Weekly Mail

j' ^A-Tty reyi;ew of the WEEK,g LITERATURE. eabendary Harry Jones is a man -who has deal of 1 ire, both clerical and lay, of are almost of necessity V while there is a quiet humour i 4 much. of the book that is very 6 foi "lnorl? the earliest of the matters that ar° the *^eir way into his 'Dead Leaves" r>ter'a 0irenmstanoes of hi? ordination one aT>el • at Archbishop Tenieone ?• C>nf -street, before a congregation ^itii at. 0r ^0,Ir pew-cpeners, who suspended ^•ioii nnt impatience the dusting of JWk JlU this eight o'clook interruption of noss was over. The bishop came cerb!rl"Y minutes late, and when the hurried e^es « Was ended, Mr. Jones and his asso- C,:i"Cie«ert' AUrned loose to find their respective Wlthnut wbrd of encouragement or ■t yja.s or otherwise. His first curacy ?*PoJom ^ssex' n°t far from Stock, where 1*' tTn-nr °^V^)er' nn a y°unf? friend ^strW- 111 • fathered material for his amusing 9 Peon?0 a ^ie dinner. Mr. Jones found he L,0 Gallewood Common less uncouth, I?>0llec5r'aS °n ^le whole a kindly and grateful ^lal-00 ^hem. n(rt excepting the Chartist ^Pp^rerfr+ W'l° was a local oracle, and who I thp ^Joy "sticking his verbal awl" ?° far Parson at their first interview. im cherishing any ill-will against this *§ a, o-i^ 6 Person for turning him 'inside out, ^ry jL^e' Mr. Jones expresses the wish that 3 tQ only t snch a permanent ofBoial, if it 1101-0 ex ii ^ach conceited voiuig ministers a way of joining issue with a f^esgi-p nau'ded to be to rash) than that of laooiirer ^Proselytism. There was also a field old enough to be the new curate's aNi-ruil-led with the daily toil of *10 k°ok if of shrewd wisdom, learned from ^Wj/'rhe could not read) but unpleasantly t what Mr. Jcne.-i calls "newly- advice." Here is one of Mr. ''Of *ying experiences — e.^or*J> however, that of preaching in i Tv^sseH 18 t^le most embarrassing. I have I KI 1(1 l?Joil of lunatics—in an asylum, v/ki-d °}lapla:n remarked, 'You must not be Cf.11 lia.ve a 1 orgsui breaking out the moment tl Vr'p thp60 i y.our sermon. ft is to stop or 'trl' }r W|l's^'n" which sometimes begins t, *HvtV 6 previously begged me not to 1 h '^citing.' Now, I had a store t 0t sermons (though I have burned ,'°Ser hem at a time), and thus, having t (K,.e which I thought would meet his itK ^Pl'Cd with studied monotony. But of ^a^n tSUTltid"' a m ^ar aF!)r°priate to the 0|,To my surprise, therefore, in*rtead K chani'■ ra^^ru? voluntary which 1 expected, yi«n Eg(.ai^ followed it up by changing the ( "°wn, and giving out—• ^ead, kindly Light, -A-micl the encircling jrloom, ^ay Lead Thou me on." have fitted tlie sermcn, but it wr- congregation, with pathetic and +i erstoa-i Propriety. The choir was, I v. y satipT' .eompo.sed of lunatics, too; and rFeak <>f w'th energy, but there was no out- ti^culate criticism. I shall never • h soi the impenetrable gaze with jj)„ 6 who sat nc«?.r the pulpit stared a?Ur8e- 8 was preaching. I have, of /^iitio,, ,n' not caused, congregational in- Inhere, but I felt as if this air of «ul abstraction would not have been aif \oi 11 1 had announced that I would give r er ser^ assemhlage a firc-imund note each r The °e' or S1JJdenly shouted 'Fire! a't('/l0r 8 first- cure was the parish of St. opOO crowded in all London, with yards sq A s^xict'' rouo^lj" "praking, of at^lt.8 i\a<^ htcome distingnis.hed (while S* en^p Mark's, North Audlev-street) by a^Ury with which my old friend, tilled (|0 'head, along with Dr. Snow, faiunn n (Jlie souroe of choltra mischief to to I S ^roachstreet Pump, and showed v*ral ) chief vehicle of its contagion, rvf'+i re<^ l*op!e then died within 150 i ai^es n e I 'have a list of their j,°w- The Broad-street was a popular Water being cool, and sparkling witii ""as at Ras. Years afterwards, when I &eorge\s-in-the-Ea.st, and rumours J.- ^'a,s [a Were in T'li(- air, I found how hard T •? Pe°P^p appreciate the expe- f PUtim Sained at St. Luke's. There was j}?1". all Tn eastern churchyard at which, ittJr Pails eo'1'(^. RaV. they insi.-ted on filling ffn^ith «,-a iu^LS- till I hung a placard on J "^inscription, 'Dead Men's Broth.' t?1 s> Tvlir. CSfL the arrival of disobedient ^*1 'witi, ^>auf",f'd to read my notice, and re- ?e\v 0r emPty buckets." cpj?8 °f m! P^ap?, liave realised the hard- Ki ^ry ra, i sniall section of our clergy—the r a,rrie fr_ aPhii)is whom one is so apt to |ir the df>c>1iTPV?raTlce if they read the office a,p c°ffin hut scant pnth.os, or meet fastening their surplice or f ff! for th^r sto'<l there is some ex- Wo 0f .i as Mr. Jones points out: — f interact 4rawVacks to a London chrgy- of a J ln ^is work i* felt after the ,,ftltecl thrr>iir,fI11^>er °f his flock whom he has ''arried °';vIx'rliaps, a long illness, but is c.ernetery nnri to be buried in a suburban tiflti!' 'l'rn bv aS ^le last solemn words said rn. n £ Of tlu, a %Vear5r cliaplain who knows ese mo,irners among whom lie stands. fefel> wi are' indfed- deadly. 'What can rvj, 1<?I1 von 0T1e °f these clerics to me once, j. aPter twerfaJ6,-to na<l tl'O solemn burial nt. e never times in a day to people you th ° thesis ^ef°re?' Lately I officiated at Tn™ chapiain.lntefments. and, of course, asked Vol?' to 0n dut>' {<* l^ve to do so. Poor ax°VV novel1 in a ve.stn', reading a •n. 6 Sot J j I^avf*, indeed?' he said- 'I hef11. On tl °times moTe this after- J,f ,re a W(p 'a samo occasion, as I walked ti& Sexton Pj,ng Proces^i<>n bv the side of the me to guess how many t>ied. Tl ^o^fid into a crave. I erruffly ^rietl an (.,)(■ „Ui clUcst'on was put as if it had 'Ar^red if ri ail;unR' mortuarv riddle—and ht Juf^yof ^llrlufmEelf: "Towards of 30.000. S-oo^lied 'T if inquired. 'Not one,' all ^nd'bron^? in this place for }joJ^°ing w„j] 11P eight children, who are here/ h y W(lre' everyone of them, in ^li-k.io-,0 0 tteTe'l on as if the words tho ^Pect tr> 1,^ ser'tence had been transposed Ofv> ^ist nf ,i 18 own household, and ran, 'In f.}. ^'on, u,],'31;1 we are in life-' On another CeTr? in> I f6U t l'atl l>een a.sked to help a Pr~ cln^1!11? seven coffins waiting in the uti^'i-'6 read have the first portion of the I to i,Ve5i them together, and was visit ?'n> sir >ai' ITIU} fiexton whisper to me, 'All T +i lat an astonishing fraternal Jn^r61" of o„ ?uSht to myself. And what a w [aTici(S;i remain to the family! 1 h 's bui"stino.le moment that my informant Kt.„Wa;s onlv Si- strange intelligence, whereas me know that those then 5,. ?t- Gp0ro.. erment were all 'males.' 6 for the East appears to be remark- ,°n,0 imrnag-es. 1>rriHcrl,fUlman' followed by a criticising *'Xf'(;li(J|l? t, an English bride to the altar, th rieri(I and colleague, Vacher (who xL? bpn, J-?11? ^t- Lukfo's, and'hae now built W1' St °f modern churches in Lan- c^ted in .^P Stexmey), ever keenly in- Bi^wated tli't r"lases of Eastern ex.perience, XVs?6 'Ah *a*S s.°^newhat perplexing ceremonj7', <*to°f>»Kideiv!]iTHi. ac<luaintance with Epglisli Savtfeion tu f ruflimentarv. On anotlier at that +1 rieilfls of the lady came to me bi<; i 0 la=st r,, 0 3i»arriago would be forbidden 1^ onient, and warned ma against the •j; hkej a notorious pugilist, who would W r,,J iiu- v, (professionally) any lieatta- Oi:iJ^rMe<Oi He was of middle age, while (lin ^fe, a simple girl, had numbered ? Purtv -Vears, So, when the agit-ateel wed- tii i i^to +,* entered the ohurch, I sent for ha, • UetxJr6 v^stry, and (keeping a broad a. lr>f? arran". l] tol'-l 1'™ plainly my mind, OQifV. }r„ meanwhile to send the bride of i, s so surprised at this) unexpected -18 Project tji^t lie adopted oniv » (slicrht) verbal remonstrance, and departed (happily for me) with his fists in his pockets. I saw him no more. Two or three times I married an infatuated sailor to one of the notorious street-girls of the neighbourhood, when Ra/tcliff Highway emptied itself into the ohurch. Then I would drop the appointed address at the end of the service, and substitute for it a very plain-spoken extempore sermon." Mr. Jones has had the satisfaction of seeing these unpromi&ing marriages turn out satis- factorily. The Despotic Lady. By this time Mr. W. E. Norris must have produced as many novels as any man writing, and, considering the fecundity of his output, it is remarkable that he should have produced nothing which is actually dull and ineffectual. For his method is always of the simplest, his stories are compact of the least heroic elements, and his toying with the tender passions never strengthens—never, indeed, is meant to strengthen—into anything of vital interest or import. He is the story-teller of an idle afternoon, and fulfils his function with ease and grace. His latest volume—"The Despotic Lady" (Methuen and Co.)—shows, indeed, how far it is possible to carry the dainty method without a serious failure, for never was a book that skimmed so near the thin ice of monotony and yet evaded a catastrophe. "The Despotic Lady" is a col- lection of short stories, and in them the fashion of Mr. Norris's art is carried to its logical conclusion; the beaten gold is reduced to the flimsiest leaf imaginable. The story which gfives its name to the book. and which fills almost half the volume,' deals with the intrigue by which a young and penniless minor poet was enabled to wed the daughter of a purse-proud and puritanic matron, and it is scarcely possible for an atom of interest to be spread more ingeniously over a, broad sheet of matter. In another tale, which is mere farce, the interchange and confusion of various bottles, containing red lotion, curacoa, and hair-dye, are made to work havoc in a country house party—a trival motive tr;via]ly treated. And yet, in a certain fashion, the stories have their interest. They triumph by the superiority of manner over matter, and are an admirable example of the power of style. Ill-written, they would be impos- sible^ treated with Mr. Norris's playful cynicism thf,y become effective. A New Novel. It is quite refreshing to find a new novel which is really worth leading, and there are at least two points about "LPs Egyptian Wife" (Digby Long), by Mr. Hilton Hill, which ought to ensure it a, considerable amount of popularity. One is that the book is full cf movement and episode, the scenes being- con- stantly shifted and the attention never allowed to flag; while the second point is the intro- duction of an extremely funny female Ameri- can journalist. Miss Nelly Shy by name, whose curiosity is insatiable and who.=e enter- prise is all-conquering. It is her determina- tion at all costs to s,ee the inside of a harem thait produces the most racy and adventurous chapters in a thoroughly readable volume. Probabilities need not be: asked for in such a book. That an Egyptian pasha should in years gone by have married and been divorced from an Englishwoman, who Bubsecraently be- comes Lady Brattle, wife of an eminent Q.O., and that later on the isamie lady should, in company with, the American journalist, get Kurreptitiously into the harem of her former husband and be caught by him. is in itself a little unlikely; but. that iust when the two ladies should be visiting the pasha's palace for observation purposes Sir Richard Brattle and two gay Englishmen, one being a lord, should alpo gain entrance into the same place for reasons of flirtation, demands a very active credulitv indeed. However, as we have paid nrobability must not be too closely considered in the perusal of cuoh a tale. which is full of amorous intrigues of all kinds, and has gome amufiingly-oontrrve d situations, aB. for in. stance, wit en the 0,0. iF, made to give an un- IT) conscious lejral opinion that the pasha has a right to rob him of his own wife. Books Received. I have to acknowledge receipt of the "Young Ladies' Journal" and "Hearth and Home," both, as usual. excellent productions. The chief novelty this week, however, is the "Golden Penny," which is a. new weekly issued from the "Graphic. I have received an early copy of the first number (which will be published on Tuesday next), and a big sale is certain. The chief feature of the paper will be the fiction, consisting of short complete storks and short serial stories, all illustrated by some of the best artists of the day. Considerable promi-' nence is also triven to puzzle and drawing com- petitions. With the first number is presented a quaint double-page coloured supplement, of which 500,000 copies have been printed. It had been intended by the proprietors that the first edition should be limited to 250,000 copies, but the orders camei in in such large numbers that over 400,000 were demanded, and it was decided to print 500,000. I have also to acknow- ledge receipt of the "New Budget," the "West- minster Budget." the "Musical Times," "Book- selling," the "Idler," and a batch of summer holiday railway guides which I must leave till next week. "Fifty Years; or, Dead Leaves and Living Seeds." By the Rev. Harry Jones. M.A., Pre- bendary of St. Paul's, &c. (Smith, Elder, and Co.) NOVEL APPLICATION. At Littledean Police-court on Friday the justices (Messrs. J. Kerr, senior, and R. J. Kerr, junior) were asked to deal with a very novel and remarkable proposal. — A married woman named Wood, living at Cinderford, en- tered the witness-box, and reminded the justices that an order was made, on her daughter's ap- plication, upon a young collier, named David Hopkins, to contribute 3s. per week towards the support of her illegitimate child. Following the order, Hopkins had got married to another wenan, and they two had agreed that they would like to have the child to bring up if the magistrates would rescind the order. The bride (who was also present) expressed her readiness to accept the responsibility of the bab", and was. in fact, anxious to begin housekeeping with her husband's baby. The grandmother, on her part, and on behalf of the mother, who was anxious to go to .service, was not le«s desirous that the compact, should be executed.and urged the court to allow the father to take tho child as he desired.—Mr. Carter, magistrates' clerk, s:id if it were desirable to accede to such an application, in any case, he was afraid this was the last case where it could be recommended. If the order were rescinded there was nothing L to compel the father Ito keep the child, and in a few weeks it might b3 sent back again. At the same time. if all the parties were agreed, the order could remain without being enforced, and if anything happened they would have the order to fall back vjnc>n—The Chairman said the tact was that the justices on the l&ngh were not at the last court, and could not, therefore, annul tiie order, but, of course, they muld make ther own arrangements.—1The parties retired, the new mother -pomillg to he somewhat disap- pointed that the order was not quashed.

FINDING THE LOCH MAREE. THRILLING STORY OF THE SEA. So much interest has been excited in ship- ping circles by the abandonment and subsequent recovery of the Loch Maree, and so many re- markable rumours are afloat concerning the cir- cumstances of her re-capture, that I, as captain of 'tho tug, William Jolliffe, which succeeded in discovering her whereabouts when so many had failed, consider that the public may be in- terested still further in hearing the actual details as I know them. As the chief agent in her recovery, my account (written for the "Liverpool Mercury") will at least have the merit of being first hand- In 'that, I am afraid, will lie its chief, if not its only, merit, for as a master mariner, certificated since 1868, it will be easily understood that the art of literary composition is not much in my line. From the beginning of this year to the 22nd of February I was off duty, being confined to the house with sickness. My newspaper told me that the Loch Maree, of Dundee, bound from Charlestown. to Bremen, with a cargo of cotton, had been abandoned off the coast of Ireland on the 11th of February, facts familiar to everyone who takes any interest in shipping at all. I learnt that the Black Ccck, amd subsequently a uoat trom the. Clyde, had been despatched by the owners in search of her, and that the underwriters had sent out the Ranger on the same errand. I also heard that the William Jolliffe, when lying at Waterford under another command, had received orders to try and discover her whereabouts, but that she, like the other boats, having failed to find the missing vessel, had returned to Liverpool. On the 21st of February I received a letter from the owners of the William Jolliffe asking me to go down and see the manager. When I got to Tower-buildings the next day, the manajger inquired very considerately about my health and asked whether I felt sufficiently recovered to go to sea again. If so, he would send me in search of the Loch Maree. If other- wise, he declared lie would not send the hoat out again on what appeared a wild goose chase. I told him I felt quite fit for duty. "Then what do you think about the job?" he asked. I told him I thought it was a forlorn hope, as the had been so long abandoned. Anyway, she was a valuable prize, and,^ "nothing venture, nothing win." "Where do you think. she is?" he next queried. I said that if she were still afloat, I judged her to be somewhere off the Island of Lewis. I put in the proviso because 1 had heard that she was seriously damaged on the quarter. I mentioned the Island of Lewis because I remembered several vessels abandoned off the West Coast of Ireland, which had gone north. In particular I recollected the James- town, which drifted from the West of Ireland across the track of Allan's boat?, and even- tually went ashore on Iceland. I considered that she got into the drift of the Gulf Stream, and so was carried northward. Now, when the Loch Maree was abandoned, there ware extraordinary spring tides setting right in for the Irish coast; but the effect of these I thought would be counteracted by the south-east gales which .had prevailed during the same period. In this way I thought she would clear Iceland, get, like the Jamestown. into the Gulf Stream, and drift on towards the Hebrides. It is, of course, well known that if a long ship gets her head north, and has a south-east wind on her quarter, she is bound to forge ahead. The manager and 1 then went to the newsroom and to the under- writer's rooms to make a thorough examina- tion of the course of the Gulf Sfrei.n. I felt pretty sure that the Loch Maree hid got into that part of the stream which sets past the Island of Lewis. I studied the chart in- tently, and we returned to the office, where it. was determined that next morning I should set off. In the meantime 200 tons of coal were put on board the tug. and two extra hands from another of the firm's boats were shipped. On Saturday morning, after a night of Loch Maree on tho brain, I called at the office before sailing. "Where do you think she is?" I asked the manager, wondering whether he had any special information, "How do I know?" he aSSwered. "You go where you like and do w'hat you like. There are eight more ships out there. Fetch any of them in?" "Wha-t!" said I, "an old Norwegian barque loaded with timber, for instance?" "Yes," he replied. "brine her in. Anything you like." This was n roving commission with a vengeance. I men- ticn this interview in some detail because there are. whispers that we had secret information and exact knowledge as to the place where she had been recently seen. I had absolutely no information whatever beyond what I have stated here, and my conclusions were purely a matter of reason and experience. At two o'clock on Saturday, the 23rd, we left the. landing-stage, in fine weather, with a light northerly breeze, which ireshft<ncd as we ran down the channel towards the Island of Inishtrahull, 37 miles north-west of Rathlin. I had selected Inishtra- hull as my point of departure. Before we sighted the island, tho sea wa.s running wry high, and the William Jolliffe, at .no time a. steady boat, was shipping a lot of water. On Friday, the day before sailing I had, of course, been having a bif nk over t-kji matter, and had decided in my own mind to get W.N.W. from Inislitrahull so as to J.rc:t a big sweep and then to zigzag N-E. to the Butt of Lewis. Of course, I decided to lav to at night. If that were not feasible I nwiuit to go dead slow and put my helm hard over, so as to keep on traversing the same circle. When wo arrived off Inishtrahull I went be- low and had another good look at the chart. The result was I decided to alter my plan and steer per a jxrint 40 miles N.W. of the Island of llockliall. When abreast of Rockliall I in- tended to make it, and then go 150 miles fur- ther on mv N.W. course. Then I hoped to work in zigzags of 200 miles, gradually ap- proaching E.N.E. to the Butt of Lewis. Off Inishtrahull the sea was so heavy that I was obliged to slow down till there was only steerage way on tho boat. As we got further west, however, the wind sank, and I increased my speed to ten knots. At twelve o'clock on Sunday night I went to lie down, previously tellW the man who had the morning watch to call me at daybreak. I further gave him in- structions to go up the masthead every half hour when light broke and report to me. At eight. a m. I was aft taking the log, when T l, l thp ma-n at the masthead shout out that he made out two masts away on the star- board bow. I ordered the man at the wheel to'«teer straight for the sighted vessel, and ran at once to the bridge with the long glass. Of course I did not expect to fall in with the object of my search thus early At first sitrht 1 took the vessel for another search st 'ajn'-r but as we could make out no smoke, I came' to the conclusion that we were m luck's way at all events. The excitement on board was intense as we gradually drew £ r "If that's not the Loch Maree,' I -a-cP''it's one of the other derelicts; we are all ri'dit" Closer and closer we came up, i we could make out t.he yellow funnel with the black top. There was no mistake u about it now. It was assureclly t^ big pnze Loch Maree. The e&ec-c or the dis- cover W-JIS electrical. My heart waa thunip- i„e 'aW^t mv ribs, and it was as much as I~'could do to hold the gflass steady. Pre- sently we could make out the name on her stern. Then, and not till then, the most confirmed doubter's misgivings were set at rpt-b She was lying, when we saw her, in the" trough of the sea, rolling in the frssh north-east wind. h?r head lying north-west, about ten miles off. It was halt-past nine on the Monday morning when W3 sighted liec and we were th?n 185 miles north-west from Inishtrahull. We had spoken nothing, had heard no news, and had got no special information of any kind to direct our search. Our good fortuim was, therefore, all tlie more astounding. With all wg steamed to leeward of her stern, and pot our boat out. The tu"- was rolling heavily, and the business wad 1!1.0<5t difficult. Just as we eofc the boat lewd with the rail the tug gave a big roll, which ur'.ooked the after fall. It was lucky that tho two men, and I who were in her at tho time w&re. ready far contingencies or that would have been the end as far as we were con- cerned. The' boat shipped a lot of water, but by immediately letting go the fore Ml we man a wed to save, her from Kwainpm<T I got soma food, an(* 1 nr,he boat, ?nd Atserinsr lier tvitli an oar m* soon f*nt, to the 'side of the ship. The falls were dangling cyer gide, just as tlisy had been left, but the hlocks had been washed away. A line fas- tened to cue of 4&vite wm friso hanging over the side. Probably it was down this line that the last man left the ship. One of my men "shinned" up, and found a, rope ladder en deck. As we tossed by the side of the chip my feelings were indescribable. The pathos of that deserted vessel was something to remember for a lifetime. The silence, the absence of any life, the masterless way she swung about, made me feel a kind of supersti- tious dread, tempered, however, by the delight of having been instrumental in saving such a valuable property from premature destruction. Directly I got on deck I hurried to the wheel, or rather to the wheels, for there were two wheels on the one spindle. To my satisfaction I found the hehn all right. My next care was to make suitable arrangements for towing. Fortunately there was a wire hawser already placed in position. The arrangement, however, did not suit me. In the end, with much diffi- culty, I shackled our own hawser on to the wire one, and prepared to tow her overall. Then I went below. Everything was orderly, but there was not a scrap of coal or food in the ship. In the engineer's room there were two small birds dead in a cage.. On the floor in the mate's room were a few feathers, probably all that the rats had left of a parrot. Though we had got the ship, the anxious time was to come. I decided to remain on board the Loch Maree myself. I had not a -n.+r. +- .+ 'J. IIIUIC lV JHUl All charge, and besides, now I had got hold of the ship, I didn't mean letting her go with- out a big struggle. I could easily direct both ships from my position on the Loch Maree. I made the course south-east for Inishtrahull, and a few minutes to twelve we commenced towing. Until four o'clock she steered well, but when the wind freshened from the north- east to a moderate gale, she yawed badly, and I began to fear that the hawser would part. By paying 50 fathoms more of the wire hawser, making 170 fathoms in all, I managed to make things more comfortable, though my attention had to be unceasing. By eight p.m. on Tuesday we got the light- house of Inishtrahull abeam, having at the time three or four men at the wheel. At two o'clock on Wednesday we passed Rath- lin, and by noon we were safely anchored in Carrickfergus Roads. My anxiety, which had been truly terrible since I took charge of her, was practically now over. That (Wedneseiay) night I got my first moment of rest since 9.30 on the previous Monday morning. The resrfc is detail. The whole voyage, with its slender hopes, its fortunate development, its excitement, its physical and mental strain, and its happy conclusion, fills out such a big event in my life that I am fain to believe that most readers will peruse my simple account, if not with interest, with, at lfast, the toleration usually extended to sailors' yarns.

SUICIDE OF A CROYDON MAN. PITIFUL, STORY OF FAMILY DIFFERENCHS. Giving evidence at Friday's inquest on Robert Thomas, 69, a Croydon coachman, who drowned himself in the Wandle, Mrs. Emily Thake, his daughter, said ho had been out of work and suffered from rheumatic gout. To- wards his support witness and her husband contributed four or five shillings a week, and deceased also received half a crown from her younger brother Herbert, and another half- crown from the Foresters. About five weeks ago her father was taken to the infirmary, and his sons thought he ought to stay there, and offered to contribute towards his maintenance. But deceased said it would be slow murder to remain in the workhouse, and took his dis- charge. Since then her eldest brother had taken no notice of him, and witness thought this had worried him. When he was taken out of the water the following letter, writen in pencil and addressed to the witness, was found in his pocket. I My Dear Emily,—A few lines to say I have not heard of Herbert-, and I leave my lodgings to-niglit, and I have nowhere to go, and I am tired of my life, and I must see you all shortly. You and Her- bert have been my best friends, BO my things, any- thing that you have got, you keep or sell, and that will help pay for my washing. If Herbert wants anything, let him have it. There is a few thines at my lodgings, and but one week to pay, 2s. 6d. Give my love to the children, and Charlie and Her- bert. God blees you all. Don't fret for me.—From your broken-hearted father, ROBERT THOMAS, Oroj-don. Good-bye. William Thomas, the eldest brother referred to, who was called at his own request, stated that he kept the Cricketers, Southbridge- place, Croydon. On Tuesday night his father came into the house and asked for a bottle of ginger-lieer. Witness declined to serve him, and told him not to spend his money on such things as tliait, but to buy food. Witness had a reason for doing this. De- ceased had previously stopped in the bar for five or six hours at a time, and had been a nuisance to witness in his business on many occasions. (Hisses from Mr. Thake.) Witness asked very sharply that his brother-in-law shonlrl be ordered to leave the court. The Coroner said lie took it that witness and his father were not on good terms. Witness Yes, we were. I merely tried to keep him in his place for his own good. I had done a good deal for him. Witness had paid half deceased's payments to the Fores- ters for five years. His father left the infir- mary in oppoeition to the wish of witness, who had guaranteed, with his brother, to pay 7s. a week for his maintenance, as he did not think it safe for the old man to be out, because he had twice threatened suicide, So far as lie knew, his father was not in want. They had done all they could for him. Witness complained bitterly of the hostility of his brother-in-law, Thake, who, he said, had seriously injured him in business. The jury intimated that they had heard quite enough of this part of the case. Dr. Oressysaidjfthat on examining the body,he found three or four superficial wounds on the throat, indicating that deceased had tried to cut his throat with a blunt knife. The body was well nourished and well dressed. The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide while temporarily insane."

A BOLD VENTURE IN EXPLORA- TION. The Berlin correspondent of the "Stan- dard" says:—The funds necessary to carry out an exploration of the North Pole by balloon, as proposed by the Swedish engineer and scientific aeronaut, M. Andree, having now been obtained, that gentleman is about to proceed to Paris to super- intend the construction of the balloon. M. Yon, of Paris, has entered into a contract to make the machine of double silk, of which about 5,500 cubic metres will be required, the cost being £ 2,200. The ballon is to be capable of carrying three persons with the necessary instruments and ballast and four months' pro- visions. It will be sufficiently gas-tight to hover in the air for 30 days at a height of 250 metres. It will admit of being filled with gas at any point in the Polar regions, and will, to a certain extent, be steerable. M. Andree calculates that 1,700 to 1,800 cylinders filled with gas under a pressure of 100 or 200 atmos- pheres will be required for the expedition, in order to refill the balloon fiom time to time. He believes he will be able to guide the machine by a system of sails and ropes acting as a brake in case of need by dragging on the earth. The car is to be spacious enough to contain a sledge, a sailing bot, several weapons, with ammunition and photographic camera. Early next spring it is proposed to erect a balloon house, and, after filling the balloon, to start on the aerial voyage for the Pole in July, with a fresh south, or nearly south, wind. The eluration of the journey must, of course, largely depend on the strength of the wind. It might possibly last only five or six hours, but M. Andree expects that it will take at least over 40. Thirty days, he believes, will suffice for cruising about the Central Polar Basin in all directions, and taking a complete survey of it. The return journey is to be made towards the inhibited parts of North America or Northern Siberia. With a wind of average velocity, Zvl. Andree. says, the balloon can maka 19,400 kilometres in 30 days, whereas the distance from Snitz- bergen to the Bthring Starits, via the Pole is only 3,700.

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AN ARMED MADSTAff ON HIS WAY TO BALMORAL TO PETITION THE QUEEN. At Aberdeen on Friday a young man was charged (before the sheriff) with discharging a' revolver in a public road at Ballater, in th3* neighbourhood of Balmoral. He was a.. stranger to the locality, and the charge was adjourned to allow an examination to be made into his menfal condition. The inquiries which were instituted showed that the man is a. farmer's son, named Thomas Dron, belonging to Crieff, and there is no doubt that he was on his way to Balmoral when arrested to endea- vour to obtain an interview with the Queen. Ayoung slater of Ballater,named Benjamin Mit- chell, was proceeding along the road when he noticed the prisoner acting in a strange manner. When the latter fired his revolver Mitchell w ■« up to him and spoke to him, but Dron becama threatening, and pointed the revolver at Miv1 chell. The latter at once grappled with tha fellow, and, with the assistance of a gentle- man who happened to be passing at the tune, disarmed him, and marched him to Ballater Police-station. The prisoner had upon him' a paper headed "To the Queen," and a letter addressed to the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, in which the writer mentioned that he was about to become king. In another letter, addres?C(j to Mr. Vanderbilt, the prisoner expressed a desire to marry the American millionaire's daughter. Police-sergeant Es&on, who examined the revolver, found that the six chambers were fully charged, and on searching the prisoner's travelling bag it was found to contain 50 addi- tional cartridges. The man has since been examined by doctors, and certified to be in- sane. When the affair became known in the district considerable excitement was caused. ——

CHARGE AGAINST A GENERAL'S DAUGHTER. At Worthing Police-court on Friday Mrs. Mary Bosina Paul, wife of a captain and daughter of a general, was brought up in custody charged with beincr drunk and dis- orderly in a public thoroughfare. A police- oonsta,ble found her lying in the road just before midnight, and later saw her rapping. at the doors of various house?, the occupants of which declined to admit her. She was very drunk, and used bad language. At the police-station she became very violent, and refused to be searched, and had to be held down by two police-constables. Mrs. Paut, who continually interrupted the proceeding", denied the charge, declared that she was subject- to cataleptic fits, and said she wished she was dead. She had been convicted oil former occasions, and was now fined the maximum penalty of 40s. and costs, or 2L days hard labour. Time for payment w? refused, and the defendant was removed custody.

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