The Wife: A Journal of Home Comforts from London, Greater London, England • Page 5

introduced as chairman, declared that the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, unaccompanied by its substitution by another measure, would mean the final destruction of silver money as a measure of value and its reduction to token money, since gold alone could certainly not aftord a sufficient basis upon which the amount of the circulating medium required by the people of the country could safely rest. There was a very large attendance at Wednesday's sitting of the Convention, which again met under the presidency of General Warner. Mr. Dougherty, of Texas, introduced a resolution calling for the appointment of a committee to devise a method for averting the peril which now menaces the interests of the country. The president sternly discountenanced anything approaching inflammatory discussions.

All the speakers referred to the prospects of severe times for the labourers next winter. Senator Stewart spoke with deep emotion as he drew a picture of the ten thousand men with their wives and families who would be starving before Christinas. The suspension of more American banks was reported on Portland, Oregon, one at Covington, Indiana, one at Kantakee. Illinois, one at Eau Claire, Wisconsin, one at Bamboo, Wisconsin, and one at, Akron, Ohio. The managers of tho savings banks in New York and Brooklyn have, also been induced to act by reason of the large number of withdrawals which have taken place during the past few days.

At a meeting of tho presidents' of a certain number of these institutions it was decided to recommend the trustees and directors of the banks represented to enforce the sixty days' notice clause of the Savings Banks Act. Tho resolution adopted, provided that a full requirement of sixty days' notice should be enforced against withdrawals of 300dols. or over. lesser sums it was recommended that a notice of only thirty days should bo required. A horrible scone took place on Wednesday in Auburn.

Prison, at tho execution of a man named Taylor, who was recently condemned to death for tho murder of a fellow convict. After the prisoner had boon tied in the special chair used for execution by electricity, and the current had been turned on, the foot-rest of tho chair suddenly broke. This caused the dynamo to give out, and consequently a current could not be applied. Taylor began to breathe heavily, and was carried out into the corridor breathing and groaning, while his pulse continued to grow stronger. The doctors in attendance express tho opinion that lie was unconscious sifter the first contact, which was of 1,700 volts strength, and that afterwards his condition wan analogous to that of a man suffering from apoplexy.

About an hour after this unsuccessful attempt Taylor was-given dose-of morphine, and was again placed on tho chair. A current from a dynamo used for tho city electric light was then passed through his body, and this time death was instantaneous. Falcon sailed from St. John's on the 15th and during her voyage experienced rough weather. Her decks were swept by heavy seas, and the burros, or Colorado donkeys, which were taken on board were killed by the cold.

As no Esquimaux dogs could be obtained at Hopedale, the vessel will call for dogs at Upernavik, on the Greenland coast. Lieutenant Peary is accompanied in his expedition by five other men, his wife, and her latter an elderly Philadelphian woman. The stores are calculated to last the party for two years. Among other items are 40 barrels of flour, 32 of meal, 35 barrels and 32 cases of sugar, of tea, and of coffee. There are 40 barrels of kerosene oil.

One of the objects of tho expedition is to endeavour to solve the problem of the disappearance of John M. Verhoef, the geologist, who was last seen on the morning of Aug. 11, 1892, just north of McCormick Bay. Another purpose is to determine the size of the archipelago which Lieutenant Peary found lying north of the mainland, and to survey the unknown coast between Independence Bay and Capo Bismarck, the most northern known point on the east). The cabin in which the explorer and his wife will pass the winter is to be made of stone about a foot thick, lined on the inside with red flannel.

Tho height will be only from floor to roof. It is to be lighted by electricity, the engine of their little steam-launch running the dynamo, while tho boiler of tho launch will bo utilised for cooking. They are taking with them a phonograph with about 100 rolls of music, and 300 blank rolls on which Lieutenant Pearey hopes to secure specimens of languages hitherto unknown to eivilisod ears. They take with them many books and a sewing-machine designed for fastening together the tough reindeer hides. Sword fish are often found In largo numbers off the coast of Connecticut, and during the present season the waters have scorned fairly alive with them, the local fishermen spearing great numbers from the decks of their small sailing craft.

One fishing smack, as the result of a four days' cruise, brought to harbour last week sixteen sword fish, averaging oOOlbs. each, and the following story is told by her captain of a struggle for life between one of his crew, Henry Cheesebro, and a wounded ami maddened sword fish Cheesebro had harpooned a big fish off Montreal Point, and after waiting the usual length of time got into a small boat to bring the apparently exhausted fish to the vessel. As soon as the man approached him and commenced hauling in the line the fish awoke from his torpor and started to battle for his life, lie began operations by diving, so as to spear Cheesebro 's boat on coming to the surface. If was now too late for Cheesebro to retreat, and defenceless, in the frail cedar yawl, lie awaited the onslaught. He was not long kept in suspense.

When the fish shot out of the water once more he drove his sword completely through the boat from sido to side. The sword entered the boat about three feet from the bow on the port side and came out through the thin plank on the starboard side. Cheesebro had retreated to the stern of the boat in time to avoid the thrust, and so escaped injury. His plight was now seen from the schooner, and the vessel made for the scene of conflict. By constant bailing Cheesebro kept his frail and disabled craft afloat until succour arrived.

A blow on the head finally killed the fish, and relieved Cheesebro from his perilous situation. The fish weighed The steamer Falcon, with Lieutenant Peary and the members of the American Polar Expedition on board, has arrived at Hopedale, Labrador. The Recent events on the Pamirs and on the borders of Siam supply a theme for a vigorous article by tho Hon. Geo. N.

Curzon, M.P., on India between Two Fires," which appears in the Nineteenth 'The situation, as ho describes it, is certainly not one.to be regarded without uneasiness, for India, is now open to attack by Russia upon its north-west and by Franco on its northeast borders. Ho strongly advocates tho maintenance of buffer States, for if they ceased to exist there would bo increased danger of friction, a large; and permanent addition to frontier garrisons would be necessary, and a consequent heavy drain upon a straitened Exchequer, and upon an already sufficiently taxed native population. Tho indo-China aspect of tho question is dealt with by Mr. C. Boulger.

An article, full of humorous touches, entitled My Stay in the Highlands," is contributed by- Lady Catherine Milnes-Gasketl. The writer gives us some interesting and entertaining glimpses of life at this season of the year in a shooting lodge on the borders of Caithness and Sutherland shires. Her sympathetic sketches of the people of the Strath are evidently true to life. Hero is an example of Highland ideas of what hospitality demands. Her ladyship was in tho habit of visiting a poor girl lying ill in one of tho neighbouring hovels, when the mother would ask, Is there naething her Leddyship would lik' to have wi' a drap o' whiskio and I ken by what the gude man says its bonnie.

Then in a lower voice she would add, And every reason we have to know that the speritt's pure and lino." The old minister of the parish died, and the new one was in danger of unpopularity by reason of having married a wife from America. We were nae that at first," said Jean, the housekeeper at the Lodge, 61 for we fashed oursels wi' thinking it might be some hathenish bodie that wad be comin' to settle among us." This same Jean tells a pathetic story of Georgie Humphrey, who was accidentally shot, and had to be carried into the house of Lenmt of the Black Rock. What troubled Lenna mair than a' else when she saw the lad was like to gae was jist that he could only speak English. She said to Angus in her am tongue, Jist on the brink of eternity and nae word of Gaelic to get to Sir Richard Temple, in an interesting article in the New licview on The Silver Crisis in India," points out that the specie currency in India has not always been silver The early gold coinage of India, not only in historic, but times almost prehistoric, was extremely fine and varied. In those days there were rich gold mines in the southern part of the mountain range near the Bombay coast, now known as the Nilgiri, the Wynaad, and parts of Mysore.

These were worked out so far as the accessible veins of precious metals were concerned; the more deeply sunken veins perhaps remaining. But the working of the latter veins, though much attempted in late years, has never proved profitably successful on any considerable scale. On the other hand, silver came in large quantities from Central Asia. In the earliest times gold was the principal metal among the Hindus, though what is known in modern times as a single standard was never well defined. When the Muhammadans came into power they greatly developed the silver coinage, though they retained the gold coinage.

As time proceeded, the number and variety of coinages and of coins, both in gold and silver, became inconveniently great. So things went on till the British epoch, up to the year 1703, when by the celebrated regulation of that year the East India Company put an end to tho legal currency of the multiform native coins within its territories." In 1835 silver was declared to be the only legal tender; and, according to Sir Richard Temple, this is the change which lies at tho bottom of all the monetary trouble in India." Macmillan's reads well throughout. Mr. Julian Corbett examines in some detail The Tragedy of Mr. Thomas Doughty," concluding firmly that that unfortunate gentleman was an emissary of Burleigh's to thwart Sir Francis Drake's raid into the South Sea, and justifying Burleigh in sending him.

Mr. J. W. Shorer, writing of Mr. James Thomason, A Forgotten Worthy," the Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Provinces of India half a century back, tells a good story of a visit of a native Prince, who claimed and was allowed tho hereditary right to smoke in the presence of tho Suzerain Mr.

Thomason was not to ask him to smoke, but was to send for his own hookah, and then tho Prince might call for his. Send for his own hookah yes, that, sounded easy, but tho staff knew that Mr. Thomason had Goethe's hatred of tobacco, and that its cloud could not bo admitted within his lips without producing such qualms and distresses as were calculated to upset tho decorum of an interview. He was himself consulted and thought something might be effected with the assistance of tea. There was, however, no possibility of making tea emit smoke of any sort.

But to carry out his wishes, a spoonful of tea was put in just to weight a loose brown paper bag, and this bag, rendered rough at the edges, was found, when ignited, capable of producing a distinctly visible vapour. Society was saved. The Prince arrived, and was duly seated with ceremony. The hookah of the British power was brought in the mouthpiece was grasped, and the brown paper, surreptitiously act on fire, film (id sufficiently. The Princo then com.

manded his pipe, and the whole difficulty ended, it had smoke." Apart from, the excellent and lively fiction of tho "CornhiU Magazine, "With Edged Tools" and A Florida Girl pleasant variety marks tho contents. Some curious phases of animal existence are brought under notice in" Night Life;" Home Coming" is light and gossipy; tho Character Note" is a clever piece of portraiture; Some Early Meeting-houses is full of the hue- resting matter relating to Nonconformity in Northumberland in the eighteenth century; and 14 Portuguese Sketches throw's a pleasant light upon men and things in that part of the Peninsula. In the 'English Illuulrated there is poaching, and slumming, as well as careering "Round tho Underground" on an engine, and a description of Belvoir Castle" by a Duchess. Some Buskin Letters" give most interesting glimpses of a great personality, and in Lou and Mr. Gissing draws a strong picture of certain aspects of the life of 'Arry and 'Arrief.

Drury Lane Theatre is not to come down after all. Sir Augustus Harris himself has said it, and if any one ought to know, surely he ought. There is little doubt that when in October, 181)4, the present lease expires, a new lease will be granted by the Duke of Bedford direct to Sir Augustus, and Old Drury may be expected to stand where ii is for many a long year. All things considered, it is comforting to have the assurance that Drury Lane Theatre is not to go the way of Her Majesty's. Sir Augustus Harris and Mr.

Henry Pettitt are busily preparing tho new drama that we are to see at Drury Lane in September. The action is to pass partly in Ireland, where there will be hunting and other excitements, and partly in London and up the river. Some time next year, after the pantomime, Robinson Crusoe," has run its course, we are likely to see an elaborate production of Shakespeare's Henry It is some fourteen years since Mr. George Rignold revived this play at Drury Lane, and about twenty-one since the late Charles Calvert's splendid production at the Prince's Theatre, Manchester, when the triumphal entry of.