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Exeter Times, 1898-7-7, Page 37.17- rr ETER Japaneseedding "hTever ch'oose a, wife by candle light a a distance or nucler a parasol," b a Jaeaneee saying a Which One aeadilar perceive,s tae good sense when fleets howoften a dim light o coming shade of a parasol lends 0 arras that do not belong to the fair one, says a letter from Tokio, japan. It is con- eiderecl unwise to seleot e wife whose age is either four or ten years differ- ent from her husbaria's, A union is thonght most luoky in- which the hus- band is just seven years older than is wife, There is luck in odd num- bers" In the case of marriage in ja- Pan. Although the Actual ceremony at- tending a Japanese wedding is so very simple, the various preparations one most elaborate and extensive. In Ja- pan a man does not rush headlong in- to. matrimony.; but, guarded and fore- armed by aleph wise saws es the:preced- ing, he is loth to take upon himself the great, responsibility attending such a step. So lie calls to his aid some worthy dame, a friend of the family, elm• is well acquainted with his char- acter, habits, likes and dislikes. She carefully reviews lier list of fair friends, o,ncl selects one whom she thinks suitable; and mentions her name. A photograph is then pro- cured and a meeting arranged for. The young man calls on a mutual friend, and during this call the road whose name bas been mentionedto him, and whose photograph he has seen, brings in the tea in the place of the usual servant. She pours out the tea, -sets it before the host and his guest, Snakes a profound bow, and, without once rais- ing her eyes, withdraws. After this, if the impression wa,s favorable on both sides, fornaal overtures are made to the lady's family and, rautual gifts are exoha„nged. Then comes the important duty of .selecting a propitious day for the wed - 'cling, as the future happiness of the pair is thought to be influenced by the right choice of a wedding day. The Japanese signs of the zodiac were, and are even now, used by sorae to desig- nate the days ef the week, which in- cludes twelve days. The signs are the Mouse, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Serpent,' the Horse, the Ram, the Monkey, the Bird, the Dog and the Boar. Some of these be - ing lucky, are the proper days for Iraar- riages and some the reverse. The • Monkey day is especially to be avoid- ed, as the word for monkey, sera, also means separation, which is, of course, • not to be thought of on such an oc- casion. The day of the Tiger is also regarded with suspicion, and no well- bred girl would consent to be maerie.d on that day. The tiger is said to re- tnrn to its home even if carried a thousand miles away. This is all right in a tiger, of course; but to suggest that a bride should return to her fa- ther's house after having left it for her husband's is very revolting to deli - cote feelings. • Indeed, the family are so afraid of the disgrace of a return that they are , very particular to sweep out the house when the bride leaves it, which is sup- posed to insure her not returning. This charm does not 'always work sa- tisfactorily, as divorces on the slight- est pretences are very common. A marriage should not take place in july as during that month the spirits of the departed are supposed to revisit their former abodes, and festivals are held in their honor, so a merry -making would be out of pleas in such "a, seas- on. December and January are the fa- vorite months for marriages, but oth- ers lima be selected if more conven- ient. All these. important points hav- ing been •arxanged after numerous meetings of the go-betweens on both, sides (for there are generally two of. these worthy people), *place has to be decided upon for the ceremony. Her personal belongings, clothing enough to last for years, and furniture, pre- • cede the bride to her future abode, in long litters covered by large furn- shikis upon which her own family crest is emblazoned.. The clothing is •pieced in bureaus or chests of drawers, each one carried by two men, • and when they number twenty or thirty, its I have known in several instances, • the procession is very long. The bride comes toward evening, and a simple ceremony of drinking sake 3 times from three graduated winecups is observed in the presence of the go- • betweens only. A few days later a reception and dinner is given and friends are invited. This is often call- ed the wedding, altheugh the actual e ceremony' has ineeady taken place. In some cases, • eepecially among those who have been abroad or are Chris- tians, besides the Japanese ceremony an additional religions service is held at some teahouse, a popular resort, or e elmech. . Our friend, Mr. Asada, Nebo had been for many years in America, invited my sister and myself to be present at (his marriage, so as our natural protec- tor was laid up with a° bad cold, we put ourselves undex the protection of Mr. Testae, who was going, tea. ,The invitation, which carae on a postal card, asked us to meet at a tea -house adjoining the temple of the Goddess of Mercy, which was situated in the mid- dle of 0. picturesque lake ba Irons park, a very' rem:astir) place • for a eved- . It was a rainy afternoon vvheri we eet Out, in our anrikshas, well tucked in with the waterproof hoods drawn tip. An hour's ride icross the city brought tis to the lake, where quite a walk lay before us over it succession ceaVed leralees leading to the &ye of the teahouse desfgnated. On' arriv- ing there a Japanese lady in festal. robes• of heoutiful crepe welcome& us at the threehold whom we recoplized as the ewes:est& go-between! Mrs, Mori. Sbe was beaming with joy Ana chetted cheerfully as she ushered, us into a back roam .where we deposited Our sirnele gifts and removed Our out- of-door garments, The mom into whieh we were afters wards led and where the oererriony woe to take place was a large room of about tarellia" Mats, (one mat is six feet long and three feet wide), Without furni- ture, excepting for the braziers set here and there. The tokinomie or place of honor, an aleove at one end a the xoorn, was prettily decorated with the three "happy plants"— the pine, bamboo and plura,—in immense vases., while under taem were the stork and tortoise in ininialsoxe, emblematic of long life and domestic) felicity, As this was to be a Christian wed- ding, the clergyman who, ens to per- form the ceremony, Mr. Smith, ef the Methodist missiop, Boon arrived, ace compel:Lied by Dr. Sanford, a youog American playsicien, who aad known the bridegroom in the United States and. wbo .had taught bins what he knew of English. At last there was a stir outside, and every one stood up as a- door op- ened and Mr. Asada appeared, leaning on the arm of Mr. Mori and looking very pale and nervous, He was -followed by his family— father, mother, little brother and eister—all looking very solemn and prim, ru,stling along in their hest silk clothing, The bride then appeared from the same door, led in by Mrs. Mori, evlaose robes were completely eclipsed by the of the bride. , She was a. roly-poly pleasant -faced young woman of about 20, with' a shy, merry look in. her nar- row blaok eyes. She wore lovely robes of crepe, alternately red and white, about six in nuanber, and over all a beautifully embroidered robe, vehicle •might have belonged to some princess. Her bair was arranged in the style known as) mama:nage, or round. coil, worn by masrried ladies. She wore the age-boshi, or bridal headdress, made of pink silk,which cast a pretty shade on her powdered face and reddened lips. She was accompanied by her family, and the whole peaty seated themselves at the. upper end of the room, facing the company. •• • ' • Mr. Smith offered an opening pray- er and. then proceeded to read the Me- thodist Episcopal service, which for the benefit a the guests he read in Jap- anese, although bride and groom und- erstood English well. 1Vfr. Asada, who looked. anything but .comfortable in, this conspicuous position, answered very cleaxly in the proper places, but the bride only modestly bowed and was voiceless. The beautiful Christian ser- vice emist have seemed very strange to the company, many of whom witnes- sed it for the first time. It certainly MUSt have seemed very binding, in comparison to their own ceremony of sake-arinking. The ceremony being finished, the Rev. Mr. Smith stepped beak, smiling and rubbing his bands stepped, in a pleasant way, and announced to the company, "Asada fu -fu," or "the As- ada couple." It May have been a mistake, but some of those present fancied they heard a giggle from the demure bride at these words. At the wonderful wedding feast that followed she ate nothing, in spite of all the persuasions of her friends, who crowded about •her, but, demure little puss, she sat with downcast eyes, und- er the lids of which mischievous glanc- es flashed now and then, and wrote Japanese characters on the hand of one of her school friends who sat near her. No doubt she was making witty remarks about the company or about her bridegroom, • and was not at all overawed by his dignified gloom. A GOWN ROOM. The woman of wealth to -day has in- vented a new phrase for womankind in general. This phrase is "gown room." It Marks a complete new chap- ter in the history of luxury and Hal- es, for it signifies.; thatthe woman of the present who can buy every dress she pleases now demands some- thing more than the frocks themselv- es—a special room to put them in. Of course, in past years many women have had special corners for their large wardrebes—some unused room On the upper floor of •their houses fre- quently; but- never before this spring has such an apartment as a "gown room' been known. ,This is now a re- • cognized feature in nearly every fasts- .ioaable, city, and country house. Not only is one well lit room. set apart • for this purpose, but it is fitted out withl a special equipment. The gawns of the summer need such a place, for, outside of the "sporting costume," all is furbelow and ruffle. The gowns require space to spread therozelyes, in. One must not only not hang upon another, it must actually not tonob another. Only by such pre- cautions as these can the excessively elaborate •toilets of the moment be kept fresh and new looking. • When her mistress ta.kes off a gown the maid who is an expert in the care of clothes sees that it is pressed and "freshened," and immediately there- after, conveys it to the "gown room." This, in the thoroughly up to;ate houses, is a room of very good size, its sole fittings consisting of a circu- larsofa in the centre and a pole some six feet from the floor set out a lit- tle 'distance from the walls. On the pole the various gowns of milady, and her family are hung, there now 'being made for their especial purpose a framework holding a waist and. a skirt. and having a hook above. Without touching, several Score of govvna can be hung around the room, The drainer sofa, is for milady to sit upon when sae wishes to survey her stook or show it to bee friends. As a, rule, however, neither the rats- tresa of the bonsehold nor her daugh- ters visit the "gown room" very oft- en. Their maids bring them wbet they want, and see to it that , this important room is properly arranged, and that the frocke therein hang free beams eaob other, COMFORTS 'OF TRAVEL, Desefeeffiniei Ottidel palece-cay pore ter—I heye n tnglish lord in charge, amt I want him to get a good impres- sion of the comforts of travel in this coentey, Here's rive adellars, Xortet—'S8 ab. De !yeti went Me to, gib (ben extre atteritiore sah Guide—Great Scott, eel I want eau :0 keep away iron SOME UNPLEASANT COMPANIONS FOUND ON THE ISLAND. There are Senders, snakes, Birds oreilortous Ithets-e. maim° Animal, Peculiar Eire fly-4nd other Strange whinge. • The Spaniard is not the only foe the soldier will eecounter on his Cuban marehes, says the N. Y. aun. Cuban sandflies end mosquitoets are muohlike our own, but We have nothing to naeteh the huge spider, whose 'bite causes fever, nor the belligerent ant, known as vivaja,gue. A scorpion, though not so dangerous as the European variety, proves itself unpleasant enough to the careless traveller, and the chigoe or "jigger," deals swift xetribution to an offender. The method of attack is in- convenient, for it burrows under the toe nails, and unless removed at once, builds its nest there, In that case in - Mammalian occurs, and the only relief is the painful operation of having the little animal cut out.• ' Stakes are not numerous, but they include eoeoe of the freaks of the ani- m.al Kingdom. The huge mitja, longer than two SiX feet men set end to °mil with a body twenty inohes in Mecum-. ferenoe, looks fierce enougle and for- midable enough to put a whole regi- ment to flight. It is all a bluff, for the big reptile is harmless. Among the birds, the soldier may exercise his taste for pets. Those pe- culiar to the island have beautiful plumage, rich in colouring. There are nearly MO kinds to be found there, and aniong them all the vultnre and. the tuakey buzzard are almost the only TIMES teaRie R appears, Tbe rivers and taYe and inlets, hOrrater, ere well eteoked. Nvitia palatable fish, The iguana, cay- man and crocodile ate) eommon, A huei variety of crocodile called •oeyincie has a colony of its own on the isle of Pines, Turtles are founa in large numbers m shallows and reefs and on sandy beaebes, and they are put to all sorts nsee,'Irom soup to welltig Sticks" Por cehes, the shell of the eareY meta of turtle based. First a strong stiok ie out of the length desired. Tlaen the turtle shell is boiled until it be- comes a thin liquid, and into this the stica is dipped and allowed to cool, The Process is repeated sieveral times tip, the beautiful tortoise shell covering is of proper thickness. Afterward the ()ant) is polished, headed, fitted with a, ferrule, and sold for four or five dial- lars. Another curiosity is a, cane made from the dried skin of the manatee, or sea cow. The skin is perfectly trans- Pareot, and when rightly prepared is flexible but strong enough to be used as a rapier for defence. Mounted in gold and silver, these canes are very exepusive. Tbey are rarely seen in Ha- vana, and one tourist, who wished to carry away a, eane as a souvenir, paid $50 for the privilege, • WELLINGTON'S KINDNESS. stow he Treated a ifoung (Hiker who atoned nis storse. Lord William Pitt Lennox, who died a few years ago, was in his youth a subaltern under the Duke of Wel- lington. He was foncl of telling a story which shows how gentle and patient the great soldier could be. • The Duke once lent him his fav- ourite horse, for a hunt, and warned him to be careful of the animal. Lord William obeyed the inju.nction to the extent of declining an invitation of some brother officers to join them in birds of prey. They are so useful as a steeplechase, which he gladly would scavengers to carry away waste ma- have done had the horse been his own. terial that they are protected frorol death by law. • Geese, turkeys, pea - ,cocks andpigeons are the most fami- liar domestic fowls, and pigs, sbeep, goats, mules and bones, THE ANIMALS USED. The Cuban horses are almost a race by themselves. They are very gentle, they never kick nor bite nor play any unseemly tricks on their riders. In some parts of tbe island horses receive "He is a splendid animal," said the as much consideration as a member a I chief, "and I would not have him harmed. for the world." Lord William's heart quailed within hira; but he screwed up his courage to confess. "I'm afraid he' is a little lame,".. he said, expecting the next moment to be annihilated. To his great astonishment the Duke i . . said, n a calm voice— "Can't be helped. Accidents will as you fear." have come again. 1 • It was worse, however! and the next Sometimes the roads are very bad and morning the Duke again approached Nevertheless, before he got home the horse became lame, ana as he led him into the stable, the horrified faces of the grooms presaged the anger with which the Duke would learn of what bad happened to the, charger. At dinner he met the Duke, who was evidently ignorant of the cause which embarrassed the young., soldier, and who enquired hoe the horse had ac- quitted himself et the hunt. the family. They are soot tied or con- fined, but they wander about the door yard, put their heads into the kitchen -windows to exchange the time of day, and even on occa,sioe have the privilege of entering the house. The eight of hu- ma,ns and equines on terms of sueh easy familiarity makes one wonder if the days of Gulliver and his horse country happen and Perhaps it is not so bad • the mud so sticky that it liolds any, men . foreign substance like glue. For ihisl "Now," he said, to himself, "my hour reason farmers braid their horses' tails, has come, it will be in Cassia's words, 'Never more be officer of mine.'" ' "Look here, Lennox," said the Duke. turn them up over their backs and tie them to the saddle. No Northern pony would stand this indignity, but the Cube "Yes ; it's all up with me," the Ming an pack animals seem. quite -willing to! man's heart whispered. endure it. In mountainous regions! "Look here, Lennox,; I can't afford mules are used. to carry coffee and 1 to run the risk of losing all my best sugar down the raountain paths, and to horses so --se save drivers mules in long procession are tied together, one's head to anoth- er's tail, and with only one men at the head of the column to guide the leader, they carry down their burdens safely. The hind legs of Cuban mules must be worked on a different principle from that in vogue among United States mules. Here no insurance agency would insure a man whose business was tying mules to one another's tails. The only wild_ animal peculiar to Cuba is the jutia, or bulb. It is rat -shaped, blacla and small. It lives in the hollows "No more hunting.for me," said Len- nox's conscience in anticipation of What was coming. "So," continued the Duke, "in the future youehall have the brown horse and the chestnut mare, and, if you harm them you. must mount yourself." JOTS FROM ALL SOURCES. Several clubs axe shortly to be start- ed in Berlin for women only. On an average every woman carries of trees, hke our equirrel, and eats forty to sixty miles of hair upon her leaves and fruit. Its flesh is insipid, but Ilea& itis often eaten. Curious naodificatons ' with the • . imb. eds of felines and canines inhabit the woods. Lace haricureichiefs, we worked in diamonds, are a late freak The animals have sprung from dogs and cats in the donaestic state and differ of costly extravagance. from them only in their size and habits, Some of the intelligence of the civilize - tion seethe to remain with them, and. they cause the faxiner much anxiety by their carefully planned. attacks UPON HIS POULTRY AND CATTLE. The matter of lights is a small item of expense to the poor man in Cuba, for in the pbosphorescent fly nature pro- vides him a lamp bee. This fly, the muffle, about the size of our roach, is perfectly black, • with • a transparent breast. Two eyes in front, and onein the point of it breast give out so much light when ite wings are spread that one can see by it to read a letter. Children make pets of cucullos and shut them up in reed cages. If they feed them on sugar, the sticky particles ad- hering .to their legs exasperate them so much that they fall upon each other like prize-fighters. The children avoid this 'by giving the flies sugar cane. 'They wash them carefully m.orning and night, and in this way keep their pets alive and shiningefor runny days. .Fashionable ladie-s wear the brilliant flies in their hair, and sometimes the belles tbe them covered. with a gauzy material foy living belts. One little girl remarked with in.uch solemnity after examining a cuctillo's legs that) God made it with hooke to fasten on little girls' dresses. Left. to themselves the cucullos 'fly in regular lines, Riv- ing the effect of the long procession of the watch at Havance For this rea- son the Cubans call them. "serenos de los, bichos"—vvatchmen of the insects. Fifteen or twenty of them in a coati - basil pierced with holes made a kind of lantern often ustea during the night, A few years ago an adventurous tras yeller brought a number of cuctillosi to New York and set them free in Breed-, Way, to the lastingastonishment of art Irishman, to whom the daneing lamps were such' a mystery that he wavered betweext tbe (PLEDGE AND THE OCULIST. Another curious phenomenon of Cu- ban animal life is the proceedion of land orebe urgers the island• trheS1 travel frdin'iforth td Muth: eVery Spring when the rain,s ddralnence, and are as regular ae institution as the wet wea- ther itseif Shell fieh are alauxidenti but they are) of inferioi. qUality. The clime,to is too era,rm, for theta, arid oYaa tees there et all times are as antiatise faotoey as ours In the asentiss *hen no Out of the numerous number of wo- men in Constantinople not more than 5,000 can read or write. It is said. that there is one medical lady practicing in the west end of London, who earns something like £4,- 000 a year. • In nearly every street in Japanese cities is a public oven, Where for a small fee housewives may have their dinners and suppers cooked for them. In Bucharest, Roumania, women per- form, some of the severest •forms of labor. They mix the mortar end carry it, as web as the brioks, to the "topmost stories of buildings in course of con- struction. In the island of Java is a snail] state •which is entirely controlled by wore, - en, with the single, exeeption that the sovereign is a man. He is, however, entirely dependent en his state coun- cil of three women. japarbee theaters have their boxes so arrangeci that the ladies can change their dresses, as it is not considered stylish for alady to asme,ar an entire evening in one dress and with the setae ornaments. Women in Erma* have just secured a slight addition to their le.gal rights. They must henceforth be valid wit- nesses to registration of births, mar- riages, and deaths and to the signa- tures in legal documents. CANE -BOTTOMED CHAIRS. The Owner of ceee-bottomed chairs whioh require rertoveting should. pro- vide herself With a ball of strong twine and some varnish, and she can marlage to' do the work very creditably herself in the f,ollowing way :—Cut reway, the old cane, take a 18rgiaderning-needle, thtead: it, make a knot at the end and loop the string through the braes bade - ward, and forward, crosswise from side tb side, right nut left, filling eyery hale ; then working back again, Weave ing as you, would foe cloth. Then varnieh the chairs and set them aside to dry, Make steall cushions of ore - tonne or any other material you like, and tie theM on the seats with ribbons to Ionia, 0110811 ALL CUBAN PORTS UNITED STATES ID BLOCKADE AN- OTHER FIVE HUNDRED NILES. vcit Not tie Such It Dinieult TaSk—likValla Not in Such a state or oestitudiou as Some Reports sone nude et. A ()Peva-Leh from Weshingban, D. C., says:—By proolarnatioe Seemed, on Wed- nesday the President gave notice of the intention of the Goeernmene to assume the task of btoskading about 500 miles of Cuban coast lime in addition to the sections already blookaded. This ire oreases the extent of the blockade fully four -fold, it baying been confined here- tofore to a tretch of e little more than 100 miles on .the north and the eingle port of Cienfuegos on the south coast a the island. The demands upon the navy in the way .of ships to patrol tbe coast, however, will not be nearly so heavy in proportion td the territory to be ceverea as in the case of the initial blockade for the reason that the new bloeleaded coast line lies entirely with- in the great 'bight on the Soutb. Cuban coast, in wbich tbe water is generally very shallow and the ports are few in- to which a, vessel of any draught could enter, The most important of these ports are Manzanilla, Trinidad, and Tunas, West of Trinidad is Cienfue- gps, which is already blockaded ef- fectively. From that point westward for nearly 140 miles there is no Point to be bloakaded until Batabano is reached. This port is distant only about 40 miles from Havana by rail, and is believed to have been the prin- cipal souxce a food supplies for the Spanish capital. For 150 miles west of this, clear over to Cope Frances, the western edge ef the bloskaded ter- ritory, there are no ports for deep ves- sels of any considerable draught, and even if there were; the country in the interior, Pinar del Rio, is in the hands of the 'Insurgents and supplies could not be sent through to Havana. The purpose of extending the bloakade westward to Cape Frances was to com- mand the channel between the -wait side of the Isle of Pines and Cape Franees, and. thus render much easier the task of bloakading vessels. SITUATION AT HAVANA. The reports which have reached the President as to, the exact state of af- fairs in Ha.vana are conflicting; in some cases the town was declared to be on the verge of starvation; in others, food supplies were said to be still abundant. As a matter of fact, the truth probably lies between these extremes, and while supplies of a cer- tain cbaracter are very scarce in Ha- vana, there is no lack of others. It is known, for instance, that, while flour may be scarce, large quantities of beef have reached Havana. Only a day or two ago word reached here that 500 head of cattle were rounded up at a point on the Mexican coast, n,ear Yucatan, waiting transport to I3a,ta.bano. There has been no run- ning of the blockade by these cattle - ships, notwithstanding. the Spanish stories to the contrary; all of the ships that have entered Cuban ports with supplies have done so at places not within the blockade, such as Bataba.no and Manzanillo,. • The vessels for the additional blockade service will be sup- plied almost entirely from, the. patrol fleet which, under Commodore Howell, has been guarding the North Atilantie coast from Maine to South Carolina. This service has been abandoned be- cause- the only available Spanish war- ships are with Admiral Camara, thou- • sands of miles away from the nearest point on the Atlantic mist. The ves- sels are already on their way south- ward, having been reinforced by sev- eral of the new torpedo boats, wbich are particularly adapted, because of their light draught, for blockade duty in the shallow waters lying behind the Isle of Pines and Cuba. 21,000 TROOPS TO MANILA. The Fourth Expedition WIll Start In About Two Weeks,. A despatch from Washington, D. C., says :—The understanding of the War Department is that the total number of regulare and volunteers which will be despatched to Manila in command of Major-General Merritt will approx- beats 21,000 men. Of these, 10,000 al- ready have.left San Francisco in three separate expeditions. With the troops now at San Premise() and those on their way to that city, the remainder of the eight corps will be mane up. The fourth expedition to the Phil - 'rapines iseoheduled to start somewhere bet -ween the 6th and 10th of July, and arrangements for it are being made at Washington and at San Francisco. The firth mid probably the last of the series of expeditions the officials now hope to see launched ot its way by the first of August. Caseastarianal/XILX.eal... elio dine, egeaturs of e s Is on ovary e swan • • DROMEDAUY'S IIUMP. The hump on the back of the drome- daryis all acoutnulation of a peculiar species of fat, which is a. store of nourishment • beneficently provided against the day or want,. to whice the animat is often exposed. The drome- dary or camel ean exist. tor a long period upon this hump without any other food, , eessses HAPPINESS. Mrs, Sweetface—Is your daughter happily?." married Mrs. Sourface—Indeed, she is. She's got a busbend who's as 'freed as death of hen , • CASTOR IA Par Infants, and Children. , T* so ohne slaintero Of oti ever . rttappor, PURELY CANADIAN NEWS. *Nemo In Wresting; atone „About our Own country. Dr. Laurier, brother of Sir 'Wilfrid Laurier, is now a residern of Nelson, The Mitehell Reoorder is advertisieg cow pasture ie tlae sti.eets of that en- terprising town. An English syndicate has an agent in the Kootenay looking for a eite for a, $500,000 smelter, Stephen Jeffrey was killed at the Silver King mine, near Nelson, 13. C., by falling down o, shaft, At Teslin Lake wages are $6 a day anct board yourself. Grub is $1 a Pound; and flour $100 e seek. Six new Wagner ele.eping cars and three new dining ears "ewe ereived in ISfontreal for uses on the Intercolonial Railway. Indians on the eoast of British Col - unable • have •been making fortunes catching sea otter. The skins are very valuable. Ornate, edlI vote on a proposition to spend e75,000 on an electric plant at Rugged Rapids, to ,supply the town with light and power. Caterpillars have wrought terrible elestruotion to fruit trees in the east- ern part of Ontaxice Many trees are stripped entirely a their foliage. James Dunn disappeared from Peter - bore' on Good Friday and is still snisS- ing. He was an Irish journeyman shoe- maker, of good education and physique. Charles Coeney, a 12 -year-old Lon- don boy, contracted concussion of the brain by falling over the Oxford street bridge to the gravel riverbed, 25 feet below. Reports as to the feasibility of tbe Glenora-Teslin trail are contradictory One man says it is impossible an& the next says the trail is good, and plenty of buiaoh grass for cattle. • More mining is being coaried on in the Kootena.y district tbis season than at any previous time in its history, though the noisy part of the popula- tion are looking for victims further north. It is said there are about fifteen smallpox patients and. • SUSPeaS in • Vancouver, B.C., eight of wbom are in the Isolation Hospital. The disease was brought in by an Australian steamer. • Hastings county had 55,225 people within its borders in 1896, compared with 55,777 in 1895, a deerease of 552. Belleville, Deseronto and Trenton all showed increases, but tbe, county gen- erally decreased. Peterboro' is suffering from an epi- demic of bad, boys, and the police have purchased a. rawhide, which the au- thorities will see that parents admin- ister to any youthful offenders who are foolish enough to get caught. London authorities cannot be sure whether or not Geo. F. Gibson is guilty of bigamy. His first wife was brought from Detroit to testify against him, but. she WM not" certain whether her first husband was dead when sate mar- ried Gibson. Pictoh people have a tax rate of $6.29 per head, in Deseronto 01.73 in Belle- ville $8.04. Brantford and Kingston are the only cities in Ontario in which the rate per head. is as low as haBelle- ante, the average being $12.51. General Montgomery Moore has in- timated his intention of presenting to the Province of Nova Scotia, aLouis- burg cannon ball xnounted on a mar- ble stand and a picture of the death oE his relative, General Montgomery, of the United States army who was killed at Quebec. The secretary of the Grocery Clerks' Association has written to the Guelpa Mercury critioining the citizens who criticise(1 the clerks on their recent excursion. He guarantees that the clerks belong to the best families, are strictly tober, and could give the Guelph people pointers on haw to treat visitors. WAR BRIEFS. Interesting Bits of News About the War Between the Batted States mad SPalia. • A bulletin issued by Admiral Sarap- ,son to the fleet says it appears a con- siderable part of the damage done to the American troops on Friday was from machine guns, manned, by ,sea- men. A despatch via Kingston says:—"It is reported _that after the fighting about Daiquiri last' week a band of Cubans, who participated, boasted of having found a wounded Spaniard—a mere lad—lying in the brush, and that they prodded him with machetes in an effort to make him tell of the situation in Santiago. Either the Spar/bra did. not understand or else he knew no- thing of Santiago. Be gave the Cubans, no satisfaction, and, they set 'upon him with great ferocity, cutting off Ins head, The America -n commander is said, to be investigating." • A despatcb. from -Camp Savenilla says the water supply of Santiago has 'been cut off, and nothing but cistern water is 710W available to tbe Spaniards there. Blue, of the &mane°, has made another, trip aahore, lmost to the enemy's batteries, and has obtained • valuable interruption for the use of the fleet. The London James' Gazette thinks the United. Slates is fully en- titled sod is indeed driven to antral - ate upen Spain by :sending a fleet across the Atlantic, Owing to the tao- tics which Spain has chosen to pursue. A Havana despatch saysi—"Advices Were received. frene Pinar del Rio sae. - bag that the insurgents on Tuesaity morning Wrecked a Havana paeeeeget train with dynamite, ottueing loss of life, and woundirte enemy persons, No details of the affair were obtainable." Replying to Sir Edwaxd Gourley, the First Lord of the Adrintalty. Mr, Geo. j. Gossehen, maid the Government lied illiMMISSEgthiroll`tisaaa694.1110-9(10 P Modesty! ,i Makes thousands of women suffee in stlenee, ratlxor thee WI their • troubles to payola). To such Indian Woman's Beam is a per. 1 ) feet boon, It: cures all womb troubles, corrects monthly irrespe f, larities, abolishes the egon10g of i chilcabirtle makes weak women • strong, and rename life worth ) *living. asalfellennie9WseelesseteAll Price so cents per Box, or 6 for Sa.go. At Druggists, or Mailed on Receipt of Price by T. MILBURN es CO.. Toronto, THE EXETER TIAIES OF An sexeseenianeeeeaereraesessreefs , THE DIETZ DRIVING LAMP_ Is about as near perfection as 50,years A of Lamp -Making can attain to. It to burns kerosene and gives a powerful. clear white light, and will neither blow nor jar out. • When out driving with it the darkness easily keeps about two hundred feet ahead of your smartest p horse. When you want the very best Driving Lamp to be had. ask your dealer tor the "Dietz.'" We issue a special Catalogue of this Lamp and. if you ever prowl around 11 after night -fall. it will interest you. 'Tis mailed free • R. E. DIETZ CO., 60 Laight St., New Vett• . Speciai terms to Canadian enstomers. 11/47Pe447/r<30-411Mal...NIMAL,:eVz%0 not received I report that marines and bluejackets from either the ships of Great Britain. or those of other Euro- pean powers had been landed at Man- ila., with the sanction. of Rear -Admiral Dewey, to protect the residents of their several nationalities. • A Madrid cable says it has been 'de- cided to call out 26,000 more men; the last classes of the reserves, for sere Vie 11.- the Spanish army. The Fleet Regiraent, New York vole unteers, composed of the 10th battal- ion, of Albany, and eight separate companies, bave received orders from Washington to proceed to San Fran- cisco and thence to the Phil ionines. Replying to a question ir) the House of Commons, Mr. Balfour ,aid every precaution Would be taken to preserve neutrality by the Egyptian Govern- ment in Egyptian ports, as by the British Government at British ports. A Cairo despatch says Admiral Camara's squadron is still at, Port Said. No answer has yet been given as to coaling, The I/Egyptian Government is awaiting the settlement of the ques- tion of international law involved. Spanish officials at Madrid say that Camara's squadron has with it all the coal it ,requires. Twenty-six thousand, troops are to be distributed among the principal ports of Spain to resist any American attack. SANTIAGO'S DEFENCES. Butted States Troops WIII FInd Great Difficulty tu Foreing a War Through the Trociet. A despeteh from Washington, says: —"There is one feature of the Santiago defences which does not yet seem to have been considered," said an army official to me on Monday, "and that is twelve lines of barbed wire entanglement which =mounds the city." This officer has explored the whole of Cuba, and speaks from personal experiences. "To attempt to clear these barriers with guns," he continued, "results only in throwing them down it a way to harass the men going overt them, This ewill be found. formidable obstacle when the attack may be made. The Cuban Junta fur- nished their troops with nippers with which to force their way through the • troche. With these the wires were cat, and the problem was comparatively simple, The Americans army to -clay •needs nippers more than guns." 1 as- certained that no nippers have been, furnished to the army, and under pre- sent, conditions, nay informant says, it will be difficult, for the Enited States array to make its way over (lie outer defence. The recent statement that in Santiago •prOviece there are forty thoasend Spanish troops WUS .pat at rest by this officer, who says he knows there are not more than 16,000 Spans isle regulars in the province. Peesibly same volunteers nay have been add- ed, but it is thought they are for the meet pert iheffective. Tle fat. iimilo neuters Ce.11.9P'11031LaitsX.eass to on ovotr entsese •