County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser Abergavenny and Raglan Herald Usk and Pontypool Messenger and Chepstow Argus

z- TITLED PHILANTHROPISTS. lhe upper ten are no longer open to the charge of thinking of nothing but amusement, and showing a cold indifference to the world's suffering and misery. Princess Christian, as the Temple Magazine points out, has been, and is, most active in connec- tion with the nursing movement and other philan- thropic work. Lord Shaftesbury, when speaking igainst cruelty to animals, said he hoped his audi- r, ence would never see a donkey without thinking of him. In the same way no one who knows the facts can see a convict without thinking of the Duchess of Bedford, whose work among female prisoners is her highest distinction.

A TRANS-AFRIOAN JOURNEY. Renter's representative has had an interview with Dr. A. Donaldson Smith, the American explorer, who has just completed an interesting journey across Africa, having left the coast at the end of July last, and come out on the Upper Nile a few weeks ago. One of the chief difficulties of the journey was in connection with the caravan, the members of which were hurriedly collected and gave continual trouble. They constantly sought to stir up trouble with the natives for the purpose of obtaining loot, and it was only with much d ifficul ty that Dr. S in ith succeeded i n thwart- ing them. During the trip the explorer visited many new tribes and tiavelled through some three hun- dred miles of unmapped country between the coast and lake Rudolf. He travelled through the Boran country, where he met with so much hostility on his previous visit, but now found the people quite friendly and evidently sorry for their former mis- deeds. On the outskirts of the Boran country he passed through a hundred miles of unexplored territory and came across some new tribes to the west of Rudolf. One of these—the Natua tribe— was found to be cow-worshippers. One of the most curious points mentioned by Dr. Smith was the apparent drying up of Central Africa. "I found," he said, "all the rivers I crossed excep- tionally low, with scarcely even half the normal quantity of water. Lake Stefanie had not half its usual supply of water. In fact, the climatic cor. ditions of Central Africa seem to be changing, and it is the opinion of all the officials and travellers in that region that the rainfall is decreasing every year. In Stefanie what were formerly islands are now peninsulas." Dr. Smith reached Lake Rudolf on December 10, and then travelled north and then west till he struck the Nile at Fort Berkeley. Thence he travelled by steamer to Khartoum. He spoke in terms of praise of the work being done by the Belgians on the Upper Nile. "They are," he said, "doing splendid work there, and are building hundreds of brick houses round heir various stations. It is entirely owing to their afforts that the Anglo-Egyptian troops had not to deal with a dervish stronghold between the south of Fashoda and Uganda. Although famine is raging in this part of Africa the natives attached to the Belgian ;aravans are as well cared for and are as fat and ontented as any African natives I have seen."

RAILWAY THIEVES. I A writer in the Bristol Observer says that the railway detective is employed to protect his company from fraud, and so hydra-headed is the evil he combats, that his experiences are always curious and occasionally exciting. The wily luggage-thief who haunts our stations, with an eye for the valuable bag or portmanteau, is the object of his vigilant regard. By effecting a plausible exchange," by personating a porter, or by an adroit arrangement of labels, the veteran thief will confiscate costly luggage under the very eyes of his victim. About £ 700 worth of lug- gage was stolen from one big station last summer, and this in spite of consummate care and several convictions. Some luggage-thieves dress for their part, and are as stylishly attired as the majority of passengers around them. The men who rob goods trains, and passengers who attempt to defraud the company, are another class who provide work for the detective, while occasionally the company has to be protected from the depredations of its own ser- vants.

"He loved her with a devouring affection, She woman-like, sought after him. Her capture of him was his downfall, And he died cracked." It is less trouble, if less romantic, to use KKATING'S POWDER. Kills Fleas, Beetles, Lice in Children'. Heads, Tins, 3d., 6d., Is. New Filled Bellows, 9d. .FRINGE FERDINAND OF BULGARIA is visiting Paris incognito as Count Murany. When he was travel- ling thither by the Oriental Express he left his saloon at Salzburg, donned a white blouse, and rode in the cab with the engine-driver as far as Munich. He showed the greatest interest in, and not a little know- ledge of, the mechanism of the locomotive, and hand- somely tipped the driver for his efforts to instruct. The Prince, while in Paris, will confer with his mother, Princess Clementine, and his brother, Prince Augustus. MRS. ARCIIIBALD LITTLE, whose knowledge of China is probably as great as that of even Mrs.. Isabella Bird Bishop, believes that the first reform to come in the land of the Celestials will take the form of better treatment of women. At present, as Mrs. Little says, a Chinaman refers to his better half as a wretched thorn," and will not sit down to meals with her. Even Mrs. Little was entirely ignored by mandarins who called upon her husband. They I pretended not to see her, and behaved as if she were not present.

HOME HINTS. j All ombroideries, and coloujwd garments also, should be ironed on the wrong side wherever practi- cable. 1'NSTEAD of toasting bread for pea-soup, porridge, &c., try drying it or roasting it till crisp in the oven, and eeo how superior it will be. IF one wishes to cool a hot dish in a hurry, it will be found that, if the dish be placed in a vessel full of cold salty water, it will cool far more rapidly than if it stood in water free from salt. A WWAK solution of oxalic, citric, or tartaric acid, may be applied to paper and prints to remove sfiitif of ink, without much fear of damage. When the stain is removed, wash in pure water. THE hahes of lemons, after the juic.\ has been squeezed out for cookery, should be kept, as if rubbed on the kitchen table before scrubbing it, they are exceeding good for removing grease. Tins s,lk underwear now so much worn should not be rubbed on the washboard, nor have soap rubbed on it, unless on specially soiled spots. It should be gently squeezed in the hands in a lather of tepid water. Do not attempt to extinguish the flames of blazing kerosene with water; it will only make them worse. Pour flour or garden enrt hover them, or throw over a rug or anything handy that will exclude the air. INSTEAD of putting food into the oven to keep hot for late comers, try covering it closely with a tin and setting it over a basin of hot water. This plan will keep the food hot, and at the same time prevent it from drying. A LIGHT SUPPER FOR AN INVALID.—-Toast a small slice of bread nicely, then cut it into square pieces, put these into a basin and pour boiling milk over them, feasoned with sugar and nutmeg if the flavour is likTd Rusks can be used instead of toast, and form a pleasant change. How TO CHOOSE FLANNEL.—Choose it for its strong selvedge, fine and even texture, and the short hairs on its surface. Low-priced flannel is not economical, for it is probably made with old wool and largely composed of cotton, which renders it harsh, and tends to make it shrink considerably. NEVER beat or mix a cake in tin earthen or stone ware should always be used, and a wooden spoon is recommended. It is better to grease the pans with lard—fresh, nice lard-than butter. Several thick- nesses of paper should be placed in the bottom, and a little cap of paper over most kinds, except layer cake. How TO KEEP EGGS.—Pack the eggs in salt, with the small end down, in boxes that will hold not more than five or six dozen. If kept in a cool place, and the box turned over about twice a week, the eggs will remain fresh for months. If the eggs are not turned, the yolks will settle through the outer albumen until they touch the shell, and the eggs will then spoil. MILDEW may be removed in the following meaner: First by brushing off any loose mildew, then rubbing in common salt, afterwards sprinkling liberally with powdered chalk, and moistening with clean, co!d water. After this, dry slowly in the open air, rinse, and, if the marks are still there, repeat the process. It may be necessary to do this several times, but, in the end, the spots will be removed.—London Journal. DANGERS IN THE HOME.—Some of our modern advantages have brought with them new and special dangers. For instance, enamelled .jugs, saucepans. cups, &c., are very dangerous if the enamel gets chipped off or damaged. They should no longer be used for cooking or keeping milk, vinegar, fruit, or vegetables. The best way, by the way, of cleaning enamelled ware is with a weak solution of chloride of lime. Then there is special danger in tinned foods, good and useful as they are. Never eat tinned fish if you imagine it in the least tainted, and never use anything tinned which has had the tin badly dented, or on any account if the top or bottom bulges, show- ing fermentation has taken place. Then in our cloth- ing, bright aniline dyes are very dangerous in stock- ings, gloves, a-id cuffs worn next the skin, and cheap black stockings are also bad to wear. Another new danger came with the excessive use of benzoline and paraffin, especially in cheap lamps. Wherever used a barrel of sand to extinguish flames caused by an accident should be kept handy. CREAM TART.—Boil one pint of rich milk, three tablespoonfuls of cornflour. Stir till thick. Take from the fire, and add the yolks of three eggs, well beaten, one ounce of butter, two tablespoonfuls of castor sugar, one t.easpoonful of vanilla. Line patty pans with paste, fill with the mixture, and bake in a hot oven. Whip the whites of eggs with one table- spoonful of castor sugar. Put on pies, and set in j the oven for one or two minutes to colour. This makes very nice tarts. CURRANT AND RASPBERRY CHEESE.—Pick a pound of red currants and a pottle of raspberries, and put them in a sugar boiler with half a pint of water and with three-quarters of a pound of sugar. Stir over the fire until thoroughly dissolved. Five minutes' boiling will suffice. Rub the pulp through a hair sieve in a basin. Add two ounces of gelatine dis- solved in half a pint of water, mix and fill piped I mould with this, and then the cheese is set firm. Turn it out on its dish and fill the centre of the pipe with whipped cream. EGG CUTLETS AND RISSOLES. Cut small a firmly boiled egg, add a tablespoonful of breadcrumbs, the I- p same quantity of grated cheese, with a pinch of currv powder, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Mix the whole with the yolk of a raw egg, and shape like a mutton cutlet, putting a piece of macaroni for the bone. Dip in the white of the egg, then into the j breadcrumbs, and fry brown; garnish with fried parsley. The same mixture, with the addition of chopped thyme and parsley, can be enclosed in very thin pastry, shaped into balls or rolls, and fried or baked. These are delicious served with spinach. Cost, 2|-d. each cutlet. MACARONI AND TOMATO SAUCE. Boil some macaroni in the ordinary way, that is, drop it into boiling water with a little salt and butter; then drain and cut it up. Butter a shallow dish, line it with the macaroni, and pour over it some nicely seasoned tomato sauce mad,) very hot. Cover the surface thinly with browned breadcrumbs or grated cheese and brown before the fire. Garnish with fried or toasted sippets. This is a capital supper dish, or entree for a simple dinner. Cost, about 4d. for six | people. BRAISED CUTLETS.—These are very tender and savoury, and it is a capital way of cooking them, j though braising is usually reserved for larger pieces of meat. Fry a light brown in a little hot fat; lay in a braising pan or shallow stew pan, with a very little stock and a bunch of sweet herbs, carrots, tomatoes, turnips, onions, leeks, mushrooms, or any other vegetable. Simmer slowly for three-quarters of an hour. Strain the gravy round the cutlets to serve. Cost, one penny each cutlet apart from meat. -Bitral Wo;-Id. To cleanse the hair without washing it brush well with a clean, wet brush. It is astonishing what dust can be removed in this way. An old brush should be kept for the purpose, as it constantly requires washing. PATENT leather shoes which are shabby may be worn a while longer by brushing hat polish, or even Bruns- wick black over them. Any pieces of patent leather on boots may be brightened in the same way, and old white kid shoes may thus be easily made black to resemble patent leather. BAKED MACKEREL.—Wash, scale, and empty as many fresh mackerel as required make a stuffing of mashed potatoes, breadcrumbs, sweet herbs, minced onion, pepper, salt, and beaten egg stuff each fish, and replace the roes, if you have any; sew up the slit, and put the mackerel in a well-floured baking- pan, heads and tails together; bake slowly for one hour. Serve hot. SO-CALLED blushing is often nothing more or less than a disordered digestion, and a red nose can fre- quently be traced to the same cause. See if your teeth are in good order, and if you have any doubts on the point, pay a visit to the dentist. Avoid strong tea, coffee, pastry, cake, and all highly-seasoned dishes, and drink cocoa, hot water, or the very weakest of tea. IF you are troubled with tight shoes, wring a cloth out of warm water, lay it over the parts that pinch, leave for half an hour, and then put on the shoes and walk about in them. The hot water softens the leather so that it will stretch easily. When they are quite comfortable, take them off, and rub a very little q ti, castor oil well into the parts on which the wet cloth was laid. Swiss CIIEEsEcAKes.-Dissolve in a little milk half a cake of the best chocolate, add to this half an ounce of caster sugar, a small piece of butter, and the yolks of two eggs. Stir this over the fire until it is as smooth as thick cream if it seems thicker, add a small quantity of extra milk. Line patty-pans with nice short paste, pour in the chocolate mixture till three-parts full, and bake till set and the pastry quite cooked. When done, spread each with a little meringue mixta and iiist bake a minute or two to it. ■" ■'

j THE WOMAN'S WORLD, j THE flowers of the field and of the garden have been sought as copies for the most fashionable shades of this summer, and among them (says the London Journal) none seem to be more highly popular than the forget-me-not and the poppy. THERE is really nothing much prettier for wear at the seaside than a hat of biege-coloured straw trimmed with black velvet and big bunches of poppies. In London may be noticed a great liking among the smartest people for biege straw trimmed with tea roses, almost, by the way, the precise colour of the straw, and huge masses of dark glossy green leives. No more sweet-voiced warblers are to be slaughtered in America for the feathers' sake. The great merchant milliners of New York, who do 90 per cent. of the feather trade, have joined hands with the Audubon societies of 22 States to stop the killing of American birds for their plumage. Tho time is not far distant when the American woman can have no American feathers in her hat save those of the barnyard fowl, the game bird, or the ostrich. TIIB woman who allows herself to look unattrac- tive is either she who has no faculty of discrimina- tion between the becoming and the unbecoming, or she who, by circumstance or influence, allows herself to drift into indifference. There is no excuse for this. A WOMAN who has taste, no matter how long she must wear her gowns, always looks well. She feels, and righdy, that neither dowdiness of apparel nor of face is to be tolerated, and the face, if neglected, be- comes quite as unattractive as one's clothes. A pretty face or an expensive hat may not be attain- able; but a bright expression costs nothing, and a becoming hat is cheap. Do not allow disfiguring blemishes to mar the skin, either by carelessness or indifference, or an ugly, soured expression to spoil the face, or a false idea of economy to ruin the eeneral anoearance. THE problem of all others that confronts the home dressmaker this season is how to reconstruct last summer's frock into a semblance of present modes what, in fact, to do with the habit-back skirt and the full-back jacket. A simple fashion for giving the effect of fullness to the plain black skirt is to add a double box-pleat, of the same material, of course, cut in graduated form, so that considerable flare is fur- nished at the hem. This pleat is especially easy to add when the skirt has been cut with a bias-back seam. Where the back-breadth is cut circular, with- out a seam, the best plan is to set in narrow side- gores, which permit of bringing the back-breadth back from the sides and gathering it. THE washing-tie beloved of men, in returning to fashion with so much gusto this summer, will start the idea among girls, who find it a pleasant vogue as au accompaniment to the cambric shirts of which they so much approve. The newest men's ties do not display any blatant colours. Silver grey with an in- definite line or pattern of white upon it is in de- mand, and nothing more brilliant than pale blue or lavender with a little white about it is considered correct. Washing ties are purchased at so much the dozen, and it is nice to have several in one's drawer, so that any kind of shOrt can find a suitable neck finish to go with it. < Ite lies very much with the wives (remarks Lady Jane," writing in the London Journal) to make it easy for their husbands to show their tenderness. A woman should have a bright face to start with. A little extra scrubbing with soap and water before the husband comes home at night would not be amiss in some cases that I have observed, and it might bring some roses to the cheeks. A bow in the hair, a clean frill around the neck, perhaps a flower in the dress, has the desired effect. I tell the women that men's affections will sometimes wander because their wives are untidy and slatternly, their hair unkempt, their appearance unattractive. All women are not equally pretty; but it is not prettiness that holds a man's affection, but sweetness, neatness, nattiness, and these are possible to all women. A woman makes a profound mistake who frets and pouts and puts herself into a bad temper that she may be petted into a good one. It is a bad policy. A man will be tempted to coax her back once or twice, but he loses his respect for her each time. It really alienates him in his deepest nature and brings division between them. She is no longer his equal, one with him in spirit, heart and life, but his toy and plaything. But let men be more thoughtful and tender. When they feel most put out and irritated, either with or without cause, it would be well to force themselves to bridge tho yawning chasm with a caress. Kiss and be friends, they used to say when we were children. Let us be careful to maintain the outward forms, and the inner spirit will not be far away. We should not be less courteous to our wives than to our friends. A wife's feelings are more susceptible. To leave the house for our daily work or to return to it after hours of absence without some recognition is a mistake and worse. Let us not forget the fret and worry, the perpetual burden of the children at home, the scheming and planning, the daily provision of dinner, the letting out of frocks for growing children, the darning and patching of boys' clothes, and tidy- ing and cleaning and washing; and if there are ser- vants, the even greater anxiety involved in managing these. No woman would do for pay what thousands are doing for love. They ask no other wage than tenderness, which is the expression of a true and honest affection. And a woman can tell in an instant if it is that or a mere subterfuge for fidelity. To cure freckles wash in fresh butter-milk every morning, and rinse the face in tepid water then use a soft towel. Freckles may also be removed by apply- ing to the face a solution of nitre and water. Another good wash for freckles is made by dissolving three grains of borax in five drachms each of rose-water and orange flower-water. Thpre are many remedies for freckles, but there is none that will banish them entirely. WHEN a little one falls and sustains a bruise, some old-fashioned remedies are about as good as anything that can be suggested by the physician or the surgeon. When soft muscular tissue comes in con- tact with a hard substance there is a rupture of the tiny blood vessels, and the blood oozes out in the surrounding tissues, and the result is black, green -and blue discolonrations which we associate with bruises. Nature immediately commences to re- store all these vessels, and really no external application is of any good except to protect the part and allow Dame Nature to do her work. This is true of any wound, and the idea that such and such a thing is a healing substance is really a mistake; but naturally one is eager to do some- thing for the little sufferer, and our grandmothers were not, far wrong when upon a bruise they bound a bit of fresh beefsteak, or brown paper soaked in vinegar, or a bit of cotton saturated with diluted arnica. The swelling goes down, and there is relief to pain, and Dame Nature is helped in her work. The pressure of such an application promotes t'he re-absorption of the blood. and some of these appli- cations effect a deadening of sensation to the wound. FLOWERS in finger bowls are the latest of fashion- able fads. The credit for this novelty belongs to the Japanese, who are noted for designing beautiful things. They have prepared little pieces of wood. which, when thrown into water, expand into odd flowers which they call water flowers." The wood is painted in all sorts of pretty colours and is cut into little sticks. The sticks are not thrown into the water until after the finger bowls have been placed before the guests. It is quite interesting to watch the little splinters expand into flowers. Some of the prettiest of the sticks are those which form chry- santhemums and these are favoured most by the Japanese because the chrysanthemum is their national flower. CHILDREN are very apt to travel about on tours of investigation, and one of the various means of decid- ing whether or not a thing is valuable is by the taste; 'ng hence, it is not unusual for them to swallow buttons, fruit-stones, thimbles, pennies, and even a quarter of a dollar has been known to pass through a child's intestines. The first- thing to do is to be sure that the thing has been swallowed. Then give an ordinary cathartic, syrup of rhubarb or castor oil, with which encourage the child to eat plentifully of mashed potatoes, thick mush. or any other article of food which will fill np the intestines, and so force the JbstiBCting article through.

ART AND LITERATURE. MR. GEORGE FRAJIPTON, A.R.A., who, with Sir Lawreisce Ainia-Tadema. has been warded the gold medal of honour at the Paris Exhibition, is a fairly young man to have achieved the success that has fallen to him in several ways. Mr. Frith, of Lain- beth, taught him sculpture. He entered the Academy schools 18 years agq, and took prize after prize for five years in succession, going out in 1887 with the gold medal and £ 200. Then he went to Paris for further study with Dagnan-Bouveret and Mercie, and made his first public success with the Angel of Death in the Srdon. Since then he has exhibited several times—and has won a high place in the world of British art. A" interesting attempt is being made in Germany to found an artists' Arcadia. The Grand Duke Ernest Ludwig has apportioned for the purpose a large piece of ground in one of his Royal parks at Darmstadt. Here he proposes that a limited number of artists should retire from the excitements of Munich art life, where the galleries promote com- mercialism rather than sincerity of artistic purpose." Up to the present seven artists have been admitted to the colony, and intending purchasers must hie themselves to this sylvan glade and bay the pictures off the easel. It will be instructive to see whether commercialism proves stronger than artistic pur- pose. SIR L. ALMA-TADEMA, the eminent painter, is par- ticularly partial to monograms. Over many of the doors of his beautiful house in St. John's-wood his monogram appears, but perhaps the happiest notion of all in this direction is the one which occupies nearly the whole of the door which opens to the entrance leading to the conservatory. His full name is Laurence Alma-Tadema. The "L" is composed of the various wooden curves used by artists for in- suring a symmetrical drawing, the "A" is an easel, the cross-bar admirably representing the cross-line of the letter, whilst the final initial -s represented by a huge "T" square. Sir L. Alwa-Tadema's con- servatory is a floral fairy-land. Winter or summer flowers in full bloom are always He has a choice collection of tropical plants. THE death has occurred in Paris rf the widow of the noted political writer Proi,.dllorl., the author of that startling work, What is Pfoperty ?" The answer which he formulated in its pages may be compressed into the short paradox which he himself enunciated. Property is theft." Proudhon's mar- riage took place under somewhat romantic circum- stances. In consequence of the violent language he employed in denouncing law and authority he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. To escape this he fled to Geneva, but, his conscience smiting him, he returned to Paris, and delivered himself up at the prison of St. Pelagle. While undergoing sen- tence here he married a young working woman, who was his helpmate for 15 years, until his death in 1865. Mme. Proudhon was 71 years old at her death. It is worth while noticing that she lived on the pro- seeds of her husband's books. PROFESSOR PAUL S. REINSCII contributes a study of World Politics at the End of the Nineteenth Century" to the Citizen's Library. He takes the Chinese question for the true centre of interest in international politics. After tracing the growth of Imperialism among the Great Powers, and the con- sequent rivalry among nations, he gives an account of the social and political characteristics of China, its strength and its weakness; of the various in- terests acquired by foreign nations in the Chinese Empire, through railway and mining concessions and the opening of river navigation and of the political influence of the Great Powers. Russia, he maintains, is, by her Asiatic ex- pansion, becoming more and more estranged from western civilisation. Her power in the East will rest on masses penetrated with the Russian civili- sation, while England can only oppose to her the un- assimilated subject-nations. Yet Professor Reinsch hopes that the throwing open of China to commerce will make for peace. He argues that, in spite of the extraordinary growth of Imperialism in Germany, the Empire is still mainly commercial, and that Germany is more interested in extending her indus- tries than in acquiring Empire. The last section of the book is devoted to a consideration of American politics under the new influence of foreign posses- sions, and forecasts for America an immense advan- tage from the future importance of trade on the Pacific, provided only that the Government is not 1 >d by schemes of expansion into the neglect of home a "airs. PRESUMABLY the transference of a number of pictures by foreign artists of no particular import- ance from Trafalgar-square to the National Gallery of British Art, at Millbank, is only (says the Globe) a temporary expedient, but, temporary or not, it must be regarded as establishing rather a dangerous pre- cedent. If the Tate Gallery is to be used as a place where canvases can be sent simply because they are in the way at the older institution, the distinctive character of the new headquarters of the British School will soon disappear, and its value will be seriously diminished. It may fairly be doubted whether any such use of the building would have been approved by Sir Henry Tate, and his views are still entitled to respect. There is this danger, too, in the action of the National Gallery Trustees—that if they show themselves so ready to disregard their duty towards the Tate Gallery, and to treat it simply PT as a kind of convenient annexe to Trafalgar-square, the existence of the Millbank building will be made by the Treasury officials an excuse for postponing in- definitely the very necessary enlargement of the National Gallery itself. Then the transferring pro- cess will have to go on until British art is ousted from its own particular home by the minor produc- tions of other schools, and the generous gift of Sir Henry Tate will lose all its special advantages. Miss BEATRICE HARRADEN, the Hampstead novelist who gave us "Ships that Pass in the Night," wrote her first story when she was only 17. She called it The Voice of the Violin," and sent it to Blackwood's Magazine, wherein George Eliot and other great English authors have made their name. The story was returned, but with it came a kind autograph letter from Wm. Blackwood, telling his young contributor to persevere. She did eo, and won a place in the famous magazine. After that came "Ships that Pass in the Night," a work which Mr. Blackwood thought would not sell. But it did, though many consider "The Fowler" to be the stronger story of the two. TIIE present Rcmney Exhibition at the Grafton Galleries, in London, will close at the end of this month, but the management have been so fortunate in hearing of the whereabouts of other Romney portraits now lying in obscurity that it has been arranged to hold a second exhibition of the artist's works. This will open towards the end of Septem- ber, and there is reason to hope that it will be fully equal to the present show in beauty and value. NOVELISTS' law and novelists' medicine are, as we know (says the Echo) the standing jest of the learned professions. A writer of fiction is understood to be a chartered libertine in matters of high and remote learning, but should he not be required to conform to an elementary standard of accuracy in common things? Odd little examples of carelessness may frequently be marked. Thus Benjamin Swift," in his latest novel, has The vicarage garden in summer is a dence confusion of apple blossom and green leaves." Another instance: There is a humorous little story called The Duel in Hyde-park," in Mr. Edgar Turner's recently published book, The Girl with Feet of Clay." Therein may be read how one of the duellists passing along Piccadilly at sunrise sees the dawn showing in the sky beyond Kensing- ton which is a quite irregular thing for the daws to do. The slip is really inexcusable, for, if we mis- take not, it was put right by the hawk-eyed sub- editor of the Sunday paper in which the story first appeared. IN reference to the Indian famine of the present year, and the great interest which is felt by English- men of all parties in the debato on the Indian Budget, for which Mr. Balfour has promised an early opportunity, a handy volume on Indian famines and their causes, compiled by Mr. Romesh Dutt, C.I.E., will shortly be published. Mr. Dutt is already known to English readers by his translations of Indian epics and his works on Indian history; he has been in the Indian Civil Service for more than 25 years, and has been a famine relief officer himself in former days. His book will have a chapter on families in India during the last 130 years, a series of open letters to Lord Curzon on the land question in India, and also chapters on railways, irrigation, and other matters. Not the least valuable portions of the forthcoming volume will be the appendices containing the opinions of men like Lord Salisbury, Lord Roberts, Lord Northbrook, Lord Lansdowne, and others on the Indian admirustrative and financial questions.