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

DEATH OF SIR J. VAUGHAN. I The death is announced of Sir James Vaughan, who sat at Bow street— and in the now abolished Court on the other side of the street—for thirty-five years, resign- Lng his position in 1899. He was born at Cardiff more than ninety years ago. He was eighty-five when he retired from the Bow-street Bench. His first wife—he had been twice married—was a niece of John Bright. He received knighthood at the of Queen Victoria, in 1897. Sir James presided at the police-court proceedings in several Fenian cases and in connection with the Trafalgar-square riots in 1887, and committed Jabez Balfour for trial in 1895.

BOARDING-HOUSE TRAGEDY. j "Accidental death was the verdict returned at the resumed inquiry before the Marylebone coroner respecting the death of Howard Cary, aged 25, a graduate of Harvard University, and cousin to Lord Fairfax, who on the afternoon of May 4 was found lying, fully dressed in evening attire, in bed at his lodging at Upper George- street, Bryanston-square, W., with a revolver in his right hand, and a bullet wound through the temple, Giving evidence, Lord Fairfax said deceased was the last person in the world he should regard as likely to commit suicide. Prof. Pepper gave it as his opinion that the revolver was at least twelve inches from the head when the shot was fired, which in the case of suicide was a most unusual thing. Mr. Guy Fairfax Cary, of East 45th-street, New York, a brother, said deceased came to Eng- land to become familiar with the English invest- ment market, and the form of English securities. He intended to go on to Paris, Berlin, and pos- sibly Amsterdam, with the same object. Witness said that on the voyage across his father was seized with a paralytic stroke, and was now lying in a serious condition at the Adelphi Hotel Liverpool. Mrs. Cary was in a state of nervous prostration, and was quite unable to make the journey to London.

I MAN'S REMARKABLE SUICIDE. I A saddler named James Philip Anscombe, living at High-street, Lewisham, has committed suicide in a peculiar manner. He undressed, got into bed, and tied his feet together with a strap which he afšo fixed to the bottom of the bed. He then fixed another strap round his neck and to; the top of the bed, drawing it tight by means of a poker, which he twisted in the Btrap ana thus strangled himself. It is supposed that domestic worries led him to commit suicide.

————————-—— The. 850 patients of Melton Asylum, West Suffolk, are costing lees to maintain year by year, in 1903, the cost to unions sending cases was lis. 8d. per head per week, in 1904 it had fallen to lOs*. 6d., to 9s. lid. in 1905, and for the current quarter of this year the cost has been brought down to 9s. 4d. Twenty-seven thousand people visited the Austrian Exhibition at Earl's Court on the open- ing day, and 90,000 passed the. turnstiles during ing the week. Mr. Will Crooks, M.P., is framing a Bill to compel railway and steamship companies to grant members of Parliament free passes be- tween Westminster and their constituencies. The report of the Royal Commission on motor- cars will be issued at Whitsuntide, and the ques- tion whether there shall be a speed limit is likely to be decided, it is rumoured, in favour of a higher limit.

TO BEWITCH THE WITCH. Ellen Hay ward, a widow, aged 70, residing in the Forest of Dean, was charged at Little in the Forest of Dean, was charged at Little Delan Petty Sessions with pretending to be a witch. The case rested on the evidence of a Worcester farmer named Davies, who con- sulted the defendant "because things had gone wrong with his stock," and he himself felt ill "in a mysterious manner." He went to her because he thought that he had been "cast under a spell" by some witch, and; he wanted Mrs. Hayward to "bewitch the witch." The defendant denied being anything more than a herbalist, and the case was dismissed.

MYSTERIOUS MUSIC. Whilo a youth who follows the occupation of l a_"knocker-up" was paying his usua.1 nocturnal visits to arouse railway men at St. Thomas, Exeter, he heard a sudden outburst of religions music at Emmanuel Church at 1.30 a.m., and at .the same time perceived lights burning in the windows of the church. The unusual incident caused the lad to rush off for a policeman, who called up the rector, and the rev. gentleman went to the church to investigate matters. He found that ft was not necessary to use the keys, for the door was open, but there was no sign in the church of any one having been about. The affair caused considerable excitement in the. district.

LADY'S POSTAL RECORD. Mrs. E. M. Cattermoul, who has just re- signedi her poisition as postmistress at Stalham, a small market town in Norfolk, had: held the appointment since March, 1863, when she suc- ceeded her father, who was the first post- master of the town, and had been appointed in 1816. Thus the postmasbership has been in one family for over 90 years, and during all that period hia,s been conducted from the. same premises, which is probably a record in the postal service.

FOR TAPESTRY AND OLD CHINA. Sensational prices were obtained at Christie's room for four lots of old French tapestry. An oblong panel of old Beauvaie, 13ft. long, realised 1900 guineas; a set of six panels of old Beauvais, each about lift, in width, made 4400 guineas a set of five panels of old Beauvais sold for 2220 guineas and a pair of upright panels of old Gobelins were purchased for 500 guineas. At the same sale a pair of old Chinese mandarin vases and covers of the Kien Lung period were purchased1 for 2300 guineas, while a pair of old Chinese octagonal famille rose vases and covers realised' 2150 guineas. A set of seven old Worcester vases, with mottled dark blue ground, were purchased for 2500 guineas, and a set of eight Chippendale mahogany chairs for 1260 guineas.

f, LOST POSTAL ORDERS. In a claim at the Shoreditch County Court, it was urged for the defence that an intalmelit transmitted by postal orders and lost, should he deducted. The Judge said:-If a person writes to another and asks that a Sum of money shall be J forwarded to him by postal order, "then the postal authorities are the agents of the intended receiver of the money, but if a person of his own accord' decides to seii-d another a postal order then he makes the postal authorities his own agents, and if it is lost he must lose the money. Judgment was given for the plaintiff for c6. [

r TO GET OLD-AGE PENSIONS. Mr. G. N. Barnes, M.P., speaking at the South-place Institute, Finsbury, advocated a universal system of oid-age pensions, free from any suggestion of pauperism. He did not be- lieve that the question could be solved by any '.method of voluntary subscription, and the bur- den must be placed on the community as a whole. At the outside the total cost of provid- ing old-age pensions would not be more than £ 10,000,000, or £ 1^,000,000 a year, and to raise isuch a sum he suggested doubling the death i duties, taxing land values, and increasing the [ tax on unearned incomes. f -T

IN the Southwark County Court:—Solicitor: "Your horse was an ordinary horse?—"Yes, an [tOrdinary horse." "A very ordinary horse?"— "No, there was nothing very ordinary about |,him, and nothing very extraordinary. He was a horse." [ There was, said Lord Beauchamp (for the Government) in the House of Lords, no necessity for interference by the authorities with the [ banner Work or Riot," carried by the un- j employed.

I INTERESTING ITEMS. -am Four persons were struck by lightning aft Boulay, near Metz. One was killed, and the faces of the others were painted red. Mr. George Brendon, who ran Brendon's foxhounds largely at his own expense, died at his residence near Bude. At Dunham University the degree of Doctor of Civil Laws was conferred on Baron Takaki, Surgeon-General of the Japanese navy. At a Westminster inquest it was stated that a young couple stood on the Embankment and watched a boy of six drown without making an effort at rescue. A fisherman who was hauling crab pots off the Lizard, was thrown into the water through his boat capsizing. No trace of him could afterwards be found. At the annual general meeting of the Navy League, Mr. Robert Yerburgh, the president, said there were signs of dangerous reductions in our armaments. For loitering outside the railway station at Northampton to the annoyance of the public seven men were bound over for six months, or, failing sureties, sentenced to fourteen days' im- prisonment. From the parapet of Holborn-viaduct a woman fell into Shoe-lane below, and was re- moved to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, with a fractured leg and an injured spine. The value of goods imported from the United Kingdom into Russia in 1905 was about £10,000,000, being 6.2 per cent. less than in 1904. The value of imports from Germany to Russia in the same years was £ 24,520,000, being 3.6 per cent. more than in 1904. The state of the labour market may be gauged from the following advertisement taken from a Hackney newspaper: Man, aged fifty, strong, willing, wants situa- tion any capacity; good character; wages 12s. week.—435, Ormsby-street, Hows-street, Kings- land." Mr. Seddon, the Premier of New Zealand, proposes that the colony should open fish and meat shops to defeat the" rings" which are keeping up the price of food. The new British manager of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York has issued his promised statement to the policy holders of his company. Having come into a large legacy, a pauper in the Towcester Workhouse has offered to repay the amount allowed to him by the guardians, and his offer has been accepted. Leaving Dunkirk on Fridays, a regular weekly t, ateamboat service beween France, Dublin, and Belfast is to be established, and the first boat, says the Irish Times," will sail on May 29. Many valuable pigeons escaped from the Somerset Agricultural Show at Dulverton when the poultry tent blew down, but the majority of them were subsequently recaptured. Well known as a 'cello player who made one of his instruments from cheese-boxes, Mr. Edward Ebden, a Wesleyan preacher, died at Hunworth (Norfolk) at the age of eighty-two years. To test the practicability of travelling at a higher rate than eighty miles an hour, speed trials are being contlucted near Berlin with fast railway engines drawing from three to six car- riages. By the will of Mrs. Rand, an American lady, a considerable sum of money is devoted to the founding of a school of Socialism, to be opened shortly in New York. Previous to sailing on the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse from New York Mme. Yvette Guilbert announced that she expected to return to America in October to appear in a comedy with an English speaking part. For refusing to pay a tramway fare of a penny a defendant at Highgate was fined 2s. 6d. and 16s. 6d. costs. By the will of Count A. Karolyi, of Hungary, who died aged seventy-five, leaving no direct descendants, the sum of CI,200,000 is left to various Hungarian charities. Although bearing a letter from King Alfonso, and with proof of thirty years' Spanish consular service, Don Emmanuel Contravas y Corrke is detained at Ellis Island, the New York emigra- tion quarters, because he has only YY and his relatives will not receive him. A Hampshire magistrate, having committed a breach of the law by riding his bicycle without a light after dark unknown to the police, has sent an anonymous letter from London to the Lvm- ington (Hants) Bench containing a sum sufficient to cover the usual fine as conscience-money." An order to pay a tailor's bill was made in the City of London Court against Mr. George Miles, a Government clerk, who, it was stated, had written to Judge Lumley Smith to say that he had just unexpectedly had to pay for the tuneral of a relative. Plaintiff's representative I have known of that funeral for the past three years, your honour. It is always being put up." Judge: Not always the same funeral, surely!" Plaintiff's representative "Yes." A small fine was imposed at Bow-street on the proprietors of an A.B.C. tea-shop in an unusual "weak milk" case. When, said the prosecuting solicitor, the inspector took samples early in the morning the milk was found to be excellent; but in the afternoon it was different. This was because the milk was not properly stirred, those who were served first getting more than their fair share of cream. Quite innocently defen- dants' servants had skimmed the milk. Marsh-hill—which is 300 years old and a former rendezvous of Dick Turpin—was decided by the North London magistrate to be a "new street within the meaning of the Local Manage- ment Acts," having been widened and houses built on both sides. A number of Ufrontalgers" were therefore held liable for paving charges. Chinese witneeses who gave evidence at the Thames Police-court as to a disturbance in a Chinese boarding-housa at Limehouse-causeway, were sworn by breaking a saucer on the edge of the witness-box, the witness at the same time saying: "The saucer is cracked, and my roui will be cracked like the saucer if I do not speak the truth." A jury disagreed at Southwark County-court eo Judge Addison locked them up again in the hope that they might come to a decision, "espe- cially as it is luncheon time." Half-an-hour later they still disagreed, and the judge, learning that it was a case of seven jurors against one, discharged them in despair, exclaiming, "No, you will never agree. When one gentleman can retain his opinion against seven so long he is not likely to give in." The celebrated fair near Merthyr, which is said to date back 900 yeans, wa,s held the other day. Large crowds swarmed over the hugo mountain overlooking the DowlallJ3 works, and horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs from an extensive area were driven to this time-honoured ren- dezvous. Ancient coins have frequently been unearthed from this mountain. Hundreds of servants came into Sleaford for the annual May hirings, but not one girl in fifty accepting a. situation in a farmhouse would: undertake the duties of milking. Men have now t-o be employed for this work. The wages of all domestics had a tendency to increase. An ordinary touring motor-car, driven by Cap- tain Deasy, Recently ascended Balloch Hill, between Lochcarron and Applecross, on the, western borders of Ross-shire, carrving six pas- sengers and luggage, together with surveying instruments and a complete bioscope outfit. From the shore of Loch Kishorn the ascent is one of 2,250' feet in six miles, and the average gradient is one in ten. In spite of the fact that the shareholders of the British Tea Table Company declared by a majority of 298, representing 60,276 shares, in favour of the Sunday opening of their shops, the directors have decided, in deference to the, conscientious objections of the minority, to discontinue forthwith the experiment they had made in that direction.

THE ROYAL WEDDING. j I I The route taken by the King of Spain on hia Way to the church of St. Jerome for his marriage with Princess Ena, and the return journey of the bridal pair is so arranged as t-o cross Madrid from end to end, traversing more than Ifive miles of etreete. Hie Majesty leaves the Palace for the church at half-past ten o'clock on the morning of the 31st, in the Crown coach, and will pass through the Calle de Baileu, the Plaza. 00 Oriente, the Calle del Arenal, the gpuerta del Sol, and the Carrera do San Iero- fiimo. The King and Queen will return to the Palace by way of the Calle die Alarcon, the CSaMe de le Lealtad, the Calle de Alfonso XII., the Calle de Alcala, the Puerta. del Sol, and the aloo Mayor. The Church of St. Jerome, in which the cere- mony will take place, is not the most spacious 'beautiful of the Madrid churches, but "it is tme hast located, in its relation to the Royal OPfidaoe, for the procession of a stately pageant through the city. The Royal procession will tenter1 the churoh by a new and imposing flight of steps which has been specially constructed before the western door, opposite the Prado Museum. The beautifully-sculptured porch will be hung ■with costly taepestries from the Royal collec- 'tion, which is one of the finest in une world, comprising, as it does, more than 800 examples of Gobelins work. Before the porch will be erected a pavilion of red and yellow velvet em- broidered with the Spanish escutcheon, and sup- ported b" gilt-tipped lances. The whole of the "west front will be adorned with British and Spanish escutcheons, flags, and wreaths, and at might the graceful outline of the main building end 'the two Gothic towers will be indicated by aneans of myritadts of electric lights in all colours. The interior will present a gorgeous appear- ance, with its decorations of red velvet and damask hangings heavily embroidered with gold. [Banners will be fixed; at every 'vantage point, land a number of crystal and bronze chandiliers "will illuminate the scene. The high ailtar will be one mass of floral decoration, in which rosea and pinks will be chiefly employed. Cardinal Sancha, the Archbishop of Toledo, assisted by snore than twenty Spanish bishops1, will officiate ist the marriage ceremony. The Royal dais, covered with gold-embroidered velvet, will be erectOO to the right of the- altar. Helie will be placed the, gilt armchairs with cushions of white silk embroidered with gold, which will be used by the King and Queen. On theoleft of the altar will be pla-ced eight gilded armchairs, upholstered in red velvet t, and gold braid, for the use of the members of the Spanish Stoyal family. Behind these chairs rise tiers of seats, covered with rich tapestries, in which the high Court officials and other State func- tionaries will take their places. Fifteen spa- viouls balconies have been constructed for the accommodation of others privileged to witness the magnificent ceremony, that to the right of th Royal dais being for the use of the invited Princes and Princesses, extraordinary Ambas- sadors and their wives, iancli the personel of the Various diplomatic missions. The marriage contract will be signed at the iPpado Palace on May 30. PRESENTS FROM THE ROYAL FAMILY. I The presents received by Princess Ena were view at Kensington Palace, where Princess Henry of Battenberg was at home to a large mumber of friends. The magnificent jewels were of course the ^principal centre of attraction, those given by ^jhe King and Queen being especially admired. Their Majesties' gift consists of a beautiful Necklace of enormous turquoises surmounted by ..bril iants, with three great pear-shaped drops, and that of the Empress Eugenie is a diamond ftiara in the shape of Mercury wings. Princess Henry of Battenberg gives her daughter a veil and pieces of fine Carrickmacross lace, and a set of jewellery in pale pink corals and diamonds, consisting of a necklace, pendant in the form of a diamond shell, holding a large pink coral, and hair ornament in the form of a true lovers' knot, while the Duchess of Saxe- lUoburg-Gotha, the Grand Duke and Grand ir £ yril Russia, Prince and Princess Hohenlohe, and Princess Beatrice, have to- gether given a pendant of aquamarine and dia- monds. The gift of the Prince and Princess of Wales had not arrived. Other presents from the Royal Family in- clude the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, old gilt French bergere, covered with antique bro. cade; Princess Louise and the Duke of Argyll, two empire armchairs, upholstered in old tapestry; the Princess Royal and the Duke of ,Fife, bell push in pale green jade, set with jewels; Princes Alexander, Leopold, and Maurice of Battenberg (Princess Ena's brothers), diamond and turquoise bracelet; ^Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, Brussels lace fan, with mother-o'-pearl sticks inlaid with gold; Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, umbrella with handle of green enamel, surrounded by a pink enamel band set with pearls; Prin- leess Louise Augusta of Schleswig-Holstein, fan sticks of leaf-green enamel, incrusted with :silver and jewels; Princess Gustav Adolph, Duchess of Skane, gold and silver vases; Prin- cess Frederica of Hanover and Baron Pawel- 3 £ ammingen, crown Derby breakfast set; and Prince Victor Hohenlohe, small clock. The King's wedding present to the King of pain has taken the form of a magnificent state dessert and coffee service of English porcelain. The Pope has chosen a magnificent triptych Of the seventeenth century, by a German painter, representing Christ preaching, as a Wedding present to Princess Ena. A number of ladies belonging to the grea-4 families of Spain have asked permission from the Palace to act as a guard of honour to the future Queen of Spain on the occasion of the bull-fights which will form a feature of the marriage fes- tivities. Clad in mantillas, they will group themselves around the Royal Box in the arena ifco welcome their young Queen. The representatives of the Powers and the ;Special Envoys to the wedding will muster at Urun on the 28th inst. They will then proceed Jto Madrid by special train, arriving there on the 29th. Prince Andrew of Greece has left Athens for Madrid to represent King George. Prince Fer- dinand of Bulgaria will be represented by a eputation

I COUNTRY NOTES. I DRUNKENNESS AMONG BUTTERFLIES. I A learned professor states that insects are not free from the terrible vice of drunkenness, and he accuses the most elegant among them, the butter- fly, of being given up to it. The professor shut up in a greenhouse twelve males, and as many female butterflies, in order to study them at his leisure. He was not long in finding out that those of the fair sex were remarkable for perfect sobriety. These winged ladies drank nothing but water, several drops of dew a day, to quench their thirst. The males, on the contrary, gave way to revolting intemperance. They came," said the professor, to the flowers whose distillation produces the most alcohol, and they drunk of the juices to the point of remaining inanimate several hours. There was not a day when I did not pick up butterflies dead drunk," and the professor is persuaded that the butterfly does not merit the reputation for in- constancy which the poets give it. When the insect is overcome by the abuse of strong liquors, it staggeringly takes itself to its spouse to receive the attention which its state needs. The professor conducted his experiments so far as to intoxicate his pupils, not with flowers, but with veritable spirits, of which he placed a few drops on the glass of the greenhouse. The butterflies did not hesitate they precipitated themselves upon the whisky, and several of them succumbed. Some butterflies at liberty were attracted by the fumes of a glass of gin left upon a table in a garden, and fell asleep after excessive libations. THE GREEN WOODPECKER. Largest of the tribe, this bird is also extremely handsome, few British birds being able to rival the gorgeous colour of its plumage. Although green is the prevailing tint, yet that colour shades off to yellow towards the upper part of the tail. Upon the top of the head is a brilliant crimson, the feathers being black, tipped with rcd, forming a slight pencilling. These feathers sometimes assume the form of a partial crest. From the base of the beak to the back of the eye is black, and down each side of the throat, forming a kind of moustache, runs a crimson streak, bordered GREEN WOODPECKER. I with black. The outer wing-feathers are barred with greyish-black and squares of buff. The hen may be distinguished from the male by the fact that she does not possess the crimson moustache. The ordinary length of the bird is about 13 inches. I It naturally prefers parks and old timbered woods, as such places afford the most plentiful supply of food. In order to obtain the insects secreted in the crevices of the bark, the woodpecker is pro- t vided with a most wonderful tongue, some inches in length, very prehensile, of a silvery appearance. When in search of food, this organ is protruded with marvellous celerity, and, being covered with a glutinous substance, it invariably secures the object aimed at; it is then as quickly withdrawn, with the food adhering. The beak is wedge- shaped, long and strong, and used by the bird to bap at the bark in order to induce the insects ta emerge from their retreat. The eye is clear and white. The woodpecker can hardly be said to build a nest, and yet it takes an immense amount of trouble in preparing a site wherein to deposit the eggs. This is in a hole made by the birds by continuous chipping with their beaks in an old tree, and the chips of wood broken off by the birds in the operation are said to be carried some dis- bance, in order that the hole may escape detection, The entrance is small, but a larger cavity is scooped out in the tree, and upon some of the dry chips of wood the eggs are deposited. These are usually five in number, and pure white in colour. .eRE STAG BEETLE. i Beetles belong to the order Coleoptra, and are distinguished from all other insects by the tliick- [ &ned fore-wings or elytra," which are not actively used in flight. The hind wings are used for that purpose. The Stag beetle is reproduced life size, and an idea may be gained as to its formidable appearance. The male is two inches or more in length, and equipped (asis the female) with strong antler-like mandibles, which are capable of giving iL sharp bite should the beetle be disturbed. They are mostly found in the summer time in woods I THE STAG BEETLE. I plentifully supplied with Oak trees. Old Apple trees are greatly damaged by them when in the lavas stage, sometimes reducing trees to absolute sawdust in the interior. The eggs are laid in the crevices of the bark, near the roots, and it is said that the beetle is six years in completing the various stages of its growth. In America there are several large species resembling our English Stag beetle, which are credited with being able to saw through a branch withtheir mandibles, which they bring together at the points roundthe branch, and swing themselves round and round at a great speed, sawing the wood with their teeth-like antler, or mandibles, as effectively as a circular saw. CARRIED BY BEES. An interesting experiment has been tried by a well-known naturalist. Having caught a number of bees as they returned to the hive laden with honey, he enclosed them in a light receptacle, and weighed them, the weight of the box being de- ducted from the total. The same bees were again captured on emerging from the hive, and again placed on the delicate scale. The result of the two operations showed that, when laden, the boes weighed three times as much as when empty.

I WARWICK'S PAGEANT. I -I Preparations for the imposing pageant to be presented in the grounds of Warwick Castle in July are approaching completion. For the past nine months three hundred women have been engaged in making the elaborate dresses which are to be worn by the two thousand performers. These workers have met day after day at Sir E. Montague Nelson's mansion, which is now known as Pageant House, and they tiave made costumes representing periods from the time of Caraetacus to William III. Elaborate care has been taken to secure accuracy of detail, and the British Museum, the Tower of London, and other places have been visited for the purpose of obtaining descriptions of many of the pic- turesque dresses to be worn. The early Britons will be clothed in deerskins lent by Lord Leigh of Stoneleigh, and the Romans, who will put them to flight, will wear armour of local manufacture, and wield short broadswords. Handsome shields of authentic design have been prepared; chain arm&ur is being made on the spot by the yard; and the artificers' class has turned out scores of spears, swords, and arquebuses. For the trade guilds who will join in welcom- ing Queen Elizabeth fourteen wonderful banners -have beon prepared, the designs for some of which have been obtained from the City of Lon- don. Queen Elizabeth's lumbering cjac?i, the design of which was found in the Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, is being re- produced in a local builder's shop, and the state barge is being built in premises within a stone's throw of Warwick Castle.

THE PRINCES' TOURS. I In the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace on Monday 'he King held an Investiture for the (bestowal of various Orders, principally those conferred in connection with the Prince of Wales's visit to India, and with. Prince Arthur of Connaught's Garter Mission to Tokio. The Lord Chamberlain attended, and presented an address to the King from the House of Lords, while the Master of Elibank presented an ad- dress from the House of Commons. His Majesty then received Prince Arthur, and invested him with the chain of the Royal Vic- torian Order. The King then conferred the Grand Cross of that Order upon Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward) Seymour and General Sir Thomas Kelly-Kenny, and- invested numerous other Knights and Companions!, whose appoint- ments to honours have recently been announced. The King, who was attended by a numerous suite, wore a Field Marshal's uniform. The Prince of Wales hae appointed the Mar- quis of Londonderry as his aide-de-camp to ac- company him to Madrid for the Royal wedding.

COURIER DISASTER INQUIRY. inquiry into the loss of the Courier was concluded at Guernsey. The Court found that the owners were in no way to blame. The steamier was thoroughly equipped and the life- saving gear in thorough working erder. The crew didi their duty conscientiously. Many of them ibehaved: like heroes and deserved the ap- preciation of their fellow countrymen. There was no evidence to show that the male pas- sengers acted selfishly, but the Court thought that an effort might have been made by the jolly boat to sa-ve M. Long. The Court found that Captain Nicholas Whales was guilty of negligence in approaching too close to the rocks and in omitting to pick up the leading marks for the Profound Paseage, which would have carried him to safety.

OUR GERMAN VISITORS. 0- On Saturday some of the German Burger- meisters and other municipal representatives of German towns who are on a visit to England paid a visit to the model village of Boursville, which has been created by Messrs. Cadbury about five miles from Birmingham. At Birmingham the Lord Mayor and Coun- cillors received the visitors, and complimentary speeches were exchanged after which the party drove to Boumville and took lunch with Mr. George Cadbury, the founder of the Bournville Village Trust. In welcoming his guests, Mr. Cadbury spoke of the indebtedness of thif country to Germany for the example given in regard to the housing question, which was one that he himself had attempted to solve in the place where they were gathered. The Burgo- meister of Aix, Herr Vossen, referred, amid laughter, to the doings of the Yellow Press," which tried to make things uncomfortable, but declared that among the people of Britain and Germany there was no real ill-feeling. Ger- many could not forget the many benefits she had received from England. England had been their teacher in manufactures, in steam ship- building, and steel making, and also in the noble policy of the open door," which he hoped would continue to be their policy. The German visitors returned to London in the evening, and at De Keyser's Royal Hotel an informal leave-taking was held by the British Committee for the Study of Foreign Municipal Institutions. The principal speaker was the Ober-Burgermeister of Berlin, who,. after expressing regret that they had to break up, said he felt that, in spite of all their plea- sures, there was a serious purpose underlying their visit. Their reception had assumed an importance far wider than they anticipated, and would lead to closer relations between the two nations. They had expected to see some institutions, and to enjoy some hospitality, but they had been brought in connection with the leaders of English life; they had been honoured by presentation to the King and by their visit to Windsor; they had been introduced to the Prime Minister and his colleagues, and they felt that their visit was of the greatest impor- tance. The party left for Germany at 9.40 on Sun- day morning, after having driven to Bucking- ham Palace to sign their names in the visitors' book before their departure. They also des- patched to His Majesty a telegram, of which the following is a translation: To His Majesty the King, London.On leav- ing this beautiful country, with whose people the representatives of German cities have been privileged to spend such delightful days, we feel a deep impulse to express to your Majesty our most humble thanks for your Royal favour, re- peatedly extended to our countrymen and our- selves. We shall never forget the; days we spent in England. "Chief Burgomasters: Kirschner, Berlin; Beulter, Dresden; Becker, Cologne; Veltman, Aix-la-Chapelle; Schusterbus, Charlottenburg."

I STRANGE & WONDERFUL I .a- I BHOWIR OF FISHES. A remarkable phenomenon of a recent thunderstorm was seen in the State of Queens- land. In the midst of the rain there suddenly fell from the skies a large number of young fish. The fish fell in twos and threes, but sub- sequently came in dozens, until a large area of ground was strewn with live fish measuring from IMn. to 3in. It is thought that the storm generated a waterspout in one of the rivers, and that the fish were sucked up by it and carried by the wind some long distance before being dropped. I MM LIVING STONES. I The visitor to the Falkland Islands sees a number of what appear to be weather-beaten, moss-covered boulders of various sizes scattered bere and there. On attempting to turn one over, he is surprised to find that it is anchored to the ground by roots of great strength. These are not boulders—they are trees. No other place in the world can show such a peculiarity of forest growth. The Falkland Islands are exposed to a strong Polar wind, which renders it impossible for trees to grow in their usual form; Nature has consequently adapted her- self to the prevailing conditions and produced this strange form of plant life. These living stones," as they are called, are quite devoid of grain." I NAPOLEONIC RELIC. I It is not generally known that Napoleon in his beliefs that he would conquer England went so far as to have designed and struck off medals commemorating this event. There are but few of these medals in existence, since they were afterwards suppressed. The coins bear the inscription" Struck at London in 1804." I UP-TO-DATE DOG. An up-to-date dog is one that answers the telephone. The senior partner of an influential London firm has taught his dog, net only to guard the office during his absence, but also to report All's well" during the time the premises are closed at week-ends. One of the old-fashioned telephones, which does not require that the receiver should be taken off its holder, is fixed up in the office.. and under this the dog stands. His master rings up the office, and then calls until the attention of the dog is aroused, when the canine caretaker barks loudly to show that all is well with him and with the office. GEYSER CLOCK. I I One of the most curious clocks in the world is, perhaps, that which tells the time to the in- habitants of a little American backwoods town. The machinery, which' is nothing but a face, I hands, and a lever, is connected with a geyser which shoots out an immense column of hot water every 38sec. This spouting never varies to the tenth of a second. Every time the water spouts up it strikes the lever and moves the hands forward 38sec. J ANCIENT INCUBATOR. I It has been proved beyond a doubt that in- cubators were in successful operation among the ancient Egyptians. These original hatch- ing machines were about nine feet high, and were arranged with galleries for holding the eggs.. which were heated from a central oven. A drawing of the cross section of one of these incubators is here reproduced. Some 386 in- I cubators have been discovered in Egypt. I TRAINED GOLD FISH. I A Philadelphia dealer in pet stock has an aquarium of trained goldfish. These fish, when the man holds a small wand of red wood an inch above the surface of the water, leap over the wand in graceful dives. Indescribably pretty, like miniature porpoises of gold, they look as they vault over the red wand. A little silver bell swings above the tank, and a silken cord descends into the water. The fish, when they are hungry, take the cord into their mouths, and ring the bell. They will feed from the man's hand. If he holds morsels of food just out of the water, they will leap up and I snatch the food from his fingers. It took him nearly a year to train them. I POWER OF A SWORDFISH. I A remarkable illustration of the force with which a swordfish strikes a blow is shown below. While repairing a ship recently which had com- pleted a. long voyage in Southern waters a swordfish was found which had successfully pierced a sheathing one inch thick, a three- inch plank and beyond that four and a half inches of firm timber. It has been estimated tha.t it would require, nine strokes of a hammer weighing twenty-five pounds to drive an iron I bolt of similar shape the same distance. I THE "TRADING RAT." ] A curious little rodent found among the Rocky Mountains, called the "trading rat" by the trappers, derives its name from its Curious habit of never stealing anything without put- ting something in its place. Two young women camping left the lid of their biscuit box open one night. In the morning ail the biscuits were gone, and the box filled with an indeis,crib- able mixture of chips, scraps of leather, sticks, bones, dried beans, in fact everything movalble near at hand. The "trading rat" is a pretty little creature, with a .soft grey fur, more like a squirrel than a rat. It has a violent fancy for anything of a bright hue. I WATER FROM A TREE. I In one of the Canary Islands there is a tree of the laurel family that rain& down occasion- ally in the early evening quite a copious shower of waterdrops from its tufted foliage. This water often collects at the foot of the tree, and forms a kind of pond, from which the inhabi- tants of the neighbourhood can supply them- selves with a drinking beverage that is abso- lutely fresh and pure. The water comes out of the tree itself through innumerable little pores situated at the margin of the Reaves.

ABDUCTION CHARGE FAILS. 1 With the words I am quite sure the time will come when the young girl will return thanks to you for all you have done for her," "the Westminster magistrate dismissed a charge of abduetio/i preferred against Mr. William -Milner, a wealthy gentleman, and Bertha Bren- don, the wife of his valet. The case had been adjourned since January from time to time Without any explanation being given. Mr. Charles Matthews, for the Treasury, with- drew the charges, and in so doing said the Director of Public Prosecutions had learned that the girl had told Mr. Milner that she was in grave peril; and Mr. Milner, believing her, took her away from the house—a foolish, but not a criminal act. The magistrate mentioned that the girl had attained a position in life which she would never have reached but for what Mr. Milner had done for her. Mr. Milner and Mrs. Brandon left the court in the company of friends. c:¡¡

Lowestoft Town Council has passed a reso- lution urging the necessity for rearrancinc, the Parliamentary Session, eo that it shall com- Nuance in November and end in June, "in the interests of the public generally, and especially ■*n the interests of the 'holiday-making public '.and of British Holiday resorts." A verdict of "Wilful murder" was returned a Liverpool inquest against Hannah Powell, who, it is alleged killed her twelve-year-old son ■with a razor whilst he wxus sleepiag. Mr. Richard F. Brain, ex-Mayor of Chatham, sustained a scratch on one of his toes. Blood poisoning supervened, and the leg was ampu- tated below the knee. Death occurred 30 bours later.