behind them. Happily the fire was confined to the factory, and near midnight all danger was past. The conflagration illuminated the whole city, and attracted many thousands of persons to the scene of the fire. 18. LONDON BICYCLE CLUB.-The opening meeting of this newly-formed club was held at the Lillie-bridge Grounds. The event for decision was a twenty-five-mile match, between the two best amateur riders of the day, for a silver cup, value 201. Mr. G. P. Whiting, of the London Bicycle Club, has long been known as the amateur champion. He is twenty-two years of age, 5 ft. 10 in. high, and weighs 10 st. 10 lbs. His opponent was the Hon. Ion G. N. Keith-Falconer, of the Cambridge University Bicycle Club, who has been credited with riding ten miles in thirty-four minutes on a turnpike road. He is 6 ft. 3 in. high, weighing 12 st. 10 lbs., and is just under twenty years of age. There was a large muster of spectators, including many ladies, admission being by ticket. The race was closely contested, and finally Mr. Whiting won a race as creditable to the loser as the victor by 11 seconds, his full twenty-five miles occupying 1 h. 41 min. 16 secs. 19. THE CONGREGATIONAL MEMORIAL HALL.-A Congregational Hall, commemorative of the ejection of the 2,000 Nonconforming ministers from their benefices in 1662, was inaugurated in Farringdon Street to-day. The ground floor consists of offices, the flat above of a library capable of containing 8,000 volumes and 400 persons; on the top flat is the hall for public meetings, which will hold 1,000 people. This hall is to be the headquarters of the Congregational section of the Nonconformist body, and the place where most of their business will be transacted; to it is also transferred their valuable library of theological and historical works. It is a handsome building in the decorated style, with a lofty tower on the south angle and a smaller one on the north. In the hall is a handsome painted window representing the "Pilgrim Fathers," and others will be added to it. The total cost of the buildings, exclusive of the site and fittings, is about 30,000Z. ROBBERY AT PADDINGTON STATION.-Under precisely similar circumstances to the robbery of the Countess of Dudley's jewels, the dressing case of the Russian Ambassador has been stolen. With the Duke of Edinburgh and a number of other members of the upper circle, His Excellency was at the station to proceed to Witley Court on a visit to the Earl of Dudley, and while the train was being prepared, the dressing case was abstracted from the pile of luggage. Search was at once made for the case, but it could not be found, and the Ambassador had to proceed on his journey without it. 23. ALARMING SCENE IN A CHURCH.-The Catholic Apostolic Church at Albury, near Guildford, has been the scene of a very unpleasant and alarming occurrence. During the communion service a young man rushed into the pulpit, demanding to be heard upon some personal grievance of which, it seems, he imagines himself to be the victim; and upon being requested to withdraw, he drew a sword from under his coat and flourished it in the air in an excited manner, threatening anyone who should dare to approach him. Upon further remonstrance he produced a loaded pistol from his pocket, which he declared he would fire at the officiating minister if anyone interfered with him. After he had remained for some time in this threatening attitude, some persons succeeded in arresting his attention for a moment, and a gentleman, who had for some time parried his sword cuts with his umbrella, rushed up the steps of the pulpit and secured him, not, however, until he had received a severe cut on the back of the hand. The young man, who proved to be the Rev. John Symes, of the Irish Episcopal Church, and was staying with his friends, members of the above congregation, was removed to the vestry, and after a medical examination was consigned to a lunatic asylum. - THE CHANNEL TUNNEL.--This long debated project has at length emerged from the region of speculation, and is entering the stage of actual experiment. On this side the Channel a company has been formed to carry out the work, and on the other side the French Minister of Public Works has presented to the Assembly a bill authorising a French company to co-operate with the English engineers. The course which, as at present fixed, will be taken by the proposed tunnel lies between the two points which are nearest each other on the two coasts, and to which the railway systems of England and the Continent respectively converge. On the French side there is direct railway communication with Boulogne, Amiens, and Paris in one direction, and with the network of Belgian railways on the other. The bed of lower chalk, lying to the south-west between Sandgate and Dover, is that through which Sir John Hawkshaw has recommended that the tunnel should be made. This chalk is upwards of 500 feet deep on each shore from high-water mark, and the investigations lead to the conclusion that it is continuous, and that it stretches without interruption beneath the sea across the Straits. On the line of tunnel the depth of water at high tide nowhere exceeds 180 feet, so that were Westminster Abbey to be sunk in the deepest part, its towers would project forty-five feet above the surface of the water. As at present planned, there will nowhere be less than 200 feet of strata above the tunnel, and this will allow the railway approaches to be formed with a gradient of about one foot in eighty. From the bottom of the descent on either side the tunnel will, for the purposes of drainage, slope upward towards the centre at an inclination of one foot in 2,640. 24. SEVERE STORMS AT SEA.--A gale unequalled in violence for forty years blew over Belfast on the night of January 19. Great damage was done to buildings and shipping. On the 24th a very heavy gale raged from the south-west, and several wrecks took place. The barque "Marie Reine," Captain Durand, after desperate efforts to weather Portland Bill, was wrecked in Chesil Cove. The rocket apparatus was at once brought out, and at the second trial a line was carried on board, but the crew did not know how to make use of it. They made it fast, but, instead of pulling the cradle on board, several of them attempted to make their escape by crawling hand over hand on the cord. A Lascar, who was one of these, had a wonderful escape. He was washed off, and almost carried round the bows of the ship, but was caught by another wave and actually brought to the line again, when some of the Portlanders, with life-lines around them, rushed into the trough of the sea and rescued him. One of them went into the surf after another of the crew, and a wave came and carried both away. It was thought they were drowned, but on the sea coming in again they were found clinging to each other, and several coastguardsmen rushed in and brought them ashore. All the crew were saved except the captain, who had had his arm broken by the falling of a spar upon it. The vessel speedily went to pieces. The Northern City," a screw steamer belonging to the Aberdeen, Newcastle, and Hull Packet Company, was also wrecked on the coast of Kincardineshire, but all hands were happily saved. At St. Mary's, Nottingham, the flagstaff was blown down just as service was about to begin. No one was hurt, but the incident caused great dismay. A fearful gale raged over Jersey. Five vessels broke from their moorings in the harbour, and were somewhat damaged. The new harbour works also received injury, the waves having washed away the material that had been filled into the breach made in December last. 30. PRINCE LEOPOLD.-Great anxiety has been felt during this month in consequence of the serious illness of Prince Leopold. The disorder began with typhoid fever, from which it was announced on the 14th that the patient was convalescent, but the hemorrhage and weakness which followed it were of a very alarming character. By the end of the month, happily, His Royal Highness's strength had begun to return, and his physicians, Sir William Jenner, M.D., Dr. Hoffmeister, and Dr. Marshall, were able to announce that no more bulletins should be issued. OLD FORTIFICATIONS OF PORTSMOUTH.-These fortifications, now deemed useless for the protection of the town, have been condemned by the War Office authorities, and their removal is in progress. King Edward IV. first erected fortifications for the defence of this town and port. Richard III. made additions, and Edward VI. improved them. They were greatly extended by Charles II., James II., and William III., but the works now to be removed were erected between 1770 and 1790. Their removal cannot fail to be of great benefit to the town. The space covered by them, amounting to some hundreds of acres, will then become available for building; the railway terminus may also be brought rearer to the Government establishment. FEBRUARY. - A very 1. PRESENTATION TO THE 21ST FUSILIERS. interesting ceremony took place to-day at the North Camp, Aldershot. At noon the 2nd batt. 21st Royal North British Fusiliers, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Collingwood, paraded for the purpose of witnessing the presentation of a challenge shield to the best shooting company for the year 1874. Three sides of a square having been formed, the prize shield, which was of ebony with silver plates of blazonry, was brought forward and placed on a table. Col. Collingwood, having stepped into the square, addressed all ranks of the battalion to the effect that he had great pleasure in assembling them on that occasion for the purpose of presenting them with a shield to be competed for annually, the winning company to retain it in their possession for a year. When he assumed command of the battalion he was pleased at hearing that a shield was to be offered for competition. Owing to this inducement he was glad to find that the result was an excess of average on that of the previous year, and he trusted that the average next year would be much higher. The competition was so keen that the several companies showed very close averages. No. 1, or A Company (the victorious one), obtained 89-12 points; F Company, 88'86 points. Mrs. Collingwood, the colonel's wife, then presented the shield to the winning company, and Col. Collingwood called for three cheers, which were heartily given. Capt. Thorburn having thanked Mrs. Collingwood for making the presentation, the victorious company marched off with the trophy, headed by the band playing "The British Grenadiers." 2. WRECK OF THE "SOUDAN."-The African Royal Mail Company's steam-ship "Soudan "was wrecked on the night of the 2nd inst. in Funchal Bay, Madeira. She was from Liverpool, bound for Madeira and the West Coast of Africa. She had a crew of fortyfive, all told, and one passenger, in addition to the mails and a full cargo. On arriving at Madeira, about six in the evening, the vessel came to an anchor off Low Rock. As usual, a gun was fired as a signal to those on shore to come out and take off the mails. It was also the practice for the harbour-master to go out in his boat and give orders where the vessel should anchor, as there are no pilots at Madeira. The harbour-master did not, however, come off to the "Soudan," although she made signals and fired guns for three hours. After waiting this time, the captain decided on putting to sea and taking the Madeira mails on to Grand Canary, whence they would be sent back by the next steamer. At this time the vessel had eight and a half fathoms of cable out and was swinging to the anchor. She was about a mile and three quarters off the land, and a strong breeze was blowing. The vessel's head was lying S.S. W., and the wind was from the S.W. The order was given to weigh anchor, and it was got up and dropped several times, for the engines would not work. The captain rang "half speed," and then "full speed," but the engines would not start. The ship was consequently, on the breeze blowing, driven towards the land. They got the anchor up again, but still the engines did not move, and they could do nothing. The wind then drove her on to the land. The engine moved once, but the anchor was not off the ground. They got out the boats, and the crew were all landed, as well as the passenger and mails. The ship went to pieces, and her remains were sold at Madeira for 6,6667. 6. CABMEN'S SHELTERS. A society has been formed, under the presidency of Lord Shaftesbury and the Hon. Arthur Kinnaird, to establish moveable huts or pavilions, with glass sides, at the cabstands, for the drivers to take shelter in during inclement weather. The first of these that has been erected in London was opened with some ceremony to-day. It is situated at the cab rank in the Acacia Road, St. John's Wood. The building stands in the middle of the road, and is constructed principally of wood, and raised on low wheels. It contains conveniences for cooking and a supply of hot coffee, and is lit by a lamp presented by M. Dietz. Among those present were the Hon. A. Kinnaird, M.P., Mr. J. E. Charrington, Mr. G. Stormont Murphy, Capt. Armstrong, Mr. Macnamara, treasurer, and Mr. Dennistoun, secretary to the Cabmen's Shelter Fund. 9. RAILWAY COLLISIONS.-Three serious accidents from this cause have taken place in two days. The first occurred to the passenger train due in Middleton from Manchester at 8.45 on the morning of February 8th, which came into violent collision with some stationary carriages at the Middleton Station, whereby seven persons were severely shaken and some received external injuries. It appears that the train was started at Middleton Junction without a guard, so that when the engine was detached, near the station, the carriages moved forward, and there being no one to apply the brake they ran with great force into the carriages in the station. The other accidents both occurred at Rugby Station on the following day, two passenger trains, one at 3.15 and the other at 4 p.m., dashing into a goods train which was in the station. The guard of the goods train jumped out and saved himself, but the driver, fireman, and passengers were all severely shaken, and two were seriously injured. 10. PROPOSED UNIVERSITY FOR LADIES.-A number of ladies and gentlemen interested in the subject of female education met at Professor Holloway's, in Oxford Street, to-day, for the purpose of discussing the details of a scheme for the establishment, at Egham, of a university for ladies. Mr. Holloway, who recently expended 100,000l. in the erection of a sanitarium for the insane, proposed to find 250,000l. for the university, and the meeting was convened with a view to enlist the co-operation of the most com |