neck of sea on our extreme left indicated the estuary formed by the junction of the rivers Taw and Torridge, out of which, in former days, the heroes of Devon sailed forth upon their famed explorations. We had now reached the middle of the Bay, and the picturesque village of Clovelly appeared in front; the long steep line of houses sharply defined against the dark ridge on which it rests, gave it, at a distance, a striking resemblance to a tiny waterfall. As Suddenly, our paddle-wheels were stopped; and upon inquiry, we learned that the captain had abandoned his intention of going to Westward Ho, in consequence of the threatening aspect of the weather, which had now grown worse, and suggested that we should make for Clovelly, as it afforded snug shelter in its little harbour. most of the passengers, from the state of the weather, were unable to form any determination other than that of reaching terra firma as soon as possible, they willingly assented to the captain's suggestion; and accordingly the order was given to steer for Clovelly. This, however, was greatly annoying to myself, as I had friends at Westward Ho whom I was most anxious to visit. Going forward, I endeavoured in vain to shake the captain's determination; and the only concession I could gain was the order peremptorily given to his men to 'put me ashore then, and give me a ducking.' Silently, therefore, with this contingency hanging over me, I took my seat in the boat lowered for me. EASTER GREETING. FROM THE GERMAN OF KARL VON GEROK. 'WHY weepest thou?' How soft the words come stealing! 'Why weepest thou?' So breathes the balmy air Why weepest thou?' Dost thou thy Lord bemoan? 'Why weepest thou?' The world afflicts thee sore ! And yet with mighty strength He brake asunder. O Why dost thou weep?" Dost thou thy sins bemoan? O dread Him not, and lull thy fears to sleep; Our sins lie hidden in His grave for ever! Why shouldst thou weep? Is it that thou dost mourn O see! how bright the glorious Easter dawn Trust, pray, and hope, nor 'neath thy burden bow— We had a good five or six miles' pull to shore; and the two bronzed tars who accompanied me improved the opportunity by naively observing they doubted whether we should be able to land. Being no stranger to the delicate idioms of a sailor's speech, I placed my hand in my pocket; and under the magic spell of a silver tip, the boat seemed to shoot more rapidly through the water. As we repeatedly rose on the crest of the swelling hillocks, the elegant outlines of the pier loomed out more distinctly every moment, and I could shortly discern the forest of heads crowding its top, evidently most interested in our approach, but greatly mystified as to the nature of the situation. With a few more strong pulls, we were under the shadow of the pier of West-Why weepest thou?' Dost thou bewail the dead? ward Ho; and obeying instructions, I stood up in the boat. Waiting until a more favourable billow reached us, we were carried forward on its green crest. 'Jump now!' simultaneously shouted the boatmen; and mechanically springing forward in the direction of the pier, I fortunately succeeded in grasping the iron taffrail of the ladder, while the boat swept swiftly from underneath. Scrambling beyond the reach of the succeeding wave, I was saluted with ropes, lifebuoys, and outstretched arms waiting to receive nie; and reached the top amid the enthusiastic welcome of the assembled spectators, where, breathless with my exertions, I endeavoured to explain the non-arrival of the steamer, which still lay rolling obstinately in the offing. The cause of this most singular reception was partly explained by the fact, that the writer was the first and, as subsequent events proved, the only passenger who ever landed at that pier, as the unfortunate structure was shortly afterwards swept away during a storm of unprecedented violence. Here is but earth that back to earth was given ; The spirit soared on angels' wings to heaven; Why dost thou weep?' Poor pilgrim, burdened sore, After these weary years, wouldst thou be home? And waiteth till His little child shall come; 'Why dost thou weep? Aye Lord, one drop of peace ANTONIA DICKSON. Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH. All Rights Reserved. CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS. POST-OFFICE ASSURANCES. By the energetic and praiseworthy efforts of the Postmaster-general to extend and improve the several departments of the Post-office, public attention is now being called to Government Assurances through the Post-office. For a long period-nearly ninety years the subject of Friendly Societies has frequently occupied the attention of the legislature; and a Friendly Society is but another name for an Assurance Society, the only difference being that the sums assured in the former at death, in sickness, or in old age, are for a smaller amount than is granted by the general and ordinary Assurance Companies. On the 14th of July 1864, the government brought in an Act 'to grant additional facilities for the purchase of small government annuities, and for assuring payments of money at death;' so that government may be said to have undertaken assurance business on their own account and responsibility on behalf of the industrial classes. Under this Act, the sum to be assured, payable at death, was not to be less than twenty pounds, nor to exceed a hundred pounds, and no annuity was to be granted to exceed fifty pounds per annum. It was expected that year by year the amount of new business would increase; but from some cause, the reverse has been the case. Indeed, daring 1880, the number of contracts issued was only two hundred and fifty-eight, assuring the Fum of twenty thousand three hundred and seventy-eight pounds-less than one half the amber and amount insured in the first year. PRICE 14d administrative defects which can be remedied, I will not now attempt to decide. Recognising, however, the extreme importance of affording the people the fullest possible opportunity of making a prudent provision for the future, I think no effort should be spared to see whether anything can be done to popularise these schemes for effecting life-insurance and for the purchase of annuities.' The question, no doubt, for the Postmastergeneral to consider is: What is the cause of this failure? Is it due to any administrative defects? We feel sure it is not. The management of all the departments in the Post-office has been so excellent and successful as to command universal approval; and the want of success in the assurance scheme must be sought elsewhere. Neither is the comparative failure due to a disinclination on the part of the people to avail themselves of the advantages.' The amount of business done annually by the hundred and seven nongovernment Life Assurance Societies and the forty-four Industrial Insurance Companies and Collecting Societies, proves the contrary. The new business effected last year by fifty-six of those Life Assurance Companies was twenty millions; and the total premiums and interest received on existing assurances by all the Life offices was a little over nineteen million pounds, assuring the sum of four hundred and twenty millions. The success and prosperity of the Industrial Assurance Companies are quite as great in proportion, the annual subscriptions of the forty-four Societies amounting to the enormous sum of two This result is a disappointment to all who million six hundred thousand pounds, contriare interested in the subject. The Postmaster-buted solely by the working and industrial general, referring to it in a recent address, classes to provide a sum of money payable at aid: 'I cannot conceal from myself the fact death. that hitherto the facilities offered by the Postoffice for life-insurance and for the purchase of annuities have been taken advantage of by the public to only a very limited extent. Whether this comparative failure is due to a disinclination on the part of the people to avail themselves of these advantages, or whether it is due to any How, then, can we account for the comparatively small amount of business done by the Post-office? Is it not to be found in the Act which regulates Post-office Assurances? Without doubt, the Act was intended and passed for the benefit of the working-classes, that they might have the advantage of assuring with the government; for at that time there was a great outcry against the instability of the Friendly Societies. Now, it is certain that the working-classes have not been able to avail themselves of the privilege, however much they desired to do so, because of the limit put on the amount of the assurance under the Act. It must not be, as we have already stated in Italics, for a less sum than twenty pounds. We believe that Mr Gladstone pleaded hard at the time that the limit should be five pounds, which would have met the case, as the average amount of the sum assured by the working-classes in the Industrial Assurance Companies has been found to be only about eight pounds. At present, the average sum of each assurance in the Post-office is eighty pounds; a sum which represents a class of insurers far above the ordinary working-classes. Besides this, the Act provides that no sum in respect of instalments or premium payable at any one time shall be of less amount than two shillings, which in itself is nearly equal to a total prohibition of assurance for the workingclasses. We are informed-indeed, it is very easy of calculation-that the average premium or subscription received by the Industrial Insurance Companies is only three-halfpence per week, which assures for eight pounds, payable at death. Here, no doubt, is a difficulty; for how could the Post-office receive a penny or twopence weekly for an assurance policy? Mr Fawcett has himself answered the question, and met the difficulty by the use of the penny postage stamps to promote and encourage savings, in the Post-office savings-banks. We venture to suggest that the same plan may be adopted by the Post-office for the assurance scheme, namely, that of accepting postage-stamps, periodically, in payment of the working-man's life-policy. It cannot be too widely known that there are several conditions and terms in the present assurance contract issued by the Post-office which are more favourable to the assurer than the policies of ordinary Industrial Societies. For instance, the premiums are lower, and a larger sum is assured by the Post-office for the same money. By the present Post-office Assurance Act, no profit is sought to be made out of any assurance granted; the fund to be formed is only to be adequate to meet all claims, without entailing any charge in respect thereof, or in respect of costs and expenses on the Consolidated Fund. We cannot say that this will always be the case, especially when the Post-office system is extended; neither do we see why it should remain so; for why should the Post-office not make a profit out of the assurance department, as well as out of any other department under its manage ment? Another special feature in all assurance contracts with the Post-office is that made with the members in the event of their discontinuing their policies. The Act provides that after having paid the premiums for five years, if any one assured for a sum payable at death shall desire to surrender his policy, or shall be unable to pay his premium, the party shall receive at his option such sum of money, not being less than one-third of the premiums paid by him; or may receive a paid-up policy, or an immediate or deferred life annuity.' The Industrial Insurance Companies, so far as we know, make no provision of this kind. The Post-office Assurance department embraces also the granting of immediate and deferred annuities not exceeding fifty pounds per annum; and there can be little doubt that the Postmastergeneral will also endeavour to popularise this department, that the working-classes may avail themselves more readily of the privilege. The granting of annuities is especially the work of the government through the Post-office. None of the annuities. Most of the Friendly Societies provide existing Industrial Insurance Companies grant a small superannuation allowance to their members; but it is in this matter that so many Friendly Societies have failed to make ample provision, although they have fairly met the claims for sick allowance and payment of sums at death. Finlaison, the government actuary, supplied them At the request of the Royal Commission, Mr with an example of an annuity table suitable for the working-classes. There were two schemes proposed. Under the first, a man aged twentyfour might secure five shillings per week on attaining the age of sixty, by a subscription of eightpence per week, or at sixty-five by a subscription of fourpence-halfpenny per week. the prescribed age, his representatives derived no Should the man, however, die before attaining benefit from the sums he may have thus paid, no money being returnable. It was not therefore to be expected that many persons would undertake to pay eightpence a week for thirty-six years, with no prospect of any benefit therefrom unless they outlived the said period, and reached the age of sixty. Accordingly, a second or alternative scheme was proposed, called the Money Returnable Scheme, under which, by paying elevenpence halfpenny per week instead of fourpence-halfper week instead of eightpence, and sevenpencepenny, the same sum of five shillings per week might be secured at the ages of sixty and sixtyfive respectively, with this advantage, that should the person making these payments die before attaining the prescribed age, the whole of the money he had thus paid would be returned to his representatives. We do not think the existing Societies need fear the competition of the Post-office. The population is so continually increasing, that without doubt there will be always a large business for all. When the Post-office savings-banks were established in 1861, it was supposed by some that the ordinary savings-banks would be ruined; but notwithstanding the great success of the Post-office banks. Mr Scudamore, in his evidence before the banks, it has made but little difference to the old by the Lord Mayor, 'that in nine years the PostRoyal Commission, said, in answer to questions office had secured one million three hundred and three thousand depositors in the savings-banks, with only a reduction of one hundred and fifty thousand depositors out of one million five hundred and fifty-four thousand who were customers of private banks; and that the government, by increasing the facilities for granting assurances, would be increasing the provident habits of the people, without materially interfering with the old business of the Friendly Societies.' offices. He would be able to open an ordinary savings-bank account, and would be able to make deposits at any time and at any office, and all that was required was that he should have paid in the amount of the premium_by the time that premium became due. The insurer could by this means even make use of The Annuity scheme opens out a large field the recently introduced cards on which he affixes of operations for the Post-office. Let the working- twelve stamps, and pay said cards into the bank. classes-as we have on former occasions hinted--The Committee have now embodied the above have government security for payment of their recommendations in their Report to the House of pensions in old age, and many thousands of Commons. them will immediately join. Indeed, it is impossible to overestimate the great advantage and benefit of such a scheme to the working and industrial population of the United Kingdom, who would be ever grateful to the government for giving them this certain means of providing for infirmity and old age. How, then, could the Post-office carry out this increased system of assurance and extensive business which is known as Industrial Assurance? We think a plan might be adopted similar to that used by all Insurance Companies, ordinary and industrial, by the employment of agents to obtain members and collect subscriptions when necessary. The Post-office has a very large staff of agents already at hand in the thirteen thousand eight hundred and eighty-two postmasters, and sixteen thousand eight hundred and eighty-three postmen and letter-carriers; they are trustworthy, respectable, and would no doubt be efficient for this work; and they are well known, and know every house and householder. We recommend,' said the Royal Commission on Friendly Societies, 'that the existing system of government assurance through the Post-office for death and government annuities be extended so as to cover the whole ground now occupied by what is termed Indus trial Assurances.' We heartily join in this recommendation, believing that it will be a great advantage to the community, and will afford large, safe, and profitable facilities for the savings of the working-classes especially, for whose benefit Post-office assurances were established. Since the above was written, a Select Committee of the House of Commons, appointed to consider the advisability of revising the present scheme of Insurance and Annuities to be effected through the Post-office, have been taking evidence on the subjects of inquiry. Mr A. Turnor, C.B., Financial Secretary to the Post-office, explained that the system of insurance now carried out through the Post-office was a failure, owing to the fact that the maximum amount (one hundred pounds) which they had power to insure, and the maximum age (sixty) were too low; while the minimum amount (twenty pounds) and the minimum age (twenty) were too high. The maximum, he thought, should be raised to over two hundred pounds. Another official, who gave evidence for himself and Mr Chetwynd the Accountant-general, explained that under the present system half the post-offices throughout the country were savings-banks; while only oneseventh, or about two thousand, were insurance offices. The new scheme that was under con sideration would enable an intending insurer to take out a policy at any of the savings-bank VALENTINE STRANGE. A STORY OF THE PRIMROSE WAY. CHAPTER XIV.-'YOU LOOK WRETCHED, VAL. WHAT IS IT?' Ir befell that although Gerard Lumby made little progress enough with Constance in those parlour encounters, in which, perhaps, the most earnest of lovers is the least likely to thrive, he talked with a lover's enthusiasm outside her presence, and chose Val Strange, of all men in the world, to talk to. Val, dreading his own love all the while, listened to him with such heart-burnings as may be imagined, but gave no sign. Mr Jolly in the meantime kept his house en fête for a whole winter month, and was almost crowded from his own rooms by guests. Gerard having proclaimed Val great in private theatricals and charades, that young gentleman was installed as a sort of amateur manager of the Grange revels. This partly delighted and partly frightened him. No man schools himself to dishonour in a day. The shiftless, helpless, sponging spendthrift, the hopeless drunkard, the betrayer, the sharper-all have had their remorses, their struggles, their backward longings towards relinquished honour, or at least their piteous glances that way cast. And Val Strange was less than most men fitted to be a happy wrongdoer. By nature candid and kindly, and greatly careful of the good opinion of the world, he was sure to suffer horribly if he played any man false; and here was temptation growing almost too much for him. He was torn by love and jealousy, and drank alternate draughts of sweet and bitter poison. The poison was sweet when he stood alone with his friend's plighted wife and talked with her, and drank the beauty of her face and voice and the exquisite intoxication of her presence; or when his arm circled her in some slow waltz, and they moved, as on air together, to the dying falls of Strauss's melodies, when the music sighed as if foredone with pleasure half grown into pain. Bitter the poison-how bitter, only Jealousy can know— when the unsuspecting Gerard came to claim his danced with her, always with right on his side, right, and talked with her-walked, rode, drove, and the surety of an admitted claim. And much as the rages which sometimes filled him taught him to fear himself, he feared Gerard too, by an instinct which warned him that the latter was the last man whom it might be wise to turn from go.' At last, in his miseries and perplexities, Val made one resolve, and as the outcome of it, he sat down and wrote this letter to his old yachting companion: MY DEAR GILBERT-I am in the dullest hole I ever got into in my life. I cannot escape with any degree of grace under a fortnight, and I am in danger of being bored to death. Pray, send me a telegram, purporting to come from any fictitious personage whom you may be pleased to invent for the occasion, advising me of im portant business, and insisting upon my return. Do this for old friendship's sake. I do adjure thee, by old pleasant days,' make the message sufficiently urgent to bear me away without apology. I am peppered, I warrant you; and if your telegram should come later than to-morrow, it will find me indeed a grave man.-Yours, VAL STRANGE. The resolve to write this was not arrived at without much trouble, although it is one thing to determine and another to do. When he had sent it away, he thought of all he was leaving, and half wished it recalled. He went sleepless nearly all night, and tossed to and fro upon his bed undecided. Now he was all for flight, and now flight seemed so cruel as to be impossible. There are some pangs it is not in human nature to endure voluntarily. When he presented himself at the breakfast table, he looked ill, and Constance, who sat near him, spoke of it. 'It is nothing,' he responded a headache.' People gave him their condolences, and it cost him a great effort to keep his temper. Breakfast over, he retired to his own room and brooded there, longing and dreading to be called away. By-and-by a young man on a dirty gray pony rode up the drive and delivered an envelope, buff-coloured, and bearing side by side with Mr Strange's name and present address, the inscription, Five shillings for porterage.' The footman leisurely sought out Mr Strange, who, tearing open the envelope, read: 'From BROWNE, 13 Mount Street.-Everything going to smash. Must have you up at once, or we shall both be broken.' 'Anything to pay?' asked Val, grinding his teeth at the clumsiness of the message. 'Five shillings, sir,' said the footman. Val him the money, and dismissed him. gave 'I can't show this to anybody,' he cried aloud, crossing the room ill-temperedly. 'What a fool the man must be to send me such a message!' He was so eager to stay, so unwilling to go, that he was ready to catch at any straw of self-delusion. He tried to persuade himself that since he could not reasonably show to anybody this ridiculous message, he could not allow it to call him away; but he was not yet so blind as to allow that fraud to pass. Shall I go?' he asked himself. 'I must 'I can't He paced to and fro in the room. go.' Reginald Jolly's words came somehow into his mind: 'You are always in the primrose way,' and his own flippant answer: I like primroses.' He stood still in a sudden hot rebellion against Fate. 'Let it lead me where it will, I take the primrose way. The other road is too thorny. Yet, where will this way lead? Where will it lead?' He clenched his hands, and dropped them by his side, and said very quietly and softly: 'Let it lead me where it will, I take it.' He tore the telegram through and through, until his hands had no grip upon it to tear it further, and cast the fragments broadcast on the floor. Then he went slowly down-stairs, and meeting Reginald in the hall, he said languidly : 'Rags, old man, I think a little stir in the open the warren and have a pot at the rabbits for would do me good. Will you come down to an hour?' Reginald assented, with a look of some anxiety [For] others' follies teach us not; And every man must dree his own weird, and |