The Chester Courant and Advertiser for North Wales

PRESENTATION TO SIR JOSEPH VERDIN A deputation, representative of the Urban Council and residents of the Northwich district, visited Gamstone Castle, Herefordshire, on Wed- nesday, for the purpose of presenting to County Alderman Sir Joseph Verdin, Bart., D.L., a hand- some illuminated address, together with an ebony, ivory, and gold walking-stick, as a slight recog- nition of his gifts to the salt district. The address set forth that the fact that Sir Joseph had decided to change his residence from the Brockhurst, Northwich, to Garnstone Castle had prompted the inhabitants of his native town to offer an expression of their cordial goodwill and thanks for his many beneficent acts. The address further referred to the public institutions which the Verdin family have given and endowed, and dainty water-colour sketches depict the technical schooll, the entrance to the park, baths, and in- firmary (which are among the gifts), Sir Joseph's residence, etc. On arriving at Woobley, the deputation was cordially received by Sir Joseph, and Mr. Joseph Deakin (chairman of the Urban Council) made the presentation of the address, and referred to the kindly feelings which held always existed between Sir Joseph Verdin and the town. He mentioned the great service ren- dered to the public bodies and trusts with which Sir Joseph had been connected, and the enormous value and benefit received from his gifts to the town. Mr. Brandrith (vice-chairman) presented the stick, and others supported. Sir Joseph ibade a suitable reply. The deputation was cor- dially entertained at Gamstone Castle. --4'

DON'T LOOK OLD. With advancing years greyness increases. Stop this with LOCKYKR'S STTTPHUR HAIR RESTORER, which darkens to the former onlonr and preserves I the appearance Lookyer's keeps off ravagen of time, by darkening the grey streaks. Large cheap feottles.

TARVIN WORKHOUSE RESIGNATIONS. « WANTED MORE WORK! At the Tarvin Guardians on Saturday morning, the Clerk said the cook at the Work- house wished to resign her duties a fortnight earlier than she had previously arranged. She gave a month's notice but wanted the Board's consent to her departure that day, instead of on the 3rd of December. If the Guardians declined the cook would probably go away just the same.—Mr. Miushull If she goes I propose that we stop her salary for the last fortnight—(laugh- ter)-and then perhaps the money saved thereby will go towards getting temporary assistance. It was decided not to give the required consent.—Mr. Grant Bailey said he had also received a letter from the nurse. Miss Matthews, who likewise wished to resign her position because her duties were too light. When she applied for the post she was not aware that the inmates were so few and the work so light.—Mr. Minshull: This is the first time I have known a nurse to leave the Workhouse through not having sufficient work to do. (Loud laughter.)—Mr. Atkinson said the nurse probably wanted to get qualified for a certificate elsewhere in having more inmates to look after. —The Clerk said he had already advertised for an assistant matron to act as nurse.—This action was approved of.

THB "SPORTING LUCK" CAox.-The High Court on Saturday upheld the conviction of Mrs. Jane Stoddart, proprietress of Sport- ing Luck," for a breach of the Betting Act in respeot of horse-racing competition coupons.

PROCTOR AND RYLAND'S ROOT PRIZES. ♦ The importancn of a good supply of sound roots for wintering the stock is not likely to be under-estimated nowadays, and the best means of producing abundant crops cannot fail to be of interest to farmers generally. It has long been the custom of Messrs. Proctor and Ryland, the old-established agricultural chemists of Birmingham and Chester, to offer prizes for the bost crops of swedes and mangolds grown with the aid of their manures, and the judge's report of their forty-seventh annual competition deserves attention, proving, as it does, what excellent results can be produced by these well-known fertilisers. Mr. Ed. Parsons, Wollaston Farm, Stour- bridge, acted as judge, and the following is a copy of the awards :— DISTRICT No. I.-CLAss A.—Five acres of swedes, grown with Messrs. Proctor and Ryland's special prepared manure, upon any farm within the counties of Hereford, Salop, Stafford, War- wick, Worcester, Gloucester, Berkshire, Hants, Surrey, Oxford, Buckingham, Hertford, Bedford, Northampton, and Huntington: First Prize, 15gs. Mr. J. S. Billington, Balterley Hall, Crewe, 46 tons 18cwt. 2qrs 8lbs. per acre second, lOgs., Mr. William Humphreys, Evenall, Oswestry, 41 tons 5cwt. 2qrs. 241bs.; third, 5gs., Mr. J. B. Ball, Eccleshall, and Mr. Levi Lawrence, 40 tons lewt. lqr. 201bs. each per acre. I DISTRICT No. 2.—CLASS B.—Five acres of swedes grown upon any farm within the counties of Cumberland, Westmoreland, York, Lancaster, t Lincoln, Nottingham, Leicester, Rutland, Derby, Chester, Mr. T. E. Griffith, Rhydyclafdy, Pwllheli, 55 tons 15cwt. 2qrs. 24ibs. per acre; second, 10s., M r. R. Roberts, Portmadoc, 52 tons 18cwt. 2qrs. 18lbs. per acre; third. 5gs., Mr. Hugh Williams, Llanddaniel Fab, Anglesey, 47 tons per acre. CLASS C.—Five acres of swedes, grown with Messrs. Proctor and Ry land's special prepared manure, upon any farm in England or Wales: First, lOgs., Mr. Own Lewis, Llangefni, Angle- sey, 61tons 18cwt. 2qrs. 8)bs.; second, 5gs.. Mr. W. E. Hughes, Llangian, Pwllheli, 53 tons per acre. CLASS D.—Two acres of mangold wurtzel, grown with Messrs. Proctor and Ryland's special prepared manure, upon any farm in England and Wales First, 15gs., Mr. R. Hull, Edleston, Nantwich, 77 tons lewt lqr. 201bs. per acre; second, lOgs., Mr. T. E. Griffith, Rhydy- clafdy, Pwllheli, 71 tons 18cwt. 2qrs. 8lbs. per acre; third, Mr. W. E. Hughes, Llangian, Anglesey, 70 tons 4cwt. 1qr 41bs. per acre.

SANDYCROFT COMPANY'S AFFAIRS. ♦ In the Chancery Court of Lancashire, sitting at Liverpool, on Tuesday, before Vice-Chancellor Hall, the case of Wycherley v. Higginbottom was heard. The Attorney-General for the Duchy (Mr. McCall, Q.C.) and Mr. Rotch appeared in support of an action for an account. Mr. Maberley and Mr. John Rutherford were for the defence. The facts, according to the Attorney- General's opening, were as follow:—The de- fendant, a colliery agent in Liverpool, had been extremely successful in business, and was now M.P. for the West Derby division of Liverpool. In 1884 the plaintiff's father, who had been en- gaged in the watch trade, and had retired from business, went to reside at Southport, where he and the plaintiff and Mr. Charles Wycherley formed the acquaintance of the defendant, and together they discussed several matters of busi- ness. At the end of 1888 or early in 1889 the defendant found that there was a colliery' and brickworks at Sandycroft, near Chester, in the market for sale, and he thought it would pay the two Wycherleys and himself well if they pur- chased the property and worked it by means of a small company. Accordingly a contract was entered into on the 28th March, 1889, under which Mr. Higginbottom, on behalf of himself and the proposed company, bought the property for £ 7,000. A few days later a company was incor- porated, with a capital of £12,000, in shares of £ 25 each, of which Mr. Wycherley the elder held 132 shares, Mr. Wycherley the younger 72 shares, and the defendant 96 shares. The requisite num- ber of shareholders was made up by the addition of Mrs. Higginbottom, the two Mrs. Wycherley s, and a Miss Sharrock, a friend of the Higgin- bottoms, who each received one share, which was not paid up. The company therefore consisted, substantially, of the three-John Wycherley, Charles Wycherley, and the defendant. No articles of association were registered, so that they came under Table A of the Companies Act. It was agreed that the business of the company, which was called the Sandycroft Brick, Tile, and Colliery Company, Limited, should be carried on in this way.—Mr. Charles Wycherley was to be the manager at Sandycroft and Mr. Higgin- bottom was to be sole agent of the company at Liverpool; and for the eight or nine years that the company carried on business substantially the whole of the coal which was won was sent to Mr. Higginbottom in Liverpool, and disposed of by him. Mr. Charles Wycherley was to have a salary of £ 150, increasing by JB50 a year to £ 250, and Mr. Higginbottom was to have a commission of 5 per cent. on all the coal he sold for the com- pany, and the accounts were kept by Mr. Higgin- bottom in his office in Liverpool, Mr. Wilkinson, a clerk in the office, being appointed secretary of the company. From time to time more capital was required, and in 1890 the three took certain extra shares. For the first year of the company's working a dividend of 10 per cent. was paid, but that was the only one; and since then the com- pany, on the face of the accounts, was carried on at a loss. The balance due to the bank was much increased, and the amount due to Mr. Higgin- bottom, on the face of the accounts, was also increased. In 1896 it was agreed that the plain- tiff should take over the brickworks and pay the rent. The company continued working the col- liery till the end of 1898, when it was resolved to sell the whole of the undertaking to the plaintiff for £ 1,200; and the accounts of the company were wound up, shewing a cash balance of JB577 13s. 4d. The company, however, was not wound up, and had not been wound up since. The JB577 13s. 4d. never passed into the possession of the company. From March, 1894, the defendant ceased to charge the 5 per cent. which had been charged, not as a commission, but as a discount; and that item disappeared altogether. It would appear that then the defendant, who, as managing director, had absolute control of the business, went to Mr. Wilson, the foreman at the colliery, and told him that in future he should send the coal in at 21cwt. to the ton. Wilson thought this strange, and told Mr. Wycherley, who asked the defendant about it, and after some delay the de- fendant, for the first time, set up the case which he now advanced-that he was not the agent of the company, but that, although he was a director, he was a principal buying from the com- pany at a fixed price, and selling at what advan- tage he could to himself. Correspondence fol- lowed, in which the defendant maintained the same position, and yet immediately afterwards he wrote to the plaintiff asking him as for the company to pay a part of the losses he had sus- tained through the failure of certain persons to whom he had sold the company's coal. The plaintiff applied for inspection of the books, which was refused, and then the action was brought. —Mr. Charles Wycherley, the plaintiff, gave evi- dence. The hearing of the case was adjourned till Wednesday, when on the opening of the Court the Attorney-General was happy to say that it would not be necessary to proceed further with the action. Mr. Maberley and himself had agreed upon terms which he hoped would be a satisfactory settlement. It was only fair to the defendant to say that all imputations made upon him were unreservedly withdrawn. The sub- stance of the terms was that the action should be dismissed with costs, that certain accounts should be taken, and that the plaintiff undertook proceedings for the winding up of the Sandycroft Brick, Tile, and Colliery Company, the defendant assisting him in these proceedings.

The Earl of Hopetoun is detained it Meerut by an attack of dysentery, but the doctors are satisfied with the progress he is making. His lordship will leave Bombay in the Bengal on the 21st inst., and will join the P. and O. steamer Victoria at Colombo.

DEESIDE GLEANINGS. + [By QUILL PEN.] Mr. Collingwood Hope, who represents the Neston District on the Cheshire County Council, is, I learn, about to sever his connection with the latter admirable body. He is taking up his residence in London, and as the distance pre- cludes anything like a regular attendance, he pre- fers that another man should take his office rather than that his constituents should be in- adequately served. The district was fortunate in obtaining the services of a councillor of such conspicuoqp ability, and it will not be easy to fill the void which will be caused by his resignation. It is whispered that the mantle will in all proba- bility fall upon a Neston-cum-Parkgate gentle- man, who will be welcomed by both political parties. As for the retiring county councillor, he will probably be heard of again. There is always room on the top, especially in the metropolis. The work of the county councillors is not nearly so well appreciated by the public as it should be. The amount of "honour and glory" attached to the position is out of all proportion to the work which it involves, and few persons but the Council and the officials have any idea of the wearisome work which is plodded through by the various committees. One of the latest and most remarkable de- partures of the Council is the issue of a pamphlet, which is before me as I write now, and which will cause the young Cheshire mothers to lift up their voices in a general chorus of indignation and disgust. The rearing and caring of young salmon, wild birds, and such like may engage the attention of public bodies who have nothing better to do, but that a party of gentlemen more or less bearded and bald, and some of them even elderly, should sit in solemn conclave on The Feeding, Care and Manage- ment of Young Children," and print their de- liberations for the benefit, forsooth, of the young motherhood of Cheshire, can have but one result, vis., the invasion of the solemn Council Chamber of the tounty by a body of infuriated matrons, all talking,at once and going for everybody at the same moment. Young mothers who get put out over this kind of thing never treat the offenders with silent contempt, and the next meeting of the Council will probably be one to remember. Nevertheless there is good reason for the remarks which appear over the signature of Dr. Vacher, the county medical officer of health, and if mothers will refrain from regaling their helpless offspringt3 with bread and cheese, and the like, the mortality complained of may diminish. What is wanted on the Deeside, however, is the re-establishment of the creche, an institution which was fairly common some years ago, and which reared many a young limb for better or worse, who would otherwise have serenely taken his departure to the limbo < f in ants. When a "body" comes in dog tired from the mussel beds or cockle beds to find a fireless grate, the elder children hftY.ag fled from the clutches of the school Board man, small inclination is there to study the best method cf feeding the squalling bairn which is butted out of next door" ere its bedraggled parent has time to sell a quart or so to raise the wherewithal for a hurried meal. This is an everyday occurrence in the home of many a cockier who finds the miserable wage of her partner all vanished early in the week. Some of the creches we have known were as near akin to an infants' paradise as it is passible to make such things below here, and the amount of good they wrought can only be known there." Many mothers, who are better circumstanced than the class referred to, sin through ignor- ance, and there are few mothers who will not learn a wrinkle by a perusal of the excellent pamphlet referred to which is being distributed gratis by registrars, local authorities, and others. The wild duck season promises well, and there is a good prospect of capital bags on the Dee estuary. Will" Jones, of Parkgate, accounted for seven ducks last week, in addi- tion to other edible fowl too numerous to men- tion. Have "the geese" arrived, or do they still wait the advent of the Frost King ? They have not yet come within the range of these eyes at any rate. They are very careful to give the man with the gun a wide berth, but many of them came to stay last winter nevertheless. The fowler who gets one of those most "lary" visitors with a shoulder gun deserves him and something with him to boot, for he has the grit of the true Nimrod. There is a slight difference between the comfortable preserver of game who seeks his half-tame prey among the dewy tur- nip tops and his poor relation who stalks tho grey birds among the dreary salt marshes or lies cramped up behind Burton "Cop" in the wintry blast, hoping that the ill wind will bring him good by driving some storm tossed bird within gunshot. He is oftener than not disappointed, but when he does succeed he would not swop his feelins for those of the man in the turnips. The ratepayers of Neston, or at any rate a dozen of them, appear to have committed them- selves to a burial scheme which, upon reflection, must be seen to be quite unworthy of the old capital of Wirral, and of a neighbourhood which it is confidently believed will presently develop as a popular residential district. There are two pieces of land, belonging to different owners, which would have formed a very handsome addition to the present beautiful churchyard, but one of these pieces cannot be sold, while the owner of the other naturally objects to planting a churchyard in close proximity to a villa of which he is also the owner. No other suitable piece of land is avail- able for the extension of the churchyard, and the natural solution of the difficulty would appear to be a public cemetery provided by the local authority. A little inquiry would probably have shewn that, with the borrowing powers possessed by the Council, a field suitable for such a purpose could have been acquired without seriously burdening the rates, and the councillors whom the ratepayers have elected to serve their interests might have been trusted to adopt such a scheme as would be suited to the present financial condi- tion of the district, while it would have met with the approval of the community generally. The meeting appears to have convinced itself, without further inquiry, that nothing could be done by the Council under several thousand pounds, that separate chapels must be built on the ground for the accommodation of the various religious bodies, and that the district would be brought to the verge of bankruptcy, while the price of a grave would be quite beyond the means of a poor man.—Finally it was decided to raise funds for the purchase of a piece of land which is cut off from the present churchyard by the Hooton and West Kirby Railway, and which can only be reached by means of a level crossing or by a detour through a narrow and dirty lane, where two vehicles would find it quite impossible to pass each other. If the scheme is carried out numbers of mourners and general spectators will avail themselves of the short road over the level crossing, and as between twenty or thirty swift trains pass the spot daily, there is grave danger that some of these may be "cut up" in a sense other than that usually used in connection with a funeral. The chances, however, even now are against such an impractical scheme being carried out.

MR. BOWEN ROWLANDS PROMOTED. Mr. Bowen Rowlands, Q.C., a well known member of the Chester and North Wales Bar, has been appointed a Judge of Ceunty Courts on the resignation of his Honour Judge Lushington. MR. WYNDHAM AND DOVER-In its issue of Friday night the "Dover Express," the organ of the local Liberal party, announces that in view of Mr. George Wynd- ham's further appeal to the constituency, consequent on his appointment as Chief Secretary for Ireland, he will possibly be opposed by Mr. Philip Stanhope, who until recently was member for Burnley. HEROIC LADY'S REWARD.—A purse of gold has been Miss Pritty's reward for courageously descending a well in. the neighbourhood of Ipswich in the vain attempt to save the life of a workman. The man had been overcome by the stifling atmosphere in the well and his comrades refused to render aid. Accompanying the purse was a presentation album, containing among other signatures those of Lord Tolle- mache and Sir Auckland Colvin, K.C.S.I. The well was being bored in search of water said to be present by a diviner," but the work has bAeD snanended. -c

Asm Is Security in CARTERS TITTLE ■ IVER SmalJHIL I PILLS CSS Absolutely cure Sick Head. ache. Biliousness, Dizziness, Torpid Lirer, Constipation, Indigestion, Forred Tongue. They Touch the Lirer. EAUELS. A. few drepc en th. tootkhrufe eriry morata* mmirr Win Sweeten tbe Breath aD day. and make all the digremce be- twtIea- Good Teeth ad Teeth. White Teeth and Yeltow Teeth, hrttjr Teeth and Ugly Teeth. Coapiete is Toilet Case, with Teeth rvwdw, aft

FLINTSHIRE POLICE COMMITTEE. 0 INCREASED PAY FOR THE FORCE. The quarterly meeting of the committee was held at Mold on Thursday, Mr. R. Ll. Jones (Rhyl) presiding. The Chief Constable (Major Webber), in his report, said during the quarter ending 30th Septem- ber last there were 27 indictable offences reported, for which 18 persons were apprehended, five per- sons proceeded against by summons, and tour cases were undetected. Of the 23 persons pro- ceeded against 20 were dealt with summarily, and three committed or baled for trial. There were 3'16 persons proceeded against for non-indictable offences, of whom 315 were convicted, 46 dis- charged, and in 12 cases the charges were with- drawn. Of the 315 persons convicted 23 were for assaults, 71 under the Elementary Education Acts, 106 for drunkenness, and 16 for offences against the Poor Law and Vagrancy Acts. For offences under the Licensing Acts there have been during the quarter five fully-licensed houses (two tied and three free) proceeded against, with four convictions, viz.:—Hand Inn, fcst. Asaph (tied), fined E5 and costs (37s. 9d.); Travellers' Inn, St. Asaph-road, Caerwys (free), L2 and costs (12s.); Voryd Harbour Hotel, Rhyl (free), ordered to pay costs (18s.); Nag's Head, Bettisfield (free), fined £ 1 and costs (20s. 6d.). His estimate for pay and contingencies for the months of January, Feb- ruary, and March, 1901, shewed a total of £ 1,500. ihe report was adopted. On the proposition of Mr. G. Watkinson (Buck- ley) it was decided, by 12 votes against 8, "That all future meetings of the committee be held at Mold." Some discussion ensued on the question, several members opposing the motion on the ground that some of the meetings should be held at Rhyl as hitherto. A report was presented of the Special Com- mittee appointed to inquire into the pay of the police force. The report pointed out that the various rates of pay for constables, sergeants, in- spectors, and superintendents had not been revised for a considerable number of years. The com- mittee unanimously recommended an increase according to the following scale: —Constables, in- stead of commencing at 22s. 2d. per week and rising to J61 8s. in about ten years, to start at JB1 4s. and rise to JE1 10s. Under the present scale sergeants start at J61 9s. 2d. and rise to JE1 12s. 8d: in eight years, and the proposal is they shall commence at £ 1 lis. 6d. and finish at JB1 15s. On appointment inspectors receive 290 and rise in ten years to £105, and the new scale provides they shall commence at JB105 and rise to JB120. In the case of superintendents, who now commence at JB120 and rise to JB150 in ten years, it is pro- posed that they should start at £ 135 and finish at £ 175 per annum. It was explained that the pro- posal would mean a general increase in the rates of £ 182 9s., which is equivalent to one-ninth of a penny in the pound. Mr. Pennant (St. Asaph) moved the confirma- tion of the report, and Mr. Bromley (Holywell) seconded. The Chairman remarked that the present rate of pay in Flintshire was not as high as what was paid in many other counties. He hoped they would pass the proposal unanimously, so that they would induce the very best class of men to enter the force. The motion was agreed to without any dis- sentient. It was remarked that the new scale would require the sanction of the Home Office. The Chief Constable, on behalf of the men of all ranks in the force, thanked the committee for the kindly consideration they had given to the petition which had been presented.

PENRHYN QUARRIES DISPUTE. • The adjourned police proceedings in regard to the Penrbyn Quarries dispute took place at Bangor on Tuesday. There were 26 defendants, who were charged with assault and {intimida- tion, about 12 additional summonses having been issued since last week. Mr. Charles Mathews appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Lloyd George, M.P., for the defence. The court was crowded to suffocation, a difficulty being experienced in getting the last of the defendants in.—Mr. Mathews asked for a further remand in two cases, on the ground that one of the overlookers was so severely injured that he would be unable to attend for at least a month. Medical evidence bore out this statement, and evidence against the other defendants was then taken. It dealt with the attack on Richard Hughes and his two sons, who were maltreated with fists and stones, and were refused admittance to the Quarry Hospital. The doctor tried to obtain a needle to stitch their wounds, but none of the crowd would go for one. The cases were adjourned. THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE MILITARY. CHIEF CONSTABLE'S EXPLANATION. Interest in the dispute was shifted on Wed- nesday to Carnarvon, where the Standing Joint Police Committee conducted an inquiry into the circumstances under which the large military force had been brought into the county. Mr. C. H. Darbishire, the chairman of the com- mittee, is, like Lord Penrhyn, a quarry owner in the county, as are also Mr. Kneeshaw and Mr. Menzies, two members of the committee, who, with Lord Penrhyn himself, took a pro- minent part in the discussion. Colonel Ruck, the chief constable, first explained the steps he had taken to bring in 280 military and 120 additional police when recent arrests at Bethesda were effected. The men surrendered themselves and were brought to Bangor in charge of the police. The same night he sent back all the extra police and 140 soldiers. He had so acted because he believed that the local police would have been powerless to prevent disorder if the warrants had been resisted by any considerable mob of the quarry- men. He had been guided by his knowledge of the general situation, and by the fact that there had been continued intimidation at Bethesda. Long discussion followed, it being a generally expressed opinion that the military ought not to be introduced without very grave reasons, and to do it was merely to provoke opposition. It was claimed for the inhabitants of Bethesda that they were among the most law-abiding people in the world, although they had onjmany occasions been tempted to be otherwise. As the upshot, a resolution declaring that in the opinion of the committee no sufficient cause existed for such an extreme course as had been taken was passed by thirteen votes against six. The Chairman then appealed to Colonel Ruck to say whether, now having learnt the views of the committee and that they were prepared to share his responsibility, he still maintained that it was desirable to retain the military in the district. Colonel Ruck replied that the passing of the resolution could not modify his opinion. He would be glad if the committee could relieve him of responsibility in the matter, but they could not. The district was still unsettled; the quarries were still closed. A large number of men charged with com- mitting a criminal offence were under remand, and he was of opinion it would not be safe to dispense with the presence of the military at present. A resolution was then moved that the military be forthwith removed from the county, and that the resolution be telegraphed to the Home Office. This was carried with only four dissentients, these being Lord Penrhyn, Sir Hugh Ellis Nanney, Colonel Wynn Finch, and Mr. Kneeshaw. At the close of the proceed- ings a telegram to the Home Office was duly despatched. BANGOR'S CONDEMNATION. The Penrbyn quarries were on Friday reopened for the reception of boys and labourers, and will be reopened generally on Monday. The district remains perfectly quiet. At a special meeting of the Bangor City Council held on Friday, from which the Conservative members were absent, a resolution was passed con- demning the action of the authorities in import- ing the military into the district, and demand- ing their withdrawal forthwith. Strong complaints were also made that the cavalry in the city were provided with dum-dum bullets up to last Thursday. On that day No. 2 Enfield cartridges were substituted.

BURNSD AT THB STAKE.—A coloured youth, aged 16, has been burned at the stake at Simon, Colorado, for murdering a white girl, aged 11. THE DISUNITED RADICALS. The Hon. T. A. Brassey, speaking at Bournemouth on Friday evening, said the extraordinary speech of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman at Dundee was one of the heaviest blows struck at the Liberal party for some time past. Lord Brassey also spoke, and advocated the return of Lord Rosebery to political life as a leader, inde- pendent of party sections. Axz THROWN AT THE KAIBBB.- While the Emperor William was driving from the station at Breslau on Friday, a woman in the crowd flung an axe at. him. The imple- ment struck a hind wheel. of the Imperial carriage and fell to the ground. No time was lost in laying hands on the woman, who is believed to be insane.

THE COMING CENSUS. » Preparations for the approaching Census are being rapidly completed throughout the country, and we believe Mr. C. G. Haswell and Mr. Rogers, who are jointly responsible for the entire district of the Chester Union, have now concluded the division of the area assigned to them. The district is a rather extensive one, as may be judged from the fact that Mr. Haswell's Chester Castle District extends right up to Eaton and across to Christleton, while Mr. Rogers's goes as far as IDce. For the delivery and collecting of the papers quite a small army of men will be employed, the staff required for the Chester area numbering about sixty strong. The figures for City itself and suburbs will doubtless shew a considerable increase compared with the last Census, quite a new and thriving district having in the interim sprung up in the Hoole neighbourhood and a small colony at and about the City-road. It is on several grounds to be regretted that Sunday is fixed upon for the actual numbering of the people. The papers will be delivered on Satur- day, the 30th of March, and all persons who sleep in a house on that night must be entered upon the schedule. Inasmuch as the papers are not to be collected until Monday, however, there is just a risk of having some doubles through the entry of names of people who have spent Saturday night in one house and Sunday night in another When the question was before Parliament, it will be remembered, this difficulty occurred to some minds, but it was considered that at that early season of the year there would not be many folk away from home. Some people, on the other hand, may entertain conscientious objections to filling up a paper of the kind on a Sunday, and thus the work of collection may be somewhat retarded.

SPORTS AT JOHANNESBERG. 0 CHESHIRE REGIMENT'S DISPLAY. (FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Fort Johannesburg, 13th Oct., 1900. The R.A.M.C. held their annual sports at the Wanderers' Ground, Johannesburg, on the 13th October, 1900. The clerk of the weather must have been in a very patronising humour, for he drew a curtain across the sun, thereby preventing its rays from reaching Mother Earth, and thus making the day very favourable (with the excep- tion of a little wind) for the competitors, who were enabled to run without any fear of receiving the proverbial "Tap" through not having any head covering. It is very noticeable that the war cloud is fast passing away, from the fact that our amateur athletes, who have been keeping shady for months, turned up at the sports in force, and made the races, both foot and bicycle, very exciting. The tug of war was strongly contested, the last pull between the East Lancashires and the 87th Battery R.F.A. displaying the Herculean strength of these two teams. For some minutes neither gained any advantage. Then the muscle of the artillery, who were in fine form after pulling their guns up the South African kopjes, began to tell, and inch by inch they drew their opponents toward the centre line, only to be drawn by the East Lancashires back to the starting point. inow came the excitement, for both teams strained every nerve to gain an advantage. Suddenly a man of the East Lancashires slipped, and the coach of the opposite team, who was ever on the alert, took advantage of the slight relapse in the pulling, got his team upon the move again, this time with the well-deserved success of pulling the enemy's first man over the line and gaining the much- coveted trophy (a silver cup). The event of the day was the physical drill and bayonet exercise display of the Cheshire Regi- ment, the first of its kind ever given in the Transvaal. The team formed up immediately opposite the grand stand on the far side of the ground, and at a roll of the drum each man sprang to attention with considerable alacrity, sloped his arms, moved to the right in fours, and stepped off in quick time, the Cheshire band meanwhile playing a lively march. Halting in front of the grand stand, the men of the team proceeded to divest themselves of their kerseys and helmets, taking the time by a roll of the drum. Each successive practice of the physical drill brought forth rounds of applause from the thousands of spectators, but deafening were the cheers that arose after the bayonet exercise, which was perfect, both from the drill and musical point of view. All who took part in the preparing and carry- ing out of this display deserve great credit for the pains taken to make it a success, which was so apparent from the reception given by the on- lookers. The responsibility of preparing this team was shared by Sergt.-Major Foley and Calour-Sergeant Ryan, who, we are assured, were amply rewarded for their trouble by the accuracy with which the men went through all the exercises at the sports. Needless to say, the men were afterwards rewarded by the Colonel of the Cheshire Regiment and also by the Committee for Sports, R.A.M.C.

It is stated at Toronto that Lord Roberts has icformed an officer of a Canadian Regiment that he intends to visit Canada next year.

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