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

CLUB WINDOW. To salute him with the left hand is to insult the Mohammedan in the East. < < Scales are now constructed so delicately that a pencil signature written on a piece cf paper can be weighed. The shark holds the record for long-distance swimming. One of these creatures has been known to cover 800 miles in three days. » While in prison, a convict, who was a stone- mason, carved the stone pulpit in the prison chapel at Wormwood Scrubbs. » Whistling, according to some physicians, will do much toward the development of a robust physical frame. » < < In the Tyrol the Government still pays for the extermination of poisonous snakes. It is the one European Government which now does so. Paris spends -020,000 a year to keep her trees in order, and to plant new ones. Every street of a certain width is entitled to a row of trees on either side, while every street of a certain greater width has a double row. < 100,000 bales of cotton would, in 1800, have lasted the Lancashire mills for a year; now the same amount only feeds their spindles for a day and a quarter. » < A large brain does not necessarily indicate in- tellect. The brain of an illiterate person has been found to weigh more than those of the most cele- brated scientists, poets, and philosophers. Mr. George Meredith prefers his verges to his stories. o < Sir Gorell Barnes's colleague, Mr. Justice Bar- grave Deahe, is an enthusiastic Volunteer. He was appointed to the command of the 21st Middle- sex in 1888. < The favourite hobby of the Rev. R. J. Campbell, of the City Temple, is his garden. < Mr. Pinero had his first play produced when he was 22, at which time he had been three years on the stage. • • « Mr. Stephen Phillips, who is busy with a new play, was formerly an army tutor. He has also had experience as an actor in the provinces. ? Mr. John Morley has never taken much inte- rest in athletica, but he played football while at school » < Mr. Alfred Lyttelton, the ex-Colonial Secretary, is an accomplished musician. » » If the paper on which there is black-lead pencil writing is covered with a thin coating of white of egg or varnish, the pencil-marks will be rendered permanent. < < Mr. Mark Twain, who has been many things in his time, was once a soldier. But his period of service extended over five weeks only! < < < The wealthiest member of the Irish party in the House of Commons is Mr. John Redmond. e Mr. Hall Caine seldom sits down at a desk when he is in the throes of novel production. He almost invariably writes on his knee. Fifteen hundred words a day is the limit of his output. At the age of fifteen Sir Edward Elgar was sent to occupy a stool in a lawyer's office. After twelve months in this situation he left to take up music. < The King of the Hellenes, whose recent visit to this country has caused his subjects much satis- faction, is a model ruler. On his arrival at Athens after having been made King, he announced that he had selected as his motto the following maxim: lgv Ptrength is in the love of my people." t Plants sometimes display what might be called intelligence. If, during a dry season, a bucket of water be placed near a growing pumpkin or melon, in the course of a few days the plant will turn from its course, and get a'1 least one of its leaves in the water. ff 4I!. • The King of Spain, whose engagement will, it is expected, be officially announced shortly, can speak three languages besides his own—English, French, and German. A fact not generally known is that his youthful Majesty is a capable boxer. ? The German Emperor's orders and decorations, which are valued at about a quarter of a million pounds, accompany him on his journeys and voyages, hunting expeditions alone excepted. They are in the constant care of a court official. There are over 200 crosses, badges, and stars in all. Dr. Frederic Cowen, the composer, works long and feverishly at each musical task until it is com- pleted and he is exhausted. He then takes a long interval of rest. He employs his leisure largely with books, of which he has a fine collection, and he is fond of entertaining his friends with im- promptu verses. • • • Lord Minto, who has recently arrived in India to take up his duties as Viceroy, is the third ex-Governor-General of Canada who, within the last fifteen years, has been selected to fill a position which has often been described as the greatest office a British subject can occupy." it Mr. Pelham Warner, who is captaining the team of English cricketers in South Africa, holds some unorthodox views on the game at which he is such an adept. Although well off himself, he was quite willing some years ago to become a professional. j Prince Arthur of Connaught, who is proceeding to Japan on a special mission to the Mikado to confer the Order of the Garter upon his Imperial Majesty, is a general favourite. He has a lovable disposition, is close upon six feet in height, and. although young, is celebrated for his tact. # # • Sir Wilfrid Lawson's views as regards total abstinence run in the family, and seem to come by way of hereditary succession. Sir Wilfrid's largo family are all abstainers, whilst the first barone., of that name was a strong advocate of total abstinence when drunkenness was regarded among all classes as merely a matter for jest. < It is not generally known that sixteen out of fcbe twenty-one English coronations that occurred between William II. and Elizabeth, both inclusive, were held on a Sunday. For each of the five ex- ceptions there was a special reason. After the time of Elizabeth not a single coronation took place on that day. • • • Mr. Horace Avory, K.C., has a quick and sting- ing repartee. A hardened criminal at the Old Bailjey once listened to a very uncomplimentary description, by Mr. Avory, of his character and past record. With a simulation of being hurt, he interrupted at last: You will be accusing me of murder next!" The counsel stopped in his recapitulation, and turned over a few papers. Then, in Jus cold, matter-of-fact manner, he asked: To wbicb murder do you refer ? I have here parti- culars of three m which it is said you have been concerned." lnat prisoner was silent for the rest of the hearmg. • # Mr. David Devant, the well-known conjurer and illusionist, tells an amusing story of a predicament in which he once found himself when he was in the act of doing a certain trick with an egg. He stepped down from the platform with a dish con- taining several eggs in hiS hands, and invited a member of the audience to select two eggs. His request being acceded to, he endeavoured, on his return to the stage, to break one of the eggs to prove that it was a genuine one. He cracked the shell, but nothing issued from it. He ta-ied anotherwith a similar result, and then the horr ible truth revealed itself. A kind-hearted lady, who was greatly interested in the performance, and who had provided the eggs, had boiled them hnrd, fearing that if Mr. Devant were to accidentally drop a raw egg he would be laughed at.

STRANGE AND WONDERFUL, j Music from the Clock. One of the masterpieces of musical clocks has been completed for the Emperor of China, in whose palace,- 'besides pointing out the correct time, it playa selections with a fully-equipped automatic orchestra. It is pronounced) the .most joomplete musical automaton in the world, having eight divisions, each of which has a repertoire of eight melodies. All the pieces played by this musical clock were selected by the Emperor himself, and consi&t of forty foreign and twenty-four Chinese airs. Kissing among the Maoris. Prior to the introduction of missionaries and! photographers to New Zealand1, the Maori woman was practically ignorant as to the points which constituted! a 'beauty. In the old native legends the charm and graico of certain chiefs' daughters are mentioned. But beyond one or two great chiefs' daughters the women did not bother about their personal charms. Beauty in the old! days went only with high rank, and was considerably assisted by fine feathers. THE MAORI KISS. I Kissing, as we know it, brings no blush to thft maiden's cheek, nor would she thank her brave were he to greet her with the soft kiss of European fame. Nose rubbing is their form of salutation, and when two friend's meet they hold each other by their hands, ihend their heads until their noses touch, and then rub them gently from side to side. This form of greeting is not confined to the women, but is practised by the men they seldom meet without rubbing noses. Make Good Wives. In times of lamentation the Maori women will sit for hours with their noses touching, and moan for the loss of some chief whom they have in all probability never seen. The loss of a brother or friendl is enough to start them off for days, all moaning and howling piteously. They are essentially a sympathetic race, and' the sorrows of one are the sorrows of all. But in spite of these peculiarities the Maori woman is a splendid creature, and' many a white man has found' an excellent wife among them. An Interesting Craft. A number of floating playhouses may be seen on some of the rivers of Europe and America, but the largest and most novel is that known as the Mod&rn Temple of Amusement, which plies the Ohio and Illinois and-, Mississippi rivers during the summer months. This unique theatre has a seating capacity for 1,000 persons. It boasts of boxes, stalls, a pit, and an orchestra. In addition, the vessel iG sufficiently large to admit of numerous sleeping rooms for the actors, the dIe-ck hands, and all those connected A FLOATING THEATRE. j with either the show or the boat. This interest* ing craft makes a journey of 2,500 miles every summer. Th& 'boat starts at Pittsburg, and visits the towns of the, coal miners and steel workers, along the Monongahela river. Next it turns and1 goe& down the Ohio. river, and later up the. Illinois river, finally making its way to the Mississippi. The boat carries a complete electric plant, and) at night the theatre is not only brilliantly iUuminated1, but a searchlight is made to flash its beams over the surround- ing country. The theatre is well patronised. In the Depths of the Sea. Great interest is being manifested in the scientific experiments in deep-sea fishing con- ducted by Prince Albert of Monaco, who has been fexploring, the ocean with remarkable results. By means, of great nets. constructed in hexagonal iand, triangular shape the Prince has been able to capture most curious living creatures at a depth 0. two or three miles. I THE TRIANGULAR NET. Our illustration shows the great triangular net with which many of the most remarkable captures have been made hoisted out in readiness for lowering. It is very heavily framed in ordie-r to withstand the enormous pressure to which it is subjected at extreme depths. A cuttle fish was brought up from a depth of nearly a mile beneath the surface of the sea. Pulpit Made from Church Pews. A pulpit made :om the ends of "ca,st-offH pews can be seen in use at the pretty village j church of St. Andrew, Tywa<rdreath, Cornwall, I where it always attracts a-nd interests the many visitors v-ho stroll to that charming village from Fowey or neighbouring towns. The church, which was. built in 1347, underwent a renovation some years ago, so far as its internal fittings were concerned. The old pews were splendidly carved! at the ends, and when they were discarded for more modern pews it was felt it would be a pity if this excellent carving was lost or destroyed'. So a capable carpenter set to work, and! he actually made the present pulpit and lectern at Tywardreath Church from the disused' ends of those old pews!

The War Office have decided to equip the, Brigade of Guards and the first six Infantry brigades with the new short rifle. For biting the finger of a constable who was 2 t, taking ham to the police station for being dig- orderly, John was ordered at the Thames Court to pay a3. Dressmakers in Manchester havang worked beyond legal hours in order to finiidh dresses for Paultomaimie performers in tame, their em- pSoyefris have been fined fire shillings each in seventeen cases.

DEATH OF LORI) iaTOHlE. I A DISTINGUISHED CAREER. I The dteath took place from paralysis a.t Biarritz at noon on Tuesday of Lord Ritchie of Dundee. News which came to hand that his lord- ship had been stricken with sudden and serious ill- ness prepared his many friends for the intel- ligence of his death. Lord Ritchie was staying at Biarritz as the guest of the Earl of Dudley, and the stroke of paralysis occurred three days ago. From the moment of the attack he never spoke, and appeared to have lost all consciousness. On Monday his condition became worse, and a specialist was summoned1 from Bordeaux. His services were, however, unfortunately, without avail. The late peer, who had been known in the political world for many years as Mr. C. T. Ritchie:, was the fourth son of the late Mr. William Ritchie, of Rockhill, Broughty Ferry, an elder brother of his being'Sir J. T. Ritchie, late Lord Mayor. He was born at Dundee, in 1838, and was educated' privately and at the City of London School. He married Margaret, the daughter of Mr. Thomas Ower, of Perth. She died last year. By her the late peer has had1 two sons who survive and several daughters. He sat as one of the members (Conservative) for the Tower Hamlets from 1874 to, 1885, and represented St. George's-in-the-East from 1885 to 1892. In 1895 he was returned1 for Croydbn, I which borough he represented until the bestowal of his peerage about a month ago. He was Secretary to the Admiralty in 1885-86, President of the Local Government Board from 1886 until 1892, and of the Board of Trade from 1895 until 1900, in which yea.r he became Home Secretary. Relinquishing this post in 1902, he was appointed to the important office of Chancellor of the Exchequer, only to resign in the follow- ing year, as the result of divisions in the late Cabinet with regard! to fiscal policy. Lord Ritchie held the Lord Rectorship of Aberdeen in 1902, and had been an Ecclesiastical Com- missioner for England since 1901. He took a keen interest in the Volunteer movement, and was hon. colonel of the 1st V.B. Royal West Surrey Regiment. Immediately on receipt of the news of the death of Lord Ritchie the flag of the Consti- tutional Club at Croydion was placed at half- mast. Just before leaving for France he delivered his last address to the members of the club, bidding them what proved to be a, last good-bye. Mr. Arnold'-Forster, at an election meeting in the Public Hall, Croydon, on Tuesday even- ing, alluded to Lord Ritchie's death. He said that, as one who aspired to occupy the place in the House of Commons filled by the late Lord Ritchie, he could not speak in Croydon without mentioning his lordship, who was kind- ness itself, and was always a friend and always ready to help and advise him. I

BURIED IN AVALANCHES. I Heavy snow has fallen on the Upper Alps, causing numerous avalanches. About twenty girls, whose ages ranged from fifteen to eighteen, belonging to a Lausanne boarding school, while making a mountain excursion, were over- whelmed 'by an avalanche on the mountain road of the Bernese Oberland. The whole company, and the horses and sledges, were buried, only some heads and arms 'being seen above the mass of snow. Fortunately, the avalanche was of small dimensions, and most of the girls were able to exiricate themselves. Four, however, com- pLetely disappeared, but assistance arrived from the village, and after a little time the missing girls were all recovered alive. 11 In the Bavarian Alps a party of about twelve ski-runners, amongst whom were three ladiies, was overwhelmed! by an iaivalanchte and swept into a woodl. The trees luckily proved strong enough to stop the avalanche, and there were no fatalities. Several members of the party were considerably injured. AI iIIØ!Iit !II

First Labourer: oCC What.. th&ta. boss mean by 'Hoora, hurra'?". Second! Labourer: "Not hoora,' but' hurry., That means he wants- yeh to work faster." First labourer: "I sorry I aska." Boibby'» father had given him a ten-cent piece And a quarter of a- dollar, telling: him he might put one or the other on."the contribution pl&te. "Which did you give, Bfeibisyihis> father asked when the boy came home trom church. Wll, father, I thought -at tr", -I ought to put in- the quarter," saidf Bobby, "but then justwin time I mmierabered The Lord lo,'fetÀ:&ebeerfultÐ"e,' and I knew I couMI the tan-cent paece a great deal more oheerfully. 5Q L out that AD.

FAMOUS ANIMAL PAINTER. I In the days when black and white work was not so familiar to the public as now, the animal and bird pictures of Harrison Weir on the old wood blocks were welcome illustrations in many a publication. The. artist whose death is now announced in his 82nd year was the only sur- viving member of the original staff of the "IIlus- trated! London News," and he was also one of the oldest members of the Savage Club. He was a man of exceptional vigour to the last. His picturesque and- alert figure, with his soft < THE LATE MR. HARRISON WEIR. I ihat and a feather always jauntily stuck in tbe brim, will be sadly missed. He was a writer 116 well as an artist. Perhaps the best known, as it is also the most considerable of his works, is "Our Poultry and All About Them," with ita many eolouoodl pictures. and black and white drawings.

Captain. T. Stephens, captain of the Cunard liner Umbria, has retired undier the age limit after thirty-one years' service. He has crossed the Atlantic nearly 300 times, has been rewtardjed for saving life at sea, and has received public recognition for bravery in subduing fixes which occurred on two of the ships which he commanded. I

COUNTRY NOTES. The Eyes of Fish. A protested or cased eye which very newly approaches a glass eye—or, at any rate, an eye in glass—is to be found in fish. From the character of the element in which they live and the subdued light that reaches them, fish have no need of eyelids either to wiasn the eye or protect it from glare, and, therefore, eyelids are absent; but some of them need the protection of the transparent, horny, convex cases which defend their eyes without obstructing the eight. Teeth of Animals. The first thing that strikes one on looking at the skull of a rabbit or squirrel or rat is the grea/t gap on eaoh side of the jaws, which looks ae if the animal had lost a tooth or two on each side, and, as if fo compensate for this, the incisor teeth, reduced from six to two in each jaw, are extremely latrge and chisel-shaped, ad- minaMy adapted to the puipoee for which thel are required, namely, cutting bark off trees and. shrubs, slicing pieces out of turnips, and nib- bling grass and other herbage. Wading Bird. The moorhen, a. little more than a foot long, with brownisih plumage above and dark grey bellow, has the base of the bill carried up on to the forehead, there forming a "frontal plate." It frequents ponds rather than running streams, resorting to the latter chiefly when the standing water is frozen over. There are two- and some- times three broods in the season, end the birds FFHE MOORHEN. of the first will help the parents la nest-building and in oaring for 'the second brood. Allied to the moorhens are the purple gollimules, showy- looking birds, with brilliant blue metallic plum- age, contrasting strongly with their red lege and frontal shields'. Snake Poison. The poison of cobras is very deadly, and if a person is bitten by one whose poison-glands are prerfjtv full, medical treatment is of little use. The number of deaths every year in India from the bite of these reptiles is very large, but the efforts of the Europeans to diminish the number of cobras are rendered powerless by the natives, who regard these creatures with veneration. It was formerly believed that the natives bred them for the sake of the Government reward for their heads. This seems improbaible, though Dr. Guillemard tells a story of a Dutchman in the MiaLay Archipelago who kept a kind of crocodile farm,. He had staked off a small reach of the river, where these animals multiplied at a rapid ra;te, and their heads brought him two dollars apiece. A Piebald Fox. A somewhat unusually coloured fox is among the new arrivals at the "Zoo" Gardens, where it may be ,seen in one of the. dens facing the Lion House. Pale-furred foxes, white foxes, and al- bino foxes are by no means uncommon but this animal is piebald. The whole of the under-parts, and a good deal of the rest of the body, are White; the head, back, and part of the "brush" being marked with great, patches of brown, of the usual "foxy" tint. This animal is unusual, but it is not n early so good-looking as a normally Tine-iv* W,. or was a little while back, m the Gardens a very-<p*j«_fnrrvil fox, the general hue of whose pelage was a kind of creamy white. Abnormally coloured cubs often occur in litters of which 'the other members have nothing unusual in their appearance. The Moth as a Mimic. An interesting case of protective mimicry is related by Mr. G. H. Cotton, of Hiram, ouio, in an American scientific journal. One day he ob- served the. stuib of a branch projecting from the trunk of a young cherry-tree which he had re- cently pruned, and, wondering how he had THE MOTH ON THE TREE. overlooked it, drew ou,t his pocket-knife to cut it away, but found that he had startled a moth. The insect was attached by its head to the bark, which it closely resembled, and at the uisual angle of the branches' as shown in .the sketch above. Moreover, the abdomen being white resembled the end of a decaying branch. Flower Fertilisation. Lord Avefbury, in his new book, has something interesting to say on the fertilisation of flowers. He remarks thait it is that flowers which are fertilised by night-flying insects would derive no advantage from being open by day; and on the other hiand, that those which are fertilised by bees would gain nothing by being open at night. Nay, it would be a distinct disadvantage, be- cause it would render them liable to be robbed of stihedr honey and pollen by insecte which are not capable of fertilising them. It may be observed also that wind-fertilised flowers do not sleep, and that. some of these flowers which attract in- Becrts by smell emit their scent at particular hours. Taking Honey By Force. H. Muller observed a bumble-bee (B. terrestrds) come to one of these flowers and lick the base of the sepa-Ls. Finding no honey there, she tried the petal, but 'her proboscis was too short, and, after thrusting her head as far as it would go and vainly trying to reach the honey, she gave it up, want round to the end of the spur, bit a hole through, and so was able to suck the honey. After this she visited several other flowers, and with- out losing time by trying other means of access at once bit h<aies in the spurs. Lord Avebury says that he has found alaiosit all the columbines in his garden thus bit,ten through. The mig- nonette keeps its honey in a cliosed box "the lid of which must be prized up before it can be removed.

observing, my son !» said Willie's father. Cultivate the habit of seeing, and you will be a successful man." "Yes," added uncle. Don t go through the world blindly, l^earu to ues your eyes." Little boys who are observing know a great deal more than those who arae not," Willie's aunt put in. Willie took their advice to heart. A day passed, and once more be stood before the family council. Well, Willie," said his father, have you been using your eyes?" The boy nodded. Tell us what you've learned." Unc&e Jim's got a bottle of whisky hid behind his trunk," Willie, "Aunt Jennie's got an extra set of teeth in her dresser, and pa's got a pack of cards and a box of chips behind the books in. the eecretarv, '■ dresser, and pa's got a. pack of cards and a box of chips behind the books irl the isecretarv. The little sneak!" exclaimed the family^

POSTMAN HONOURED BY THE KING. The King was busy on Tuesday at Bucking- ham Palace. Among his numerous visitors was ham Palace. Among his. numerous visitors was a young Stirlingshire postman, who, some months ago, saved the liie of a man who fell in front of an incoming train. His Majesty highly commended the postman's bravery, and pinned to his breast the Albert Medal. The act for which Mr. John Wardrop Thom- son, the postman in question, was awarded the Royal Albert Medal (2nd Class) is thus officially described: — "On the night of Saturday, October 21 last, Thomson was on duty at the Stirling Railway station, when he heard shouts to the effect that a man was lying on the line. He ran to the spot .and saw an intoxicated man lying across the metals. An engine was approaching rapidly, but, without hesitation, Thomson sprang to the man's assistance, and both men disappeared from view as the engine pass-ad by. The railway officials and passengers on the platform who wit- nessed the occurrence thought that both men had been run over, especially as another engine y passed by almost at the same moment on the next line of rails. Thomson had, however, managed to drag the man on to the six-foot way, and both men escaped, the rescued man, who is of heavy build, being unhurt, while Thomson received some cuts about the face."

I SUICIDE IN COURT. The Palais de Justice at Meaux has been the theatre of- a divorce tragedy. M. Gustavo Jjelievne, acommereiil traveller, from whom hit- wife sought a separation, appeared at court, where the magistrate made the usual attempt to conciliate the But Mme. lellevye, who is -deaf and dumb, remained unshakable in her resolution. She indicated to the magistrate that she had left her husband some time ago, and did not intend to. go back to him. Her refusal so upset the husband that with a gesture of despair he produced a revolver and in the presence of his wife and mother-in-law ditscharged it in the region of his heart. He < was removed! to a hospital in a. dying condition.

DOG AND CAT SLAUGHTER A lively panic reigns in the village of Piedramillera, in the district of Pampelune. A mad: cat having bitten a number of other cats the hydrophobia. was communicated to the dogs of the place, to such an extent that the governor of the province, when informed' of the situation, ordered the destruction of all the cats and dogs. Since Sunday the village has been under arms. Every man carries; a rifle, revolver, or hayfork, and the unfortunate dogs and cats, condemned by the ordinance of the. governor, are pitilessly slaughtered.

Durrng the stay at Kiel of the British cruiser, Sapphire, the ship was in wireless co-munica- tiorl with poxtamuul every night after ten Ailitbough ooaly thirty-one yeans of age, a Northampton ahioe-laeter who answered an ad- ineirtisement for a "tapper" was informed that he was "too oM." Directed! by ia faint pencil note on the fly- led of an ancient volume, the new tenant of a Hertfordshire farmhouse found forty spade guineas wrapped! in a silk drees under the iloor,

POPULAR SCIENCE. SIMPLY SOLVED. Supposing, in order to ascertain the cost of poeitage, we want (to weigh a letter, and we have no soaks. Wh-at shall we do? Why, in the Inlanner indicated by the diagram, "home-make" a fealance for ounsettves. Finst, we take the case part of an ordinary wooden match-box and, WIML our penknife, cut this in halves lengthwise as evenly as possible. We then place our pen- knife on its baek on the table, wi,th big blade open, and on the edge of that blade proceed to hiaiance a flat ruler, small paperknife, or other similar article. Our half mateh-boxee we then place on the ruler, one at each end- as shown—to form the "trays" of our scales. But what shall we do for weights? The diagram directa us. A halif-icrown, it telle, is equal tc HOW TO WEIGH A LETTER. ha.1f an ounce; a five shilling piece does duty foi a one-ounce weight. And thus, wit.li the letter to fee dealt with resiting on one "tray," and the coin, or gently placed on the other, we can easily and accurately wedgb. "for post." THE LITTLE CHARRED FILAMENT. It is remarkable that the success of the greatest of worfd changing inventions depends on some little tiling (that a child could blow away with its breath. But for the lititle charred fila- moot tlhrut treaaMe& in the bulb of an incandes- cent lamptlie, vast fortunes imveslted in dynamo plants would be wasted. The .big machines of hundreds of thousands! of horse power employed in illuminating the cities of the counter depend on these very spider weib loops and corkscrews that become iiucandescent when the current is turned on and flood dwellings and palaces with splendour. A still more startling fact appears in the success of the big guns of the, na.vy. But for the little hairlike Tineii in the telescopes that sight the guns the mawksn-hen could trot get effec- tive aim and the fort or waans'hip could not be demolished. Much has been writ.ten of the nec,elssity of wal-ohite with big guns and unerring anarlasimaDs'hip. The successful application of telescopic sights to naval guns is the key to all great naval victories. It is said no individual part of the mechanism of a batt-leshlip has re- ceived more attention than 'the perfection, of the telescope eights of the guns. At eight thousand yards an ironclad appears scarcely larger than a speck on the horizon. It takes a powerful telescope to insure accumte, aim and destructiva fire from the guns- The finest of spider web wires are placed in the centre of the telescope, one horizontal and two perpendicular, and through the little slit thus formed the gunner aims his projectile at the vital part of the enemy's ship. AN AUTOMOBILE BOAT. The automobile racing boalz cause more dis- turbance in the water and trail behind them a larger wake than any other boats of their size in the world. The photograph reproduced here- CRACK MOTOR. with shows the extraordinary dislturbance in the water produced by the crack motor boalt Antoinette III. while going at full speed. The picture is an unusual one, since it has caught i6 the boat from a point directly above it. RESOLING A BOOT. For resoling a bootwhen the old sole is worn out, an ingenious system haa been devised by a London inventor, who has made a special kind of boot in which the outer, sole is attached to the inner sole by means of brass screws inserted in a series of eyelet holes round the welt. When it is required to attach a new sole, the worn sole is simply unscrewed and the new one is,ub- stituted. In the case of the heel, the screws are driven into holes in the under surface of the heel, eo that not only do the-screws fulfil the function of attaching the nfew heel, but con- stitute efficient protectors w we-U. The attach- able sole&,aud hee1& are standardised in various sizes, and ca-ii be placed on the market ready for instant attachment. The process of soling and heeling a hoot can be accomplished in five minutes. The idea is especially applicable to soldiers' boots, where the foot-covering is subject to constant and heavy wear. The main advan- -tage of the device is that po time is lost during the repair of the boot. The American military department has ordered samples- of the new boot, and proposes to subject them -to, severe trial by men on active eervioe. COLOURS IN ENGINEERING. Colours used by -technical draughtsmen in engineering are thus enumerated in the "En- fineer." For cajst-iron, grey; wrought-iron, 'russdan blue; steel, purpie |lake and blue); braes, yellow; copper, red yellow; lead, thin black; brickwork, lake and sienna; concrete, pale wash of sienna or yellow sprinkled with black; green iisuaed lor white metal and india- rubber. MOTOR-CAR DRIVING CHAINS. Motor-car driving ehainis rarely receive suffi- cien)t attention to pevent undue wear. They are more exposed to. dust and grit than any other wearing parts, and more superficial application of lubricant does not reach the roller studs, on whichtho most wear comes. The chains should be tafcen off several ti-mesl each season, and, after being soaked in. paraffin overnight, and wiped clean, should be immersed for half an hour in a melted mixture of about 81b. of tallow, 21'b. of flake graphite, and lqt. of cylinder oil. After allowing them to drain, replace them in position, and* then coa-t the outer surfaces with dry graphite. I • r

I RUSSIA'S TROUBLES. I General Sollohub, Governor-General of the Baltic Provinces, has telegraphed to Count Witte from Riga that a detachment sent b, him to Windiau has arrested the local Social Democratic Committee. Three of the aixteee chief ringlea-ders (says Reuter's Agency) wera killed and one seriously wounded in attempting to escape. General SoUohub has delegated hi& powers in the districts of Werro and Walk tc General Orloff, in the districts of Dorpat and Fell in to General Klotchenko, and in the towiz of Riga and the remaining part of Livonia, te M. Zveguintzoff, the Governor of Livonia. Martial law was proclaimed at Rostoff-on-Don on the 6th inst. The suburb of Tem-Ernyk was occupied by Cossacks after having been as:saulted by artillery and infantry for six days. The revolutionaries were completely beaten. In reply to a deputation of citizens who came to ask for the abrogation of martial law owing to the approaching Duma elections, the Governor-General at Warsaw declared that martial law had! been proclaimed in order to guarantee the security of peaceful citizens and to keep in check Socialists, Anarchists, and revolutionaries who. were endeavounng to prevent the elections and continue the riots. For these reasons the abrogation of martial law was impossible. On Sunday morning a party of Socialists shot deadi the chief of the tramcar shops in Warsaw. The chief of the district police at Novominsk, in the Government of Warsaw, has also been shot dead' by Socialists.

FRANCE AND GERMANY. ) THE KAISER'S POLICY. I Germany has, made, her reply to France on the Morocco, question by issuing a White-book. It is hoped. that the book will counteract the effect produced on international public opinion by the French Yellow-book on the same subject. The new book is intended to prove three important points connected with the contro- versy. Firsit, that the policy of the German Government regarding Morocco has not been inconsistent; second), that Germany had legitimate grounds for believing that the French envoy to Fez claimed to have a mandate from all Europe to force the French programme of reforms on the Maghzen; and third, that Germany seeks no exceptional advantages for herself in Morocco, but desires merely to uphold the policy of the open door to all the Powers. Germany says that France's intention was to bring Morocco' completely under her control. France proposed', in Moroccan army reform, to appoint French officers to all battalion com- mands, while company commanders and, non. commissioned officers were to be Algerians. French police instructors were to be attached to the police in the coast towns. Financially, also, France proposed to take 60 per cent. of the Customs receipts, which usually went towards the yearly quota. for the payment of the loan. Count Tattenbach, the German Envoy to Fez, cleclarød: that this proposal would make the redemption of the loan by any foreign syndicate impossible. France was- also planning to obtain the work of rebuilding the harbours and the appointment of French officials on the coastal telegraph lines. In short, Count Tattenbach declares that by means of the reforms proposed, France would have placed Morocco under her economic control to such an extent that what crumbs of trade were left for others would not be worth the price of competition. Prince Buelow, the; German Chancellor, in the correspondence denies France right to police the interior, and especially those places lying along the Atlantic shores, and expresses the opinion that it would be better if the police reforms in the different districhs; were divided among the Powers. It is hardly likely that the Powers will agree to make of the country a second Macedonia.

RUN TO EARTH! .0 The four murderers of Madame Pouillaude, » wineshop in the Saint Dermis, Pa.ris, nave just ueen Ti. men belonged to "The Band of Dirty Feet, of which Charle-s. Milard was one of the leaders. Milard found that he could not pay his rent, and suggested to his three companions, Le Tutoures, Lizan, and Orth, that they should "do" for Mere Pouillaude, who was his land- lady. "I know where she keeps her money, he added. The murder was arranged, and Milard brought his companions home with him and save them champagne to drink. That same night Milard and Orth peeped intc the wineshop. There was only one customei in, and he left soon. Madame Pouillaude was about to close the shop when the four accom. plices entered in Indian file. They drank and told stories. Then Milard called Mme. Pouillaude, pretending that he wanted to pay her. She approached, and he seized her by the throat and threw her down. Le Tutoure3 cut the pockets of her apron and got her keys. He and Orth ransacked the drawers, while Lizan kept watch, Milard still retaining his grip on the unfortunate woman's throat. Ultimately she died. Her dress was cut from her body; the till was robbed, but only five francs in small money and a spurious five-franc piece were found. The murderers then left, closing the door behind them. "I have a dagger for the man who speaks," threatened Milard. "We have not succeeded to-day, but we shall find something to-morrow." Lizan was first arrested. His three accomplices were soon found. All four have confessed to the murder.