ensued in waiting for a government grant for a certified Home, but during the past week healthy homes had been found for six little girls where they would be trained in habits of industry and taught the difference between right and wrong.

Miss ANNIE MACPHERSON moved-"That this meeting highly approves of the efforts which are at present being made to remove little girls who are exposed to companionship with persons of dissolute habits at an early age from those influences, and save them from becoming vagrants and criminals." Miss Macpherson then gave a very instructive address upon her own experience of the extent to which young children are exposed to danger by being altogether neglected. She had herself personally gone after neglected little girls and taught them their first steps in the paths of industry and morality. The new home ought to be in a central site in Belfast, not on the outskirts, so that when a policeman met any destitute little waif, he could without difficulty take her to the institution.

Miss TOD seconded the resolution. It was a source of great satisfaction to the ladies interested in temperance work that the Committee of the Association had seen its way to looking after the special question of caring for little girls who were vagrants. They knew there were a great many children in the position of orphans, or members of very poor and neglected families who were already being looked after systematically by orphan societies, or by clergymen and tried friends, who would not let them be neglected; but there was a class of children in a lower stratum, who, being in very great danger indeed, were more particularly the objects of attention on the part of the Association. This class included little girls whose condition in life made it imperative on all Christian people in this community to work that those girls might be saved. The original plan of a home, which was designed to be carried out under an Act passed in the session before last, was necessarily suspended, owing to the Government having appointed a Committee to inquire into the working of all industrial schools, but they had not lost sight of their object.

The resolution was adopted. In proposing the vote of thanks to the chairman, the Rev. Dr. Donald took occasion to observe that the three ladies who had addressed the meeting-Mrs. Byers, Miss Macpherson, and Miss Tod—were credit to their sex, to the Church of God, and to the United Kingdom.

The following day a woman's conference was held in the Lombard Hall. Miss Nicholson, of Lisdhu, presided, and reports were read from delegates of the branch Associations in connection with the Belfast Ladies' Temperance Association. It was particularly encouraging to see how large a number of young women were becoming participators in the movement. Papers on the proposed Home for little girls were also read by Mrs. Lowry and by Miss Paul.

LADY Hope addressed 1,000 women on the subject of temperance during the recent conference at Bournemouth.

TEMPERANCE IN THE NAVY.-At a meeting held lately in Exeter Hall, Miss Agnes E. Weston delivered an address upon the progress and prospects of the temperance work in the navy, with which she has so long been identified.

MARRIED WOMEN'S PROPERTY BILL.

This bill, introduced by the Lord Chancellor, stands for report on the 25th inst., and will probably pass the final stage of third reading a few days later. Its progress in the Commons may be delayed for some time by the exigences of public business, but it is evident that little more is now needed than a strong, determined, and continuous effort on the part of its promoters to pass this admirable measure into law during the present session.

Up to the 28th of March, the date of the last report of petitions, 122 petitions with 2,724 signatures, including those of many eminent persons, had been presented to the House of Commons in support of the measure, and not a single petition against it. To the House of Lords no petition had been presented adverse to the bill, and a very large number of petitions in its favour; but as no special report of petitions is issued by the

House of Lords, it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of petitions, and impossible to state the total number of signatures; there is, however, reason to believe that they considerably exceed those presented to the House of Commons.

The committee urge their friends to promote petitions to both Houses, and in every other possible way to keep this important reform under public consideration till the Bill has actually become part of the law of the land. Every person willing to help can obtain petition sheets, with written or printed headings, pamphlets, leaflets, and other papers, by application to the Secretary, Mrs. Wolstenholme Elmy, Congleton.

LEGAL CASES AFFECTING MARRIED WOMEN.

A HUSBAND'S TITLE TO WEDDING PRESENTS.-In the Court of Queen's Bench on February 15th, before Lord Chief Justice Coleridge and a special jury, the case of Williams v. Mercier came on for trial. The case took the form of an interpleader issue brought on to try the right to certain jewellery, of the value of £1,170, which had been seized by the sheriff under an execution issued by the defendant against the wife of the plaintiff. The plaintiff was a gentleman of fortune, living in South Audley Street, and in March, 1881, he married a lady who before her marriage had had dealings with the defendant, a milliner in Park Street, Grosvenor Square. It appeared that at the time of her marriage Mrs. Williams was indebted to the defendant for goods supplied, and that after her marriage the defendant obtained judgment against her for a sum of about £1,000. jewellery in question was seized to satisfy that judgment. It was now shown on the part of the plaintiff that the jewellery had been given to Mrs. Williams by her friends at the time of her marriage, as wedding presents. Lord Chief Justice Coleridge ruled that in these circumstances the property had passed to the husband, and the defendant had no right to seize it in satisfaction of a judgment obtained against the separate estate of the wife. A verdict was accordingly entered for the plaintiff.

The

MARRIED FEMALE APPRENTICES.-At Worship Street,

London, on Saturday, Mr. B. J. Abbott attended before Mr. Bushby to hear his decision regarding an application he had previously made on behalf of a firm of cigar makers for summonses against two female apprentices, who, having since the signing of their indentures, married, now repudiated the contract. Mr. Bushby said he had carefully considered the matter, and he was of opinion that the marriage of the apprentices had rendered the contract void. He, therefore, refused to grant them the summonses. He had searched the law reports, and could find nothing directly bearing on the point, and he should therefore be glad if Mr. Abbott's clients would apply for a mandamus, so that the matter could be argued before a superior court. Mr. Abbott said he had no doubt his clients would take that course, as it was a matter of great importance, not only to them, but to all large firms who were employers of female labour. The firm he appeared for had over 300 women in their service.-Times, April 3rd.

BRISTOL WOMEN'S LIBERAL ASSOCIATION.-On March 15th, in connection with the Bristol Women's Liberal Association, a lecture was delivered in the Maudlin Street Schoolroom, by the Rev. W. Hargrave, upon "The Laws of England relating to the property of Married Women." The lecturer, who was listened to with much attention, detailed in a clear and concise manner the position occupied by married women in regard to their earnings and personal property, and the measures adopted to remedy what was considered to be defects in the law relating to such cases.

WOMEN'S POSITION IN THE BAPTIST CHURCH.-On April 4th, the Southern Conference of General Baptists held its spring meeting in the new Baptist Chapel, Bethnal Green Road, London. Among the subjects discussed was a Paper by Mrs. Burns, "On the position of women in the Church, in which she contended for an official recognition of woman's usefulness in various portions of Church organization, and for a further development of such organization to enable women to enter spheres of Church work for which she was peculiarly suited." Rev. Mr. Clifford, Mrs. Fletcher, and others remarked on the valuable suggestions given in

the paper, and a cordial vote of thanks was unanimously awarded to Mrs. Burns.

OBITUARY.

DEATH OF MISS DORA GREENWELL.-We regret to announce that Miss Dora Greenwell died on March 29th at Clifton. Miss Greenwell will be remembered as one of the earliest and most appreciated writers in Good Words and Sunday Magazine. Her poetry had much of the same kind of charm which belongs to the compositions of Mrs. Barrett Browning, a writer for whom Miss Greenwell cherished the highest admiration. Many of her prose works, such as "Colloquia Crucis," "The Patience of Hope," "The Two Friends," and "A Life of Lacordaire," have had a deserved reputation amongst those who were fortunate enough to know her subtle and delicate methods of dealing with great subjects, She had long been an invalid.

MISCELLANEOUS.

LADIES' DRESS EXHIBITION.-A loan collection of ladies dresses and hygienic wearing apparel was exhibited under the auspices of the National Health Society, 44, Berners Street, on March 21st and the three following days, at the Cavendish Rooms. This has excited much interest, and the Cavendish Rooms have been very crowded during the days it has been open. The object of the National Health Society was to show specimens of hygienic wearing apparel, which had been sent to illustrate Mr. Treves's lectures, and which it was impossible to exhibit on the platform. One of the first things to be noticed was a stand of boots, some neat and pretty, others strong, stout, and the reverse of elegant, but all with very low heels, and more or less broad toes. The new divided skirt was there, sent by Lady Harberton, and Greek dresses were lent by Mrs. Pfeiffer. The general tendency of the hygienic clothing is to reduce the unnecessary number of articles of attire, and to give warmth, and a neat effect without weight and encumbrance.

FEMALE INSPECTORS OF SCHOOLS.-The Paddington Board of Guardians has still much to learn, for when,