Luther quater-centenary on the 10th of November. Floods in Silesia and the Polish provinces have caused much damage at the end of June. ITALY. of the burning of Alexandria, Saleiman Sami, June 9.-The Khedive's Government has KING HUMBERT's administration has been actively employed in revising its commercial treaties. New engagements with England, Germany, and Switzerland are included among those already settled, and a Committee nominated jointly by the Government and the Chambers is charged with the duty of June 19.-Trial of ten Jews begun at framing a revised Customs tariff. The new duties will come into effect in 1886, before Tisza-Esslar, in the Tokay district of Hunthe expiration of the first term of the recently-gary, for the alleged murder of a Christian concluded treaties. A melancholy accident occured, June 24, in a village hall on Lake Como, forty-seven persons being burned to death at a marrionette performance. After the building was alight the ill-fated people barricaded the doors against the crowd outside, whose warning cries they misunderstood for threats. At Brindisi, July 8, the mob, in their fear of cholera being imported from Egypt, prevented the overland mails from being landed. TURKEY AND THE EAST. IN the Sultan's dominions insurrection is still rampant. During the month conflicting reports have come almost daily from Albania. The Catholic tribes there have addressed appeals for help to Austria and other Powers, but without result. In Armenia violence and rapine are still practised with comparative impunity on the Christian population, but the very strong language employed by Lord Dufferin in reply to a memorial from Armenians in London is said to have reawakened the Porte to a consciousness that reforms must be undertaken. Still these long-promised reforms are delayed. The interference of the Turkish Government with British vessels engaged in the coasting trade in Asiatic Turkey is said to have produced a strong remonstrance from the British Government. A wholesale migration of the Mohometan population of Roumelia and Bulgaria into Turkish territory is taking place, the object being to avoid the military conscription. In Egypt politics have given place to precautions against cholera. The disease broke out, June 26, at Damietta, and many hundreds of natives, with about fifty Europeans, have perished. Since July 1 the epidemic has The somewhat abated, but it is still severe. chief measure of the Egyptian Government has been to enclose the infected districts by a military cordon, and starvation is said to have been added to the other miseries of the At Alexandria one wretched inhabitants. or two isolated cases occurred, and there was speedily a complete exodus of the wealthy population to Europe. In respect MISCELLANEOUS. girl whom they were said to have sacrificed in connection with religious rites. The trial is proceeding. June 20.-A fire in the royal dockyard at Amsterdam caused damage to the amount of three or four million florins. July 2.-Fifteen sealing ships reported icebound off Newfoundland. July 8.-Cholera reported to have broken out at Swatow and elsewhere in China. SCIENCE AND PROGRESS. THE following topics under this head have been brought to public notice within the past month: THE new bridge over the Niagara is being so constructed that passengers can see the cataract while they are still two miles away. Workmen are busily employed night and day in its erection. The lower foundation is composed of the concrete invented by Beton Coignet, the French Engineer, and a pressure of 18,000 pounds to the square inch is said to be its sustaining capacity. THE solar eclipse of the 6th June was clearly observed by the English, American, Successful observations and Continental astronomers, stationed on Caroline Island. were also made by Professors Janssen and Several good photographs were Tachini. obtained of the corona, the flash, and the coronal spectrum. In England, the Select Committee appointed to consider the Manchester Ship Canal Bill have passed the preamble and clauses preparatory to bringing the subject before the House of Commons. AT a Conference held in London to consider the administration of Hospitals, Mr. H. C. Burdett read a paper on the "Present Financial Difficulties of the Metropolitan Hospitals." Amongst other things he advocated a fearless statement as to whether the balance sheet of each was good or bad, saying that if the work were good, that in itself strengthened the appeal they could make to the public for its support. The financial difficulties of many of the metropolitan hospitals, which are more than a hundred in number, were found to be deplorable; in nine of the large ones there had been a deficiency of £28,000 in their funds for one year. As a remedy it was recommended that the area from which each hospital drew its subscriptions should be localised, and that each individual who resided within it should be asked to contribute. Sir Rutherford Alcock, K.C.B., spoke on the same subject, and strongly urged the necessity of a Royal Commission empowered to inquire into these matters. IN America, the Railway Exposition held in Chicago has excited much interest. This exhibition is the largest and most complete of its kind ever attempted. The building and its annexes temporarily erected cover more than eleven acres of ground. The locomotive attracting the largest amount of attention is a "Mastodon," built by the Cooke Locomotive Works of Patterson, New Jersey. It is one of the largest in the world, and weighs 93 tons, has twelve wheels, carries 3000 gallons of water, and 12,000 pounds of coal, and the length of the entire engine is 64 feet. It was built for the Southern Pacific Railroad, and upon the close of the Exhibition will continue its way to the scene of its future labours. There is also special interest manifested in the South annexe, a part known as the " Old Curiosity Shop," where are gathered together many interesting engineering relics, including the first locomotives and passenger carriages used on American railways. IN Paris, Professor Bureau has succeeded the late M. Ducaisne as director of the Jardin des Plantes. Professor Dieulatait recently lectured at the Sorbonne on the origin of metalliferous veins, his theory being that these minerals have been extracted by sea water from the older rocks. IN Italy, the Cagliari Exhibition, which was to have been held in May, has been postponed till November. The Exhibition is to consist chiefly of apparatus for the drainage and irrigation of land, two subjects which are of great importance in Italy, and especially in Sardinia. ART AND ARCHEOLOGY. these points. No fees are to be required from students; those being eligible who have been accredited by a University of the United Kingdom, or by the authorities of the British Museum, or the Royal Academy. DR. SAMUEL KINNS, F.R.A.S., has lately delivered in the galleries of the British Museum an interesting lecture upon the Assyrian Antiquities gathered there. He described the vast size and magnificence of the destroyed cities, their wonderful palaces and temples, and the means employed in fortifying them, and in conclusion paid a warm tribute to the untiring labours of Mr. Smith and Sir Henry Rawlinson in unravelling and translating so many interesting inscriptions, verifying in a remarkable way certain portions of the Old Testament. IT is probable that the authorities of the British Museum will not, after all their efforts, become the possessors of the well-known Ashburnham MSS., as the Government decline to give more than £70,000, which is £20,000 less than Lord Ashburnham demands. A LOAN exhibition of old masters, which has been opened in the rooms of the Scottish Academy, is very complete, containing many pictures of great value. A COLLECTION of Autographs chiefly British, but including 500 letters of Longfellow, has been presented by the English Longfellow Committee to an American Committee, and will be placed in a permanent exhibition at Boston, United States. "POE COTTAGE," an old-fashioned farmhouse in the suburbs of New York, in which Edgar Allen Poe wrote the Raven, Annabel Lee, and other famous poems and tales, has just been sold by auction for 5700 dollars. A cherry-tree near the house bears the poet's name cut into the bark, but the growth of the tree has distorted the letters. IN Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, the old Fort Duquesne block-house, a curious historical relic, has been discovered in the centre of the town, and it is proposed to purchase it, with the surrounding land, which will be converted into a public park. IN Paris the Salon has closed its doors. Among other attractions two novel exhibitions have lately been opened, a Japanese Salon, displaying native talent, and an interesting collection of Rousseau relics. THE Prince of Wales having evinced much interest in the scheme explained by Professor Jebb in an article in The Fortnightly Review, recently presided at a meeting, held at Marlborough House, for the purpose of founding a British School of Archæological A VAST panoramic picture, depicting all the Studies in Athens. Among those present principal events of the century, and including were the Duke of Devonshire, Lord Gran-portraits of its celebrities, is being painted ville, the Earl of Carnarvon, Lord Houghton, Mr. Gladstone, Sir Frederick Leighton, the Dean of Westminster, Professors Campbell and Sidney Colvin, and Mr. Matthew Arnold. The object of the proposed school is to promote such investigations as will advance the knowledge of Hellenic history, art, and literature. It is also proposed to establish a library in the school, bearing directly on by MM. Carrier-Belleuse and Henri Gervex. AN exhibition is shortly to be opened in Vienna, illustrating the progress of Art in engraving on wood, steel, and copper, etching, lithography, and the kindred arts. Original paintings are to be excluded. AT Corunna a bronze cannon, bearing the British arms, with the initials G. R. and the motto Honi soit, etc., dated 1797, has been discovered imbedded in sand on the old battle-field. It has been despatched to England as a memento of the Peninsular War. AN International Art Exhibition has been opened in Munich, containing over two thousand pictures. Among the English contributors are Messrs. Alma-Tadema and H. Herkomer. AT Aix-la-Chapelle a fire has destroyed the ancient turret of the Town Hall, in which many German kings were crowned amidst the rejoicings of the princes and electors who formerly composed the German confederation. THE Royal Schauspielhaus is now undergoing thorough repair, and is to have a new facade. A large amount has been granted by the Emperor for the decoration of the Royal Theatres. MANY Egyptian antiquities have lately been found in Rome. At the request of the Roman Archæological Commission, Signor Lanciani began an excavation in the Via S. Ignazio, and at a depth of about 6 mètres discovered a basalt sphinx of Egyptian design, which is believed to be an effigy of Amasis, of the XVth dynastry. Near to this spot a portion of an obelisk has been found, and the name of Rameses II. is said to be visible on its base. THE publication has been announced of a very beautiful and interesting series of plates engraved in mezzotint. from drawings by Thomas Girtin. Curiously enough, though the plates were engraved in 1823-1824, no impressions of them seem ever to have been printed, and Girtin's grandson, who has the original drawings of some of them, learned only recently of the existence of the plates. In character and subject the Liber Naturæ, as the collection is called, immediately suggests the Liber Studiorum of Turner, preserved in the National Gallery. The two artists were in fact rivals, and many people in their day considered Girtin the greater of the two, while Turner himself is quoted as saying, later on, "Had Tom Girtin lived I should have starved." The Liber Naturæ, which consists of thirteen mezzotint landscapes, folio size, and a portrait of Girtin, engraved by Reynolds, is to be published by Messrs. Neill, of Haddington. OBITUARY. June 14.-At Newport, U.S.A., the Rev. Charles Brooks, aged 70. He translated many works from the German, including Goethe's Faust, some of the works of Schiller, Hans Sachs, and others. June 15.-At Darlington, John Barnett, the first railway porter ever employed in passenger traffic. He accompanied George Stephenson in his trial trip with the old "No. 1" Engine. June 16. In London, Robert Griffiths, the inventor of the screw-propeller, his first patent being dated 1849. In London, the Hon. Simeon Jacobs, C.M.G., aged 53. He was called to the bar in 1852, practised in the Home Circuit till 1860, and he held the various posts of Attorney-General for British Kaffraria, SolicitorGeneral, Attorney-General, and finally Judge of the Supreme Court of the Cape, retiring in 1881 after an arduous career. In London, Henry S. Leigh, aged 46, an accomplished dramatist, poet, linguist, and musician; author of Carols of Cockayne, Gillott and Goosequill, A Town Garland, Strains from the Strand, etc. His father was an artist, a pupil of Etty, and at one time master of an Art School in London. In London, the Rev. William Josiah Irons, D.D., Prebendary of St. Paul's and Rector of St. Mary Woolnoth. June 20. At Bishopstowe, South Africa, Bishop Colenso, aged 70. The Right Rev. John William Colenso, D.D., Bishop of Natal, was born in 1814, educated at St. John's, Cambridge, where he distinguished himself by his assiduity and learning. Soon after he took orders in the Church of England, and became one of the assistant masters at Harrow School. It was in November 1853 that he was elected first Bishop of Natal, and in 1862, it may be said, he first made himself famous by the publication of his theological work entitled The Pentateuch and Book of Moses Critically Examined, at once raising a storm of controversy and disapproval. During his long career in Natal he endeared himself to the natives, especially the Zulu's, whose ardent champion he became, and for whom he published a grammar as well as the New Testament in their native tongue. In 1874 he visited England, but was debarred from preaching in their respective dioceses by the Bishops of Oxford, Lincoln, and London; he preached, however, at Oxford, and elsewhere, to crowded congregations. His last work was a book upon the "Moabite Stone." June 21.-In London, Henry Frederic Turle. Since the death of Dr. Doran Mr. Turle has acted as editor of Notes and Queries. June 23.-In London, Sir William Knollys, K.C.B., Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, aged 87. He entered the army in 1813, and served until 1866, when he retired, and accepted the position of Controller and Treasurer to the Household of the Prince of Wales. June 24.-At Gibraltar, Sir James Cochrane, Chief Justice of Gibraltar, aged 87. He held his judicial appointment there for 36 years. Gustave Aimard, aged 65, writer of romantic Indian stories. He began life as a cabin-boy, which post he abandoned for a life of adventure in America, from which he afterwards drew many of his plots.. June 26-At Richmond, General Sir Edward Sabine, aged 94. He entered the service in 1803, served in the American War 1813-1816, and was subsequently employed by the Government in various scientific investigations. In 1861 he became President of the Royal Society, which post he retained until 1871. aged 73, Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. In Dublin, the Rev. Thomas Burke, the celebrated Dominican preacher and orator, familiarly known as "Father Tom Burke." In Glenes, Scotland, Captain Farquhar, aged 75. For eleven years he held the appointment of surgeon to the British ConHe was present at the fall of Sebastopol, and received the Crimean medal and clasp. June 27.-In London, William Spottis-sulate at Alexandria. woode, aged 59. He was officially the Queen's Printer, but was best known as a savant. The wide range of his studies may be gathered from the honours showered upon him; he was elected a Fellow of the Astronomical, Royal, Geographical, Asiatic, and Ethnological Schools. The honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him by the Edinburgh University, and at the time of his death he was President of the Royal Society. He contributed to many English and foreign journals. July 2.-At Edinburgh, Dr. John Strain, July 5.-In London, the Duke of Marlborough, aged 61. He was Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and at one time Viceroy of Ireland. As descendant of the first Duke of Marlborough he enjoyed a pension of £5000 a year, the Palace at Blenheim, and the manor of Woodstock. The successor to the title is George, Marquis of Blandford, who was born in 1844. The late Duke's second son is Lord Randolph Churchill. A Editor's Drawer. UGUST, notwithstanding its robust name, is a sort of flabby, wateringplace month. It is fly time, it is dog-days time, it is flirtation time. It is a period of general listlessness and indecision. It is said to be difficult in August to make up the mind either to accept Augustus or reject him. And, worse still, it is apt to be the latter part of the month before he makes up his mind to propose. Indeed, to speak of making up the mind at all in August is nearly absurd, for there is no mind to make up. Nature and people-if the expression may be permitted feel seedy. Inland it is muggy, on the sea-coast it is foggy. In the cities all the taste has gone out of life; even in the hills everybody is languid, and disposed to lounge on piazzas. The world, like the garden, owns itself played out. The days are growing short again, and it might be expected that the intemperate heat of July would abate, but the heat continues, although it is not the clear sun-heat of the lusty growing season, but a sort of oven-heat steaming up from the earth. It is the month to get away from everything, especially from one's self. Even the churches slow down. Yet there are good things about August. The schools are shut up, the everlasting process of education is eased off, and a chance is given for the mind to stretch itself and grow a little naturally. People forget that the mind needs those periods of semidoze in which to ripen. We understand all about the convolutions and the grey matter of the brain, and know just where the memory cells are, and where lie the coils of imagination and ideality, can put our finger on the spot that, if excited, makes a man willing to pay his debts, and on the spot where exists the impulse to forgive our debtors if our creditors will forgive us; but no one can tell how it is that if a thought is dropped into the brain overnight, and left to simmer there, and, indeed, remains for a time wholly unheeded, it will be found, when again called up, to have blossomed into a sermon, or an essay, or a magazine paper worth two guineas a page. I know a clergyman who is obliged to 'set his sermon overnight in this way, exactly like a baker's dough, or it will not rise in the morning. The little idea seems to be yeast, and that furnished, the brain will go on unconsciously, and work out the rest itself. The trouble with a good many sermons and essays is that they have no yeast in them. Perhaps August, which seems so stupid, is the yeast month of the year, and perhaps this is the reason that so many authors find September the most fruitful month of the year. August is also lawyers' vacation, and their clients have a rest, and an opportunity to settle up their differences in an amicable way. When the lawyers quit the ship it is a sign that everybody else ought to go-to be off to the rocks by the sounding sea, if there is by that time a rock anywhere on our coast that has not a young lady sitting on it, with a spread parasol and a novel in her hand, and a still more interesting work of nature and art at her feet, talking to her languidly about friendship, and how you can know if two people are suited to each other, don't you know. It is the harvest month of the novelist, for then, if ever, one wants a novel-to put in the pocket in the woods, or to carry down to the beach, or to leave lying round with the split zephyr. People will buy novels in August, if they cannot borrow them, and if they are in cheap editions. It is a nice holiday, August, just because it has no vitality in it. Pity it cannot be more of a holiday to more people. For the shops ought to shut, and the banks, and the life-insurance men ought to go off into the wilderness with the lightning-rod men, and the canvasser ought to cease from canvassing, and the weary be at rest. It would be a good thing if the politicians would rest themselves and make no speeches; they wouldn't make any if the speeches were not reported. It might be a good thing if all the newspapers would suspend. Then the world would have nothing to talk about, and perhaps would reposefully grow in grace and sanity. THACKERAY Complained that he chose to amuse himself with making pictures (for he fancied himself a great artist), but that people kept him busy writing stories when he would sooner be drawing or painting. Bayard Taylor never fully reconciled himself to the vocation of a prose writer. He believed that the world should have demanded nothing of him but poetry. Concerning this he used to tell a good story at his own expense. During his last lecturing trip through the Western States he was the guest, in a small city, of the chairman of the lecture committee, a self-satisfied and prosperous citizen, who met Taylor at the train, and carried him home to his own smartly furnished house. While waiting for the evening repast the well-fed chairman said, with manifest pride, that probably Mr. Taylor did not remember him. No, Mr. Taylor did not. "Why," said the chairman, "you were here in this town ten years ago this very winter, this very month, and stopped with me, as you are stopping now." Mr. Taylor professed his interest in the important fact. The chairman, glancing around on the chromos, the new carpets, and the glittering white walls of his home, said, "Yes, you see I have been prospering since then. Yes, the world has been a pretty good place for me. It has for you too, Mr. Taylor. I have watched your course ever since I got acquainted with you, ten years ago, and I suppose I am one of the few people who have read everything you ever wrote.' 66 What," said Taylor, "everything?" "Yes, sir, everything I could lay my hands ALREADY the season has produced several novelties in the base-ball line. A game has been played by electric light in the West. In Philadelphia a contest between a twolegged, one-armed nine and a two-armed, one-legged nine resulted in a victory for the former, who now claim the cripple championship of the world. A nine composed of coloured women is nearly ready to enter the field. In New York a club has greatly increased its gate receipts by putting a famous pugilist on exhibition as pitcher. This idea might be carried farther. A nine made up of the wild Australian children as the battery, the transparent-headed baby as short stop, Zulus on the bases, and bearded women and living skeletons in the field, would go far toward satisfying even the strongest craving for novelty. THE latest story of police efficiency comes from New Jersey. A small boy happened to be crossing a canal bridge in Newark just as another small boy fell into the water. A policeman asked the boy on the bridge whether he could swim. The boy said he could, and with great presence of mind the policeman thereupon dropped him over the railing into the canal. After a hard struggle the boy who was dropped in succeeded in rescuing the one who fell in. The policeman has not yet been promoted for his bravery. a woman in Philadelphia who gave her husband six commissions to execute in New York. He telegraphed back that he had executed five and forgotten the last. It was an order for an illuminated sentence for a Sunday-school room. He was a good deal |