10. The distribution of the prizes to the Royal Academy students took place at Burlington House, followed by the President's address on Tuscan art. The two principal prizes of the year for painting-viz. the Gold Medal and Travelling Studentship for an historical picture and the Turner Prize for a landscape-were carried off by the same student, Mr. A. T. Nowell.

12. After numerous failures to form a French Ministry, M. Tirard presented a list to the President, which was accepted, and the members forthwith entered upon their functions.

The premises of the Driffield and East Riding Linseed Cake Company, one of the largest factories in the kingdom, took fire, and buildings and property valued at 150,000l. were completely destroyed.

13. The English Roman Catholic Liberals, represented by the Marquess of Ripon, the Earl of Ashburnham, and others, circulated an address to Monsignor Persico repudiating the action of those who blamed the Irish priesthood for their attitude towards Home Rule.

The Princess Louise (Marchioness of Lorne) went to Nottingham to open at the Social Guild an exhibition of the work done at recreative evening classes throughout England.

The Paris Court of Appeal dismissed the case against M. Wilson, Deputy, and M. Gragnon, Prefect of the Police, who had been charged with purloining and substituting letters in connection with the case against Mme. Limousin.

14. The Times published the voluntary statement of a Home Ruler who had separated himself from the advanced Nationalists. According to this information the head centre of the extreme faction, Dr. Hamilton Williams, who had a fund of 200,000l. at his disposal, had abandoned the idea of sending out fully equipped dynamitards from the United States. He proposed to find instruments ready "to wage war in the enemy's country" amongst its denizens.

The National Fair Trade League issued as the resolution adopted unanimously by the representatives of all its branches: "That our common policy is to advocate the imposition of moderate import duties upon all competing foreign products other than raw materials for industry, leaving the definition of such raw materials and the special treatment of Indian and colonial products to be determined by the legislature."

15. The Home Secretary and President of the Local Government Board received a deputation of East London workpeople, who desired to prevent the unrestricted immigration of pauper aliens. It was stated that since 1880 there had been a reduction of 50 per cent. in the tailoring wages on account of the influx of Polish Jews induced to come over by the "sweaters," who had command of the labour market.

After a long trial Leon Serné, hairdresser, and John Henry Goldfinch, his assistant, acquitted of the charge of having wilfully murdered the two children of the former by setting fire to the shop occupied by them in the Strand.

At Nice, a sergeant in the 111th Regiment of the French army, arrested on the charge of having attempted to sell to Germany, for 20,000 francs, a Lebel rifle and some cartridges.

15. M. Carvalho, director of the ill-fated Opéra Comique at Paris (burnt in June), sentenced to three months' imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 francs, and the fireman André to one month's imprisonment, for negligence in their respective duties.

16. H.R.H. the Princess Christian visited Holloway College, Egham, and unveiled a statue of the Queen, the work of Prince Victor of Hohenlohe.

17. A serious panic took place on the Vienna Bourse in consequence of warlike rumours and of the attitude of Russia. It was estimated that the depreciation of stocks in two days exceeded 200 millions of florins.

18. The Pope received at the Vatican with great ceremonial the Duke of Norfolk, accredited as special envoy from the Queen to congratulate his Holiness on his jubilee. The last occasion on which an accredited envoy had been sent from England to the Papal See was in 1687, when Lord Castlemaine represented James II.

William Linnell, who had died in Charing Cross Hospital in consequence of injuries received during the disturbances in Trafalgar Square, conveyed from Trafalgar Square to Bow Common Cemetery, followed by a large procession. Throughout the long line of march order was preserved but in the darkness which had set in before the grave was reached the cemetery became the scene of confusion and uproar.

A huge timber raft, which left Nova Scotia on the 5th inst., abandoned during a storm off Block Island, Nantucket Bay. It was composed of 27,000 logs, and measured 560 feet in length by 65 feet in width and 38 feet in depth. The raft was speedily broken up by the waves, and a wide expanse of sea was for a long time strewn with the floating timbers.

19. Lord Salisbury visited Derby, and in the course of the afternoon and evening delivered three speeches on the state of politics. He was received at the stations at which his train stopped, as well as at Derby, with great enthusiasm.

Thomas Callan and Michael Harkins, after several remands, formally committed for trial on the charge of conspiracy to commit dynamite outrages.

-

A prize fight for the champion's belt and 1,000l. between Jem Smith, an Englishman, and Jake Kilrain, an American, took place on a small island in the Seine, near Rouen. The men fought 106 rounds, lasting 2 hours, when an adjournment, on account of the increasing darkness (nearly 5 P.M.), was ordered, and on the journey home "a draw" was agreed to with the approval of all concerned. About 100 persons, chiefly English and American, witnessed the fight.

20. Count Perponcher, Chief Court Marshal to the German Emperor, resigned in consequence of Prince Bismarck's refusal to receive his explanation of not having allotted to the Chancellor, at the banquet to the Czar, the place corresponding with his rank.

A monument to M. Edmond About, designed by M. Crantz, unveiled in the cemetery of Père la Chaise in the presence of a large number of his old friends and colleagues. M. Ernest Renan made an eloquent speech.

21. A number of farmers in the counties Meath and Dublin publicly noti

fied the poisoning of their lands on political grounds, certain prominent hunting landlords being objected to by them.

21. At Rochester, N.Y., in consequence of the leakage of some naphtha works into the town sewers a terrific explosion took place, followed by a fire by which three flour mills were destroyed, two persons killed, and several injured.

The Lord Mayor issued an appeal for funds to provide wages for the unemployed: the applicants for work were to be engaged on work on the public gardens and open spaces under the supervision of the Metropolitan Playground Association. It was estimated that there were about 30 acres of land ready, offering employment for 1,300 workmen.

22. Letters patent published in Malta providing for a new constitution for the island. In future the Council of Government would consist of the Governor, 6 official and 14 elected members, of whom four would be elected by a restricted constituency. The other provisions were framed in view of an extended local self-government.

23. The Budget of the Metropolitan Board of Works for the year 1888 showed an estimated income of 1,752,1657. 4s. 6d., exclusive of the balance of the Consolidated Loans Fund and the requirements of the Fire Brigade. The total expenditure was estimated at 1,805,8497. 188. 4d., of which 940,8567. was for interest of money borrowed.

24. A great strike commenced on the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad in consequence of certain men having been discharged for refusing to move boycotted goods. The Knights of Labour demanded the reinstatement of the men, and this being refused upwards of 25,000 men employed on the goods traffic came out on strike; but within a couple of days the majority resumed work.

A manifesto (in Welsh) issued by the Welsh Land League, having for its objects the reform of the existing tithe system, the disestablishment and disendowment of the English Church in Wales, reform in the land laws, and the election to Parliament of members (to be paid) understanding the needs of the farmer and of the labouring classes.

25. The special mission from the Queen to the Pope presented her Majesty's jubilee present, a massive basin and ewer of gold repoussé work, copied from originals at Windsor. The basin bore on the central boss, "To his Holiness Pope Leo XIII. from Victoria, R. I. 1888.”

26. The first display of wintry weather throughout Great Britain marked by several ice and snow accidents, including thirteen deaths.

Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill received by the Czar at the Gatschina Palace.

Baron and Baroness Albert Rothschild, of Vienna, declared Hoffähigentitling them to the privilege of attending the Court balls-the first instance of Jews ever having been admitted to this distinction in Austria.

27. Mr. Gladstone, on his way to spend a few weeks at Italy, stopped at Dover, where he delivered a lengthy address on home and foreign politics.

The Dublin Gazette published an order (27th) of the Land Law Act, 1887, varying the judicial rents fixed in the years 1881-5. The order was

applicable to the 162 poor-law unions into which Ireland is divided. The reductions varied from 6 to 22 per cent. The Commissioners Litton and Wrench signed the order, Mr. Justice O'Hagan expressing regretful dissent.

27. A War Office return showed that the cavalry was far below its effective strength in respect of horses, the Household Cavalry having only 820 horses for 1,200 troopers, and the Dragoons, Hussars, and other mounted regiments having 14,000 horses for 17,400 men.

28. M. Jules Simon, M. Renan and M. Camille Doucet, as delegates of the French Institute, presented to the Duc d'Aumale at Brussels three impressions (in gold, silver, and bronze) of the medal struck by the Institute commemorating the gift of Chantilly to that body.

At a meeting of the Meath Hunt Club, held at Kells, it was unanimously decided that the members could not concur in any arrangement by which the representative of the Queen or any other person would be excluded.

29. The Grand Theatre, Islington, rebuilt in 1882-3 on the site of the Philharmonic Hall (destroyed by fire in 1882) found to be on fire shortly after the close of the evening performance, and in two or three hours the whole building was destroyed, with the exception of the outside walls.

Lord Lytton presented his credentials as Ambassador to the French Republic, and was received by President Carnot in full state and with great cordiality. In the course of the day Mr. Gladstone paid a visit to President Carnot.

30. At Carthagena, during a performance at the principal theatre, a broker committed suicide in the stalls by means of a dynamite cartridge. Although pieces of his skull were scattered on the stage only one lady in the stalls was injured. The gas, however, was extinguished by the explosion, and great confusion ensued, upwards of 100 persons being injured in their attempt to escape.

The Small Arms Committee decided on the adoption of a new maga zine rifle on the Metford principle for the general service.

31. On the railway between Caraquette and Bathurst (New Brunswick) a train finding itself blocked by a snow drift, the engine and tender were sent forward to clear the track. On crossing the Caraquette river the snowplough jumped from the metals, dragging down the engine to the frozen river. The ice was broken by the weight, and eight out of thirteen officials were drowned or frozen to death.

The first Canadian Pacific train crossed the international bridge at Sault Ste. Marie.

The "forged" documents, purporting to be letters from Prince Ferdinand of Coburg to the Comtesse de Flandre, published in the German Reichsanzeiger.

RETROSPECT

OF

LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART IN 1887.

LITERATURE.

EXCLUSIVE of novels, it would seem that people read-for every year people write more books upon history and biography than upon anything else. This year Mr. Lecky comes first among the historians with two new volumesthe fifth and sixth-of his History of England in the Eighteenth Century (Longmans). The volumes open with a review of the character and administration of the younger Pitt, who, more than any other man, is the central figure in them; but the interest of the fifth volume, apart from the personality of Pitt, centres in Mr. Lecky's account of the causes and origins of the French Revolution, and of the bearings of the Revolution not only upon the history of France, into which he goes very fully, but also upon the internal condition of England, and on the relations between this country and the Continental States. The first chapter in the sixth volume also deals very fully with ques tions of foreign policy involved in the outbreak of the great French war, but it is succeeded by a chapter of pleasanter reading, where Mr. Lecky tells us something of the minds and manners of our great-grandfathers and of the beginnings of the wide movement which was presently to effect the mitiga tion of the penal code, the abolition of the slave trade, and parliamentary reform. The latter half of the sixth volume is occupied with more debateable matter with the history of Ireland from 1782 to 1793- and in these chapters Grattan takes the place of hero. But Mr. Lecky stops far short at present of the great ground of controversy, the closing years of the Irish Parliament, which he reserves to be dealt with in his last volume. As regards England his history is concluded, for with the war of 1793 the nineteenth century begins. The war which ends Mr. Lecky's history has had many chroniclers, but Mr. Oscar Browning has taken pains to discover why the Treaty of Amiens did not end it. The volume entitled England and Napoleon in 1803 (Longmans), which Mr. Browning has edited for the Royal Historical Society, contains the despatches of Lord Whitworth, our Ambassador at Paris in 1802 and 1803, with some other papers bearing on the same subject. Mr. Browning does not pretend to decide definitely to which party the rupture of the negotiations of those years was due. He throws considerable new light on the question, and he disposes of one or two misconceptions, notably, of the famous story of Napoleon insulting Lord Whitworth. But his object is to provide materials for a judgment rather than to pronounce him.