SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

The Antiquity ok Man. — An interesting discovery, of much importance for geological and archaeological science has recently been made in a coal mine at Bully-Grenay, in the French department of I'as-de-Calais. A new gallery was being pierced; when a cavern was broken into which discovered the fossil remains of five human beings in a fair state of preservation ; a man, two women, and two children composed the group. The man measured about seven feet, the women six feet six inches and six lfeet, and the children four feet and rather less than this. In addition, some fragments of arms and utensils of petrified wood and of stone, with numerous remains of mammals and fish wero brought to tight. A second subterranean chamber en closed the remains of eleven human bodies of larnjo size, several animals, and a large number of various objects, with some precious stones. The walls of the cavo ex hibited drawings representing men fighting with gigantic animals. Owing to the presenco of carbonic anhydride, a third and larger chamber, which appeared to be empty, was not searched. Five of the petrified human remains will be exhibited at the mayoralty of Lens. The remainder of the bodies which have been brought to tho surface are to bo conveyed to Lille, there to await a thorough examination by the experts of the Faculte dcs Sciences. Infor mation has been telegraphed to the repre sentatives of the Acadismie dcs Sciences of Paris and to those of the Rritish Museum. If the discovery be a real one, no doubt can be entertained of. the value of the find, which would^on the face of it seem to show that prehistoric man is anythin" but a myth.

A new mode of measuring light was pro posed at the last meeting of the Royal Society by Mr Preece, F.R.S. The standard of reference is a small surface illuminated to a given intensity, and the mode of comparison is the light given by a small glow lamp wljose state of incandes cence is raised or lowered by increasing or diminishing an electric current. The amount of illumination is measured by the amount of current flowing, so that the number of amperes gives the degree of illumination. The standard surface is that illuminated by a British " candle " 12-7 inches, and this is the same as that produced by the French "bee" at one metre distance. In this way sunlight, moonlight, twilight, fog, and the amount of illumination in any part of a room or building, or that distri buted over a street or area at any time of day or night, can be measured without any reference to the source of light or its dis tance from the point lighted. We have in fact a standard of illumination very easily and simply measured.

A novel application of the electrical transmission of power has been made at the Trafalgar Collieries, Forest of Dean, England. A pump in the underground workings is driven by an electric motor, the current, generated by a dynamo-machine at the surface, being let down the shaft and along the workings a distance of 500 yards. The drainage water of the deep workings is raised by the electric pump 115 feet verti cally and forced through 500 yards of piping to the bottom of the shaft, whence it is raised by steam pumps to the surface Of the ground. Tho working of the electric pump is said to be very satisfactory.

M. Neyreneuf has communicated to the French Academy of Sciences the results of experiments made by him on the intensity of sonorous vibrations transmitted through different gases. He placed a sound source on one side of the gaseous chamber, and a sensitive flame on the other, and observed the action of the flame. The gases tested thus far are air, carbonic oxide, lighting gas, and carbonic acid. Air and carbonic oxide have a transmissive power about equal. Air and lighting gas give very un equal results, probably because of the hydrogfen in the latter. The results vary much the chemical constitution of the coal gas employed. The transmissive power through carbonic acid is much greater than through air. The results show that Hanks bee's law is not correct, and the author is continuing his researches with a view of throwing further light on the dynamical theory of gases.— Engineering.

The Mission of Comets.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—No one appears to know what comets were made for any more than they know the uso of mosquitoes. The one thing peoplo are agreed about is that they are heavenly bodies with long trains, can be called " she" with impunity, and are generally owned by some person on this earth. I never saw the owner of a comet to speak to, but I have heard their names and their opinions about the make-up and character of these bodies, and I must say they do not know much about them. I have seen men who never owned a comet in their lives pretend to known more about them than the proprietors.

There, are about ninety comets on the Stan of our ...-__ *,_..! ......... ..r _~ belong tp such men"VTychT"brah.! Halley, Kepler, and Bicle, who still retain them, in the family ; for, like other estates, they are subject to the law of entail, but one which was pegged out by Messier was jumped by Las sell, who stillholds the title deeds. As the law now stands this is the only way to annex a valuable comet, and it will not be surprising if Donatis gets into Chancery next time it comes along on account of its mellowing influence on colonial wines.

but this is not what comets are sent here ior As a rule, they are not in the liquor tratnc, and ,f one or two show- a partiality for sparkling hock, it only p £ ves th * rule. About the formation of them there are various opinions. Ono says they are all gas, and that there is nothino- i n them ; another that they are celestial tad poles, and |will in time develops lees • a third, a Dunedin man this, will lay odds that they are built of shingle gathered from that beautiful aboro, and one can see clean through the interstices (what a word !) • while a fourth throws them over as vagrants without any fixed place of abode.

Now, comets are not vagrants to any great extent, and they are as essential to the welfare of overy li\-ing creature in our Solar System as a camellia is to the bosom of an engaging barmaid. They aro the great distributors of electricity throughout the universe—Faure storage batteries on a grandecale —and we could no more get alone without them than a boss-masher coulS get along without a Paramatta fringe over hi* eyebrows. When a comet is on its way to the sun for a fresh supply.it is very small potatoes indeed, and its nucleus of pig iron cannot, be seen by the aid of our most powerful glasses; but as soon as it comes within the limit of electric disturbance in the "Teat central dep6t, it picks up a few millions of miles of the subtile fluid, and clothes itself in all the gorgeous array of a commercial traveller. ._,.,*., We must not run away witn tho idea that we see tho whole performance that is going on in the sun when we look at him through a fragment of -square-gin bottle; we see nothing of that ■ -luminous atmosphere

of electricity that extends for millions of miles, and is only visible at the moment of ' a total eclipse. It is in this bright shroud that a comet takes in its freight to supply the wants of the planets, and when it has got as much as it can carry, it is, by a peculiar property of electricity, repulsed by the great battery, and driven off to dissi pate its cargo where it will do most good. This property of attraction and repulsion I saw beautifully illustrated by means of a small pellet of some substance (the nature of which I forget) swung, pendulum-like, j between the poles of a battery, placed in vacuo under a glass dome ; as soon as the current was turned on, the pendulum was ; drawn over to the positive pole, and having ' received a full charge,was drawn off to give it away to the negative side ; and this too j and fro movement was continued so long as the supply was kept up. So we need not worry about a comet suiciding into the sun. I rather like the loose shingle theory in comets. It is unique. Last year's comet i swept round half the circumference of the sun in four hours at a distance of a million and a-half miles, and took away with it fourteen millions of miles of electricity of j an average thickness of three millions of miles, that is to say, it described a semi- circle at the inconceivable speed of 24,500 miles in a minute ! How is that for a load of gravel ? As I before remarked, we should be in a sorry plight without lightning, for the sun's fierce attraction is continually taking it back. It is not only that the Laplanders would miss those splendid auroras (and the last comet sent us the stuff for some beauties), or that we could not raise spark enough to send a shilling message to One hunga, but we would wither like autumn leaves. The more of this substance an animal contains, the more vitality will it possess. A cat in a coal-cellar can be rubbed up to nearly one candle power, and a tiger —well, let anyone try it on with a tiger, and if he don't see more comets in a minute than are on the list, I refer him to Mrs Dr. Totts for an explanation.—l am, &c, Ghost of Copernicus.

The Properties of the Figure Nine.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —As the column which you have de voted to scientific subjects is of great in terfet to many of your subscribers^ I would respectfully suggest that that i>ortion of your paper might be made of yet greater service to science, if a correspondent could write with a good prospect of getting a reply to a question, or obtaining a solution of a prob lem. The writer has been taxing his brain for many years past to discover an explana tion of a remarkable peculiarity in connec tion with the figure 9, which will no doubt be familiar to some of your readers. I take advantage of your columns, if you will per mitme, sir, to inquire if any mathemati cian in this city can tell me the reason why the figure 9 possesses the power of repro duction, let it be multiplied by how many figures soever. While writing it out I have just noticed another peculiarity of this mysterious numeral. Multiply the digits by 9, and the product will consist of nine units as follows :— 123456789x9=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,01=9 2x9 = lS j landS = 9 3 x9= 27 ! 2 - 7= 9 4x9 =36 | 3 - 6= 9 5x9 =45 ; 4 - 5= 9 6x9=54 | 5 - 4= 9 7x9 =63 6 - 3= 9 Bx9 =72 [ 7 - o = 9 9x9 =Sl j 8 - I=9 and so on ad infinitum. I ask once again, sir, who will assist me with an elucidation of this problem ?—I am, &c., Richard Marsh.

The Moon and the Ghost of Copernicus.

(To the Editor.) SlB, —The "Ghost of Copernicus" in Stvr Su_-F_.Ea.E-.-T of Saturday last replies to a question that is asked Mr Lambert in re ference to the moon not revolving towards or turning its different sides to the earth. He says, in explanation, "it is on account of the side showing itself to the earth bein" much the heaviest; and if it revolved, turn ing its different sides to the earth, it would be violating the law of gravitation as first placed upon the statutes by Sir Isaac Newton." The " Ghost," you would think by this, must, imagine that the earth is the great centre of attraction in the mighty universe, and that all bodies gravitate towards tlie earth, for he uses as aiTillustra tion of the earth's effect upon tlie moon tlie ripened apple detaching itself from tlie tree and falling to the earth. Perhaps the learned " Ghost" would explain how it is that the moon does not fall to the earth as the apple did, seeing that the earth has like powers, as he says, of attracting it, and the moon has not a stem to hold H. up, as the apple had before it detached itself; or if tho "Ghost" believes that another body exists counteracting the earth's in- ' fluenco, and that the moon finds its equili brium, and is held between the two attractive forces, like Mahomet's coffin be tween the loadstones, how does he account for this ? that when the moon gets nearer the opposing influence, the heavy side does not turn to it, or when it gets further away from the opposing influence, and so the earth's attraction predominating, then' turns towards the earth. Does the " Ghost' forget that the force of gravitation is not the centre of the form, but the centre of the weight of that object ? and if the moon finds its equilibrium in the centre of attracting influences, would not allit. sides be of equal weight from the centre of its own gravity, and so suspended like a beautifully balanced wheel upon its own axis, easily turned either way, by whatever force might influence it. May not the " Ghost" think that possibly the philosophy of the apple falling from tho tree to the earth is through tho apple being a product of the earth, and when it detached itself from the stem that holds it, " upon tho law of like attracting like," its affinity is for the earth, and so it returns to where it came from ? and thus the cause of the apple fall ing to the earth and this extraordinary movement of the moon may be based on very different laws. In the meantime, Mr Editor, I will not discuss the question fur ther, for I am coming before the public in a few weeks with what I claim to be entirely a new line of thought, "and which will har monise much what before has been wrapped in mystery, and as I then consider, among much other matter, the question at Issue, and will be willing to publicly defend the stand I take, it is quite possible there may ,be more of this anon.—l am, &c., Tori-edo. • 1 : 4

Scene—Lodging-house: lodger has just called in his landlady. Lodger: " I say, j l^jjlß not the four-pound roast I loft jes- ! *™*y." Landlady: "I assure you, sir, ! o one in this house has touched your meat; «is there as you left it." Lodger, puzzled : la_» v-?? v a cnt i* tho house?" Lnnd inftW *cs' sh'-" "°h> y°u have ! Well, ____>__. wonld >*°" K!ve thnt accomplished ob eoti„lny i comPl!ments' and say J have no i ro___ 'V° let her hay« a share of my other <_._°!_ g ■■ Rhe uses her tee*h HKe t "ymg a knife and fork in future."

Best Thoughts of the Best Men.

All men's faces _re true, whatso'er their hands are.—Shakespeare. Leave glory to great folks. Ah ! castles in the air take, a vast deal to keep up ! — Lord Lytton. Our eyes when gazing on sinful objects are out of their calling and God's keeping. —Thos. Fuller. Flowers are the sweetest things that God ever made and forgot to put a soul into.— Beecher. A cheerful face is nearly as good for an invalid as healthy weather.—Franklin. Our youth can havo but to-day. Wo may always Unci time to grow old. —Bishop Berkeley. Fate is the friend of the good, the guide of the wise, tho tyrant of the foolish, the enemy of the bad.—W. R. Alger. Of all thieves fools are the worst ; they rob you of time and temper.—Goethe. Envy is a passion so full of cowardice and shame that nobody ever had tho confidence to own it.—Rochester. The best education in the world is that got by struggling to get a living.—Wendell Phillips. All other knowledge is hurtful to him who has not the science of honesty and good nature.—Montaigne. We seldom rind people ungrateful so long as we are in a condition to render them service.-^-Rcche-foueaulde. Dare to be true. Nothing can need a lie; A fault, which needs it most, grows two thereby. —Herbert. The claims of habit are generally too small to be felt till they are too strong to be broke.—Ben Jonson. A mind quite vacant is a mind dis tressed. —Cowper. If Satan ever laughs, it must be at hypocrites ; they are the greatest dupes he has.—Colton. False face must hide what the false heart doth know.—Shakspere. Early and provident fear is*the mother of safety.—Burke. They who forgive most shall be most forgiven.—Bailey. The light of friendship is like the light of phosphorous—seen plainest when all around is dark.—Crowell. Look not mournfully into the past, it cannot come back again ; wisely improve the present, it is thine; go forth to meet the shadowy future without fear and with a manly heart.—Longfellow. If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must go by what he gives.—South. Tender-handed stroke a nettle. And it stings you for your pains ; Grasp it like a man of mettle. And it soft as silk remains. —Aaron Hill. There are two freedoms—the false, where a man is free to do what he likes ; the true, where a man is free to do what he ou<dit.— Charles Kingsley. " When I am reading a book," says Swift, " whether wise or silly, it seems to me to be ahve and talking to me." Such is the feel ing of every student who appreciates the author he reads. Compliments of congratulation are always kindly taken, and cost nothing but pen, ink, and paper. I consider them as drafts upon good breeding, where the exchange is always greatly in favour of the drawer. Now I am idle ; I would I had been a scholar, that I might have studied now ; the punishment of meaner men is, they have too much to do; our only misery is that without company we know not what to do. —Beaumont and Fletcher. An elegant sufflcicnev, content Retirement, rural quiet, friendship, books, iiase. and elaborate labour, useful life Progressive virtue, and approving Heaven— These aro the matchless joys of virtuous love. Like flakes of snow that fall unperceived upon the earth, the seemingly unimportant events of life succeed one another. As the snow gathers together, so are our habits formed. _vo single Hake that is added to the pile produces a sensible change ; no single action creates, however it may ex hibit, a man's character.—.Jeremy Taylor. It is a great misfortune to have a fretful disposition. It takes the fragrance out of one's life, and leaves only weeds where a cheerful disposition would cause flowers to bloom. The habit of fretting is ono that grows rapidly unless it is sternly repressed; and the best way to overcome it is to try always to look on the cheerful side of things. Beneath me flows the Rhino, and, like the stream of time, it flows amid the ruins of the past. I see myself therein, and know that I am old. Thou too shalt be old. Be wise in season. Like the stream of thy life runs the stream beneath us. Down from the distant Alps, out into the wide world, it bursts away, like a youth from the house of his father. Broard breasted and strong, and with earnest en deavours, like manhood, it makes itself a way through these difficult mountain passes. And at length, in old age, it falters, and its steps are »eary and slow, and it sinks into the sand, and through its grave passes into tlie great ocean, which is its eternity. Thus shall it be with thee.—Lonofellow. All are but parts of ono stupendous whole VV hose body Nature is, and God the soul - That.changedthroiiKh all, and yetinallth'csamo. (»reat in the earth as in the ethereal frame Itlows in the stars, refreshes in the breeze,' Warms in the sun, and blossoms in the trees Lives through all life, extends through all extent, spreads undivided, operates unspent • ?r° -fi'i m'TT° J"Kh. no low, no great, no small: tie tills. He bounds, connects, and equal 3 all "

A Depraved Feminine Taste.

One of the "rages" among fashionable youne: women (says the Detroit " Tribune") is pho tographs of themselves with as little clothing upon them as the day they did society the great honour to be born. Sometimes they are known to pose, masked, in artists' studios. A picture in NAw York of a Moor ish slave in a hammock was painted in a private studio in Chicago before a small class. The lady model always came in a carnage alone and heavily veiled, and ap peared before the class masked, with a most exquisitely beautiful form. Each sitting completed, she went away in her carriage which one of the students, who attempted one night to follow it, declared pursued a circuitous route too Ion" and puzzling to trace to its destination. Nobody knew her not even the artist. She had applied to him to serve, heavily veiled, and her face was never \-isible. By a peculiar series of accidents,- it was learned that she was the wife of a very rich and prominent merchant and entertained magnificently at her man siqji on the south side. Sho was urged to modelling simply by vanity. Her husband bought the picture through an agent, and it for a long time hung in his parlour. The face being a fanciful one painted in after wards, it was never known that the mistress of the mansion was the original of the sub ject. Becoming bankrupt, the picture passed out of her husband's hands, and now constitutes the chief, object of interest in ft New York bar-room.

FOR THE LADIES.

Fashions, Social Gossip, &c, collected by onr London Correspondent. Voile is used for costumes on all occasions —for visiting, driving, for dinner dresses, for bridesmaids' toilettes, &c. Velvet is pressed into the service also, and many voile toilettes are combined with velvet in a contrasting colour. Blouse dresses for boys are now boing made in a rather different method, more after the fashion of blouse vetemente. The dress is all in one, plain at the sides, but very full front and back, which fulness re solves itself into pleats below the waist. A sash of the material is negligently tied round the body with a bow In front. In its article on the London fashions, the " Queen", says hats are growing larger and larger, and moro and more fanciful. Large Leghorn ones, turned up on one side with gatheriug lining of cream lace, and down on the other with long drooping feathers, or else trimmed with a single large cluster of different coloured roses, are picturesque. Black and cream lace and muslin hats, all gathered and ruched, with deep red roses, are bent into evory conceivable shape, some resembling the old coal-scuttle bonnet, and others the headgear that some old masters loved to paint. Sailors' hats, short at the back, with high crowns, are pretty, trimmed round with narrow velvet bands and a pouf of feathers to one side, or encircled with feathers or flowers. Tho ordinary sailor hat is seen studded round the crown with good-sized pompons on a band of velvet. Large garden hats of imitation Leghorn, and others in coloured straw, likeinter woven willow baskets, are being sold at very moderate prices for country wear. Among the novelties in Paris just now is the "Skeleton Bonnet," composed of a few gilt wires projecting from some round rows of wire that form the crown. Even the sem blance of a foundation is omitted. Two rows of shell or amber beads border the brim, and a breadth of India red crepe forms the trimming. The crepe is passed in and out of the wires, and fastened with a shell hairpin. The diaphonous, crinkled gauze known as "French crepe" is much used for summer bonnets; it is gathered and mounted on gilt wires. Olive-green creve drawn over gilt wires, with several wool pompons in shades of olive, and mounted on gilt stems, strings the width of the crepe (about rive eighths of a yard), showing both selvedges, is a suitable bonnet with either a green, white, pink, or black dress. Thicker silk China crepe is also used for bonnets, especi ally pink, blue, and yellow. CiiarlotteEix-Eworth and Her Father. —Charlotte was a beautiful girl, with luxu riant golden hair. The rector of the parish and an officer, of the British army were dining at Edgeworthstown House. After dinner the ladies repaired to the library, and after wine the gentlemen followed. As they entered the door of the library, tho officer exclaimed, " How beautiful ! " Mr Edrjeworth said haughtily and quickly, " What do you admire, sir . " He replied, " Your daughter's magnificent hair." Char lotte was standing in a becoming attitude before the bright grate, with her arms rest ing upon the mantelpiece. Mr Edgeworth walked across the room to the book shelves, opened a drawer, held her head back, and cut her hair close to her head. As the golden ringlets fell into the drawer, this extraordi nary father said, "Charlotte, what do you say?" She answered, " Thank you, father." Turning to his guests, he remarked, "I will not allow a daughter of mine to be vain."— "A Study of Maria Edgeworth," by Grace A. Oliver.

A farce is preparing called " The Divided Skirt." The lines were laid down by some clever journalists over their champagne the other evening, and the ideas went on swimmingly, keeping pace with tho fiz. "The Divided Skirt" is ridiculed in "St. James's Gazette" in the " Ballad of the Bloomer :" — Proud petticoats, which, reckless fling Your flounces to the mud that flows ! Skirts, short and sweet, that deftly swing Round pointed heels and patent toes! The female form ye shall enclose No more, hut perish syne or soon : The leg that once has tried it knows The pleasure of the pantaloon. No more let cruel corsets bring The whiten'd cheek, tho rodden'd nose ; No more let "jerseys " fondly cling. To point how stout the figure grows: Tho hygienic garment shows. When wandering o'er dyke or dune, How blest is she who, prudent, chose Tho pleasure of tho pantaloon. Very elegant travelling dresses for brides, the skirt, tunic, and Prioress vetement of the same material, are made of plaid serge, with an amber ground and large tartan stripes in subdued colours. The foundation of the skirt is silk, covered with two serge pleatings and thick ser^e ruche, pleated in fluted box-pleats, forming a heading of the two flounces: The polonaise is very simple, of the redingote type, draped with a scarf on chequered surah starting from the side seams and tied in front towards the left, when the vetement is not used, but which, when the mantle is worn, draws the drapery upon the tournure, the scarf being passed through a second opening placed below and firmly fastened to the tournure. The Prioress mantle is much admired, havine a very monastic cachet, the arm emerging from an opening from the neck to the waist! The costume is. adopted by brides who travel great distances during their honeymoon. Sea-side toilettes are made of chequered zephyrs, printed cambrics, with patterns of flowers, birds, and figures, and of printed Indian muslins of beautifully supple tex ture, and in soft colours. Now materials are still making, their ap pearance, and it is only quite lately that the best of the novelties in washing mate rials have been produced. These comprise, amongst others, some printed satinettes in Pekin stripes or with patterns similar to those on silks—birds' heads, bouquets of flowers, Chinese designs, &c. Those satin ettes are of beautiful quality, and when trimmed, as they usually are, with ecru or tan-coloured imitation lace, they make very ladylike and useful summer dresses. Printed pique's are also coming into favour again. The style of mantle to be worn with these dresses will be the scarf mantilla with a net •groundwork, in the style of Valenciennes, meohlin, guipure, or old point, with flounces to correspond round the edge. Valen ciennes and old point will be the chief fa vourites. The introduction of soft materials, such as surah cachemire and voile d'Orient, have brought in the full draperies which, whenever a change permits, are looped up on the one side or drape somehow irregu larly, which, although troublesome for ama teurs for some for amateurs to arrange, de cidedly gives a stylish finish to the dress ; indeed the style does not so much alter, for wo have still the deep polonaise and tunic cut almost in .same style as last year, but the drapery ia so twisted and caught up as to presont an entirely different effect, aftd the thing is howj to give a deoided altered look to each side of a dress, while ribbon loops—well, they are most lavishly em ployed, and twenty yards are not found too much for one dress. A very pretty toi lette shown me waaof petitpoissilk.theshort skirt being edged with foursmall kilts, with a_ scarf tunic brought froto waist at right side, put into slanting folds'■■ and fastened on left side of skirt just below the knee, then a smaller scarf coming from left side, fastened there also under '

numerous loops of blue ribbon, and a buckle to fill up the skirt exposed by the scarfs, on left hip is a gathered piece of plain blue silk, then on right side is a similar arrange ment, while tlie pouffed back is finished by a cluster of ribbon loops. Waist bodice and bouffant sleeves. Another stylish model was of fraise ecrasee cachemire, trimmed silk and beads, the short skirt being partly covered by a deep kilt and a broad band which was carried up left side, entirely covered with beaded lace. Tho tunic, very deep on the right side, was cut up on the left hips so as to drape it somewhat in water fall effect, while the left tunic was short and full as a panier. Ribbon loops fell over when the tunic was raised, finished by a handsome crescent in fraise ecrasee beads. Parasols are both beautiful and vaiied, and, if anything, are larger than last year's, while tho handles are of black, brown, or light woods, shaped as crooks, rustic, shells, crosses, the face in the moon, birds' and animals' heads, as well as mounted in silver and gold. For the chequered costumes the parasol should be bordered a deep band of check or plaid, and to the handle is attached chenille balls of the various colours shown in the bordering. Others of plain silk or satin have gilt ribs inside, ornamented, a hand-painted (lower or bird, others have a wide band of plush, and a bird attached to the top or point. Parasols of plain silk outside lined with finely guaged satin are furnished at top and handle with silk balls, or, to be more fanciful, two rows of lace arc put inside. In all cases can parasols be had to match the toilette, either bordered chenille fringe, lace, or feather ruche, and in many cases the entire outside consist, of rows of lace the same colour as dress. Numerous loops of narrow ribbon as well as flowers are used for parasol decoration, and also the gold pompons which decorate our bonnets are employed with good effect. At a recent fashionable wedding, the ten bridesmaids were dressed in pink nun's veiling, with lace insertion arranged en bias in stripes, between bands of pink, over the entire front drapory of the dress. They had large lace hats with a tuft of pink feathers, and each carried a lovely basket of pink carnations and maidenhair fern. The bride looked beautiful in a dress of white otto man, ablaze with white jetted blonde, and a train of white velvet fringed witli pearls. She wore a tiara of sapphires and diamonds, and other magnificent ornaments of the same. Not a vset_.ee of orange nor any other flower could lie .-.un on her dress. She is a little eccentric about what she con siders conventionalities, so perhaps that may account for their absence from her costume.

Pet lizards are the latest agony among the younjr ladies of Washington. " I was call ing the other evening on a young lady," says a correspondent at the national capital, " when I noticed something crawling on her dress. I called her attention to it, *and she said, 'Why, that is only my pet lizard.' Of course, I didn't want to appear ignorant and make a bore of myself, so I said, « Yes, a very pretty bird he's, too. Do you often take him out of his cage ?" Then she told me confidentially that her darling lizard camo from TitiHny's, and that it was secured by a gold chain and loop ; that it was real nice and very affectionate, &c, &c. And yet the same girl would faint at the sight of a harmless little green snake, and go into hysterics if an innocent mouse came within ten feet of her."

In the current number of the " Contem porary Review" Miss Gordon Cumming de scribes a fashion which is prevailing in America of dressing corpses after death. She says "the common practice in the States is to send the dead to their long homes decked out in fine raiment of fashion able cut, and with moustaches waxed, and flowers in their button-holes." The toilet of the ladies corresponds to that of the moustache - waxed, flower button - holed gentlemen:—" Miss _~" writes a New York reporter, ' was laid out in white rep sdk, elegantly trimmed with white satin and very fine point lace. The skirt was draped with smilax and lilies of the valley. The casket, made in the celebrated Prin cess style, was covered witli the most deli cate shade of blue silk velvet, with corners and mouldings, tufted with white satin. The inside was trimmed with white satin, and with very heavy sewing silk and bullion fringe. The handles were long bars covered with sewing silk. The casket opened at full length^ the inside of the lid being tufted with white satin. Miss R. looked very natural, more as if asleep than dead. There was a splendid display of flowers, sent as tokens of sympathy from her many friends. All the stands containing the flowers were covered with white, giving a general appearance of purity." Under takers are ready by day and night, at only a " hint," to practise their art, "the first rate style" sometimes being paid with ten thousand* dollars. The pallor of death vanishes before their skill, blue lips become red, distorted features are hidden, and a set of false teeth saves the looks of dead women. But in fashions, as well as in other things, when they have reached an extreme, a re action is sure to set in, and it is reassuring to learn "that tho leaders of society in New York now affect extreme simplicity, and havo declared in favour of pure white shrouds and unadorned coffins."

The old-fashioned India muslin, which was the pride of every woman about the year 1820, returns to us as the latest fancy, and as that whicli is imported from Calcutta, and which is the genuine fabric, is some what high in price, French manufacturers are now copying this beautiful material, at prices considerably less than asked for the real thing ; and being mado in all delicate shades, such as fraise, blue, creme, mauve, &c, makes up beautifully for summer and evening toilettes for young girls, trimmed profusely with lace and pomponß of narrow ribbon. Then the correct chapeau is copied from the time of Louis XVI., about 1786, but of course a little modernised ; still you can tell its period by its full muslin crown and rather wide-pleated or kilted brim, with ribbon-round crown, fastened under a ro sette which holds three small plumes.

Never.

Never refer to a gift you have made or a favour you have rendered. Never associate with bad company. Have good company, or none. Never look over the shoulder of another who is reading or writing. Never appear to notice a scar, deformity, or defect of any one present. Never arrest the attention of an acquaint ance by a touch. Speak to him. Never punish your child for a fault to which you are addicted yourself. Never answer questions in general com pany that have been put to others. Never, when travelling abroad, be over boastful in praise of your own country. Never call a new acquaintance by the Christian name unless requested to do so. Never lend an article you have borrowed unless you have permission to do so. Never attempt to draw the attention of the company constantly upon yourself. Never exhibit anger, impatience, or ex citement, when an accident happens. Never pass between two persons who are talking together, without an apology. Never enter a room noisily ; never fail to close tho door after you; and never slam it. Never let quarter day "pass without pay ing your newspaper account in advance.

. STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT, SEPTEMBER 1, 1883.

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