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

OUR LONDON LETTER. (From Our London Correspondent.) Special accommodation has been provided on the P. and O. liner Marmora for the comfort of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, who, with Princess Patricia and a considerable staff, are to make the journey to the East on her. The Royal travellers are to have sepa- rate sleeping cabins, which have been formed by knocking two of the ordinary rooms into one, thus giving a space of 14ft. by 6ft. for each room. Each is comfortably furnished, and the hangings ara of dark green, while the carpets are a warm red, setting off the oak work pannelling very well. The Duchess's boudoir is a charming blue papered apartment, containing everything that could be regarded by a traveller as necessary, and some things that may almost be described as luxuries—the dainty arm-chairs and hangings of pink, the piano of satin-wood, and innumerable little knick-knacks which should certainly ensure the comfort of the Duchess and her daughter. Opening out of the boudoir is the Duke's writing-room, papered in red, and upholstered in green, amongst its contents being an an- tique escretoire. Both the last-named apart- ments are lighted by skylights provided with curtains to match the furniture, these lights being in precisely the same condition as when in use by ordinary passengers, and having re- ceived no special decoration. The Duke's writing-room opens in turn into the alley-way on the starboard side, where the cabins of his suite are situated. All the apa.rtments are heated by electric radiators which provide a maximum of heat and at the same time pro- vide the cosy appearance of a fire, and at the end of each alley way is a door which leads directly on the promenade deck, so that there will be no necessity when fresh air and exercise may be required to descend to the hurricane dock below. It is not true, as at first re- ported, that the Duke will go on to America, for the Royal travellers are to come back by way of Egypt. In noting the departure of the Duke of Connaught, the "Graphic" recalls the story of a pompous prelate who met his Royal High- ness at some function without recognising ,li i- m. The Duke observed that he had been delayed by attendance on his mother. "I see you are a dutiful young man," said the Bishop, with high approval; and how is the dear old lady?" The Duke replied that "the dear old lady" was very well, and it was not till after- wards that the terrible truth was broken to the Bishop! Another story is told of the tour of the Duke and Duchess in Egypt. Owing to an accident to the Duchess's saddle she was unable to ride home, and so a sort of sedan- chair was improvised out of a gun-carriage. At the end of her journey the Duchess ex- pressed the hope that the bearers were not tired, whereupon the officer, with perfect naivete answered, Indeed, no! madam. You .0 not heavier than the gun they are accus- tomed to carry." There was peculiar appropriateness in the hoice of the last resting-place of the late jBaroness Burdett-Coutts in Westminster Abbey, for the site which was chosen in the west end of the nave might well be termed the Philanthropist's Corner. At the head of the gmve stood the statue of the great Earl of Shaftesbury, which, appropriately enough, was unveiled by tho Baroness herself sixteen years ago; while a few paces down the nave is the spot where in 1869 the remains of George Peabody were temporarily interred. After at few days in the Abbey his body was removed to America and re-interred in Massachusetts, liis native State. Near the grave is Onslow Ford's bust of General Gordon, of whom it can be said that he has memorials in both St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, though buried in neither, his bones lying out in Khartoum. C5 The late Baroness enjoyed a unique distinc- tion—she could claim that her father, as a political offender, had suffered imprisonment in the Tower of London, and, moreover, that it required a force of his Majesty's Life Guards to take him from his house, No. 80, Piccadilly, round which an immense mob of his supporters encamped by day and bivouacked by night. Not till cannon had been posted in the stroets and blood had been shed did the military succeed in capturing Sir Francis. His alleged offence was a breach of privilege in selKng for a shilling copies of his speech in Parliament, defending a Liberal speaker from imprisonment. At this juncture Queen CJrai loite wrote to Sir Francis's father-in-law, the grandfather of the late Baroness, threatening to withdraw her slender balance from Coutts and Co. at three days' notice. The sturdy old banker met the Royal message with a reply that Coutts's Bank needed but three hours' notice to withdraw -even £ 500,000. One is reminded of a notable man of the past by the fact that the Daniel Lambert," which has been established for more than a century, is up for sale. This is the only hostelry in London which perpetuates the memory of the most corpulent man of his time, and is situate on Ludgate-hill; but probably very few of the thousands who pass it day by day ever notice it. Lambert in his youth is said to have been a nimble pedestrian, an expert rider, and a crack shot, but when lie came to London he scaled the enormous weight of over fifty stone, and a suit of clothes cost him no less than 220. It was an- nounced in the newspapers that Mr. Lambert will see company at his house, No. 53, Picca- dilly, next the Albany, nearly opposite St. James's Church, from eleven to five o'clock. Tickets of admission Is. each," and during his stay in London, which he only survived three years, Lambert proved the fashionable celebrity of the moment, all day long his rooms being thronged with society crowds, in which Mayfair and Belgravia were largely pre- dominant. The fine old cedars of Lebanon at Kew Gar- dens are gradually and surely diminishing in number, and the authorities record with regret the decadence of vet another, one of the group growing near the Pagoda. It was, 75ft. high, and its trunk, which was 14ft. 2in. in circumference near the base, and lift. 7in. at 10ft. from the ground, contained nearly 300 cubic feet of timber. It is believed to have been planted about the time the Pagoda was built in 1762. The group now consists of only three trees, whereas, about half a century ago, the cedars were growing so thickly all round the base of the Pagoda that the ground was quite hidden from the view of anyone looking down from the top. There are still some twenty specimens flourishing in other parts of the Gardens, but it is considered that the adverse influences of London smoke and a sterile soil shorten the lives of these trees in Kew, and their decadence has certainly been accelerated by the large proportion of dry summers experienced in the Thames Valley since 1593. S. J.

Besides addressing a, meeting in Aberdeen in thfc middle of the month, Mi. Bryce will enter- tain a large number of political supporters and friends. No date has been fixed, as the seat. cannot be declared vacant until Parliament meets. Sir Rodney Stuart Riddell, Bart., died at Bath, whither he had gone for his health's sake. He was 68 years old, and retired from the Army in 1885 with the rank of honorary lieutenant- colonel. He went through the Afghan war and the Soudan expedition of 1885. j

SUFFRAGETTES EJECTED. Mr. Julius Bertram, M.P., who blocked. Mr* Keir Hardie's Bill, was constantly interrupted by women who want votes when he addressed his constituents at Baldock, Herts. The remarks of Mrs. Drummond, the leader of the party oi suffragettes who had invaded the hall, evoked a chorus of yells, and it was difficult to restrain the younger members of the audience from at once ejecting them. Hardly a word was audible at a distance of a yard. The suffragettes did not appear to have many sympathisers in the hall. Mrs. Drummond refused to desist, and she was borne out of the town hall, amidst boisterous cheers. Mrs. Baldock then mounted a bench, and commenced to speak, but she was gently seized, and conveyed into the streets. The chairman (Mr. Barry Parker) said he would gladly have heard the women later in the proceedings. Mr. Bertram thought such de- monstrations would do no good. He was sure there was no desire for votes on the part of women in general. If, instead of acting in this way, the suffragettes were to try to convert theii own sex they might have their wishes in this generation. Mr. Bertram said it was unfaii that he should be made the victim of such de- monstrations, because he had never expressed himself in favour of female suffrage. His views were well known before he was returned to Parliament.

ARBROATH RAIL SMASH. I George Gourlay, the driver of the express which ran into the other train at Elliot Junction, was again brought before the Sheriff at Dundee charged with manslaughter. The formal charge was that in a state of intoxication, and against tho orders of John Grant, station-master at Arbroath, and particularly having regard to the state of the weather and of the line, he recklessly and culpably drove hia train. Gourlay pleaded not guilty, and declined to make any further statement. He was released on P.300 bail. Guard Kinnear, who was in charge of the ex- press, gave evidence at the inquiry conducted by Major Pringle on behalf of the Board of Trade. He stated that the express left" Arhroath at 3.26 p.m., and reached Elliot at 3.35. As to the latter time he could not speak positively, as he suffered from the shock of the impact. He was pitched out of the van, thrown across a fence, and alighted on a snow-covered field. There were no fog signals on the line. The express at the time of the smash was going at a maximum speed of 16 to 20 miles an hour. At such a speed he did not think it necessary to do anything beyond his ordinary duties. If he had considered there was any danger he would have taken measures to arrest the train. He testified to Gourlay being a steady and con- scientious driver, perfectly sound as far as drink was concerned. In order to extricate Gourlay from the wreck of the cab of the engine he turned off the steam, which was escaping, and threatened to scald those in its proximity, and, while doing so, came into close contact v. ith Gourlay. He would have perceived the smell of drink on him had there been any. Mr. Thomas Shaw, M.P., Lord Advocate for Scotland, has directed that a full puolic jnquiry shall be held into the eirelimstance, at eiiciii.g the disaster. This is under the Ft, tal Accidents and Sudden Deaths (Scotland) Act, and the inquiry will be conducted by Sir F. Ferguson, Sheriff Principal for Forfarshire. A jury has been cited which is empowered not only to r ttii n a formal verdict, but also to criticise the ra way arrangements and, if necessary, to fix the uiume. The Dundee magistrates prctes ed a few days ago against the iioard of Trade inquiry beinc held in private. Major Pringle, of the B j»rd of Trade, concluded his investigation of the accident en Saturday night, and lert at once for London. Mr. H. A. Allan, of Dundee, who was injured in the disaster, died ou ISuaday ui^lit at Arbroath in- firmary. He was a commercial traveller, and leaves a widow and family. The number of deaths is now 22.

A MODERN SAMSON. A strange contest has taken place in Bristol, where Herbert Wickham, a powerfully-built athlete, pitted himself against two 8-h.p. motor- pars. With Wickham standing between them, folding by two straps, the cars were started in opposite directions at full speed, but neither moved an inch. Then Wickham held a single motor, which could only pull him a couple of inches. The third test was with both cars side by side and pulling in the same direction. Wickham again held them, and the chain at- tached to the tyre to prevent slipping snapped. Wickham has pulled against a 30-h.p. motor.

STOP THAT COUGH. THE QUICKEST and simplest remedy-let alone its cheapness- is KEATING'S COUGH LOZENGES. One alone relieves coughs, asthma, and bronchitis. As a Cough Remedy they are simply unrivalled. Sold everywhere in tins, 13td. each free for stamps. Thomas Keating, Chemist, London. Pleading guilty to the theft of £ 12 from her mistress at Nelson, a domestic said that she stole the money to pay her lover's passage to America, as he was out of work. She was in delicate health, and a home had been offered to her. She was bound over. Thomas Smith, a man on crutches, remanded at West London charged with burglary at Ham- mersmith Town Hall and two other places, was found behind the town hall lying on the ground with a broken ankle. He had fallen 25ft. while trying to climb a stack pipe. The overlooker of a mill at Preston reports that, owing to influenza, he has weavers for sixteen out qf eighty looms. Dr. Pilkington, medical officer of Preston, advises women workers to wear clogs and shawls on leaving the mills instead of brown paper shoes and last summer hats. The vellum certificate of the Royal Humane Society was presented by Colonel Davis, late High Sheriff of Essex, to a Walton boy, named Clancy, who plunged into the sea from Walton breakwater and rescued a" little child who had fallen in and had sunk twice.

I RYDE LIFEBOAT DISASTER. An inquest was held at Portsmouth on Frank Haines, coastguard, and Henry Heward, fisher- man, the two victims of the Ryde lifeboat dis- aster. William Bartlett, the coxswain, said that before the accident he had been out about five times in tie boat. He and his crew had great confidence in her; she had behaved splendidly ever since she was launched. They were quite close to Ryde Pier on their return voyage when the boat was struck by a squall and went over. Replying to questions directed to eliciting I the cause of the capsize, the witness said that the boat answered her ruddei all right, and was not carrying too much sail at the time she turned over. Haines and Heward could not get up on the keel of the boat, and had to re- main partly in the water. But for this partial immersion he thought the men might have lived. The boat's keel was about twenty-seven feet long. I George Jeffrey agreed with the coxswain's evidence, and added that he felt satisfied that the boat was capsized by a squall and nothing else. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death," and said that no one was to blame. They highly complimented the police and coast- guards who rescued the survivors. Princess Henry of Battenberg has sent the following telegram to the Deputy Governor of the Isle of Wight:—"Would you express my deep concern at shocking lifeboat accident, and sympathy with bereaved families.;—Beatbjck.

MURDER BY A LUNATIC. A lunatic, named Tarvell, attacked another patient, named Legg, while working in a field belonging to the County Asylum, near Dor- Chester, and fractured his skull with a pick. The unfortunate man died within an hour. It has long been the custom in this asylum to em- ploy patients who are sufficiently strong and reliable in tho gardens attached to the asylum. The effect of the open-air exercise on the physi- cal and mental condition of the patients has been uniformly encouraging. The murdered man and his assailant were in charge of an at- tendant, who had no ground to anticipate any violence. Both men had been in the asylum many years, and there was apparently no ani- mosity between them.

r AN OMEN OF DEATH. An omen of death was described to the Exeter coroner, when an inquest was held on a Mrs. Elizabeth Medland, found dead in her bed. A witness-Francis Dawe—declared that a clock in his house, which had not worked for two and a half years, struck one at six o'clock on the morning of her death, and remarking that he was certain a death had occurred, he sent his daughter to Mrs. Medland's house. She had juiit died.

BASUTOS AND THE KING. i. A party of Basuto scouts who fought for Great Britain in the Boer war have arrived in Eng- land to submit certain grievances to the Colo. nial Secretary. When they took service as scouts on the British side the Boers turned them out of the land in the Orange River Free State which had been given them in 1866. At the end of the war they-asked to be reinstated, but were told that under British rule natives were not allowed to own land. They are now making a last attempt to regain their land, and after seeing Lord Elgin they will probably be received by the King. =

l SNOWED-UP FOR TEN DAYS. 1, Il 1. 1.1-. Mr. William Boyden and the members of his family, residing at Chipnall Mill Farm, fiva miles from Market Drayton, had the extraordi- nary experience of being snowed up for ten days after Christmas, so deep being the drifts in the neighbourhood that it was impossible for access across to the residence to be obtained. During the ten days, however, the deleaguered household suffered little serious inconvenience, as the farm contained a good stock of provi- sions. Mr. Boyden's chief grievance was that his supply of tobacco had run out.

"Alas!" confessed the penitent man, "in a moment of weakness I stole a car-load of brass fittings." "In a moment of weak- ness?" exclaimed the judge. "Goodness. man! what would you have taken if you had yielded in a moment when you felt strong?"

Ernest Albert Rogers, who was charged at the Marylebone Police-court with stealing a hansom-cab on Christmes Eve, and who pleaded that ne was intoxicated, was discharged. In his official report Major Best, the Chief Constable for Merionethshire, referring to the new Dog Act, points out that the police have no kennels, collars, and chains with which to detain stray dogs, and most of the county police-stations are too limited in size to permit of kennels being attached. While on a visit to East Ham a woman from Leign-on-Sea gave birth to a son in the street, in Crescent-road. The mother and chlld. were conveyed to a nurse's home, where both are doing well. „ 0 One of the late Charles Bradlaugh's most energetic co-workers, Mr. Joseph Symes, has died. He returned only a few months ago to England from Australia, where .for several years he took an active part in political and Freethought work. P The squealing and scampering of rats aroused from their sleep the occupants of two burning cottages at Mount Hawke, Cornwall. They were just in time to escape. Lieut.-Colonel Vaughan-Lee has been selected to succeed Colonel Anstruther-Thomnson in command of the 2nd Life Guards. P A grandson of Charles Dickens has just ar- rived in London from Australia, says the "British Australasian." This is Mr. Henry Bulwer Lytton Dickens, who is a native of Aus- tralia, and a son of one of Charles Dickens' sons, who many years ago emigrated to Aus- tralia. Andre Beaulieu, three years old, of Lowell, Massachusetts, is said to be a confirmed smoker. He consumes two ounces of tobacco a week, and cries bitterly when he is deprived of his pipe. The Lowell Humane Society is trying to cure him of the tobacco habit.

RAILWAY EMBANKMENT SLIPS. The express train from Victoria to Ports- mouth was delayed by an exciting incident, the result of the sudden thaw. It had run from Clapham-junction past Horsham without a stop, when it came to a standstill. A plate- layer shouted to inquiring passengers that part of an embankment had slipped down ahead, and in due time the train was backed and shunted on to the up-line, on which it travelled as far as Billingshurst. Midway between Horsham and the latter place it was seen that an embankment had sunk clean away from beneath the lines, which for twenty or thirty yards were bent like a switchback railway without any support. The express crawled slowly past the spot on the up-line, passing a breakdown gang at work, and reached its destination less than a quarter of an hour behind schedule time.

TRAMPS AND PRISON FARE. I Superintendent Gable, of the Berkshire police, called the attention of the Bench at Newbury to the number of tramps who during the winter have committed offences with the avowed object of being sent to gaol. He said that they preferred prison and its fare-to the casual wards, where they only received bread and water, and the result was a state of things which was becoming serious. I

TOO READY TO START. I A motor fire engine at the Euston-road fire station was standing ready for a call when it suddenly darted out of the station and knocked down the stone and iron fence surrounding the yard n front. Two of the stone pillars were smashed, and pieces of stone and iron were scattered in all directions. The engine badly damaged itself, and had to ba sent away for repairs.

CHILDREN'S COUGHS. Nothing could be better or safer than Veno's Lightning Cough Cure. IVIrs. BUCHANAN, 89RAEBERRY ST. GLASGOW, writes October 20th, 1904, l&'TPwe-' I think it my duty to give you my Mr opinion of VENO'S It LIGHTNING Y FFI&S W COUGH CURE. f2 You could not have M, V. wffi given it a better name; it has proved "■ ■< a "LIGHTNING" COUGH CURE to my "fwj/ four children with 0$They ^suffered sinca /tfislllSwfflaiira&v ,/v last April; they were all c^rcd ona MASTER BUCHANAN. weel. by your Cough Cure. I will never be without iti I have Riven it to most of my friends because I have so much faith in it. I thought I was going to lose two of my children; they could neither eat uor sleep, but now they can go out in all weathers. They like your Cough Cure, and won't go to bed without it. fASK FOR EN0S UGHTNING COUCH CURE The purest and most efficient Remedy procuraUo for CougHe, Colds, Bronchitis, Asthma, Catarrh, Weak Lungo & Children's Cougha* Sid., I I I i and 2 O per bottle. ,11 all Chemists and Dritz Stores everywhere. L

RUSSIAN GENEKAL SHOT. I General von der Launitz, Prefect of St. Petersburg, was assassinated at the Institute of Experimental Medicine in St. Petersburg, after the consecration service of a new building, which he attended on the invitation of Prince Oldenburg. On the conclusion of the service the- Prefect w; s the first to leave the church, when a well-dressed young man approached, firing point-blank at the general, who fell for- ward on his faM in the snow. The murderer fired six shots altogether at the Perfect, one of which entered the latter's neck and came out at the temple. The Ltan fired a seventh shot into his own mouth, an.1 fell dead at the Prefect's aide. The officer oi duty drew his sword and struck several times at the assassin. Meanwhile the Prefect was carried into the church, where he died almost immediately. Two arrests were made in the crowd. It is believed that the murderer came from Tamboff, where the de- ceased officer owned large estates. Another account says that an officer seized the assassin's revolver, and the Grand Duke's aide drew his sword and ran the man through the body, killing him. General von der Lannitz was the ex-Governor of Tamboff, where he dealt severely with the revolutionaries. The Prefect of Moscow, M. Rhfcinbot, has been appointed Prefect of St. Petersburg in place of General von de Launitz. It. is known, s-ays a St. Petersburg telegram, that the 27 persons, a list of whose names was found in the recent domiciliary researches, and who were marked for death, included Count Ignatieff, General von der Launitz, Admiral Dubassoff, Major-General Litvinoff, Governor of Ato- linsk, who was recently murdered; and Major- General Rheinbot, Prefect of Moscow.

AN AFFLICTED MARRIED COUPLE One Reduced by Influenza. The Other a Wretched Anscmic; Health Ruined by Rheumatic Fever. Both Made Well. Two Remarkable Cures by Dr.WILLIAMS; PINK PILLS In health and in sickness 'Mr. and Mrs. Whit- lock, of 7, Ledbury-street, Leeds, like othet married #folk, have had their share of trouble, but such a remarkable change has been wrought in their lives by Dr. Williams' Pink Pills fot Pale People that they are anxious for others to hear their experience. THE HUSBAND'S STATEMENT. "Snatching meals at odd tiarus," said Mr. Whitlock, "and having to be outdoors in all sorts of weather had its effect upon me in time in fact, my constitution gave way under the strain at last, so that when I contracted a severe cold my strength was too reduced'for me to throw it off, and I had to take to my bed, a victim of violent influenza. "Fierce shooting pains attacked me in the cheet and back. I could not lift my head owing to intense pains. Food was distasteful to me I could not even digest bread and butter. My nerves were unstrung, and the least sound jarred on me, while my sleep at night was dis- turbed by horrible dreams. "I lost flesh rapidly, and fell away so weak that I could not stand ijiy joints became stifl and very puffy, and the skin on my body was dry and irritated terribly. It was even a straggle to get my breath. "I began to despair of ever regaining strength Or getting well, when I was strongly advised to try Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for Pale People. Heartily sick of taking medicines, I decided to give the pills a trial. I noticed a slight im- provement after taking two boxes, and on con- tinuing my appetite returned, and I could eat and digest my food. The pains in my chest and back disappeared, and all traces of influenza left me. I could sleep well at night, and awoke in the morning invigorated. I persevered with Dr. Williams' Pink Pills, and put OIl. flesh; from the time I began taking Dr. Williams' Pink Pills I never looked back. From a physical wreck they made me a strong a' :I healthy man." THE WIFE'S STATEMENT. Mrs. Whitlock then added her praise for Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for Pale People. "Five years ago," she said, "I was a sufferer from that great scourge so prevalent among w(nien- anrcmia. I became tired and languid; my breathing was short and accompanied by sharp shooting pains in the chest and back, like knife stabs. I could not bear the sight of food; if I swallowed even the least morsel it caused severe pains in the chest, with an inclination to vomit. My face was deathly pale and my lips livid day and night I was always tired out, I gradually grew weaker and weaker until, after a cold, rheumatic -fever get in, and for months I lay in bed helpless, unable to move hand or foot, and suffering agonies. So distressingly weak and nervous did I become that the slightest thing brought on fits of hysteria. Sometimes, on attempting to get out of bed I would fall back exhausted. "Medicine seemed powerless to help me. Then I decided to try Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for Pale People. I did, and after four boxes my stomach could retain solid food, and I enjoyed peaceful sleep. Soon, all traces of rheumatic fever left me I regained the use of my limbs. I could feel the new blood coursing through my veins, and aneernia no longer troubled me. I thank Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for my cure and present good health." The Rich Red Blood of Health is made by Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for Pale People with 1L ML: BOPLE %Y every dose that is how they have cured so many cases of Anaemia, Influenza's After- Effects, Indiges- tion, Palpitations, Rheumatism, Scia- tica, Neuralgia, St. Vitus' Dance, Eczema, Ner- vous Disorders, Paralysis, Effects of Overwork or Worry, also Ladies' Ailments. But only the genuine pills cure, those bearing the full name (seven words as above). Of all dealers or from the British Depot, 46, Holborn-viaduct, London, post free, 2a. 9d. far one box, or 13s. 9d. for six boxes.

LABOUR IN PARLIAMENT. I Members of tra-de unions affiliated to the Labour party now pay a penny each per year for the maintenance of their twenty-nine mem- bers of Parliament. At the annual conference of the party, which begins at Belfast on January 24, it will be officially proposed to double the amount of this levy. Expenses of the party in Parliament last session amounted to C6,290, and the income was only £ 4,000. With the E8,000 income which would result from a two- penny contribution, it is calculated that £ 1,500 would remain each year towards the funds neces- sary for the next general election. In view of the autumn session it will also be moved that the Labour members receive an extra allowance of £ 20. Their present salaries are Z200 per annum.

TREATMENT OF CONVICTS. I At an inquest at Parkhurst on a man named William Henry, an elderly convict, John Tom, who is doing a term of ten years, and has re- ceived other sentences, came before the coroner in charge of a warder. He complained of the harsh treatment to convicts at Parkhurst, who, he alleged, were starved. He also complained of the conduct of the warders, and said the deceased had not received proper attention from the prison officials. As the convict persisted in his statements, which were quite irrelevant, he was ordered to leave the room, the jury not wishing to hear him any further. Several offi- cials gave evidence, and disproved the allega- tions to the satisfaction of the jury, who re- turned a verdict of "Death from natural causes."

I BIG FIRE AT PORTSMOUTH. Damage officially estimated to amount to E250,000 was done by fire at Portsmouth Gun Wharf, the entire equipment of an Army Corps being destroyed. The fire raged for about five hours before it was got under control. It de- stroyed a great store 300ft. long and packed from floor to ceiling with bedding, blankets, tents, ropes, etc. When it was seen that the aames could not be quenched with the appli- ances of the wharf, help was summoned from the town and the dockyard. Troops turned out under arms and landing, parties came from the warships in the harbour; so that at the height of the outbreak 2,000 men, with twenty engines, were fighting the flames. Grave fears wew entertained for the safety of the houses in the town of Portsea, as a heavy south-westerly gale was blowing, carrying the flames r.nd sparks a considerable distance. Fortunately, however, no damage was done to civilian property. Every effort was made to localise tho fire to the building in which it originated, the roof of which soon collapsed, and sailors were em- ployed in removing stacks of wood in the vicinity which threatened danger, and also in clearing adjacent stores, which, as well as the officers' quarters, were in serious risk for some time. By half-past two in the morning the firemen had succeeded in this task, and the troops were withdrawn, though the fire brigades continued to play on the burning debris until daybreak. The greatest exertions were directed to preventing the flames from reaching the museum on Gun Wharf, where are preserved ancient types of guns and equipment in all epochs of the British Navy. How the fire origi- nated can only be surmised. One theory is that the outbreak was due to the overheating of the stove in the office on the ground floor.

POISONING MYSTERY. I Some remarkable evidence was given at the magisterial inquiry into a mysterious poisoning case at Northfieet. George Rhodes, an insur- ance agent, of Gravesend, was accused of ad- ministering poison in the form of powder to his wife. At the last hearing she asserted that on frequent occasions her husband had put poison into her beer, tea, soup, and medicine, and also on some toast, and that she had taken some powder from his waistcoat pocket, and handed it to Dr. Wiseman, who attended her during her illness. Rhodes, who was formerly em- ployed in the Chatham Dockyard, from which he was discharged with an exemplary character after fourte-en years' service, had been out on bail, and it was now stated that the Treasury, to whom the result of the analysis of the powder had been communicated, had not thought it necessary to undertake the prosecu- tion. While the case was proceeding a drama- tic scene was witnessed. Mrs. Rhodes entered the court with her fifteen-year-old daughter and some friends. The husband stepped over to the girl and kissed her, and then both sobbed bitterly. His wife swooned. Rhodes assisted her removal from the court, and returned crying. Frederick Charles Hughes Lingfell, an insur- ance agent,, said that on December 14 Mrs. Rhodes called at his house, and immediately she entered she fell down prostrate. With assistance he conveyed her to the hospital, where her husband arrived later. He entered the cubicle in which his wife had been placed, and was much distressed, and cried. Mrs. Rhodes said: Get away from me. I do not want you; you have done it this time. You have put it in my beer." Between five and six o'clock the same, evening Lingfell called at Rhodes' house. Rhodes mentioned the beer-poisoning case, and Lingfell replied that he did not think arsenic would have affected Mrs. Rhodes' throat. Rhodes asserted that he knew it was not arsenic, and bust out crying. When Rhodes heard this evidence, he exclaimed excitedly I "Speak the truth," to which Lingfell retorted: "I am speaking the truth." Dr. Wiseman spoke to receiving a white powder from Mrs. Rhodes and handing it to the police five days later. On the following day she gave him some toast on which was some white powder. Dr. Wood, who made analyses of the powder found in a medicine bottle and on toast, said the poison was ammo- niated mercury.

DROWNED IN A RESERVOIR. I As an Openshaw man named Choularton was passing along the Crescent, one of the chief tho- roughfares of Salford, he noticed a number of children on the banks of a reservoir. Two or three of them ventured on to the ice, and al- most immediately dissappeared. As the River Irwell ran deeply between him and the reservoir, it was impossible for him to do more than give prompt notice to the police. Shortly atter- wards a number of firemen hastened to the reservoir with ladders, ropes and torches, two constables, and a number of helpers following with a rowing-boat from a local clubhouse. A way had to be cut though the ice, and several times the officers had to return to land through the boat filling with water. At last the hole was reached, but the only signs of the boys were a couple of caps floating on the water, and it was not' until after two hours' persistent work with grappling-irons that two bodies were dragged to the surface. Some doubt was expressed of there being a third victim, but no other body could be found. The victims were subsequently identi- fied as Frederick Williams, aged eight, and George Rupert Marshall, aged eleven, both living in Chapel-st., and the sons of well-known local tradesmen. It is believed that one of the boys went on the ice to recover an orange he had dropped, and that the other fell in wAile trying to rescue him.

AD THE LATE LADY CLANCARTY. I Many striking manifestations of the esteem in which the late Countess of Clancarty was held in Ireland were witnessed at her funeral. The cortege left Garbally Court for the Pro- testant Church of St. John's, where lies the family vault, at a quarter to two. From an early hour the tenantry began to assemble, and shared the duty of catling the remaina of her ladyship to the church, two miles distant. The hearse which preceded the oak coffin was com- pletely covered with wreaths of natural flowers from the nobility, tenantry, servants, and general sympathisers. All business was sus- pended in the little town of Banmasloe as a mark of respect and sympathy. Lord Clancarty walked immediately behind the casket, accompanied by members of his family, and behind were the magistracy of the county, merchants, traders, and many others. A mag- nificent wreath from Lord Clancarty was carried on the coffin.

CHATHAM RAIDER SENTENCED. William Crouch, a dockyard labourer, who, in broad daylight, drove an empty van into Chatham Dockyard and drove it out again loaded with casks filled with Government metal worth one hundred pounds, without being stopped by the police at the gate, was sentenced to twelve months' hard labour at the West Kent Quarter Sessions. The raid was so cleverly planned that the authorities have been unable to bring the chief offenders to justice. Crouch was found guilty three months ago, but he has made no attempt to thrown light on the matter. A police- sergeant and a constable have been suspended for not exercising proper vigilance at the gate.

The New Zealand gold output during 1906 amounted to 562,344 oz., valued at t2,264,918, as compared with 520,486oz., valued at f. 2,093,936, in 1905. Lord Milner's speeches recently delivered at Manchester and Wolverhampton are to be issued in volume form under the auspices of the Compatriots' Club. The Recorder for the Borough of Tiverton, Devon, has seldom any cases fo trial, and has accumulated such a stock of white gloves that the mayor now presents them in ladies' sizes.

"(1I 1' ,| iwSEEDt 4 0IOUN ofIc ce 5 YEARS VEN EFFICACY. AN EVER READY HOUSeHoLD REMEDY. LOOSENS PrtLGOM. ALLAYS COUGH. GIVES tMMEDJATERSUEF. I'LJNUM CATHARTI CUM PILLS. 9 FOR INDIGESTION A ITS EVILS; SICK4itADACHE BILIOUS DERANGEMENT fte. k AH AGPE6AB Lg APE RI £ NT. > KAYS TIC PILLS" CURE FACEACHEH NEURALGIA. v » ksfuss suBsr/rores, •» 0> ] 5OlD-ft AU.. CHeNl$la THROUGHOUT OWfAT •RtThlR I TUB COU3KI IE IMHII f| WITTr1 T»| GUARANTEED REMEDY for squiiiaky buuih a \3r SHOES, sufficient to do four pairs-, 1/- postal order.— Cole Agent, Lovatt, Wellington Road, Norwich. BILLIARD AND BAGATELLE TABLES. Xiarge Stock of New nnd Second-hand Tables alv ys on aiso Convertible Billiard and Dining Tables. '.Write for ~xst' G- KauanK Kiatrsland Rd.t KE. Tel.: 4780 Central. BIAKIY'S BOOT PROTECTORS.. I? CARD SAVES A SOVEREIGN f INSiST. UPON HAVING GENUINfELAKEY'ST

STRANGE TUBE MISHAP. When traffic was at its busiest an accident of a singular character occurred on the Great Northern and City Tube, occasioning delay for close upon five ho-urs. About 9.40 a.m. a train bound from Finsbury-park to Moorgate-street was proceeding along the up line between High- bury and Essex-road Stations, when the appa- ratus which connects the motor with the con- ductor rail became deranged, the result being that for a distance of fifty or sixty yards the conductor rail was thrown out of position. Tho train was heavily laden at the time, and it was found necessary for the whole of the passengers- to alight and walk to Essex-road Station, whence they proceeded in another train to the City. A breakdown gang was at once requisi- tioned and traffic on the up line was suspended until half-past two, whilst a new conductor rail was laid down in place of the damaged one.

Marguerite Arnaud, a woman of eighty-three, was found chloroformed in a train at Itheims. She had been robbed of £80. The death is announced of the Mayor of Chaster, Councillor F. Brown, after a short illness, caused by a chill.   j: n  oj  oldest Freemasons in England, died a.rB[uddersEel3. aged 87 years.

DWARFS' WEDDING. A quaint marriage ceremony was celebrated ai; St. Katharine's Church, Pontypridd, the bride and bridgroom being two travelling dwarfs 0 I, in the employ of a cinematograph entertainer. The combined height of the two was only 7ft. 4in. and so great was the local interest in the ceremony that only those in the front of the church could get a glimpse of the happy pair. The bridegroom walked to the church un- attended except for a crowd of lads who sur- rounded him. The bride drove to the church in a cab, and was attended by two bridesmaids a girl of six, who exceeded the bride in stature, and a lady of ordinary height. When plighting his troth", the bridegroom made up in courage what he lacked in physique, and his tone of voice was almost stentorian. The bride- groom is a native of Worthing, and his wife ia from Hereford.

I THE ETHICS OF. MOQJttNING. The leading ladies' papers devote much space to the length of time to be observed for the wearing Of mourning for various relatives, and though they differ slightly as to the time, they all agree that Crape is the only wear for fashionable mourning. The continued vogue of this beautiful material is mainly due to its being so largely "patronised by Royalty." Other reasons are that all good Crape is now waterproofed, and is, instead of being, as formerly, an expensive trimming, really the very opposite. Crape can also be obtained not only in the old firm finish but of a soft draping character.

The Cornhill coastguard station, between Dover and St. Margaret's, one of the most prominent landmarks for shipping in the English Channel, is to be abandoned, and the signal station has been taken down. Five hundred young men and women from all parts of the United Kingdom arrived at Con- gress Hall, Clapton, to begin a course of ten months special training with a view to be- COHllIlSr SslvfLfonn Avm-tr rxff-i

,I"c. I eg !„  H-x RED Bmjs coffee. I 1 FHUE .BLUE kfast & after Dinner. mmmmmmmmmmmr

Mr. A. M. Chance was re-elected chairman of the Birmingham Licensing Bench, defeating Mr. Arthur Chamberlain by 50 votes to 30. I am a nervous man, and so is my wife," said a gentleman giving evidence in a motor case at Kingston. Mr. E. A. Fardon, for thirty years resident medical officer of the Middlesex Hospital, has died, and been buried at Ventnor, Isle of Wight. The Earl of Chichester, formerly fa Liberal- Unionist, is now a candidate for admission to. the National Liberal Club. At the Liverpool City Council meeting it was stated that the top-hat worn by the Lord Mayor's coachman had cost eight guineas.