SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

The Din ok Akuvix on tub D.lugb. —The D i', . of Argyll delivered a lecture a few night; ago at Glasgow on " Ccology and the .lolugo." He said the common practice w,-i, to suppose that there had been a delude nnd then'to ask for proofs. Ho would uo' -i,coii.se, but deal with geological facts. Till about twenty years ago lie had 11. en rather in doubt whether a deluge had really occurred. The fact that old Mil levels could be clearly traced in lire British Isles afforded no proof of a deluge. By the deluge was meant a sudden nnd transitory submergence of land, not'such a permanent submergence as would 'lead to the sea forming a bed. He thought, however, that the huge boulders found on high Scotch mountains, tho rocks and strata of which wore entirely different, could only have been brought by immense glaciers, such as at present existed in the Arctic regions. Jn his opinion, the period which these boulders indicated was coin cident and connected with the deluge period. Again, the heaps of gravel found upon Snowdon, which was not a volcanic mountain, indicated that transitory and tumultuous waters had covered those heights. The first notion of water was tho washing away of fine earth and the depositing of gravel. Similar masses of gravel wore found at Maccles field, and, indeed, all over the country. Thoy were found at such a height above sea-level that the water at that height would have covered almost the whole_ of Europe. The Duke expressed an opinion that there was a great submergence of laud to tho depth of at least -',000 feet in •Scotland, aud that this catastrophe was co incident with what was known as the deluge. Cuo-Kka Gku.ms. —Dr. Koch, who was sent out to I.gypt by the German Govern ment to inquire into tho cause which pro duces Asiatic cholera, announces that he has discovered it in a minute organism whicli is technically called a bacillus, and which L-i described as a microscopic, rod like body without structure and in capable of movement. lie is now pro ceeding to India to make further investi gations, and that he may havo an oppor tunity of comparing his discovery with the researches anil opinions of the members of the Indian Medical Service. His report, on returning from Cgypl, was submitted to Prince Bismarck, who immediately or dered it. to lie published, and it will no doubt give a new direction to the obser vations of those who hove au opportunity of studying Asiatic cholera in its native haunts and under varying conditions. Dr. Ivoclr is airi.-innl'sulliciotitseientitic eminence to entitle his opinion to the most careful consideration, but there iH sometimes a tohdoncy with scientific men to generalise too hastily, and jump at conclusions beforo tho evidence is complete. Dr. Koch, how ovor, will return from India with this theory cither confirmed or exploded. If the former, tho world will welcome his discovery ; if the latter, he will nob be the first who has imagined ho has discovered the " cholera germ," and who has been compelled to give up his cherished delusion. l.L!_TitK'.u. Di__tVK_y.—lt is stated that a newwlectrieal contrivance has been per fected by Mr A. St. George, the inventor of the telephone which bears his name. This invention is really-supplemental to the tele phone, and will unabio uvory description of conversation carried on through the instru ment to be not only recorded, but repro duced at any future time. Briclly stated, Mr St. George's invention may thus be de scribed. A circular plate of glass is coated with collodion and mado sensitive as a photo graphic plate. This is placed in a dark box in which is a slit to admit a ray of light. In front of the glass is a telephone diaphragm, which, by its vibrations, opens and closes a small shutter through which a beam of light is constantly passing and imprinting a dark line on the glass. Vibrations of the shutter cause the dark line to vary in thick ness according to the tones of tho voice. The glass plate is revolved by clockwork, and the conversation as it leaves the tele phone is recorded on the sensitive plate, tho imprinted words spoken being fixed as is done in photography. The plate can be brought forward afterwards, and when re placed in the machine and connected with a distant telephone, will, when sot in motion, give back the original conversation.

I'.M'Kli G.\4-t'll__.—l'aper gas-pipes are being mado in America by passing an end less strip of hemp paper, the width of which equals tlie length of the tube, through a bath of melted asphalte, and then rolling it tightly and smoothly on a core, to give tho required diameter. When the number of layers thus rolled is sutliciont to afford the desired thickness, the tube is strongly com pressed, the outside sprinkled with line sand, and the wholecooled in water. When cold, the core is drawn out, and the inside served with a waterproofing composition. In addition to being absolutely light and smooth, and much cheaper than iron, theso pipes are said to possess great strength; for, when the sides are scarcely O'O inch lliiek, they aro reported to stand a pressure of moro than fifteen at mospheres. If buried underground, they will nor bo broken by settlement, nor when violently shaken or jarred. The material being a bad conductor of heat, the pipes do not readily freeze. All this is, of course, very good, but we happen to know that nearly thirty years sinco an unsuccessful attempt was nißde to introduce into Eng land pipes made in a precisely similar manner. For many years wo kept some samples of these pipes by us, which wo eventually cleared out to mnko room for bettor things. But history docs repeat it self.—lron.

The MbbsF.T Tunnel. — Sinoe the vtr port presented to tho annual meeting of the shareholders, the progress made towards the completion of the Mersey tunnel has been very satisfactory. Colonel Beaumont's boring machine has jiassod tlie very hard stratum of rock •which for some weeks lias retarded its progress, and is at work upon a variety of the rmndstone more easily dealt with. In tlio lafit fortnight sixty sovei. yards have 'been accomplished, leaving 083 yards still to be paused through before the extremities erf the two headings are limited. At the present rate this would be accctnplished in twenty or _wcnty-onc weeks. In all other respects liho under taking it progressing equally wolL Having • driven «_ adit on tho level of tko floor of the tunne. in advance of the excavation of the whole section, and _ien making n , chamber aa: the end of the adit, the con tractor is «iabhd to work on froan that ipoint, thus getting four faces to work upon, two oti the Liverpool and two on tho Bii'fajnhead sides. All these four face? are undot the full tidal flow of the Mersey far beyond the la_ding-stage on either side, hut lib. drainage headings, one of which is being driven by tiio boring machine, are _i advance'_ the main tunnel.

St_I:.MI!K FOB THE UITKR CoKOO.—The King of the Belgians has entrusted Messrs ."arrow and Co., of Poplar; with the con struction of a very shallow-drought steamer ■for tho navigation of the uppor waters of the Congo in connection with tho Associa tion Internationale Africaine, for the use of the expedition of which Mr Stanley.has charge. This vessel is of special and in geniottsdesign, It will be propelled by a stern paddlO'Whoel, and the hull will bo arranged

in such a manner that it can bo readily sub divided into a number of sections, each being floatable, and provided with fittings for receiving four largo wheels. These wheels can "be attached to each section while alloat, so that it can be drawn out of tho water for transport ovorland without, difficulty. Each of tho sub-divisioiiß of tho hull forms, when fitted with the wheels, a complete waggon of itself, capablo of carrying the machinery of tho steamer, merchandise, stores, &c. Kkkcino Damaokd A ri_sEi_ Afloat.— The fatal collision that occurred between the Cimbrin and tho Sultan has induced the Herman Government engineer, Heir K. AA'erner, of Listrup (Hanover), onco moro to tako uj) Dr. Raydt's patent for lifting weights by means of gas balloons. Herr AA'ernor's object is to afford tho means, in caso of collision or othor accident, of delay ing tho sinking of a ship for some thirty minutes, which would give ample timo for preparing boats, &c. Ho proposes that five or six small chambers should bo insorted into each side of the ship, as deep as possible under the water, and therefore very little above the keel. In these chambers uninflated gas balloons would bo kept, which would be connected by valves with small cylindrical reservoirs containing lluid carbonic acid. The valves ami tho doors of tho chambers would be so arranged that they could be opened by means of mechanical apparatus on the deck. In caso of a . leak being sprung by collision or other accident, these valves and chambers would bo o]rcned, and in three to five minutes tho balloons would be inflated and rise, and suffice to keep the ship alloat for the timo mentioned above. Herr Werner bulioves that ten such balloons would have beon able to keep tho Cimbrin afloat until tho leak had boon so far stopped that she could havo reached Cuxhaven. The construction of the balloons is simple ; they nre made of sailcloth dipped in a solution of india-rub ber, with an extra lining of the latter. Liquid carbonic acid is so easy to bo had that llerr Werner has no doubt his system will be widely adopted. Ten balloons, with the necessary chambers and reservoirs, tho latter containing about seventy to eighty litres, would cost about £1,000.

TERRIFYING EXPLOSION AT WOOLWICH ARSENAL.

An Accidental Bombardment

[From Ouk Losdos Coiuikhcojujent.]

Hawksixu to go down to the city about half-past eleven on the morning of Monday, _-Hh ult., my attention was attracted by the extraordinary appoaranco of tho streets. Generally speaking, Londoners rush hither and thither at express speed, as if they had no time to say a word to you, but now excited groups were conversing everywhere, the traffic seemed to bo partially suspended, and on most faces thero was an odd look of half fear, half anticipation. At a loss to understand the meaning of this extraordinary phenomenon, I stopped a passer-by with the query, " WhatVapfl " Oh," said he, " dor. t you know I" " Wool wich Arsenal is on fire, and tho Lord Mayor declares three parte of London will be blown to h—ll beforo night." Grinning incredulously, I passed on, but bjt-and-byo, tho cry of a newsboy attracted my atten tion, and purchasing an "Kcho," I soon found there was considerable justification for my friend's assertion. Woolwich Arsenal, or rather a part of AVoolwich Arsenal, was certainly on (ire, and at that very moment tho inhabitants of the sur rounding townships were experiencing the delights of something like an accidental bombardment of rockets, small shells, and othor alarming missiles. Tho rocket ware house at AVoolwich; from which this novel and terrible danger emanated, is situated upon what are known us " the Marshes," r, long stretch of lov, -lying ground skirting tho Thames, and separated from folic arsenal proper by a canal, which at no groat distance llows into the river. Scene of the Disaster. "Here, in structures, small'in size and light in formation" (writes one who was ou tho spot)," is carried on the work of manu facturing rockets of the various descriptions used in warfare, as well as of examining those which have been returned from homo and foreign sorvico, to. ;_cort_in that they aro irr good condition before V'-'ng re issued. Over a dozen sue! buildings dot this part of the Mattj.es, most of them about tho same size and built in the same fashion. The walls are of yellow brick, faced so as to give thorn some degree of ornamen tation, with white, and they are covered with a very light roof supported by thin iron girders. The floors are of wood, kept constantly damp witk wator to re duce as far us possible the danger of such accidents as that which took place yesterday. Thoso who are employed in the buildings all wear special shoes with tho same object. Between each factory largo grass covered mounds are raised, so that should a disaster happen in one it would not in volve the others. The site of the accident is on the outskirt of the cluster of rocket houses, nnd close to tho Thames. Like the others, it was all on one floor, forty feet long by twenty wide, without partitions ; and on each side were five large apertures, either doors or windows. It wus not used for tho manufacture of the missiles, but for exnmining and re-painting them. Thou sands of rockets aro constantly , being returned te AVoolwich, after they havo been lying unused at stations for somo time, te bo examined to prove their serviceable condition and to bo refurbished. Theso were not shell rockets, but conical iron-headed 211b pro jectiles, generally used for routing or dis concerting cavalry. Their cast-iron heads j were cased with steel, and to an inex perienced eyo these pointed ends had the appearance of shells, so that surprise .was occasioned in soveral instances by their not having exploded. Sometimes it is found ! necessary to cut open the rocket, a work ' <____ is always attended with somo degree of danger. Seldom are more than three or fom _ncn employed together at this occupa tion in one building, and on Monday the inu-otes of the storehouse wero only two, uamod Richard Stevenson, a workman of long experience in the arsenal, who has left a widow and two children ; and a lad, eighteeu years of age, named Daniel Carlick. Tlio Explosion. i AVork Hind gouo on all the morning as , usual until about ten minutes after ten j o'clock, when the superintendent of this department, Mr _»11, while sitting in his oflico, heard a noise which his ear at once know to be caused by the ignition of a rocket. A minute or two was enough to bring him to tho spot-, but short as was the interval the place had filled with flames. It is impossible to ascertain at present how many rockets were actually within the [ factory, but there must, at all events, have been several hundreds. 'A day will _rye to answer this question, by consultation of the official entries. While lying for examina tion the rockets are piled at, a slight incline, pointed towards tho opposito side of the building, in the direction of the open , marshes, so that when the fire readied them i

one after the other they assailed the walls as if from a battery, and at the same time tore out windows and doors. Even when Mr Wall reached the doorway the interior was full of flying rockets, each ono menacing a horrible death. Some got through tho roof, some through tho doorways, some through the windows, spreading for a mile over the arsenal and over the town, and many, after a long journey, foil into the Thamos, on the other side of the marshes. Others, again, struck the solid wall, and ricochetted and rebounded from one corner to another until their strength was expended, the yellow-brick interior being dinted in a hundred places with the impris oned agents of death fiercely striving to get free. No human being could havo existed in such a storm of fire and stool. It was impos sible to save either Stevenson or Garlick, and Mr Wall had to retreat. By this timo tho whirling of tho rockets over tho town had raised alarm everywhere. Colonel Lyon, the superintendent of tho Royal Laboratory, was oh the spot in a moment, and directed the operations which he deemed requisite to secure the arsenal and the men from peril by the falling missiles. ; Work was stopped, and the men turned out of tho sheds. Ihen they gathered in great swarms on piles of timber lying alongside the canal, from which they watched tho conflagration and the blazing rockets as one after another, they sfied into the air.

Raining Rockets,

Although plenty of courageous workers, willing to risk their lives if need be, were at hand, although abundance of water lay within arm's length in the canal, and fire engines were on the spot, all attempts to extinguish the flames; wore attended with grave danger, and had to be conducted from a considerable distance. Seven engines from the brigade at Woolwich, Blackheath, Shootei V hill, and neighbouring places,were soon at the locality, together with three be longing to the nrsenel. These were ranged along tho roadway, by the side of the canal, overlooking the marshes, and fifty or sixty yards from the burning factory. But com paratively of little avail was the assistance that could begot from them. For nearly two hours—from ten minutes past 10 until noon —No. 10 was practically a battery, firing every now and again blazing rockets high into the air, the destination of which it was impossible to surmise. The gates of the arsenal were opened, and many of the work men went outside in search of a place where safety could more reasonably be expected than within the arsenal itself.

Naturally the explosion caused the greatest excitement in the towns of AA_>ol wich arid Plumstead, and alarming reports wore current. Large crowds collected round the gates of the arsenal, but no ono wan admitted save those who had business.1 Dr. Godwin and Dr. Stephenson, of tho medical department, assisted by other gen tlemen of the same staff', were ready with their services had necessity demanded, and at the beginning, in view of any .casualty, award in the arsenal hos pital was prepared for the reception of the wounded. By twelve o'clock the fire in the rocket-house was spent, and [ the rockets had all.been fired off. Search 'was then made among the ruins for Steven sou and I Cut-lick. -.The latter was found lying close to one of tho walls in ft corner of the building, disfigured out of all recog nition. The body of the other was blown some distance out of the building, and was They wore taken to tho mortuary within the •Arsenal, awaiting the inquest. - When the.builduig was examined after the fire, it was found a complete wreck. Not a ve.tige of door or -window remained, and the woodwork of the floor, as well »s the gangway which led up to the door,- was j scorched and charred, and in some parts burned quite away. The iron girders of the roof lay broken and twisted, while here and there heads and pieces of rockets were • found knocked out of shape. The walls of the interior farmed a strange spectacle. Crimed with smoke, they bore a number of marks where thomissiles which could not find an exithad strucknnd rebounded from sideto side. In some instances indentations to the extent of several inches were thus made in the brickwork. Extensive damage was .also done to the contiguous armoury, but jnot so much as 'might have been expected from it« closeness to the factory. Some of the workmen managed to get a large quantity of cartridges and powder out of this building, and several times the flames wore only prevented from-spreading to it by great risk to the mon who wero eudeavour ing to keep them back. Several rockets struck the walls, and broke .quantities of, the small arms stored '.herein. Tho gas works of the Arsenal stand within a stone's threw of tho factory, only separated from it by the canal, ami no small fears' were entertained for their safety; but, fortu nately, all the rockets flew over them. The eauso of the .explosion, or tho lire, is not known, and as the people who could liave accounted for the calamity are now no more, it will probably never ba ascertained

Alarming Possibilities.

Anyone who peruses the correct and un exaggeriitc-d account of the accident and loss'of life which occurred at; AA'oolwich must feel considerable surprise that the damage done was not tenfold greater than what actually resulted. Suppose, for example, that by some piece of bad fortune tin. exploding rockets had ignited one of the vast stores of powder collected in the neighbourhood of l'lumstead and the river ! Nor would there have been anything boyond the rangp of possibility had various other rocket factories or storing-pjuces also ex ploded, and the major portion of the Royal Arsenal been levelled to tho ground in consequence. But, apart from the peril to tho lives of the workmen engaged at the Arsenal, and to all the costly national material gathered at that spot, there was tho quite different dread lest the residents in tho town of A\-oolwich itself would suffer from tho offects of the unprecedented oc currence. As it was, the houses of one or two tradesmen appear to have been pene trated by great iron projectiles, and only by a seeming miracle did numberless people escape violent death. In civilised warfare the unarmod population is always accorded the rights of neutrals, including the valuable privilege of porsonnl safety ; but exploding saltpetre has no scruple in attacking peace able citizens who are utterly unconnected with any of the arts of war. Considering that for the space of about three-quarters of an hour the householders of l'lumstead and AVoolwich were subjected to an inter mittent shower of iron missiles, some drop ping from the skies and others hurled at tremendous speed horizontally, the marvel is .ha. so little actual damage has to be re corded. The less of lifo is happily confined to the man and boy who were actually within the shed where the original explosion took place. They must have been engaged at their ordinary avocations, examining old rockets and refitting them for service, when, about ten o'ciock in the morning, the peculi-.r rushing sound de noting a rocket being fired was heard : but -ere any assistance could be procured, the shed, containing hundred of these most dangerous explosives, was in flames. From that moment it is not too much to say that the specuitore, the town of AVoolwich, and the Royal Arsenal itself, were at the mercy of " the chapter of accidents." And fortu nately for all the result proved far less disastrous than' could by any possi bitity have been prophesied beforehand.

The importance of such a startling event, however, does not lie in the number of human beings sacrificed, or in the extent to which property has suffered, but rather in tho totally unique danger which it dis closes, and tho fact that no such accident, with its dreadful possibilities, has occurred in England before.

Causo of tho Catastrophe,

Our knowledge of gunpowder and other oxplosives is analytically almost porfect, but practically no man can say for certain when tlie element; of danger has been alto gether eliminated. Spontaneous explosions from at present undiscovered causes may be as real a faot in nature as spontaneous combustion is known to be; and against perils due to our imperfect acquaint ance with natural laws it is simply impos sible to guard. Fortunately, the length of time during which men have boen engaged in the storago and manufacture of gun powder has rendered them experimentally cognisant of tho conditions under which the greatest degrco of safety is really obtained, whatever may bo tho cause of that security. Tho workmen who wero engaged in the demolished one-storied shed at AVoolwioh were obliged to wear a particular kind of shoo to minimise the danger, and, among other precautions, which indicate that the AA rar Office authorities recognise the possi bility of an explosion ns a very real risk, must bo reckoned the fact of the mounds erected between the various sheds, so that an explosion in one need not neces sarily mean that it is at once communicated to all the others. To suggest new precau tions would obviously be impracticable until tho cause of yesterday's disastrous event is made known. Nothing is as yet disclosed on this point, nnd it is difficult to sco how wo can ever do more than guess at the origin of the explosion, as the only two possible witnesses have both perished. It must be remembered that the place where the accident occurred was not a room devoted to tho construction of the ricculiar weapons which we owe to Sir Wil liam Congrove's inventive skill, but merely tv their storago and examination. In testing an old returned rocket it is quite possible that one of tho two men employed there committed some slight act of impru dence whicli resulted in an immediate ex plosion. The powder in the case may have been rammed in with a little too much violence, or possibly the unknown chemical causes to which we have referred conduced to tho calamity, With the house contain ing these instruments of death, reduced to ruins, as it now is, the chance of finding any clue to the event within the building itself must most probably be abandoned.

A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON. :

Feminine Facts, Fancies, and

Frivolities.

(ByEus c.)

"... Lo.wo.v, October 22. , Dear Mv Editou, —The dreariest period of tho year is upon us at last. ' I woke up this mprning to find the city wrapped in a dense 'mantle of yellow fog, black as night,'and cold as charity. AA'e ladies, however, have a specific against low spirits in the delight ful occupation of shopping,'which, as all well-regulated husbands are awore, takes up an immense deal of time during the late autumn and winter. The fashions seem to grow prettier and more attractive every day. There is an infinite variety of .materials of all classes and styles from ' which to select novel toilettes, but I shall confine myself to describing such as I fancy may bo worn with advantage by my lady friends in Now Zealund.

Firstly, then, to begin with costumes— I Madge " (whose taste I much admire) says !tho favourite colours are greys in soft dark shades, also a new green (simply delicious), gunpowder blue, and cigar brown. The new green is a cross between myrtle and bottle green. In one light it looks like sage, and in another it resembles the more bluish tint. Very few of the new cos tumes are made entirely of one material. Combination is the order of the day—bro cade and velvet, brochrj and cashmere, cashmere and velvet, vieugnor and'bro cade are all combined. One of the novel ties consists of a tiny embroidered. sprig on a ground of a different Colour, and made up with plain material." "Madge.'1 de scribes an extremely pretty costume of this description in dark blue -with geranium-red sprigs, which I! remember seeing at' Peter Kobinson's the other day. The greater part of the dress was made of plum-blue material, vory cleverly draped in soft close folds, and forming a very 'Uiitple tunic. The edges were cut out in deep-rounded tabs, each trimmed with five rows'of stitching in thick geranium silk. This' trimming ran round all tlie edges of the tunic.' The bodico and a panel at the side of'the skirt over which the tonic opened were of the ombroidered material, arid' the portion of the skirt which appeared beneath the ttiriic Was also of the same. The tabs'and the basque were lived with gerariiuni sursanef.' A'elvet shoulder capes appear coming greatly into fashion. The'best' are quite devoid of all fulness in th^'shotilder, and sit smoothly, showing the lines of the figure to advantage. Striped materials, both woollen and Bilk, one sees; everywhere,'; more espocially worn in combination with'plain stuffs. I cannot say I like them, "but since "Le Follet" has said they are 'eh _■•; it is perhaps foolish to condemn the mode. I am sending_ herewith a selection of cuttings from "Le!Follet, "Truth" the "Ladies' Pictorial," and the "Queen," which contain elaborate descriptions of all the most noticeable hew dresses, &c. This seems a better plan than attempting te talk chiffions at length in an article sup posed to be devoted to theatricals,' music, and hew books. Before dropping the sub ject for the present,' I must, however, warn New Zealand ladies residing in the South Islands (where furs"are sometimes worn) not to send Home for sealskin jackets, Sec.; during the English winter. Furs cost 50 per cent, more in December than in June or July. By the merest good luck Tom got tickets at the Adelphi Theatre for last Saturday, and we saw the first performance of George R. Simms and Henry Pcttit's "In the Hanks." The new play is a strong, healthy melodrama, with a stirring but not very novel story, crisp dialogue, and an tthder ciirrent of wholesome sentiment. ' The cur tain rises on the interior of an Old English farmhouse belonging to qrie Ralph Derrick, whose daughter Ruth, we learn from the old housekeeper's gossip, is about tb be married on the morrow te Ned Drayton, a handsome young stranger now residing 'With his friend Captain Holcroft, at the AA rynter Arms, in tho adjoining village.' Ruth is devotedly attached to her lover, who has also gained the goodwill of' the farmer ;in fact, everything seems to be going smoothly, when GideOn Blake, an old sweetheart of the bride - elect, returns suddenly from abroad. Gideon is furious at the thought of Ruth's marriage with Drayton, and asks ; the ' farmer if he knows anything about hi. future son-in law. .'< The farmer is Obliged to admit that he does not, and GidCon has just commenced

to abuse Ned in a somewhat reckWf__~" > when that worthy, laughing and ._„>». appears upon the scene. Gideon fort. „' attacks him with the question "\Vk * you ?" to which Ned responds "If n M 6 to that, sir, who are you »" "I am >,c'"a- AVynter'sland steward," saysßlake, rwdn6l "And I," retorts Drayton, "am rli . Wynter's adopted son." Gideon, 2&M wrathful remarks that he never so n__. < heard Colonel Wynter mention DravW name. "I daresay not,"says Master v.^ quietly; "he would scarcely be likely^ talk family matters before a servant" Gideon retires discomfited, and, almost!., mediately Colonel AVynter himself airiZ at the village inn. He is very fondS Drayton, an_ wants to wed him to aprotfc?! of his own The news of the intend! marriage with a farmer's daughter conT quently drives him frantic. He not o2 threatens to cut Drayton off with a shilli.? but, in the irritation of the moment d„ closes a dreadful secret about his parental' It seems long ago the Colonel loved M mother, who jilted him .for Richard bray ton.a plausible scoundrel whom she married! The husband's criminal schemes obli_»a him to fly to Australia with his accompli^ Richard Bolton, leaving an infant son The mother then died of a broken heart' consigning her boy to the care of Colonel AA rynter whose worth she had grown to recognise.

.cd, horrors-ruck, is reflecting over thi* story, when it receives terrible confirmation by the appearance of a villainous-100ki.. ---old man who has been skulking about thf farm after him for some days. This worthy announces himself as Richard Drayton, Ned's convict papa, and demand, a sum of money te help him out of th e country. Ned, in an agony of shame promises to procure the cash, and appoinfa a meeting in Dingley Wood that evenine Now comes an admirably-contrived situ.! tion. Colonel AVynter, having repented of his harshness to Ned, is walking back to the farm through Dingley AVood to tell him so, when the soi-disant Richard Drayton runs up against him. AVynter at once recognises the scoundrel, not as Drayton ' but as his accomplice, Belton, and. threatens to give him in charge. An altercation follows, and old AVynter is shot down. A moment later Ned meets Belton __ agreed and gives him money. A party of gamekeepers on the lookout for poachers witness the occurrence, and Gideon Blake who is with them promptly accuses Ned of bribing the villainous-looking stranger to murder his guardian. Ned is tongue-tied from filial motives and the dilemma' ig complete. The second act opens with the wedding ,of Ned and Ruth, The exterior of the. village church, with its' peaceful grave yard, grand old yews and, per-., spectiveof sunlit country, forming'oneo. ,the loveliest stage pictures I ever remember to havo seen. Belton has escaped; but Blake persuades the country magistrates issue awarrant for the arrest of Ned Dra^ ton on suspicion of being concerned itt'thj' shooting, and as. Col. AVynter ,etill,%at the inn hovering between life: and death, they consent. Blake had hoped to. get; Drayton arrested bofore the marriage;, but tho wedding party have: p&eaedl into church, when the police arrive, and (to!; the intense delight of the gallery bqysjithu Sergeant declines to "desecrate God1! altar" by stopping the service. Itjjr therefore as the newly-wedded '-.pair, preceded by children casting flowers inthpit; 'path, and followed by a long stream, of friends and acquaintances, emerge ffon. church, that the warrant is served, and the; unhappy Drayton realises what an awfulr charge hangs over his head. . ; ~ijjjaj_

The third act introduces us to the cxi terior of the county gaol in which Dtsy.-i ton baa been immured for several weekl* j the magistrates remanding him ' from' timo to time in the hope r of'('_#__ thing being heard of Belton. H_ is now: 'released, but as the case against- him 'stands "not proven," and Gideonlßlalu_ has worked up popular, feeling' tolerably successfully, he finds himself a stunned' man. To live on in the village with' Both' under such circumstances is impossible;'ilKi' when a recruiting sergeant tenders him t._ "Queen's shilling," he .joyfully'accept, it, and the curtain falls on a harrowing farewell: scene between husband and wife.'" In i_»; fourth act we find Ned at the barrack. W London, whither he is, folio wed by Gideoii; Blake, who, now that Colonel AVynter ii' nearly well, fears a meeting between th. jrair, which would crush his house of _di__, in an instant. The great thing, Of cotirP .is to got Drayton out of England,'fliiS'iil order to achieve this Blake pretends to lie friendly; and seeking out Ned's old ctam* Holcroft, pioposes to buy his diechtir^i'', , lolcrOft distrusts Blake's motives,'and., fuses to have anything to do with'__! affair,'so Gideon falls back on _n irri_bli] old sergeant,' whom he incites to 'bully __!• aggravate the unhappy Ned. Of course, iff quarrel follows. Drayton insults'his' superior officer, and goes off to"_ee''•& wife after being forbidden to quit th.'l_. racks. .Ruth, meanwhile, has be_ri_t-__ fully persecuted by-Drayton _'pre_ri-_.! fatheiv Belton. He drugs'her in ortler'W' thieve her small stere Of money un_ole__}° but; she retains consciousness lOtig enongfi' to overhear him confess toGideon Blakefceis; an impostor: The two scoundrels dißCiWer' that Ktath has been listening,—andI'-aWfjnSJJ about to murder her, when a step is ___!'. on: the stairs; and'thoy make'a bolt fttr it, Ned enters,' to find his wife poisoned,'' _Sd; apparently dying.-: He rushes oat for help, but falls into the hands of the gukrityf. for his arrest, who bears'him away, .bog gling frantically. ' "" riib-.cnUsy In the last act matters culminate rapidly, t Ned praying frantically to the..serga^, to send someone te his .wife'? assistopqeiiis. thrown, half mad with despair into.tie. guard's room. The thought of ,Enli,, dying slowly for want, of. help ; neryep him to desperation. He flinga him-. self agaiinst the prison ' door,, .'.'i»\ beseeches the guard to listen to,. liimt, , he raves against the cruelty of his fellow-,' men. AVill no one help him? i "l, | will,v, cries a drunken fellow-prisoner, and.poiat^ to a small window the bar of' whtfhti» loose. In an instant Nod has olimbediniaj the recess, and as he .wrenches the fat away, the scene, by a clever mechanfiaii change alters from the inside of the {jutf4':f room to the outside,' with a sentry wsDg< slowly up and down underneath ;: ,t»; window. Ned overpowers the sentrywit escapes, but as he passes, the gftt^i',; Belton, who has come to, :toi&,) mOro' money, recognises him, ~tB9) iaises the alarm. Nemesis, ,however,*!.B near. As Belton calls for the polipjr Colonel AA'ynter, now completely recovered^ enters: "At last! Richard Belton,£Mg meet," he observe.', and hands over tpe^Bli happy wretch to tlie constables. All dp'r Culties clear away with gratifying, rapidity. | Ked finds his wife well Cared for. and pa.. danger, andColorielAA rynterofcourseappea» iustin'tiiiiotoconfoundGideonßlakeanatMiJt him to his heart. But what about __i military misdemeanours —the escape, fronM the barracks, the insult to the. .sereeMtif: the knocking down of a sentry ? ''Hewiljif be flogged for these," says, Gideon triumpN antly, us a file of soldiers enter the rpam-i "No, I think not," remarks the.offio__">l chargo ; "you see your solicitor .carried'oU,» your instructions and bought Mr Draytoas discharge yesterday, so he wasn't ; in, pSf army when the offences were committed.

.STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER 15, 1883

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