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

THE PRINCESS OF WALES. I The Princess of Wales has acceded to the request that the Surrey Imperial Yeomanry shall in future be called the Surrey Imperial Yeomanry (the Princess of Wales's). Sir Arthur Bigge inti- mates to Mr. Brodrick, the hon. colonel, that this proposal is the more appreciated by her Royal Highness, since the Princess is happy to think that her name will in fu ure be associated with a rsgiment so closely connected with a county in which she lived so long, and in which she feels so great an interest. tI. -AC;

RETIRE."—" Linesman," in" Blackwood," gives a brilliant description of a surprise, and of the aw- ful confusion wrought by some of the enemy shout- ing Retire What's that ? What's that ?" from every throat. Some of tfca sergeants, remembering their drill, repeat the command, Retire." No," yell others; Stay where you are, boys!" But Retire" is a difficult word to recall; it,jumps down the line like a flame along a trail of gun- powder-no one knows from whom it came, but all hear it. Retire, retire I" Crash from the front, crash crash crash terrible volleys rip through the air and smash upon the stones. And the picquets retire, just in time to spread confusion in the supports struggling up the steep from below. They behold a curious sight. The men of the pic- quets, utterly confused, are falling back one by one, three by three, ten by ten, not always by the shortest way, but running sideways, sometimes forward again. But the confusion is only tem- porary, for as soon as the origin of the cry is understood "not a Briton stirs, and a regular roar of Stand fasti' rolls down the firing-line." SOME UNPARLIAMENTARY EXPRESSIONS.—TH? cries, Shame," Gag," Scandalous," are alto- gether out of order, and have been so ruled re- peatedly. Humbug" and "Tommy-rofc" are also under the ban. One honourable member may say that another's statement is untrue in fact, but not that it is knowingly untrue; and there are abun- dant precedents for saying that honourable gentle- men have deliberately broken faith. One must not talk of the sharp-practice'' of hon. members, or call the supporteis of the Government "subser- vient creatures," or allude to the utterance of a Minister as a "swindling speech," or use the phrase another Treasury swindle." Mr. John Burns once spoke of a peroration as couched in the language of the pot-house and]breathing the spirit of the prize-ring," and on being called to order substituted the words, language of the Stock Ex- change," which were allowed to pass. Mr. T. W. Russell was called to order for applying the term "Handy Andy" to another honourable member from Ireland. Colonel Saunderson spoke of the Rev. Father M'Fadden, an Irish priest, as a murderous ruffian," and a tempest arose which the gallant member appeased by asking leave to substi- tute excited politician."—From Parliament: Its Romance, its Comedy, its Pathos," by Michael MacDonagh.

HOME HINTS. Use cork carpet for the nursery floor covering not an ordinary carpet. This cork carpet can be rubbed over with a damp cloth every morning, and it dries at once. The Value of Onions.—Onions are stated to be almost the best nervine known. No medicine, it is claimed, is so useful in cases of nervous prostration, and there is nothing else that will so quickly relieve and tone up a worn-out system. Onions are useful in all cases of coughs, colds, and influenza, and if they are taken regularly, are very good for the complexion. For a Hard Corn.—A glycerine poultice will soften and loosen the corn so much that it will easily come out. To apply, saturate a piece of lint with glycerine, lay this on the corn, tie a piece of oiled-skin over, bandage to keep in place, and, if you apply at night, keep on till the morning. If you are troubled with corns, get your sh'"maker to stretch new shoes for you before wea ing. Broiled tomatoes, sprinkled with a little cheese while cooking, are relished by many. Chocolate Almonds.-Blanch the almonds by putting them for a few minutes in hot water and rubbing off the skin. Melt some chocolate; take up each almond separately with a long pin or skewer, dip in the chocolate, and lay on a buttered paper to cool. Dutch Beef.—Take one pound of beef, half pound' of suet, a slice of bread soaked in milk, plenty of pepper, nutmeg, and a very little allspice add one egg well beaten, mince the meat, suet, &c., finely together; after being mixed, put into a mould, bake it about an hour, and serve with a rich gravy. Mushroom Sauce for Boiled Fowls.—Use button or white mushrooms for this; scald them, then mince small, and cook in a little butter till tender, but do not let them colour. Turn into half a pint (or more) of good white sauce, add lemon-juice to make it piquant, and serve hot, poured over boiled fowls.—" Evening News." For a sore throat a dessertspoonful of pure glycerine in warm water makes a soothing gargle. In cooking custards, or in heating anything re- quired to boil quickly, do not leave the spoon in the liquid, as much of the heat will be conducted away by the spoon. To clean a discoloured marble mantelpiece, well wash it with soda and water, using no soap, and then, three or four times, lay on a coating of whiting and water, and brush off when quite dry. Lotion for Freckles.—Bichloride of mercury, six grains; hydrochloric acid (pure), one fluid drachm; water (distilled), quarter-pint; mix and add of rectified spirit, two fluid ounces; eau da rose, two fluid ounces; and glycerine, one ounce. Bacon Toast.—Cut some thin slices of bread about two or three inches long; cut some streaked bacon in small pieces, dip them into a raw egg beaten up with shred parsley, green onions or shalota, and pepper; fry over a slow fire, and serve with clear sauce and a little vinegar in it. Gold-beaters' skin without any preparation forms an excellent plaster for the cure of wrinkles. A „pieoe is applied dry Ato the slightly moistened skin and held there for a few seconds with the hand. It is transparent and nearly colourless, and when skilfully applied is scarcely visible. Iiemova with water and soap. Flowers sent by post are frequently packed in cotton-wool. This is a mistake, as the wool soon absorbs moisture, and the blossoms quickly fade. Wet moss or, failing that, grass wrapped round the stems forms the best packing, or a quantity of of the leaves of the plant itself, well damped, may be used instead.—" Spare Moments." Orange Cheesecakes.—Ingredients Two table- spoonpful of marmalade, two eggs, 2oz. of butter, pastry. Melt the butter, beat the eggs, and add to the marmalade. Pour the mixture into well- greased tins lined with pastry, and bake in quick oven. Cucumber Mayonnaise Sandwiches. -Slice some cucumbers very thinly, and have ready a little thick mayonnaise sauce, into which mix a little salmon paste. Dip each piece of cucumber in this and set between slices of bread and butter cut to its size. To Clarify Sugar.—Break the sugar into a copper pan, and to each pound allow two gills of water. Place on the stove and gradually allow it to boil. Carefully remove the scum as it rises, now throw in an additional half-pint of water and allow it to boil again. Skim very thoroughly and strain through muslin. Savoury Way to serve Haricot Beans.—Soak one pint of these in cold water overnight. Add a pinch of soda, then boil till tender, with a little salt; rub them through a fine sieve, then put them into a clean saucepan with a little milk, butter, and pepper. Make all very hot and serve immedi- ately. Never allow fading flowers to remain in a room. When your copper is rusty, limewash it all over inside, and this will prevent the clothes getting ironmould. For Muddy Shoes.—Vaseline as a preservative for new shoes which have become wet and muddy is excellent. First rub the shoes well with a soft cloth, and then remove all the mud. Saturate a cloth with vaseline, and rub well into the shoes; stuff the shoes into shape, and let them rest for a day; then give them another dressing and rub- bing, and they will appear as good as new. To prevent water getting into boiled puddings, lay a well-buttered paper round the sido of the pudding-basin, and then dredge flour thickly over the top wring the pudding-cloth well out in boil- ing water, tie it tightly with string, and again dredge with flour on the outside. See that the water in the saucepan only reaches half-way up the basin, and as it boils away, more boiling water from the kettle must be added. Pour it carefully in at the side. The steam turns the flour into a ring of thin paste, which prevents the water from getting into the pudding, or even wetting the paper. Tumblers that have been used for milk should never be put into hot water until they have first been rinsed in cold water. The heat drives the milk in, and gives a cloudy appearance to the glass which cannot be removed. A winter soap for chapped hands may be made as follows: The ingredients required are 1-ilb. of common yellow soap, Joz. of camphor dissolved in foz. of rosewater, and the same of lavender water; beat the soap with the camphor, rose, and lavender water in a mortar until it becomes a paste. Make 3i into balls, and let it dry and harden before using. To Patch Lace Curtains Invisibly.—Cut a piece of the required size out of an old one, and dip it in starch. Then press it on the curtain with a hot iron, and you will have the defective spot well mended until washing day for it comes round again. Do not iron your curtains, for ironing breaks the threads. Instead, mangle and shake them out, any creases which remainwill soon dis- appear when they are hung up. The Maid's Bill.—A young wife who can afford to keep maids should not be mean in respect to their laundry bill. It is a sore point with maid- servants. The allowance varies slightly, accord- ins to the amount the servants are allowed to do for themselves at home, as it follows naturally that, if time, soap, and other essentials are pro- vided, less money is necessary for the limited supply of work sent to the laundress. I-Por maid- servants, Is. or Is. 6d. a week is usual, the former if work is done at home.

Crack Cricketers, i [SPECIALLY CONTRIBUTED.] "THE CHAMPION." None but himself can be his parallel." Some- body long ago applied the saying to Dr. William Gilbert Grace, in connection, with the great I playerk cricket career, and it maystill stand, though he is four and fifty, with the grey growing in the middle of his bushy beard. We find him good enough to captain M.C.C. against Australia at the headquarters of the game, though never a man jack of the team under him was born when he himself came into first class cricket, and it is a moot point with many whether the champion should not be played again, on his present form, for England. He is among the j best yet with bat and ball, and his matchless 1 experience and the moral force of his presence on ) the field count for much. Cricket is bred in the blood and the bone of him. His father and his mother ware inordinately fond of it; he handled his little bat before he was breeched. He played a not-out innings of 224 for England against Surrey on Kennington Oval when he had just passed his eighteenth birthday. Two of his brothers—Fred, who is dead, and Edward Mills, alive and well, and lately re- married—have been joined in many a match with him in the best company; and two at least of his boys can quit themselves well at the wicket when life's sterner business will let them. William Gilbert Grace comes of a doctoring family, and was born, as most folk know, at Downend, by Bristol, as far back as the 18th of July, 1848, and from his boyhood's days has been a dabster at all points of the game. There is nothing in cricket which he cannot do, save stumping" to his own bowling, and he has been actually known to catch a man off one of his tricky deliveries behind the batsman's wicket, following quickly up the pitch to a mishit skier that he could not trust the keeper to take. He was a fast sprinter then, and a good deal short of the sixteen stone odd that he scales now; but he is marvellously active and fit" even to-day. To the time of writing the doctor has scored as many as 122 three-figure innings in first-class cricket, one of them out in Australia, and the rest in national, country, and other leading fixtures here at home. The biggest thing he has I done, in a sense, was, as a young man of twenty- eight, his four hundred not-out for the United South v. Twenty-two of Grimsby—a score that still holds the individual record in any match against odds. The present writer saw and well remembers the middle day of that huge innings, and will never forget the utter demoralisation of the plentiful fieldsmen. Wherever they went, the doctor put the ball elsewhere, and he was unconquered in the end. The feat did not reckon first class, but it was notable enough. Hereunder are the old man's scores of two hundred and more, in date order, ranging over two-score years. Never a Fry or a Ranji" can hope to rival them, though pitches, be it remembered, are far easier to get runs on nowa- days than was the case when W. G." was j building up his splendid reputation. The figures are more eloquent than comment on them can be: 1866. Ken'gton Oval England v. Surrey. 224* 1870. Ken'gton Oval Gentlemen v- Players 215 1871. Ken'gton Oval South v. North 268 1871. Brighton Gentlemen v. Players 217 1876. Canterbury M.C.C. and Ground v. Kent 344 1876. Cheltenham. Gloucestershire v. Yorkshire 318. 1877. Prince's South v. North 261 J 1885. Clifton Gloucestershire v. Middlesex 221 j 1888. Brighton Gloucestershire v. Sussex 215s 1895. Bristol Gloucestershire v. Somersetshire 2S3 1895. Gravesend Gloucestershire v. Kent 257 j 1896..Brighton Gloucestershire v. Sussex 1895. Bristol Gloucestershire v. Somersetshire 2S3 1895. Gravesend Gloucestershire v. Kent 257 j 1896. Brighton Gloucestershire v. Sussex 2¡;:r, 1896. Bristol Gloucestershire v. Sussex 301s Indicates not out. Dr. Grace has been a great maker and breaker of records. His 344 for M.C.C. all the Canter- bury ground, in 1876, stood as the first-class highest individual score for nineteen years, till Archie MacLaren smashed the record at Taunton. Three times in his career the doctor has performed the exceptional feat of piling up two separate hundreds in a first-c]a$s fixture. At Canterbu y, in 1868, he scored 130 and 102 not-out for South of the Thames against the North; at Clifton, nineteen years later, against Kent, he made 101 and 103 not-out; and on the same ground in the season following he helped himself to 148 and 153 runs off the York- shire bowling. In 1869 Dr. W. G. Grace and Mr. B. B. Cooper, playing for the Gentlemen of the South against the Players of the South, at Kennington, I put on 283 for the first wicket, a first stand which held the record until Herbert Hewett and Lionel Palairet surpassed it in 1892. Besides getting a century against Oxford University in the June of 1886, Dr. Grace took all ten wickets of the Dark Blues in their second innings for a very low average. He is one of the very few who have never-though he has played all these years— earned the unenviable pair of spectacles," while he has made every figure score from one to a hundred in his time. He and Scotton stood I together against Australia at the Oval in August, 1886, until the stonewaller was out for 31, with the score at 170, and the Doctor went on batting until he himself had totalled exactly the same figures; and in 1880 he made 152 against the Cornstalks at Kennington, only to be surpassed by 153 not-out piled up for the opposite side in the same match by Mr. W. L. Murdoch. The Doctor's biggest innings at Lord's Ground has been his 196 for the M.C.C. against Cam- bridge University, made in June," 1894; his highest at the Oval is 268 for the South against the North, in 1871. His aggregate of 2739 runs in first-class matches for one season in that "I prolific year stood as record for exactly a quarter of a century. In 1876 he scored 2622; 2346 in 1895; 2139 in 1873; 2135 in 1896; and 2062 in 1887. Moreover, the" old man" reached his thousand runs in 1895 as early as May 30th. Three hundreds in succession have been* scored by him in 1871, 1872, 1873, and 1876; while in 1874 three successive over-century innings by him were divided by a match against odds. In seven separate years he has accomplished the double feat of making well over a thousand runs, and capturing considerably more than a hundred wickets; and his 1876 performance of 2622 runs and 124 wickets was not equalled until his young protege, Charley Townsend, wiped it out in 1899. Dr. Grace gave up the Gloucestershire captaincy in order to undertake the formation and management of the London County Club at the Crystal Palace, and he has compassed a great success for the new combination, at least in the 0 sense cricketical. He gets a big lot of talent to play with him, especially in the early part of the season, and his men can beat good sides. The Doctor got the M.C.C. to recognise the status of his club as first class whenever opposed to first- class sides, so the batsmen and bowlers get into thp averages, besides coming in for valuable prac- tice at Sydenham under favourable conditions be- fore the season getsinto swing. Dr. Grace used to do a lot of running with the beagles in the West, to keep his adipose under in the winter. Now he goes in for riding a good d'eal, and needs a mount almost as big as one of Sir Walter Gilbey's shire horses. He cannot run as nimbly as was his wont, and gets puffed when in with a speedy youngster; neither can he stoop with the ease he commanded of yore, but he is still a wonder. He hits as hard and as skilfully as ever, even if the hand does not follow the eye instanter after the old fashion with him; and he makes up in craft and cunning much of what advancing years have necessarily robbed him of in lissomriess. Only the other day he spanked a ball to square-leg at Lord's over the tall score- board on the grand stand, and clean out of the ground; and he wheedled Joe Darling into a catch at mid-on at the Crystal Palace with a tempter, when the Australian skipper was in the nineties, and had all the regular bowling knocked off. Then look how he guilefully got Duff l.b.w., when nicely set in the M.C.C. Australia tussle at Lord's. He's a wily one is W. G." For all sorts of strokes on every kind of wicket against all sorts of bowling he has had no superior, that is certain; and plays fast footed and confidently to them all. High bumping balls to the off on a fiery pitch, which all but he would let 1 discreetly pi", he will reach back to and help over the ring with a push that is as audacious as masterly, and could only be negotiated by one of his inches and superlative skill. Indeed, what the champion doesn't know about batting, bowling, and field- ing isn't worth knowing, and, he could put on the gloves and keep wicket at the pinch years ago. His burly figure, bushy beard, and thunderous voice, are known wherever cricket is played, and in short the old Doctor" is deservedly an idol of the people, as the National Shilling Testimonial that the Daily Telegraph got up for him conclusively showed. No doubt he has made the game he has devoted his best energies to, pay, and so it should. He is a typical great Englishman, excelling in a pursuit that pleases.

THE COINER'S OATH. A DRAMATIC ARREST AND SENSATIONAL SEQTTEII. One of the most sensational captures made by the Manchester police of late (says the" Daily Mail"), was effected on Saturday by Detective- inspectors Woolven and Jauncey and Detective- sergeant Smith, while the sequel to their success was eoually extraordinary. Latterly Manchester has been the home of a gang of coiners, and not long ago the police unearthed a small coining factory"whence spurious silver pieces had freely emanated. Still base hall-crov, ns and shillings continued to have a vogue, and the police traced their origin to a little cottage at 41, Little Lever- street, Gaythorn, Manchester, where resided Edward Heaviside, a notorious old coiner, and to judge from his past record a very many-sided criminal. Heaviside, who was a thick-set fellow with a cork leg, and about fifty-five years of age, had the reputation of being one of the most skilful coiners in the country. In February, 1895, he was sentenced to five years' penal servitude for having coining implements in his possession, and was liberated in May, 1900. again forfeited his liberty for attempting to shoot his wife, but was once more allowed out on ticket of leave. In January it was known to the police that he had taken his oath never to do another term of penal servitude. They were equally cognisant of his desperate character, and of the fact that he was always prepared for an emergency with loaded firearms. To raid the house was tantamount to suicide. The three detectives therefore watched Heaviside's move- ments. Sergeant Smith disguised as a tramp, deceived his own colleagues as he sauntered along Little Peter-street. Shortly before three o'clock Heaviside, accompanied by his wife, left the house and passed Smith, but the latter seized both his arms from behind. The two inspectors came up immediately and handcuffed both prisoners, meanwhile removing a loaded six- chambered revolver from Heaviside's pocket, which he tried hard to get out. At the police- station the man was searched, and 915 worth of base half-crowns and shillings were found on him. They were all beautifully finished, the touch of time being artisticallv adjusted to the date they bore. The arrest had a dramatic and tragic sequel. About an hour after Heaviside had been placed in durance vile he was visited in his cell and found to be in a semi-conscious condition. A doctor was at once called, and he discovered that the man had poisoned himself with a dose of cyanide of potassium, which, in spite of the searching to which he had been subjected, he had managed to convey into his cell. He was at once removed to the Royal Infirmary and the stomach-pump applied, but without avail, as he died shortly after. An examination afterwards showed that there was a cavity in his cork leg, and it is believed that it was in this that he had secreted the poison. I, transpired later that only recently Heaviside had threatened to shoot Inspector Cordon, and was only prevented from doing so when he met that official in Deansgate through the interference of his (Heaviside's) son, with whom he was walking. FELO DR BE. At the inquest held on Monday, by the Man- Chester Deputy Coroner, the principal witness was Sarah Heaviside, the wife of the deceased. She stated that her husband had served two terms of penal servitude. At the time of the capture he was out on ticket-of leave, and he had declared that rather than return he would either shoot or poison himself. He carried a revolver, and had told her he kept poison in an inside pocket," but she was never able to find it. Whilst at the police-station, when the police had the deceased on the floor, after the struggle for the possession of the revolver, she saw him put something into his mouth, and he changed colour. Witness shouted to the police to give him water, upon which they removed her. Several dfctectives gave evidence of the arrest, which was affected by an officer disguised as a tramp, who approached the deceased from behind and pinioned his arms. At the station a violent struggle took place, and Heaviside was noisy after he was placed in the cell. He shouted for water, but the police had their hands full at the time. The medical evidence was to the effect that death was due to a dose of cyanide of potassium. A verdict of "Felo de se" was returned.

REMEMBERED BY HIS REGIMENT, Sergeant James Trett, a vtfceran among the fighters of the Empire's battles, has just passed away at Surlingham, Norfolk, his native village. He was a pensioned sergeant of the "Queen's" (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, and was in his 91st year. The coffin was covered with the Union Jack, on which rested a laurel wreath sent by the officers of his late regiment, and it was followed to the grave by a large number of the members of the Veterans' Association of the county, which boasts of many fine old soldiers. The declining years of the old man were brightened by the interest which the officers of the Queen's" took in him. In the Daily Telegraph of De- cember 20, 1900, appeared a paragraph relating to the celebration, at Surlingham. of this veteran's birthday. This attracted the attention of the officers of the regiment, and they, taking a kindly interest in the old veteran, then entering into his ninetieth year, on each succeeding Christmas of 1900 and 1901 forwarded to him a card of good wishes, accompanied by a donation. Trett's photograph row- hangs in the officers' mess of the 1st Battalion at Stougiiton Barracks, Guildford, and they had & photograph of the regiment taken on parade and presented it to the old sergeant of the corps. He was born in 1811, enlisted mto th\ "Queen's" in 1835, and was discharged to pension in 1857. He was at the taking of Ghuznee and Khelat. for which he was awarded the Ghuznee medal. lie was also in possession of the good conduct medal. He was present at the capture of Punella, Mocohar, and Monsontosh, in the southern Mahr&tta country.

FROM LAW TO STAGE. J. vf. PhIllips, a former Birmingham solicitor, who is undergoing a term of twelve months' im- prisonment for misappropriating trust funds, was examined in bankruptcy- en Monday. After ab- sconding. he said that he went to America, and joined a vaudeville company, to which he acted as cashier, and also sang two comic songs each night. For this he was paid 7dol. a week, and provided with food. The bankrupt is at present in a broken- dov.'ii condition, suffering from rapid consrmption. His deficiency is nearly £ 6000.

I dream my stories," said Hicks, the author. How you must dread going to bed I exclaimed Cynicus. They asked me to their reception," said the girl with tbe two-story pomadour, but it wasn't because they like me. It was because I can sing." "Oh, I'm sure you're mistaken," said the other girl, impulsively. The Count: "I weesh to marry your daughtaire, saire I I am worth one hundred tousand dollaire." The Millionaire But I thought you were a bankrupt." The Count: "I mean zat I am worth zat nioch to you." A white haired man walked into the ordinary's office the other day and asked for a pension cer- tifieate. What ground for a pension have you': 'Why, when the engagement begun, he said, I lost my head."