Christmas.

refer to holly , Thoiijrh more beautiful and attractive from ils bri ff ht-colonrcil berries , anil noble though m >?» mc tangere foliage , it cannot claim the aristocratic distinct ion of the sister berry . There is a tradition in Derbyshire that , as the Christmas holly brought into a house be l'miirli or smooth , a " he "' or " she " as it is termed—the wife or the husband—will be muster ; and in Worcestershire or Herefordshire , holly that has been used in adovuinu ; a church is highly esteemed , under the belief that a small branch of it will ensure a lucky year to ( he possessor . Ivy and box also arc not to bo excluded from the list of Christinas decorations . Passing from the sentimental to the substantial —how many : i hanghtv gobbler thnt . like chanticleer

" To the stack or the barn door , Stoutlv struts his dames before " > will in a short time have ended his career , and have entered in ( he ( issues of the fcalherless biped—man ?

For a week or more the great markets have teemed with Christmas fare . At Windsor Castle , the gvoul baron of beef , weighing some three hundred pounds , is , according to ancient custom , conveyed to the cooks' department with due ceremony and observance . Having been well bung , it is to be cooked whole , anil served up on Christmas Day with sound of " sackhiit jinil shawn and other GREAT

Christmas.

minstrelsy . '' I'lum pudding , too—the prince , or rather king , of puddings ; see what mighty pains , both of Xature and Art , are at work to produce it . To ripen the raisins and currants , "the sun . " ns the verses in "Alice in Wonderland " express it , has been " shining with all his might "; the citron and other candied peel came from France , Spain , or Italy ; the wheat , probably , from the fertile valley of the Mississippi . And the mince pie , that other peculiarly English composition , where can stranger from " feme landes , " us old Dan Chaucer says ,

vie with the Knglish housewife m its production Y We should as soon expect manna to fall from Heaven as for " Frenchman or I ' ortugce'' to present that succulent dish suitable to the English palate of thc average Briton . Having summoned these spirits from the vasty deep , we can only , in conclusion , wish all our readers a Merrv Christinas , and piously wish , in the words of old Withers , that — ' Now all our neighbours' ehinmevs . smoke ,

And Christmas blocks arc burning ; Their ovens , they with baked meats choke . And nil their spits arc turning . Without thc door let sorrow lie . And if , for cold , it hap to die , Wce'le bury ' t in Christinas pyc . And evermore be merrv . " MTHEM CEmAL

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^ S i 9 te ^ SCT ^ HOSPITAL , ^^ m ^^^^^ g ^^^^ M POOR , FREE , AND UNENDOWED . ^^' BiSSBiS ^^ ^ ^ S ^^ Si ^ P r ; Wc / c »/ . -H . ]{ , H . THE DUKE OF CLARENCE AND AVONDALE , K . G . rllaifBHff" rail * r- * T ^~ TF ^ P - ^ ' ^^^^ n _ - « k ^_^ £ 20 , 000 is lvqiiirecl lo complete tlie New Buildings , the tii-st portion WiP ^ "S «!! b ^^ UHsw 1 § B ^ 'StF ilffi , ^ P « l ~ - ISB 1 M ? HF ¥ "' "' '' i * - '' 1 W 1 , s "l'eneil in 1888 by their lloyal Highnesses the Prince and Princess 1 » UKflM fi ™ F I !! fyjlJP M _ WpWrr'ffjj !^^ 3 ^^ K ^ S ^ ° f Wiilcs . Towards this sum only £ 6 , 000 lias been received or promised . " ^ MB OP ^ ll ^ 'l ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ W ^^ S ^ mM ^^ W Funds also needed ( especially Annual Subscriptions ) for the ^ j ^^^^^ fg ^^ R ^^^ B ^ g ^ g ^^^^^ ^ M ^^ B Maintenance uf greatly increased number of Putients . -i"i , 022 in ^ I ^ Bme ^^____ Z : - ng r = ^ -- -= r ,.-r „ , . . ,- . \ ^ j ( garnes ^ - Appeal is made for Contributions , which will be thank-( VIKW OK TIIK KKW HOSPITAL wiiBX Co . MiM . KiKi ,. ) I ' "ll , v received by WILLIAM T . ( HUNT , Secretary .

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NEW " SPflAY"CHAMBERSET . ORIENTAL DINNER SERVICE . 0 xi . v ix I ' K . uocK-Ili . ri ; Osi . v ix Ci .. iiii ; T-Biimvx ON Ivuiir . * JV 1 TO ^ -S ^ F ^» - ^ -5 ' V ^ Y fejiH #% W ? A \ 1 ^^ S 5 ?^ - ^ f " 'S' ! , W *^^^^ = r 5 ^ ( J HACKFI -I . SHAH :. UmiKiiniR DI > I < ; X . Fit )) & ft , t ' nr l _ IH'jVnltti , (/(« J'iVtW . VS . ( hi , KlcRiuit uliaiH ' , as iilHtvi- i . ' i " iiiirort \ „ ,, , fulUizo 7 * . Al . ihr'M OTHKII STVUSII VATTINIXS , IN DKMCATI : TJXTS S . 'mc"si'ii 1 hv ! y IMaiii Iv « . ry . w . ml . „ ¦*> " »» VAMBU SIIAH > , AT Continued ( liWian ami Vintage Hut-- U » s . i »\ ., Is * . VA ., 'ils . \ 7 A \ j . im ^ . iW , in noiitml HliiicU- : [ s . ' M . „ 12 s . Oil ., . 72 * . ( M ., Wis . \\ us j . i . rcs ' . Jlany dtlu'rexi-i'lli-iil jwlicrns . jl . s ., 1 . 1 s ., 21 s . ,, . \ — " , , ^ { ,, r lno «» i » try , Is . : til ami 2 s . til ,- \ fr . i i '» r If fur tlii . ' i-. nnitry , IM . t'xtra fur lMcKa ^ c . jiiirkji ^ i-DESSERT , BREAKFAST , TEA , AND BEDROOM SERVICES . HYDRAULIC LIFT to FIRST and SECOND FLOOR SHOW ROOMS . ALFRED B . PEARGE , 39 , LUDGATE HILL . ( KNT . UJUSJJKJI J 70 D . ) (• cui'i'til China ; nnl ( Jlaon Cataln ^ ui ' , ini-ludiii ); Nine I ' urnisliiny Kstinialcrf , I ' l ^ t l'n-i- mi A )>) 'lirali"ii .

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Meah or Defective Sight ! SPECTACLES Ncieiitiliciillv adii ) itc'il to rcmeil y liiipiiirod vision , liy Bro . ACKLAND , Surgeon , DAILY AT HORSE & THORHTHWAITE'S ( Opticians to tlie Queen ) , 416 , STRAND , LONDON , W . C . Si-mi Six Stamps f .. r" ACKLAND'S HINTS ON SPECTACLES , " wliicli ciiiiiaitis valuable wciirjri'siions fur siilTnvr .- ! from iiii | iaiiv < l * i <; lit . IMMENSE SUCCESS .

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Bam —A ^ RESTAURANT QPT invrnm I ^^ HIl ^ Ss ^^^ jt ^ *_ ¦ f * 01 V 7 r * T 7 PTC ofltHjlSVlU M _ WlS !^^ mtm ^ S __ ttrli V / HJtv . 1 O , ACCOMMODATION ' ^^ H ^^ S ^^ roli' '' PRIVATE BANQUETS w ^ S ^^^^^ raiife' PARTIES , & c BALLS , j rpP '|^^ * ^ Co f /' rmnrro UK i if iiffijr-1- ^^^ ' «' o 1 )__ EL b , i t iwfMf ^ Poultry Holloway : ^^^^^^^^^ Road , N .