Mr. William Smith, the schoolmaster of the school at Lochgoilhead, in the Highlands, has invented a new and very unsavoury punishment for unruly children. He has, it appears,...

There was an interesting discussion on Wednesday in the I House of Commons on the Irish Land Act, d propos of Mr. Barry's Land Act Amendment Bill, which proposed to reopen a...

On the Purchase Clauses alone the Government admit comn- parative failure, but ascribe that failure in great part to the expectation of the tenants that the Act is not final....

Mr. Arthur Charles, Q.C., has been asked for his opinion on the point whether a layman of the Church of England may, at the request of the officiating minister, and with the...

Mr. Chamberlain's Shipping Bill is encountering unexpected I resistance. The Shipping interest is enraged at his " distrust," and the Marine Insurance interest is enraged at...

An Austrian officer of high mark has published in the Pestler I Lloyd a paper on the occupation of Merv, which has attracted the attention of the Times. The writer argues that...

I In the London Diocesan Conference, held this week, the Bishop of Bedford, who presented the Report of the Committee on the prevalence of unbelief, remarked that whilst there...

MR. GOSCHEN ON THE FRANCHISE BILL. MR. GOSCHEN'S Speech on the Franchise Bill was; Al marked by more than his usual strength of judgment and strength of purpose ; indeed, one...

THE DEBATE OF THURSDAY ON EGYPT. WE cannot wonder that the Premier, in all discussions on W Egypt, confines himself substantially to answering the Tories. These intercalary...

THE LIBERAL LEADERS AND THE BRIGHTON ELECTION. LTO THE EDITOR 0 THE "SPECTATOR."J SiR,-Nothing in the world can minimise the crushin Brighton defeat. Everything should have...

I The Tories are eager to go on discussing Egyptian affairs, but the Speaker has ruled that no general motion can be made in Committee of Supply. Mr. Stanley was, therefore,...

Then Mr. Walter rose, and speaking as a Boundary Commis- sioner, delivered a really remarkable speech in favour of the County F1ranchise, on the strength of his experience of...

I Mr. Marriott, Q.C., was elected as a Conservative on Satur- day for Brighton by an exceedingly large majority, having polled 5,478 votes, against 4,021 given for Mr. Romer,...

The debate was remarkable for a promising maiden speech by the new Member for South Lincolnshire, Mr. Finch-Hatton. He maintained that the Fellaheen of Egypt, whom he knew,...

Mr. Trevelyau replied to Mr. Goschen. Sir John Lubbock, . . ... . I while urging very temperately the right of minorities to representation, strongly supported the Bill. Sir...

Mr. W. H. Smith made Irish Home-rulers, of course, his I chief topic; and then Mr. Goschen delivered a very telling speech, some portions of which we have described and...

One point comes out clear from the debate on the Franchise. -that all moderate men are totally opposed to the notion of allowing more than two Members to be elected by the...

AR. CHAMBERLAIN AND THE SHIPOWNERS. I HE Shipowners' meeting on Tuesday hardly acted up to T its professions. The speakers protested loudly that they were quite impartial in...

Farm Insects. Bv John Curtis. (Van Voorst.)-" Variae illudunt pestes," was an experience of the agriculturist long before Virgil expressed it in wordis, and his modern...

I Dramatic Works of Shakespeare: the Text of the First Edition. Illustrated with Etchings. 8 vols. (WV. Paterson, Edinburgh.)-We owe thanks to any publisher who is sufficiently...

CURRENT LITERATURE. Lincolnshire and the Danes. By the Rev. G. S. Streatfield, M.A. (Kegan Paul, Trench, and Co.)-This is a monograph on the history of the Danes in...

It is reported, apparently on authority, that the Russian Government, which for some time past has been endeavouring to come to an agreement with that of Germany, has at length...

The speech from the Throne read to the German Parliament on the 6th inst. strongly confirms the rumour of an agreement between Germanv and Russia. The Emperor says the foreign...

Osmau Digna was not in command at Teb. and is be- I sieved to be still unsubdued. He lies with a large force threatening Suakim, and tells his followers that they only failed...

The Debate on the introduction of the Franchise Bill was continued on Monday night in the House of Commons,1 hen Mr. Blennerhassett delivered a remarkable plea on behalf ox the...

I It is stated that General Gordon has been almost unexpectedly successful with the Mabdi. That personage received the letter acknowledging him as Emir of Kordofan with...

NEWS OF THE WEEK. -4 - T HE battle of El Teb, about which all Great Britain was anxious last week, ended in a victory for civilisation. General I 'Graham marched from Fort...

LORD LANSDOWNE'S QUEEN'S COUNTY ESTATES. (To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SiR,-As a letter from Mr. Trench appeared in a late issue of your paper concerning the judgment...

M. RENAN'S DIALOGUES.* WE have somewhere heard a story of a youth, entirely devoid of mathematical ability, who had offered himself as candidate for examination in geometry,...

TREASURE ISLAND.* Tiiis is Mr. Stevenson's notion of a book for boys, and a very pretty notion too, to our thinking, and one that makes us hope soon to see a similar production...

PRISONERS AS WITNESSES. IT is a testimony at once to the power of thought, and yet to the slowness with which thought is transfused into fact, that barely three-quarters of a...

THE MAGAZINES. Is the Contemporary, " Stepniak," the mouth-piece of the Russian Revolutionary party, contributes a singular paper. It is an attempt at. once to justify and to...

BO OK S. SCHLIEMANN'S " TROJA."* IF this book has fallen dead, the ultimate cause is to be found in the author's defective sense of proportion and of relevance. Dr. Schliemann...

THE CLERGY AN'D 'VIVISECTION. [TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SiR,-In the Spectator of the 16th ult., under the above heading, "' D. G." writes, " I leave never heard,...

POETRY. JOHN UPON EVERYTHING. I (Vide the Morning Papers, passim.) 'JoHnQ TYNDALL speaks not as a party-man, But answers gallantly to Duty's call; Re writes not as a...

THE CORRESPONDENTS AT TOKAR. [To Tum EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,-In your remarks relative to the rout of Egyptian troops under Baker Pasha at Tokar, you say:-" All the...

DR. EDERSHEIM'S " LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS TEE MESSIAH." [To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,-Will yoU allow me so far to refer to your very valuable and appreciative...

The Philosophy of Whist. By William Pole, Mus.D. (De La Rue and Co.)-The " modern" game of whist differs considerably from that which our fathers played, the practice of "...

Work for Women. By George J. Mauson. (G. P. Patnam's Sons.) I -This is a thoroughly practical book. Mr. Mauson treats of a number of employments which women may undertake,...

Justice Warren's Daughter. By Olive M. Birrell. 2 vols. (Remington and Co.)-This "Story of New England" has for its central interest the persecutions of the Quakers in the...

The Riverside Shakespeare. Air. William Shakespeare's Comnedies Histories Tragedies and Poems. The Text newly edited, with Glossarial Historical and Explanatory Notes, by...

On the Stage. By Dutton Cook. 2 vols. (Sampson Low and Co.)- Mr. Dutton Cook knew the past and present of the English ;Stage as well as any man, perhaps better than any. These...

Francis Beaumont: a Critical Study. By G. C. Macaulay, M.A. (Kegan Paul, Trench, and Co.)-We cannot do more than briefly describe the purpose of this ingenious essay. Mr....

PASSION. THERE is, perhaps, no language more remarkable than the .TEnglish, for the range of meanings which the same word will cover. "Action," for instance, may mean anything...

POLITICAL " RATTING." THE word "Ratting" is certainly not an honorific word. T Why it should be thought in any way discreditable to the rats that they desert, as they are said...

THE CUP AND THE FALCON.* THERE is a stateliness and a classical simplicity in the first of these two poems which makes The Cup one of the most remarkable of the Poet-Laureate's...

FOUR NOVELS BY LADIES.* MmS. RIDDELL'S new novel is a cunningly devised fable, having for its object to prove " the awful power of goodness." Susan Drummond is an oasis of...

TOPICS OF THE DAY. EL TEB AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. THE gloomy anticipations so prevalent in London on Friday T week about the battle to take place at El Teb were, no doubt, in...

I THE REPORTED TRUCE IN EASTERN EUROPE. IT is, we think, most probable that the reported " understanding" between the three Imperial Powers-Germany, Austria, and Russia-has...

THE PRODIGALITY OF THE RICH. THE world holds up its hands at Prodigality such as Lady John Manners describes, in her pleasant paper in this month's National Review, and the...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. I.~~~~~~~~~~~. THE DUKE OF ARGYLL ON DRAINAGE LOANS. I [To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOlt"j SIB,-With reference to Mr. Bear's letter to you, entitled, "...

MIR. COURTHOPE'S "ADDISON."* FEW names in the series of short biographies edited by Mr. Morley are more worthy of honour than that of Addison. There are greater men in this...