two miles from a place called "Orange," so named on account of the number of orange trees that used to grow there. A walk along the forest paths, or through the village garden, if one may call it such, shows us new plants and flowers at every turn. Birds of gorgeous plumage sit upon the branches of the trees, some yellow, some a deep dark red, some ruby, some white, some maroon, some black; and beautiful many-coloured butterflies flit from leaf to leaf and flower to flower, all adding to the intensity and beauty of the scene. Such walks, however, must be taken in the daytime, and even then with care, for insects and reptiles, and even savage animals, lurk among the shrubs and flowers. Even we in the town are sometimes disturbed by "tigers," jaguars, cammoudi, snakes &c. A week or two ago, our local paper, The Gazette, contained the following paragraph: "A labba tiger was shot in the promenade gardens on Tuesday afternoon. Some visitors saw the animal in the heat of the day, lying comfortably on one of the garden seats, but as soon as it saw them it ran up one of the trees. An alarm was raised, and Lieut. Swain, who had been made aware of the presence of the beast, shortly put in an appearance armed with a gun. The tree was not very high where the tiger was, and, taking good aim, he shot the intruder through the head. The tiger measured four feet within four inches, and stood a foot and a half high" (Gazette, June 27, 1896). A month later, July 22nd, the same paper contained a short account of an alligator attacking a coolie boy in one of our villages and dragging him into the water. The following is the account of the incident: "A coolie boy was lying on the bank of the trench with his hand in the water, when it was seized and he was dragged into the trench. Soomanah, a coolie woman, heard his scream, and seeing him in the trench thought he had got out of his depth whilst bathing, so she jumped in after him, then she gave vent to a series of deeply religious objurgations, terminating with 'Alligator.' This, Mr. Wrong says he heard, the trench being close to his house, and he ran from his bed (he had fever) to the trench, where he found the woman's clothes enfolding the alligator, and her natural position reversed, her head being in the mud. He jumped upon the alligator, grasping its neck, and trying to tread it down with his feet, but at last he had to grasp the upper and lower jaws and tear them open before the brute let go its victim. The boy's arm was mangled and broken above the elbow. The reptile sank in deep water and disappeared." About the people of this land, their callings and customs, their manners and morals, their races and religions, I must tell you in another chapter. Suffice it to say that it is a land as yet in its infancy, but it has in it the elements of growth, and of greatness. There are many things in the womb of Time IV THE HISTORY OF A POUND OF SUGAR "D O you take sugar in your tea?" asked the lady at the head of the table, in a soft musical voice and with a pleasant smile upon her face. "Madam, I like all sweet things," I replied; “I like a sweet face, a sweet disposition, a sweet child, and a sweet lady, madam, like you." "You are complimentary, I perceive," she said. "Compliments help to sweeten life, and we should never withhold them where they are due. The present example is a case in point. But may I ask you what kind of sugar this is?" "This is what is called Demerara Crystals," she said, "but you would not believe what a difficulty I have had in procuring it. Brown sugar and what is called raw sugar you can get at any grocer's shop. But in most cases this is sugar made from beetroot, and coloured to make it look like the sugar which comes from the sweet cane. Few housekeepers here know the respective values of these two sugars. Indeed, like most things of everyday use, people get them and seldom make any inquiry about them.” Some lady 'Madam, I am so pleased to hear you speak thus. I wish we had more ladies who inquire into, and interest themselves in, the products that are put upon our tables. Each one of these products has a history, and results that are not only national but worldwide often follow our choice or rejection of them. As a great door hangs upon little hinges, so great events turn upon little things. who leads the fashions in Paris substitutes alpaca as a dress material for silk. This is quickly followed by the Courts of Europe and the aristocracy. Their example is copied by all the other classes of society. The result is that the silk industry is ruined. The mills at Macclesfield and Congleton and Derby first run short time and then stop. The workmen have no work, the children cry for bread; homes are broken up,and fathers and mothers have to go forth to seek a new home and a new employment. This kind of thing is going on constantly. Change brings change. Electricity is being substituted for gas here. Already the gas |