completion of St. Paul's, which had suspended proceedings for nearly three years, met again to-day. A resolution was adopted declaring it to be desirable, with the funds now in hand, exceeding 40,000l., to carry into effect as far as possible the wishes of Sir Christopher Wren, by decorating the dome of St. Paul's with mosaic, in a similar style to the dome of St. Peter's at Rome. A sub-committee, consisting of Lord Alwyne Compton, Mr. Fergusson, Mr. Oldfield, Mr. Parry, and the Rev. St. John Tyrwhitt, was appointed to consider as to the best method of proceeding in the execution of the proposed scheme, and as to the artists and other persons most fit to be employed therein, with any other matters they may think essential, and to report fully thereon.

10. THE JUDGES AT ST. PAUL'S.--This afternoon the longpromised State visit of Her Majesty's Judges was paid to St. Paul's Cathedral. It was the custom formerly and down to this year for the Judges and Serjeants to attend Divine service at the Cathedral on the first Sundays in both Easter and Trinity Terms, but lately, owing to recent changes in the Judicial body, by the effect of which the Judges of the Equity, Probate, and Admiralty Courts have now become Her Majesty's Judges as well as those of the Common Law Courts, fresh arrangements had to be made as to the continuance of the practice. The result has been to reduce the attendance of the Judges to but one service a year instead of two, and to establish a rota in the place of the former indiscriminate attendance of their Lordships. This year, again, another change has been necessary, owing to the disposal by sale of Serjeants' Inn, in Chancery lane, at which the Judges used to assemble, and be escorted in a body to St. Paul's by the City Marshal, as the representative of the Corporation. Henceforward this practice will necessarily be discontinued. The ceremony last Sunday was graced by the presence of the Lord Chancellor, who attended for the first time, the Lord Chief Justice of England, the Lord Chief Baron, Lord Justice Baggallay, Lord Justice Brett, Vice-Chancellor Malins, Vice-Chancellor Bacon, Vice-Chancellor Hall, and Baron Huddleston, and by Mr. Serjeant Robinson and Mr. Serjeant Cox. Their Lordships wore their scarlet and ermine robes of office, and were attended by their train-bearers.

THE QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS, whose death has just occurred, and who, from her Liberal tendencies, was nicknamed "La Reine Rouge," was one of the most accomplished ladies in Europe. She was an excellent linguist, being able to speak with tolerable fluency almost every European language. As is well known, she was for many years separated from her Royal husband. There was a meeting of the pair once a year in a vault-like apartment in the Royal Palace at Amsterdam. It lasted only a few minutes, and was merely of a formal character. Her Majesty's favourite residence was the "Huis in t'Bosch," about a mile and a half from the Hague. The palace was open to visitors, and every day at twelve o'clock Her Majesty sent for the visitors' book in

order to see who had called during the preceding twenty-four hours. Her private apartments were fitted up in a quiet, homely manner, in accordance with her own simple tastes.

LIGHTNING ACCIDENT.-During the storm to-day a curious incident occurred at Blatchington Battery. A soldier was sitting in his room, and a table knife that he had just been using lay beside him, when the lightning entered the apartment, struck the knife, cutting it completely in two, and throwing the pieces about the room, one being taken nearly up to the ceiling. The man was not hurt, but naturally very much frightened.

12. ENTHRONEMENT OF THE BISHOP OF ST. ALBANS.-The investment and enthronement of the Bishop of St. Albans took place today, in the cathedral church of St. Albans. There was a vast congregation. The bishop entered the abbey just before twelve, and the Archbishop of Canterbury was shortly afterwards conducted to the Communion table and directed the service to proceed. Her Majesty's letters patent founding the bishopric having been read, the oaths were administered and taken by his lordship, and the archbishop afterwards preached from Ezekiel xxxvii. 3. The bishop and archbishop met the Mayor of St. Albans at a luncheon at the Town Hall in the afternoon.

The scene in the abbey was most striking and picturesque. This ceremony was the first case of "investiture" since the Reformation. It should be added that the Primate invested the new Bishop under the Great Tower of the Abbey, before all the people, and not among the clergy in the chancel. After the reading of the Letters Patent founding the bishopric, Mr. Stephen Tucker, Rouge Croix, cried "God save the Queen!" and handed to his Grace the grant of arms for the new see.

ARMY CHANGES.-When announcing some months ago the probable abolition of the rank of sub-lientenant, the Army and Navy Gazette stated that with the introduction of second lieute nants it was thought a system would be adopted similar to that which was in operation in the days of ensigncies, and that an establishment of lieutenants and second lieutenants would be kept up. We are now able to state definitely that this will be the case. All regiments will in future have an establishment of ten lieutenants, exclusive of the adjutant, those on foreign service being allowed eight, and those on home service four second lieutenants, who will have to await promotion until vacancies occur in the higher rank. This change will give universal satisfaction, as a break will thus be provided in the subaltern ranks, the want of which was a standing argument against the sub-lieutenancy system.

-THE EMPEROR OF BRAZIL and his Empress have arrived from Paris, and the papers from this date record various instances of his Majesty's wonderful activity. One day he spent a couple of hours at the South Kensington Museum; then he breakfasted at the Criterion; and then paid visits to the Royal Academy,

to Dr. Schliemann in Keppel Street, to the Grosvenor Gallery, and to Mr. Boehm's studio in Fulham Road. The next day he again went to South Kensington, and visited Mr. W. Crooke, Mornington Road; after which he went to Messrs. Young's foundry in Eccleston Street, Pimlico, to inspect the equestrian statue of the Prince of Wales, by Mr. J. E. Boehm, destined for Bombay, in commemoration of the recent visit of His Royal Highness to India. He also inspected the statue of Sir John Burgoyne, and the last group just completed for the Wellington monument in St. Paul's Cathedral. He afterwards went to see Miss Thompson's pictures in New Bond Street; the Byron Memorial Exhibition at the Albert Hall; the Earl of Dudley's picture-gallery, and the collection at Grosvenor House, concluding the day by a visit to the Sir John Soane Museum in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields.

-THE EGYPTIAN COLLECTION OF THE LOUVRE has just been enriched by a very curious stone from a quadrangular ring, upon which are engraved two representations of an old Egyptian king of the eighteenth dynasty. On one side he is seizing a lion by its tail and making ready to strike it with his club-an emblem of victorious force, as explained by the word Ken-and on the other he is seen in his chariot of war trampling his enemies under foot. Monuments of the reign of this king are extremely rare, and therefore this small stone has a particular value and interest. It was discovered and bought for the Louvre by M. Pierret, the learned Egyptian conservator.

14. Ascor CUP-DAY.-The Ascot meeting, favoured with splendid weather, has been a great success. The Ascot Tuesday has always furnished the very best day's racing of the entire year, and we doubt if there have ever previously been so many people present on the opening day. The Royal party arrived in state just before the first race was run. The Gold Vase produced the most interesting race of the day, being selected for the first appearance of Rosebery since his great handicap victories. He scarcely, however, looked quite up to the mark, and it was rumoured that he had been beaten in his trial. Skylark won in a canter. The result of the competition for the Gold Cup was that Petrarch won by a length, Skylark being second, and Coomassie third. The time, by Benson's chronograph, was 4 min. 33 sec.

ALFRED THE GREAT.-Count Gleichen has completed his statue of Alfred the Great executed for the birthplace of the great ruler, Wantage, through the liberality of Col. Loyd-Lindsay. It is of Sicilian marble, and 8 ft. in height, a fine bold figure, in the cross-gartered hose of the time, holding an axe in one hand and a charter in the other. The pose is good, and the cast of the cloak gives more variety to the back than statues generally exhibit.

16. SAD DEATH OF AN OFFICER.-An inquest was held at St. George's Workhouse, in the Borough, this day, concerning the death of Henry Augustus Williams, aged forty-five, formerly an officer in the army. From the evidence of his widow, who described herself

as the daughter of the late Rev. R. W. Hartshorne, curate at Christ Church, Blackfriars, and who was dressed in workhouse clothes, it appeared that the deceased had served as captain in the Royal Scots Guards, the Osmanli Irregular Cavalry, the Gold Coast Artillery, and in the second West India Regiment. Being desirous of improving his position he sold his commission for 1,000l. and embarked in some business undertaking in Canada. Not being acquainted with business, he was taken advantage of, and failed. He then returned to England, and tried to get employment in various ways. At last he was appointed an agent for the British Equitable Insurance Company. Failing also in this, he wrote for an appointment in the Turkish army; but in the meantime being, with his wife and three young children, absolutely in want, he applied for assistance to the Charity Organisation Society. The society entered into an investigation of his character from his youth upwards, and, having found it to be without stain, offered that if he could get a commission they would temporarily assist his wife and children. In the meantime, he was compelled by hunger and want to apply for admission to the workhouse, which they entered on June 11. The witness further stated that her husband was a thoroughly sober man, and was much esteemed in his regiment. Their friends had helped them, but he did not like to be continually making demands upon them. The landlord of the house in which the deceased had lodged previous to going into the workhouse said he thought the Charity Organisation Society had acted very badly in the case. It appeared to him that they never did attend to a really deserving case. The public ought to know that 75 per cent. of the income of the society goes in expenses. A medical witness said that on examination he found the deceased had died of apoplexy, no doubt caused by excessive sickness. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.

21. AWFUL FIRE IN AMERICA.-A terrible fire has occurred at St. John's, New Brunswick. It began at two o'clock, and burned for twelve hours. The fire department is said to have been very slow in getting to work, and to have become demoralised by the extent of the disaster. The supply of water also proved insufficient; and a strong wind blowing, all that part of the city south of King Street is destroyed, including all the public buildings, houses, about half of the private residences, and part of the wharves and shipping. Seven lives were lost. Fifteen thousand persons are homeless, and ten or fifteen million dollars worth of property has been destroyed, about half of which is insured. There are great fears of famine. The United States Consul has telegraphed to New York and other cities for aid. Relief will be sent at once. Railway trains loaded with cooked food have already been despatched from Bangor and Montreal.

24. A COPIOUS SHOWER OF SAND fell upon Rome. Carried over from the deserts of Africa, it filled the upper atmosphere like a great cloud, and to such an extent that the sun at four o'clock in

the afternoon seemed entirely shorn of its rays, appearing like a pale moon of greenish tint. In some places the sand, mixed with water, fell in little drops of mud. In colour the sand has a reddish brick tinge, mixed with grains of vegetable pollen. The same atmospheric phenomenon was observed at Naples; but, although Vesuvius was in a partial state of eruption, no sand or cinders fell there. Telegrams from Naples report that all Saturday and Sunday Vesuvius was emitting great quantities of smoke.

MIDHAT PASHA was in the House of Commons a few nights since, and was much amazed at the whole of the arrangements. The first thing that struck him was the grating in front of the ladies' gallery, and on being told what it was, he exclaimed, "And you accuse us of shutting up our women!" But what puzzled him most was the three-quarters of an hour's uproar with which a certain member was received and put down. But when he was told that this gentleman was "one of the rédacteurs of a leading paper, and one of the most unpopular members of the House," he chuckled and rubbed his hands, saying, "Then the paper is not so important after all, since its member is received with so much contempt. Certainly in our House the Speaker would have got up and boxed his ears." It was explained to him, however, that this would be against the rules, on which he replied, " Parfait, parfait, très-bon sens."

26. BOILER EXPLOSION.-There has been another terrible boiler explosion in North Staffordshire. Two boilers suddenly burst at some ironworks at Chatterley, killing six men and two boys and injuring several other persons. No cause, it is stated, has yet been assigned for the explosion, and the coroner's inquest will no doubt, as is usual under such circumstances, return a verdict of accidental death. It may, however, be taken for granted that there was some cause for the explosion. On the same day on which the catastrophe occurred a report of Mr. Fletcher, the chief engineer of the Manchester Steam Users' Association, was read at the monthly meeting of that body, in which, alluding to nine boiler explosions which took place between April 21 and June 22, he points out that, although as many as twenty-three lives were sacrificed, these explosions were all due to the simplest causes, and might have been prevented by competent inspection and the exercise of due care. Some of the explosions arose from wasting of the plates, the metal being so reduced that it was no thicker than an old sixpence, while others arose from excessive and undue pressure of steam, and others, again, from the neglect of the simple precaution of strengthening furnace tubes with encircling hoops to enable them to resist collapse. In every case where coroners' inquests were held the usual verdict of accidental death was brought in.

A FATAL GLACIER ADVENTURE.-A shocking Alpine accident is reported. M. Henri Cordier, well known to English mountaineers as a prominent member of the French Alpine Club. has met