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Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru
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Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau
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IOUR SHORT STOlW. , ■■iniji
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I OUR SHORT STOlW. ■■i niji ELIJAH HOUST,j ODDITY. A TRAGIC TALE. When old Houst, of the Thistle Farm. disd after a short illness, Riliham folk began to con- jecture violently about the consequences to Mary atone. There were just the two of them left in the old homestead on the hill slope, with the dreary tuft of live wind-bent firs on the summit above: Elijah Houst, the twenty-seven-year-old son of old Houst, and Mary Stone, aged nineteen. Of course, something would have to happen. All Riliham agreed on that point. But as to the nature of this something opinion differed greatly. Elijah was an odd young man. Never drank a drop of beer, or so much as read a paper, except the market page, which was torn off and given to him by Lobos, the innkeeper, more for the weekly joke's sake than anything else. He was a Heavenly Brother, too-that is, he had taken up these four years with the new religious sect of Cranstead, which had expected a second coming every Christ- mas Day since it had been a sect, bat gave plausible reasons for its annual disappointment. A young man of vast physical:strength, few words, and'no ordinary Rillham weaknesses. Old Houst had not time to say much before he died. It was the first and last illness of, xiis life, and the surprise of it carried him off. So the doctor seemed to infer. "Never knew such a case," the doctor said. There's Richard Basken with one foot in the grave these ten years. He'd have dragged through a worse extra than this of Houst's and Houst himsilf, with the machinery of a colossus, crumples up like a sfceet of tissue paper in a fire! Dr. Farwell, like the rest of the parish, wondered about Mary Stone; mentioned it to his wife, in- deed who sympathised, but drew a line when her husband suggested that Mary would make a capital cook for them. I like the girl, James," she said, but I don't think it would work. She's too independent, ancl-" And too pretty!" laughed the doctor. Quite right. My subconsciousness says the same thing. But I'm sure I don't know what's to become of her, with a dumb fanatic like Elijah Houst: How- ever, it's none of my affair. I've enough to do physicking the parisfe, without bothering about folk's happiness." Riliham shared the doctor's views. But the very week after his father's death Elijah Houst spoke out. No word of commonplace love passed from Elijah Houst's lips before the wedding, which took place in due time, a little to the amusement of Riliham, but on the whole to its satisfaction. No one had any doubt about Mary's good qualities, and it was argued that now there would be some chance of Elijah Houst getting moulded into the conventional ideal of a Rillham man. If Mary could not do that for him, he was lost in- deed. Mary seemed happy. She was generally to be found singing about the old farmhouse when Elijah was out among the barley and the cattle and when Elijah was with her, her tenderness and love for him were as plain to see as the preposter- ous shadows on her husband's otherwise handsome face. Some ventured cautiously to compassionate her about the dulness of her life, with such a mysterious booby for a companion. But they did not do it a second time. For Mary was spirited as we!! as winsome, and though few things could make her angry, this was one of them. A year passed, and once again the Heavenly Brotherhood had put off the Millennium, with characteristic resignation to the celestial will. But Elijah was not among these resigned members. His gloom grew after this last disappointment. Mary did all she could to assuage his discontent, which seemed so unaccountable to her. She opened her heart to no one on the subject except the doctor, who felt like laughing outright, but restrained himself for the sake of the girl and the blithe little baby which was now an added joy to her. Give him time, my dear," he said, and he'll grow out of such foolishness." And though Mary never called it foolishness to Elijah, she agreed with Dr. Farwell that it was absurd to long for the end of the world that should put a summary end to the life of this new little Elijah who had but just begun. Matters were thus at Thistle Farm (a name of contumely in the past) when a stalwart stranger came to liillham and bought a small residential property contiguous to the farm. It was an estate of some ten acres only, but with a new villa residence facing the south. Rillham was famous for ita fine air. This stalwart stranger, who called himself Mr. Hacon Swayne, gave out that he had come to Rillham for his health. He had been a good deal abroad, and had damaged his constitu- tion. Even before Mary Houst had seen him, the good doctor volunteered a word about Mr. Swayne. I've no right to air my notions, myfdear," he said to her in his fatherly way, "but mind this new comer. I don't like him. He's a lin,r, for one thing; and I think he's an adventurer for some at present unknown purpose of his own. You're too pretty to have a neighbour of that kind, and— don't say I haven't warned you, my dear!" Mary smiled him to scorn, of course but that very afternoon Elijah brought Mr. Swayne to the old farm, and asked her to give him a cup of tea. That was how the acquaintanceship began- casually enough, to all appearances. < Mr. Swayne was tall, broad, and brown, with a large precise moustache, and an extremely resolute pair of eyes which he could do much with. Some five years Elijah's senior, no more. This first visit to Thistle Farm was about stock. He wanted a milking cow, poultry, &e. Would Elijah give him the great benefit of his experience in helping him to his requirements ? Elijah consented willingly enough. The two men discussed their business, and Mary gave Mr. Swayne his tea. He admired the baby, was very civil, and hoped they would see more of each other in the future. They did see more. Instinctively Mary didiked Mr. Swayne, but she had no handle of complaint against him. He was always courteous, and never what Rillham termed free. His visits to the farm were business calls. His own time was devoted to hunting, shooting, and what he called his chemical hobby. He had fitted up a laboratory in his house, and raised the most 'orrible smells you ever heard tell of." Such was one of the servants' report of them. He even managed to interest Elijah Houst in his experiments, which he sttid had special value for an agriculturist. Elijah, tvho never gave his social 11 hours to the village, seemed fascinated by Mr. Swayne's theories, or whatever they were. A month passed, and Mary marked a change in her husband. He had tired fits, sickness, and was mysteriously thinning. Though he would not ac- knowledge it, Mary was in no doubt. She coaxed Dr. Farwell to come and look at him surreptitiously, and the doctor, too, perceived it. He tried to get Elijah to answer questions about his health, but that was wasted energy. I'm as well as a man has the right to be on this doomed planet, sir," he said. I've never took physic, and I never will contradio' the heavenly will by doin' it, happen what may." After this, Dr. Farwell was more interested in the Thistle Farm household than ever. He had the baby as a pretext for daily visits. But to all his inquiries Mary had the same kind of reply-" He's worse!" or He's wasting before my eyes, doctor!" For a fortnight he was bewildered, Then all at once he put his finger on the mystery, plump. Mary had told him about her husband's extra- ordinary thirst of late. He's always at the water jug. And it's the same when he's with Mr. Swayne in his workshop. He says Mr. Swayne says he never met such a chap for drinking—innocent water drinking!" The doctor's eyes flashed, and that afternoon he drove to the red villa of Rillham's latest inhabitant, and asked to see Mr. Swayne. He's not at home, doctor!" said the girl hesita- tingly. "You mean he's not at home to me. my dear P" said the doctor eagerly. "Please, sir--—" I But Dr. Farweil pushed her gently aside, and 'I walked straight into the house, with righteous pride and indignation on his honest face. He found Mr. Swayne smoking a pensive cigar in his dining-room. I The duel between them was short, sharp, and indecisive. An unexpressed antipathy WAS already between them. It ripened all at once to strong enmity. "I've taken the liberty of intruding to ask you what you arc doing to my friend Elijah Houst, Mr. Swayne," said the doctor, pointblanfe, having shut the door behind him. I:J Mr. Swayne's stare of surprise gave place to a look which the doctor will never forget. "Are you out of your senses, sir?" asked Mr. Swayne, with a gasp. I trust not. Indeed, I'm sure not. But-I, too, am a student of chemistry, Mr. Swayr.a, and-" The visit then ended. Mr. Swayne rushed upon the doctor, and, in spite of the other's protests, hustled him out &f the house by main force. Stand- ing on his doorstep, with the doctor rearranging his coat below, he delivered himself of his final charge. The next time you dare to favour me with your insults, I'll break your neck for you, Dr. Far- well Thank you," said the doctor, and the door was banged upon him. He meant to have returned to Thistle Farm, and talked with all the seriousness imaginable to Elijah Houst there and then, but he had a critical case three miles out, and he didn't suppose an hour or two would matter. But, in fact, that hour or two mattered very much. Oh, doctor, thank God you've come!" said Mary, when at five o'clock he turned up. He's so much worse Elijah Houst was sitting, pallid and almost breathless, with staring eyes. He tried to make light of his condition, but soon gave it up. And now the doctor was sure of things. He ascertained that Elijah had again been in Mr. Swayne's labora- tory, with his usual thirst, and had quenched it in the usual way. "Put him to bed," he said, and I'll be back within an hour." That hour sufficed to get a warrant for Mr. Swayne's arrest. The doctor gave it to the con- stable to execute, and sped to the farm with a stomach pump. it Riliham had its fill of excitement that evening. Towards six o'clock Mr. Swayne's housemaid rushed into the village with flying hair. Mr. Lobbs, of the inn, was the first living soul she saw, and she went at him at his door as if he were a magnet. Oh, Mr. Lobb," she cried. there's murder up at the house. He's shot Mr. Evans, the p'liceman, and Mr. Evans has shot him! the house is swimmin' in blood, and Hannah's out of her senses, and the dogs are all barkin' and-" Whereupon Mr. Lobbs bade her give her tongue a rest, and come in and sit down. Then the story was reeled forth all over again, more intelligibly; and shortly afterwards Mr. Lobb himself, Sir Grey stone Champton, the magistrate who bad signed the warrant for Mr. Swayne's arrest, and two others went in a body to the red villa, and found that matters were pretty much as the girl had said. Mr. Swayne was dead. Evans was not, how- ever, and he was able to splutter forth his joy that he had managed to wrest the revolver from Mr. Swayne's hand and retaliate in time, even after he had been hit. This was Rillham's sensation of the evening. That other mystery of Elijah's poisoning was by Mary's earnest pleading kept a secret. The doctor was satisfied about the poisoning. He said it was antimony, which told Mary nothing and Elijah rather less. Elijah, indeed, was insistent in his weakness about one thing only—that a leading member of the Heavenly Brotherhood should oome to see him, and, to oblige him, Mary wrote to Mr. Patrick Semple, of Cranstead, who arrived the next day a well-fed, shiny-faced man, with -a curious jargon of speech and a steady smile. And now tremendous news was sprung upon Mary. Among Mr. Swayne's effects was found a will, dated three years back, in which Isaiah Stone left all his lands, shares, and mines in South Strath, Western Australia, to his daughter Mary. The will was witnessed by Mr. Swayne himself, who signed as a solicitor of South Strath. There were other documents indicating that Mary's father had died within the last six months, and that he was worth several hundred thousand pounds indicat- ing also that he had lived a rough life since leaving England, and had thought it best not to trouble his daughter with any report about him until he was no more. The facts themselves were speedily confirmed by telegraphic communication with an Adelaide bank also mentioned in these precious documents. Elijah, slowly improving now, was staggered by this weight of blessing's. He was more staggered still by Mr. Patrick Semple's profound interest in them. Mr. Semple began early to urge him to use his influence with Mary to procure thousands of pounds by-and-by for the building of a Heavenly Brotherhood Temple. Elijah promised nothing, but thought a great deal. 1(- ? There was still something to be explained, and it took Dr. Farwell all his time to get at a solution of the poisoning of Mary's husband. He made it out that Mr. Swayne meant, first of all, to kill Elijah Houst, and then, as artfully as such an accomplished rascal could, woo Elijah's widow and wed her; or if not wed, try to bargain with her about her father's estate. But, of course, this was pure guess-work, though plausible. The one clear and crowning comfort to Mary in this gush of gold was the result it had upon Elijah. It gave him a new brain. Mr. Semple was sent back to Cranstead with scant cere- mony, and Elijah became a commonplace church- goer. And, as a commonplace Christian, Elijah was not above letting his deep love for his wife declare itself thenceforward in commonplace ways. A FAMOUS STREET.—At first sight it seems j somewhat strange that a Cabinet Minister, without a Department, should be given an official residence but if an American—expecting a commanding house for the First Lord of the Treasury—should wander up that famous cul de sac, Downing-street, and pausing near the archway leading to the { Foreign Office quadrangle, should glance up at the insignificant villa-like residence opposite, he might pardonably think that the point did not matter. Mr. Balfour has an official residence at No. 10; the Chancellor of the Exchequer has his next door. To be generous, both command respect on account of their old associations, a quality which English- | men are supposed to honour. No. 10 was given by George II. to Sir Robert Walpole, First Lord of the Treasury of that period, and henceforward his successors in the office have dwelt therein. Until recent years the Cabinet Councils were invariably held in the principal room of this somewhat ram- j shackle house (says the "Penny Magazine"). But j. there is nothing very inspiring in the Cabinet room, if we except an old gilt State chair or throne j. placed at the head of the table-a chair in which Lord North, Pitt, Grey, Palmerston, Beaconsfield, j and Gladstone have all presided over the delibera- tions which have shaped the national legislation, and have determined questions of peace and war. At the same time, it is a handsome, well-lighted j apartment, separated from the smaller rooms by folding doors; the walls are lined with bookshelves < containing State papers, and the long table in the centre is covered with unpretentious green cloth, How many rising statesmen have not had the ab- | sorbing ambition to sit at it ? The other rooms at No. 10, over which Miss Balfour, the sister of the House of Commons Leader, is the present mistress, are quaint and comfortable; from the } front windows a distinctly limited view is obtained } of the somewhat sombre Foreign Office architec- j ture, but from the back windows a charming vista is secured over St. James's Park. The Chancellor's ( abode next door is comparatively similar in design but it lacks most of those historic associations which give its neighbour the impress of imperish- able fame. Their occupants adopt very similar | actions in reaching the House of Commons-they usually cover the distance on foot, passing through g the quadrangle of the Foreign Offlce, down Charles- street, and so into New Palace Yard; thence to [ their private rooms.
EPITOME OF NEWS.
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EPITOME OF NEWS. The White Star liner Oceanic, which left Liverpool for New York on Saturday, carried 3,034 sacks of mails—a record for the Atlantic. A twelve-year-old schoolboy of Stassfudt, near Magdeburg, has died of heart failure, following 0 acute nicotine poisoning, caused by excessive cigarette smoking. Albert Menudier, a fourteen-year-old boy, threw himself in front of a tram at La Rochella because his parents insisted! that he should at- tend school. He was killed. According to a return published by the Toyn- bee Hall authorities, less than a third of the school children in the district passed a day or a night of their summer holidays, out of London. The oldest man in Germany-Kaspar Gries- ser, of Lorsch-has just celebrated his 111th birthday. He smokes constantly, and lives alone save for a housekeeper. During the whole of his life he has never quitted his native place for more than a day. "Russia is the only country in the world the Palvation Army is not permitted to enter," said General Booth, "but we are determined to carry the Salvation flag into that forbidden land, even though we may have to go in a flying machine." A Russian has devised a means for preserving dead bodies by embalming them in glass. The body is first covered with a thin coating of liquid glass. It is then placed in a moulcf and melted glass poured round i^ The body thus becomes enclosed in an airtight, solid, and transparent taass of glass, and would be preserved indefi- nitely. Two camels were suffocated by an escape of gas in Bostock and Womb well's menagerie at Sunderland on Saturday. There is an abnormal growth of mistletoe, in France this year, and the supply for Christmas will therefore be plentiful. The Rev. C. Humphreys, vicar of Dendron, near Barrow, was found in his room on Satur- day with a gunshot wound in his lungs. Dr. Schucker, an Austrian, deputy, while making a fiery speech against the new Clerical Education Bill in Vienna, fell down dead. Yorkshiremen and women filled the Church of St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, on Saturday after- noon, when a, special service was held under the auspices of the Society of Yorkshire-men in Lon- don. During a football match at Matlock on Satur- day an ex-police sergeant, named Stevens, sud- denly fell dead among the .spectators, as the re- sult of heart failure brought about by excite- ment. Over a thousand persons in Richmond, Surrey, have signed a petition to the Surrey County Council, praying for a modification of their de- mands respecting exits, which have compelled the lessCi8 of the Richmond Theatre to close it to the public. The chief officer of the Liverpool barque Charles Cokeworth, which arrived at Queens- town on Saturday from Valparaiso, reported that the captain, na.med Jameson, committed suicide by shooting himself on November 10. He waif buried at sea. "You London lads can't open your months without using bad language," said the West London magistrate in fining two boys for swear- ing on Saturday. "It comes out of your mouths as easily as the word awfully' falls from the lips of another class." "It's no use attempting to make money by betting as an ordinary individual," said Mr. Justice Bueknill to a man before him at th,) Derbyshire Assizes on Saturday. "Take my ad- vice, and don't do it. I don't say anything against betting, because it's legal." Miss Florence King, daughter of Mrs. John K. King, of Woodlands, Coggeshall, died on Saturday as the result of terrible burns. She was playing the piano in the drawing-room when she accidentally upset an oil-hea,ting stove, and set fire to her clothing. A New York telegram says Miss Edna May has begun a new suit for divorce against her husband, Mr. Titus. A motor-car, driven by aii Englishman, on the way to Paris, skidded some miles from Pan. The chauffeur was thrown against a wall and killed' on the spot. The owner of the car had a leg broken. A motion has been tabled in the Federal House of Representatives, Australia, for the taxation of all titles and armorial bearings. It is proposed that an earl should pay a tax of Y,50, and a knight or person using the prefix "Lady" £ 15. Some workpeople have recently discovered near Skofde, in Sweden- a great number of gold chains and gold bars, which are supposed to date back about 2,000 years. The value is estimated at £ 1,000. The gold is of 23 carats fineness. A well-known banker in Paris left his pocket- book containing papers to the value of 92,400, in a cab, of which he had not taken the number. Shortly afterwards, however, it was brought to ene of the depots by the cabman, and was duly claimed by the banker. King Victor Emmanuel has conferred the Grand Cross of the Crown of Italy upon Mr. Pierpone Morgan, whilst the Government have decided to grant him a gold medal, for his generosity in restoring the famous cope of Pope Nicholas IV., wlxich was stolen some time ago from the town of Ascoli Piceno, and eventually passed into the hands of Mr. Morgan. The Chilian Senate has aproved the treaty of peace with Bolivia. The commercial treaty between Italy and, Germany was signed at the Foreign Office at Rome on Saturday. Herr Schuscker, a member of the German Bohemian party in the Austrian Reichsrath was seized with an apoplectic stroke and fell dead after delivering a speech on Saturday in Vienna. Sweden has notified her accession to the International Copyright Convention of September, 1888, as well as to the Explanatory Declaration signed at Paris on May 4, 1896. But, like Norway, Sweden does not accede to the Additional Act signed at Paris on the latter date. The Scarborough Corporation, on the advice of the borough engineer (Mr. H. W. Smith), have decided to materially strengthen the Royal lbert Drive Seawall, the continuation of which, round the Castle Hill foot, has recently been completed by the construction of four wooden groynes, and the extending of the protecting apron, at a total cost of £ 1,925. The wall was completed in 1888, ;and since then at least 20,000 tons of shale have been lost from its front. Loans are to be obtained with the sanction of the Local Government Board, and the sugges- tion that the Corporation should acquire control o.ver the whole of the North beach in order that they might regulate the extensive practice of removing sand for building purposes is receiving consideration. At Norton Malton, on Saturday night, a warrant was granted for the apprehension of John Trotter, labourer, of North Grimston, on the charge of. assaulting and robbing an old1 gentleman, named James Wilson, retired farmer, of that place. Prosecutor alleged that the man went to his house at night time, and said that a. neighbouring farmer wanted his ,assistance with a sick cow Mr. Wilson got up and went with Trotter, and, while crossing a field, the man suddenly attacked him with a hedge stick. He felled- him to the ground, and then demanded his money, telling him he would use a knife to him unless he gave his money up. After robbing Mr. Wilson the man left him unconscious on the ground. It has been decided to dissolve the Birming- ham Building Trades Federation, an alliance embracing sixteen branches of the trade of the city and district. The combination, which embraced plasterers, painters, carpenters, labourers, and others, was an arrangement ior (maintaining wages, and was governed by a Conciliation Board. The, rules provided that when any employer refused to pay the standard wages, the men in all the branches should be called out. A case having arisen when the application of the rule was demanded, the principal sections of operatives affected met and resolved to break up the Federation. Tiverton Education Committee has decided to make permanent the arrangement by which a monthly half-holiday is given to any school under its jurisdiction in which the attendanofl averages 90 per cent. Lord Harrington was on Saturday granted £ 500 damages and costs against the Derby Cor- poration, which had allowed offenive matter to flow into the Derwent. An injunction against the corporation was refused. The only regular pigeon post service is run between Los Angeles (in California) and the little town of Avalon, on Catalina Island, during the summer months. The celerity with which these messages are dlelivered. can only be beaten by telephone or telegraph. The air line is fifty miles between the two places, and most of the pigeons accomplish the distance under the hour. A good! revenue is earned yearly by this source. Small bills pasted about Avalon announce that "Pri- vate messages and business orders may be for- warded at any hour of the day, and in connection with the telephone, telegraph, and cabLe lines to any part of the world,. One of the greatest artistic marvels of the world is to be seen in the museum at Havard University. This curiosity consists of hundreds of specimens of flowers and plants formed of glass, but with such exquisite fidelity to Nature that they appear to be real, every tint and mark- ing, every tiniest detail, being faithfully repro- duced. They are made by a secret process, the artists being a father and son in Germany, who, it is said, may let their secret die with them. As an instance of the wonderful workmanship, it may be mentioned that the very hairs which ap- pear on the stems on certain plants are repro- duced on the glass imitations. The two sides of a person's face are never alike. The eyes are out of line in two cases out of five, and one eye is stronger than the other in seven persons out of ten. The right ear is als'o, as a rule, higher than the left. Only one person in fifteen has perfect eyes, the largest percentage of defects prevailing among fair-haired people. The smallest interval of sound can be better distinguished with one ear than with both. The nails of two fingers never grow with the same rapidity, that of the middle finger growing the fastest, while that of the thumb grows slowest. In fifty-four cases out of a hundred the left leg is shorter than the right. The bones of an average human male skeleton weigh 201b. those of a woman are 61b. lighted. The official title of King Carlos is not a little imposing. He is "King of Portugal and the Algarves Within and Beyond the Seas, in Africa Lord of Guinea, and of the Navigation and Com- merce of Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia, and of the West Indies" and he is equally well dowered in the matter of Christian names—Carlos Ferdin- and and Louis Maril Victor Michael Raphael Gonzague Xavier Franeois-d'Assisse Joseph Simon. From this list it will be seen that, in addition to the names of several saints. His Majesty is called after the three, principal arch- angels. This, however, is by no means the longest list of names in the Portuguese Royal family, for the King's eldest son is the proud1 possessor of seventeen, while His Majesty's younger brother has no fewer than twenty-two. The King of- Portugal is very well known in yachting circles, and for many years he has, been striving to inaugurate an ocean race from "this country to Lisbon, where he would like to have an annual regatta. Were his wish fulfilled', a chain of ocean races from Cowes to Spe^azia might be the result. King Edward's Cup will be raced for between Gibraltar and Nice, and the King of Italy's from Nice to Spezzia. The King of Portugal has owned many yachts. At present he possesses the late Colonel McCalmont's steam yacht Ban-sli-ee-9, magnificent ship, fitted' and designed as a. modern fast cruiser. Besides this yacht—now known as the Amelia—the King owns a small stoeamer-tho Sado, of fifty-six to--n,s-anci the Queen has for her pleasure flag- ship the Lia,a British-built schooner of 112 tons. The result of the plebiscite of the shareholders of the Scarborough Ciiff Bridge (Spa) Company on the question whether music should be played on the Spa for one hour after Church on Sunday evenings during the season was reported at a meeting of the directors. The ayes were, in a majority of six, but in view of the smallness of the figure the directors have decided against the proposed innovation in view of the strong feeling on the subject evinced in the town. Lord Dalmeny, who has just gone home to the house from which he takes his name to see if a Scotch winter be more endurable than an English one, is more devoted to sport than his brother, Mr. Neil Primrose. He is interested1 in politics, too, but in sport, and racing above all. He dis- likes the catchwords of politics and' public speak- ing. It is said that at Eton, when Lord Rose- bery went down there to make a speech, Lord Dalmeny implored his father not to mention Waterloo and the playing-fields of Eton. "Why not?" "Because the fellows will think you such an awful ass if you do," said the anxious boy with commendable frankness. The German Ministry of the Interior has issued a special warning against the numerous marriage bureaus which flourish particularly in Berlin, and which find their dupes wherever German is spoken. They supply cir- culars with numbered pictures of women. In return for cash the address of any one of these women is given, and if the writer receives no answer and sends a complaint to the agency ho is simply informed that the woman didn't darn for him or had made another match. The Sultan of Turkey, who has gained for himself among European countries so many uncomplimentary titles, is addressed by the Turkish journals as "The Pearl of the Nations," "The Nombril of the World," "The Gate of Justice," "The Prince of Camels," "The Master of Masters," and "The Shadow of God." On the other hand, the Macedonians, the Armenians, and the Young Turkish or native Revolutionary Party stigmatise him as "Abdul Hamid, the Red Beast." Few Labour men have risen so rapidly as Mr. D. J. Shackleton, M.P. for the Clitheroe Division. Son of Mr. William Shackleton, watchmaker, of Accrington, he learned weaving as a half-timer, took an active part in the trade union movement, and gradually attained to important positions in labour organisation. Non-smokers and total abstainers point to Mr. Shakleton as a fine physical example of such abstention. A railway employee, of Krasnoiarsk, on the Siberian Railway, was accidentally locked in a refrigerating van, and was afterwards found dead. Imagining that he was being slowly frozen to death, he had recorded his sufferings with a piece of chalk on the floor. The- refri- gerating apparatus, however, was out ol order, and the temperature in the van had not fallen below 50cleg. Fahr. throughout the jOlitrney. Mr. Robert Barley is the only Congregational minister who is a member of the famous London club called the Athenasum. It is curious to reflect that, whereas he has made a world-wide reputation as a mathematician, he showed little aptitude for mathematics as a boy, and was fourteen before he really knew his multiplica- tion table. He is now close on seventy-seven, and after a, strenuous life he has been living in retirement at Forest Hill for the last nine years. He still lectures- on scientific subjects. New York is, counting heads and purses, one of the wealthiest cities in the world to-day; yet it was once in the market for a 95 note. Two hundred and fifty years ago Manhattan Island, on which New York now stands, was :-old for E5 to an Indian chief. It was about the. same time that a farm on the island was granted by Royal charter for the support of the Church, and to-day the "farm" brings a revenue of £ 2,000,000 sterling a year, making Trinity Church, Broadway, the richest church in the world. The violence of tropical rainstorms is pro- verbial yet never before has one been scien- tifically registered in which so much water fell in so short a time as at Santiago de Cuba recently. An English engineer, who gauged the rainfall, found that it was at the rate of over 4in. an hour, and that between seven and ten o'clock in the evening more than a, foot of water reached the ground. The storm covered nearly 300 square miles, and in places was heavier than at Santiago.
FIELD AND FARM. .
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FIELD AND FARM. IMPROVING PASTURES. As the present is a good time for sowing Basic edag and potash manures on pasture, attention may be seasonably called to the results of trials at eight centres in Cumberland, and at Cockle Park, carried out by the Agricultural Depart- ment of the Durham College of Science, as re- ported by Professor Gilchrist. Several years' experience have proved the value of basic slag on clay or peaty soils, and, although on sandy soils it has not by itself given good results, in combination with potash it has proved highly beneficial. A dressing of 7 cwt. to 10 cwt. per acre of basic slag is recommended on soils where it shows good results by itself, while the addi- tion of 2 ewt. of muriate of potash to the slag will improve pastures over sandy s-Libsoils. It is not stated, however, how often this somewhat xpeIlsive dressing should be applied. Excel- lent results were given at some centres by the much cheaper dressing of 3i cwt. of basic slag and about 2j- cwt. of kainit, applied annually. On limestone soils, it is added, superphosphate will probably prove more useful than slag. Both sulphate of ammonia and nitrate of soda proved injurious to the herbage in some places. Lime •has done good, as a rule, only on sour land. For bulk of hay, of course, the nitrogenous manures are effectual, but bulk is gained at the expense of quality. The same report deals with the manuring of swedes and potatoes, and with vari- ations in the composition of milk. THE POSITION OF ARABLE LAND. I am arraid (observ&s Professor John Wright- eon in the "Agricultural Gazette") there is a great deal of arable land which refuses to be con- verted into grass, and no one could even wish to see the whole country converted into a milk- walk. It would not be desirable from any point of view. Arable land is unquestionably poorer than pasture land. Its organic matter, although constantly replenished by crop residues, burns away under the influence of the atmosphere. There is in it no magazine of accumulated fer- tility, and hence, compared to grass land, arable land is always, or often, bordering on exhaus- tion. Nitrification takes places so rapidly that there is little reserve power, hence one corn crop is often enough to absorb the available nitrates. The study of pasture land and milk-selling shows that the land is not in fault. It is the system of management. In milk-selling the entire area is laid under contribution every year. It all yields a return to almost an equal extent, of perhaps £ 3 or per acre. In arable land, managed upon the four-course system, the cash return is much less, while the expenses are much greater. The fourth part under roots may at once be given up as a direct loss. The fourth part under hay or clover cannot pay much at the consuming price, whatever that may be. The fourth under barley and oats is mostly required to feed the horses and supply seed; for it must be remembered that 200 acres of corn require about 650 bushels of seed or the entire produce of thirty acres of corn. Twelve horses will con- sume 1,200 bushels, or the produce of thirty acres of oats. The roots, the hay and the straw are virtually returned to the land in the form of manure. All that is left is: First, the sales of live stock to pay for the expense of artificial foods and of growing roots and hay; second, sales of corn over 140 acres at -1-25, or £ 700, to pay rent, rates and taxes, a large share of the 'labour, all incidental expenses, and to keep the farmer and his family. If this picture is over- drawn I shall be glad to be enlightened. It cer- tainly is not meant to cover casea in which high- class stock is kept, or other exceptional cases, but of ordinary humdrum four-course farming. It may be said that the arable farmer ought to depend upon stock, and no doubt some people do very well in this way. But when stock has paid for its artificial foods, its hay, straw, roots, labour, and stood its risks, the margin is ex- tremely narrow and adds very little to the actual ibalance of profit. The usual practice is to tumble everything back into the land excepting, as Oibove shown, a little over one-fourth part of the produce of the farm. The remedy seems to be to grow a much larger area of saleable crops, which need not necessarily be grain. To sell is (the watch-wjord. He sells every day of the year, Sundays included. He sells from every acre he occupies, and he buys in order to sell more. If arable land farmers could copy his example there would be no fear of ex- hanstion, "provided that the necessary ingredi- oents removed by saleable crops were restored." Look at potato growing. Potato growers manure liberally and sell freely, and do well. There is • strong prejudice against selling roots, but if 12s. to 15s. a ton can be realised, is it reason- able to return them to the land? Their manurial .-value is given in tables as 4s. a ton. There is a prejudice against selling straw, but one ton of cotton cake will replace the manurial value of 4seven tons of straw. In a word it is much cheaper to feed the land than to feed stock. One pound judiciously spent upon artificial aaanures replaces all the nitrogen and minerals removed by a crop of wheat. In ordinary arable farming, costs are enormously increased by de- lay. The money expended upon a root crop is mot expected to appear again for two years, and xt sometimes never appear* again at all. I am convinced that the area of saleable crops might •be^ greatly increased on all fairly good arable FARM FOWLS IN WINTER. j M-O? is esPecially necessary (counsels Stocks' -in the "Agricultural Gazette") that the farm poultry should receive the best possible attention. If managed as we have indicated in previous articles, on the colony system, the birds have not been very much in evidence for several months. Managed on correct lines, farm poultry should need very little attention from June to October; scattered about the farm in portable houses, first on the newly-mown meadows and then on the stubbles, they have re- quired little food other than that they could them- selves procure, and this natural food, obtained in a natural way and involving a considerable amount of exercise, has kept them in the best possible health and condition. But the time has arrived—month of November—when natural food will be becoming scarce the feeding, therefore, should be on a more liberal scale and' the houses should be gradually moved nearer to the home- stead. The fowls probably consist of the hens retained for autumn and ^winter laying, the pul- Itets kept fc the same purpose, some late-hatched j chicks, with a few cockerels destined for the Christmas market. These, one and all, will benefit by a generous diet; the hens and pullets must be induced to lay at once or the season of ijig prices will be over; late hatched chicks must n be allowed to stand still in growth, and the big raw cockerels produced by the un- limited range of the stubbles must receive ample food that they may be in a fit condition for fat- tening as soon as December arrives. It is at this season of the year that Reynard often proves the bane of the poultry farmer all houses must be carefully shut at night to- prevent loss from his depredations. This entails extra labour, but if the houses be brought near to the homestead, only a few minutes need be occupied in shutting Tip, but it is important that, the birds should be liberated earlv in the morning, for the fowl riseg "with the sun, and should be; abroad foraging over before daylight when the weather is suit- able. Thi" fowl-houses should not be over-crowded liD winter; the great length of time that they are occupied at night from November to January snakes it imperative that the air should be main- stained as pure as possible and not be allowed to become overheated where it is practicable the floors should be covered with dry leaves or short straw, and corn thrown amongst it to in- duce scratching, for the more time spent in j scratching the greater the supply of eggs. I Where turkeys are kept they will very pro- |»erly claim a large amount of attention nothing will pay the farmer better than these if properly { managed. During the long days of summer and autumn these aristocrats of the fafmyard have been far afield seeking food, and the ripe fruit of oak and other natural food have contributed to bte forming of a large framework well covered ivith flesh, in splendid condition for fattening. Thv birds should now be confined to light roomy till late in the morning, instead of being liberated at dawn, and fed with a mixture of oatmeal, barley meal and sharps mixed with skim milk or butter-milk at noon they should be al- lowed out for exercise, but towards three. o'clock dfaey should. be driven to their enclosure and given an ample feed of soaked oats, wheat, or maize—green food and grit are essentials and must never be lacking. Very much the same procedure is followed in the fattening of geese, boiled potatoes being largely used in some parts of the country; in fact, boiled potatoes mixed with meal and stirred with butter-milk is a good fattening food for turkeys, geese, ducks, °and fowls. It cannot be too strongly urged that abstinence from food for twenty-four hours for the smaller birds and thirty-six for the larger is I absolutely necessary, and that killing and pluck- ing should be neatly performed and, packing for market most carefully done. Inattention to these details means lose of money and loss of credit.
I GARDEN GOSSIP. I -!.....
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I GARDEN GOSSIP. I I (From 11 Gardening Illustrated,n) j Tuberoses. -The ie lovely adorners of tha greenhouse are now obtainable in the shape of dormant bulbs. One good bulb in the centae of a 4} or 6-inch pot gives the best results, ai d 'j no water should be given until growth starts. Following the advent of leaves, unlimited mois- ture at the roots and in the air should be the order of the day. m Christmas Roses.—A few clumps lifted from the outdoor borders and placed in large pots or half-tubs will give useful early flowers in the greenhouse. A temperature of 45 deg. maximum should not be exceeded at any time, and 35 deg. minimum will do no harm. Water well and keep free from green fly. » • Herbaceous Borders.—The season of these is now past, and rough, rapid growing subjects should experience curtailment to keep them within bounds. Remember it does no narm to the great majority of herbaceous plants to dig the unoccupied ground among them, nor to de- stroy a. portion of the roots in the operation; but they appreciate a slight dressing of fresh material, such as thoroughly rotted manure, in- j corporated with the soil for the new roots of the year succeeding to lay hold on. Tender Shrubs.—This is a comparative ex- pression, because numbers of shrubs that were considered only a few years ago to be tender are now proving hardy. Still, one does not like to leave them too much to the mercy of the ele- ments, and therefore a slight covering for at least small specimens is desirable. Large ones have to take their chance. The best covering is one of Wheat or of Rye straw. The plant, if bushy, is tied into small bulk, the straw placed round it so as to form a cone, more or less elon- gated, and the whole is rendered compact and firm by means of three or more sticks, which are tied together with string. Tree Carnations.—These will now need a warmer temperature to go on flowering, but not a drawing heat, about 50 deg. to 55deg. being sufficient to induce the necessary vigour. Slight applications of liquid manure in the case of plants that are potbound will be a decided help, but to those that have not occupied the ball with roots liquid manure would prove harmful. Pot Roses.—Plants to be started soon should be pruned, cutting hard back all weakly shoots, and being less severe with stronger ones, while very strong one may be left several feet in length. After pruning place the plants in an absolutely cool place, and apply no water at the root, when on returning to a warm structure they will the more readily respond to the treatment. If it is thought necessary to surface dress the plants use blood manure; as a stimulant nothing suits Roses better. # Dividing Pinks.—Where old clumps of white Pinks have not yet been divided, an effort should be made to do the work now. Last year a border I know, 100 feet long, was divided at this date with splendid results, but the success was, of course," largely dependent upon the weather. No great amount of care was taken, the old, long stems being simply laid in a slight depression, covered with soil, and trodden in. A few Crocus bulbs remaining over from bedding may be planted among the Pinks to give an early spring display. Planting Fruit Trees.—There is no bettey time than the present for finishing the planting of fruit trees of all kinds. Bush trees of Apples and Pears are best for small gardens, and should be planted 8 to 10 feet apart. If standards are used, 12 to 15 feet should be allowed. Plums and Cherries require about the same space. The Morello Cherry should not be overlooked when a wall with an east or a north exposure requires covering. Even did it bear no fruit its display of spring blossom would justify its employment. In very restricted areas, cordon Gooseberries, Apples, and Currants should be given a trial. They yield fine fruits, and are, easily managed. Flowers for Windy Gardens.—Beds or borders that are swept by gales are not suitable places for the majority of bedding plants, bulbous or otherwise. Crocuses, Snowdrops, Winter Aconites, Anemone fulgens, Aubrietia, Arabises, Alyssums, Pinks, Carnations, Primroses, Poly- anthuses, various Sedums and Saxifrages, Myo- sotis, Vincas, London Pride, Lysimachia Num- mularia SapOnarias, Silenes, Iceland Poppies, will however, thrive, and these alone are suffi- cient to make a garden gay. The hardy Brier Roses present a lovely appearance if their long branches are pegged down in beds, ample space being, of course, necessary. Ivy-leaved Ger- aniums may safely be tried for a summer show, as they soon recover from the blossom shedding effect of gales. Among perennials I can recom- mend Achillea rosea, Helenitim pumilum, Hie- racium pumilum, and H. aurantiacum. German Irises are excellent plants for windy spots Cen- itaurea montana, Chrysanthemum lacustre, Erigeron aurantiacum, Hypericums, Spireas, Tradescantias, and the lesser Veronicas gener- ally flourish. J The Volcano Shrub.—There are few shrubs hardy in this climate that will endure the ad- verse atmospheric conditions under which Colu- tea arborescens can flourish. This shrub is popularly known as the Bladder Senna, but it has also been appropriately named the Volcano Shrub owing to its being found on Mount Vesu- vius, "on the ascent to the crater, where there are scarcely any other plants." Certainly sul- phurous smoke and the densest of London fogs jeem to have no power to injure it. An example of this can be seen on a railway bank close to Dalston Junction station on the North London Railway. A large plantation has covered a steep bank there for years, and the shrubs grow, flower, and bear a profusion of their large blad- der-like pods with a vigour and a persistency that tee surprising under the circumstances. LargQ- numbers of trains pass daily within a few feet of the plants, they are exposed to all the smoke and steam from the engines, and the most deadly fogs accumulate in the cutting, appar- ently without the slightest effect upon the health of the Coluteas. The dark green pinnate leaves, the bright yellow flowers, and the creamy or coppery coloured pods also render the shrub ornamental in no small degftee, and wherever a position has to be filled, in which other plants have failed, this Colutea is the one to try. Solaiaume.-These are often called Winter Cherries from their round, scarlet berries. If the window has no plants of its own growing, the purchase of one or two now will be a good investment, as they will remain in presentable condition until March with care. Feed bought in plants once or twice weekly with weak soot water, or nitrate of soda, oz. to 1 gallon of water, increasing gradually to J oz. per gallon Above all things watch for and destroy green'iiy and thrips, as if either of these gets estab- lished it will mean the loss of many leaves and much beauty. » Bulbs.—Hyacinths in glasses promise exceed- ingly well ours have made glorioue roots, and are now showing their flower spikes. We keep half our early batch in the window of a cold room, and the other half in a room where there is a fire daily. It is not necessary to change the water, unless it becomes offensive; replacing that lost by evaporation is all that is necessary. Roman Hyacinths in pots are blooming nicely, and we are keeping a. batch very cool with a view to Christmas decoration.