Continued from page 271.) many millions of unfortunate peas-fants have died in the last twenty or 33 years—not as sult of ware fare, because warfare very minor affair, consisting largely of firing guns, running away, and another occasion. That has not been the cause of the trouble in China. The death rate in China has een caused by famine and: flood. For the last 23 years the resources of civilisation which ought to have been at the disposal of China have Veen shut out from her. Whether it-be Britain, America, France or: Japan, someone must get there to. assist' China to put ber house in order, and to prevent these continual Sloods, which at one time can carry ff 300,000 or 200,000 human beings, then returning to gather them up 5 four lines at the tail end of a column ina London newspaper as though they did not matter at all. This has een going on year in and year out. T beg His Majesty's Government, not merely to rely upon the League of Nations, but, to rely upon their own efforts, which will be stronger {han any efforts the League can make, 0 get together America, Japan and France in order to see Hf at long last some good work cannot be-done for these people in the Far Bast. the scene again, And ike hi ancestor, he also burned charcoal.
"What is a Merry Man?"
'The drinking vessels on exhibition "ranged from Saxon pottery' cups—primitive and slightly mis-Shapen, but somehow strong and gracefl—to the ultra-modern glass Which T described not long ago. between are leather jacks," and Mbottels," wooden bowls, huge horns set in old or silver, decanters of every shape and design, and the whole range of silver and silver-gilt tankards and goblets, besides pewters and china ware, There is a. beer jug of 1780, made in Notting-Hamshire pottery, in the form of a teddy-bear amazingly like the! modern toy.
There is one of the frog tankards made of pottery—as you get to the bottom of your drink, you see a frog. looking at you through the dark-brown ale, a most startling, unpleasant illusion, There is one of the trick jugs from which as_yoo pour, the liquid rushes through] Kpouts in the vim and a pierced filigree pattern below, the trick be-inge to find out how to pour without this happening. And there are. six Vith century plates, each inscribed! with @ line of the following verse:
What iv a Merry All. Merry Men 4 Which seems to have been the habit of wives and merry men from the beginning of time.
The Elizabeth Cup Among. the historfeal treasures the Elizabeth cup, of glass, in the shape of an hour-glass but much flatter, from the King's collection at Windsor, and the Falstaff Cup of
itself being a globe of which the silver '0 in. high, the cup] upper part forms a cover. This cup, was given to the Boar's Head Tavern, by one Withers, son of Master' of the Company in, about 1560, and it is thought to be the one referred to by Shakespeare in "Henry IV." Another most interest relic la the Great Bombard, a truly magnificent flagon 23 ins high, with the arms of the Commonweal and' an inscription to Oliver Cromwell round the rim. 'Two "Cockayne Cups" in silver gilt, life-size! figures of cocks, the heads forming Jeups for the liquor in the body, ating from 1606, and a bottle of farvack containing' the original stuff brought from India by Clive in 1770, fare other noticeable relics. It would be interesting to know what the arrack is like now, but no one will ever break the seal and draw the cork.
"The wooden drinking vessels are very handsome, particularly a was-For lamb's wool bowl, of the 17th century, which holds '54 gallons. There are three brass spigots and taps in the bottom and as many city of 28 ordinary bottles and alongside, in courtest, with this giant, two of the Tom Thumb bottles of wine from the Queen's dolls house. Tt must have been a job to Tift some of the gargantuan bottles. decanters and flagons that one sees, "That champagne from a big bottle is better than from a small che is well known, but I don't recall hearing the same' of port or claret. A solid silver wine cistern, standing on four legs, big enough to bath a big child in, is a noble exhibit. Ib belongs to the Duke of Portland, did his ancestors pour their into or only cool the bottles in'
Under either supposition so would have taken a great many guests, even in the 18th century, to drain its contents, Tavern Accounts The books and MSS., the tavern accounts and ledgers are, of course, the material of a whole volume, though some of them are written in so old a script and with such contractions "and. conventional signs that one must learn to read tone does Greek or Hebrew. One enormous 16th century ledger of some old vintner—was he perhaps. tone of those against whom the Tudors launched their fearful penalties for cornering Gascony wines? set out all the details of his Dusiness, where he bought, how much he paid, how long he stored, and to whom and for what. he sold me. 'The writing was exquivery.regular although the pages were not ruled, and every ection and the names. of customffs set out in decorative capitals. There was also a bill, to one 'Andrew something, who stayed at the Queen's Head' Posting House, Kesuieks from Auguat 10 to 22
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.