24. DRAMATIC BANQUET.-The Right Hon. W. J. R. Cotton and the Lady Mayoress gave a banquet to-day in the Egyptian Hall, to three hundred ladies and gentlemen connected with the theatrical profession, and comprising the most eminent dramatists, actors, and actresses in London at the time. The Lord Mayor presided over the feast with his accustomed dignity and tact. The "loving cup" having been passed round in accordance with time-honoured usage, the Lord Mayor gave the usual loyal toasts, and then proposed, in apt terms, "The Drama," to which Mr. Phelps, Mr. Buckstone, and Mr. Bancroft replied. Some amusement was then caused by the Lord Mayor's proposal of the patriotic toast, coupled with the names of Mr. G. Honey (Major Bunkum, in "Love or Money "), on behalf of the Army; Mr. W. H. Stephens (Admiral Kingston, in "Naval Engagements "), for the Navy; and Mr. Terry (Captain Ginger), for the Reserve Forces. Signor Arditi replied for "The Musical Profession; " Mr. Tom Taylor, Mr. W. G. Wills, and Mr. W. S. Gilbert, for "The Dramatic Authors;" and Mr. E. L. Blanchard, for "The Dramatic Critics." Mr. George Augustus Sala elicited laughter and applause by his vigorously-delivered speech on behalf of "The Press," which toast was also replied to by Mr. Edward Ledger and Mr. Charles Dickens. Mr. John Coleman replied for the metropolitan and provincial managers. Mr. Alfred Wigan proposed the health of the Lord Mayor, Mr. Creswick that of the Lady Mayoress, and Mr. Arthur Cecil responded for "The Ladies," to which Mrs. Stirling would surely have been able to do justice. Mrs. Keeley, Mrs. Arthur Lewis (Miss Kate Terry), and Madame Lind-Goldschmidt were among the guests.

25. THE BALACLAVA ANNIVERSARY.-The twenty-second anniversary of this famous charge was celebrated by a dinner at the Westminster Palace Hotel. Mr. G. Loy Smith, late regimental sergeant-major, presided, and the surviving veterans, the majority of whom were rich in medals, were present. After dinner the usual loyal toasts were drunk with enthusiasm, the subsequent toasts being "The memory of those who fell on the 25th of October," which was drunk in "solemn silence," "Our noble patroness, the Countess of Cardigan, the widow of our gallant leader," "The soldiers of the Pen," and "Our noble officers that led us so gallantly in the charge." In the course of the evening Mr. Reynolds recited the "Charge of the Light Brigade." The chairman subsequently announced that the committee had drawn out a code of rules for their future guidance. The principal features were that no person should be eligible to become a member unless actually present in the Light Cavalry charge; that the public should on no account be applied to for subscriptions; that a dinner of a strictly private character should be held on October 25 annually; that each member should pay an annual subscription of 58.; and that a roll of the survivors of the Light Brigade, by regiments, and the rank they held at the time of the charge, should be inserted in the book of rules.

31. ASPIRITUALIST MEDIUM."-A criminal prosecution was this day concluded which had been set on foot against "Dr." Henry Slade, an American professor of mystic communications with the spirits of the dead, who has of late been practising his "art or mystery" at 8, Upper Bedford Place. He was charged at Bow Street police office, before Mr. Flowers, the sitting magistrate, with obtaining money by false pretences, as he invited persons to consult him, on payment of a sovereign fee, and pretended to assist them in corresponding with the souls of their deceased friends by means of a slate, on which the spirits were supposed to write. The principal witnesses against Slade were Professor Edwin Ray Lankester and Dr. Horatio Donkin, who watched his action while something was covertly written on a slate; and Mr. Maskelyne, the popular performer of conjuring tricks at the Egyptian Hall. The main question was, of course, whether the writing, which Slade exhibited to visitors as that of his deceased wife's spirit, was not in reality done by himself. The two scientific gentlemen had called at No. 8, Upper Bedford Place, where Slade resided and exhibited. They found him there, with his assistant Geoffrey Simmons, and having paid their money were treated to the spiritualistic performance. It appeared from their evidence that the slate was sometimes held by Slade with one hand under a table. This identical table was produced in court, amid much amusement. It seemed to be an ordinary kitchen table, with four legs and two flaps; its size when extended was about four feet square. It had the ordinary framework around the central portion of the table and the legs, to the depth of six or eight inches. When the flaps were extended, it would appear to an ordinary sitter to be devoid of any framework. The table was turned over and examined underneath. It appeared that a single bracket, working on a pivot, opened out from the inner framework of the table for the support of both flaps. Another witness called was Mr. Hutton, one of the editors of the Spectator, who stated in the course of his evidence that he asked Slade to procure a message on the inner surface of a double slate fastened with a patent lock, and the defendant told him that his wife's spirit had pledged herself never again to write on a locked slate. Mr. Hutton observed that there was no occasion to get Mrs. Slade's spirit to break her word: but he understood that there were a great many other spirits present, and he suggested that as they had not pledged themselves they might be so good as to do it for him. Slade then asked the spirits if they would write on a locked slate for Mr. Hutton, and the answer given on a slate "in very bold characters," was "Not one word.' Other witnesses having given evidence to the same effect, Mr. Munton, the counsel for the defendant, called as witnesses Dr. George Wylde and others, who had attended Dr. Slade's séances and were convinced there was no jugglery, and he also read a letter from Mr. Serjeant Cox, who was unable to attend, stating that he had paid a visit to Slade, and received several messages written on slates, Slade being

under his observation the whole time. He could not have moved hand or foot, Mr. Cox said, without being detected by him. In giving judgment Mr. Flowers said that if the two witnesses Professor Lankester and Dr. Donkin saw what they said they saw, an offence had been committed under the Vagrant Act. Recollecting the grave results involved, and the consequence of the proceedings of Home, a spiritualist, a few years ago, he could not reduce the term of imprisonment under the Acts, and therefore he sentenced the defendant to three months' hard labour in the House of Correction. Mr. Munton gave notice of appeal; and Mr. Lewis asked for bail, which was given in two sureties of 200l. each.

THE WRECK REGISTER for the year ending June 1875 contains unhappily a list of casualties more numerous than have hitherto been recorded in one year. This is partly owing to the almost unprecedented continuance of bad weather and heavy gales during the winter months of that year; and partly to casualties being included in the register of a less serious character than had been formerly recorded. The number of ships lost or damaged was 4,259, of which 3,590 were on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom, and the number of lives lost was 926.

-- PEDESTRIANISM.-In these days of great pedestrian feats it is worth while to record the doings of an old Yorkshireman who has just died at the ripe age of eighty-four years at Masham in Yorkshire. James Heap was a schoolmaster, and carried on his calling in a wild and bleak part of the county, walking every day a distance of eight miles. He lived at a cotton mill just below the village of Healey, which is the western part of that portion of Yorkshire called Mashamshire. His school-house was four miles distant, at Coltersdale, which is still further west, and among the bleak moors and wild hills leading away to Westmoreland. A storm of wind and rain is no trifling matter in these parts, and during a snowstorm the snow very often drifts so quickly as to make the roads almost impassable, but no condition of the weather or the atmosphere could shake James Heap's steadfast purpose, and he never had any ailment or accident which kept him from going his daily round to the school and home again. Many a time had he to wade through snowdrifts to find that his pupils were not able to reach the school, and he was constantly subjected to a drenching rain in the winter months. Yet from December 1822 to January 1867 he never missed a single day, and during 2,292 consecutive weeks he walked more than 110,000 miles, or nearly five times round the world. Nor was he altogether idle on Sundays, for during fortytwo years of this period he shared with others the teaching of a Sunday school at a place called Summerside, about the same distance from his home, and in an equally dreary and wild district on the moors with Coltersdale; seventeen Sundays in each year during these forty-two years did he walk eight miles to teach, which adds an aggregate of 5,712 miles to the former sum, so that taking Sundays and week days into the reckoning, he would, if he had

G

continued his work for rather more than another year, have covered a distance equal to half the space between the earth and the

moon.

-31. HISTORICAL PICTURES.-A curious fate has attended four pictures formerly hung in the parish church of St. Alphage, Greenwich-i.e., portraits of Queen Elizabeth, Charles I., Queen Anne, and George I.-all of them, it would appear, of authentic historical value. Having by lapse of time become dingy and faded, they were stowed away as lumber in the organ-loft of the church, and ultimately sold by the churchwardens. The portrait of Queen Anne went to the Painted Hall, Greenwich, for the sum of 10l., the permission of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having been obtained to pay that sum for it. The portraits of Queen Elizabeth, Charles I., and George I., were sold to a general dealer, named Dyer, living in New Cross, for 20l. 158., and were subsequently sold by him, at a profit of 50s., to Messrs. Pratt, of New Bond Street. The portrait of King George is described as similar to those which Kneller produced so profusely. His Majesty is in full coronation dress, the ermine cloak being thrown back and revealing the insignia of the Knights of Hanover suspended round the neck. The crown and sceptre are on the table, and in the background is a view of Westminster Abbey. The portrait of Charles I. was ten feet square, and was attributed to Sir Peter Lely. The King is represented in an attitude of prayer. It is not known how these paintings became the property of St. Alphage, but it is remarkable that all the monarchs mentioned were associated with Greenwich. Queen Elizabeth made the palace her favourite summer residence; Charles I. passed much of his time at the "House of Delight;" Queen Anne built one of the wings of Greenwich Hospital, which still bears her name; while George I. landed at Greenwich on his arrival from Hanover.

NOVEMBER.

1. REOPENING OF SALISBURY CATHEDRAL.-On All Saints' Day, the choir of Salisbury Cathedral, after its restoration during the past six years, was reopened with grand religious services. Three hundred clergymen were present, and as many chorister-singers. The Bishops of Salisbury and Ely, and Bishop Parry, took part in the services of that day; the Bishops of Oxford and St. Andrew's on the next Sunday preaching appropriate sermons. The architectural works in the choir, which have cost 10,000l., besides an equal sum for the carvings, furniture, fittings, and decorations, form but part of the general restoration of Salisbury Cathedral, under the direction of Sir Gilbert Scott. This great undertaking

began in 1864, and has comprised the foundations, external supporting buttresses, mouldings and mullions of the windows, pinnacles, and copings; the strengthening of the magnificent tower and spire; the restoration of the elaborate sculptures and statues on the west front; the restoration of the Lady Chapel, of the eastern transept, and of the choir aisles, with new pavement of marble and encaustic tiles, and with the vaulted and painted choir ceiling. The nave, and likewise the north porch, are still to be restored; and the total cost will probably be about 60,000l.

2. RETURN OF THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.-The two vessels despatched on this expedition in April 1875, under the command of Captain Nares, the "Alert" and the "Discovery," entered Portsmouth Harbour this day, and were received with hearty cheers. No intelligence having been received from the expedition for some time past, the appearance of the "Alert" in Valentia Harbour on October 27 was quite unexpected; the "Discovery arrived at Queenstown the following day, and was shortly followed by the "Pandora" which had gone to look after the two vessels, and had sighted them on their way home, but had subsequently met with disasters from icebergs and a hurricane. Capt. Nares and his officers gave an exceedingly interesting account of their seventeen months' exploits, during eleven of which their vessels were stationary. The furthest point reached by the "Alert" was 82° 27′ N. lat., the highest latitude ever attained by a ship, and here on an exposed coast she passed the winter months, her consort having found winter quarters in a harbour north of Lady Franklin Sound, in lat. 81° 44' N. The theory of an "open Polar Sea" was effectually disposed of, for the ice around the vessels was of unusual age and thickness. As soon as the "Alert" was secured in her winter quarters, sledge parties were sent forward with boats and provisions for the spring expeditions, returning to the vessel just after the sun had taken his departure on October 12, not to appear again until February 19. This long period of darkness was passed cheerfully by the gallant crews. Plenty of exercise was afforded by the duties of the ships, and by the necessity of keeping in constant repair an embankment of snow against the pressure of the ice; a "real ice " skating rink was constructed and kept smooth for daily exercise; an ice theatre was built by the crew of the "Discovery," and plays were acted both there and on board the "Alert;" schools and lectures were well attended. Thus the long Arctic winter wore away without any serious illness, though the cold was the greatest ever recorded, the lowest temperature being 72 degrees below zero of Fahrenheit, or 104° below freezing point, and the mean temperature for thirteen consecutive days 59° below zero.

In March, the sun having returned, the sledging expeditions began, and were carried on until the end of May, but with these came the worst difficulties that had to be combated. To give some idea of the amount of work entailed in sending out an