To-day there have been two great gatherings of scientists, musician, and distinguished men and women of various to pay honour to Senor Manual Garcia on the occasion of his hundredth birthday. It is just upon three-quarters of a century since he left the lyric stage Decanso it is said, he felt that his constitution was not strong enough to stand the strain, Since then he has made world-wide reputation as one of the great at of musical teachers, and as the inventor It is a fairly simp] of an arrangement ming the throat; and thought of it before. it is, it is wonderfully effective boon a great boon to humanity. Manual Garcia rol 8 wonderfully his intellectual phy:
val faculties, and it is said that even now he has not entirely up teaching. He is expected to be present at the dinner in his honour to-night, It is nearly novelty years since his sister, the great Malebran, died, Signor Marconi's Marriage.
Another great foreigner who, like Garcia, is not by any means wholly foreigner, has just been honoured London.' Garcia. has lived in England for the groater part of his life; Marconi is half of Irish blood, and yesterday he took an Irish Indy to the altar—the Hon. Beatrice O'Brien, daughter of Lord Inchiquiv. The grent Italian inventor received a wonderful ovation from the immense crowd which had gathered outside St, George's, Hanover 2, to cee him, both on his arrival at the Church and -on his departure with his wife. Signora Marconi is to accompany her husband on business journey: to America in a week's time.
24th March. An " Academical" Fiscal Debate.
A most interesting phase of the fi-cal agitation has now been entered on. There had been much lation beforehand as to the course which Mr. Balfour would adopt i Mr. Ainsworth's Wednesday condemning 's proposals for an average ten per cent duty on imported foreign mauu'actures. When on Tuesday, after Cabinet Counc), it was announced by Acland Hood, the chief Government Whip, that the members of the Unionist Party Were to be left free to vote as they pleased, ino very great was felt, for it Feo"gnised thit the "previous question was about played out Some of the Liberal papers hailed the decisi abandonment of Mr. Chamberlain. by Government; but it could hardly be called that, as it was anounced simultaneously thatthe same ursa would be taken with all ' academical " fecal resolutions moved by private members on private members' nights. The Government, it was stated, had suffi icy on the occasion of the La-t fi c: l debate, and they House whenever s private member chose to raise the question. The Government would hold aloof, and therefore, whatever the result of the division, they would not resign.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.