restaurants at Gora Kalwarja, near Warsaw, in Poland. While swimming at midnight in a rough sea at Brighton, Brougham Baker, a painter's labourer, was forced by the waves against a groyne and drowned. Mr. Mayer, Attorney-General for New York- State, is bringing 49 actions of account against former officers and directors of the New York Equitable Life Assurance Co. Their balloon falling on the roof of the palace near the Champs Elysees, M. de Sauniere and a journalist were rescued from a perilous posi- tion by firemen.. Dutch troops have been landed at Badjoewa, the capital of the Prince of Boni in the Celebes Island's, where, in. consequence of a native re- bellion, they have razed the fortifications. The lease by the Berwick Corporation to the Government of the ancient bell tower from which in olden days the alarm was given on ithe approach of the Scots has been finally sealed. A young man who appeared before the Brent- ford magistrates in his shirt sleeves was told by the chairman that his conduct was "most disrespectful, very disreputable, and indecent." A group of military decorations awarded to Trumpet-Major Kells, one of the King's Beef- eaters, who died a few weeks ago, was sold at Messrs. Glendinning's igalleries. His Victoriai Cross, won in 1857, wais knocked down for £ 67. The Lindsey (Lincolnshire) County Council is offering to send a. limited number of young farmers or farmers' sons, between the ages of sixteen and thirty, for a ten weeks' course of instruction at jthe Midland Agricultural Institute, which has a 200-acre farm attached. Gloves to avoid leaving finger impressions were worn by a gang of four burglars sen- tenced at Clerkenwell to terms varying from five years' penal servitude to eighteen months' hard labour, for breaking into jthe shop of Albert) Clothier, of Upper-street, Islington. Through the shop shutters a policeman saw the thieves crawling about the flool. He had the premises surrounded, and the four were cap- tured'. At Easjt G-arston, Wilts, a constable, whilst returning from some sports, dropped a bag of valuables, including money. Next morning a resident farmer informed the constable that his (the farmer's) dog had been found on the doorstep with a bag beside him, which he had found and brought home. It was the constable's own bag, with iitis contents intact. The dog has been rewarded with a smart new collar. "The workmen," said a barrister in the City of London Court, "call the Workmen's Com- pensation Act 'half starvation instead of 'half compensation. At Lambeth-court, a consitable produced a plan of a building during the hearing of a case in which he was giving evidence. "I should recommend you not to stay in the police, but to go in for surveying. It's a capital plan," said the magistrate. A perplexed father, whose son was charged at Brewi-ford. with stealing fruit, hinted that some advice :from the Bench as to what parents should do with mischievous children during the holidays -would) be acceptable. The chairman would not undertake the task. In the Shore ditch County-court, a defendant appeared in a, very ragged suiit of clothes, and said he could not pay. Plaintiff: "Those clothes are not the usual ones he wears, your honour. He dresses very flash when he is out with his pale." His Honour: "Yes; but it is usual for them to dress up to come and see me." Tunbridge Wells proposes to make "spotted fever" a notifiable disease. Alfred Fossick, solicitor, Maidenhead, con- victed a.t Reading Assizes of fraudulent con- version of truest property, has been struck off the rolls. Appeal was made by the Duke of Grafton at Ixworth (.Suffolk) against the raising of the assessment of shooting rights in the parish of' Barnham, on the Euston estate, from C243 to 9 £ 729. The magistrates fixed the assessment at JS430. The King's Gold Medal, awarded to the student at King Edward the Seventh Grammar School, King's Lynn, who shows the greatest general proficiency, has been won this year by Percy George Bales, of Fakenham, who will be personally decorated by the King in the autumn. It is computed by a person who has had large experience in trials for murder that the cost of the Devereux trial will not be less than £ 4000, and most probably nearer £ 5000. Mr. John Thorpe, who has recently died at Abbey-lane, Swineshead, in Lincolnshire, at the age of ninety-two, was bom in the house where ■he died, and had resided in it all his life. Lord Jersey, speaking at a friendly society gathering at Middleton, said that the reason why the English race succeeded all over the world was because we were prepared to make sacrifices in order to provide for an evil day, and we managed our own affairs. For boys who are not strong, a regular course of light physical exercise has been started at Blunder's School, Tiverton, with the object of developing them in Ihe directions needed. At no other pitbli-c school in the country is there sudb a class in existence as yet. An old man of eighty-two, named Smith, with a record of over forty years spent in gaol, and now alleged by the police to be a trainer of young thieves, was ordered six months' i™!Pri?5)J1" ment at North London as a "euspect." The magistrate regretted that he had not the power to keep Smith in the workhouse for the rest of his life. Of two men sent for trial from North London the other day, on a charge of burglary in a flat at certain "mansions," one was the caretaker of ,the mansions. At Bath, just opposite the gates of the city's laareesit cemetery, there is an advertisement hoarding. The uppermost notice proclaims the charms of a particular kind of intoxicant; the next the address of an undertaker. A second oteam-er is about to be placed upon Lake Ti'ticaca, which is 12,000ft. above, the sea level in the Andes of Peru. The first steamer, which was built by Earle's, at Hull, was sent out piecemeal, and is now being reconstructed upon the shores of the lake. Irritated by the passing of two traction engines with, heavy loads attached, Judge Russell at the Wandsworth County-court said it was not a very desirable building in which he had to en- deavour to administer justice, for it was difficult to hear counsel or anybody else. It was little short of a scandal to compel him to sit in such a place. Lord Windsor has arranged to lay the founda. tion stone on August 16 of the Missions to Seamen Church, and Institute, which is being built at Barry Docks, South Wales, for the use of crews of all nationalities frequenting that large and growing coal port. "For two months I have been feeding my four-months-old' child on nursery biscuits soaked in milk," admitted iat mot/her at an inquest at Islington, whereupon the Coroner made some strong remarks upon the increasing number of deaths through the improper feeding of infants.