were very fairly rendered, and the "singing" throughout the song was good. The spirit was indicated rather than realised.

After the judge had made his awards to Buchanan and Ainslie, and had recommended Ferguson-Davie and Dobie as worthy of receiving additional prizes, the Master said a few words explaining how Sir H. Oakley had failed to appear as judge, and how Mr. Bleeck was a 'friend in need.' An allusion to the services of Mr. Bambridge instantly called forth an ovation from the whole room, shortly after which we adjourned to Chapel.

PRIMROSES.

Primroses, first-born children of the year,

Who o'er each mossy bank and sheltered dale,
Filling the vernal air with fragrance pale,
Your coronals of leaf and blossom rear,
Nor dread or wind or frost! With pen untired
Our English poets loved your charms to grace,
And now in English hearts you have a place,
Both for your sakes and theirs whom you inspired.
Needs must it bring a pang to many a heart,
Which finds in you a source of joy and peace,
A fount of memories that never cease,
That now you play a more ignoble part;
Adorn the scene when party stir is rife,
And serve as symbols in a noisy strife.

ENGLISH AS SHE IS WROTE IN

CEYLON.

C.

We are indebted to H. W. Green, Esq., O.M., for the following amusing extracts from his Ceylon Administration report of 1883.

Mr. Green complains of the difficulty which is found in securing good English teachers; and notices that not a single Anglo-vernacular teacher qualified: all the passes in the training schools were vernacular. Here are a few specimens of the work of the Anglovernacular training-school students.

The passage is a translation from Tamil; we subjoin two versions of it, which will abundantly illustrate Mr. Green's remarks.

A. I want to hear the rashing of the wave against the Coast and to see the blak blue sea. When the light of the sun reaches them, they are shinning like gold. It will be a pleasure to roar a boat on a sea at a certain good day. The rolling waves shake the boat with the calm water.

B. I wish to see blake and blue sea and hear roves which blew on bank. They shines like gold when they took light of the sun. It is plesent move boat in a fine day. The rolling roves remove boad with mild motion. Some of our readers may be inclined to say that it is an impossibility to write such unorthographical rub

bish. From practical experience we know that is rather common in school examination papers. Of the vernacular teachers Mr. Green is able to speak with praise.

In the examination for government clerkships, amongst 635 candidates there were 37 who had passed either the Cambridge local examination or the entrance examinations of the Calcutta and Madras Universities. These were required to qualify in handwriting and dictation. Only one of these 37 gained full marks, only six obtained two-thirds of the full marks, and 17 got absolutely nothing. Of the other 598 only 26 got 300 marks out of a maximum of 550. This is mainly due to the incompetence of native masters. As the candidates are between eighteen and twenty-one it seems rather a rash hope on their part, that they will henceforth live by their English.

At the end of the English paper was set a short essay on either "Time" or "Hero Worship," or "The age of chivalry is past." In marking, candidates were informed that quality would be considered more than quantity.

A. "The age of chivalry is past."-Joy, joy, the time, when first our father Adam and our mother Eve had spent their days, with brotherly love, is come to us. How happy are we now ? No, no, we will not meet again with such a chivalrous time as past, all joyous, all happy we shall be henceforth. Let us not cry again for that age of chivalry, but raising our eyes let us call on God that He may deign to bestow on us the age of peace here on earth and never ending happiness on the next world.

B. "Hero Worship."-The Hero Worshipers of Ceylon. There are many ways of worshiping. They bow down to idols. There are some rude people; they also bow down to idols and images; they are very rude and miserable people. They dint know about manners. There are some barbarians they also worship Idols and images. They also dint about manners. They are very ignorant, and most miserable manners. they are very fond of Hunting and shooting. Their religion is Hinduism and Budism is prevailing in everywhere.

C. "Time,"-Time flies away like an arrow. It is resembles to a sword, because it slits away the life of many in this world. It will not ruin but it ruins all kinds of lives. We see many of our ancestors were ruined by this cruel impliment (Time). It does a great injoury upon men and other creatures. Not only the injoury but it acts unjustly. It kills men boys infants and others, without any distinction.

In another essay on time, we are told, that by the use of time we can take our food correctly. All the

English people take their food correctly and regularly and attend their office at fixed times, if the people get their food in fixed time they can't get sick!

The best part of the above gems is the fact that they are the unaltered productions of the human. brain. Such mistakes can easily be forged; but these are straight from the mint. We hope none of our readers will take aught but warning from them.

M.C.C.C. v. READING.

This, the first match of the Season, was commenced at 1 p.m., in desperately cold weather: a strong wind was blowing straight down the pitch from Lyne's end and rendered bowling against it next to an impossibility. Play was often interrupted by heavy showers of hail and rain, so that during our opponents' innings enthusiasm was at its lowest ebb.

Reading, when they arrived, won the toss and A. C. Bartholomew and Crowdy faced the bowling of Bett and Hayhurst. We confess we were rather alarmed when we saw the shortness and uncertainty of pitch of our bowling. Our fears however were allayed by the summary despatch of Crowdy and Hutson (their most dangerous bat), from consecutive balls by Hayhurst with the total at 20. Then Wollaston and Bartholomew vastly improved matters and put on 26 runs after the interval for lunch. A good ball from Hayhurst bowled Wollaston, and Maurice came in. Bett and Hayhurst began to bowl somewhat loosely and runs came fast, chiefly on the leg side, but on a change of bowlers Maurice, who had played rather rashly to Robertson, put up a chance which Little held. Harvey, who went on for an over or two against the wind, was very expensive, 3 overs producing 22 runs; but when Hayward ran Bartholomew out for an admirably-played 48, a heavy shower came on and stopped play for 10 minutes; after which fortune began to change and Wilson was bowled by a good ball from Robertson, who with more command of pitch should make an effective left-hand bowler. peared on the telegraph, and then Ashfield was tried for Harvey, but though straight was not very deadly however he dismissed Hayward, who had given us a great deal of trouble in his innings of 26. Ord, Maxwell, and Henwood all fell victims to Robertson, and the innings closed for 125. Robertson obtained 5 wickets for 27 runs, a good performance on the hard wicket.

100 ap

After an interval, Meyrick and Meyrick-Jones opened our batting. The former began with singles and then got a 5 to leg, and thus made the first 10. But then Meyrick-Jones began to play more freely, and made some capital drives out beyond the canvas. The total rapidly advanced to thirty and Henwood and Hutson changed ends. Most of the runs came off Henwood, who gave place to Wilson. MeyrickJones scored merrily, hitting 2 fives and 2 fours, and making some capital strokes in the slips. However, directly he reached his 50, he was bowled in taking liberties with a yorker, and retired for a capital free innings, which we hope often to see repeated this year. Meyrick was joined by Ashfield, and both played well until with the total one short of 100, Ashfield was bowled by Stewart-Wilson. Lazenby appeared and soon both batsmen began to score freely, Meyrick making 2 fours, a 3, and a 2 in succession. Lazenby did some good driving and his forward play, though apt to be exaggerated, is very good. We must especially praise a big hit for 6 which he made off Maxwell. Meyrick also smacked a full pitch for 6, but soon after succumbed to Henwood (who bowled much better at the end), for an admirable innings of 58, combining defence and hitting, and skill in judging runs. Already the victory had been won, the total standing at 153 with the fall of the third wicket. A few more runs were made and stumps were drawn, leaving us very considerably winners, by 40 runs and 7 wickets.

We must congratulate Meyrick on the result, which was largely due to his own play. Our weak point was our bowling. Except Ashfield, who was straight, no one was straight or difficult besides Robertson, who was both, and who will be more dangerous still when further experience enables him to get his fields better placed. Allowance must be made for Bett who had to bowl against the wind, and was unfortunately kept hard at work at third man between his overs. The fielding on the whole was smart and clean, but the throwing in left much to be desired, being high, wide and of a bad length. A correct return is as valuable as clean handling, and is seldom practised. The batting was most encouraging, combining as it did those two elements of success, patience and confidence. We append a full score and analyses.

Saturday, June 27th, M.B.C.C. v. Wellington College, at Wellington.

Saturday, July 11th, M.B.C.C. v. The Home Park, at Windsor.

Saturday, July 25th, M.B.C.C. v. Blackheath Morden, at Blackheath.

Saturday, August 1st, M.B.C.C. v. Surbiton, at Surbiton.

Monday, August 3rd, M.B.C.C. v. Reigate, at Reigate. Saturday, August 8th, M.B.C.C. v. Streatham, at Streatham.

Members desiring to play in any particular Match are requested to communicate with the Hon. Sec. as early as possible. All matches commence at 11 o'clock.

A. J. BURNESS, 5, Addison Road, W., Hon. Sec.

O.M.'s.

MARRIAGES.

April 8th, at St. Augustine's, Queen's Gate, Allen Henry Powles, eldest son of the late Rev. Henry C. Powles, to Lydia Laura Margaret, younger daughter of the late Deideric Herklots.

April 9th, at St. Nicholas, Chislehurst, Aubrey John Spencer, Esq., Barrister-at-law, son of the Rev. C. V. Spencer, of Wheatfield, Oxfordshire, to Florence Mary, daughter of Frederick H. Janson, Esq., of Oakbank, Chislehurst.

April 9th, at St. James' Church, South Wraxall, Wilts, William Holden Scott Laxton, Assistant Master at Clifton College, eldest son of the Rev. W. Laxton, Rector of Oddington, Oxford, to Marguerite Ethel Adela Cusack, youngest daughter of the late J. W. Cusack, of Knockbane, Co., Galway. April 9th, at the Cathedral, Cork, Edward Gilbert Francis Law, Lieutenant commanding H.M. gunboat Orwell, younger son of the late Rev. R. V. Law, formerly Rector of Christian Malford, Wilts, to Elizabeth Anne, second daugher of the late Rev. I. Stopford, of Fermoy, Blackrock Co., Cork.

April 9th, at Wateringbury, Kent, Stephen Hammick, Bombay C.S., to Constance, only daughter of Major-General Schneider, Bombay Staff Corps.

April 14th, at St. Mary Abbott's, Kensington, Henry Du Buisson, Lieutenaut Lincolnshire Regiment, to Isme, youngest daughter of the late Alexander Hamilton, of the Elms, near Edinburgh.

April 23rd, at St. Philip and St. James, Cheltenham, Archibald Douglas, of Newcastle-under-Lyne, eldest son of the Rev. W.W. Douglas, Rector of Salwarpe, Worcestershire, to Caroline Ada Francis, only daughter of Major-General Arthur Francis, of Cheltenham.

April 23rd, at Christ Church, Ealing, Frederick Thomas Tanqueray, of Woburn, Beds, second son of the Rev. T. Tanqueray, of Tingrith, to Catherine Eliza Dickinson, younger daughter of the late Henry Dickinson, of Lee, Kent.

April 23rd, at St. Matthews', Silksworth, Sunderland, Henry Francis, youngest son of T. C. Sneyd Kynnersley, Esq., Stipendiary Magistrate of Birmingham, to Margaret Ethel, elder daughter of the late D. E. Chapman, Esq., of Silksworth, Hall, Sunderland.

April 28th, at St. Mary Abbott's, Kensington, Harry C. A. Eyres, H.B.M. Vice-Consul at Van, Armenia, eldest son of the late Rev. C. Eyres, Rector of Great Milton, Norfolk, to Penelope Louisa, second daughter of J. Phipps Townsend Esq, of Downhills, Tottenham.

DEATHS.

April 6th, at San Remo, the Rev. Arthur Russell Baker, aged 33.

April 6th, at Chatham, Colonel C. E. Harvey, Royal Engineers, aged 51.

April 17th, at 46, Holland Park, London, Owen John Melitus, eldest son of G. P. Melitus, Esq.

Occasional Notes.

THE Whole School returned on Tuesday, May 5th. THOUGH the weather has not been very favourable, cricket has been established. House Matches were begun on Tuesday, May 12th. We hope to see all

haste made in getting them finished, as there is little time to be lost if they are to be over by June 15th. THE result of the draw for first ties of House Matches was as follows:

Way's play Gould's.
Ford's play Horner's.

Hart-Smith's play Preshute.
Baker's play Cotton House.
Littlefield-a bye.

The present state of these is, Ford's have beaten Horner's; Preshute, Hart-Smith's; and Baker's, Cotton House. Way's have scored 125 and 150 to Gould's 85 and 70 for three wickets.

Last

WE have begun our cricket season well. Saturday our match v. Reading C C. ended in our favour. We won by 40 runs and seven wickets.

ALL Old Fellows who wish to play in either team of O.M's on July 3rd and 4th should communicate with Rev. S. C. Voules, Ashley Rectory, Market Drayton, or L. O. Meyrick, the College, Marlborough.

THE offertory on May 10th amounted to £21 1s.

IT has been decided to ask the subscriptions of the School for the "Gordon Camp Penny Memorial," as being the most deserving of their support. We publish a full account elsewhere.

MR. TURNER fills Mr. Raynor's place as Sixth Form Master till some further arrangement can be made. A. W. South, Esq., takes Mr. Turner's place as Master of Remove B. Mr. Brown and Mr. Read have interchanged forms, the former taking Middle IVth, the latter the Lower IIId.

SUMMER hours began immediately on our return. Bathing is delayed until milder weather.

WE hear that Mr. Upcott's book on Greek sculpture, a subject on which he has bestowed great care and wide study, is in the hands of the printer and will soon be out.

PLANS of the New Chapel have been kindly posted by the Bursar in the Cloisters. Though there may be room for difference of opinion as to the beauty of the exterior of the building, the interior will certainly be very fine.

ALL our readers will join with us in congratulating Mr. Way on his appointment to the head-mastership of Warwick School; at the same time, we very much regret his loss.

We hear that Mr. Leaf will rejoin us as an Assistant Master next term.

OUR prospects for the Ashburton Shield seem very hopeful this year. Five of the members of last year's eight have returned, and the practice has been unusually good. We hope that we shall at last escape our proverbial ill luck at Wimbledon.

WE notice a mistake in this term's Almanac. The Rifle VIII go to Wimbledon on July 21st, and not on July 28th as there stated.

AT Prince's our representatives for the Racquets' Cup beat Winchester in the first round without much trouble, but succumbed to Eton in the second round after an exciting game.

THE Singing Cup was won last term by Way's, the holders of it last year.

THE Racquet Cup was also won by Way's, represented by F. Meyrick-Jones and T. C. Bett.

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

RAWAL PINDI, INDIA,

2nd April, 1885. DEAR SIR,-Among the various accounts of what is said and done, or supposed to be said and done at Rawal Pindi during the Durbar, the following will be of more especial interest to your readers than a good deal that gets into the English papers, as it refers exclusively to the doings of O.Ms.

You all know that there is a force of some 20,000 men of all arms assembled here, as well as a large number of civil officers, and others come to see the sights. Old Marlburians have a wonderful way of finding each other out in this country, it almost amounts to a freemasonry. 26 of us were in communication with each other by 31st March, which date we fixed for an Old Marlburian dinner. We all very much regretted that, numerically, the dinner was unavoidably a failure, as two were detained by duty, two were too unwell to come, and ten were completely cut off from the station by a downpour of rain which placed a sea of mud between the camps and station. Some 15,000 troops are encamped out on

a large cultivated plain separated from the roads by a mile or so of ploughed fields. Twelve of us sat down to dinner at 8.30 with Capt. Young, Qr.-Master General's Department, in

the chair.

and All Marlborough news and recollections were raked up discussed; for once, wars and rumours of wars, camps, army corps, the viceroy, the Ameer, politics, and the weather had all to give place to Rugby matches, cricket, football, head masters, masters, boys, and the general welfare of the old school, past and present. The latest news to hand was contained in a long and interesting letter which I received from Mr. Bull some two months ago, and which was passed round and eagerly read by all.

drunk.

Mr. Mitchell having left the school the longest, proposed the toast "Floreat Marlburia," which was enthusiastically Old Marlburians' enthusiasm for the old school evidently does not decrease as they get older; it fell to my lot to reply to the toast, being the last representative from

school.

To their shame (?) be it said that one O.M. was heard to glory publicly in having been twice birched in C House lavatory with old Voss in attendance, and two others gloried in sharing the same fate once: but we must not be hard on them as they are quite good now.

Appended is a list of O.Ms. who were present and also of those who were unable to come: At dinner-Capt. Young, QuarterMaster General's Department; Capt. G. Haines, Warwickshire Regt.,A.D.C. to Commander in Chief; Capt. G. P. Owen, Royal Artillery Adjutant R. Pindi Brigade; Mr. C. Browne, personal assistant to Inspector General of Police; Lieut. S. Biddulph, 19th Bengal Lancers, A.D.C. to Sir M. Biddulph ; Lieut. H. G. Legh, 60th Rifles; Lieut. W. Giles, 21st Punjab Native Infantry; Lieut. E. C. Stanton, Royal Engineers; Lieut. H. S. Stanton, Royal Artillery; Mr. W. Mitchell, sec. to Murree Club; Mr. E. L. French, Police; Mr. L. H. Butcher, Public Works Department. Unable to be present

at dinner-The Hon. C. P. Ilbert, Member of Council; General Sir Charles McGregor; Captain E. E. Money, 14th Bengal Lancers, Deputy Assistant Quarter-Master-General; Lieut. H. Good, 12th Bengal Lancers, A.D.C. to the Viceroy; Lieut. C. H. Leslie, Royal Horse Artillery; Lieut. B. Smythe, 33rd Regt.; Lieut. W. E. Lascelles, Rifle Brigade; G. M. Mackintosh, 78th Seaforth Highlanders; Major A. F. Churchill, 1st Goorka Light Infantry; Lieut. A. V. Hatch, 1st Goorka Light Infantry; Major A. H. Turner, 2nd Punjab Infantry; Lieut. H. A. Browning, 2nd Punjab Infantry; Lieut. Phillips, Carbineers; Lieut. Tasken, 2nd Sikhs.

H. E. STANTON.

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

DEAR SIR,-May I be allowed to suggest a somewhat radical proposal which I trust will meet the eye of the Captain of the XI and the authorities in time for next year at least? It is that House Matches be begun considerably later than they are begun now. As it is now, at a week from the beginning of term fellows have to do battle for their house, after having a few hours at a net and an 'extra lesson' or two on a fag day as the whole amount of their previous practice; and, as any prowess in house matches greatly influences promotions into House XI or even the XXII, I think it very unfair that fellows should not have enough time to get into proper form beforehand. Again by having house matches so early in term, there is no more interest left for a house which has been beaten in first ties for the rest of the term except perhaps in House Grounds. I have heard that one of the reasons for having them so early is for the XI to practise at the end of term. But surely the XI get plenty of practice in the House-matches, as I presume the houses with the most promising members in it would be left in at that time, and besides every day need not be taken up for Housematches. Humbly hoping that some notice will be taken of my rather, I fear, aspiring protest.

mother of a Marlborough boy herself complains that the boys join their friends on Prize Day at the evening entertainment apparently in exactly the same condition, in which they came out of the schoolroom, it is surely time to make some change. Would the boys like their fathers and mothers to appear in unbrushed coats and old gowns? Is not some respect due to the well-dressed visitors if not to themselves in the effort at least to be smart and tidy? But, Sir, the worst is still to be told. I am informed that when the Marlborough special runs into Paddington the porters say "Here comes the dirty boot train." Could not anything be done to remedy this evil so that the boys might start for home with cleaned boots. "THE SISTER."

To the Editor of the Marlburian. DEAR SIR,-I unfortunately forgot to reply to a letter in your periodical signed "Anti-baculam," opposing my suggestion that the habit of carrying sticks should be introduced. Such an absurd letter as his I never read. One of his objections is that fellows would be always smashing their sticks by using them as weapons: umbrellas are almost as serviceable weapons, and yet is it the case that they are frequently broken by being used in this way? No, sir, Anti-baculam is insulting the good sense of Marlborough by suggesting that sticks should not be used by us because we do not know how to use them.

Then he says that I wish "to forward the cause of those who desire to break down the traditions of manly simplicity on which alone our constitution can ever hope to rest." Was ever such nonsense written? Surely we have heard enough about that vague desideratum, "manly simplicity." I myself do not pretend to understand what it means, but if manly simplicity consists in eating unpalatable food, giving up all the conveniences of life, and dressing like half-civilised savages, then I say we have very little of it at Marlborough, and I am very thankful for it.

There is really no objection to introducing the very conve nient practice of carrying sticks. There would be no irrational expense, a decent stick can be got for eighteenpence, and I am sure the good sense of the school would put a stop to "swagger" sticks of an expensive kind. Apologising for taking up so much of your valuable space,

DEAR SIR,-Has it ever occurred to any of the Race Committee that the exercises set in the gymnasium are becoming rather antiquated? We are frequently hearing that this is an age of progress, and fortunately Gymnastics have not stayed still while everything else has been advancing. The exercises taught here have not changed at all for many years, and yet great improvements have been introduced elsewhere. I should recommend the gymnasium sergeant or the members of the Race Committee to study the list of exercises that are in use in German gymnasia in London, and to introduce any new ones that meet with their approval.