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

Flasherly: "They say Dr. Henpeck's mind wandered while conducting his wife's funeral." Dasherly: What made 'em think that?" Flasherly Why, at the close of the buria.1 ser- vice he said, Here endeth the first lesson. A lady has undertaken to superintend the street-cleaning operations in Chicago. She "bosses" the men who are engaged in the sweeping, and the result is that they have smar- tened up wonderfully, both in appearance and work. The Secretary of State for India has sanc- tioned the proposal of the Government of India to attach the Berar districts to the Central Province for administrative purposes.

MR. CARNEGIE'S GIFTS. I Mr. Carnegie has offered to give P.7,000 for the erection of public library buildings at Erith, Kent, on condition that the Free Public Libraries Act be adopted and a maximum assessment under it levied producing £ 610 per annum. It was also stipulated by Mr. Carnegie that a site must be given, the cost not being a burden on the penny rate. Ince District Council on Monday considered Mr. Carnegie's offer of £ 5,000 for the erection of a free library. Although the council had made an application for the gift, a resolution was passed, by eight votes to four, that the offer be not accepted. Mr. Richard Knowles said the council should feel ashamed at havihg made the application and then throwing the munificent offer back in Mr. Carnegie's face. Mr. Dew- hurst described as mean the action of the large ratepayers in robbing the working classes of library benefits. The chairman protested against Mr. Dewhurst's remarks, and said the ratepayers of Ince had contributed £1,000 to Wigan Technical College. The council's library arrangements with Wigan will continue.

LINER'S NARROW ESCAPE. The British India Company's steamer Rewa, bound from Calcutta to London, took up her anchorage inside Plymouth breakwater to land 11 passengers on Monday. A little later the Ham- burg-American Company's liner Pretoria arrived to embark passengers for New York. Many of the Rewa's passengers watched the progress of the huge German vessel with considerable interest. When the Pretoria passed the break- water lighthouse she was on a course that would have taken her quite clear of the Rewa, but a moment later it was seen that the German liner, a vessel of about 13,000 tons, had altered her helm. The force of the southerly gale and the strong ebb tide now made itself felt, and the Pretoria seemed to be heading direct for the Btarboard side of the Rewa. It was evident, when about 300 yards away, that if the Pretoria held on her course she must strike the Rewa just forward of the mainmast. The leviathan travelled at a speed of between eleven and twelve knots, and when within 100 yards of the Rewa she had not changed her direction. A disastrous collision appeared imminent, and the utmost alarm prevailed on both steamers. The size of the Pretoria as she loomed down upon the Rewa impressed those on board the latter ship with a sense of the gravity of their position, and a number of the native crew rushed to the port- quarter lifeboat. Before it could be got in the water the Pretoria let go her starboard anchor about eighty yards away, but she was not brought up until the vessels were separated by only twenty yards. The suspense to those on board the Rewa, especially the women, was very great.

THE LATE COUNTESS OF GALLOWAY. The funeral of Mary Countess of Galloway took place at Hatfield on Saturday in the private burial ground of the Cecil family. The sons and daughters of the late Marquis of Salisbury were unable to leave the bedside of their dying father to be pre- sent at the service in Hatfield Church, but were represented by Lord Eustace Cecil, Lord and Lady Arthur Cecil, Mr. Balfour, and the Earl of Selborne. The Earl of Galloway and Colonel the Hon. Walter Stewart (who came from Scotland specially), brothers-in-law; and Mrs. Fyers and Mrs. Essex Reade, nieces of the late countess, attended on behalf of the Galloway family. Among the con- gregation were the Earl of Verulam, Miss Beresford Hope, and members of the neighbour- ing county families. The coffin, which was covered with beautiful wreaths, was borne by eight old servants of the Cecil family. The hymns sung by the full choir were When our heads are bowed with woe" and The strife is o'er, the battle done." The body had been cremated, and the grave was an ordinary earth one in the Cecil family enclosure. It was lined with foliage, bordered with white lilies. In the same enclosure is the tomb of the late Marchioness of Salisbury who died in November, 1899.

PEER AND PEDAGOGUE. I The Marquis of Normanby, who has invited the choir of St. George's Chapel to visit him at his place near Whitby, is one of the half- dozen clerical peers and a Canon of Windsor he is also an admirable schoolmaster. He keeps a small preparatory school, most of the pupils in which are the sons of noblemen, and the locality of which vacillates between the vicinity of Eton and Mulgrave Castle. As Lord Nor- manby is a pronounced High Churchman, the receiit remarkable development of ecclesiasticism among the younger peers has been ascribed to his influence.

The claim of Queen Draga's sisters to the yacht of the late Queen has been allowed by the Servian Government. In a house in the Calle San Pedro, Barcelona, a bomb with fuse has been found, and it is believed that an Anarchist outrage was con- templated. Two streets in Lausanne have been practic- ally converted into canals by the bursting of a water main. ° Reports from different provinces in China in- dicate a rising which threatens to involve the whole country.

I NAT CRE KOXES, QUEER FRUIT. The Kama orange of Upper India yields two kinds of fruit on the same branch, the regular crop of smooth oranges, ripe at the end of the dry season, and the after-crop of coarse-skinned oranges, ripe at the end of the rainy season. MANY DATES. There are said to be over one hundred varie- ties of date-palm, all distinguished by their fruit, and the Arabs say that "a good housewife may furnish her husband every day for a month with a dish of dates differently pre- pared." HOPS AND BACON. A new use is reported to have been discovered for hops-namely, the curing of bacon. It is found that a sprinkling of hops in the brine when bacon and hams are put in pickle adds greatly to the flavour of both, and enables them to be kept for an indefinite period. CHURCH CATS. In Naples there exists a race of cats which live in the churches. They are kept and fed by the authorities on purpose to catch the mice which infest all old buildings there. The animals may often be seen walking among the congregation or sitting gravely before the altar during the time of mass. A FANTASTIC GARDEN. The strangest menagerie in the world is on an estate in the West. Through all the ex- tensive gardens of this curious place one meets wild beasts of many kinds ingeniously fashioned out of roots, trunks, and the branches of trees. It is a veritable toy Noah's Ark grown up. IMITATING NATURE. A Danish engineer has invented a propeller for ships that attempts to imitate the action of a fish's tail, and combines driving with steering power. Experiments are said to have shown that the new apparatus, which is called the "pendulum propeller," gives a greater driving thrust than does the screw propeller, while its steering ability exceeds that attainable with twin screws and helm together. BIRDS AND TELEGRAPH POLES. It has been discovered that cedar poles are unsuitable for telegraphic purposes in the United States. They were found to weaken very quickly, and investigation revealed the fact that the poles were the homes of numerous in- sects. The woodpeckers were quick to discover the fact, and in hunting the insects literally honeycombed many of the poles. In one short stretch of line three poles were almost destroyed by birds. WORSE THAN PIGS. A light eater is sometimes twitted with the familiar expression that he "ate no more than would feed a canary." To prove the criticism inapt a gentleman thus twitted watched a canary and found that it ate thirty-two times its own weight in a month, or more than its own wreight every day. This is considerably more than the most gluttonous pig could ever be ac- cused of. THE FIRE TREE. The fire tree is in bloom this month. Throughout the warmer parts of Asia and in the Philippine Islands the country is enlivened with scarlet foliage of the intensest description. The blossoms retain their colour for about a month, when they fade away, and the fire tree is once more only a green-leaved member of the mimosa family. IRISH TOBACCO. At one time Ireland made a large revenue out of tobacco. In the reign of Charles II. the cultiva. tion of tobacco was forbidden in the United Kingdom on the ground that it interfered with revenue interests. A report is extant, says "Country Life," drawn up by a Committee of the House of Comnjons in 1830, showing that the climate of Ireland was .suitable to the growth of tobacco, and that the tobacco-worm, which did such havoc in other countries., did not thrive there. The Irish farmer, however, h not a proper conception of the way the crop should p. grown, and he has to face the unrestricted com- petition of the agriculturists of other countries, so that he is heavily handicapped, and it is very doubtful if he could even make it a sure-payinf crop. J WHEN THE SEAL DIVES. A keeper in a certain collection of animals who was going to feed the seal had reached the edge of the tank and was holding the fish tantalisingly at arm's length over the water. The seal was all interest and attention. Round and round the tank he darted, flipflapping, sidewheeling, leap- ing out of the water, and performing all sorts of aquatic stunts, all the while keeping up his guttural yelpings. There was no question about his appetite. He was hungry and didn't care much who knew it, and his beady little eyes were all intent on the keeper's every move. "Why don't yer t'row him a feesh?" demanded a boy spectator, growing impatient at the keeper a leisurely actions. "All right, my boy; here goes And suiting the action to the word, up into the air went one of the fishes, dropping towards the centre of the oval. The seal at the time was at the extreme end of the tank, con- siderably beneath the surface, but even there he must have been on the alert, for hardly had the fish left the keeper's hand when swish! a lightninglike somersault, a shadowy streak through the tank, and quicker even than thought the seal's gaping, whiskered jaws and a length of his eelv looking neck were protruding from the water immediately under the titbit, which dis- appeared into his willing maw to the accompani- ment of an intensely appreciative smack. It was all so quick and well calculated that the auditors stood amazed. Without even the suspicion of a miss the performance was repeated as rapidly as the keeper could toss the fish. But the fun, fast and furious while it lasted, is soon over with, and the seal, after he had his fill, immediately lost all interest in his surroundings and waddled out on to his platform and curled up for an afternoon snooze. CATCHING THE CARNIVORA. Getting recruits for zoological collections is not by any means the easiest thing in the world. Tha work is mainly done by travellers and natives of countries from which the wild beasts come, from whom the various zoological societies of the world buy, except when the purchases are made from professional wild-beast dealers. Some of the latter employ regular recruiting agents, whom they send out whenever they receive orders which they cannot execute with stock they have in hand. If the zoological authorities order an African lion of a dealer and the dealer has not a suitable toast on hand, recruiting for lions in Africa begins at once, and continues until a good specimen has been obtained. The different methods by which the various wild animals are captured in their native state are interesting. Lions are generally caught by being tempted to thrust their heads through nooses of strong cords composed of twisted hides. Pieces of meat are used for bait, but frequently the hunters have many days of hard chasing before the lion can be persuaded to try the noose. When he does, the cords are pulled quickly around his throat, stifling him, and other stout cords are then bound round his legs. Restoratives are then administered to revive the animal, whose efforts to free himself from the noose have brought on exhaustion, and he is carried away and put in a specially-constructed cage for shipment. Tigers are more savage than Hons and can rarely be captured when full grown. Recruiting is accordingly carried on nmong the cubs, the parent tigers being killed and the young, left without protector, being easily caught. The cubs accustom themselves to captivity.

The German Emperor uses as a paper-weight on his writing-desk the summit of one of the highest mountains of Africa. Dr. Buchner, an African traveller of some fame, broke the piece of rock from the highest point of Mount Kilima- Njaro, which is on German-African ground, and presented it to the Emperor.

CURRENT SPORT. A NARROW SQUEAK. Time and skilfully stubborn play at pinch on sfche part of Mr. Wilkinson the Harrogate amateur and Wilfrid Rhodes saved Yorkshire from defeat -At the hands of Kent at Canterbury on Saturday. Brilliant batting on a difficult pitch by Hearne, Burnup, Mason, and Day enabled the home county to close their first innings and leave Yorkshire to stay in an hour and three-quarters. Blythe bowled splendidly, but the Northerners just managed to prevent a Southern victory after a most interesting struggle. Wilkinson was in ,an hour for 17, and Rhodes staid seventy minutes for 7, and was unbeaten at the finish. The bats- men were "barracked," but there was a game to be saved, and they did it. .WINDING UP. Notts and Warwickshire both finished their eounty programmes on Saturday, the latter defeating Hampshire, the former being beaten by Lancashire. Both show an excess of wins over losses, their records being very similar to those of 1902. At Manchester, on. Saturday, Lanca- shire gained a highly creditable victory over Notts by five wickets. Hallows followed up his bowling success of the first innings by securing five wickets for 49 runs. Warwickshire easily beat Hampshire at Birmingham by 132 runs, the Southerners only scoring 112 in their second -innings, in which Hargreave secured seven wickets for 48. PALAIRET'S CENTURY. The Surrey and Somerset match at Taunton was left drawn. The home county declared their second innings closed with seven wickets down, .and towards the 283 required to win Surrey scored 149 for two wickets. In the Somerset second innings, L. C. H. Palairet contributed one hundred and fourteen by beautiful cricket. [WELL DONE, WILTS An eleven, captained by Mr. Jessop, contain- ing several of the Gloucestershire Club's players, sustained a crushing defeat on Saturday at the hands of Wilts. Jessop's eleven made 120 and ,37; Wilts, in their first essay, compiled 256, and 173 (for nine wickets), when they "declared." ANOTHER DRAW. With the actual play limited to four hours, the miatch at Lord's on Saturday, between Middlesex and Sussex, ended in a draw. The first two dayS were blank, owing to the saturated state of the pitch, and though Middlesex, batting first, -declared their innings closed with the total 152 for five wickets, Sussex, on a soft, easy pitch, had no difficulty in making 112 for the loss of two batsmen. ROYAL CRICKET TEAM. The Royal Household cricket team, in whose fortunes the King takes a keen interest, played their first match at Beckenham last week end against a local eleven captained by R. H. Hummell. The Royal team wore the Royal colours, a set of which has been presented by his Majesty to each of the players. The result of the game was a narrow defeat for the Royal team by 9 runs, the scores being 127 and 136. For the losers Slack made top score with 25 not out. Gower and Moffatt made 18 each, Bishop 14, Deal 11, and Wilson 10 WHY AUSTRALIANS RACEL. Referring to a recent article by Mr. C. B. Fry on the superior organisation of Australian teams, a member of a recent English team in Australia writes:—"One of the reasons why the Aus- tralians do so well with the material at their command, is the absolute freedom of their captains from interference and criticism, internal or external. Another reason is the calmer and more reasonable way in which the Australians take their misfortunes. As an example of this, when playing a. test match at Adelaide, Victor Trumper was run out disgracefully when 69 and playing splendidly. I went to their room to commiserate with him as he came in; he simply said: 'Yes, it is unfortunate,' and put away his bat as happy as if he had made 200 and been clean bowled." SHRUBB FAILS. Attempting to lower C. Bennett's mile and a half record, at Birmingham, on Saturday, A. E. Shrubb failed by 2 l-5sec. At the same meeting the South London Harriers beat the Birchfield Harriers by six events to one. SALT WATER CHAMPIONSHIP. D. Billington, the famous Bacup swimmer, added to his laurels on Saturday by winning the Salt Water Championship, at Plymouth, with great ease. AMATEUR GOLF. The annual open --nateur golf tournament for the Harlech Town Bowl was brought to a con- clusion at the Royal St. Davids links on Satur- day. The final was 36 holes up, and Mr. A. C. Willey (handicap 8) and the Earl of Winchelsea (plus 2) were the contestants. Mr. Willey won by 10 holes up and 8 to play. The winner is a member of the Ainmouth Club, Northumberland. BOWLS. The London and Southern Counties Bowling Association defeated the Midland B.A. by 15 points on Saturday over the green of the Browns- wood B.C. In making the highest score on the winning side, the North London B.C. took the Jaques silver-mounted bowls. JMOTOR CYCLING. Several races were held at the Crystal Palace on Saturday, under the auspices of the Auto- Cycle Club. The chief event, the one hour scratch race for motor cycles limited to 2 h.-p. machines, resulted as follows J. F. Crundall, 42 miles 1,260 yards, 1; J. Van Hooydonk, 38 miles 880 yards, 2; D. Citroin (Minerva), 38 miles 140 yards, 3; W. Parry (Minerva), 38 miles 40 yards, 4. CITY OF LONDON CHAMPIONSHIPS. At Lee, on Saturday, the athletic champion- ships of the City of London Association brought out several well-known performers. Ravens- bourne (Cook's) won the interclub walking cham- pionship, R. Giles, of theirs, finishing first. Holborn Circus (Wallis's) won the mile running inter-club championship, and also supplied W. R. Creasey, the first man home. The Condor A. C. won the tug-of-war, and Crownfield beat Ravens- bourne by five wickets in the final tie for the Senior Cricket Challenge trophy. WILLS BEATEN AT BATH. Included in the Bath Cycling Club's Sports on Saturday was a three miles scratch race for the Diamond Jubilee Gold Plate and Tempest Challenge Cup. S. W. Lack (Cambridge) won, A. E. Wills (Putney) was second, and E. Payne (Worcester) third. Payne afterwards beat Wills in the five miles scratch race for the Bath Citv Challenge Cup by a foot. A Gell (Bedford) was ,third. ALL-ENGLAND WALKING RACE. On Saturday afternoon upwards of 7,000 .spectators assembled on the Recreation Grounds, Wednesbury, to witness the conclusion of the All-England £ 25 walking competition. There were originally about thirty competitors, the con- ditions being to walk one hour each evening during the week, and two hours on Saturday afternoon. The result was:-B. Southall (Willenhall), 1; C. Smith (London), 2; J. Bailey (Bilston), 3; J. Massey (Birmingham), 4. The distance covered by Southall was forty-eight miles, and he beat Smith by about 600 yards. JUPITER PLUVIUS SCORES AGAIN. Rain spoiled first-class cricket again on Mon- day. In the Gloucestershire v. Surrey game at Bristol, the home eleven, in the short time that play was possible, scored 95 for five wickets. There was also very little play at Brighton in the match Sussex v. Yorkshire. A start was not made until four o'clock, and only 22 runs had been scored for the loss of two wickets, when more rain came on and prevented further cricket. The weather prevented any play at Lord's in the Middlesex and Kent match, and the fixtures at Old Trafford (Lancashire v. Leicestershire) and Southampton (Hants v. Essex) suffered from a similar cause. TUESDAY'S CMCKET. At Brighton on Tuesday, Yorkshire's first in- nings against Sussex was finished for 72, and Sussex replied with 132. The visitors lost one wicket for six runs in their second innings be- fore nightfall. At Southampton Essex opened, on Tuesday, against Hampshire, and put together 211, McGahey and Perrin batting finely. The heme team made 36 without loss, Captain Wyn- yard helping his county for the first time this year. Leicestershire obtained 134 at Man- chester against Lancashire on Tuesday, whom they then dismissed for 98, and lost five wickets in their second innings for only 34 runs. At Bristol Gloucestershire's first innings against Surrey was completed for 133. Surrey could only get 77, but disposed of the home team in their second innings for 81. Left with 138 to make to win, Surrey lost three wickets for 12 runs be- fore the close of Tuesday's play.

THE BALKAN CRISIS. I REVOLT AT ADRIANOPLE. I The Russian Ambassador at Constantinople has reported to his Government the various measures taken by the Porte in fulfilment of the demands made by Russia, and in consequence the Russian squadron has left Iniada on its return to Sevastopol. The revolt in the vilayet of Adrianople, which had been delayed by order of the insurgent chiefs, has now apparently begun. A strong revolutionary band attacked the seaport of Vasiliko, on the Black Sea coast, captured the town, and blew up the principal Government buildings with dynamite. Several Turkish villages and military posts in the vilayet have been attacked, crops destroyed, and a Turkish force encamped in the district of Malo Tirnovo annihi- lated. He adds that Bulgaria remains perfectly tranquil. MASSACRED BY TURKS. I The rising in the Balkans continue-s to spread. It is reported from Sofia that the Turks have massacred all the women and children in twenty- nine villages of Florina and Monastir, and after- wards burned the villages. The Turkish Govern- ment has organised a special Court to try captured insurgents. The insurgents have captured the large village of Vasiliko, to the North of Iniada Bay. The Italian Embassy has complained to the Porte of insults offered to the Italian Consul at Monastir. A STATE OF PANIC. I Throughout Macedonia, activity among the in- surgents is being everywhere exhibited, accord- ing to the messages received from various cor- respondents. A massacre of Christians is re- ported from Adrianople. The cause of the dis- turbances there is variously stated. According to one account, the guns of one of the forts opened fire on an insurgent band, which attacked a military outpost in the neighbourhood. A panic followed in the town, and the Mohammedan population fell upon the Christians. Another version says that a Turkish officer endeavoured to force an entrance in a Bulgarian house to molest the inmates. The latter offered resist- ance, whereupon the Mohammedans became ex- cited, and bands of soldiers and Bashi-Bazouks attacked the Bulgarian quarter of the town. A message on the alleged responsibility of Russia for the recent risings, is in the following terms: "With reference to the declarations of Russia that she does not desire to encourage the insur- rectionary movement, it is interesting to note that the arrival of the Russian squadron in Iniada Bay was the signal for an immediate rising en masse of the Bulgarians in the neigh- bourhood. "Many Greek refugees were taken on board the squadron, and conveyed on sloops to Kavak. "With regard to the despatch by the Sultan of presents of food, cigarettes, etc., to the Russian Fleet, it must be mentioned that Admiral Kruger refused to accept the gifts."

MATRIMONIAL MARKET. I Motoring, a pessimistic social observer re- marks, is not the only form of recklessness we have now to reckon with. There is marrying and giving in marriage. In London and else, where the habit threatens to develop into an epidemic. Why are marriages increased so con- siderably? The latest available figures in the typical case of Islington show a marriage rate of all but 19 per 1,000, as against a mean rate of little over 16 per 1,000 in the preceding ten years, and of 17 in the past 30 years. One ex- planation lies in the close of the South African war, and the return of the soldiers. Why should people be more inclined to marry after the war than before it? Is it that South Afri- can experiences inured them to trouble? Mr. Rankine, H.M. inspector, in his report on train- ing colleges, deplores "the havoc wrought by matrimony" among that remarkably attractive class of the community, teachers-who do not generally marry soldiers. In the annual report of the Technical Education Committee of the London County Council there is a pathetic refer- ence to a cause which militates against the success of trade classes for women. They seem to doubt whether it is "worth while to sacrifice their evenings for two or three years in order to gain proficiency in a trade which they hope to quit almost as soon as they can expect to be- come expert in its practice." In other words, when they marry. The difficulty caused by young ladies who give up the sway of schools for married life and home rule is painfully frequent. The London School Board tries to get over the difficulty by allowing them to continue teaching if they desire to rule in the two spheres, but that does not wholly solve the problem.

Lord de Freyne has lodged a petition in the House of Lords against the decision of the Irish Courts refusing him a jury to try his action against the United Irish League for con- spiracy. During recent excavations at Orosvar, near Oedenburg, Hungary, graves have been found containing the skeletons of old Roman colonists. The Russian Government is trying to estab- lish the salmon fishing and canning industry on the Siberian ooast in opposition to the estab- lishments in Canada and the United States.

THE GREAT YACHT RACEI FIRST TRIAL A FAILURE. I The first race for the America Cup between Sir T. Lipton's Shamrock III., the challenger, and Reliance, the defender, took place, on the 20th inst., off Sandy Hook, in presence of an enormous gathering of spectators. The yachts started just after 11 a.m. in a very light wind, and at first Shamrock III. led, but was steadily overhauled by Reliance, which, in the course of two hours, obtained a decided advantage. The weather became thick and rainy, and when Re- liance had turned the outward mark and was on the way back it became apparent that the course could not be sailed by either yacht within the prescribed time limit, and at 3.40 p.m. the race was officially declared off. At this time Reliance was leading by nearly a mile. SHAMROCK OUTSAILED. I Saturday's resailed race off Sandy Hook was one of the most exciting contests ever held on the America Cup course, and was completed in three and a half hours. It was marked by a sharp fight between the rival skippers during the beat to windward, ending in the mastery of Reliance, which finally won the race by an ample margin. The most sensational feature of the day was the advantage wrested early in the race from Reliance by Wringe's expert skill. The course was fifteen miles to windward and return, and the weather was all that could be desired. Sun- shine and a splendid breeze afforded the yachts full opportunity to show their paces. Reliance proved superior in beating and running, but g Shamrock is believed to be far better in reach- ing, or in other words sailing at right angles, or close upon right angles, to the wind. Here is a brief statement of the points in Saturday's race 11.45.-Yachts start. Shamrock first over line. 12.10.—Boats come about on port tack. Sham- rock still leading. 12.45.-Shamrock tacks under Reliance's bow. 12.46.—Neck-and-neck race begins which con- tinues for some minutes. 12.55.—Reliance draws ahead. 1.55.-Reliance turns outer mark. 1.58.-Shamrock follows round mark. 2.55.-Shamrock creeps up. 3.17.—Reliance crosses finishing line. 3.26.-Shamrock finished. A RECORD RACE. I The American yacht outsailed Shamrock III. by nine minutes, not counting the timeallowance, or 7min. 3sec., deducting the lmin. 57sec. which the defender conceded to the challenger. A Canadian challenge for the America Cup is to be issued, and a sum of C20,000 has already been collected for building a yacht. RELIANCE WINS AGAIN.—A CLOSE I FINISH. The second race for the America Cup was sailed on Tuesday over the triangular course, and Reliance won by Imin. 19sec. The 30-mile course was covered in the record time of 3hrs. 15min. The three legs of the triangle measured 10 miles each, the first being a beat to windward and the other two reaches. Shamrock made a magnificent effort both in the windward work and in reaching, but all agree on Reliance's superiority. The wind and weather were suited to Shamrock, and the test was most conclusive. RACE IN BRIEF. I 11. O.-Reliance crossed line on starboard tack. 11. 2.-Shamrock crossed on port tack. 11. 3.-Both to port, Reliance with good lead. 12.21.-Reliance turned first mark, having kept lead during whole of beat. 12.23.-Sbamrock turned first mark. 1.17.-Reliance turned second mark. 1.21.-Shamrock turned second mark. 2.15.-Reliance finished. 2.20.-Shamrock finished. The official times of the finish were:—Reliance, 2hrs. 15mins. 30sees.; Shamrock, 2hrs. 20mins. lOsecs., putting Reliance 4mins. and 40secs. ahead in actual time; but after deducting the 3mins. 21secs. due to Shamrock, making a win of Imin. 19secs. for Reliance. This is fairly close for a course of thirty miles, and if Captain Wringe had not wasted 25secs. at the start the win would have been one of 54sees. only, which would rank as one of the closest races on record. Reliance's win by lmin. 19sec. is the third smallest margin by which any race for the America Cup has been won. The closest race on record was in the last race of 1901 when Columbia only won on her time allowance—Shamrock II. actually crossing the line first. Shamrock II. had to allow Columbia 43sec. In the last race of 1893 Vigilant defeated Lord Dunraven's challenger, Valkyrie II., by 40sec. only. The first finished race in 1901 was also very close, Columbia defeating Shamrock II. by Imin. 20secs. only. The actual time taken by Reliance to complete the triangular course of Tuesday's race was 3hrs. 14mins. 54sec., and this constitutes a record. Prior to this performance the best time for this parti- cular course was 3hrs. 15mins. 5sec., accomplished by Columbia in 1901.

A STORY OF BANGOR CATHEDRAL. I The death of the, De-in of Bangor, who was look- ing forward to the reopening of the choir of the cathedral on September 3, after its redecoration at the expense of Lord Penrhyn, recalls a good story at the restoration of the cathedral under Dean Vincent. The Dean was one of those who helped the late Mr. Henry Ho are, the banker, in his work for the revival of Convocation. Mr. Hoare often stayed at Bangor. He used always to attend the early morning service., and, one day complained to the Dean of the coldness (.f the cathedral and its ruinous condition. "Why do you not take steps to restore it?" said the banker. "What am I to do?" said the Dean. "Go and see Lord Penrhyn (the late), and tell him that I have not an acre of property in fte diocese, and will give £ 1,000." Mr. Hoare went to Carnarvon for the day, and at dinner asked his host how he had got on. "Why, wonder- fully," was the reply. "Lord Penrhyn was sur- prised I had not asked him before, and gave me £ 5,000 to go on with." After that Lord Penrhyn gave immense sums to the cathedral.

In an improved crank mechanism for trans- mitting rotary motion from one shaft to another, mentioned by the "American Machinist," the shaft carries a disc formed with a diametrical groove to receive the pin of a crank secured on one shaft which rotates at twice the speed of the other. A Manchester fitter named John Phillips, after drinking heavily, asked a companion for a knife so that he might cut his throat. His request not being complied with, he went into his bedroom, and, breaking the window-frame, cut his throat fatally with a piece of glass. Mosquitoes stopped a 700-h.p. engine at a factory in St. Louis. Examination showed that the insects, attracted possibly by the oil on the engine, had been smashed to death until they formed a sticky mass that even steam pressure could not overcome. The Viennese physician, Dr. Lorenz, has been offered £8,000 if he succeeds in curing Adolphus Busch, the eighteen-year-old son of America's richest brewer. The young man suffers from congenital hip dislocation, and has never been able to walk. Some sixty-four miles off the coast of Tunis a cluster of little islands has been discovered. One was found to be inhabited by a former French sergeant, Clement, who had disappeared some fourteen years ago, and a small number of natives. The islands have been annexed by France, and Clement appointed resident inspec- tor of fishing and of the harbour, registrar, and teacher. A German professor has invented a process of silver-plating dead bodies so as to convert them into metallic images of the individuals as they were when in life. Gold-plate can be used if the relatives can afford it. But as the expense of silver-plating a body is £ 2,500, there are probably few relatives who would deem them- selves justified in squandering the deceased's estate on such a memorial-

MR. WHITAKER-WRIGHT I CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION.—A LOSS OF FIVE MILLIONS. Proceedings in connection with the prosecution of Mr. Whitaker Wright as the result of certain transactions of the London and Globe Finance Corporation, of which he was managing director, began in earnest at the Guildhall on the 24th inst. Since his arrival from the United States, on the 5th inst., the defendant had been brought up on three previous occasions, but save for the question of bail these were merely formal appearances. At the opening hour the Old Council Chamber was well filled, though by no means crowded, indeed throughout the day the public attendance was much smaller than might have been expected. Seated at the solicitors' tables were Mr. Horace Avory, K.C., and Mr. Guy Stephenson (instructed by Messrs. Michael Abrahams, Sons, and Co.), who prosecuted on behalf of the Official Receiver; Mr. Percy Simmons (of Messrs. Simmons and Simmons), for Mr. John Flower and the Prosecu- tion Fund Committee Mr. R. D. Muir (instructed by Messrs. Lewis and Lewis), represent- ing the defendant; and Mr. Bodkin, who watched the case on behalf of another party interested. Mr. Whitaker Wright, his frock coat tightly buttoned, pushed his way through the crowd at the public entrance and walked to his seat at a small table in the front of the court. During the proceedings his chair was removed, by permission of the Bench, to a position where he could more freely confer with his counsel. Pending the arrival of the alderman he removed his gloves with great deliberation and got ready a pencil wherewith to make notes of the proceedings. He looked better in health than on his first appearance three weeks ago. Alderman Smallman took his seat at a quarter- past eleven, and almost immediately Mr. Avory proceeded to set forth the case for the prosecution. He dealt at length with the five charges, which, put briefly, accuse the defendant of unlawfully making and publishing certain false statements with intent to deceive shareholders, making false entries, and publishing a false state- ment of accounts. Referring to defendant's movements after leaving this country in Feb- ruary last, and to his request that Miss Browne should meet him at Havre with E500 in cash, counsel described as significant the concluding words of the message: No more letters are to be forwarded to me." Coming to the charges, he mentioned that on the formation of the new London and Globe Corporation defendant became entitled to 32-1,925 shares, and acquired 67,650 more, but at the time of the winding up he appeared to hold only 2500 out of the total of 388,000 shares. From the outset counsel emphasised the community of interest between the London and Globe, the British America Corporation, and the Standard Exploration Company, of each of which, he said, defendant was managing director, and entirely controlled. The item, Cash at bankers, £ 534,455," appearing in the balance-sheet of the London and Globe of September 30, 1899, was. counsel alleged, largely composed of loans, E-359,000 having been received from the Standard Exploration Company on September 29 and 30 (the latter being the very date on which the balance- sheet was drawn up), and was not the result of bona-fide operations of the London and Globe Company. Defendant actually lent E40,000 him- self, and provided some of the securities on which another part of the loan was obtained. Then came the remarkable allegation that on October 6, three weeks before the date of the meeting, at which the shareholders were asked to adopt the balance-sheet containing the item, Cash at bankers, £ 534,455," at least CIOO,000 of the borrowed money which helped to make up that sum had actually been repaid to the Standard Company, while de- fendant's own £ 40,000 was returned to him on the 13th. Counsel having stated that Mr. Whitaker Wright himself wrote the speech delivered by the chairman, Lord Dufferin, at the London and Globe meeting on October 24, 1899, defendant shook his head vigorously, whereupon Mr. Avory announced that he would produce thi notes sent to Lord Dufferin, together with defen- dant's letter begging him not to make any altera- tions without submitting them to him. Passing on to the balance-sheet on December 5, 1900, counsel attacked the credit item of £2,320,000 odd entered as the market value of shares held in sundry companies. More than a million of those shares, said Mr. Avory, had no market value at all, and he made the further allega- tion that many of them had never even been issued. Such shares as had a market value included 410,000 in the Standard Exploration Company, which, for the purpose of the balance-sheet, were valued at El Os. 3d., whereas defendant had actually dealt in those shares on December 3 and 5 at 10s. each. Then, said counsel, there was the transference, just before the balance-sheet was made up, of the London and Globe's liabilities to stockbrokers, amounting to EI,603,000, to the sister companies, and its re-transference twelve days later back to the books of the London and Globe. Counsel dealt in detail with the various profits said to have accrued to the London and Globe from the conversion of the Victorian Gold Estates Company's shares of £ 1 each into £5 shares of two new companies, the Loddor Valley and the Moorlort Goldfields, the shares ot the latter having never, he alleged, been issued. As an instance of the way in which defendant trans- ferred shares to suit his convenience, counsel averred that a sum of P-500,000, which had figured in the London and Globe balance-sheet of September, 1899, was transferred to the British America Corporation, and enabled that company to show in November a profit of P-200,000, and to pay a dividend of 10 per cent. Summing up, Mr. Avory estimated the divi- dends available for the creditors at Is. 3d. in the pound from the London and Globe. 3s. from the British America Corporation, and 7d. from the Standard Exploration Company. The total capital loss to the shareholders he estimated at the enor- mous sum of £ 5.000,000. Defendant took some notes during the delivery of Mr. Avory's very lucid statement, which occu- pied an hour and twenty minutes; but Mr, Muir did not interrupt, and he cross-examined, and that briefly, only one or two of the witnesses for the prosecution. There was a good deal of formal evidence, such as that of a Somerset House official, who caused some amusement by bring- ing down the files of all the companies with which Mr. Whitaker Wright has been connected, these providing material for half a dozen bulky packages. Interest centred chiefly in the evidence of two shareholders of the London and Globe, who stated that the statements made at the meetings of the company so impressed them that they immedi- ately went and purchased more shares. LIQUIDATOR'S EVIDENCE. I In the London and Globe case on Tuesday the court was occupied mainly with the examination of Mr. Arthur Russell, senior examiner in the department of the Official Receiver, who has had charge of the liquidation proceedings. In Sep- tember, witness estimated, on the item shares held in sundry companies," amounting to £ 2,332,632 Os. Id., that there was a loss of £ 1,645,748, or, after deducting £ 500,000 entered in the book in 1898 to meet losses, a net loss for the year of £ 1,145,748. In Decem- ber the loss on these sundry shares amounted to £ 1,383,849. Certain liabilities of the London and Globe, which did not appear at all in the balance-sheet of December 5, 1900, having been transferred to the Standard Company, were, Mr. Russell said, actually retransferred to the London and Globe before its balance-sheet had been audited. Dividends available for the creditors were London and Globe, Is. 3d.; British-Ameri-' can Corporation, 3s.; and Standard Exploration Company, 7d. in the pound. The hearing will be resumed on September 15.

rc. HUMBERT CASE ENI* — I MADAME'S SECRET.—THE SENTENCES. The trial of Mme. Humbert and of MM. Emile And Romain Dauriagnac was concluded at Paris on Saturday. After counsel for Romain Daurig- nac had addressed the jury on his behalf, Mme. Humbert made her promised revelation, in the course of which she averred that she had always been good and just in her dealings. She had suffered much, and had experienced great diffi- culty in her affairs. Mme. Humbert spoke at some length, mentioning the names of several persons, declaring that if the banker Bernhard had not committed suicide, these misfortunes would not have happened, but the Crawfords had come down upon her. They had been unmerci- ful, and had carried off the fortune. She de- clared that she had lent money to Bernhard with- out having informed her family. That was the cause of the misfortunes. She added: "I wish to tell you all. I concerned myself with the origin of this fortune for the first time when President Forichon intervened. It was I alone who asked that the strong-box should be opened, but when on the following day I asked Crawford's son to give me the fortune he refused to deliver the deeds to me, saying that I wished to destroy them, and adding that his brother was at Madrid." When Mme. Humbert said that she was going Crawford's son told her that Crawford was not his true name. After some digressions, Mme. Humbert continued, "My only sin is having lent enormous sums of money to M. Bernhard. It is impossible for the jury to condemn me, as I should not survive my condemnation one day. Young Crawford said to me, We are not called Crawford, but Regnier. The fortune existed.' I cannot," said the accused, "say anything more. The fortune had its origin in 1870. Afterwards it was accumulated by reinvestments." Mme. } Humbert, after affirming solemnly that she was speaking the truth, went on, "When I am ac- quitted I shall do my duty. The creditors shall be paid." Emile Daurignac said, "I do not know who Regnier is." Me. Labori said I know only the name of Regnier. Do you remember \%t Regnier was the intermediary between Bismarck and Bazaine? He was condemned to death in contumaciam by the court-martial and disappeared. Me Labori then made a last appeal to the jury to acquit the accused. The jury then retired to consider their verdict on the 257 specific questions submitted to them. They deliberated for more than four hours, and returned with a verdict which amounted to a finding that M. and Mme. Humbert were guilty of forgery and swindling, and the Daurignacs of complicity in swindling. An application for a case on certain legal points was granted, and the Humberts were both sentenced to five years' solitary confinement, Romain Daurignac to three years' and Emile Daurignac to two years' im- prisonment.