Mr. H. Van Wart, and Mr. T. Pemberton, charged with stealing a large quantity of jewellery, of the value of about £600, from a highlyrespectable and respected firm of wholesale jewellers in Street. The robbery was effected so cleverly, under the very eyes of the three members of the firm (consisting of a lady and two brothers), that an account of it as described in the Times of Thursday, May 4th, would be well worth recapitulating if space permitted. It is not, however, with the mere robbery itself that I am now concerned, but of the subsequent events connected with it, the particulars of which were narrated to me a short time ago by a surviving member of the firm in question. The prisoner, who was described as being "dark as a Creole, and of short stature,' was, after a preliminary examination, remanded from the 3rd of May to the roth, when he was again brought before the magistrates and committed for trial.

Some time after the prisoner had been taken back to the cell he was found to be seriously ill, and a medical man was at once sent for. The symptoms were, however, so peculiar, that additional medical advice was obtained, and eventually, instead of being retained in prison, he was taken as a patient to the Queen's Hospital.

The next day, I believe, his case was pronounced hopeless, and he appeared to be gradually sinking, becoming at length, as Shakespeare has described, "stiff, stark, and cold." There were, however, certain signs, visible to medical men, but not to unpractised eyes, which indicated that death had not actually taken place; he was, therefore, retained in the ward, and carefully watched. How long he remained in this state my informant could not tell me, but early one morning he became conscious, and apparently well-so well, indeed, as to induce the nurse in attendance to allow him to dress and walk about the ward. Watching his opportunity, he very adroitly escaped from the hospital, and, with that singular fascination to which most criminals appear to be subject, he made his way to Street, and planted himself immediately in front of the window of the jewellery firm whom he had robbed. By a singular coincidence the lady member of the firm was at that identical moment looking out of the window, and with a shriek of dismay she ran to her brothers screaming, "That wretch is alive again, and out." The brothers had only time to obtain a hurried glance of him before he disappeared.

The police were immediately informed of the circumstance, and would possibly soon have been on his track, but the jewellers were so frightened, and even horrified, at the man, that they resolutely declined to take any further steps in the prosecution; consequently, he was allowed to leave England without being again apprehended.

So many years have elapsed since the occurrence that my informant is unable to give me any details of what took place at the hospital, and I may, therefore, be incorrect in some of the minor particulars, but the main features of the case are, undoubtedly, as I have described them.

LEO.

REVIEW.

AGRICULTURAL LEASES: a paper read to the members of the Midland Farmers' Club, by Mr. E. Mountford Coleman.

Although we do not profess to have any practical knowledge of farms and farming, nor to be in the slightest degree learned in the points and pedigrees of long-horns and short-horns, we have, nevertheless, read Mr. Coleman's pamphlet with pleasure, not only on account of the interesting information it contains, and its opportune appearance at a time when the subject of agriculture generally, and the relations between landlord and tenant especially, are engrossing so much public attention, but because the author is one of the oldest members of the C. L. A., and, like many of his confrères, takes an active and practical interest in questions outside the routine of his own professional duties.

There was a time when to be a farmer was the dream of our life, and when farming seemed to our simple imagination the poetry of industrial existence. If these illusions had not long since been dispelled, this little pamphlet would certainly have effected the disenchantment; for, in its eighteen or twenty pages, which, in addition to Mr. Coleman's address, comprise also a verbatim account of the post-prandial discussion it evoked, we learn that there are in the agricultural world the same diversities of opinion, the same conflicting interests, doubts, distrust, injustice, and ignorance, as we have proved by experience to exist in the manufacturing world with which we are more familiar. Had it been otherwise Mr. Coleman's pamphlet would not have been written.

So far, however, as outsiders can judge, he has ably attempted to grapple with a difficult subject, and his paper not only contains many useful hints applicable to other pursuits besides farming, but embodies a great deal of practical advice which is none the less acceptable for being given, for once, without the usual professional fee.

THE C.L.A. OUT OF SESSION.

THE only meeting of our Association during the last three months has been the excursion to Stratford-upon-Avon, on July 23rd, when Shakespeare's birthplace and garden at New Place, the Church, and new

memorial theatre were visited. The members and friends present were indebted to the gentlemen officially connected with the various objects of interest in Stratford for courteous and willing assistance in all the arrangements of the day. After tea at the Unicorn Hotel, the remaining time was very pleasantly spent upon the Avon, or in rambles to Shottery and elsewhere.

The attendance (62) was considerably smaller than upon former similar occasions, a circumstance which is to be regretted, but which can cause little surprise when the general character of the weather prevalent throughout the summer is considered. The day selected was, however, brilliantly fine, and the enjoyment of the excursion, as a whole, appeared to be general and complete.

OUR CONFIDENTIAL CORNER.

"REST."-Since the writer frankly tells us "a free criticism will be gratefully appreciated," we willingly give him our opinion of "The Dinner at St. Cloud." If this wonderful effusion is really a genuine effort, and not intended as a joke at the editor's expense, we certainly cannot congratulate "Rest on his "first attempt." To give our readers an idea of what we have had to endure in wading through sixteen verses and a rhyming letter, we quote the 11th verse as a sample of the bulk, and especially as conveying, in the author's own words, our private opinion of his production :

"Thereupon the Frenchman looked

As if he thought our brains had hooked
It, leaving nothing but nonsense,

And that certainly the most dense."

"C.P."--We shall be glad to hear from you again on a less hackneyed subject.

INTENDING CONTRIBUTORS to the January number will oblige by sending their papers to the editor not later than December 1st.