the present high price of provisions. There were two other resolutions-one "protesting against the neglect of our waste lands, and calling upon the Government to take immediate steps to employ all surplus labour in their proper cultivation;" and the other, appointing a deputation" to wait upon the Premier to induce him to take up the whole subject without delay."

Her

-THE QUEEN AT DUNROBIN.-To-day, at noon, the Queen laid the memorial stone of a monument to the memory of the late Duchess of Sutherland in the grounds of Dunrobin Castle. Majesty was accompanied by Princess Beatrice, Prince Leopold, and several members of the Court. There was a large attendance of subscribers and the public. The platform was covered with crimson cloth, and there was a beautiful canopy overhead, while the space around was decorated with flowers and evergreens. The officers of the Sutherland Volunteers and a guard of honour were present. A bottle, hermetically sealed, and containing the coins of the realm and medallion of the late Duchess, copies of the local papers and the Times of Friday, with an article on the reclaiming of the waste lands of Sutherland, was placed in the cavity of the stone, and covered by a brass plate with a suitable inscription, concluding thus,-"This foundation-stone was laid by Queen Victoria of England in Testimony of her Love and Friendship, 9th of September, 1872."

11. THE ST. LEGER STAKES (191 subs.).

Lord Wilton's b.c. Wenlock, by Lord Clifden, 8st. 10lb. (Maidment) 1 Mr. J. Dawson's ch. c. Prince Charlie, 8 st. 10 lb. . . (T. French) 2 Lord Aylesford's br. c. Vanderdecken, 8 st. 10 lb... (T. Cannon) 3

The following also ran:-Merevale, 8 st. 5 lb.; Intrepid, 8 st. 10 lb.; Wellingtonia, 8 st. 10 lb.; Simon, 8 st. 10 lb.; Prodigal, 8 st. 10 lb.; Patriarch, 8 st. 10 lb.; Strathtay, 8 st. 10 lb.; Young Sydmonton, 8 st. 10 lb.; Lighthouse, 8 st. 10 lb.; Lord Gough, 8 st. 10 lb.; Gladiolus, 8 st. 10 lb.; Xanthus, 8 st. 10 lb.; Drummond, 8 st. 10 lb.; Khedive, 8 st. 10 lb.

Betting: 3 to 1 each agst. Drummond and Prince Charlie, 9 to 2 agst. Wellingtonia, 8 to 1 each agst. Wenlock and Khedive, 100 to 6agst. Vanderdecken, 20 to 1 agst. Gladiolus, 50 to 1 each agst. Young Sydmonton and Merevale, 100 to 1 agst. Prodigal, and 1000 to 8 agst. Lord Gough.

The pace throughout was good. The result is a complete substantiation of public form, as Wenlock was fourth in the Derby, and, having nothing to oppose that beat him then, he had no difficulty in asserting his supremacy. No one more deserves such a victory than Lord Wilton, who has long been known as one of the stanchest and most upright sportsmen of this or any other age. Wadlow, his careful trainer, sent the horse to the post in excellent condition, for which every praise is due to him. Maidment has now ridden two St. Leger winners in succession, having steered Hannah to victory last year. The success of Wenlock is not inappropriate

F

as far as his breeding goes, his sire, Lord Clifden, having won the same race in 1863.

12. THE AUTUMN MANŒUVRES.-The march past of the combined armies at Beacon Hill fitly brought to a close the campaign of this year, which has been fought in the open country of Wiltshire by the two divisions of regular troops, militia, and volunteers, each nearly 15,000 strong, under the commands respectively of General Sir Robert Walpole and General Sir John Michel. The former, whose force is styled the Northern Army, or the Army of Defence, had moved from his late head-quarters at Pewsey to encounter the latter, whose Southern Army, representing that of a foreign invader, had marched up from Blandford, so that they joined battle on ground between Warminster and Salisbury, near the village of Codford St. Mary, where the river Wiley, the high road, and the railway afforded a triple line of defence. The position of Sir John Michel was at Fonthill and Teffont Magna, on the opposite side of this ground, which is traversed by an old Roman road, and is diversified with hills and woods, providing cover for the advance of troops.

The following official programme, giving a general idea of the operations, is dated "Army Head-quarters, Salisbury, Aug. 31, 1872:

"The operations of the manœuvres are represented by the action of the two corps forming the advanced portions of the two opposing armies. The Blandford (or Southern) corps is part of a force which is marching from Weymouth to London. Dorchester is occupied, and a strong detachment has been sent forward towards Yeovil to cut the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth line of railway. Another strong detachment has reached Sturminster Newton, on Sept. 5, in order to watch the Somerset and Dorset railway, and to prevent any attack being made on the communications of the Southern Army from the direction of Wells or Bath. The right flank is protected by a force of 10,000 men, which has been landed at Poole for the purpose of co-operating with the Dorchester corps, and has reached Ringwood by Sept. 5. Moreover, the whole of the invading force on this side of England (which may be taken at less than 50,000 men) is subsidiary to a main invasion on the eastern or southeastern coast. This invasion is in process of being checked. On the north side a corps of 15,000 men is collected at Pewsey, and constitutes the advanced portion of a force assembled at Aldershott to stop the progress of the invader. In addition to this force, troops are being got together at Bristol and Bath, and are preparing to join the Pewsey corps should it advance to the Wiley, or to support it if forced to retreat from the line of that river. Part of these reinforcements are capable of being sent forward to the neighbourhood of Warminster by Sept. 6. A strong position, that south of Salisbury, as well as the city itself, is held by the defending army, the force here amounting to about 6000 men of all arms. Wilton is occupied by a force of 3000 men. The Salisbury position is sup

posed to be too strong to allow of its being carried by the force advancing from the direction of Ringwood. The Generals in command of the respective corps at Pewsey and Blandford have, on the above suppositions, full liberty of action (subject, of course, to orders to be issued during the progress of the operations), with one restriction-viz. that neither force must cross the Wiley before four a.m. on Sept. 6. In naming this date, no reference is made to the movements of the cavalry and horse artillery. Salisbury Plain offers peculiar advantages for the manoeuvring of these arms, and no doubt the Generals in command of the corps will make the fullest use of their services during the advance."

The execution of this programme was liable to be modified by the result of particular movements; and in the series of mimic battles, continued day after day, from Thursday the 5th to Tuesday the 10th, at Lamb Down, Codford, Wishford, and Yarnbury, the position of Sir Robert Walpole's army seems to have been turned, enabling Sir John Michel to cross the river Avon, near Amesbury, and to get upon the road to London. But in the last battle each army succeeded in turning the other's flank, with the curious result at the close that the communications of the invaders with the sea, and the defenders with London were both alike cut off. The Duke of Cambridge inspected the troops to-day (the 12th). The Prince of Wales and Prince Arthur have taken part in the service throughout the campaign. The Prince stayed at Bemerton Lodge, Salisbury, where he entertained the other princes and the foreign officers of distinction. A dinner at Fisherton Hall to the Prince on the 7th was enlivened by a graceful episode. After the toasts had been given, General Schonstedt, of Holland, the senior of the foreign officers, rose and thanked Col. Ellis, Capt. Wellesley, and Mr. Brydges for the kind and courteous manner in which those three officers had discharged the duties committed to them by the English Government. General Schonstedt went on to say that it was the wish of the foreign officers to present each of those English officers who had shown them so much attention and kindness with a souvenir of the manœuvres of 1872. Three beautiful pieces of plate were then placed upon the table, and Lieut.-Col. Ellis, Capt. Wellesley, and Mr. Brydges were asked to accept them. The Duke of Auerstadt, who is a nephew of Marshal Davoust, spoke to the same purpose in a few excellently chosen sentences, after which Lieut.Col. Ellis rose, and having entirely deprecated the idea that he had done anything more than discharge to the best of his ability, and with great pleasure, a very pleasant duty, warmly thanked General Schonstedt and his brother officers of the different armies for the uniform courteousness and consideration with which they had encountered the many little rubs of the manœuvres, and for the beautiful presents on the table which he and the other English officers would always prize.

On his return home, the Duke of Cambridge issued the following order :

"At the conclusion of the autumn manœuvres of 1872, his Royal Highness the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief has infinite pleasure in expressing to the troops generally his entire satisfaction at the manner in which they have been carried out.

"His special thanks are due to Lieutenant-General Sir John Michel, G.C.B., and Lieut.-General Sir Robert Walpole, K.C.B., the officers commanding the two corps d'armée, upon whom, with their immediate staff, the responsibilities have mainly rested.

"Divisional general officers, officers commanding brigades, and heads of departments, have carried out all the details of their respective duties with the greatest zeal and assiduity, setting an example to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, including those of the auxiliary forces, under their orders, which has found a ready and willing response on the part of the troops.

"The exemplary conduct of all ranks, and the cheerful manner in which they have met the fatigues and discomfort incidental to large operations in the field, have been thoroughly appreciated by his Royal Highness, and have elicited from the civil population with whom they have been brought in contact the highest and most deserved encomiums, producing a reciprocal feeling of cordiality which must be considered in a public sense as equally valuable and gratifying.

"The thanks of his Royal Highness are also due to the Umpire Staff for the efficient manner in which they have performed their important duties.-By Command, J. W. Armstrong, Deputy Adjutant-General.

"Head-quarters, Salisbury, September 12."

13. THE PRESTON ELECTION. The election of a member of Parliament for Preston, which took place to-day, was the second since the passing of the Ballot Act. The examination of the ballot papers, which was finished by half-past eight at night, showed that Mr. Holker, Q.C., the Conservative candidate, had polled 4542 votes, whilst Major German, the Liberal, received the support of only 3824. There was thus a majority of 718 for Mr. Holker.

The votes polled at the last election, in 1868, were- -for Mr. Hermon, 5803; Sir T. G. Hesketh, 5700; Mr. Leese, 4741; Lord E. Howard, 4663. There were, therefore, many more abstentions than four years ago. There was a good deal of excitement in the town, but no actual disorder, and it is said less drunkenness than usual.

19. DESTRUCTIVE GALES have been prevalent in the north of England during the last few days. The tide which rose about one o'clock this morning is said to have been the highest witnessed in the Mersey for six years. According to "Holden's Time Table" it was to have been high water at 12.26 a.m., and the prophesied height was twenty-one feet above the Old Dock sill. As a matter of fact, however, it was nearly two feet above that, an immense body of water having been blown into the Mersey by the strong westerly and north-westerly winds which have prevailed for some

days, and which caused a heavy swell at high water on Wednesday midday, so that the ferry-boats to Egremont and New Brighton could not land the passengers, and for some time had to cease running. At midnight the waves washed over George's Pier, and about twelve feet of the shore ends of the landing-stage bridges were awash for half an hour. The sea drove up the Dee with so much force that the boundary-wall of the Chester and Holyhead Railway between Mostyn and Tan-y-lan Point, where the line is on land won from the sea, was washed away, and the sleepers on the eastern line of rails nearest the water were so much undermined that traffic became dangerous. The Irish limited mail on the night of the 18th was brought to a standstill in this vicinity, and had to proceed very slowly, being thus considerably delayed in arrival in London. This morning the traffic had to be conducted in the most cautious manner along the down line of rails, a pilot engine escorting all trains between Mostyn and Prestatyn stations. Other parts of the railway along the Welsh coast, although more open to the sea at some points, received no damage, the style of construction being calculated to withstand dangers of the kind, which were quite unexpected at the point where the waves washing over and through gullies in the marsh-land broke down the boundary-wall.

21. RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.-Railway accidents are now becoming of such frequent occurrence that unless a number of people are killed or seriously injured no notice is taken of them. Several have occurred during the past week, the principal of which we give.

What might have resulted in the most deplorable accident of our day took place at Westbourne Park station, on the Great Western Railway. A number of eminent singers and the principal members of the orchestra who had been performing at the Worcester Musical Festival were on their way to London. The express train from North Wales, which they joined at Worcester, had arrived within a few hundred yards of the Westbourne Park station when a luggage train, which was on its way to a siding, was by some miscalculation driven obliquely into the centre of the passenger train. The first carriage with which the engine of the luggage train came in contact was a van containing luggage and a large number of valuable musical instruments. This was smashed and overturned, dragging over with it one or two of the carriages that followed. A number of the passengers suffered from contusions and shakings; and one lady, who was with difficulty helped out through the window of one of the overturned compartments, was stated to be seriously hurt. In the carriage immediately preceding the overturned van, and in other parts of the train, were Mdme. Lemmens Sherrington, Miss Fairman, Mr. Santley, Mr. Vernon Rigby, Mr. E. Lloyd, Mr. Lewis Thomas, and all the principal members of the orchestra. Many valuable instruments belonging to the last-named gentlemen were either irreparably destroyed, or sustained serious damage.