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Secretary. His Lordship's comment was laudatory, but he warned Sir William that my contribution to modern history must not be seen by Lord Clarendon, who might disapprove of communications from diplomatic apprentices to Cabinet ministers a hint exhibiting a flow of kindness not always in fashion with the calm Johnny who upset the coach.' The 'conclave' was at this time divided within itself on the Eastern question. Lord Palmerston, Lord John Russell, and even Gladstone, championed what Cobden, with his 'perish India' sentiments, called the 'mad dog' policy, in opposition to the 'peace at any price' programme of Lord Aberdeen, the Premier, while Lord Clarendon's first faith in 'the well-known moderation and magnanimity of the Emperor of Russia' was much weakened. The many-sided Radical Commissioner of Works, editor of Hobbes, linguist, mathematician, chemist, orator, gardener, whose table-talk even overpowered Mrs. Grote, had in him a strain of the pugnacity of his native Cornwall. Following at first the humble-pie' faction, he soon arrived at a commonsense view of the international crisis of the time, and, as his letter shows, became 'prepared to meet it boldly and firmly.' Molesworth was an inheritor of unfulfilled renown': after three months' tenure of the Colonial Office in the Palmerston ministry, he succumbed to premature death. Pencarrow, occupied by his widow during her life, subsequently passed to Sir William's sister, who resides there now. In the library fronting the famous garden with the fountain, rocks, and avenue of araucarias arranged by the statesman are the archives of the house. Not without feelings of pride did I lately learn that their venerable possessor, hearing of my present attempt to revive the past, had reported that she had found some epistles of my obscure self on Russian personages and affairs, 'bound up in a large folio volume with a collection of letters too valuable to be lent to anyone.'

IMPROVING THE BREED.

BY SIR GEORGE SCOTT, K.C.I.E.

BALRUDDERY was a man who had been taken into the Burma Commission at the time of the annexation, partly because he was a very good linguist and partly because he had done very good work in the pacification of the country in a subordinate grade. When the need for men of energy and resource was not so great, and the office man with the Brummagem polish of the crammer on him was required to infuse order and system and red tape into the district offices of the plains, and to work up returns, which Balruddery hated and usually invented out of his own head, he was sent to various out-of-the-way places, and at last was put in charge of some of the Hill States, to officiate for a man who had gone on leave.

Now, though Balruddery was not a success at statistics and judicial returns, he had an extraordinary fund of energy, and was, moreover, very ambitious. He saw that the breeding of ponics and cattle and stock generally was pretty well allowed to go on as it would in a state of nature, and he resolved that some system and method in selection must be introduced. The Chiefs listened to him at a Durbar, where he propounded this suggestion, and said: True, O Lord, but the people are a very ignorant people and do not know anything. They do what was done by their fathers and forefathers for many generations, and they are afraid to depart from old custom.'

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Balruddery said that was all very well, but they must be got to see that it was possible to rear faster ponies and breed bigger and more powerful buffaloes and bullocks, and this Cattle Show, which he proposed to hold, would be an object lesson to them. The Chiefs looked at one another resignedly and said, 'True, O Lord,' and went away.

Balruddery wrote out a circular setting forth the objects of Cattle Shows in general, and of those he proposed to hold in par ticular. He drew up a programme of the various classes, stating the prizes which he proposed to give in each class, and calling upon the Chiefs to encourage their subjects to enter animals freely. His charge was a very extensive one, so he planned to have four

Shows to be held at different times, at distances of something like a hundred miles from each other. His Head Clerk suggested that the first should be held at Headquarters, where at least there were some people, natives of India and Burmans from the Lower Province, who had an idea of what was wanted and would show an example and make a beginning in the way of entries. But Balruddery said the money he had allotted was intended for the natives of the country and not for aliens, and that it was especially desirable to spread the new ideas as widely as possible. Besides he had explained the general idea and objects of the scheme carefully to the Chiefs, and he was sure they would help him. The Head Clerk smiled vaguely and said no more, for the Chiefs had all been to see him about this new project of the Resident and were unanimous in wanting to know what was behind it.

Balruddery did everything with zeal, and accordingly he imported a cyclostyle and not only sent out his programmes to the Chiefs, but also ordered numbers of spare copies to be posted up in the bazaars of all the States throughout the charge. The Cattle Shows were to be held in the cold weather, which is the only time when tours can be made in comfort, and all the notices were sent out in the first month or two of the rains, so that there was plenty of notice, as Balruddery reflected with some satisfaction.

In about three weeks time a letter came in from one of the Chiefs, whose State was at some distance, to say that he had received the Great Lord's letter and had noted its golden words and diamond sentiments. He sent in two ponies, a bull, and two cows and a buffalo. There were no goats or ducks or geese in his State, but he did homage with forty fowls and a hundred eggs, boiled hard to stand the journey. He thought the Great Lord might like these now, and begged that his prompt attendance to orders might be noted, and that he might be excused from further contributions at the time of the festival announced by the Great Lord. He further hoped that the Great Lord would accept these offerings without payment of any kind.

Balruddery sent for the Head Clerk and demanded to know what the meaning of this was.

The Head Clerk smiled blandly and said: 'Your Honour, these people are quite jungly and do not understand anything. I told to your Honour that much better, more preferable, hold Cattle Feast-Cattle Show-first at Headquarters for to make VOL. XIX.-NO. 113, N.S.

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example and representation. That Chief is convinced in mind that your Honour wants to make selection of all sorts of animals and birds for your Honour's gratification. For that reason he thinks more cunning to send now. Perhaps some man send good, firstclass animal to Cattle Feast, and then your Honour insist to have superior animal from all candidates. Therefore he sends now, when no superfluity of competitors.'

'Good Lord!' said Balruddery, the Proclamation was quite clear. Do you mean to say that anybody can believe that I really want to get the Show up in order to take the best beasts for myself?'

'Precisely,' said the Head Clerk.

'Oh, confound it! But the language is quite clear. Where is the Proclamation? Yes. Prizes will be given in each class to the best exhibits. Yes. The best pack bullock twenty rupees, second prize ten rupees, third prize five rupees. . . Best pig

ten rupees.

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Best brood hen and chickens five rupees; and so

on. How can any one misunderstand that?'

'They are completely ignorant and stultified generation,' said the Head Clerk, and moreover they are efficiently acquainted with methods of Burmese official. Formerly Burmese official took whatsoever they were wanting and then went their way. Chief thinks that prize is intended for decoyment, similarly as huntsman use decoy cock or partridges, or as carrot is hanged before a donkey according to Fable Book.'

'But- Oh, very well, I suppose we must send out another notice to make it clear. Let's see. With reference to Proclamation No. 999, it is hereby intimated that no entrance fees will be demanded at the Cattle Show-we'd better say that. The best animals in each class will be judged by a committee composed half of Europeans and half of natives of the country. Prizes will be awarded, as previously announced. It is expressly notified that owners will understand that all animals may be removed immediately after the conclusion of the Show. There is no reason why the animals should be sold, unless owners bring them with that object. There just get that carefully translated. That should put things right. And, oh yes, send back the Chief's beasts and say that we shall be glad to see them at the Show and are sorry that he should have been at the trouble of sending them in just now.'

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The ponies are outside, your Honour. The cattle were handed

over to your Honour's butler, but no receipt taken, since transaction was irregular,' said the Head Clerk.

'Well, tell them to take the ponies away and send the butler here. Oh, Ramasawmy, hand over these cattle to the Shans again. I won't take them.'

'Yessah; that bull, sah, plenty bad bull. Too much making bobbery. He destroyed to one half of cow-house and knocking down mali.'

'Oh, the mali tried to stop him, did he?'

'No, sah. That mali run away, and that bull runned faster and blowing him behind. Mali very paining in backside, please your Honour.

'He got tossed, did he? Well, the bull must be caught again and given back to the Chief's men, and you must give them the cows.'

'Yessah; I not wanting. That cow very wicked. Not giving milk, please your Honour, only giving kicks.'

'You had no business to milk them. Well, they must all be given back,'

'Very good, sah. But that bull run away in jungle very far, please your Honour.'

It took four days to recover the bull, and the captors had to be rewarded, and then the men who brought it in had to be tipped and reassured at the same time, for they were in a great state of alarm, partly because the bull had given them a great deal of trouble when they were bringing him in, and partly because they were afraid to take back the animals at all, since it is a distinct slight, if not a direct snub, to refuse to take a present.

In the meantime, however, the second Proclamation was finished and sent out to all the Chiefs, and copies were posted up in all the bazaars, alongside of the first notification about the Cattle Show.

Before very long a letter came in from another Chief. He had received the Great Lord's letter No. 1025, and had read, understood, and reverently noted its contents. Since he had come under the shadow of the Flag of her Most Glorious and most Imperial Majesty, the Great Queen, the Empress of this Golden Empire and the Possessor of Several Precious Things, he had come to know that British officials in all things were just, and especially he had noted that the Great Lord himself had infinite compassion on the poor and needy, and on all creatures that had

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