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

OLD NEWSPAPERS. POPULAR REPRINTS. One of the most interesting publications seen for many a day is a varied selection of facsimile reprints of newspapers containing contem- poraneous accounts of some of the most important happenings in "our rough island story," bound up with exact reproductions of historical documents of the greatest moment. The whole emanates from the offices of The Curio Publishing Company, of Hind-court, Fleet- street, London, who have worthily worked out a most happily-conceived idea, whereby for a small sum one may read and examine, as in the original, select copies of the London "Times," from its nrst number, in 1788 down to the issue for June 22, 1815, which chronicles the ever glorious Battle of Waterloo. Other facsimile reprints of "Times" numbers are those detail- ing Louis XVI.'ths execution (January 26, 1793) the Mutiny at the Nore; the Battle of the Nile the Treaty of Union between Great Britain and Ireland the Battle of Copenhagen the Battle of Trafalgar; and the Funeral of Lord Nelson. Remembrances of the "Invincible Armada, that came to such grief, arise in the highly-interesting reprint of the "English Mercurie," dated July 23, 1588 and "published by authoritie, for the prevention of false reportes." "The Gazette," dated September 6, 1658, gives a quaintly worded presentment of the death of Oliver Cromwell; from a reprint of "The Newes" of July 6, 1665, we may realise the Plague in all its fell reality, as we can the Fire of London from the facsimile of the "London Gazette," dated September 10, 1666. Other old issues reprinted carry us back to the eurrent publication of the news of the Siege of Limerick in 1691, that of Gibraltar in 1705, the Treaty of Union between England and Scotland in 1707, and the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745. Thus many of the landmarks of Britain's annals are brought vividly before our eyes, as they could be by no other menus. With all t-hi-s wonderful shilling's-worth th is bound up facsimiles of "The Roll of Battle Abbey," and the "Death Warrant of Mar:, Queen of Scots," as well as a translated reproduction of "Magna Charta."

f A MEMORABLE YEAR FOR ) IRELAND. Earl of Dudley, Lord Lieutenant of Ire- land. officially visited Waterford on Tuesday, and in replying to the toast of Prosperity to Ireland," at a public luncheon, said he was con- vinced that no very long period would elapse before his Majesty would again visit his Irish subjects. The year 1903 would not only be memorable in Ireland because of the first official visit of the King since his accession, but it was destined to make what he hoped was the begin- ning of a new and very bright era in the hiitory of Ireland. His Excellency said that the Laud Bill which had just become law ws a Purchase Bill. Excellent as that seemed to him, its suc- cess must largely depend both upon the method of administration and the spirit in which the people concerned co-operated in bringing it into Dperation. The Irish Government would answer for the method of administration, and he hoped, and he had every reason to believe, that the spirit of reasonableness and fair-minded dealing would prevail in the negotiations between land- lord and tenant.

CURRENT SPORT. I A WET WEEK END. Lancashire defeated Essex at Leyton on Satur- day by -lj-9 runs. The game could not be resumed until twenty minutes past four in the afternoon of the final day, but this laft ample time for the visitors, after declared their second innings closed, to dispose of their opponents for -62. London County and Leicestershire played a drawn game at the Crystal Palace, the feature of the closing stage being an admirable innings of 75 by W. G. Quaife, despite the damp ground. Somersetshire had very little difficulty in obtain- ing a victory over Worcestershire at Taunton, the required 66 being registered for the loss of an additional three wickets, which left the home side winners by four wickets. At Cheltenham, Gloucestershire scored their first win in the championship during the present season, at the expense of Kent, by 219 runs. The home side increased their overnight lead of 273 to 348, their second venture realising 220, and then, chiefly through the instrumentality of Dennett, got rid of the representatives of the hop county for 128. Although Langford bowled finely for Hampshire, at Portsmouth, Sussex, by compiling 223, secured a lead of 71 on the first innings, and the home side, collapsing before Cox and Relf in their second venture, could only sub- scribe 51 between them, so that Sussex won by an innings and 20 runs. Yorkshire and Derby- shire experienced another blank day at Harrogate, and the match had to be abandoned as a draw, as did also that between Notts and Middlesex, at Nottingham, without a ball being bowled on the third day. The wet has indeed this season upset cricket calculations. M.C.C.'s TEAM FOR AUSTRALIA. After all, Mr. C. B. Fry was unable to accept the invitation to join the Marylebone Club's "cricket team for Australia. His decision will cause general regret, for he is far and awayhe greatest batsman of the season, and no English team can, for the time, be representative without him. It is believed that he would be quite as much at home on Australian wickets as he is on out own, and it is a real misfortune for the English team that he cannot undertake the journey. In his place, it is understood that John Gunn has been invited, and he hatfOaeen showing such admirable all-round form this year that he has fully earned the compliment. The follow- ing cricketers will take part in the tour: —Mr. P. F. Warner (captain) and Mr. B. J. T. Bosanquet, of Middlesex; Mr. R. E. Foster and Arnold, of Worcestershire Hirst and Rhodes, of Yorkshire; Hayward and Strudwick, of Surrey Braund, of Somersetshire Fielder, of Kent; Lilley, of Warwickshire; Tyldesley. of Lancashire John Gunn, of Nottinghamshire and Relf, of Sussex. It will be seen that ten of the fifteen first-class counties are represented on the side. Hayward, Tyldesley, Braund, Gunn, and Lilley were members of the team that Mr. Maclaren took to Australia in 1901. Their batting averages in eleven aside matches on that tour were:—Hayward, 38.94; Tyldesley, 36.63; Braund, 28.85; Lilley, 22.55; Gunn, 11.07. In bowling, Hayward took ten wickets at an average cost of 20.80 runs, Gunn 29, with an average of 26.51, and Braund 62, with an average of 28.69. The weakness of the team that has been got together this year is that in the absence of men like Mr. Fry, Mr. Maclaren, Mr. H. K. Foster, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Jessop, Mr. Palairet, and Mr. Dowson, it is unrepresentative of our amateur batting. It would not be difficult, indeed, to pick another English side which, on paper, would appear as strong as that which is going out, but it is not everybody that can afford to devote seven months right off to cricket, and none of the teams that have gone to Australia from this country have been fully representative. Some of the critics do less than justice to the men selected. It is true that some of our best batsmen are not included, but a side that com- prises cricketers like Mr. Warner, Hayward, Hirst, Rhodes, Tyldesley, Braund, and Arnold is not to be spoken of in slighting terms. In one respect the team will be almost, if not quite, unique. We refer to the number of all-round cricketers that it contains-Mr. Bosanquet, Arnold, Hirst, Rhodes, Braund-, Gunn, and Relf are all in the front rank, both as batsmen and as bowlers, and everybody knows that, in addition to few capability as a wicket-keeper, Lilley is a good batsman. The members of the team will, of course, derive advantage from playing together day after day, and it is quite possible that, though not entirely representative of English cricket, they will do better than the sides that went out under the captaincy of Mr. Stoddart in 1897 and of Mr. Maclaren in 1901. In any case, it is neither gracious nor wise to discourage them by giving utterance to lugubrious predictions. RACE SPOILED AT CANNING TOWN. The Fawcett Association had a capital pro- gramme at Canning Town on Saturday. Unfor- tunately, the advertised draw of the afternoon- a five miie motor match between Crundell and Tessier-proved a failure, Tessier coming "a cropper early in the third mile. Crundell after- wards rode through in 5min. 52 l-5sec. BOUFFLER'S UNEXPECTED WIN. Interest was accordingly centred on the result of the five miles scratch bicycle race for the Crystal Palace Cup, which resolved itself into "the" race of the day, H. C. Bouffler, Shaftes- bury C.C., ultimately proving successful by a yard from A. S. Ingram, "Poly" C.C., who beat A. E. Wills, Putney A.C., by half a wheel. Bouffler, whose victory was unexpected, sprinted splen- didly, and won in 12mins. 48 1-5sec. MEREDITH STILL GOING STRONG. Leon Meredith, the twenty-five and fifty miles' amateur champion, competed in the Paddington Cycling Club's fifty miles' race at Paddington. He won by nearly three miles, W. Webster being second. Meredith's time was lhr. 59min. 47 2-5sec. CHAMPION SWIMMER OF THE WORLD. In the final heats for the world's swimming championship, which came off the other day on the Seine, the Englishmen carried off all the honours. Jarvis, the English champion, was first, covering the 500 metres (546fyds.) in 8min. 33 3-5sec., while Curwen, another Englishman, was second, his time being 9min. Msec. The veterans' race was also won by Burgess, another Englishman. Jarvis, who thus becomes cham- pion swimmer of the world, was loudly chered by a crowd of 10,000 people. BILLINGTON SCORES AGAIN. The Northern Counties 1,000 yards amateur championship was decided on Saturday in the Sefton Park lake, Liverpool, before a big crowd of spectators. D. Billington, of Bacup, the holder, won easily by 100 yards in 14min. 25 4-5sec., Brierley Law, of Chadderton, being second, and J. Shorthouse, of Salford, was third. The course was eight lengths of 125 yards. MORE LAURELS FOR SHRUBB. At the Railway Clearing House Sports at the Crystal Palace on Saturday Alfred Shrubb ran splendidly in the two miles invitation flat handi. cap. Conceding 120 yards to A. Aldridge, of the Highgate Harriers, he compassed the mile in 4min. 43 1-5see., and completed the distance in 9min. 43 2-5sec., beating G. Still, Highgate Harriers (150 yards start), in his usual easy style by ten yards. Still's time was 9min. 45 l-5sec. Aldridge finished thirty yards further off. A HOT FINISH. An exciting finish was witnessed in the final of the half-mile open handicap at tne railway sports at the Crystal Palace on Saturday. N. D. Williams, of the Polytechnic (90 yards start), and A. Swonnell, of the Balham C. C. (110), had a desperate tussle in the home straight, the latter having the advantage up to fifteen yards of the line. Williams then put in a final spurt and won by a length in 58 3-5sec. W. V. Solomon, of the Woodgrange C.C. (43 yards), was third, a couple of lengths behind the pair. SOUTHSEA REGATTA. The Royal Albert Yacht Club began its regatta on Monday, off Southsea, in fine sailing weather. Some excellent racing was witnessed, the winners in the principal events being Namara, Moyana, Gauntlet, and Hawthorn. MONDAY'S CRICKET. Owing to rain on Sunday night, the wicket at Cheltenham on Monday was greatly in favour of the bowlers, and the day's play yielded only 210 runs for the dismissal of twenty batsmen. Each side got through an innings, Gloucester- shire leaving off with an advantage fit 13*8 runs. R. W. Rice, C. L. Townsend, and G. L. Jessop did best with the bat for the home team, while Captain W. L. Foster, who made his first appearance in the Worcestershire team since 1899, was the only double figure contributor for the visitors. Of the bowlers, Wilson did best for Worcestershire, taking seven for 51; while Dennett came out with the remarkable figures of five for six runs when the visitors batted, Roberts obtaining the other five for 30 runs. So much rain fell in the North-west of London in the early hours of Monday morning that the ground at Lord's was quite unfit for cricket, and the start in the match between Middlesex and Lancashire had to be deferred until Tuesday. A similar state of things was in evidence at Leicester, where Leicestershire and Hampshire were booked to play. Owing to the soft state of the pitcn at Chesterfield, only a short day's play was possible on Monday in the game, Derby- shire v. Warwickshire. Batting first, the visitors scored 152 for six wickets, Devey playing a fine innings of 66. Only an hour and three- quarters' cricket was possible at Sheffield on Monday in the match between Yorkshire and Essex. The home county scored 99 for the loss of six wickets. Kent, at Kennington Oval, 'uri subscribed 222 against Surrey on a difficult pitch. The chief contributors to this total, S. H. Day, 94, and R. N. R. Blaker, 60, were largely aided by mistakes in the field. Surrey compiled 62 for tile loss of four wickets. MORE WET.—ANOTHER SURREY COLLAPSE. Again on Tuesday no play was possible at Leicester in the match between Leicestershire and Hampshire, a deluge of rain in the early morning preventing any cricket. The weather was also so bad at Chesterfield and Sheffield that the cricketers engaged in the Derbyshire v. Warwickshire and Yorkshire v. Essex matches had an idle da,y. Cheltenham was better favoured, and, after a late start, play in the Gloucestershire and Worcestershire match proceeded on Tuesday in fine weather. The bowlers had much the best of the argument, Wil- son in particular doing a fine piece of work after the luncheon interval. Worcestershire, set 217 to get to win, have lost half their wickets for 85 runs. On a bowlers' wicket, at Lord's, a late start was made on Tuesday with the Middlesex v. Lancashire game. Batting first, Lancashire compiled 115, A. C. Maclaren contributing 31. J. T. Hearne took six wickets for 36. Middlesex made 53 for the loss of two wickets. Surrey were defeated by Kent to the extent of 292 runs at the Oval. FOURTEENTH MAN FOR AUSTRALIA. In definitely completing the team for Australia by the inclusion of A. E. Knight, of Leicester- shire, the Marylebone Cricket Club have con- cluded their labours with a characteristic sur- prise. When it was known that C. B. Fry had declined the invitation the natural inference was that John Gunn would have the refusal of the position, and without going into details it may be stated that there were excellent reasons for supposing that the Nottinghamshire professional had been semi-officially asked and had! unoffi- cially accepted. The announcement gave the greatest satisfaction, and reconciled the public even to the refusal of Fry, so that the denial cannot fail to cause regret. Apart from com- parisons, the selection of Knight will be popular. We have many more showy players, but for the purposes of such a tour batsmen of the character of Knight are far more dependable!, and the point received emphasis in this column when the professional scored his great innings for the Players against the Gentlemen at Lord's. At the same time it is doubtful whether even Knight, who is a batsman solely, should cause the exclusion of Gunn and so, although it has been stated than no mora than fourteen players are to be taken, there are some who hope sin- cerely that the M.C.C. will find room for a player who without a doubt is the second best all-round cricketer in the country.

I A MAIDSTONE MYSTERY. I On the night of July 29, a labourer named Buckingham, aged sixty-one, employed at the lime works at Detling, a small village a few miles from Maidstone, set out for his home. He did not arrive, and early on the following morning was found by the roadside unconscious, and with his face and head injured. He lay in a semi- conscious condition at the hospital until Friday of last week, when he died, without having, how- ever, spoken of what happened on the night in question other than to make rambling incoherent &tatements. A post-mortem examination revealed a slight fracture on the side of the head, and profuse hemorrhage pressing on the brain and resulting in death. At the inquest on Monday the doctor inclined to the opinion that the injury was caused by a fall, although it might have been brought about by a blow. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

CORNISH CLIFF FATALITY. I A party of visitors, staying at Mullion, Corn- wall, consisting of Miss Heyward, Miss Rigge, Mr. Percival Shadbolt, and Mr. Osmond Shad- bolt, his son, were walking on the cliffs between Mullion and Kynance, and being expert climbers they descended the steep cliff known as Villan Head, near the Rill. There they sieated them- selves on a rock near the water's edge. Sud- denly a, huge wave was seen approaching, and Mr. Percival Shadbolt and Miss Heyward rose to retreat, but before they could get away or get a good holf-fast, they were swept into the sea. The other two managed to retain a firm grip on the rock, and thus escaped being drawn into the water. Miss Heyward disappeared almost immedi- ately, but Mr. Shadbolt made frantic exertions to save himself, but these proved futile in the fearful sea. Mr. Osmond Shadbolt also made energetic efforts to save his father. He took off some of his clothes, and Miss Rigge also gave up some of her clothing, which Mr. Shadbolt tied together, and by means of this improvised rope he descended as far as possible into the water, but he was unable to reach his father. Miss Rigge meanwhile rushed to a neighbouring farm for a rope, but before she returned all traces of the two bodies had disappeared. Mr. Cooke and party, who happened1 to be near, rendered all the assistance they could by pro- viding clothing, and dressing the wounds of Mr. Osmond Shadbolt, who was much cut and bruised by his efforts to rescue his father. Mr. Shadbolt, sen, resided at Rylestone, Hare- field, near Uxbridige. Miss Heyward's home ;s at Langport, Somerset.

Thirty-four influential men of Savannah, heads of big mercantile firms and railway and shipping companies, are implicated in a big conspiracy to smuggle Havana cigars into the United States. Duties on the smuggled cigars detected would amount to more than £ 14,000. "You know Weightman, the big, stout clerk at our shop?" "Yes. He must, weigh over thir- teen stone, "Well, he saw an advertisement fl1 the paper: Fat folks reduced-five shillings,' and he. answered it." "Didn't he hear from them?" "Oh, yes. It was just as advertised." "That's good. How much has he been reduced?" "Why, five shillings," A country paper, in puffing a certain soap, says: "It is the best ever used for cleansing a dirty man's face. We have tried it, and, there- fore, we know."

EXCURSION TRAIN COLLISION. I PASSENGERS' NARROW ESCAPE. j Shortly before two o'clock on Tuesday morning a day excursion train, returning to Nelson, Burnley, and Acerington, from Bristol and the West of England, ran into a derailed goods train near Whitacre Junction, on the Midland Railway, a few miles from Birmingham. The latter, which was on its way to Ancoats, Manchester, had, on passing the Whitacre signal-box, been turned into a siding to enable the Bristol train to pass. The driver, how- ever, was unable to pull up in time, and dashed into the dead buffers of the siding with such force that the stop block, although substantially built, was cut through as though it had been of card- board. The engine then ploughed along the side of the line for thirty yards. Nine of the trucks were wrecked, and a couple of the waggons were thrown partially across the main-line just as the excursion train started. Before anything could be done, the latter ran into the obstruction. It was a wild night, and the driver was unable to see his danger. He applied his breaks as quickly as possible, and brought the train to a standstill before he had got far into the wreckage but the front of his own train was considerably damaged. The weight of the locomotive withstood the shock but nearly all the windows on one side of the carriages were broken, and the panels bat- tered. None of the coaches, however, were de- railed. Many passengers were panic-stricken by the crash caused by shivering glass and splinter- ing woodwork, and some of them were thrown from their seats. A signalman sent for assistance up and down the line, and traffic was diverted. A breakdown gang was soon on the scene. The injuries suffered by the passengers were less serious than might have been expected. An official account stated that seven complained of shock, and one had been cut by flying fragments of glass. None were in urgent need of medical aid, and a fresh train having been made up, they proceeded on their way north. The force of the collision piled up the wreckage of the goods train into a singular-looking mass. The heavy iron- work of some of the rolling stock was twisted like wire. The driver and fireman of the goods train remained at their points, and escaped practically unhurt.

CRUELTY TO WILD CREATURES. I John D. Hamlyn, naturalist, St. George's, East London, and Eustace Jamburgh, keeper, were summoned to Southend Police-court, at the instance of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for causing unnecessary suffering to five wolves, one fox, two hyenas, one lioness, one tiger, and two lion cubs by withholding from them food and water. Chief Inspector Warr, an official of the society, stated that the wolves, which were in a cage with a fox, were in a shockingly emaciated condition, and were weak and lame from want of food, and two of them had to drag themselves on their stomachs by their forefeet. They were also covered with parasites, and were suffering from rickets. The lion cubs had the appearance of having been mauled by the tiger, in whose cage they were kept. The lion was suffering from asthma, and was in a poor condition. The whole of the animals appeared to have been systematic- ally kept short of food. This was the most miser- able collect;on he had ever seen. Inspector Pogers, of the society, also gave evidence, and said there had been a marked improvement in the con- dition of the animals since the society had taken action. William Kirk, veterinary surgeon, said he had seen the animals at Southend Kursaal, and agreed as to their shocking condition, -which was caused by withholding food. A number of witnesses were called for the defence, including two veterinary surgeons, one of whom said lie had seen animals in a worse condition at the Zoo. The defendant Hamlyn said he was buyer for the Duke of Bedford, Bostock and Wombwell's, and Lord George Sanger. The animals in question were hired out to the proprietors of the Southend Kursaal. He thought they had been given too much meat, and said it was criminal to leave water in the cages. Mr. George Scott, general manager of the Kursaal, said he had taken the precaution to have two veterinary surgeons to see to the animals, for the protection of his company. Hamlyn was fined three guineas and costs, amounting to four guineas. The summons against Jamburgh was dismissed.

LONDON BURGLAR HUNT. DUKE'S AND BISHOP'S HOUSES ENTERED. A daring burglary was committed early on Tuesday morning at Norfolk-house, St. Jamesi's- square, the residence of the Duke of Norfolk, who is at present staying at Huntly Burn, Mel- rose, Scotland. Shortly after seven o'clock, the servants who were left in charge of the house were awakened by the sound of footsteps on the slates. The roof was then in possession of the police, who informed them that there was a burglar in the house. A search was immediately instituted. It was found that the Duke of Nor- folk's bedroom and sitting-room had been en- tered, and that a number of gold medals which had been presented to the Duke, and were greatly prized by him, were missing. The medals had been abstracted from a glass case, but in other respects the rooms were left almost undisturbed, and it is assumed that the, thief's visit was a hurried one. There was also evidence of the burglar's having made his way to the lower part of the house, for a room communicating with the hall had been entered, and a small quantity of plate had been taken from the steward's room. It is supposed that an entry was effected by forcing a window with an old knife, which was found on the roof. The burglar had not confined his attentions to the Duke of Norfolk's house. He had first attempted to gain an entry at 33, St. James's-square, the residence of Lord Derby, by cutting out a pane of glass in a. window on the roof, but- had found his progress effectually barred. He then went to No. 32, the residence of the Bishop of London, where he succeeded in forcing open a window and effecting an entry. When the police visited the premises, however, it was found that only a few boxes containing cloth- ing had been ransacked and, nothing had been taken away. No trace of the presience of the burglar was found, and shortly after eight o'clock the police quitted the premises. Shortly before midday, however, a manservant at Norfolk-house had occasion to go to the coal cellar in the area, and saw a man hiding behind the coals. He at once retired into the house and locked the door, and, as the area gate was also fastened, thus pre- vented the man's escape. A constable was then called in and the man, who offered no resistance. was taken into custody. The missing property wa,s found in his possession. He was wearing shoes with indiarubber soles, but no implements were found upon him. The man arrested de- clared that he came down the chimney, but the fact that he was found among the coals would ac- count for his blackened condition. There were workmen's ladders about the premises, which pro- bably aided his entry.

BURGLARS' CAROUSAL. While the tenant and his family were at the seaside, burglars broke into Ivy Cottage, Bagby- ro.a.d. Leeds, opened every drawer and cupboard in thr house, and strewed the contents on the floor. But they seem to have confined their attentions to a store of wine, spirits, and cigars. On the dining-room table were two glasses and several broken bottles, which had contained whisky and port, and under a bed was an empty jug, which had contained whisky. Overcome by their carousal, the thieves went to bed, and when they awoke they left without, so far as can be ascer- tained, taking anything but liquor and cigars.

In the last twelve and a Lalf years 519 Ameri- can doctors committed suicide. The year 1893 showed, the highest figure-fifty-three. The reason is said to be the harassing competition of quacks and faith-healers. It is stated that in 1902 the United States pro- duced 15,000,000 tons of steel, a greater output than Great Britain and Germany combined, the former with 5,000,000 and the latter with 7,780,000. About 10,000,000 cattle are now to be found in the Argentine Republic. They are said to be all descendants of eight cows and one bull which were taken to Brazil in the sixteenth century.

STORM FATALITIES. FOUR MEN KILLED BY LIGHTNIXG, A FrrTII BURIED ALIVE. The Manchester County Coroner held inquests on Monday on the bodies of Andrew Andrews, bricklayer, and George Thomas Marsland, brlcr- layer's labourer, who were killed on Friday u last week by lightning at Failsworth. James Lowe stated that he was engaged on the same job as the deceased, and they were working on a scaffold twenty-two feet from the ground. About three o'clock in the afternoon there was a violent thunderstorm, and witness was struck by the lightning. He was thrown to the floor of.the scaffold, but soon recovered. Andrews dropped on his back, and Marsland fell to the ground. He (witness) was marked about the face, but the marks quickly disappeared. The lightning broke the laces in his boots, and the tongue of one boot was burnt. Another witness, who was on the scaffold at the time, when asked to describe the lightning, said he could see nothing but a ball of fire, and his trowel was knocked out of his hand. Andrews wa.s killed on the spot, and Marsland was pre- cipitated to the ground, and he was dead when they got to him. The jury returned verdicts of "Death from being struck by lightning." A third workman, named Alfred Worth, was removed to the Manchester Infirmary, suffering from severe injuries, and died shortly after admis- sion. On Monday, at an inquest at Plumbly on James Madden, seventeen, who was killed by lightning, it was stated he and John Waldron were shelter- ing under an oak tree, when it was struck by lightning. Water running down the tree acted as a conductor of the electric current to the men's bodies. Waldron was rendered uncon- scious, but recovered. Whilst the storm was in progress John Moss, sixty, of Barnton, Northwich, was sheltering in a sandhole, when about nine tons of overhanging earth fell and buried him alive. At the inquest on Monday a verdict of "Accidental death was returned.

THE HARVEST OF THE SEA. According to the monthly return issued by the Board of Trade, the total quantity and value of the fish, shellfish excepted, landed on the coasts of England and Wales during the month of July amounted to 724,431 cwts., and £ 412,101. As compared with the return for July of last year, this shows an increase of 42,316 cwts. in quantity, but a decrease of IC25,247 in value. The shellfish taken during the month are valued at £ 26,838, a decrease on comparison of £ 2,854. For the seven expired months of the present year, the quantity of fish landed, excluding shellfish, is returned at 4,623,162 cwts., of the estimated value of Y.3,327,794, being an increase of 230,470 cwts. in quantity and a decrease of E106,826 in monetary value, as against the totals for the corresponding period of last year. There is also a decrease of CII,109 in the total value of the shellfish taken during this period. Thus the total value of the, fish of all kinds, returned at 93,489,689, is £ 117,935 less than the total recorded for the corresponding seven months of last year.

FORTY LIVES LOST. An extraordinary shipping disaster occurred on the Tykojarvi Lake on Sunday. A number of people were returning from church when the upper deck of the vessel conveying them collapsed, &nd the passengers were precipitated into the water or on to the deck below. Forty persons were drowned or otherwise lost their lives, and many were injured.

FAMILY FALLS INTO A CELLAR. An extraordinary mishap, which occurred at a house in Henry-street, Coventry, was reported on Monday. While Mr. Clarke and his family were seated at the supper table the floor suddenly collapsed, and the party were precipitated into the cellar beneath. A young couple were stand- ing at the back door at the time, and they stepped into the kitchen and fell among the wreckage. Mrs. Clarke received injuries to her head and ankles, and her husband and daughter were bruised. The others escaped injury.

GIPSY LIFE. I An inquest was held at Hackney on Monday on Jane Penfold, aged forty-two, a gispy who was found drowned in the River Lea. Rodney Brinkley, a gipsy horse dealer, who said his dwelling was a caravan on Tottenham Marshes, stated that he had lived with the woman for twenty-four years. The Coroner: Couldn't you find time to get married? You are like a witness in the Humbert case who said that he had had ten children, but could never find time to get married. The witness added that the woman had been drinking heavily for over two years. They lived happily together. Priscilla Penfold, a daughter, aged fifteen, said that on the night her mother disappeared she slept under her father's bed. Three people usu- ally slept in the vsji. A verdict of Suicide during temporary insanity was returned. =- r j j

The executioner of Budapest has presented his bill for a recent execution. It amounts to £8 5s. lOd.—namely, erection of the gallows, £ 1 Is. 8d. executioner's fee, £1 5s. his two assistants, £116s. 8d. taking down of the corpse, RI Os. lOd. travelling expenses, R3 Is. 8d. A 65ft. long whale, desperately fighting against a shoal of sharks, was discovered by an Italian torpedo-boat off Cape Mele. To end the suffer- ings of the whale, whose flesh the sharks were tearing out, the boat fired several shots, drove off the sharks, and then with two more shots killed the whale. It was taken in tow to Savona. Dr. Wallace Lee, one of the late President McKinley's physicians, while acting as an expert in a law case, asservated that a doctor should get more for an operation under which the patient dies than otherwise. A successful operation, he said, enhances the reputation of a doctor, while an operation with a fatal issue damages it.

I THE KING AT MARIENBAD. I MEDAL FOR A VETERAN. In the visitors' list at Marienbad King Ed. ward appears as "The Duke of Lancaster, from London." His Majesty, who is awake by six a.m., drinks a glass of the waters while dressing, and about 7.15 he appears on the promenade, where his next glass is brought to him, which he drinks while walking among the crowd of patients. The curiosity of the public has been shown less unpleasantly, especially since the Burgomaster issued an emphatic notice to visitors requesting them not to annoy his Majesty. Be- fore his morning walk, ordered by Dr. Ott, the King takes a simple breakfast, if fine, upon the balcony dining-room, after which he reads the papers. The rest of the morning is spent in work. He lunches at one, with his equerries. From three until six he drives out, and dinner, to which some English people a.re always invited, is served at seven o'clock. On Sunday King Ed- ward attended service at the English church, and then drove to Rubezahl for lunch. At Poliorn- berg, an old veteran, called Adam Wurtinger, aged seventy-eight, who served under Radetzky, shows the place to visitors. He related his his- tory to the King while performing his office, and the King invited him to the Hotel Weimar, gave him dinner, and presented him with some money, the Victoria medal, and new ribbons for all his other medals. As his Majesty has expressed a wish for a motor-car for his excursions, a Vienna firm has sent a 20-h.p. Mercedes car to Marienbad. On Monday were published the official arrange- ments of the Vienna Court for the visit of King Edward to Vienna. His Majesty arrives on the afternoon of the 31st, and will be met by the Emperor, all the archdukes, and the civil and military dignitaries. At the Hofburg the arch- duchesses and tb" highest officials, with the Ministers of the ? -ipire, the two Premiers, and other personage ill await him. At 7.30 p.m. a gala dinner will take place in the Hall of Cere- monies at the Hofburg, and on Tuesday, Sept 1, a gala performance will be given at the Imperial Opera. On Wednesday, Sept. 2, there will be a hunting party and a dinner in the small gallery at Schonbrunn, with a visit to the Hofburg Theatre, and on Thursday morning the King takes leave of the Emperor. Ear1? on Monday morning the King walked out, in spite of the rain. Later he took a long walk to Maxtal, and dined at Waldmuhle.

I DEATH OF MARY COUNTESS OF I GALLOWAY. Mary Countess of Galloway, half-sister to the Marquis of Salisbury, died on Tuesday nnruing at Cuffnels, Lyndhurst, Hants. Her ladyship was found on Friday last to be suffering from an attack of pneumonia, and this was attended with so much weakness that she sank from heart failure. Mary Arabella Arthur, Countess of Galloway, was the daughter of the late Marquis of Salis- bury, by his second marriage, with Mary Catherine, daughter of the fifth Earl De La Warr, and was thus half-sister to the ex-Premier and to Lord Eustace Cecil, and sister to Lord Arthur and Lady Margaret Cecil. She was in her fifty-third year. Her unusual Christian name, Arthur, has an interesting explanation. It was given in memory of her godfather, the great Duke of Wellington, who also stood spon- sor for the present Marquis of Salisbury, and for his nephew and successor in the office of Premier, Mr. Balfour, each of whom is also an Arthur. We may here recall that Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, who was born on the great Duke's birthday, May 1, likewise bears his Christian name. The Countess of Gallo- way's mother became, by second marriage, Countess of Derby, having married the late earl. She died about three years ago. The dowager countess now deceased married Alan Planta- genet, the tenth Earl of Galloway, then Lord Garlies, in 1872, and has been a widow since 1901. She was a woman who possessed in a notable degree the intellectual qualities of the Cecils, including considerable literary ability. As the result of genuine literary taste, wide reading, and nearly world-wide travel, she con- tributed to the Press, in particular to the ".Nine- teenth Century," a number of articles, compris- ing an essay on "Women's Part in Politics," besides papers on Russia, on Greece, New Zea- land, the Labyrinths of Crete, on the Boer prisoners in Ceylon, and on the music of Wag- ner, of whom she was an ardent admirer. A more signal work, perhaps, was her translation into French "Ruskin and the Religion of Beauty." The countess had travelled in Aus- tralia, New Zealand, Egypt, and Tunis, and her last expedition was a trip to India and Burmah. From the Sultan of Turkey she received the Ribbon and Star of the Order of the Chefahat (1889). She was a Fellow of the Royal Botani- cal Society. As Lady Mary Cecil she acted as bridesmaid to Princess Louise Duchess of Argyll.

EXCURSION STEAMER IN COLLISION. An alarming collision, fortunately unattended by loss of life, occurred in the Solent on Satur- day afternoon. The steamer Duchess of Albany was on her way from Portsmouth to Ryde with four hundred railway passengers when she collided with the steam yacht Red Eagle. The yacht was struck amidships and extensively damaged above the water line, while the pas- senger boat sustained considerable injury to her bows, but was able to continue her journey at reduced speed. Great excitement prevailed on board both vessels, and though no one was hurt, and there was no apprehension as to either vessel being able to keep afloat, some of the pleasure. seekers on the yacht insisted on being taken off in the boats that were instantly lowered. A heavy sea and a strong breeze prevailed, but those who thus left were soon picked up and the yacht shortly afterwards put about and pro- ceeded to Cowes. The Red Eagle is a yacht of 149 tons, and is owned by Mr. Butler. The Duchess of Albany was commanded by Captain Williamson, who did his best to avoid the accident, and behaved with great coolness when a collision was seen to be inevitable.

Dr. Henry Golden, of Philadelphia, says "Let the baby cry. Babies were not designed to burst under such slight pressure. Don't be alaraaed if the infant screeches at the top of its voice and kicks like a windmill." Rosamund Gumpert, a nine-years-old beauty of Minneapolis, recently had a shovelful of burn- ing asphalt thrown at her, and was terribly burnt. To the great relief of artists, who often engaged the child as a model, her beauty will not be permanently spoiled. A baby, abandoned by its mother on the sterr, of a Chicago studio, has been adopted by the six artists living there. The applied to the appointed joint guardians, have already sub- scribed E200 for the baby, and will educate it. A young farmer in the State of New York was attacked by a wild cat when returning home from blackberrying. He had no other weapon but the pail of berries, but with it he success- folly beat off and killed the animal. He was bitten on the leg and back.

NATURE NOTES. $ .( A SIGH FOP. SUMMER. Oh! for one of those gool, old-fashioned summers (sighs a writer in the "Westminster Gazette") to put new spirit in us. when flowers and fruit came at their proper seasons and not six weeks late-if at all; when Britain grew her own apples-the best in the world-and sent the hectic foreign imniitation to the right-about! But we are a patient people aud worthy better treatment. Here in August we are still waiting for the summer, which we say must come soon. But the nights are growing longer and the days shorter, and the year, with its pause- less footstep, is drawing inevitably to its latter end. We put off our summer holiday—and put it off-and still put it off—until at last we begin to wonder whether it would not be better to save the money—and have a fortnight at Christmas instead. OUR MOSQUITO, The British mosquito, or gnat, is an enemy by no means to be despised. This insect has a sting the result of which is often blood poisoning when the person stung has not taken proper precautions to modify the bite. When stung by a mosquito, says" Science Siftings," the best thing to do at once is to bathe the bitten part with strone vinegar and lay on bread poultices. "THE GOOD RED GROUSE." Besides his many other claims to distinction, the good red grouse," has one (the "Globe" reminds us) which is often forgotten. He is the one vertebrate creature peculiar to the British Isles. All the rest of our fauna is duplicated else- where, and even his cousin, the blackcock, has foreign relations. But the true grouse exists nowhere in the world except within the United Kingdom, and, considering what a noble game bird he is how hardy and plucky, and how magnificent in his flight, the fact is really something to be proud of. It is a pity that a really scientific inves- tigation into the cause and possible prevention of grouse disease is not made. tor the county which is fortunate enough to possess them, grouse are a commercial factor of the highest im- portance, and it has been well said that the grouse have done more for Scotland than all the Acts of Parliament that were ever passed. Yet beyond the fact that it is in some way connected with the weather, and that it is extremely infectious, we know little or nothing of the cause of the disease which periodically decimates the moors. Con- sidering the hundreds of thousands of pounds which a good grouse year brings into circulation in the North, it would be well worth investigating. "LONG TAILS FOR THE WEST. The Government of Ontario have recently, the Field states, turned their attention to the intro- duction of pheasants into the western part of the province, where they have put down perfectly wild pheasants in the forest preserves. The success which has followed this plan in Massachusetts and other American States has been so great that pheasants have in some places become rather too numerous for the farmers, and their numbers have had to be lessened. There can be but little doubt that if their introduction into Ontario is carried out on the same system they will become valuable game birds. FROM ANCIENT THEBES. A French savant, Professor Laris, alludes to the frequency with which seeds of the castor-oil plant are found in Egyptian tombs. Some of these recently discovered at Thebes could not be less than 3000 years old, and were perfectly preserved. Laris has translated an ancient papyrus which goes to show that the uses to which the ancient Egyptians put the oil were much the same as nowadays. "FISH ALIVE 01" According to a report of the Washington State Fish Commission recently issued, fish can be frozen solid and thawed back to life, if not exposed to the sun or allowed to get more than 12 to 14 degrees below the freezing point. Salmon from the Pacific Coast, says the Commission, could be frozen and transported to the Atlantic Coast and resuscitated to full life under proper conditions. The result will be that live salmon, frozen in blocks of ice, may be shipped to the market before long, and this year a company at Taku Harbour, in Alaska, is to make a practical experiment in this respect. CAN FISH FEEL ? It is well known that fishes have little suscepti- bility to pain, and that they are very tenacious of life. A curious example of this was seen at New- castle the other day, says the "Newcastle Journal," in the case of a trout which had been caught in the Tyne at Ovingham. Its head was in process of being severed from its body by a tight band of some fibrous substance. The band had worn quite through the skin and flesh down to the bone, and had the appearance of grasping this and the thorax, causing a deep incision in the flesh and other tissues quite round. The fish does not seem to have had the band fastened on it when small. The trout had apparently been caught in the toil, perhaps somebody's tackle, becoming tethered thereby, and so twisted in its efforts to get free that the band cut through its flesh right to the bone. WILD SHEEP. In Europe there is only one species of wild sheep. It is known as the moufflon, and it in- habits the mountains of Corsica and Sardinia, where moufflon stalking is a favourite autumn pastime. In Corsica, however, this sheep is almost extinct. In summer and winter this animal's coat is of a ruddy-brown hue, excepting the under parts, which are lighter, and the back and flanks, which are marked with a white C saddle;" but in winter the brown becomes darker. About 27 inches at the shoulder is the average height of full-grown examples. TALKING BIRDS. An authentic instance of a talking canary it given by a writer in the Liverpool Post." The bird is in the possession of a resident of Black- burn, and the correspondent points out that although the bird never sings, yet he can talk as fluently and distinctly as any parrot. He reels off quite articulately sentence after sentence such as Waiter, fetch Polly a pint of beer, and don't forget the change." "Pretty Polly dressed in green, coming home to see the Queen"; and Polly's sick, run for the doctor quick." A PANSY FABLE. A pretty fable about the pansy is current in France and Germany. In most pansies, especially of the earlier and less highly developed varieties, two of the five petals are plain in colour and three are gay. They represent a family, consisting of husband, wife, and four daughters, two of the latter being step-children of the wife. The plain petals are the stepchildren, with only one chair- that is one sepal-between them; the two small gay petals are the daughters, with a chair each; and the large gay petal is the wife, with two chairs. To find the father one must strip away the petals until the stamens and pistils are bare. They have a fanciful resemblance to an old man with a flannel wrap about his neck, his shoulders upraised, and his feet in a bath-tub. TO PROTECT PUSSY. "We should like to suggest," says the Herald of the Golden Age," to the Executive of the National Society for the Protection of Cats, and also of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, that much cruelty might be prevented by presenting a petition to the President of the Board of Agriculture requesting that the feline race should be taxed. This is the only method of really striking at the root of this evil, for whilst cats are allowed to breed in our cities ad libitum, they will continue to swarm in the courts and alleys, to suffer starvation and mal- treatment, and to destroy the nocturnal slumbers of the citizens with their doleful lamentations. A half-crown tax would soon lessen the number, and ensure better treatment for those who obtain responsible protectors."