Irvine Express and North Ayrshire Post. — 1885-05-29 (Irvine, Strathclyde, Scotland)

LITERATURE.  THE ENGLISH ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE is AS usual. beautifully illustrated. The illustrations tell 'their own story. London low or rather lowly life is developed in all its glory of rags And ragamuffin liberty. These are neither moans nor shrieks from the slums, but the outcome of a happiness, shown both by pen and picture, as exuberant as that which is found where the appliances of wealth and state do most abound. One of these ragamuffins being asked if he had an unlimited sum of money and as unlimited an appetite what the "Menu" would be? "Well" rd begin with a cup of eels, a halfpenny a cap hot, but cold, a penny, cos then its fixed stuff. Eel pies is twopence, they are very good, but I'd sooner have bullocks heart; they cost eightpence a piece after that I think I'd have tripe, tripe and onions bolJed in milk, then sheep's head or cold boiled beef, you gets it at the shop, two ounces at twopence halfpenny. Greens is a halfpenny and peasepudding a halfpenny, plum pudding is a penny halfpenny a slice, but I like two "doorsteps" at a halfpenny 4 piece just as well. "Doorsteps" I found were thick Slices of bieaul spread with jam. After this copious instil, I observed to him that he would be very thirsty. "1 belong to the 'sons of Phoenix' so I would not touch beer, I'd drink a penny worth of gingent or a glass of punch and judy (lemonade) but sherbert is best," "In the New Forest" carries us back by its graphic illustrations a description to the old Plantagenet times when Tyrrell shot and Rnfens fell. Many and valuable were the privileges of the foresters in the brave days of old, but now alas they are sadly curtailed. The're is now no longer the swaittmote at which injuries used to be made into their grievances and oppressions, but the woodman.and their families are strong, healthy, simple and content. D. Christie Murray the author of Schwartz; a history, is evidently a keen observer of the sympathies and sensibilities of the canine creation and gives a very interesting and rather pathetic story of dog life telling how a dog was seen to shew copious tears on being rejected by a female companion, and at length committed suicide by running doA n to the railway line, stretching himself upon one of the rails and holding his place until the wheels passed over his body. The author of John Herring gives a thrilling story of female heroism in the first instalment of a story entitled "In the lions den" and the "Family Affair" by Arthur Conway is within very measureable distance of the denouement. A melancholy interest attaches to this last from the recent death of the author.  GREENOCK will probably be opened next month as a port for landing Canadian cattle. THE directors of the Royal Bank of Scotland recommend a dividend for the past half-year at 9 per cent. WumsT on her passage to New York on the 19th inst. the Inman Line steamer City of Berlin struck an immense iceberg during a thick fog, tearing away her bowsprit, figure-head, staving in her bows, and smashing in the deck planks. Great alarm was caused among the passengers, but fortunately all injury was above the water-line. The damage is estimated at £5,000.  CO•