THE GARDEN.

(Bv Hobtus).

Calendar of Operations, November 10.

[HORTOfI is wiSing to answer any queries. Cor respondents must give their full namos and addresses, though not for puhlication.]

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Hyacinth:- and Tours (G..R.,Graf ton).-When the loaves are .sufficiently decayed to come olf in the hand when slightly pulled the bulbs should then be taken up, and spread out to dry in a dry room for about a fortnight. As soon as thev are properly dry and hardened, put them in bags or boxes and keep them till the season for replanting them returns.

C-CUMiii-i.9 and Melons (M.C.0., Parnell).— Yes; now is the proper time to plant. You can easily procure plants of the best varieties from any of the seedsmen In Auckland, l'lant out as I have already advised m the usual weekly kitchen garden matter. Cucumbers like a rich moist soil. Melons like a rich warm soil. They do not (/row so largo on such, hut tho flavour is much Unor.

Kitchen Garden.

Continue planting out cucumbers, melons, marrows, and pumpkins, and protect in the manner described last weok. The same with tomatoes. Plant out cabbage and cauliflower for succession, giving the young pian ts a good watering. Make successional sowings of kidney beans and peas ; earth up and stake advancing crops. Attend to thofortnighfcly sowingsof mustard, cress, and radishes lor saladings. Mulch strawberry bo.s with long straw, grass from the lawns, oc any similar litter. The above will keep tho fruit clean during heavy rains. Onions thin out and transplant, also filling up yacancies. Plaut out ono row of celery in tho trench already prepared—a double row to each trench. Prepare another trench for planting in about a fortnight. Also plant out a few leeks. Lettuce tio up for blanch ing ; prick out a fresh lot; sow seed. Re movo the forcing pots or boxos from tho rhubarb, fork up tho soil around the plants ; thin out all tho advancing crops, earth up such as require it; tho others slightly fork over the surfaco soil between tho rows. Attend to the hoeing so as to keep down weeds. Lime for slugs in tho evoning. Flower Gardon. Complete the sowing of thotonderannuals; continue thinning out and transplanting thoso .sufficiently advanced ; stake out and tio up carnations, pinks, piootccs, gladiolus, liliuni, anil amaryllis. Give occasional waterings with liquid manure. Roses, mulch and water with liquid ninnuro, and give occasional syringings with soap-suds or tobacco water, so as to keop the fly in check. Tie, stako, regulate, and pinch climbers. Continue the planting cf dahlias, putting plenty of well-rotted manure in tho holes dug for each plant. As the warmth increase- with tho advance of tho soason, plants in tho flower bordois will soon make rapid growth. Every attention should bo given so n_ to stimulate that growth, and produce flowers or foliage, according to tho varioty of tho plant, pinching out rank or straggly shoots, giving duo attention to tho space at disposal for oach subject, and re gulating accordingly. The pleasure ground ought now to bo in about its best order: walks raked and rolled, grass edgings neatly clipped, grass frequently mown and r011e... As tho different insects appear on plants ukr the usual preparations for their destruction ; never allow tliomto make any headway, especially snails and slugs. Groonhouso. Growth will now bo very active ; try and promote it by every means in your power, koepiug the atmosphere as humid as pos sible by syringing when shutting up the house in the afternoons, giving shade on every bright sunny day. Continue ro pottmg plants as they may require it; pot off cuttings whenever they begin to grow. Tho young colons plants ought now to bo making rapid growth. Pinch so as to form tho habit which you wish the plants to as sume. Hints. Life of Wkkd Skeds.—A writer in one of tho American agricultural papers thinks thoro is no use of trying to exterminate weeds, as the soil is full of thosoeds "down to bed-rock," where they wero deposited ages ago, and remain dormant until turned up by the plough or other implements used in cultivating the soil. This is certainly a good excuse lor a lazy man, but the theory advanced will not bear the test of science or practice. Weed seeds will not live for ever, or any considerable number of years, in tho soil, and if they wero deposited in the earth during tho glacial period, or dur ing any other ancient period, thoy would spring up on the newly-turned soil, or even upon land recently cleared of timber ; but thc pestiferous weeds never appear upon newlandsuntil introduced with grain, grass, birds, or tho droppings of stock. Tho old adage of "ono years seeding makes nine years' weeding," is a very truo one, and it is a pity that more of our farmers and gar deners do not hoed it, instead of seeking somo excuse for allowing weeds to grow and mature their seed.

Keei'lKO Wokms Out op Tots.—Put a handful of coal ashes upon tho earth in which thc pots aro plunged, to prevent the roots from striking into tho soil, or a pieco of brick may bo placed under the hole at the bottom of the pot. This also serves to keop earth-worms out of the pots, which, however conducive thoy may be in fertili sing the fields and gardens, aro docidodly injurious to potted plants. Therefore, it is never a good plan to plungo pots into the borders without taking those precautions to cxcludo worms. And oven then they may enter tho soil over tho rim of the pot. But as soon as you perceive thoir presence by the peculiar look of thc apparently chewed-up soil, water freely with a solution of lime water, and it will both kill worms and increase tho luxuriance of the foliage of tho plants. It i.-, not we'd to put stands of plants di rectly under tho shade of trees, becauso insects aro moro plentiful there, and spiders, both white and red, will injure them sadly, and ants will ruin abutilons and fuchsias. Water them daily, but never let the water remain in tho saucers of any plants.

Frult-Growlng. (Continued.)

I have drawings in my possession showing the action of tho growth on vines which had been rung, tho ringing had checked tho return of the sap, and how, in consequence, the rod abovo tho removed band of bark in creased in size beyond that portion of the rod below the band. The effect on tho fruit treated to this ringing was, in every instance, to advance their early ripening a fortnight, and about doublo the size and weight of tho berries when com pared with those grown on un ringed branches on tho same vine. Nor wero the colour and bloom ofthe berries diminished, but rather improved. Both apples and pears are improved by ringing, but to all stone fruits and figs it is injuri ous.

, Mr Knight thus explains the mode in - which ringing operates : —" Whatever por tion of the descending sap is not expended in the growth of the plant sinks into al burnum and joins the ascending current, to which it communicates powers not possessed by tho recently absorbed fluid. When the course of tho descending current is inter cepted, that necessarily stagnates and accumulates about the decorticated parts, whence it passes into the alburnum, is

carried upwards, and expended in an in creased production of blossom and fruit. Consequently, with this theory, Mr Knight found that part of the alburnum situated above tho disbarked space exceeded in specific gravity very considerably that lying below tho space (H. S. Transaction). I would ask some of my readers to try the above experiment on a few only for show fruit. Ido not beliove in ringing trees on an extensive scale.

I will now give an account of an oak tree which was rung by some mischievous person. About tho end of May, three and a-half years ago, a young, vigorous-growing oak tree, about 15 feet in height, was rung. A space of 6 inches of bark was taken oft" ;* both inner and outer were striped, nnc_ not with care—with a hatchet. Some of the wood was also taken. I was advised to cut tho tree down, but thought it bettor to observe what would occur. The tree had not lost its leaves, but soon after wards it lost them. The upper edges of tho wound healed that winter; those on tho lower did not heal so quickly. The following season in the spring tlie tree burst out into leaf, but did not start into making fresh growth ; it seemed dormant of that power, but it soon came into flower; the flowers set, formed into fruit, and a splendid crop of acorns was tho result, far larger than any of those that wero on somo older trees near. During the season the upper portion commenced to send two long fingers, one on each side, down tho cut surface of tho wood. Later, the under portion commenced to push upwards, so as to meet those coming down ; they did not como within an inch of ono anothor the first season. To wards the end of the season I measured the girth of tho treo. Abovo the cut part the treo had increased half an inch in circumference ; the portion underneath did not alter. The second season tho trees put out leaves, and in a short period tho fingers of bark mot and joinod ; the bark then commenced swelling out on both sides so as to cover the rost of tho wound, which it did not attain that season. A splendid crop of acorns again appeared. The girth abovo the wound was increased by another inch ; the girth underneath was increased by about half an inch, clearly showing that thosap was passing from tho upper portion of tho treo by the joined portions of bark, and thoroby onabling this portion to Increase its annual bulk of wood. Tho branches of the tree this soason only increased in length about four inches. The third season tho tree camo into loaf a little earlier, and tho wounded portion was soon covored with bark. Tho troo in this season attained a growth of about a foot more in longth. Tho girths wore incroasod by about an inch and a-half all ovor, clearly showing that action of tho sap was rogular all over the whole bole of tho treo. This season tho treo has broken away in growth ; in fact, has attained a longth of about a foot with its young shoots already. In conclusion, I would liko to state, that giving my ox porienco about tho oak troo, it snows that during tho period whon there was no proper action of tho sap downwards tho tree had no power to incrcoso its longth, but its powors for tho production of fruit wore in creased, and that fruit was much largor under these circumstances than if naturo was fully exorcising its powors. I give an extract from an American papor which shows tho same thing occurred thoro, but tho per petrators wero not aware they wero doing good instead of injury to tho fruit trees. Tho extract is from tho " Lodi Valloy Re view," of September 5: — Last spring a large number of fruit trees in two orchards at Franktown, Nov., wero girdled by somo ovil-disposed person. At tho timo tho act was done it was thought all the trees wore killed, but, much to tho surprise of everybody, not ono has died. Tho Bono "Journal" says:—"This un doubtedly is due to tho fact that the trees were properly cared for at once. Joe Frey at onco filled tho cuts in his trees with grafting wax, and over this bound u heavy canvas, and covered tho whole with a heavy coat of paint. Thompson filled tho cuts in his trees with a heavy paste mado of white lead and oil, then bound closely with canvas and covered the canvas and the trunk of tho treo with a thick coat of paint. The result is that the trees aro as thrifty as they could possibly have been bad nothing hap pened, and uro bearing moro and Letter truit than over before. Hero is a circum stance that fruit-growers may find it of interest to remember.

THE EMPEROR OF CHINA.

A Youthful Despot.

At a time when tho attention of the world is concentrated upon the question of whether war will break out between France and China, somo details supplied by tho "North- China Herald" as to tho personal and domestic arrangements of tho ruler of tho latter nation aro not without interest. Tho present Emperor of China is a boy of sixteen years old, and resides in the Royal residenco in a state of strict seclusion. Tho particular building which contains the seven apartments of tho Emporor is situ ated in tho contro of tho hugo enclosure which constitutes tho Palace, and tho dis tance to tho South cato, by which Ministers of State enter, is half a mile. Etiquette proscribes that the distanco shall bo done on foot, so that to hold frequent audionco of his Majosty would mean a foat of pedes trianism on tho part of his advisers. As a matter of fact, however, Ministers who aro elderly aro given a special dispensation, and are allowed to use a sedan carnage. Tho Emperor being a semi-divine personage, it is incumbent on all who approach him—ovon his mother—to kneel. In early years tho Celestial potentate underwent vacciuation, but it appears impossible to ro-vaccinato him, as to uso a lancet oh tho Royal person is ono of tho Chinese deadly sins. Consider ing tho absurdly deferential attitude which hismother, tho Princess of Chun, is obliged to adopt towards her exalted son, it is not sur prising that tho maternal visit only takes place once a month. Tho apartments of tho Emporor aro spread with European carpets, and the divans aro covered with red Chinoso felt, tho cushions being em broidered with tho dragon and phcenix. A massive curtain hung nt the entrance of the principal chamber prevonts cold air entering in winter, while in summer this is exchangod for ono composed of thin bamboo strips to admit the breeze. In spite of tho unhealthy hothouse kind of existenco which the boy monarch of some two hundred and fifty million human beings is obliged to lead, it is a comfort to know that ho is not debarred from out-of-door exercise, and that he takes pleasure in archery, riding, and sledging in winter. Daily he spends one hour and a half in the study of Chinese, and an equal time over the Manchu language, tho tongue of the conquering warrior race to wliich the Imperial dynasty belongs. His attendants are eunuchs, and one of the duties of these servitors is to restrain their august young master should ho be inclined to indulge too freely in the pleasures of the table. Altogether it would seem probable that the youthful autocrat would gladly exchange the electrical machines, foreign curiosities, and innumerable pretty objects which adorn his dwelling for a little of the freedom and unconventionally which aro to be found outside.

OUR LONDON FLANEUR.

News of tbe Fortnight.

[BY OCR LONDON COBRESPONDENT.]

London, September 21. The "silly season," thank goodness, is rapidly drawing to a close, and in a few weeks now even the most dilatory of tourists will have returned to town and settled down cosily for the winter. Tho absence of a few thousand holiday-makers from a vast city like this ought not, one would think, to mako any visible or appreciable difference. Tho fact, however, remains that it does. Since Parliament was prorogued, in the third week of August, Westminster has not seemed like the samo place. Country cousins and foreigners abound, but the faces ono had grown to know have all disap peared. Our daily papers are pulling through tho dull time in characteristic fashion. The " Standard, " happening to havo a corres pondent in China, is able to make much of what folks vaguely stylo the "Tonquin difficulty," and the " Daily Telegraph " is devoting two columns per diem to a discus sion on tho burning question, " What shall wo do with our boys ?" I wish I could fur nish you with an abstract of this correspon dence, for some of the letters have contained most astonishing propositions. Many, of course, came from promoters of special settlements in the States and British North America, who solved the conundrum by advising, "Sond your sons to the Blank Rancho in Texas, and they will find plenty of work and good wages thero." The writer's interest in the said Ranchft, was, of course, supposed to be artfully concealed, but ono could, nevertheless, see it "sticking out half-a-mile," A capital suggestion has been made by the Duke of Westminster, who proposes that a regiment composed exclu sively of gentlemen- sons should be added to tho army. He points out that plenty of strapping young follows, with no particular prospects, would gladly join tho ranks as privates if their so doing did not entail a loss of social prestii/c. As things are now, some cannot pass the preliminary examina tion necessary to secure a commission, whilst others dread tho heavy mess expenses necessary, Sec, associated with an officer's position in a crack regiment. The social shams of a "gentleman private" would, of course, be the samo as an officer's, but the demands on his purso would bo widely dif ferent. I understand it is quite likely atrial may bo given to this idea. A Cab Mystery. The polico aro much exercised just now over a mysterious assassination in a hansom cab, the particulars of which strongly re semble one of Borsgahey's best known romances. It seems that on the night of September 6th, about 11 p.m., a cabman named George Smith was hailed by a good ' looking gentlemanly young man, who directed him to drivo to a cafe of somewhat evil ropute in tho Haymarket. The cabman went there, and his fare disappeared within. After waiting nearly an hour, the young fellow (whoso name was afterwards dis covered to bo Mundee) came out again. Ho had beon drinking freely, and was in a very bud temper. " That sweetheart of mino has disappointed me, as thousands have done before," he said to the cabby, and then directed him to drive him to a public-house in Coventry-street. The two men (Mundee and the cabby) had a drink there, and then went on to several other taverns, where they also " liquored up." About midnight Mundeo was drunk, and the cabman began to bo anxious to get him home, life was driving towards Bloomsbury, when Mundee suddenly stopped the cab and called to a girl they passed walking the samo way, whom ho seemed to know, to get in. The young lady did so, and cabby was then to'd to drivo about for half-an-hour while thoy talked. Ho did this, and soon after 1 a.m. the girl got out and disappeared. Cabby then drove Mundee homo to what turned out to bo his lodgings in Guildford-street. The young fellow did not get out at once, and his nose seemed to bo bleeding. Cabby called to a passer-by that his fare was "tight," and asked him to ring the bell of tho house and help Mundee out. The passer-by, who was a Mr Bradman, entered the vehicle to do so, but found, to his horror, that the unfortunate man was bleeding to death, having been stabbed with a knife in the region of the heart. Mundeo was taken at once to the hospital, but has not been ablo as yet to proffer any explanations, and the polico can discover nothing. They know, however, that Mundeo is tho son of respoctablo business [icoplo in tho North of England, and was up in town on a visit. He hadlived at the lodgings on Guildford-street over a fortnight, and boro tho character of being a sober, quiet, and gentlomanly youth. Theatrical Gossip. I am iu a position to state that Gilbert and Sullivan's new comic opera has been put Into rehearsal at the Savoy Thoatre, and will take tho place of " lolanthe " in November. The work has not been named yet, but it is understood tho idea of Ten nyson's " Princess " will form the ground work.

Tho performances of " Impulse" wero resumed at the St. James's Theatre on the 17th inst., but with sucii a much weaker cast than the original that tho days of tho comedy aro numbored, and Mrs Burnett's " Esmerelda," with Mr Hare in tho leading character, will be shortly produced.

Despite Miss Anderson's fine acting, " Ingomnr " does not draw good houses to tho Lyceum, and an elaborate revival of tho " Lady of Lyons " is contemplated. Often as I have seen thc "Streets of London " acted at colonial theatres, I had no idea what a good play it really is till I dropped in at tho Adelphi the other night. The old melodrama has been Srandly mounted, and Charlos Warner plays adger bettor than I believe tho part has ever been played before in the history of tho pioco. Tho fire scene, of course, greatly delights the gallery boys, but as a scenic effect it doesn't equal the view of Trafalgar Square on a winter's night.

George R. Simms has a play in rehearsal at this theatre, which will be ealled either the "Soldier's Wifo' or the "White Sergeant," but it doesn't seem likely to be wanted for some time to come.

" Talka " is the name of the comic opera that succeeds "Rip Van Winkle" at the Comedy Theatre next month, under the title of "Lo Droit d'Ainesse." It achieved a great success at the Paris Nouveaute's last spring, and this was the more remark able as tho music is by a new and compara tively unknown Belgian composer, M. Chassaigne. Talka is a young Magyar girl, who, by adopting male attiro, manages to personate her cowardly brother and take his inheritance, while her lover, who has a beardless face, is sent back to the Convent School in mistake for her. The part of the heroine, created in Paris by Mdlle. Ugalde, will be played at. the Comedy by Violet Cameron.

Tho Court Theatre re-opens on Monday next with a comedy, by Mr G. W. Godfrey, called "Self," which is avowedly founded on Edmund Yates's successful novel,"Kiss ing the Rod." A story is afloat to the effect that since Miss Fortes-ue _ engagement to Lord Gar

moylo has been recognised by the Cairns family her photographs havo all been bought up and the negatives destroyed. The photographers declare it must have taken __10,000 to achieve this end success fully, as tho actress's cartes had a great sale.

After the completion of their new comic opera, Messrs Gilbert and Sullivan intend te temporarily dissolve partnership. Mr Frederick Clay has been engaged to supply the music of Gilbert's next libretto. It will bo remembered that these two collaborated some years ago in " Princess Toto."

Miss Kate Vaughan has been engaged at a fabulous salary to play the principal female character in Drury Lane pantomime. When Robertson's "M.IV was revived at Toole's Theatre the critics unanimously E renounced it a semi-failure. The piece as, nevertheless, reached its 50th night, and still draws good houses. The " Merry Duchess " has been the real success of the "silly season" in London. Crowds are turned away from tha Royalty nightly.

Dutton Cook, a novelist of some repute and tho moßt reliable of our metropolitan dramatic critics, died very suddenly on September 11. The last thing he did was to slate, with unusual bitterness, the now piece at the Globe, Mr Grundy's " Glass of Fashion." This notice appeared in the " World " of the 12th inßt.

Mr Bumard's burlesque of "The Tem pest," which will probably be called " Ariel," is in rehearsal at the Gaiety Theatre.

Mr Alexander Henderson has leased the Pandora Theatre, and will open it in November with a comic opera by Andrean, probably "Gilette," There has been a tremendous " how-dye do" at the Haymarket Theatre, owing to tho departure of the original representative of Ipanoff in "Fedora (Mr Coghlan) for America. Bancroft engaged Mr Dacre for tho part, but on seeing him rehearse, dis covered that he wouldn't do. Dacre, on being told this, was furious, but Bancroft adhered to his conviction, and now an nounces that he will play the character himself.

A Remarkable Experience.

Tub recent remarkable experience of Pro fessor Von Schweinhund, of the Polytechnic Institute, promised at ono time to be of great interest to all philosophers, and especially to electricians. Although his promise was not fulfilled, it is, nevertheless, true that the experience In question was unprecedented, and deserves the attention of all thinking men. On the night of tbe 21st of December, Professor Von Schweinhund was spending the evening with a number of friends at t\yd residence Smith, discussing the philosopny of the unconditioned in connec tion with lager beer. At about one o'clock a.m. it occurred to him that Mrs Von Schweinhund would be uneasy at his prolonged absence from home, and would undoubtedly sit up for him and welcome him with energetic hands in an ex ceedingly warm manner. He therefore took a final glass of beer, put on his capacious ulster, and bade the company farewell. • The night was exceedingly cold, and the pavement was unusually active in its motions. This, together with a weakness in the Professor's Tegs, due to the severe cold in the head, led him to pause by a convenient lamp-post to collect his thoughts. Ho rested for several minutes, and summoning his energies, prepared to resume his walk. To his great alarm he found that he could not move from the spot. An unseen and unknown force held him tight to tho iron lamp-post, and the most frantic efforts could not enable hjjp te release himself.

His first impression was that he had been tied to the lamp-post by thieves while rest ing himself, but he could not discover the slightest trace of any rope, and was thus compelled to abandon the hypothesis. Soon he began to feel a strange sensation of something very cold in tho region of his breast and abdomen. It was clear to him that a cold current was running from his breast-bone downward, and being a pro found philosopher, he reasoned that, as he felt this current in front, it must really be in active operation somewhere else, and was, undoubtedly, running down his spinal column. After djop meditation he sud denly remembered that he had heard that certain streets were soon to be lighted by the electric light. He looked upward at tho lamp above his head, and saw that it was not only extremely bright, but that it seemod to bo divided into three or four separate lamps. He now comprehended the imprisonment. The lamp-post to which ho was fastened was evidently one of those to which the electric light had been supplied. The electric current passing througn tho iron lamp-post had been switched off by tho attraction of his spinal column, and was flowing through him, producing the sensa tion otextrome cold and fastening him with a force of soveral tons to the lamp-post.

The horror of his situation now clearly stared Professor Von Schweinhund in the face. Ho saw that not only would he be held to tho lamp-post until some one should come to his assistance and turn off the electric current, but that in all probability tlie electricity would gradually disintegrate his spinal marrow, and thus either kill him outright or reduco him to a miserable spine less, gelatinous wreok. Moreover, he feared that the cold produced by the current would affect his hoart, and by dis turbing his circulation bring about a fatal result. In these circumstances he howled for help, but the silence of the midnight streets remained unbroken except by nis agonised voice. About two o'clock two young men came down thejstrect, and, attracted dv the Pro fessor's cries, kindly stopped ana listened to his story. In the most unfeeling manner thoy burst into a laugh and refused to give him any help. They even made rude re marks concerning beer, and told him that the cool night air was good for him. Pro fessor Von Schweinhund lost his temper, and addressed to them the strongest language contained _n the German diction ary ; but they only laughed tho more, and went on their wicked and heartless way.

It was nearly morning when a shapely policeman approached, and after listening to the Professor's pitiful story, said to him:— ►

" See here, old man, if you're that drunk that you don't know you've buttoned your ulster round that there lamp-post, I guess I better take you In."

Light dawned on tlie mind of the philosopher as he listened to the policeman and glanced at himself in the glare of the bull's-eyo lantern. There was a basis of truth in the policeman's remarks. Professor Von Schweinhund had but toned his ulster round the lamp-post and had thus unwittingly made himself a prisoner. The coat was promptly unbuttoned, and the Professor resumed hi. homeward walk. Now that he was free, he rather regretted that his electrical hypothesis had proved to be false. Had it been true he could have written a powerful pamphlet on the subject.—" Standard."

The German Government has recently seen the necessity of Introducing electric projectors on board the navy for signal, search and navigation purposes.

O'Donnell in England.

Reception of Carey's Murderer.

O'Donneix, the assassin of Carey, arrived at Plymouth by the Capo mail steamer on the I7th September.and was greeted with much empressment by the English police and detective officers. The "Daily Telegraph" " special" describes the scene thus : __O n the arrival of the tender—The Smeaton— alongside tho Athenian, the three detectives on stepping on board the vessel were intro duced to Mr Cherry, of the Algoa police the chief of the three Cape officers who have had charge of O'Donnell during the voyace They had a brief conference, during whf c h the document, signed by Sir William Har court, authorising the Scotland-yard detec fives to take charge of the prisoner wm examined. The officers were then con ducted to O'Donnell's cabin, which was in the portion of the vessel allotted to tha second-class passengers on the starboard side forward. The prisoner was brought into the corridor, and his now cußtodiani were mado known to him by Mr Cherrv O'Donnell, who tellies with the published description of him, is of tall figure, with a decidedly characteristic Irish face. g was allowed a seat on a bench, and was for some time a silent spectator of what was going on around him. After he had shaken hands heartily with the deteetires ■ who had brought him over, he was told that he would havo to go on to Southampton and at this he betrayed not the slightest emotion. This was the first intimation that it was intended to take him to London by that route. Mr Ahearn asked him how he had enjoyed the voyage. O'Donnellre plied, " Very pleasant." He had not been m irons, nor had he been handcuffed and the officers who had him in charge had treated him with remarkable kindness He was assured that in the hands of the English detective he would meet with the same consideration. No unauthorised person was admitted to the corridor but a large crowd assembled on the deck'at the opening of the companion eager to get a glimpseof what wenton below. O'Donnell's position, however, screened him from view. While the conversation was going on be", tween the Capo officers and the jMetro politan detectives, the prisoner looked up suddenly at Inspector Littlechild and said, laughingly, "Have you got 'No. One' this time, then?" The officer, holding up his finger, replied, in an equally jocose tone, " 'No. Ononis a tall straight figure. If you had been big ger and rounder we might have taken yon for 'No. Two.'" Shortly afterwards O'Donnell was taken to his cabin, and Iri spector Littlechild told Mr Cherry that he was relieved from all further responsibility, and that O'Donnell was now to be considered in custody of the English police. Tha Cape officers then walked aft, expressing satis faction that their duties were at an end. It now became generally known that it was the intention of the officers to convey O'Donnell in tho Athenian te Southampton and land him at that port. The prisoner was set down as an ordinary passenger in the published list of persons on hoard tha Athenian, and to a certain extent he waa treated as such. He did not, however, take his meals in the saloon with his fellow voyagers, but in his cabin with the Cape police. He was allowed a considerable amount of liberty, and spent much of his time in walking up and down the deck smoking, and conversing at times with such of the passengers as were willing to talk with him. But in these conversations he rarely referred to the crime with which he is charged. One of the Cape police stated that O'Donnell persists in the belief that the extreme penalty of the law Will not'be carried out upon him, and he maintained throughout the voyage a cheerful appear ance—a demeanour which his custodians didtheirbost to keep up. O'Donnell states, however, that he snould very much have preferred to have been tried at -the Cape than be brought to England. The girl who travelled with him to Natal as his wife, but whom he afterwards stated to be his niece, has been left behind at the colony, where a situation has been found for her.

HUMOROUS CLIPPINGS.

Two porcupines make a prickly pair.

"Sis, give me a lively subject for my composition," said little Ben ; and Sister Martha quietly replied, "Fleas."

"Why, Pat, you aro surely not going to turn coward?" said an officer to a timid soldier. "Why, shure," replied Pat, "I'd rayther be a coward for foive minutes than a corpse for the rest of my loifo." A young widow was asked why she was going to wed so soon ( after the death of her first husband. " Oh, la I" said she, "I do it to prevent fretting myself to death on account of dear Tom r

' The coat-tail flirtation is the latest. A wrinkled coat bearing dusty toe-marks means, " I have spoken to your father." Weakly amateur, with a vocal organ on him like unto that of a sucking dove, play ing Macduff: " Ha, ha !My voice is in my sword !" Critic in the gallery. " That s all right, then, old mumble-chump: we was a wondering up here where it were." " I understood you to say that your charge for services would be light," com plained the client, wken his lawyer handed him a tremendous bill. "I believe I said my fee would be nominal," was the reply, " but —" " Oh, I see," interrujited the client, "phenomenal." A racy story is told of an old lady who refused to be comforted by her pastor's as surance that when he left a better pastor would be sent as his successor. " Na,.na," she said, "I hae seen fourteen changes in the ministers since I attended the kirk, and every one has been waurthananither." The editor wrote, "The showers last week, though copious, were not sufficient to meet the wants of the milkmen," and the compositor set it up "milkmen." Mrs Partington said lately of a gentle man that he laughed so heartily that she feared he would burst his jocular vein. When a young gentleman in Canada wishes to pay attention to a young lady, he usually, if it be winter, undertakes to kill her with kindness—by taking her out and sleighing her. A Tipperary man the other morning hailed a fellow-labourer with, " So ye've got a baby at yer house. What is it, a boy or agurl?" "Guess." "Itsaboy." "No." "Well, then, its a gurl." "Faith," said the delighted father, "somebody's been telling ye!" Mrs Ramsbotham has been invited to a garden party, and she is anxious to know where she can obtain the new garden hose which, she understands, are likely to be eo fashionable.

A " sweet-girl graduate " wrote the fol lowing on the fly-leaf of her text book:on moral science: — "If there should be another flood, Forrefuge hither fly; Though all the world should be submerged, This book would still be dry." Last winter, it is said, a cow float-d down tho Mississippi on a piece of ice; and became so cold that she has milked nothing but ice cream ever since.

STAK SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT, NOVEMBER 10, 1883

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