The first article in Cassell's Mages and a very interesting one it is—is on "Our Army: Past and Present," by D. H. Pany. Like many other British institutions its position is anomalous, our standing army dates back little more than 4 couple of centuries and its very existence is voted annually in Parliament, and he-comes legal year by year. The author of the paper, besides giving an adequate sketch of' the army's growth, has some good stories to relate. "Regarding cavalry he says Cavalry in the last century was not the dathing force we know now: it trotted calmly. up to the enemy, and fired a volley, when, if the foe showed signs of confusion, the troopers his troop with honour, and next day the Duke of Cumberland gave him a commission in the Welsh Fusiliers—one of the few creditable acts on record of the Butcher of Culloden." It is further said that from the time of the regiment leaving Ireland until its return, not a Single case of desertion occurred, not a man or horse was taken by the enemy, only six meu died natural deaths, and thirty-seven troopers were promote to commissions—a very rare thing in those days of purchase and privilege, when a few years later a lieutenant-colonelcy of horse cost, £4,940, and an ensigncy in a foot regiment £405.
Following this article we have a further instalment of the clever serial by Mr. Max Pemberton, 'A Puritan's Wife." Then the homes of two Commons leaders, Mr. A. J. Balfour and Sir William Harcourt, are described, the letterpress being made additionally interesting by some capital reproductions of photographs. The frequency of such articles in the "periodicals is convincing evidence of the desire of the people to be familiar not only with the public ife of the men who er helping to make history, but of the surroundings amidst which they spend their leisure hours, and their individual tastes. Within due bounds such curiosity is not unfair, und to the article under notice no exception could possibly be taken. Although of some length we venture upon the following Mr. Balfour may often be tempted to defer sleep by the fact that his bedroom adjoins his study; he has but to take three or four steps to seek repose, This sleeping apartment on the ground floor is, in its small size and great simplicity, in striking contrast to some of the bed-chambers on the upper storey, and that Mr. Balfour should have chosen' it in order that he might more conveniently hura "the midnight oil " when the desire for study. or for music seized him, is a circumstance of One other article also demands notice and gives some striking facts regarding 1 big circus.
Now let us tun to Lord George Sanger's circus, named here in full to distinguish it from his nephew's—Lord John Sanger's—circus. "In the season it comprises 250 people ~40 performers, 50 grooms, 50 tent-men, 24 bandsman, shoeblacks, harness-makers and ha. ness-cleaners, blacksmiths, carriage-washers, tent-makers, mess-caterers, carpenters, wheelwrights, wardrobe-keepers, elephant and camel-keepers, menagerie-Keepers, and a different les range from 22s. 6d. to £30 a. veterinary surgeon. "The salaries of these week. Then there are 200 horses, a varying number of elephants, camels, lions, tigers, other rare animals—maintained at an average entire show averages £130 a day," When cost of £26 a day. The outlay upon. the packed up and on the road, the whole is moved in 62 vehicles, and from front to rear drew their Long swords and went at them:
but if they stood firm, the squadrons wheeled and tried for better luck in another quarter At one period the horses had their ears cropped and their tails docked and cut into a species of knob, and it is said that. in Germany they were so maddened by the flies, which they" were unable. to whisk off owing to that barbarous regulation, that they were sometimes rendered unmanageable, and consequently useless as a force. An insight into the cavalry of that period may be obtained 'y a few curious anecdotes of Ligoni Regiment, than called "The Blacks," and now the 7th Dragoon Guards. Tt was on the Irish establishment for thirty years, and was xo popular with the younger' sons' of good families, that they often paid from twenty to thirty guineas for the privilege of becoming 4 trooper. Suddenly ordered on service in the summer of 174, when the horses were ut grass and the men's uniforms in the last month of wear, they were reviewed on Hounslow Heath by George LI. and Placed atween the Blues and" Pembroke's mounted. 'The contrast was, marked, ost Horse, then newly clothed and splendidly their colonel in despair.' Well, Ligonier," suid the King, "your men have the air of soldiers, but their horses indeed look poor.
How is it?" "Sir," replied Ligonier, the men are Irish, and gentlemen—the horses are English.' At Dettingen, where they only mustered 180 strong, they charged the French Gendarmes, who were drawn up six deep and lost nix officers and fifty-six men, having to fight their way out against heavy odds." Cornet, Richardson, carrying the stam dard, received thirty-seven wounds, and retuned with the color pole slashed in many.
When asked how he had managed to preserve ithe said, "Hf the wood of the pole had hot been made of iron, the colour would have been ott off." The standard was presented for his gallantry when new colours given to the regiment the follo winter, At Fontenoy the "Blacks their full strength, although they had left a man behind in "Brussels, shot through the thigh in a duel; for thirty-seven recruits had just joined, being one more than was requited, and the distress of the odd man was so great that Sir John Ligonier kept him at his own expense until there should he a. vacancy. They had a strange court-martial at Ath, 2 trooper who, his horse being shot in the morning at Fontenoy, had not joined until after the battle. The regiment was so enraged that they were for summarily dismiscin him; but he demanded to be heard, ent brought Lieutenant Tard, of the Welsh Fusiliers, asa witness. who stated that the dismounted trooper had come to him and requested to Lo allowed to carry a firelock ring the battle in the grenadier company, of the wie men of that company that came and, after fighting valiantly all day, was one out of action. He was instantly restored to extract describing Mr. Balfour's house extends at least mile." They told me I would Stepping from the hall into the corridor, see you coming," said a farmer mounted on a you recognise at once the handiwork of the hay' cob on which he had ridden five miles to hooks which, having long since overfewed resent proprietor of Whittinghame in the the main road between Leicester and Hinckley. to see the circus arrive. But I never ex. from his library and study, are piled along pected to sce miles of you." the walls. By'far the greater number of the few thousand books now in the house give The Quiver besides the continuation of evidence of the literary taste of the author of two. serial stories, and two complete The Foundations of Belicf. Yn the library stories, has several articles of a more or itself—a long, well-lighted apartment with a less religious tone. Of these "Church panelled ceiling of dark oak—nearly the whole Life in Manxland" by the Bishop of Sodor of the substantial tomes, hound in calf and vellum, were probably placed there as part of and Man, and "Sunday in a. Tramps" Hotel," by T. W. Wilkinson, will at once the original furnishing of the house; a glance At the well-written catalogue (in which Mr, attract attention. The variety and extent Balfour himself has made numerous marginal of the contents of the Saturday Journal notes) suggests that most of them' are are simply astonishing. The interviewer works of unquestionable literary orthodoxy, has been particularly fortunate this month But in his study, at the other side of and has induced Mr. Grant Allen to discuss the house, the shelves have evidently been the question "Should Novels merely filled just as the taste and fancy of the amuse?", Dean Hole to relate some and a rather remarkable variety of books, Leader of the House of Commons suggested, ""Humours of a Lecturing Tour," Mr. J. L. Tode to give some "Fun on and off the both in subject-matter and in style of binding, Stage and Mr. Keith Frith to tell some is the result. Metaphysics make perhaps the of his experiences during "25 Years at the most form show, but history—and especially modern history—is exceptionally Old Bailey." The fiction is of the highest well represented. Political works—pure and class. A promising serial, "Tracked by a Tattoo" is commenced, and when it is stated simple—are not so numerous as many would have supposed; there is a small cluster of that the writer is Mr. Fergus Hume, the volumes on the Irish Question, however, author of the powerful Mystery of a Han-evidently a survival of the time when Ireland som Cab, there need be no fear of lack of was absorbing all Mr. Balfour's time and life and incident. From one of the onery. Of fiction and poetry there is com numerous veneral articles we take the paratively little. A glance along the shelves following on antipathies of the cricket indiscriminately, if it does not suggest excep-field tional versatility, indicates that Mr. Balfour has studied both sides of most: questions. The Cricketers are a faddy set of men on the books of his opponents in polities and philoso-average. Our national game has reached phy are probably even more numerous than such a pitch of perfection that it does not those of his own way of thinking. In this nor bowler to get urned, room Mr. Balfour spends most of his time when aay make all the difference he is indoors at Whittinghame, probably and defeat. A loosely-ticd finding in its smaller size" greater comfort batting glove 'n ouse a false hit, or a than would be possible in the library. In it belt-buckle, comin, ig in contact with the bat, written the greater part of his book, may make the ball glance into the hands of a The Foundations of Belicy: " copy of this fielder and induce the umpire to believe that book, by the way, lying ona small table by the catch was a fair one. 'These und many the side of A Defence of Philosophic Doubt, other accidents frequently occur on' the has its pages interleaved with blank sheets of cricket-field, so that there is little wonder white paper, for the making, presumably, of such additions and emendations as criticism before settling down to try' their skill, that players should take many precautions and reflection may suggest. The room is at Beyond their natural nervousness, however, a comer of the house, and having two large many cricketers have curious antipathies: windows there is no wall.space available for Some will not play on a wet wicket, some Pictures, whilst neither photographs nor hate the sight of a dry one, and others sketches are to be found on mantelpiece or will not bat' or bowl on a pitch which tables. But close to the large writing desk is not as true as a billiard-table, Alto. (which is of the American pattern and of gether, the likes and dislikes of cricketers mahogany wood) there is an iron grand piano-form a very interesting subject. A well: forte, with a music stand by its side for per. known member of the Sussex team has a formance on some other instrament, and the reputation for bashfulness which he seems to presence of these somewhat unusual articles deserve. He is a free batsman, and on one ina study strikingly confirms the great love occasion he came off with something big in Ar. Baliour is supposed to have for music. the critical part of an important match. Phe From this room, I believe, the strains of piano crowd grew more and more enthusiastic as and violin are often heard far into the night. the score rose, and when at last the hero of the match was bowled out, they prepared to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.