fttciew or Heriftrii, 2/*J/0'J 



The Reviews Reviewed. 



517 



divide among,>t themselves its costlv trimmings aud 

 jewels. Then she cliose from amongst those who }^er<' 

 wont to shaie her ■ most intimate pleasuirs '' sixteen 

 ladies and as many gentlemen to form her Society, 

 the members of wliicli were lionouiod with the privi- 

 lege of supping with their luxurious Sovereign 3very 

 Saturday at I'lrik-dal, there " to learn to understand 

 and admire tlie >-eutin;eiits of their Queen." Chief, 

 no doubt, among the di.-.tinguisbe<.l members was her 

 favourite, the Spanish Ambassador, .Antonio I'.men- 

 te'li, wliose birthplace, .\maraiitlie, the Queen had 

 evidently wished to honour in naming lirT Society. 



Under its illu.strious foundress the Ordrr was, how- 

 ever, short-livid. .\ year later, the restless Christina 

 was on her way to Rome, and in her deserted Swe- 

 den, as the writer says, her subjects soon got some- 

 thing el.so to tliink of than dances in Arcadia. Under 

 the Carls, a long period followed of constant wais 

 and threatened ruin, and when at last under "the 

 time of freedom,'" gaiety and pleasures were usliere<l 

 in again, it was a totally different Order which, in 

 memory of the gifted monarch, was founded under 

 the name of the old. This later Order was of a more 

 democratic and at the same time more elevatetl spirit, 

 its aim being to " further the glory of the Almighty 

 and such pursuit^ as would not displea.te the All- 

 seeing Eye." But a sprinkling of religion and morals 

 belonged, we are told, to the " picniques " of that 

 day, and for that reason a song in praise of virtue 

 and rightdoing was sung between the dances. 



The present Amarantha Order, which has, as of 

 old, its Grand iJ aster and Gran<l Mistress, itf. 

 Heralds, Staff bearers, M.aster and Jlistress of Cere- 

 monies and other officials — and these for the most 

 part the descendants of distinguished forbears, who 

 held similar positions in the Order of their day — 

 holds a grand ball every other year. The qualities 

 that are required of an Ainarauthi,st are '■ Friendship, 

 Sincerity, and Fidelity." 



In an article entiled. " Tobaooo-Growiiig in Ire- 

 land,' in the World's Woilc, Mr. de Courcy sug<tests 

 another possible remedy for the impoverished condi- 

 tion of that country. He describes a visit to the ex- 

 perimental tobacco farm of Colonel Everard in co. 

 Meath, the crops being grown under the supervision 

 of his son, who has studied t'ue question in the to- 

 bacco-growing Statt« of America. Colonel Everard 

 seems to have no doubt of the commercial success of 

 his undertaking, given proper facilities for growing 

 and curing the crop — this after experimenting in to- 

 bacco-growing since 1898: but the Department of 

 Agriculture has seriously handicapped experiments by 

 the regulation that no farmer shall grow less than ten 

 acres. Hence only one Ia.st year in all Ireland oould 

 be found to undertake the cultivation of tobacco. 

 The Parliamentary concessions are also not on the 

 liberal side. Colonel Everard replied to all the stock 

 allegations against Irish tobacco, adding that the 

 American expert who saw his crop said no better to- 

 bacco oould be grown in America. The average farmer 

 in the States only grows five 1x) ten acres of tobacco, 

 wliic.h. in Colonel Everard's opinion, is an exceedingly 

 profitable crop to grow, while few, if any. of our 

 agricidtural pursuits afford so much employment for 

 the rural population. Stdl, the writer doubts the 

 success of tJibacco culture in Ireland unless it is 

 granted far more liberal concessions than are at pre- 

 sent allowetl by Government. 



The Critir of New York, which twelve months ago 

 took over the Boston JAtcroiti Winltl, now celebrates 

 its twenty-fifth birthday. The e<litor is Miss .Jean- 

 nette L. Gilder. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED, 



•' An Expositicni of the Law, Itelating to Factories 

 and Shops in Victoria,'' bv iMr. W. .\. Sanderson, 

 L.A., LL.iM., Barrister-at-Law. The Factories Act 

 in \ ictoria is one of the most just and up-to-date of 

 the kind in the world. To the layman, however, it is, 

 like moot Acts of Parliament, a little misty. Mr. 

 Sanderson has done his work magniliceutly. and has 

 boiled it down into a consistency which can be readily 

 digested by anyboily. It is divided into fourteen 

 chapters, covering the whole ground occupied by the 

 Act. Itwill f)e useful not simply to the legal profes- 

 sion, but to the members of the public who are inte- 

 rested in it. It is pubii^lied at 3 ti by Messrs. Still- 

 well and Co. 



A very pathetic interest attac!:es to a book, just 

 published by the Sunday School Union of Victoria. 

 It is an enlarged edition of •' Cloud and Sunshine," 

 which is an autobiographical sketch of Miss R. H. 

 Higgens, Miss Higgens has lost both her arms and 

 one leg. the result of a strange disease whicli has 

 baffled the skill of tlie doc'ors. In spite of her ver- 

 rible lo&s, she ha,s managed, by means of an instrument 

 attached to the remains of her right arm. to learn 

 to write. She is of course l)e<l-ri<lden, but forms one 

 of the most beautiful illustrations of Christian forti- 

 tude and patience that could be witnessed anywhere. 

 In this book Miss Higgens gives a ven- complete ac- 



count of her spiritual exix'rierui',^, and they cannot 

 but be inspiring and helpful to anyone who reads 

 them. The book ought to be in the" home of ©very- 

 body, if only to teach Christian fortitiule and patietice, 

 and to make those who enjoy perfect health mindful 

 of their blessings. The proceeds of this book go to 

 help her and her age<l parents. It is printWl by 

 Messrs. Arbuckle, Waddell and Fawckner, and all the 

 e.'jpenses are cut down in order to make the profit aa 

 large as possible for Miss Higgens. I shall be glad 

 to forward it to anyone on receipt of 2s. 3d. 



