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T CANADIAN. Mr. R. M. Horsey purposes to organize a Kingston Historical Society. There are over "23,000 proprietors of real estate in the city of Montreal. Fires have swept over the timber districts of Northern Manitoba, and have done an immense amount of damage. The British Columbia. Methodist College has chosen a. site in New Westminster for its large prospective building. The congregation of St. George’s church, Montreal, is greatly agitated over the inno- vation of a supliced choir, and many old members threaten to leave the church. Mr. Robert Lees, Q. C., of Ottawa, County Crown Attorney, who came to this country seventyâ€"six years ago, died in his home, Ottawa East, Tuesday morning. Major-General Herbert left Ottawa on Monday night for Winnipeg, to inspect the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and on other business connected with the militia force. Rev. Charles Cook, the well-known prison reformer. has been visitingCanadian prisons. Their discipline he believes to be a golden mean between English severity and Ameri- can laxity. During the quarter ended September 30, exports to the value of $616,466 were sent into the United States from the Ottawa district, bEing about one thousand dollars less than for the corresponding quarter of the previous year. It is stated that in Ottawa lel'. C. H. Mackintosh, M. P. for Ottawa, instead of being made Mr. Royal’s successor as Lieu- tenant-Governor of the North-West Terri- tories, will succeed Mr. Schultz as Lieuten- ant-Governor of Manitoba. The Quebec Legislature, which has been called for the 9th of November, will have several important questions to consider, including the tax law, the renewal of the four million dollar Mercier loan, and the reform in the judiciary system. Dr. Cotton, one of the medical attendants of the Victoria Industrial school, Mimico, made a. statement the other day which sub- stantially corroborates the re rt that one of the boys was fatally poisoned by having received wrong medicine by mistake when suffering from diphtheria last winter. Mr. R. G. McConnell, who was sent by the Ottawa Government on an exploring expedition in the Mackenzie River district, has arrived at Vancouver. A special says that he has discovered the source of the Mackenzie river to be a. lake at the head of Findley river, and that gold was found by him in abundance for 250 miles along Find- ley river. BRITISH. Captain O’Shea, the divorced husband of Mrs. Parnell, is dangerously ill in London. Eight firms owning coal-pits in the B01- ton district opened their collieries Tuesday, the miners returning to work at the wages paid before the strike. Fully twelve thousand people assembled on Sunday in Victoria park, at the Eastend of London, and heard violent speeches in gavour of the striking miners. A Cardiff firm of ship owners have receiv- zd from Rio Janeiro,a despstcli announcin that the rebels have seized the liritish barque Norma, with a c1rgo of coal. It is reported that President Peixoto has succeeded in purchasing several torpedo boats in Europe, which are now said to be on their way across the Atlantic, manned by English crews. According to information obtained by the Pall Mall Gazette,the Clan-na-Gael is being reorganized under the direction of Patrick Egan and Patrick Ford asa result of the rejection of the Home Rule bill by the House of Lords. The British Board of Agriculture has re- mov‘ed the cattle embargo against Norway, and it is hoped that if Canada. continues to show a Clean bill of health the embargo against Canadian cattle will also be removed at an early date. A. \Velsh newspaper, the organ of the Nationalists, says that Mr. Chamberlain premised if the Welsh members would sup. port a vote of no confidence, when he came into power he would. introduce a bill for the diustablishment of the Welsh Church. The time of the Lucania. from Queenstown in Sandy Hook on her last trip was five days thirteen hours and forty-five minutes, beating the record held by the Paris by thirty-nine minutes. In one day’s run she made five hundred and sixty-eight miles. Sir Alfred Maloney, Governor of British Honduras, who is on his Way from England to resume his official duties, said on Sun- day,in New York, that the resources of his colony could be enormouslydeveloped ifrail- way communication wei‘cestablished there. Mr. John Redmond, leader of the Par- nellit‘es, speaking on Monday evening in Dublin, warned the Irish members ofIPar liament against the deadly peril of support- ing the Gladstonian policy of hanging up Home Rule, while using Irish votes to pass a numbe‘r of English reforms. UNITED STATES. The statement is repeated in Washington that a compromise on the Silver bill is with- in sight. Prof. Tyndall, the London mind reader, who is at present in Rochester, wants to be buried alive, and not dug up for thirty days. Five Cliinamen were arrested at Jackson, 's '1 g I pfiy’n , 1.. Mamie Turner, convicted of having mur- dered her husband, John Turner, of Delta county, was taken to the penitentiary at Rusk, Tex.. on Saturday. She is Only lfourteen years old, and says she killed her |husband because he was jealous and cruel to her. In the celebrated breach of promise case of Mrs. Anna. D.\'a.n Honten against Asa P. Morse, of Boston, a jury brought in a. ver- 1 dict for the plaintiff for forty thousand dol- lars. The defendant. n he is very wealthy, is seventy-five years of age, while Mrs. Van Honten is only thirtylthrec. i:ENl€l{AL. It is reaffirmed that Prince Bismarck is suffering from paralysis, and that he is in an apathetic condition. M. de Vallieres, the special envoy of France to the King of Siam, has had his farewell audience of that monarch. Count Ferdinand dc Lesseps has lost strength steadily during the last ten days, and is now in a. moribund condition. The diplomatic corps in Rio Janciro have decided to land crews from the warships in the harbour to afford protection to the citi- .zens. It is stated that the Italian Minister of \Var intends to ask the Chamber for a large grant with which to build fortifications in the Alps and in Sardinia. The Presbyterian missionaries in Persia are believed to be in deadly peril, as the Mohammedans have petitioned their high priests for an old-time holy war. The NeWsky Infantry barracks, at Bos- lavl, Province of Smolensk, were burned on Wednesday night, and a large number of soldiers perished in the flames. The Anarchist Le Cuyer, alias La Cards, who escaped to England in January, was arrested in Paris on Friday. A quantity of chemicals were found in his lodgings, and they will be analysed. Admiral Mcl'o, commanding the insur- gent squadron in the bay of Rio Janeiro, has ordered President I’eixoto to abandon vthe city Within forty-eight hours, or the fleet will resume its bombardment. Belgian Knights of Labour, at a meeting on Sunday, decided to continue to strike. The speakers at meetings of the strikers continue to instigate the men to violence and riotous conduct. The Moors have reappeared before the Spanish fortress at Melilla, fourteen thou- sand strong, and the greatest anxiety pre vails in Spain. Troops are being hurried forward to Morocco with all possible speed. A few nights ago General Manuel Es- cahor, at. one time Governor of Chiapas, Mexico, and Speaker of the Senate, was as- sassinated at his house by shots fired from the street, twelve of the projectiles lodging in his heart. .¢_____ A Witty Delinquent- A certain Irish village character, noted ,alike for habitual indolence, immoderate indulgence, and ready Wit, was once approached by the parish priest, who desired a. day's work done in his gar- den. “ Terry,” said be, “if you Work steady for me all day and drink nothing, I'll give you a glass at six o’clock as well as the “Dore, yer riverance," returned the other. “I know ye’re a man of ycr worrud, an. plase the pigs, I‘ll be wan, too l" He performed the day’s work accordingly, and when he went to the kitchen door at sundown received his pay and a small wineglass, which his reverend employer ' handed him already filled with whiskey. After tossing off the thimbleful, he held the tiny vessel up quizzically, and remark- ed : “ An’ how do they make them, yer riverance‘Z” “ Why, they blow them, Terry,” answer- ed the unsuspecting cleric. “ Faix, thin, yer rivorance,” replied Terry, With a. twinkle, “ I’m thinkin‘ the man that blew that was short 0’ breath l” I Aware that he had had the worst of the ‘encounter, the worthy priest bargained With his ne‘er-do-well parishoncr for a second day’s work, with the stipulation that on this occasion he should hold an empty tumbler and “ say when” himself at the pouring out of the beverage. Gradually the decanter grew depleted and the gobletfull, but no word escaped Terry. His reverence paused of his own accord, and severely regarding his labourer, remarked : “ Don’t you know, Terry, that every drop of this is a. nail in your coffin ‘2” “ Troth, thin, yer riverence,” responded !the unabashed one, “while ye have the hammer in yer han’ ye may as well put in Wan or two more 3” â€"â€"~â€"â€".â€"â€" .~____â€"â€"_ No book of Regret- The drill instructor of an old regiment of the lineâ€"one of the old stamp of martinet sergeantsâ€"who was the terror of every re- , cruit, and the remorseless tyrant of the awkward squad, was putting a. firing party through the funeral exercise. ‘ Having opened the ranks so as to admit the passage of the supposed cortege between them, the instructor ordered the men to rest on their arms reversed. Then, by way of practical explanation, he walked slowly down the lane formed by the two ranks, saying as he moved : “Now, I’m the corpse. Pay attention.” Having reached the end of the party, he turned round, regarded them steadily with a. scrutinizing eye for a. moment or two, and then remarked in a. solemn tone of voice: “ Your ’ands is right, and your ’eads is Micli., a few days ago, on the supicion that they had been smuggled across the border from Canada. The deadlock in the United States Sen- ate still continues over the Silver question, and the suggestion that the only remedy is continuous sessions is not well received. More that seven hundred thousand peo- ple visrted the \Vorld’s Fair on Chicago’s‘ day. It was nearly morning before the grounds were cleared of the immense: crowd. Senator Hill yesterday presented to the Senate a. petition signed by fifteen thousand l New York business men, praying for the :Aepteai of the purchase clause of the Sherman Amongst the passengers on board the i man ‘3” Majestic, which arrived at New York the other day. were the Duke of Alba, Mr. Jrseph Chamberlain, M. P., and Mr. Jus- Ii ; Harlrn, of the United States Supreme Court. ‘ thing by the touch, right ; but you hav’n’t got that look of re- gret you ought to ’ave.” ___._°____.__ Nature’s Compensations- M’Kinnon was talking in his shop to two or three customers, when a blind man enter- ed and solicited aims. The grocer. who was disposed to show his superior knowledge of human nature, l remarked : “ D’ye no' ken, my freens, hoo vera. deli' cafe is the touch 0’ a bliii’ man. Iaye think Providence has mak’it up the loss 0’ aue sense by makin’ one o’ theithers mair ’cute. Noo, jist see hoo this puir man can Sell a. ” and putting some fine sugar in a scoop, he held it out to the men- dicant, remarking, “ Whit's that, ma The blind man extended his hand, took up a. pinch with his thumb and finger, and, without hesitation said : “That’s sand 5” Everybody laughed except M’Kinnon. BAL‘IIHIAL CASTLE. A flrrent Visitor Tells Sonic Intercsllng Things About Ilic Queen's "unkind Residence. Osborne House, in the Isle of Wight, and Balmoral Castle, in the Scotch Highlands, are the two private residences of the Queen. .Tliey are rigidly guartlcd from the public. Especially has this been the case during the last few years, when dynamite scares have been so common. The Queen‘s apartments at her official res- idences are likewise secluded from sight- Scers; but there are parts of these resr- denccs that are open on certain days to the public. Osborne House and Balmoral are strictly private property, and when the Queen is " in residence,“ there is no stranger Within her gates. Occasionally, when sheis absent some member of her suite may let a friend land airy ; but like most of the other rooms, it lacks individuality. One and all, they might be found in any fine family residence or even in a first-class hotel. From one corner of this room a door opens into a small tower-room, in which are a few chairs, a sofa, anils .me portraits. Turning to the right, we enter the draw- ing-room. It is immense, sunny, and cheerful, and overlooks the terrace. The curtains, chairs, and carpets are of tlic Vic- torian tartan. In one corner is a. grand piano. The Queen is passionately fond of music, and was in her day an accomplished performer on the piano. The only thing noticeable in the decor- ations is the great number of statucttes of the Queen’s children. A very pretty group represents the Princess Beatrice, Prince Leopold, and their dog, \Vnrdie. A stat- uette represents the Queen on horseback, The cremation of the late King of Siam cost $400,063.. TheTurkish cavalry is admitted to be the finest in all Europe. ] BRIEF AND INTERESTII l Russian farmers hold an average of twenty scvcu acres to each family. Eighty ofthe towns in Great Britain sup- ply the nasz of 100 towns in America. The Duke of Westminster has the finest} collection of plate in the United Kingdom. All German workmen in Russian Poland have been ordered to learn the Russian lan- guage by January, 1894. Greek and Roman doors always opened outward, and when a man was passing out lot a house, he knocked on the door, so as not to open it in the face of a. passer-by. The Queen, who always keeps well abreast of any newinvention or discoveries, have a. peep within : but to obtain even that requires diplomacy. We, however, were befriended by luck and one of the Gentle- mcu-in-Waitiug to the Queen, and spent it lovely August morning wandering through Balmoral castle and its grounds. Our coachinan was almost overcome with astonishment when we directed him to turn from the highroad between Ballater and Braemar into the lodge gates of Balmoral. The lodge-keeper inspected our letters of admission very carefully before admitting us, but we were allowed to pass. The first view of the grounds and castle is a charming preparation for what follows. The broad road Winds through the park and across an arched stone bridge over the Dee, rippling merrily over its bed of pebbles. Prominent in the foreground is a. statue of Prince Albert, erected by the tenants of Balmoral. The statue is of bronze, and the pedes- tal is a. great boulder from the neighboring I mountains. Balmoral is closely associated With the Prince Consort; for it was he who, in 1848, persuaded the queen to lease it for wearing the long riding-skirt which was the fashion in her day; but her gown is low-necked and short-sleeved, and she wears around her neck thecollar )f the Order of the Garter. No doubt, a representation of her going in state to open Parliament. From the drawing-roam one passes on again to the special rooms where the Queen really lives. The first of these is the lib- rary, Where are a few good engravings, as in the rest of the apartments, and busts of Scott and Burns. There is also a large table which answers as a (lining-table for the Queen and her ladies when she chooses to dine in the library. Ouc door of this room opens into a fine corridor which leads to the grand hall. On each side of this door is a statueâ€"one of Burns’s “ Highland Mary,” and the other an admirable marble statue of the Prince Consort in the corridor. Communicating with the corridor is the Queen’s music-room, where she, spends much of her time It has two upright pianos and an organ. On tlicgwalls are numer- of Scott’s ” Ellen Douglass.” There is also . was one of the first to orders. phonograph, and has lately added a. typewriter to her secretarial staff. The Czarina of Russia,although employing a houseful of seamstresses, makes nearly all the clothing for her youngest children, and also takes their new hats to pieces, and trims them according to her own taste. The Queen of Italy finds an entrancing hobby in collecting the shoes of past cele- brities. She possesses the shoes worn by Mary Queen of Scots, Marie Antoinette, Joan of Arc, and others, and places a very high value upon her unique collection. Empress Frederick of Germany possess- es a. unique teaoservice. The tea-tray has been beaten out of an old Prussian half- penny. Tire teapot is made out of a. Ger- man farthing, and the tiny cups are made from coins of different German principali- ties. Lord Herschell, unlike mostgreatlawyers, is passionately fond of music and is no mean performer himself. His favorite instrument is the Violoncello, on which he plays re- ous portraits, notably of two cmpresses who formerly possessed great beautyâ€"the Empress Eugenie of France and the Em- press Elizabeth “of Austria. Each has The estate comprises 10,000 acres Of an antogrnphâ€"“ lugenie” and " Elizabeth.” ‘ arable land, and about 30,000 acres of deer There is also a portrait of the Princess of forest. The great white castle with its airy Wales, taken at the time of her marriage, pinnacles and stately towers is visible atvand an engraved copy of the celebrated intervals through the whole drive from the picture of the Queen riding over the field park entrance to the open plateau. of \Vaterloo with the Duke of \Vellington. The park itself is a. beaitiful stretch of {l he Queen’s bedroom and dressing-room trees, shrubs, moss-covered rocks, wild- are never shown to any one. The corridor rose hedges and heathery hillsides. Mac- on which these lower rooms open is connect- adamised roadways and pretty bridle paths ‘ ed with the main entrance hall, which is aterm of thirty-eight years. In 185:; it was bought outright of the Earl 0fl‘:fe, and the Prince, out of his private fortune, built the splendid granite castle. lead in every direction, but it has main- really superb. ' taincd its air of simplicity and natural Facing the huge doors is a statue in black beauty in spite of these. , and gilt bronze of McCullum More, an old At last the castle is reached, resting upon Scottish hero. There are some busts around its broad terraces sloping down to the Dec, this hall, notably one which represents which dashes along at the foot of the hills. the Queen in her early married life. Around it tower the purple mountains, The walls are ornamented with antlers, clothed with giant firs and larches, and the i the hunting trophie of the Queen’s husband August sun glints upon great masses of pink ‘ and sons ; and there is a splendid wild . boar’s head which was won in the chase by l heather, as far as the eye can follow. _ _ the Prince Consort in Germany. A gorgeous flower border surrounds the » V castle, and beyond it are wide gravel walks; On the same floor are rows _of bedrooms, while on the north terrace, with its stone ; with dressing-rooms adjoining, for the steps descending almost to the river, at Queen’s suite and for guests. All are very simply furnished, as English bedroom fountain splashes merrily. Such a lovely, . stately,majestic scene it was! \Ve could usually are. But there are pretty pink or scarcely tear ourselves away from it to enter . the castle. There are two principal entrances. One, a splendid porte-cocherc, opens into the grand hall, and is used only when the queen , is ” in residence.” The other is a. smaller door, under the clock tower. \Ve very naturally aligbted at the smaller door ; but , the housekeeper, on meeting us, apologised for not admitting us through the grand en- | trance, making some civil excuse about its being boarded up. “To entered first a long corridor, which is very commonplace except for the fact that the carpet is of the Stuart tartan. The Queen is extravagantly fond of her Stuart descent, although it is so remote that it can scarcely be called a descent at all ; and the Stuart tartan is the regulation one for all of the royal household and visitors to wear at Balinoral. The same tartan is repeated in much of the carpeting and furnishings. A combination, invented by the queen herself, called Victorian tartan also appears ‘in some of the curtains, carpets and furni- ture of Balmoral. * Along the walls of this corridor are numerous engravings, among them many Landseers. It is a strange circumstance that there is not a. particle of colour in any picture on the walls of Balmoral Castle. dainty dressing-tables and couches. The largest suite of rooms is that intend- ' ed for the Prime Minister when he is call- ed to Balmoral ; and the Queen very often calls for him. It consists ofa sitting-room, bedroom, dressing-room, and bath. All are very small, and simply furnished in chintz. The walls of the sitting-room are decorated with engraved portraits, with autographs, of all the Prime Ministers dur- ing the Queen’s reign. The apartments of the Prince of Wales are upstairs, and are directly over the library and music-room. Three feathers, r the insignia of the prince, are carved in the stone wall of the castle, on a level with his ' windOWs.. But since his marriage the prince has stayed, when he has gone to Scotland, at Abergeldie, a small place five miles from Balmoral. It took us two hours to stroll through the castle, and two hours more to walk about the terraces, visit the dairy, and drive through the park. Everything was exquisitely kept, and the dairy a delight to the eyes. The dairymaid offered us milk, which we accepted, and found to be very good. A little way off, not very far from the dairy. is a. cross erected to the memory of Every one is an engraving, and consequent- 3230,1123 Princess Ahce' the Queen 3 1y “Hare rapmducuous' There is also a memorial to the late Turning to the right, toward the ball- room, there is a. sitting room for the gentle- men of the Queen’s household. Itis simply furnished ; indeed, simplicity is the keynote of the whole interior of the castle. This room has an open Franklin stove, and leather-covered furniture. There are a few 1 good busts and engravingsâ€"a. bust of Sir Walter Scott, a copy of Detaille’s “ Passing Regiment,” and some of the inevitable Landseersâ€"notubly Sir Edwin’s famous “ Deer Family.” ! There is also an engraving of Napoleon III., with an autograph. Indeed, all the portraits at Balmoral have autographs. The Queen and Prince Consort were personal friends of the last French Emperor and the Empress Eugenie, and the err-Express often visits the Queen at Balmoral. Further on is the ball-room. The doors open on a platform, for the ball-room is on the side of the castle that descends with the terrace, and a double winding stair leads down to the floor. Opposite the entrance is a musicians’ gallery, and to the right is a dais, with a. crimson sofa and some stately crimson chairs, for the Queen and her royal guests whenever they desire to be present at a. ball. Since the Prince Consort’s death the only regular balls given at Balmoral are those to the servants and tenantry. Upru occasions there is dancing in the ball-room by the guests at the castle. Back of the crimson dais are two niches, in which are huge branched candlesticks 8 or 9 feet high. Around the hall,at intervals, are hung “ claymores ” draped with the tartans of the various clans. Returning to the corridor, we are taken to the dining-room, a large and handsome apartment finished and furnished in oak. The Queen does not always dine here,often preferring to dine in the library. But on I these informal occasions in the library only ' ladies are present. I Between the dining-room and the billiard room isa little room which is lined with book-cases from top to bottom, all filled with Hansard’s Parliamentary Reports. Passing on, the billiard-room is reached. Like the dining-room, it is solid,handsome, Prince Leopold, and a statue of John Brown, who was the Queen’s faithful body- servant for many years. \Ve spent another hour or two in the park. Never was there a sweeter spot than Balmoral Castle, or one more eloquent of peace and domestic charm. No wonder the Queen likes it. She has always desired to have her daughters arrange the senti- mental part of their marriage engagements at Balmoral ; for, like a. true and womanly woman, she believes in marriages of af- faction. Hard on J ack- A simple village maiden entered a rural postâ€"office, and drawing a money order from an envelope handed it to the young man behind the counter, with the re- mark, “ I’m needing the brass for this here paper.” “ \Vho sent it “2" “ Jack,” was the simple reply. " Yes ; but Jack who, and where does be live?” “ Wha, Jack’s my laddie ; I do not know whaur he's living the noo.” “But haven’t you read the letter ‘2" ask- ed the clerk. “ I canna read," said the poor girl, blushing. “ Maybe, you’ll read it for me.” The young fallow good humouredly com- plied, and, arriving at the postscript, read: “I send you 53. for the old woman, and a hundred kisses for yourself.” Glancing round the office, he handed over the 5s. and said coolly : i “ Will you take the kisses just now '2” “ Dae I get them hero 2” inquired the girl. “ Oh, certainly,” was the unblushing re- ply, and the clerk leaped over the counter and paid them in full. \Vhen the girl reached home and handed the money to the old woman 11 remark- ed : “ Ay, but yon’s grand place, the Post Office. Ye get your kisses sent along wi’ your money, and both weel paid." Austro-Hungurian papers are printed in fifteen languages. \chamber music at his own house almost blue chintz canopies over the beds, andI marks.ny well, and takes part in concerted. every week. The number of foreign residents in Spain is small, numbering only about 23,000. The emigration from Spain has been in some years as high as 125,000. Four-fifths of the emigrants settle in Spanish America, and the remainder in the Spanish African pos- sessions. The collecting of postage stamps has brought into existence a professional stamp repairer, who, for a. small fee, dexterously repairs mutilated stamps. His speciality is restoring the margin to envelope stamps that have been cut to shape, and have thus lost much of their philatelic value. The Queen of the Belgians is reputed to be one of the best living performers on the harp. wailing became a. nun, the Queen as spon« sor, presented the postulant at the altar, and then played a solo on the harp, to the great delight of the sisters who thronged the convent. The very newest fashion among theladies at St. Petersburg is to arm themselves with long canes when they go abroad, Some of these canes measure 6 feet to 7 feet in length ; and as the ladies stalk along they seem, ata. distance, stalwart amazons, who have supplied themselves with small scaffolding poles or plucked up young trees. Hairpins are made by automatic and. very complicated machines. The coiled wire is put upon drums, and becomes straightened as it feeds itself to the ma- chine. It passes along until it reaches two cutters, which point the ends at the same time that they cut it to the length requir- ed. This piece of wire then slips along an iron plate until it reaches a slot, through which it is pressed into the regular shape. The hairpins are then put into a pan and. , japanned, after which they are heated in an oven with a temperature of from 3 (10 to 400 dergecs. The Emperor of Russia possesses forty- four uniforms, one of which has never been worn, viz.,that of a. Russian Field-Marshal. Although he is Commander-in-Chief of the Army,his Majesty has vowed never to wear the insignia of a. Fielcharshal until this grade shall have been conferred upon him by his brother Field-Marshals after a. vic- torious war. The Queen has taken to having pet birds were tried,at the suggestion of the Princess Beatrice, but the Queen found the noise too trying, and at the present moment she has with her a. hullfinch and a linnet. These are under the care of one of the attendants and always follow the Court wherever it goes, except across the Channel. The smallest screws in the world are those used in the production of watches. Thus, the forth jewel-screw is the next thing to being invisible, and to the naked eye it looks like dust ; with a. glass, however,it is seen to be asmallscrew,with 260 threads to the inch, and with a. very fine glass the threads may be seen quite clearly. These minute screws are 4-l,000ths of an inch in diameter, and the heads are double ; it is estimated that an ordinary lady’s thimble would hold 100,000 of these screws. One of the simplest barometers is a “Nature” says that when spider’s web. I there is a prospect of rain or wind the spider ‘in her own private rooms. At first canaries shortens the filaments from which its web is suspended, and leaves things in this state as long as the weather is variable. If the insect elongates its thread, it is a sign of fine, calm weather, the duration of which may be judged by the length to which the threads are let out. If the spider remains inactive, it is a sign of rain ; but if, on the contrary, it keeps at work during a rain, the latter will not last long, and will be followed by fine weather. Postage-stamp collectors, a Paris corre- spondentfiaysmiay be interested to hear that a new postage stamp will shortly be issued, and there is a. good prospect of its becom- ing very rare at no distant date. The French Government has just created, as an experi- ment only, a postal service by camel express in the French territories of Check and the Somali coast. In connection with this ser- vice a. special provisional stamp will be issued, the value being five francs. The new stamp is triangular, like the old Cape of Good Hope vignettes. In the centre is a. “ mehari” or racing camel, in the back- ground A desert landscape. Around are inscriptions in three languagesâ€"Abyssmian Arabic, and Frenchâ€"mentioning the year of issue and the name of colony. The weight allowed will be 50 grammes. Later on, if the experiment be satisfactory, a further issue of stamps will be made, the alues ranging from two to fifty francs. ; r’ / VVhon recently her chief lady-in- , ‘