on

8.-Sir John Strachey submits the Indian Budget to the Legislative Council. The regular estimates for 1876-77 place the revenue at 51,206, 700/. and the expenditure at 57,285,000l. including 3,800,000/. account of public works extraordinary, thus showing a deficit of 6,078,300l. Excluding the expenditure for public works extraordinary, the deficit is reduced to 2,278,300l. The cost of the famine including the loss of revenue, during the financial year 1876-77, is estimated at 3,100,000l. The ordinary accounts excluding the famine expenditure, would show a surplus of 624,800/.

Finished at Frogmoor, Windsor Park, a monumental cross erected by Her Majesty to Lady Augusta Stanley, "in grateful and affectionate remembrance of her faithful labours for thirty years in the service of the Queen, the Duchess of Kent, and the Royal family."

Captain Boyton crosses the Straits of Messina in a storm, which placed the boats accompanying him in great danger. During the passage, which occupied five hours, the Captain was stated to have been attacked by a large shark, but succeeded in driving off his assailant before being bitten, although he received a sharp blow from the tail. He had an enthusiastic reception from thousands of people on landing, and was officially received by the authorities.

wine and spirit trade, who stated their views in opposition to Mr. Chamberlain's proposal to give power to municipalities to purchase public-houses according to the Gothenburg system. Mr. Newdegate introduced the deputation, who presented a memorial declaring that any measure of the kind contemplated in the motion would involve a serious interference with the rights of property, and a very injurious extension of the patronage and power of town councils throughout the kingdom.

12. In the House of Lords the Duke of Richmond introduces a Burial Bill, the provisions of which he explained as referring chiefly to the sanitary question, but there was also a clause permitting burials in churchyards without the reading of the Church Service. Lord Granville expressed an opinion that the Bill would fail to conclude the controversy which had been raised; but the Archbishop of Canterbury thought the measure could by amendment be made a fair settlement of all reasonable demands.

-

The Pope held a Consistory to-day, at which his Holiness formally appointed eleven cardinals. Among these were Monsignor Howard, Archbishop of Neo-Cæsarea in partibus, Canon of St. Peter, and Suffragan of the Cardinal Bishop of Frascati, and Monsignor Pace, Bishop of Gozo (Malta). Cardinal Ferrieri was appointed Camerlengo. In the allocution delivered on the occasion his Holiness reviewed the history of the past five years and a half, setting forth the ingratitude of the Italian Government in having taken advantage of the lamentable circumstances in which a magnanimous nation-France-was placed in order to effect the occupation of that city. He next enumerated all the laws which had been made against the Papacy and against the Church, bitterly censuring those against abuses by the clergy, and stigmatizing it as impious and iniquitous. The liberty he was said to enjoy was a fictitious liberty, because he had been deprived of all means of administering the affairs of the Church, and he concluded by protesting that he can never come to a conciliation with falsehood and error, nor with a Government constituted as the Italian Government is.

public-houses. The resolution was opposed by several members, and by Sir H. S. Ibbetson, on the part of the Government, who adduced statistics to prove that drunkenness had increased at Gothenburg since the adoption of the system recommended. Ultimately the resolution was rejected by 103 to 51.

13.-Died, at Genoa, aged 90, Charles Cowden Clarke, a poet himself, and a critic of early English poetry, but still more widely known among a preceding generation as the friend and companion of Keats.

General Ignatieff (and his wife) arrive in London from Paris with fresh proposals to Britain for settling the Eastern Question. He dined in the evening at the Russian Embassy, where he met the Marquis of Salisbury. On Saturday the 17th the General visited the Prince and Princess of Wales, and dined with Earl Derby at the Foreign Office, Sunday was spent at Lord Salisbury's seat at Hatfield, and on Tuesday he was received by the Queen at Windsor. On Wednesday General Ignatieff dined with the Earl of Beaconsfield, the Prince of Wales being also present. The General left for Paris on the morning of the 22nd.

16.-Dean Stanley as Lord Rector delivers a valedictory address to the students of St. Andrews in the old Parliamentary Hall. The subject of his discourse was the religious difficulties of the day, and the danger arising to religion from the apparently increasing divergence between the intelligence and faith of our time, which he designated "the rock a-head."

17.-Meeting in the Jerusalem Chamber, Westminster, Dean Stanley presiding, to promote a celebration of the four hundredth anniversary of the introduction of printing into England by William Caxton, who printed his first book in a room in the Almonry adjacent to the Abbey.

The Geologists' Association pay their first visit for the season to the British Museum. Proceeding at once to the North Gallery, the members were there met, according to appointment, by the venerable Professor Owen, C. B., F.R.S., Superintendent of the Natural History Department, who at once began to discourse to them and the mixed multitude of other listeners, who flocked to the spot from all

parts of the building, on the "Extinct Marsupials of Australia.'

18.-Died, aged 78, Admiral Sir Edward Belcher, Arctic explorer.

19. In answer to Lord Stratheden and Campbell, Earl Derby states that Sir Henry Elliot had professed himself ready to return to Constantinople at once if his services were required, but he did not conceal that he had come home in much need of rest after the arduous and anxious labours of the last twelve months. Under these circumstances, he (Lord Derby) felt that, putting personal considerations aside, it would not be in the interests of the public service to press for Sir Henry's immediate return. He was therefore making other temporary arrangements for carrying on the work at Constantinople, and Sir Henry Elliot would remain for some time longer in England on leave.

The first Turkish Parliament opened by the Sultan in person. The speech from the throne, which was read by His Majesty's first Secretary, was a very long document. The Sultan expressed a hope that the negotiations with Montenegro would have a favourable issue, and said that the course which he intended pursuing would be submitted to the deliberations of the Parliament at its first meeting. Speaking of the Conference, His Majesty said:"The disagreement between my Government and the Powers rests rather in the form and method of application than the substance of the question. All my efforts will be devoted towards bringing to perfection the progress which has been already realized in the situation of the empire and in the branches of its administration. But I consider it to be one of my mot important duties to remove any cause which may be detrimental to the dignity and independance of my empire. I leave to time the task of proving the sincerity of my intentions of reconciliation." The speech promised the introduction of a number of legislative measures, including an Electorial Bill, a Provisional Bill, a Bill on Commercial Regulations, a Code of Civil Procedure, measures for the reorganization of the tribunals, the promotion and retirement of public functionaries, a Press Bill, a Bill for the Organization of a Court of Account, and, finally, the Budget Law.

20.-Mr. R. Yorke proposes in the Commons the issue of a Royal Commission to inquire into the constitution and customs of the Stock Exchange. Government at first opposed, but ultimately the Chancellor of the Exchequer, deferring to what he believed to be the general wish, assented to the motion, although he was not sanguine of any useful result.

20.-The Lord Mayor presides at a meeting held in the Egyptian Hall of the Mansion House to consider the proposal to establish in a central position in London an Imperial Museum for the Colonies and India.

21.-Mr. Butt's Irish Land Bill rejected on a second reading by 323 to 84 votes.

Charing Cross Hospital, after being remodelled and greatly enlarged, is opened today by the Prince of Wales accompanied by the Princess. In reply to a formal address his Royal Highness congratulated the governors upon the admirable manner in which the hospital was conducted, and said it afforded the Princess and himself the greatest pleasure to acquiesce in the desire that a ward should be named after himself, and that the ward for children should be named the Alexandra Ward.

The German Parliament decide by 213 to 142 votes, that the seat of the Imperial Court of Justice shall be at Leipsic.

22. Came on at Middlesex Sessions the trial of Lord Marcus Beresford on the charge of having assaulted H. E. Tidy, a solicitor, of Sackville Street, Piccadilly. The prosecutor underwent a rigid cross-examination respecting certain money-lending transactions between him and the defendant. On the part of Lord Marcus Beresford it was argued that he had acted under great provocation; and it was pointed out that by taking criminal instead of civil proceedings the defendant had been effectually prevented from giving his version of the dispute. The jury found Lord Marcus guilty of a common assault; and he was ordered to pay a fine of 100l. to the Queen, to enter into recognizances of 500l. to keep the peace towards Mr. Tidy for twelve months, and to pay the costs of the prosecution.

· Dr. Schliemann attends a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries, and reads a paper on his discoveries at Mycena. Mr. Gladstone also attended, and paid a high tribute to the Doctor for his energy and perseverance.

23.-Sir W. T. Knollys gazetted Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod and Groom of the Stole to the Prince of Wales; General Probyn to be Treasurer of the Prince's Household.

John D. Lee, a Mormon Bishop, shot at Mountain Meadow, for complicity in the massacre of 120 emigrants passing that place on their way to California, in September, 1857. Up to the date of his capture at this time Lee had lived in hiding, indirectly under the protection of Brigham Young, whom the criminal now accused of being the chief instigator of the massacre, in revenge for the inroad of United States troops on Mormon territory to force obedience to Gentile customs.

23. Sir Charles Dilke moves a resolution in the Commons for extending the hours of polling at parliamentary elections in metropolitan boroughs, and also to give to the returning officer of other boroughs the power of fixing any period of not less than eight hours between 8 A. M. and 8 P.M. Mr. Gordon seconded the motion. The Chancellor of the Exchequer admitted that experience showed the necessity of some further extension of the hours of polling, and the Government, therefore, would not object to the principle of the resolution. But he could not assent to all its details, and he suggested that a Select Committee should be appointed to consider what alterations may be made without inconvenience in the hours of polling at parliamentary and municipal elections in the metropolis and other towns. After some discussion, Sir Charles accepted this offer.

Mr. Fawcett's motion affirming the necessity of securing adequate securities for the better government of Turkey disposed of after several divisions by the adjournment of the House. In the course of this debate Sir H. Wolff contended that the Liberal party was in a great measure responsible for the condition of Turkey, and read extracts from speeches by Mr. Gladstone on the results of the Crimean War and on the Cretan Insurrection, to show that though he now refused the Turks even a twelvemonth's respite, and acknowledged none but humanitarian motives, he then contemplated Turkish reform must be the work of a generation, and that the duty of neutrality is superior to that of humanity. Mr. Gladstone retorted by accusing Sir Henry of using garbled extracts from old speeches.

24.-The University Boat Race results in a dead heat, for the first time since the origin of the contest.

Died, aged 72, Dr. Michell, Principal of Hertford College, Oxford.

Died, aged 48, Mrs. Nassau Senior, inspector of workhouses and district pauper schools.

known as the mill-house and bakery. As many as two hundred firemen were at one time engaged in preventing the fire spreading to the cells occupied by prisoners.

25.-Accident at Morpeth, on the North Eastern Railway, to the night express from Edinburgh to London. At a very sharp curve the engine left the metals, tearing up sleepers and rails for about sixty yards, and the carriages and vans were impelled with violence against the back of the tender, the impetus causing them to pile up on the top of each other. A very painful scene ensued, some passengers being jammed between the timbers of carriages, and others shrieking for assistance from underneath the débris. Altogether five passengers were killed, amongst them being Mr. James Donald, editor of Chambers's Etymological Dictionary; eight or nine others were seriously injured.

Died, aged 67, Mrs. Caroline Chisholm, known as the "Emigrant's Friend."

27.-Lord Chief Justice Cockburn presented with addresses by the Mayor and Corporation, and the Incorporated Law Society of Bristol, on the occasion of his revisiting that city, over which he had formerly been Recorder, after an absence of twenty years.

31.-Protocol signed at the Foreign Office. The Powers reaffirmed their interest in the improvement of the condition of the Christian populations of Turkey, and took cognizance of the conclusion of peace with Servia. As regarded Montenegro, the Powers considered the rectification of the frontiers and free navigation of the Boïana to be desirable in the interest of a solid and durable arrangement. The Powers thought the arrangements concluded, or to be concluded, between the Porte and the two Principalities, as a step accom. plished towards the pacification which is the object of their common wishes. They invited the Porte to consolidate it, by replacing its armies on a peace footing, excepting the number of troops indispensable for the maintenance of order, and by putting in hand with the least possible delay the reforms necessary for the tranquillity and well-being of the provinces, the condition of which was discussed at the Conference. They recognized that the Porte has declared itself ready to realize an important portion of them. They also took cognizance of the circular of the Forte of the 13th February, 1876, and of the declarations made by the Ottoman Government during the Conference and since through its representatives. The Powers proposed to watch carefully, by means of their representatives at Constantinople, and their local agents, the manner in which the promises of the Ottoman Government were carried into effect. If their hopes should once more be disappointed, and if the condition of the Christian

subjects of the Sultan should not be improved in a manner to prevent the return of the complications which periodically disturb the peace of the East, they thought it right to declare that such a state of affairs would be incompatible with their interests and those of Europe in general. In such case they reserved to themselves to consider in common as to the means which they may deem best fitted to secure the well-being of the Christian populations and the interests of the general peace. Several declarations were attached to the signatures, one by Lord Derby to the effect that the Protocol should be declared null and void in the event of non-attainment of the proposed objects.

April 1.-The Chinese ports of Tchang, Wuhu, Wenchow, and Pakhoi opened to foreign trade.

3. Total destruction by fire of the Queen's Theatre, Edinburgh.

4.-Shipwrights on Clyde, to the number of 3,000, strike for an increase of one penny per hour.

6.-Prince Bismarck had an audience of the Emperor William, who informed the Chancellor in complimentary terms that he could not at the present time part with his valuable services. The Chancellor thereupon consented to retain office, and to be content for the present with a simple leave of absence. An Imperial order was issued, granting him leave of absence until August.

Died, aged 85, Lieutenant Thomas Laurence Smith, who entered the army in 1808, and passed through the whole of the Peninsular War, and was also at Waterloo.

7. Great walking match for 1,000l. between Edward Payson Weston, and Daniel O'Leary, concluded at the Agricultural Hall, Islington. Both men had been walking for six days, at the end of which time O'Leary had walked 520 miles and Weston 510.

10.-Flooding of the Tynewydd pit, in the Rhonddha valley near Pontypridd, Glamorganshire. The day's work was over and the miners were making their way to the shaft, when each narrow roadway of the pit suddenly became the channel of a rushing stream of water which seemed to pour in on the unfortunate miners from all sides at once. When

as many as had been able to struggle through the water were brought to the surface it was found that fourteen persons were still in the mine. On examination it was found that the shaft was clear, but every roadway leading from it to the remote parts of the pit was full of water to the crown of the arch. Whilst the exploring party were considering the best means of clearing the workings a faint knocking was heard, proving that some men were still

alive. These were thought to be behind a wall of coal some thirty feet thick, and vigorous efforts for their release were at once made, seconded by the imprisoned men from within. By the morning a hole was made into the heading, but such was the density of air caused by the pressure of water behind, that a loud explosion followed when the rock was first pierced, and one man, William Morgan, was thrown with such violence against the hole through which he was about to escape, that he died. The other four men in the cavity were speedily rescued and brought to the bank. This incident raised a hope that others might have been preserved in the same manner, but it was not till the afternoon of the second day that a faint knocking, evidently at a great distance, was heard. Efforts to release the men by pumping out the mine and by sending divers through the flooded passages having failed, it was resolved to cut a passage, forty yards through the solid. The imprisoned miners were not finally rescued until the afternoon of Friday the 20th. The work of saving them was one of great difficulty, and it was feared that they would be drowned before the rescuing party could reach them. At length, however, a hole was bored through the coal large enough for the explorers to pass through, and the five men who had been entombed for ten days were safely brought to bank. By a happy coincidence, when the last was brought up and while being conveyed on a stretcher covered with blankets into the hospital, the following telegraphic message was received from the Queen :-" Biddulph, Osborne, to Mr. Wales, Mine Inspector, Pontypridd.The Queen is very anxious for the last accounts of the poor men in the mine. Are they saved? Pray telegraph." The other four men missing were not, as supposed, with their five rescued companions, and the dead bodies of two of them were afterwards found in another part of the mine. One had been crushed to death by a large stone falling on him; and another stone had fallen on the other, a boy, and held him fast until he was drowned. The interest felt in the imprisoned men and their rescuers took a practical shape. The Lord Mayor started a fund at the Mansion House for their benefit, which amounted to over 1,300l., including a donation of 50%. from the Queen; the members of the Stock Exchange sent 100 guineas; and separate subscriptions were started by members of the House of Commons and others. The Queen was pleased to express her desire that the Albert Medal, hitherto only bestowed for gallantry in saving life at sea, should be extended to similar actions on land, and the first medals struck for this purpose were conferred on the heroic rescuers of the Welsh miners.

was

10.-Reply of the Porte to the Protocol. The Turkish Government said it was not aware how it could have deserved so ill of

justice and civilization as to see itself placed in a humiliating position without example in the world:"The Treaty of Paris gave an explicit sanction to the principle of nonintervention. This treaty, which binds together the Powers who participate in it as well as Turkey, cannot be abolished by a Protocol in which Turkey has had no share. And, if Turkey appeals to the stipulations of the Treaty of Paris, it is not that that treaty has created in her favour any rights which she would not possess without it, but rather for the purpose of calling attention to the grave reasons which, in the interests of the general peace of Europe, induced the Powers twenty years ago to place the recognition of the inviolabilities of this empire's right to sovereignty under the guarantee of a collective promise."

10.-Archdeacon Denison, speaking at Taunton of recent decisions affecting the Church, said that the courts were only secular courts dealing with spiritual causes, and so were undeniably unconstitutional. As for the court presided over by Lord Penzance, the whole history of it, parliamentary and otherwise, was a disgrace to our time. In summing up the position, Archdeacon Denison said the shape which the contention assumed in England was that it is not for the civil power and courts created by Parliament, irrespectively of the voice of the Church in her synods, to so much as touch, much less regulate the faith and the worship of the Church.

Scene in the Commons between Dr. Kenealy and Mr. Sullivan, during the discussion of Mr. Waddy's Newspaper Registration Bill. Dr. Kenealy denounced the bill in strong language, protesting at the same time that he had no sympathy with libellers. This statement provoked some ironical cheering; and Dr. Kenealy went on to say that he had always been outspoken both at the bar and in the press, and it was that which had ruined him. Had he been "a slave, a coward, or a liar," or ready to justify falsehood, he would not be what he was. He added, pointing to the Ministerial gangway, that he could bear with philosophical composure the ironical cheers that came from that "miserable quarter.' Mr. Sullivan (who sat in the quarter indicated by the member for Stoke) said that he had never known but one "slave and coward" in the profession of journalism who had libelled people without avowing his responsibility. After the division Mr. Sullivan informed the Speaker that Dr. Kenealy had come to him in the lobby, and complained that the attack he