To the Editor of the Marlburian.

DEAR SIR,-I don't play racquets, but I am very fond of playing at racquets, so I hope I may be allowed to protest against the horrible slaughter-house state in which the court has been all this term. Is it really necessary for the welfare of our representatives at "Princes," that they should flounder ankle-deep in bullocks' blood? If it is, I give in. What effect, sir, has this oft-recurring coating on the court ? I, in my crass ignorance, have not found any the smallest difference in pace: in fact a dark rumour has come to my ears that these applications have a different result—if any— to what was expected. Certain it is that the sickly odour and the horrible state of the floor have a very dispiriting effect on the uninitiated, and will I fear result in the voluntary exile-rejoice not, cynic !—from the court of Your obedient servant,

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

ANTIFAT.

DEAR SIR,-May I venture to propose that another shed be erected in the field beyond the present one, for the convenience of players on the rooi who are now obliged, when the Ridge is in use, either to deposit their coats on the (probably) damp grass by the eleven or else pile them up on pegs already occupied in the shed.

I would suggest further that some species of flooring be laid down in the aforesaid shed, as the mud that collects there in wet weather, is, to say the least of it, uninviting.

DEAR SIR,-I have no doubt it is a very nice idea and one full of pretty sentiment for the window sills of our Chapel to lie covered with the dust of ages, but still it is anything but a pleasant reality for those who sit anywhere beneath them, when they are suddenly opened, for on examination you find your black coat has suddenly changed its glossy appearance and the very thought of the state of your hair makes you shudder. I hope therefore by giving publicity to such disagreeable dusting processes, they may in future be avoided; and beg to remain

Your humble servant,

NOT MADE FOR A DUST PAN.

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

DEAR SIR,-I trust that the letter from a Non-Commissioned Officer in your last number, advocating the institution of prizes for drill, will not pass unnoticed as several similar proposals have done.

But to ensure attention to this scheme it is necessary to place it on a practical basis, which is a much harder task than it seems at first sight.

If N.C.O. or any other Marlburian, past or present, can submit such a system which has been found by experience to work satisfactory which will secure the desired end of smart

drill, and large attendance, at the same time entering into such necessary details as enforced absence, umpires, &c, &c., he will confer an inestimable benefit upon the M.C.R.V.C. I remain Sir, Yours truly,

SERGEANT.

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

DEAR SIR,-I have an important suggestion to make. I am encouraged to make it by the enthusiastic and extensive efforts, which those whose duty it is to improve our minds while here at school have been and still are making to give us access to great intellectual pleasures. The Bradleian is now filled with a collection of ancient statuary, the admiration inspired by which, words fail me utterly to describe; we can but wait till Mr. Upcott has time himself to describe the full beauty and meaning of the great Art of which his energy has given us such noble memorials. And every Sunday the ears of the stern deities of Greece are saluted by the strains of the sublimest music with which the Christian religion has blest us; music which we had an opportunity of fully judging at our last Concert, and of hearing how Handel's solos demand not only the exertion of the voice, but also the far more important quality, tho exertion of the intellect.

Taking these great intellectual delights then as prece dents, I urge most strongly the institution of a Dramatio Society. There are a great many fellows in the School to whom the drama is a very great delight, and even when Shakespeare is exhausted, there are many plays in our language alike admirable in language, character, and moral. It is true that most houses have their Shakespeare readings; but, Sir, how can the intense dramatic force be realized by six or seven persons reading round a fire, some of whom have occasionally to be woken up to say "I will, my lord"? I am fully sensible of the objections to costume and other stage paraphernalia,- objections which though I concur in, I must deeply regret-but I propose steering a middle course between the coldness and formality of a reading, and the all absorbing excitement of a full stage performance. Let a Society be formed with a small subscription just enough to procure copies of Lacy's cheap acting plays, and let the members of the Society act a play once a fortnight, (or more or less frequently, as may be found convenient) reading the play from a small copy held in the hand. I have myself seen this tried more than once, and can assure any one who may be inclined to doubt the enjoyment to be derived from such an attempt, that though of course it cannot be quite the same as a regular stage performance, yet it is an enormous advance on anything like a mere reading: in fact it is like our Penny Reading scenes with the addition of six inches of paper in hand, and without the trouble of learning the parts. On this basis, then, by which without the necessity of spending any time before hand on the preparation, we could get an instructive and delightful insight into the finest plays in our language, I propose the

institution of a Marlborough College Dramatic Society; and while I feel certain of the hearty support of the School, I cannot but think that the Common Room, which has so often and so strikingly furthered our intellectual desires, will give its all-important sanction and aid to this most desirable object.

I remain, Sir, yours obediently.

HISTRIO.

P.S.-I should not omit to mention, as an assurance to that section of the School which lately showed such a decided preference for John Peel" to the "Messiah," that doubtless a Burlesque, or even a Pantomine, Harlequinade and all complete, could occasionally be performed for their benefit.

MARLBOROUGH NOMADS FOOTBALL
CLUB.

After a long interval, it is time to return once more to the record of the doings of the above Club. In a tolerably long Football experience, we never remember such a season as this has been. Although (if we except the match with the School) more than three months have passed since the date of the last match recorded in the Marlburian, six matches only have been played in all that time-and, of these, two were played on the same afternoon. Thus, out of fourteen Saturdays in the best part of the Season, we have beeu, for some reason or other, disappointed of our game no less than eight times. This has been the more unfortunate as, after a somewhat unpromising start, we had succeeded in getting together a really good all round Team; and from the play shewn in the first match with Woolwich Academy, we were justified in looking forward to the coming matches with pleasing anticipations of success. Whether these anticipations would have been realised or not it is needless now to discuss: it will be sufficient to describe briefly the few matches which have been played and their results. It will be seen that the two first matches should have appeared in the Marlburian last term, but by an oversight they were not sent up then.

Nov. 1st-v. Wimbledon.-The result of this match was very satisfactory; a victory by two goals and a try to nil. Last season we lost the only match played with this Club, and they had received a great accession of strength since that time by being joined by the most prominent members of a Club lately dissolved. H. C. King played as a Nomad for the first time, and, getting the ball passed to him almost directly after

play began, ran in right behind. The place was successfully tried by Square. Subsequently a try was gained by Hawkins (from which no goal resulted) and another by Butterworth. From the latter Square kicked a second goal.

Nomads-The following played :-G. M. Butterworth (Capt.) G. D. Petrie, half-back; J. M. Templer and C. M. Wilkins, three quarters back, D. Womersley; H. C. King back; G. Barnet, A. H. Ewer, G. G. Hawkins, W. E. Hogg, C. W. A. Law, E. H. Laurie, A. H. Soden, J. E. Square, and N. Womersley.

Nov 8th. v. R.I.E. College, Coopers Hill, for some unexplained reason this match fell through. A telegram was received from the College on the Friday, to the effect that they were unable to play.

Nov. 15th.-v. R.M.A. Woolwich. A very hardly contested game ended in a draw, each side scoring a goal and a try. The great feature of the game was the goal dropped for us by Butterworth, certainly one of the most remarkable pieces of play ever witnessed. Getting the ball about twenty five yards from our goal he ran completely through the Woolwich forwards, evaded by the most skilful dodging the players behind and, taking his drop exactly at the right moment, sent the ball directly over the middle of the cross bar. The try, which was gained by Templer about twenty yards from the goal, was well tried by King, but resulted in a poster. Kimber and Butterworth also got in for the Nomads, but the tries were disallowed. Our team was as follows:-F. C. Kimber (Capt.) G. Barnet, E. H. Lawrie, W. E. Hogg, G. G. Hawkins, J. E. Square, A. H. Ewer, J. D. Vans-Agnew, and G. H. Windeler, forward. A. K. Butterworth, G. D. Petrie, half-back; H. C. King, J. M. Templer, C. M. Wilkins, three-quartersback; B. C. Stephenson, back.

A long interval now elapsed during which football was out of the question; but on January 3rd, a start was made again, the match being with the Clapham Rovers. It was no easy matter at that time to get up a team, but thanks to the fact that we were able to secure the services of three of the School XV, the difficulty was surmounted. As it happened however, there was no one in the team who had ever played back so that we had to do without a back altogether.

Neither team was in very first rate condition and the game which proved rather slower than usual

resulted in a draw, each side scoring a try. The result might have been different but for an accident depriving us of Duncan, shortly before half-time. He had played brilliantly and his loss was severly felt.

Nomads.-F. C. Kimber, (Captain), G. Barnet, G. R. Askwith, H. M. Elder, E. H. Lawrie, G. G. Hawkins, G. W. Robbins, A. H. Soden, G. H. Windeler, and N. Womersley, (forwards), A. E. Finch, and M. W. Yates, (half-backs), A. K. Butterworth, F. Duncan, and C. M. Wilkins (three-quarter backs).

January 10th, was a black day for the Nomads. For the first time for many seasons they were defeated by the West Kent, J.C., by no less than two goals and a try to nothing. For us, King, Finch, and Wilkins, played well, but our team was weak, while our opponents developed a quite unexpected strength, and Alston was at his best. The same afternoon, another team of Nomads also suffered defeat, by a goal and a try, in a match with the Victoria Club.

The team against West Kent was, A. K. Rutterworth, (Captain), and A. E. Finch, (half-back), H. C. King, and C. M. Wilkins, (three-quarter backs), B. C. Stephenson, (back), G. Barnet, G. G. Hawkins, E. H. Lawrie, W. G. Glyn, C. E. Powell, A. H. Soden, J. E. Square, G. W. Robbins, T. W. Wall, and A. Whealler, (forward).

Against Victoria.-J. D. Vans-Agnew, (Captain), H. Blackett, J. B. Grant, C. B. Windeler, H. Rayner, H. Wright, G. R. Askwith, T. G. Brown, E. L. Brown, J. Finch, G. D. Petrie, W. E. Hogg, A. H. Hawkins, and R. M. Yetts.

THE LAWS OF HOCKEY.

The maximum length of the ground shall be 150 yards, and the minimum length shall be 100 yards; the maximum breadth of the ground shall be 80 yards, and the minimum breadth shall be 50 yards; the length and breadth shall be marked off with flags, and the goals shall be upright posts 6 yards apart, with a tape across them 7 feet from the ground.

2-The sticks used shall be carvel wooden ones approved by the Committee of the Association. The ball sh 11 be an ordinary sized cricket ball.

3. The game shall be commenced and renewed by a Bally in the centre of the ground. Goals shall be changed at half time only.

4. When the ball is hit behind the goal-line by the attacking side, it shall be brought out straight 15 yards and started again by a Bully, but if hit behind by anyone of the side whose goal line it is, a player of the opposite side shall hit it out from within one yard of the nearest corner flag post, and no player shall be allowed within 20 yards of the ball, until hit out.

5.-When the ball is in touch, a player of the opposite side to that which hit it out, shall roll it ont from the point on the boundary line where it left the ground, in a direction at right angles with the boundary line at least 10 yards, and it shall not be in play until it has touched the ground, and the Player rolling it in shall not play it until it has been played by another player, every player being then behind the ball. 6. When a player hits the ball, anyone of the same side who, at such moment of hitting, is nearer to the opponent's goal-line, is out of play, and may not touch the ball himself, nor in any way whatever prevent any other player from doing so, until the ball has been played, unless there be at least three of his opponents nearer their own goal-line.

7.-The ball may be stopped, but not carried or knocked on by any part of the body. No player shall raise his stick above his shoulder. The ball shall be played from right to left, and no left or back-handed play, charging, tripping, collaring, kicking or shinning shall be allowed.

8. To obtain a goal a player must hit the ball behind the posts and under the tape.

No goal shall be allowed if the ball be hit from a distance of more than 15 yards from the nearest goal-posts. 10-In all cases of a Bully every player shall be behind

the ball.

11.-On the infringement of any of the above rules the ball shall be brought back, and a Bully shall take place. 12. The ordinary number of players shall be 11 a side.

Natural History Society.

GENERAL MEETING, FEB. 12th. The President, H. Richardson, Esq., opened business after giving notice of the lectures and lecturers during the term, and of some donations, and stating that the Annual Report would be shortly published, he went on to propose a vote of thanks to the retiring President, the Rev. T. A. Preston.

The Society had been founded, he said, 16 years ago by Mr. Preston, who had helped it and fostered it during its whole career: it was utterly impossible for anyone in the least to estimate the amount of work he had done for the Society even Mr. Preston himself could hardly know, so unfailingly and uuconsciously, almost, had he exercised his generous and unselfish devotion: and now he intended to resign

his official Presidency, though still purposing to keep on his connection with the Society and to help it in all its work. If anyone wished to reckon up what Mr. Preston had done for the Society, let him look around on the Museum, which existed partly owing to his own munificence and partly owing to the confidence inspired in other donors by his care and ability. It was impossible ever to repay this great. debt; but he wished to move the following resolution:

"That this meeting desires to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the retirement of the Rev. T. A. Preston from the position of President, a position which he has held since the foundation of the Society 16 years ago, to place on record its affectionate appreciation of his unceasing care, devoted zeal, and large munificence, which have rendered such inestimable services to the Marlborough College Natural History Society."

F. E, THOMPSON, Esq., rose to second the resolution. He was, he said, the senior member of the Society, and knew best of all what Mr. Preston's work had been. Mr. Preston had worked away at the Society for 16 years since 1864, and had had to encounter many difficulties: an unworthy spirit of carping among a branch of the School, who despised such. subjects, had, from the outset, been a great annoyance all such difficulties he had met honestly and manfully. There was one work especially of which Mr. Preston could claim the honour, namely, the institution of classes for Natural Science in the School, which lectures he (Mr. Thompson) well remembered. Again, our Society was the oldest and the parent of the many Public School Natural History Societies in England: and Mr. I'reston being the founder of our Society, was therefore the parent of all the rest. If it were asked what good the Society had done, the names of Im Thurn, Duthie, and Meyrick, might be instanced to show how it had opened the eyes of the school to the merits of science. Looking over some 3000 pages of reports, he had seen how great had been Mr. Preston's share of the work: besides constant lectures, the labour of editing the Reports, and the hard solid scientific work of the weather reports, the "Flora of Marlborough," a work perfect of its kind, was due to the industry of Mr. Preston, who by his simple severe devotion, had done, as Dr. Bradley as had remarked,

ninety-nine per cent. of the work of the Society. He therefore seconded the resolution, which was carried by acclamation.

The Rev. J. P. WAY, seconded by O. Elton, moved "That the above resolution be engrossed on vellum and presented to Mr. Preston." It would be as well to embody in some lasting form, however slight, their sense of the benefits which he had conferred on the Society. This was also carried by acclamation.

The Rev. T. A. PRESTON, on rising, was loudly cheered. He had not, he said, anticipated this at all; he thanked them very much for it. The work he had done he had been glad to do. He had laid his reasons for resigning before the Committee, and was convinced they were assented to; he did not see so much as he could wish of the School, nor as much as their excellent new President, Mr. Richardson. The Report, he was glad to say, would eventually become very valuable.

H. RICHARDSON, Esq., then gave the first part of a lecture on "Elephants and Elephant catching," dwelling mainly on the points of locality, size, food, and cost. There was, unfortunately, no time for him to speak of the Elephant Catching, which was postponed. The meeting then adjourned at 10.30.

There were 98 persons present: 25 members, 50 visitors from the School, 13 from the Common Room, and 10 from elsewhere, including 7 ladies.

Art Society.

THE MASTER'S LECTURE ON ROME. Saturday last, Feb. 21st, was a red letter day in the annals of the Art Society. The Master had kindly promised a lecture on Rome, suggested by his recent visit, to be illustrated by Magic Lantern views. Such an attraction, and the fact that admission was granted to members of the School generally as well as to members of the Society, produced a large attendance, the Bradleian being crammed by an audience which included, together with a large representation of the Common-room and many visitors from the town, a considerable proportion of the School. Conscious of the vastness of his subject, the Lecturer plunged at once in medias res, announcing his intention to deal with the external aspects of first the Ancient and secondly the Modern city. Following this plan

he succeeded in covering a marvellous extent of ground within the brief time at his disposal. Starting with a map shewing the walls and the seven hills the Lecturer took his audience through a series of views illustrating the Forum, the Basilicas, the Pantheon, the Coliseum, &c., the interior of the latter building being represented as it appeared previously to Signor Rosa's scraping in 1870, when the walls were stripped of their famous Flora, and the four hundred and seventy species comprised in it destroyed. Before passing from Ancient to Modern Rome a visit was paid to the burying places, both Pagan and Christian, the tombs on the Appian way, the Columbaria and the Catacombs. But scant time was left for Modern Rome, just sufficient to shew a very few of the most famous scenes; nor was this to be wondered at, as in less than an hour and a half some fifty views had been exhibited and discussed. The views, provided by Newton and worked by an assistant from London, were excellently exhib. ited on a large sheet hung in front of the south wall of the Bradleian. The slides were most of them coloured photographs, and came out with admirable effect, the only fault to be found with them being that many were either out of date, failing, e.g., to show the excavations of the last ten years, while the series omitted several familiar and most striking views, a loss which the Lecturer must have felt severely.

A vote of thanks to the Master was passed with acclamation at the bidding of Mr. Bull, and hearty cheers shewed how thoroughly the audience appreciated his kindness in giving this thoroughly successful lecture. The success of the Magic Lantern views leads us to express the hope that similar means of illustration will be occasionally resorted to for future lectures. A second series of Roman pictures, Naples and Pompeii, Greece and Constantinople, or Modern India, are subjects which might suggest themselves to those travellers among us who have visited the places, and may not be unwilling to follow the Master's kind example.

On Thursday, Feb. 5th, the first meeting of the term was held in the Museum. The first business to be done was the election of two new Committee Members, in place of Glennie and Wright, who, though a severe loss to the Society, have found worthy successors in H. R. Scott and E. W. Silver.

This done, the successful paper for the prize offered by the Society was read by its author, E. W. Silver. He had chosen for his subject the life and paintings of Fra Angelico; and we may frankly own he took us by surprise. We had expected a careful and interesting paper on a man who could never fail to attract interest and admiration, but such minute and searching study, such faithful and sympathetic description, such complete realization of the spirit of "Il Beato's" divine art, we were not prepared for. Our pleasure too was heightened by the rich collection of photographs and engravings, with which Silver copiously illustrated his lecture; many of these were his own, and others were kindly lert by Mrs. Bell, Mrs. Bull, Mr. Upcott, Mr. Sharp, and Mr. Furneaux. Space will only permit us to give a very short analysis of Fra Angelico's career. Born late in the fourteenth century, and living for a great part of his life in the convent, first of Fiesole, near Florence, and subsequently of San Dominico, his history presents no striking feature apart from his paintings, detailed descriptions of which took up the body of the lecture. Here however we can only allude to some of his chief works such as, in his early life, the frescoes in the San Marco convent and "the Adoration of the Magi" in the dormitory of the same building; and afterwards, when he went to Rome, where he remained for the latter part of his life, the frescoes of the history of St. Stephen and St. Lawrence, the “ Annunciation," "Descent from the Cross," "Crucifixion," "Coronation of the Virgin," and "The last Judgment," besides many others, varying in size and importance, but all executed with the same microscopic accuracy and finish, and all breathing the same atmosphere of heavenly beauty which the great master seems to have had ever around him. And this leads us finally to the chief excellence of the lecture; namely, the complete realization of the noblest feature of Fra Angelico and his art, his religion. He always knelt to paint the Saviour; he never altered in the slightest anything when once executed, under the firm belief that his every line was drawn under the inspiration of Heaven; and when we gaze upon his divine creations, can we doubt that his belief was true ?

When the lecture was over, so much time was spent in the examination of the many photographs, that the few pictures exhibited by members of the Society