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

THE REVENUE. I The receipts on account of Revenue from April 1, 1904, when there was a balance of £ 4,263,842, to December 3, 1904, were £ 79,045,219, against £ 81,636,959 in the corre- sponding period of the preceding financial year, which began with a balance of £ 6,637,127. The net expenditure was £ 92,581,287, against £ 95.0,)6,434 to the same date in the previous year. The Treasury balances on December 3, 1904, amounted to 94891,264, and at the same date in 1903 to £4,317,924.

New halfpenny stamps have just been issued from the General Post Office. The design on the stamps is the same as before, but it is printed in a much paler green. "Cosmos" describes an automatic, or penny-in- the-slot wash-stand or "lavabo," for the use of soldiers and for public institutions.

DEATH OF LORD HOBHOUSE. I Lord Hobhouse died on Tuesday at his London house, a month after attaining his eighty-fifth year. A Chancery barrister by pro- fession, Mr. Arthur Hobhous2, as he then was, became a Q.C. in 1862, and ten years later was appointed legal member of the Council of the Viceroy of India, retiring in 1877 with a K.C.S.I. For fourteen years he was unpaid member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and was a member of the School Board and of the London County Council. The peerage, which was given him in 1885, expires with his death. He was the uncle of Miss Emily Hobhouse, who earned some notoriety during the Boer war, and was deported from South Africa.

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S MESSAGE. I President Roosevelt's annual message was sub- mitted to Congress on Tuesday. The President deprecates extravagance in national expenditure. In regard to the relations between capital and labour, he holds that wage-earners have an en- tire right to organize, but any attempt bv a labour union to achieve improper ends must be resolutely opposed. He advocates a stringent employers liability law. As to trusts, great cor- porations are necessary, but such corporations should be managed with due regard to the in- terests of the public as a whole, and the law should be supplemented to ensure this. After pel erring to social problems, agriculture, irriga- tion, and forests, and urging reform of the cur- rency, the President recommends the encourage- ment of the merchant marine by appropriate legislation. Dealing with foreign affairs, the message points out that foreign policy must de- pend on the attitude which the nation is willing to take towards its army and especially towards its navy. The steady aim of the nation ought to be to strive to bring nearer the day when the peace of justice shall prevail throughout the ,world. Until eome method is devised by which there snail be a degree of international control over offending nations, it would be a wicked thing for the most civilised Powers to disarm. if they did so, the result would be an immediate recrudescence of barbarism in one form or an- other. Ihe President alludes to the arbitration treaties lately negotiated, and to his proposal for a second Hague Congress. As regards the other nations of the Western Hemisphere, he denies that the United States feels any land hun- ger, or entertains any projects as regards those nam on a save such as are for their welfare. The strong arm of the Government in enforcing re- spect for its just rights in international matters is the navy, and he earnestly recommends that there should be no halt in the work of upbuilding it. The experience of the war in the Far East has conclusively shown that the main standby in any navy worth the name must be the great battleships. The message also contains refer- ences to the army, coast defence, and the situa- tion in the Philippines.

STAND UP WHEN FITTING SHOES. People who buy ready-made shoes would find their foot-gear much more comfortable if only they would stand up, instead of sitting down to be fitted," said an experienced salesman. "Nine out of ten customers, especially ladies, want to sit in a comfortable chair all the time they are fitting shoes, and it is with difficulty that one can get them to stand a few minutes, even after the shoe is fitted. Then, when they begin to walk about a little, they wonder why the shoe is less easy than when it was first tried on. The fact is that the foot is smaller when one is sitting than when one is walking about. Exercise brings a larger quantity of blood to the feet, and they swell. The muscles, too, require a certain amount of room. In buying shoes this must be borne in mind, or one cannot hope to be shod comfortably."

I WOMAN'S WORLD. NEW I- HATS. Many new hat models are to be I seen at all the fashionable modistes' for day wear, for the winter models are now all out. The great rage of the season, writes Fanfre- luche from Paris, is poiluchon," which is an exaggerated form of the long silk beaver. Poilu- chon picture-hats, poiluchon toques, poiluchon Marquis hats, are made of every shape, shade, and size. Strange to say, the tricorne, or Marquis, which is so popular, must not be put on straight, or, rather, it must not be turned up in a regular way. The Marquis of the ancien regime wore his tricorne turned up at the back and at the two sides, hut nous avons chang<5 tout cela," and now they are turned up irregularly to suit the face ot the wearer and according to the sweet will of the modiste. Toques are narrow and pointed over the forehead, and I foresee the day when we shall return to the beefeater shape, for the great modiste is making them already of poiluchon crowns and velvet brims. CHANGING STYLES. Dressmakers say that the present styles, or those just coming in, are more favourable to women ot small means than they appear to be at first sight. Certainly more material and more trimmings are needed than formerly, but opportunities for making over and remodeling are many. Gowns of two or more materials are much in vogue, to begin with, and the pelerines, over- skirts, sleeve caps and short boleros afford all sorts of chances to be ingenious. Even the huge sleeve is possible in remodeling, since the elaborate trimpiing, as much as the foundation material, con- tributes to its size. Ruffles are everywhere. They are put on in the old, familiar way, or are turned upward and crosswise, set in squares, disks and diamonds, and otherwise disposed. One sees skirts ruffled to the waist, bodices ruffled all over, and sleeves profusely decorated with ruffles. This does not augur well for the economical woman, but often she can contrive to cut up a half-worn gown into strips, where large pieces would be im- possible: —O • RIBBON. Ribbon seems likely to be one of the most universal of hat trim- mings. Turban brims are wreathed with flat quillings and box plaitings of satin ribbon, so attached as not to increase the size of the hat. Very handsome are the big ball rosettes made of dozens of ends of wide ribbon cut in points. Half a dozen shades are used in one of these rosettes. JACKETS AND OTHER THINGS. Quaint little \jackets of fine crimson cloth, or cashmere, made in the semi-sacque shape, and finished with black silk fringe, lace or passementerie, are being worn in Paris aa supplementary wraps, and are particularly effective with white dresses. A novelty in the shape of a toque; which a fashionable milliner has evolved, is formed entirely of small peaches and foliage fruit and leaves, being both of velvet. So long as voluminous skirts and sleeves endure, shirring will undoubtedly be a favourite device for confining the fulness. INDIVIDUALITY IN DRESS. When you have discovered the individuality of your gown, or hat, keep to it through all the whims of changing fashion but you need not be dowdy or behind the times-there are skilful moderations of the possible and im- possible in fashion. If your eyes are blue, never fail to have a hint of blue somewhere in your dress, it has a marvellously be- coming effect. You need not always and ever appear in blue and dark blue. A scrap of pale blue, of cornflower blue, a blue blouse, blue ribbon in your b$t, all will serve. On the other hand, will you ever see a brown-eyed, brown- haired girl, look prettier than when wearing the colour that tones- with hair ard eyes. The effect is enriching, and makes of the glossy brown locks a picture—inducing beholders who know not the secret to ponder on the beauty of those quiet eyes! There is the girl whom only the picturesque suits. Let her by all means cultivate to the best of her ability and extent of her purse all the loveliest de- signs and materials. The beplumed hat tied with fluffy chiffon strings, softening the outlines of her face, and making even the plain girl—of this parti- cular style—very pretty to look upon. Hers may be the floating filmy veil, the befrilled and belaced frock, the Victorian stvles, and the dozen and one odd accessories of dress which would be only absurdities on her tailor-made sister. Her hair must be softly and loosely dressed, for her no tight braids and smooth coils; in fact, she may be as Early Victorian as ever she likes. Finally, and in conclusion, we do well to understand that the girl or woman who does not make some little study of her appearance, or who neglects the little niceties of diess, even though she is no fashion devotee, is not doing her duty in that state of life to which it has pleased Providence to call her. < AUTOMOBILE FASHIONS. Perhaps the dressiest model is of soft flexible kid in one of those indfl&srminate shades of brown thul are so fashionable for the cloth and velvet costumes that the leading tailors are showingviti such large numbers. Coat and skirt are alike of leather, and the fashionable lines of the Louis Seize mode are followed. The coat follows and cleverly defines the lines of the figures, the usual number of seams appearing, each one piped with suede and finished with several rows of stitching. The feature of the gown is the vest of vetta, a new fur that is really the skin of the un- born or the newly-born calf. The hair on this is almost downy in character, and the alderney mark- ings, a biownish red and a white, are plainly appa- rent. We have seen it in belts, and more rarely in bags, all summer long; but this is about the first instance of its being nS0d)n the dressier garment. The vetta makes the fitted vest that extends a few inches below the waistline, and neat strappings of the fur appear on either side of the vest. The coat proper is seamed almost to the knee, and there the circular volant that so often accompanies this style is applied in irregular scallops. The skirt shows the characteristic French bias seam in the front as well as in the back; and in keeping with the coat there'is a circular volant applied at knee depth, and the hem is faced with the fur with very good effect. The severe style of tailor made is usually the model for costumes, however, and the many changes that are rung on this are in- teresting to note. Coat and skirt suits are the rule, and then one can have a more or less dressy blouse beneath, according to what is to happen at the end of the ride. The loose coat, the semi- fitted coat, and the blouse coat with smart little basquine skirts, are all of them in high favour with the fair mobilist; and the only skirt permitted is that which the French define as the rasterre, the one that clears the ground all around by at least an inch. The velvety-looking ooze calf is a favourite, not only because of its soft surface that is almost universally becoming, but likewise because it takes the softest and most artistic shades in dyeing. All of the browns ars beautiful in this, and there are some dark greens that make one think of woods and mossy banks and other country delights. The cap with a visor, after the pattern of a yachting cap, is often made en suite with the leather cos- tume. For the few that can wear it with good effect there are manyoints of commendation, but it must be generally admitted that the style is an exceedingly trying one, and with such a delightful variety of other suitable headgear to choose from one hopes that the visor cap will soon be left to the men as their sole and undisturbed possession. St CURING A COLD. Go to bed with a little eucalyptus oil upon an old handkerchief (says a writer in the Mirror ") or with a saucerful of the same on a table by the bed. Unconsciously inhaling this during the night will ward off a cold or effeet a cure when the cold is developed. Sufferers from cold feet at night may be kept awake by them. To warm the feet before retiring have two basins of water in the room, one filled with quite cold water, and the other with water as hot as can be borne. Soak the feet in the hot water first and then plunge them into the cold water. Repeat this several times, dry the feet completely with a rough towel, put on bed-socks, and go to bed im- mediately. A hot-water bottle may be added to comDlete the cure.

SMITHFIELD CATTLE SHOW. THE KING WINS TWENTY PRIZES. King Edward's exhibits almost carried every- thing before them at the 106th Smithfield (lub Cattle Show at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, His Majesty's twenty-six entries taking away no fewer than sixteen prizes and four cups. The King, who was accompanied by the Prince of Wales, had a most enthusiastic reception as he entered, the hall punctually at three o'clock, and it was noticed that he was not only looking ,remarkably well, but that he had lost all trace of the stiffness in the knee which was troubling him 'last week. With the King and Prince of Wales were Prince Christian, Lord Portman, Sir Walter Gilbey, and the club officials. King Edward won the iirst prise in each of the Devon classes, as well as the challenge cup presented by himself for the best beast in the show bred by the exhibitor. This was with a Devon steer bred at Windsor, which was also awarded a special silver cup. The King also won the cup presented by the Prince of Wales for the best- pen of three fat wether sheep. With his Here- ford heifer Rosalie the King took another first, and with a two-year-old shorthorn steer he beat the Earl of Rosebery's Radium. In the heifer section, however, the positions were reversed, Lord Rosebery's Jewel beating the King's Windsor heifer Fragrance. A little later the friendly contest between the two farms was renewed in the judging enclosure. The first prize winners in the different sections were paraded for the selection of the best shorthorn, and after a. prolonged consultation Lord Rose- bery carried off the £ 25 silver cup, the King's representative taking second place. In the Kerry, Dexter, and Shetland classes the King took a first, second, and "reserve," a pen of three Southdowns from Sandringham took another first, and a, pen of middle-white pigs was placed first in its class, and given the Breed Cup. In the class for single pigs of any white breed His Majesty's exhibits took both first and second places. The Prince of Wales took a first prize for red-polled heifers, and Mr. R. W. Hudson carried off the Breed Cup in the small cross-bred cattle classes, while the Duchess of Devonshire took a second and third in the Dexter class, as well as a first for Berk- shire pigs. The special prize for the best single pig in the show also went to the King, and the Challenge Cup presented by Prince Christian for the best pen of two pigs was awarded to Mr. Alfred Brown, of Southampton.

THE KING AND QUEEN OF PORTUGAL. DEPARTURE OF THE QUEEN FOR TUJIIA. The King and Queen of Portugal were to have left Buckingham Palace on Monday morn- ing for Welbeck Abbey on a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Portland, and all the arrange ments had been made for their journey, but, owing to the news which was received on Sunday night" as to the grave condition of the Duchess of Aosta in Turin, their Majesties decided at a late hour to postpone their departure. Accord- ingly the Great Northern Railway Company, on whose line their Majesties would have travelled from -cross, were communicated with at about three o'clock on Monday morning and the arrangements for the journey were cancelled. The officials, however, were asked to keep the Roval train in readiness in case it should be re- quired on Tuesday.. The Queen of Portugal, however, left Charing- cross in the afternoon of Monday by the 2.20 Folkestone express for Turin. King Carlos accompanied her to the station, where the Duke of Connaught, attended by Major Malcolm Murray, had already arrived as the representa- tive of King Edward. The Portuguese Minister (who attended her Majesty as far as Boulogne), with several members of the Legation, and Vis- count Churchill and Colonel the Hon. H. C. Legge, specially attached to their Portuguese Majesties' suite by King Edward, were also pre- sent on the platform. The King and Queen of Portugal drove from Buckingham Palace in a closed carriage and arrived at the station five minutes before the departure of the train, to which a Royal saloon had been attached. Both their Majesties shook hands with the Duke of Connaught and the other members of the party, and the Queen took an affectionate farewell of her husband before entering the saloon. The Countess de Seisal, Count da Ribeira Grande, and Don Antonio de Lancastre were in attend- ance on her Majesty. The Queen's intention to travel to Turin was not generally known, and there were in consequence only a few spectators upon the platform. They heartily cheered the Queen of Portugal as the train left the station. King Carlos was accompanied on the return journey to Buckingham Palace by the Duke of Connaught. It was stated officially on Monday evening that slightly better news had been received in London respecting the condition of the Duchess of Aosta, and that King Carlos would, unless disquieting tidings arrived, go to Welbeck. With reference to a report that gamed some currency on Monday, to the effect that King Carlos had been the victim of an accident in the Mall, the Press Association was informed by a member of the Royal suite that the story was a gross exaggeration. It was a fact that there was a cabaecident in the Mall and that King Carlos saw it. That, however, was his Majesty's only connection with the incident. He was at least ten yards away from the vehicles which came into collision. KING CARLOS AT WELBECK. I The road from Worksop to Welbeck Abbey was gorgeously decorated on Tuesday in honour of the visit of the King of Portugal, who is the guest of the Duke of Portland. At the railway station—which was profusely decorated—a guard of honour and band were formed from men of the 4th V.B. Notts and Derby Regiment, while a mounted escort of Sherwood Rangers (I.Y.) accompanied His Majesty on his journey to the abbey. When the King arrived the band played the Portuguese National Anthem, and addresses of welcome were presented from the local authorities. On the arrival of the Queen of Portugal at Turin on Tuesday she was sorely grieved to find the condition of her sister, the Duchess d'Aosta, grave in the extreme, the worst being 0 feared. The Duchess had rallied on Monday, but a. relapse followed, and her private con- fessor was sent for.

TERRIBLE FAMILY TRAGEDY. I "I think we must come to the conclusion that there has been a great deal of domestic unhappi- ness," the coroner commented on Monday at his inquiry into the triple tragedy at Wightman- road, Harringay. The evidence showed that Arthur Yorke, who was in business as an oilman at Charles-street, Hatton-garden, poisoned two of his children- Nansie, aged1 seven, and Charles, aged tivo- with prussic acid, and then committed suicide. He was known to have been passionately fond J of them. The tragedy was discovered on her return by the servant, who had previously been sent out of the house to deliver to the dead man's son, Henry, a lad of sixteen, the following letter My dearest Boy,—I have sent you my watch and chain to keep in memory of your father. I cannot live the terrible life your mother has been leading me for the last seven years. You know what it has been.. Good-bye, my dear boy. God bless you.— From your broken-hearted Father. Mrs. Yorke, in answer to an accusation of assaulting her husband, said she only did it in self-defence, and asserted that her husband drank to excess. It was stated, however, that he had been a teetotaller for the past eighteen months. The jury returned a verdict of Wilful Murder and Suicide during temporary insanity." They attributed the tragedy to domestic trouble.

NATURE NOTES. BIRDS NESTS IN WINTER. With the great majority of birds their nests are in no sense a permanent home, says a writer in the County Gentleman," but only a summer cradle for the eggs and young. When the broods are fledged and the summer is gone they are aban- doned, sometimes only till next season, but more often for ever. When the leaves in England are stripped from the hedges, and the light structures of all the finches and warblers stand out in such strange conspicuousness by the roadside and in the spinney, young and old bird alike are in most instances many miles, or even many hundreds or thousands of miles, distant, and their nests decay, forgotten and neglected by almost every living thing. There are many nests built so delicately of moss and stems, and placed on such short-lived foundations of summer herbage, that the storms and decay of a very few months of winter trail them to earth, and render them indistiguishable from the ruin that litters the soil. Others, especially those firmly built of sticks, or with a solid core of clay, will often take many years to rot and crumble from their places, offering through more than one spring and summer a spectacle of depressing foresakenness and ruin. As these more solid nests decay, seeds dropped by perching birds, or stored in them by field- mice, will sometimes sprout, take root, and flourish; and then the old abandoned nests in a thick rookery will be green with growing grass, while beside them the new ones in spring are filled with eggs and young. By some few birds, however, the nest- ing-places of last summer, and not invariably their own, are used through the dark and colder months for a lodging or shelter by night. This is most commonly the case when the nest themselves were built not in purely summer situations, which winter exposes to every blast, but in cover that is thick and welcome at the coldest season. Sparrows will roost in numbers in and about their old nests in the ivy and creepers upon the walls of the house, and if the clinging growth be examined it will be found at all times of the year stuffed with quantities of tight-packed nesting material accumulated during many years past. Wrens, too, may be seen flocking in at twilight on winter afternoons to roost in the old nests which they built in spring in the holes in a thatched roof, many of them, even in the nesting season, as mere tabernacles or summer-houses, for there are per- haps three wrens' nests begun and half-finished for everyone that is ever lined with feathers and laid in. SHORTAGE IN MIGRANTS. By this time of the year we generally have (says a charming writer in the Daily Graphic ") a fair idea of the number of foreign birds which propose to spend the winter with us and, so far as the East Coast is concerned, this seems to be a year of peculiarly scanty immigration. We could have expected no more, indeed, since the only real burst of wintry weather which has befallen us so far has come from the West, and we cannot suppose that birds of Norway or Russia are so enamoured of the British Isles (which 99 per cent. of them have never seen) as to force their way to us against a blizzard all the way. Perhaps peewits, golden plovers, and curlews—all birds of coast migration —are plentiful as usual; but, with the doubtful exception of skylarks, in all other migrants of the season a distinct shortage appears. The army- corps manoeuvres of the starlings, as evening fails, are being carried out in many places with skeleton divisons, in w.hich weak battalions masquerade as brigades and many of the" crows' hotels "—the woods which in previous years have been filled to overflowing with mixed thousands of rooks, jackdaws, and hoodie crows-this year accommodate only a few paltry hundreds. THE INVADING EAST. When, owing to the present impulse of nature study," we shall have skilled observers of wild life in every village, many interesting truths will come to light, such as, for instance, the extent to which the Siberian starling, with a purple gloss upon the feathers of its head, is ousting our old green-headed British starling. In wild life it seems now to be the destiny of the East to invade the West. In the Far West we have lingering British kites and buzzards fighting an uphill fight against extinction by the greed of egg-collectors; while on the East Coast we have constant editions made to our list of new British" birds—usually promoted to that honour by a charge of shot which secures" them as museum specimens. There must be some deep- seated reason for this steady tide of life from East to West, and one is almost inclined to wonder whether the invasion of these Western isles by Eastern types may not lend point of fact to the many theories which are broached of the" Yellow Peril" which threatens Western humanity from the Far East. A STARLING PARALLEL. In the matter of the starlings, we have almost enough knowledge to decide why the East thus prevails over the West, for the starling is a popular cage-bird, and fanciers seem to be agreed that the cleverest and most engaging starlings are those with a snake-like poise of head and neck. These are held to be the hardiest and the cleverest, and it is probably not all optical illusion which makss the purple-headed starlings seem to possess lis desired outline, while the British green-glossed starling seems a more bluff and bullet-headed sort of bird. In other words, the starling from the East would seem to be getting the better of the Brifish bird by sheer quickness of intellect and the hardihood be- gotten of hard existence in over-crowded Eastern homes. This and the strongly-marked imitative faculty of the snaky-headed Eastern starling seem to suggest a curious parallel with the qualities of those Eastern races which are in our minds when we speak of the Yellow Peril." THE SPARROW, C.B. And, if we are inclined to regard the Eastern starling as a type of dreaded human invasion, there is at least one characteristic of the bird which might lend force to our fears. Everyone who knows the Chinaman and Jap is positive on the point of their scrupulous personal cleanliness; and the starling is amazingly fond of washing himself. The sparrow shares equal honours with the starling in the order of the bath. There is no day so cold that the sparrow will n'pt descend with joy from his waterpipe to splash and wriggle in a puddle where the ice has been broken by a passing wheel. And the sparrow has a double merit of cleanliness, for whereas some birds, like the partridge and the skylark, never bathe in water, but perform rigorous ablutions in dust or sand, while others, like the starling and thrush, are content with water only, the sparrow seems never happier than when, between baths, he has discovered a quiet dusty corner in which he can wallow to his heart's oon- j tent. THE UTILITY OF CLEANLINESS. ) There is, of course, some reason for the different degrees in which birds bathe; nor, perhaps, is it hard to find. Both the starling and the sparrow roost through the winter in the same holes and crevices where they nest in spring; for the flocks of these birds which haunt the open fields and roost where they can in winter are home- less migrants or young birds of the year, whc do not yet aspire to the dignity of house- holders on their own account. From this habit of the species to spend all the nights of the year in the same nest-holes, it foHows that they are peculiarly subject to the attacks of irri- tating parasites, and one easily understands the vigour and frequency of their ablutions. One understands, too, why birds, such as swallows, martins, and swifts, which cannot bathe either in water or dust, have fallen victims to special para- sites, which haunt their nesting places to such an extent that the young birds are often so weakened t that they die. I A POISONOUS BEAUTY. For all its beauty, the lily of the valley is de- nounced by scientists on the ground that both the stalks and the flowers contain a poison. It is risky to put the stalks into one's mouth, as if the sap happens to get into even the tiniest crack in the lips it may produce swelling, often accom- panied by pain.

I POPULAR SCIENCE. ) LIGHTNING RODS. Mr. Killingworth Hedges has brought out a tubular 11 earth for lightning rods. The tube has a pointed end to sink it in the ground, and is also filled with pieces of carbon. ETHER AND CHLOROFORM. Ether and chloroform, so useful in sending men to sleep, have the very opposite effect on plants, I which are stimulated to the greatest possible activity by these drugs. In Denmark and Ger- many advantage has been taken of this fact to force flowers',in rooms and glasshouses, and to make them bloom out of season. The results are said to be marvellous. THE MAGNETISM OF THE EARTH. According to a writer in Science," the source I of the magnetism of the earth is a complicated problem. It seems caused by an internal magnet- ism (perhaps of lodestone) as well as by earth currents of electricity, and some emanation from the sun appears to influence it< LIVE WIRES. M. Jaubert remarks that it is rare to see birds perching on "live" electric wires or find their dead bodies under them, and asks whether they have a particular instinct making them wary of I such wires. Perhaps the birds have learned by experience to avoid them as they learn to avoid other dangers; I BIG GUNS OB SMALL GLrwa. The present war shows that big guns having a calibre of 20 to 30 centimetres are preferable to smaller but quicker-firing guns of 15 centimetres or less calibre. After the battle of Liao-yang, and the more recent battles in Manchuria, important rains fell, a consequence of heavy firing, re- peatedly observed in war. SATURN AND HIS SATELLITES. Professor Pickering has given the elements of the ninth satellite of Saturn, from which it appears that Phoebus is 13.703.000 kilometres from the planet, and takes 546 days five hours to go round it. PluEbus is about 325 kilometres in diameter, and appears less bright than a star of the 14th magnitude. SUN SPOTS. Father Ricardo, director of the meteorological observatory at Santa Clara College, near San Jos6, California, has discovered three large spots on the sun, one of them larger than the earth and the other two of still greater magnitude. The larger of the spots is a slight distance below the sun's equator and the two smaller ones some degress above it. One of the small spots appeared to grow in size, and the discoverer believes that they will still further increase. FUNG-SHUI. Dr. Jules Regnault, writing of hygiene among the Chinese, treats of fung-shui," the magic of directing genii or demons and favourable or un- favourable influences on men. The sorcerer, oi Kan-fun-shui-ti, teaches the proper precautions to be taken in erecting tombs, houses, making roads, wells, canals, and so forth, in order to banish evil and invite good genii. They avoid straight lines and a northerly direction, because these are favourable to bad spirits. Some of their know- ledge is in accordance with hygiene and other sciences. SKIN-GRAFTING. The skin-grafting experiments which have: been so successful of recent years have led to a new form of livelihood, which is fairly remunerative. Several of the London hospitals have on their books the names and addresses of many men and women who have undertaken to sell portions of their cuticle whenever the necessity arises, and it is said that quite a regular traffic is now being done in the buying and selling of human skin. The persons who are willing to sacrifice their flesh for money are by no means confined to the poor and destitute class. NORTH POLE OF COLD. Werehejansk, Siberia, is considered the northern pole of cold, or place of greatest cold in the northern hemisphere. A temperature of 69'8deg. Centigrade below zero (the freezing point of water) has been observed there, but the Russian painter, Borissow, has found a temperature of 70deg. C. below zero registered on a minimum thermometer left by an Austrian exploring expedi- tion in 1872 in the Straits of Matotchkin, Nova Zembla. Another maximum thermometer regis- tered 14deg. above zero Centigrade as the highest temperature since 1872. Apparently the place has a good title to be regarded as the pole of cold. LADY DOCTORS. Of the women who have completed their studies at the London School during the past two years, 19, according to Our Hospitals and Charities Illustrated," have taken appointments at the Royal Free Hospital, 25 at the New Hospital for Women, and one has been appointed assistant medical quarantine officer at Alexandria. One is resident medical officer at the Camberwell Infirmary, one is medical officer of health on the Gold Coast Colony, one is assistant public vaccinator in Poplar, 14 have obtained positions in provincial hospitals, eight have gone to India and the East, and two hold offices under the London School Board. ———— BLACK AND CLEAR DIAMONDS. Tiny black and clear diamonds have already been found in a meteorite of Canon Diablo, Arizona, United States. M. Moisson, the distin- guished chemist, finds that these diamonds have been formed in the reaction of sulphides in the midst of phosphorised iron. Silicide of carbon, requiring for its formation a temperature of 1500deg. Cent., has also been found in the meteorite. BEST POSITION FOR SLEEPING. According to Dr. Fischer, of Berlin, the most effective position of sleep for obtaining intellectual rest is to keep the head low and the feet slightly elevated. Failing all this, the body should, at any rate, be horizontal, so as to irrigate the brain well. The habit of sleeping with head low and feet high is, according to the doctor, a remedy for brain troubles and some internal maladies. It can be adopted gradually. RADIO-ACTIVE VEGETABLES. M.Tommasina has discovered that vegetation, freshly cut—leaves, grass, flowers and fruits-are feebly radio-active, but not when dried. He has also found that living birds are radio-active, and he thinks animals in general are probably the same. The intensity of the radiation is greater in adults than young birds, and in active than in resting birds. It seems proportional to the vital energy. The phenomenon having a strict re- lation with life might be called, bioradio- activity," and may lead to practical results. Tommasina. whose results were communicated to the Academy of Sciences, Paris, by the famous Henri Becquerel the original discoverer of radio- activity, has, moreover, performed a number of experiments in making all sorts of substances, for example, vegetables, animals, liquids, and solids, temporarily radio-active by means of X-rays, and he proposes to utilise the discovery in medicine by making bandages, food, lor drink, &c., radio- active without the use of radium or such-like radio-ative bodies. These results of M. Tommasina seem to touch on the vexed question of the N-rays. It may be remem- bered that Professor Blondlot, Professor Charpen- tier, and others announced that they had found N-rays proceeding from vegetables and animals, as well as from inorganic substances. M. Jeaa Becquerel, son of Henri Becquerel, had also an- nounced that the N-rays are similar to the rays of radio-active bodies, for instance, radium. May there not be an identity between the N-rays and the radio-activity of Tommasina, or, at any rate, some confusion between them in their observa- tions ? The phosphorescent screen used as a detector of the rays might not show any differ- ence.