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

TROUBLE AT TANGIER. I A telegram from Tangier states that at four o'clock on Saturday afternoon a difference occurred at the Customs establishment between a French clerk and some native porters. The chief Customs official adjudged the Frenchman in the right. The natives, much excited, hauled the Frenchman before Raisuli's Court, and the French employer of the clerk was obliged to intervene to rescue his employd from the threatening crowd, and place him with- in the shelter of the French Legation. The tribes in the vicinity of Tangier are still bent on capturing Europeans of position in order to oblige the Maghzen to liberate those of their tribes who are prisoners. On the Grand Sokko on Saturday afternoon one of Raisuli's men levelled his rifle at a peasant and shot him dead on the spot. The European residents consider it very wrong of the Maghzen not to prohibit the carrying of loaded guns and weapons in the town. The departure of the French Minister is announced to take place in the course of the week.

ACCIDENT IN A CHAPEL. I A remarkable accident happened at Grimsby on Sunday during the official visit of the mayor to the George-street Wesleyan Chapel. The Rev. W. J. Boote, the mayor's chaplain, was offering prayer, When one of the electroliers fell from the roof. It struck the choir rail, and the incan- descent lamps exploded with a tremendous report. Then it rebounded, and struck Mr. Boote, deeply cutting one of his hands, which were ex- tended in supplication. The congregation rose in alarm, but the minister made no pause, and finished his prayer, with the blood dripping from his hand. The mayor, at the subsequent luncheon, warmly congratulated his chaplain on his presence of mind.

NAVAL APPOINTMENT. j Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir Assheton G. Curzon Howe has been appointed second in command of the Channel Fleet, in succession to Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur W. Moore, to date December 5.

BARONET,S SUDDEN DEATH. I Sir Henry Samuel Wiggin, Bart., died suddenly I At his Birmingham residence on Sunday at the age of eighty-one. He was walking in his garden when he had a seizure, and succumbed almost immediately. Sir Henry, who was a metal refiner and manufacturer, was mayor of Birmingham in 1864. From 1880-85 he represented East Staf- fordshire in Parliament as a Liberal, and from 1885-92 was Liberal Unionist member for the Handsworth Division. In the latter year he was created a baronet on his retirement. Sir Henry was a director of the Midland Railway, and was a prominent figure in every movement for the benefit of the city, which he served in a variety of ways.

CHARGE AGAINST BLIND RECTOR. A pathetic defence was raised on behalf of the blind rector of Nevendon, Essex, the Rev. William McGowan, at his trial at the Essex Assizes on Saturday, on a charge of a serious nature. His brother-in-law, the Rev. R. Jenkins, of Devonshire, said the rector had pleaded guilty partly to show his penance, and partly to avoid publicity on account of his family. The rector de- sired to ask for mercy on account of his blindness, which had caused him to lead a less active life than had been good for him and he had been terribly shut in upon himself. It was quite incomprehensible, continued Mr. Jenkins, that a man with the high sense of right that the rector had, and being such a good follow in other ways, should have fallen into this sin. He was the youngest of the family he lost his eyesight entirely in infancy, and never had the advantages of a father's advice, being entirely brought up by his widowed mother (now over eighty) and elder sisters. The result was that he was entirely un- fitted to battle with the world, and, in fact, was not made a man of. Mr. Justice Grantham, in passing sentence of six months' hard labour, said there was something to be said in extenuation of the accused-the extreme friendship his wife had for another lady, and both of them dying almost simultaneously. If his wife had been more attentive to him instead of to her female friend she might have saved him. He (his lordship) did not think he ought to treat accused as if he had his full faculties and was not afflicted. Six months' hard labour.

VICAB, ON "SWEATING." The Rev. J. W. Goddard, vicar of St. Bartho- lomew's, Stamford-hill, calls the attention of his congregation to the fact that they are encourag- ing the" sweating" system by employing a verger and and his wife at 12s. a week. For this sum they are required to keep "the enormous church and crypt warmed and cleaned, to be at the services, and to pump out the crypt whet; it rains, &c." The church weekly offerings average 30s., and their expenses under the sweating system are 93 10s. The vicar states in his parish magazine We can't expect our wardens to find the £ 2 deficiency every week out of their own pocket. I have sug- gested to the people's warden that I will do the stoking, and set free the verger to earn a living wage. This I will gladly do if the congregation will excuse my grubby hands when I celebrate the Holy Eucharist and say the daily offices. "Then, as I am not sufficiently an all-round man to be an adept at scrubbing, I must plead that the ladies of the congregation will take it in turns to do that. I must ask the gentlemen to take it in turns to do the pumping. So if we can do this we might save about 10s. a week in our expenses, and this labour will be far more acceptable to God than the halfpennies placed in the offertory bags, while those who pass the bag service after service might perhaps be induced to at least dust their own chairs, and to wipe their own feet on the mats which their fellow wor- shippers have bought for them."

JEALOUS WIFE'S REVENGE. Mme. Ravignon, the wife of a cabman, residing in the Rue Bisson, Paris, is now in the lock-up as the result of a revenge she took on a woman she imagined had robbed her of her husband's affections. For some time she had fostered jealous feelings. She watched her husband furtively, and came to the conclusion that his amiability towards the concierge of the house was excessive. It was a terrible kind of revenge she prepared for the poor concierge. On Saturday morning, when her husband went to his work, she went into the concierge's lodge. Dear Mme. Estoury," she began in the pleasantest tone of voice imaginable, 11 Can you spare a minute ? My cat has just presented me with kittens, and I would like you to see the little darlings." The concierge accepted the invitation, and followed her tenant upstairs. But she had scarce entered the flat when she was knocked down and beaten on the head with some heavy article. In response to her shouts the neighbours broke open the door, and rescued the unfortunate concierge. Her skull was smashed in, and she was taken to Tenon Hospital. Mme. Ravignon is now at the Depot.

A middle-aged man, believed to be W. N. Harris, of Portland, Maine, has been found dead near Porto d'Anzio 25 miles from Rome. The State Department, at Washington has been advised that revolutionary outbreak has oc- curred in San -Domingo, and a warship has been dispatched to restore order.

INTERESTING ITEMS. I Sir Frederick Treves haa agreed to be nomi- nu-ted for the Lord Puector&Wp cd Aberdeen University. Just before his recent departure from Rome, Archhis-hop Bourne WM officially informed that it was the intenbion of the Pope to make him a cardinal. Near Aurillac, in the South of France, a coach fell over a precipice 450ft. into a ravine, the driver being killed and two passengers seri- ously injured. When sentenced to four months' imprisonment for shop-lifting in Paris, a woman named Mme. Poulichet drew a revolver and shot herself in the chest. Huoklelberry Finn's Cave, on the Mississippi, immortalised by Mark Twain, has been bought by a cement company, says the "North Ameri- can, and 3000 labourers are reducing the walls to dust. If a naval demonstration of the Powers does not effect a change in the Sultan's attitude, the fleet will be strengthened and a peaceful block- ade of the Dardanelles proclaimed. According to a telegram from Copenhagen, Prince Christian of Denmark will journey round the world next spring, by way of America, where he will visit Mr. Roosevelt. M. Arctowski, a Belgian explorer, has pub- lished a project for the exploration of the re- gion's round the South Pole, by means of motor- cans fitted with skates for traveLling on the ice. News reached Leicester from South Africa re- cently of the death of the Rev. Selwyn Freer, formerly chaplain and secretary to the Bishop of Southwell, who while out shooting slipped and exploded a gun which he was carrying. Princess Louise of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha has lodged an appeal with the Provincial High Court of Justice against the decision of the lower court that it was competent to deal with the divorce suit instituted by her husband, Prince Philip of Coburg. Put up for auction, the organ now standing in St. Leonard's Church, Malton (Yorks), only fetched 16t guineas. Royal Emblem, the champion shorthorn at this year's Royal Sho'w at Park Royal, has changed hands for £ 3230 in the Argentine- Killing eighty rats in twenty minutes was one of the feats of Nell, a cross-bred Leeds terrier, which has just died. Her record kill was 170 in one night, during which a rat ran up the. leg of a man's trousers, to the great annoyance of Nell and the alarm of the man. Simple living is said by Mrs. Catherine Scott, of Hirst, Northumberland, to account for her completion, in good health, of her 101st year. Her paternal grandmother lived to the age of 103, her mother to 90, and her father to 86. Her sight is only now failing her. At the annual show of the Fox-Terrier Club at Cheltenham the championship certificate for the best smooth dog was awarded to Mrs. Ben- nett Edward's Donearter Dominee, while Mor- den Bullseye, belonging to Miss Hatfield, was judged to be the best rough-haired dog. At the meeting of the shareholders of the Gaiety Theatre, Mr. George Edwardes regretted that a dividend of only 15 per cent, could be declared instead of 20 per cent. as in the pre- vious seven years, but the last twelve months had been the worst period for theatres in his experience. Two empty coaches left the rails during shunt- ing operations at Waterloo Station, and for some distance the permanent way was torn up. Knee-boots need not be taken by drafts of the Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery when proce?din<* on foreign service, says a War Office notice J,it issued. To h," maidservant, Miss Louisa Mathews, of'East Southernhay, Exeter, who died aged eighty-rr >ie, bequeathed £800, her parrot and cage, and gold watch and chain. For non-payment of the poor-rate, which he considered was devoted to sectarian purposes, the Rev. Robert Curson, Primitive Methodist superintendent minister, was committed to gaol for a month at NewcastLe-under-Lyme. "If any of the parishioners think they would like to make an offering," writes the vicar of Castleton, Derbyshire, in his magazine, I shall be glad to give a list of things necessary for the church." Meanwhile his choir remains on strike. The Lord Mayor of Liverpool has been offered a decoration of the Legion of Honour by the French Government. Large shipments of new quick-firing field1 guns have, says an Alderehot telegram, been ordered for India this month. The cost of restoring Winchester Cathedral, writes the dean, will probably amount to £ 20,000, to meet which there is no fabric fund. Stubbornly refusing to walk when arrested for begging, a tramp had to be taken to the Grimsby Police Station in a trap specially hired. Instead of attending to their duties as firemen when a blaze broke out at Fulshaw, it is alleged that three members of the Wilmslow (Cheshire) Brigade continued playing in a band at a local flower show. On the scene of the fire itself, it is further stated:, only one man wore his helmet. Inquiries are to be instituted. 1 The vicar of Gorleston, who is now on a holiday visit to Rome, with Colonel Bulmer, one of his churchwardens, has been presented to the Pope at the Vatican. Over £ 1,000 was realised by the two days' sale of old postage stamps concluded1 at Messrs. Puttick and Simpson's rooms. A very scarce Fijian variety, the 1874 12 cent on 6d. rose, with inverted "V.R. realised £ 10. For printing proposals for a foreign lottery, John Wesley Puddefoot, printer, of East Finchley, was sentenced, under an Act of George IV., to six weeks' imprisonment. There was said to have been a previous fine. Notice of appeal was given. Mr. Llovd Griscom has been raised from the rank of Minister to that of United States Ambassador to Japan. A revolution has broken out at Maeoris, in San Domingo, and an American warship haa been despatched. Mr. Jacob Saseoon has offered £ 13,333 towards the construction of a modern hospital for Europeans at Poona. The United States Consul at Canton has received an anonymous letter threatening to take his life if the boycotters of American goods are not released from prison. Mr. Jerome Bonaparte, Secretary of the American Navy, has directed that fights or duels with fists between midshipmen, ffuch as caused the -death of the youth Branch, shall be for- Wdiden. Private James Cole, aged thirty-five, of the Ist. Suffolk Regiment, committed cuicide at Woolwich by cutting his throat. The body of an unknown woman was found on the line at Richmond. She had been run over by a passing train. A domestic servant, who committed suicide at Barnes, had provided', herself, said the coroner, with sufficient poison to kill an elephant. Speaking on behalf of a prisoner at Chiswick, the Court Missionary remarked that a "villain called man" was -reisponisi-ble for the woman's position. The crew of the Norwegian brig Nova Scotia, which was abandoned in a sinking condition, were landed at Hull by the steam trawler Magpie. Viscount Northland was fined £ 3 and 2s. costs at Bow-street for driving a motor-car in St. Jamess-park at a greater speed than ten miles am hour. On entering upon the twenty-first year of his episcopate the Bishop of Salisbury was pre- eented by his diocese with his portrait in oils and- a service of plate.

OUR SHOHT SlOnY. A CONJURER'S REVENGE. (By JACK WHELDON.) "Now, ladies and gentlemen," said the con- jurer, having shown you that the cloth is absolutely empty, I will proceed to take irom it a bowl of gold-fish. Presto!" All round the hall people were saying "Oh, how wonderful! How do-m he do it?" But the Quick Man on the front seat said in a 'big whisper to -the people near him, He— liad-it-ui--hiis--cleave." Then the people nodded brightly at the Quick Man and said, "Oh, of course!" and everybody whispered round the hall, "He—had —it—up—his—sleeve." "My next trick," said the conjurer, "is the famous Hindostanee rings. You will notice that the rings are apparently separate; at a blow they all join (clang, clang, clang)—Presto There was a general buzz of stupefaction till the Quick Man was heard to whisper, "He—• must—have—had—another lot up his sleeve." Again everybody nodded and whispered, "The rings—were—up—his—sleeve." The brow of the conjurer was clouded with a gathering frown. "I will now," he continued, "show you a most amusing trick by which I am enabled to take any number of eggs from a hat. Will some gentleman kindly lend me his hat? Ah, thank you—Presto!" He extracted1 seventeen eggs, and for thirty- five seconds the audience began to. think that lie ivae, wonderful. Then the Quick Man whis- pered along the front bench, "He—has—a— lien-up-hi,s--sle-eve"; and all the people whis- pered it on, "He—has—a—lot—of—hens—up —his—sleeve." It went on like that all through. It trans- pired from the whispers of the Quick Man that the conjurer must have concealed up his sleeve, in addition to the rings, hens and fish, several packs of cards, a loaf of bread, a. doll's cradle, a live guinea-pig, a half-crown, and a rocking- chair. The reputaion of the conjurer was rapidly sinking below zero. At the close of the even- ing he rallied for a final effort. "Ladies and .gentlemen," he said, "I will present to you, in conclusion, the famous Japanese trick recently invented by the natives of Tipperary. Will you, sir," he continued, turning toward) the Quick Man, "will you kindly hand me your gold watch?" It was passed1 to him. "Have I your 'permission to put it into this mortar and pound it to pieces?" he asked, savagely. The Quick Man nodded and smiled. The conjurer threw the watch into the mortar and grasped a sledge-hammer from the table. There was a sound of violent smashing. 'He's—slipped—it—up—his—sleeve," whispered the Quick Man. "Now, sir," continued the conjurer, .will you allow me to take your handkerchief and punch holes in it? Thank you. You see, ladies and gentlemen, there is no deception; the holes are visible to the eye." The face of the Quick Man beamed. Tha real mystery of the thing fascinated him. "And now, sir, will you pass me your silk hat and allow me to dance on it? Thank you." The conjurer made a few rapid passes with his feet and exhibited the hat crushed beyond recognition. "And will you now, sir, take off your collar and permit me to burn it in the candle? Thank you, sir. And will you allow me to smash your spectacles? Thank you." By this time the features of the Quick Man were assuming a puzzled expression. "This thing beats me," he whispered, "I don't see through it a bit." There was a great hush upon the audience. Then the conjurer drew himself up to his full height, and, with a withering look at the Quick Man, he concluded': "Ladies and gentlemen, you will observe that I have, with this gentleman's permission, broken his watch, burnt his collar, smashed his .spectacles, and flaneed on his hat. If he will give me permission to paint green stripes on his overcoat, I shall be delighted to entertain you. If not, the performance is at an end." And amid a glorious burst of music from the orchestra. the curtain feU, and the audience dispersed, convinced that there are some tricks that are not done up the conjurer's sleeve.

SOMETHING LIKE SOLITUDE. After a fifty years' sojourn beyond the bounds of civilisation," where a white man was rarely seen, William Miller, a sturdy Scotsman of three score years and ten, has returned to spend the remainder of his days amid the comparative gaiety of the Orkney Islands, where he wa-s born. This man, who has had so remarkable a career in the service of the Hudson Bay Company, has brought back with him from the edge of the world a Cree Indian wife, whom he married thirty-six years age, and who has never before been in a town or city. With him also are three of his- eight children and two tiny grandchildren, the offspring of marriages contracted by two of his sons with half-breeds. Mr. Miller is a. fine type of sturdy Scotsman. He is of medium height, with a strong chin and square-cut beard, and talks of his life at Mistissannv, on Robarts House River, as being very pleasant and eventful. He was practically king of his small dominion, whose population was forty Indians and half-breed6, all in the employ of the great Hudson Bay Company. Year in, year out he and his family lived at the little post, but they were by no means dull. We hunted," he said, "and amused ourselves at night mainly with music. All my children play the fiddle, and in fact every half-breed on the station does. It seems to come naturally to them." Twice a year also he visited a neigh- bour, another Briton, who lived comparatively next door-a distance of 450 miles. With a doz^n canoes manned by Indians Mr. Miller would take down by canals the produce collected with the gun or by barter, which was principally composted of skins of many kinds. On the return journey he would carry back six months' pro- visions, such as flour, sugar, tea, pork, et

PURE BEER. In face of all that has been said about the deterioration of English beer, owing to the use of substitutes, it is refreshing to find that in the opinion of experts the national beverage has never been better or brighter or freer from adul- teration than at present. This opinion is ex- pressed by the analyst and the 16 judges who adjudicated upon 215 entries of beer at the re- cent Brewers' Exhibition. Mr. M. J. Cannon, the analyst, says that: "Of the purity of the beers exhibited there can be no possible doubt; they were free from preservatives, hop sub- stitutes, or other deleterious compounds. In fact, my experience is that beer maintains a standard of purity and freedom from added chemicals which I would desire other beverages attain." And he that "each brewer throughout the United Kingdom fully recognise that in the sitress of present-day competition quality and purity alone will satisfy the cus- tomer." The sixteen expert jurors go a step further: "These beers were the ordinary 'beers brewed for the trade, and may be considered as representative, of the character and quality .of the ai-es and stouts supplied throughout the country. With few exceptions all beers were brilliant and possessed an aroma, flavour, and palatability which left nothing to be desired. These results could only have been obtained by the use of good, sound materials, malt and hops, and care- ful attention."

Thieves who stole from the Accrington Hippo- drome a large safe, which could only be lifted by several men, considerately returned the hand- cart on which they hpi carried away their booty. Lawyers 'hope to reap a golden harvest for considerably more than a year ae a result of the litigation expected to follow the collision in the Suez Canal between the Chatham and the Clan Cumming. Shipowners are crying out for de- murrage.

BOOKS AND MAGAZINES. MUKDEN THE RECORD-MAKER.—At the Battle MUKDEN THE RECORD-MAKER.—At the Battle of Mukcten, it would seem that about 750,000 men—according to some Japanese estimates, 850,000—went into the fight. The nearest ap- proach to these stupendous figures that occurs previously to the Russo-Japanese War is afforded Iby the cases of the Battle of L-eipsic in 1813, of Koniggratz ia 1866, and Gravelotte in 1870, in each of which battles from 400,000 to 430,000 men were engaged. At Solferino, in 1859, the total forces on both sides aggregated nearly 300,000; at Wagram, in 1809, they amounted to 280,000; at Borodino, 1812, to 250,000; and at Jena, 1806, to 200,000. According to revised Jena, 1806, to 200,000. According to revised and authoritative Japanese calculaitions, there may have been as many as 460,000 in the fight- ing line at Liao-yang, and 580,000 in that at the Battle of the Sha-ho. But from even the last-quoted figures to those given for the Mukden struggle there is a very long jump, and when from mere paper statistics we pass to an at- tempt to realise mentally the actual size of the forces engaged, the amazing magnitude of the operations soon begins to impress itself upon the dullest imagination. Again, the extra- ordinary duration of the Mukden battle, largely exceeding, as it did, that of even the long and weary fighting at Liao-yang, has a serious signi- ficance. At Borodino the conflict lasted for 121- hours, at Wagram for 14 hours, and at Leipsic for three days. But what is this compared with the struggle at Mukden, which commenced not later than February 24, and the immediate ob- jective of which was not reached until March 10, while the pursuit to Tie-ling occupied an- other five or six days?—From Cassell's "History of the Russo-Japanese War." INNOCENT BUT DANGEROUS.—Innocent enough are the ingredients of gunpowder—salt- petre, charcoal, and sulphur. Everyone knows them and everyone can obtain them. Even schoolboys purchase them, mix them together, and have—accidents Many a man is going about to-day bearing the marks—in the shape, it may be, of an absent finger, or, indeed, an absent hand, or damaged eyes, or something worse—of some youthful frolic with these simple and everyday substances. If schoolboys will have gunpowder to play with, they will be well advised if they altogether cease to make it them- selves they will, however, be still better ad- vised if they abolish it entirely from the category of their playthings. Grown people as well as boys are often guilty of under-estimating the danger attaching to the use of gunpowder, says a writer in "Britain at Work. Not long ago a man put about a couple of pounds of powder into a hole that he had just seen a rabbit enter. He attached a fuse to the charge and lit it, ex- pecting to have rabbit broth for dinner that day. It was his own face, however, that was nearly cooked. Another time a small box of gunpowder in pound canvas bags was put in a wash-house out of the way. A cat upset the box during the night, and part of the gunpowder was spilt among some coal lying on the floor. Next morning the servant lit the copper fire, and an explosion occurred she was seriously burnt, and died three days afterwards. She had shovel- led up with the ooal the spilt powder. Where- ever there is gunpowder there is dang,er-a fact that those into whose hands it comes do not al- ways seem to appreciate. T FRANKLIN'S DISCOVERIES.—Benjamin Frank- lin explained this action, and made important discoveriea regarding the Leyden jar. He found that an insulated ball, after contact with the inner coating of the jar, was repelled by the outer coating, and vice versa. He suspended a cork ball, which received its charge from the outer coating, and found it to be repelled by a wire in connection with the inner coating he further made wires from the outer and inner coating come within an inch or so of each other. Between these wires he suspended the cork 'ball, which ascillated until the jar had lost all its electricity. On the basis of these experi- ments Franklin tried to explain the behaviour of the Leyden jar. At the same time he laid down a law of electricity, that when two oppo- sit,el- charged conductors, separated by an insu lator, are brought near together they will at- "traot each other. Franklin, one of America's greatest citizens, was born in 1706. On his statue is the appropriate epitaph, "He snatched the lightning from heaven, and the sceptre' from tyrants." His crowning invention was the light- ning conductor. He thought lightning to be nothing moro than an enormous electrical spark, though he was not the first to entertain this idea; we know that Wall, Rollet, and Winkler, in particular, reasoned in the same manner but he was the first to give clear and distinct ex- planations, and to propose experiments to prove them. Franklin was, however, forestalled in the experiment which he proposed; the first who actually made the experiment were the French- men, Delilbrand and Delor.—From "Electricity in the Service of Man." "TRAMPS' MECCA. "-An old-fashioned house in New York is known in the neighbourhood as ^Tramps' Mecca." No one who asks for food lis ever turned away. At "Tramps' Mecca" no questions are asked, no work is required in re- turn for food, and no advice or sermon is forced upon them. The servants have orders that no one who asks for anything to eat shall be re- fused. For twenty years that has been the rule. No matter who they are or what they are if they are hungry," is the motto of the house. The landlady's philanthropy is not confined to loafers, says the "Penny Magazine." Dogs, cats, horses, all find in her a friend. Draymen and cabmen learned long ago that they must not whin their horses in that street. She keeps a sharp looit-out, and woe to a man she catches abusing a beast! During the hot d'avs of sum- mer she goes out in the front of her fubode and, armed with a hose, gives the horses a refreshing wash as they pass. Any stray cat or dog that comes t-o the house is taken and tenderly cared for until a home can be found for it. Big fat cats may be seen basking contentedly on her door step, a parrot hangs in her window, and aquaria filled with bright-coloured fish stand ibelow the cage. ATMOSPHERIC STEAM HEATING.—'The place of origin of the atmospheric system of steam heating, which is ow to English engineers, is disputed, says 'a writer in the October Part of Building World." It has been claimed for America; but, wherever it origi- nated, there can be no doubt that conditions made this system of steam-work compulsory in France and Belgium. It must be explained that all ordinary methods of carrying out steam-heat- ing works in England (and in America) require that the apparatus sliall be of the nature of a closed circuit, to prevent steam escaping to waste. There must be no open pipe, and in current practice, the safety valve seldom opens. The apparatus may therefore be considered as sealed at all points. The reason for this is not far to seek, an escape of steam being equivalent to a waste of fuel. and, at the same time, repre- senting a definite waste of water; and although water is cheap enough, a loss of it from a steam boiler implies the necessity of keeping a watch- ful eye on the water-gauge and, should the water the boiler is fed with be hard, there will occur a collection of lime deposit. If waste of water is prevenbed, the water-gauge need only be dancedat occasionally, to see that the water- level is being maintained at its normal height, and new water need only be introduced into the boiler in very small quantity, about once a week. The desirability of having a closed apparatus is therefore plainly evident; but the Acts and Orders gov.<-ning heating works in Belgium (and some other countries) insist that an appa- ratus using steam as the heating medium shall have an open pipe, by which steam can freely Mow out, if its pressure is sufficient to make it do so. It will be understood that with such practical engineers as exist in the countries named, any idea of erecting a piping system through which the steam could blow, and escape to waste, would not be entertained for a moment; and the result is that they now have more than one form of apparatus, with the open expansion or blow-off pipe, yet neither steam nor water is wasted. What may be considered an even greater advantage is that the apparatus admits of the temperature of the radiators being regulated, which no ordinary kind of fiteam- heating apparatus will do. Lastly, these advan- tages are obtained with the use of quite small- sized pipes—so small as to appear almost ridicu- lous to an English engineer, though they do the work quite well.

I AMERICAN SMILES. I JOSH BILLINGS' PHILOSOPHY. "Virtew and religion are often konfounded; ft nlan May hav both, and he kan also have either without having the other. It iz better to suffer than to fear; suffering haa it-, limits, but fear haz not. ihare in no time in exuiy man's life when it iz sate to be karoless; it iz good judgment to. even sleep with one eye ajar. Too mutch good luk will make a man forgit, 0 tlia b he 'mortal. A wise man will be more purtikular about the brand ov his friends than he will about the number. Be thankful and yu will be happy. A tite boot iz the most remorseless thing 1 kno ov. Not to be influenced bi the misfortunes ov this- life shows that a person iz either more or less- than human, I don't kno witch. We kan simpathize with others for their trub- bles with a better grace than we kan rejoice with them for their good fortune. Thare iz a great menny rounds ov good luk iUt the ladder that leads to fame. Mi dear Hezakiah, don't hunt up fites ov enny kind; if thare iz a hornets' nest on the road to the skoolhouse, let it be they will leave shortly ennyhow but if you stir them up every day they will stay six weeks longer than they fust. intended. I hav known people to howl the tempranse question all day in the streets, and then go home at nite and praktiss the intempranse on their wives and children, and hurry the dog and kat with a, sharp stick around the premises. Thare iz two kinds ov kuriositY-Qne iz the very germ ov improvement, and the other, bi far the most common, sticks its noze into every- thing just to see what it smells like. We often find that thoze things we fear the- most hav the least danger in them. Thare iz very fu, if enny, men who luv vice for itself, but rather for the temporary pLezzure or proffit in it. Sekrets that we kan't keep ourselfs aren't. worth keeping by enny boddy else. Prekoshus children are like all other quilc things—soon over. Novelty iz just as necessary for mankind fresh air iz. < Since Mrs. C. Mackay became Sunday school commissioner of Roslyn, she wished to make Ew; birthday present to one of the children, a little, girl. I'll give you a doll," she said. "Thank you." "And what kind of a doll t Twins, please." Twins it was. f t It is said that Bishop Whipple, of Minnesota,, being held up by a footpad, said, indignantly:! Sir, I am the bishop of the Protestant Episco- pal Diocese of Minnesota!" "The devil you are!" replied the robber; "why, that's my church, too!" a. • A certain gentleman on being asked to sub- scribe toward sending out a missionary to one of the cannibal islands of the Pacific, is re- ported to have answered, in the most dis- couraging manner "Gertainl y not. I'm a vege- tarian." Mother: What! Do you intend to marry a for,e Son: She is a highly culti- vated English girl, mother." How do you know she is. highly cultivated?" She speakat- the same sort of English that I do." Nell: "That Miss Jones, the typewriter girl,. save she was the envy of all the other young, women at the seashore." Grace: "No wonder. While she was down there, she got all the other girte in the office to write letters to her, and ciia sat on the porch and blushed and smiled while she read them." She "You are depressed. I didn't know you cared so much for your uncle." He: "I didn't;, buit I wae the means of keeping him in an in- sane asylum the last year of hia life, and, now that he has left mo all his money, I've got to,, prove that he was of sound mind." » The Kaiser is popularly supposed to be econo- mical, but it is not generally known that he pushes his principles of economy to absolute niggardliness. It will be remembered that, he visited Constantinople some time ago, and was. received with unexainiipled magnificence and in- undated with handsome presents. During his stay in the Ottoman capital, the emperor's aide- de-camp was instructed by his imperial master to distribute such gifts as were usual among the servants attached to his person. He offered the equivalent of a dollar to the head coachman. The latter without a moment's hesitation re- turned it. "Thanks," he said, "I am not thirsty." An English rector one Sunday preached from the text, "Who Art Thou?" After reading it, he made a pause for the congregation to reflect upon the words', when a, man in a military dress,, who at the instant was marching very sedately- up the middle aisle of the church, supposing it a question addressed to him, replied "I am sir, an officer of the Sixteenth Regiment of Foot,, on a recruiting party here, and having brought, my wife. and family with me, I am come to church because. I wished to be acquainted with the neighbouring clergy and other people. This so deranged the divine and astonished the con- gregation that the sermon was concluded with considerable difficulty. A story is told of the wonderful cure from.' deafness of a patient who was recommended to. hear a, Wagner opera, and to Bit near the orches- tra by the trombones. The physician accom- panied his patient, and sat Inside him. Sud- denly, while the crash of the instruments was at its loudest, the deaf man found he could' hear. "Doctor," he almost shrieked, "I can hear The doctor gave no sign that he noticed" the remark. I tell you, doctor," repeated the patient, in ecstasy, "you have saved me! I have recovered my hearing." Still the physician wae silent. He had become deaf himself. < Shortly alter Garfield's death, a prominent politician made an address upon the life of the statesman before a school. When he had finished, he said "Now, can any of you tell me what a- statesman is?" A little hand went up, and little girl re-plied "A sta,tesman is a man who ;ma;kejs specehes." "Hardly that, answered the politician, who loved to tell this story. "For instance, I sometimes make speeches, and yet I am not a statesman." The little hand again went up, and the answer came, triumphantly: "I know; a statesman is a man who makes good speeches!" A Baptist and a Methodist minister were by accident dining at the same house. As they took their seats, there was an embarrassed panee, the hostess not knowing how to ask one minister to say grace without offending^ tho^ other. The small son quickly grasped the situation, an(j rising in hie chair, moved his finger rapidly arrownd the table, reciting Eny mene miny mo,, catch a nigger by the toe. He ended by point- ing his finger at the Baptist minister and shout- ing, "You're it!" "Children, said the teacher, instructing the class in composition, you should not attempt «ny flights of fancy; simply be yourselves an3 write what is in you. Do not imitate any other person s writings or draw inspiration from out- eide sources. As a result of this advice,. Tommy »Vise turned out the following com- position We should' not attempt any flights of" fancy, but write what is in us. In me there is my stummick, lungs, hart, liver, two apples, one piece of pie, one stick of lemon candv, and my dinner." ft < A Baltimore physician who boarded a crowded' car in Charles-street, noticed a woman standing' and a big German sprawling over twice the seat area that was necessary to him. Indignantly the physician said to him: "See here! Why don't you move a little so that this tired woman may have a seat?" For a moment the German looked dazed. Then a broad smile spread over his countenance as he answered: "Sa-y, dot'e- a joke on you, all right! Dot's my vife I"

PRINCESS'S PREDICAMENT. I When cycling across Dersingham-common, Sandringham, Princess Mary of Wales lost her only companion, a terrier, and went to look for it. Her clothing caught in a bramble thicket, and held her prisoner until two working men saw her pre- dicament. They lifted the Princess out of the thicket and carried her on to clearer ground. With a smile her Royal Highness thanked her deliverers, then sped homeward, to find the deg awaiting her arrival.

SCAFFOLD ACCIDENT. Ten men employed by the engineering depart- ment of the Caledonian Railway were engaged removing corrugated iron from a bridge at Spring- barn, Glasgow, on Sunday morning, when the staging on which they stood collapsed. All the men fell to the ground, six being injured. Alex- ander Caldwell, 45; John Cameron, 37; and Thomas Phillips, 37, were so severely injured as to necessitate their removal to the infirmary- Three others, after receiving medical attention, were taken home. The remainder of the party escaped unhurt.

CLIFTON BRIDGE MYSTERY. Two men were walking beneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge on Saturday at dusk when they saw a dark body fall from the bridge, and heard a splash in the water. They were unable to say whether the body was that of a man or a woman, and inquiries have so far failed to elucidate the mystery. The bridge-keeper says he saw no one behaving suspiciously. A commercial traveller recently committed suicide by jumping from the bridge.

KING ALFONSO'S DEPARTURE. The King of Spain left Berlin on Sunday for Vienna. The German Emperor, the Crown Prince, and aU the other Princes accompanied His Majesty to the station. The leave-taking was of a very cordial character. The Emperor and the King embraced and kissed one another several time King Alfonso has appointed the Crown Prince & a suite of the Numancia Regiment. King Alfonso of Spain has conferred the Order of the Golden Fleece on Prince Buelow.

Thomas Jesse Burgees offered a snuff-box for sale, and was arrested shortly afterwards. It was stated that the article was part of the pro- ceeds of a burglary hich took place in July, 1904. He was remanded at Hastings. It was stated at the Leeds inquest on John Metcalfe, 53, of New Wortley, that while em- ployed as a grinder at the railway foundry he was carried over the top of a grindstone at great speed, thrown into the pit below, and cut to pieces.

I KING GEORGE ARRIVES. I I WELCOME AT WINDSOR. 1 Despite a dense fog and a heavy sea, the Royal yacht Victoria and Albert made a quick voyage from Cherbourg on Monday, and landed King George of Greece amd Prince and Princess Nicholas at Portsmouth eaxly in the afternoon. King George, who is an Admiral of the British Navy, wore the uniform of his rank and flew his admiral's flag at the mainmast of the Victoria and Albert. As the vessel passed' through Spithead the Reserve Squadron anchored there manned ship and, saluted the King with their guns. All the ships in Portsmouth Harbour, too, were dressed; rainbow fashion and fired salutes. Prince Arthur of Connaught was the first to welcome the Royal guests. It was just before two o'clock when the King disembarked, and after inspecting the guards of honour. entered a special train for Windsor. The castle clock was striking four when the train glided into Windsor station. The bells, of St. George's Chapel rang out a joyous peal, while the band of the Coldstream Guards played! the Hellenic National Anthem. When the train drew up the King and Queen came from the waiting- room and cordially greeted King George, kiss- ing him on both cheeks. Her Majesty's wel- come, to her brother was particularly affec- tionate. King Edward was in the uniform of an English Field Marshal, over which he wore a military overcoat. His Majesty looked in excellent health and spirits. The Queen wore a light cloak over a, beautiful dress, and her toque was composed of her favourite colour, heliotrope. The Royal party drove to the castle through crowded and decora-ted streets in open carriages. On alighting, King George was received by the officers of the Household and conducted to his splendid suite of apartments overlooking the north terrace. Stalwart troopers of the Second Life Guards in full uniform lined the grand staircase and stood like statues as the Royal visiters- passed through the magnificent rooms. The troopers were conveyed from the cavalry barracks. to the castle in Great. Western motor-omnibuses, so as to avoid the dirty streets. This is the first time on record that a motor-omnibus has entered the castle precincts.

NAVAL MANCEUYttES. I The naval manoeuvres for 1806 will be based on a principle quite new in naval annals, and will ohe on a fuller scale than the postponed programme of this year. The Japanese fleet will, theoretically, form part of the scheme, which will test the strap-etic and' tactical value of the new distribution of warships. It will be supposed that strained relations exist, and the British and Japanese navies will be on the watch all over the world. The sea frontiers of all our possessions consequently will come into the scheme. As soon as "war" has broken out, the reserve divisions will be mobilised, and the conditions that might occur with a naval combination operating against us will then be rehearsed Bimultaneouslyby the various divisions, the operations being part of one war plan. A "skeleton" enemy of cruisers, with admirals in command, will be kept on the alert for weeks against this force. Tact, ability, and intuitive judgment will be demanded of the various commanders-in-chief, and the schema will be the most searching test of efficiency ever devised.