MANUFACTURE OF DIAMONDS.

. j^y-^the ingenuity .ofthe; Parisian •% ht& resulted in compositions which .^nJb^nly diambrids-^the^old paste f' Mfok nowadays -quite oub'of;date*r-. t^ies amebhysbs,;iindobher stpnes,;sp •jSr'tHat again and again experts FTbeen-dabived, and,, ib. is all -but Xiri & great many other people who cer^laim that distinction. "Diamond-! rkWff"" has especially become an art. It ■ toeely practised nob. only in London, W _ oltis the mart bo which all bhe knaves £;„_..heir-wares, bub in Amsberdam, bhe tre of the- diamond-cubbing brade, and ,cenjj e^. York, where much easily-earned nneygoeS'inbo flashy stones. Tho colour f .diamond being/an important element fife value, the most-lucrative branch of fhisrliguerj.-S. to make a yellow or " off-, roloiir stone *^00^ c one °^ the Purest fltg r , There is, for instance, a red Lmo'nd which, though weighing only five TraW-fsValued at- L7OO. A blue stone, which was originally in the French crown, after being, missing for. Some years, janied up in three pieces, one of which was Irchasedby Mr Hope, of Amsterdam, a P g^bythe famous.'' Duke of Brunswick, "„ Ihile the third was many years later picked Lin Vieririaby'Mr Streeter. What this i_>.was originally worth it is hard to say. Ma green brilliant of seven grains, is now fppwsed at LSOO. Bluish-white stones mnffliand the greatest prices, as much as iSftthe barat being given for some not of Jhetery first'quality, while.white atones of Ac besb description are readily purchasable f or ffbm. Ll2 to L4O the carat. As for gems „_fte second quality they range from L 8 to i)}~ while " offi colour" stones will fetch ifrom L 5 to LlO the carab. But even who have of late, been the jjipipal, purchasers of the bluish-white Mants, are beginning to grow timorous trer recent- revelations. The Old World jcanip!haa been "one boo many," as bhey would Say. for bhe New World millionaire : fur in his laboratory he ha 3 managed to so manipulate ah off-colour stone, worth L 5 the jjrafc-^ that it- can pass muster for a fclufih-white gem saleable at eighb times tie price. All that" is required is to sdrmtly- apply sbnie blue paint—indigo oi* Hue ink will dei-to the.girdle or edge round the setting line of the stone, and then after it is dry covering ib wibh some hard transparenb glazej "such as photo graphers use for. enamelling their prints. The stone is, thbn so set that the * * faked" midle is concealed by bhe gold, bhough bhe blue line, being refracted by the different facets, the result'is a tint which it Is-hard 'to distinguish from the genuine one, pro duced by the chemistry of Nature.. In day light, indeed, anyone might be deceived. 'But by gaslight detection is more easy, for instead of the faked stones appearing Jilack as nighb, as bluish-white ones always do, they preserve bheir colour iribacb. a drop of nitric acid will speedily destroy the indigo or inky hue, and even ordinary sdap and water, while harmless to a real gem, will soon dissolve. bhe enamel-covered paint. Moreover,aa diamonds have of late years been cub, nob wibh a tough girdle,* but to a sharp point at every angle, or what is known as a " knife edge," the sophistication is only possible with •stones cut-prior to" the, year 1870, whenthe Bessemer process came.very generally into use. So far there is no great occasion for alarm.;,.'Bri!b the_ holders of diamonds •have 'bth'er "reasoris for mortification,•' if' Ijotfor dread. First-class geD_s, if nob boo ! coste' are always saleable. It is only when Kohmoors and, Braganzas come on the jnarket that purchasers do not appear, so 'that while it is easy bo. figure up the value tf these treasures, ib might be found a greab deal, more difficult to realise anytning like t_e<ai_H)unt at-which they are valued if. they were exposed to auction. Small dia jnonds and off-coloured ones, however, fare •l__v-Mridly. The immense, discoveries of /diamonds in Soubh Africa wibhin bhe lasb ten years-have seriously lowered bhe price oithe-^'stdnes; andif'bhe' fepubed field' at ■Welsh's Prospecb' iri Barkly Wesb should tvrmouii'well, there cannot fail, especially atatim-vfheri mbriey is not very plentiful 'for'Ktjßrflirities," to~be" a: further fall in the diamond market. Still, that is nob all. H the-cjjejuci^inribator^of. stones h£_3 proved equal to '""fakirig'" poor sbones inbo bhe like-' ne-sof-_,Bt:,class,ones, he has been almosb as STiwessfSliiac'tually ri-aririfacttiririgbnes but of the basesb materials.' " Diamonds " ' are at presenb on sale which flash as bril liantly as the real article—indeed, bhe only trouble is that they,flash, re-ally too well— and will defy eyery test excepb thab of bhe Bp.ctrosc_>pe. — .*■*• Morning Advertiser.^

How to Conduct a Courtship.

Don't he'tbo siidderi aboiit it.

1 Many a" girl"has' said "no" when' she .toeanfc "yes,";' simply- because, her lover .didn't choose the right "time and pop the quesjiorvgentty. ;t , .. f •'■. Me, night for i it." /.Have %he blincfs closed,* the "curtains down, arid the lamp turned moSfcori. Sit near*,' enough to ;lierso that you can hook>your little finger lDta^.ra.;:;,* r _~:',-'.,■ .: ■ ■£(} .:_:[ r^..'*;. Wait liritil conversation" begins ■' to nag, ■flndtheff^iiiQtiyiSeniark: "Susie,; I,'want ,to ask you something.". . , - _» 1 She. will "fidget "found" a little,' reply t-'Ye^'i-aric.'.afterKa' pause-'you 'can/add, L" Susie, my actions must, have shown—bhat .b,yo*4,.mu§bjhave-TT-iimean ; you, ipuab. be Jffarethat—that—'- ! ~!■•'. :;.■■:.■;■; \. Pausehirb^fcr; a while," 'bub keep_ybur Utile finger firmly Rocked.! '_,' i//-.-'..!• ■-~',[ nf, : She J_u_y cough.and*try/ to Wim; ,We,sub* jec| off.by•, asking., yon . how you the Jtermo^,,hut: she often. doeait: to encourage Jon.

ittei'about ''teii • minutes you -can' con*.' %?.: "Iwaa thinking-asl' cameup'the' Btreetfo^M;- that'bbfoi-e I Went ''away'l *oi*ld ask ypu—.bhab is,. .1 -WQUld,.broach; tH/subj'ecj. riearestmy—Xri-eari/.r/wdhld', snow my-" _ i . :-,. ••*■-■■.>;■ , Stopagain.and give her.- hand i a genble/ s .neeze. She may make-- a- move. bo", get way, she may nob. In eibher case ib Wait "abdut five' minutes',' and^ fhe^S 0 On: ;•" The past year ;has beeri: a* ve'ry.'Jl.iippy one to me, but I hope that: future; iyears WI stili!De/jbappier.?:- .However,'' th^t 'de pends entirely on you. vL am here to-jiight to know—that-; is,-.to '■• a!sk>i fovC^l'-- ariii-here to-night to hear from your own lips the one greet-—','.!..*'.'■,.'. ,(\] _2t>?.0!30 • .Wfcsgain. It isn't best tp be too ragh "","'', '!; ; *~',',' [''. ,7' _-. Giv^-'_i.r plenty of time .o' recover' her 'o»np6s_f.f arid then put your hand oriyour "-artand continue .•-•"•Yes. I thought as !*s"-_)____g"here' to-night how happy I !Pl_ffi» ->nd ? said *« myself-thabrif I jWy knew you would consent to be my— . «at is, I said if I only-knew.-77-if .J.'Woa: only" (certain that my hea^t",ha^'*ri"6't;;de'ceiyed j&e, and you were ready to .share—^', :<!■;-,': p. °% on—fere's .no hurry /about., it. S,%,%Wind-a' chancevto'sbb 'and moan ifcnnd;the gables'. ' /This/will ■make/ her if*^me:.i.nd'call up.all'the love-.in- her ;heart. ~ ....;,/ ■'.-'-• L fcier | .she /begins jo: cough- "arid grow 'v t.'- yo" can' go on-"Eiefore I met |^n this world was a desert bo me. I didn'b !r* c a"y pleasure, in going, blackberrying ' .if-vSrVsi"' wrerripe peaches,. _and.,- jit, ; *ant%tfe"wheth.r"bhe,sriri shorie of riob. .ywhata change in one short year! It Jfc-t^lf ,Baywhether,,my future,-,shall jffij a Prawiej "of ..a.Summer w^SiCanadian whistles. Speak, dear .^i^i.#d''s,ay-and"say 'thaf-MMtP-"; _»j J? °et'^vcminutes-mote byJthe dock, add- '■".•-/• ~ • you will be---that is, that, you "^ "-Imeari that'you vyillr-be.-nine.!" ■ She S^ c a sigh, look up at the clock and ta he Wd then, as she slides her __fi___P_**___^ur: vedi pocket,x she ' will SSw^Wfie jus.'rig__t-I will."

THE TYRANNY OF FASHION.

Mrs Lynn ilritori, in, tbe New

York -'Forum."

J The martyrs to principle have been many; , bhe; martyrs,;to. fashion are more. The >,savage and the civilised "run curricle "in 3 , their-devotion to the fetich each creates « and worships ; and, though each ridicules . the idol of bhe other, bo bhe philosopher, : judging both impartially, there is not much ; to choose between, them. Where the say , age rune a fishbone or/ a. piece of wood i through the under* lip,, hanging thereto a , huge disk, -which, enlarges the aperture 1 and: pulls down the flesh, bhe civilised _ Darwinian bores a 'hole in ■ bhe lobe .of the car, to hold a piece of wire -heavily, weighted wibh a stone, which • does bhe same, bhing. Where some careful parents, trouserless and babbooed, anxious i for the future well-being of their'children, press, their, heads into an enchanting flat , nbss, obhers crush their daughters^ fpeb into an amorphous mass- of pulp, which then they call "golden water-lilies;" and others again found their hopes of ultimate , good settlements on a waisb of which bhe , dimensions impede bhe circulation of bhe -blood, paralyse bhe liver,'and play bhe mis chief generally wibh all the internal organs .alike. Where the savage anoints himself with rancid oil. ■or crowns himself with a pat, of butter, the French fine lady "exhibits " cold cream, arid abjures water as sedulously as if sho were a replica of Lob's wife. Where bhe savage makes himself " terrible and dear " with blue and red paint, bhe fine lady injures her eyesighb wibh belladonna and her skin wibh rouge and blanc de perle. If bhe savage bwisbs his elf locks into a thousand fantastic forms, add ing thereto all manner of hideous ornamen tation, the civiHsed lady follows suit, arid makes her head the crowning-point of her fdlly. A few generations ago sne piled up her hair in tiers and towers, so that she could not use a coach, as ib was eonsbrucbed, bub had bo have the roof of ib raised. Feminine Folly, There is no monstrosity thab woriien have not adopted for the'adornment of their heads. "Horns," bobh double and single — bhe one like a unicorn, the'other like a buffalo ; flapping frills and stiffened wings ; bight-drawn cloths,' hiding all beauty of hair ahd flesh ; floating veils and ponder ous turbans; buckram and artificial flowers; feathers arid lace and sparkling gems; structural caps and architectural bonnets ; corkscrew ringlets, had by the torture of paper screws; short curls and wave lets, had by that of crimping-pina and irons; artificial plaibs, cub from a dead girl's head; tow-sbuffed chignons, wigs, wiglebs —bhere is no end to bhe lisb of artificial aids wibh which lovely woman has clone her besb bo nullify her nabural beauby by substituting the follies of fashion for individual suitabiliby. Other old fashions have been as absurd as " horns" and buckrammed turrets on the head. When the sleeves were worn so long as to need to be knotted, so as hob bo trail on the ground and gather up garnitures of mud and filth —where, then, was common sense ? where the perception of fitness or beauty ? Of cleanliness we need nob question. Anon, these skirts are so full of material and so heavily weighted with ornament as bo be rubious to the health as well as to the comforb of bhe wearer-. Then bhey are sup ported and spread abroad by means of hoops and steels, till every woman takes up two places, and furniture, chairs, and china suffer, like flies whisked off by lashing tails. Then tlie'y are' rriade so bight and narrow bhat noone can take a full stride, nor even half a one, bub all have bo plait their feeb as they walk, and look on a mild little field stile as a second Chimborazo. Under this regime cracked seams or- broken strings are of:hourly occurrence, 'and the Calipyge stands confessed. When these skimpy dresses were: fashionable, in our greab grandmobhers' time, charming women had themselves well camped so as bo make bhe "fabric stick closer, or wereTUbbed down wibh oil to. make them sufficiently supple bo slip in to their pillow-cases. The rheh did the same with their buckskins, and in our own time chamois-leather has answered, the like pur pose. Fashion, ever oscillates between two extremes. Before Queen Victoria came to thje throne short skirts were in vogue. Cut 'well above the ankle, to show the sandalled foot ; arid open-worked stockings, and kept out by stiffening,'they-made the figure look soinebhing like, a bell,. of- which the, feet, were . twin clappers. All the strength of the designer went to the head and shoulders; arid the little feet, though they could riot, steal in and out like mice, because" bhe pebbicoab was too short for mystery, yet bwinkledih abewitchihg manner when they " did .their steps" in 1 the lancers, set to: partners in the qua,dri}le, prflewwith speed ofer the floor in Sir Roger de Coverly. Cruelties, of Fashion. As bad as.the.cruelties practised on our selves are those to which we.subject animals fbr the sake of pur . senselpss fashions. Birds are 'especially' the objebts of our attacks, wibhpub the excuse thab we have in ■'taking" the'pelts of furry beasts or the skins of. the smooth-hioed for our absolute needs. Birds are baken -for ornamentation; and woriien who maunder aboub ( dogs, and would rabher "riien . arid little chil dren were '.bibben "than that their pet pug should' be muzzled, do not scruple to" make a, parure of dead canaries for their golden hue. or of hummingbirds' for their gem-like radiance. In America something, is being done, by the Audubon Society, to check this monstrous,apportionment,;^ _but,. 'in England.we have no restrictions,^ save a "*?close"'season"for sii'Ch and"such wikTbirds ,"whereof/indiscriminate slaughter Would' be:' extirpation. 'But' the'"worst'of all ia We unnecessary cruelty £ the. needless slaughter of creabures *l_ajcen for nobhing- bub the vanity of a foolish'fashion. .'. The plumage of phessajits, -pay,;: even of; partridges, israa;. beautiful'as" any! other ; : and' bh'ese- birds must be shot' for food.•'"• But 'fashion repudiates. ..aclo-mmerit '", ;,which;., would %c '"utilisation..*••onot- wantonness,:. m and rejects things which are' both fibter and •ipvelier for obhers less .'suitable . but moif.s'p'ecialifeed, €emari<iirig 'for itself the rip-lit' bd destroy wi-bout'-1 corresponding benefit to anyone.. !We-.ofte,n talk of bhe nbed of educating/the beast put .of num. We have also to educate the savage o_;t of wpman, We'writ(S treatises and tofnesf on bhe'pririciplbS'rif' Greek.beauty,"and we eriiulate the-Indian .brave, and refine.pn the Few Zealander. Grace of-line and sym plicitV of form', in' which lie the eSsence of beaiuty/ are .he-two things.which we ignore.

A Clever Deception.

•ONE'who saw says that receritly at the Eden -Theabre mi Paris a-modern magicianper-. ■formed a'tric'ki.wliich'is:- more curious than' ariy that Cagliostro, the original Houdinol whom' Hermann studied',,'or .the mrist skilful of ••E^t,.''.lridiririr!faltiri!,eyer;dtedmed. ~Het ook 'a head', iwade of i'plaster: of-.PariSi. such.,as-*you._vyill,see in » sculptors .■"studio, ' and parsed; ib reund' among _ hie audience, made up'mairily of representatives of the press. Then we saw him place this 'plaster head in plain view on'a table ; and .hen, wibh a few words, he broughbib bodife. The whibe gave way to ruddy fresh colour, the eyes ..opened, and bhe lips smiled, ib ariswered a^quesbion, and pearly teeth were "disclosed. Then, wibh a few words, this beautiful woman was again-^turned, into a plaster bust. -".After life comes death Saidthia-worid'erful man; and as he a spoke, bhe bust disappeared, and we saw a ghaatly skull' Presenbly we saw bins no more, bub where.' it'was, now stood 'a magnificent Suquet^f flowers,, which he^ok, from he bable and showed bo hs all. He placed, bhe flower, back, once more we saw bhe lovely Female face, and theri finally it turned into a 'bust again. All this, we, saw, and we could riot discover how the, transformations Wfere accomplished.. * . ■ -w *

A COLONISTS TOUR IN EUROPE.

An addreaa was delivered 4t Gbllingwood ,by M* G..D. Larigrid^, M.ll A.,* bri'his ex periences-during hia recerit. travelaiini land and on the Continent. The buildincr was crowded, arid bhe mayor of Colling, wood, Mr A. Aitkeri, occupied the chafr. |_ Mr __arigridge.at the6*j,ts"et remarked thab ib^was a mabter of infinibe/Batiafacbion !'to learn that- dnring the whole period of his' absence, not a single, unkindWbrd.Had been' said by any of his constituents, "with'regard to his having left the colony at a .time when he had duties to perform in ParUariienb as, their representative. He briefly sketebed some of tho many, incidents, experiericjed during the voyagb. He wiis delighted with' Coldiribd, but A'dehhe describeo. as the moist miserable, frowning, ugly place, he had bv'eh Seen. Ab Porb Said- heha'd ihe; advaribage of Beeing'. bhe Mediterranean squadrpri, and "at, Malta ! the real' pleasures vof the' trip commenced. On" seeing' Gibraltar, he could not help being sbeuck wibh the "cheek" of Old England in seburing every and all "places looked upon as n'eotessary foi* maintaining and upholding British interests. A bull fight in Spain did not strike him 9*3 a very edifyirig spectacle. It was all right for the bull and the toreador, but it Was a'piebe of right down cruelty for bhe poor horso, Which was always abandoned to thfe ferocity of the goaded beast. At Plymouth the Customs House officers seized a couple of Eouride of tobacco which in his irinocbnce c confessed was in his possession. He found, however, that the. English tariff levieeLduties on a few articles Oiily, such ___ spirits, tea, gold, silver and tobacco. Ib was apparent at the outsbb bhat England waa i being swamped with goods of foreign man.- ■, facture. The markets were glutted, and* everywhere numbers of men were to be seen out of employment, and absolutely unable to" obtain work. This atate of thirtga was, ac-, cording to his opinion, entirely due to the free-trade policy of-England, and, from all he could gather* he was able to pre dict that a very important change would before long be made if the prevailing dis tress was in any way to be relieved. Mr, Larigridge gave' some very humorous illus trations of the ideas. generaUy-^held by a large aection of the English people with regard to bhe topography of Australia and bhe, nabural colour of bhe Australians. He spoke.very highly of the sanitary condition of London. For workmen work was far more perfriarient iri Loridon than it used bo be, and wages ranked higher. Now, men were paid 9d per hour, they had to,work 52 hours per week, inatead of 60, aa before, and always had a Saburday half holiday. From what he. had seen of the drink traffic in London he considered thab bhey, should Ibe proud of bhe system adopbed heref and bhe. bounds within which it i/s limited. In Loridon ladies, whilsb shopping, could be supplied in riearly every place Wibh wines and obher liquors ; and there were working men's clubs beyond number where by paying an entrance fee of 2s per year anybody could become a member, and procure drink in spite of all laws regulab ing ibs sale. He bad seen the two ex bretnes of Sabbabh observance in Paris and Glasglow. He hoped riever agah. to witness a Parisian Sunday, but in all fairness he had bo confess bhat he. noticed more drunken people in Glasgow on a Sunday than he did in We French capital. The railways in Erigland he regarded as almost perfect, the convenience and comfort of travelling, a,nd the "courtesy of the officials, being alike worthy of the highest praise. In England there were at the present timo nearly 33,000 miles of railway* He was greatly struck with the convenience of the underground, railways, by mearis of whibh the whole of the city of London was compaased.

The Hittite Hieroglyphs Deciphered.

Mk James Glaisher, chairman of the Executive Committee of. the Palestine Ex ploration Fund; has' received" ! ff orii Cl_.u'd'o Corider, B.E-, a communication informing him .that the reading ..of the,, mysterious, Hittite iriscriptions (so called), whioh baffled every attempt to decipher' them.'ever since their re-discovery in the year 1872, has been accoriiplished. The inscriptions were first found by Bufbkhardt in the ye_.r 1808. Mr Glaisher says •—"Thia 'discovery throws great lighten the early chapters of the book of GeneSiaV arid explains certain names, in anCierithistory whiciihaVehitherto beenim possible' to explain." Captain Conder, in announcing his discovery to Mr Glaisher, says : - "It appears that the insbriptibns are invocations to the godsof heaven, oceian,and eart_.-*-exac-ly. the deities (including Set) whom we know, from Egyptian, and cunei form tablets to havebeen adored by the Hit: tites and by other tribes of Asia Minor. It is_ no doubt, a disappoiritmerit. bb ; fin.d.bhab, bhey are' riob historical; but I shall be Able to show that they furnish, nevertheless, very iiripbrtarit historical deductions,,' arid bhrow a new and most; _u_t<mlßhihg light on the early history of Western Aaia and of Egypt." H The following (subject,; toC im - provements) is- bhe reading of the more im pbrtanb texts. The first is a prayer to, the sriri':—"May the Holy One mighty and powerful heair the uprising prayers. I call upon' the Midst High, ".:!.. '■;. .,",. ladorb my Lord. .... . Shine.Lord., Great Spirit, so be it! He gives, me! "the" rain of Heaven." A second prayer is ad dressed to the gods of water, and of the sky and! ocean :—" I pray .. .' . *'V to fay God of the Water, 'the Stately Lord, of Water, the God of Heaven. I make an in-, fecrijitiori in big honour. . I'extol" him., 1 cause a great;.libation to be made wan offering. ' I make an offering'to the Most Holy the,-Kirig of the water. /1-' Call on the (strong?) > Lord,' the. ihighty one,, ~.Tls. (strong?) Eirig(strong?) light.;. Chief God of Heaven. '. •. ;! - Tbfferto. lory. _;•• '._ -:I (extol (him) praying, for, water." , Iria thij-d text' we.! read as follows : •-','■ To ; Thee tjie mighty one . .' '. the powerful, the Chieftain, 'th'-. acknowledged' Lord,' be prayers made. . .... I cry with prayei* bo the Holy one, ..he, Greab,'Lord . . . To God and Goodness both I cry tQ..the &rea,t apiritu.al, : ;_ ..,-,;. Amen.,., . ._« .to. my! -Water. God.; Ho- set: my Water- God chief: ' /•*•'.•••■. ■'.-■ -'.'I cry'to. To' the bene ficent god of dawn. . ~;. Pcryv '-T6;my Holy one. (May he make. ... . . my supplication*?) Offering, a libation-'to the God of Heaven. '. ~ . IcauSeaii'excellent libation-to be offered/bo blrii".'... . . Ac cept my. mosb - excellent libation.. The crescent'1 moon I greatly .* . i" ,JThe text is. much injured," and contains Severalvefy uriusual emblems, but of its general sense there can beno 'question; 'The records, of a race who^ disappeared in the eighth/cen ruryßC, frbrri which dates the. rise, of the Babyloriian power,' and whoao. beginninga can be tiaced back probably fuftbei' even bhari! those of/ .the", Egyptians,., riiust, baye, much to tell us.' And ibis to these" that. Captain-Cbndef has found the &y»".."''';

A Hundred Thousand Pounds.

The De Lesseps-Alcester dostroversy is one of the most curious in feceiit times. Lord Alcester, commanding the. English naval forces in Egypt in 1882, had giveri him a cheque for £100,(K)0, as compensation for bhe damage done to tha Suez canal, after which De. Lesseps had placed the administration'of the'canal at the disposal of .lie-English- "This lord!Alcesterdenied,, and De Leßseps' feaffirmed the, receipt "of the cheque, or dyaft for that! sum on the Bank' of Eriglarid. Lord! Alcester has published a" long statement -With' Vkriiius letters-from the officials'66ncerned s show ing, cleanly that rid such 'cheque of drpf tj was, giveri,'presented, or paid, and. denying in express terms that this or any other sum whs ever given by him. for, the.alleged or any. other, purpps^ iS»#.-U. expl A nation%. are awaited from De" Lessepa,obub Lord Alcester's word i* fc&yond qaes-latfm •- •.C

The Police of Paris.

The police of Paris ri'iimber- about' 10,(X)0 men, without counting the: secret police, the gendarmerie, or the Republican Gtiar'd;. and the aririuarbudgeb of the Pfefeobrire, is "more bhan £1,000,000; The gendarmerie ,belorigs to the Minister of the Inferior,' and !.the GuaM,/t6'!'th6.'.'Town! Goriricil.' ! The divisions of this force are num.^rons,Abd There are brigades for clubs ' , Jarid:ga__ib-irig-h6use_r, for tho/theatr.es,. for; bolla, for the press, for- markets, for the -cabmiri - ab'^the'.cab depots and '6h the' 'Streets, for !hbtels!; ahd lodging-housea,' for the gardens, for the " moerirs." arid various ! other brigiides. frohi the corps. Who guard the palace of the '^rei-iid'ent; down to the 1 brigadeiwbolookaftertheriure'es. ',-.,< »v, , The • prefecbure of pbliOe is divided intp fbrir gifeb'depaftrrieribS—police adminisbra !bjiye, police purely muriicipal, pqlicO'^bliti? cat, and police judiciary. The first, is .cori 'eerried/in bhe:deUveratice of passiioriß,'cer ':!ti'fi<jates 1 /i_toirmiSßiqn's/'to hurit,^ arid' jothSr rriabters indoors. The'riexb service, the ; muriicipahpolic,e, containa7>7s6 menj and is under thfe direction bf-'the chief, M. Caub'et, arid not bhe prefecb. They are subdivided into bhe gardienk de.la paiic (our ojrdiriai-y policemen), a central brigade, bhedetective department, the brigade of "reclierches," the hotel and Iddging-hcfuse service, which in turn are cub up into riiore sections. About 6.800 men serve on the sbreets. They a.c well paid, and are on duty only eight hours a day: In Order to iriake bhem dis charge bhis duty faithfully, they have to sigh a register at different, poirita in bheir beats at fixed hours. . Reporter Detectives. One branch of the "brigades dea re cherches . is occupied m_ Watching street pblicerrien,' fepbrtirig irregularibies, bad coiiduct, and in making inquiry concerning ' application-^ i or- adiriission into the force. The' members of another brigade act as reporters te the jDrefectiire. They attend all sorts of political rheetings arid de monstrations, and take stenographic notes o_ the speeches. They watch the creation of political cliques from their cradle, and are said to know more about the ins-and duts of journalism and the position of parties than anyone elae. A Premium on Malefactors. The Paris detectives, in addition to their regular, aalary arid to, recompenaes for ex ceptional merib, receive premiums for each malefactor they catch. A thief ■if he at tempted violence -brings 20f ; ari "Ordiriaty beggar is worth 15f, and so. on bo bhe appre hension of a man for playing a game of hazard, in the, atreets, who ia put down at 3f. These premiuma the right of the detectives by law ; and bhey are paid on tho sarrio principle for serving writs. The de tectives, however, are not rewarded indivi dually for their vigilance. The premiums are prib tegebher, and divided among bhe force monthly. Tho French Detective. M. Mace thinks thab tho London detec tive departmenb is far superior to and more workable than that of Paris. The London detective ia a power in himself } in Paris the detective is nothing without tho chief. The Paris detective cannot follow a criminal out of the department of the Seine without special permission ; and the formalities to be gone through beforo this can be ob tained prevent an expeditious hunt. Then the Pans detective gets no help from the ordinary street, policeman. The British bobby acts "from information received," on his own impulses. His Paris antitype will not budge without definite instructions. Ahother drawback for Paris detectives is that a telegram which informa the chief of a crime passes through so many hands beforo it reaches him that the criminal has always a good twelve houra' start. On the whole, M; Mace's opinion. a that the Paris police system suffers from the dual dry rot whioh Withera everything in Frarice—politics and red tape. BXisatag Mturilei-ors. Owing to the fact that numeroua murders )co!m_nitted recently have riot been" sifted- by bhe police, that body has been suffering from a crusade by the Paris press. The detective department receives moat of the Blame; but the whole system is attacked. Hbniißocheforb declared that during the last four, years so riiariy ■murderers have been " riiissed " thab if they were to meet to dis cuss'the position of their profession and to Jikss a resOlutiori in favour of the present iris detective system, the Cirquo d'Hiver would not hold them. Tho detectives, said bhe Same journalist, search assiduously for the legs, arms, head and different parbs of the victim, but never follow up the assas sin. ' '•

TRYING ON A CROWN.

A Glimpse Into tho Home Life the

Great Bonaparte.

Aot revelations bearing on the coronation of Napoleori I by PiuS Vll will fee'interest-, irig to the general reader. A writer in the ";sluseedes Families " has just-given the EiiUlic a'series of interesting details,, which' c has coriipiled from the best original sources, and which are, by the by ■of quite a valuable kind. People who. have followed in spirit the., fortunes of the." Litble. Cor poral": need!! hardly.-"be!" told bhab! on 'tiie eventful _#tb!ofl3eceihbef,lßo2, Napoleon is generally'represented as''feeling rather .agreeably surprised that the., crown was such'a" good fit for his.head; 'arid he is,' moreover.reported as havipg.Baid : "This csrownia all right, but woe .to the man wlm 'will dace to'touch it,,!" . That these words,* of words to that: effect, were, usedvby; the, Empefor On the occasion referred'to is little doribted,. but, the wiiter in .the "'Mriseed^s Families ''disposes^altogether of the fallacy, of Napoleori's.agreeable surprise. One morn ing in 'tbe" m'Orith"''of"November, .1802; ac cording to this. authority,-,M. Nitot.'bhe Emperor's ■ silversmith,, was' aeen entering 'the' Tuillefies -palabe,^carrying a round package-cm hi?, right arm, .Addressing one ,of the imperial lackeys, he asked if he,cou).d "nbt"&_e-hfeMajes-y.': ■■.'.- ■' - : ,■■■ '{■;;'. was bhe reply- --. ■ ~ ;■-• -■ ;" Please' announce to his.Majesty,"* said M.' Nitot,-'."' that I' should like to' speak witb.him." '. '- .'.'** ':.-„..:.....;''.-;'■. ' ..•■.■ The silversmith was soon - afterward übhSfed into 'the imperial bedroom, where Napoleon, arid:his wife Josephine were,still enjoying their '.-repose., tho/- foririer. wearing, a: kerchief- around- his head and bhe latter a'nightcap. .'■ ■•.' ./.',..■.. ■ ■•',y.i ~'..*• \ ' '*Ob-! ''tis_yo.u. Papa Nitob!" exclaimed Napoleon. " Good day, Papa Nitot; any news?"-"- ■ -■'■ ':""/'v .':/.!' ":(: ~ "t

', " Sire, 19ome'to try it.1" ''• '.-' ■• / ' ._. <-T_f what, Papa Nit'otf* '...;' /,-- H .....--*' " Th,e crown for your coronation, sire.' !• Whereupon* Napoleon flung the- kerchief •to tb.Oj otnef_e'ndVof tthe T! chamber. faise ( d hiiriself on his arms, and! was crowned there arid: then-moat ref-pectfullyr by the silver smith. ~ . *'"*■•' '' '"■;' ' ' ,-*,,,. ', .■ " "It r gees; well,'', aaid his Majesty,; "doesn't.it,. Josephine'. o'/ . '\ ' .' "'" -A , "Yea, my friend, very well, «., was Josephine'S ; reply' , . ,„/ , ~ : " But "you mua,t see if, it fits you also, he exclaimed to his Wife, taking off the crown from his own bead and placing it teridefly bri hers, after having relieved his iriiperial spouse of the rathef democratic 'cap she had! been' wearing*. The crown pfovedtobeas-good a fit for the Empress as for tbeEmperbr, and both were delighted witri.Papft Niteit's.. dbxi#ity: in i*9 manu facture. ■■--'■ •'-'■ ■•-■ ; ':'"■', /■ u-*\__.,_ -_ *>- The writer iri.the «< Musee dea FamiHel, i happened on Vseveral unpublished!:manu scripts of the Silyefsmitb, in which he dis cOVeredbhe foregoing Anecdote. It Way be added that Nitot confirms the: statement that Napoleon1 Jook the brown at Nc-tre Dame, out of the Pope'shands, and pl4c6d;i|i, rM6Wn^f^oifi^lmi^:^99^!:

Loss of a Pocket Book Con taining £1,000.

The "Melbourne Argus "• reports that on Saturdays'-v/eek Mr;, Wv- Sykes,' a farmer residing ab Dandonb.rig,, received -"jjwo ,oheques from,slessrii Oahiphell, !Pf,at,t.,,an,d Co., catble salesmen,' for £990 and £10 re- S' .ecbively. :He riaslieds bhe larger one afrbhe olonial Bank _!t\the coffer of Elizabeth arid Little Collins-streets,.,receiving nine £100 notes, three LlO notes, and, the remainder in smaller; notes./ He aat! ddwri.at orie'bf the tables ih"thebanking-rooriitOepunt'the money, and afterwards placed both the irioney and the., cheque,in a pocket-book. \ He then, to tho best of his recollection, as : ho! 'state's, > put.-the;'' ".pocket-book - into the [ breast ,pockei of liisfcOat."' "He'left the bank, and ha,d'',^ached the- General 'Post Oifice, wlien;he found ,t,hat,!;.ha!p(.cket-bo!pk,''\yas' not in his-possession.; He immediately re-/ turned to the bank, bubnobhiiig had-been seeri''of the" book, thidfe!,- and' it,'was p0 on" .thei table": where; he, had: counted' his money* He has come to tbe coflciusiori that the book was stolen from his pocket, and has given' information bo the debecbive police. He sbates thab he nobiced, a man wibh a nobe in his hand standing near him, and a little apart, from the other customefs, in the bank, whilst he was counting his money, bub has no obher reason bo Connect bhe man with the .disappearance of the pocket-book. Besides bhe nioney, bhe {ibekeb-book contained a passage ticket fom Melbourne to London, by the Sorata, and'aomejettera and'papers.. !,.

" W_if believe that, if every one would use .American Co.'s Hop Bitters freely thore would he much les§ slckries-B and misery in the world, and peorile are, fast finding thi. but, whole t ai_-i--6S-k-eeph-_; w-11-at a trifling 6ost by its use. We advise all to try it. Read, , ■->■.-,■

HUMOROUS.

The bloodof the common aoldier makes the glory of. the general.: • : A tramp.likened Iris shoes to corporations beciause they had no sole's. The bear in stocks may be a.temperance man, but he likes a- drop jus.t,th'e same. When a. man likes himself. sufficiently, it is nob necessary for anyone el?e to think much of him. "' j";'.' ! ■■-. ■■■'■•■' '

'/A Liverpool-College girl being asked* if srie;liked codfish balls;"'said that"she never attended any. v ; ' •■''• ; Assessor: "This land seems bo be very fertile." : Farmer.: " Quite so ; • even if the crops do fail, the taxes on ib always' grow." The'reporter,'who spoke,1 of having "a cold wave iri our midsb" is supposed to have inadvertently drunk a glass of ice water.' : ...''. / •••'.*•' '

A lawyer is: happiest when his friends arel in trouble ; a doctor, when his friends areiseriously ill; an-undertaker, when his friends are' dead.

In the Counbry.— *' And bhe air ishealbhy in this village ? "■ Excellenb, monsieur ; excellent One can become a centarian in a little while."

.Among the new booka of the season is one entibled " Dodd's Reformed Horse Book." Areformed horse ia one bhab will not run bo suit the book-makers.

Wei are told thab bhe ancient Egyptians honoured a cat when dead. Tho ancient Egyptians knew when a cab was mosb to be honoured.

A French savant asserts that the sponge has nerves, and hence is sensitive to feel ing. It has heretofore been believed thab bhe sponge was only sensibive bo a kick. A citizen waa told by three different doc tors thab ho. would nob live bhe week out. That waa five years ago. Last week he abtended bhe funeral of the last of the three.

DEFINITION OF A BORE. Do you ask mo what a bore is? Will you tell me who is such; 'Tis the ono who knows too little.

'Tis the apo who knows too much.

The following directions for writing a novel have been given by Mrs Burnett: — '' You must have a pen, ink, and paper. Use the first with brains, the second with ima-rination, and the third with generosity. "HEo'e On'dar," said a coloured man hail ing his acquaintance, "doesyer cross der street ebery time yer sees me ter keep from paying dab bill?" "No, I doesn'b." "Whrib bhen?" **Tcr keep from bein' axed fer it."

"We won't go home bill morning," they sang, as they burned oub of their hotel soon after eleven o'clock; and they didn't, for a policeman trotted them to the station, where they stayed till tho middle of nexb day. George Colman, gebbing out of a hackney coach one night, gave bhe driver a shilling. " Thia is a bad shilling !" sr.id jarvey, " Then it's all rtehb," said George, with his inimibable chuckle ,* " Yours is a bad coach."

Boswell complained bo Johnson that the noise of the company the day before had made his head ache "No, sir ;ib was nob bhe noise bhab made your head ache. Ib was the sense we put into ib." " Has sense bhab effecb on bhe head ?" " Yes, sir; on heads nob used to ib."

An Englishman went to New York and pub up a sign, "Eabablished-1804," and rather prided himself on tho anbiquiby of his establishment. Tho next day his American rival across the way burlesqued his sign in bhis way : " Esbablished yesber day. No old good on hand." A little friend of ours was recently taken to the barber's shop to have his hair cut for tho first time. As the barber cut and clipped the little fellow seomed to become considerably alarmed, for he suddenly said in, anxious tones -" You'll leave enough to grow, won't you, mister ?" " Oh, my friends, there are some spec tacles that a person never forgets," said a lecturer after giving a graphic description of a terrible accident that he had witnessed, •i I'ddike.to.know whore they sell-em," re marked an old lady in the audience who' is always mislaying her glasses. ' A short time ago an Indiana man taught his dog, a very fine-bred, well-behaved setter, to chew tobacco. Now the dog comes into the house by the back door, never scrapes his feet on the mat, never goes to church, ia careless at his meals, gets burns on his tail, goes with a lower class- of dogs, and ib is feared bhab he is be ginning to take an interesb in politics. " I'll nob lisben bo any excuses, fir," said bhe justice of the peace, excitedly, "you went out into the street and beat a strange boy to whom you were under no obligations whatever, while you have at home five or six children of your own who are entireiy dependent upon you for what little pound ing they geb. No, sir, when a man neglects his. family in that way I have no sympathy wibh him. You are mulcted, sir, in bhe siim of 5s and costs."

When illicit, distilling was common in Aberdeenshire, there was at one time an old man who wenb.afeoub the country re pairing whisky pots. The ganger meeting nun one day, and guessing that he had been doing some repairs ab no greab distance, asked him what he would take to inform him (the gauger) where he had re paired.the last whisky pob. "Och," said Donaid, ''she'll shrisb bak half "a-croon." "Done,", said the gauger ; " here is your money ; bub be careful bo tell mo correcbly." '' Och, she'll no tell the genbleman a lee. I sliusb mended bhe" last whisJcyppt where bhe hole was."., ;",,,,/ ■ • •, .

'■ Berlin Banker: "Your account, is very largely overdrawn, Prince,' and. if con venient I should like to''——Bismark V "Don't 'bother' _rie with your accounts. How-riuch'doyou'wanb?" Bankeri '•Three million ''francs." . Bismark,: .'."Go sell French Rente's short, and by Tuesday there will be a heavy fall. Sell out and recoup. (To Military' Secretary). Notify the press gang that Prince Bismark"twirls his'mpus tacho' more' furiously than e,ver when, the. name of France is mentioned. Dyeuridef stahd ?''".■" :':' "" •',"'' !,'!,' '..' ..';"!":

More Pictures of John Bull.

(.BY^MAX-O^hl-'^ John Bull is a large landowner. Hisestate,, to which he adds a: piece day by day; con-, sists in the first place, of the Britiahisles,. to which he gave the name of the United Kingdom, Then he has, the, Channel Islands, and! the fortress of Gibraltar, which enables him to pas3,,cOT._fo.rtably. through the narroweab of straits. The -islands., of Malta and Cyprus serve him,as advanced sentinels in; the Mediterranean. If he •could have Constantinople,-..he would be satisfied with his share-of Europe. In Egypt he ia not quite: comfortable; yeb he. is trying to make himself athome there. He took .good care nob to invent the Suez Canal, and movedr heaven and earth bo try and prevent the, canal, from, being made;. yet behold him to-day as a, shareholder. He occupies his territory with an army considerably inferior in numbera to thab of any other continental Power, in, spite of which nbne of his possessions is in the least danger, This security at home: is shown'by the fact thab Vblunbeers can insure bheir lives without having to pay an extra pre mium ; although the insurance company is well aware that if the country was in danger these men; would do their duty. The French fight for glory,, the Germans for a living,, and the Rußsiariß to divert the attention of bhe people at home from home affairs. But John Bull ia a reasonable, moral, and regenerating character. He fights to promote trade, to maintain peace and. order on the, face of the earth, .and for the good of human, kind in general. If he conquers a nation it is, to improve its con dition in this world, arid secure ita Welfare in the next.

The- secret of John Bull's success consists in his tenacity, the. coolness of' his head, and tho thickness of his skin. An English man does nothing by halves. The more diffi culties he has to surmount the more he feels in his element. He is a .'curious mixture of the lion, mule, and octopus. To succeed in this world a person must know how to make himself at homo. John Bull hasno equal for making himself athome. Nothing astonishes him and nothing stops him. Cosmopolitan in the highest degree, ho is "at" homo, in bhe four corners or bhe earth.

John Bull is a man capable of combining a thousand different personalities, of playing a thousand different parts. In his temple he will admit thab he is a miserable sinner; bub outside the temple he would be most astonished if he was nob considered bheniost moral and virtuous member of bhe human race. He is a man Who is most concerned in bhe interests of the next world, and most wrapped up in the concerns of this. He is the shrewdest of diplomatists, never ask ing for all or nothing, but for a little as being better bhan nobbing. British philosophy teaches people to like whab bhey have when they cannot get bhab which thoy would like. Ab election time, a newspaper referring to the defeat of the candidate which it has supported, will say that he has won a great moral victory. Unfortunately, the French do not possess thab philosophy. Success turns their heads, and reverses nave a discrediting and de moralising effect. They do not know how to profit by victory, or to pub up with de feat. In victory they see glory only; in defeat only disgrace. Even criticism they cannot stand. It exasperates them instead of benefitting and occasionally amusing them. In France they hate their enemies, instead of being grateful to them for the good they are kind enough to do for them. Iri political life in England enemies in the proper sense of the word are unknown. In France politicians look daggers at each other whenever they meet. Bub in England Conservatives and Liberals meet, Shake hands,.and walk ariiicably together to the House of Commons. In the French Chamber, an excited member may occa sionally call another riiember a liar, but in the English House of Commons a member will say, " The statement just" made* is- not* in accordance with the Btrict truth?' A Frenchman haa no tiirie to think of it, but says what he means. No doubt it ia in adversity that an Englishman is to be' ad mired. He has the shrewdnesa to, ackriow leged accomplished fact. An Englishman is the staunchest mon archist and the freest man in bhe world, which shows bhab freedom ia compatitble j with a monarchy. There is" a great pre judice in England on the subject of France in regard to the revolutionists. France, aa a nation, is eminently pacific and Conser aervative. Processions with flags, political speeohes, and dinners, only become' events hi consequence of itfe, stupid., action of hostile, police. If these'thinga are, allowed to take place, nobody will be'the. worse for them. . .. ~

When the English appoint, tw official it is a new servarit who is added bo bhe/hOuser hold j but when the, French appoirit a new official ib is one 'more, master, to ariuband even to bully them., Political coriyictions in France rest on! the/form of Government In England everybody is of one "mind. The difference between the two parties in Britain during the last 50 years is perhaps bhat bhe Conservatives have devoted more atbention to foreign politics"; whereas the Liberals ha*"c devoted more attention to home politics. "'" "."','

The Prince of Wales at Monte Carlo.

Stories come daily of the good timea the Prince of Wales enjoyed in the Riviera, before he wentto. Berlin. Ari English/lady related to me how his royal highness did battle with the royal tiger at Monte Carlo. He made his bets each of lOOfrarics, and put the bills down according to his changing fancy; He had ho system; :but fortune was kind. My informant sawhim put. IOQ/francs on No. 13--a defiance of superstition'worthy. of the New York, thirteen clubhand, sure enough^ 13 won. and the.Prince got. thirty five one-huridred-franc': bills for the one* he. risked. , *'.■ ••'■' •)•'••■ '■'• '■ - .''.'.]..'..;-• " ■■'■

Senator Frye isin> Paris. Through, the courtesy of Speakers Peel,-''he-Was. enabled to watch the English system of daw making, from a very comfortable seat.: He fouiid it queer. :, ■ ■•■ ■ -"■'.'.' ■'.'•■ : '■'.' ... v- _ ■:-.-.

A Strange Story.

It is not an unusual, thing, to, hear off a Waterloo-veteran ;, but, the.- Story of aman claiming: this- distiriction, who- appeared before the Benevolent Asylum Goirimibbee in, Melbourne lately asking -for admis sion-bo bhab .'insbibubion' was;, peculiarly, inberesting. If'"bhe sbabemenb waa cor rect bhe sbory ia /indeed a abrange-' one. Richard Dwyer, now.sevenby-two years of age, has for, some months,, past : been living! ab, Cheltenham.: Subsisting on: the charibyuof 'the residents '.of--that locality. At one time lie appears to haye;beeh a very rich :man,:-and;,2oyears ago -he was. 'it is, said,,,a- passenger- on board "the*'Bteamer London-during bhe voyage when, the/ ill fated vessel foundered in the Bay! of Biscay. Dwyer was.; numbered:(among 'the few: siirvivori-i'buthia* wife;and"twa" daughters went down with the ill-fated vessel. To add to his loss,, a. sum of of LI 1,200, ac cording to, his.representations,;:_4nk wibh bhe wreck, together with cargo belonging to him valued at L 250. The . unfortunate fellow seems never to have prospered after wards. He is said to have worked hard in many ways, and for some years past has Hved'in the neighbourhood of Cheltenham. The other day, however, he stood before the, committee aged arid infirin, utterly/ destitute: and entirely alone in the i iWofld. His casewaa., considered: a. pitiful One, and, bogether wibh the strangeness of hiaabory,. so, worked upon thefeelinga, of the committee tbat they admitted! him to, the, shelterof the asylum. His admission filled up one of the ; only two vManciea bhat, were, available, .arid for which there weire" nuna-. .erous applicajnjbs.!-:.!_,(_ .!!;'!"""'",..!""'",' ..'"";,..,-;

LITTLE FOLK'S COLUMN.

"PAPA, I DIDN'T MEAN TO."

Look at the rosy lips-imrsed up, The pretty eyelids falling, While above the-culprit stands - A figure quite appalling; "Sou tell the little penitent 'Tis time that she was seen to— You rave—she lifts her tearful eyes _*■ "Papa; I didn't mean to." She knows by heart your weakost point, , And there, sly rogue, she takes you.; The tearful eyes—the pretty plea-1 , Your sternness quite.forsakes you; Yoir tnkeh.r in your loving arms, -The little restl.ss fairy.. You'seal forgiveness with a kfss, And bless, your darling Mary. , ... We older ones, could we but find. Our judges soft and lenient, Might plead-oiirselv's the same excuse- Aye, find ii quite convenient: For all shortcomings and all faults .That human,nature leans to, , ■ ■ We'd say,' like your sWeet, erring'child _ " Forgive—l did.it mean to." '". : Not Disobedient.—Mairima: " Franks^ are yon eating those green apples again ?." Frankie: "No, mamma, I'm eating some others." ', "If your father gives you five apple-*, . and your brother-givea you three, how many* applea have you, Johnnie?" "' I guess enough, for one day." When you say that you don't kriow.whah are the fabtesb lebbers in the. alphabet, yott will be toIdOBDT, whereupon yott ore! • expected to exclaim, 0 IC.

WHAT THIS CHILDREN SAY.

A public school teacher has preserved All the amusing mistakes her pupils have made during the past few yeara. Here are some of their answers to the words they were afeked to define :—" Auriferous—pertainirig to an orifice," "Ammonia-the food of the gods," "Equestrian—one who asks ques« tions, "Parasite—a kind of umbrella," ".Ipecac—a man who likes a good dinner." Here is an innocent deliverance of a zoologi cal kind : ' * There are a great many donkeys, in the theological gardens." Here, also, is a definition which really isn't very bad in its way : "Demagogue—a vessel containing, beer and other liquid." Here, too, is a sample of a boy's composition on giria,: which, I musb say, I rabher like. " Girl* are very sbuck up and dignified in their manner and behaveyour. They make fun of boys and then turn round and love. them. I don't belaye they ever kiled a cab or any thing. They look out every nite and say; 1 Oh, ant the moon lovely!' Thir is; one thing I have not told, and that is. they always now their lessons be-tern boya.'

A FESTIVAL OF DOLLS.

In March, after the first full moon, all the little Japanese girls have a "high old time." They hold what is called a "fes" tival of dolls:" For 364 days of the year __ little Japanese girl's doll is laid away in a chest or cabinet by her motherland on 36_-tb day she has it to play with. A little Erig lish girl would not like to submit to that ab all. A lady who has been there aa, 4 missionary says of this day that on it "all the little Japanese mammas take their dolle from the cabinets or chests where the poor, things have spenb a whole year, and. bhey play with them for one day. They dress bhemselveß and their dolls beautifully; they* have the daintiest little tea parties for them; bhey do every lovely tiring bhey can think of; but when bedtime comes they kias the doll and put her away, and dpi noh take her in their arms again until-twelve months later, when the dolls' festival re turns." This lady says that at Christmas, when she has given presents of dolls tt_i the little girls in the missionary schools and told them they might play with therri every day, just as English children do, at firsb bhey seemed to bo afraid that it could, not be right for them to do so, but after a time they overcame their fears, and enjoyed their doll-babies to their hearts' content. She tells us," too,"- that bliriHlneri'Tn Japan^" instead of being led by a child, or dog with a string, carry a whistle, which they blow, arid those Who hear it leave tfiS/'pa^wagf? free before their feet, There are a great many blind men in Japan, and the plaintive whistle has a mournful sound! when heard iri the night.

HOW TO TREAT CATS.

, Cats are seldom very Well treated ift Out country, but 1 am happy to say people are beginning to appreciate them far more, and to study their comforts. Yon would li^e your pussy to be really happy, • would ypu not ? Well, I'll try: to tell' yon in a few words how to make her so. First, then, she must have her full liberty out of doora or iri, so far as roaming • about all day ia eon* cerned. You: can teach her to be honest in two ways ~ you must feed her well fchred. times a day, giving her all she can eat, and then if she attempts to jump on the tables . chastise her across the pawa with' a little bit Of whalebone, which ought to be kept) for the purpose. But never strike the cab: with your hand or oyer the head even with the' Switch. Secondly, she may havft. food for breakfaat like that reoommerided for small dogs, but for dinner, she must have either hah or flesh. Boiled lights- folihg excellent food ; so does horseflesh. Thirdly} give her Water every day as well aamilkj arid lastly, teach hef to keep indoora all night •'.'.' '<'.* .. A cat, especially if sb^ have long fur, should be often brushed and coriibed—thia prevents rriatting, and keepaii the skin clear; . . . "When puaay has

kittens,-'some people destroy;them all at once. This is most cruel. ' One •or twa ought always to be left, and for these yoit should try to find good homes. Feed you* pussy abundantly—cats eat more tha_» many; people would suppose; ■'lovei.- hef 'and make" much of her and ■,she will /keep the1 'house- well clear of h-ica 'arid rats too. But a starred catienevera good' mouser. Cats love a kind masbei ot mistress far better than they do the houss in Which they dwell. The reverse is'gener**' 'ally be'lieyed,' butl1 could produce.athoiis*' and lovers of the-feline race to prove'that Svh'at l'-'say'is ■correct../■ Never 'leave your cab alone ab hpme when going away^on a holiday;' If no one is going to be lefb in ;the house, giv^ her to sorile kind neighbour to'keep'f'or'you; '-'Brit's, better plan isttt. 'take herewith you inabaeket. "-A'e&twill make* herself'at'home anywhere with those ofwhom'Sheisfond. '•"-': ,;i'' ' -1-' rf!J--&

A Medium's Experiences.

Thefollowing history of an i_l*.fa,ted rne^ruai'. might operi, the, eyes of believers in spiritual-, ism,weredisillusionpossible.,. .The"mediuri_, is a'girl.of aeventeen or! eighteen, deacribe^ as intelligent, and pretty. :H_re is he;' pwn!'. na,rra,tive,, as,, related to the,: Mayor" ot'/ Temesyqi*, in Hungary, before whoiri sh^ : appeared, a couple of days, ago to aslc. fop redress : .'' I ,was: engaged- by an itirieran* spiritualist in ,§ eHn, where I was at iht^fcunjjj, in domestic service. I was prbiriised/gOOf. ■pay,, and we,, went,: about from one towritai another, perfoririing at the villages "(fn th-% ■• way. ,-At first, things went.smoothly.!■ X_!. had. bwo companions, who used to do. the principal tricks, while, I took the ticket?,' putone fine day they absconded and 1 had to replace them, Do you, know Mr Mayor* what a medium is ? First of all I had to be '■ thoroughly prepared. The master hoisted me up to, the ceiling with cords; he! firatt fastened my right fpob, then my left one,! and afterwards my two hands. There 1, hung in the air whfle the electric batteries -v. erft played upon me arid all sorts_ of inagneiiiQ, experiments- made on me. till I could noj move a, muscle.. And to think, I>lf- Mayoily .that, thist-f diverted the: audience 1. !_ ca,riJV stftnd.'jig any longer.. Let my- mastefr piy me.wbafe.heoweame, andl will go t_.c£ IptO. .service." ■■ .-The; Mayor,,,forthwith complied, .with the, girl's wishes ; and the, police -^ugg, marilyrefused to ;authorise further " fiplrite ! {n^tffi^peifwinpfiep -; ; ""'

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