Louis convention a prominent partisan of Mr McKinley, the Republican nominee for the Presidency of the United States, approached a coloured delegate who hailed from Mississippi to learn the Presidential preference of the Southern States. " You coloured dele gates are all solid for McKinley ?" he in terrogated. The politician from the Cotton State eyed him curiously for a moment. " No, sah, dafc am not de truff," he corrected ; " dat am not de truff, sah." " Why," exclaimed Mr S., "I had not heard of a differenco of opinion among you. Whom are you for?" " Well, sah," exclaimed the Mississippi man of colour in an impressive stngu whisper, "you sco, it is jus' likedis, sah : at present some of us is fo' McKinley, some of us is fo' Reed, some of us is fo' Allison, an' some of us is fo' sale yet." England's oak is now " made in Ger many." The great roof beams of Win chester Cathedral are being renewed, and the wood used is Stettin oak, cut in 42 Jft lengths, the other dimensions being I4in by 18in. The Forth Bridge is constantly being re-painted. This is no light undertaking. So vast is the structure that it takes fifty tons of paint to give it one "coat," and the area dealt with is something like 120 acres. An extraordinary story (says the Rock) is going the rounds of the Dublin clergy. It is stated that a lady, who is in the habit of attending one of the cathedrals, has lately seen the figure of a deceased member of the chapter sitting in his place iv the choir. To add to the mystery, one of the members of the staff of the cathedral has asserted that a similar uppearancc of the same person has occurred to her. The story is told by a dignitary of the city, who himself is regarded as no mean authority on such spiritualistic mysteries. The New York World gives some extra ordinary figures concerning the expenditure by both the Republican and Democratic managers over the recent election. It cost £"282.100 of campaign funds to elect Mr McKinley, and there was about £15,000 left in the Republican treasury at the end. 