The racing on Wednesday was not of any special interest; on the 18th, the Cup day, the attendance was again very large, the Royal party coming in the same State as on the first day. The St. James's Palace Stakes, with which the proceedings commenced, was won, after a fine race, by Leolinus, the succeeding event, the Eleventh Biennial, being carried off by the outsider Cambyses, the favourite, Colonel, being able to get no nearer than third. Then six weighed out for the Cup, the great event of the week, and the excitement became intense. Boiard maintained the position of favourite to the end, although each of the other competitors met with substantial support at their quoted prices. Boiard, however, won at the finish, with something to spare; Doncaster and Flageolet running a dead heat for second place.

20. FATAL GUN ACCIDENT.-A shocking gun accident has occurred near Ashburton, Devon. James Honeywill, a labourer, had been shooting birds, and on his return home placed a capped and loaded gun in the corner of the kitchen. Shortly afterwards his wife came home, accompanied by her brother, a lad named Campion, aged about twelve years. The latter, seeing the gun, took it up, saying, "I wonder whether it is loaded?" Just as he uttered the words the gun exploded. The charge passed through a baby which Mrs. Honeywill was carrying in her arms, killing it instantly, and then entered the mother's breast, inflicting injuries from which she died shortly afterwards.

22. CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.-On the occasion of the jubilee meeting of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the President (Lord Harrowby) announced that he had received the following letter from the Queen, through Sir Thomas Biddulph :

"My dear Lord,-The Queen has commanded me to address you, as President of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, on the occasion of the assembly in this country of the foreign delegates connected with your association and of the jubilee of the society, to request you to give expression publicly to Her Majesty's warm interest in the success of the efforts which are being made at home and abroad for the purpose of diminishing the cruelties practised on dumb animals. The Queen hears and reads with horror of the sufferings which the brute creation often undergo from the thoughtlessness of the ignorant, and she fears also sometimes from experiments in the pursuit of science. For the removal of the former the Queen trusts much to the progress of education, and in regard to the pursuit of science she hopes that the entire advantage of those anæsthetic discoveries from which man has derived so much benefit himself in the alleviation of suffering may be fully extended to the lower animals. Her Majesty rejoices that the society awakens the interest of the young by the presentation of prizes for essays connected with the subject, and hears with gratification that her son and daughter-in-law have shown their interest by distributing the prizes.

Her

Majesty begs to announce a donation of 100%. to the funds of the society."

23. BENGAL FAMINE-At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Fund for the Relief of the Sufferers by the Famine in Bengal and Behar, held at the Mansion House on Monday afternoon last, the Lord Mayor made the gratifying statement that the famine in India had been practically mastered. The announcement was substantially confirmed by Sir George Campbell, late Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, and Sir William Muir, late Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Provinces. The newest telegrams which have come to hand indicate a brighter prospect for the future. It was resolved, however, to send a further sum of 10,000l. to the Central Committee in Calcutta, and, in his concluding speech, the Lord Mayor said he anticipated that in the end something like 200,000l. would have been contributed by this country towards the relief of the calamity.

24. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM has passed over Scotland and the North of England. The Free Church of Braco or Ardoch, in Perthshire, was struck by lightning and rendered a mass of ruins, the greater part of the steeple falling through the roof. The storm raged with great violence in Morayshire. Mrs. White, wife of a carter, was sitting in her house at Lossiemouth Toll, about seven miles from Elgin, when she was struck dead by a flash of lightning which entered by the chimney. The chimney was shattered, but, singular to state, a child which was in a cradle in the middle of the floor escaped uninjured, although the cradle was broken in pieces. The mother was thrown from a stool into a corner at the fireside, and was found lying face downward by her little daughter, who had only been absent from the room about three minutes. The woman was slightly discoloured in the face, but there were no other marks on the body. From Coupar-Angus, in Perthshire, it is reported that two men, while taking refuge underneath a tree, were struck by a flash and killed on the spot, the tree being destroyed. Hailstones of immense size fell during the storm. The spire of Christ Church, Salford, was struck by the lightning and greatly shortened. Large pieces of solid masonry were detached and hurled to the ground. The lightning played in most fantastic style around the pinnacles of the edifice, some of which were broken and the others disturbed. A ball of fire made its way inside the building and cut two holes through the stairs. Fortunately no person was injured by the falling stones. A brief but very severe thunderstorm passed over Sheffield at noon. At its height a terrific flash of lightning, followed by an instantaneous peal of thunder, struck the offices of the Sheffield Waterworks Company in Division Street, completely destroying a large chimney over the engineers' department. The fragments were partly sent through into a room beneath, and partly carried over a lane some distance. Luckily the room was "noccupied at the time.

26. THE MANOEUVRES AT ALDERSHOT, which took place this week, commenced with a sham fight near Sandhurst on the 20th. On the 24th there was a grand sham fight in the vicinity of Frensham, about six miles from Aldershot, in the presence of the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, who was attended by LieutGen. Sir Charles Ellice, K.C.B., quartermaster-general; MajorGen. Armstrong, C.B., deputy adjutant-general; Col. Middleton, deputy adjutant-general of artillery, and Col. Marshall. There were also several distinguished visitors, including some officers of the French army.

It was stated by competent military judges on the ground that they never witnessed a more determined mimic battle in this vicinity. It was generally agreed to have been most practical and instructive. On their way home the troops were regaled with bread and cheese. The weather was showery during the greater part of the proceedings, but it did not deter a large number of spectators from being present to witness the operations.

The first series of summer manoeuvres closed to-day, with another sham fight and march past, in presence of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge.

The Duke subsequently communicated to the army corps his satisfaction with their appearance and discipline, their steadiness on parade, and the way in which they were handled in the field by their divisional leaders.

THE FIFTH TRIENNIAL HANDEL FESTIVAL, held at the Crystal Palace this week, was a complete success, attracting thousands of lovers of music from all parts of England to pay their homage to the memory of the greatest of oratorio writers, and to enjoy those grand compositions with which Handel has enriched the stores of musical art.

The musical arrangements were made by the Sacred Harmonic Society, and the entire performance was conducted by Sir Michael Costa. The soloists were Mdlle. Titiens, Mesdames Otto-Alvsleben, Sinico and Lemmens-Sherrington as sopranos; Mesdames TrebelliBettini and Patey as contraltos; Messrs. Sims Reeves, Cummings, Lloyd, and Kerr Gedge as tenors; and Signor Agnesi, Signor Foli, and Mr. Santley as basses. The chorus of 4,000 was made up of the very highest amateur musical talent that could be obtained in the metropolis and the provinces, and the instrumentalists comprised the leading musicians of the day, in addition to a number of skilful amateurs.

The performances commenced with the "Messiah," and concluded with the "Israel in Egypt," a considerable selection from the oratorios and other works of the great master filling up the intervening days.

27. POLO.-A match played between the two Houses of Parliament at the Hurlingham Club grounds, Fulham, proved one of the best contested of the season. The weather was fine and the grounds presented a very animated appearance, being thronged by

a numerous and fashionable company, while the bong line of earriages, standing in some places three deep, testifed to the popGlarity which Poio has attained with the wealthy classes. The maten began at about half-past four, and the sides chosen were is follow:-Lords Re-Marquis of Queensberry, Lori Castlereagh Lord K..marnock, Lord Aberdour, Lord H. Vane Tempest. Commona (Blue-Sir Bache Cunard, Hon. J. Fitzwilliam. Hon. C. Fitzwilliam, Capt. Dansey, Mr. J. F. Brockelhurst. The ball was thrown up, and after a short but spirited contest Lord Castlereagh succeeded in securing the first goal for the Lords. Sides having been changed, a tough struggle ensued for the second game, which was not decided so speedily, the players, after several scrimmages, making a brief pause. On resuming play, success attended the efforts of the Hon. C. Fitzwilliam, who made the second goal for the Commons. The third and fourth goals were also respectively obtained by Capt. E. M. Dansey and the Hon. John Fitzwilliam on the part of the Commons, who thus won the match, making three goals to their opponents' one. The playing was excellent throughout on the part of all concerned, and the ponies behaved as intelligently as usual.

29. THE AGRICULTURAL LOCK-OUT.-About a hundred of the locked-out agricultural labourers from the neighbourhood of Newmarket have commenced a walking tour through the Midland Counties with a view of awakening sympathy with their cause.

Under the direction of Mr. Henry Taylor, the general secretary of the Union, the men left Newmarket, each wearing blue ribbons, and some carrying flags, while others collected money along the route. The procession was headed by a waggon drawn by one horse, on which were placarded the words "Money-box," from which one was given to understand that ample provision had been made for conveying almost any sum that would be forthcoming. Cambridge was the first town through which the procession passed, the men singing what are termed Union songs, and they thence proceeded to Bedford, Olney, and Northampton, accomplishing a good part of the journey by train.

WALKING A THOUSAND MILES FOR 50l.-Miss Richards, who is called the champion walker, has just concluded at Stapleton, near Bristol, the extraordinary feat of walking one thousand miles in one thousand consecutive hours. She is a young girl, and finished quite fresh. An endeavour was made, when she began her task on May 18, to obtain magisterial interference, but this was unsuccessful, on the ground that she was a free agent, although she undertook the task in order that her father might win a wager of 501.

30. THE INTER-UNIVERSITY CRICKET MATCH.-The great annual cricket match between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge was played at Lords on Monday and Tuesday, and resulted in a victory for the dark blue by an innings and ninety-two runs, Cambridge scoring in the first innings 109, and in the second only 64, whilst Oxford scored 265 in one innings only. As each Uni

versity has now scored nineteen games, more than the usual interest will attach to next year's contest. Altogether there have been forty inter-University matches, but two of them were not finished.

FIVE MEN SUFFOCATED.-An accident has occurred at the East London Railway works, by which five men lost their lives. It had been found necessary by the contractors for the works to underpin the main building of the St. George's East Workhouse, owing to the peculiar nature of the soil through which the railway tunnel has to pass, and its proximity to the building in question. For the purpose of the underpinning operations several shafts had been sunk near the wall of the workhouse. On this occasion, upon returning from dinner, the men were proceeding down one of the shafts at the north-east corner of the workhouse, when it was discovered that two men had fallen from the ladder to the bottom of the shaft. Others followed to rescue them, apparently not knowing or suspecting the cause of the accident, and, in spite of the shouts of one of the gangers near, six men in all descended the shaft to rescue their fellow-workmen. Besides the first two, three others fell to the bottom, and the sixth man was laid hold of just in time to prevent his death. The cause of the accident was an unexpected accumulation of foul air whilst the men were away at dinner. The sixth man, named Smith, was unconscious when brought to the surface, but was revived by the aid of some stimulants supplied by Mr. Tyler, the master of the workhouse. Measures were taken to disperse the foul air, and the bodies were then recovered, and conveyed to the workhouse mortuary. The sad news soon became known, and the scene of the accident was visited during the afternoon by large numbers of people, amongst whom were the wives and relatives of the deceased men, whose presence caused considerable excitement and sympathy.

JULY.

2. NORTHUMBERLAND HOUSE.-The first step has been taken towards the demolition of this well known mansion, which has been purchased of the Duke of Northumberland by the Metropolitan Board of Works for the sum of 500,000l. for the purpose of making a new thoroughfare from Charing Cross to the Victoria Thames Embankment. The famous lion over the entrance gate placed there 125 years ago by Algernon, Duke of Somerset, and the Countess of Northumberland, was taken down this afternoon, in the presence of a large number of spectators, and will be set up again at the Duke's residence at Sion House.

3. OPENING OF LEICESTER SQUARE.-The ceremony of opening the gardens of Leicester Square, which have been restored to order

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