Papurau Newydd Cymru
Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru
16 erthygl ar y dudalen hon
A CASE OF IDENTITY P AN AMERICAN…
A CASE OF IDENTITY P AN AMERICAN SKSTCH. I was bom at Charlestown, New Hampthin, on the Oth-,ofAugust, 1852, and—'—" A "hand touched me lightly on the shoulder. Born in 1852 ?"J I turned around, and was surprised to see an entire stranger, a tall man, thin to emaciation, of 4 about sixty years of age, looking at me with what I inteipretftdias cynical leer. ^Now, hefe'is a pessimist of the deepestdye," I thought. One pf the modern scholar* who doubts tbe creation by the Almighty of earth; who in his scholastic exactions would deny the authenticity of a William Tell, the whole apple story in toio-^in a; word, who would accept nothing by faith, but every- thing on the most absolute and infallible proof." Samuel J. Tilden used to aver that most persons do not know aperiirieht from an impertinent question. My new f»iend was more than cousin-german to this sort of folk, but being an acknowledged optimist, I could not switch him off with faint damnation, nor by that little informalism of There's thy way. Go!" "I Born in 1852?" r" Yes," I replied a trifle snappishly, thrusting my hands deep into my pockets, ostrich like, believing I I was at least: partly out of sight by this move- ment. Born in lSS&afe-Charleefcown, New Hampshire?" "Yes, 1852, Charlestown, New Hampshire; and* 1 can show you the very house, the very bedroom 'in which I first-opened toy eyéø¡' I said, with ptnt-tip enthusiasm, thrusting my hands deeper into my pockets, and glaring at him much as the lions did at Count de Lorge, in Hunt's poem, when he leaped among the lions of King Francis, and snatched his lady's glove from their reeking jaws. But 'twas no use. I was in the hands of a man who knew all emergencies, grasped the verities in a masterly way, and, so' to speak, always held the win- ning card. "But look here, tqy'dear friend, when yon were B born, or father, logtbalfy', wheta' you aseutfie to have been born. in the year 1852, nearly a half a century ago, thing's were believed unquestioned. We have changed all)tbsg. A child who is born to-day is not sure he is btfrn at all until the doctor has made a record of his birth, the parsobtakelt his oath, the town registrar registers it cEven then there may be some question: A will is unearthed. Various claimants- -put in their claims and if your birth is not-prettyi thoroughly recorded by mother, father, nurpe, doctor, minister, registrar, the wily, lawyers will prove that you do not exist-ie., that you were realjy never born. I turned pale. I knew, according to Dean Swift and an aliBanack maker, that a certain man was actually proven dead his own personality did hot serve to re-establish his identity, therefore, to all inte,nt,s-,a¡j)Urpo.øø,be.ré'maij\ed dead. So, as I stood there in mr-native land, on my native heath, within a stone's throw of the little cottage where I was born, I began to tremble for my identity-to question Jmy ftrthij^hfc. Not that I hadn't been born but there Was a bare chance that we bad been twins, and the nurse had got ur. mixed up, that *1 was reaBy not myself but my brother. Would this emaciatedjspecimen of intellectual, critical humanity discover iihiB fact, and Hby a logical sequence of reasoning prove me,tQ be a dead man& it Inched to be away. jk4> laail gaid, and triy emphasis was a little vinegary "But'jouiwott'fc deny.thafe laIn. born ?*), "Oh, no!" That I have arisen to the jjt&te of manhood ?" < "■Ob, no! But my very dear sir, I .an), taking your word for it?" ■■■■• "Well?" u.. That iVnot proving it :1 f I felt like jumping over tho steeple. Wbere'ii iny bowie,knife? This man bac; tr.mp'ed on my word, he bas stultified me; by an innuendo he has implied that I am not born, that if I am born, I am lacking in veraèitý., I drew tny bands from-my poifefets. I pushed at my sleeves. "I will thwack thi3 fellow's face. Hifshall feel against his obstrusivo noje th It I nm not only born, but a vtry active kind of Harvard pugilist, an un- crowned Corbett!" s ,I took a side glanoo- at the real ft'De. I would: kpQffk him about fifteen feet. I drew back. I raited my, arm. It fell to'my side. Shame, shame, to. Rtrikij. one..of. bis yrtwe, a man of knowledge, too—1 I who had take;. my hat off at the tohib of Burns, had dropped, a silent tear-on the sepulchre of Scott, had placed a double wreath of anemones on the brows i of ;th<i BrqwaingB I > I My very dear sir," he resumed, with that cuftl- vatedj iatonatiou we notice in the talk of Wendell Phillips, I should not continue, but you have the unmistakable!: lines of culture, Gene Field-had not been a keener j^iblomaniae than-you you love books likefa Solomon, a James ri iedds, a Mabie, a Peck, a Richardson. S I.Pigall -not be. offensive; I will simply array scholarship against. error,against fallacy; for, let me toji you this, \yhile, fifty, years ago, all people were believ;ed, to be hoaost, all banka were trusted, ministers were believed to be divine, "a note offhand wayaccepfed unconditionally, tl-ay man would go security for another, to-day is the most sceptical age of the world; no man is believed to W honest, no bank will be trusted, ministers are reuiked-wjth politioans, a note of haijd is not accepted, no man will go security for another. And so you will, per- ceive, when you make the simple, unautbentijsated statement that yoH were born ,at Charlestown on the 9th of wish to convey the idea that I tentatively and: absolutely deny your assertion, I merely ask for proof." -1 began to feel easier. To prove that I had been born, am born, was so ridiculous that I gave vent, not to my usual cultivated laugh, but to a coarse guffaw, so inelegant that my interlocutor turned with a twitch of pain in his sallow face, and glanced half- surprisedly over his rimless eye-glasses. I had exhibited a degree of coarseness not in consonance with my preyiQus, mwmer; and .this modern purist had been disturbed. My coarse laugh had been my strongest argument; jt had more thoroughly out- generaled him than my most argumentative disap- proval of anything he might have said. And so I held this in reserve, as R kind of Bonaparte battalion, to be called into requisition at a moment's notice, for, from a pink-nosed baby up to a studious-looking man of ovtfr'fotty tsummers, I had known the efficacy of a laugh. 33ie laugh in my mother's lap, the laugh in my (■fiefla.when I cut out my rival, and the other kind of -IsiTgh -when my rival cut me out. I also knew thpjawgh of political argument—how a man who c, i# nxgdod down may many times be laugfifcd down. B^iG curiosity now held back my reserve force. laugb, end I simply smiled as I said- "Proof? Cpnuv with me. Take my arm, We will walk twemf tods, turn the corner by the old graveyard; ;M)d fitter A few paces we shall comedo a small story ^jjd half .cottage, at-tUe foot ojf the long Densinore hi>U,"fapd 1 can point out to you tfie very cottage in which I whs born." "I shall be only too glad to see it; for this is a beautiful town On the banks of the Connecticut River, with many historic features. Is that the v house ? I see an unconscious sparkle in your eye." You have guessed it. It is the very same." A small houee^ ^t no doubt much more of a home than a Whitnfjy Palace. And so you were v born here ?" Yes, just forty-five years ago, excepting a few months." "ThtfbuildSng shovfrs the marks of age." It is doubtless a hundred years old." v t Been newly shingled?" Yas." ° 1 And clapboarded P" Yes." Repainted ?* Yes." ■- -4 Some new timbers f Yes." A new chimney ?" Yeei sir, a new chimney." It reminds me of a boy's iackkaife" How BO?" "New timbers; new chimney; new clapboards; new shingles; and still this is the house you were born in J »-■ u The location, at least The boy had owned the knife a great many years; it was the same knife; he had merely had a new handle and then a new blade; but Sir, do you wish to impose on meP" I said, now within the pale of my own castle. No, no! But see how very sure the boy was, whilst a very, very small mind can readily grasp the fact that his knife was new, that it was not the same knife at all. You seem somewhat bewildered j for now, on the very #ront-st*ps of your assumption that '•you were birn^here, you stultify yourself; yon admit that the bouse has beeta extensively changed, remodellod, and so admitting, prove ,to a pismte- t*lZ ,0' -J' r < f; Tt b i- rested party, that it is not the same bouse a+, all; therefore, from natural causes I should be led to infer that you are no the man who was born here in August,_1652." He leaned on the fence and I clenched my fist. For the first time in my history, Aristotle-like, I was "trying to establish my own identity, andjyet in the same breath was denying it. So this is the house I did not reply. A pretty place. I wouldn't mind having been born here myself. See that trailing vine; how lovingly it twines about the old porch -1, A new porch; it did not exist forty years ago. Another generation of strangers has added that." 1: tioticed his peculiar smile, but he Continued: And those honeysuckles; how dainty they look! and the corner lilacs ■" All new-all new." M Indeed!" Then turning quietly to me he con- tinued, can you put your finger on anything that is absolutely old?" I hesitated. At last I said: U WbyP": I Ob, nothing; only you said yoa were borti here in 1852. Jnst little links in the-chain of circum- stantial evidence that you were born here, that 11 all." ,c But the land is the same ? Yes, the same number of square feet." Is that the fence that was here in 1852 ?" No." Ah and was that pretty row of apple trees set out at that tiuae ? .&J No." And that hedgerow ? "No." Then if this place, land, house and all, had been transported to Africa, just as it now is, would- you have risen amorg the black sons of Africa and said: I remember, I remember, The house-where I was born, The little window where the sun Came peeping in at morn?'" I gnashed my teeth. It reminded me of my deal- ings with editors of my manuscripts; and yet he had left it all to me, in a certain sense it had not been necessary for me to tell him that my old knife bad had a new handle and a new blade. Bnt his questions in a way bad compelled these admissions, these criminating answers. Then you wouldn't have known the old home- stead if it had been transferred to South Africa?" "No." So it is beginning to" be a serious question whether., this, is the house or not, whether you wera born here, whether you are born at all; for you maV have been changed by the nurse. By tbe by, are you quite sure it was a boy that :wae born on the 9tb of August.. 1852 ?" Yes a lively Yankee boy I" i" Well, I am., glad that is .,se ttled for it, you had been, a girl and had stood up here as a man with your claim, it would have mixed things up not a littlej' Corner inside,") I said impatiently. I can u show you the very room in which I first opened my eyes," — r I knocked. on the door. A. little old-fashioned lady appeared, a shade of curiosity on her wrinkled features. Of My name is H&rdecrabble," I announced. George Hardecrabble.. I am, for certain reasons, interested in this house. Have you occupied it long ?" No. I moved in this summer." Who lived here before you ?" I caftnotfeay." May we come in Yea," I was born here in 1852- lly (fiend touched me on the shoulder. Ah, yes, J think I was bornliere on the 9th of August, 1852." Of course I had left the house when I was'K mere sapling, so -to speak and I had no more recollection of the exact 'disposition of its interior than the man in the moon; so I commenced gazing around inquir- ingly. Which room was it?" asked my friend. "I don't know—that is- o i. • Bonft know?" < Whyr yes. It. was ia the parlour. But I should judge that the cottage had been enlarged during the: past few years." < "It has been," prompted the old lady. "The kitchen and sitting-room are most ow." t -Ali! Will you conduct us to the room which was the parlour m 1852?" { e'I tan sllow ,outhe parlour of to-day. And she' kindly escorted us to the apartment designated. ? Is this it?" said my friend.. I-r-thiuk so." ) t 0h, be more positive. When I met you an hour" ago you would swear to anything; and now you' !:beeitate about .the very room-in which you were • What are you doiifg ?" 4IScratohing through three or four thicknesses of i ioldwall paper; didn't know but what I might come down to the original coat of 1852, and fin'd your baby initials executed on its SUIT •• -<* J- Pslmw I was barely»,y<<old when my (^lks emigrated to another part of the state. Theft11 am to understand that you have no per-P sonal proof laf your birth, but only traditional; you simply say 'I was bom here' on somebody's say- y so?" f Yes." Well, say good-by to the House l aitf going." We bade the old lady farewell, and went out.^ily mind was in a whirl. You see," said my companion, that it doesn t answer to be sure of anything. All conditions of men are sqmetirpes right,, and, ergo, sometimes wrong. One set of great men said: 'The earth is flatr, Another set of JJlep. y: .'The earth is round! My lather could pro?-#—. Is your father living ?" "-No." -'• ■- »- He can protvo nothing. My very dear sir, proof is the very last thing to turn up at the right time. You 8w-ear on your death-bed that you killea So and So. The supposed murderer is liberated. But sup- pose you said, I am the murderer,' and you should die in the next breath, how could we prove it2 We couldn't. We take it forgrapted. But in your case we are not taking anything for granted. As a matter of scientific investigation we are simply timng j to prove what, to all intents and purposes, would be accepted as an. uudeoiable fact.And yet we really cannot prove it. You don't deny this ?" I was dumb. J I So you were born here on the 9th of August, 1852? All right, my friend; I don't doubt it, only you needn't expect a court of law to believe your story. Good afternoon."
THE CORONATION STONE. ;
THE CORONATION STONE. An interesting paper was read dealing with the Coronation Stone at Westminster at the last monthly meeting of the Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Treating it purely from the archaeological jpoint of view, Mr. James Hilton explained that there existed in early times a belief that the stone was originally taken from Palestine to Egypt, and thence to Scotland, and that its removal from that restipg-place would be fraught with danger to the succession of the Scottish Kings. Geological investigations, however, showed, without doubt that the stone was from Scottish quarries. At Dunstaffnage it was used in connection with ancient coronation ceremonials, but there was no very clear or distinct evi- dence as to when or ho wit found its way to Argyllshire. In 834' the stone was removed to Scone for protec- tion, and remained there until 1296, when Edward 1. brought'it to Westminster, together with the ancient coronation chair and regalia. Jacob's Pillar remains in the Abbey to-day, and in the chair above it all the reigning Sovereigns of England have been crowned since the monarch who brought it south. Some fine specimens of implements from the lost flint mines of Egypt were exhibited by Mr. H. W. Seton Earr, who discovered them in November last, together with a collection of flints which he recently brought from Somaliland.
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FOR her own personal private use at Windsor, in the South of France, and, in fact, on all save State occasions, the Queen invariably makes use of grey horses less than 16 hands high, either harnessed as a pair, or burin-hand. In the latter case they are mounted by a couple of postilions in black jackets. The carriage, which io a four-seated barouche, has a rumble behind for the servants in attendance, and the equipage is preceded by an outrider, an equerry cantering on horseback at either side of the convey- These equerries, who are in ordinary morning in h»t, are iarariably colonels or generals T :,t\ I! 1 r
MATABBLE LAND AND
MATABBLE LAND AND MASHONALAND. Some further despatches concerning the late opera- tions in Matabeleland and Maettonaland have been published in the London Gazette in continuation of those which were given on March 9. Writing on May 6, Sir Frederick Carrington brought undqr Lord Kosmead's special notice the good services rendered by Mr. Duncan (late Royal Navy), Surveyqr-General under the administration of the British South Africa Company, and he also mentioned (in addition to others previously given) the name of Lieutenant (local Captain) P. A. Turner, 2nd Battalion West Riding Regiment, and expressed his sense of the good work done by the mounted in- fantry and other detachments of Imperial troops, comprised in Lieutenant-Colonel Alderson's command in Mashonaland. On April 30 Mr. Chamberlain wrote to Sir Alfred Milner, the High Commissioner for South Africa, a letter, in which he said I have read with satisfaction the favourable report which Sir F. Carrington is able to give respecting the conduct of the forces under hia command, and which reflects much credit on all concerned.. 2. At the outbreak of the rebellion, which was attended with such lamentable loss of life among the inhabitants of outlying districts, the local volunteer forces, composed ef settlers both of English and of Dutch origin, displayed great bravery and firmness in liDlding the enemy in check. 3. But it was evident that to put down the insur- rection was beyond their powers, and when, in con- sequence, a relief column was organised under Colonel Plumer, and the employment of Imperial troops had to be authorised, her Majesty's Govern- ment felt themselves fortunate in being able to place the operations under the command of a general officer of such tried experience as Sir F. Carrington. 4. The subsequent spread of the rising to Masbona- land rendered his presence and that of the Imperial troops more than ever indispensable. 5. It is to his capacity and prudence, aided by the untiring efforts of the Imperial officers and troops, and loyally supported by the continued co-operation of the local volunteer bodies of the inhabitants, which numerically formed the greater portion of the combatant force, that the successful issue of the operations is to be ascribed. A, 6. Those operations were conducted under trying conditions, owing to the vast expanse of Matabele- land and Mashonaland, the difficulties which the natural features of the country presented, and the comparatively small force which could be maintained -seriously hampered as the operations were by diffi- culties of transport arising from the destruction of oxen by rinderpest and by the lack of a sufficient local food supply. 7. Full credit is due to the Administrator, Lord Grey, for not hesitating for one moment to draw un- sparingly upon the resources of the British South Africa Company to meet these difficulties of food supply and transport, as well as for the measures which they took to provide food for the civil popula- tion at the time of scarcity. Indeed, it is right to say that throughout the rebellion the British South Africa Company did not shrink from facing their full responsibilities in a resolute manner. 8. With regard to the conclusion of the operations- in the Matoppo Hills I cannot omit to mention the; service rendered by Mr. C. J. Rhodes at the critical: J meeting held by him with the chiefs, which waB fol-; lowed by the discussion of their grievances with Lord j Grey and Sir R. Martin, and I trust that the settle- ment resulting from those meetings may prove to be. of a satisfactory and permanent character. 9. I heartily concur in the reference made by Lord Rosmead to the help afforded by General Good- enough, as General Officer commanding the troops .at the Cape of Good Hope, and I request that you will express to him the thanks of her Majesty's Go- vernment for his services. 10. I have duly brought to the notice of the Admiralty and the Foreign Office the valuable assist- ance given by Rear-Admiral Rawson and Mr. Ross, her Majesty's Consul at Beira, to which Lord Bos- mead calls attention. 11. The cordial terms in which your predecessor and Sir F. Carrington allude to the' courteous and friendly assistance afforded by the Portuguese ,authorities, in connection with the passage of the Imperial troops through Portuguese territory to Mashonaland, have been duly communicated to the Marquis of Salisbury, and her Majesty's Minister at ilisbon, has been instructed to bring them to the notice of the Portuguese Government, and to say jthat her Majesty's Government have received with pleasure this testimony to the good offices rendered by the local authorities in the territory of Moz&m- jbique, and desire that it may be made known to :them that their services have been warmly appre- ciated.. 12. It only remains for me to say that I have perused with much interest the record of those officers of the Imperial and of the local forces whom Sir F. Carrington recommends to favourabl notice as having distinguished themselves by gallantry in .action and by the value of their services during the (operations. The list of' these recommendations has been published in the London Gazette, Snd has been very carefully considered by the Secretary of State for War and by myself, with a view to sub- mitting a certain number of the names to her Majesty the Queen for suitable recognition. (i r (
■J'. L ,.SCOTTISH BTTHGHS.
J'. L SCOTTISH BTTHGHS. A report has been prepared under remit from the annual committee of the Convention of Royal, Par- liamentary, and the* Police Burghs of Scotland on the Provisional' jbrcjpr (Scotland) B$J, I(; is signed by TMr. R. Vary Campbell, Sheriff of Roxburghshire, and it states the main purpose of the bill to be- thatParlia- mentary powers,' desired by any person, company, or municipality In' Scotlaad, shall, >pth Q^tain excep- tions, be obtained only by petition to the Secretary for SoOtland as for a Provisional Order, instead of by^priVate' pills^' !^t goes on to explain the provi- sions.of] the, bin with regard to the proposed commis- sions for local inquiry in the localities concerned, where opponents can be heard, and adds that the possible exceptions allowed to the Operation of the. bill are considerable. The petitioner Cor pro- moter) may represent that his scheme is too large for a provisional order. In like manner an opponent may make the same irepreseqtatipn. Ija thjs event provision is made for taking cases out of the bill. The power is probably introduced for the supposed benefit of the great'railway companies, but experience may sbow Wese companies that their interests will be Safe iii thehalids dfti lo."cal-comraissio'n. moi-t im- portant exception to the operation of the bill is that, even after the Commissioners, after full hearing of all parties interested, have reported' in favour of the provisional order, and, even after the Secretary for Scotland is disposed to confirm it, it may be stopped and referred to Parliament on the memorial of a single Opponent. This is -ii concession which, it is thought, goes rather far. The Secretary for Scotland, it is thought, -should by himself, or acting along with the Chairmen Of 'Committees of both Houses, have a discretionary power to forbid appeal if he considers the memorial of the single opponent unreasonable and further litigation to be ion merely obstructive. Moreover, the single1 opponent, appearing after iso much procedure, should be obliged to deposit or find security for tho costs to which he may put the promoters. The check upon him in the bill is that he may competently be found liable in costs from the date of his" memorial; but this is hardly enough. The provision that, in the case of a reference to Parliament, the order shall be confirmed by a "public bill (fOT which thd, promoters do not pay), and that such confirming bill shall be referred to a joint committee of both Houses once for all, is excellent. If is thought that -the main intent of this bill is thoroughly good and satisfactory. It errs, if at all, in too carefully guarding the inte- rests, of opponents; but,1 as a whole, it is a thoroughly businesslike measure. After years of promises ana no fulfilment, it will bo a serious reproach if. through lukewarmness or indifference on the part Of The pre- sent Ministrys this bill i» not pressed through Parlia- ment during the present session.
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TUB anxiety among young ladies to secure positions in the telegraph service has now an even accentuated* character. At the last examination 10 female positions were offered for competition, and for those 10 positions there were no fewer than 463 applicants. An examination for 30 vacancies in the General Post Office has now been resolved upon, and the authorities are being simply overwhelmed with requests for information as to the positions. Singu- larly-encogb, whilst the number of applicants in the can of female clerkships are usually 30 times in excess of the positions advertised, the male appli- cants do not, as a general rule, exceed the positions offered by more than three to one. ,1, t Y '■<* ''c t .r*• .i- ■••• « B"ii if awl' "J 7 )5 iff*- "}iJW!?: '1 r, u
,-POLEWARDS IN '97. \ „¡
POLEWARDS IN '97. „ Deep, dark mystery still surrounds the two Poles. In their vicinity is an area equal to all the other un- explored country in the world, some 12,000,000 of square miles, and whether this area is land or water, a barren, snow-covered waste, or a paradise of un- known birds, feasts, and flowers, man has be^n trying hard to discover for' many decades, and is stifl continuing the struggle. Dr. Nansen (writes a corre- spondent of the Daily Mail) has solved some of the problems of the frozen North, but many remain, and one expedition is at present wrestling with them in the Polar region. This year, however, in- terest will be centred in the attempt of Herr André, the Swedish aeronaut, to reach the North Pole in a balloon. Dr. Nansen's sledge journey, it will be remembered, was stopped chiefly by the broken con- dition of the ice-field, but this would be no obstacle to a balloonist. In another respect the voyage of the Fram and the journey-of the balloon have one thing in common. The ship waa entrusted to a great ocean current, flowing in the direction of the Pole, and in similar fashion the balloon will be entrusted to an aerial current. Last year Herr Andr6 made an unsuccessful attempt, but this year he has gone to Spitzbergen with a balloon that is a great improvement upon the one in which he hoped to accomplish his work 12 months ago. Thp aerial monster is 75ft. in height from the opening to the top, or 95ft. in all from the cap to the bottom of the car, in which the navigators will live. Its upper two-thirds are made of three thicknesses of silk, the lower third having only two thicknessea. The network in which the balloon is enclosed is ot Italian hemp 2in. in thickness. At the balloon'i equator the meshes are about 13in. square, decreasing in size as the balloon narrows upward and downward. Twelve small balloons will be attached to the outside of the principal one and act as gasometers—that is, replace the actual loss of gas in the big balloon con- tinually. and in this way it is proposed to keep the balloon floating in the air for 60 days. It will also enable the balloon to retain its circular shape, even if a large quantity of gas should be lost. In spite of the desertion of his colleague,*dn the ground'that the carrying power of .the balloon sufficient, Herr Andri is quite sanguine; with favour- able winds he hopes to reach the Pole in six weeks; and to exhibit his balloon at the Paris Exposition of 1900 with the simple inscription: "Retour du Pole-t Nord" (Returned from the North Pole). But the eyes of the exploring world are also turned longingly to the South. So far the Antarctic regions have been comparatively neglected; while great expeditions! have again and again been fitted out to probe the' secrets of the North, few have ventured into the' South Polar regions. This year, however, little, Belgium is to enter the lists with an expedition' that is to have the Antarctic for its field of opera-: tions. M. de Gerl^ckef the Belgian naval lieu-i tenant, is the organiser and leader, and a, steamer, La Belgica, has been purchased for the voyage, and is now being adapted to resist ice pressure on lines Revised by Dr. Nansen for the Fram. The first season will be spent in exploration lb., George IV. Sea, to the east of Graham Land. The winter will be spent in Australia, and during the' second year explorations will be made in the vicinity of Victoria Land. The chief work of both years will' be geological and zoological research. A third expe- dition is being promoted by the American Society of! Naturalists, and is to start under Professor Heilpris; in the autumn. The leader is of the opinion that the. Antarctic land mass was at one time or another j connected with Africa, Australia, and South America, which formerly radiated from the South Pole, as North America now does from the North Pole. This view it will be his aim. to.. develop by means of researches to be made during the proposed expedition.
JUBILEE SWINDLERS.
JUBILEE SWINDLERS. A correspondent of the London Daily Telegrhph writes: A new phase of the Jubilee stands question was brought to light in the Sftrtihd the other day, when a eun-burned gentleman stepped into a newly- erected building and desired to look' at some seats which he said he had just purchased there, It happened to be one of the places where the pro- prietor is holding in hopes of a final rise in prices, or the stranger might have gone away, not to be un- deceived until the day of the great parade. The owner of the window said there must be some mistake, whereupon the claimant produced a con- tract and a bunch of neatly-printed tickets to show that the error was not on his part. In the course of the discussion which followed, it came out that an agent had approached the visitoron board a steamer, at Port Said, as he was on his way here from Australia, offering the tickets, which were reprtpented to be in great demand, and that he had bought 10 for himself, family, and two frieodtk for the sum of £ 250. The deceived purchaser, who was staving at a well-known hotel in the Strand, was. in doubt whether to make his loss known to Scotland- yard or not, but will probably do so to shield other voyagers from the swindlers who are now infesting the foreign ports where home-coming steamers first put in. Three other Australians were victimised, it is said, on the same vessel, and inquiries show that they are not the only people who have been tricked. A number of shrewd Americans have, it was learned at several of the prominent hotels, been induced to part with their money by the ingenioqs language and behaviour of the sharpers who have been making Queenstown a base of operations for several weeks past. It is not suggested that the owners or .the captains of the boats whose passengers have been bled have not done all in their power to protect them, but too strong a warning cannot be given those visiting London for the festivities to be on their guard, against this new and ingenious form of swindling. The sellers of bogus seats carry with them impressive- looking plans and pictures which might easily deceive the most wary.
THE TRAMP;? FAILING.
THE TRAMP;? FAILING. The truth about the tramp is that he is thoroughly indolent. That he is ingenious and different to ordinary men we ldmit. The very nature of his occupation made his predecessors invent curious methods, and these have developed into customs. In point of numbers the tramp is a far more important person than most people would believe. It is stated, on good authority, that between the, months of April and October no lesS than 110,000 professional'' tramps are "on the road in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Besides these there are always numbers of the poorer members of the labouring classes who are walking from town to town in search of work. For the real tramp rarely resorts to honest toil as a means of earn- ing a livelihood. It is only in the haymaking or the harvesting season that he condescends to give a help- ing hand. He prefers to live at his ease and sleep away the afternoons under the lee of a hedge, or within the confines of some convenient spinney.
,HUMOURS OF THE INDIAN iFAMINE.
HUMOURS OF THE INDIAN FAMINE. An amusing feature of a large relief works camp in the Punjab, where about 40,000 persons are at work, is the arrangement, just introduced, by which a large number of babies are looked after whilst their mothers are at work. Previous to this about 700 or 800 babies were left in one place, and the mothers, anxious in the evening to reclaim their little onesv caused « scene which is imagined better than de- scribed. It was not possible for mothers to find their own babies easily, and the authorities were em- barrassed not a little. The officer in charge, how- ever, now treats the babies on the umbrella and coat principle, and put an end to the trouble. He has pro- vided each of the babies with a string and a ticket in duplicate, one being hung round the baby's neck, and the other given to the mother. What trouble and confusion would ensue if some wag undertook to change the babies' string and ticket I
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THJBY |Iad.fallen out.. The moon, jtwt risen above the tfope pf the trees, shed its light, upon them. •Perdition!" he hissed. She did not speak, but a look of deep pain flitted across her face. "Curse that hammock!" he muttered. It was elearly apparent that they had fallen out. i Tnz Marquis of Waterford has proved himself a first-rate amateur detective." A robber who bad broken into the marquis's house at Curraghmore was once pursued by him, and followed to a public-house four miles off. There the robber had seated himself; among A. number of men who were drinking and smoking and not one of them would betray him. The uwquisi however, insisted upon- feeling all their hearts, and as he was their landlord and the great man of the county, no one dared to refuse: The man whose heart was still beating quickly was the robber, who had just ceased running. '< J!.) t lL t:. :I: rt Hf,' }., ,I r. V.-1 i. J'J. JiSi* W 2 '¡.H' £;.)Í '•> r i.f L A
ANCIENT EGYPT AND EUROPE.…
ANCIENT EGYPT AND EUROPE. At a recent meeting of the Royal Society of Litera- ture, Professor W. M. Flinders Petrie read a paper on the early connection between Egypt and Europe. At the commencement of his address, Professor 1'etrie said that it must not be assumed for a moment that the civilisation of Egypt was transplanted from somewhere to the banks of the Nile in a ready-made condition, but it was the outcome of a gradual and slow development, in which Europe played no unimportant part. Many of the speci- mens of pottery which he (the lecturer) bad discovered in Egypt clearly prove beyond the possibility of a doubt that a connection between EnrOpe and Egypt by way of the Mediterranean existed in very early times. For instance, some frag- ments of vases which were discovered in tombs pf the early dynasties showed a very striking resem- blance to those fragments which had been discovered by Dr. Schlieman at Mycenae, and even in Cyprus. Many of the small statuettes which were found in tbe graves of Upper Egypt showed a marked simi- larity to those discovered in Malta and elsewhere. Continuing, tbe lecturer said that one very peculiar thing, and one of the greatest importance, was that on one of the vases discovered was the out- line of a galley, a form of vessel never used for Nile traffic, but often quoted by classic historians as the means of navigating the Mediterranean and other seas. Figures of men and women bad also been found which showed, in their muscular development, the same characteristics as are found in the caves of Europe, as exhibited by the drawings of Palaeolithic man. The lecture was illustrated by many interest- ing lantern views.
■,"■:A 1;I COOKED FOOD AND…
A 1; COOKED FOOD AND ITS HISTORY: In the remote epochs of the world's existence, primitive man, being then little above the brute creation, was contented to eat in a raw condition, such food substances as he was able to obtain; but he took a decided step in advance, says a writer in Health Xews, when he accidentally discovered that cooking in some form or other not only en- hanced the flavour, but. increased the nutrient pro- perties of various articles of diet. Our far off ancestors, the Ancient Britons, doubtless felt soli- citous as to the tenderness of their acorns, and the succulence of the roots which they literally "grubbed" for their daily meal; what a thrill oj pleasure they must have experienced when some savage Soyer among them demonstrated the merits of roasting, constituting a vast improvement upon the monotonous, unpalatable repetition of the raw article'! Their feelings must have been akin to those of the discoverer of roast pork, so humorously described in Lamb's essays. Baking, roasting, or broiling must, of necessity have long preceded the other common method of cooking, namely, boiling, as this last- named would require for its performance some kind of receptacle in which the procesa could be carried on. Probably the first hint was derived from placing food in the natural hot water of the boiling springs, or geysers, which existed in different localities. A very ancient mode of boiling seems to have been that still practised among uncivilised cou^ munities, of making a rough bag with the hide of some animal, enclosing in it pieces of flesh and some water, and dropping in stones, previously raised in an ember fire to a white heat, until the. meat isi cooked. As regards roasting, the suggestion may have come from the altered ptate and taste of fpod exposed to the heat of the sun, particularly in warm countries; but, at any rate, when the," rougb, un- tutortd savage bad once found out how to make fire by rubbing two dry pieces of wood together, or by striking flints against each other, and thus obtain- ing sparks for the ignition of grass or jeaves, he would probably soon utilise tbe idea for cooking his food on the embers of burning wood, or suspended by a tripod of sticks over the flapae^, x j BLEPHANTS TO SNAILS. Of the different kinds of grain used as food, the earliest cultivated were probably wheat, barley, rye, and millet. The last-named is a grain which has been grown from time immemorial in Egypt (known by the natives of Dourah "). It still constitutes the staple food of the Egyptian peasants, and of various tribes throughout the dark continent" of Africa. It is well adapted to countries where the rainfall is only small, or where the soil is too sandy or poor for the cultivation of wheat or barley. It has, moreover, another advantage from the agricul- tural point of view, namely, that three crops of millet can be produced in a year. Maize, or Indian corn, is usually regarded as unknown to the Old World until the discovery of America; but when the Portuguese discovered that part of Africa now called the Cape, they found a similar grain growing there, and it seems to have been eultivatdd many cen- turies ago in Asia. Man is truly air omnivorous animal,, and brings almost every living creature under contribution in his quest of food from the lordly elephant down to the lowly snail. The latter haa always been a favourite article of diet in Italy (the Romans are very partial to dishes that would disgust an Englishman, as shown by Smollett), and some parts of France. The Romans were so fond; of snails that, like their successors, the Italians, they; had their snail pounds, or eqplosures, for fatten- ing the toothsome dainty. That nation, after their custom in countries they had conquered, introduced the edible snail into England, and specimens of th(s^ variety may be met with at the present day in the vicinity of old Roman settlements. Some 12 years ago, when we were on a visit to the late Rev. G. B. Reynardson, of Eastling, near Faversham, he showed us numerous specimens of the Roman snail, which is larger than the ordinary English mollusc. We were content with discussing them, only as regards the interesting historical facts connected with them, without testing their gastronomic merits though, now we are speaking ot odd foods, we must admit to having tasted and relished an unappreciated trifle, of which few of our readers have partaken—hedge- hog, to wit. A GIPSY DISH. Far back in the "Forties," in our happy school-boy days, wandering about the Warwickshire lanes when- ever a chance presented itself, we got acquainted with the gipsies, even to the extent of partaking of their hospitality, which was liberally offered to us, as a sort of make-weight for the kindness shown to them by both our father and mother in times of trouble or illness. There were gipsies in those days, such as Bamfield, Moore, Carew,, and Borrow had bo do with; in every respect unlike the half- costermonger, half cadger race we now come across occasionally in country rambles, not one of whom has a drop of Romany blood in his veins, or an speak a word of the musically sounding Romany language. The way in which the gipsiea cooked a htdgehog- was as follows After carefully preparing it, they covered the dead animal, prickles and all, with a thick coating of wet clay next, they placed the clay ball, thus made, in the midst of the embers of a wood fire. After a time, when the hedgehog was cooked, the clay cracked in various parts, and the ball was removed from the embers. The clay enve- lope was easily removed, bringing away with it the skrn and all the prickles, leaving only a delicate white ball of flesh, having a flavour between that of white chicken and pork; this, with brown bread and butter, a lettuce, and. tot of nut-brown ale, con- stituted a dish fit for an epicure. Before any squeamish readers disparage this unusual dish, we would ask them whether they have ever eaten the flesh of duck or pig, and to contrast the simple food of the hedgehog, which subsists upon roots and insects, with the very indiscriminate food consumed by the two other animals that we have mentioned. r
AN ALBINO CAPUCHIN.
AN ALBINO CAPUCHIN. Just now the monkey-house at the Zoological Gardens in London contains a novelty in the form of a white variety of the smooth-headed Capuchin (Cebus monachus). This species, which comes from South-East Brazil, was first exhibited in the mena- gerie in 1868, since when several examples have been received, but this is the first albino that has reached the collection. The new arrival has been placed in one of the side cages, over which an awning has been erected. A few weeks ago the society was fortunate enough to obtain a specimen of the grey lemur from Madagascar. The little creature has done well up to the present. -I
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GENXRAL TOURNIER, who has so long acted as secretary and chief of the Military Household atJj^ie Elysee in Paris, is leaving to take command of a division. His successor, General Hagrou, is an old friend of the President, having been colonel of a regiment at Havre. In 1870 he fought at Froesch- willer and Sedan, and subsequently Algeria. He is a very intelligent officer, speaimg Geirraw, and Italian fluen y. 4,
EPITOME OF NEWS. .
EPITOME OF NEWS. DURING the Queen's reign there have been 17 American Presidents. Tn. Swiss railways are adopting electric light in their trains to a great extent. IT has been decided that the Viceroy shall make a progress through Burma next cold weather, unless something unforseen occurs to prevent it. IN a home for sandwichmen in London there are said to be several University graduates and medical men, and a Scotsman who ran through £ 5C,0Q0vin three years. THE railway companies of Great Britain paj an average every day of E1700 in compensation, about 60 per cent. being for injuries to passengers, and the remainder for lost or damaged freight. THE Congress of Chili is said to have adopted a Government proposal according to which any person or company establishing an iron foundry in Chili slaall receive a subvention of 125,000 dollars. THE King of Siam has an income of about two millions a year. His Royal palace is populated by about 5000 people, and is a little city in itself. The ornamental grounds comprise 25 acres, and are sur- rounded by a wall 12ft. high. ATTBR prolonged experiments it has been found im- possible to remove the stains of tar with which the Queen's statue in Bombay was disfigured last year. It is probable that a plaster cast of the head and neck will be taken and sent here for reproduction. MR. W. HARCOURT BATH, the well-known natura- list, travel er, and explorer, has arrived in India on his way to investigate the rich entomological fauna of the Sikkim Himalayas, a region probably the richset in the world in beautiful insect life. r SIR ANTONY M'DONNELL, Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Provinces, has been suffering from fever, which he could not shake off, and overwork in connection with the famine. The doctors have, there- fore, ordered him to the hills earlier than was con- templated. Mr. GOULD, Superintending Inspector of th e Factory Department, and Dr. Oliver, of Newcastle, a member of the Dangerous Trades Committee, will lepresent this country at the International Congress on Workmen's Accidents to be held in Brussels in July. I' THE Lord Mayor of London has always been noted for the perfection of his cuisine. At some of his summer parties-at one in particular, at which the Prince of Wales was present—some years back, there were two distinct dinners, one hot and one cold, the guests ordering which they chose. TIlE making of artificial ears seems to have reached scientific perfection within the last decade. Made of a specially prepared rubber, flesh-coloured in the rough, they are painted by hand in exact imitation of the remaining ear of the unfortunate customer, 'and as carefully touched and marked over as an artist's picture. The maker gets JE20 apiece for them. L FRENCH vessels usually bear the names of Frenoh provinces, towns, or wines, or victories, or ideas, or sentiments, but no French names, excepting those of great men of French history. German ships bear the names of German rivers, ports, poets, states, and characters in German literature. Spanish ships are almost invariably named after Spanish cities or the great commanders of ancient Spanish history. THERE art several wooden railways in Canada and the United States. One of them is in the province of Quebec, and is 30 miles long. The rails are of maple, four by seven inches, and trains are run over them with remarkable smoothness at the rate of 25 miles an hour. This road is used for the transportation of timber, and the rolling stock consists of one engine and 35 cars. SIR loaN LAMBERT, who has been for many years Commissioner of Police in Calcutta, has been ordered to leave India at once by his medical advisers, and he retiree from the service., Sir John Lambert was thrown from his dogcart about six months ago, and has never recovered fully from the shock. A CURIOUS performance for a wager has just taken place at Pinchbeck West, near Spalding. A tailor named George Risley accepted a wager to swallow :40 hen eggs within an hour. The eggs were broken into a glass, and pepper, vinegar, and salt used. The weight, without the shells, was 51b. 4oz., and the swallowing process was completed in 50 minutes, with the accompaniment of four fourpennywortha of brandy and a bottle or two of soda-water. SiR ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, has been ordered by his doctors to take leave out of India for six months to recruit his health. He will sail from Calcutta about the end of the month. In addition to the ordinary cares of his difficult office Sir Alexander's health has been undermined by the strain of famine work and by his bp-hill eorftroterBy with Us. eonkamaeioua Municipal Commissioners of Calcutta in the matter of sanitation and plague precautions. > FATHER TOSSI, who recently made a toar of Alaska, describes some extraordinary phenomena connected with a small lake, named Selawik, situated near the seashore. Tides rise and fall in the lake, perhaps on account of an underground connection with the sea. At the bottom, he says, the water is salt, but on the top there is a layer of sweet water. Hot springs exist in the lake, and around these the water does not freeze, but they are surrounded by circular walls of ice, sometimes 3ft. in height. LEGISLATION for the restriction of the sale of cigarettes has generally proved ineffective; but as a result of a city ordinance recently passed in Chicago, by which retail dealers in cigarettes are obliged to take out a license costing one hundred dollars, the number of places where they may be bought has fallen from, 5000 to about 100. The margin of profit upon cigarettes is so small, that the smaller dealers cannot afford to purchase the license. This is not an ideal way to combat the cigarette evil, but experience seems to prove it the most effective yet devised. THE G3rman Emperor and Empress and their family are now settled at the Neue Palais, Potboam. until the beginning of July. The Emperor is then going on a five weeks' cruise in the Imperial yacht Hohenz ollern in northern waters, and the Empress and her children will proceed to Tegern See, near Munich. MRS. OKMISTON CHANT declares that the papers have burlesqued Colonel Vassos by their portraits of have burlesqued Colonel Vassos by their portraits of him. He is, she tells the Christian Commonwealth, a splendid-looking man of about 50, tall, erect, soldierly, with deep, keen grey eyes, well-cut features, and the manner and bearing of the noblest type of old Puritan. SIR HENRY THOMPSON has been talking enthusias- I tically to the Humanitarian about the process of cremation. He has seen many cremations, and say there is something very beautiful about the bright I: pure flames as they envelop the body in the furnace document is shortly to come into the market-nemely, Robert Burns's Edinburgh is to take the leading part in the ceremonies in honour of Cabot at Bristol on June 24, is going to be entertained at dinner by the Society of Merchant Venturers—a body wnose name preserves a smack of those almost inodueval times of maritime activity to which Cabot essentially ^MRTIJOUIS BECKB, the Australian novelist, or writer of short stories-a new volume from whose pen has just appeared-drifted quite accidentally into litera- ture. He was engaged in trading in the South Sea Islands, which he probably knows as well as any man living, when he sent in his firat story to a Sydney ^FLOTTD DBBAMOBB'B forthcoming marriage with • daughter of Mrs. Fife, of Lee Hall, will be antici- pated with much interest m Yorkshire, for tM featesons are now more of a Yorkshire than a Mgrta of Ireland family. The Yorkshire estateofHejh gf ton came to him through his mother, the heiress Mr. George Yarburgh. of his THE Duke of Devonshire HA8Boldth6Wof landed and other property m the TtUajj^ thQ dale, near Skipton. With only 0boldingB. tenants became the owners of their propO60 THE Shipmasters^ of naviga- • holding a small exhibition^ theprogre88of develop- kion early in July to iMustr* the kindness of ment during the QueensreF> wiU be held in their the^Fishmongers C P £ It ig pr0p0Be)j exhibit *newh!nand~all «ortB of navi8ating instruments, charts, hook I gection devoted to very small and THE Laxey Relief Committee, who are engaged i» Minns a fund for the relief of the victims of "Snaefell disaster in the Isle of Man, state that by tn>» gad occurrence nine widows, 33 young children^anu five aged mothers have been suddenly bereft of eole means of support. The committee hope that j many outside the island will be likely to' respo an appeal for help. The Lord Mayor of cooMuted to receive subscriptions..