DECEMBER.

6. RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.-Three serious railway accidents are reported as having occurred on December 6. The express train from London to Leeds, leaving Derby at 1.10, had just left Ambergate, and was passing a place known as Bull Bridge, when one of the wheels of a horse-box broke, which caused two of the passengercarriages to leave the metals. The shock for the minute was so alarming that one of the passengers, in fright, jumped out of the carriage and was killed on the spot. The train was stopped as speedily as possible, but the greatest excitement ensued among the passengers, who, although somewhat shaken, were not apparently further injured. A portion of the train was made up after a short delay, and proceeded on its journey.

The second accident happened on the London and North Western Railway. The connecting-rod of the engine of a goods train (which was on its way to Carlisle) broke, and was forced through the firebox and boiler, causing the boiler to burst. The driver and fireman were severely injured-the latter seriously. A bridge near was destroyed by the explosion.

The third was a collision which took place near Sheffield, between two goods trains, by which great damage was done to the rolling stock and permanent way. One of the men was injured, and the traffic was stopped for some hours.

We record all these accidents not from any special feature distinguishing any one of them, but to mark the dangerous increase in this description of casualty at the present time. The average of railway accidents has recently been estimated at four per week.

7. IN 1869 great fear was expressed that the choice of Dr. Hayman as head-master of Rugby School, by a Board of Trustees whose term of office was shortly to expire, was a mistake which would bear evil fruit. Even the old Board of Trustees had some reason to think so, for before they went out of office they refused, after a full hearing, to remove Mr. Scott, one of the under-masters, against whom Dr. Hayman had made bitter complaints. But the new Board of Trustees, which contains at least six of the members of the old Board, some of them strong Conservatives, must have had still further reason to regret the choice made, as they have just passed a resolution, in relation to this serious quarrel, to the following effect:-"The Governing Body, upon a review of all that has taken place between Dr. Hayman and Mr. Scott, desire_to express their conviction that the course taken throughout by Dr. Hayman in dealing with Mr. Scott has not been marked by that spirit of justice which the circumstances of the case required. They regret extremely that charges against Mr. Scott, which have been

shown to rest on no foundation, have been withdrawn only on compulsion, and that no apology has been offered, as the Governing Body understand, for the serious evil which the statement of such charges has occasioned to Mr. Scott, or for the heavy pecuniary loss which the prohibition to take private pupils has inflicted upon him, on acccunt of personal reasons which will not bear examination. If Dr. Hayman is not prepared to act in future in a spirit of cordial good-will towards Mr. Scott, the Governing Body think it is due to the interests of the school that Dr. Hayman should lose no time in retiring from the office of head-master." A "very pretty quarrel" arose out of this minute, and the publication of an extremely lengthy correspondence which did not tend to raise Dr. Hayman in the public estimation.

8. GREAT GALE IN LONDON.-This day (Sunday) a violent southwesterly gale, accompanied by very heavy rain, burst over London at about 4 p.m., and continued with hurricane-like force until Monday morning, doing much damage to property, and injuring numbers of persons, though, considering the violence of the storm, few cases of loss of life are recorded. The storm will be remembered as the most severe which has been experienced for years. London, however, did not suffer alone. The southern and southwestern parts of the country felt the full force of the gale, and on the coast the casualties have been very numerous, the index in Lloyd's List to the names of ships which had been disabled occupying on Tuesday and Wednesday nearly as much space as the complete information in ordinary times.

The appearance of the streets of London at daybreak on Monday morning was such as has only been witnessed once during the last six years. Tiles, chimney-pots of earthenware and zinc, sign-posts, and other materials, were strewn in the roads and pathways; and in some of the crowded thoroughfares, where the houses are not very substantially built, full evidence was afforded of the danger to life and limb which persons would have run had the gale prevailed during the day. Many persons were injured by the falling of heavy notice-boards, though the greater number who attended at the hospitals received their injuries in their own houses.

Amongst the numerous accidents which occurred was one to a City policeman, upon whom a large mass of hoarding at Ludgatehill Station fell. Between the station and Ludgate-hill heavy boards have been raised to a considerable height, and these have been covered with advertisement placards. The boards have been held together by uprights, which experience has now shown were entirely insufficient. Shortly after eight o'clock several feet of this hoarding were blown into the street, to the great danger of passengers who were coming from the station. A little before nine o'clock some children were close to the hoarding, when Policeconstable 411 ran towards them in order to get them away from the danger which threatened them. In this he succeeded, but in another moment a fierce gust of wind arose, bringing down several

yards of the hoarding, which fell upon the officer and severely injured him. In Newgate-street, close by, a singular accident occurred. The tradesman who told the tale said, "The wind unlocked all my shutters, and blew them right out into the street." In the north-west corner of St. Paul's Churchyard, where, according to an old legend, Boreas is perpetually waiting for his Satanic Majesty, who has dropped into the cathedral for a minute or two and has not returned, people were blown about in the most ludicrous fashion, and were obliged to take refuge in the adjacent courts and alleys. Six houses, five of them in course of construction, are stated to have been blown down; and in the sixth case, which occurred at Shepherd's Bush, three of the inmates were very severely injured. A large building in Bermondsey, which was being erected for business purposes, was so shattered by the wind that it will have to be re-erected. In the parks young trees were torn up from the ground by the force of the wind.

Great damage has been done on the Thames. The scene near the mouth of the river was of the most exciting nature, all sorts of small craft making for the Medway, which, on Monday, was full of shipping. The water was very rough, and made clear breaches of the decks of the numerous sailing-barges bound for Rochester, Maldon, and Colchester, and it is feared that two at least of them have sunk with all hands. Three barges were driven with terrific force against the new pier opposite Lambeth Palace, laden with coal, and were shattered and sunk. Below London Bridge a large number of similar accidents were reported, and in one case, which occurred near Woolwich, a man was drowned.

Great destruction has also been caused in the south of London. Along Dulwich, Norwood, Nunhead, Cheam, Epsom, and in the neighbourhood of the Crystal Palace, trees have not only been stripped of their limbs, but some that have been in the ground for twenty or thirty years have been uprooted.

The accounts from the country are in proportion. At Oxford we learn that the wall and pinnacles of the chapel at Oriel College were blown down, and at the Great Western Railway the new goods station, in course of erection, was completely prostrated. Great fears were entertained that the spire of All Saints' Church, which is being taken down as unsafe, would not escape; but with the exception of the displacement of a few loose stones, the old tower withstood the gale. At Christ Church about fifty feet of the ornamental parapet wall over the Vice-Chancellor's residence were blown on to the lead roof, which was severely damaged in consequence. Some of the University barges on the Thames were sunk. Two or three of the large elms in the Broad-walk were blown down, and large branches of others broken off. The end wall of a house at Cowley St. John's fell, but the occupants escaped unhurt. Garden-walls in several parts of the city fell, and some ornamental stonework was blown off from All Souls' College.

A drive in Savernake Forest on Monday showed signs of terrible

devastation. In a few miles ninety magnificent trees were torn up by the roots; some even twisted by the force of the wind. The road is blocked by fallen trees, and in many places the grand avenue presents a terrible wreck, the direction of the hurricane being discernible by the fallen trees and heaps of timber torn off. One barn was lifted bodily in the air, and in other parts of Wiltshire the damage appears to have been excessive.

From Exeter, Aldershot, Plymouth, the Mersey, the tales of disaster were numerous.

11. A NARROW ESCAPE.-An accident, which might have been attended with the most terrible consequences, but happily confined to the slight personal injury of one man and the destruction of three racehorses, occurred at Watford Station. The Northampton train, due in London at 10 a.m., had arrived at Watford a few minutes late, and in consequence of the crowd of passengers waiting at that station to proceed to the Cattle-show in London, the engine was detached to obtain a further supply of carriages from a siding. While the carriages were thus stationary and well guarded by the up-block signals, the Scotch mail due in London at 9.40 a.m., which is accustomed to run through Watford at full speed, was observed emerging from the Watford tunnel, and coming rapidly towards the station. Happily the foreman of the station, Mr. James, observed the Scotch train approaching, and fearing that the driver had not got it under sufficient control, he ran along the train, and alarming the passengers, called upon them to jump from the carriages on to the platform. They all did this, and fortunately escaped. A few moments later the Scotch train came up at reduced speed, but still with sufficient force to strike the rear of the Northampton train heavily, crushing up the horse-boxes and killing three racehorses. The driver of the Scotch mail, seeing a collision was imminent, jumped off his engine, and was consequently shaken, but none of the passengers in either train were at all hurt.

13. THE ÎNCOME TAX.-At the Guildhall, a meeting against the Income Tax was very numerously attended, seventeen or eighteen M.P.'s appearing on the platform. The principal speaker was Mr. Massey, who informed his audience that the tax was inquisitorial; that the United States did not levy it even under the pressure of the War-an entire mistake; that Lord Brougham objected to the tax as favourable to extravagance; that no Minister had ventured to make it perpetual; that the country was prosperous; that it was no part of his business to fill up the deficit the abolition of the tax would create; that he did not know whether it would or would not be possible to repeal the tax next year; and that if the trading classes were to pay two millions, it ought to be in some less objectionable way. Sir J. Bennett said that the tax was mainly spent on "regiments of cocked-hats and feathers which did not necessarily cover either brains or courage," from which we gather that he would disband the Army partly to get rid of Schedule D, and partly for fear lest it should run away. Resolutions, condemning

the tax as inquisitorial and demoralizing and a breach of faith' were passed unanimously.

19. FUNERAL OF VISCOUNTESS BEACONSFIELD.-The mortal remains of Mary Ann Disraeli, Viscountess Beaconsfield, were interred in the family vault in Hughenden Church.

The ceremony, in accordance with the wish of the deceased lady, was of the simplest character, yet possessed every element of impressiveness and reverence. Many of Mr. Disraeli's political colleagues and others of the highest classes in society desired to manifest, by their attendance to-day, their sorrow for the death of the lamented mistress of Hughenden and their sympathy for the bereaved statesman. The reply was in every case the same-that the funeral would be strictly private. Hughenden, a comfortablelooking English country-house, embosomed in trees, is built upon a spur of one of the Chiltern Hills. On the eastern side of the hill is the quaint little church of St. Michael. It has a tower of great antiquity, but the interior is plain to baldness. In the churchyard, near the end of the chancel, the funeral was solemnized.

Almost all the paraphernalia of mourning-hearse, mourning-carriages, plumes, scarves, and flowing hatbands-were absent from a ceremony which differed little from a humble village funeral, and was touching in its simplicity. At half-past one the coffin was removed from the saloon of Hughenden Manor to a low bier, covered by a black velvet pall, and carried by the cottage tenants of the estate of Hughenden.

As chief mourner, Mr. Disraeli walked alone, next to the coffin; and in succession came Mr. Montagu Corry, Mr. Philip Rose, and Mr. Alfred Leggat, the medical attendant of the family. Then followed Mr. Arthur Vernon, the steward of the estate, and after him the tenant-farmers on the Hughenden property-Mr. James, Mr. Thomas Lee, Mr. Thomas Coates, and Mr. D. Cartwright. The servants of the household came next in order, and were followed by a number of the wives and children of the cottagers. Many of this humble class had also assembled within the church.

21. ROYAL VISIT TO CHATSWORTH.-The papers have been filled this week with glowing accounts of the festivities at Chatsworth, where the Duke of Devonshire has been entertaining the Prince of Wales in almost royal fashion. The presence of the Prince, the beauty of the place, the magnificence of the house and its decorations, the lavish expenditure of the Duke, and the concourse of guests of all classes, and from three counties, made the entertainment quite an event in the midland counties. On the 18th a grand ball was given, and the park and gardens illuminated. The Emperor Fountain, one of the finest in Europe, was illuminated with forty coloured Bengal lights, the Sea-horse Fountain with. eighteen similar lights; and the Cascade, one of the most striking works of the late Sir Joseph Paxton, was illuminated with 500 Roman candles, which lighted up the cascade. The long waterfall was illuminated with the limelight. In addition to the different