The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-06-05 00:00:00

4)ur Yombern Corresponbtrii
I [We deem it right to state that we do not at ill tlmeg
16111t1ty ourselves with our Correspondent's opinlolll.3

The day appointed for the official celebration of Her
Majesty's birthday is generally selected as one for the
announcement of honours for military, naval, or civil
services. Last year the Queen's third son, Prince
Arthur, was gazetted Duke of Connaught and Strath-
earn, the patent dating from the 24th of May, on
which day, in the year 1819, Her Majesty was born at
Kensington Palace. This time there were a number
of appointments to the most distinguished order of St.
Michael and St. George, one founded for the recog-
nition of merit in connection with services rendered in
the British colonies. As in the Bath and the Star of
India,
.there are three divisions—the Knight Grand
Cross, the Knight commander, and the Companion.
The distinction is one which is highly -prized, St.
George being the patron saint of England. His figure
on horseback, presented as holding a spear, and killing
the dragon, was first worn by the knights of the in-
stitution. By the way, the personal history of St.
George is a curious and an affecting one. He was a
tribune in the reign of Diocletian, and being a man of
great courage, was a favourite; but complaining to
the Emperor of his severities towards the Christians,
and arguing in their defence, he was put in prison and
beheaded, on the 23rd of April, in the year 290.
It has been remarked as a singular thing connected
with the prosiest occupations of life that they often
gather about themselves an atmosphere of poetry—a
sort of weird fascination which it is difficult to account
for, and equally hard to describe. As surely as a spar
flung into the sea will, within a reasonable time,
become covered with a coating of shells and weeds, so
surely will every institution and calling, provided that
it manages to endure, get overgrown with legend and
romance. Let us look for a moment at our old friend
the barber. The occupation is a prosy one, but there
Is no trade in the world which has been more associated
with tradition, or more laden with anecdote. It is
recorded that the hr,t batber which was brought from
Sicily to Rome shaved the renowned Scipio Africanus,
after he had totally defeated the Carthagenian army.
We have been assured that all things change, but this

cannot be true as applied to the barber. In ancient
Rome, the barber's shop was the favourite lounge;
J.. there all the gossip of the capital was retailed, and
.4i. half of it invented. To a certain extent this is true
1.4" of the barber's shop of or. r own time and country. A
loquacious barber had a good rap on this score once
„ from Sydney Smith, the witty canon of St Paul's.
"How would you like your hair done, sir ? " asked the
tradesman. "In silence, if you please," was the signi-
-"-i'i-fieant rejoinder. Sir Richard Steele had, however,
• Wit ,
great affection for his hair-dresser, and a rich man
once left all he was possessed of to his barber, in order,
as he explained, that it might be said of him truly
enough, that he had left a weeping wife and children
behind.
Statistics have been given at various times, gathered
from thermometrieal readings, to show the intense
coldness of the past winter. Perhaps as telling a fact
as any-is that during the first four months of the pre-
sent year the importation of coal into London was
350,000 tons in excess of the quantity sent on to the
metropolis from the collieries in the corresponding
, period of 1874. The average consumption of coal in
• . the British capital every year is five million tons, or
• ' about a ton and a half for every human being in the
place.
Parliament has sometimes been compared to the
0 trunk of an elephant. It is capable of picking up a pin
or rending an oak; it can disestablish a church, and it
can interfere by legislative enactment to protect a
feathered songster from the snare of the fowler. From
the 16th of .March'until the Ist of August a statute is
in force to protect wild birds from trappers and other
of their human enemies. The protection is not uni-
versal; indeed, one might almost wish that it were.
There seems no reason why all small birds should not be
protected from indiscriminate slaughter, at least during
the period of incubation and rearing. The Act to which
I refer embraces a selection of eighty different kinds, in-
cluding the best known varieties of our singing birds,
and as a matter of fact does comprise a number which are
known only to naturalists and ornithologists. In the
list there are, however, three omissions which are of a
somewhat remarkable character. The blackbird, the
thrush, and the skylark are left to the tender mercies
of the birdcatchers, and from the best evidence it may
be seen that the mercies of these people, at all events
in the neighbourhood of London, are not to be relied
upon.

The free opening of the Tower on two days in the
week is a privilege which is highly appreciated by the
people of London as well as by the thousands who
come up to the metropolis for a week or fortnight in
any of those numerous excursions which now run to
the metropolis from all parts of the provinces. There
Is always a considerable crowd at the entrance gates,
and as the days on which the building is open free are
those most devoted to holiday engagements—Monday
and Saturday, there is very often considerable delay
in getting in. On a popular Bank Holiday, such as
Easter or Whit-Monday, it is not uncommon for
4,01;0 or 5,000 persons to assemble at the gates; and
as only a comparatively small number is admitted at
once, a large proportion often wait for hours and at
length go awag, hopeless of obtaining admission on a
bee day at all.

Has it ever occurred to any of your readers to notice
the difference between the men of the river and they ,
of the running path? Both are athletes, and train and
contend in the similar trials of a race; yet there is
very little sympathy and fellow-feeling between the
two sorts of muscular Christians. It is, however, at
the Universities more than in London that the repute
of the runner is distanced by the fame of aquatic
rivals. But even in the metropolis a man must be
quite a first-rate performer on the path to achieve a
notoriety equal to that of the second-rate oar. For
this surbordinate position of the Olympian amateur
turf a variety of reasons may be assigned. First and
foremost, no doubt, there is the consideration of anti-
quity. Winners at Henley and at Oxford were famous
long before anyone had heard of the "four-mile
champion," or the victor in the "inter-university
hurdles." Even the Oxford and Cambridge boat
race was a quarter of a century before advancing
to the dignity of a national event. But there is
another and a better reason for the superior honour
awarded to tins aquatic fraternity. In nine cases out
of ten the oarsman rows for a cause, in behalf of a
college, university, or at least a club. People do not
so much want to know the names of the winners as
the colour which is victorious. Has light or dark
blue won. But at an ordinary athletic meeting
the name is everything, and the description is
nothing. What is true of the race applies also
to the training. There is no esprit de corps;
no reliance of one man in the good faith
of his fellow; no abstention from forbidden
luxuries in deference to the weaker brethren. Conse-
sequently the running man has not the pride in his
discipline which is conspicuous in the oarsman. Thus
it happens that running men and rowing men,
naturally as it might be supposed close brothers in
arms, are really distinct and almost hostile classes.

When some startling figures are sometimes pro-
duced' to prove any particular conclusion, it is perhaps
said that they are notoriously deceptive, without a
consideration of attendant circumstances. Statistics
have lately been printed, showing the physique of the
army, which tell a singular tale. On the Ist of
January there were 4,650 men in the ranks having a
chest measurement of 33 inches, 15,768 between 33 and
34 inches, and 31,193 between 31 and 35 inches. In
other words we had '61,611 soldiers with chests under
35 inches, as against 12.5,426 above that limit. In
analyzing the return it appears somewhat remarkable
that in the Household Cavalry, which is popularly be-
lieved to consist entirely of stalwart giants, there
were, at the date of this return, six men under 33
inches of chest measurement, 17 between 33 and 31
inches, and 19 between 31 and 35. But the statistics
given in connection with the Foot] Guards are still
more surprising, and show that these men, presumed
to have been picked from the flower of the army, con-
tain a considerable proportion of very slender figures.
It has become a common complaint against London
theatrical managers that the mountin,g of a piece is
often more thought of than the goodness of the play
or the ability of the actors. There must be a certain
magnificence of accessory scenic display, and striking
costume; and these things invariably so dazzle an
audience, that they do not consider how inferior is the
Play, and how worthless the acting. Critics tell us
that this is one of the bad effects of the French stage
upon the English. At the same time it is well to note
that the deleterious effects which we attribute to Paris,
Paris attributes to London. In other words, the
complaint, whether well or ill founded, might seem
more justly credited to the general luxury of the age
than to any foreign influence. There is little doubt
that the cause is not a local one--that it belongs to
the period, and not to any particular place. The
difference between the two capitals is this—that while
scenic magnificence in London is a luxury, in Paris it
is a necessity.
The discussions which have taken place in Parlia-
ment upon the working of the Savings Bank system
have incidentally shown the progress of thrift amongst
the people. According to tha latest return, which in-
cluded penny banks, charitable institutions, and
friendly societies investing their funds with savings
banks, there were a million and a half accounts, repre-
senting in round figures forty millions sterling. In
the Post Office Savings BAnks alone the amount was
£21,000m0, these institutions having tripled their
clients, and quadrupled their business, in ten years.
Their ProsPeritY 128 A advanced 'with rapid strides, and

it would seem almost safe to predict that before long
the Post Office will absorb very nearly the entire
business the security offered by the Government,
small though it is, being apparently preferred to a
larger amount on the responsibility of a private under-
taking.
If the art of Cookery does not become honourable and
fashionable in this country it will not be the fault of
those high in authasity at the South Kensington
Museum. A determined movement has been-made to
establish a permanent and popular school of culinary
science. The ladies, too, have taken the matter up
with great heartiness. They go to work in this way.
After some preliminary experiments a room is rented,
or rather a suite of rooms, which, under the super-
intendence of a committee, has been fitted up with
extensive appliances. The lessons are twofold, and
for each clam there is a separate apartment, or hall,
The pupils attend first the " demonstration " class,
observe the actions of the practical cooks, endue drafted
in due course to the "practice" room, where they are
expected to put into execution the hints which they
ha -e picked up in the other room. Here those who
were previously exponente become critics and judges;
and there is a keen and interesting competition between
the lady- amateurs in the class and the bona fide and
professional cooks. Fashion does wondiars-a-and :if the
ladies will only persist in so meritorious-lc cpuse, their
example cannot but spread downward's' !,remongat the
ranks of the working classes, vi_heibn improved
system of cookery is greatly to be desired an promoted
in every possible way.
CAPTAIN BOYTON'S CHANNEL TRIP.
The Times of Monday gives the following account of Cap-
tain Boyton's second, and successful, attempt to cross the
Channel in his life-saving dress
On Thursday [in last week] he left Boulogne for a
small VillaZO near Cape Grisnez, and took up his
quarters at a little inn. About half-past 2 a.m. on
Friday he proceeded to the water-side. At that hour
the Prince Ernest approached the French coast, having
been placed at his disposal by the directors of the
, South-Eastern Railway Company. She had left Fol-
kestone at one o'clock with about sixty representatives
of the English, French, and American press on
bard, together with nearly twenty private guests.
The vessel was under the command of Captain
Dane, to whose complete knowledge of the tides
and currents of the Channel Captain Boyton
gratefully attributes a great portion of his success.
When within about half a mile from the Cape, a boat
left the steamer for the shore, where a large bonfire
had been ignited. The boat, however, could not get
through the surf, the consequence being that Mr.
..INL P. Boy ton was unable to communicate with his
brother before he commenced his journey; but he re-
mained in the boat until exactly three o'clock French
time, when a rocket from the beach indicated that Cap-
tain Boyton had entered the water. Presently he was
distinguished, through the thin mist, paddling steadily
in the direction of the small boat which was to be
rowed in front of him during his journey. At a quarter
past four Captain Boyton came alongside the steamer,
the passengers cheering him heartily. About six
o'clock a feeling of drowsiness came over him, and con-
tinued more or less until eleven o'clock. 'When hailed
from the steamer, however, he replied cheerfully and
made no complaint. At a quarter to eight he hoisted
his little sail, but found that, in the absence of any
wind, it was of no service to him. No incident of any
interest occurred until eleven o'clock, when Captain
Dane ascertained that he was feeling sleepy and rather
stiff. Upon this Dr. Howard conveyed to him half
a pint of strong green tea and :soz. of *beef sand-
wiches. The tea revived him, and he paddled
on with almost automatic regularity. At a
quarter to one p.m. he approached the steamer and
reported "All welL" After this he made fair progress
under sail which had done him good service since ten
o'clock. In the course of the afternoon the steamer
Victoria, gaily dressed with bunting, came up and
saluted him. About three o'clock there was a tolerable
strong wind, but it did not adversely affect the tra-
veller. After four o'clock he again experienced the
flood tide, and was carried in the direction of the light-
ship at the south end of the Goodwin Sands, with a
shoreward tendency. He had since eleven o'clock
taken nothing but a second lot of tea and another
three ounces of sandwiches; but, to judge from
his ceaseless paddling and his replies to ques-
tions, his strength was not diminished. Night
was fast closing in when the Dover ' lifeboat
brought the intelligence that he was about six
miles from the shore between Dover and the
South Foreland Lighthouses, and that when the tide
turned, at nine o'clock, he would have the advantage
of an ebb current. Captain Boyton Was rather
disappointed at this intelligence, having imagined
that be was nearer the end of his journey. By
means of his sail, which bad been taken down for a
time, he made fair headway, only occasionally
ceasing to work his paddle in order to give his arms
and wrists a short rest. At half-past nine he had
a supper of tea and sandwiches, and an hour after-
wards three gentlemen came up in a small rowing boat,
with the congratulations of the members of the Royal
Cinque Ports Yacht Club and of the Dover Rowing
Club on his having got so far. All doubts as to his
success had by this time been dissipated. The current
was slowly but surely taking him towards the cliffs,
which could be seen by the aid of the Foreland lights.
Some local fishermen indicated to Captain Boyton a
spot where he could land without risk, and at 2.38, or
within twenty-two minutes of a twenty-four hours'
battle with the waves and currents of the Dover
Straits, he landed a few hundred yards on the west
side of the South Foreland. A rocket was fired from
the boat which conveyed him, and the steamer dis-
played coloured port-fires.
After a very brief delay, Captain Boyton was taken
from the shore to the Prince Ernest. He seemed to
have suffered very little from his prolonged exposure.
The doctor found his temperature to be only one
degree above its normal condition, while the pulse
beat at the rate of 72 a minute. He was divested of
his dress and wrapped in hot blankets the steamer
having in the meantime started for Folkestone. As
the Prince Ernest passed the Dover Admiralty Pier a
salute of 11 guns was fired, and the cheers of a number
of persons who had assembled there in the expecta-
tion of welcoming him were faintly heard by those on
deck. Folkestone was reached at four o'clock.
Having taken a few hours' sleep, Captain Boyton
received the congratulations of a large number of per-
sons, and found in the course of the morning that the
news of his exploit had reached all parts of the king-
dom. Telegrams came in batches, and were all com-
plimentary. The most welcome one, however, was
one from General Ponsonby, despatched from Balmo-
ral, and addressed to Mr. M. P. Boyton. It ran to
the following effect :—" I have received your telegram
announcing your brother's safe arrival, which I have
given to the Queen, who commands me tolet you know
that Her Majesty is much pleased to hear the news.
Mr. F. Knollys wired from Marlborough House a
message to Captain Boyton, in which he said
"The Prince of Wales desires me to convey his cordial
congratulations to you on your success." During the
morning Captain Boyton receivtd an invitation from
Dover to pay that town a visit. He arrived while the
troops of the garrison, under the command of Major.
General Parke, C. 8., were celebrating Her Majesty's
birthday by firing a feu de joie, and met with a cordial
reception. He was taken by Mr. W. Forster, the
Belgian Vice-Consul, to the Royal Clinque Perts
Yacht Club, and thence to luncheon at the Maison
Dieu Hall. His health having been drunk, he said
that he was proud at having performed so unprece-
dented a feat, but no amount of money would induce him
undertake it again. He was, however, repaid for the
labour it had cost him by the reflection that he had
practically demonstrated the value of the apparatus.

Captain Boyton was afterwards taken in a special
train to Folkestone, and entertained at dinner by the
directors of the South Eastern Railway Company. In
the absence of Sr Edward Watkin, the chair was
taken by the Hon. James Byng, the deputy chair-
man; and after the toasts' "The Health of the
Queen," "The Health of the Prince of Wales," and
"The Army, Navy, and Volunteers," had been pro-
posed and responded to,

The Chairman proposed "The Health of Captain
Boyton," the announcement of which was received
with prolonged cheers. The Chairman apologised
for the absence of Sir Edward Watkin, who, he
said, would have been present had time admitted
of his coming from London, where he was staying.
He regretted the absence of Sir Edward, more because
he had taken so much interest in and had been so
anxious that Captain Boyton's trip across the Channel
should be crowned with Success; and again, Sir
Edward Watkin was so well known to the people of
Folkestone, and so agreeable would he have been in the
chair, that he (the chairman) could only feel that the
party were deprived of much pleasure by his absence.
However, the toast was " The Health of Captain
Boyton." (Cheers.) He was a brave man, and Eng-
lishmen looked upon him not with jealousy, but as a
brother and son. (Cheers.) He held in his hand a brief
history of the career of the captain, by which he saw
that he had always distinguished himself by humane
deeds. When he was but a youth of fourteen he
courageously saved the life of a young man who was
near drowning, and at the age of sixteen he had dis-
tinguished himself, like the good St. Bernard dogs, by
the pleasure he took in saving We. He had in his
time saved the lives of no less than seventy human
Wings. At that age he was appointed the chief of the
Atlantia Life-saving Institution, and while before his
appointment the loss of life by accident was a constant
occurrence, strange to say, during the time Captain
Bayton held that office not a single life was lost.
(Cheers.) It was in course of his connection with that
institution that he ccnceived the idea ot making the
tire's the efficacy of which they had all seen, and in
which he was sure no one could have a doubt it would
be the means of saving thousands of lives, and he was
sure that every Englishman would rejoice to hear of
Captain Boyton's successful voyage. He (the chair.
man) was proud to have the pleasure of proposing
his health and prosperity. The toast was drunk with
cheers.
Captain Boyton was, upon rising to reply, received
with prolonged applause. He said—Mr. Chairman
and Gentlemen, I am indeed grateful for this mark of
your kindness towards ma. I am not much of a speech-
maker about things in general, but I can talkabout swim-
ming. (Cheers and laughter.) I could say anything about
that. (Renewed laughter.) I will, however, try to
express, assbest I can my appreciation of the kindness
I have received from'Englishinen. I think there is no
doubt that I have this time been successful in, crossing
your Channel. In my first attempt I failed. (Cries of
"No, no.") Yes, I failed to reach the shores of France;
but I don't quite think it was altogether my own
fault, because I guess that if I had had a man with me
like Captain Dane I should have been allowed to con-
tinue my journey, and he would have carried me safely
into port. I should like to sail with Captain Dane, I
guess, anywhere, or swim with him if he likes. (Cheers
and laughter.) I can only tell you, gentlemen, that
my sole object in crossing your Channel was humanity
alone (cheers), and now that I have accomplished it I
am satisfied, and I don't think there is money enough
in all Enema(' that would tempt me to do it again. After
the trip I found myself tolerably warra-71tinety-nine

degrees (laughter) whieh is pretty high, but in my
voyage, mind you, I did not place myself as a ship-
wrecked man would do in my dress. He would natu-
rally lie to, and wait to be picked up. He would not
steer as I did for any particular point • but my only
way was to go right at it, and do it, and show what cant
be done in my dress. (Cheers.) I have shown you
what can be done, but I guess I won't do it
(Laughter.) Captain Dane was very encouragi
the way he told me it was only three miles from
when it must have been almost three times

or by "Cheer, boys' cheer!" Tbpre is more vivacity
in and aboutAhe Discovery thalirs the case with
the A/ge That popular vocalist and merry fellow,
Mr. Alm Bunyan, is of the crew of the Discovery,
and'has for a shipmate Mr. Zmerson, who likewise
has a keen sense of humour. "Mr. Bunyan is doing
his honest best to promote hilarity on board of the
Discovery, and fun sparkles from the merry twink-
linkeyes set in his comical round bullet-head, Mr.
Bunyan has stowed away the assortment of green
vegetables, but still retains the baby in the tartan
wl, to which unconscious innocent he is addressing
comic counsel of a singularly miscellaneous character.
The youthful scion of the race of Bunyan' it appears,
is three months old to a day, and is much addicted to
sleep, an attribute in which we are informed it takes
after its male parent when at the same tender age. It
is not difficult to discern that th; ol Mr.

PA.RIS le-ST Oft)).
, .
Mr. John Leighton writes to The Times :
"In 1871, while Paris was smouldering in a hundred
places and Communists were being hourly arrested,
you did me the honour to insert a letter, which you
entitled, 'Saved from the Wreck.' .13:laving been
over much of ,the same ground I ntete what has
been done in `the way of reconstru nf Portions
of the Palace of the Tuileries arid--the Hotel de
V lie are still in ruins. The Pavilions next the
Louvre are completed as before w- The 7alaoe'porEto,
is to be rebuilt after a different desigal by the
architect, Philibert de L'Orme. It will have ope.
arcades below, through which the Champs Elysees are
to be seen. A route traversing the gardeii.g,lose to the
Palace will unite tlicS' Rieb Castiglione vnt'Et the Pout
d'Orsai. The Hotel de Ville will occupy the same site
as before, an entirely new Renaissance design havin
been prepared for its re-erection by.....13a11u an
'tel. - The work is expected to-take about six
ears, The .space, once- occupied ,-by the Ministry of.
finance bag betildifor.the erection of private houses
ni brlei 'that the Rue de Rivpli might be COAIVIJ,
-T-he7Pavilitnr:4ilr-ttre Lltiiiie'ficing the`Plate ditCPElkik
R0y:41;443.4:013e.-Art Library-was burnt, ialoeing
tore refo_Yal'ertfa4etlias been finiaied as
e ace orthe-nekion of Honour Wks brae
earliest renotated, -and the damage vit the
e.3ll.uititre- isi ade good. The Foreign ',Office
.(464414..'.. ough the Conseil d'Etat ai still
, ruin. ' f the •chii 4hes Notre J/Qa has regently
fh4d 200,4160fir'.aplipt up 814,; ft, In& St . Uttache ik still
4.4.der rep 1Alr: ' 07 the theatres, the P 164 St. Martin
ti:s now teen built so.time, while an entirely/ new
*tßo. i4laticeoed6upies the space of thelcafes
.. . .
Pairli Idj
4ousps aoiiilng,i • Avirltaillre. Lyrioue; too,
.'fi3,rilatbied." Of , the columns, ' that hverthroiin in
the Place -Vendome rears :1W head -me 413fel and
p.Peparettiiknist tiiie iiettlentSciel tó '.scrotoli ' it.. '' ith the
statue.:.ls.y .111o•.Dnuntiont, al 134,fore.'' T_Ag . .00 *Mn of
J".111'.• ..Oir tiVe "PiacVde In BlistillbrW fiatt,si base
-mended. Of "fountajor,,theChaileMedigiii;"firJ4que-
mard, is scarcely- finished, the detaile havingi;been
altered and:the:PholO iniiircried,i'lt)itiffered se-vverely,
as also: that pg tike Plase de-1.. CenoVe; though f the
'Stir was 80.014X,PlAcfgitr, A. new figure of Strasbourg
occupies the •angle eloa-bY ; it was re-cut from the ori-
ginal model .by Le Queens, a xiapil,ltot Pradier;- its
sculptor.... -At SVDenis . work*, gm in -progress. ! St.
-Cloud will poimibly'repiain a gaunt record of destruc-
tion. The cutting of new boulevards seems to have
been abandoned--at least, for a time. In a few years
Paris will appear much as before, though, of course,
.internally , the: treasures lost to it can never be re-
placed."

now
ictio

same

[From Punch.]
WAITING TO ..)3EWON.
H.M. Ships Alirt ri;zel Discovery, CAPTAIe NARES and
STRVENsoN, sailed for the Arctic Regions, May 29, 1875.
At her feet the Frozen Ocean, round her head the Auroral
Lights,
Through cycles, chill and changeless, If Aix muuth-days and
nights,
In her bride-yell, fringed with icicles, and of the snowdrift
spun,
Sits the White Ladye of the role, still waiting to be won.

What suitors for her palace-gates have hoisted daring
Though eye of man has never seen the face behind her
.8o long sighed tor, so 'hard served for, as this Queen,

_
•
never none,
•
Since the days of brave adventure and true service
begun.

To her feet their Norse -blood urging sent the Vikin
throng,
Byrnie on back anclotain fist, in their war-drakes swift
strong:
There, bleaching on her threshold, lie the bones of a 1..,
and men, • .
With Red Eric that sailed Vinlaiadwards, ne'er,to steer son
again.
•
To her cold threshold galliots of the Zuyder-Zee made way,
With brave BARENTZ, sturdy suitor, that would not be sai
nay;
He set his heart to win her hand—but only saw, afar,
The glimmer of her wan white veil beneath the Polar Star.
Di‘thesteps of those Dutch suitors, English Captains, blithe
and bold,
Since the spring-tide of good QUEEN BESS, faced fog and ice
and cold;
FROEISHER, GRENVILLE, HUDSON, and BAFFIN, souls of steel,
In quest of the Ice-Maiden urging North each pigmy keel.
As the desert tract is measured by the wrecked ships Of the
sand.*
So bleaching bones of men and hulls from berg and hutn-
mock stand, -
To tell where in some high, het, heart the Ice-wind's numbing
breath
Chilled the wild blood coursing eager for that Bride of Snow
and Death.
But still the white Witch-Malden, that sits above the Pole,
In the snow-bound silver silence whose cold quell* aught blit
soul,
Draws manly hearts with strange desire to lift her icy veil.:
The bravest still have sought her, and will seek, whoever
fail.
if England's flag yet leads • the quest, crowding sail close
behind
Our Western Brethren give their Stars and Stripes unto the
wind;
On the faint tracks of Red Eric, follow Norsemen of his kin;.
And Saxons tough, for Fatherland new conquests keen to
win.
On, on, to the weird ice-world, where, the winner's prize, sits
she;
An untrod land about her feet, washed by an unsailed sea;
And what though FRANKLIN'S, CROZIER'S, steps have left
their icy track,
All pointing northwards, northwards—none ever leading
back?
Not our last, nor yet our bravest, is this band the quest that
dares,
Though brave are they that sail to-day With STEVENSON and
NARES,
And amid God-speed iti.clblessing upon all and every one,
Steer north in quest of that White Queen, who still waits tO
be won!
* Punch need hardly remind his readers that the caravan
routes in the Desert are bordered by the skeletons of the
camels which have sunk under their loads.

'CENTRAL CHAMBER of AGRICULTURE.
A meeting of the Central Chamber of Agriculture
was held in London, on Tuesday morning, at the
Salisbury Hotel, under the presidency of Lord
Hampton.
The report of the local taxation committee was pre-
sented by Mr. Pell, M.P., which congratulated the
members on the announcement of the Chancellor of
the Exchequer that the government proposed to deal'
with that liability of Imperial funds to bear the cost of
administering justice which was asserted in the re-
solution of Sir Massey Lopes. They were glad to
learn that legislation was promised by the President
of the Local Government Board in the matter of ,
valuation, assessment, and boundaries. They noted .
also the prominent though tardy adhesion of a
former distinguished opponent to many of the
arguments they had so long urged as to the
unfair and impolitic exemption of personal in-
come from various local liabilities and they could
not but regard the debate pa contributing to correct
and improve public -opinion, and is a parliamentary
acceptance of the principles for which they had long
contended. The report of the select committee on the
Continuance of .Turnpike trusts, now issued, again
directed attention to the necessity for speedy and
general legislation. It might be hoped that their re-
presentations would induce the Government to set on
foot with as little delay as possible those schemes of
local organization which were so intimately connected
with the provision of better areas for road management
and a more equitable appointment of the cost of road
maintenance.

The report having been formally adopted, the
council proceeded to consider the subject of the "ad-
ministration of the Poor-law, its cost and consequences,
in connection with out-door relief in the rural dis-
tricts," and upon this Mr. Stanton mOv4d, "That in
the opinion of this council it is desirable to apply to
the whole country the principle which has been found
successful in diminishing pauperism in the Metropolis,
by distributing the cost of indoor relief aver a
larger area than a union, while leaving the burden
•
of out-door relief to be borne as before; and that
this object would be best achieved by grant-
ing a subvention from the Exchequer of 2s. per
head per week for every pauper inmate of a union
workhouse, the management of which was certified
by a government inspector to be up to the required
standard of efficiency. This would turn the scale
in favour of indoor relief; local taxation would be
lightened, and economy promoted.' He argued that
outdoor relief was excessive and lavish expenditure
under this head always tended to increase pauperism
and at the same time to reduce the wages of the work-
ing people, and suggested three courses which might
be adopted, the first of which win the appointment of
a paid chairman to all boards of guardians, with para-
mount •control over the expenditure of unions, the
second to charge the indoor relief over a larger area;
and the third, the subvention of 2.4. per head per week,
as mentioned in the resolution. This latter course he
considered the most practicable.aptd.mpo lik4y,to.be
carried out.
- ,
The motion was seconded 14 Mr. Caldecott, who
was able to bear testimony •to the difficult which
existed in working the relief sYstemlhoroughly and
effectually, so as at the saiee' time to reduce pauper-
ism.
The Rev. W. Bury thought that the resolution did
not go far enough, believing that in boards of guardians
there was not only a false economy bgt a false charity 4
existing, and that the ivliole root of the evil, and the
real source of the demoralisation of the poor, 'and even
the demoralisation of ' -these ' who adininistered the
relief, was td be found in the opportunity given them
of giving out-door relief. He moved as an amendment,'
"That it is expedient to revert more nearly to the
principles laid down by the Poor Law Commissioners
in 1833, with a view to the ultimate 'abolition of out-
doer relief."
Mr. Turner seconded the amendment, which is in
effect the same as the motion to be brought forward in,
the House by Lord Lyttelton.
Mr. Bremmer, as a guardian of 35 years standing,.
thought that by degrees they should endeavour to.
reduce outdoor relief, and that ,this could best be done-i
by refusing all relief to able-bodied men. ./

alnlk
,ciun;
his NM
hid
qfal:
no 7
*am,
falli
I,

Mr. Harkell having expressed.an.opinion that the
•itrig,in4 resolution was sufficient to effect the desired
objeck:Mr. W. W. Beach, M.P., said that the resolu-
tion and amendment were not inconsistent in them-
selves, but whilst the former was practical the latter '
was only theoretical. He thought that out-door relief'
should be checked as much as possible, but at the
same time it would be unjust to lay down a hard and
fast rule for all. The present system of outdoor relief
was a great temptationto improvidence, and the opera- '
tions of friendly societies were much checkedlby indis; .1
criminate relief.

Mr. Lowndes gave it as hisQpinoitthatUñtoi
and not poverty should be the legal claim fi* relief:
and that indoor relief iihaild be the rule pad out-door
OLI 1, •., 11.1
relief the exception.

Mr. George Turner agreed as to the necessity for
paid
.chairmen of ,unions, ps local influences, which
were too often brought tp j3e%T. up94l ke,lPActiawso Fen;
rderol isn'ihdePetiaeiit'olilarman very clearable.

On Sunday the Emperor of Austria was present at
the formal opening of navigation in the new channel of the
Danube.

PPS
TH

_
MR. ROEBUCK ON , E "SCIENCE OF
THRIFT."
Commenting on Mr. Roebuck's excellent advice to working
mei) on the importance of cultivating the habit of "Thrift,'
the Daily News, in a leader, writes :
Mr. Roebuck has been talking to the working men,
porters, stokers, engine-drivers, . and so on, who are
members of .two Rail Way Savings Banks, and, in
the course of his speech, he made two moral remarks
of considerable value and interest. His object was
only to encourage the praiseworthy thrift of the arti-
fang who 14 something by out of their "pittance of
: ; but the nature of his subject very soon brought
back to one of the main questions in moral phil-
There are some people who sneer at this
a--deny- that it is a-science at all ;.there
are 'o, who complicate it with physical and
metaphygical inquiries, and others who study
it as developing with" the changes hi society;
but everyone is -obliged to return to -It,
and again even in such a simple maer as Savings
Banke.:lir. Roebuck wished to 'ia,ancl .fryeryone
must agree with him; that the*artisan-iilio laid un a
~j,i,ptle money, sayl. a othilling /i4Viedlc,--iikalhst-,
.tdrriVar doing his duty, was a credit to,,his- co ntry;
.; .. an altment Of strengthinltAr proat,erity. T is led
.li,‘ on thfiehiaCkri Whh ic' mean ttiat the Cardinal irtue
is ---•thrift;-' and that the essence of virtue lies i the
refusal of present pleasure with an eye to • tura-
reward. These are viewa ,w,bieh may. be dis ted,
though "-a-little of them will do a man no h rm' "
as the' cautious undergraduate said when exa ined
as to the view which the Church of E land
' ...., of
_good works. Bit it. itijleonore easy to
le ofS',,tae4l,,a; p,.IA .he's• who contest'
_._ ...addles opinion that-nn artiian who keeps
within his incoquid puts by something out td itii,
pert. lig a-Rpyla difault•taelc tipitr..thiltich map, oP.
ffl.6'...lite"to middle' -fortune" bern,".svho achievlfs the
same feta".'.4T.gret iitYeall* seniatihing heroic 14 tbe..
self-denial whiclrfeedgrelothes, ekcQ,tes a family on-
Wilk* Veil ty- five shillings a weelealidthas a shilling'
' over nt the en‘V.Such drift imPies tlat 'most constant
and watchful), psre, ,anclaiyairable carelessness of
n pll.„
the mere deeoratios and p aythingia'of existence. --A.;
itnplies ohjk of-the rarest `qualities -ill' the world? fi'
Bttialij iitiv. of iite, a clear, estimate, of its genuine,
vine, a
~conap ate refusak.of its tenipOtions. ICon- •
eag,„_the other siile,rthe -shiftless melancholy of
i an, afflicted perion. "tVith'i‘ ebitipetence of £3,000 a
year, Who lately - wrote to 1‘ conteMporary to corn-'
plain that though he had no children, did not bet,
did not buy china,' did not give many dinners, did
not take a mTert he could not make both end
meet.: The fact is that, the artisan and.the rich man
i resemble each other n one point, -*they can only
retrench -by acts of self-denial on a. large, a heroic,
scale. They estimate the demands made on their
resources, and they strike out one item, a pair of
hunters, a carriage, in the one case, or some solitary
luxury in the other. The working man who has a
family and who saves must throw away the keys of the
gates of what a French poet calls artificial para-
dises." ' The contemplative repose that tobacco in-
duces, the momentary high spirits and sense of
strength, wit, good-humour, which beer can give, are
not for him. He must make up his mind to cut these
two. items out of his budget, he must make this
"great refusal," and then perhaps he has done his.
, best, and the smaller details of housekeeping may.
I left to his wife. This process needs a strong will, but
3 it can be carried out, and the poor man, like the veil
it rich man, may economise, once for all, in greatri
things. ,
When people of middle fortune find that they must.
1r retrench, the process seems to be more difficult in fact,
id and it is not hard to show theoretically that it neces.i."
sarily must be so. People with perhaps a thousand si,
Is year have no one great economy that they can practise,- ,
and one after another their little economies break down.
' They are caught in the net of custom, struggle as they
will, Perhaps they determine always to travel by the
Metropolitan itailway,-forsivearing hansoms, and they.
do so for a month. This effort of virtue then produces
that comfortable sense of self approval, that exuberant
self-o-ratulation of the consciencawhich some moralists
look on as the best reward of the virtuous, or as people
would say now-a-days, a the Higher Life. In the
peaceful repose of his heart, the economist feels
that he owes virtue a treat, and he buys some old
Worcester, with the square mark, or an Aldine Livy,
or falls into some other such snare. Now this not only
swallows up far more than the trivial gains of small
self denials, but it gives an impulse to a reckless state
of mind, which once started may lead a man to find
out the misery predicted by Mr. Micawber for persons
who, having twenty pounds a year, spend twenty
pounds and sixpence. Then there comes another re-
action, another small effort, and then folly re•
gains her sway. It is found to be easier
to support the vague sense of distant, though
nearing financial trouble, easier to bear what Mr.
Disraeli calls the ignoble melancholy of pecu-
niary embarrassment, than to look 'Mice at every
shilling, and ponder deeply over every eat) fare.
This natural and painful condition of things is the
modern tragedy of frivolity. The Greek world found
its tragedy centre in Prometheus, the struggler with
the Gods; the middle ages are recognized in Dr.
Faustus, with his limitless desire of knowledge and of
pleasure, the chief figure in the drama of their world.
Some moderns have passed the Titanic stage of human
warfare; Pecunia is the only Goddess with which they
wrestle'; they have ceased to be so very much absorbed
in knowledge, because they doubt if there is anything
worth finding out; their rdie in the play of existence,
their tragic attitude, is that of one who tries to make
both ends meet, and to get as much pleasure and free-
dom, and display as may be, into his little day. It
may not seem a very heroic battle; though a perpetual,
it is rather a degrading one.
From these practical details of the economic life it
is a far cry to Mr. Roebuck's definition of virtue, in
language very like Paley's, as "the forbearance of
present pleasure in the hope of future reward." When
we have reached this ethical summit and looked about
us, and considered from this pinnacle the world of prac-
tice, things do not seem to be made clearer or easier.
In the first place, of course, the "future reward" of
temporal prosperity is doubtful and distant. The per-
son who keeps his eye on a dim possible future of health
and wealth falls under the weight of Mr. Browning's
argument against living like a traveller who puts out
fur in France because he is going to Russia, and thin
raiment in Russia because he is making for India.
Even at its best, the spiritual impulse of tho idea of
" Rewaid "is not a very thrilling one. Great actions,
or even a succession of small actions, are seldom done
or perseliered in with an eye to recompense. A more
spiritual and quickening impulse is needed. We must ,
see that our lives are penetrated and animated by the l
desire of perfection in any of its forms, religious or
moral, such as the desire to be at one with the world's
laws or the Divinawill, or workers in the tardy and
creeping *progress of the race. All these sentiments
demand faith of one sort or another; all rest in a trust
in things not seen. In Miss Edgewortla's story,
an early moral lesson which used to be administered to
youth, Rosamond prefers the pleasure of sight, given
by a purple jar, to the more sold delight of a new pair
of shoes. The action of little Rosamond is held up to
ridicule ;. the purple fluid is very 'unfairly poured out
of her jar, and this poor little martyr of restheticisin
has neither shoes nor the joy of brilliant colour.
After all, she only resembled the rest of mankind in
preferring something not comprehended, brilliant,
mysterious, to. the common-sense comfort and reward
of sound shoe leather. We are all, like her, footsore
pilgrims in quest of some purple jar, some glittering,
alluring end of pleasure, of enthusiasm, of art, of
philosophy; of having our own way at the worst. We
never .quite attain it; the colouring fluid is never
poured out of the jar, but the illusion remains, and
dazzles and satisfies, even if unattained, far better
than the problematic happiness after the manner of
Mr. Bentham. To say this is not to deny that a happy
life can - only be led under the conditions of self-
restraint and self-respect. Necessity, after all, drives
us to submit to them, whether we will or no-; and the
uncomplaining thrift of the poor is an unconscious
satire on the complaints of the well-to-do.

;iisn;)

5vol;.1

+
i 1 xstellant.aus. .gente,
HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.
. .
- •
• . .. .
.
Fox's MARTYRS.--Ducks, fowls, turkeys, and
geese.—Punch. .
i DEATH OF AN UNDERGRADUATE FROM
DROWNING.—An inquest was held on Tuesday even-
ing in the ante-room Of the Convocation House,
Oxford, by Mr. P. P. Morrell (University coroner) onb
the body of -John Frederick Rowlands (unattached
student), who met with his' death by drowning. It
appeared that deceased was in a skiff, and was accom-
panied by a friend, named Wilks, in a canoe, and
when they had reached Eynsham it was found that
the canoe was much damaged on the way, and was
unsafe. Deceased then landed to arrange for till
oanoe.to be towed home by the skiff ; in the meantime
the canoe began to fill, and deceased, seeing his friend
in danger of sinking with it, plunged in after Min,
siltough unable to swim but slightly; His friend
iemembered him doing this, and became 'unconscious,
rind when he recovered his senses he found himself
lying on_the bank, Init could seecno trace Of deceased:.
He siumironed aseistance, but the body was not found
tpi MontlaY. 'The jury returned a verdict that deceased
met hiddeath by droning
.wilil4 endearonning to save
lAs companion'. .4 - ,
SLAYING .A TIGER.—The following .authenti-
cated account of the' slaying of a tiger lay two daring
cowbell& in the district of Shahabad is. given by the
Dehir Herald: "In the village of Banton, in the Dis-
trick of Shahabal, a tiger of about 4.1 cubits in length
wns sitting in a sugar-cane field. The alarm Was first
given by the Mahout of an elephant, which was pass-
in;g by. The cry of ' Sher ' brought about a .large
gathering of people, among whom there were two.
Gowalla youths who had been tending their buffaloes
close by. While the whole crowd, consisting of many
arned min, dared not approach the tiger, one of these I
yt ng men proceeded bare handed. towards the fero-
cii i animal, which in one leap brought him under
fody.' The min, although in such false position',
. the presence of mind to catch hold of the fore legs ,
his Adversary, while the other youth with Ini-
-alleled boldness and dexterity ran and took -hold of
tiger's neck.' A scuffle ensued, and the spectators
lending their aseidance, the brave ()Walla 'youths
le out victorious with their advcraary..slain and'
_atien at their feet." •
:,. ~
,I:, .I.CE Boyisrn ON TIIE ATLANTlC.—Canadian
; papers reporting the arrival at Quebec of the steam-
.ships Polynesian, Dominion, and Lake Champlain state
abet on the voyage they were detained in very heavy
; field ice and•unable ton,se their engines, "So closely
..was thel6e packed that the passengeit could leave the
-, ships and 'walk' about. The Polynesian was twelve
i .da 4 in the ioe,'which was said to be 24 ft. thick around
..he . ISeveral, of her plates 'and the blades of her screw
wee 'broken, 'and. she , will have to undergo repairs
be re leaping; ' Large quantities of seals were seen on.
,the ice;nticl some of the passengers amused themselves
seal-huntliag,' but caught none. On getting into the
ice, pteivers werp ',put on short allowance, the fires
werdbialitalltrp; 'and the vessel allowed to drift, some-
times turning round and heading for England. Pro-
visions held out well for the cabin Passengers, and the
last turkey was eaten in sight of Quebec. The eteer-
age people fared worse, and were reduced to rice
rations. Two of the passengers were nearly lost while
out sealing.",

'lrte aft

----:4 114.
THE PRUSSIAN ARMAMENTS.—The ConB
tionnel says :—" If Germany desires that neighbour,"
states should go on very gently in the path of mill
reorganization, she herself launches into it
speed, and puts in motion all the foundries and '• es
ridge manufactories which serve to create her engtillio
of destruction. The Prussian journals adanounue ;th
the German infantry is a'most entirely provided ;
the new Mauser rifle, and that the work of sul3l3,l,Y,Y3ipy
the cavalry with carbines of the same kind is ac"'be
proceeded with. The next busincss will be to give te
army one similar cartridge, which will put an eud the
the difference of armament existing between ,ind
Bavarian forces, provided with the Verder musket'
the troops
.of the rest of Germany carrying the 14405-no
;Jame journals also report that the new steel cant,
.itlf.cfrottrai• seginents.already figure in several
teries of the German army. And yet that cour
seeks to wrangle with us about four men -and
- •
Parli
show

The 134111 e journals also report th
;.• there f Aegine EilreadSr.
_ _ _

poz..--
"Wir-11-4

' Li-"

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