ATHLETIC NOTES.

Act.kox.)

FIXTURES

\ * AOPATIC NOTES. *-" South' Wales v;: Victoria. Eight -VlW*r»aceon the Parrainat a ' " ! /m- H» n!au v, ,ja,daur -. United ' banian v. Teenier. Uhitecl States. • Wf''lidaclvv- Hanlan for the No^gofWc:,world on theParamata.

FOOTBALL.

( the'popular footballer; is laid old complaint. ' As soon' as "P.Sy. ], c intends .going to the Barrier l^j,£l, .O.;h\s beaten the Welling- Jf|Wff° trifestomL ■■'-:• >L broths Twiname will-be in Auck <&s$ season T m M ns } V \ War  • ihackbut it is not certain yet whether ■n don the maroon or blue colours. 1° liis intention of ■£»f»t ballbest - \ tlptter/tb the .Ponsonby F.C., the ' tovofthe EastChristehureh F.C. - itasMsOl' 1, " 011 fclKl . fca re .P re sentative 511,65 LmOinterbury will visit Auckland The y can :ex J >ect a w arm and fw«* anl, may reckon on tlio 1 rLdfcniaking their visifc °"c to be J F pleasure. >••* j I "w foil** o formerly, played for !Pon- I • was here with the Welling : f m .L fast Reason, has decided not to tvk season.' as liis leg has gone back on PI ■•'■■■■ - - ; ;:.' j Mia. ' . ... Cnanblly, who was elected captain of. the ; Giafi()n 11, has resigned, and will not play thisseason.- ' ; , ' seasons' play, ihe . jgMxiL the .running for the junior cup L year is the Auckland 11. I hear that E»iU^ e no 'iret .fifteen, . and just leAuckland.-. F.-C reduced to a second onlyl It shows great lack oi esprit the second,, who are jjbjffjnen aid <iuite capable, of playing as ;jeniors. -~■.;-''['■';■-:'■':>>' ''..'■,', .. : ■ ... ,,: .

"jiax Pemb'ertoii," writing in "Olym pia"onMrA. E. Stoddart, tlie welUknown Enflish football player and cricketer, makes the°following' remarks about the " brutal as some of its detractors call it, Ihich I think well worthy of reproduction : _" At the sport of football, pluck is a mie the jerseyed" giant who las it not is a less valuable unit there than the little eMM. with it, who will lie down before Hie perhaps, but not until, he has worriedjthe b&isfc of .the forest .and caasefl Wm to drop his prey. The , second eseritial for proficiency in the noble game is a qoick eye, combined with a speedy foot. Ibe majority of. those who succeed are men who 6oold Make their mark on any "running. mind, and ! men with a ready power to oie, -lirithout. hesitation, immediate use rfaooperfng.; Again, a good football plajffntstbe.a man who can sacrifice, sllforiesake of side; who -vy-ill strain every effort, not to win the plaudits of the crowd, but that victory may be secured for iom colours. So experience proves that tie best men,'whilst often receiving a minimum of praise for their share in any greatmkt, have really done a maximum tumid?.securing the honours shared by fe ffiteen. How often do we not hear the EtH-made critic reading from the report of i cup tie or international contest and aw, 'Vi'ell, Jones didn't do much. He's (emUSneplayer,- but I've no opinion, tO«!tsjslij'_? An old hand will smile ' attam'sakjbalderdash, for the odds : m&i'ht^ Jones has made brilliant OTopeaHiaflt run, and has, when inside tie enemy's ftrenty -five, passed to his wing orliscenfreiwhohad a better chance than Wgef%behind the line." . : : CRICKET. ,-■ 'liA who holds the record wM highest individual score ever made (S5), tins criticised; the last Australian fen to an iritei-viewer:—" I consider j Giffeii the- best all-round man they possess. IfisacapHbat, and nearly the equal of ntaerasabowler. I am'sure SporTorthis : inovecratedmanjior I find his pitch and: * judgment.vastly to that of Ww."The latters 1-believe to be the, « mh that the Australians have."

Mte kind of wicketing gloves has wwented,. and go by the name of the' ci » mL* G - auntlet Wicket - keeping ™es. ale construction of the gloves is: Pe.iiofeL, , : T% are made in either; WeorfcroTO leather, and the ventilation Btto most perfect- yet seen. The tips of "Wand the forks, with the palm of mtadjlave.iul apertures for the ingress «"t. -AHheback is strong and tastefully Jged-network. They are light and "™iand introducing 'many ventilatory im fNMtv provide ample padding and a the.wrists.. innings of the Carlton' C.C. with the Belvideres proved igrtsitioaal. .-The. now famous young *«y Ferris,flowered 6 wickets for 17 °?■;«. started by bowling the first man *toct Crane followed byitakingthe next 0. The next two wickets fell mm alteration to the score. Percy ®m to then beaten, and bowled <j™, the board registering 4—4-4. * lame next, but after making 6 *j?taussedhim? by a catch off Ferris's, 'S , . aarr . soon followed, clean Ferris ;for 7," and the con rm , Alex Bannerman was also 2* ■Eerie'for a "duck,"/ the : closing, for 34 runs. In; £»tn Harry Moses made his first; y l .«he;season. The Carlton Eleven' ii;. j w South Wales representatives' s g*Belvideres three. - ! [ Wtoceful scene occurred in Sydney a match between the Clyde" Cricket .Clubs. The Rich- appealed.to the umpire for a 4a ; aM ni ade by a player named umph-e giving the ap »art him (Austin), he obstinately |T« leave the wicket, at the same *hat he, would, if necessary, p2;picket for half an hour for the C PJf enting the game to proceed. childishness was that the to an abrupt termination fell f Klch monds .had waited in the Quarter of an hour.-:. ■. : ; ATHiETics, &c. : BB.£, ay > twelve hours per day, go-as CT.Nestrian race, which com- C? n ndon ' England, on Feb. 12, <C y who covered %X - °^ bett was second, with 380 with 360 ; and Spicer Smffl week Christian Neilson in a sculling race six lengths. He k • Q^ ae . Italian, beat - Christol, the r'kauu c Greco-Roman contest Wtr ■■ w * k ' ;: ' The y each secured a \\a ;" ™ c American had to retire : Sw J ?f ei : ali scaled; 16 stone Ninin « , ItffCame off in Foley's iv ' a yoney.:-. ■■ .■ ~ .; »cS ckwa &beaten by McGarrigal" *Q e ??* in the second.round of last week. —\ !

THE GARDEN.

•alendar of Operations. AprUSOth.

[B^BoiiTiTs.]

dresses, and ad-

To. Correspondents. matter, so far as SvS^' a?fo) 1S a ver y risky especially U £\v? a crop , is con cerned, over.. In tome of tB?V uch , aa tbat '^ 9t gardens yox?c ai reo' ifuS^" 8 - ve A ctable same condition S 1 ge b . leaks J«st in the your Pc« w 0 have shn P v S n? iUbe - thc late nii » e snored an lmprovemt-nt. 111^:- 1 should could not do it ni fh » r l ' SOmo H™ 0 a S°- but thoroughly test t."f^Vw' as^ 1 wanted! to fruit Bfioufd ho milip ft efot - < i ? oin g BO - The mm liiiiliS the betler'fi,. 2? A Upi r n ' which wll ' be all raSo^op! WOU Idoinjury

Rbubarb.

To grow rhubarb well, good deep rich soil is the best, and the deeper and richer, it is the finer will be its quality and the larger the size. Perhaps, had the , plant a choice of soilsi, it would elect, like most other cultivated planks, a turfy loam, leaning to clay rather than sand. Though the rhubarb likes moist situations, it'will not succeed where the bottom is sour, and wet soils of this description will' require to :, fce drained For new.beds the soil should be ' thoroughly trenched and plenty of manure pxit in. The rhubarb bed should always be made where. possible near the house, so that it may be nourished with strong waters as well as rich solid manure Gathering the, crop and when to cease gathering are questions which require more attention than they general'y repeiyb. When pulling the stock the method is / to give the leaf-stalk a twist outwards andLa,. sudden jerk downwards at the same time. Many here, through carelessness, tear off the crown with the base of the leaf-stalk. Again, too many leaves should not be p*lted at once. If a plant has only eight or nine leaves, only four should be, pulled, and these should :be ' the outside ones—the oldest. As' to the age of the stalk,' that will depend, on the , taste; of those....who use it. Some prefer the rhubarb when it is young and ; tender, just after its leaves are unfolded j, others, when they' are half-grown; /others again,: when fuily.grown. Rhubarb; is , just at its best, when the leaves have reached their. full size. Here in, New Zealand. rhubarb does hot-attain such a lai-ge size as: in Britain, and it also requires! to be more frequently renewed. The 1 best way in my estimation is to obtain fresh seedling plants at least every two years. '■ The rhubarb can easily be raised from seed. Theseed should be sown in the beginning of August, in a specially rich bed, and- during the , -first season" kept very moist. 'The following winter the plants should be transplanted into a break and planted about three feet apart. If a continuous supply of rhubarb is required during the', season, mulch with plenty of manure, and ; water copiously. The following winter they should again be lifted ' and placed under a shade for . about two, months, so as to: check the roots and give them a rest. Rhubarb, more than any crop grown, requires plenty •of nourishment. The con tinual stripping of the leaves, which allows of no return sap to the roots, is very ex hausting. Heiice the importance of rich food and moisture so as to keep up a con tinued active growth during the growing season. The best time to plant out new rhubarb beds is aboufthe. first of August; but the bed should be "prepared for two j or three months before, so as to get it 570S Plantlii&.j2vergreexis. j

The late-moist crhas all garden,soils into good, order again fpir work ing. "; It has also '.brought! a state of , soil and atmosphere that will fallow of th c planting of nearly all evergreen; shrubs.',' Tfi& earth has still a genial heat in, it, which makes the new-cut roots take kindly to it, and causes them , 'to push out fibres .before the cold weather properly Bets in., Ever greens lifted and planted; now • will succeed better, thanHf left tillwiriter 6r ; early spring. But I would not advise to. send to the nurseries yet for stock, r as it is Still too early to obtain it. Such- has <x> ; be- lifted, packed, and;,perhaps , .forwarded for-a con siderable distance, thus causing it tobealong time from the lifting to'the ! transplanting. For such, class of stock it is 'too early, unless it can ;be obtained;.,-in .pots. My remarks' are i principally referring; to those who hay& planted formerly; too thick, and ' deem it desirable; to give more room, or who may have a few ! plants in nursery row during last winter. I would advise these to get the holes for the plants prepared first, digging them very large, and . deep : -the more broken soil for the roots to travel in, the better. After the holes, are properly prepared, begin'"By..", lifting "each plant singly with aslarge a ball of earth attached as possible, according to the size of the plants. Have it conveyed away at pnee to the place where it is to < be planted, allow ing as short a time as possible" for the : ropta to be exposed to the action of the air. Place in position, and put: some of the fresh soil about the roots, placing it firmly. Give- a good soaking of water. ' a bucketful would be sufficient for a small plant. (Large plants will want more.) "After wards fill in ; the balance , of the soil, giving more water. Deal, thus ,with every single plant. Afterwards each plant should be securely staked, for no matter how well a plant may be otherwise cared for, it cannot possibly get-a fak..start unless securely staged and tied- iO , every motion of the top causes a strain' and movement, at: the roots, which movement, chafes the' ; roots and prevents the formation of fresh fibres; also working the soil into , a state of puddle, which is very injurious. ' To keep the heads steady, nothing , answers better than strong stakes driven triangularly in the ground at a good distance irom s the plant, and then brought together'and made fast about two thirds up: the plant. 7 .d If-properly staked as above, no" , plant will suffer irom -wind waving. ~ After' planting and'the" first watering, the plants will require no farther attention till the .spring. One thorough [,soaking: of ,water;,nowr will >~last: . tilL the

weather again breaks, assisted as it will tne heavy ipight. dews,- so re freshing to languishing ifoTiage : affecWd •by the disturbance the roots have met with When transplanting evergreens, etc it is usual to prune the bianche S , : but'when planted iff the autumn the pruning is better deferred till the spnng. . cut a : number of roots,'and this will have stopped all upwardflow bfsap, infactcausinfj an opposite action —a downward flow This downward flow is very useful in assisting the roots to grow quicker. Another con sideration is that in pruning now a few bare stumps may be showing all' winter until the fresh foliage in the spring hides them. But if the pruning is deferred Hill aboiit the end of July, the sap *is iust beginning to rise and will cause the ■dormant buds to burst forth into foliage and soon hide all defects. It is for the same reason that the pruning of*" all evergreen shrubs is usually deferred till spring.■■■■•'• : ";■ f'li :„•■!!,*• , .'' : : . " Notes.. ' ":" : Sheep in orchards aie liable, unless the herbage be rich and plentiful, to injure the bark of the trunks of the trees. _ Quince tree- are too often allowed to grow in the sJiape of bushes, or are trained in the same manner as a blackberry vine or cur rant bush. They grow better, larger and more vigorously, yield larger and affol'd more profitable results when they are trained up on a single trank. ,' A hoe for use in a garden requires as nuch care as a scythe that is used for cutting grass. It should bo sharp enough to cut off the roots of all kinds of weeds, and should : h{we. so good .a ; .polish .that it can be moved through the soil; without much exhibition of strength. ■ According' to the position or aspect of a garden, so will, vary the different periods ot producing crops. On warm, light soil with a northerly -exposure', vegetables or Mowers will come much earlier to maturity than those grown in cold■dairijV heavy soil: with a southeMy exposure.,: ' Tlieiefo; ■ vegetables or flowers for winter use shot.■ t always be planted or sown in the warm' it parts of, the, garden, reserving the'coir! st and dampest situations for late summer and early autumn crops. J- - :.:«:.•> .■

STAGE AND STUDIO.

(BY EyTERIIK.)

A really first-class programme has been compiled for Hen , Schmitfc's grand concert, which takes place on the;l2thof May. It comprises choice soiigfe try'capablo singers, a vocal duet .and a quartette'" from " Martha," and- some very attractive con- I certed instrumental selections. A. treat is in store for lovers of goodinusic.. The Fonsonby Choral 'Society 'a second concert of the current season (Mr Tallis TrimnelL conductor) | takes place in All Saints' School-room on Monday even ing next. Part, 1 of trio programme opens with the overture to Spohr's " Jessoada r " and includes Spohr's can tata, "God,: Thou Art : Great " (soprano soloist, Mrs Upton), and' selections from. Mendelssohn's ','Hymn o£, Praise " (" Lobgesang.''), Paris H. comprises glees, a vocal Otrio , , instrumental; morceau, and songs by Miss Swales, Mr,.Walter Prime, and Mrs Judson.- , , • ~ •, p■ •. r Philharmonic Society's iconcert in St. James's Hall*on Monday week, May 9th ; Herr "Carl Schmitt,' conductor. ' Tlie work prepared for:ipeFformanc'e : iß'WrH. Birch's cantata, •' The Merry Men' of' Sherwood Forest." Soloists Evitt (soprano), Mi-C.P.eace (tenor), Mr Holloway; (bass). Mr Bolton (bass), Mr Williams'(bass), Mr Buckland (bass): • .

Mrs Langtry sails shortly for Australia, September is ; the date named. *•■ ;-

Mr! George Darrell is slowly: recovering his health; ~.l . .: D »iU

MisS- Patriee : Boucicault, a daughter of Mr Dion Boueicaultt, has opened a class for dramatic instruction in New York.

Mr J. ,W. : Dodge, who has been suffering for years with lung disease, is now in Hobart under medical treatment. - r •■ :

Some of Goethe's verses,. hitherto un- have been found among tlie recently opened family papers, and issued to mem bers of the Goethe Society.' '

The Dunediri Amateur Dramatic and Operatic, Club, are playing. Byron's " Our Boys " J at' the* Dunedin "Princess 'Theatre to-night. •' '•''■''■ '•' ' - : . ; ""'" 5 *'

Gerald Maxwell, late of Wilson Barrett's Company, literally went'mad'oh the stage as he,was playing Guildenstern to,;Mi , Bar rett's Hamlet. , • ,- r/. ■-■ ;

A Madrid scholar;. Senor -Carulia, who has been;,for many years, at .'worjtion a rhymed version of theßible, has just com pleted; his task. The- work'contains 260,000 verses. -bT i r ; IJ ,

" Pasquiri " in the " Otago Witness " says of the Royal Comedjr Compatiy's season in this colony, 1' The tour, is; finished now, and it is a standing IMaek mark against New Zealand playgoers that, it has-been so very little removed from, an absolute 1 failure."

Miss Nelly,'Stewart has arrived safely in London, and writes that she was dreadfully' frightened shortly after leaving Melbourne, by a rat in her calan. She received such a severe shock that she was completely pros trateid for several days. - . :

Miss Mary Anderson will shortly appear in-a poetical play written jby Mr Wills, en titled' "Cleopatra," in which it is said ample scope will beiallpwed'for.the display of those physical beauties whicK so materi ally assist her dramatic talent. > • .< • ■ . :

AUSTRALIAN 'STAGE ' NOTES.

Melbourne, April 13th, 1887

The great Drury Lane drama of " Human Nature " was successfully produced at the Theatre Royal .last Saturday night before an immense audience,, Bland Holt taking part in.the performance. He with an enthusiastic Australian '" The Pickpocket,"' as produced -' by Bi*ough and Boucicault's ;Gompany, • are doing splendid business at-the'■ Opera, Houso, The Alexandra Theatre was re-opened last Saturday by H. C. Sidney and Alice Nor ton, two artists lately arrived in, the colony from London. Their opening' piece was " Pigmalion, and Galatea." They appear at the Royal Standard' Theatre, Sydney, shortly. * v " •• -Clifton.

Sydney, April 10th. During the past six nights the Coghill Bros.' Minstrel and Variety show have drawn immense houses. The artists number some thirty-six or seven, and are grouped all' over the /stage, and not in the old-fashioned "style of ; half-circle. Carrie Swain made her reappearancejn Syd ney at the Criterion last Saturday night m Bret Harte's,play>of "The Miner's Daugh ter," before an .overflowing house. ShQ.,yras. supported* by ,C.: D'Orsay Ogden, HC N.- Douglass, Emma Brinton, J. G. Jo>y,ce,and others." ' ,; .. " „ : ~ '..-, ■■■' I *•«: ■. . Arthur .Redwood, a popular, comedian, who arrived in,the colonies same three and W half years tigo, died at. Prince Alfred Hospital last ;Wednesday afternoon in the 30th;yea? of his ager ■ . W.A.R. ;

Dancing With Prince.

An American* girl' (Miss Mary Fearn, aauglftar of Walker Fearn/ the American Minister to Greece), writes to one of her New Orleans friends as follows concerning a royal ball: The gentlemen wore all made to stand on one side of the i-oom, the ladies on the other, quite like a Quaker meeting. A broad passage was thus formed, down wkich the King and Queen, the Prince and princess and members of the court passed, I bowing to right and left. , The Queen Was magnificent in a white satin, brocaded in silver, trimmed with white roses and a diamond fringe. Her whole bodice was covered with ...sapphires surrounded with diamonds, and her head and neck a blaze of > jewels. The royal circle, as it is called, was then formed in one corner of tho room, where the royal family dance the quadrilles and : sit during the cotillon. \ < Tho King gave the signal, and then danc ing began. . One very amusing feature was the manner in which the round dances were begun. When the iirst bars of the waltz were played an aide-de-camp stood in the middle of the floor, and called to the people to make a circle, on the edge of whioh stood the couples about to dance, each dancer grasping his partner firmly by the waist, and preparing at the earliest possible moment to plunge into the maddening rush of the deux-temps, which is danced here, ■ exclusively, and which is perhaps a trille less rapid than the gallop. The Queen gave the signal and started round the circle with her partner ; then the Prin cess ; after her the Crown Prince, and then all the other couples followed one afker the other, around and around, nevor turning to the left, but on .and on, faster and faster, each couple evidently entertaining but one notion—the one which characterise? that ex citang.sport of a slide on the ice, when there is only a burning anxiety lest you should swallow up the man ahead of you, or in turn be swallowed up by the man behind you. The deux-temps is certainly great fun, but it requires no small amount of agility and exhausts a great deal of breath. You must be prepared to hop blithely over the prostrate couple who' may have happened to fall ahead of you, or, if such a calamity should happen to■.yourself, to " lie low" while the oncoming couple clear you as they would a hurdle. At the palace ball there were not many round dances, for the cotillon, which is the feature of tho evening, begins early and lasts three hours. In between times supper is served. I have forgotten to say that the King dances the square dances with tho wives of tho foreign Ministers, the Queen with the King's , aides-de-camp, and the Prince with the young Greek girls. Tin's is the usual etiquette. You may imagine my amazqment, when the Prince walked across to me ami said : " I have been looking for, you ; I want you to danco the cotillon with me." He had already sent word to me to dance opposite him in the quadrille, and I certainly did not expect more. I was naturally very much pleased at the compliment, first on my own account, and . secondly ; because there wore many Americans present who seemed to take a national pride in " Americans being the first in the field," as Slauk Twain has observed.. ~, ■ :

Growth of Dentistry.

The dentist of to-day is not required to pull teeth so frequently as the men of tlie old school, it used to be the- main object of a dentist; to destroy bad teeth. The object now is to preserve them** Many of our most prominent dentists decline, bo pull teeth. They send their patients to some place where extraction by laughing gas is made a.businose. I have not pulled a tooth for several years. But in my younger days extracting was the rule and filling the exception. My first ofKco was in a bouthorn town, before the war. There were plantations for miles around. At certain, seasons of the year the owner of the plantation had a dentist come out and ex amine the[iawsofall,thefamily,andthenofthe slaves and their families. It took a whole day often to treat one of these plantations. I recollect one plantation that 1 reached be fore breakfast. The owner, who s was, very wealthy, invited me to breakfast with him. I. arrived, about 8 o'clock,, and breakfast was not served until. 10 • So I began my Avork at once, and before breakfast I,ex tracted just 212 teeth., It.was the hardest niorning'sfjpb I ever attempted, and my ap petite was somethingenormousv/iien Ifinally sat down at the table: *

Dentistry, like every profession, is con stantly changing, and, we think, is con stantly.'improving. We 'have means by which teeth can be filled and even nerves killed without the patient feeling-the least bib of pain. A little cocaina on cotton in : the tooth and applied on the outside deadens all pain* The teeth ,can : be filled: and drilled without the least annoyance or inconvenience to the patient. We have ascertained that teeth can be transmitted : just as blood and skin are transmitted by physi cians. I mean that a tooth, from one per son aan be extracted and fastened in an other person's gums so that it will grow fast and be as sound and useful as a native molar. Of course it is not a process that is particularly enjoyed by the person securing the tooth. The previous character and history of the tooth is so uncertain that the mind is apt to dwell rather painfully on the subject. It is not a matter for reminiscence. I have tried the process oace and with great success. ' The patient was a coloured man. He needed one tooth in, his jaw very badly, but" a false one wouM not remain firm enough. Ttook a freshly extracted n&olar,, and after fixing the : soeket in the coloured. man's mouth, inserted' the new tooth. I fastened it firmly anct it soon adhered $o the gum, and the roots.* grew nicely.—"lnter view" in N. Y. "-SfiSl and Express*"

Antiquity of Small Waists

Small waistsh have the very 'iighest an. tiquity. Egyptian-women hacS extraordinarily..slender, waist&j if there ife any truth m-, tjteir pictures, their statuop,, or even theicwooden dolls, ofiwhich we have. specimen>; Theselittle waists, combtoed with a«d: beautifully formed bosom and the fine: Hues of the figare, make quite an ideaJ. modern shape, »pd. would, have a great'success in ballroon&or, even baflet cos tume. Whether these ancient smoJl waists wexe. given by nature or .by lacings-1 do not know-.. If by the latter they were quite un necessary, since the costume was. a. sleevo temhaik, fastened with a sash, with an under "■ petticoat apron hung from one shoulder. In thef meantime we all know that tight lacing, would ir* time destroy our digestion, ruin, our nervous system and give us" all manner of weaknesses, if the ranks of our changeable'society were not occasionally recruited from classes whose daily occupation do not encourage them to wear corsets. Since there must bo martyrs to every artj even to the art of fitting dresses, let us be thankful that ; the law of tiie, sui-vival of the fittest over those who i.are unfitted steps in to save the race. , ;

POETRY.

AUTUMN.

'.' O mihi uraeteritos rcferat si Jupiter annos," When feathery tufts of thistledown }■' wat on the autumn wind : "hen yellow leaves fall to the ground: Wnon m tho woods we ilnd ;Bnt; greens of cold and sombre shade ;■ '• When humming bees are mute, And lingering asters slowly fade. '" "' bad sounds tbe singer's lute. ■ [ ■ ■-,

In why were summer flays so fair Jo end in autumn's blast? why fed the trees on balmy air • ' Iβ lose their b»om so fast? ; P". why are joy* of life so sweet v ; J. o end in misery 1 And why flow all the streams so fleet Into the endless sea? i '~•*(! v ..•...': 0. E. Huao.

THE SEA.

Dist ye to the wild, wild waves ..'> : ~ As they break along the shore! The same lone, mournful dirges ' They're repeating o'er and o'er 11 • < Hark ye to thoir sorrowful wailing I <>■,■ ■ List ye to their lonelysong! ... ~•< They tell of the spirits wholiaunt them, Of the souls that are dead and gone. They sing of the ga'lant ships 'I That rode on their briny breast, And the lioblo and heroic hearts • Who 'neath their billows rest! ■ \" What terrific sights have ye soen ' i - ? A' d sounds heard, oh, ye waves? i How many brave loved ones 'ncath Thy depth, in watery graves 1 There's pathos in the wi'd waves, There s sadness in their sonfe, As wept they for those lost ones -~,-.-, , ; Those lost ones dead and gone! Dash on, oh ye wavos, dash on! In your wild and scornful pay. ' Though this world, and its vanities, : And frail man pass away, " Old Time thas bows the sturdy oak, Leaves no trace on thy wavy brow; Aa thoii rolljpd'st in long ages past : ; So tliou rollcst now. \ Costly wrought fanes and palace domes! , Bow to the hand of decay I But Time and Dea h thoureckestnot; Who h«s power to curb thy sway 'I <. Oh y<; waves Iye langh aloud in glee ,i Ai Hie futile efforts of man To check your bold, unbounded force ; ' Bui there is One who can. ,v Oh! thou-cruel deep lone sea, All ihoir hast is not thine own : Tnou hast the young, the bright, che gay, j Tin' joy of many a home. ' Thy tides have flowed o'er ago and youth,' And childhoou bright and fair; Thy waves , have hived from manhood's* locks; And woman's golden hair. When wilt thou<restore those lost ones, < Those lost ones passed away 'I , ~-, j; ,>l Their voices stillecho in our midst i i And our thoughis theiv spirits sway. 01), tliou sea! they are gathered to-thy breast : .,tj .-' In a cold and watery bed ; j, Thou will iiDvor restoro tliem till a Voice ilids theo restore thy dead ! ' i; Keep, keep 'hy gems and treasurce untold 1 Far down in thy briny bed ; .. Kei'P them all, thou deep, lone sen, But restore to earth thy dlead. Oli, sea, thou wilt restore them i \Vlion the last loud trump is blown— Then wilt thou yiold toHea-ven'struoKing What once thou claimed thine own !

M, Henry,'i

African Pigmies.

A while ago Mr Grenfell, of the Congo missious encountered on the Besari river, south of the Congo, the Batwa dwarfs whom Stanley mentions in" The Dark Continentj' though Stanley did not see themi- Grenfel says these little people exist over a large extent of •ountry, their villages being scattered here and there among other tribes. Wissmann and Poggo- also met them a few years ago in their journey ■to

Nyanywe.

It was long supposed that the story.of Herodotus about the pigmies of Africa was mythical, but within the past twenty years abundant evidence h.13 accumulated of the existence of v number of tribes of curious little folks in Ecjuatorial Africa. The chief among these tribes are the Akka, *whom Schweinfui'th found northwest of Albert Nyasaa ; the Obongo, discovered by Dti Chaillu in West Africa, sontheastof Gaboon', and the Batwa, south of the Congo. '; ; • These little people range in height from four feet two inches to about four feet eight inches. They are intellectually as well as physically inferior to tho other tribes of Africa. They are perhaps nearerthe brute kingdom than any other human beings. The Obongo, for instance, wear no semb lance of clothing ; make no huts* except to bend over and fasten to the ground the tops of three or four young trees, which they cover with leaves ; possess no arts except the making of bows and arrows, and do not till tho soil They live on the smaller game of the forest and on nuts and berries. -They regard the leopard, which now and then makes a meal of one of them, as their dead liest enemy. They live only a few days or weeks in one place,- burying themselves in some other part of the interminable Woods as soon as the nuts and other food supplies near their camp begin to grow scarce. When Schweinfurth first met the Akka dwarfs, he found himself surrounded by what he supposed was a crowd of impudent boys. There were ■ several; hundred of them, and he soon .found that they were veritable dwarfs,,.and that tlieir tribe pro bably mimbered several thousand souls. One of these dwarfs was take.n to Italy a few years ago;, was taught to read, and ex cited much interest among- scientific men. There are other tribes of dwarfs in ABys sinia and also, in Somalilaaxd.

it, is believed that all,, these people, in cluding the Bushmen of-; South Africa, are the remains,of an .aboriginal population that is now becomi,ugv extinct. In the migrations and subjugatlpns that have been in progress for ms»y.: centuries among powerful. tribes, the-dwarf tribe of Africa has been scattered,., owj. isolated fragments are still found in wid*':■!-separated of the Continent.— Snn." ~,.. ,

Cannibalism.

IJerr- Richabß; Ajuhsee, of Leipzig,' who , has for some-, ysars, past made a! special: I study of cannibalism and its prevalence in. ancient a»d; modem times, ha,» recently, published a ,paropbM on the subject/which, is full; of, interest to others .besides the ethnologist, for whom it te, of course, mainly intended. He treats first : of the. practice of; anthropophagy in prehistoric, thpes, disc««sing traces Qf it in popular t&tes., legends, and superstitions. %P this, section also belong the iftvestigatipns into, fche renjajjia found in eaves and. ancient, burial-places in Europe* which Herr Andree, thintapi-ove beyond doubt that cannibalism; 'existed at this remote, epoch in countries Whichi aye now the i»ost highly; civilised.on, the globe. The ixext part deals with the geographical distribution of bhe practice; at the present.day. The mass of information, brought together is drawn from the:litera ture of many countries, ancient and modern, and is enormous in amount. The writer attributes the origin of cannibalism,; to, hunger and want in the first instance, until it developed into a settled practice, from which the step to human sacrifice, whether of single individuals, such as prisoners, ov of holocausts of victims, as in ancient? Mexico, is,not a long one, „, v . ~, . , : ,;

THE_ATJCKLAND EVENING APRIL 30; lgs7

3