TOPICS OF THE DAY.

[tm m -»-_««-—'

May 18,

peo. lea Pa**'o6' . ~ „i_f the chief events of the &* Sou«h in its beginning it had M^S!t!-th« Jubilee. It is, o !a°^Mngible outcome of "East ;^ c 'the !^of which Bessant's "All Ind}lTcoionsofMen'»isbheliberary .°li butter its origin it gave an lieco ' _- for a very magnificent show # rtaDidutbursfc of loyalty. The m, 1,1 corre-bonclingly intense. I ■ entTrthrtradesmen of Oxford-street ;tear H-ftp ap their decorations through ■**_*Z* « until the 20th of HTiand advertisement. The day jane, as a s , t an(J sunnyj *»_*TIZ v-s crowds collected b tKSof L ndon, and in addi iwmeV^lt nearly all the shop windows .tion to ' each S ide of the road l»*Kforlh whole five miles. The «&-£__ the ci y are delighted at the Bothem in the person «frS.Sfor after the ceremony SglS^en visited the Mansion __£-__'Sve tea, an act of graciousness SeaeSinthcpresentreign. 'political. Bitterness. mmm "» " t™">°a*> and X.. but now Lord Hartington is being '^^Mr Gladstone. The Unionists dIT m^haPPytnd confident Mr J. are yet a cry i» ' , „ ion (570 '' gentle- Hot.se of Tl Sat aScastle'banquet, but the C°?-dbpproval of his audience soon S.toSitute "individuals;" such ?Kslbiiigsare reaching Rumour . f that a fresh dynamite cam ■ i. to be inaugurated as scon as ffime?KU is passed; the Liverpool *__S lon .been watching a gang of _._l Mi now the Government have ". 11l cutter guarding the Shannon, eSfhlvingWmed them that an ISn criiiser is on the way there. > The S/bi now begun a new series of _3 on " Parnellism and Crime ; it is Selling with the American orgwuso. Si/dfthe papers of Avhich it pro leases to have honght. Bytteway, there was a rather curious etorj toldabout detectives at the Manches- W A clerk -Avho had forged to L-m. of 15,000, went to the theatre to 2 "The World," and as the play worked mil feelings betrayed himself so uncon- Kio-lv thatadetec-ve, whose suspicions U been aroused, knew he was on the right (rail, and quietly took him in charge. ° Profossor Ho'lloway's Will. Another cam cdebre is promised arising ontofthewillof MrHolloAvay, the pill and ointment manufacturer. Quite apart from tie property, he Mb to his college for yo_2 women near Staines, there was about three millions of uoney, to be divided am„.t his friends and relations. This is qulteworth fighting about, and as the costs irill probably come out of the estate, his disappointed kinsfolk dispute the disposi tion he b&w fit to make, and allege undue influenceon the .part of their faA^oured relatives. .•„ Do-ineering Officers. We often.ear of the domineering of British o_ceis"on foreign stations, bub, in tha Pei--o_th Police Court, a case jusb come-.lightin England ibself. Admiral • 6. f__ aud .isflag'lieubenanbAvere riding I ism a 'narrow lane, and the latter, dis sati|(_.flt the "insolence" of a small traWaii in a cart, Who Avould not alloy. ft-itiore1 than the; usual amount of room in passing,' struck him Avith a riding-Avhip. Tlspn'tJiereijpbii turned.his cart and pura-.;_6 officers,: but, after a hard w,'the'y escaped, out of sight. Some bystanders, however, told him their names, and the lieutenant was fined ±3 and costs. foreign Coppers. Theiearirburnings that arose from the GoYeiiei- jJr_cla__ation against foreign co^hive cabled doAvn, now that people forego, ridof them at the post-offices. The craftier shopkeepers and the proprie' tors of antlitaatic machines by accepting ttepipclaiijied coinage have driven a roar ing trade and. then exchanged their re ceipts for notes, &c, ab the' Government offices..:'.' Arrangements have been made ti4*aiicc and Italy to get rid of the thirty bins pf metal that have consequently te-.itjidrawnfrom,chculation ; butper wpsffie latest discovery, that, most of thesel underweight: foreign coins have been *e4 by a Birmingham firm and circulated BWyr.t_.oqgh the pawnbrokers, may impede the international agreement.

Dlre^rs and the Jubilee Institute. of Mr Tomkinson, a ehareholder.inthe S.E. Eailway Company, I°. jjSfHP''the directors from presenting WW tie fnnds of the Imperial Insti tute has proved successful, Mr Justice «a holding that the payment Avas ultra y. On behalf of the directors it Avas ™?w that the donation would be bene tti to- .tee -Company by reason of m toemcrease of traffic that would «« from persons visiting the Insti- Wa-v 6•■Judge, however, declared JI m argument wouldn't h.ld wafcer.and ___ °u'. afc on simUar grounds the 2™P as reasonably subscribe to SllTOMalace, Mdme Tussand'., mi ■ ,2?-™ ot^er entertainments of the __ c Wmiiy mean to appeal. _ S? eraush.enclsof Sir Robert Fowler L L l?°des mbe Slad to learn that he complicity in the before pf v 00"1^^ ';' recently proved tteSfeSm y C°mmi,*ee agaiDSt

ENGLISH IN GERMANY.

■»« Amnslne Instances of the Abuse

M the Language.

Jjh .host courts of. the empire are still *%«.,. cry much to the dis- IS. 0{ B^n. -whose inhabitants, Jfi^ desire to magnify the to visit the courts, and WerdoubthilastomyGenitan,! __S;,^ ch™. store, in whose lai4 tofhf, ■ English spoken here." f yOUnKwomau wl»o camefor- H'do W *'W: "You speak E ng- Wifthe mT ?■ pl_im worda I agked tiered ■tt ttat«l for; a moment, fen i™^, {You would like a large _**i"HeSv thougtosbillplainer «Sf my uesfclon- She de -3B& _ty°¥. and Baid: "You . ' i> «'-?- te '*W- Pictures' on . •«.:"i-d ti,' I lntßrr°gated her in .«fiS oU f fc^lengfch that the til- '*% theß open., I was 'f lO.l h_S • experience by »Z attlW'/^l^ obtain ' hASwH ledbX the Bamo sign itWm&^'i ding that le tmZ E?," lya *ord<*^o of L¥P«.__v y°u have 'fe . fet 1?'-,** spoken '^ «n___ epI _d: the y : who«ome hm."- '

The Blue Grotto of Capri.

The Blue Grotto, the pride of Capri and one of the chief curiosities of the clay of Nantes are not to be destroyed by a modern vanda from American shores. As is Avell known to visitors, the entrance is so low and nari'OAV that it is only Avibh a calm .pi that ingress to its beauties can be ob tained Colonel Mcl-OAyen, who has pur chased the ground above the grotto pro : nosed to bore a staircase through the cliff i _n__ to procure an easy access to this nat ural curiosity at all times, Avithout letting in the parish light of clay upon this lovely ai-vlike structure. The grotto is 165 _>.tin leno-th, with 100 feet as its greatest width; its" highest part is 40 feet abow I water with an average depth of 50 feeb. It is 'well known thab the indescribable beautiful ultramarine colour and glow, Whether upon the Avails of this natural cave, upon the calm surface of the water, or down in its clear crystalline depths, depend upon the light entering from the exterior waters by the small aperture ab fchesea level, and being refracted upward into bhe grotto.' More than fifty years ago a Frenchman tried to give an idea of the SDlendid effect of this singularly transmitted lio-ht through the blue waters of tho Mediterranean into the subterranean cave by the following matter-of-fact comparison : "All these combinations produce alumin ous effect the mosb surprising that I have ever seen, and I can only give an idea of it to the effect produced by a great glass or crystal jar filled AVith clear, sparkling, blue liquid (such as decorates our pharmacies when a brilliant light is placed behind it. One of the most striking effects is produced by the diAdng and swimming of huge i.ov. foundland dogs, the animals appearing to form one mass of bright stars m the foaming Avater The poor boatmen fear thab they will be the sufferers in case these improve merits are made, so that the matter m stall under consideration by the law courts at Naples. ____________

A ROYAL SEPARATION.

A. cokrtwvoxdext from Belgrade says that the troubles which have made life under the same roof impossible, for the King ancl Queen of Servia aro very trivial. Now that the lon"1 threatened separation is accomp lished-°a fact hitherto' jealously guarded— the secrets of the Servian royal family may be heard mouthed over nightly in every cafe in Belgrade. The story told is the commonplace one of incompatibility of temper, aggravated by the action of doubtful brandy on a weak liver and brain. King Milan had never recovered from the state of nervous: depression into Avhich he fell after Alexander's abduction from Sophia, and his fears have led him to see a nihilist or Russian abductor in every bush, and he has done his best to obscure the bush by early ancl late application to the bottle. The royal couple havo for a long time occupied not only separate rooms butTseparate Avinps in the palace, and the current of Belgradian small talk is that the final rupture Avas brought aboub by the King's forgetfulness as to Avhich Aving Avas his. • .. ""

MEXICO.

Two of the Lost Bonanza Klnes Bis

covered by. an American.

A letter to Calico-"-Priub " says : "The discoA-ery of two of the lost Mexican bonanza" mines by an Amorican party of prospecbors has been announced. Humboldb and Hamilton speak of the fabulous Avealth obtained from these mines by the Spaniards. They Avere .vorked up to the middle of the lasb century. In 1756 the Indians swept over Northern Mexico and de stroyed Chihuahua, "and all the miners were. driA'en out. The Indians, had control of the country so long that the records Avere lost. Recently Lieuten anb Kipper, formerly of bhe United Sbabes army, W. K. Glenn, of Illinois, and Captain Allen- Mclntyre, of Chi cago, Avenb oub on a surveying expedi tion in bhe inberest of a Sonora land company, and in an old chapel found maps and other data. -Dividing into four small parties, a thorough search Avas begun and Mclntyre's party located what is belieA _d to be the La Yopa silver mine, in the midst of thousands of ruined buildings, among churches and forts. ' Within a radius of four miles are 920 Avorkings, old Spanish furnaces and tons of slag. A feAV clays later Bowers's party reported the discovery of Guaynopa, in the heart of the Sierra Madre mountains. Around it are the ruins of 118 arastras. Advices from Nogales con firm the report and state that great placer fields have been locabecV where bhe Jesuibs of a hundred years ago found fortunes for the church. Great excitement prevails in mining centres. " ;*"i ' '

Prohibition and Liquor Con sumption in America.

The National Bureau of Statistics for the United Stabes issued its quarterly report on the 14th of April. More than twenty pages of its contents are deA-oted to the returns of " the consumption of distilled and malt liquors and Avines." And in view..of the recent numerous declarations of "success ful " agitation put forth by the advocates of the " Prohibition " or Maine, aw party, bhe sbern logic of those official.figures just issued is startling. It is unquestionable bhab bhe Prohibitionist agitation in many or most of the Stabes lias,- tor many years pasb, assumed a A.gorous activity..vjb is.equally undeniable that, so far as th. letter of the la.v is concerned, considerable success has, in several States, attended these strenuous efforts. But it is also placed beyond doubt, by the official statistics of liquor consump tion, that the final results of all this agita tion in regard to the restrictioh of the popu lar appetite, or the real control of " local option," as to the use of alcoholic beverages, through channels either legal or illegal, are such as the true friends of prohibition can nob deem bo be of a very. ericourao-ino nature. ' For bhe Bureau'of Statistics now shcKvs bhab bhe consumption oil distilled spirits in the United States has'ti»en from a total of 43,000,000 gallons in-1840 to 72,000,000 gallons in .1886. During the same period the amount of .vino chunk lias risen from 5,000,000 gallons to-2'2,000,000 gallons; and that of malt liquors from 23,000,000 gallons tothe enormous quantity of G42,QOD, 000 gallons in 1886. . "a. Taking into consideration the collateral increase of the population, the statistics point out that bhe individual consumption of 'spirits has decreased by about one-half, Avhile that of Avine has increased by one third ; but the average use of malt liquors is more than six: times greater per head than it was in 1840.

The Bureau has been furnishedhyE. N. Barratt, editor of the New York "Grocer " Avitb an elaborate statement, showing that bhe expenditure of the United States,p o p U . lation on spirits and malt liquors, irrespec tive of Avines, Avas, in 1880, 700,000,0(J0dols or about £140,000,000. sterling. Ibis further stated that onlyone-tentli of the distilled spirits is used for medicine and * nilhuf- ac bures, bhe remaining nine-tenths beino taken as beverages. . "*/- -'■■■ Thus the aggregate and individual con sumption of alcohol, notwithstandin. the diminished use of, distilled spirits' in p_. r . ticular, slioavs that the activity, of the "Prohibition" agitation has beenl accom panied by the collateral cohditioli, 01 ' net result, of an immense increase ' iii the national resort bo Avines and malb. hqu o rs. From the moderation or temperance point of iview, this state of affairs is not"Avithbut encouraging aspects, but it cannot.^fford much- cheer bo bhose who are looking f or bhe botal "suppression of,, the liquor traffic by means of legal compulsion.—"London Times."' -..' - 1;

ROYAL RECEPTIONS.

Tedious Drawing-I_oom Delays.

Her Majesty's drawing-room of May 20bb Avas bhe lasb one of bhe formal ones. Nearly 500 ladies abbended. The Queen did nob receive at all, greatly to the disappointment of a number avlio had deferred going until the last drawing room, believing thab ib would be tbe most brilliant. The Princess of Wales re" ceived for her. Of the four draAving-rooms of the year some 1,500 or 1,000 ladies have been presented. The English papers con tinually misrepresent the scenes about bhe yialace. On bhe presentation day they are fond of portraying women in tho most indecent of decollete dresses, shivering under bhe insults and ribald remarks ot a gaping crowd for hour... A writer to tho "New York World " says :

" Much fun has beon poked at the kind of carriages employed. Last Wednesday I drove around from tho end of tho palace grounds, among the A-arious lines of carriages, taking the entire numbor of wait ing people, Avho Avere presented later in .bhe afternoon. The carriages Avore arranged in divisions. There a. as the first division, ex tending down bhe broad carriage drive of bhe mall. The next division was on bhe right of Buckingham Palace, extending toward the Avest, to tho back of the ground. Then there was a third division on the opposite line on the mall that Avas given precedence. The side-AYalks A. ere crowded along this lino of carriages, but owing to the rain, which fell ab different times, the crowd was not as great as usual. Tho lino of carriages in tho mall stood in the centre of that broad Avay. There Avas a line of policemen Avhich kept the road clear, and allowed no carriages except those going to the palace to enter. There were none of the specta tors who could come nearer than fifteen or tAventy feet of this line of carriages. It was only when the carriages began to reach the palace thab the spectators had an opportunity of being closo to fcliem. Throughout the entire line of spectators I saAv no sign of rudeness. " The people clustered about looking at the beautiful dresses through the open windows of the carriages in about bhe samo Avay they would look ab pictures in a gallery and in the same spirit. In nearly every carriage there were two ladies. Tiie train of their court dresses massed in front of them mado a billoAvy heap of silk an laces Avhich reached nearly to their chins. Occasionally there would bo some forlorn man sitting upon the inside of a front seat in the carriage. The sight of this was nearly always the subject of quiet ridicule by the crowd. No man, hoAVever ferocious or distinguished, could look anything but sheepish and out of place with his head just sticking out above the fri/_ery of the court dresses. I saw no evidence of indecency, so dwelt upon by some newspapers, of those court dresses.

" The ladies' dresses Avere just such as Avould be seen at an average evening party in New York. It was certain that ib was not obligatory to liaA-e them cut low breasted, but the majority of ladies had their dresses cut mosb modestly, and in 110 instance Avas any lady obliged to submit to the exposure of her charms before the spec tators, because a majority of them A.ore Avraps about their shoulders. Those Avho did not and sat with their bare shoulders and arms in face of tho gaping crowd pro bably did so as a matter of choice. This evening costume in the glare of midday ap peared incongruous. That is the only criti cism that could be properly dirocted against the style of dressing. " I nobiced bhab tho ladies Avho Avore the most decollete dresses Avere old ancl those avlio had the least reason for an exhibition. Those Avho had handsome figures were most modest in displaying them. The mosb exbremely reckless and liberal Avere bhe fab doAvagers of 50. One of the features of the performance Avas the fact of luncheon. Along bhe line some ladies bad brought; their maids Avith them, and even a teapot wibh a spirib-lamp. I saw one maid pre paring a pob of toa and serving lunch to her A-eteran mistress, avlio Avas going through this daAving-room wait like an old campaigner. Some of the Availing ones rolled themselves in their furs and Avhiled aAvay the time reading novels. Others kept to the neAVspapers. Ib Avas over six hours from the time the carriages first formed before the occupants Avore received and sent home again. Not one of this lon°- line Avere in the throne room, Avhere this reception took place, over fifteen minutes."

RELIGION IN AMERICA.

Christianity Still Aggressive.

The population of the United States is noAV, in round numbers, not much under 60,000,000. The census of 1880 Avith re spect to the churches has not yet been made accessible bo bhe general public. The NeAv York "Independent" has re cently made up a page from these statistics. If the data could be brought down 'to bhe presenb time many moro interesting facts could be presented. The statistics officially gathered for the census of 1880, Avith bhe daba since collecbed, show that the number of church members in the United States is, in round numbers, 20,000,000, or something more than 33 per cent, of'the entire population. But some explanations are needed to make these fio-urcs altogether intelligent. In some denominations all the baptised chil dren arc counted as members. In others there are no baptised children, or Avhat miphb be called nominal membership. Tho methods of the A-arious denominations in making up their statistics do not insure the greatest accuracy. Then there-are small bodies of religionists who rarely give their statistics to the public. The Friends, Disciples of Christ, Mennonites and Lun kers may be cited as instances where bhe exact figures could nob be readily obtained. But thefdata brought down to the latesb dates shoAV that there are 132,435 churches, 91,911 ministers, and 19,018,977 communi cants. The Roman Catholic Church is rep resented as having 7,000,000 communicants. So much has been said and Avritten about the decline of religion, and the falling away of the masses in this counbry from all re ligious association, bhab ibis M-ell to bring to"'ether the statistics to slioav Avhab-light bhey shed upon the question. According bo the data collecbed, bhe groAvbh of religion in bhe United States has been remarkable. "The gain in churches is at the rate of 3,831 a year, or 10£ a day, and represents in bhe aggregate a large appropriation of money ancl efforb. So, also, does the re markable increase of ministers, 9,694. The Christianity of our country must have some vitality if'it can go on adding over 3,800 churches and 2,400 minisbers every year, and there must be considerable productive paAA'er in ib if ib can increase ibs member ship every year by 408,000, -whicli is ab bhe; rabe of 1,117 every day, or 46 every hour ! It must be admibbed bhab bhese figures come Avibh sbarbling force against bhe as sumption that the masses are falling away from the churches." In" four years the net gains were 15,32. chrirches, 9,649 ministers, and 1,618,799 communicants. Tho churches every year lose a great many members by death, discipline^ and from other causes. It does nob appear from bhe faebs collected that religion is. dying out, or that it is even in a slow decline. It is keeping more than even pace wibh all maberial development AH tins gain has been Avith no other stimu lus than the voluntary, principle. The Sbabe does nobbing for religion. Ib has no fund bo appropriabe. Ib leaves each denomi nation to work under ibs OAvn system.

Pilate's Sentence on Christ.

Tim French translation was made liter ally by members of the Commission of Art. Denon had a fac-simile of the plate en graved, Avhich on the sale of his cabinet was bought by Lord Howard for 2,890 francs : " Senbonce Pronounced by Pontius Pilate, Inbendanb of Lower Galilee, thab Jesvs of Nazareth shall suffer death by the cross. In the seventeenth year of tho reign of the Emperor Tiberius, and on the 25th of March in tlio most Holy City of Jerusalem, during tho Pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, Intendant of (.he ProA'ince of Lower Galileo, sitting in judgment in tho Presidential chair of tho Prater, sentences Jesvs of Nazareth to death on a cross be tween two robbers, as the numerous testi monies of tho people prove thab : (1) Jesvs is a mi-leader. (2) He has excited the people to .edition. (;») He is an enemy to the law. (_) He calls himself tho Son of Cod. (5) He calls himself falsely the King of Israel. He went to the Temple, followed by a multitude carrying palms in their hands. It likewise orders the first centurion, Quirilius Cornelius, to bring him tothe place of execution, and forbids all persons, rich or poor, to prevent the execu tion oE Jesvs.

A correspondent sends Avhat he believes to be a correct translation of the sentence pro nounced by Pontius Pilate on Christ. He says that this curious document Avas dis coA'ered in A. D. 1280 in the city of Aquill in the kingdom of Naples, in the course of a search made for the discovery of Roman antiquities, and it remained there until it was found by the Commissaries of Art in bhe French Army of Italy. Up to the time of thecampaign in Southern Italy it was pre served in the sacristy of the Carthusians, near Naples, Avhere it Avas kept in a box of ebon)'. Since then the relic has been kept in the Chapelo Caserta. The Carthusians obtained, by petition, lea Are that the plate might be kept by them as an acknowledg ment of the sacrifice Avhich they had made for the French Army.

" The witnesses Avho baA-o signed tho exe cution against Jesvs aro: {]) Daniel Ro bani, a Pharisee. (2) John s_cirobabel. (3) Raphael Robani. (4) Capet. Finally, the orders arc that the said Jesv.s bo taken out of Jerusalem through the gate of Tournea." —" Notes and Queries."

The Petroleum Trade.

Russian petroleum threatens to take the place of the American article in European markets, owing to ibs extreme cheapness. The Russian wells yield immense quantities of oil, tho great Drooja fountain having spouted '220,000 tons, or 55,000,000 gallons before ib was cupped. This oil Avas Avorbh nearly a million sterling, but at Baku most of ib Avas lost Tor want of sboiuge accommo dation. The cost of boring the Avell was aboub £1,500. Last year tho production of crude petroleum ut Baku exceeded 420.000,000 gallons, or 10,000,000 barrels. It could ea.sily have been ton or twenty times that amount, as thoro is practically no limit to tho supply, millions of gallons running away in waste into tho Caspian sea for want of buyers. At Baku 120 firms have refineries, AVliich last year produced nearly 100,000,000 gallons refined petro leum. Since 187S Russia has invested re muneratively over £1,000,000 in oil steamers for the Caspian sea. In 1870 there was only one steamer in the sea ; to-day thero are 1,000. The refineries keep so much ahead of the developing transport that the best refined potroleum or lamp oil is sold at ll farthings a gallon at Baku. At London tho Avholesale price of the American article is about 6 pence per gallon. The exports from Baku along the Batoum railway in 3885 comprised ..7,000,000 gallons refined petroleum, 2,6:10,224 gallons lubricating oil. and 1,000,000 gallons of crude oil. Batoum is aboub bhe same distance from London as is New York.

Passenger Lift for the Eiffel Tower.

The enormous height of this proposed French Exhibition Tower renders a hydrau lic lift, in which passengers could perform the Avholo journey in one operation, quite impossible; and a succession of shortor lifts, requiring frequent changes, Avould naturally be considered too cumbersome by the public avlio Avill use the tower. < On the other hand, the employment of a wind ing engine ancl a lift similar to those used in mines Avould not be sufficiently safe, and for these reasons M. Eiffel has devised a new type of lift, in which the Avhole ascent can be mado in one journey, while ab the same time ib presents absolute safety. The main idea of the lift is that of a huge screA. and nub. Below bhe lifb cage is placed a brolley, Avibh three or moro Avlieels running upon an equal number of rails, Avhich ascend spirally, and bhus form a screw having so many threads. Tho trolley will be revolved cither by an electric motor or by a water engine ; but the page Avill bo prevented from revolving by gilted bars. Thus tho passengers will nob feel anything of the rotary motion of the trolley underneath; and by selecting the screw sufficiently small, any degree of safety against a too rapid descent may be obtained.—" Glasgow Herald."

Boulanger at the French War Office.

"The firsb bhing bhab strikes the English visitor to the French ' Ministere do la Guerre,' " remarks a " Pall Mall Gazette " writer, " is the cohbrasb ib presenbs to the English War Office. The latter is a little squat, and dirty double house a'dozen yards back from Pall Mall, resembling in exterior, both in condition and construction, a huge rabbit warren. The former is a magnificent new stono building, with'broad flights of marble steps, tilled Avith frescoes and paint ings, scarlet and gilb furniture and suites of imposing reception-rooms, leading one into tbe other, through large mahogany folding doors. Into the last of bheso suites I Avas ehown bo awaib bhe now famous Fronch Minister. The moment; he entered the room one saAV clearly lioav mistaken is bhe common conception of his personality. He is a short man, rather stoutly built, wibh brown hair, brown board, robber a- red face ; above all things quiet-looking almost to commonplnceness. His mother was an English Avoman; his aunt is living ab Lewes, ancl excepb for bhe slight point at bis beard, he himself Avould be taken for an Englishman anywhere. He wore the ordinary French civilian's dress of black coat and trousers, with only tho single red spot in his buttonhole. This, by the way, Avas also the dross of half a dozen Generals avlio seemed to perform a sorb of special duby by being present aboub bhe ' Mini sbere.' In manners General Boulanger is nob more sbriking bhan in appearance. He speaks sloAvly like mosb soldiers, bub AVibb oub much gesbure, and Avibhoub much force eibher of voice or language." '■

Scandal at Monte Carlo.

A party of advenburers recenbly gained admission to the rooms at Monte Carlo, no opposition being offered to their entrance" by the inspectors, although these officials are frequently blamed for their incivility to ordinary punters. The swindlers took up a position at one of the Trante et Quarante tables. At a given signal from accomplices there Avas a sudden alarm and some confu sion occurred, a pile of gold having fallen under bhe table. While people Avere stoop ing down to pick up the money one of the blacklegs replaced the official packet of cards by a prepared one so dexterously and so quickly that no one saw the trick per formed. In the meantime the attention of the officials and of the punters Avas further diverted from the doings of the gang by follows who were going' around the tables asking for information or for change for bank notes. When play recommenced, the swindlers, sure of their affair, staked the maximum of 12,000 francs and repeated the coup several times over. The bank paid at first, though Avith some astonishment, but finally suspicions were aroused and the play Avas stopped. The greatest disorder then ensued, ancl the swindlers made away daring the confusion Avibh 300,000 francs, the French equivalent of £12,000. The croupier supposed to have acted as an accomplice Avas arrested. This is not the first time that such bold devices have been put in practice to rob the bank, as some two years since a party of ruffians exploded some bombs in the crowded rooms with the hope of getting away Avith the §100,000 so temptingly dis played upon the tables, but through the bravery and cool behaviour of the employes the dastardly attempt Avas foiled and the miscreants were brought to justice. Trente eb Quarante is bhe fascinabing game at Avhich fortunes are avoii and lost at Monte Carlo and the other gambling hells of Europe. It is a game of mere chance and its rules are easily mastered. At the centre of an oblong table that will seat some twenty players, is the bank, pro tected by four croupiers and a head in spector. Ab the commencement of the seance six packs of new cards are counted, shuffled by any of the players, then the ontiro pack is cub by one of the punters, and the deal commences in tho folloAving manner : The court cards count ten each and the others according to their respec tive A-alues. The cards are throAvn on the firsb line in quick succession unbil bhe number 31 is reached or passed, never ex ceeding 40, and that line is for the black ; a second line for the red is then thrown, and the number nearest to 30 Avins the stake. Thus with a king, ten, eight and three on bhe firsb line black must win un less 31 is also thrown for the second line, when the bank takes half of the stakes from both sides of the table, but nothing in case of other ties. This gives a percentage of about 3 per cent in favour of the bank, but sometimes this alloAvance is reduced one half by making it necessary for a black card to complete tho 31 in the second line. The game is conducted Avibh the greatest fair ness, and it was the boast of the Brothers Blanc, Avho founded the establishments of Horn burg and Monaco, that it Avas impossible to cheat ab the game, OA-en with the con nivance of the croupiers, as their Avas such a strict surveillance of the game at every stage of the proceedings ; but those enter prising gamblers counted without the de vices of a set of blacklegs who are attracted from all parts of Enrope to the gambling tables in the hope of profiting by the vices and greed of tho players.

HIS FIVE SONS.

A Pennsylvania Farmer Sacrifices

Them for His Country.

A Lycoming county farmer, blessed by tho possession of broad acres ancl fat cattle, and fatter cash account, had given his five sons—more precious bhan all olse besides— bhab bhe Union inighb bo preserved. His name was Rankin. His wife Avas dead, and bhe boys Avere his only solace, bub Avhen the Avar against his country Avas declared he felt as did Volumnia, the mother of Coriolanu., when she said, " Had I a dozen sons, each in my lovo alike, I had rather have eleven die nobly for their country than one voluptu ously surfeit out of action." So the Rankin boys Avent to confront grim-visaged war The life blood of two of them made more fertile the rank growth of the peninsula, and thoir bodies lay unclaimed amid the thou sands who had gone clown in the shock of battle. The bowed but not broken father came to the Governor's office in Harrisburg Avith his tale of Avoe. AndreAv Curtin never turned deaf ear to such as he. He said :

" Yon aro too old a man to go after your sons' bodies. I will send a messinger for them, and you can rest assured that you will be enabled to give them buri<_."

And this Avas done.

After the second battle of Manassas tho aged father again entered the executiA-e chamber, and, without saying a Avord, seated himself. The Governor recognised him ab once, ancl bhoughb: " Can ib be bhab this old man has been afflicbed again ?" He bade him approach. The visibor's voice was broken, bub bhe bears did nob fall, as he said: " Governor, another of them has gone." For a moment Mr Curtin could not speak. He silently wrung the horny hand of tho despoiled father. When he found voico ho said : " You must not go. I will send for him. You shall see him again."

And this Avas done.

When news of the battle of Gettysburg I reached Harrisburg, Governor Curtin travel- < led rapidly across country and A.OAved that memorable conflict. After its conclu- < sion he returned to Harrisburg and Avas 1 seated late at nighb in his room Avhen again ) Rankin enbered wibhoub a word and silenbly ! seabed himself upon a chair. "My God," ' thonghb Mr Curtin, " it cannot be that the i Woav has fallen upon this old man again." '; Ho could not bring himself to ask the ques tion, and for fully 15 minutes the tAvo men i sat in the room, their heads upon bheir hand., and neither uttered a word. At | last the old man said, as he steadied his A'oico:- "GoA'ernor, the other two are gone." ~ - " The other two ? This is terrible." "Yes, Governor, the other tAvo. They haA'e baken th-mi all." He Avisbed a pass bo enber bhe lines bhab he mighb bake home his silenb sons. " You aro boo old," said bhe anguished Governor. " I will send for bhem and bhey shall be taken home." And bhis Avas done. After Governor Curtin had returned bo bhis country at tbe close of his fh'e years' residence at bhe courb of Russia, he was in Philadelphia when ib Avas intimated to him that Mr Rankin, who Avas still alive, Avould be highly delighted if his benefactor would pay him a visit when tbe ex-minister Avas on his way to his home in Center country. Mr Curtin said thab be Avould comply with the Avish, and when he reached the station nearest bo bhe Lycoming counby farmer's home he found bhe old man Avaibing for him Avibh a carriage. Thab evening bhe people of the surrounding country, at Mr Rankin's bidding, nocked to do honour bo bhe ox-Go veraor. The nexb morning, afber parbaking of a breakfasb such as only a Pennsylvania farmhouse can produce, the a^ed agricul burisb invibed Mr Curtin bo join him in a Avalk. He led bhe way bo a wooden knoll near bhe house, and atop which Avas a beauti ful sodded inclosure, surrounded by an iron railing. Within ib were five mounds and five headsbones. The old man poinbed bo- Avorcl bhem, and simply said, "Governor, there they lie." Both men bowed their ' heads and neither uttered a Avord. In a ■ rew moments Rankin burned away wibh a ' cheery remark aboub bhe surrounding coun - bry, and from bhat moment during the two ' days' festivities that succeeded Mr Cur tin's I arrival, bhe desolabe fabher never again re ferred to his sleeping sons,

HUMOROUS.

A WARM ATTACHMENT.

Press me closer, all my own, Warms my heart for thee alone.! Every nerve responsive thrills, l Each caress my being fills; Rest and peace in vain I crave. '• In ecstasy I live, thy slave; i Dowor'd with hope, with promise blest, Thou dost reign upon my breast j Closer still, for lam thine, j Burns my heart, for thou art miif c: Thou the message, I the wire, . I the furnace, thou the fire; I I the servant, thou the master— | Roaring, red-hot mustard-plaster. We have had "She," "He," aijd "It," noAV "Him" has come. Ib is almjost time for Soubhern dialecb bibles, " We'uns " and " You'uns." Kid gloves on bhe hands of bhe fair are a great leveller. One is unable Ito tell Avhether the protuberances on the fingers of the gloves are the outlines of rings or Avarts. New Definitions :—Beauty—A chimera ; a personal quality or charm, resulting from bhe use of boileb soap. Happiness—The consciousness of exciting envy in the: minds of obhers. Recreation—An exhausting form of labour, an exemption from rest; an at bempb ab physical improvemenb, or relief from menbal vacuiby,' ending in melancholia, or bankruptcy. Insaniby—A condition of self-abandonment preceding an acb of crime.—" Life."

" Yes, my child, yes ; dun is the fubure tense of due."

Have the grass cut if you want your laAvn a la mowed.

There is one Avord in the English lan guage that admits of four degrees of com parison—bald, balder, baldest, Avig. Man is not apt to fall doAvn and Avorship the golden calf unless he has some hope of becoming the calf's OAvner. A noAvspaper man has written an article on "Ladies' Hats," but Aye must say he doesn't rise to the height of his subject.

Grey hairs are honourable. They do not stay on a bald head. " Punch " says thab if the genuineness of the Parnell letter can be disproved the "Times" ought nob bo be knoAvri hence forbh as Jove, the Thunderer, bub ;as Vul can, the Forger. ' I

EVEN TEMPER.

It ain't no use tor grumble | Nur it ain't no use ter fret; A man would live no longer By a gittin' all upset. It's the man of even temper j | That is allers sure to Avln, An' the man that's allers kickii}' j That is gettin' taken in. I I The hog that's allers squealln' | ! Gits tho smallest share of slojji, i An' the man that n allers growhn' Never raises half a crop. | An' of en when a feller Gits a licken' it has been ! j The man that talked the loudest I Just before the fight begun. !

LORD LOVELL'S EXCUSE.

Lord Lovell he stood at his own frojntj door, Seeking the hole for the key; I His hat was wrecked and his trousbm bore A rent across either knee, . i : When doAvn camo the beautoous Lady Jane In fair white drapcree. I | j i .' "Oh, Avherehave you boen, Lord 'Lovell.' she said; : ! " 0, Avhere have you been?" said (ihe; " I have not closed an oyo in bed, And the o'ook has just struck 3. Who has been standing you on your head In tho ash barrel, Perdee. i "lam not drunk, Lady Shane," he natd; "And so lato it cannot be Tho clock struck 1 as I enter—cd— I heard It two times or three; j It must bo the salmon on which I fed Has been too many for me." " Go, tell your tale, Lord Lovell," a .c jjaid, " To tho maritime caA-alree, To your grandam of the hoary head- To any ono but mo. I Tho door is not used to be open—ed With a cigarette for a key." !

THE SONG OF THE CZAR.

In a coat'Of mail, with an iron tail, ; I sit in my bomb-proof palace, ! With a steel-ribbed hat and a copper cravat I'm joyous, happy and careless, j With asbestoshose and brass underi clo'es I defy tho Nihilist shooter; j Oh, I noA'er shrink, in my jacket of sine, And my vest of copper and pewter. I sing merry tuneß in my steel pantaloons, So gay and so free from all dread.! No harm can reach mo. I'm happy ajnd free, With my water-proof hat on my Mead;

Value of Railroads and Canals.

Our raihvay system has played a most im portant parb in bhe development, jof bhe country ; in fact, ib is nob too much , o say that ib has rendered modern England possi ble. Bub its blessings have not been Avith" out their dra.vbacks. When the [railway era began we had a system, of internal water-carriage, rude and inadequate, indeed if measured by the Avants of to-day, but not discreditable to the period ab whicli ib was consbrucbed. In bhe ordinary course of bhings bhab canal sysbem Avould have de veloped Avibh the expansion of industry. Canals Avould h&A'e been Avidened, deepened, straightened and made fib for sbeam transit, thus supplying communications not equal in speed to those offered by the railway, but falling far shorb of them in costliness. The rapid growth of bhe raihvays, combined Avith the industrial start which enabled English manufacturers practically bo de mand their own prices in the foreign market, threw canals entirely out of bhe general movement. Generally speaking, they are bo-day what bhey Avere fifty years a<*o, and as a consequence are inadequate to cope with modern demands. It is, how ever, a remarkable testimony to their vitality that, in spite of neglect and of the deliberate hostility of the raihvay com panies, they noAV carry 50 per cent, more goods than they did Avhen the laihvay movement began. Just as men burned to the railway as a means of breaking doAvn a monopoly which the canal companies were charged Avibh using in bhe spirit of monopo lists, so does bhe industrial world uoav turn again bo canals as an escape from bhe boo poAverful raihvay inberesb. Our railway sysbem is magnificent, but ib is very costly. The expenditure per mile AA'as usually large to begin with,and it has gone on increasing year by year. The return upon raihvay stock could not be considered high had bhe capibal always been judiciously ex pended, bub ib is certain thab a very large proportion of bhe capibal of bhe railway companies represents .Taste ful or ineffective expenditure. At all events, be the history of the matter what ib may, the cost of internal carriage, although nob producing an excessi.-e remuneration for shareholders, presses wibh stifling Aveighb upon indusbry. Our application of science and capibal has yielded the gro tesque result bhat foreigners ab a great dis tance can beat our own producers out of bhe home market merely because they send their goods by sea while the home producer has bo send his by rail. The great interest and the lively hopes excibed by bhe Railway Regulations ill noAV before bhe House of Lords are due bo bhe widespread feeling bhab indusbry is mosb seriously handicapped by cost of bransib. Whatever-may be said on behalf of shareholders, the fact remains that this country, Avith high rates.of in ternal transport, is at a great disadvantage in competing with obher countries Avhere bhe rabes are loav. The. regulation'of rail way rates may do something to remove grievous anomalies, bub tbe only real remedy for the general costliness of a ser vice carried out Avibh A'cry expensive apparabus is bo develop and exbend bhe less expensive modes of communication which raihvays have'thrown into the back ground. Under stress of competition the railways may find means to reduce their charges without injuring their dividends, but Avithout competition they are likely to go on making the public pay for their blunders or their extravagance. The public I simply cannot afford to 3d t&is any longer. —" London Times." .

POETRY.

ANAXAGORIANISM.

"Nil prodest, quod non laedere possitide m." As cheering warmth and fierce consuming ire Are 'simultaneous attributes of fire; 8o sin and virtue ever seem to be Thejtwo chief factors in life's mystery. As night and starlight, as remorse and love,, As earth below, and heaven's expanse above, And as the larvee and the budding plant Are Of each other a concomitant; So good and evil—happiness and pain- Are necessary links in Nature's chain. Both are the children of the same great mothers Then why call fair the one, and dark the other? To some, good may be ill, and evil good; And: Avhat to thee is poison, others' food. Joys! are the garment oft of misery, And sin is oft life's glowing poetry. 0. E. Hugo.

THE FADED CROWN.

I crowned my queen on a Ijirone of roses, A wreath of violets on heir oroAV; The throne is vacant now for ever, Faded the summer violets now! And I see my dead, SAveet love for ever— The summer blossoms oii her brow.

I met mv love in the springtide glory, When hearts wero young, and love was true; I lost my queen avHIl the summer blossoms, When Avoods Avere green, and skies were blue; And my heart, still young. Avas loyal ever— My queen of love Avas ever true!

I sit by the throne for ever vacant, I hold in my hand the violet crown— And .1 know a queen, in r?gal splendour, In her new realm is looking doAvn; And she sees one avco;ling, ever and ever, And kissing the little faded crown.

Refrain.

.And, ever and ever, I see my darling. With i he summer blossoms on her brow, And I press to my heart in bitter wailing The little faded violets now.^ r

ROYALTY.

Out from the dust of ages, Out from the wreck of years, Fronting the woi-k of sages, Fronting the waste of. tears, Radiant, swift, immortal. Earth flings the soul of man, And shuts the radiant portal That hides creation's plan.

Here, Avith the gato behind him, Here in the narroAv path, Fronting the suns that blind him,- Fronting the Avinds of Avrath, Man, Avith his head uplifted, Man, Avith his hair outbloAvn, Virile and strong and gifted, Builds for himself a throne.

Say that the grave is waiting. Say that the shroud is white, Say that the strength of hating Owneth no victor's might. Earth, from the cycles olden, Holds for the life complete, Blossoms, and sunlight golden, ; Red lips and kisses SAveet.

Whose are the chains that fetter? Whose are the swords that bite? Masters, and yet no better Than men Avho brave the fight Earth bath no royal races, CiOAvns. yea, and Bvl'ords must breaK, When in the hidden faces Death finds the hearts that quake.

Why fear the nain that passes? Lo, birds will always sing; Yea, and the vernal grasses Wake Avith each Avaking spring; And from the silent sleeping

Strong groAv the Avenry eyes. Ere conies the upward sAvecping Far through tho distant skies.

Fronting the years that lengthen Liko some recurring chain Souls in life's combat strengthen, Conquering death a;nd pam; Battling in God-like ffishion Through ways tliat Bono have trod, Rise they, by noble passion, Up to the heights of God. Thomias S. Collier, in "Overland Monthly."

" Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting." I Wordsworth. Soul'! Thou bright and quenchless spark. Diamond of this nether.dark, ■- '• '"-'•* Riddle of all history. Riddle through all time to be. Pay; Avhence oam'sb thou 1 Wert thou bor« When tho naked babe, forlorn, Breaking from the imprisoning womb. Sought, this Avorld ol! light and gloom. Wort thou then in form and feature Fashioned an immortal creature? Or art thou the waif—the stray Of the ages hwept aAvay; Running, erst, untiring race O'er the boundless plains of space; Revelling in uncloying newness, Fleet as fancy and as Aiewless; Sometime doAvn tho Milky Way Where our sun scarce shoots a ray; Sometime urged in wild career Past the constellated Bear, , Down Avhere worlds in dread collision Met thy bold and reckless vision, O'er the rack of systems flying, Tameless, restless and undying? Whence I came, or whither bound, Hidden is in the night profound; ; For, since first my Avings Avere set Fast in Time's entangling net. Memory hath darkly slumbered With these heavy cords encumbered. . But, in visions still, I see Gleams of that Immensity Whence I came, and .vbither tend All mv footsteps to the end— • Gleams that from tbe maze of Doubt Guide my Avearied footsteps out; Till, once more, the Star of Faith, Shining o'er tho gates of Death, Bids mo of this truth besure : I.jereated, shall endure.i Death this lump of clay may shiver, Yet my light shall burn for ever. UH.

LITTLE PEOPLE.

Mother—Noav, Jimmy, pub on your boobs. I'm going to take you to the dentist's to have that tooth out. Jimmy—Oh, mobher! can't!l A.-aib bill after it's dark ? Mother— W 7hy . Jimmy—' Cos father said if you had your teeth taken out by gas ib clidn'b hurb. Little girl has jusb returned from markeb. —Mother — Well, Mary Ann, didn'b bhe bubcher have pig's feeb? Mary Ann - Oh, mamma, I Avenb ancl looked, but I could not see AA'hether he had pig's feeb or nob, for he had his boots on. . A little girl sat gazing fixedly ab bhe new bonneb of one of her mother's visibors, un til the caller smilingly asked : "Do you like it, my dear?" The child innocenbly replied: "Yes, I do. Mamma and Aunt Milly said it was a perfect fright, bubib doesn't frighten me a bit." One night mamma said, as she tucked in bed Her sweet little 5-year-old; " The Avinter drear has gone, my dear, Spring's come Avith its heart of gold." And when, the next day, he ran in from play A daffodil bright to bring, ~'._., ,_". " See, mamma,' he cried in his childish pride, "IS found the. heart of spring." BELLS, Hoav many kinda.of bells, And tbo message each one tells. Who knows. JAvho knows? The first bell says, " Get uji, get up!" The tea bell says, " Oh, come and sup! ■ ■ The .chool bell says, " Improve thy youth ; The church bell says, " Come hear the Truth"| The toll-bridge bell says, " Open the cates "; The door boll says. " A visitor Avaits "; The lire bell says, " Oh, run. men, run !" The ljioon bell says, " Hurrah for fun !'.' The sleigh bells say, " Come, take a ride"; ' The Wedding bells say, " Bless the bride "; The fog bell says, " BeAvai. ! beware!" The horse-car bell says, " _'ivc-cont fare "; The auction bell says, " Come and buy "; '■■ The llsh-man's bell says, •" Fish to fry " ; The play bell says, " Come sport, come mirth "; ri he Christmas bells say, " Peace on earth " ; The baker's bell says, " Hero's line bread "; The S-o'clock bell says, " Go 10 bed." I ...

A Joke on Disraeli.

In a | neAvly published life of the first Lord Lybtpn's Avife there is an account of a joke made by Rogers, the poeb, ab the expense of Disraeli the younger. Mrs Bulwer Avas sit ting [by bhe side of Rogers in the drawing room after a dinner party, AvhenDisraeli,Ayho had been lounging in a cane-seated chair, crossed the room, Avithhiscoat-bails,'asusual, over each arm, leaving his dark-green velvet adorables with bhe marks of bhe chair on them, fully visible. Rogers asked : " Who is thab ?" " Oh, young Disraeli, bhe Jew," answered Mrs Bulwer. "Rather' the Wandering JeAV, Avith the brand of ' Cane' on'him," said Rogers. '. ::..',,

THE' AUCKLAND" EVENING STAR; SATURDAY, JULY 9/ 1887.

3



A new patent medicine has found its Avay to our shores—Dr. Henley's extract of celery, beef, and iron—proved by the lead ing physicians of Europe and America to be nutritive and invigorating, while the iron is a tonic for the blood ancl food for the brain. Sharland and Co. are Avholesale agents. The extract can be had from all chemists.—[Advt.]. The Tidy Housewife.--The careful, tidy housewife, when giving her house its spring cleaning, should boar in mind that the dear in mates are more precious than bouses, tholr sys tem, need cleansing by purifying the blood, re gulating tVie stomach and bowels, and she should knoAV that there is nothing that will do it so surely as American Co.'s Hop Bitters, tne purest and best of all modicincs.