The North Wales Times

T. J. WILLIAMS Begs to thank his numerous Friends and Customers most hearti- ly for the liberal support extended to him during his Annual Sale of 1899. He also has great pleasure in announcing that large quantities OF NEW GOODS suitable for the coming Season, are arriving daily. EVERY DEPARTMENT in both Establishments carefully replenished with the Latest Novelties for the Early Spring T.J.W. begs to call special attention to his large Stock of the latest styles in Wail aLp4e]pae¡ a greater variety and better value than ever before offered. A VISIT OF INSPECTION IS SOLICITED. 20 K 34, HIGH STREET & TEMPLE BAR, DENBIGH. ST. RAPHAEL QUINQUINA TONIC WINE. The St. Raphael Quinquina is a Tonic Wine of the greatest value to all of a WEAK AND DELICATE CONSTITUTION. It is at the same time an appetiser of the highest excellence, and those suffering from loss of appetite should take A GLASS BEFORE MEALS, when the result will be marvellous, and ensure alike the desire for meala hearty and freedom from indigestion afterwards FOR ANÆMIA AND DEPRESSION it acts in a marvellous manner, and may be safely used by the young and aged alike. Agent for Denbigh-A. ANDREWS. i I ASK FOR. -11 51 'CAMBRIAN' i w TIF. SELTZER WATER FROM THE NOTED ARTESIAN SPRING, RUTH IN Write for particulars- Address—Manager, Cambrian Works, Ruthin, North Wales. HUGH WILLIAMS. TAILOR AND DRAPER, CHAPEL PLACE, .DENBIGH. Begs to inform the public generally that he has on view an excellent ASSORTMENT OF NEW GOODS o the latest design, and of the best quality that money can procure. LIVERIES of every description execut on the shortest notice. Riding Breeches, a Speciality. H.W. being a practical Tailor and Cutter (holder of a Diploma) and having a staff. of experienced work- men fit and style is guaranteed, consistent with MODERATE CHAEGES. A TRIAL ORIIEK RESPECTFULLY SOLICITED. C -LT L.E9 c.i-. CHESTER, CARNARVON, & ST. HELENS, won V Catalogues 0-<" v s0nt post free on Sigh Class v appUcstiOD- fv-v Pianos from 10s. per month "NAVj yJ Organs from 5s. ditto. ==() HIRE SYSTEM or CASH. TUIERS ylsit all parts of North Wales periodicaUy. Head Office & Show Rooms-51, Bridge St. Row. Chester. p rj np C O Balm 0 Gilead fu Vj| LLKJ r\yjl l* O GEORGE'S PILLS i mi." "They are more than Gold to me-they saved my life." One wonders that things so small should produce such mighty results." PILE & GRAVEL Many of my customers have been cured who have suffered for twenty years." The three forms of this Remedy:— No.l.—George's Pile and Gravel Pills II | No. 2.- George's Gravel Pills j™ I j | 3.—George's Pills for the Piles. In Boxes, Is. lid. and 2s. 9d. each; by post, Is. 3d. and 3s. ProprietorJ. E. GEORGE, M. R. P, S., Hirwain. Glam. AN ENGLISH AND WELSH DICTIONARY Wherein not only the Words, but also the Idioms and Phraseology English Language are careful translated into Welsh, by proper and equivalent Words and Phrases. To which is added, a Dissertationon $HE Welsh Language, with remarks on its Poetry, &c. By the Rev. JOHN WALTERS. In 2 vols., 1 lOs.Od, boards, rHE MYVYRIAN ARCHAIOLOGY OF WALES By WILLIAM OWEN PUGRE, D.C.L., F.A.S. (Idrison); EDW. WILLIAMS (Iolo Morganwg), and EDWARD JONES (Myfyr). To which have been added Additional Notes upon the GODODIN;" and an English Translation of the WS.OF BOWEL THE GOOD; with a GLOSSARY of the Terms used therein. Also an Explanatory Chapter ANCIENT BRITISH MUSIO, by JOHN THOMAS (Pencerdd walia). The present edition contains the whole „ the Original Work, besides the above important and interesting additions which have been made to t. I ne volume* £ 2 in boards. Tha first edition was considered so valuable that many copies have been sold for 20.

CAMBRIAN GOSSIP. Some fifty years ago the parish church of St Asaph used to possess a barrel organ and a simple orchestra, which supported the choir. ooo The monument erected at Llanarmon in memory of Mr. John Parry, a prominent and tithe agitator, will be unveiled by one of the Welsh members on Easter Monday. 000 The staffs of Trefecca and Bala Colleges are favourable to the proposed amalgama- tion of the two institutions. The question will be discussed at the next associations in North and South Wales. 000 Ehedydd lal, the author of the Welsh hymn, 'Er nad yw'm cnawd ond gwellt,' a small volume of whose poetry was published last year, under the title of Blodau lal,' died last week in his 85th year. 000 An effort is being made by the Carmar- thenshire monthly meeting to raise funds for the purpose of erecting a monument to the Rev. Peter Williams, the Welsh expositor and publisher of several editions of the Welsh Bible. 000 In reference to the recent incidents at Carnarvon Assize, it is pointed out that even the jury were mostly monoglots. After hearing the addresses of counsel and Judge they discussed the evidence among them- selves in Welsh! 000 A young apprentice in Neath, who had kept irregular hours, was asked one day last week by his master,' How long, sir, will you serve the devil V to w ich the youngster coolly replied, You best know, sir my in- dentures will be up in the course of three months.' 000 Some of the public houses in Wales bear curious names. One up North is called Labour in Vain '—a motto represented by a picture of a negro being vigorously washed. Another is called 'Pass By,' an insincere title, which has a more straightforward neighbour in Slip In.' 000 Real Scotch Cock-a leekie on St. David's Day (observes the Globe), is almost like a wedding of national aspirations. Moreover, it is one of the best cures for a cold, as well as a valuable means of preventing one. For which cause, if for no other, Cock a- leekie should just now be in demand. 000 A choir from the fastnesses of Carnar- vonshire, which, as reported a day or two ago, won the prize at the London Eistedd- vod. Referring to their singing, the Lon- don Daily News remarks It is rare indeed that better, more refined, or more finished singing has been heard of late years in London.' 000 Welsh graduates after they obtain their degrees do not always forget the debt they owe to their alma mater, the Sunday School. For instance, it is worthy of record in con- nection with the March number of the Llad merydd, a Welsh Sunday School monthly, that every article it contains has been writ- tin by a graduate. 000 At the Cardiff celebration of St. David's Day, it was left to an Englishman to deplore the attitude of Justice Darling towards Welsh witnesses; and he did it, too, in pure Cymraeg! That man was Mr. Hobson Matthews, the Corporation archivist, whose editing of 'Cardiff Records' has enriched Welsh history enormously. 000 In these days of incandescent gas and the electric light, this is interesting reading. Proceedings were taken the other day by the Festiniog Railway Company against certain persons who refus d to produce their tickets when requested to do so. The defendants, in defence, said they refused to produce their tickets because proper lights were not provided in the train. Lamps were formerly used, but as they were being con- tinually broken, candles were substituted, and very often the candles disappeared. I 000 Sir Hubert Parry considers that the two most musical divisions in Great Britain are (1) the western portion of Yorkshire, and (2) Wales and the border counties, especially Gloustershire and Worcestershire. Sir Hubert^ ranks Wales as higher even than Yorkshire. The Welsh,' he says, are a very imaginative and spiritual people- visionary and poetic to a high degree. In some respects, they are exclusive and very fond of their own particular compositions and choral exercises, but their taste is un- doubtedly good and refined.' 000 In an interesting handbook of the borough of Flint, which has been compiled by Mr. Henry Taylor, a well-known student of Welsh archaeology, it is claimed that Flint is 'the birthplace of municipal life in Wales.' There on the 8th day of Septem- ber, 1284, the first Royal municipal charters were granted to towns in Wales by Edward I. Those favoured towns were Flint, Rhuddlan, Conway, and Carnarvon. Each of these charters is dated at Fflynt' on that date, and they all appear to have been drafted by the great law reformer of that time, Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath and Wells. On the passing of the Muncipal Corporations Reform Act in 1835 Flint, with the then existing boroughs in Wales, was included in the schedule to the Act. 000 It didn't matter to the late Rev. Joseph Thomas, Carno, who was in the train he always entered the compartment nearest at hand when the train stopped. He once met the late Dr. Hughes, of Liverpool, on Shrewsbury platform. Both were going to Cardiff, and Mr. Thomas at once found a seat among a number of working men smokers. Dr. Hughes went ahead, and, finding an empty compartment, left his luggage and went to look for his brother divine. He found him lighting his pipe. Come,' he said,' 1 have found a carriage all to ourselves.' Mr. Thomas wouldn't budge. All right here,' he said, striking a match. Well,' said Dr. Hughes,' I'll be in Cardiff before you. What shall I say to our friends?' 'Say,' was the reply, 'Behold, a greater than I cometh after me.' 000 The library of the late Rev. Owen Jones, B.A., contains some exceptionally valuable Welsh books, and it is hoped that the whole collection will ultimately find its home in one of the public libraries. It contains thirteen books, dating between 1551 and 1595, and they include 'Kynniver Llith a Ban (1551), William Salisbury's Welsh Testament (1567), Dr. Morgan's Bible (1588), and D. Rhys's Grammar (1592). Of the Welsh books published between 1603 and 1698 the library contains 162 volumes, in- cluding the metrical translation of the Psalms by Gwilym Canoldref, many diffe- rent editions of 'CanwylI y Cymry,' Llyfrl y Resolutions,' and Llyfr Gweddi Cyffred in.' There are also 989 books printed be- tween 1700 and 1799, and a very large number of subsequent dates. 000 Time was when the Welsh pulpit cherished a blind and obstinate aversion to the Eis- teddvod. The old festival has long ago lived down that opposition, and the Welsh pulpit's present attitude is one of avowed sympathy. Mr. Sam Smith, M.P., in his presidential remarks at last week's London Eisteddvcd, observed that the national festival was always associated with hal- lowed memories-memories of one's youth and the work of God amid the hills and valleys of one's native country-and in a vast Metropolis like London, with its infi- nite variety of interests and temptations to the young Welshman, he knew of nothing more worthy of encouragement. It behoved the churches and chapels in London to bind the young together, by some such medium as the competitions and simple, harmless amusements which were the life and soul of the people of Wales. 000 Welshmen who have bcen wont to re- gard the St. David's Eve service at St. Paul's as a national' celebration of the anniversa- ryof the patron saint, will beshocked to learn that one of the ulterior objects of this and other such celebrations in English churches in English towns, is to bolster up the State Church Establishment in Wales. The cat has beeij let out of the bag by the Rev. G. Hartwell Jones, who, in a iong letter to a Liverpool paper pleading for Welsh church services in England, innocently remarks:- 'Yet another reason. Welsh churches in English towns are an important instrument of Church Defence, and the annual festivals held on St. David's Eve contribute to this end. It is a singular circumstance that the first and most brilliant of these Welsh gatherings should have been initiated, not in a Welsh cathedral, but thanks to the patriotic spirit of Sir John Puleston and others, in the Saxon Metropolis. It is certain, as I know from conversing with Englishmen, that such events, testifying as they do to the vigorous vitality and increas ing influence of the Welsh Church, wield a powerful effect on the English mind.'

WOMEN'S CHAT. The large staff of English detectives employed in guarding Her Majesty at Cimiez are, as usual, under the direction ot Superintendent Fraser, who, for more than twenty years, has had the control of the complex arrangements that are made for safe-guarding our Sovereign. Among members of the Royal Household, no man, probably, stands in higher esteem with the Queen than Mr. Fraser, and this hale veteran possesses numerous marks of Royal favour. —o— Certainly no one has a more delicate or diffi cult task to perform than Superintendent Fraser. And to make matters more difficult, it is always necessary that he should conceal from the Queen, if she be passing, the fact of his, or his men's presence. Her Majesty seldom comes into contact with any member of the force that is engaged in the responsible work of shielding her from harm. —o— Her Majesty's collection of jewels is very valuable, and her laces, of which she is ex- tremely proud, are worth an enormous sum. It is weil known that the Queen cares much more for the latter than the former. She dons little jewellery, except upon State occasions, but her laces she delights in wearing. The Princess of Wales, on the other hand, prefers jew,els to laces. Her collection of each is verily rich and rare. —o— A brooch which Her Royal Highness fre- quently wears is shaped like a flowered spray, and is composed of emeralds and brilliants, ex quisitely set. The centre of the full blown flower consists of a huge emerald, the single- pointed petals surrounding it being carried out in brilliants of the first water. Here and there on the spray are three smaller, and yet very fine emeralds, shining among delicate leaves and buds, carried out in the paler stone. It was the gift of the Duchess of Cambridge, at the time of the marriage of Princess Alexandra and the Prince of Wales. —o— 1 And this reminds me, by the way, that Friday in last week was the anniversary of the Prince and Princess of Wales' marriage which took place thirty-six years ago. Looking at Her Royal Highness, it is difficult indeed to realise that so many years have passed since she first cam among us. When with the Duchess of Fife, Princess Victoria, and Princess Charles of Denmark, she appears little older, if any, than they, and one would take the group as a quai- tette of sisters. —o— Though still wearing black, unrelieved, the Princess of Wales always manages to appear smartly dressed. But there is no doubt that colours suit her better, especially those delicate shade of heliotrope, in which she so frequently appeared before the loss of her mother, the Queen of Denmark. The Princess invariably has sketches made (on her own suggestions) for her seasons' frocks. These she alters, if neces- sary, and frequently colours them, giving the exact shade required. —o— Among Society women, one of the best dressed is Georgina, Lady Dudley. Her toilettes for Court occasions, ordinary dinner parties, and balls are superb, and in the day time she is nearly always to be seen in a simple costume of cloth, with a neat little bonnet or toque to match. Her boots and gloves are irreproach- able, and she never wears any unnecessary ornaments. -0- The disciples of Isaac Walton are enjoying fine sport, salmon fishing in Scotland. The Duke and Duchess of Bedford are angling in the Tay; and the Duke and Duchess of Portland —both enthusiastic anglers—are pursuing the same sport at Invergarry, Inverness-sliire. Among the most celebrated fisherwomen are Lady Alington, Lady Katherine Scott, Lady Sandhurst, and the Duchess of Portland. Mrs. Arthur Sassoon is also a great angler. 1 —o— Fans are growing smaller and smaller. Fashionable women are patronising quite a tiny specimen for evening wear, built of lace, with ivory ribs and sticks, and decorated with painted or embroidered flowers. They are very dainty, and much more en-evidence that the feather fan that has lost something of its old time prestige at last. Since the very first fan was used-a palm leaf possibly to excite a cur- rent of air by the agitation of a broad surface —almost every substance of beauty and dura- bility has been employed in the manufacture of this useful little item. Carved wood, ivory and tortoiseshell carved and etched, frelted or inlaid with silver or gold, or encrusted with jewels, have all been utilised in the skeletons of sticks and frames. Silks and satins, feathers, gauze, and chicken skin (a special kind of vel- lum or parchment extremely fine in texture, and sometimes semi-transparent) have been stretched upon them, and further beautified by the painting and bespanglement of the Empire period, and lace of cobwebby fineness. —o— At the present time, smooth cloths are worn to the exclusion of almost every other fabric. Later, poplin, cashmere, voille. and crepe de chine will be seen and later still, lace, mnslin, chiffon, and grenadine. Foulards and taffetas promise to enjoy a wide rogue this coming summer, and alpaca is again making rapid strides in favour. Many of the new black grenadines and gauzes have tiny designs in re lief colour, but I doubt if these fabrics will take generally. A coloured flower on a black ground has a somewhat middle aged' look. — o— Women are always on the look-out for some thing new, though, truth to tell, it is rarely that one comes across anything actually so. New names are often given to fabric" that have been resuscitated from some long forgotten past. Even colours beget new names each time they find themselves in fashion's favour. In- deed, the only road to favour is in a change of name. But to the new fabric, which is really new. This resembles silk moire grenadine, mounted on coloured silk, although really woven as one material. In these days of sheath like gowns, when even the thinnest of extra skirts are an important considerati n, this fab- ric has much chance of success, and lightens the work of the modiste. —o— In the matter of pockets, we are worse off than ever, and there seems little likelihood that things will improve in this direction for some time to come. The miserable little pocket hidden away at the back, where we seldom could find it, dived we ever so energetically, has been ousted by (the tight fitting skirts, and to make up for this loss, tailors and dress- makers are clapping on outside pockets, which no self respecting person would dream of using, save for a little loose money. In desperation, a few women are carrying &mall, dainty bags, dangling from the wriat, as in the old world days, but these are not likely to become popu- lar. —o— Now the season of housecleaning is close fit hand, a few hints regarding the care of furni- ture may prove of use. If very dirty, it should be washed in water and vinegar of equal parts, using a flannel rag and after perfect drying, it should be rubbed with a clean flannel and a little linseed oil, before using any liquid or cream polish. If a table bears the mark left by a hot plate, rub it well with lamp oil and flan- nel, finishing off with a clean cloth slightly wet with spirits of wine. White spots may be re- moved by rubbing them with a piece of flannel and turpentine, repeating the application if necessary, and in any case rubbing with a good will until patience and strength are alike ex- hausted. Oak wainscotting and furniture are likely, in time to assume a greasy appearance, which should be removed during the annual house cleaning, by washing it in warm beer. To give it a handsome gloss, brush it over with a mix- ture of two quarts of beer, boiled with a table- spoonful of sugar, and a piece of beeswax as large as a walnut. When dry, polish with chamois leather or flannel. If oak or walnut articles are infected with a tiny insect that bores holes until the wood crumbles in a fine powder, stop its wild career by saturating the wood with creosote, and do not allow it to dry for several days. --0- White Soup.-Three pints of milk, one dozen small potatoes, a piece of butter the size of a walnut, two onions, one stick of celery, pepper and salt to taste. Simmer all well together for two hours, rub through a hair sieve, add a tablespoonful of sago, boil half an hour, and serve with small pieces of fried bread. MADGE.

The swallow is said to be one of the fleetest of the avine tribe it is known to have covered 120 miles an hour. The Eiffel Tower was constructed without the sacrifice of a single life, but nearly thirty per- sons have committed suicide from it. 'Tis not the pain from hook alone That causes fish to sigh, But knowing how the anglers all About their weight will lie. C: rcumstances oft reminds us We our lives should well insure, So the widows left behind us Can some other men secure. Rescuer Hurry Quick Throw her a life preserver Drowning girl: 'Haven't you a white one? That dirty drab doesn't match my blue suit!' —o— The renewed attempt of Russia to coerce the Chinese Government to the detriment of British interests, has apparently been abandon- ed, and there is no doubt that this withdrawal has averted a serious crisis in the Far East. The trouble, which threatened to reach an acute stage, arose over the question of the con- trol of the Newchwang Railway Russia really objecting to the intrusion of British enterprise into her sphere in Northern China. For a time at least, Russia appears to have retired, but unless an understanding is possible between Great Britain and Russia in the Far East, it is certain that trouble will constantly be break- ing out between the two Governments. It of course takes two to come to an arrangement, but such an understanding is an indispensable preliminary to the success of the Peace Confer- ence, which is shortly to meet at the Hague. It may be gathered from Mr. Goschen's state- ment in the House of Commons on the increase of the Navy Estimates that our Government proposes to meet the conference in a practical manner. His remarks really amount to a declaration that a large part of the work on the Navy is conditional, and that it will not be proceeded with if an agreement can be come to with other Powers at the Czar's Conference to modify their programmes. Here at least, is a definite proposal. There may be great difficulties in practically carrying it out, but these could probably be overcome if Russia, and France are really desirous of coming to such an greement. j

TIE5 PEACE CRUSADE, i THE CZAR'S CONFERENCE. j REPRESENTATIVES OF THE J POWERS. By W. T. STEAD, The Peace Crusade is an almost universally accepted fact. No longer does it arouse any coflfr siderable opposition. Its operations have become a part-a small part, it is true, butnevertheless 4 regular part—of the ordinary bill of fare oftho newspapers. From the first the Crusade excited scarcely the amount of opposition that we shoald have liked. Had there been any considerable party in the State determinedly against pesce, matters would have proved more lively for the organisers of the Crusade. We have had to deal with a practically unanimous country. Though that may be easy and agreeable it is not exciting* while it has prevented the operations of the Crusade attracting the amount of attention they would had there been another policy in the field. I have said elsewhere, and I repeat here, that England has seen nothing like the Crusade of Peace. One must go twenty years back to attempt to find a parallel. The only movement which com- pares with the Peace Crusade is that which arosf out of the Bulgarian atrocities. I speak of what I know when I say that the Bulgarian agitation was small in its volume to that which has been aroused during the last three months. On that occasiot4 however, we were fighting against the policy of one of the great parties in the State. We had at our command the incomparable eloquence and the splendid fervour of Mr. Gladstone. The meetings attracted more notice all over the country. They were not, with a few exceptions, as large and all unanimous as those which have been held in con- nection with this Crusade. Perhaps the amount of work actually accom- plished is best appreciated by a glance at the list of meetings held and to be held which is issued weekly from the head offices of the Crusade of Peace. The growth of that list has been astonishing. Beginning as a mere entry in the ordinary minutes, perhaps eight or nine lilies afc the most, it has developed week by week until ft now occupies four sheets of printed foolscap. Were it to be printed two meetings to a line in this column, it would occupy nearly half the space at my disposal. More than two hundred meetings are set out. The first dozen were held before the Crusade came into existence. The remainder have been the direct outcome of the idea initiated at St. James's Hall. These, be it remembered, are, with some ten exceptions, town's meetings called by the Mayor. They cover practically the whole of England and Scotland, and penetrate into Ireland, where only lack of time has prevented a fuller demonstration of public opinion. Everything is now in readiness for the convention at St. Martin's Town Hall. The response from the delegates appointed in all parts of the country has been remarkable. There were those who predicted that while the various meetings might appoint public men of weight and character to represent them these would not respond when the time came to perform their task. That belief has been com- pletely falsified. A circular sent to all the delegates nas brought such a number of acceptances for the Conference that the capacity of the hall will be strained. It was decided to issue tickets for the friends of delegates to the gallery of the hall, but the number of these has had to be strictly limited, and already the whole of them has been taken up. Lady Frederick Cavendish will be among the speakers at the Conference. events are ngnting on the side of peace. The 93,000,000 increase in the naval budget has brought the whole country to see what the present system of competition in armaments means. We are spending more than Z4,000,000 sterling on our navy and army during the coming more year than we did in the year which is just closing. Nor has the limit been reached. Next year there will be another increase, perhaps larger than that for which the Chancellor of the Exchequer has now made provision. The process of adding millions to the war budget must go on automatically. We have an enormous Empire to defend, and so long as our neighbours go on increasing their forces we must do the same. The race is one in which we cannot afford to be left in the background. Only by such a general halt as is proposed by the Czar will come relief from that shilling income-ta* which looms in the not very distant future. France, too, which only a week ago seemed almost hopeless for the purposes of the Peace Crusade, has dramatically been brought face to face with the fact that it has more to gain than any other nation from an arrest of armaments. In the Chamber of Deputies M. de Freycinet, the Minister for War, has called attention to a fact which has been realised by every other nation than the French for some time past. The French Army has reached its limit of expansion. By putting the standard lower than in any army in Europe, 1 keeping its conscripts for three years, and ty counting every available man, France is able to keep an arii:y on a peace footing of 561,000. It cannot get more, and with a stationary male popu- lation it has no hope of more. The navy is at a similar standstill. The armaments of Germany and Russia are now kept on the basis of a possible war with France. An equilibrium exists. It has only to be maintained. In any case France can no longer keep up the race. That is a good omen for the Peace Conference at The Hague. As the time for the International Congress approaches, the national agitations are giving way in public interest to the gathering of diplomatists which will- assemble nt The Hague on May 18th. At the present moment the representatives of Russia in every Court in Europe are negotiating as to the preliminary conditions for the Peace Confer- ence. The work is being delicately done, for it is necessary that every nation with a standing army in Europe should be represented at The Hague if the Conference is to have practical results. In St, Petersburg itself the greatest Russian jurists are making an exhaustive examination of the treaties which bear upon the relations of the' various Continental Powers, and which must necessarily be a factor in any settlement which may be come to. The Conference will not, of course, Sropose any solution of outstanding questions, 'hat is quite outside its scope. The preliminary examination of treaties, however; will enable the various representatives to enter upon their work well equipped with all the information necessary for a settlement of the momentous questions which it will consider. Admirable as was the selection of Baron de Staal to preside over the Conference, the results of the choice are even more striking. Russia is sending its first statesman, and the other nations are, so far as they are able, following the example. France will in all probability be represented by M. Hanotaux and Baron de Courcel; Germany will send Baron Marschall or Prince Herbert Bismarck Italy will appoint Signor Ressmann and the Marquis Visconti Venosta; while Spain will delegate Count de Rascon, a former Ambassador at the Court of St. James's. As yet our own diplomatists have not been appointed. The rumour that Sir Julian Pauncefote will be one is rather a happy guess than an authoritative announcement, but the approval with which the report has been received is evidence sufficient that there are feW statesmen whom this country trusts more in a matter of such grave importance. Whoever the British representatives may be, they will bear into the Conference the message given by Mr. Goschen to the House of Commons, that the British Government is prepared to reconsider and to reduce its war budget if the Continental Powers will do likewise. Such an instruction to the dele- gates of the United Kingdom is a happy omen for the success of the Conference. It stands as the best answer to those who have contended that the Peace Crusade was unnecessary in this country. Witb- out such an overwhelming expression of publio opinion as has been seen since the meeting at St. r James's Hall, and which will reach its culmina- tion in the National Convention, the would not have been 1, even whil senting its unprecedented naval es imates, to dec that they are subject, fo reduction the event of Successful issue of the Confere^rnV <

Mr. Waife (trying toenterfcain his lady-loye's six-year-old sister) Do you know who 1 am?' Jessie Yes I Papa says you're Edith's last chance.'