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HNIE, all orders A Y I s the ou norâ€" s under ms and reoworn | mornâ€" proms differâ€" eting. follies eol the prepared always NATâ€" ty." Tiage? {athod tation harge. 1se3 of s Ibaf suhmfffi LLOW , his aid YW SES d,** replies onty . turns her EN wesler® Decembef, over farm sc bhome 18 Treat. ST. Ory, m in ture the It w 14 r l Wws »WW" m# DY Interesting Itzems About Our Own Covntry, Great Britain, the United States, and All Parts of the Globe, Condensed and Assorted for Easy Reading. LGenerar Manager Hays and other officials of the Grand Trunk inspected :he company‘s new car shops at Lonâ€" on. It is expected that Mr. Laurier will} be made an lmfiverial Privi Councilior at the coming celebration of the Queen‘s long reign. Tenders have been received at the Department of Railways and Canals for new pier work at Port Dalhousie. The Hamilton Iron & Steel Company has closed down the smelting works for a while, it having a plentiful supply of material on hand. Robert Giass, a tenâ€"yearâ€"old London loy, was rescued from drowning in the Thames by a companion named Lewis Fedderson, nine years old. The will of the late Lieut.â€"Governor graser was probated at Frederickton. ‘he estate is entered at $11,500, which is bequeathed to the deceased‘s family ind near relatives. TX NHS t 1 NBE THE VERY LATEST FROM ALL THE WORLD OVER. CaANADA. The curfew bell was run&tor the first time in Ottawa on New Year‘s night The Manitoba winter is becoming uncertain. _ A regular thaw, with raim is reported at Winnipeg A London West Methodist minister, Rev. lRichard Hobbs, denounces skatâ€" ing as "an evil pastime." The cattle which were destroyed at Belford, Que., on November 7 were sufâ€" fering from tuberculosis and not pleuâ€" ropneumonia, as reported. Detective Silas H. Carpenter of the Canadian secret service nas been ap gmted chief of the Montreal detective ree to succeed Chief Cullen. The engagement is announced of Miss Myssie Brown, of Nashville, Tenn., and the Hon. _ Archibald Majoribanks, the brother of Lady Aberdeen. Land Commissioner Hamilton of the ‘B.P.R. says that the sales of Maniâ€" toba lands exceed all records the past few months. The demand is good and larmers are paying up well. Major Kitson, the new commandant of the Royal Military College, Kingston, in company with Majorâ€"General Gascoigne, on Thursday morning had a long interâ€" view with the Governorâ€"General. The London Y. M. C. A. Hall, costâ€" ing $30,000, was opened with a New Year‘s reception. The Canadianâ€"Australian Royal Mail steamship line, the vessels of which ply bet ween %ritish Columbia and the Ausâ€" tralian colonies, is about to place a new steamer of 4,250 tons register on the route. Word has been received from London announcing the serious illness of Lieuâ€" tenantâ€"Governor Kirkpatrick. He will andergo an operation in a fortnight,and Mrs. Kirkpatrick will leave Toronto imâ€" mediately to join her husband. ~ The CP.R. Company propose to inâ€" augurate their entrance into Hamilâ€" ton and Buflfalo by placing two trains on the road of exceptionally fine workâ€" manship, which will make the journey in very fast time. Mr. Alex. Abbey, one of the oldest and most respected residents of Port Dalhousie, Ont., died on Sunday, aged 85. He had lived in Port Dalhousie and followed his occupation of shipbuilding for upwards of balf a century. Mr. Gildersleeve, general manager of the Rtichelieu and Ontario Navigation Company, believes that navigation could be prolonged two or _ three weeks at sach end of the season by employing gowerful iceâ€"breakers on the river. Mr.: Alex. Lanctot and his son Fredâ€" erick were stabbed at Montreal by a gang of Italians, who waylaid tfiem mnear their home. _ The elder Lanctot died of his wounds and the younger is in a precarious condition. _ Two of the Ttalians have been arrested. Sir James Grant, who was physician to the Princess Louise during her resiâ€" dence in Canada, and who recently was granted the honor ofa long interview with her Majesty, says he \})laces no credence in the report in a â€"New York per as to the alarming state of the gucen's health. There is zx movement on foot among a number of Toronto apoxtin% men to make a pool for the purpose of sending Champion Jake Gaudaur and Eddie Durnan, Ned Hanlan‘s nephew, abroad. It is proposed that enough money be raised to send the pair to Engiland, and probablg Australia, and give them all the backing they want. GREAT BRITAIN. Sir Alexander Milne, Admiral of the British fleet, is dead. He was ninety years of age. Visitors to Hawarden say that they bave not seen Mr. Gladstone in better health for some time. London was enveloped in a heavy black fOfi on Saturd? and business was practically suspended, .Sir Charles Tupper has postponed the date of his departure from England for Canada until February 4. Lord William Beresford met with a serious accident on the bhunting field last Wednesday, and now lies in a preâ€" carious condition. Ian Maclaren (the Rev. John Watson, D.D.) says the richest class in America sim at,a close imitation of English country house life. It is reported that during the past fifâ€" teen months nearly fifteen thousand persons in England have become conâ€" verts to the Roman Catholic Church. It is believed that the question of eloser relations with the colonies will eccupy a portion of the Queen‘s speech at the opening of the Imperial Parliaâ€" ment. There was a large meeting held at the Mansion House, in Dublin on Tuesâ€" day afternoon, at which resolutions were passed demanding that the Imâ€" peria! Government remedy the finanâ€" cial injustice done to Ireland. Senator L. de Soveral!, the Portuguesé Minister for Foreign Affairs, has been made Knight Grand Cross of the Orâ€" der of St. Michae! and St. George for the services he rendered to Great Briâ€" tain in the settlement of the dispute between â€" England and . Brazil as to the ownership of the smaller â€"of the two islands of Trinidad, which Porâ€" tugal, as arbitrator, awarded to Brazil. UNITED STATES. The Bank of Superior, Wis., has closâ€" ed its doors. Mooringsport, Pa., was almost wiped out by a cyclone. Four persons were killed in the wreck. The malsters of Milwaukee claim that corn and chemicals have practically supplanted bariey in the production of of arson in the first degree was senâ€" tenced on Wednesday to thirtyâ€"six years in prison. Newark, N J., is in darkness. Both sections of the People‘s Electric Light and Power Company‘s plant have been destroyed by fire. Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher on Sunâ€" day morning fell and broke her hip. As she is eightyâ€"four years of age her reâ€" covery is doubtful. e eee While the Canadian nurses at present employed in Buffalo bospitals will not be deported, care will be taken not to increase their numbetr. President Cleveland has gardoned James Burwell, alias Charles Sherwood, convicted _ of bringing counterfeit bills into the United States from Canada. Assistant District Attorney John F. Mcintyre, of New York, bas resigned his position and sailed to England to take part in the defence of Edward J. Ivory the alleged dynamiter. Plentiful rains are reported to have fallen over large areas of India. M. Clemenceau, the distinquished French statesman, is seriously ill. The Porte has received serious news of military disaffection in the provinces. Contracts for the construction of two Japanese â€" cruisers were signed rt Washington by representatives of tha Union ?ron \e(;rks of San Francisco and Cramp & Sons. H. C. Henry, the millionaire contracâ€" tor, bas secured the contract to build the approaches to the Great Northern Railroad tunnel through the Cascade Mountains. It will take six months to do the work. The steamer Commodore cleared at the Jacksonville, â€" Fla., Custom house on Thursday evening witha cargo ol arms and ammunition for the Cuban insurâ€" gents. Clearance papers were issued notwithstanding that a formal protest was made by the Spanish Consul. . Commercial reports from the leadâ€" ing business agencies of New York speak of general quiet in ali lines of trade. In addition to the usual holiday dullness, depression has been somewhat added to by the numerous failures of banks and loan companies. These failures have been principally in the West, and the result has li>eeu to create a feeling in some quarters of distrust and suspiâ€" cion which the ciroumstances are not considered to warrant. The number of commercial failures for the year just ended have been more numerous than in any previous year except 1893. Senor Canovas del Castillo, the Spanâ€" ish Premier, says that Spain would not accept the intervention of the United States in Cuba nor introduce reforms until the rebellion is confined to the eastern portion of the island. One of the Coreans who was recentâ€" ly arrested at Seoul on the charge of attempting to restore the King to the palace from the Russian Legation is reâ€" porte{(:l to have been executed without a trial. The trial of Sofia of the alleged assasâ€" sins of Stambulof{, formerly Premier of Bulgaria, was concluded on Wednesday. Two of the prisoners were found guilty, and given short sentences. The third was acquitted. â€"=Reports that Maceo, the Cuban leadâ€" er, is alive are becoming more positive in tone. It is said he will visit the United States soon to restore confiâ€" dence in his cause. The filibustering steamer Commodore, which sailed from a United States port with munitions of war for the Cuban insurgents, sank near Mosquito Inlet. Her crew landed in Florida. The wife of the insurgent Col. Miraâ€" bel arrived at Key West, Fla., on Wedâ€" nesday. She claims to have come direct from the insurgents‘ camp, and deâ€" clares that Gen. Maceo, whom she has been nursing, is not dead, but is in a fair way of recovery. The Junta in New York does not believe the story. Trying Experiences of the Crew of Fiftyâ€" Two Men. A despatch from Seal Cove, Grand Manan, N. B., says:â€"The steamer Warâ€" wick of the _ Donaldson Line, Capt. Kemp, from Glasgow for St. John, N. B., ashore on the Yellow Muir _ ledga near Grand Manan, encountered heavy gales all the way across. Sixteen days out she sighted Bable Island at 2.30 p. m., and struck the ledge at 20.30 p. Gen. Weyler, in a very boastful inâ€" terview asserts that the Province of Pinar el Rio has been subjucated by him, and that the insurgents are lackâ€" ing in valour and other elements to make the uprising a success. m. There was a strong southerly wind and a heavy sea, which washed the ship continually, Soon after striking the crew launched two boatis, which were instantly smashed. â€" The crew clung to the rigging till next forenoon. _ One man was washed overboard; the next sea threw him back and he was saved. Aft 11 a. m., the crew _ succeeded in launching two more boats. _ The enâ€" tire 52 men crowded into the small boats and battled with the heavy seas for two hours. They were fina.lf;' resâ€" cued by the schooner Geo. S. ‘Boutâ€" well, Capt. Z. Buerette, of Gloucester, with the aid of the additional crew from Seal Cove, and were taken to Seal Coveardmre being cared for. The carâ€" penter of the ship was injured by beâ€" ing thrown against the pu‘lwu_rks.{\y a COPIED THE NAME FROM HIS GRIP Mr. Smith, an English traveler, arâ€" rived one evening at a hotel in Austria. On the way be bhad picked up a smart German and hired him as a servant. In Austria every one staying at a hotel is obliged to register his name and ocâ€" cupation in a book, which is kgfit for golice examination, so Mr. Smith told is servant Fritzâ€"to bring this book for him to write his name. _ _ _ _ sea. â€" It is impossible yet to obtain the cause of the disaster. _ The _ master probatly mistook Gannet Rock light for Brier lsland. The night was very dark, but not thick. The tug Storm King of St. Jobn, with Superintendent Nairn, are now surveying the wreck. The sea was very smooth next day, but _ the ship wil{be a total loss. "I have already registered, milor," said Fritz, "as an English gentleman of independent means.‘" "But, I‘ve never told you my name, so how do you know what it is ?" "I copied it from milor‘s portmanâ€" teau," answered Fritz. 4 "Why, it isn‘t on my portmanteau," cried Mr. Smith; ‘"bring the book and let me see what you have ({mt down." The book was brought, and Mr.Smith to his amusement discovered that his clever servant hbhad described him as: "Monsieur Warranted Solid Leather!" Isaac Zuker, convicted in New York WRECK OF THE WARWICK. GENERAL THE FIELD OF COMMERCE, Some Items of Interest to c‘he Busy Business Man. The gross earnings of the Grand Trunk Railway increased $7.555 for the week ended December 81. The net earnings of the Canadian Paâ€" cific Railway for the month of Novemâ€" ber decreased $145,917, as compared with last year. From January 1 the _ net earnings increased $371,855. Stocks of wheat at Port Arthur and Fort William are 2,075,568 bushels as against 2,101,896 bushels a year ago. The stocks of wheat at Toronto are 265,676 bushels as against 231,737 last week and 48,091 bushels a year ago. The money market at Toronto is easy with call loans quoted at 5 per cent. Stocks quiet and firm. _ A feature is the further advance in Postal _ Teleâ€" graph. The deposits of Canadian banks inâ€" creased over $4,000,000 during the month of November, Current discounts deâ€" creased $1,250,000 and the balance due from agencies in the United States inâ€" creased nearly $3,000,000. During the past week the visible supâ€" ply of wheat in the United States and Canada decreased 720,000 bushels, the amount afloat to Europe decreased 1,â€" 8140,000, and the English visible supply decreased about 322,000 bushels. This is a decrease of 2,882 busbels for the week. The visible supply of wheat in Canada and the United States, toâ€" gether with the amount afloat to Euâ€" rope, is now 85,403,000 bushels as comâ€" pared with 96,598,000 bushels a _ year ago. There is nothing specially new or inâ€" teresting in the general trade situation at Montreal, Retail holiday shopping has been brisk, but among the wholeâ€" sale warehouses there is a general quietude as far as sales are concerned, and the main attention is being engaged bE the final closing of accounts and the figuring up of prospects for the year, which, in the majority of cases, it is conceded, will not by any means be excessive. Among the factories too there is a great deal of shutting down, as is usual at the season. The money market shows no change of any kind, the discount rate remaining at 6 to 7 ptzr cent., and call money at 41â€"2 per cent. & Trade in wholesale circles at 'I‘oron-‘ to for the week has been quiet. Many travelers are in, and stockâ€"taking is the rule. â€" Business is likely to be quiet the next two weeks, and after that the prospects are that increased activity will set in. The dry goods trade in particular is in a somewhat unsettled state. That the great department stores are responsible in a great measure for the unhealthy conditions existing canâ€" not be denied. Some important changes are anticipated in the near future with regard to this trade. Failures are more numerous in many lines, but this is not unusual at this season of the year. Groâ€" ceries and bardware are less active now that the holiday trade is over. Prices of the leading staples are unchanged, and remittances are fair. .. . . ‘The strength of British and foreign wheat market is bein% reflected in _ higher prices asked in Ontario, but the volume of transactions is restricted. The outâ€" look would indicate still higher prices for this cereal, Statistically, wheat is stronger than for several years, and if the export demand continues, prices in Ontario will probably go to 90c. before many moons. â€" Oats and barley are beâ€" ing bought to a limited extent also for export to Britain. Peas are higher this week. â€" The trade in flour, howâ€" ever, is dull, with prices relatively lowâ€" er than wheat. . . . . The money marâ€" kets are unchanged. There is an acâ€" tive demand in London, with the open market discount rate firm at 83 3â€"4 and call loans 3 1â€"2 to 4 per cent. Consols have risen about 1 per cent. during the week, and the demand continues good for giltâ€"edged securities On the domestic markets, Postal Telegraph and Commercial Cable are in demand at enâ€" banced values. t A Comparison of This Year‘s Returns With Last Year. A compilation of the trade statistics for the first five months of the fiscal year has been made and classified at Otiawa, and compared with _ previous years. The value of goods entered for consumption for the five months endâ€" ing November 30, 1895, and 1896, was as follows:â€" Of coin and bullion there was _ imâ€" ported $4,352,000 in 1896 and $3,298,â€" 000 in 189h» The grand total of imâ€" ports for the five months of 1896 was $50,663,000, and for 1895, 48,883,000. This shows an increase of close upon $2,000,â€" 0600 for 1896, but it will be observed that of dutiable values there has been a decrease of nearly $600,000; in free goods there has been an increase of $1,325,000. The volume of imports is well kept up for 1896, but in some cases a decline in the values shows apparent decreases when given in dolâ€" lars and cents. The following is a statement of the exports for the five pf).or()lths in each of the two years, classâ€" ified:â€" 1896 ... $27,346,000 $18,970,000 $8,210,000 1895 ... 27,939,000 17,645,000 _ 8,507,000 * 1895. 1896. Minerals ... ... ... $ 3,296,000 $ 4,048,000 Figh :.:. «. ... ...;â€" : 0,401,000 6,260,000 The forest ... ... 15,8833,000 _ 17,400,000 Animals ... ... ... 23,236,000 _ 21,595,000 Agriculture ... ... _ 6,270,000 7,280,000 Manufactures ... .. 4,041,000 4,059,000 Miscellaneous ... .. 99,000 93,000 This represents the produce of Canâ€" ada alone. The exports included in addition the produce of foreign counâ€" tries passing through Canada to the value of $5,028,000 in 1896, and of $3,â€" 961,000 in 1895; of coin and bullion the export for 1896 was $3,174,818, and for 1895, $241,3C6. The grand total of exâ€" ports for 1896 amounted to $68,942,000, compared with $63,381,000 in 1895, or an increase in exports of between $5,â€" 000,000 and $6,000,000. The aggregate trade therefore for these five months, taking total exports and imports enâ€" tered for consumption, was $119,600,000 for 1896, and $112,264,000 for 1895, or an increase for the current five months an increase 1 of $7,400,000, Teacherâ€"What is that letter? Pupilâ€"I don‘t know. f '1"ewherâ€"What is it that makes honâ€" ey Small boy )son of a manufacturer)â€" Glucose. h THE DOMINION‘S TRADE. OLD STYLE AND NEW. Dutiable. _ Free. Duty Col‘d $59,178,000 â€"$67,739,000 ONTARIO ARCHIVES f TORONTO Mabits of Life of Vartous Male and Female Centenariars. Among thke examples of moderation in diet, Miguel Solis, of San Salvador is comspicuous, says the London Stanâ€" dard. He was, according to the Lanâ€" cet, 180 years old in 1878, and, if be is still to the fore, is likely to comâ€" plete his second century. He believed that he bhad lived so long because he had never eaten more than one meal a day. Even in that he limited himâ€" self to what hbe could tuck in during the short space of half of an hour. He therefore was a living argument against those bygienists who bid us ea tslowly and masticate well. His diet was chiefly vegetable, meat, which was always cooked the day before, enâ€" tering into it only twice a week. For two days in every month he fasted, and be drank large quantities of water. His plan included several other details, and, on the whole, we of the threeâ€" score and ten can, without envy, wish hi{’} joy.' 5 ts & & sc ols lCs Mackiin, the comedian, who lived and died in Covent garden, was a wonderâ€" ful oddity, in virtue of whichâ€"or perâ€" bhaps in spite of whichâ€"he managed to get through 107 years. He followed the wise and simple rule of eating when hungry, drinking when thirsty, and sleeping when sleepy. He never took off his clothes except for the purpose of having his body rubbed all over with brandy. He always SLEPT IN BLANKETS, and history does not record a single journey on their part to the laundress. And his couch, which was hard, was placed in the middle of the room. _ What is most strange about longeviâ€" ty is that it‘ comes, like the dew of heaven to every class. Kings who live in luxury, beggars to go through exâ€" istence in a state of chronic cold and hunger, giants and cripples, abstainers and drunkards, large eaters and small eaters, toilers and sluggards, brainâ€" workers and bodyworkers, vegetarians and carnivores, smokers and _ nonâ€" smokers, sane and insaneâ€"all have apâ€" parently an equal chance of the prize of long life. An old woman, who died in Ireland at the age of 112 was all her life a beggar, and during the last half of it was never known to eat a square meal from one end of the year to the other. In the United States, on the other hand, a man even exceeded this figure, and he was never known to pass a day without eating as much all by himself as an ordinary family of five. It was also an American who grew a new andfineset of teeth at the age of 106 for the purpose of eating three pounds of pork, three pounds of bread, and a vast quantity of cabbage on the day when he gave up the ghost. _ On the other hand, a Shoreditch barber, who died aged 105, never drank anyâ€" thing but water, and ate only once a day. A priest of Nice lived solely on vegetables, which kept his machine running, and in perfect order, for 106 years. 3 3 e j Amunfg a host of others, one gentleâ€" man of 127 years, a grandson of the famous Thomas Parr, attributes hbis length of days to EXTREME TEMPERANCE and regular exercise. And Mrs. Judith Bannisier, who died at Cowes in her 108th year, lived on apples, biscuit and milk and water for the last sixty years of ber life; while a man named Confit, of Bug{thorpe, achieved the wonderfu!l span a century and a half through moderate eating, great exercise, and gulping down a raw egg once a day. By a pleasant process one Earl of Huntingdon contrived to celebrate 100 birthdays. He took care to eat oysters at every meal. Roasted turnip for supper every night in the year formâ€" ed the elixir that carried Mr. Wilson, of Sussex, through 116 years. And Mr. Elkins, of Combe, lived a century by feeding, during the latter twoâ€"fifths of it, on bread, milk, and turnip tops. Mrs. McCarthy, of Cork, break{asted at 7, dined at 1, and supped at halfâ€" past 6. This, she declared, was _ the secret of her long life. She died aged 103 years. But Philip Laroque, a Gasâ€" cony butcher, was drunk twice every week for eighty years, and yet lived to be 102 ; whileâ€"a Kerry man named Mcâ€" Carthy, drank rum and whiskey as we take tea and coffee. If he was ever tempted to descend to claret or ale, he drank immediately afterward, an equal quantity of poteen "as a wedge," he said. He kept doing this for _ 111 years. Smoking heavily was the pracâ€" tice that kept Mrs. Robertson, a Scotch woman, going for 106 years. And Mr. Richard Brown, of Peterchurch, was never without a pipe in his mouth. It would be interesting to hear some Transvaal records, for in that counâ€" try they keep the pipe going with as much constancy as a blast furnace. Prosperous State of the Financesâ€"There Will be a Surplus. For the nine months expired of the British fiscal year the Customs show a net increase of $2,165,000, compared with the corresponding period of 1895. The excise duties increased $3,055,000, while other sources of revenue give the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the nine months ten million dollars more than the budget estimated for the whole year, and promise another $500,â€" 000,000 budget. Yet, with the everâ€" increasing demands for the army and navy and doles to the landlords and Church schools, the expenditure grows as fast as the revenue. , The income tax mnow stands at one shilling and eightpence, almost a war rate, while the free ?Jreakfast table seems as far off as ever. All signs show, despite the fair trade and preferential tnrif* alarmâ€" ists, that trade is expanding steadily, if not rapidly. _ Railway receipts inâ€" creased $f6,000,000. or 4 per cent. durâ€" ing the year. â€" British investors have been asked to subscribe $750,000,000 to the new loans and companies, of which $90,000,000 represents breweries and distilleries, $80,000,000 cycling, and $26,â€" 000,000 motors. _ Last year‘s toial was $500,000,000. _ The production of the shipbuilding yards was 1,316,906 tons, or 100000 tons above the best previous year, 1889. . This is eciual to 5,000 tons of carrying capacity launched daily. The corpse plant is the name of a remarkable carnivorous specimen that grows in the Colony of Natal. Its prinâ€" cipal feature is a bellâ€"shaped throat, opening into a hollow stem. It is almost black, and covered with a thick, glutinous secretion, while its odor is very offensive. | This attracts carrionâ€" feeding birds to it, and,once they alight on ii, they are lost. Their claws beâ€" come entangled in the gsecretion, the bellâ€"shaped mouth folds up, and they are literally swallowed. EXAMPLES OF LONGEVITY. A STRANGE PLANT BRITISH TRADE. SOME LATE CABLE NEWS THE TIMES REVIEWS BRITAIN‘S FOREIGN RELATIONS. Disagrecable Wentherâ€"Death of Mr. Gladâ€" stone‘s Old Friendâ€" Nickel for the Navy â€"The Farmer Satisfiedâ€"Old Age Penâ€" stonsâ€"Consular Changes. A despatch from London says:â€"The Times, in its New Year editorial, reâ€" viewing the foreign relations of Great Britain says:â€""It is peculiarly approâ€" priate that the year which will be disâ€" tinguished by the celebration of the diamond jubilee of the Queen should alâ€" so be marked by the conclusion of a treaty of arbitration with that other great nation of our race." It adds, "We hardly hope or desire to arrange our differences with other States in this manner, which seems natural and practicable when dealing with a peoâ€" ple closely allied by blood with ourâ€" selves." London was enveloped in a hbeavy black fog on Friday, and business was in consequence practically suspended. The chief tfeature of the estate marâ€" ket year just closed was the large number of noblemen selling. The Duke of Devonshire sold a fine estate of 82,000 acres in West Cork, includâ€" ing the town of Bandon, to Sir John Arnott, for £250,000. Lord Ashburton disposed of a Wiltshire property of 10,000 acres; Lord Churchill sold the magnificent Cornbury park, Charlbury, Oxfordshire, consisting of 5,000 acres, with the historical mansion, which was formerly the hunting lodge of Henry II., and the Marquis of Queensâ€" berry disposed of his vast Kinmont (testate to _ a Huddersfield â€" manufacâ€" urer. A large nmumber of street accidents mostly collisions of vehicles and peâ€" destrians took place. Unseasonable weather continues to prevail in England and on the Conâ€" tinent. _ in this country for several days during the past week the temâ€" perature was almost springâ€"like, . the mercury ranging over 50 degrees in the shade and in Paris, on Sunday last, the tables in front of the cafes and restaurants on the boulevards were crowded with people breakfastâ€" ing or otherwis> refreshing themselves. On the other band along the Riviera and in Algeria, the weather has been unusually cold, the mercury at Monte Carlo and at Algiers recording under 40 degrees. _ Pnd The death of Mr. Bertram Wodeâ€" house Currie, the wellâ€"known banker, on Tuesday last, coincided with the anniversary of the birth of Mr. Gladâ€" stone. Mr. Currie wasa warm friend of Mr. Gladstone, who frequently conâ€" sulted him on the budget and general questions of finance. HMHe was an arâ€" dent Home Ruler, and might, had he been so disposed, have had a promâ€" inent place under Mr. Gladstone when the latter beld office. Mr. Currie keenâ€" ly supported the Irish financial claims. He was one of the most prominent members of the financial relations comâ€" mission. x Foilowing\ the example set by the American Navy Department, the Britâ€" ish naval authorities have decided to use naval steel instead of pulverized steel for the protection of the warships now under construction. § The farmer, who is an inveteratée grumbler, is finding that some virtue is left in old England. America, the Arâ€" gentine Republic, and Australia supply 27 out of tfie 87 pounds of meat which the Englishman eats per hbhead yearly, yet the British farmer is selling more meat than for many years past, and is getting from 2d. to 3d. per stone (14 pounfis) higher prices, while his wheat fetches 50 per cent., or 11s., per quarter more than formerly. Visitors to Hawarden say that they have not seen Mr. Gladstone for some time in better health than on his 87th birthday,~© 00â€" es L is Ece Mr. E. T. Hooley, the millionaire, who bas attracted so much attention by his recent purchase of stock comâ€" panies and country seats, bhas appearâ€" ed in a new character, that of the proâ€" pounder of a great scheme for old age pensions. He suggests that a fixed duty of five shillings per quarter be leviedâ€" on imported wheat, and that the proceeds be invested in a pension fund to provide all indigent persons above 60 years of age with a pension of 15 shifiings \wek%y, The following changes are announcâ€" ed in the Briuish Colonial Governorâ€" ships:â€"Sir Hubert _ Edward _ Henry Jerningham, Governor of Mauritius, has been transferred to Trinidad, his successor in â€" Mauritius _ being _ Sir Charles Bruce, now Governor of the Windward lslands. Sir Charles Bruce, is, in turn, succeeded by Sir C. Alâ€" fred Moloney, Governor of British Honâ€" duras, whose successor in Honduras is Hon. David Wilson, the present subâ€" intendant of Crown Lands in Trinidad. Description of the New Cruiser the Powerâ€" fulâ€"More Torpedo Destroyers to Be Built. Britain‘s new cruiser, the Powerful, is â€"undoubtedly the most formidable warship in the world and in every way entitled to be called a floating fortress. She is 538 feet long and 71 wide, and her hull contains 100 steam engines for various uses. Her speed of twentyâ€" two and oneâ€"half knots, an bhour is proâ€" duced by 26,497 hurse-gower, and one coaling will carry her 9,600 knots. For offence mshe has guns that throw eight tons of steel a minute. _ In other words, she can direct upon an enemy 266 pounds of steel shot a second, and keep it up without â€" cessatiou. _ Modern warships are gradually approaching the Great Eastern‘s 680 feet in length and 83 feet in width. Oil is now used on warships for parâ€" tially beating the boilers. This is one of the most notable departures from the modern methods of producing hbeat in boilers, for many years, and if it proves the success anticipated it will probably be used by every nation possessing a fleet of war vessels. This new oil is a product of the distiliation of lignite,and is dark brown in color, the flame being very bright and absolutely smokeless. Its heating power is declared to be greatly superior to coal, and its cost about the It is stated that the British Admirâ€" alty intends to introduce a new class of torpedo destroyers at a minimum speed of 33 knots. Twenty vessels, it seems, will be ordered immediately of this class. OIL TO PROPEL WARSHIPS THE BRITISH NAVY. The Tide of The Tide of is Tarw Te warlh Mauntiote, " _ ** A despatch from London, sayssâ€"Mr. Thomas Greenway‘s speech in Winnipeg on December 15 excites much interest bere. It will be recalled that the speech foreshadowed a Government reâ€" purchase of the railway and other corâ€" poration lands in the Northwest for the creation of free grants. Those here who view the utterance in that light say they feel that such a policy would give an immense stimulus to the setâ€" tlement of the Northwest, and witb the best class of immigrants, It is pointed out that with these choice lands in prospect, Canada would outrival most other countries seeking 4mmiâ€" grants, even though they offered asâ€" sisted es, Free grants of land are now ogfered to settlers by New Zealand and Queensland. C e . Enquiries among the companies here bholding Northwest lands show that they would willingly accede to a.nfv proâ€" posal to resell part, at least, of the lands on moderate terms, though they believe that the gold discoveries in the West and the higher prices this year for wheat mmst, in any case, greatly improve the value of their property in the near future. In view of this the remark that "Canada‘s turn is surely coming at last," is heard on all sides, At the meeting of the South African General . Development Syndicate, â€" on Tuesday, Col. Engledue reported that, in view of the bad times in Africa, he had invested the syndicate‘s money i9 the Mikado mine, in the Lakeâ€"ofâ€"theâ€" Woods district. _ The investment was approved by the meeting. The NortH Queensland Mortgage Investment Comâ€" {)a.ny's report states that owing to the ack of suitable mortgages in Queensâ€" land, the directors have placed a par® of the company‘s uninvested funds on the first mortgage of real estate in the Northâ€"West, and that they proâ€" pose to o‘xtend the business now beâ€" A CONVENT EOLOCAUST, SEVEN NUNS PERISH IN FLAMES AT ROBERVAL Ursuline Convent Destroyedâ€"There Were No Fire Appliancesâ€"Â¥ery LAitle Ansurâ€" ance. Quebec was thrown into intense exâ€" citement on Wednesday by a report from Roberval to the effect that the Ursuline convent there, a branch of the Quebec institution, bhad been destroyed by fire. _ At 4.15 a.m., the fire originâ€" ated in the altar of the chapel, a lightâ€" ed taper communicating the Nlames to the cradle in which the representation ing done there. of the infant Jesus reposed. The flames caught on some Jlace, and were first discovered by the sacristan of the inâ€" stitution, who at once gave the alarm. By the time that the news had spread among the villagers the blaze was such that nothing could be done, for the whole interior was a mass of seething flames. The firespread withincredible speed, and could not be controlled, the spectators being only able to look on and see the building burn, there being no water available and no snow _ on the ground. More than this, there were Since the fire seven sisters have been missing, and it is supposed that all have perighed. As the time at which the fire originated, was subsequent to thit at which the sisters rise, and moreover as all of them are said to have been seen out after the fire broke out, it is thought that they must have rushed in to save some of their belongings and were asphyxiated. | This is rendered more probable by the fact that all the boarders who were in the convent, inâ€" cluding two young ladies, the nieces of the Messrs. N. K. and M. Connolly, of the wellâ€"known contrac! ing firm of Larâ€" kin, Connolly and Company, were saved, and were dressed at the time. _ The othâ€" er boarders, about 100 in number, were away on their holidays. no fire appliances available, and the lake was frozen over. SEVEN SISTERS MISSING. THE LOSS. The jJoss is estimated at £75,000, only about $12,000 of insurance. The school was closed on account of holidays, and most of the pupils had gone home. Those remaining are all safe and housed at Marcoux hote!l, where they are well looked after,. The nuns are scattered throughout the village. NAMES OF THE VICTIMS. Motor cars capable of drawing three wagons carrying 10 tons of produce are about to be introduced into Liverpool. The wagons are to be loaded at the ship‘s side, and the prdmu'{ bighways are to be utilized without laying rails or using any other mechasical ards The missing are as follows;:â€"Mothber St. Francois de Paw!l, nee Elise Gosseâ€" lin, of St. Jean Chrysostome; Mother Providence, nee _ Eimma â€" Letourneau, Quebec; Mother Ste. Ursu‘e, nee Corâ€" inne Garneau, Ste. Foye; Mother Ste. Anne, nee Laure Hudon, Hebertville; Mother Ste. Antoine de Padoue, nee Cather ne Bouille, Deschamboult ; Mother S&t. Dom‘nique, nee Marie Louise Girard, Roberva‘; Mother St. Lou‘s, nee Rose Gosselin, Deschamâ€" bau‘t. The chaplan is said to have narrowly escaped | be‘ng â€" asphyxiated, and it is {ikewise reporited that a nun }Q'as badly burned while figh:ing the ire. The institution was established | at Roberval in 1882 by Bishop Rasine, of Chicoutimi, but the present building, which is of stone, was erected some years later. Roberval is a very pretty settlement on the southâ€"western shore of _ Lake St, John, and until the recent extension of the Quebec and Lake â€" St. John railway to Chicoutimi on the Saguenay it was the mortbern terminus of that line. Notwithstanding its remote situâ€" ation, it is an old and prosperous setâ€" tlement, and takes its name from the famous Roberval. it is widely celeâ€" brated asa fishing and hunting centre, and is annually visited by a large numâ€" ber of Americans _ Roberval is alsoa prosperous lumbering centre, and has a ggfiulation of 2,400. _ The nunnery which was visited by fire was built of grey stone, and was one of the most conspicuous features of the town., Robâ€" erval is 190 miles north of Quebec. MOTOR WAGONS FOR PRODUNE CANADA‘S TURN NEX1 PRETTY SETTLEMENT