The Taylorian contains some readable articles. The Eleven is not given to unreasonably long scores. The illustrations in Bacchus, his little joke,' are amusing-more so, perhaps, than the little joke

itself.

The Derbeian publishes a very respectable list of honours. In the concert the choral Society 'showed a marked improvement.' In the Athletic Sports the Quarter-mile (553 secs.) and mile (4 min. 54 secs.) were the best things done. The VIII did not achieve a striking success at Wimbledon. Much sarcasm is showered on the languid interest displayed by the School at a Regatta at Burton. Boating, however, seems to be more patronized than Cricket. In the race for the Wingfield Sculls, Derby was represented by Lowndes of Hertford College, Oxford.

The Blue contains an amusing article, entitled Twenty-one. An old Blue, W. Scott, is the enviable person, to whom is this year awarded the Derby Memorial Scholarship at Oxford. School News composes the remainder of the Magazine.

The Elizabethan (Westminster) opens with a recommendation that Green (apparently a playground) should be put to more useful purposes. No. VII. of 'Worthy Westminsters' is devoted to the Duke of Richmond and Gordon. We gather from a somewhat poetically worded announcement that the School is now full. 'Lines on the fallen Elms in Kensington Gardens' are productive of mingled feelings.

O.M.'s.

The Rev. John Ellis has been appointed Head Master of the College, Bournemouth.

Edward Bertram Hagh Jones, Scholar of Jesus College, Oxford, Powys Exhibition at Jesus College.

The Rev. H. J. Foss is returning to Japan, with his wife and Rev. E. C. Hopper, early in October. Their missionary station is at Kobe, or Hiogo, on the South Coast of Japan, and is attached to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.

Among the survivors in the retreat after the battle of Maiwand, is Captain W. J. de la P. Beresford Peirse, of the 66th Regiment, an Old Marlburian. In the last stand made by the British troops he was actually shot through the helmet, the bullet passing along his hair.

W. E. Fairlie was second for the Northern Chapionship at Lawn Tennis, played at Manchester, winning a cup value £10.

DEAR SIR,-Some of your readers have doubtless seen in the papers the Consecration of the Church of All Hallows in the east end of London. This Church is the result of what is called the Winchester College Mission. In 1876 the masters and boys of Winchester held a meeting and decided to pay for a Mission Curate to work in the populous east end of London. This they have done ever since, the result being that with the help of old Wykehamists a Mission district has been formed with a Church, a Vicar (himself an old Wykehamist) and a staff of Curates. One of these curates is still maintained by Winchester. Eton have followed this good example set by Winchester, and are going to pay for a curate to work in the East of London.

Cannot Marlborough do something of the same kind ?

We are specially a School for the sons of clergy, and as such should have the welfare of the Church very much at heart. What Winchester and Eton can do, we also can do. May I suggest that some of the VIth take counsel with the Master and Assistant Masters, and see if Marlborough cannot help in doing some good of this kind. With a school of over 500 boys and 30 masters, with hundreds of O.M.'s in the country, it would surely be very easy to raise £150 a year to support a curate.

The east of London wants men and money to carry on Church work; and besides this there are many other places in England in the same need, such as the Pottery district of North Staffordshire and the black Country of South Staffordshire.. I am sure that if Marlborough will but provide funds for the payment of a curate, it will be but too easy to find him a sphere of work. I know of no means to bring this before the boys of Marlborough but through the help of your paper. The scheme if carried out will not only be of such advantage to the church at large, but also of such advantage to Marlborough itself in raising a spirit of use. fulness in the boys, that I am sure you will excuse my asking you to insert this letter.

Stoke-upon-Trent.

I am, yours faithfully,

H. WALSHAM HOW, O.M.

"BLUE OR BLACK?"

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

SIB, I hear that the colours of the Football XV are to be changed, and that a black cap and jersey are likely to be substituted for the present uniform, which is objected to—so I am told-on account of its "incongruity," (the word is not my own,) and the roughness of the jerseys. As I understand that there is a strong preponderance of opinion in favour of a change, I will not trouble you with my views on that point, further than by saying that I do not think the advocates of change have made out a sufficiently strong case, to justify them in discarding a jersey which I consider pretty, and which undoubtedly has the merit of being unique. object in writing is to point out that if we must have new colours black and white are not the ones to be adopted.

My

No doubt our present colours are open to the charge of "incongruity" which is laid against them, embracing, as they do, some half dozen varieties of dress,- -a jersey and stockings of one pattern, velvet caps of three others and a tie and flannel cap in yet another style;-and perhaps since I was at School, these decorations have been yet further multiplied. Here is incongruity beyond a doubt. But if this is an unpardonable fault, and we are bound to give up our old friends who offend in this respect, we ought to take care that any change we introduce has at least the merit of reducing the fault we complain of to a minimum.

Unfortunately this want of uniformity is a fault that runs through our School colours In this respect we compare unfavourably with many other schools-Cheltenham for

instance.

But surely black and white have not, nor ever had, any pretentions to being considered our school colours in any shape or form, and it seems to me that the proposed change, while insuring uniformity amongst the members of the XV., has the serious drawback of introducing a set of colours in no way characteristic of the School or associated with its traditions, and thereby making our colours more incongruous than ever.

Before the invention of the black and white cap and tie which now distinguish the XV, a medium blue was the characteristic colour of our school. The XI, the XXII, the XX, and (if I mistake not,) the Rifle XI, were all distinguished by blue of the same shade or nearly so; and at any rate blue and white composed the uniform of our representative teams both in the cricket and football field, and subsequently of our racquet players at Prince's. Then can e the black and white cap and tie, to my mind utterly needless innovations, which introduced an altogether incongruous element into our colours, and later helped us to give an illustration of the pitch of senselesstess and bad taste to which school decorations may attain, in the shape of that meaningless mongrel of blue and black, which I trust no longer disfigures the athletes of M.C.

Hence I suppose arose the notion that black was the right colour to distinguish our Football team. Against this notion I protest, and as crt that the proper colour of the XV, as of

any other body that represents the School in althletics, is blue.

If, therefore, we are to have a change, I would make the following suggestions: :

1.-Let the black and white cap and tie be abolished, if the XV can be induced to forego those unnecessary decora. tions, or if there is really a risk of anyone forgetting the members of the XV, let some combination of blue and white be substituted, which shall differ from the XI cap just so far as may be necessary for sparing the susceptibilities of our cricketers.

2.--For the Football Cap, let us retain the blue velvet and silver braid of the B House cap, which to my mind (member of C House though I was), is much the prettiest of the three 3. Let the colours of the jersey be blue and white, care being taken to make the blue match the velvet of the cap. With regard to the form of the jersey, I myself should like to see our present one retained; but if that is not to be, I would suggest either simple blue and white in wide stripes, (like the red and white of Upcott's House XX), or else a plain white jersey with a blue badge or a blue border round the collar, very much like what the Oxford team wear, only that ours is a lighter blue. In the latter case, blue knickerbockers might with advantage be substituted for white flannels. 4.-As to stockings, let them be plain blue. I know hardly any parti coloured stockings that are not hideous. 5. But if blue and white will not please, why not take the colours of the Nomads ? These have been adopted by the O.M's at Cambridge, and have at any rate an intelligible connection with the School.

6. Lastly, if the Committee have decided irrevocably to adopt black and white, would not a white jersey with black badge or collar and black stockings, be the least objectionable combination of these meaningless and funereal colours ?

Will you, Sir, allow me to add a few lines on the subject of our School colours generally?

Simplicity and uniformity are, to my mind, the objects to be aimed at. I protest against blue and white being called the XI colours; I maintain that they are the School colours, and ought to be the only colours worn by our athletic representatives-Cricket XI, Football XV, Gymnasiam VIII, and Racquet pair. The blue and white ribbon ought to be com mon to the members of all those bodies, to be worn either as a tie or hat band; but in the dress appropriate to each par ticular game, the blue and white ought to be worn only by the representatives of that game. The XI then would have their coat and sash; the XV, their football jersey and velvet cap; the gymnasts and racquet players, their zephyr jersey s (and stockings, if you like), and if necessary, some slight difference might be made between the two. But I would not have a member of the XI wearing a zephyr with the School colours, any more than I would allow the Gymnasium VIII to don the blue and white coat, or a racquet player to appear in the velvet cap of the XV. As the flannel cap is part of the dress worn at cricket, and does not properly belong to any

other branch of athletics, I should continue to confine its use to the members of the XI; but if this was considered to be shewing undue favour to cricketers, the cap might be worn by all the athletic bodies, and they might be distinguished from each other by small silver badges-eg. a football, a set of stumps, dumb bells and a racquet. But, to my mind, the simpler the better.

Those, Sir, are my notions. If I have the good fortune not to be singular in them, the present is an excellent opportunity for carrying out some such scheme as I have sketched, which might give us uniformity in our colours and place them on an intelligible basis.

Yours, &c.,

The Temple, October 10th, 1880.

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

A.K.B.

DEAR SIR,-Rather more than a year ago you were good enough to insert some letters from me on the subject of a proposed Museum of Classical Art. Those letters have been more successful than I dared to hope at the time they were written. Within the past year, by means of a grant of £20 from the Council, for brackets, and by the subscriptions of many lovers of Marlborough and art, we have been able to gather together a large number of casts and photographs, illustrative of Greek and Roman sculpture. In one of your future numbers I hope, if you will allow me, to give a short account of the present state of our collection, and to suggest in what way it may be most advantageously extended. I may say that I have not made many purchases lately, because, our funds being limited, I have thought it better to wait a short while than not to get the best things we can get for our money. A few casts, however, will be added this term, and a good many small photographs. I hope I may, without egotism, draw the attention of your readers to a small pamphlet (price 1s 6d, or 1s to members of the School) which I have written to illustrate our present collection, and which the Art Society has published.

I think all those who are interested in the life of the Greeks, and are conscious that they did other things besides write books, must care to know something of the most characteristic product of their genius, their sculpture. It is to help those who feel this want that I have written this "Sketch of the history of Greek sculpture." Many of your readers will like to know that a similar collection is being set on foot in many other schools, and a master in one of these, himself an old Marlburian, is coming to us this term to give a lecture upon the whole subject, illustrated by the magic lantern.

If there are any Marlburians who have not yet subscribed to the fund for the Casts, and wish to do so, I shall be happy to receive their subscriptions, the more so as I hope to be able, in the coming winter, to see what can be got for our collection in Paris.

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

DEAR SIR,-I have one or two suggestions to make with regard to the Corps, which we now see in so flourishing a state. We now have a Captain of the Corps, and a Captain of the Shooting, acting side by side; but the arrangement was made with the understanding that such a thing ought not to happen again unless absolutely necessary. Surely this double arrangement is much more satisfactory than combining both offices into one. The duties of the Captain of the Shooting VIII are quite distinct from those of the Captain of the Corps, and now that the Corp is so much larger the duties of both are considerably increased, and one person cannot efficiently fill both offices without spending a greater amount of time than he can or ought to spend. I therefore propose that for the future there should be, as a matter of course two separate Captains unless it should happen that the Captain of the Corps is senior man of the VIII, when he might have the option of taking both offices or one of them only. This plan is adopted by some other public schools, and I believe answers well.

I also wish to suggest that the officers of the Corps should have more active work in the way of drilling. There might be an officer on duty every week to take recruit's drill or company drill.

Hoping that these suggestions will meet the favour of the authorities.

I am, yours truly,

A FORMER CAPTAIN, M.C.R.V.C.

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

DEAR SIR,-In several of the football matches last year, the view of the game was almost entirely obstructed by the line of caps who were allowed to walk inside the rope and keep the line. Could not some better arrangement be made as the majority of the school must be deprived of a great deal of the pleasure of looking on by this. Ten or Twelve members of the XL might be chosen by the Captain to keep the line. The rest of the XL could perhaps go on the top side.

I remain, etc.,

AN OBSTRUCTIONIST.

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

SIR,-Any one who goes up into the field cannot fail to notice the plantains that cover the ground, even the eleven, spoiling the pitches to a great extent, which they can by no means afford. It would be a great blessing if they could be rooted up before next sea son, as I believe a new machine for annihilating them has be en invented. It would be a capital employment for Brampton and his numerous family during the Christmas Holidays.

Yours, etc.,

CRICKETER.

To the Editor of the Marlburian. DEAR SIR, I hope I shall not be classed among the odious Radical Reformers who are the disgrace of modern England if I venture to make a proposal that may appear somewhat radical to your readers. My object is no less than a change of the jerseys which now encase the manly forms of our Football XV. These jerseys are unsightly, not to say hideous, in appearance, and on account of their peculiar conformation are not made in the way of all jerseys, so that the admixture of blue has to be effected by strips of braid, fastened down the front and back. Now these strips of braid when rubbed by some energetic forward against the face and ears of some other luckless individual packed tight in a scrimmage, cause excruciating agony, and raw places which render football extremely painful. Therefore I suggest that the present jerseys should be changed into others made in the ordinary way, with the colours woven in horizontal, not vertical stripes. As blue stripes would cause confusion with Gould's house jersey, why should not our school jerseys be black and white, to match the caps? Hoping the authorities will con. sider this grievance,

I remain, yours, etc.,

AURITENER.

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

SIR,-Will "Marlborough in Dr. Cotton's time" think again whether it was not by "dear me," and not by "gracious goodness," that Bishop Cotton may have been in the habit of expressing wonderment? A reader of Plato, a very careful and circumspect speaker, would hardly have used such an expression.

I have too to ask you by inserting this letter to make it at least possible that with regard to games, tea, and jam, as remodelled by Rugby, two opinions existed then as I believe they do now.

I beg to remain, your obedient servant,

October 6th, 1880.

COTONIANUS.

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

DEAR SIR,-On two or three previous occasions, a proposal has appeared in your columns, that the Eleven should be used for ordinary football: mine is not quite so radical as that though it is somewhat of the same nature. For some time past, especially since fifteen a side has been played in foreign matches and on Big Game, the increased importance of dribbling has been brought into prominence, and that art seems to have been especially furthered by occasionally playing Association Rules; now all our own grounds are too uneven for a good game of Association, and fellows who really care for it, have to go up to the Common, and then are unable to secure a game among themselves, as Mr. Bambridge and the town club play there too.

I hear that the Common Room have challenged the School to an Association match, and that it will actually have been

played by the time the Marlburian comes out. Now why should not the Eleven be used for Association? Association would not damage the ground as our own Rules might, even if fellows played often, which I do not myself think they would; and the ground would be capital for it; and the bank and the size of the ground would be no impediment now I should think, as was urged against them, when it was proposed to play our own rules there.

In conclusion, I should like to state that I am perfectly disinterested in making this proposal,

The Football season proper opened with Sixth and school on Thursday, the 7th. The School won by 4 goals to 1 try, after two days' play. An account is to be found in another column.

In the first ties of House-matches, Thompson's have defeated Gilmore's, Baker's Upcott's, Way's Preshute, and Sharp's Gould's, Horner's drawing the bye. The first three were decided in one day, the last in two. Thus no match required the full three days.

In second ties the drawing was-Way's play Sharp's, Baker's play Thompson's, Horner's the bye.

On Tuesday, the 12th, the Common Room played the School according to Association rules, and inflicted on them a severe defeat, scoring five goals to nothing.

We notice that the Register, compiled by Mr. De Lisle, has made its appearance. It is a goodly sized volume, containing a mass of information about Marlborough and Marlburians.

Mr. Upcott has published a sketch of Greek Sculpture," written in connexion with the casts and photographs at Marlborough College." Mr. Upcott has made his subject wonderfully interesting considering his limited space, and we heartily recommend it to all interested in Greek Art. Copies may be obtained from L. E. Upcott, Esq., Marlborough College.

We regret to say that Mr. Sharp has lately been suffering from an attack on the lungs; he is now in a fair way to recovery. Mr. Hart-Smith has also been prostrated by over exertion, suffered, report says, by his zeal in one of those energetic, but fast expiring institutions, paper-chases.

The Common Room has been reinforced by the advent of W. S. Robinson, Esq. (O M.), A. C. Champneys, Esq. (O.M.), having forsaken us after a short sojourn.

The first Penny Reading is to be held on the 30th, the Saturday before the Old Fellows' Match. We are asked to say that admission will be by ticket only, and no money will be taken at the doors.

A shed has been constructed between the Bradleian and the Bat Fives' Court for the reception of Bicycles, which have hitherto had to "board out" at Brampton's and Turner's.

In accordance with a letter in our last number

Dumb bell practice has been added to the "curriculum" of the Gymnasium.

It cannot but create some attention, as all the performers howl out the number of the exercise they are engaged upon simultaneously and with great vigour.

The Oratorio Class on Sunday afternoons seems in need of support. It seems a pity to allow the

enthusiasm with which this excellent institution was

welcomed to die away so soon. This term is the one most suited to all such indoor resources.

We acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the following:-The Meteor, The Carthusian, The Cosmopolite, The Epsomian, The Cheltonian, The Derbeian, The Blue, The Taylorian, The Cinque Port, The School Magazine (Uppingham), The Sedberghian, The Radleian, The High School Magazine (Carlisle), The Sydneian, The Eton College Chronicle, The Elizabethan, The King Edward's School Chronicle.

At

THE REV. J. M. WILSON, Head master of Clifton College, has offered a prize for a correct solution of the following:-There is one important element in Meteorology which at present can only be obtained by somewhat troublesome and tedious calculation. It is the direction and amount of the total transference of air by means of wind over any assigned station, estimated either for a day, a month, or a year. present the velocity and direction of the wind are separately observed: that is, there are self recording instruments which tell us that the wind was blowing say at 10 miles an hour, and that it was blowing from a point between E. and S.E., for 3 hours; then for the next 3 hours that it freshened to from 12 to 20 miles an hour, as the wind changed to the S. It

freshened again, from the S.W., to 24 miles an hour for 3 hours more, and so on. The difficulty is to find the net result; and solve such questions as these : How much air passes over England from the East during the spring months? What is the total drift over England in the year, in direction and amount ? And finally, what is the general plan of atmospheric circulation on the globe?

To ascertain this necessitates a self-recording apparatus. It need not estimate time; it is not important to know how long a North wind was blowing during the day: the net result is the same whether it blew 20 miles an hour for 3 hours, and then fell calm; or whether it blew 10 miles an hour for 6 hours. All that is necessary is that a line should be drawn on a sheet of paper to show the direction in which the wind is blowing, and the velocity, according to some scale. For example, on the scale of an inch to 10 miles an hour, the record of the wind described above would be a line 11 inches long, beginning from the E. and curving from the S.E. Then the line would curve further till it pointed from the S, and be about 2-4 inches long. Then it would go off in a straight line 36 inches from the S.W. It is plain that the total transference is given approximately by the dotted line 0 9. That is, on reference to the scale, the net result is the same as if a wind had been blowing for 9 hours at 12.2 miles an hour from 10 degrees W. of S.

It is required to invent a machine by which the wind itself shall trace this line; a new paper being supplied to the machine every day, or month, or year, as may be required.

J. M, WILSON.

Solutions to be sent in to MR. DRURY, on or before December 1st, with mottos, and the name of the author in an envelope with the same motto.

MARLBOROUGH NOMADS FOOTBALL CLUB.

At a largely attended special general meeting of the above club at the Princess of Wales' Hotel, Blackheath, F. J. Currey, Esq., in the chair, the following resolutions, proposed by J. M. Chapman, Esq., and seconded by A. K. Butterworth, Esq., were carried with only three dissentients.