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 petent authorities in framing the constitution of the college, arranging the mode of government, and prescribing the course of studies. Mr. James Beal presided, and there were also present Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, Mr. Samuel Morley, M.P., Mr. D. Chadwick, M.P., Mrs. Fawcett, Mrs. Arnold, Mrs. Grey, Mr. E. Ray Lankester, and Dr. Richardson. After a speech from Professor Holloway, in which he stated that a site had already been secured for the building at Egham, for 25,000l., a discussion followed as to the best course to be adopted by the meeting in aiding Mr. Holloway to carry out his scheme; and ultimately, on the motion of Mr. Morley, a committee was appointed to seek counsel from the most competent authorities on the subject, and report to a future meeting. All the speakers joined in expressions of gratitude to Mr. Holloway for his munificence, and promised him their active assistance in establishing a college on a sound basis. 15. A JERSEY MAIL PACKET ASHORE.-Great excitement was caused in Jersey by the information received that the London and South-western Company's steamship "Havre," Captain Long, with the mails from England, had gone ashore on the Platte Boué Rock, a short distance off Guernsey, during a dense fog. This is the same rock on which the mail packet "Waverley" was lost in a similar manner two years ago. The passengers were conveyed in boats to the Amfroyne Rocks, about three quarters of a mile from the wreck, and they remained there till brought to Guernsey in the afternoon by a steamer from Jersey. Shortly afterwards the mails were landed. JEWEL ROBBERIES IN BERKSHIRE.-Several robberies of jewels and plate to a considerable amount have taken place lately in the neighbourhood of Windsor. At the residence of the Count and Countess of Morella, near Virginia Water, while the family were at dinner, gold watches, chains, brooches, necklaces, rings, and trinkets of various kinds, amounting in value to 1,000l., were stolen from the countess's dressing-room.-At Madame Van de Weyer's house, New Lodge, Windsor, the thieves entered by means of a rope ladder, which they fastened to the trellis-work beneath that lady's bedroom, and carried off valuable property. Not long afterwards Lord Ellenborough's house at Holly Springs, Bracknell, was broken into and a quantity of jewellery stolen. On the 6th of this month Lord Ellenborough, after driving home, went upstairs to his bedroom, the door of which he found fastened inside, so that he could not undo it. Upon breaking open the door the interior of the room was found in the greatest confusion, the things having been spread out upon the bed in order that the robbers might the more conveniently make their selection. Evidently_the_thieves had been disturbed by the unexpected return of Lord Ellenborough, for many valuable articles had been untouched. As in the case of the robbery at Madame Van de Weyer's, a ladder had been used on the exterior wall of the house to ascend to his lordship's bedroom. It was not placed exactly under the window, but a little on one side, so that had his lordship attempted to follow suddenly a dangerous fall would have been the result. The police of the county are actively engaged in tracing out the thieves. 16. MILITARY PRIZES.-The Duke of Cambridge presided to-day at the award of commissions and prizes at the end of the term at the Royal Military Academy, the occasion being rendered more than usually interesting by the fact of the Prince Imperial being one of the senior class. The Empress Eugénie was present, having driven over from Chislehurst. The cadets, who were drawn up in a line, received the Duke with a general salute, and were put through a series of manœuvres. Individual cadets were next called out of the ranks to drill the remainder, the first being Mr. Cameron, the senior of the first class, who went through the manual exercise, and the Duke's voice was then heard to command in the customary phrase," Fall out the Prince Imperial." The young prince, who had been standing in the supernumerary rank, acting as corporal, then doubled round to the front, and in loud commanding tones and excellent English drilled the cadets for about ten minutes, changing front by deploying on various companies, and performing several movements of a somewhat intricate and difficult character. When he had finished, the Duke said, "Very good-could not have been better;" and going to the open carriage in which the Empress was seated with Lady Sydney, he complimented her in French upon her son's proficiency. Two other cadets, Messrs. Wrottesley and Cleeve, also drilled the battalion, which was then marched off to the School of Arms, while the Duke inspected the drawings of the cadets in one of the class rooms. Major-Gen. Sir J. Lintorn Simmons, Governor of the Academy, next presented his report, in which he referred in eulogistic terms to the Prince Imperial. The Director-General of Military Education then read the list of cadets recommended for commissions, stating, when he came to the name of the Prince Imperial, that His Imperial Highness "does not take a commission." In conclusion the prizes were presented to the successful candidates, and the Duke made a speech in which he expressed his gratification at the favourable report of the pupils which he had received from the governor of the academy, and made especial mention of the progress of the young French Prince Imperial. A few days previously, Sir Garnet Wolseley (InspectorGeneral of the Auxiliary Forces) presented the prizes to the successful marksmen in the London Scottish Volunteers; and on the 19th the Inns of Court Volunteers received their prizes from the hands of Mr. Gathorne Hardy. 20. A PERILOUS ADVENTURE.--Three residents of Plymouth started in a boat for a fishing excursion, and in the course of the afternoon landed at Newstone, a desolate and barren rock, five miles from Plymouth. They had been ashore half an hour when they discovered, to their great consternation, that the boat, which contained their fishing tackle, provisions, and overcoats, had broken adrift and floated away, and they were left without food, light, shelter, or means of making signals. They remained on the rock throughout the bleak night, and all next day; and no aid having come, a second night-one of intense cold-had to be passed on the rock. In the meanwhile their families suffered great anxiety, but no search was organised, as it was not known in which direction the missing men had gone. Subsequently a fishing boat passed near enough to the rock to be hailed, and the castaways were taken off, exhausted with exposure and hunger. FATAL EXPLOSION AT A FUSE MANUFACTORY.-An explosion, attended with fatal results, occurred the same day at the Unity Patent Fuse Manufactory at St. Day, Cornwall. Twelve persons were at work in the factory at the time. Five young women were in the upper floor; of these four were almost reduced to ashes, and the fifth, who tried to save herself by jumping out of a window, died soon after. A man named Pooley, who lived near, hearing the explosion, rushed to the spot and rescued from the burning building three girls, one of whom was his own daughter. Another daughter that he could not reach was one of the four who perished in the upper floor. The other girls escaped without serious injury. The patent machinery is a complete wreck, and a large quantity of fuse has been destroyed. The powder magazine, a detached fire-proof building about thirty yards distant from the factory, remains uninjured. The boiler of the engine, which stood in a house at the end of the factory, would have exploded from over-heating, but this was prevented by a man who entered the house at considerable risk, and turned off the steam. Information of the catastrophe was at once sent to the proprietor, Sir F. M. Williams, M.P. for Truro, whose seat is at Goonbrea, about five miles distant. Deeply concerned by the terrible calamity, he hurried over, and made the best possible arrangements for the relief of the sufferers. The coroner's jury completely exonerated the owner and all concerned from blame, it being shown that every precaution against accidents had been thoroughly observed. The cause of the explosion remains an entire mystery. It is ascertained that, although its effects were so fatal, only about five pounds of gunpowder exploded. 21. A WOMAN KILLED BY A DONKEY.-The death under shocking circumstances of a married woman, named Hannah Church, at Bucklebury, near Newbury, has formed the subject of inquiry before the coroner. The deceased, who was rather more than fifty years of age, lived with her husband in a cottage close to Bucklebury Common. This morning the husband had left home to call upon a neighbour. On his return he found his wife was out, and after waiting about a quarter of an hour he heard his |