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THE WEEK'S NEWS CAXADIAX. The Rank of Montreal it ii now conti lentlr stated, ha* secured the financial af.en.-v <>( the Dominion <Jo\ eminent in Lon- don, Kni;. Chief of I'idice Hughes, of Montreal, is preparing a reply to the report of ti.e Min- Uteria) Aa.ioiial.ioii on thecity'a monthly. Rev. A. Campbell ban Iweu elected Mml- erator of tlie I'reabyterian Synod of Main toba and the North- Went Territories. The Canadian l'a. iti railway are making arrangements for the immigration season not year. The Manitoba <iovrnment ii co-operating with the railway company. It in expected that the Quebec (tavern- ment will Wit down on the retail tax question. The Montreal merchants are de- termined to oppose it in the matter to the end. Tlie Historical and Literary Society of Quebec have the original model of the King William, the first steamship that (MHH the Atlantic. The society h* refused to allow it to ! taken to the World's Fair, lint will permit an exact counterpart of it to be madr. Mr. Mackerrie Unwell lay* the meetings of the Canadian and Newfoundland dele- fates at Halifax were liaracterije-l by har- mony throughout. He refused to nay wheth- er the question of Newfoundland entering the Canadian Federation occupied their at- tention. Sir John Ablott and Mr. < leorje Footer have been for several day* in I'arn to aaniil in the trade negotiations upon which Sir Charles '1 upper is still engaged. The total Ahiprrent of apple* from Mont- real during the present season was 407, 120 liarrrU, as compared with .'{.'0,437 for the correspond ing peuod last year. Mr. I.. 7.. .Joncaa, M. P. forGaspt. disap. prove* of the appointment of Prof. 1'rmce, of <;iasgow, Scotland, to be Fishery Com- missioner of the Dominion, thinking there are plenty of men i* Canada who are well qualified to till the position. I'rof. Saunders, Commissioner for (Canada at the World'* Ian, who broke >lown recently with insoirnia, is gradually recov- ering at Atlantic City, N.J., where he is at present taking a vacation. There i come talk of St. Andrew, V. B., being made the winter port of the Montreal ateamship lines. Mr. Nantel. a member of the Quebec Government, speaking of the new provinci- al ta, said that Montreal must eipect to! pay a very larfi proportion, hf. aim it* real estate value is nearly as large as that , of all the reel ot the province. \ ommittee has been appointed by tho Ottawa H-.ard of Trade to bring before the attention of the Dominion (Jovernment the drsirablrne** of having cable communica- tion between all the Itntiih colons*. Messrs. .1. A. TremhUy* and .1. K. De- Rsne, of Montreal have armed in Winni- peg. Their mimion is u> pin i-h*r land in the vn-itnty of Red Deer for Roman Catholic families who will lie snt out from the Prov- ince of Quebec. A reh bishop Cleary propose* to establish in Kmpstnii a college in which young men amiiitiour to follow one of the learned pro ITMTrU HTATE8. P. C. Rartlelt, of St. Paul, Minn., in dieted for smuggling opium from Canada into the United .Stales, wa* acquitted ou Fridsy. There wa* a cave in at the Hazaldell col- liery, Pottiville, Pa , on Saturday morning, by which seven men were entombed. They were all taken out before midnight. Tho Washington authorities have granted three years' leave of absence to Civil Kngin- eer Peary, to permit him to prosecute hi* explorations iu (Greenland. The hole in the ground iu the Grand or Silver Mountain, Idaho, for which an Kng- lish syndicate paid$ 1, 000,000, is pronounced absolutely worthless. It wa* cleverly sail* el before ihe sale. Muring tbe recent elections in the United States Mr. John H. Sniilhnn, formerly of North Middlesex, Ont. , of which place be is a native, wan elected to the Wanhincjton State Legislature from Kittitas comity. One hundred girl student* at the Ohio University in Columbus struck on Monday, and left '.he institution, because no atten- tion was paid to their complaints of the tin- sanitary condition of their reception, study, and luncheon rooms. The Illinolf Steel Company's immense wor'isin South Chicago, which e-nploy over three thousand men, will, it i* expected, lie lnit down on December 15. The uncer- tainty over possible change* in the tariff is given as the primary cause. Tbe body of Frederick H. h>lly. clerk in a drug store al Detroit, was found in the cellar of the establishment at an early hour on Saturday morning. There wa* a bullet wound in the hack of his head. The sparse clothing ou the body leads to the belief that Kelly had left his bed to answsr a night call, and was shot by the man who had summmond him. Frank L. Hayes wa* arrested yesterday charged with ihe murder. Kev. William Dawe was delivering a John Wyclifle " al Mil ford. I III t Mill I IO\ 01 I-IIIM I \l lll I- Hhal ikr atulrr or HH|I BcitraWonM Like lecture on femions may receive a thorough elucation. 1*. is not intended to make it exclusively Koman Calholi . Allwrt K. Klcomhe, who was employed in a clothing establishment al Stratford, ( int. , married on Nov. loth a lady who was in the ! employ of the same firm. On Monday night he suddenly left Stratford, and it is behev- d that two hundred dollars which are miai- me from his employers' safe have accompani- ed him. i HITIMI. The young Dukn of Marlborough in mud to inherit the sporting proclivities of his father. While Sir Eache Cnnard was hunting in I<ancashire he was thrown from his hirse, whii'h fell on top of him. Sir Hi in- was seriously, but not fatally, injured. The Viifeti has returned to Windsor f'aatle frr.tn Kalinoral. Her Majeity IB in Bplendld heullh. Rev CliarUs Clarke, the Unitarian divine, lieat known an a Chartist and Kadi- cal llcfwner, died at Birmingham on Tliurs- Hay. A gale prevailed in the Kngliih Channel n Sunday, and during the storm the wreck of the City of Chicago, which went aaliore en .li.ly 1st , broke to pieces and disappear- td Notwithstanding the strict watch kept by tl.r ..rli'M- ol the Krilisb lioard of Agi icul- ture no fresh cases of pleuro pneumonia have |M;HI ilico\erecl among the Canadian < at tie. The Ixndon County Council has m prep ratlin a I. ill assailing the landlord inter i, levying a new ts\ ou ground values throughout the Metropolis, ar< i also ensur- ing ih.ii the tax shall not he unified on the , i*r of the land by contra/ I or other- Wise. The orgaoimtion of the London I 'baniher of Arbitration has liern ci.mplpi.td The nrl.nratorit must be liritiih subjectB who have been established in business for seven years as bankers, brokers, or merchant*. There in now a better prospect for the < It lenient of the Lancashire cotton strike, the men Ix-ing willing to consider a pro posal for a teniporaty reduction of wa^, .. n. inieni with Ihr |daciiig of the inilln on short tune. \Vlu e Mr. (iladstone was crossing Picca- dilly on Thursday evening he stepped di- re. I ly under tho heads of a team of horses, aud narrowly escaped being itijinr.1 by the prompt lie's i'f the driver, who pulled tht animals back upon their haunches, an.i gave the agod Premier a chaiice of reaching the pftvemcnt. Al a meeting of the Uranard Hoard of Unar, liana on Friday, Co!. Dopping. an > \ tensive l.n. I proprietor in < 'ounty Long- ford, intimated very plain!) that lie intend- . I .. < i'. lining ln renter evicting hit tenants. A spi rial cablegram Bays it ia evident that hi.ides ignoring the K.victed CommisHJon, the landlords iutoml making it hot for the I'D mis. The engagement is announced of Milt . 1 1, .MS, a New York belle, to Lord I . .i!. . I! ackwood, teconl son of the Mar qnm of Diiflerin, formerly l.'overnor (icnural i ad*. Mich., on Thursday evening, when P.ev. bather Clarson, who was present, objected to some statement* made. Kvaiigelist MilU attempted to pull the priest to binaeat, aud a struge!-. ensued in which Father Claraou threw Mr. Mills. The contestant* weie aeparaled, and the priest then retired. '.K SEIIAI,. During the past week there were :i,. - :i:! caaea of cholera in Russia, with 7U9 death*. Sir John Abbott his left Paris for the south, aud will sUy some time at the Riviera to enjoy complete rest, A letter has Iwen received from Oubanghi en the Upper Congo, saying that cannibal- ism is an everyday occurrence. The Keichstag was opened by Kmperor William m person, who made a strong ap |" il foi lh, passage of the Army bill. A strong outburst of Anglophobia has manifested itself in Portugal, aud meetings are frequent to protest against the British alliance. It is estimated that the new (ierman taxes will yield . r >S,<itX),WlO marks, while the Army bill requires a capital expenditure of 66,- dOO.Mm and an annual expenditure of 64,- oou.rxjo, A despatch from Porto Novo elate* that the French troops have entered Abomey, the capital of Dahomey, without opposition. The King ha* vauiahed, and the French are in full possession of the capital. The liudget of the Herman Kmpire for IS'.l.'l 4 show* that the revenue and expendi- ture estimated in round numbers will be l,-77,iJO,000 mark*, an increase of over l.">,<f i 'tl marks on toe preceding one. A shocking stale of misery ha* been re- ported among the female hands in Merlin factories. Ine Government will appoint a coinmuuion to make inquirie*. High Vatican officials deny the truth of the rumor that the I'opc intended to open negotiations with President Cleveland for the establishment of a Papal Legation at Washington. A special cablegram fro-n Berlin says the report I* confirmed that lien. Karonoff, who discovered a syitem of robbery aud in imp propmlion of Kussian funds at Tashkend, was poiMiiifd. The government has ordered a searching investigation. It is reported in Koine that the leaders of the <iermao Clericals are draf ting a bill con- trinplalinga general disarmament in Kurope, an 1 the appointment of a tribunal of arbi- tration. The I'ope warmly endorses the proposal, and is willing to preside over the tribunal. A Lunyer* >e. ^ The most eminent consulting law>er of Paris at one time in the last century was the Ai.lv May. II m opinion had great weight in forming the decision of the judges and he was often consulted in important nwttters outside the law. His foe for .111 opinion * usually a large one. Tho story of one of his exceptional fees is related l.y M dr. Hois Saint .lust in hi* history of |'r is. A cure from the country called on the Alibi- one day, anil afir complimenting him with earnextnesa and sincerity on hii cred- itable and drsirved reputation, aaid that In- wan involved in n lawiuit which he ilid not understand. He asknd the Ahlie toad- vine him whether he was in the right or in the wrung, and whether he had better carry ou the suit. So saying ho delivered to the greit |un.<t an enormous package of papers covered nitli almost illegible, handwriting. The Abb* cheerfully accepted the task, and told the cure to call again in two weeks. !! was pleased with the good, simple ! n led man, and devoted hi* best energies to clearing up tlieca.se, though he wasolHiu ed to put other matters aside in order to ifo so. 'I If .in ' t filled on the day appointed, took the Abbe's written (.pinion, and read it through critically. He was delighted with tho mi huii tain and clearness with which his rights were set forth. He em- braced the Al.be gratefully and cried : " Ah, monsieur, no ono could be batter pleased than I am, iti.d I want you to be satisfied also. Here ia money, monsieur, please take what is due you, ' and he threw a three-franc piece on the table. Not to humiliate the good nmii, the Ah><r pi> kcil up the coin, took thirty-six sou* from his , itnd handed his client " the change." Some 0110 H.tid, when he told the story, that a* usual he bad lost by his diMiitercatedm.ss. "LostV snid the Abbe. "And do you mini the pleaiiire of telling the story noth- ing ?" \Viien a man becomes so good that lie l>. n'l all hi* lima reproving I is neighbors, the devil smiles and common*: is to lav up M>U it iuluro iu*. A gentleman who recently visited Mont- enegro said to a reporter in speaking of the ruler of that country : " Probably no ruler in the world cherish- es higher dreams of ambition than does Prince Nicholas, of Montenegro. Beyond the dark mountains of his small and im- poverished principality hi* thoughts are for- ever reaching to kingdoms and principal- itie* by the Danube, and in dreams of the restoration of the ancient Servian empire, with himself on the throne. In the changes Koiniron and constantly, threatening in Set via, Itnlgana and Koumania he believe* in the possible uniting of these countries with Montenegro into one nation over which he may be called u[K>n to rci^n. He thinka the powers of Western Kurope would look with favor upon the formation of such a nation, as it would be a barrier to the south- ward march of liussia toward tl.c Uosphorus He haineduloinly cultivated the friendship of Russia, and bin ambition is not unknown to tr.e < /ar. lint Kuasia, h thinks, would rather see a strong ai.d independent nation between it and the I. olden Horn than several kingdoms and principalities dominat- ed by the influence of Kntaia's hereditary r o*s, or ruled by princes sent from Western Kurope. There is little doubt but that he ias been encouraged to belie.'e this from St. Petersburg. Of such a nation at that of Inch Prince Nicholas dreams Bosnia aad Dalmatia would naturally form ultimately a part, for in these provinces the Austrian ruler isdetested.and Prince Nicholas is most pop-ilar. In Dalmatia Prince Nicholas is especially popular, and that province would to-day, were it not held in check by the Austrian soldiery, join itself 1 1 Montene- gro. The people are of the same race as the people of Montenegro, the Serps or Servians, and they look upon Nicholas as their natural ruler. All this is and ha* been for year* a dream of Prince Nicholas, but suns have risen and set over the lilack Mountains, bringing the prince nearer to the grave, but apparently no nearer to the fruition of his hope*. The Serps (till remain a disunited people, aud poverty ba* made the ainbitiou* prince a pensioner of Russw. Prince Nicholas is a man of force, learning and progress, and i* well calculated to carry cut | such a scheme as that of which he dream*, were such a thing possible. When the Congre** of Herhn gave him a little strip of { seacoast and the city of Cattaro on the Adriatic, the prince was delighted, and I dreams oi commerce and ot a navy at once j filled hi* mind. The Knaperor of P>u**ia; gave him a little iteam yacht, aud the j prince take* the keenest deligl.t in cruising m it up and down hi* seacoaet. The prince keep* we!l informed of all that is going on outiide his domain*, and uU.-ribcs to toe newspapers of every nation, among them to two American dailies. The great Western Common- weal th and it* material progrea* is a con- stant seorce of interest and wonderment to ' him. I had an audience with the prince and was caUichiied by him for an hour and a halt, the prince pouring in a steady tire of question*, aud unplayiug knowledge of American politics which was rather embar- rassing to me, as 1 do not keep a* well post- ed in politics as 1 should. Tlie priuce had established a long-distance telephone line between Oetigne, the capital, ana Cattaro, and wa* as pleased with it a* a boy with his ur*t pair of boot*. In th* fascinating oc- cupation of Baying, ' Hello ! Cattaro !' he had forgotten for a while the pleasure of hi* yacht. He displayed t i.'- greatest inter- est in Mr. Kdison, and asked me twenty questions about him. " Prince Nirnolas i* a poet of some abili- ty, and hai published two volume* of hi* works. Many of his song* are about the ancient glory of the Serps, and call upon them to grasp a glorious fvjture. The prince has tried to fill his son and heir, Alexander, with his own ambition* and high ideas of the future, but Alexander is a tin de siecle ynuiik: man, and would be happier in Paris th. in among the hardy mountaineer* of hi* father's principality." / I lilt - M I III IK - I Kl I'l - Hi. 1*11, r I'sef ml In Btradrrluc Ibr lnlni.,1 All this time they presented a dull-brown appearance, no strijie* being visible, al- though I had my attention fixed oil this point. They disappeared beyond a ridge, went down a little valley, and 1 heard after- ward that they ascended the next ilope, which was not more than 1500 yard*, away from where I flood with a native servant. Vet even this lynx-eyed native could not bee them going up this slope. They had vanished from us. Hri-on. r I'liiilOno'iil. Compared to Un. punishments for similar offences in earlier times, the execution of Null for poisoning seem* a trifling punish- ment. In ancient Home poisoning was p'lnuheil by crucifixion, uo matter what the rank of the criminal, although this penalty wa* usually reserved for (laves. A Roman of reepectable station, having been convict- ed of poisoning In- ward, wa* sentenced to be crucified, but protested against the pun- mhi.ieut a.1 unfit for a gentleman. The Km- peror thereupon ordered the cross to be painted white aud otherwise made more presentable than thoee commonly used. Whether the convict expressed himself Let tcr aatixfied is not recorded. In Kugland, during the reign of Henry VIII. , the public mind became greatly ex- cited through several case* of poisoning, and Parliament enacted a law making boiling to dia'U the penalty. This Ian was on the statute books about tixt^en years. It was made retroactive, so a* to take in a case that chiefly prompted its enactment that of Richard Reese, otherwise Coke, the Bishop of Rochester's cook , who poison.*! se venUcn persons, two of whom died. Coke was hail- ed at Rochester. The infliction was attend ed with i/eculiar cruelly, as (Joke was put into a cauldron of cold water and gradually cooked to death. A few years later, in March, 1542, a youug woman named Margaret Davy was panished in a similar way on conviction of poisoning. The public was not sstistied as to her guilt, and, notwithstanding the comparatively low travel of uew* in those days, the story of Margaret Davy'* trial and punish men t soon spread through tne kingdom and arouse.) universal horror. Roiling to death remained on the statute book, however, as long a* Henry reigned, perhaps because the monarch himself had a dread of being poisoned. Immediately after hi* death Parliament repealed the law. Among the Turks the uaual method both of trying and punuliing a poisoner i* to make him drink his own concoction, if any can be found. Otherwise the accused i* half- strangled or beaten into a confession. A prisoner who survives the preliminary or- deals but is convicted nevi iheless is tor- tured to death !iy being *piead-eagled in the heat of the sun. It is said that up to a recent period the Sultan'* Ii it "f palac* employes included n Turkish doctor, expert iu poison*, who*.) duties were not confined toattending thesick a:id lasting IheSultan's food. It Ins been known iu Constantinople that tlie skill of the SulUn's poison expert was railed into service whenever his master wished to get rid of someone who had offend- ed, but who had been guilty of no open vie- la'.ip.n of the Sultan's wishes or decree. The ' present Sultan, AMul Hamid, among other reforms, has dispensed with the court p*s- ' oner. All,. o-,i every writer who treats of the colors of animals refers to Calton's obser- vations that in tlie bright starlight of an African night zebras are practically invisi- ble even at a, short distance, says a writer in London A'rUiirt, but there can lie nodouht that their peculiar striped appearance is alxo of great protective value in broad day- light. On a reoent /ebr* hnnt near Cra dock, in which llo>k part, several mem bers of our party commented on the ditli culty of neeing zebras even at modern dis- lances, although there wa* nothing to hide them, the black and white stripes blending so completely that the animals assume a dull blown appearance . |uite in harmony wit n tin: general color of th* locality in which they are found, and in which, for in- stance., llooi Itelilx.L (I'cie/a capreolata) is so we.ll protected on account n( its peculiar brownish coat. A mem'er of our party, who on another occasion gave proof thai he ia posieased of excellent eyesight, and who has frequently hunted in similar looalities, saw a /ebra which wa* wounded in one of tho front legs at a distance of about 400 yards, an 1, strange to say, ho mistook it for a baboon. In a letter which I received from him a few days ago he Maid : " It galloped like a ba- boon from me, and I could only see that the color was grayish-brown. At about .">'N> yards from me :t ran on to a little kranu, and, mounting the higheit rnok, drew it* body together just as a baboon does when its four feet aio all together on the summit of a little rock." His remarks as to the grayish-brown color of the animal is the HI-PI" valuable, as I believe this gentleman, Mr. Wrench, A. H. M.,of Cradocb, i* quite unprejudiced. In my own letter* to mm, vtliii-h drew forth these remarks, I had only asked him for the dislauoe at which he saw the zebra, and I did not ask bun how it wa* that he mistook ablack aud-white /cl>r for a br own ba'wou on a perfectly clear South African day. My own observations also confirm that the stripes <>f the zelira are of protective value. Ruling along a slope I suddenly saw four zebra* within 1(K) yards above me. They were galloping down the hill, but stopped when they otught sight of me. As soon as they stopped 1 saw their stripes pretty distinctly. After I had tired and wounded one of them, Ihey started again galloping down tho hill round me in a semi- circle at a dUtance of about seventy yard*. Water Itonril hlp The foulnessof drinking wateron board ship is (the Brituh M- ifa/ Jou,iial point* oat) an undoubted source of danger and disease, and often a cause of local epidemics. The primary rlisideratum is to obtain water from an unquestionable source ; the next is that it should not suffer contamination in its passage to the ship ; and the third, that it should not be polluted iu it* storage on board. To fulfil this latter cuudition the necessity of a periodical and thorough cleaning of cask* and cistern* is clearly in- dicated. Unfortunately, it ia often diflicn It to fall in with a pure water source on shore, esipecially iu watm climates ; aud in sailing hip* without the means of condensing, it i* frequently necessary to be satisfied with what cau be got, and trust to filtration for drinking purpose*, if th* captain is provi- dent enough to rate a good filter for the ship's company as well as for himself. It is possible for cholera or typhoid fever to attend the use of water from a particular tank iu a ship, while nothing wi ong is trace- able in relation to the others. Tlie use of condensed water, where it can be produced, has often been proved to be preferable to the ordinary supply obtainable in even civilised ports abroed. We know the one to be quite safe, but we cuiuot be sure of the othei. It must, however, be noted that the sea water used for distillation should be free from harbour contamination. Iu some, parts of Malta harbour, for example, to use a nautical simile, the water i* " at thick p... *oup," and condensing from it ha* been attended with evil results. Notwithstand- ing the v a nn led purity of al! water produc- ed in this way, unwholesome product* may and do pass over in the distillation of close harbour water. In the port of London il in, at a rule, delivered on b-wrd by a hose direct from the mains, but ships lying in the river and in some of the docks have to obtain it from barges. The wooden barges formerly used have now been replaced al most entirely by iron barge*, which are more easily kept clean anil , tie less liable to leakage. r.im<- tlreaicaeal ftyles. Interior navigation has long he'.d a promiu ent place in the tratiic of Fiance, and it i* not surprising to learn that the length of navigable waterways in that country is HUH) miles, of which 1150 miles are returned as tidal, 2100 miles navigable without works, J ''.MI miles canalized rivers and 3000 miles canals. The State looks out for all but 7 percent, of this network, which is therefore practically free from tolls. This system of inland navigat'on ha* cent about $300,000,- 000 for construction and purchase and $26,- O<)0,000 for concessions. The annual cost of maintenance ia about $2,600,000, or f.'K5 a mile, which covers all expenditures whatso- ever. The number of vessel* employed on the waterway* ii between 15, 000 and Iti.OOO; alout 2ti per cent have a capacity of 300 tous of more, while more than half have a capacity exceeding l0 toua. Moreover, about 'JOOU tons foreign boat* use the French canals each year. The motive power is now almost entirely famished by draft animals, although a few steam tug.i are used on the Seine, the Oise and some other river*, and team cargo boats are occasionally met Cable towing and tow locomotives are also used in a few places. The average cost of moving a ton of freight one mile i* stated to be .iKMc on river* and o per cent, lee* on tauals. WH M HIM WaTKst MALT. II KereJves Blwelved Mineral Halls > the I ua4 ! Lee \e by f>aporall**J. This question has been regarded as a mys- tery and has given rise to som curious speculations, but a little consideration of the subject must, I think, satisfy us all that it would lie very wonderful, rjuite in- comprehensible, if the waters of the ocean were otherwise than salt as they are. The following explanation was first sug- gested to myself many year* ago when re- ceiving my tirsl lessons in practical chemi- cal analysis. The problem then to be solved was the separation of the baee dissolved in water by precipitating them, one by one- in a solid condition ; filtering away ths water from the first, then from thi* fil- trate precipitating the second, and so on until all were separated or accounted for. But in doing this there wa* one base that war. always left to the last, on account cf the difficulty of combining it with any acid that would form a solid compound, a diffi- culty so great that its presence WM deter- mined by a different method. This base i* soda, tlie predominating base of sea-salt, where it is combined with hydrochloric acid. Not only is soda the most soluble of all the mineral bases, but the mineral acid with which it is combined forms a remarkably soluble series of salt*, the chloride*. Thus the primary fact concerning the salinity of sea- water is that it has selected from among the stable chemical element* the two which form the most soluble compounds. Among tbe earthly base* i* one which is exception- ally soluble that i*, magnesia and this stands next to soda in it* abundrnce in sea- water. Modern research has shown that the ocean contains in jolution nearly every element that exists upon the earth, and that these element* exist in the water in proportions nearly corresponding to the mean solubility of their various compounds. Thus gold and silver and most of the other heavy metals are found to exist there. Sonnenstadt found about 14 grains of gold to the ton of sea- water, or a dollar's worth in leas than two tons. As the ocean covers all the lower val- leys of the earth, it leceives all the drainage from the whole of the exposed land. 7'bis drainage is the rain-water that baa fallen upon tniii exposed surface, has flowed down its superficial slope*, or has sunk into porous land, and descended underground. Iu either case the water must dissolve and carry with it. any soluble matter that it meote, the quantity of solid matter which is thus ap- propriated Iteing proportionate te its solu- bility and tbe extent of it* exposure to tbe solvent Kaiii when it fall* upon the earth ii distilled water nearly pnre (its small im- purities being what it obtains from the air), but river water when it reaches the ocean contains measurable quantities of dissolved mineral and vegetable matter. These small contributions are evsr pouring in and ever accumulating. This continual addition of dissolved mineral salts without any corre- sponding abstraction by evaporation ha* been going on ever since the surface of th* earth has conesaled ot laud and water. An examination of the composition of other hudii-K of water which, like the ocean, receive riven or rival***, aud have no other outlet than that afforded by evaporation, confirms this view. All of these are more or less saline, many of then more so than the ocean itself. On the great table land of Asia " the roof of the world," there SB a multitude of small lakes which receive the waters of river* and rivulet* of that region and have no ortlet to the ocean. On a map they appear like bags with a string attached, the bag being the lake eai the tring the river. All these lakes are saline, many of Ihetn excessively so, sirapiyheeanse they are ever receiving river waterof slight salinity and ever giving elf vapor sshich has no salinity at all. There is BO wash through these lake* a* in the great American lake* or those of Constance, t ienev a, et i The Sea of Aral and the Caspian are lakes without any other ontlet than evaporation, and they are saline accordingly. The Dead Sea which received the Jorda *t one end and multitude of minor river* asdrivalets at its other end aud sides, i* a Beted ex- ample of extreme salinity. In is, aseverybody knows, a sea or lake of brine. The total area of land draining into the great ocean doe* not exceed one-fourth of it* own area, while the Dead .Sea receives the drainage and soluble matter of an area Bibove twenty times greater than its own, and thus it ful- fills the demand of the above-stated theory by Laving far greater salinity than has the great ocean. According to this view, the salinity of the ocean must be steadily, though very slowly, increasing, and there must be slowly pro- ceeding a corresponding adaptation or evolu- tion among its inhabitants, both asimal and vegetable. The study of thi* subject and the effect which the increasing salinity ol the past must have had upon the progressive modifications of organic life displayed by fossils is, I think, worthy of more attentiou than its has hitherto received from palfpon- toiogut*. i he LarteU w . m r. **' " BsilasML At Aldershol, which is situate on the confines of Hampshire, Surrey, aud Berk- shire, aud about thirty-riv* miles from Lon- don. It was established in 1850 after the Crimean War, and its accommodation has from lime to time been increased and im- proved. The old huU which were at tint erected have mostly disappeared, and will have done so altogether when the improve- ment* and extensions, n->w iu course of con- struction under the receut Barracks Act at ui expenditure of nearly a million and a half sterling, are completed. Fifteen thou- sand troops were stationed at AHershot in is.vi, and since then 18,000 and upwards h.tvelieen accommodated, but when theabove mentioBjBxl works are finished the number of troop* at this military depot will range be- tween ',000 aud 30,000 which will include . sixteen battalions of infantry in place of the nine hitherto forming the AKlershot estab- lishment, and there will be a corresponding augmentation to the Cavalry, Artillery, Kngineeis, Army Service, and Medical Stafl' Corps, and other branches of the army. The second largest military depot if that at Woolwicn. The stores there have always material on hand sufficient for the equipment of 10,000 troops at least The Arsenal oovers 350 acres, of which 100 are covered by buildings. \Vl.en in full opera- tion 1S.OOO paiple can be employed in it ; and it was tarst formed in 17'J<>. An the soil, however rich it may be, can- not be productive without agricvjtare, so the human soul, without cultivation, cannot bear good fruit.