longing to Messrs. Timothy and Green, jute merchants, West Ferry Road, Millwall. The property extends from the edge of the River Thames to the main thoroughfare, and it was at the former point that the fire was first discovered, Messrs. Timothy and Green's loss being estimated at between 25,000l. and 30,000l. Several of the adjoining properties have been damaged by water. It will, it is thought, be several days before the firemen can leave the place. 24. GREAT FIRE IN THE AMERICAN PATENT OFFICE.-The West and North Upper Halls of the Patent Office building, in Washington, one of the finest Government edifices, were destroyed by fire today. A large quantity of models, the number of which is estimated at from 50,000 to 75,000, were consumed by the flames. The loss includes models of some of the most important inventions extant, and a number of valuable records pertaining thereto. Drawings and records of a great many models, being in a lower storey, were saved. All offices subordinate to the Department of the Secretary of the Interior, except the pension office, were located in the building. Their documents were saved, but in such a confused state that business will be seriously interfered with. Many of the lower rooms were flooded. Help was summoned from Baltimore. The loss is heavy, but it is as yet impossible to give any estimate of it. The fire originated in the south-west corner of the building, and is believed to be owing to an accident.

25. GREAT FIRE AT THE EAST END.-One of the largest conflagrations that has occurred at the East End of London broke out last night at Millwall. The scene of the disaster was an immense pile of buildings belonging to Messrs. N., J., and W. Fenner and Co., oil and colour and varnish manufacturers, of West Ferry Road, Millwall. Messrs. Fenner's establishment consisted of several large piles of buildings, and besides having a large river frontage extended back into West Ferry Road. The different parts of the premises were filled with all kinds of inflammable and combustible materials, consisting of turpentine, tar, pitch, and Russian tallow, naphtha, and many hundred casks of resin, &c. The fire broke out about half-past one in the morning, and when discovered the flames had made great progress and spread with alarming rapidity, and in about twenty minutes large bodies of flame shot through the roof, illuminating the metropolis for miles round. The river floating engine moored off Millwall was soon brought to the spot, with a large body of firemen. Land steamers were also despatched to the scene, with about 100 firemen. By two o'clock there were fourteen land-steam and manual engines, besides the four floats, engaged playing on the fire. Loud explosions occasionally took place, and the burning material rushed along from one building to another, and the excitement became intense. The fire was not got under till late the next morning.

26. THE LONGEST RAILWAY BRIDGE in the world, that which carries the North British Railway over the estuary of the Tay, was formally opened to-day.

MR. MONTAGU WILLIAMS.-The Attorney-General has appointed Mr. Montagu Williams counsel to the Treasury for the county of Middlesex Sessions, in the place of the late Mr. William Cooper.

HOP-PICKING.-The Maidstone Journal, reporting on the hop harvest, says that picking has now finished with the majority of the growers. Contrary to expectation the hops have fallen wonderfully fast, while the quality is very inferior to that of previous growths. The cause may doubtless be traced to the terrific storms that prevailed in that part of Kent some time since. Altogether the crop, both for the growers and the pickers, has proved very unsatisfactory. In many of the grounds hundreds of poles are standing as monuments of unfruitfulness. The last of the hops

will have been gathered by about the middle of this week. Since Wednesday 7,000 hop-pickers have been despatched from the Maidstone station of the South Eastern line, and 2,000 by the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, on their return home.

THE PENGE MYSTERY.-The trial at the Central Criminal Court, before Mr. Justice Hawkins, of Louis Staunton, Patrick Staunton, Elizabeth Anne Staunton, and Alice Rhodes, charged with the murder of Harriet Staunton, at Penge, was concluded this day. The learned judge began to sum up at 20 minutes to 11 o'clock in the morning, and finished at a quarter to 10 o'clock at night. The jury, after an absence of an hour and twenty minutes, returned into court with a verdict of guilty against all the prisoners on the capital charge, but recommended the two female prisoners to mercy, the younger one [Alice Rhodes] strongly. The learned judge commented on the barbarous character of the murder of which the prisoners had been convicted, observing that he considered it without parallel in the annals of crime, and went on to remark that he had no doubt whatever that they were also guilty of the murder of Harriet Staunton's child. He then sentenced all the prisoners to death in the usual form.

THE GERMAN MASONS who had been brought over to this country by the contractors for the new law courts to take the place of the men on strike, and who worked on Monday and Tuesday, did not appear at the building yesterday morning, and on inquiry being inade it was found that they had all left by the Hamburg steamer.

27. INDIAN FAMINE FUND.-The Lord Mayor received the following telegram to-day from the Secretary of State in attendance upon the Queen :

Balmoral, 9.15 A.M.

I am desired by Her Majesty the Queen to thank your lordship for your telegram stating that the Indian Famine Fund now being raised at the Mansion House already exceeds a quarter of a million sterling, and that your lordship hopes and believes that it will largely increase. Her Majesty feels deeply the readiness with which the sufferings of her people in India have touched the hearts of her people at home.

SUBMARINE TUNNEL.-Operations connected with the submarine tunnel have been begun on the other side of the Channel, several pits having been sunk to the depth of about 110 yards. At the same time the French and English committees have drawn up the conditions of working for the route. The property of the

tunnel is to be divided in half by the length-that is to say, each company will possess half of the line, reckoning the distance from coast to coast at low tide. Each company will cover the expenses of its portion. The general work of excavation will be done, on the one hand, by the Great Northern of France, and on the other by the Chatham and South-Eastern Companies, the two latter having each a direct route from London to Dover. All the materials of the French and English lines will pass through the tunnel in order to prevent unnecessary expenses and delay of transhipment, as in England and in France railway companies use each other's lines, and goods can pass from one line to another without changing vans. It is understood that an arrangement will be established for a similar exchange of lines between all the English and Continental railway companies when the tunnel is completed. The tunnel will belong to its founders. At the expiration of thirty years the two Governments will be able to take possession of the tunnel upon certain conditions.

OCTOBER.

1. CLAPHAM BURGLARIES.-A very serious, not to say alarming, state of insecurity has established itself during the last few weeks in certain districts of South London, more especially Clapham Common, Balham, Dulwich, Putney, and the parishes immediately contiguous, arising out of the swift succession of a series of daring and well-planned burglaries. Towards the end of July there were four burglaries in one week on the Wandsworth side of Clapham Common. In three of these ladders were used to reach bedroom windows, and property was carried off. During the last three weeks there have been six more burglaries in the same immediate neighbourhood, and at Balbam, Dulwich, and Putney there have been during the same time about twice as many. Hitherto there has not been the apprehension of a single offender for these systematic depredations, notwithstanding the fact that a gang of at least several persons must have been engaged in them. This is a state of things which necessarily excites distrust of the police arrangements, and creates in the several neighbourhoods a degree of alarm and suspense most harassing and disagreeable, especially considering the nearness of short days and dark nights.

RELICS.-The American Consul at St. John's, Newfound

land, has purchased from a seaman who was wrecked in Hudson's Bay two spoons, supposed to be relics of the Franklin Expedition, one of them being marked I.G.F. It is said that an Esquimaux living in the neighbourhood of Repulse Bay got them from a native chief, at whose camp the original owner, a white man, had died of scurvy.

-A FATAL WALK.-A pedestrian feat, undertaken by a man named Hunter, aged thirty-five, of Sunderland, has terminated fatally. On Thursday, Hunter commenced walking 160 miles in forty-eight hours, ten miles further then Weston; and on Saturday evening he completed the distance, with thirty-five minutes to spare. From that time until Sunday afternoon he was in excellent spirits, though in an excited state. He both slept and ate well. On Sunday afternoon, while in bed, he was discovered to be ill, and speedily dead from heart disease, occasioned by over-exertion and excitement.

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Mr. VERNON LUSHINGTON, Q.C.-Mr. Vernon Lushington, Q.C., who has just resigned the permanent Secretaryship of the Admiralty, has been appointed County Court Judge of the Wolverhampton district.

COTTON STRIKE.-The continued strike of cotton operatives in the Bolton district is stated to be causing great misery. Prospects of a termination are still as remote as ever, the masters positively refusing to refer the dispute to arbitration. The strike. pay distributed among the operatives in the month just closed was between 8,000l. and 9,000l. It is calculated that the struggle has already cost the men 50,000l. Many hundreds of young girls are wandering the streets without the slightest means of support or shelter. Several of the religious bodies and some of the manufacturing firms have commenced daily providing meals for the girls and others who have been thrown out of employment.

3. THE CLYDE IRONWORKERS and boiler makers have made a demand upon the masters for an increase of ten per cent. upon the wages. A meeting of the Master Shipbuilders and Engineers' Association was held in consequence, and it was agreed to refuse the demand until the men alter the rules limiting the number of apprentices. Should the masters refuse to agree to arbitration, and abide by their present decision, there is reason to fear that another strike will be the result.

BLONDIN AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.-After an absence of two years, during which period he has made a tour in Australia, New Zealand, and South America, Blondin, "the Hero of Niagara," has commenced a short engagement at the Crystal Palace, the scene of his first European triumphs. His performances took place within the building, on a rope which was placed parallel with the Handel orchestra, and extended, at a height of 70 ft., to a length of 250 ft. north to south. Punctually at three o'clock Blondin was drawn up to the giddy height, and on presenting himself at the southern extremity of the rope was greeted with repeated rounds of applause

G

from the spectators. Although not so stout in frame as he used to be, Blondin retains all his former vigour and mastery of movement.

JOHN LOCKE'S LETTERS.-It is not generally perhaps known that an interesting collection of letters of John Locke, nearly 100 in number, is preserved at Nynehead Court, in Somersetshire, which seems never to have been used as biographical material. They are in the possession of Mr. Ayshford Sanford, into whose family they came from the representatives of Locke's friend, Clark of Chipley, to whom many of them are addressed. It were much to be wished that the accomplished possessor of these relics would take some means of making them known to the world.

QUADRUPLEX TELEGRAPHIC WIRES.-Some novel American telegraphic appliances are now being tried between London and Liverpool, the first trial having been made with satisfactory results. The system is known as the quadruplex, and by its means four messages may be sent along one wire simultaneously. At either end there are two "sounders" and two keys, with four clerks-two to send and two to receive; and by an ingenious arrangement a conflict of currents is prevented. Thus, by the aid of this invention, one wire may be made to do as much as four worked on the ordinary system. The duplex principle is a valuable contrivance, but the quadruplex is quite as valuable.

5. JOHN CHALKLEY.-The Coroner's inquiry into the death of Frederick John Chalkley, which occurred at the House of Detention (where the deceased was placed on the charge of having been concerned in the outrage and burglary at the house of Mr. Braham, in City Road, on the night of September 8), was brought to a close to-day. The jury, after three quarters of an hour's consideration, returned a verdict of "Accidental death," and said that Detective Allingham was much to blame in moving the deceased against the wishes of the hospital authorities, and that in future written authority should be obtained before the removal of any person charged with crime. The jury added an expression of opinion that the deceased was in no way connected with the burglary, and said they hoped the Treasury would give something towards the expense which his mother, a widow, had been put to. Mr. Braham said he would give the widow 10l.

6. A THOUSAND HOURS' WALK.-During the past six weeks one of the most extraordinary walks ever heard of has been accomplished at Lillie Bridge, West Brompton. For many years past a feat achieved by Captain Barclay of walking 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours has been looked on as a wonder in the way of endurance. It has been left to our own day, however, to see this performance eclipsed. Some few months back it was reported that William Gale had done a remarkable walk at Cardiff. This statement was received with a certain amount of scepticism by those interested in athletics. In order to vindicate himself, he undertook to walk 1,500 miles in 1,000 hours. Lillle Bridge was the place selected,