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

J NEW NAVAL COMMANDER. Admiral Sir Day Hort Bosanquet, K.C.B.y has been appointed to succeed Admiral Sir Archibald L. Douglas as Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth. The Admiral was born on March 22, 1843, and entered the Royal Navy in 1857. He became Commander in 1874, Captain in 1882, Rear-Admiral in 1897, and Vice-Admiral in 1902. He was formerly Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies, and since 1904 has been Commander-in-Chief of the West Indian Sta- tion. He married Mary, daughter of the late I ADMIRAL SIR DAY BOSAXQTJET. Colonel T. Bromhead Butt, of the Cameron Highlanders, and when at home resides at Brom y Clos Court, near Hereford, for which county he is a Justice of the Peace and Deputy- Lieutenant.

THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. The King, accompanied by Queen Alexandra, will open Parliament in state on February 12. Precedent will be followed in the state proces- sion to and from St. Stephen's. The various officers of State and of the Royal Household will journey to Westminster from Buckingham Palace in dress landaus, drawn by bay teams the Master of the Horse will follow in a car- riage drawn by black horses; and .tlwn will come the gilded state coach occupied by their Majesties, and drawn by eight of the celebrated Hanoverian cream ponies. There will be an escort of cavalry, and the Yeomen of the Guard will be in close attendance on the state coach. The route will be along the Mall, across the Horse Guards Parade, and through Whitehall and Parliament-street to St. Stephen's.

CHANNEL TUNNEL SCHEME. A step has been taken in connection with the promotion, in the forthcoming Session of Parlia- ment, of the Channel Tunnel Railway Bill, which, it is believed, must. have the effect of seriously imperilling the measure. It is now officially notified that the Secretary of State for War has announced that he dissents from the scheme. It may be explained that in connection with the advancement of private Bills of a certain class interested parties axe requested to state whether they "assent," "dissent," or are "neuter" in their attitude in regard to the objects in view, and it is in reply to such a request with regard to the Channel Tunnel Bill that the intimation as to the view of the Secre- tary of State for War has been made.

I TO JODT THE LIBERALS. It is rumoured that when next the House of Lords meets, the Earl of Dudley, who has hitherto sat on the Tory side of the House, will cross over and join the Liberals. Lord Dudley, who was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland from 1902 until the resignation of Mr. Balfour's Government in 190b, has travelled round the world, visited the Colonies, served as Assistant- Adjutant-General with the Imperial Yeomanry in South Africa in 1899-1900, and in 1895 was Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade. He is the owner of 30.000 acres, with .THE EARL OR DUDLEY. minerals, in Staffordshire and Worcestershire, ords and large iron works, while he also has estates vn Jamaica, to which, accompanied by the Countess (who was Miss Rachel uurney), he is now paying a visit. It is stated that his change of political opinions would cause no surprise, as for a considerable time he has shown himself to be out of sympathy on several questions with the Conservative and Unionist party. .i.-

I SERIOUS FIRES. I Several serious fires are reported from various parts, of the country. Two lives were lost under pathetic circumstances at a house in Long- street, in the Ancoate district of Manchester. An old couple named Noonan had not been seen, and a neighbour entered the house by a window. He found it full of smoke, and, making his way downstairs, discovered Mrs. Noonan lying dead at the foot of them, and her husband also dead and fearfully burned in the kitchen, where the furniture was still smouldering. The police believe that Mrs. Noonan, who was nearly blind, was hurrying downstairs to her hus- band's assistance, and fell. The most destructive fire in Glasgow for years past broke out in a block of buildings belonging to Messrs. Smith and Cumming, wholesale upholstery furnishers, in Wallace- street. The building was well alight before the fire was discovered, and the flames spread with great rapidity until the entire block was involved. The premises of two adjoining firms, Messrs. Hamilton and Co., spring mattress manufacturers, and Messrs. Baird, Strand, Inglis and Dickie were also destroyed. The flames also shot across the street and ignited a saw miller's store, but the firemen were able to «ortrH^me that. The loss is estimated at £ 80,000. Timber mills belonging to Mr. Sach, of ^oggeshall, near Colchester, were burned down. A girls' -school near by was in danger, and the mistresses and girls had to escape in their night attire. A number of fowls were burned. A remarkable scene was witnessed at the West- minster Bridge-road end of the Lower Marsh, Lambeth^ when a costermonger, while filling his paraffin flare, suddenly became enveloped in flame. The burning oil covered his hands and clothing and ran over the road for several feet around him. He beat out the flames on his clothing, but his hands were badly burned and he had to go to hospital. The accident was due to the man replenishing the flare while is was burning.

"MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON." The King and the Prince of WaI-M attended a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society in the Queen's Hallj London, on Saturday night, to hear the Duke of the Abruzzi lecture on his expedition to and ascent of "The Mountains of the Moon"-—the Ruwenzori Range, between two of the; great lakes of th§ Nile sources. The Duke gave a graphic account of the beautiful flora and fauna of Equatorial Africa and the natives he met in the course of his itinerary, his narrative being made more vivHand pictu- resque by hugh lime-light projections from photographic, views. As the tropical landscape, with its woods of bananae and palms, ite herds of zebras, gazelles, antelopes, rhinoceroses, and lions flashed on the screen the audience cheered again and again. On June 9 his Royal Highness, with his Alpine guides and five Bakonjos, set out to reach the watershed. At 13,780 feet, a greater height than had ever been reached before, he wae compelled to turn back. A few days later, on the 16th, although the sky Was overcast, the intrepid explorer made another, and this time triumphant, attempt. ""We climbed up," he explained, "by a very steep snow-slope to the cornice.' The slope was so steep that my head almost touched the feet of the guide in front of me. In cutting steps Pertigax, one of the Alpine guides, sent down a shower of ice on hie followers, and I looked forward with pleasure to the moment when out party would resume its normal rela- tions—one in front and not one above the other. At last we found a sort of ice chimney six feet high, and Pertigax to climb up it had to plant his nailed boots on the head and shoul- ders of another unfortunate man. The ridge was ours, and at the same time the top." The Duke described how to the two summits, the only ones in view at the moment which Crowned ■; his efforts, he gave the names of Margherita and Alexandra "in order that under the auspices of the two Royal ladies the memory of two nations might lie handed down to posterity." At the conclusion of the lecture the King rose and shook the Duke's hand warmly, while the audience cheered again and again. Before the applause had died down the King rose again to make his speech, in the course of which he said:—"I feel convinced, that I am expressing the wishes of the Royal Geographical Society as well as of this assemblage to-night when I tender our thanks to his Royal Highness the Duke of the Abruzzi for the interesting lecture which lie has just given us. Our distinguished lecturer is, fortunately for him, a young man, and I hope he' has a long life before him, in which he will continue to make explorations which are of such value both to science and geography. He belongs also to a distinguished and illustrious race—I am happy to think, good friends and allies of ours. Above all things, he possesses great courage, great coolness, and great will These will, I am sure, carry him through in any further explorations or expedi- tions he may make. I thank him again, in the JJiime of us all, for his lecture. c

NOBLE THAT DIED A TRAMP. j A tragic story surrounds the announcement that a vagrant who died at Findlay, Ohio, had been identified as Alfred Crondhjelm, a Swedish nobleman- and heir to vast estates in that country. Crondhjelm was the son of Count Axel Crondhjelm, a, poor member of one of the oldest families in Sweden. Vvhen he was thir- teen years old his father died, and he succeeded to the title. As, however, there seemed no pro- spect of a fortune he left Sweden for America. There he found himself quite unable to gain a livelihood, and out of pride for his noble birth lie changed his name, and, calling himself Alfred Axelson, tramped about the continent earnip.ga precarious living as a farm hand. "degrees he. developed into."a typic.al tramp, and for years trudged the country clad in rags and begging his food from door to door. Two years ago a relative died and left him the suc- cessor to an income of C30,000 a year. All efforts to communicate with him, however, failed, Finally the Swedish Government, which temporarily took over the administration of the estate, sent Judge Huselius to America to en- deavoy.r to trace Count Alfred',s whereabouts. After five months' weary search through scores of hospitals and almshouses in all parts of the country Judge Huselius traced the Count to Findlay, Ohio. Here he learned that a vag- rant had been found in the streets some ,Ve12KS ufro almost, dead-from exposure and starvation, lie had. been taken to the hospital, where he died. In his pockets were found papers show- ing that he went under the name of Alfred Axel- son. By means of that and other clues Judge Huselius has identified the man definitely as e missing count.

SENSATION OF DEATH.—Profesior Elie Metch- nikoff writes on "Studies of Natural Death" in, Harper's Magazine." It is undeniable, he says, that in a great many cases of death, such as we actually witness, the cessation of life is accompanied by painful sensations. There are, however, diseases and fatal acci- < dents in which the approach of death brings no pain. In our experience, during an attack of intermittent fever, when the temperature had in a short space of time fallen more than 41 degrees below normal, we were conscious of a sensation of extraordinary weakness, resembling, no doubt, that which foreruns death. As a matter of fact, the sensation was grateful rather than painful. )

I TORPEDO BOAT IN COLLISION. I The Wear, one of the new river class of tor- pedo boats, was in collision with the Etna, an iron screw steamer, off Beachy Head on Satur- day night. The news was brought to Dover on I Sunday morning by the Etna, which crept into the harbour in a badly damaged condition. She is lying well out in the outer basin of Dover Harbour, behind the breakwater, and her fore part is a wreck. A huge hole three to four feet long has been driven into her port bow, and so severe was the blow that her starboard plates are bulged outwards. Captain Cracknel, who is in command of the Etna, a boat owned by a West Hartlepool firm, Cutting and Co., states that his vessel was t bound from Bilbao to Rotterdam with iron ore. She is an iron screw steamer of about 1,500 tons burthen. About nine o'clock on Saturday night, when off Beachy Head, she met a torpedo catcher squadron manoeuvring down Channel. The weather was clear and the sea smooth. The accident is described by members of the crew as being due to the Wear, as they said, "shaving things too fine," and she struck the Etna a heavy blow on the port bow. Luckily, the holed part is about two feet above the water- line. At the time the war vessel was trying to cross the bows of the Etna and had miscal- culated the speed. Fears were entertained of the fate of the Wear, but these were allayed on Sunday night, when the vessel put into Portsmouth. No one on board was injured.

AMEER AT A REVIEW. I The Ameer, wearing the scarlet uniform of a general, with a sash of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, and an astrakhan busby, accom- panied by the Viceroy and Lord Kitchener, on I Saturday witnessed a review of 30,000 troops at Agra. A marked feature of the review was the I presence of three rifle brigades—two Gurkha and one British. The Maharajah of Gwalior led tne 1st Duke of York's Own Lancers (Skin- ner's Horse), of which he is honorary colonel. The display closed with a gallop of the horse artillery and the cavalry in review order. The Ameer evinced intense interest in all the details. Congratulating General Sir A. Gaselee at the conclusion of the review, the Ameer remarked that lie was delighted with the efficiency of the troops, because the troops were his friends. A Chapter of the Indian Order was held by the Viceroy at the Palace Fort at night, and the Ameer was invested with the Grand CioEs of the Order of the Bath. The Ameer on Sunday had his first motor ride with Lord Kitchener and Captain Jenkins, of the Royal Artillery, who acted as chauffeur. His Majesty was delighted with the experience, and requested that the car might be driven at full speed on the return journey. His Majesty spent about four hours in the fort, retiring twice for prayers. He took a number of photographs with the camera presented to him by Queen Victoria, and also visited the Taj Mahal. On Monday morning the Ameer motored out to witness the manoeuvres with cavalry and artil- lery. He arrived on the field wearing, like all the members of his staff, a khaki uniform. During the operations a distinct three-quarter eclipse of the sun occurred. His Majesty as- cended a short distance in a military balloon. In the evening the fort, Taj and station were illuminated, and there was a gorgeous display of fireworks on the banks of the Jumna.

RETURNED WITH THANKS." L A 36-gallon barrel of beer was sent by several residents of Farnham to the union workhouse with the request that the contents might be served to the inmates at their Christmas dinner, but the beer was withheld under a resolution that no intoxicants should be allowed, on Christ- mas Day. A number -of the guardians were under the impression that the resolution, which was passed twelve months ago, was to prevent beer being given out of the rates, and at a meeting of the board of guardians Mr. Roumieu moved its recision with a view to having the beer served out. The motion, however, was re- jected by 25 votes to eight. The chairman asked what should be done with the barrel, and several members suggested that the beer should be put down the drains. It was eventually decided to return it to the senders with thanks.

LEAP FROM A LINER. There was an exciting incident in Plymouth ( bound on Saturday in connection with the de- parture of the White Star liner Ionic for New Zealand. Just as the steamer began to move a small boat with three occupants pulled across her course. The Ionic immediately went astern, and the bluff of her bow grazed the frail craft. Fearing disaster one of the occupants, a visitor from Liverpool (Miss Radford) jumped into the sea, and kept herself afloat until rescued by a passenger, who leaped from the liner's deck to save her.

BRIXTON LOVE TRAGEDY. A young woman, named Florence Wakeling, a telephone operator, employed by the National Telephone Company, was shot on Saturday night at her residence, 12, Speenham-road Stockwell-green, Brixton, and died from her injuries. The scene of the tragedy is a two- storied house, the lower floor of which was occupied by a Mr. Jamieson; while the mur- dered girl and her sister, Julia, lived on the upper floor. The girls had been keeping com- pany with two young men. Miss Florence Wakeling's sweetheart was a man named Ed- ward Wyath, who was employed at the Bon Marche, in the Brixton-road while the name of her sister's lover was Wellock. On Saturday evening the young men called at the house and took the sisters to a theatre. Wyath and his sweetheart seemed to be on good terms. They all returned to Speenham- road and played cards until about half-past ten o'clock. Miss Julia Wakeling then went down to the front door with Mr. W ellock, leaving the other couple in the drawing-room. Suddenly three shots rang out in rapid succession. Wel- lock dashed upstairs, followed by Miss Julia Wakeling, and found Florence lying on the floor bleeding profusely from three wounds, and Wyath standing over her, with a smoking revolver in his hand. The girl was moaning pitifully, but soon became unconscious. Mr. Wellock took the revolver away from Wyath, and police-constables and others soon appeared on the scene. Dr. Scott, the divi- sional police surgeon, was called in, and Wyath was arrested. Dr. Scott found that the girl had received such terrible injuries that it was im- possible to remove her, and she never recovered consciousness. At the inquest 011 Monday, Julia Louisa Wakeling, a sister, told the coroner Wyath came to the house about six o'clock on Satur- day, but she did not see the meeting between him and her sister. When I came in at seven o'clock," she said, Mr. Wyath said to her and her sister, 'If I am not wanted here, I am going. I'm going to throw myself off the Witness eventually coaxed them round, and when her friend, Mr. Wellock, ar- rived, they all went to the pantomime together. After that they returned home and played whist. Presently Mr. Wellock suggested it was time to go, and he and witness went to the front door. While there they heard three shots, and another as they went upstairs. Witness saw Wyath standing over deceased against the fireplace, and said, Oh, whatever have you done?" Wvath replied, "Poor Florry! I'm very sorry," and stooped down and kissed her. Arthur William Philip Wellock, a motor- driver, the friend of deceased's sister, said hE had known deceased and her sister about six months. On Saturday evening he was in the house when Wyath arrived. He left the two sisters and Wvath together for a moment, and when on the landing he heard Wyath say he would throw himself over the bridge. Wyath came out, aiacl ran downstair-s. Witness went after him, and said, It's no good upsetting yourself like this. There are plenty more girls. Don't do anything rash. You have got to think of your mother." Wyath replied, I am rash enough for anything." Eventually Wyath was persuaded to go to a music-hall with witness and the two girls. Describing the tragedy, witness said H When I heard the reports I rushed in the room, and saw Wyath facing the girl. I had a short struggle, and got the revolver away from him." I don't desire to say anything," said Wyath, when asked by the coroner if he wished to make any statement. The jury returned a. verdict of Wilful murder against him. I Earlier in the day Wyath appeared before the magistrate at Lambeth Police-court, charged with murder. Detective-inspector Fowler said he made no reply when charged. The magis- I trate directed a remand. Wyath seemed quite unconcerned.

REDUCED TO THEFT. The story of a wealthy man's downfall was told on Monday at Marylebone Police-court. John Dyke Pulham, of Wellington-square, Chelsea., was charged with the theft of a handbag and its con- tents from the first-class waiting-room at the Pad- dington Station. A railway polieejnan said he watched the man Pulham hanging about the station for several hours. He saw him first take a package containing bananas, which he ate, and then he threw the paper away. He then took the bag. which had been left on a seat, and walked away with it. When he was stopped he said: "I have made a great mistake. I have been reduced to this. Let me,go." Pulham told the magistrate-that when he saw the bag the devil tempted him, and he took it. He took the parcel because he was hungry. A detective said accused had once been the possessor of considerable wealth, but had come down in the world, and he traced all his misfortune to the Baring failure sixteen years ago. He had borne an excellent character until this incident, and said when he went to the man's residence be found that there was not a scrap of food in the house. Mr. Paul Taylor, the magistrate, expressed his sympathy with Pulham, and bound him over in £ 5 to come up for judgment if called on.

SINGULAR GUN FATALITY. I The circumstances of a singular gun fatality were* inquired into by a coroner's jury at CborJey on Monday. Two men, William Iddon and Thomas Holt, were out shooting hares, when according to H&lt, his gun went off as they were getting through a hedge. Iddon was riddled with pellets, and died from his wounds. Holt stated to the police in the first place that Iddon shot himself. He admitted now that this statement was false. The jury re- turned a verdict of "Death by Misadventure." Holt, who was subsequently charged with man- slaughter, was remanded'

DETECTIVES' SMART RUSE. I In consequence of an astute police ruse, Michael O'Reilly, a street bookmaker, of Birkenhead, was on Monday fined £ 10, his being the first conviction in that town under the new Betting Act. Dis- guising themselves in widows' weeds, two detec- tives drove to s. street where they expected to find O'Reilly. In twenty mmutes they had collected enough evidence for their purpose, without their identity being suspected by the bookmaker's scouts. Jumping■it-om. the cab, they threw off their disguise and arrested O'Reilly.

GIFT TO BRITISH ACADEMY. I The British Academy lias received its first bene- faction, and it is a munificent one. The sum of £ 10.000 has been received to establish a memorial to the late Mr. Leopold Schweich, of Paris, to be known as "The Leopold Schweich Fund." The fnnd is to be devoted to the furtherance of re- search in the archteology, art, history, languages, and literature of ancient civilisation with refer- ence to ^blieal study. Three public lectures are to be delivered annually in London, and the resi- due of the income of the fund is to be applied for the purposes of excavation.

I JAMAICA DISASTER. EARTHQUAKE DESTROYS KINGSTON The town of Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, in the West Indies, on Monday afternoon was visited by a terrible earthquake, which practi- cally destroyed the whole town, and many of the inhabitants were killed. At San Francisco fires broke out immediately after the first shock and raged in all quarters of the city. Kingston was isolated owing to the fact that all the cable lines were broken by the shocks, and the nearest point from which it was possible to receive rnes sages was Holland Bay, sixty miles distant. A telegram was received early on Wednesday morning at the Colonial Office from Mr. Hamar Greenwood, M.P., sent from Holland Bay, Jamaica,, through Mr. Watson, of the United Fruit Company. It stated that Kingston was ruined by an earthquake which occurred with- out warning on Monday afternoon at 3.30. All buildings and dwellings were destroyed by the earthquake and consequent fire. The mili- tary hospital was burned, forty soldiers being reported killed, with several prominent citizens, ■and .many -other./Inhabitants.. Sir James Fer- gusson was instantaneously killed, but nO other Englishmen, Canadians, or Americans were missing. The city was quiet, but disciplined workers were needed. The Governor was directing affairs, assisted by Sir Alfred Jones. Sir James Fergusson, mentioned as having been killed in the catastrophe, was the Right Hon. Sir James Fergusson, sixth baronet, who was formerly Under-Secretary for India, for Home Affairs, and also for Foreign Affairs, and was Postmaster-General in 1891-2. A New York telegram states that the Western Union Telegraph Company have received ad- vices, according to which Kingston (Jamaica) has been destroyed by an earthquake, and there has been much loss of life. The report reached the Western Union Company through their cable manager at St. Thomas. The cable station at Holland Bay, Jamaica.. reports that a very severe earthquake shock was felt there at half-past three on Monday afternoon. The cable office was badly damaged, and all the land lines towards Kingston were instantly interrupted. Communication by the land lines were restored on Tuesday afternoon to within five miles of Kingston. Kingston reports that a terrible earthquake occurred there on Monday afternoon. The city was destroyed, and there was much loss of life. The shocks continue. Everybody is camping out, and much distress prevails. Fire broke1 out in Kingston immediately after the earthquake. A later message from New York states that the loss of life is not yet ascertained, but it is not expected that it will reach one hundred, and the injured three hundred. It was ex- pected that the fires would be controlled by night. The principal hotel and other prominent buildings have been destroyed, and many houses were considerably damaged. The flames are reported to have been confined to the docks and to the warehouse district. The hospitals are filled with the injured. There were a large number of distinguished English visitors in Jamaica, who formed the party of notable people, taken out by Sir Alfred Jones, who went to attend the sixth Agricul- tural Conference, under the auspices of the Im- perial Department of Agriculture, which was ripened on Monday last by Sir J. A. Swetten- ham, the Governor. The party, who sailed on December 29 on the Port Kingston, included j the Earl and Countess of Dudrey, Sir Alfred L. Jones, president of the British Cotton Grow- ing Association Mr. F. Swanzy, a West Afri- j .'•an merchant; the Right Hon. H. O. Arnold- Forster, M.P., with his wife and son Mr. P. Murrav Hunter, of the Liverpool Cotton Asso- ciation Mr. A. A. Pearson, of the Colonial Office; Sir Thomas Hughes, a prominent Liverpool citizen; Mr. McDowell Nathan, a leading Jamaica merchant; Mr. C. Lancaster, representing the Liverpool Chamber of Com- merce Mr. Oliver, representing the Man- chester Fine Spinners Sir Thomas Shann, re- presenting the Manchester cotton spinners; Mr. L. Rivett, chairman of the Jamaica Cotton Company, Ltd., of Stockport; Mr. Hutton, chairman of the British Cotton Growing Asso- ciation Mr. H. Cotterell, a member of the West African section of the Liverpool Cham- ber of Commerce Mrs. and Miss Cotterell; the Right Hon. Mr. Jesse Collings, M.P. Mr. j J. Henniker Heaton, M.P. Viscount Mount- morres; the Hon. Evelyn Ellis; Sir Ralph Moor, K.C.M.G., and Lady Moor, and Mr. W. Howell Davies, M.P. Though other of the West Indian Islands have suffered very severely several times from earthquakes, Jamaica itself has onh txjcii- enced grave disaster from this cause once pre- viouslv. This was in 1692, when Port Royal was totally destroyed. Its houses were en- gulfed forty fathoms deep, and 3,000 people perished. Kingston is the commercial and the political capital of the island, situated on the north side of a land-locked harbour, the best in the island, and regarded as one of the best in the world for its size. Its population is about 40.000. It was founded in 1693 to 1703, after the neighbouring town of Port Royal had been destroyed by the earthquake mentioned above. From Port Royal, which was afterwards re- built, Kingston is six miles distant. The seat of government was transferred from Spanish Town to Kingston in 1872. Eight years later Kingston was" visited by a hurricane of great violence, and in December, 1882, it was well nigh consumed by fire; but the town gradu- ally recovered itself.

The Marquis of Breadalbane, K.G., has been appointed Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland in succession to the late Earl of Leyen and Mel- ville. Lord Breadalbane held office in the former Liberal Government as Lord Steward of the Household. It is almost impossible for a sheriff to do his duty nowadays, what with hire-purchase agreements and settlements upon wives, said Judge Edge at Clerkenwell County-court, Mr. Prince, aged 70, and his daughter ^-ide- laide, aged 16, who had to be removed from their beds while seriously ill a few days ago, owing to a fire at the premises adjoining their cottage at Vicarage-road, Kingston, have suc- cumbed. The 1C Daily Graphic Football Album c c, r, tains fif,y-si,. groups of the crack Association teams of tins season, together with their previous record, and an interesting prize competition.

COTTON SPINNER'S BEQUESTS. I Charities and religious associations, benefit very largely under the will of the late Mr. Wil- liam Bashall Park, retired cotton manufac- turer, of Ollerton Hall, Withnell, Lanes. Amongst these bequests are -kio,ooo to the British and Foreign Bible Society, £ 10,000 to the Wesleyan Missionary Society, £ 10,000 to the United Methodist Free Church Missionary Society, 45,000 to Dr. Barnardo's Homes, £ 2.000 to the Religious Tract Society, £ 2,000 to the Blackburn Orphanage, £ 2,000 to the Manchester and Salford Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society, and to the Withnell Urban Council for the maintenance of an infectious diseases hospital. To six nephews and nieces be leaves P.20,000 each to seven great-nieces and great-nephews £ 10 000 each, and to his two executors £ 8,000 each. When Mr. Park disposed of his cotton mills some time ago he distributed £ -0,000 among his workpeople. =

SOAP TRUST TRAGEDY. I The collapse of the soap trust has been fol lowed by the tragic death of one of the manu- facturers concerned, Mr. James Wigglesworth; a partner in the old-established firm of Hodgson and Simpson, of Wakefield, who committed suicide at his residence, Holmfield. Mr. Wig- glesworth'ended his life by hanging himself with a rope in the stables attached to his residence. Evidence was given at the inquest on Monday that his mind had become unhinged through business worries during the last six months, in the course of which the firm. had been amal- gamated., with Messrs. Lever Bros. The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide during tem- porary insanity."

ACTORS AT ENMITY. c I A stabbing affray occurred at the Avenue Theatre, Kettering, on Saturday night., A dIs- Pute arose in the gentleman's clressmg-ioom, a^d it is alleged Arthur Alexander Clarice stabbed Arthur James Murray with a knife in the shoulder and also cut his hands. The ^arpenter was also injured in the scuffle. -0 Clarke and Murray are actors, and (they after- wards took part in a play called "The Sledge Hammer." In this drama they take the of brothers at enmity, and have a fight with sledge-hammers. Clarke on Monday was charged '1tt.: the offence, and remanded.

PAINFUL SCENE WITH ALIENS. I A pitiable case came before the Grimsby Immi- gration Board. David Shitzk, a Jewish cabinet- maker, who caine from Russia with his wife, his son, aged 10, and two daughters, eight and five, were found in ft inost dGfoilit&tGd condition. man had bronchitis and general weakness: thebov was minus one eye and had trachoma; and one daughter also had trachoma. I he man admitted that revolutionary meetings had been held at his house, and said his home had been ruined in con- sequence. Just before being asked to retire he fell down, and clasped Dr. Grange, Secretary to the Board, around the legs and begged piteously to be allowed to stay, crying out that to send him b;yjk to Russia would mean either torture or death. r. Smith, the stipendiary magistrate who pre- sided, said that though the case had many saa features, they felt there was no alternative but to refuse leave to land. When the decision was in- terpreted the whole family broke down and wept bitterly, the man declaring that he dare not return to Russia. b -—————————————————-

DEATH OF DR. HAIG BROWN. 1 The death has occurred, at the Charterhouse, London, of the Rev. William Haig Brown, LL.D., Master of Charterhouse, at the age of 83 years. Born at Bromley, Middlesex, he graduated at Cambridge, and from the head- uaastersliip of Kensington School he was ap- pointed in 1863 headmaster of Charterhouse School, a position which he held till 1897; after Vhich he became master and a member of the governing body of that institution. One of his best-known works is "Charterhouse, Past and Present."

A witness in the Woolwich County-court was vividly describing the condition of some pro- perty which he declared had been allowed to go to rack and ruin, when Judge Willis ex- claimed, "Steady, steady! I can almost feel the house falling en me."

Consecutively for 2,222 days, a correspondent in Hull says he has had his bath in the open a,ir, and he hopes to be able to accomplish it 3,000 times. Found in court wearing a pair of breeches which had been stolen from a local shop, a vouth was arrested and sentenced to two months' imprisonment at Walsall.' The Prince of Wales has consented to lay the foundation-stone of the new Municipal Col- lege of Arts at Edinburgh, in July next, during his visit to the Highland Society's show. The Power Gas Corporation, of Stockton, have obtained a contract to instal at Fiji, near Yokohama, a large power gas plant designed to produce about 180,000 cubic, feet of gas per hour. Mr. William H. Mukiek, who entered the General Post Office in 1844, and was for many years director of the Confidential Inquiry De- partment, has just died in his eighty-first year.

STRANGE WEDDING BLUNDER. Benzine for sherry—such was the experience of a Sheffield wedding party, and one lady has nearly met her death through the mistake. Mr. Francis H. Godfrey, petty officer on the revenue vessel Thrush, was to be married, and in pre- paration for the event whisky and other drinks had been provided. Just before the bride left for the church she asked for a glass of sherry, but the corkscrew could not be found, and as there was no time to spare she had port instead. The wedding over, the party returned to the house of the bride's parents, and all went well until the bride's sister desired some sherry. She drank the liquid pro- vided, only to find that it was not wine, but benzine. Another sister of the bride had a drink, but she noticed the peculiar smell, and took a very small quantity. The first sister became ill, and was for two days in a semi- conscious condition. It is unknown how the mistake arose. -—————————————————

————————— CARRIAGE OVERTURNS. Lord and Lady Willoughby de Broke had a remarkable escape near Banbury while driving home with some friends after a day's hunting. Owing to. the darkness the pair of horses in their carriage left the road. The vehicle was overturned and the occupants thrown out, but fortunately not injured. The horses dashed down Edge-hill with the carriage, which was wrecked, but the animals escaped unhurt. Soon afterwards a passing motor-car picked the party up and conveyed them to Kineton.

I EPITOME OF NEWS, The fraedom of Glasgow will be conferred on the Premier on January 25. The Duchess of Albany opened the new Liver- pool Infirmary for Children. The body of the late Principal Ra;.ny will be interred at Edinburgh early in March. The royal visit to Newcastle in July last cost that city = £ 7,752. Two thousand of the poor of Berlin have bees entertained to dinner by the Salvation Army, Of the £60,000 required for the Lord May'or', Cripple Fund, C17,000 has now been promised. Time passes soon enough—especially to a debtor," said Judge Willis at Southwark County Court Princess Christian opened an exhibition of work by students of the Royal School of Art Needlework at the Graft-on Galleries. Mr. Walter Alvey has been appointed to the secretaryship of Charing-cross Hospital, vacant since June last, when Mr. Arthur E. Reade re- tired. Nino thousand sailors under the command of I Lord Charles Beresford were reviewed by the Lords of the Admiralty at Malta. By the collapse of the cathedral at Villabate, in Sicily, two persons were killed and many were seriously injured. The steamer Xema, which was sent out last year on a diamond-hunting expedition, is stated to have been sold at Bombay for about £ 5,000. Manchester City Council Gas Committee is ap- plying for powers to borrow £ 300,000 for development schemes. Mme. Duffaut, the would-be Paris cab-woman, has failed for the second time to secure a license. The net receipts of workshop collections, etc., for the Hospital Saturday Fund last year amounted to £ 26,152, as against £ 25,793 in 1905. The women Liberals of Cambridge propose to start a library, to be called the Bateson Lib- rary, in memory of Miss Mary Bateson, the hif torical writer. The London to Bournemouth express was dtl, laved owing to a horse slipping down an em* bankment on to the line near the latter termi- nus. Following the frosts and snow, another fall of cliff has taken place at St. Margaret's. Other falls are threatened. The Central (Unemployed) Body for Londoa have announced that although there is some dis- tress, the state of affairs is not so bad as it last year. The return of herrings exported from Yar- I mouth, during last season, which hsiust bc-cit issued, shows that more than 92,000,000 fish were sent to the .Continent. Sir Ford North, F.R.S., formerly a judge in the Chancery Division, has entered upon his 78th year. Following an offer of £3 in prizes by the local farmers' club, 2,632 sparrows and starlings were killed in the Lydney (Gloucestershire) dis- trict last year, the first prize of £1 going for 817 heads. ° Newcastle City Council has decided to invite the Royal Agricultural Society to hold its show in Newcastle in 1908, and Manchester has ten- dered a similar invitation. In trying to avoid recapture, a man named Culley, who escaped from Hungerford Union and was pursued by a constable, fell across the, railway metals before an approaching train, and was killed. M. Lepine, the Prefect of the Paris Police, was seriously cut in the hand by falling glass, and four firemen were injured at a fire which broke out in a grain warehouse at Grenelle, a suburb of Paris. The India Office will shortly expend about EW,000 upon the enlargement and improvement of the Indian Government Supply Stores at Lambeth. After forty-four years in the service of the Cunard Line, Mr. William Christy has just re- tired from the position of baggage master on the Prince's Landing-stage, Liverpool. A lady barber who complained at Clerken- well that she had not been paid part of her wages, said that her employer's excuse was that business was quiet. At a wedding at Nether Compton (Dorset the bridegroom was borne into church on a carrying chair, he having slipped and sprained his ankle an hour before the ceremony. A Huddefsifeld boy, set to write about Herod Agrippa, amended the description and made it, "Herod the Gripper." He had heard of Jack the Ripper. Prisoner at Chiswick, describing his occupa- tion "I am a farm labourer when in work, but when out of work I ama flower seller." Mrs. Jessie Byers, of Edmonton, was again remanded at Tottenham charge'' "ith burning the bodies of two children. Dr. Rendall, Charterhouse, gave the presi- dential address at the meeting of the Incorpo- rated Association of Headmasters in the Guild- hall. The "Jewish Chronicle" announces that Mr. D. F. Schloss, who has been engaged in tiie- Labour Department of the Board of Trade, has- been appointed Director of the Census of Pro- ductions Act. The Duke of Bedford and Mr. Carl Hagen- beck are among the recent donors of animals to the Zoological Society, the former having presented a Kashmir stag, and the latter & Persian stag. Mr. D A. Thomas, M.P., received the free- dom of the borough of Merthyr before perform- ing the opening ceremony, at the new branch of the free library at Dowlais. Amounting to 5,266,462 tons in 1906, the trade of Swansea showed an increase of 74:0,406 tons over the previous year, and during last month aione the tin-plate exports increased by nearly 6,000 tons. Owing to the breaking of the axle of the driv- ing-wheels, the engine of the postal train from Aberdeen to Euston left the metals at Floriston> near Carlisle, and was not got on again for some hours. K iprer attacked an artillery officer in Ver- sailles with his bayonet. The officer defended himself with his sword, anêl" passers-by dis- armed the sapper, who was then handed over to the police. At a funreal at Manor-park Cemetery it was found that the ^rave was too small to receive the coffin, which was deposited in another crave, and the service read, while the digger made-a further excavation. A specimen of the frigate bird, which inhabits the warmer parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and a Miiller s parrakeet—■ rarely imported—have been added to the avia- ries of the Zoological Gardens. "You are a walking advertisement for the insurance company," remarked the Barnsley County-court judge to a witness who said he had drawn £ 9 insurance money after making two weekly payments of Id. each. Elizabeth Harriet Hardy, 35, a school teacher. poisoned herself while temporarily an inmate of Bethlem Hospital. She obtained bichloride of mercury while out in care of her father. Owing to-the unexampled prosperity of New- South Wales, Mr. Carruthers, the Premier and Colonial Treasurer, has decided to make mate- rial remissions in taxation next year. Miss McKie, of Meat House, the only lady burgess of the town, bequeathed £ 3,000 to Dum- fries. Her funeral took place with municipat honours. During her lifetime she made many; gifts to the town. To a lady customer whose dog had diect through eating a piece of bread covered with rat-poison, which it found behind his counter, Mr. Herbert Bedford was ordered at Barnsley- to pay "2 10s. as compensation. A deposit of china clay, believed to be rich, has been discovered at Ashton Breage, West Cornwall, and a London firm is prospecting in the district. Hitherto the finds of china clay; in large quantities in this region have been con- fined to Mid-Cornwall.