P.S.--The Home Office has replied authorising Maria to embark at Ryde and land at Portsmouth. This is like telling a Londoner to embark at Hull and land at Bristol on his way to Windsor. I have telegraphed.
_Later._--The Home Office permits Maria to embark at Totland and land at Lymington. All is at last well.
Extract from "Notes from an Alsatian Valley" in _Chambers' Journal_:--
"As a last word about this charming country, may I point out its advantages as a holiday playground? It offers attractions of many kinds to the sportsman.... The climate ... remains singularly warm right up to the end of October."
Rather _too_ hot a playground for holiday-makers just now.
Illustration: THE COMING OF THE COSSACKS. WILHELM II. "WHAT IS THIS DISTANT RUMBLING THAT I HEAR? DOUBTLESS THE PLAUDITS OF MY PEOPLE!"
Illustration: _Zealous Policeman (on German Spy duty, having got motorist's name and address, etc., and received, in answer to his further question, "And is this lady your wife?" a torrent of oaths very much in the vernacular)._ "OH! PASS ALONG; YOU'RE A BRITISHER ALL RIGHT."
While cordially endorsing all the deserved tributes that have lately been paid to the tact and loyalty of our daily Press, we venture to express a hope that the practice of printing every kind of contradictory war report will not become of universal application to other forms of intelligence.
Imagine, for example, being confronted with this kind of thing in the Cricket specials:--
A telegram from Canterbury, dated 11 A.M., Aug 18th, states that the great match has actually begun. No details are given.
Rumour's Agency learns that the resistance of Kent has everywhere been entirely overcome; no fewer than forty-three of the home side have been dismissed for sixteen runs. Twenty-nine wickets fell before lunch.
_Maidstone, Aug. 19. [Delayed in transmission]_.--The team has arrived in Canterbury. Captain TROUGHTON, in a stirring address, pointed out that hostilities had been forced upon the county, which however would not be found unprepared. The greatest enthusiasm prevails among the team, who are in capital health. WOOLLEY especially was never in better form.
A private telegram received in Liverpool states that SHARP took seventeen wickets for no runs in eleven minutes. Up to the time of going to press this had not been officially confirmed.