If we are not mistaken, Americans have found a rival to Washington Irving, if not his superior. In a short tale, "A Passionate Pilgrim," by Henry James, Jr., occur many fine and appreciative passages about Old England. Here is a little scene at Hampton Court, where sundry decayed old ladies find a home by the bounty of the Queen. It would be difficult to paint a word picture of such expanse in so few words: " I thought of the various images of old-world gentility, which early and late must have strolled upon that ancient terrace, and felt the great protecting quietude of the solemn palace. We walked through an antique grating into one of the little private gardens, and saw an old lady with a black mantilla on her head, a decanter of water in one hand and a crutch in the other, come forth, followed by three little dogs and a cat, to sprinkle a plant." The picture, in little, is perfect. We have seen the very same thing, decanter and all.

The North China Herald reporting the return of Prof. Nordensjold, says there was not a single case of scurvy during his long Arctic voyage owing to the free use of a curious little berry that springs out of the eternal ice and snow during the short summer. It bears profusely, and has a taste like the raspberry, but more acid. The fruit is dried and mixed with the milk of the reindeer, and it can be carried in a frozen state for thousands of miles. There was also used a food made from the whale's hide, which is pickled and used freely during the winter.