SEA SERPENT.-The great sea serpent will not be ignored. He has now appeared, by affidavit, in a police court. The captain and crew of a vessel called the "Pauline," which has arrived in the Mersey from Akyab, report that in July, 1875, off Cape San Roque, on the north-east coast of Brazil, they saw the great sea serpent. On Tuesday the captain, whose name is Drevar, appeared before the stipendiary magistrate of Liverpool, Mr. Raffles, and expressed a wish, on his own behalf and that of his crew, to make a declaration affirming the truth of their statements respecting the serpent. Mr. Raffles desired Captain Drevar to prepare a written declaration and bring it before him. This Captain Drevar did on Wednesday, accompanied by a number of his crew. The declaration is to the effect that he and others on board the "Pauline," on July 8, 1875, while in lat. 5° 13′ S., long. 35° W., observed three large sperm whales, one of which was gripped round the body with two turns of what appeared to be a huge serpent. The head and tail appeared to have a length, beyond the coils, of about thirty feet, and the girth seemed to be eight or nine feet. The serpent whirled its victim round and round for about fifteen minutes, and then suddenly dragged the whale to the bottom, head first. Again, on July 13, a similar serpent was seen about 200 yards off the "Pauline," shooting itself along the surface, its head and neck being several feet out of the water. Subsequently the head of the animal was shot sixty feet into the air. The declaration was signed by Captain Drevar, his chief officer, second officer, steward, and

seaman.

ALARMING EXPLOSION.-An explosion of gas occurred to-day at Brighton, causing a large amount of damage to property. It is supposed that the gas mains were broken by the Corporation steam-roller passing over them, and that the ground became charged with gas. Harrison's Hotel, on the King's Road, and the premises of Mr. George Pocock, draper, and Mr. Bonner, jeweller, suffered severely. The shop fronts were completely blown out, the jewellery and other stock being thrown into the roadway. The first explosion was followed by several others in succession, and the premises took fire. The flames were promptly got under, and gangs of men were employed in shoring up the houses and opening the roadway. The premises of the draper and the jeweller were a complete wreck. Many persons have been more or less injured, but no fatal case is reported.

EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT IN CHESHIRE.-A very strange accident occurred at Bollington, Cheshire, to-day. The yard of the Queen's Inn, which was built over a culvert, gave way, and the out-houses, brewhouse, and carriage shed were precipitated into the River Bollin, which runs beneath. A servant girl was in the yard at the time, and was thrown into the river, but was rescued without serious injury.

16. BURGLARY AT THE DUKE OF CLEVELAND'S.-A burglary was committed at Battle Abbey, the country seat of the Duke of

B

Cleveland, to-day, the thief or thieves getting clear away with a large quantity of jewellery belonging to the duchess. It appears that the robbery was committed while his grace and the duchess were in the drawing-room entertaining a few guests, and the servants were in the kitchen at supper. Her grace's dressing-room, from which the jewels were extracted, faces the terrace, and the window is about twenty feet from the ground. The duke's valet had occasion to pass the apartment at about half-past nine, and the door was then open and everything apparently safe. An hour later, however, on one of the upper housemaids having cause to go to the room, the door was found closed and locked, although no noise could be heard inside. She, feeling certain something was wrong, proceeded to alarm the household. One of the footmen thereupon rushed upstairs, and finding the door made fast, burst it open. On entering the chamber it was found that the locks of the drawers had been picked, and her grace's jewels abstracted, the empty cases being scattered about the room, one case of jewellery valued at a great amount, however, having been overlooked. The duke's dressing-case had also been opened and some money extracted. It was found that entrance had been obtained through the windows, with the aid of two ladders, which were found lashed together. There is no doubt the thief or thieves had accomplices, and that the robbery was planned by some person who knew the place well. The value of the jewellery is estimated at from 5,000l. to 10,000l. The articles stolen were chiefly presents, one of them, a necklace of diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, being a gift of the Queen to the duchess, who was a bridesmaid at Her Majesty's wedding. No trace has been discovered of the thieves, and a reward of 2001. has been offered for their discovery.

17. REV. A. TOOTH.-The Rev. A. Tooth was released from prison this day. There was a large attendance at St. James's church, Hatcham, on Sunday, it being believed by many that Mr. Tooth would be present to assert his right of control over the church and its services. Mr. Tooth, however, did not appear, and the services were conducted by the curate in charge.

CHRISTINE NILSSON.-A pleasant little story comes from Sweden. The church of Wexio, the principal town in the province where Christine Nilsson was born, has long been disfigured by some very insufficient and shabby lamps, having all the failings, but none of the interest, of antiquity. When the great songstress was there last autumn, she asked whether the town could not afford some new ones; but was told that its finances were by no means equal to the necessary expenditure. At Christmas three magnificent large gilded chandeliers arrived anonymously at the church. Where they came from nobody knows; but some people think they can guess.

SALISBURY CATHEDRAL.-It has been decided immediately to proceed with the restoration of the nave of this cathedral, at a cost of nearly 6,000l., towards which the Dean of Salisbury has given

3,000l. Other contributions have also been received, leaving about 600l. to be made up. In addition to the foregoing, 1,000l. is required for the pavement of the nave and nave aisles, and 1,030l. for the restoration of the north porch. The new open choir screen is in course of completion, as well as the new organ, and the painting of the arcade on the south side of the choir is to be continued, the work having been undertaken by a local artist. The late Miss Grace Everard, of Laverstock Hall, near Salisbury, by her will bequeathed 1,000l. towards the restoration fund of the cathedral, free of legacy duty.

- COL. GORDON.-The following interesting statement is from a private letter, dated Cairo, Feb. 17, received from Col. Gordon :His Highness to-day has signed the Firman. He could not have given me greater powers. He has given me over the Soudan, in addition to the Province of the Equator and the littoral of the Red Sea, absolute authority over the finance, &c. I am astounded at the powers he has placed in my hands. With the GovernorGeneralship of the Soudan it will be my fault if slavery does not cease, and if these vast countries are not open to the world. there is an end of slavery if God wills, for the whole secret of the matter is in the government of the Soudan, and if the man who holds that government is against it, it must cease.

So

20. CAPTAIN ADAMS, OF THE SHIP "COREA," of London, has applied to the magistrate at Thames Police Court, under the following circumstances, for his advice. Captain Adams stated that he left China on his voyage home in September last. When in the China seas, about 200 miles from land, he fell in with a boat containing two men, who were almost in a dying condition. He took them on board and gave them food, which they ate ravenously. He had no opportunity of putting them on shore, and had brought them to England. Their language was unintelligible, but he believed they were natives of Cochin China. They had managed to tell the sailors by signs that they had been out fishing, had fallen asleep, and drifted out, not being able to fetch the land with their clumsy boat. They had been without food or drink for four days. Captain Adams had tried in vain to find some home to which the men could be sent until they could be taken back to their own country. Mr. De Rutzen requested him to allow them to remain in the ship for a day or two, while inquiries were made, and this Captain Adams promised to do.

- A SUPPER WAS GIVEN, on Tuesday evening, to about 150 thieves, in the Mission Chapel, Little Wild Street, Drury Lane; and seven of them, it is stated, have been reclaimed through the efforts of the missionary known as "Fiddler Joss."

— MRS. F. E. HOGGAN, M.D.-Mrs. Frances Elizabeth Hoggan, M.D., of Zurich, who has been for several years in practice in London, has just passed a successful examination in Dublin, and has received the Licenses in Medicine and Midwifery of the King's and Queen's College of Physicians in Ireland, which of course

secure for her official recognition in the United Kingdom. By a singular coincidence, on the same day Dr. George Hoggan, the husband of Mrs. Hoggan, was attending at the reading of their joint paper on "Lymphatics of Muscles" at the meeting of the Royal Society, on Thursday last. This subject is one of the most intricate and mysterious known in physiological science, and Mrs. Hoggan has been a principal agent in elucidating this obscure problem; and has accomplished the work, moreover, without the infliction of the smallest pain even on the meanest of sensitive

creatures.

- RICCIOTTI GARIBALDI, the second son of the illustrious general, seems to have had an adventurous career lately. He is now in Melbourne, in a Government office, with a salary of 2001. a year. When he first arrived in Australia from England, with a wife-an Irish lady, to whom her father refused a dowry because she married an enemy of the Holy Father-Ricciotti earned a precarious living by whipping coal. When at last the unhappy pair were on the verge of starvation, Ricciotti determined to lay aside his incognito and declare who he was. The Government at once gave him the place of secretary in one of the public offices, which post he has now filled for a year with all honour and glory.

MARCH.

3. HAWKING. To prove that hawking is not an extinct sport, an amateur has lent to the Alexandra Palace his mew of falcons and tiercels, and yesterday, for the first time, at Muswell Hill, two of the peregrines were flown at the lure. The falcons would rise and soar round and round, and then, as the dead bird which served for the lure was thrown up in the air, they swooped suddenly down upon it, and struck it to the earth with a blow of their powerful talons. Afterwards the red and purple hoods were pulled over their eyes, the jesses were knitted round the wrist of the falconers, and the birds were carried back, their bells tinkling, to a lawn in the Japanese village, where they camp out all night. On this lawn are exhibited not only the peregrines which gave visitors a taste of their quality, but gray Norwegian and French goshawks, fatal foes to rabbits or hares, two fine Norwegian gerfalcons, sparrow-hawks and little sharp-eyed merlins. Hard by sat nine black cormorants near to the trees. Empress, one of the finest and fastest peregrines known in modern times, who was a principal attraction at the Paris Acclimatisation Gardens in 1875, is among the falcons, and others are being imported from Iceland, India, Syria, and Greenland. Some smaller hawks are kept in houses, and some fly at liberty, returning at feeding times. There are

"entered" or

also a few young herons, with which the hawks are trained. The principal falconer is Mr. John Barr, of Scottish birth, who visited, when in the service of the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, Syria, India, and Holland, to learn all the secrets of falconry. The flat country of Holland, where the sport can be watched for long distances without mountains to obstruct the view, is well known as classic ground for hawking, and it is in a similar country that the English Hawking Club pursues its sport. The birds at the Alexandra Palace are the property of Captain Dugmore. Their wonderful quickness in swooping on the quarry was excellently shown by the flying at the lure, although, of course, the scene so often figured by Sir Walter Scott and the Flemish painters of knights and ladies riding out to fly a hawk was not reproduced by these falcons perched on flowerpots in the model Japanese village at Muswell Hill.

THE VESTRY OF ST. MARTIN'S-IN-THE-FIELDS have resolved -at the suggestion of Miss Octavia Hill, who contributes some portion of the cost-to lay out with flower beds and walks the old burial-ground in Drury Lane, which has so long remained in an unsightly condition, and to open the ground to the public for the purposes of recreation.

6. TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION.-An explosion, resulting in the loss of five lives, has occurred at the Great Boys Colliery, Sale Lane, Tyldesley. This pit is 160 yards deep, and only recently the getting of coal was commenced. It is owned by Messrs. Thomas Fletcher & Sons, of Little Lever, near Bolton, and at the time of the explosion fifteen men and boys were at work on the side of a 6-ft. seam. Safety-lamps were used, there being gas in the mines, and the cause of the calamity is attributed to a blownout shot, which had been drilled by Robert Prendergast, one of the injured, and not likely to recover.

BURNING OF THE "TEVIOTDALE."-Captain Robert Jones, late master of the iron ship "Teviotdale," of Glasgow, has arrived at Bangor, his native town, bringing full particulars of the destruction of that vessel in 8° 40′ S. (latitude), and 70° E. (longitude). The "Teviotdale" was owned by Messrs. J. & A. Roxburgh, of Glasgow, and sailed on July 27 last, laden with a cargo of 1,790 tons of coal, from Dundee for Bombay direct, with a crew of twenty-six. Nothing of importance happened until October 31, at 5 A.M., when the cook observed smoke issuing from the forehold. This was reported to the chief mate, and next to the captain, who at once gave directions about shifting the cargo and getting the fire engine and pumps to play in the lower hold and 'tween decks. All day the crew did their best to get at the seat of the fire, and on the following day these exertions were resumed, but they were driven from the hold by the smoke, sulphur, and gas. The hatches and ventilators were then battened down with the view of smothering the fire, but at 4 A.M. on November 2, they were blown up by a violent explosion. The crew continued to