deen, was stolen from Halstead Place, near Sevenoaks. The property carried off by the thief or thieves consisted mainly of bridal presents, the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen having gone to Halstead Place to spend their honeymoon.

BLANTYRE MINE.-Evidence of an extraordinary character as to the condition of the Blantyre mine before the explosion was given at the enquiry on the subject. A fireman ("fire-trier"), named Little, confessed that although fire-damp was constantly present, the men "worked with naked lights in front of their bonnets." "If they touched the roof it would kindle." rules as to the use of powder were systematically violated.

The

THE REV. A. TOOTH.-The Queen's Bench, to-day, made absolute a rule which the Rev. A. Tooth, of Hatcham, had obtained against Lord Penzance for a prohibition to him from proceeding further in relation to the prosecution of Mr. Tooth for excess in ritual. The ground of application was that the requisition of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Dean of Arches to hear the case called upon him to sit in London or Westminster, or within the diocese of Rochester. The learned Judge sat at Lambeth, which is not included in either of the places named. The Lord Chief Justice observed that the Court made the rule absolute with great regret, as the objection was of the most technical description.

MR. PONGO has died suddenly in Berlin, without giving any previous signs of illness, so that we shall never know how far he might have been educated, and how civilised a gorilla, early received into human society, might become.

20. MR. CHARLES HALL has been appointed Attorney-General to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in place of the Hon. A. Thesiger, recently raised to the Appeal Court. Mr. Hall was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1866, and is a member of the South-Eastern Circuit.

ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY.-At a meeting of this society, held at the offices, Trafalgar Square, the silver medallion was unanimously voted to Miss Grace Vernon Bussell, a young lady sixteen years of age, and the bronze medallion to Samuel Isaacs, her black servant, for saving life. On December 1 last the screw-steamer "Georgette sprang a leak at sea in a gale off Cape Lewin, during a voyage from Freemantle to Port Adelaide, and was stranded at a place called Kaldagup, about eight miles south of Wallcliffe House, the residence of Mr. A. P. Bussell, and fifty miles from the township of Busselton, Perth. Hearing of the accident, Miss Bussell, atter ded by her black servant, rode on horseback down a very steep cliff at full speed to the scene of the disaster, and found the boat capsized in two-and-a-half fathoms of water, and the passengers clinging to her. Miss Bussell lost no time in riding her horse into the sea, and, after the greatest difficulty, at length succeeded in reaching the boat, accompanied by Isaacs, and, with as many women and children clinging to her and her horse as possible, she

made for the shore and placed them in safety, the man Isaacs returning to the boat and saving a man who had been left there.

THE DETECTIVE INSPECTORS.-The trial of the detective inspectors, Meiklejohn, Druscovich, Palmer, and Clarke, and of Mr. Froggatt, solicitor, at the Old Bailey, was brought to a conclusion to-day, having occupied twenty days. The jury, after a deliberation of less than an hour, found a verdict of guilty against all the prisoners with the exception of Clarke, and recommended Palmer and Druscovich to mercy on account of the good characters which they had borne. Each of the convicted prisoners addressed Mr. Baron Pollock in mitigation of sentence, but his Lordship declined to make any distinction between them, and ordered them to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for two years. Inspector Clarke was bound over to answer any further charges which may be preferred against him.

THE RAILWAY STATISTICS of last year show very remarkably the extraordinary safety of railway travelling. The total number of travellers (excluding the season ticket travellers) was no less than 538,281,295; and of these, one in every group of 3,872,570 was killed, and one in every group of 285,867 injured; that is, the chance of being killed in any single journey is about as great as the chance of drawing the prize in a lottery with over three million tickets, and all but one of them blanks; while the chance of being wounded is equal to the chance of drawing a prize in a lottery containing 285,867 tickets, and all but one of them blanks. No one, we suppose, would sacrifice anything he really valued for either chance, and yet the superstitious expectation of luck is always a much more effective force in the mind than the superstitious expectation of unluck.

21. MARRIAGE OF THE DUKE of Norfolk.-The nuptials of his Grace the Duke of Norfolk with Lady Flora Hastings, daughter of the Countess of Loudoun, who represents now the Marquis of Hastings, who conquered the Mahrattas, and of Mr. C. F. Abney-Hastings, were celebrated to-day at the Roman Catholic Oratory, Brompton. This nobleman, who is Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England, Premier Duke and Premier Earl, takes precedence next to Princes of the Blood Royal. He is Henry Fitzalan Howard, fifteenth Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Arundel, Surrey, and Norfolk, Baron Fitzalan, Clun, Oswaldestrie, and Maltravers. He was born. December 27, 1847, eldest son of Henry Grenville Fitzalan Howard, the late Duke of Norfolk, his mother being Augusta, youngest daughter of the late Admiral Lord Lyons, G.C.B., commander of the British fleet in the Black Sea during the Crimean War.

22. RECTORSHIP OF ST. ANDREW's.-The election of a Rector of St. Andrew's University, in succession to the Dean of Westminster, whose term of office has expired, took place to-day, Lord Selborne and Mr. Gathorne Hardy having been nominated. Lord Selborne polled 79 votes, and Mr. Hardy 64. Professor Tyndall, who was compelled to decline the Rectorship, has written, warmly thanking

the students for having proposed to confer the honour upon him, and expressing his deep regret that his duties at the Royal Institution prevent him from accepting it.

THE MASONS' STRIKE.-The strike has now lasted for 17 weeks, and has cost the men during this period 11,800l., being an average of 6001. per week. Of this amount some 3,000l. has been derived from the weekly levies paid by the men working in London at the advanced rate of 10d. per hour. It is probable that the various provincial lodges will order a weekly levy for the London strike fund, and as this is likely to result in a sixpenny levy on some 25,000 members, it may be expected to produce about 600l. a week.

23. BURGLARY.-Between 10 o'clock to-night (Friday) and 7 o'clock on Saturday morning, the residence of Sir Joseph W. Bazalgette, at St. Mary's, Arthur Road, Wimbledon Park, was entered by a gang of burglars, who are believed to be the same who have committed so many burglaries lately in the south-western district, and for whom the police have set so many traps without effect. The thieves in this instance effected an entrance into the house by the drawing-room window, which is on the ground floor, and the fact of their having visited the premises was not discovered till the servants rose at their usual hour in the morning. The thieves, who as yet are uncaptured, have taken with them, amongst other things, a silver trowel, with ivory handle, bearing the following inscription:-"Presented by the Metropolitan Board of Works to J. W. Bazalgette, Esq., in commemoration of the laying of the first stone of the Thames Embankment."

24. THE GALE AND WRECKS.-The violent gales of wind to-night (Saturday) and on Sunday morning did much damage to shipping along the south-east coasts of England. Many vessels lying in the Downs were carried away from their anchorage by the huge seas that rolled in over the Goodwin Sands, when the gale shifted, about an hour after midnight, from a southerly quarter to the north-east, the tide flowing in at the same time. The French brigantine Gustave, and the Queen, of Dartmouth, were dashed ashore near Deal, the latter striking the pier at the entrance to that harbour, and both vessels were wrecked, the captain and two men of the Queen being drowned. Among the other vessels wrecked were the barque Morley and the French schooner République; two passengers in the latter were drowned, and two of the Morley's passengers, a lady and a boy. Twenty-two persons were saved by the exertions of the Deal boatmen and Coastguard. As many as thirty vessels went on shore between Kingsdown and Ramsgate. The brigantine Charles Davenport, which had been ashore near Margate for a fortnight, broke up, and portions floated towards the town. The hull was carried with terrific force against the jetty, a considerable portion of which, with the waiting-rooms, is destroyed. A French vessel, with six hands, went ashore at Fort Point; fortunately, it drove near to the Aquarium sea wall, and the crew were rescued

there with ropes. There were fifteen vessels ashore close to the town of Margate. The Margate, Ramsgate, and Broadstairs lifeboats, the harbour steamer, and a London steam-tug were respectively instrumental in saving the crew of fifteen men from the barque Hero, which afterwards went ashore. They also took safely into harbour the schooner Jane Cameron and Glaner, the brigantine Mermaid, of Guernsey, the schooner Louisa, of Guernsey, and three other vessels. The Margate life-boat was much injured by being dashed against the barque by the heavy sea.

STATUE OF ROBERT BRUCE.-A statue of King Robert the Bruce, which has been erected by public subscription on the Castle Esplanade at Stirling, was unveiled this morning. The statue, which has been cut in freestone from a block weighing five tons, is nine feet in height, and stands on a pedestal ten feet high. The patriot king is represented clad in a coat of chain armour, over which is thrown a royal robe, and he is in the act of sheathing his sword after having achieved the independence of Scotland.

25.-ROYAL GENEROSITY.-At a special meeting of the Heywood Local Board it was announced that the Queen had presented to the town twenty acres of land for the purposes of a public park. The money has been set apart by the Queen out of a sum exceeding 10,000l. which fell to her as Duchess of Lancaster, through the death, without heirs, of Mr. C., M. Newhouse, of Heywood.

26.-LYNN MIDDLE LEVEL WORKS.-The new sluice at the Middle Level Works, near Lynn, was opened to-day. The sluice was opened by Mr. E. Fellowes, in the presence of about 200 gentlemen. The engineer is Sir John Hawkshaw, and the contractor Mr. Webster. The cost is between 40,000l. and 50,000l., and by it 200,000 acres are to be drained, and rivers to the extent of 200 miles. The sluice is in substitution of syphons, which will be discontinued. It is said that the fen country of the Isle of Ely will now be safe from inundation.

- A THEATRE DESTROYED BY FIRE. The Theatre Royal, Worcester, has just been destroyed by fire. The previous night the theatre was occupied by Mr. James Elphinstone's company, and the comedy of "Pygmalion and Galatea" was performed. The theatre was locked up soon after eleven o'clock, at which hour everything appeared to be safe. Shortly before seven o'clock this morning smoke and flames were observed to issue from the back part of the premises, and an entrance having been obtained, the whole of the interior of the building was found to be in flames. The services of the firemen were promptly called into requisition, but it was seen from the first that nothing could save the theatre itself, and the services of the firemen were consequently directed to the adjacent buildings. The theatre was completely gutted, and at the close of the day nothing but the bare walls and charred timbers were left standing. The theatre was a new one, having

been rebuilt in 1874, and was a copy of the Gaiety Theatre. The building was insured for 3,000l.

27. THE MASONS' STRIKE.-Mr. Bull, the contractor for the new Law Courts, having been in Germany some time for the purpose of selecting for himself men capable of work, and willing to come to this country to serve him, has been so far successful that he returned to the works yesterday morning with 129 German masons. In each instance the men have signed a contract for twelve months, their pay averaging from 7d. to 9d. the hour.

28. THE ST. GOTHARD RAILWAY.-The German Government has informed the Federal Council at Berne that, subject to the ratification of the German Parliament, it will contribute a further sum of 10,000,000f. towards the cost of constructing the St. Gothard Railway.

WILLIAMSON V. BARBOUR.—The great case of "Williamson v. Barbour," in the Rolls Court, terminated on Wednesday, Sir George Jessel deciding in favour of the plaintiffs. Messrs. Williamson & Co., Calcutta merchants, sought to reopen the accounts between them and Messrs. Barbour & Co., of Manchester, for the past twenty years. Messrs. Barbour were their agents, and they alleged that the agents had, while professing only to charge commission, made a great variety of minute profits on purchases, insurances, discounts, packing, &c., to which they were not entitled, and which amounted in the aggregate to more than 100,000l. The defence was that Messrs. Barbour had followed the custom of the trade, which permits such overcharges, and that Messrs. Williamson knew all about them. Sir George Jessel, in a lengthy judgment of extraordinary clearness and vigour, decided that Messrs. Williamson did not know, that no trade custom could override the plain provisions of law and right, and that the accounts must be reopened. It is said that the investigation of the accounts in Chambers will take ten years, after which will come an appeal.

DECEMBER.

3. MOUNT STUART HOUSE, the Marquis of Bute's mansion at Rothesay, was destroyed by fire to-day. The fire burned nearly all day, and when it was put out nothing of the main building was left but the bare walls. A large amount of property was saved, including most of the valuable paintings in the picture gallery, but some of them were damaged. The men of her Majesty's ship "Jackal" assisted in putting out the fire. There were no efficient appliances at hand for that purpose, and it appears that in Rothesay, a town of 9,000 inhabitants, there is no fire-engine. The Marquis and Marchioness were not at home, brt were expected to-day, and preparations had been made for their reception.