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

ROYAL LEGACIES. FORTUNES FOR SONS OF THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE. It is understood that the estate of the late Duke of Cambridge is to be realised for the benefit of his two younger sons, who were re- cently knighted, and to each of whom the Duke has bequeathed £ 150,000. Several proposals have already been made to buy the late Duke's London residence, Gloucester House, but, as a matter of fact, the London County Council pur- chased it a year ago from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The house is to be pulled down to continue the widening of Piccadilly. It is proposed by the County Council to buy up the whole block of houses which face the Green Park from Hamilton-place to Park-lane, and these include the Bachelors' Club. Gloucester House was held for the late Duke of Cam- bridge's lifetime and for three months after his death.

FALLEN AMONG THIEVES. I Mr. E. Granville Ward, J.P., who has just re- turned to the Isle of Wight after a long stay at his Spanish residence, Casse Grande, at Boccillo, relates a sensational story of an adventure with Spanish brigands. Mr. Ward had driven in an open carriage to Valladolid to pay a number of accounts, but was obliged to postpone pay- ment owing to the disturbed state of the place, consequent on the recent bread riots, which accounted for the fact that on this occasion he was without civil guards. Mr. Ward, who is known in Spain as Don Ed- mundo, was accompanied by the village doctor. They had not proceeded far on their return journey, on an exceptionally dark night, when the carriage was brought to a standstill by the sudden appearance at a lonely spot of a cloaked highwayman, whom Mr. Ward believes to have been a discharged servant of his. The coachman's conduct led Mr. Ward to suspect that he was acting in collusion with the robbers, so feeble was his attempt to escape. The first brigand asked alms, and refused to accept a dollar, and his demand for 2000 pesetas was backed up by a second robber, who levelled a pistol at Mr. Ward and finally made off with 5000 pesetas in Spanish and 1000 francs in French paper money, snatching Mr. Ward's gold watch and chain as he departed. The Spanish doctor, though he had a revolver, said he was afraid to produce it for the protection of Mr. Ward, whom he indicated to the robbers as the wealthy English gentleman, who was prepared to hand over his all." They left the doctor alone," said Mr. Ward, evidently regarding him as being as poor as a rat." The authorities were not keea about taking the matter up, added Mr. Ward, as ten days actually elapsed before he could get them to commence action, and Mr. Ward thinks it as likely that he will be proclaimed King of Spain as that the miscreants will be brought to justice, so pernicious is the system of official bribery prevalent in Spain.

THE WILSON PATROL. REMOVAL OF THE REMAINS TO THE MATOPO HILLS. Sir William Milton, Administrator of Southern Rhodesia, has telegraphed as follows to the British South Africa Company in reply to an inquiry addressed to him regarding the reported agitation on the subject of the removal to the Matopo Hills of the remains of Major Alan Wilson and his comrades from Zimbabwe The re- moval of the remains of Wilson's party was carried out by the representatives of the Rhodes trustees, with the approval of the Church authorities, and after consultation with the minister of the English church, who was present at the exhumation. The Administration was requested to allow the magistrate to give such assistance as was necessary. The removal took place quietly, in accordance with the usual practice, and in com- pliance with the expressed wishes of the relations. It was considered that the proper time for a cere- monial was the dedication of the mausoleum in the Matopo Hills, on its completion, by the Archbishop of Cape Town. This will probably take place at the beginning of June. The Victoria District Volunteers have asked to be allowed to furnish a guard of honour on the occasion, —hich has been agreed to." The strong feeling which was expressed in the Victoria district has now subsided, and the matter is at rest.

The dockmaster at Avonmouth, Captain Harvey, was drowned on Monday morning off Portishead. He was spending tis Bank Holi- day in the enjoyment of a short Channel sail, in company with a friend, and had gone for- ward to do something to a rope, when a gust of wind brought the sail across and knocked him overboard. He swam for 15 minutes with the tide, and then sank, his companion being un- able to do anything to save him. Seven sisters of Creglingen, in Wurtemberg, were engaged to be married last week. Their future husbands follow respectively the trade of tailor, bootmaker, butcher, baker, chemist, post- man, and undertaker. Out of 100 deaths at Taunton this year, 58 were of persons whose ages averaged over 76t years. The amount of money sent home from the United States by immigrants from Norway last year was 91.56,000. By way of consoling herself for the loss of her kittens, a cat belonging to Mr. Perry, of Bury, Somerset, is suckling three rabbits. The little ones appear to be perfectly content, and are doing well.

THE WAR PROGRESS OF OPERATIONS. I LEADING EVENTS IN THE RUSSO- JAPANESE STRUGGLE. Monday, February 8. Morning.—Shots exchanged at Chemulpo be- tween Russian gunboat Korietz and Japanese squadron convoying troops. Troops landed. 11.30 p.m.—Russian battleships Czarevitch and Retvisan and Russian cruiser Pallada holed by torpedoes at Port Arthur. Tuesday, February 9. 11 a.m.—Japanese squadron of 15 vessels open fire at long range on Russian fleet at Port Arthur. Russian battleship Poltava and Russian cruisers Diana and Novik disabled by shells. 11.30 a.m.—Russian cruiser Variag and Russian gunboat Korietz, in endeavouring to escape from Chemulpo, are attacked by Japanese. Variag sank and Korietz blew up. Russian transport Sungari burnt. Thursday, February 11. War formally declared by Japan. Japanese merchant steamer Nakonoura-Maru shelled and sunk in J apan Sea by the four cruisers of the Russian Vladivostok Squad- ron. Russian torpedo store-ship Yenisei accidentally blown up while laying mines at Port Arthur. Saturday, February 13. Reported capture by Japanese of five merchant- men, chartered by Russian Government, and laden with coal and other naval stores. Sunday, February 14. Two Japanese destroyers approach Port Arthur in a blinding snowstorm and discharge torpe- does. Monday, February 15. Russia occupies Newchwang with the 11th Siberian Regiment. Tuesday, February 16. Japanese fleet strengthened by the arrival from Europe of the two new armoured cruisers Kasuga and Nisshin. Admiral Alexeieff and headquarters staff with- draw from Port Arthur to Harbin. Tuesday, February 23. Japanese attempt to "bottle up" the Russian fleet by sinking four merchant steamers at the entrance to Port Arthur. Attempt only par- tially successful. Thursday, February 25. Japanese naval attack on Port Arthur renewed. Sunday, February 28. Affair of outposts near Ping-yang, in Northern Korea. Tuesday, March 1. Landing point of Japanese troops in Korea moved from Chemulpo to Chinanpo. Friday, March 4. Russian Mediterranean Squadron returns from the Red Sea. Sunday, March 6. Vladivostok shelled by a Japanese squadron. Monday, March 7. Affair of outposts near Pakchen, in Northern Korea. Wednesday, March 9. Port Arthur again bombarded. Admiral Maka- roff at the Front. Thursday, March 10. Engagement between Russian and Japanese de- stroyer flotillas at Port Arthur. A Russian destroyer and a Japanese destroyer reported sunk. The battle squadron bombarded the town with 12-inch shells. Wednesday, March 16. Russian destroyer Skori accidentally destroyed by a mine at Port Arthur. Anju, in Northern Korea, occupied by Japanese. Tuesday, March 22. Port Arthur again bombarded. Saturday, March 26. General Kuropatkin arrives at Harbin. Sunday, March 27. A second unsuccessful attempt by the Japanese to cork" the entrance to Port Arthur. Monday, March 28. Japanese occupy Chong-ju in Korea, driving « the Russians. Monday, April 4. Japanese enter Wiju. RUSSIANS RECROSSING THE YALU. I Japanese scouts entered Wiju at eleven o'clock on Monday morning, according to a message from Shanghai, published in London next morning. The Russians have apparently retreated beyond the Yalu. A telegram from Seoul states that the Japanese, continuing their forward movement, have occupied Chen-Seng, ten kilometres from the Yalu. Ten thousand Japanese are now marching on Yongampho. The Russians south of the Yalu have vacated their positions and have recrossed the river. COSSACKS FORESTALL THE JAPS. I It is stated that a force of 500 Cossacks, under the command of General Artamanoff, has occupied tlie town of Un-san, thus forestalling the Japanese who are advancing on that place from Chong-ju. The Japanese troops which are being landed from the five transports which have arrived at Chemulpho consist of railway troops, pioneers' train, and horses for the construction of the Seoul- Wiju railway, and not of any of the combatant arms. JAPANESE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN. A letter received from Kobe, giving a detailed account of the situation, states that Japan has now 260,000 troops in motion and fully 60,000 more under arms in the various garrisons and depots. This total does not include the third- class reserves, numbering 120,000 men, which have not yet been called out. The exact number of men who have already left Japan for the seat of war is not known. The entire First Army Corps has landed and established itself in North-western Korea, with its main base at Chinampho. The General Staff still carefully guards the secret of the plan of campaign, but it is generally believed that the Japanese will operate in three armies, each nominally of 100,000 men. The second landing will be made west of the mouth of the Yalu, the third to the east of Niuchwang. The two operations, it is thought, will be easily accomplished, requiring only the protection of light cruiser squadrons. The Japanese consider that the landing of a large force west of the Yalu will compel the Rus- sians to abandon the fortifications which they are erecting north of the river with the object of opposing the passage of the first Japanese army from Korea. It is anticipated that the three great Japanese divisions will operate in conjunction, the third army swinging eastward from Niuchwang, seizing or cutting the railway, and then engaging in a turning movement against the main Russian position. RUSSIAN TRANSPORT DIFFICULTIES. The Japanese are confident that the Russians will not be able to transport their supplies or to maintain in Manchuria a force exceeding 300,000 men. They point out that the large numbers required to guard the railway and supply bases "will reduce the fighting effective to something in the neighbourhood of 200,000 men. The Japanese authorities are requisitioning thousands of horses. It is probable that large bodies of cavalry will accompany each army. The horses and their riders alike seem inferior to the European standard, but the Japanese officers say that they will accomplish the work mapped out for them satisfactorily. Much of the Japanese artil- lery leaving for the front seems to be of a light character, but they are believed to have a number of heavy batteries equal in range to the best modern field artillery. Japan possesses besides a large number of excellent mountain batteries for work in rough'country. In this respect they have a distinct advantage over the Russians. RUMOURED DISSENSIONS IN THE RUSSIAN CAMP. According to a despatch from St. Petersburg in the Echo de Paris," it is rumoured that dissen- sion has broken out between Admiral Alexeieff and General Kuropatkin, the Admiral being desirous of taking rapid action, while the General lays claim to be responsible for the operations. PORT ARTHUR'S MENACE. According to a telegram from Port Arthur which appears in the St. Petersburg papers, renewed attempts on the part of the Japanese to block the harbour by sinking ships in the entrance are expected. The necessary steps to render such attempts abortive have been taken. Advices from Port Arthur state that the cruiser Boyarin, which was taken between two fires during one of the sea fights off Port Arthur, and was struck 70 times in her non-armoured parts and once in the bows, is now being repaired. The damage not being of a very serious character, it is expected that the Boyarin will be fit for service in a fortnight. TERRIBLE SCENES ON THE BAYAN. The Port Arthur journal, "Novy Krai," describ- ing the scene on board the Russian cruiser Bayan, which distinguished herself during the latest bom- bardment of Port Arthur by the Japanese, says: The bursting shells bowled over man after man until the decks were slippery with blood. Amid this hell the captain stood unmoved in the conning- tower, calmly telephoning his orders to the cap- tains of the guns. His wonderful coolness had a remarkable influence on all the officers. The cock- pit was soon crowded with wounded, 39 men being brought down before the fight ended. Amid the crash of the guns, the hiss of theflyingprojectiles, and the thunder of their explosions, the smash- ing of splinters, and the din of the work- ing engines, the surgeons laboured quietly among the wounded on the hospital operating table. Although some of the men suiicred frightful agony few groans were heard, in spite of the fact that anesthetics were only administered in one case. When the battle ended and the enemy began to draw off, the officers on the bridge cheered. The cheering extended down to the hold, the stokers and even the wounded joining in. The captain signalled "Full speed ahead!" after the retreat- ing Japanese, but he had not gone far before the flagship signalled the Bay an to return. THE ARRESTED ENGLISH PRESS BOAT. The British-owned Press boat Fa-Wan has been under arrest by order of General Kuropatkin, because she passed between the lines, having come indirectly from Chemulpo. She was released on Sunday on condition that she left Newchwang. Her release was wholly due to the efforts of Mr. Miller, the American Consul, who enjoys the confidence of the Russians. Though the boat is British owned, the British Consul declined to act. The release of the Fa-Wan immediately, before the case was forced upon the cognisance of the British Consul, contri- butes to the amelioration of the new situation which has arisen through the arrest and detention for some hours of a British railway guard at a Chinese railway-station outside the port limits, as well as from the detention of the Fa-Wan and the continued stay of H.M.S. Espiegle at Newchwang. The British gunboat's remaining is interpreted as implying a reconsideration by the British of Russian jurisdiction in Newchwang, as provided for in martial law. THE KOREAN PEDLARS' GUILD. The recent statements regarding a plot on the part of Koreans against their Government is confirmed. The reports concerning the matter state that a Korean religious sect which is monotheist, and is known by the I name of Con Haki, tends to join itself to the national and most influential party called Poussan. This party is principally com- I posed of members of the Pedlars' Guild, and the main object of the Guild is to expel the Japanese, overthrow the pro-Japanese Government, and depose the Emperor if he continues to submit to the Japanese yoke. Hyun Yong Un, who was appointed Korean Minister to Japan on the 1st inst., has resigned. BRIGANDS AND CONVICTS AS SOLDIERS. It is reported from Harbin that two Russian officers have organised flying detachments of Chunchuses to operate against the Japanese. Opinions differ as to the advisability of this measure, which is opposed in many quarters. A force of irregulars, consisting of 200 convicts from the Caucasus, who wish to expiate their crimes by fighting for their country, has arrived at Harbin and been despatched to the Yalu River. In Sakhalin a scheme is also on foot for forming a militia out of the convicts confined there. QUAINT IDEAS OF RUSSIAN TURCO- MANS. The "Turkestan Gazette" publishes the follow- ing picture of the war in the Far East, as seen through Turcoman spectacles, which gives a good idea of the notions that the natives of Central Asia entertain about the origin and progress of the struggle. An educated Turcoman was heard delivering the following story to a circle of com- patriots, who listened with the most devout at- tention :Far, far away to the East, beyond China, and India, there is a vast ocean dotted with countless islands, the name of which is Japana. The inhabitants of these islands are very rich and very industrious, and they possess splendid ships, in which they trade with the mainland. As they are not f^r distant from the Russian dominions, the Qfcar coveted these islands, and in order to seize them assembled a fleet, which came to grief through some unknown cause. The Czar then resolved to make another attempt, but, having learned his intention, the islanders forestalled him by attacking his fleet. The Czar has now sent a great army to punish them, which doubtless, will entirely deprive them of their independence. The inhabitants of these islands are Mussulmans, followers of the Imam Shafai. Education and knowledge are very wide- spread among them. They live peaceably by using the treasures of gold and silver in which their country abounds." their country abounds." ALL THAT REMAINS OF A HERO. A fragment of the remains of Commander Hirose, who was killed in the sixth attack on Port Arthur, reached Tokio on Tuesday, accom- panied by a naval escort. A large crowd was waiting at the Shinbassi station, and took off its hats when the flag-covered box was carried out. The fragment was conveyed to the deceased officer's residence, accompanied by a number of naval officers. A public funeral wa.s arranged. Commander Hirose's comrades, attired in the blood-stained uniforms they wore in the fight, were present, and were introduced to their fel- low officer's kinsmen. THE JAPANESE ADVANCE. j The first Japanese army, numbering 45,000 men, and consisting of the Imperial Guard, and the 2nd and 12th Divisions, concentrated, accord- ing to a Seoul message, at An-ju, and is now moving on Wi-ju by three routes. Chinampho is the secondary Japanese base, and Ping-yang the tertiary base.. There are small infantry garrisons at both places, as well as hospitals, etc. Supplies are being landed at Hai-ju and Chinampho, and are also being taken up the Chengschen river to An-ju in junks. Horses, in the proportion of 5,200 in each division, have also been landed. They are, in a bad condition, and the necessity of leading each of them means that an equal number of men must be deducted for the present from the full effective. The troops are suffering a good deal from the effects of frost- bitten feet. The Russians" it is stated, over- estimate the Japanese force at An-ju, and in con- sequence are retreating without profiting by the natural advantages of the country to oppose the advance. There are persistent rumours of a Japanese landing in. the Liaotung peninsula. The authorities are opening all mail matter arriving in Korea. The Japanese are fortifying Fusand and Koje Island as a part of a scheme for the defence of Masampho. "ALL QUIET AT PORT ARTHUR. I All is quiet at Port Arthur. Admiral Makaroff telegraphs that several vessels of the squadron successfully passed out of the harbour and went for a cruise, but saw nothing of the Japanese fleet. In Tokio it is stated that the entrance to the harbour at Port Arthur is much narrower that formerly, and that there is only a channel of about 200 metres wide, with a maximum depth of thirty feet. Admiral Alexeieff has returned to Mukden from Port" Arthur. SKRYDLOFF'S COMMAND. Admiral Skrydloff, now in command of the Black Sea Squadron, has been appointed Com- mander-in-Chief of the Baltic Fleet, which is to proceed to the Far East in the summer.

THE KING IN DENMARK. King Edward on Tuesday afternoon visited the historical museum in the Rosenborg Palace, ac- companied by King Christian's younger brother, Prince John. King Edward and Queen Alexandra were present at a dinner given by King Christian in the evening. The members of the British Legation and their ladies were among the guests invited. King Edward, ac- companied by the Crown Prince of Denmark and Prince Carl of Sweden, has paid a visit to fjie barracks of the Royal Danish Hussar Regi- nient, of which his Majesty is Honorary Colonel. King Edward saw the regiment, to which Prince Harold belongs, at drill. His Majesty and the j other Royal visitors afterwards took lunch with j the officers of the regiment. —

A MONKS' HIDING-PLACE. An interesting archaeological discovery has been made at Thorney, in the Isle of Ely. A hermitage was founded there by the Saxons in 655, and it became an important monastic establishment. A second abbey was built there by Bishop Ethulwold, of Winchester, in the ninth century, and this was replaced by a more imposing building at the end of the 11th century. The Thorney Abbey of the present day, used as the parish church, consists of the west front and nave of this third building, and in the course of the last few days the dis- covery has been made of a subterranean passage leading from the Abbey Church down to the river. It is 500 feet in length. It was probably used by the Monks to obtain their supplies of water and fish, and, it is thought, formed a safe hiding-place for the brotherhood during the Danish invasion, for they escaped the slaughter which overtook their neighbours at Crowland and Peterborough.

MACEDONIA'S FUTURE. A Salonika correspondent sends to Vienna a curious story. The Sultan, he says, is persuaded the Macedonian, like the Cretan Question,will end in foreign occupation and autonomy. To prevent this he has been recommended to appoint a Turkish Prince of the blood Royal as Viceroy for Macedonia, and two Princes have been pro- posed for the post—one a son of Abdul Hamid, aged twenty, and the other a cousin, aged forty- seven. The latest news which has reached Vienna of the revolutionary movement and the activity of the bands in Macedonia is less satis- factory.

KILLED BY A TOY PISTOL. Leonard Pannell, the eleven-year-old son of a labourer at Mashbury (Essex), was killed by a bullet from a toy pistol on Easter Monday after- noon. He, his brother, and a boy named Wind- ley, were playing with the pistol, which had been fixed into the breech of a wooden toy gun. They had tied a piece of string round the barrel for a sight, and while Windley was cutting the loose end of the string the pistol went off, and the bullet pierced Leonard Pannell's heart.

FIGHTING IN NIGERIA. A HAND TO HAND CONFLICT.—MANI." KILLED AND WOUNDED. News has reached this country of heavy fight- ing in the Bassa province of Northern Nigeria. A punitive expedition was recently organised by Sir Frederick Lugard against the murderers of Captain O'Riordan and Mr. C. Amyatfc Burney, a party led by whom was ambushed and cut up by Okpotos last year while engaged in cut up by Okpotos last year while engaged in patrol work in the Bassa province. In the fighting with the punitive force the enemy got right into the British square, and killed" and wounded many, but no .Europeans were killed. At the Colonial Office there is a disposition, in the absence of confirmatory news, to regard the reported reverse as an exaggera- tion of incidents which occurred some weeks ago, and which were reported to the Colonial Office by mail. Detailed particulars were not given, but in the absence of a telegraphic dis- patch the engagement was not regarded as serious. It was stated in the official report that no Europeans had been killed, but that the native troops had suffered a certain amount of loss.

A SCHOONER ON ROCKS. EIGHTEEN LIVES LOST. A message from Paris says details have reached there of the loss of the American schooner Herald of the Morning, carrying eight sailors and thirty-six passengers. She was pro- ceeding to Dakar with a cargo of silk goods, when, in attempting to negotiate the Channel on the night of March 6, she struck on the Al- madis Rocks, on which a lighthouse stands. The hull of the schooner was torn open, and she eventually capsized. A panic ensued. Seven Portuguese, mostly members of the crew, threw themselves into the water and managed to reach the Almadis Lighthouse, after a pro- to reach the Almadis Lighthouse, after a pro- longed struggle. The lighthouse keeper jumped into his small boat and succeeded in saving ten from the wreck. The captain of an infantry company at Omekaur, on being apprised of the disaster, mustered his men and gallantly assisted in the work of rescue. Several of the passen- gers were still clinging to the hull of the ill- fated schooner, and these the soldiers succeeded in saving. Of the total number of forty-four on I board eighteen perished. The survivors were taken from the lighthouse to Marseilles, where every attention was paid them. I

A RAPID BALLOON VOYAGE. I I A huge crowd, estimated at many thousands, witnessed the ascent of Mr. Spencer's balloon from the Crystal Palace grounds at 3.30 on Easter Monday afternoon. After being freed the balloon made a rapid passage, being borne before a brisk north-westerly breeze towards the Medwav, which was crossed within half an hour. The onward course was so fast that when the balloon next approached earth the English Channel was in sight, and an early landing had, therefore, to be effected. This was safely ac- complished at Elham, near Folkestone, about an hour and a quartar from the start. Mr. H. Christie, of the Northern Aero Club, and Mr. A. Goddard were the aeronaut's fellow voyagers.

DEATH OF PRINCESS EDWARD OF SAXE-WEIMAR. OF SAXE-WEIMAR. Princess Edward of Saxe-W,eimar died at her London residence on Sunday morning. A few days ago she contracted a chill, and acute pneumonia supervened. The Princess, who was seventy-seven years of age, was a daughter of the fifth Duke of Richmond and Lennox, and the wife of Field Marshal H.H. Prince William I Augustus Edward of Saxe-Weimar, who died in 1902. They had no children.

Permission has been obtained for the pre- liminary work to be commenced for the erection of the French statue on the field of Waterloo. It will be inaugurated either at the end of May or the beginning of June. During a grand funeral procession in Vienna on Monday the postillion riding one of the leaders of the six-horsed hearse fell twice from the saddle. He was found to be so intoxicated that he could not keep his seat. Henri Deschamps, an old resident of Pontoise, fell into a river and was drowned. When the body was recovered it was found that Deschamps was a woman. She had fought in the Franco- Prussian war as a trooper. A number of small boys of Mount Vernon, New York, were playing at burglars. One of them had a revolver, which he fired, the bullet enter- ing the stomach of a, seven-year-old-boy named Irving Hunter, and killing him. A Boston professor say,s that it is probable that man gets nearer his lost paradise while dancing than at any other time. If a person is tired he should dance a minuet, if apathetic something faster, for dancing has great curative power.

ART AND LITERATURE. .a The Max Muller Memorial Fund, to which the King contributed £ 25, the Kaiser £ 500, the King of Sweden Y.50, aud the Crown Prince of Siam 25 guineas, amounted to £ 2389. The fund is to be applied to the promoting learning and research in all matters relating to the history and archaeo- logy, the languages, literatures, and religions of ancient India." M. Carolus Duran takes the late M. Geromes place as member of the Acad6mie des Beaux-Arts. He is president of the National Society of Fine Arts, and perhaps the most famous contemporary French portrait-painter. It was as a painter of lovely women that he made his reputation, and incidentally, astie is able to charge as much as £ 2000 for a whole-length portrait, a large fortune. He is an indefatigable worker, but capricious withal, thinking nothing of leaving his sitter waiting while he refreshes himself with music at the large organ in his studio. He received £ ±000 and his expenses for a Vanderbilt portrait, which he went to, America to paint. Tr A concession has been granted to Knute C. Wideen, of St. Louis, for the exhibition at the St. Louis Fair of a scientific arrangement for generat- ing heat by reflection of the sun's rays. He will use 40,000 plain mirrors, four feet square, in his apparatus. The rays converge in the interior of a furnace, where heat is generated for ru**J^nS "solar engine." Mr. Wideen claims that the of 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit can be generated in this wav. Mr. Savage Landor's new travel book is pro- mised for May, in two fully-illustrated volumes. It is the record of a year of pilgrimage in the Sulu and Philippine Archipelagoes, where some fourteen hundred islands may be counted. Cannibals, head-hunters, pirates, and other men, half devil and half cliild." as Kipling s line has it, give a fine picturesqueness to them. This colour of the Glowing East" Mr. Savage Landor reflects in his book, which is also regarded as important from an anthropological, ethnological, and geo- graphical point of view. The Board ol Education has now definitely de- cided not to print the Official Register of Teachers owing to the great expense of printing the hst of the 80,000 elementary teachers in Column A of the register. However, the editor of the School- master's Year Book intends to publish the list of secondary teachers, masters and mistresses, in Column B. The list, which will be correct up to March 31, 1904, will contain some 5400 entries, with the particulars recorded in the official register. There appears to be great eagerness upon the part of the public to see tho Scottish History Society's new volume conhâning the" Letters of John Cockburn of Ormistoun." East Lothian, to his gardener, which is being edited by Dr. James Colville, Glasgow. Lord Rosebery in his presi- dential address spoke highly of the letters as being both interesting and entertaining; there is, besides, a desire to get an insight into eighteenth-century methods of gardening, which explains the fact of orders being placed with the booksellers. These can only be executed if the editor or members of the society part with their copies. Mark Twain was in the habit of having his ton- sorial requirements attended to by a certain hotel's barber. On one occasion, while peacefully having his thick white hair trimmed, his attention was arrested by a very diminutive boy in buttons, who was standing in front of him trying to attract his attention and present him with a card. With a twinkle in his eye, but looking profoundly solemn, Mark inquired Who are you ?" A page, sir," the boy replied. A page!" exclaimed Mark, with, pretended scorn—" a page! Why. you are hardly big enough for a paragraph I An exhibition of Dutch pictures was opened at the Whitechapel Art Gallery the other day by Mr. H. L. W. Law-son, who said that the uniform success of the exhibitions held in this district was a clear proof of a rise in the standard of taste. It has been said that people in the East-end were fickle, amusements 'attracting but not holding their attention he was, how- ever, glad to attest to the contrary. The grim realism of Dutch art, with its gloom and touches of humour, was certain to appeal to people whose own lives were passed in mean streets. Mr. Leonard Courtney had no doubt but that the Whitechapel Gallery would ultimately come under the control of the London County Council. At one time people had a certain con- tempt for Dutch art. He regarded it as a mark of maturity that they should now take a de- light in the subject and manner of this school, whose aim had always been to depict positive life, the domesticities and pieties of everyday existence rather than the aesthetically ideal. The beauty of landscape scenery was first taught by these painters, who. later, were to influence the school of Claude and his successors, together with our own Norfolk school. The present exhibition is notable for its representative collection of medigeval and modern works of Dutch art. Several characteristic Rembrandts have been loaned, the modern ex- hibits including works from the brush of Josef Israels J. Maris, A. Mauve, H. W. Mesdag, C. de Moor, Jacobus Van Looy. and J. Voerman. Especially noticeable are the Ploughing," of A. Mauve-a study in grey effects—the impressionist view of a cathedral by Jongkind, the view of a. town on the bank of a river by Mathew Maris, and the Sunset at Scheveningen of H. W. Mesdag. "Do you still wish to go on another expedition to the North," saidNansen to Captain Sverdrup, when they brought the Fram back from the first one. Yes, certainly," was the answer if only I had the chance and the chance came. How Captain Sverdrup used it will be seen in his elaborate book, New Land," which Messrs. Longman have now arranged to publish immedi- ately. The translation from the Norwegian has been made by Miss Ethel Harriet Hearn. 11 Cassell's New Dictionary of Cookery is to contain thousands of entirely original recipes, and many well-approved old ones, and brought up to modern requirements by an expert in the culinary art and its literature. The work, which is being published in fortnightly parts, is extensively illustrated, and contains some beautifully coloured plates. It has a very lucid pre- face, and an interesting introductory article dealing with the latest developments in gas cookery, casserole cookery, and the like; while the editor acts as an invaluable guide in the matter of marketing. One cannot imagine a more indispen- sable book for the intelligent cook and house- keeper, whether amateur or professional, than Cassell's "New Dictionary of Cookery" bids fair to be on completion of the serial issue, judging from the earlv pages. A timely little book has just been issued by the African News Agency, entitled, I- Black, White, or Yellow ?" Its object is to place before the public in a convenient form the arguments both in favour of or against the importation of Chinese labour into the Transvaal. In each version the endeavour is made to deal with the intricate sub- ject on practical rather than political grounds. The publication of the full text of the Labour Ordinance as amended in Council is a usefal addi- tion to the contents of the book. ;'Not.es on the Duties of Volunteer Mounted Troops," by Vet. Lieut.-Colonel J. A. Nunn, A. C. McBarnet, and G. H. Guillum Scott—a very practicable and valuable booklet—has just reached a third edition (William Clowes and Sons). The various duties connected with volunteer mounted troops are scattered through a number of publica- tions, and it is with the object of collecting them under one cover that this little work was issued, as recruits on first joining are strange to matters military, and do not know where to turn for in- formation. A chapter has been added on veterinary first aid in cases of emergency the advice being given for such occasions as when the soldier is thrown on his own resources. Altogether the work is most admirable and essentially prac- ticable.

-==- Wireless messages have just been sent, with absolute clearness and without any mistake's, from Heligoland to a ship in Hamburg harbour and to Amsterdam simultaneously, the distance covered hevng over three hundred and ten miles. Twenty thousand lithographers are now idle in America as the result of their refusal to sign the arbitration aggrement insisted on by their employers. J The honorary secretaries of King Edward's Hospital Fund for London have received £ 500 i. ™ r' n' Middleton, Ealing, for the Endow- ment Fund.