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WOULDN’T PART WITH THEM‘ FOR WORLDS. Nicholas 1. of Russia Wore Ring Which Assured Happiness And Prosperity. a 5 Kings and Queens are evidently as great believers in talismans as are the humblcst‘ of their subjects. in- deed, perhaps more so, for in ICU- repe, at any rate, nearly every tx‘owned head, without exception. pos~csses some precious ornament or another to which he or she attri- butes a more or less supernatural power. Nicholas 1. of Russia is a case in point. Up to the day of his death he wore a ring which, according to the legend attached to it by tradi- tion, assured happiness and definite prosperity to its owner for the time being. It came to the Tsar as a. petrothal piesent from Princess Charlotte of Prussia, the daughter of Frederick William 111. Madame Wildermuth, the latter's Swiss governess, was its first known possessor ; till one day, when rum- maging with the princess. among her collection of curios, the ring was especially noticed and admired. "This must be a very antique piece,” observed the princess. put- ting it on her finger, "it has such a peculiar shape, that it reminds one of some ancient talisman.” Endea- vouring, byâ€"audâ€"bye, to draw off the ring, with a view to its return, she found herself unable to remove it. Madame Wildcimuth then offered it as a keepsake to her royal pupil, who accepted it. Later on, the princess succeeded in .getting it oil. It was a curious litâ€" tle ring, very simple, and made in Gothic fashion. Closer examination revealed, engraved within it, words which. though very much worn, when carefully deciphcred, read : "Russia's ’l‘sarina.” Madame Wildermuth and her charge were highly amused with this discovery, laughineg attributâ€" ing a not unnatural significance to the inscription. In the course of years a marriage was arranged between the Princess Charlotte and the Archduke Nicholâ€" as, who, at that time was not in the near succession ; his brother Alexâ€" andei I., the reigning Tsar, having as his heirâ€"apparent theArchduke Constantine, HIS SECOND BROTHER. RUYALTIES new JEWELS~ ‘who define the policy of the company It was at a court dinner in Ber- . lin, where Nicholas had come in order to meet his prospective bride, that the ring for the second time changed hands. Briefly, the Arch- duke fell really and desperately in love‘with the princess, told her so, as they sat side by side at table, and craved some little token as a Sign that his love was returned. "Give me that tiny ring ?” he urged. in a whisper, pointing to it. "But not here ! before every body ?” said Charlotte. "No one will notice it ; bury it in a piece of bread, drop the latter on the table, and 1 will manage to take.- it unnoticed.” The manoeuvre was successfully a4:- complished, Nicholas securing the ringâ€"the same the princess had re- ceived from her governess years beâ€" fore. Most people know of the happy wedded life of these two, but fewer. perhaps, the prophetic connection between the crowning, after eight years, of Chailotte as Russia’s Tsarina, and the words engraved within the ring. Nicholas, it is said, never, until in late years it became too small for him, removed the ring from his finger. Ultimately, he had it attacheIl to a gold chain, and wore it continually round his neck. The. Empress Eugenie at one time possessed a certain breast-pin, shap- ed like a cIOVer leaf, and formed of closely-set diamonds and smaragds, which she regarded in the light of a lucky jewel, or talisman. Nothing! would persuade her but that the little ornament had a direct in- fluence upon her happiness, so she; wore it continually. She had won it} at a Court rallle arranged by Naâ€"} poleon 111.. .and when her husband; died, she forthwith put it away out: of sight, never once wearing it dur mg ALL HER MOURNlNG YEARS. The Prince Imperial. however, went to Zululand. and his departure for . . the seat of war was the signal 1'01" her to don it again. When news‘ came of her son's untimely death sheI ".IOOk it off once moreâ€"and for even! Eventually she gave it to the Prinâ€" cess Mendy, the daughter of Miii'ztt,i ex-titulai‘ King of Naples. The Rajah of Mattau, in Borneo! is the happy possessor of the largest' known diamond in the world. As a7 royal ornament the jewel is 120' years old. It is pearâ€"shaped, andi has a small hole drilled through it. Were this all, however. about it.I there would be nothing peculiar to: chronicle. It is the romance attach-i ed to it ; the legendary propertics‘ attributed to it. which give it a fortsi most claim to be included in the3 somewhat limited list of royal preâ€"i . cious talismans. Many battles have at various times, been fought for its possession : but‘ in spite of every known dodge on! the political board, it still remainsI in the Rajah of Mattau's family, ai prized heirloom_ and venerated mysâ€"i tery stone. The Dutch Governor of Batavia for the time being. once offered the sum of $150,000 for it. with. in addiâ€" tion. two men~oi~war. fully equipped with guns and ammunition. ’teen years. His mother was a daughâ€" loi‘ the greatest delicacy. for a It is said that the Rajah‘s refusal! to part with the diamond on terms was couched in language more forcible than polite It being in Malay, the Governor. fortunately for: rvcrybody, (lid not get the full boneâ€" fit of it. The Rajah‘s final word on the subject was that he regarded it, as a talisman. upon the possessionl of which both his and his family's happiness~ and success depended. â€"â€"â€"â€"+ RULERS OF _THE EMPIRE. . l THE MEN WHO STAND AT THE; HELM OF AFFAIRS. Permanent Officersâ€"Change Government Doesn’t Afâ€" fect Them. The of We naturally associate the run- ning of the Empire with the men who figure in the llouse of Commons and in the Lords in office. says' Pearson's Weekly. But they are merely representative of departments. and so far as their “material” goes are dependent upon the permanent ollicials who control | the crmplex machinery by which the ‘ . . . races and rows of semi-detached (state is governed. When an oflicc ‘ I ._ in the Government iq fined bv a houses. do not extend to a distance ‘liuq "ma 1 gtucgmiin he gag a of more than nine miles from its g“ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ' ‘ ' " centre, is merely one aspect of the‘ grasp of his department which comâ€" pels the admiration of the permanent officials. but generally speaking. even the successful statesman is often as theorist. and the permanent ofliciall has to do the “filling in" with facts and figures in support. The British Empire is well served in its permanent officials, and heri statesmen of all parties very proâ€"‘ perly place great confidence and reâ€" liance in these gentlemen. Our system of Government has. not inaptly. been compared to a, limited liability company. In the? British Empire Ltd, all British citiâ€" zens are shareholders. The Cabinet% for the timeâ€"being are the directors, but it is the permanent officials who carry it out. Very few of the share- holders know these heads of departâ€" ments even by name, and the work of their office is generally associated with the member of thouGovernment for the timeâ€"being who presidu: over the official in question. " We hea' a great deal in these days about the Navy and Army. The“ Permanent Secretary to the Admirâ€" alty is SIR EVAN MACGREGOR, K.(.‘.B.,, any ' l ' l‘l. .cal - coaches. lscnted in Hogarth’s pictures. .lar, like those which George step may mean war. or, at any rate, indesirable foreign complications. The Colonial (lflice has played an important part in recent years. The permanent secretary is Sir E. Wing- ficld, K.(.‘.ll. What this gentleman knows about South African politics and personages would make the for- tune of a. journalist in a day. Messrs. Kruger. Leyds & Co. would also give much to be in his con- fidence. Then there is the Home Office. the Local Government. lloard, and the leneral l’ost (lilico. the permanent secretaries of which are Sir Kcnelm l)igl)y. lx’.(7.ll.. Mr. S. 1%. Provis, (3.13.. and Sir G. 1?. Murray. I\'.C.Il. respectively. All three. are importâ€" ant olllccs and by no means overâ€" remunerafed. none of the salaries exâ€" ceeding $10000. But for these and other permanent of‘l'icials. no Govâ€" ernment elected by the people could run the British Empire. â€"~â€"+â€"â€" AROUND LONDON. Primitive Appearance of Farms and Farm Buildings. the The'physical fact that London is surrounded by farms and woods and meadows and that its streets, ter- fact that London is not larger than it is. It is not, however, this physi- fact alone which tends to render the aspect of our suburban country strange. What is most striking in it is not the fact that it is country, but that in many directions it is a country of curiously primitive character. The villages have all the air of villages of the last century. There are old inns unchanged since the day of the There are publicâ€"houses swinging in the public see them repre- There dwellings, half with signs streets just as we are quaint, secluded cottage, half villa, which seem to belong to the time of Strawberry Ilill. There are farms and farm buildings carelessly~ and picturesquely irregu- Eliot has described so well as characterisâ€" tic of the England which existed beâ€" fore the railways and the first reâ€" form bill. And far more strikingly primitive are the looks and the deâ€" meanour of the people. The rural laborers within fourteen miles are as leisurely in their gait, and seem as strange to the hurry of modern life Who is in his fiftyâ€"ninth year. This ias the figures which encounter one is the man who knows whether the ESlOU‘Fhl'ng “101.1% f} Slll'ODShll‘e lane navy is equal to its work or not ; 01‘ llitmg their CldCl‘ kegs in a re. for he has had chief permanent conâ€" trol of this department for sevenâ€"I ter of the late Admiral Sir T. M. mote Devonshire field. In point of dress, indeed, the forâ€" mer are often more primitive than the latter. It is in the country Hardy. and he married the daughter,close to London that the smock of Colonel W. A. Middleton, 0.1%., ifrock has survived longest. Smockâ€" the year he was appointed to his flocked plouglnnen only a few years I present office. He was educa ed at; 1 ago might be seen among their furâ€" Charturhousc, as also was sir rows within a gunshot of the Alex- Courtney lloyle andra Palace; while from one of the The oiilce of Permanent Under Itowers at Sydenham a man with a Secretary to the. War Office is filled good telescope might detect toâ€"day by Sir Ralph Henry Knox, K.C.B. on the village green of Kent men He was born in 1836, educated at and women who might be denizens Trinity College, Dublin, and at thelof the "Sweet Auburn" of Goldâ€" age of twenty he made his first ac-fslllitil. In this fact, there is indeed. quaintancc with the War Oflice. He'something strikingâ€"this persistence ascended the ladder step by step, and in 1882 was appointed Accountant- General, which post he held until 1897. when he was placed in his pro- sent position, which has by no means been a sinecure. His salary is 3510,- 000 per annum. The Board of Education which has displaced the old Education Departâ€" ment has charge of the third line of‘ national defence. and its task is to develop and utilize the brain power of the nation. The man at the wheel in this department is one of the most valuable of our public serâ€" vantsâ€"Sir George Wm. Kekewicli, K.C.1l., D.C.L. I'lc succeeded to the office of secretary to the Education Department in 1890, and since 1899. he has also been secretary of the Science and Art Department. He is a thorough believer in this departâ€" ment, and is a true friend of educa- tion. He is the fourth son, and his late father was M.I‘. for South Devon. Sir George married the daughter of Mr. L. W. Buck, the M.P. for North Devon. He was eduâ€" cated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where. he came off with flying colors THE TREASURY. has been very much called upon since v of traditional 'spirit of locality is still strong, and local habit amâ€" ong all the changes so distinctive of modern progress. nor is it by any means exemplified among the poorer classes only. in spite of the cosmopolitan spirit which rapid travelling generates, the as is shown by the vitality of the in- numerable local newspapers, which flourish in districts almost within sight of the metropolis. To readers »of this journal the club flower show, ‘ fete and cricket club are far more important than any similar events in London. The clergyman. the doc- tor, the village residents. the farin- ers. all revolve round the same local axis, and the rumor of London mereâ€" ly reaChes them “like a tale of little meaning, though the words are strong." â€"â€" Pâ€"é CLEAN RAILWAY â€" CARRIAGES. Some important recommendations for insuring the health of travellers have just been sent by the French Minister of Public Works to the vaâ€" rious railway companies. It is sugâ€" gested that the sweeping and dustâ€" ing of railwayâ€"carriages and waiting-. rooms should be entirely prohibited, and daily washing substituted. With this end in view the necessity for the the war broke out in 1899. It is av department which makes um rflnk‘substitution of linoleum or some and me shareholder's mouth Water similar substance for carpets, and when he scans the salary list, The the periodical disinfection of com- First Lord and the Chancellor of the Ilill'UantS is Ollll’hilSiZL‘d- “Wi‘iil‘g Exchequer draw $25,000 each per annum . there are three Junior Lords at $5,000 each per annum. a. Patronage Secretary at $10,000, a Financial Secretary at 810.000. and finally the Permanent Secretary. whose oilice is worth from 810.000 to 312.500. He has an Assistant Secretary at $7,500. There is also an army of private secretaries. and other ollicials at salaries ranging from $500 to $7,500. Sir Francis Mowatt. K.C.B., is the present Per- manent Secretary to the Treasury. On Budget night in the House the voice is the voice of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. but the hand is the hand of the Permanent Secre- tary. Sir Francis was born in 1837, and was educated at Winchesâ€" 'partmcnts. and pillOWs should be disinfected by hot air process after each journey. A decree has been in operation for some time to the effect that perâ€" sons sull‘ering from contagious disâ€" eases must travel in separate comâ€" which should be disin- fected after eaCh journey. ._..\-. WONDERFUL SWIMMING FEAT. The lloman record in swimming has just been broken by two Italians not for swif'tness, but for the length of time they were in the water. Unâ€" (h-r a burning sun and with a strongâ€" ish wind they took to the water, Signor Montalboddi accomplishing twenty-five miles in Thrs. 35min, and Signor Altieri the same distance in Thrs. 5.3mm. This means, of course, [Fungi 1 S NIT nuns. SMASH OF THE LEIPSIC BANK THERE CLEVER TRICKS AND COST $25,000,000. Ruin Followed German Bubble â€" Victims Execrate Director Exner. Never since Germany stopped the arena of industrial and commer- cial powers has the financial outlook of the country been so troubled. All the greed and lust of gain have not been free from an element of criminâ€" ality. ’l‘he smashes culminated in the stoppage of payment by the Leipsic Bank. This was an old-established. conservative concern. All went well until about five years ago, when a certain Ilcrr Exner became director. The capital of the bank was about $5,000,000 when he joined it. He rapidly ran it up to $16,000,000. Exner saw his way to a great Coup and singled out an insignificant 'grainâ€"di'ying establishment in Cassel which be determined to boom. was probably worth $100,000. Leipsie Bank began to support it and Exner ran up the shares. In a few years the bank had lent the Cas- sel grainâ€"drying firm about $20,000,- 000 and the enterprise was paying [some years fifty per cent. dividendâ€" Iof course. out of the money lent by :thc bank. Exner bought Cassel shares when they were next to nothâ€" ing and sold them when they were quoted high above par. He must have realized $5,000,000 on the shares. TIIE CRASH CAME. Like a bolt from the blue sky came the crash. The directors of the bank announced that they had stopped payment. but informed their victims that if they only had pa- tience alL their claims would be met. They were about $25,000,000 to the bad then. Days of panic and wild talk such as Leipsic had never known followed. The customers of the bank stormed the offices but they found the [.ay desks closed. Women wept. fell fainting. and were Carried out. Lohmann‘s big flannel works drop- ped $200,000; a huge paper manuâ€" tarian Institute of Leipsic, a conâ€" cern supported by Government, lost 3125.000, and it is computed that of the small people concerned over 1,- 500 families are practically ruined. Exner was arrested at his villa and lodged in jail, where he hears the execrations of the crowds he has ruined. The banker. Edward Krohâ€" maun, believed to be implicated, and feeling the disgrace coming, shot a bullet through his head. Henry Schafi‘er, one of the directors, fol- lowed the same course. Robert Kohlmann. a man in a large way of business as an iron merchant. hang- ed himself. Ferdinand Rahden, a wool merchant, cut his throat. A man in Coburc, driven to despair by his losses, shot himself dead after shooting and severely wounding his wife and (laughter. One of the smaller traders ruined by the crash flung himself into the Elbe at Dresâ€" den. â€"â€"â€"+ A BARGAIN VICTORY. She was shopping with her hus- band and was looking for bargains. Here is how she got, one. I don’t want quite so much as Ithere is- in that piece. she said to the saleswoinan who held up a piece of dress goods. I require only two yards and a half. But that piece is two yards and five eighths, and I couldn‘t out two young woman behind the counter. But I don’t want so much, protestâ€" ed the customer. Well, I am sure I cannot cut it, re- peated the saleswoman. But can’t you call it a remnant? persisted the woman who wanted the goods. No: it isn’t a. remnant madam, calmly replied the young woman.’ we], I shall not buy it, said the customer. deterniinedly. I don’t PTO- pose to pay for more than I want unless you make it an object. Well, I’ll call it two yards and three-quarters, "said the saleswoman as the customer started to move away. l All right, I’ll take it. the customer without hesitation, as she glanced at her husband in a sat- ‘is‘etl way. The man’s admiration for his wife's victory was expressed in his face. IIE \V'AS FORESTALLED. When Tennyson's ln )lenioriam ap- peared a certain poet was standing at a bookstall turning over the leaves of the new volume, when a literary friend of rare taste and learning stepped up Have you read it? Indeed I have, was the answer: and do you know it seems to me that in this delightful book Tennyson has done for friendship what Petrarch did for love. This was too fine for the literary ifriend to forget. That afternoon he called upon a lady, and noticing a COPY 0f the same book on her table ‘saw his opportunity. After the us- ual greeting he took up the book. Have you read it? he asked. Yes, she said, and I have enjoyed it greatly. So have 1. said her visitor: and do into I It I The ' factory lost $370,000; the Humani-j yards and a half off. explained the exclaimed I and said to the poct:= HOW TO DETECT THEM. A Well Known Detective Tells of Their‘ Many Devices and Tools. There is no rogue half so incor- .rigible as the professional coiner. (says a. well known detective. A re- formed burglar or pick-pocket is 'quitlz common but a. regenerath coincr. in my experience. is even . imorc rare than a black swan or a. dead donkey. There appears to be ‘some fascination in the misupplicd :art ; for no amount of punishment. Lsuems to deter" a. convicted coiner "from returning to his moulds and batteries the very moment he is free. The modern coincr takes a. very ibiin rank among intelligent criminâ€" .als. and is as far removed from his 'foreiunner of a few generations ago ‘Ias an average man from an ape. The tcoiner of our grandfathers' days was indeed a clumsy workman, who was content with a battery made of jam- jars, and manufactured his coins out of iron and tin, bismutc and brass ; and the products of his “skill” would impose on none but, the ignorant and careless. Even toâ€"day a few of the “baser” .sort of coiners are almost equally primitive in their methods. Their Ibatteries are crudely contrived out of domestic vessels, and the rest of their apparatus consists of plaster of Paris and plumbago to make the moulds, a crucible, an iron spoon, a. file or two, and a little grease. In fact. the whole of their equipment lwould be dear at fifty cents. It is needless to say their victims are generally of‘ the most ignorant. classes ; and even then they and their "snide pitchers,” the men em- ployed to pass the spurious coins. are often “lagged.” THE "SUPERIOR" COlNER. however, is a man of considerable intelligence. who has often made an. exhaustive study of metals and electro-plating, and can produce coins as perfcc in appearance as any that are issued from the Mint, land which satisfy all the ordinary ltests of weight. and so on. In fact, 'many of the coins they produce are actually made of gold and silver ; only the gold is of a low grade and is liberally alloyed with copper and silver. while it is a wellâ€"known fact. {that it is possible to mould spur- ious coins of silver of the requisite fineness, and yet make a profit of 100 per cent, on the manufacture. At this rate of profit the business is quite lucrative enough to compensate for a little risk ; and naturally such coins, which are of full weight and .of standard silver, are most difficult to detect. But most coiners are not satisfied with reasonable profit, and they pre- fer to make their silver coins of antimony and lead (antimony fur- nishing the bulk of the coin) cover- ed, of course. with a coating of silâ€" ver. Spurious gold coins are large- lly made of platinum. a metal which gives the requisite weight. The process of coining is really very simple. although it requires both delicacy and manipulative skill. An exact impression is taken of the coin to be copied. and a mould is made from plaster of Paris. The molten metal is then poured into the mould through a small anerture in it. Any superfluous metal is filed away, and the part from which it is removed is MOST CAREFULLY _MILLED. The coins are now placed, in a rack, in a silver solution, in which they are soon covered with a coat- ing of silver electrically deposited on them. To remove any suspicious newness they are covered with a. mixture of grease anl cigar-ash or lampblack. To increase the decep- tion the coin which is copied is al- most invariably old and worn ; and the resultant copy, after undergoing l ' the various doctoring processes, has half- the all the appearance of a dirty, obliterated coin of the days of Georges A favorite trick with coiners of gold is to take a genuine sovereign, land by drilling or slicing remove as 'much as possible 0" the interior gold. filling up the cavity with platinum, so as to preserve the pro- per weight and ring. By these :artifices the sovereign loses half or 'even as much as three-quarters of intrinsic value, while retaining appearance of at its the unmistakable good coin. Probably none but an expert teller could detect these impostures ; but the ordinary spurious coin made ~from pewter, antimony, lead, and isinfilar base metals can almost in~ ‘variahly be detected by one of the following tests :â€"If on rubbing the coin with a moistened finger the bright metal appears under the worn land dirty surface, you may be sure gthe coin is counterfeit. The practice .of biting the coin. common to many ipeople. is. excellent ; for the spurious .coin is: always "gritty" as distingu- ‘ished from the smoothness of a genuine coin and if you find that 7y0u.‘ suspicious coin will make a ,mark on a slate you may be sure that there is good ground for your fdistrust. _ _+__,_ ! Tourist (in French want some mushrooms. rcstauranUâ€"J Waiterâ€" tcr and St. John's College. 0.2â€" _ t , A . - fwd. continual swimming without a break. you know that in this charming Pardon. I not undcrstand. Tourist 11mm”)S the most inmormm pug, Both arrived at their destination poem Tennyson has done for friendâ€" â€".\lushrooins. mushrooms, and tak- in our administration is that held by Sir '1‘. ll. Sanderson. I{.C.ll.. I(.C. M.G.. who is permanent secretary at the Foreign (mice. It is a position false without great exhaustion or cold. The biggest aerolite ever found was discoverer] in Greenland in 1870. It weighed 23 tons. ship, what Petr-arch did for love? Indeed, rejoined the lady, adding, with a mischievous smile, Mr. cal- lezl this morning and said the same thing. fing a paper he drew a sketch of one The waiter l)t’;ll".0'l with intelligence, and rushed off to execute the order- ln a few minutes he returned withâ€" an umbrella.