It is not a little surprising that the clergyman in charge did not supervise more carefully the various announcements, especially when so many a _contretemps_ occurred. Once a parish clerk announced in his rector's hearing:--"There'll be no service next Sunday as the rector's going out grouse shooting." The rector had injudiciously acquainted his clerk with the reason of his approaching absence, and this was the result. It happened, of course, a half century since, but it illustrates an interesting state of things as existing at that period. With it two similar incidents may well be mentioned, the first of which occurred in Scotland, the second in the Principality. "Next Sawbath," said a worthy Scotch beadle, "we shall have no Sawbath, for the meenister's house is having spring cleaning, and as the weather is very bad the meenister's wife wants the kirk to dry the things in." "Next Sunday," declared the unconsciously amusing Welshman, "there'll be no Sunday, as we're going to whitewash the church with yellow-ochre." Sometimes the omission of a stop caused sore trouble to the clerk, while it hugely delighted the congregation. "A man having gone to see his wife desires the prayers of this church," was the startling announcement. But had not the clerk been near-sighted and mistaken _sea_ for _see_, and had a comma been supplied after sea, the notice would have been all right, for it was simply the request of a sailor's wife on behalf of her husband. Once the clerk made the announcement that a parish meeting would be held on a given date. "No, no," interrupted the vicar. "D'ye think I'd attend to business on the audit day!" The audit days were recognised as times of hearty feasting and convivial mirth, in which the vicar played no unimportant part. This freedom of speech between clergyman and clerk was not seldom fruitful of ill-restrained amusement when the announcements were made. A vicar informed his congregation one Sunday morning that he would hold the customary service for baptisms in the afternoon, and requested the parents to bring their children punctually, so that there might be no delay in commencing. Immediately he had said this, the old clerk, sleepy and deaf, thinking the parson's announcement had to do with a new hymn-book which at that time was being introduced, arose, and graciously informed the people that for those who were still without them he had a stock in the vestry from which they could be supplied at the low charge of eighteenpence each. This is slightly similar:--"I publish the banns of marriage between ... between ..." announced a clergyman from the pulpit. But here for a moment he stopped, as the book in which were the notices was not to be seen. The clerk, seeing his vicar's predicament, and catching sight of the whereabouts of the missing book, ejaculated:--"Between the cushion and the desk, sir." The unique character of another notice will fully justify its inclusion. "I