Abergavenny Chronicle

WAR RISK COMPENSATION. I Points of some importance to shipping circles were brought forward in a compensa- tion case in the West Hartlepool Court. The Gresham Steamship Company had paid fifty pounds into court in respect of the death of Wilfred Davison, who was aboard the Lady Salisbury when sunk. The judge explained that he had just received new regulations from the Board of Tra ie, fixing the compen- sation to officers and men killed or injured through war riska on an Admiralty scale, and all such cases would in future be dealt with on this scale. It was stated that there was a dispute between war risk underwriters in London and the Protective Indemnity Club as to whether the loss was due to war or other risk.

I TRAGEDY OF MISTAKEN ARREST. A private of the 5th Hants Regiment, George Preston, -on whom an inquest was held at Battersea oft Saturday, met his death on the railway while under arrest on a mistaken charge of drunkenness. Private Preston was on duty on the rail- way, and his arrest was ordered by an officer, who came to the conclusion from the way Preston challenged him that the man was drunk. On his way to the guard-room he was knocked down by a train. One of Preston's comrades said he was excitable, ierpecially when addressed by an officer, an d his speech was rather thick. Dr. Trevor, of St. George's Hospital, said the thickness of speech was probably due to arterial disease. Such a person would be almost incoherent when excited, and ex- ceedingly unsteady on his feet. The jury returned a verdict of "Acciden- tal death."

The British steamer Novocastrian, of New- castle, is reported to have been sunk. The captain* and twenty-one of the crew were landed 0 Tuesday. Children in the elementary schools under the Oxfordshire County Council have agreed that their prize-money should be invested in War Loan. The vouchers are to be framed and exhibited in the schools. •

NOTES ON NEWS. Whether it be found that the voluntary eystem of enlistment is equal to the THE VOLUNTARY SYSTEM. nation's needs or not, there is no denying that it has already achieved results without a parallel in history, and much more wonderful than anybody before the war would have dared to hope. Who could hare predicted in days of peace that within a twelvemonth of the outbreak of war our fighting services would have mustered something like three million men, all of them volunteers? Such a forecast would not have been taken seriously for a moment. Before the war even the advo- cates of national service were asking for only a million men trained to arms for the defence of the country. That such hosts of men have responded to the call is some- thing of which we may all be proud. There has been' a slackening in the recruiting these last few weeks, which has naturally caused considerable anxiety to the War Office and the Government, but it must not be assumed that the number of men who can be raised by voluntary enlistment has therefore been reached. It will be time enough to say that when we have seen what are the results of the Labour campaign. An excellent start has been made by the Labour leaders in issuing a manifesto. A GREAT TASK. They state definitely the number of men that are required, and this, it should be noted, is the first time a definite figure has been mentioned. "W e are satisfied," they say, "that if the voluntary principle is to be vindicated, at least 30,000 recruits per week must be raised to maintain the efficiency of our Armies and secure such a victory as will free the world from the fear of that military tyranny which Germany would impose upon it." It is well that the country should have this information. Previous appeals have been for men, more men, and still more men; but we have never been told how many men had joined and how many more were wanted. Now we have the requirements clearly stated, and it remains to be seen whether the call can be met without resort to compulsion. It is no light task; 30,000 a week means 1,560,000 men in a year. The appoint- ment of Lord Derby as Director of Re- cruiting is one of which the country cor- dially approves. He has already done great things in Lancashire, and under his direction we may be sure that the recruit- ing campaign will be thoroughly well orga- nised and carried on with the greatest energy. If the voluntary system is really on its last trial, a few weeks ought to tell us whether the result is success or failure. For the present there is to be no more canvassing of men whose names appear on WORK FOR LOCAL COMMITTEES. the pink torms men who are shown by the National Register to be of military age; but the Government has the in- formation. It knows how many of these men there are, and how many of them are engaged in the manufacture of muni- tions or in e6sential industries. It can act on this information, and it does seem as though the best step to take would be to appoint local committees to see to the re- cruiting in their own districts. Such com- mittees would come into close touch with eligible men; they would know generally, without adopting unduly inquisitorial methods, what were their circumstances, and whether their excuses for not enlisting were genuine and reasonable, or whether the men were merely shirkers. One of the most difficult problems in connection with recruiting is the case of men who, eligible in every way for military service, and eager to serve, cannot enlist without con- siderable pecuniary loss, and leaving their wives and families, now fairly comfortably situated, to subsist on the separation allowance paid to a private soldier's de- pendents. What can be done to meet their case f In France, as well as. in this country, it. is a war of workshops. M. Thomas, the PATRIOTIC FRENCH WORKERS. French Minister of Muni- tions, who has been in conference with Mr. Lloyd George in Lon- don, took the opportu- nity afforded by his visit to addross a meeting of Labour leaders, and to tell them with what splendid patriotism the French working men have been playing their part. Many of them have been brought back from the trenches to the workshops, where their efforts have been even greater than when they were fight- ing. "From September to February," said M. Thomas, "they never knew a Sun- day; they never knew one holiday, they did not think of it; they were at it every day. The time came when the machinery grew tired before the men. Then it was found advisable to give the men at least one day in a fortnight, or every Sunday morning, and that had been the system since. These men were not easy to manage before the war; they were ready to strike at anything, on small questions of pride and amour propre, and sometimes not mere questions of interest. Since the war began, however, there has not been one strike in France—even a twenty-four hours' strike. The men are soldiers, of course, and, remembering how the French Government broke the great railway strike a few years ago, there are some in this oountry who will suggest that this splen- did record could not have been achieved without resort to military methods. It is not so, however. M. Thomas says such methods have been used extremely rarely, and that even then they were of a quite insignificant character. All honour to the French workmen. Their spirit is the spirit of the whole French nation to-day. Many classes of workers will have expe- rienced a fellow-feeling with those dele- EARLY RISING. gates to the miners Federation who com- plained that 6 o'clock in the morning is too early an hour for starting work. They said many severe things about it; it was "a relic of barbarism;" it was out of keeping with other ideas of democracy and progress, and a benefit only to the capitalist classes. According to one delegate, to get to work at 6 means getting up in the middle of the night. "Lawyers, literary men, and others do not begin till 10, remarked another speaker. "Why should colliers start at 6?" Most of the delegates, however, were opposed to making any change. One of these said that getting up in the morning was a queer thing, but really to get up at 5 was as easy as at 8, and easier, because they had less time to think about it. No doubt he was right in theory, but it is to be feared that the practice is all against him. One has heard people talk with en- thusiasm of the joys of early rising, but they are not generally those who are em- ployed in coal mines or factories; and even so, one fears they are exceptions. Humai nature in the bulk agrees with Burns: Up in the morning's no for me, Up in the morning early," and with Harry Lauder: It's nice to get up in the mornin', But its nicer to lie l in bed."

For the second time within the last few days a maiming outrage has occurred in South Staffordshire. A horse in a field between Wednesbury and West Bromwich Was found with a deep wound caused by a was found with a deAe f,.u t the time of the sharp instrument. About the time of the discovery a card posted at West Bromwich was received at Wolverhampton notifying the outrage.

I A MONTH S PROGRESS ON SUVLA I FRONT. On Thursday night the War Office issued through the Press Bureau the following communication: — "Sir Ian Hamilton reports that during the past month the fighting at Suvla Bay has not been on a scale calling for special reports. "Every night there have been patrol actions, bomb attacks, and rushing of houses, and as a result we have gained during this period an average of a little over 300 yards along the whole centre four miles of the Suvla front."

ARMY VETERAN KILLED BY MOTOR. I A verdict of "Accidental death" was re- turned at an inquest at the Westminster Coroner's Court on James David, eighty- two, an army pensioner, living at Acton Vale, who was knocked down and killed by an unknown motor-car in Uxbridge-road, Shepherd's Bush, London. Nurse Margaret Davis, o|| Hayes End, said that on August 29, just before 7 o'clock in the evening, she was getting off a tramcar when she noticed a motor-car with bright lights, which dazzled her, coming from Acton. There was a crash, and the car rattled as if it had struck something. Then the car, which waa going quickly, and which ran over the old man, disappeared. She thought the motorists must have known. Inspector Mitchell said that although every possible inquiry had been made in the whole of the metropolitan police district, neither the car nor the driver had been traced, and, assuming that the driver knew that he had been in collision with somebody, it was very unlikely that he would be 'traced. The street was darkened in accordance with the Defence of the Realm regulations.

REV. R. J. CAMPBELL. I At the opening of the conference of the Congregational Union at Leeds, the follow- ing letter was read from the Rev. R. J. Campbell: — "I had fully intended being present at the union meetings this week, not only to fu: my engagement on the programme, but to met once more my brethren of the unity in fraternal intercourse. To my great regret, however, I shall have to ask you to release me. I am passing through a great strain at present in parting from my dear people at the City Temple, and feel little disposed to add to it in any way that can be avoided. Newspaper paragraphs, too, which have been appearing lately have made my position with reference to the Union a somewhat delicate one, and I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that per- ( haps on the whole it would be better not to appear on any platform at the moment. I sincerely hope to have other opportunities of renewing old friendships later on."

"VERY GREAT HUMBUGS." I An absentee from the Middlesex Regiment when charged at West London Police-court told the magistrate that he had not re- turned to his regiment because he had been ill. Mr. Fordham: It is a very strange thing how you men get ill on leave. When your time comes to go back you are so ill that you cannot go. A great many of you are very great humbugs and ought to be ashamed of yourselves. You look very well. Prisoner: I always look well, even when I am ill. Mr. Fordham: So do I. Prisoner was put back to await an escort.

FIVE BROTHERS KILLED. I There is a very old latlv in Cornwall whose six sons have been serving their King and country. Five of them have been killed, and the old lady, writing to Lieut.-General Sir E. Bethune, Inspector-General of the Territorial Forces, pleaded, "Do give me back the sixth He pointed out to her the pressing need of every single man at the present time of trial and anxiety, and the old lady promptly replied, "Please keep him, then." That was the kind of spirit they wanted throughout the whole country, said the' Lieut.-General, who- related the incident at a recruiting rally at Reading.

ENLISTED THIRTEEN TIMES. I A soldier named Victor Edward Clare- mont, aged twenty-two, mho was sentenced at Windsor to four months' hard labour for stealing a bicycle, was said to have enlisted in the Army Service Corps in October, 1914, a.nd deserted in November. Since the prisoner had enlisted twelve times in various regiments, including the Black Watch, which he joined twice. His plan was to enlist in a regiment as far as possible from the town he was in, and after obtaining his railway fare to desert and join another unit.

LETTERS TO GALLIPOLI. The Press Bureau hae issued the following 1 statement relating to letters for the Dar- danelles :— With reference to the complaints of the non-delivery of correspondence addressed to members of the Mediterranean Expedi- tionary Force, the Secretary of the War Office desires to state that special measure* are now being taken to expedite delivery of letters and parcels, and it is hoped that an improvement in the service will shortly be effected.

Hilda U. Schreiber, said to be the daughter of a German officer, was at Devon Quarter Sessions sentenced to nine months' imprisonment for obtaining credit by fraud at Lymnouth. It was stated that dhe had been convicted four times in the past two years. A Maidstone boy, Alfred John Davis, aged sixteen, was found hanging from a door in his parents' house, and the explana- tion given at the inquest was that he los t his employment "owing to his throwing things about in play" and became de- pressed. t

TEA TABLE TALK. d When Lady French was at school she woa a prize in a knitting competition. The prize was a set of silver knitting needles, which are still in her possession. < » Lady Sibyl Grey, when Lord Grey wai Governor-General of Canada, accompanied him on a trip to the Canadian Arctic gold- fields, and near Dawson City, the capital of the Klondyke, she pegged out a claim and duly registered it. She worked there for some time, and when leaving she arranged to have the Sibyl, as she named her claim, worked by deputy. Lady Sibyl Grey has also travelled very extensively in South Africa with her parents. • • Mrs. Ian Bullough, better known to the public as Miss Lily Elsie, tells of a strange experience she had when she was a young girl, which, although it ended happily, was very terrifying while it lasted. She and her mother went on one occasion to pay a visit to a certain lonely part of Ireland at a time when reports of Fenian outrages were very much about. The neighbourhood was a particularly lonely one, and alto- gether things did not look like being at all pleasant. In the middle of the night Miss Elsie was awakened by a report in the next room that sounded like a gun going off, and when, in fear and trembling, she peeped out on to the landing, she saw a red stream that looked like blood coming from under the door. < Needless to say, she thought that some terrible tragedy had taken place, and it was not until some time later that she dis- covered the true explanation of the mystery. What she had believed to be the next room was only a store cupboard, and the gun-like report had come from the bursting of a jar containing sloes, the juice from which had run out on to the landing. Miss Elsie laughed heartily when she knew the truth about the affair, but she confesses she was frightened at the time when she opened her door and beheld the "blood" which really was only the juice. < Baroness Hoffnung-Goldsmid before her marriage was Miss Violet Goldsmid, the eldest of the daughters of Sir Julian Gold- smid, third and last baronet, at whose death, in 1896, her husband, Mr. Sidney Hoffnung, assumed his father-in-law's name. Her father was very generous towards charities. After her husband had adopted his father- in-law's name, Mrs. Hoffnung-Goldsmid was created a baroness by the late King of Portugal. In years of peace Baroness Hoffnung-Goldsmid has done much enter- taining at her house in Chesham-place, London, a most artistic and beautifully decorated house with one room copied from a famous apartment in a Florentine palace. It has a striking scheme of decoration in various coloured marbles, and a glorious ceiling, which took several workmen weeks to complete. w < Engineering as a profession has been adopted by many women. Miss Millicent Fawcett, the daughter of the blind Post- master-General, who distinguished herself by taking a place above the senior wrangler in 1890, was one of the first women to take up electrical engineering as a profession. Probably the credit for being the very first woman engineer, however, belongs to an American, Miss Annie de Barr, who passed the most severe exams, successfully, and started work as a steam enginect in Chicago. • • Mrs. Randolph, whose husband, Mr. Arthur Bertram Randolph, of the Welsh Guards, has been killed, was one of a few brides who started a new wedding custom, one, however, that did not gain popularity. At her marriage some five years ago at St. Paul's, Knightsbridge, London, she had aj "best girl," Miss Coxhead, who attended in exactly the same manner as a best man does on a bridegroom. The best girl awaited- the bride's arrival at the top of the centre aisle opposite the best man, and at the proper time held the bride's gloves and bouquet, and performed similar duties to those of a best man. Before her marriage to the late officer (son of the late Captain Arthur Ran. dolph, 15th Hussars, of Eastcourt, Malmes- bury, and of the late Mrs. C. Whitney), Mrs. Randolph was Miss Saffron Pickersgill- Cunliffe, of Staughton Manor, St. Neots. There are many good stories told of Prin- cess Mary's amusing sayings. When she was quite a small girl, her mother, Queen Mary, took her one day to the Tower of London, aod was very anxious that she should be im- pressed with the historical associations of the place. In the course of their tour the Royal party came upon a particularly fine suit of armour as worn by the knights of old, with spiked helmet, spikes on the knees, and spurs all complete. Thinking to imbue the Princess with the chivalry of those days her Majesty said: "This, Mary, is a suit of armour which used to be worn by the knights of old. What do you think of it?" For a time the Princess remained silent, while she seemed to be thinking deeply. "Perhaps it was all right," she said at last doubtfully, "but can't you imagine how awfully it must have scratched the furniture 1" <* Most precious stones have tsome super- stitious belief attached to them. A piece of agate worn on the person is supposed to he a safeguard against lightning. The beryl was formerly held to promote happiness between man and wife. The turquoise is said to be a protection against falls and sudden injuries. The topaa was highly prized on account of its supposed magical powers of dispelling enchantments and calming frenzy. The green emerald is held in high esteem by the Peruvians, many of whom believe that the mines whence emeralds are extracted are guarded by terrible giants and dragons. Perhaps more superstition attaches itself to the opal nowadays than to any other stone. On the other hafid, the people of long ago con- sidered that this fiery gem had the power of rendering its owner lovable, and of bestowing on him or her the gift of in- visibility. < < Town life in Russia is as different as can be from life in the country districts. One curious custom is the after-dinfrer call. People do not call on their friends at tea- time, as we do over here, but after dinner at night, or even after the theatre, paying calls at midnight being quite the thing to do. The Russian dinner always begins with a sideboard course of cold meats, hors d'eeuvres, etc. that is to say, the dishes are laid out on the sideboard and the guests help themselves before sitting down to par- take of the regular meal. It is from this custom that we derive the term "service a la Russe," as applied to dinners at which the carving is done from the sideboard. The Russian housewife takes special pride in her table linen, which is of the finest; the same applies to all the household linen. Another curious oustom in the land of our Ally is that when you go visiting you are expected to take your own sheets with you. Princess Arthur of Connaught, when she was training as a Red Cross nurse at St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, was supposed to be incognito. But all the patients soon knew her rank, and were loud in their pro- tests when other calls on her time made it impossible for her to continue with them. Most of the time her Royal Highness waa doing hard routine work. One day a wounded soldier was being bandaged, when something hurt him. It is said that he was about to use strong language and had his mouth open ready, when he noticed that Princess Arthur was standing by the bed. He swallowed his words and the Princess only smiled.

A despatch from Copenhagen to the New York "Sun" declares that the recent air raid by Zeppelins on the Baltic coast of Russia was carried out with the help of sketches made by the Kaiser during his last visit to the Czar. The Ministry of Munitions has granted the demand of Canadian munition workers on Tyneside. who claimed an allowance of ,17s. 6d. weekly to be sent to their wives and families in Canada.

.— r SUPREMACY IN THE AIR. I —— $- I GERMAN CLAIMS DISPROVED. I The following French official communica- tion has been issued by the Press Bureau:- "The German communique of October 6 replies to the English allegations which claim for the Allied aviators superiority in aerial warfare. "The proof that this superiority belongs to the German aviators is found by the Berlin communique in the fact that in September the Germans only lost seven machines, while the English lost eight and the French twenty-two. "These totals are open to dispute. The figure which concerns us exceeds by more than one-third our true losses. As to the German aeroplanes, during the course of last month we have seen more than seven fall, some in their own lines and some in ours, in an obviously helpless condition; but even that is only one side of the ques- tion. "A comparison of the losses suffered does not permit of any serious conclusion if it is not accompanied or corrected by a compari- son with the amount of work accomplished and with the results attained. Onr scout- ing squadrons are active and daring, our chaser-aeroplanes are always ready and thirsting for battle. The German aviators, on the contrary, manifest on every occasion a discretion which is imposed upon them by strict injunction. "One can judge of this fact by the follow- ing order emanating from the Headquarters of the 8th Reserve Corps, No. 19,635, of August 28: "These battle aeroplanes should only take the air to fight the aeroplanes which have crossed the French lines. They are ordered not to cross the lines themselves under any pretext. The terms of this order tend to show, perhaps: (1) That the German aviators have in the past suffered substantial losses; (2) that the High Command does not care to expose them to losses still more sub- stantial but it is difficult to find here a proof that the mastery of the air belongs to the Germans.

I HIS HEAD WAS TURNED. Milton: "There's no standing/ Snooks since he got into the Civil Service." Wilton: "Why?" Milton: "It's quite turned his head, so that he's always patting himself on the I back."

I PROOF. I Diner: "Why don't you drive your cat off the table?" Waiter: "Well, you see, sir, it's like this, it's stewed rabbit to-day, and the guv'nor says the customers like to have the cat in hevidence on those days."

-0 MOTOR.'BUS INJURES SOLDIERS. While marching along Lee-terrace, Black- heath, late on Saturday night a troop of soldiers was run into from the rear by a motor omnibus, and seven of the men were injured. The men, who were returning to headquarters from an entertainment at Blackheath, had formed fours and did not hear the approach of the omnibus. The road at the spot k wood paved, and there is a slight bend where the accident occurred. Riflemen W. R. Maunder, G. Negus, W. Masters, and W. Corner are under treat- ment at Lewisham Military Hospital.

TO PUT ON WEIGHT. I When I was staying at Blackpool I gained 141b. in one day." She: "Really 1" He: "Yes, my landlady gave mo some plums, and I swallowed a stone." Sir Arthur Milford Ker, C.I.E., member of the Council of the Lieutenant-General of the Punjab, died at Simla, aged sirfby-two. When Bridget Moate waa sentenced to six months' imprisonment for theft at Dublin, it was stated that she had been previously convicted 168 times. Cecil Hetherington, an apprentice on the steamer Jacona, of Dundee, has been pre- sented with a bronze medal by the King, in recognition of his gallantry in saving life when the vessel was lost off the coast of Scotland on August 12.

CRUSHING BELGIUM. -0 PRUSSIAN JACK- BOOT RULE. We have received an account of recent events in Belgium from a reliable source, dated September 12 (says the "Daily Tele- graph "). The German authorities, in spite of The Hague Convention, are taking every oppor- tunity of making the Belgian people work for them. They ordered the Municipality of Ghent to repair the manoeuvre ground in the neighbourhood of the town, which is used by the German airmen. The Municipality refused, on the ground that this work was of a military character. The German authorities repaired the ground themselves, but sent the account to the Municipality, who refuse to pay it. The result may be that Ghent will be fined. A few weeks ago seventeen passengers by the train from Tirlemont were fined six marks each because one of the travelleis jumped out of the railway carriage before the train had stopped. It is now established, as the result of an inquiry made with particular care by very reliable persons, that in the province of Liege alone 1,359 civilians, including num- bers of women and children, were killed by German soldiers. Another message dated September 19 says: You can form no idea of the malicious rage which .stimulates the Germans against England. The German authorities take every opportunity of trying to make the Belgian people believe that England is the cause of the war, and above all of Belgium's misfortune. They post bills everywhere re- producing vague' fragments of speeches or of pamphlets trying to compromise your nation. "In the Brussels Palais des Academies are now a few hundred German, Belgian, and English wounded soldiers. The Germans and Belgians alone have the privilege of re- ceiving visits. Charitable persons are desirous of bringing dainties and clothing to the wounded English soldiers, but the Ger- man authorities have forbidden this favour, which is, however, granted to the other wounded! "You have learned that the Governor- General of Belgium has imposed a tax on those Belgians who had not returned to the countrv before March 1, 1915. They num- ber 3,610, and will have to pay altogether the sum of 4,201,400f. The number of families who have come back to Belgium as the result of the notice amounts to 18,900. The German authorities will sell by auction the furniture of those who do not."

NEW MILITARY ORDER AT DOVER. A new military order came into 10rce on Monday, by which no one is allowed to enter or leave Dover without showing a National Registration card or a special pass obtainable from the authorities. Military posts are established at every road leading into the town and at railway stations, etc., where details are taken concerning all per- sons not possessing cards or passes.

BOER WAR VETERAN SENTENCED. A Boer war veteran named Victor A. Smith, of the Royal Bucks Hussars, who ("ravelled from the Transvaal, a distance of 7,000 miles to join the Army, was sen- tenced at King's Lynn on Monday, to seven days with hard labour for having made a false attestation on enlistment. Defendant, in uniform, wore three medal ribbons, including that of the South African campaign. He stated that he only did what thou- sands of other men now in the Army had done, and joined one regiment after he had been discharged from another as medically unfit. He was not a pauper, and had money and property. If the Bench fined him .£100 he could pay it. He had been locked up for a month, and he was sorry now that he had ever seen this country. Major Haughton said defendant was originally charged with being drunk while on active service, and was given seven days' field punishment. His kit was searched, and that raised another charge of being in unlawful possession of Government property. I Smith said he served for seven and a half years in the South African Police. ———————— « ————————

DARK STREET DANGERS. I In his charge to the Grand Jury at the Old Bailey on Tuesday the Common Serjeant commented on the greater danger of street accidents, owing to the lighting orders. "The streets being dark," he said, "there is the greater danger in traversing them, but that is no excuse for people who, in the darkness, do not take extreme care of the persons using the streets. "There is a disposition on the part of juries not to convict people who-are not of a. criminal class of the crime of manslaughter by criminal negligence in the streets, under the idea that it is a pity to convict a respectable man of a crime because of the consequences that v follow "Juries who give way to the feeling that it is a pity to convict a man because he is respectable are simply not doing their duty." Mr. Robert Wallace, K.C., addressing the grand jury at the London Sessions on Tues- day, suggested that the authorities should consider the advisability of reducing the speed limit for motor vehicles at night.

 ZINC SPELTER IN PRIZE COURT. Sir Samuel Evans, in the Prize Court on Tuesday, condemned as Wizp- of war about 5,000 tons of zinc concentrates and lead Yine captured on the s.s. Manmngtry, a Man- chester vessel. This, he held, was intended for the enemy-viz., the Metallgesellschaft, a German firm which has before been men- tioned in the Prize Court as an "octopus" which had monopolised the trade in base metals throughout the world. This cargo was one of many intended for the Metall- gesellschaft or its "tentacles" which the President had condemned. The metal was consigned by the Austra- lian Metal Company and was claimed by them and by Messrs. Henry R. Merton and Co., of London, the Cie des Minerais, of Bel- gium, and another firm. These concerns, the Crown alleged, were the "helpless pup- pets" of the Metallgesellschaft. His lordship gave all the claimants leave to appeal and allowed the claim of the Union Bank of Australia for the repayment bv the Crown, out of the proceeds of the sale of the zinc, of S,3,000 they had paid the shipowners on account of freight.

KILLED WHILST TRAINING. I An inquest was held at Aldershot on Tuesday on the body of Leonard Pasquiere, a Guernseyman serving with the 6th Royal Irish Rifles, who was killed by a bullet from a machine-gun. While Pasquiere was receiving machine- gun instruction in a shed a squad in an adjoining shed was having similar instruc- tion, and Lieutenant Mitchell, the in- structor, for purposes of demonstration, used a misfire cartridge that had been used for many similar demonstrations. To his astonishment the cartridge exploded and the bullet passed through the thigh of a man named O'Brien. through a wooden par- tition, and hit Pasquiere in the chest. "Accidental death" was the verdict, the jury recommending that misfire cartridges should not be used tor demonstrations. Pasquiere leaves a widow and three children, ♦

General Smutø, the South African Minis- ter of Defence, has been elected a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. He was formerly an undergraduate of' that college, and obtained a double" first" in the Law Tripos.. In returning a verdict of "Wilful mur- der" at Luton against Gunner Henry ChaTles Martin, Iftoyal Garrison Artillery, whose wife was found with her throat cut, the coroner's jury added that Martin had suffered great provocation.

To warm a steamed pudding, place it into a calander in a steamer, and the pud- ding will be very much lighter and more palatable than if placed on a dish. To remove a tight stopper from a bottle, wring a cloth out in boiling water, and wrap it round the neck of the bottle. The heat will expand the glass, and allow the stopper to be removed. When the oven is too hot place a bowl of cold water at the bottom. This prevents cakes and meat from burning, but must not be done when pastry is being baked or the latter will be spoilt. Coffee grounds should be thoroughly dried, mixed with coal dust, and used for bank- ing up fires. When well-pressed down over the top and back of a fire this mixture will keep it burning for hours and is most economical. When eggs are high-priced a good sub- stitute for puddings, etc., is a tablespoon- ful of treacle mixed with half a pint of milk; you will also require less sugar. If potato chips, after being cut, are steamed for fifteen minutes before being placed in the frying-pan, less fat will be required for cooking them, and they will fry in less time. STAINED VELVETEENS. Dirty marks and stams may be entirely removed from velveteen by rubbing care- fully with paraffin, using a dark piece of leno if the velvet is dark, and a white one if the velvet is light in colour. First rub the leno well (as if washing it), in order to remove all "dress." CLEANING PASTE JEWELLERY. One of the best cleansers for jewellery— especially paste—is camphorated chalk. It should be applied on a soft tooth-brush—an old one is best, because it will be found very soft and pliable-and well Tubbed on to the article. Brush off again, and polish with a piece of plush or velvet. Those who try this simple process will be surprised at the polish and bright finish they have ob- tained. Gold and silver—any trinket, in fact-may be treated in the same way with excellent results. I HINTS ABOUT STOCK-MAKING. Good stock is absolutely nece6sary to make good soup. Stock should always be prepared the day before it is required. The contents of the stockpot should be turned into an earthenware basin every morning » and the pot scalded out before placing it on the fire to simmer. The fat should be skimmed off every morning. Never place the vegetables in the stock unless it is to be used the snme day in summer or the next in winter. Fried bones can be ueed for a. very successful stock. How TO FRY FISH. Waste is often incurred by frying nsft badly. First wash the fi6h well, dry with a cloth, and rub it with flour to ensure its being thoroughly dry. Use a stewpan, not a frving-pan, so that there may be sufficient fat (or, better still, oil) to cover the fish. The fat must be almost, not quite, boiling. To test it, throw in a small piece of bread; if it browns immediately, the fat is ready. Never fry more than two or three pieces at a time, otherwise the heat will be lowered too much. Drain on soft paper, and cover the fish with soft paper till ready to serve. I COVERING A FLOOB. When covering a floor with linoleum that gets hard wear in certain parts only, it is more economical to have the usual width of two yards cut into one yard width, same as piece carpet. These long strips can easily be shifted when required. If laid down close to the wainscoting when new, they will join perfectly later on without over- lapping, as linoleum shrinks a little. I REPAIRING A THERMOMETER. When, as often happens, a thermometer is injured by falling, the tube not broken, but the mercury separated or broken up in the tube, the bulb of the thermometer should be placed in a cup of water on a stove, where it is left to heat until the mer- cury is forced to the top; then remove it,. and the column will descend unbroken. I SOME USEFUL RECIPES. APPLE MERINGUE.—For this you will require lib. apples, 2oz. sugar, loz. better, 2oz. bread or cake crumbs, two eggs, rind of half a lemon. The method of making is to peel and core the apples, cut them up, and stew until pulpy. Add the sugar, grated lemon-rind, crumbs, and butter, and also the yolks of the eggs. Place this mix-, ture in a well-buttered pie-dish and bake until' set. Beat the whites of the eggs until stiff, sweeten with two tablec-poonfuls of sugar, and pile on top. Place in a cool oven and slightly colour the meringue. Serve either hot or cold. The pie-dish may be lined with pastry if a more elaborate pudding is needed. MEAT AND MACARONI BALLS.—Take six ounces of macaroni, break into small pieces, place in boiling salted water, and cook for fifteen minutes. Cut a slice of bread, re- move the crust, and place in a soup-plate, pour over it a gill of hot stock. Beat up the bread with a fork, drain the macaroni, add to the bread with a pound of cold cooked minced meat, a seasoning of herbs, and one well-beaten egg. Mix all together, place into small round moulds, cover with buttered paper, steam for an hour, then turn out and serve with made gravy. MILK Sorp.-Take three pints of boiling milk, two ounces of butter, one ounce of flour, half a small white cabbage, finely chopped, some salt and pepper. Heat the butter in an enamelled pan, add the shredded cabbage, and let it cook very gently for fifteen minutes. Then boil the milk, add it to the cabbage, and simmer very gently for about ten minutes; then stir in the flour, which must previously have been blended with a little cold water. Stir, and boil the soup very gently for six or seven minutes longer, then reason t* taste. If liked, a little minced onion nay- be used to flavour this soup. SCALLOPED MEAT AND TOMATO.-TalCe one pound of any cold cooked meat and mince it. Mix it with half a pint of tomato sauce. Grease a piedish and place a few breadcrumbs at the bottom. Then put in a layer of the minced meat, then one of sliced tomatoes and cold boiled § potatoes sliced. Then another layer of meat, then one of vegetables, till the dish is full. Sprinkle each layer of vegetables with the breadcrumbs and put a layer of them on the top with a few knobs of butter. Bake for fifteen minutes. SAVOURY MUTTON.—This is a very cheap- dish, but with careful preparation is excel- lent. Place part of a breast of mutton in warm water, and let it gently simmer till tender enough to remove the bones without letting it be fully cooked. Salt, pepper- corns, turnips, and carrots hould be boiled with it. While it is boiling, prepare seasoning of breadcrumbs, suet, finely-chop- ped onion, parsley and herbs. Also a slice of fat bacon cut into strips. Lay the meat on a chopping board, remove the bones, sprinkle it with seasoning, and lay the strips of bacon at regular intervals. Dredge with salt and pepper. Roll the joint and secure it with string. Roast the meat till very tender and nicely browned. Serve on a very hot dish: garnish with baked onions and thickened brown gravy.