GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 12, 22 December 1877, Page 3

GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

An appeal is mad" through the " Times" on behalf of three great-granddaughters of Daniel Dofoe, the author of " Robinson t Irusoc," Who, with the exception of their brother and his children, are the only known having descendants bearing his name. Of these sisters, who are all unmarried and over fifty years of age, and in their early days had no experience of poverty, two are living in a lodging in Lambeth, and through no fault of their own are in a state of extreme penury, and dependent on the earnings of one of them at button-hole making, her wages averaging less than 7s. aweek ; the eldest who has also worked hard with her needle for many years, beiiiLC now disabled by rheumatism and general illhealth. Mr. Charles Knight, the publisher, and Mr. John Forstcr, the biographer of Goldsmith and Dickens, were kind friends to them, and the latter on two occasions obtained a small grant for them from the Queen's Bounty. The other sister is a teacher of English in France, and during the chief part of the winter has paid her sisters' rent of 4s. a-weck, but is now compelled by want of means to discontinue this assistance, and in consequence of failing health and advancing years, will before lon/ be obliged to abandon Jier precarious employment altogether. Their brother, who lias a largo family, is unable to help them, except to a very inadequate extent, and they have no other near relations. Glory is a vciy fine thing. lam only a " pekin," a civilian, and I know nothing about glory ; but I confess that my blood runs cold, and that my heart sickens, when 1 hear politicians pertly prating about the "arbitrament of the sword," and " war clearing the atmosphere," and so forth. I never met glory yet, and 1 don't know what 1 ■ she is 'like; but 1 have met war face to face half a dozen times in as many countries. t have looked into the whites or rather the crimsous, of his eyes, and 1 have gazed upon the sisters wh > follow him wheresoever he goes. Theva.re three

sisters, Rapine, Disease, and Death. This is, of course a miserably craven and spiritless way of looking at war. 1 cannot help it. I have seen only war's wickedness and madness, its foulness and squalor. To mo it lias represented nothing but robbery ami profligacy, but famine and slaughter; and I cannot but think that if the warlike politicians were to witness just half an hour of actual warfare as I have witnessed it in America, in Italy, in .Mexico, in Fiance, in Spain, their martial ardour would cool down a little, and they would not bo quite so prompt to blow the bellicose trumpet. —(J. A. Sala, in the " Illustrated New.-,." Mr. Guildford Onslow fsavs the

Huh Yws ) gives the t :ilo\vin,i; account of a visit to Dartmoor Prison : Lord Rivers and myself arrived at Princes Tower about :! o'clock, and found ourselves very shortly afterwards in the presence of our poor friend Sir Roger Tichborne, the victim of false evidence and an unfair trial. We were agreeably surprised to find him in excellent health, and abounding in hope, with a mind at eiuse, and a conscience that is at rest. He complained of some bad treatment by the. authorities in the prison, but what the grievance WO9 we could not ascertain. He informed us, however, that he had petitioned the Home Minister for an investigation of the circumstances attending it. He, begged us to thank the public for their sympathy and support, which cheered him in his dismal prison. He gave us some valuable information regarding Arthur Orton, now in the Asylum at Sydney. When the twenty minutes had tlown, and the prisoner had passed to his solitary cell, we felt the consolation of knowing we had done our duty to an injured man, and by our visit h;id j-iveii him ono ray of pleasure in his life of gloom. A good deal of interest was displayed recently in London at Messrs. IVhcnhiun, Storr, and Son's ncution mart, in Covent Garden, dating the sale of the wardrobe and jewels of a well-known and distinguished foreign lady, especially when Lot <i."> was reached. It was described as a matchless Russian sable clonk, composed of skins of the very finest quality, perfect as regards color and uniformity, the skins having been selected with great care and at enormous cost for a Royal personage. The first offer was 100 guineas, and after a prolonged competition from many bidders, the clonk was sold for +OO guineas. The catalogue included choice Brussels, Valenciennes, and other laces, (which realised from 100 to tOO guineas a lot), and some choice I'ljniitnie. The sale-room was crowded nil day, and the total MM odud X3>oo.

The " Pall Mail (iuette " states that several per m were summoned at the polke-eourt for selling tinned peas, which were rendered dangerous to health by an admixture of copper, In the ease of Mr. R 11. Ncwins, a ponftwtionw, of High-street. Wandsworth, the agent of the French manufacturer of the peas who was called, stated that he received 180,000 per annum. Mr. Concilia, the clerk to the Wandsworth Board of Works, said he understood that the peas were not allowed to he sold in France. Tin: defendant was tilled 2s. (id., anil 12s. (id. costs, The same penalty was imposed upon William James, greengrocer, of Bedford-row, Streatham, and Henry Osborne. 0 f Park-road, Clapluun, for similar offences. Mr. Paget said of course it was understood that in each case the defendants would discontinue selling preserved peas, the object of the proceeding being to stop the sale. Ho also Suggested that the convictions should be made public. Messrs. Leacb, Hros., grocers, of High-street, Wandsworth, were summoned for a similar offence; but as the defence was grounded upon a warranty received as to the purity of the articles, and as the defendants had ceased to sell ihe peas after proceedings had been taken, Mr. Paget dismissed the summons,