Max. O’Rell, the French author, in his book _John Bull at Home_, writes English people are very great on words; lying is unknown. I was travelling by rail one day with an English bishop. There were five in our compartment. On arriving at a station we heard a cry, “Five minutes here!” My lord bishop, with the greatest haste, set to work to spread out travelling-bag, hat-box, rug, papers, &c. A lady appeared at the door, and asked, “Is there room here?” “Madam,” replied the bishop, “all the seats are full.” When the poor lady had been sent about her business, we called his lordship’s attention to the fact that there were only five of us in the carriage, and that, consequently all the seats were not taken. “I did not say that they were,” answered my lord; “I said that they were _full_.” DROPPING THE LETTER “L.” In an advertisement by a railway company of some unclaimed goods, the “l” dropped from the word “lawful,” and it reads now, “People to whom these packages are directed are requested to come forward and pay the _awful_ charges on the same.” THE SAFEST SEAT IN A RAILWAY CARRIAGE. The _American Engineer_, as the result of scientific calculations and protracted experience, says the safest seat is in the middle of the last car but one. There are some chances of danger, which are the same everywhere in the train, but others are least at the above-named place. RAILWAYS A JUDGMENT. In _White’s Warfare of Science_ there is an account of a worthy French Archbishop who declared that railways were an evidence of the divine displeasure against innkeepers, inasmuch that they would be punished for supplying meat on fast days by seeing travellers carried by them past their doors. CLAIM FOR GOODWILL FOR COW KILLED ON THE RAILWAY. A farmer living near the New York Central lost a cow by a collision with a train on the line; anxious for compensation he waited upon the manager and after stating his case, the manager said, “I understand she was thin and sick.” “Makes no difference,” replied the farmer. “She was a cow, and I want pay for her.” “How much?” asked the manager. “Two hundred dollars!” replied the farmer. “Now look here,” said the manager, “how much did the cow weigh?” “About four hundred, I suppose,” said the farmer. “And we will say that beef is worth ten cents a pound on the hoof.” “It’s worth a heap more than that on the cow-catcher!” replied the indignant farmer. “But we’ll call it that, what then? That makes forty dollars, shall I give you a cheque for forty dollars?” “I tell you I want two hundred dollars,” persisted the farmer. “But how do you make the difference? I’m willing to pay full value, forty dollars. How do you make one hundred and sixty dollars?” “Well, sir,” replied the farmer, waxing wroth, “I want this railroad to understand that I’m going to have something special for the goodwill of that cow!” THE INSURANCE AGENT.