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 1 JO iw J**3iB. *:'sa«Ea;«»«»p *fcof th,, 'im that In] eedof thei °* the ft^ cWldreni maloiug ichathlii 'ear ago, i,] naembanofi rtof thU, nrntoGe Qe yoQDg __ B farm, wmI of Metj'i 1 Mrs. Hyl« rariooa MmJ li andwM] Metz wu tartling J3Bt before] loe were rth of the 1, and altt, desired that Baence. Aid if yonng lifter the Infi n child aodt The and jonng] ihood as Jc she almyii dkB afraid to z has alwayil he scones tt these facta g ia the ext it to believe to rec(^iuza it finallj, byi trath of the 1 [pen him, ud| son. Thei to the son y| It. |ago oneirf ,uog due abode » rat ««*^«' dead 3^ slso, » "r J e ratSt thera »• d not gW'J 'the Art* *flMB*J iemi»?J hein*^' ^e Old Mill «f the hiU 1 1" rteren«"»*Frho«e before, k P*-'h V4ie. ibenijl ex's girU Ked « ' ,;,! at the door. «»'«^ "^/ia'a her rioalo-8 brown, »«y^*there I stand to-day. M»P*" *j^ fed the a,iiler « dead, Icausi after storm. riiPTEB III.-OoNnNOiD.) b,prchai»ii'fl eyes roll upward in t;^?SS"'V life. -«ia-. -.Ht alone excuses my epeak- tSjung person bafore I had con. iaierdoa Uitens with a pang of 'S what an ideal lover fate haa '^!w cait of a CresaidalBhe Xn would her stolid British jje^e such a bow or turn sach a ^Jnef though a little relieved, is iS BO anquaUfled in her ad- I" dreadfully theatrical bub I V^.'a Offing to his nationality, n„\^ help It," is her meiital 1.. jdea she says atond, wltn a CVh old scholastic severityâ€" ",Ib Urongaad very ungentlemanly t w'll uoti say any more of that. ' Lk yoi, madams," the young taraura penitently and, if the ^- rleama betwetn one ttuck black un-her mocking than remoraefal, Laal; liidden m a gracefully sab- La I supposa yon will have no ob- [to mirry her when my sister mar- O.b rneâ€" that is to say, in three L p, [ho present time 1 ' ftdias tlie dark handsome face Ik: ciQ rjad there only undia- Ijy; and, sefiln? thit, she draws [breath of relief. well, Monsieur St. Just, sne ten ling a large lean hand, which Las and hoy a over, bab does not le cffjr to kiss. " I apologise for Beneaa, and thank you for the Jorward answers that have lifted ft from my mind. One question bd i will ciU C.:e8slda. .^e you Int able to support a wife V fcieur St. Just's frank smile and t ahrng are aa candidly conciliatory Itre mudest, lemoBelle Cresslda has not been fin Ininry," he says pleasantly- ill not shrine her like a princess, ill keep hor from want. I have Itconnectiors, and as many les- 1 choose to give. Ca suffi,t, n'est-ee am V ily, ' says Miss Smerdon and Iclond clears from her wrinkled 1th the words, "Andnow, Mon- Jnst, 1 bave a piece of news for Then Mra. Leigh, Cressida's [died, aho left in my hands seven 1 pnurda. which sum was to be i the ch Id'a bnard a li education. 8[..3ua it and ehe would, of be peuuilysj njw, ba^ thas Mr. llorg nnd s^r-rt of It is," John in- 1 grctS;, "taa"-, iwving brought l^d i:ca a baby, M'.ss Smerdon »a a'.-uached ta her, and, as she [frseher agave, sae makes her prtseut cf hvr mother's little 'hit's all. And, that; being k;^, tbi re s no need to make any iabon: it." oai looker- on would have credit- 1 qi6 red-faced man with the pntrcaity that really moves him Tie 5ne ma»k of Isidore suggests P ei the selfiah elation he feels. '•-eenoiga enamoured of Oresai- ^â- e girlish beauty to take her I 'dower; but the "few hun- '^hsch ha now hears for the Mfe an inestimable addition to N'and, even while in a few '6il chosen wordi he thanks J-c madame for their generoai- Biiiking how gaily he and his if!^ ^ife will dissipate bhoae F'^Wb in the joyous honeymoon :mitmgit!t*timgetii,^iiiifys* :#»»:^.'««;dai;'«t^ » jMw»t i j« ii t «»9a»V9t'E»'?iBBy*»a»we».- .w» ji wa jM Na H? iOQe "en Cresaid jtofi-y «n Lresaida is duly summoned, ' Iowa with paler cheeks than r ' to 896, and lovely, startled |--mtodiead everything they f; 55tie even shrinks f rom Isi- V c- when at last the lovers are l.r'^f^en, barden. and af- r:'!^' ^^ nnf.lda his plans to fcder f.*^ ^.^°^ " moment In Fob. n ""^^8 iato a sudden Pip,««ionofchUdi3htear8. Ks;^^.^M-.n8ieur-l8idore, it?- ri" V â- "^^y cnaot mean h'ul, v^'^^^'^^oiae face iWL'f'»'*°i» looking at r- uottiH I?*"" » second VCS^^^Pl^'dsand ar^ " -2 ita persuasive sweet- t^HeJ'?v"^y^« PlacoB the the »Ji°' ^«' ^°^ atter- """leftBaglandfor tiMi, how lie will lore and ohorish and woEBhip htt hoir ahe wm giov in Imm 3s?.sssr " "-*.».«, lor The girl eannob rarirt nioii tender flit- tery; llbUe by little, ahe yields, nnofat last, with a quick blush, a frightmied on- ward glance and a Ic n^Lxawn breath thatu h^ sob half «gh, ahe {altera forth the Yea for which her ardent lover nleada â€"the " Yea" that aeala her doom. " Heaven bleas yon, my child I" Mlat Smerdon says a little later, claaping fhe girl with real emotion. ** Yoa have made me almoatlu^pyl" And, after that, Oreaalda can aay notii- ing of her own fooUah, childeat feats. CHAPTER IV^ 'â-  ' Whom God hath .joined together let no man pot a^nde* P ' p It is all over now^ and Hanieb Smer- don draws a deep hceatjji af nlieL She feels as though a woirld'a weight had heen suddenly rolled from her should eri, and she could rejoice in some great n(.w free- dom. The past three weeka 1u« been a bmy time for her, but she regress none of ios work and none of its worry, as she atanda in the full glow of the July snnahine that streams through the painted window (^ the church, and bathes the kneeling fig- ures on the altar-steps in a warm rosy light â€" " two bridegrooms and two brides. With the loss of that heavy burden of responsibility a long dormant aenae of humour wakens in Harriet Smerdon'a breast, and she smiles at the contrast of the two couples present. By JuUa'a de- sire, she and Cresslda are dressed CKacbly alike, though neither wears the satin and orangeflowers proper to the occasion â€" a gray travelling-dreaa and hat, a knot of white flowersat the throat, that la ail and Julia is fully convinced that they look like twin sisters as they bow their heada for the nuptial benediction. " It IS a pity John is such an old frump!" she said reflectively, as she drew on her' lono; daintily-tinted gloves and took a final survey of her oVh trim figure bef re departing for the church. " Uf coorae be is the beat old fellow in the world, and I love him dearly but he has no idea, of making the best of himself, and will b i such a dreadful contrast to that hand- some Isidore. Whereas I " â€" Miss Julia drew up her tiny figure, poising on the pointed tips of her French-gray boots, and smiled at the small person refl acted In the mirror with ingenncni admiration. "Raally, Harriet, would not any one think that Cresslda and I were twins t" Miss Smerdon, working againat time at the moment, had left the words unan- swered, and hardly heeded them then but they come back to her now, and, gazing at the two faces under the soft droop of the long ostrich feathers, she mentally decides that Cresslda looks fresher and fairer biwn ever, with the new solemnity that the sacred rite has brought to ^e lovely eyes and sweet sensitive lips, while poor JnUa's face, with its self-con- scious srnUe of antiqaated coquetry, ia only more wizened, pinched, and wan. "Yet she has the better husband," she thinks, a little uncomfortably for, do what she will, she cannot argue down the vague distrust with wiiich the brilliant Frenchman inspires her, unjust as she honestly believes lb bo be. ' John Cabome is a man in a thousand, and Julia haa drawn a prize of which she does not dimly guess the worth. I wish my poor little Cresslda had been as lucky, that she too had found an honest high-minded English- man. Ah, there It is " she breaks off with a for led laugh, unreasonably glad of an excuse to ihock at her own forebod- ings. "It ia a caso-of national prejudice, after all. 1 am a bi^otiid Briton, and cannot believe the men of any country equal to those of my own. ' Certainly there ia little to complain of in Isidore's conduct to-day. Hia dark eyes glow with tend«neas atid pride aa they rest on the fair blushing face beaide him, and ha thanks Miss Saierdon for th© pricales J treasure she has could ed to his charge In such well-tiimed phrases as John^Osbome cojuld assuredly never mus- ter but, even as she smiles hopefully, and assures herself that all ii for the best, there is a lucking: uneasiness in her thoughts that m»ke» -the wedding-cake bitter, and dims the sparkle of the cham- pagne. When the modest wedding-breakfast is over, John Osborne takes the brillianb bridegroom aside, and, in hia own pond- erous kindly fashion, bestows upon him the promised dieque akd a Word or two of well-meant advise. " You will be kiiA fee Jier, my bay, he finishes, a little awkwardly, ahaking the slender hand with undonsdotis energy. "Mini Smerdon tells me she's aa good a girl as ever lived, and she i» » ^Btle un- happy about leaving her." Isidore, who has takea-the eheqae^bh discreetly veiled eagemea« and the advice with delicately accentuated respect, now gives the required promise with raptur- ous fervour. „ "Her life shall, be all aunshine, he begins, kissing his slender finger-tipa In homage to the absent Oreasida. But John, who is nothing if not practical, interrupta him -witha short laugh. „ "No Ufe can be that, my lad, he says not unkindly, for he thinks the rhapsod- ical speech the honest outcome of a young lover'a enthusiasm; "dont bring any doud to ovemhadow or â- toâ„¢" J° wrMk it youraelf-and ahelt« her with your love in all the troubles HeaT^n may Nnd her-that la aU Oreasidaa beab frlenda win aak of you, and so nacBi,aB an honest man, you are bound to do-«nd nowâ€" thai'a all I have to »y. "Quite enoigh too, «o» •»«»«» "" thero?o?'^« «oW*' ^7 "u'lf'SS proportlona,^ thinks the »«oi;S»J~ Wdore, tiho igh hlB fawe to oompoied to :tiMatky alltiwvo. it^Wdaeidy. reiuiii to Um â- MB ate aasambl^ in which Oreaiida ia Mddittg ha life4taK Menda-har imlj ttendaâ€" "jjood-l^^e." 8h(i ciiea like a difld over thak parting, andQaifiet Smeidon enuhea down her own lemoraefnl aoRow that the giri'a firat gUmpaecf her nmr life may not beaU dimmed and bluAedirith tears. True, tears are permtsspe «a a weddhig di^^- Jolla herself wilfc ahad « f aw orthodox dropa praaently bn«^lt ia a real tempeat of grief that shaltea tU giri'a slender f Ame. It almoB^nema as thoo^ aome audden forebodi^ aalaed her, as ahe dings round Miaa Smerdan'a neck in a pasatonate fare welll "Heaven blesaytn, eUld, and good- bye," the Utter safe hurriedly, aa John'a heavy tread and Iddore'a lighter foot-fall are heard in the hiOL " Write to me if â€"if vnything is Irrong yiou ahall have oup Aimtralian address. Be happy, child 7:Tr*pt you will l^y a heaTy burden nbon "Here Is your husband, Cresdda," Hiss Julia's voice breaks in sharply. Julia ia rather indignant that Creasida'a figure ehould be thrust so prominently Into the foreground on her wedding-day. Oresaida raises her tear-wet face, with a rather Beared look, and the rest of the farewells are gob through without further break-down The carriage that is to take the young pidr to the raUway-ababion is at the door now, and Monaleur St. Joat hnnrida hia bride into it with a frank boyiah impa- tience that bringsa smUe to JohnOaborne'a face, a smile that lingers there when he returns to the house, a amile hia aisber- in-law finds infinibely reassuring. " You bhhik he will be kind bo her, John t You bhink I shall not have to re- pent this day'a work ' she asks with an eager anxiety that touches the soft warm heart that rough exterior bides. ** My dear Harriet, he will be a brube if he la anybhiog else," Mr. Osborne aaya kindly. " 1 bhiuk they Kti facing the world with aa fair a prcspeet of hap- piness as most young couples the rest we must leave to Heaven. And now," he adds, ending the solemn pause with a faintly humorous smile, ** don't let one bride and bridegroom absorb all your in- berest â€" you havb still to dispose of Julia and me." Miss Smerdon awakens from her reverie with a tftarb. Yes, luckily tor her, she has plenty of work to do. In one week from this day she will be on board the P, and O Scoamer, her back burned for ever on the old world, in which she has known so much of work and pain, in which her youb and middle life have passed wear- ily away â€" her face set steadily towards the. new, wherein her latter daya are to be tfm.% in something like contentment and peace. In one week She can hardly realise lb I There is so much bo do sbill, and she musb do ib alone, for John and Julia must perforce be allowed one honey- week at a fashionable water^g-place. John, indeed, to whom it is always eaaler to be useful than sentimentid, would far rather spend his time cording boxes and wrlbing labela, running erranda and consulblng time-babies and idiipplng- llsts, bhan throwing pebbles into the sea and drawing cruel but involuntary com- parisons between the pretty sentimental Julia of hia youthful recollection and the faded affected Julia of exiabeab facbâ€" John would gladly have relinquished thla sup- plementary journey buc Mrs. Osborne, who thinks her honors ha'/e been more than Boffijiently clipped, asserts her right hue, and of course has her way. At last howe ^er it is aU over the school, as a school, ceasea to be the furniture ia aU sold,' the last personal poseasion has been carted away Bea^h Hou^e Aaademy stands emp y and desolate, and Mr. and Mrs. Qf^borne are steaming away as fasb as the good ship Adelaide can bear them to their new hornet beneath the Southern Cross. A week or ten days passes, and Beech House remains uuvisibed of men- By- and-by th3 owner will pub in a number of painters and paper-hangers and noisy workmen ef svery kind then he will ad- vertise ** this desirable scholastic resi- dence " ia half -a dczm newspapers, and then, perhaps, soma one will come for- ward and take possession of it, and new lives will be lived out in the shadow of the red-brick walls, even as the old have 'been. Bub. in bhe maanbime, the room in which Rosamond Leigh dosed her world-weary ° eyesâ€" in which Cresslda apenb her earliesb eanolous daya, is dark- ened and empby the garden in which she met her lover is deawted, the flowera bloom and wither, the fruit rlpena and drops unheeded on to the grase. At laab, whOe the owner is atlll abaent on his summer holiday, and the reign of the workmen la yet to be, thereoomeaa visitor to the empty houseâ€" a lady whoaa carriage drives slowly up and down the dusty BuburiMn road â€" whose aervanta make anxioua inqtnries as to the where- abouta of the aoulemyâ€" • lady whoae handaome proud face beam visible marka of disappointment when she hears that feheaChool is cloaed and the Mtsaas Smer- don- have left, and when a glance at the palpably empty house confirms the story. ' Is there no one who can give ma in- formation f " sheaska imperadvdy of the neighbor's servant, who atares tn open admiration at the carriage and aarvants, at the rich satin of her questioner's dress, and the costly lace that wrapa the alender upright fijinie and erowna theaoffe ailvety white hair. ,., "Yes mum," the girl laya dnUondj, "there'athe woman at the dumdlara â- hop round the comer â€" Jamieami'a you know. She's got the kay and ahowa the hoosei snd in ooorse yoa can q^uestuni her bat, bless yoa, she can tell yo« no more than Iâ€" joat about the two wed- dhMH^that'a aU I " WifthtlM dTi%tluil thinly TdblMv hnpatiaBoa, the lady thaaka hag â- atand^havaa en. .i- " Jamiflwm'a" to eapOy loud'r« hn^ boflt ddfashionad ahop^ la whifalt vwmnf modacate wlah the hoaaaii haacfe ia to M gratified, jodging from tfaa Tarlad atomic of gooda ua rattaar dingy windowi dla- plm. a little aharp-faeed led-noaM who, with aaaay boba and ourtaeya to the owner cf •ti» aplemlid equipage an'i waiv- er of the handaoBe d^r« ai^mlts h^neU •11* a m " _i« i»a1; .» willing^ ioK MOBS leaamirttiim. â-  â-  • Yes, she knows Beedi lloaBe;iMalA the hdy liketo aeeitt Oh»it waa ft. pretiy hooae â€" a pity to aee it lying empty like thatf They ahoold all miaa the Minea Smerdon'a sohooL Did ahe know the glrlaby algihtt Oh, yea; they moatly bought their awtets here iâ€" with a proud proprietorial glance at ^e sticicy jars and eases â€" ^healthy, roay, happy lasaes they were boo, who did a credit to their board Kid to any achool. The MLues Saierdonf were very particular, but very nice ladlat â€" ab leasb, bhe ddest waa the one ttiab' was muried seemed rather ailly. S far Mrs. Jamieaon â€" who is a bom gossip and bhoroughly enjoys the inter- view, more especially as it keepa thai glorious carriage captive at her doar-rr has rambled on nnlnterrupiiedly bubab the last phraae the lady looka up aharply. *-* The one who was married t " ahe re- peats, "I underatood there were two brides r' " So there were, ma'am, but only one Mlsa Smerdon. I waa in bhe church and saw ib all, though lb wasn't much of a wedding. Miaa Julia looked very well, though a litble pinched and old-like. Bat bhe young lady, Miaa Leigh â€" 6h " â€" Mm. Jamieaon rolls hor eyes in an eesbabio ad- mirabion she has no words bo express â€" " she was lovely, and for all her gray dress and hat, the very picture of a bride " Bub bhe lady paya no heed bo her ecsba- sies her delicabely- tinted face whitens t llbbie, and bhe slender gray gloved hand tightens on the rail of the chair. " Missâ€" what t" ahe repeaba in an odd- ly sbartled bone, **I did oob qnlbe caboh bhe name." "Miss Leigh â€" L-epi-g-h the woman answers glibly; her Ciurlstian name was such a funny one too^Cressida I â€" I never heard bhe like of ib before. My daughber tella me ahe haa seen it in a play â€" and BO ahe may, but lb dldn'b sound Chriabian-like in a church. I bhoughb it as outlandish and foreign as the bride- groom's â€" every bib I" " Sheâ€" Oreasidaâ€" bhla Cresslda Leigh has married a foreigner, then 9" "Oh, dear, yes, ma'am â€" the French teacher ab Miss Smerdon's, a handaome black-eyed youi% fellow â€" almost a boy, as you may say they looked bub boy and girl beaide bhe obher couple 1 After bhe wedding, they all wenb off to Aus- tralia bogebher. Perhaps bhey mean to set up a school bhere," Mrs. Jamieaon finishes, enbering the larger field of med- ibablve apeoulabion aa ahe finda her facts begin bo dL "Ahl"but that the pale aristocratic face is so haughtily unmoved, Mrs. Jam- ieson would think that long-drawn breath a sigh of bitberesb disappoinbment. The lady thanks her for her informa- tion, however, and makea some careleas purchase with such unrufflad calm thab bhe good woman lau[hB ab heraelf for her half -formed suspidon aa she sbandsiia'She shop doorway, ahadlng her daaded eyes from bhe hot afternoon sun,.watohing the carriage bowlamoothly down the dusty road, till it vanishes from her sight. " AU bhe same, I believe she took some interest in that Miss Leigh," she says, as she goes back to her prosaic daily duties with a haunting fancy that ahe, Mary Anna Jamleson, haa been a^KW^fHIT'Veiy briuk of an adventure. And assuredly her Busptdona would be str6Qg!;h3ned could she pierce the carriage panahmg, and see the proud woman who sits there with locked hands and white quivering lipa â€"the woman who whispers brokenly, while the dow painful tears drop heavily from her eyea, those saddest words that human lips can utterâ€" " Too late, too late 1 Oi, Rosamond my child, forgive me 1 Eustace, how will you bear my newB " (to BB OOKTIinTBD.) Electrical Cariosities. "Among the interesting articles that we aell," said a dealer hi tel^praphic and elec- trical suppllea, "is an improved oounblng machine. Ib la a very uaefnl appliance for superinbendents, bdegraphinspeotora, and obheta oonnacbed irith tdegraph oon- B( ruction and repair work. It la a cur- ioai inabrumenb and la abjut the sisa and ahape of a watch. Oairied in the hand a single preasura upon a ajmng thab ib eonbaioa, records one and ao on up bo 1,000. It U used for keeping tally of any kind, such as conntii]^ poles, broken ia- Bolation, maldng inspection talliea of matf^*^*!*, etc ' A enrions name to an important little artideisbheantihum. The multiplication of telegraph linea and their eonneotlon with buildings of all Unda, haa made a de- mand for Bbopping the humming noise. The prindi«l of theinstnunenb is simple. An ordinary ahaokle of ^vaniadd iron is provided with a waaher or onahionoraofb rubber, which, when connected, takea the abraln off the wire, abopping ita vibration, which ia tbe oauaeof the noiae. A loop of wire around the inatrummit conveys bhe current. An insbrumentof peculiar inter- est ia an electro-mechanical tower-bell attikec. Ib ia adi^ted to atrika byelec- trical oonneobimi large balls of from five hundred to ben thooaand pounda weight. It wOl op»aue with a light battety power, and all toat la reqalremi eonneooon with it ia a almple kay or preaa-babbonaad bat- tery. It ia oaed forfire-alarm puipoaea in oonneetlon with Uie tetephon* exdiatgaa. As In imay OMea the tekphone to used f or =?f« ;^in \--f.:^-^f;-"?i^ aending Ijira alaima, the cpaaator can wl iUU^ i^paratba aiva th* psblie alarm on any aaar tower bell hf the simple aaa ol Ida pNaa-batbooa. '"jLnelaotado appaBafeotfw bleating to â- oiaet hlng novd to the gaoeial pabUa, al- thfM^lthaabeeninaM aome time. It to a aaafueto-decttie iurtrament of amaU aba and weighamaW aboat aixtcen povnda. Ia oecipied oonametably leaa than one- half a cubic foot of apaea. It haa a mag net of the horaeahoe ohaxaoter, of iron, woond aboat with coito of tnanlated cop- p«r wire between the polea of the mag- nfi there is fitted to revolve an armatue of eylindrioal banatrocUon, cartyimt in ita body other inaulatea wire coiled longitad- inally aa to the cylinder. The mgiA. lution of the armature by Buitable generates and sustaliiB in the machine an aeehmulabive current of voltaic eleetrid^ of great power, whidi at the moment of its maximum intendty la practically awitched cff to butdde current' -in which are the fusss, and in the Interior of eachfuiC the ignition is acoompliahed in- stantly. It is a machine of similm: de- scrip'rion that waa used in blasting at Hdl Gate when Oen. Newton's little daughter pressed the button that set the apparatus in motion by which thousands of tons of rock were displaced. » â- Â»â-  â-  Horses in War. The only two great nations which con- tain enough horaes within bheir borders be meet all bhe exigencies of war or of peace are, unqnesblonably, Rassia and the United S nates, says the London Telenaph. In his " Summer Tour In Rassia,' pub- lished in 1882, Mr. Antonio Gallenga teUa us that the unwieldy empire under the domain of the great white czu " coyen one-sixth of the habitual globe, while ita population hardly exceeds thab of Austria and Germany Its two nearest nei^hbon, combined." Mr. Gallenga adds tlut tiie Rev. Henry Ltnsdell, in a journey of five montha from the Thames to the mouth of bhe Amoor, wenb over bwo thousand ds hundred miles by rail, 6,700 miles by steamboat, and 3,000 miles by the aid of horaesâ€" or about eleven thousand three hundred miles altogether, almost in a Braight line. This amazing empire, spar- sely occupied by human beings when ita prodigous bulk is borne in mind, boasta possession of more horses than any other nation on bhe face of bhe globe. Gen. Sir Roberb Wilson, who was Bribish commia- sioner at the headqnartera of the Rassiaa army during the Moscow campaign la 1812, tells us that no troops in the world are better mounted or can defend ground better than the Russian regulars. "Their artillery," he adds "is so well horsed, and BO nimbly and handily worked, that it bowls oyer all irregularities of surface with an eise, lightness, and velocity which gives it a great Buperioriby. The vivad'-iy and alertness of bheir cavalry, and bhe uoqnaillng sbeadinesB of their infantry make it pleasure bo command them in extremest difiiculties, for, as in tiie case of a Bribish soldier, the most unbounded confidence may be reposed â€" bo use a sailor's expression â€" in bbelr an- swer to the helm in every stress of dt- nation and under the greatest ttiala. From the same source we learn that the firsb Napolison had witnessed with admlr- abion bhe unyielding valor of bhe Rasdam soldiery under drcumstanoes the most un- propitious ior its diBplay,,and had recog- nised quaKt^ea and propenslbies wMdi would rendeiLRaaalan armies, when prop- erly ofganizedj pre-eminenb in bhe field. " He had become acqualnbed wibh no leaa resulube characber of the RussiAn peasant- ry, and had found nothing wanting whthe art and discipline might not supply for ihe construction of a military force on the most exbeuaive, efficient and economical basis. " At that time the Rusdan soldier's pay was not more than 12 Bhilliugs a yew, and his only ration in time of peace waa water and rye bread baked like biscuit. Behind the aamy stands an enormona be^rribory, with a reserve of horsesâ€" a oon- diderable proportion of them, i; is true not more th^tn poniesâ€" numbering fiom thir- teen to fourteen million head. There la no more fatal error than that which arises from underrating an enemy's strength â€" an error which the history of the past show that, of all others, the country is the moat ap^ to commit. Taming to the United States, we find that not less than eleven million head of excellent horses are contained at this moment in bhe broad limiba of the union, a sbock upon which in combinaiion wibh the eqalns resonroes of bhe domioinn o Canada, it is probable thab the war department of tnia country will have so draw largely in the event of a protracted war wiba auch a power as thatwellded by Roasia. The Dabomey Girl's Ferocity. The Amaainaof Dahomey are dowly but aurely acquiring a better reputation. It haa been ousbomary to look upon those ladiea aa bloodthiraby creatures •â- abher fond of killmg men and anything bub nice ornaments for a drawing-room. It now appears thab they are merely anomamenbal bodyg lard for bhe King, that they never go to war, while, a8.for the killing any- body, the dear girla woold never think of it. A recant travder in Dahomey says: • "Imagme sixty young women, abrong amd slender, who wibhoub losing aay of their wOmanlineaa, present a daddedly warlike appearance. Their uniform ia piotareeque, and the armament consisbB of combined •- ^fjneAn^ and ainging,Bham fighta and mili- tary evolution, all of which are performed with exaotitade and degance." It to to be hoped thab l^ls direcb testimony of a man who has mat them will re- establish the n .ihn may Amaasn in pablie confidence and prevent furtheraUoslon to her aa affv)d«» ing proof that ladiea are entitled to ballota aa represenbing possible bayonets. Thla protrfcanbeBecunedaomswhere, no doubt bat not in Ddiomay. Tha Dihomsy girl to flexile and f dr, nob f erodous. \yl-% i: hi lb! A-.n w