HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1899-3-24, Page 2Sa BRUSSELS PUS'S'.
Loan 24, 1899
Diamond Cut Diamond _
OR,
THE ROUT OF THE ENEMY.
^✓'1d' "0."V
CHAPTER, XIX, -Continued.
Geoffrey Dane possessed one of thee
1igbly strung nervous orgauizittien.
that are absulutely fatal t" happinee
aid very often to sueeess1» this world
He had something of the Poet's tem
Perament, and something also of the
Saint. He had a terrible fashion c
splitting hairs about his own action
and feelings, about his conscience ani
his ideals, that frequenty lauded him
in a very quagmire of morbid and nets
arable misgivings, There was withan
him a subtle blending of two natures
of a higher self, tbat was almost too
refined for this wicked world's daily
use, and of a lower self that was con-
stantly at war witb it, dragging him
back into the materialism, and the com-
mon sense, and the solid reasoning
powers which are of most use and
benefit to men an tbeir way tbrougb
every -day life. He never knew which
of these two natures would be upper-
most with him, or how long each would
hold its sway. Be was aware that, in
some vague way, two women at this
present time templed eitber end of
the mentat see -saw of his existence.
Mme. de Brefour represented to him
the poetry of devotion, the nobility
of a life of self-abnegation, the beau-
ty of all that was true and chivalrous.
-whilst Angel Halliday, at the other
end of the swaying balance, meant suc-
cess in bis career, a comfortable in-
come, a nice house in town, the pros-
4teot of wealth for the children that
should come after bim, and aposition
of incontestable respectability and in-
fluence for himself
come extinguished.
o ; it wile at this moment that aknaek-
s, ing at his door suddenly attracted his
s attention. Somebody, whilst be bad
been playing and thinking, bad cone
unheard up the wide earpetless stair
ease without. And if the Lord Chan
f tenor, or the Prime Minister, or Ibt
s Archbishop of Canterbury in person
1 or even all those three dignitaries to
gethee, hal wanted in, he could not.
- have been more profoundly astonish-
ed then when be beheld Matthew Dana
, quietly enter the room.
"Uncle I"
1 " Yes, my dear boy-lt is I, you see.
iI thought 1 would come and look you
up, You have not been to Cromwell
i Road for a long time, Geoffrey, and
this is the second Sunday you_has'e
not been to lunch. Your aunt was
' afraid you might be i21." Ail this time
Mr. Dane was looking about him with
,observant glances taking in the
carved ceiling and the high wooden
' mantelpiece, and the chairs and ta-
, bles, and photographs. He noticed sv-
' erything, down to the bandsomely
Ibound and evidently brand-new copy
of Congreve's worke upon the centre
1 table,
Dear me, what a large, airy room
+you have got here, Geed; and &nice
view out of window, too; but I daresay
I it is a bit draughty in winter; takes
a deal of warming, l should say, in that
'old-fashioned grate. You have a bed-
room, I imagine, opening out of it?"
I 'No, only an attic upstairs. Behind
those folding -doors there is a lumber
i room, I am rather thinking of asking
Miles Faulkner to come and take it,
I and to share the sitting -ahem with me,
I it would be a pleasant arrangement
Ifor us both, and as economical one.
1Mr Dane frowned slightly,
1 " Miles Faulkner?" be repeated slow -
Ily. ""Why him? Wby not Albert Tee-
" Because I like the one and I don't
like the other," answered Geoffrey
with a laugh. But won't you sit down
uncle? It was very kind of you to
come and look after me?"
e ly, he put forth his hand and laid it
upon, that of the old man. For thi
seemed to bim to be an outburst
genuine affection towards )timself
anti he was quite touched' so that he
was, henceforward, more drawn in
sympathy towards him than he had
ever deemed it possible to be,
But the momentary weakness was
already over, and the Old Adam had
re -asserted itself. Matthew pressed
his nephew's band, but even as be did
so he recognized the distinct advan-
tage which his little passing outburst
had enabled him to gain. "Ile is a.
sof ¢hearted young fooI," be said to
himself, "and if I have made him a
bit fond of me, he will be ()ester to
manage when .t put the screw 00."
For that was, of course, the end and
aim of all his actions -that his pup-
pete should fall into their places, and
dance out their parts, according to
his pleasure, Nuw, evidently, was an
appropriate moment for unfolding
something of his intentions,
"My dear boy," be began, in a fath-
erly and kindly manner -"It has not,
alas! pleased Heaven to bless me with
a son of my omen -your aunt-"
"My aunt, sir, surely regrets it as
muol as you do," interrupted Geoffrey
quickly.
Mr. Dane frowned slightly, but let
the observation pass, If he bad enter-
ed into it, be would, no doubt, have
stated what be really believed, that
Mrs. Dane was an obstinate, ill -con-
ditioned woman, who had chosen to
fly in his face, and to thwart him of
malice prepense in bis dearest hopes,
out of sheer feminine spite and "cuss-
edness." For that was how, without
a doubt, he regarded her conduct.
However, be did not choose to enter
into this branch of the subject -and
dismissed it with a wave of the
hand,
on him, who had no pressing need o
suck a boon, this wonderful good gif
bad been bestowed. And, oddly
enough, he felt a kind of rage al
(minuet the young man hlmeelf, i
that he was only his nephew.
"Why' are you not any sun T"-th
words were actually wrung from him
aloud In the bitterness of bis unclean
ing regrets, and with such a force and
depth as to be almost startling.
"My dear uncle I" cried Geoffrey
with an emotion which hie bard, auto
uratic master had never, hitherto, been
ble to arouse in him • And, impulsive
so
n
Geoffrey sat at Dona;& one Sunday
afternoon, and thought over alt these
things. He was in his own room in
Adelphi Terrace. His sitting -room,
that had once, a century ago, been a
lady's reception -room, was large and
airy, with a handsome carved ceil-
;ng, and a high wonder' panelling of
white -painted wood all the way round
,It. Geoffrey's furniture was of the
simplest and scantiest, and his few
cheap chairs and tables stood about
in a helpless 'fashion, each by itself
upon a wilderness of dingy, faded car-
pet. There were, however, warm, red
curtains at the high windows, and a
delightful, distant view of the river
but of them; a view that was especi-
ally dear to bim. Moreover, a cottage
piano stood crossways in one corner,
and it was at this piano that Geoffrey l
was seated, his fingers wandering .
vaguely over the keys, as it was his
custom when he was tbinking deeply, I
striking strange chords, flowing into
plaintive melodies in minor keys, or
breaking out into little spurts of a i
more joyous nature, according to the.
moods and fancies of his changing 1
thoughts.
Sometimes too, bis face looked sad
and dreamy, and the brown eyes seem-
ed to see things that were far away -
sometimes again a little grim smile
broke forth upon his lips, generally
at his own expense, as he recognized
the somewhat ludicrous side al his
meditations.
What a fool all bis friends would
think him, that he could even hesitate
between the two alternatives of bis
existence. Even honest old Miles, who
was neither worldly minded nor mer-
cenary, woul'4.ssuredly set him down
as an ass, could he know of the con-
flicting inr.linations, that made war so
ustily witivn him, No doubt, thought
eoftrey, Miles woull be uneasy as to
the state of his liver, recommend
him to Boat, or to ride, or to play
cricket, in order to restore himself to
a more wholesome state of mind, and
would c0unse bim to forget the idle
longing for a. woman whom he could
never marry, and take to himself the
pretty wife who would bring him not
only her sweet self, but also so large
a. share of the good things of the
world.
Well, Geoffrey knew himself to be
e, visionary and to be worthy of the
contempt of nine sensible men cut: of
ten; but, after all that, be could not
alter bimeelf, nor be untrue to his
awn nature, without that direst of ills
befalling him -the loss of bis two self-
respeet. I take it that there is no
more terrible eituatlon, thatabumnn
being can by sin or folly, be placed
In, than that of having let himself
down in his own eyes until, in spite
of all the inner pleadings and excuses
of his too indulgent self, he is forced
to own that in his own estimation he
has become base and despicable. That
is the lowest depth into which a hu-
man soul can fall. The world may de-
ride us, enemies may jeer, friends may
turn their becks upon us, the volre
of public opinion may condemn us, but
so long as to our inner selves we still
can say, "I nave, at least, struggled
-1 have done my best, according to my
light -I have kept that which the
world knows nothing of, bright and un-
eullied,"--so long; we have not de-
graded o'hrselves, we retain stilt our
foothold, firm amidst the shifting
quioksande of life, And this hyo noth-
ing to do with repentance, nor with
preaching -ear yet with any creed Up-
on the face of the earth. It is com-
mon to the savage and the sage, to
the Christian and the Hindt+o, to the
Mahometan and to the unbeliever;
the old Greeks understood it, and all
the great heathen writers of old, Be-
cause it to simply, in each of its, the
I
spark of snored firs, that; if kept oliva
and flickering^ rain make each and all :
of us become " as gods," and if ex- l
tinguished, leaves us defenceless, so '
that we may be dragged down to the
Level of the , brutes tbet perish;' I1
differs in each, human soul, widely, .
enormously. The highest nit& of one
is far ne the poles from that of an-,
other. What seems a holy religion to
me, may he but rank blasphemy to
you. Yet, you know, and 1 knew, in
what that divine .spark consists, and
if we be only true to it, then we have
not fallen so low, however sore our
plight, but that life still holds out
for us its infinite and over -recupera-
tive possibilities,
I don't meanie that Geoffrey Dane
put n11 this into words in his mind,
but he knew it very well, pat as we
all know if:, and when he rose from
his pinup, and relished out his arms
Ablate his bead, and said aloud to
sel'f, "I simply can't do it," be knew
veryy well that it was no oilier or ina-
:el'ial &Menlo that made brat say so,
int only that inner flame. of golf. -eon-
'ietioe which absolutely retuned to be
He drew forward the one comfort-
able arm -chair in the rooms and sir.
Dane sat down, depositing his hat and
cane upon the floor. Geoffrey half
leant half sat, upon the corner of the
table, facing the windows. Afterwards,
many times, that little scene came
back tois
Ir memory, just as ictuses
in our life's history, , some of them
startling and dramatic, others trifling
and tame, like a Dutch interior, or a
corner of still life, have n habit of
coming back to us, we know not why
nor wherefore,ust with a flash, as
if some hidden hand turned the kal-
eidoscope of our past, and showed us,
hap -hazard, the little vivid touebes
that stand out in sharpened outlines
above the dull and monotonous col-
ouring of all other things that are
dead and gone and over,
Geoffrey always saw in that picture
a glimpse of the river, silver blue, be-
yond the trees of the Embankment,
with a puff of black smoke from a
passing steamer, and the tawny red'
sail of a Thames barge floating laz-
ily seaward; and in the little pause
of speech that ensued, there came the
sound of the Sabbath afternoon thumb
bells above the distant murmur of the
street traffic below. And his uncle,
who .leant back in hie chair es though
he were tired, with his gloved hands
Upon his knees, and his dark, power-
ful face, a little graver and sterner
than usual -Geoffrey could even recol-
lect down to the dust upon his boots
which showed that he bad walked and
net driven, so vividly did all the lit-
tle details of that seemingly small and
insignificant scene remain impressed
upon his memory.
"I am sorry to hear that you don't
like Trtrhet, Geoffrey," said his uncle,
at length, as be began slowly drawing
off his dogskin gloves.
"Why, I am sure you don't like him
much yourself, uncle i" answered the
young man, smiling,
Now, Geoffrey had a charming smile.
It was a smile that flashed up sudden-
ly into a face that was habitually
somewhat a grave one, lighting it: up
like a gleam of sunshine. It was the
sort of smile that helps a young man
on in the world, that makes women
lore him and men take kindly to bim;
it had in it that rare and subtle charm
which, for lack of a better name, we
call "fascination." Sometimes it is in
the tone of the voice that this intang-
ible attraction lies, sometimes in some
mere trick of manner and glance; but
wherever it is met with, it is never
acquired, but always born with the
lucky possessor; and is as true a
fairy gift as any with which a super-
natural godmother ever endowed a
mortal babe.
Now Matthew Dane was a bard -
natured man. He loved money, and
he loved himself; and, over and above
both, he loved the sense of Power.
And, besides these things, he loved
little else on earth. 131s wife believ-
ed him to be the coldest and hardest -
heart ed man in the world; and if a
wife is not a correct judge of her
husl itnd's ohmmeter, I should Iike to
know who is 1 He had not a single
soft or vulnerable spot within him. He
was pleasant and nonciliatory to the
persons to whom he found it of Me
to be so; and harsh and unrelenting .
to those whom ho was unable to bend
to his will. But, he had no personal
predilections towards anybocly. Now,
for the first: time in his life, its he
looked up in the young ma.n's hoe -
looking down upon hien with that
brilliant smile upon it -there camp in-
to his inner being a new and utterly
extraordinary sensation. A sort of
inward warning and tigh(eeing
around -I had almost written hie
heart -hut, possibly, his organism of
sensation would be a more correct,
term -for, to speak accurately, Mat-
thew Tans had no heart. And, eimul-
Ianeously, he thotnght-"Why ie this
hey no( my Sun 1-1 could have loved
him." For, in truth, Geoffrey would
have realized all his ambitions, Well-
look;ng, and well-mannered, n. manly
young fellow -and yet one seine In-
(etleol was awake and keenly intern
live, he would have, been, as his part.
nor, Mr. Halliday, had said of him-
"a son of whom Aug mon might be
proutl."
And he almost hated his brother, the
clergyman, when be reflected that up -I
INDIA'S FUTURE CAPITAL
(Pathan, hlunsulman and Mahratta
tlliutve fought and oouquerud and reigo-
1ed and been supplanted, hits under-
gone a marvellous metamorphosis,
Bishop Reber denribed the view from
the historia Ridge as "a very awful
scene of desolation, ruins after ruins,
tombs after tombs, fragments of brielt-
wnrk, freestone, granite and marble
scattered everywhere over a sell
e naturally rocky cud barren without
1 cultivation, except in one 01' two 513015,
and without a single tree."
A vit+itot' looking demi from the
same vantage -ground, to -slay sees, lie
. tells us, on cue side tine sacred Tumnv
stretching aor'nss the plaine, an the
other streaks of smoke stretching
across the sky. The oyes rest upon
a lofty chimney shafts, towering high
ABOVE THE DWELLINGS
1NIPERIAL DELHI, THE RAILWAY
CENTRE OF THE EAST.
\1'hr (be herernnleat Siloam be. Iterative,*
Prom (hI,anit--11'hat n "Rn.slee" ls-
,t Horribly Dirty Pince Where fecal
he Sweetmeats -Pike Maio. 4111
Sgl'1115 of(ne Paalllb,
Plague is now at the winter bead
quarters of the government of India
a hitherto the dieeaso has been of a
of mild form, but if it assumes malt
g_' nanny its ravages will be terrible. IL
presence brings the question of a
new capital for India once again with-
in the range of practical polities,
writes a correspondent.
('aleutta was never intended to be
the capital of India. Located eighty
miles from the sea on the banks of the
River Hoogbly, a waterway with the
most dangerous navigation in the
world, the little Bengal settlement,
foonded by Job Charnook two hun-
dred years ago, has gradually grown
into the :largest city of Hindustan,
with an immense maratime trade. So
long as commerce was the controlling
factor of British power in the East
there was reason for the headquarters
of the chief government being at the
spot where the largest mercantile in-
terests lay. But as the Tohn Com-
pany's factories were replaced by
forts, and the merchant's ledgers gave
way to conquering armies, the pro-
priety of the situation was lost,
"In considering where the seat of
the supreme government should be
placed," wrote Sir George Chesney,
"the fact that it is at present nomin-
ally at Calcutta need not be taken in -
I. account as a determining cause,
this being merely an accident arising
from the fact that the supreme gov-
ernment has been gradually developed,
by force of circumstances, out of
what was originally the government
of
"However, Goeffrey, the time has
come, when I avieh to make my views
known to you, As things are, 'we are
bound, in this world, to make the best
of them. And I am much inclined to
take you into partnership at once,
with the eventuality, at my death, of
making you also my heir,"
"My
dear uncle; lY "
Gaoftre could
hardly believe kis ears -the magni-
tude of the proposal almost took away
his breath. There went a whizzing
and ringing of blood into bis head -
such as any great and unexpected
stroke of fortune -whether good or
evil -is apt to produoe in the calmest
and most self-controlled.
Old Dane watched the effect of Drs
words with furtive glances. He had
calculated upon this agitation, this
shortening of the breath, and height-
ening of colour, "It will turn his
head, for the moment," he thought
with satisfaction,
"My partner now, and the possibility
of becoming my heir hereafter," be
repeated slowly and lingeringly, svitb
a sort of unotuous roll as though to
let the words sink well into the mind
of his nephew. "Does that idea please
you, Geoffrey?" he asked quickly, after
a short pause, looking up keenly, and
somewhat kindly, at the young man.
"Uncle, I have no words In which to
express my gratitude for your good-
ness to me," answered Geoffrey; he
looked down as be spoke, and his voioe
shook a little„ and, quick as thought,
there flashed through his mind the un-
spoken words: "Should I be worthy
of her -will aha take me when I am
a partner in Dane & Trichet's great
house. instead of an obscure and penni-
less clerk?"
And then, as one who hears a voice
out of a fog, be found that his uncle
was speaking again:
"Of course, you must understand
that before such an important change
can take place in your prospects, Geof-
frey, I must receive some pledges upon
your side, some sort of security con-
cerning your future conduct - some
conditions, in fact, with regard to your
actions."
"I trust, sir, that my conduot and
actions may always continue Lo give
you satisfaction," said Geoffrey, in
the modest tone of the good young
man who is conscious of a clean bill,
and has nothing to hide, and nothing
to he ashamed of.
Mr. Dane waved all that away as
a matter of eoul'se, with a significant
gesture.
"I am sorry to find, for instance,"
he continued, "that you do not like
Albert Trinhet, because it is a matter
of fact that he will have eventually to
be taken into partnership in the busi-
ness."
Geoffrey looked up in unfeigned as-
tonishment.
"You surprise ore, uncle, 1
thought-"
"No matter what you thought, Geof-
frey; personal predilections, as you
know, roust be set aside in certain
cases. Triehet bears the old name, is
clever and pushing, and thoroughly up
in the business; and for the welfare
of the house, he must come into it
some day as a partner. To that I re-
quire your consent.
Geoffrey gave it gloomily, with
downcast eyes. Re felt, indeed, that
whatever his objections might be, he
was scarcely in a position to mention
them.
There was a little pause. Geoffrey,
feeling instinctively, with a vague
sense of presentiment, that more was
to come, waited patiently and talent-
ly, Y, a 1e'lite expectation, and p -
haps 110, a little apprehensier
on, in his
enquiring glance. heattheW Dano
seemnr' to hesitate. If such a thing
could be, said altout so masterful and
determined an ;tntoer,t(, 11 (night .u,1 -
most have been supposed that he was
nervnu.,. Ile did not meet his neli-
hewes eyes, but hotted away vacantly
mit of the window -drummed Iiia fin-
gers upon the arms of his their, anti
cleared his throat.
Thal is the of my conditions, Goof.
fray. Thera is another,"
"lees ?"
"I1 is even a more impnl'tant ono
than the other; it is essential, in feel.
to tbo compact between us."
('fo be continued,)
Charity as a cloak often proven it
mlent.
ONE ISOLATED PROVINCE."
In 1884 the Governor-General of
Bengal was created Governor-General
of India, and a lieutenant -governor+
appointed to administer that province.
Since this date the affairs of no one
province have been specially under the
care of the Viceroy. He rules India,
and his capital should be at the heart
of India.
The climate of Calcutta is bad. There
are less than six weeks when the
weather can be called cold. Malaria
is constantly present. The city suf-
fers terribly from over -crowding. To
give an idea of the present state of
sanitation of some quarters in Cal-
cutta, a description of a "bastes" -a
congeries of bamboo and mud buts 1
wbere the poorer classes crowd togeth-
er -may be quoted from a local pa-
per: -
"A bastes in theurlieus of Bur
p ra l
Bazaar is a fearsome thing, and tbat 1
in flap Chand Roy's street, the de-
struction of which the municipality ie
contemplating, le an aggravated speci-
men of noisome squalor and unrelieved
misery. (ro get any idea of it one
must imagine a rhomboid framed in
by large tenement ho» ens which ef-
fectually shut out sunshine and air,
Houses in this irregular space are
dotted about promiscuously, and the
present accumulation of tiJtby debris
would appal the dirtiest lazzaronl of
the dirtiest part of Naples. They are
for the most part built iu two stories.
There are no windows, and the only
entrance is
SO NARROW AND LOW
of men and sending up their black
vapors to the sky to tell it Delhi is
developing. 'i au cannot pass through
rho city's densely populated bazaars
without hearing the ring at hummers
and the roar of furnaces, sounds which
tell that the iron -founder is busy et
work making his columns anti pipes
and a thousand and one things which
formerly came from England.
The old view and the new bring in-
to clear relief the change that has
passed over Delhi, a change that Brit-
ish rule is working throughout the
empire. Through the walls that kept
at bay the small army of heroes for
three awful months forty-one years
ago seven railways now enter. Glance
at a railway map of India, and Delhi
will be seen to be at the heart of the
spider's web of permanent ways which
aur engineers have thrown over the
country. ;Bombay to the south-west,
Calcutta to the south-east, Karachi to
the west, Peshawar to the north, from
all points of the compass the iron roads
run straight to Delhi.
Whether the Viceroy rests there
this winter matters not. Sooner or
l later the city will assert ben old sever-
' e(gdnets •More than cue great Mogul
endeavored to ateate a naw capital
for himself; some even moved try com-
1 pulsion the whole population; but
every attempt was foredoomed to fail-
tare. The rose-colored bastions beside
' the Pumna were possessed of an ix-
restible fascination. Eaoh time in a
few short years Delhi arose from ber
desolation, the crowned mother-oity of
the Orient. So it will be again; though
factory and workshop have encroach-
ed on palace, mosque and fort.
The advantages wntob Delhi has over
Calcutta may be thus Bummed up: Po-
litical situation, greater accessibility
to the whole of India, better climate,
proximity to Simla. Against these
must be set off the fact that there are
Jno public buildings in Delhi. The
that an ordinary sized man bas to
squeeze in on all fouls through a
holo in the wall. The wattle of witch
the wall is made exudes glutinous
grime, while the thatch of the roof is
caked with soot and reeks with ver-
min, The approaches are strewed with
pestilential offal, which, saturated by
rain, gives off a siokening odor.
"ln this 150 square Leet of area
there live two hundred people or
mare, who are for the most part en-
gaged iu making sweetmeats, which
farm an important item in the daily
sustenance of tike poorer classes. The
sight. of this horrible place is bad
enougli during the day, when nearly
all the adult population are away bar-
tering their sweets. At night, when
they return to prepare confections for
the next. day's sales, and to sleep, its
condition can be bet, Ler imagined than
described."
Such is Calcutta. To a person not
hardened to the slums of lndia's pre-
meel capital this description will xead
as if it came from the fervid imagina-
tion of a Pee. It is as a matter of
fact, a plain, uuvarniened tale. These
rookeries dotted all over Calcutta
have gained for it the oepraaoh that
it is a city of palaces in front and a
city of pig -sties tri the rear.
The government of India recognizes
that it cannot, in common humanil.,y,
t ranter its army of clerks trona the
:salubrious heights of Simla, to the
sickly squalor of a plague -stricken
capital. Tbis matter has already en-
gaged its attention, but is seltled.
In the winter the Viceroy's Legisla-
tive Cauneil-India's Parliament -sits,
and representatives, European and
native, arrive from all, parts of the
country, Each native has a consider-
able retinue, which, on its departure
from CaleuLla, would bee' ne s, new
FOCUS Ole .INFIICTI ON,
If plague Increases in Ca.lcalta the
supreme government cannot go down
there this winter. Simla, when snow
tails, Is inaccessible, and the Viceroy
and his ministers must reside in the
ontd weather where approach is easy.
11 Calcutta and Simla be out ot the
question, is there no alternativeyes;
imperial Delhi, the Clapham Junction
oInf dia.the Eaet, the future capital of
The anciented-walled pity, the
scone et bloodshed and battle, the seat
of ebony dynasties, where IHindu
COST O11 ERECTION
is calculated to be at least £150,000,
and Judie has not the money to spend.
This money question may delay the
t:ransterence, but it will not prevent
it, for it is by no means insuperable,
Calcutta boasts that residence with-
in her gates brings the government
into close touch with all shades of
non -official opinion. But Delhi, with
bet' growing industries, will supply as
strong a current of European opinion.
And her native nobility and gentry
are an infinitely greater factor in the
peace of the empire than the glib citi-
zens of Bengal. Delhi's political situa-
tion in the midst ot the warlike races
of Hindustan is the strongeet argu-
ment in her favor.
The winter and spring of the Pun-
jab are among the mors exquisite at-
mospberee of the earth's surface. The
keen, penetrating cold of December,
with its clear, blue eky, is nature's
most invigorating tonic; and the warm
amens of March, when the rose gardens
ere aflame with blossom and a melody
of fragrance, are more delicious than
the kisses of a bride. Men who have
to seek the Government of bndis go
now to Calcutta grumbling; they will
hasten with delight to Delhi as to a
charming health resort,
Delhi is within six lecture' railway
journey of the Himalayas; so the
move to Simla will be accomplished
with much greater ease and at much
less expense in the future. The old
Moguls, when not conducting a cam -
pidgin would leave the plains during
the torrid heats of summer. Kashmir
was their favorite mountain residence.
The British Government in India bus
chosen Simla, and its annual migra-
tion is, after all, nothing but an an,
eient custom of Hindustan.
FIRST IRON SHIPS.
('rade A/lni,p(s la Shipbuilding Daring
Lao ("eat wry.
The storey of the use of iron as a
material for the construction of ships
is full of interest, writes Clark Rue -
sell in Pull Mall Magazine. Iron was
lona; ago used experimentally tor
building boats; several references to
Gans* crude attempts wilt be found in
the Annual Register of last cen-
tury. Grantham mantes from a pub-
lication dated July 28th. 1787, The
writer stye; "A few ()rays ago a boat
built of ;OSnglish iron by J. Wilkinson,
Esq., of Bradley George, came up our
canal to tete town, loaded with twen-
ty-two tons and fifteen hundred-
weight of its own metal, etc. It is
nearly of equal dimensions with other
boats employed upon the canal, tieing 70
feet long and t! feet 8 1-2 inches wide;
the thickness of the plates with which
it ie made is about five -sixteenths of
an inch and it is put together with
rivets, like copper or fire engine boil-
ers; but the stem and stern -posts are
wood, and ;ha gunwale lined with the
same; the beams aro made of elm
Menke. Her weight is annul. eight
tons; she will carry, in deep water, up-
wards of this(.,-(wo tons and drawn
eight 0r nine inches of water when
light:" I1 is extrttord.innry tont suets
hints as these should have Wien dears,
Was there no shipbuilder with an eye
swift to witness the enorinias posst-
bilities'latent in these 1(tllc gana.l ex-
perimenttt 'A small iron boat was
launched. in August, 1815. she was
fitted up in Liverpool as a pleasure -
boat. Hundreds viewed her as e
Curiosity She was sunk mnliniously
in the Duke's Dock, as tbotth seine
Quilt) uilp of a workman foreseeing
iron as an issue if this boat was sine
fered 1.o go on hinting, bait put an end
to her. Her owner raistttl her, and
sold her for old iron, but "the lass of
tbie boat," ire says, "turned my ;atten-
tion to the preet.icnbility of milking
an iron boat whiolt could not be sunk
I, y any ordinary means."
lArricultraralf&
t ememoi wdmmmi nN1AVAPPm 41h'Fh'.'f utIN
&TARDY FRENCH CANADIAN
CATTLE.
Very' early in lbs history of America,
some Lime before 1000, a number of
small blaek or brown cattle were in-
troduaed into what are now the Cana -
diet; provinces, writes T. A. Cant are,
et Quebec. They canoe from France
and were strietby dairy animate, re-
sembling the Jerseys in a general wa,Y,
These wattle were not allowed to crass
with other breeds, and for over 200
years were kept very pure and took
the name of -French Canadian. 'They
lemony quite numerous, being pe0uIlac,
ly adapted to cunalitions in Canada,
In 211 Etuunties In Quebec Pinot Malin
no other cattle are kept. They are
the easiest kept of all breeds of cat-
tle, and also the .hardiest. They are
free from tuberculosis. Their teats
are large, consequently they are eas-
ily" milked. In enter, they are amid
blank, or black with yellow strip on
back and around muzzle, or brown
with black points, or solid fawn.
As milkers they are the fleet wows
of any of the breeds in Canada for
the average farmer. They will not
give the large quantities of milk
yielded by the :Holsteins or even sums
Ayrahires in one day, or one week,
but they will give a good quantity
daily fruuu Half to calf, and the total
for the year will be surprising, usual-
ly larger than that given by other
breeds. The difference in their favor
will be still mute evident when the
coat of keeping is considered.
When the little Canadian cow is
properly fed she repays well for the
trouble and expense, tie proved by the
following result obtained from the
cow Pruniers 1712, the property of the
Hospital du Saeri-Coeur, Quebec. She
calved on the 28th of August, 1892,
when four years old, and was milked
until July 1803, being due to calve
again on the 81st of the same month,
During these 818 days she gave 11,810
lbs. of milk, or a daily average of 35
lbs. She weighs about 675 lbs. Her
dully food consisted of cut nay 10 lbs,
cut straw 6 tbs, ensilage 20 lbs, bran
8 lbs, eeltonseed and meal 2 lbs, This
is. mixed and fermented for 14 hours
in advance. She 'was kept all this
time in the stable. The cow Azilza
de Levis 956 gives 8,000 lbs. of milk
a year on pasture alone in summer,
and on 16 lbs. al dry hay and 4 lbs.
of grain, oats, bran and oil Dake, daily
iu winter.'
Let me say that the French Cana-
dian cow tbat donna giro 6,000 lbs.
of milk in the year, when she receives
reasonable care and food, is not a
good cow. On common pasture and
dry bay and dry straw, with a band-
ful of bran in winter, she ought to
give froso 4,500 to 5,000 lbs, of milk.
in the year. is this milk of good
quality? Of course it is. The aver-
age percentage of Babcock teat is
tram 4 to 5 1-2. It is sometimes 0
and 6 1-2 per cent. and frequently as
high no 8 per cent. In blanking of
average as being 4ito 6 1-2 per cent.
It is the result of a large number of
testa made in various butter and
cheese factories, with no alter reed
but ordinary pasture in summer and
bay and straw in winter.
CRUELTY IS MARK. TEE EVIL'S EAR-
L
A-
, DR.
Cheek reins are cruel and injurious,
unless very slack, •
Wide tires save much horse pow-
er,
But few farm horses need shoes.
Quiet and patient. drivers are worth
twice as much as any others.
Competent titivate use the whip but
rarely. Whips Bust more than they
eat0.
Your horse intends to please you
but does not always know your
wishes.
Dark or damp stables cause low
spirits and various diseases.
Hm•ses need a variety of tool as
much as yourself.
Patient and gentle grnams and
drivers are worth larger pay than
others.
Overloading is ai costly folly and a
great cruelty.
Axle grease pays 1,130(1 per cent,
profit.
Gard blankets are profitable anti
save footi-if lviaai5 tisell.
Clipping reverses nature, is cruel
and causes disease.
Horses need bhtnkels where) a man
would need an overcoat,
He who abuses a horse will abuse
his wile or children,
Cruelty gttelilies for crime -1 hey
-are close neighbors,
It is gruel and. silly to whip a
horse for, fright, Sootiie him with
kind words:
:t is wine to put youreelf in his
place -ani' think it aver.
FEEDING ROOTS.
in Jileglani( end :Holland the feeding
of roots is universal ; and it would
he, impassible for dairy and stook tar-
rncrs to gel: on without them. Oen
hundred pounds of hay is equivalent
to 201 pounds of potatoes. Now all
aorta of hold (.halwill pruduoe 6,000
pounds of hay will produce 1.8,01(0
pounds of potatoes; that. is, one aces
in potatoes will keep as muck stack
at three acres of bay. With mangolt(a
or turnips, the difference is much
greater. The object with the dairy
tease is to mak( her produce ns much
tnilk as possible, m' 1.0 bring heir to
Leer highest natural flew.
When nmaw totes faith in hemline
It:y be hits himself a solar-ploxis
blew.
PRINCES AND PRINCESSES,
WHAT THEY COULD DO IF THEIR RE
VENUES WERE WITHDRAWN.
The WHIN, or 1Salrt is a Skllied '1'yneselter
Ulm Hellin in arc Expect iti'cstntaiel'-.
Other tttayn lllw+ Have 1're1'cehteaa s'
'mail e5,
Queens, Kings, crowned beads and
the whole of lbs nubility of Europe are
generally coneidesred helpless in it way.
That is, if all were suddenly deprived
of (bele revenues as well as their
standing, what could they do toward
earning a livelihood/ `this question baa
always been an interesting ono. Upon
closer observation, however, It will be
found that many would
NOT BE SO BAD OFF
Aa some might think. ,
Ring Leopold at Belgium has great
ability as a financier, ]lin shrowdnuss
in speculation would soon make him a
formidable ligur) on the Bourne of
Europe, and he might ultimately xis¢
to the position of a Rothschild aodf
become an emperor of finance. Getiwt
11„ of Norway and Sweden, if deprive,
of his throne, would probably mien* ,
upon literature, He has publitbed
several volumes of original verse, and '
bin interesting and well-writlou mono-
graph on Charles XII. was translated
into I)nglisltyin 1879, He has likewise
done into Swedish Goetlte's "Faust,"
Heideor's "Cid" and Tasso's poems,
Another literary royalty is the ,
Queen of Roumania, whose fame a
"Carmen Sylvia," authoress of menet is world-wide.
'the present Czar of Russia bus, up to
the present, shown nu aptitude for any',
thing outside the King business, but;
his father, Alexander 11I., would have
been worth $100 a week to any mesio
hall manager as a "strong man.",
His favorite amusement was to display,
bit, huge physical strength in Buell:
feats its bending pokers, lifting heavy'
wardeigshtsin, cC.o, •lieand , could tear a pack o1
chalf
1,E
Between hisBifingAe1C rsA, ChessCOIN last being
two favorite performances of profess-
ianal strong men.
:Ike Queen of Portugal could at once.
set up as a lady dootor, she having
received the deigree of M. ., some years.
ago. She delights in the work of •
healing,
and i
b never so happy as
When
ministering to the afflicted.
There is
also another royal doctor, one of :Ging.
Oscar's sons being a skilled oculist.
Two European aoiona of royal bowies.
have devoted themselves to religion.
Prime Max of Saxony is in holy or-
ders, and not long ago was preaching
in the East End of London; and the.
Archduchess Maria of Austria 15 an
abbess at Prague. The Kings of Sax-
ony, Wurtemburg and Bulgaria are
soldiers, and would, doubtless, obtain
commissions in the armies of the repub-
lics which would have replaced Lite
monarchies.
The English royal family would be
amply provided for. The Prince of
Wales is an sxperb compositor, and
could set type and read proofs witbl
the beet. While tbo Prince worked
at the case the Princess could.
TARE IN DRESSMAKING. .'
At which she is quite an artist, While
she was unmarried and still livlag
with her people at the Daniels court
ever,y'thing she were was of ber awls
making, Perhaps, though, the Prino-
ess might choose to make mesio her
profession; as al] know she has dole
obtainedof her degree at a conservatory,
music.
The navy is, of course, the profession
of the Duke of York, but in case be
failed to obtain a commission, he
could turn bis knowledge of foreign
stamps to good account, Sculptor and
artist of no mean talent, Princess
Louise bas it living int her fingers.
As tor the German Emperor, be
would be embarrassed by bis own vier-
eatility. He might ehuose to paint pie -
tutees, conduct orchestras, compose
music, design public buildings, com-
mand in the army or navy -in fact,
what is there that 1Wiliiam cannot do.
RENDERING LARD.
It is easy to have sweet, white lard.
Remove the akin from all ,pieces,
which is easily done if one has a sharp!
knife and will cut the turd meat 'inlet
strips six inches or a foot in length,
and two inches wide. Than hold ono
end of the piece with the left hand,
We skin side down on a level board,
hold the knife in the right band,
make a cut ti:oiwn to the shin, it lit
tie in advance of the bend, turn the
knife flat, and, slip along just on top
of the skin. it renders much sooner
with the skin removed, (bees is lestt
banger of scorching the lard and one
realiy gets more lard, for the skins
soak up more than the little fat lett
on them would amount to. .lt one
feels us ih.iugb elm cannot afford to
Put the unreeder'ed skins in the soap
grease, she can place the skins in a,
dripping pan and render the grease
from them in the oven. Remove all
lean meat from the lard meat, every,
litho strip, for it likewise soaks up
lard, end increases the danger rsI
s' n'ch
l,t 3nq. ;Che lean scraps can be put
in the snusage meat or in the press
meat.
Cut the lard meat fine, put the pre-
pared meat in the kettle .over a stone
fire, with enough water t.0revent
scorching wbile iL begins to render.
Cook slowly, stir often, add the leaf
lard after the other is beginning to
render, Asti they Will not. finish even-
ly, When the Jura has all been ab -
!flirted, skim the tom:kliegs off the
Inn with n eelnnder or similar 111.01si1,
plane them in 0 stout bag, Tsang oven
a pan and press. This is if you have
no lard press. Now clip the lard off
into the lard vessels, and When near
the hot 10111 cif the kid tle, the fine
crumbs swill need 10 be strained cun
phren t•.rnrnlrl rive rater altered in corn
meet taller, for tisend in roils- wrath.
or, Make a bola in the lard, If In
::105, I0 prevent the freezing Truce
burs(itig theme Use a clean broom-'
hendle. The st(ek rnusl. touch (lie
tar's bet tem, else it will not be et,.
feet ive,