CLIPPINGS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8592, 20 September 1893, Page 4

CLIPPINGS.

The remarkable drought in England was practically put an end to by the half-inch of rain which fell on the night of June 22nd-23rd, since when, says an exchange, there have been showers in increasing abundance. But duriug the 110 days from March 4th to June 21st inclusive, there fell only 0.67 in of rain, distributed over sixteen days. In March rain fell on four days only, the 4th, 13th, 15th, and 16th, the total amount being O.lOia. In April the supply was still more scanty, being only .08iu divided among three days, the 16th, 20th, and 29th. In May rain fell on seven days, the Ist, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 23rd, aud 29th, the toUl quantity being .36in. In June, up to the 21st, thera fell .loin in two days, the 4th and the 6th.

Mr Wylde, the scientific gardener, who has been in the Ameer's service, believes that Afghanistan might become an exporter of fruib to Western countries. Iv connection with this a writer in the Echo points out that Atghanistan exports large quantities of dried fruit'to India. "The Afghan dealer is one of the most familiar sights in the bazaars of Northern ludia. Very few people in Europe have any uotion of the extraordinary fertility and beauty of certain districts betwecu Cabul aud the Hindoo Khosh. They are nature's gardens, and as rich as any localities of their size in the world. The Afghans have extraordinarily keen trading instincts ; but in a land of internecine tribal wars peaceful commerce has had but small opportunity of progress. There has, however, been a change for the better during the present Ameer's reign."

It appears that the authorities in Chicago are goining to allow Seymour, the thought reader, to carry out his extraordinary scheme of being buried alive and remaining underground loug enough for a crop of barley to be grown on his grave. The coffin is made in three sections, one fitting inside the other. In it Seymour is to be buried six feet deep. The barley is to be sown on the grave immediately after the burial, and he calculates that ou September 24th it will have had time to grow, ripen, and be reaped. Signals are to be arranged by means o£ which he can communicate with the soldiers guarding the grave should anything go wrong. The geuerul impression seems to be that if Seymour carries out his plan of being buried alive, he will probably remain underground for good.

Lovers of turtle (says the Daily News) will be tantalised by the account which Mr Griffiths, the Administrator of the Seychelles, gives of a visit he has paid co the Aldabra Islands, to the north-west of Madagascar. These islands are leased to Mr James Spurs. It seems that the number of edible turtles whicA it is possible for Mr Spurs to secure both at Ald_abra and the three neighbouring islands is far in excess of his capabilities of dealing with them. From 12,000 to 15,000 could be turned in one twelvemonth in Aldabra alone. As no steamers call at Aldabra, and only a small schooner two or three times a year, which latter takes some time to get back to Mahe. the majority of such turfcles as are shipped invariably die. To be properly conveyed they must have shade and sea water.

The Rev. Isidore Daimpre, Vicar of Colebrooke, near Crediton, (says London Truth) has obtained an order of . admission to Exeter Workhouse for himself, his wife, and four children- . For a clergyman to be brought to this extremity of destitution is, under any circumstances, far from creditable to the Church, and the story wiiich Mr Daiinpr6 related to the Guardians makes his case appear an ex-, cepbionally hard one. Ho got into debt, and his living, worth £260 a year, was sequestrated. In this there was nothing very uncommon, nor is Mr Daimpre the first parson whose pecuniary difficulties have been vastly increased by dilapidation charges. It is rather in the treatment to which he has been subjected by his Bishop that Mr Daimpre has been so unfortunate. He asserts that a scheme under which his relatives would have paid off the sequestration fell through iv consequence of a letter written by the Bishop declaring that he could never return to his parish. The Bishop vaguely alleges that the Vicar has lost the confidence of the parish, but declines to state in what way ho has done so, and makes no definite complaint against him. Mr Daimpre is, thus kept out of his parish*, and driven to the workhouse, without even knowing the true reason.

The advice to "live on sixpence a day and earn it" has been taken by a gentleman, who contributes an account of his experience to CasseWs Saturday Journal. The result was so encouraging that had he, he declares, only himself to consider, he would live on sixpence a clay regularly. With such a mode of life, it seems, one does not experience that "drowsy feeling" in the afternoon that is the natural result of too much food and too little exercise, and one escapes many headaches and other petty ailments. A man of sedentary occupation," moreover, we are assured, would save - much time by living on sixpence a day, inasmuch as he would not have to walk long distances for the sole purpose of exercise. It is rather discouraging, however, to be told that, if we obtain immunity from drowsiness in the afternoon, it is purchased by an attack of nerve disease, for the writer admits that his nerves were out of order during the term of his experiment, owing either .to change of diet or an insufficiency of nutritious food, and that on his wife entering the room unexpectedly he felt "those peculiar sensations that are produced by a severe fright or shock." It is hardly necessary to say that the experiment was conducted on vegetarian principles, for meat is expensive. The diet chosen consisted of butter, haricot beans, oatmeal, rhubarb, sugar, bread, peas, eggs, milk, potatoes, tea, strawberries, tea cakes, cherries, and pears.

At a Women's Musical Congress recently held at Chicago a paper was read from the pen of the well-known prima donna, Madame Nordica, in which she gave an amusing account of some of the troubles of a prima donna. When Miss Ellen Terry plays Margaret the distinguished actress of coarse takes whatever time she wants to array herself in the jewels. But at the Orera this practically has to be done to muaic, and M. Gounod has given the singer so few moments to put on the earrings that Madame Nordica was for some years obliged to tie a piece of silk round her ears and hang the trinkets upon it. The jewel casket, too, has to be discovered at a point specially indicated in the music ; and " the singer must gat to the mirror wnile performing difficult feats of vocalisation and at the same time expressing something by the face and always appear natural." It may be some compensation that the operatic prima donna, as a rule, earns a greac deal more than the average actress, and that the greatest of actressss never received each a fee as the £1000 per night which Madame Patti obtains for singing in the United States, or the 800 guineas which is her reward for each performance in London.