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

CURRENT SPORT. I CEOsg-COUNTRY RUNNING. At Cambridge, on Saturday, the Cambridge University Hare and Hounds' first team beat the Srst team of the Blackheath Harriers by 25 points with the lowest possible score of 15 points to 40. The winning team had seven men in the first eight. G. L. Hopkins was the leading Black- heath Harrier. He came in sixth, and the five Cambridge men who finished in front of him were: -A. H. Churchill (Caius), 4Gmin. 52sec., I 1; F. M. Edwards (Queens'), 42min. 15sec., 2; A. R. Welsh (Trinity), 42min. 55sec., 3; A. H. Pearson (Queens'), 43min. 57se-c., 3; and T. Kingdom (St. John's), 43min. 7&ec- 5. The second team match between the same clubs, at Blackheath, had to be abandoned, after the runners had covered four miles, in conse- quence of the fog. RUGBY FOOTBALL. County Championship.—Cornwall v. Devon At Cambourne, Devon beat Cornwall by one goal !Qlld two tries (11 points) to two tries (6 points). Club Matches.—Newton Abbot v. tevonport Albion At Newton Abbot, the Albion won! by two goals (one penalty) and two tries to one try. —Bristol v. Bath At Bristol, the Bath fifteen were beaten by two goals (one dropped) to one try.—Northampton v. Moseley: INIorthamptcjn, on their own ground, won by 19 points to 4.— Neath v. Aberavon At Neath, the honwi team won by one goal and four tries to nil.—Penarth v. Gloucester At Penarth, the home side beat •Gloucester by a goal and a try to nil.—Cardiff v. Swansea: This match at. Cardiff was abandoned owing to the state of the ground.—The following matches were also abandoned :—Newport v. Exeter, at Newport; Burton v. Old Edwardians, i at Burton Leicester v. Cambridge University, Z, at Leicester; Royal Indian Engineering College v. London Scottish, at Cooper's Hill a;nd all those that should have been played in London. Northern Union League.—Division I.—-Leeds, 8 points.; Oldham, 2.-Batley, 0; Wakefield Trinity, 0.—Wigan, >5; Bradford, 5.-Warring- ton, 7 Huns-let, 6.—Swinton, 0 Hull, 0.—Hull Kingston Rovers, 4; Leigh, 2; Widnes v. SaJ. ford and St. Helens v. Halifax were postponed owing to frost.—Division II.—Normanton,$ points Pontefract, 5.—Millom, 10 points Roch- dale Hornets;, 3,—Barrow, 8 points; De-wsbury, 3.-Keighley, 20 points Lancaster, O.-Bramley T. Brighouse and Morecambe v. York were post- poned on account of frost. ASSOCIATION GAMES. League.—Division I.-Woolwich Arsenal V. L ,u. Everton: At Plumstead, Everton had scored three times to the Arsenal's once when the match had to be abandoned owing to fog.-—Sunderland t. Small Heath At Sunderland, Small Heath won by four goals to one.—Notts Forest v. Nctts County: At Nottingham, the Forest. won by two goals to one.—Blackburn Rovers v. Sheffield United At Blackburn, the United won by four goals to two.—Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Middlesbrough: At Wolverhampton, the Wan- derers beat Middlesbrough by five goals to three. —Bury v. Preston North End: At Bury, Proston North End won a somewhat dull game by one goal to none.—Aston Villa, v. Newcastle United At Birmingham, Newcastle United- won by one goal to none.—Sheffield Wednesday V. Man- chester City At Sheffield, the home team won by two goals to one.—Derby County v. Stoke: At Derby, the home team won by three goals to none. League.—Division II.—Bristol City v. Don- casfcer Rovers: At home, Bristol City won by four goals to one.—Bradford City v. West Brom- wicli Albion At Bradford, the home team won by three goals to one.-Cheslerfield v. Burnley: At Chesterfield, each side scored once and the game ended in a draw.—Lincoln City v. Barns- ley At Lincoln, Lincoln City won by two goals to" none. Association Cup Qualifying Competition. Fifth Hound.—Civil Service v. Southall: At Shep- herd's; Bush, owing to dense fog, this match was abandoned, nothing being scored.—Mex- Iborough Town v. Gainsborough Trinity: At. Mexborough, this ma.tch was drawn—one goal each.-Bl,ackpoolv. Nelson: At Blackpool, the home side won by one goal to none.—Green Waves (Plymouth) v. Swindon: At Plymouth, Green Waves won by two' goals to one.- Brighton and Hove Albion v. Uford: At Brighten, the local club beat Ilford by five goals to one.—Watford v. Hitchin At Watford, the local team beat Hitchin by two goals to none. -Northampton v. Leicester: This match was drawn at Northampton. Both sides scored twice.-Stockport County v. Wrexham: At Stockport, the home side won by four goals to none.-Sta,fford Rangers v. Kidderminster Harriers: At Stafford, the local club won by one goal to none.-Bishop Auckland v. Wall- send Park: This match was postponed, owing to frost and snow, till next Saturday. Southern League.—Bristol Rovers v. West Ham United: At Upton Park, the Bristol Rovers won by two goals to none.—Fulham v. Brentford: At Fulham, owing to the fog, the game was abandoned after Fulham had scored once.—Reading v. Plymouth Argyle: At home, Reading won by two goals to none.—Southamp- ton v. Portsmouth: At Southampton, the home team, won by one goal to none.— z;1 New Brampton v. Queen's Park Rangers: At New Brompton, the home club won by four goals to non,e.-Luton v. Tottenham Hotspur: At Luton, the home side won by one goal to none. Scottish League.—Celtic, three; Aird- srieonians, one.—Third Lanark, seven; Heart of Midlothian, one.—Hibernians, two Kilmar- nock, one.-Port Glasgow Athletic, three; Dundee, two.—Motherwell, one; Partick Thistle, one.—St. Mirren v. Queen's Park was postponed owing to frost and fog. Club Mate,hes.-Corinthians v. Manchester United: At Leyton, the Corinthians won by eleven goals to three.—G. O. Smith's Eleven v. Oxford University: Owing to the Dunn Cup tie and other important amateur matches, this game at Ludgrove was postponed.—Liverpool v. Millwall: At home, Liverpool won by five goals to one.-Casuals. v. Old Malvernians: At Tufnell Park, Casuals won by two goals to one. -Clapton v. Sitting-bourne: At Upton, this match was abandoned owing to frost. HOOKEY. Whites beat Colours by one goal to nothing in the Western Counties trial match at Weston- super-Mare on Saturday. After the game the team to represent the West against the South at Surbiton on December- 10 was selected as follows:—H. W. Brown, Gloucestershire, goal; n, A. M. Parker, Gloucestershire, and A. A. Jenkins, Gloucestershire, backs; C. R. Cole, Gloucestershire, A. E. B. Gregory, Somerset, and W. Sim, Somerset, half-backs; A. Taylor, Gloucestershire, J. Butland, Gloucestershire, A. W. R. Cheales, Gloucestershire, T. Pethick, Somerset, and M. K. Davis, Gloucestershire, forwards. MONDAY'S "SOCCER." The field was slippery at Tottenham on Mon- day when the Cambridge University Eleven and the Hotspur played a drawn game of two goals each. Cambridge had practically their best side, while Leach-Lewis, the old Cambridge Blue, appeared at half for the 'Spurs. It was good, bright football, and evenness marked the game. H. V. Farnfield scored for Cambridge just before the interval. In the second half the 'Spurs quickly equalised, one of the visitors halves putting the ball through his own goal. Then -came a goal by O'Hagan for the 'Spurs, and another by G. L. M'ellin for Cambridge. There were several thousand' people present. In an exhibition game at Craven Cottage Ground, Fulham, the home side scored two goals to none again Everton. There was a goal in each half. Everton took things rather leisurely, but on the slippery turf it was impos- sible to play particularly well.

Colonel Sir John Farquharson, late R.E., -who was for several years Director-General of the Ordnance Survey of the United Kingdom, has been selected by the Secretary of State to proceed to India., to sit as member of the committee which is about to be assembled to inquire into the subject of the local survey arrangements.

■■ ■■-— ———————— — I A GRAND DUKE'S WILL. I INTERESTING PROVISIONS. The late Grand Duke of Mecklenburg's personal estate in the United Kingdom has been valued at £ 83,800. Ona passage of his will reads: "We bequeath to our dear Consort H.R.H. and Love the Grand Duchess (Princess Augusta Caroline of Great Britain, sister of the late Duke of Cam- bridge), whom we at this stage once more thank with all our hearts for the love and fidelity that she has at all times shown, and also for her invariable affection, as the share of the estate due to her by virtue of her appointment as heiress, and whilst waiving that which has been made over to her under the marriage settlement, an annuity for life of thalers 20,000 marks 60,000." The Grand Duke desired that arrangements should be made for a courtier or chamberlain to manage the affairs of the Grand Duchess, and, reciting the wills of his father and grandfather, he expressed the opinion that in the event of a change in the Constitution it would be desirable that the Grand Ducal property should remain vested in his successors in title. He desired that in tha event of war or insurrection or other danger, the family trust funds should be deposited in the Bank of England. The present Grand Duke is the residuary legatee, but there are substantial bequests to other relatives, and a sum of thirty million marks is to be set aside and known as the Der Bhnde Hausschatz" (The Perpetual Family Fund). Concerning his funeral the Grand Duke states "As regards our funeral, we desire that the same shall be carried out in the same manner as was in the case of our father, the Grand Duke Georg of blessed memory, both as regards the lying-in- state of our earthly remains in the shurch belong- ing to the Castle of Neu Streliti, and their con- veyance to Mirow and interment in our Ducal family vault, and the colonels or staff officers who with drawn swords will keep watch in the Castle church to the right and left of the crown of our head shall appear in Mecklenburgish uniform and be of ^Mecklenburgish nobility, we desire to be dressed in Mecklenburish military uniforms, deco- rated with the two diamond stars Of the Orders of the Garter and Bath, with the ribbon of the Order of the Wendish Crown, and the claims of the Orders of the Garter and of the Wendish Crown. The mantle of the Knights of the Order of the Garter shall be spread over the coffin, and shall cover it entirely and from the feet upwards as far as the stars of the Orders. The lying-in-state having terminated, my body shall be divested of all these decorations, and we desire to be taken to Mirow exactly as my late father of blessed memory, dressed in evening dress, as we used to appear at Court, and with the simple star of the Order of the Wendish Crown pinned to the black dress coat and the blue ribbon of the Order of tho Garter under the waistcoat."

I —————— i GREAT JEWEL ROBBERY. i A COLONEL GAGGED. Eairly on Monday morning it was discovered that a daring jewellery robbery in Clerkenwe-11 had taken place, accompanied by the' gagging and binding of a member of tine firm of Messrs! J. J. Stockall and Sons (Limited), who was res- cued from a position of torture after two nights aiwi one day. The victim, Colonel Thomas Stockall, of the 21st Middlesex Rifle Volunteers, states that, the robbers were three in number, and the outrage was committed at three o'clock on Saturday afternoon, an hour when the jewellery establish- ment was nominally closed. Two of the gang entered and asked to be shown some jewellery which. on two previous occasions they had in- spected with a view to purchase. Although he was alone, in the shop, Colonel Stockall's suspi- cions were not aroused, as the men were well dressed and, well spoken. In his office, into which he invited his customers, he was suddenly confronted with a revolver held to his head by one of the men, and the keys of the safe were demanded from him. As he refused; to deliver them up he was felled by a. heavy blow and gagged and bound1, while the keys were taken from his pocket. After the three robbers had plundered the safe and the whole premises, Colonel Stockall was left a prisoner pinioned by the arms and legs to a partition in the warehouse. His mouth was gagged with a piece of a dress shirt which he intended to wear that evening. His boots were removed so that he could not stamp his feet and arouse the attention of passers by. The discovery of the outrage was made by a packer employed by the finm at, eight o'clock on Monday morning. The doors of three la,rge safes were wide open and their shelves and walls were bare. A groan attracted the packer's at- tention, and at the end of the warehouse he. found his employer bound to a showcase, his hands and feet tied, and a gag across his mouth. Mr. Evan Jones, a surgeon, of Goswell-road, was called in, and Colonel Stockall was removed to his surgery. Besides suffering from shock and exposure, he bore severe weals on his wrists, ankles, and legs. From Colonel Stockall's narrative it appears that a man called at the shop one night about a fortnight ago and asked Colonel Stockall, who was alone in the shop at the time, whether it was too late to buy a gold watch. Colonel Stockall asked him to call in business hours, and said that he would try to satisfy him. On Monday of last week the man came again with .another man, and the colonel said that he would be pleased to show the goods required at a reasonable hour. The goods asked for were, he was told, for presenta- tion. The men spoke of going to another shop, but ultimately .arranged to call again, on Satur- day afternoon. On Thursday of last week they came again and paid a depos-it of £ 5 on a watch, the inscription for which they would ar- range on Saturday. On Saturday the man who had first come called again soon, after three .o'clock. The colonel was alone, and went out for half a minute to post a letter. On his return the second man had come in. They all went to the warehouse, where a pendant worth £ 40 was selected. They then went into the office, when one of the men pulled out a revolver, and said, "Time is short, I want the keys of the safe." The colonel said, "If you want to shoot me you had better do so at once, and have done with it." The reply was, "We do not want to shoot you. We have, not come for murder. We only want the stuff that is in the safe." A third man of the gang then entered the shop. Their attitude be- came more threatening, and one of them struck Colonel Stockall on the. head, causing him to drop into a chair semi-conscious. He was then bound. The keys of the is-afe were taken from his pocket, and the safe and cases were ransacked. After the thieves had gone the colonel managed to force the gag out of his mouth and shouted, but nobody came. Later on Sunday he became unconscious, and remained so until the packer released him. It is understood that 'Colonel Stockall's description of his assailants agrees with certain descriptions in the possession of the police. The value of the stolen property is esti- mated roughly at £ 5,000.

ADVENTURES OF A LIFEBOAT. News has reached Queenstown of the safe arrival at St. John (New Brunswick) from Aalesund, Norway, of the lifeboat Uraad, after three months' and nine days' encounter with the waves on the Atlantic. The boat was on her way to New York en route for the St. Louis Exhibi- tion to compete for a prize. During the passage she was fired on by a Norwegian fishing vessel in mistake for a whale, was nearly sunk by an ocean steamer off Belle Isle, was dismasted in a hurricane, and was five weeks drifting help- lessly at the mercy of the elements. She narrowly escaped being dashed ashore on the ledges of St. John during a blizzard. The crew of four men suffered great hardships. The vessel fras built like a torpedo-boat, with a glass conning tower.

I BIRMINGHAM CATTLE SHOW. I I THE KING'S REMARKABLE SUCCESS. I The show which opened at Bingley Hall on Saturday is the 56th of the series, and also one of the largest which has ever been held there. Nearly all the leading stock-breeders of the kingdom were represented. The King was not less successful with his eight entries of Hereford, j Shorthorn, and Devon cattle, and his three pens of Southdown sheep, than he was a year ago. The cattle came first in the catalogue, and there were 201 entries in the twenty-nine classes, the Herefords coming first. Lord Llangattock won the extra prize of Y.50 for the best of the breed. The King, who won this prize last year, came very near to doing so again, for he was awarded first prize for the best of the Hereford heifers, but Lord Llangattock just beat him. The King's two- year-old steer was commended. The King did still better in the two next breeds, for he won two ont of the three first prizes in the Shorthorn classes, and all three in the Devon classes, taking, as a matter of course, the two special prizes for the best of each breed. In other words, his Majesty, with eight entries, won six first prizes, the two other entries being highly commended, while he also won two of the three special prizes with a Shorthorn and a ¡ Devon. The King's victories did not come to an I end here, for his two best, the Shorthorn and Devon steers, were in the forefront of the struggle for the supreme honours of the challenge cups. The judges had a hard task before them, as the merits of the principal competitors were very even, but after a long deliberation they narrowed the issue down to Mr. T. B. Earle's cross-bred heifer and the King's Devon steer. The former, a beautiful combination of Shorthorn and Aberdeen Angus, was a full hundredweight heavier than the Devon. No doubt this told with the judges, for they gave the preference to Mr. Earle's heifer, who accordingly took the Eikington and Thorley Cups. She was not, however, eligible to win the Webb Cup, one of the conditions of which is that the winning animal shall have been bred by the ex- hibitor. This cup was secured by the King's Devon, wh;ch also won the Breeders' Champion Prize of £ 25. and thus completed a very remarkable series of successes for the Windsor Royal Farms. His Majesty did equally well with the sheep from Sandringham, as the three pens of Southdowns which he sent all won prizes, the Cooper Challenge Cop of 25gs. being awarded to the shearling wethers which won the champion prize at Norwich, and which will, no doubt, be seen at the Smithfield ¡ Club Show next week.

I GAMEKEEPERS AND POACHERS. 1 I FATAL AFFRAY NEAR SCARBOROUGH. I A poaching affray occured late on Friday night I of last week at Ganton, near Scarborough. While four gamekeepers were patrolling Sir A. Legard's East Yorkshire estate they came upon three poachers, and a desperate affray ensued, in which shots were fired on both sides. One of the keepers named Thomas Atkinson received a charge full in the face, from which he died on Saturday morning. Another keeper named Thomas Gamble was shot in the abdomen, and had his head split open by a gun stock. Late last night he was still unconscious. A third keeper named Morrison received injuries from the butt end of a gun. The fourth keeper, Wildon, laid about him so vigorously that the poachers even- tually made off, but all three were arrested early on Saturday morning when entering Scar- oorough. Their names are William and. Charles H-ovington, father and son, and Thos. Dobson, of Scarborough. The three prisoners were seriously injured during the conflict, two suffering from shot wounds, and all from wounds on the head. Three of the keepers- were in the employ of Mr. Pickering, and the fourth employed by Sir A. Legard. A quantity of game had been taken from the estates recently, and the keepers were in- structed to keep a strict watch. The three men were taken to Malton, and were brought before the Malton Bench on Saturday evening and remanded.

I RELICS OF KING CHARLES. A valuable collection of personal effects and relics of King Charles 1. has been pfaced in the Whitehall Museum by Mr. P. Berney Ficklin, the owner of the well-known blue silk vest which for some time past has been on view in the same institution. The latest additions include cornelian seal, several memorial snuff-boxes, one of which is made from the wood of the scaffold on which the monarch was beheaded, loyalist badges, coins commemorating the sieges of Newark and Pontefract, and a curious miniature of the King, with sixteen transparencies representing his Majesty in a variety of costumes. There are also a miniature on ivory of Queen Henrietta Maria, a gold- mounted ring of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Charles I., an ivory snuff-box with a model of Archbishop Laud on the lid, a gold memorial ring of King Charles, with a lock of his hair, and a gold locket.

Two German soldiers have been sentencea each to five years' hard labour for disarming a non-commissioned officer who had wounded several persons with a sword at a public ball. Out of 350 girls employed in a knitting mill in New York State 200 married last year, and the proprietors are advertising for young women who are not eager to undertake matrimony.

MR. BALFOUR ON UNIONISM. 1 The Right Hon. A. J. Balfour was the prin- cipal guest on Monday evening at the annual banquet of the Knights Imperial of the Prim- rose League in London. The health of Mr. Balfour was proposed by Sir Edward Clarke. Mr. Balfour, in replying, said he had a distinct recollection of the conversations and encouragement which he received from his friend' Sir Edward Clarke on becoming Leader ¡ of the House of Commons. Continuing, he I said I believe I have been Leader of the House of Commons for a longer period at any one stretch than any politician in this country since I the passing of the great Reform Bill in 1832. This task would have been impossible, except with the help of the loyal and affectionate sup- port which has never been denied me, a support which has given me in times of difficulty, difficulties from foreign affairs, difficulties from stress of war, difficulties from the special circumstances which have marked the last two years of our fortune as a party. With regard to the future, I entertain no more doubt of our success than I do of the great and immutable laws of nature. Depend upon it, it is to the Unionist party that the future belongs, because it is we and we alone who realise the problems before the country and before this Empire. May I give one piece of advice to those whom I now have the honour of addressing in the year which marks the coming of age of the great society to which we belong? The Primrose League is now twenty-one years old. It is almost bewildering to look back upon the series of problems which the Unionist party has had to face during that time, problems from, which it has always emerged triumphantly. Let us look back upon those twenty-one years—chequered but vic- torious—and let us look with fearless eyes cn the future. If I had any criticism to pass upon the method in which we carry out the perennial controversy with our political apponents it is that our friends in the country, in carrying on their battles in their respective districts, are I too apt to adopt defensive rather than offen- sive tactics. We have nothing to be ashamed of in the past. I venture to say that in the history of this Government and its predecessor, I it will be said that more great measures have been passed for the benefit of the community I than by any Government of which history has record. Ireland, the strengthening of the army I and navy, education, temperance-I will not go through the list-the action of the Government in regard to these questions proves surely that we may hold' up our heads before the ploughers of the sands who made their apology in 1895. Surely it is not for us to adopt an apologetic tone. Do not let us cower behind walls. Let us remind the constituencies that there is a party which, by what it has done, not merely by what it has professed, has earned the grati- tude of every citizen of the Empire, and that there is another party which has talked a treat deal, which in several years of Opposition as never found time to construct a policy, but has yet found time to hamper us in moments of ,great stress—a party which has never made a suggestion calculated to cement the Empire of which we are members or to do anything material in those series of social reforms of which the Liberal party has been talking for fifty years.

A SPORTING PAUPER'S DAY OUT. f At a meeting of the Guardians of the Eton I Workhouse on Tuesday the master reported that he had found two pounds seven shillings in the possession of a man named Sturgess, who had been an inmate of the house for over twenty years. There was also found on him a letter showing he made bets with a firm in Brussels. Mr. Baxter, one of the Guar- dians, stated that Sturgess had a bank-book, and had had as much as five pounds on a horse at a time. When he left the house for a few hours he put on a different suit of clothes. Mr. Baxter said he sincerely trusted that would be the last day on which the workhouse should harbour a man who could afford to go to Ascot and plank down a fiver on a horse. The action of the work- house master in taking away from the man the money he found on him for use as a contribution towards his maintenance was approved.

I LORD KELVIN AT GLASGOW. Lord Kelvin, speaking after his installation as Chancellor of Glasgow University on Tuesday, said it had been a great pleasure to him that day to confer the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws upon Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, and all the distinguished men presented by the Senate as worthy of that honour. He was a child of Glasgow, having lived in it for sixty-seven years. His father, born in Co. Down, was for four years a Glasgow University student, and in his Irish home, as first Professor of Mathematics in the newly-founded Royal Belfast Academical Institution, his children were taught to venerate Glasgow University. The honorary degree was conferred, among others, in addition to Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, on Signer Marconi and Mr. Graham Murray, Secretary for Scotland.

I BIRTH-RATE OF CELEBRITIES. .1 A steady fall in the birth-rate of men of talent is, according to the "Century," met with in going from New England westward. While in New England out of every 100,000 births 54 are those of men of talent in New York that number j falls to 34; in Ohio to 19, in Indiana to 11; in Illinois to ten in Missouri to six; in Kansas to two; in Colorado to one. In the case of such Western States as Kansas, Colorado, Ne- braska, Minnesota, and the Dakotas the ex- treme paucity of men of talent is in part ex- plained by a lack of suitable means of education for the present generation.

I KING LEOPOLD'S JAPANESE CASTLE The King of the Belgians (says "Vanity Fair") has lately built an extraordinary tower for himself near the castle of Laeken. It is in Japanese style. There are five storeys, and the door is wonderfully carved, and comes from the Japanese exhibition in Paris. TI-e door leads into a hall with shaded light from coloured windows, which represent Japan at peace and Japan at war. The furniture is all of the most costly description. Recently the king entered the tower, and gave the command that from henceforth no one was to be allowed to enter it. The tower is guarded by gendarmes and soldiers, who keep everyone at a distance.

====== Of European nations the Norwegians and Swedish are the longest lived, the Spaniards the shortest. According to a fdreign statistical return recently issued, the average duration of life is as follows; Sweden and, Norway, fifty years; England, forty-five years and three months; Belgium, forty-four years and eleven months; Switzerland, forty-four years and four months; France, forty-three years and six months; Austria, thirty-nine years and eight months; Prussia and Italy, thirty-nine years; Bavaria, thirty-six years; and Spain, thirty-two rears and four months.

ART AND LITERATURE. Professor Firth, editing in The Academy," sa* s: In England the publication of materials has out- stripped the capacity of our historial workmen to utilise them. If the story of our country is to be rightly told, the work needs the co-operation of many hands, above all of many skilled hands. At present there is no place in England where men are properly trained for that work. They do very little at Oxford to train men for it; Oxford pro- duces few historians, and few genuine students of history. At Puttick and Simpson's rooms in London the other day there was sold to Mr. Sabin for £ 51 the copy of Tennyson's The Victim," printed in 1867 at Canford Manor by the amateurs, Sir Ivor Bertie Guest, now Lord Wimborne, his mother, and two sisters. A well-known private collector was the under bidder. The quarto is in its original bind- ing of limp red morocco, lettered The Victim in gold on the front cover, and on the fly-leaf is the inscription: To the Rev. W. Barnes, with Montague Guest's compliments. Jan. 12, 1868." A scatue to Barnes, the Dorsetshire poet, who so admirably used the dialect of his own country, was erected some time ago in the main street of Dorchester. The last copies of The Victim to occur at auction were at the Crampton sale in 1896, when one made £ 75, and in 1890 the example in the library of Sir Edward Sullivan brought £ 32. Miss Helen Zimmern has been interviewing Signor Salvini for the same enterprising periodical. The great actor, who is contemplating an Ameri- can tour, appears to have delivered himself very unkindly with regard to his countryman, the author of Paolo and Francesca." He declared I that D'Annunzio was" no playwright," though he had a great command of language. The Duse, ta his opinion, had been quite spoilt by him aud in reply to a suggestion of the lady interviewer i that it was the actress's mature age which spoiled her impersonation of Francesca the veteran cited the success of his old comrade Ristori in the part, and laid the blame wholly on the dramatist. All D'Annunzio's plays were condemned as unnatural and unreal in language and feeling. "D'Annunzio is a man who wants to show he can write, that he is erudite. He does not know human nature." Later on in the interview Salvini was induced to talk admiringiy of his son Gustavo, among whose best parts he enumerated Hamlet and Othello. The actor who is about to face once more American audiences and to undertake the ordeal of playing S with an American leading lady is seventy- eight. It has been said of our Royal visitor that if he were surprised alone he might be discovered read- ing Shakespeare in Portuguese, translated by him- I self, for he has thus converted several of the plays of his favourite poet. King Carlos has inherited I his father's tastes and talents, the late King Louis having published translations of at least three of Shakespeare's plays. Of Hamlet," originally published in 1877, a second edition appeared in 1880. O Mereador de Veneza appeared in 1879 and Ricardo III."—a translation in prose- appeared a year later. There is a world of delight in The Little Folks' Picture Album," byS.H. Hamer (Cassell and Com- pany, Limited). It is delightful enough, indeed, to fascinate even big folk, and the forty-eight coloured plates are as well produced as anything we have seen this year. There are verses and stories and pictures of life indoors andbut, and as a book with something of everything, and something for every- body, we have not seen many better things for a I long time. Destined, presumably, for some great European Museum—and we know no reason why our own National Gallery should not be its lasting home- is a picture of high importance, brought lately out of Spain by a Parisian dealer-a master-work, we are assured, of El Greco—that remarkable artist of Greek origin, who practised in the Peninsula, Ii but was inspired often by Tintoret. The subject is an Assumption of the Virgin. The picture was painted for the Church of Santo Domingo el Antigo, at Toledo—a city that holds the sama. painter's Parting of our Lord's Ra-iineot"—and, in later years, it was in the collection of Don Sebastian de Bourbon. As it has actually been shown in the Prado. it is probable that it would by this time have passed into the possession of the Spanish Government had funds allowed. The additions which have been made to the collection in the Walker Art Gallery by purchases from the Liverpool Autumn Exhibition are of reasonable importance. They include Mr. Arnesby Brown's excellent picture, "The Bridge," "The Lonely Watch "by Richard Wane, Mr. Alexander I Roche's Nancy," and a landscape by Mr. T. H. Mayan, which was in the recent Salon. Such a selection does credit to the catholicity of the Pur- chasing Committee, and implies a desire to secure for the permanent gallery works which adequately represent very divergent schools. I At the Bourgeois sale at Cologne an important purchase was made for the Louvre-a well-known painting, The Enthronement of St. Isidore," formerly in a church in Vallaiolid, and ascribed without much doubt to Luis Dalman, a painter known to have been associated with the brothers Van Eyck, and to have worked about the year 1445. This picture and another by the same artist at Barcelona are among the most valuable evi- dences of the beginnings of the Spanish School, and though the Louvre is to be congratulated on its acquisition one cannot help feeling that the j picture ought to have gone to Spain. By the sale of the building in which for the past twenty-one years the work of the Herkomer J School of Art has been carried on, the last chapter of the history of a remarkable institution has been completed. What is to be the use to which the school will be put in the future has not been J stated, but presumably there is no idea of pre- < serving it as an educational centre. Nothing, how- I ever, can diminish the significance of the record cf the place. It proves in a very definite manner what results are attainable by a well-organised in- stitution directed by an artist whose enthusiasms 1 are controlled by sincere conviction and it shows the value of a personal influence in art teaching. The school has given us many artists of undeni- able ability, and though it no longer exists, there I can be no question as to the vitality of its beat J traditions. It is said that the King is taking a keen personal interest in the preparation of Queen Victoria's correspondence during the early years of her reign. The work will necessarily be of the highest interest as a contribution to the history of the nation. With the winding-up of the Amicable Library at Lancaster a venerable and useful local literary in- il stitute disappears after an existence of 150 years. The society owns about 14,000 books, many being reference volumes of a very valuable kind. Records show that the first book ordered was "Yorick's Sentimental Journey." This was on December 9, 1769; but on the 27th of the same month the book was sold for 2s. lid., or about I half its purchase price. The Critical Memoirs I of Sir David Dalrymple and Butler's" Hudibras" were ordered on September 12, 1770, but they were not delivered until May 6 of the following year. The establishment of a public library in the town has, it is understood, brought about the end of the Amicable." In "A History of British Poetry" (Gay and | Bird) the Rev. F. St. John Corbett, M.A., F.R.S.L., i has attempted a somewhat ambitious task, and one in which, notwithstanding some minor defects, i he has been largely successful. Its chief merit is 1 that, within the compass of a single volume, it gives biographical details of most British poets ¡ worthy of mention, from the earliest times to the beginning of the present century, with examples of I their style, and criticisms from sources recognised as the best. This is the first time that a complete I' history of British poetry has been laid before the public in so concise a form, and Mr.Corbatt has evi- dently bestowed much labour and research in its compilation. It would be easy to find fault with Mr. I Corbett's classification of poets under the headings I of "greater" and minor," but probably no two scholars would entirely agree on this point, and the author is quite as well qualified as most scholars to form an opinion on the subject. We would suggest that in the new edition which will doubt- less be called for, the names of Hannah More, William and Mary Howitt, George Gilfillan, John Stuart Blackie, Henry Glassord Bell, Tobias Smollett, Agnes Strickland, Robert Buchanan, and Eric Mackay might well find a place.

Tru pilosophy, like tru philanthropy, is work ov deeds, not words.

Prohamy one of the oddest claims ever made on a bank is recorded as having been made against the National Bank of Belgium. An old peasant woman had laid on the grass a jacket containing bank-notes of small denomination for £ 48 in the pocket, and while she was at work her pet nanny-goat had got at the notes, which it had eaten. The animal was killed, and the chewed paper recovered from the stomach was submitted in support of a claim for compensation, which the-bank paid after verifying the facts by chemical analysis and other inquiry.

I EXCITING I-IOTEL FIRE. .Exciting scenes occurred at a fire which broke at- the South Nutfield Railway Hotel on Satur- day night, the extensive premises being burnt out at the South Nutfield Railway Hotel on Satur- day night, the extensive premises being burnt fto the ground. The outbreak was discovered by Mrs. Cartwright the mother-in-law of the license-holder, Mr. A. Scott, who immediately !or, raised an alarm. The whole of the bed-rooms were soon enveloped in flames, and the household had to make their escape in their night attire. Mrs. Scott had lately undergone a serious operation, and was carried out of bed by her husband, who, rushing through the blinding smoke, Jiiade his way to the snow-covered lawn. Mr. Whittaker, the stationmaster, breaking through a fence, went to the assistance of Mrs. Scott, and carried her to his house. Joining the landlord, he then roused the whole of the inmates. A young man made an endeavour to stop the flames spreading with buckets of water, when a rafter gave way, and threw him on to the 36bris. He managed to extricate himself, but was burnt and otherwise injured about the legs. The Redhill Fire Brigade were quickly on the spot, but were unable to save much of the property. The damage is estimated at ZZSGOO.

I SCOTTISH CHURCH SEIZED. CONGREGATION LOCKED OUT. The Free Churchmen of Scotland have forcibly seized the Larcbosfc and Crossbost Free Church, in Lewis. They demanded the keys from the minister, the Rev. W. Calder, and, on his refusing, they broke the windows, and, after gaining admis- sion, put new locks on the doors. A strand scene was also witnessed on Sunday at Coatbridge, where members of the same body had decided to take formal possession of the Free Church, hither- to occupied by the United Free sect. A circular was issued to all Free Church adherents by the Kirk Session on Friday of last week, and on Sun- day about 150 worshippers assembled. The keys were in the keeping of the United Free Church, whose officials refused to give them up. The United Free Churchmen did not attempt to worship in the building, but held a service in the Young Men's Christian Association Hall, while the Free Church minister conducted a service of about 10 minutes in the roadway opposite the edifice. There was no disturbance, but further legal proceedings are likely to follow.

I TriT.T?T7!R. TO P»T? A WTill! Even the Government cannot get its drafts honoured unless proper notice is given to the bank. Failure to observe this business formality has caused an amusing incident in Ireland. A land- lord was entitled to £ 7000 under land purchase, and duly received a draft on the Bank of Ireland. But was astonished to find it returned by the bank, marked Refer to drawer." The Government officials have since taken the proper steps, and the draft has been met.

WEDDING OF LADY CURZONS SISTER. SISTER. Miss Nancy Carver Leiter, sister of Lady Curzon, was married at noon on Tuesday to Major Colin Powys Campbell, of the Indian Army, at the residence of the bride's mother in Washington. The wedding was a quiet one owing to the recent death of Mr. Levi Zeigler Leiter, the bride's lather. The Earl of Suffolk acted as best man, while Miss Daisy Leiter was bridesmaid to her sister. I

NATURE NorrES. I A WHITE WATER HEN. A white variation of the common water-hen, killed at Stour, Dorset, last month, has been received at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington. MARVELLOUS CHRYSANTHEMUM. A chrysanthemum exhibited at the World's Fair flower show, St. Louis, contained thirty-four different varieties of blooms grafted on to one bush, and all healthy. A GOLD-FISH FARM. Failing to make his farm pay in the ordinary way, an;enterprising American at Waldron, Indiana, abandoned agriculture and turned his fields into a series of ponds, where he now breds gold-fish on an immense scale, drawing a handsome income from his novel industry. VIPERS IN PARLIAMENT. State archives are a strange nesting-place for reptiles, but the Library of the House of Peers in Lisbon has just been found to harbour a brood of vipers. The "Newcastle Chronicle" corres- pondent states that the librarian had occasion, a few days ago, to reach down some ponderous old volumes from a shelf, when he placed hisliand full on the vipers, of which there were seven, large and small. The reptiles escaped into an adjoining corridor, and created much consternation among members of the Upper House, until they had all been killed, after a battue by the ushers. THE UBIQUITOUS ONION. I The uses of onions are many. Sometimes they are quite mirth provoking. This one, for instance, i is strange but true, the writer is told, and it is a secret worth knowing—onions, we all know, do not add to the sweetness of the breath, though they add to the fragrance of flowers. Let any of our lady readers plant a large onion near a rose bush so as to touch its roots, a,nd they will find it will increase the odour of the flowers, also the water distilled from these roses will be far superior to any other. AN INSECT MENAGERIE. A distinguished entomologist in Paris proposes to instal a, menagerie of insects at the Jardiu des Plantes. He is very proud of a spider from Brazil, which he has kept in a cheese for eight months, and of a cheerful creature with a trian- gular head, which will be glad, no doubt, to make the spider's acquaintance. For it is intended that in the menagerie the insects shall all dwell together in a glass case. There will be perpetual war, of course, but the spectacle will console the Parisians for the lack of exciting news from Manchuria. The slaughter will be great," says a sympathetic observer, but the well-known fecundity of in- sects will fill up the gaps caused by the pitched battles." SAVING SNOW DON. As a result of the resistance offered by local authorities, on the score of danger to scenery, to the projected railway from Snowdon to Bettws-y- Coed, a compromise has been arrived at. With regard to the Swallow Falls, it is agreed that the proposed tunnel of 155 yards should be increased in length to 275 yards, the line to be laid for the remainder of the distance in a cutting to be screened by planting and rough walling. This, it was claimed, would protect the cliffs from disfigurement. The District Council asked for a level crossing over the road near Pont-y-Pair, in the village, rather than a bridge 20ft. high and an embankment, and this the promoters agreed to. The Board of .Trade afterwards accepted the settlement of the parties, subject to clauses to be drafted. SHIP'S PETS. Lieut. C. E. Chapman, R.N.. tells some amus- ing stories of pets on board our men-of-war in the Pall Mall Magazine." In spite of all the poets have sung of the jolly and roving life of a sailor, his existence, especially in these days of machinery, is really a somewhat monotonous one. Every hour of his day is mapped out for him in a round of never varying routine, and he is surrounded by an atmosphere of strict discipline. It is little wonder, then, that he welcomes any- thing which will appeal to the human side of his nature, and prevent him from developing into a mere machine. To Jack, his pets are not only his friends, but creatures which, being exempt from the very necessary conditions imposed upon him- self, are regarded in the same light as the privi- leged Court Jester licensed to introduce an element of fun and humour where all is grave and formal. A DOG'S PRACTICAL JOKE. Mr. Arthur J. Hawkes, of Bournemouth, contri- butes to Nature the following story of a practi- cal joke played by a dog: A friend of mine, Mr. W., owns a Manchester terrier, of which he is very fond, and for that reason receives rather more than doggy attention. The dog passes most of his time in the library, where a basket and rug are provided for him, but he prefers, when it is possible, to take possession of his master's easy chair. A short time ago I had occasion to call on Mr. W.. and the dog was, as usual, occupying the chair, from which he was removed to his basket. He showed his resentment of this disturbance of his slumbers by becoming very restless. Presently he trotted over to the door, which he rattled by pushing with his nose, his usual method of attract- ing attention when he wished to go out. His master immediately rose and opened the door, but instead of the dog going out he rushed back and jumped into the chair his master had just vacated The rapid wagging of his tail and the expression on his face showed the dog to be very pleased with the result of his ruse. The dog has repeated the same joke once or twice since, with much evident delight to himself. RUS IN URBE. To feel the sequestered stillness of a London garden, observes Country Life," is to obtain rest such as nowhere else is found, because rest, after all, is as much a matter of imagination as actual cessation from labour, and the very con- sciousness of the activity from which one has made a momentary escape gives a zest to repose of which the simple woodland is not capable. Again, the London trees have incomparable human associa- tions. Take, for instance, the fine old mulberry tree in the grounds of the house at Chelsea which was formerly the residence of Sir Thomas More. It requires to be tied and propped now because of the infirmities of old age but who could look at it and not recall the fact that the author of Utopia had his favourite seat in its shade, and there, as a matter of fact, was resting when, at the command of Henry VIII., he was committed to the tower. OTTERS AS PETS. No one who has felt the sharp teeth of an otter is ever likely to forget it. They bite upon the smallest provocation, and they bite to good-or, rather, bad-purpose. Yet it is possible to make pets of otters. They become in time quite domesticated. All the same, it is not wise to handle them, however good the relations may be between you. My tame otter," says Mr. Bristow Noble in an article in the "Shooting Times's" Christmas number, is a great pet, being very affectionate, and withal gentle and good- mannered. But, although it will nestle round my legs and climb up into my arms, I would not attempt to handle it as I handle my terrier." Mr. Noble has had his otter ever since, as a wee mite, it was deserted by parents and brothers and sisters in a ".holt" (i.e., otter's nest) on the River Ribble. Young otters are queer little objects- greyish, with white bellies, rather stumpy tails short legs, fat, rounded bodies, sparkling eyes, and whiskered muzzles. This little lone creature seemed pleased to have fallen into the hands of one who could take proper care of it, and satisfy, even at that time, its prodigious appetite. Now it will sit up and beg, and even follow its master about the country. But no amount of union with man can deprive it of its hereditary love for the river. Day and night it must be kept in confine- ment or under guard, or on every possible oppor- tunity it wanders away to the nearest stream, in- ttmct showing the way.