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the neighbouring provinces of Castellon and Cuenca areinfected. The news from France and Portugal is to theeffect that both those countries have so far escaped. InArabia cholera is declining, and it will probably never beknown how great the mortality amongst the pilgrims hasbeen; but, from certain intelligence which reaches us, thedeath-roll has been a terribly long one. The Massowahoutbreak has unfortunately extended to some of the Italiantroops. In Aleppo the disease does not appear to have maderapid progress, but twenty-one deaths occurred within fivedays ending Sept. 15th. In Cyprus the authorities are

fearing the unauthorised arrival of passengers from Syria ;and in view of the existence of the disease in Persia and

Mesopotamia stringent measures are being adopted inRussian Caucasia to prevent unregulated communicationbetween the countries in question.

THE DANGERS OF LONDON STREET CROSSINGS.

IT is hardly necessary to recall the fact that street 11accidents are of frequent occurrence in London in order to lassure ourselves that the traffic in public thoroughfares isin dangerous excess of its natural limits. The evil, more-over, shows no sign of abatement, but rather of annualincrease. It is time, therefore, to consider how we maybest secure the safety of pedestrians, and we shall inthis connexion direct attention especially to the usefulsuggestion of a contemporary, which proposes the formationof subways or bridges at the more frequented crossings.Of these two alternatives, the bridge has this in its favour,that it would form a conspicuous, and sometimes even an orna -mental, object, and would ’oy its evident convenience invitethe passer-by. On the other hand, it would also assuredlypresent an obstacle in the course of the busy stream rushingbeneath its arches and eddying round its pillarq. Take,for example, the case of a bridge, or, what would alonesecure the desired result, a circle of bridges, at the MansionHouse corner. It is probable that we should lose as muchas we should gain by such an arrangement. Here a circular

subway, if it really came to be used by wayfarers, wouldbetter serve the purpose. We shall probably be right in say-ing that the bridge would suitably replace the single streetcrossing, but that in cases like that above quoted the sub-way, radiating or circular in design, would be preferable.In any case, many foot-passengers would use neither, butcontinue to travel, as now, among the wheels and quad-rupeds. A certain number, however, Including most of theold, infiriti, or timid-those, in a word, more liable toaccident-would observe caution and go by the new andspecial routes. All conclusions on the subject are doubtlesspremature, but the practical value of this suggestion mightas well be experimentally tested by its application at oneor two chosen spots in the metropolis.

AMERICA, SELF-PRODUCING AND SELF-CONSUMING.

SUCH is the scope, the wealth of opportunity, the pro-ductive and applying power exhibited by their country, thatthe minds of even thoughtful Americans cannot alwaysview it without a rather emotional veneration. It is doubt-less to this condition of partial and not unnatural rapturethat we must attribute the singular conclusions arrived atby Mr. Dodge in a paper lately read before the AmericanAssociation for the Advancement of Science. According tothis author, whose data we have not, the standard of livingin the United States is the highest known. The meat

consumption is much greater than in Europe, and exceedsthat of Great Britain by one-third. Cereals are despatchedwith a voracity which leaves every other civilisedState hopelessly behind. Clothing is woven and wornwith similar liberality. Houses, land, and wages follow

the same high scale. Doubtless, therefore, the transatlanticlife is an order for large work. Mr. Dodge tells us, more-over, that the maximum has not yet been reached. He

hopes that this consummation is still very distant, and heis careful to impress upon his hearers that a result soundesirable can only be avoided by continued industry inthe work of production, and by a self-contained independencewhich will hold the national produce chiefly for the homemarkets and will discourage the thriftless principles ofinternational exchange. The argument would not beAmerican if it were not novel ; but, in spite of this

attraction, we must admit that it does not satisfy us.

In it principles which are probably as old as the soil of theUnited States, and therefore older than the great WesternRepublic, have not been duly regarded. The policy of ex-clusive self satisfaction which it inculcates, whether indealing with food supplies or household goods, is itself

thoroughly unhealthy. It tends to those very vices of in-

dulgence and luxury which Mr. Dodge rightly views as theprecursors of poverty, to narrow views of things and men ingeneral, and, as a consequence, to fatal cramp of thenational energies. It ignores the fact that home produc.tion, even if that home be a continent, cannot overflow forever, and that there must be many trade products whichpass through their birth and development in the workshopsof other lands. In spite of the pleasing, if somewhat un-satisfactory, vision, passed before them in this paper, of them-selves as a great absorbing and retaining body, we are notwithout proof that the Amercian people understand theprimary laws of commerce too well to mistake it for reality.Their present prosperity has much to do with a wholesomeacquaintance with international barter, and already thereare signs that they appreciate, though rather timidly, anextension of their chosen principle of freedom even to com-mercial exchanges.

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BIRKENHEAD GUARDIANS AND THESTIMULANTS QUESTION.

IT will be remembered that the teetotal party of the

guardians carried their anti-alcohol views so far as to callon the doctor to resign. A sort of compromise seems tohave been arranged-the medical man, Dr. McNeill, havingwritten to the chairman of the board to the effect that hewa prepared to accept the resolution of the workhouse

committee-namely, "that, in the opinion of this com-

mittee, it would be judicious for the doctor to reduce toits lowest minimum the use of alchoholic stimulants in thetreatment of the patients and to introduce in their steadmedicinal stimulants and nutritious diet." We are againstall dictation to medical men as to how thev are to treatpatients. A respectful representation to them on thevarying expenditure on alcohol in different hospitals is

alIowable, but no more. -

DEATH FROM ELECTRICITY.

A singularly tragic death from electricity has beenrecently reported from New York, where a workman

employed to repair an electric light wire was killed byreceiving the current through his body. The unfortunateman appears to have committed the gross and incompre-hensible mistake of attempting to manipulate the wire

, with a pair of steel pliers unprovided with insulators andheld in his naked hand. Probably he relied on the

I insulating covering of the wire to protect him, and

, it is easy to imagine that under pressure from thei pliers this insulator gave way, or that it was, to begin with,I defective. However that may have been, the instrumentl served to switch the unhappy man into the electric circuit,l and he remained helpless in that position for nearly tenl minutes until released by an electrician, who had to ber summoned from a distance. In this case death is said not