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Castle opening fire from the guns on its keep upon the " Scorpion and her fleet of gun-boats. The enemy's fleet were some time before they replied to the fire from the castle, but the six smaller craft were gradually closing up round the turret-sloop, which lay near the entrance to the harbour-channel and right under the guns of the castle. The enemy's land force in the mean time were advancing against the castle along the line of sea-beach from the eastward, with the volunteer cavalry and artillery in advance, the latter opening fire upon the left flank of the castle. The gun-boats had now taken up a position inside the "Scorpion," and within half a dozen cables' lengths of the seaward defences of the castle, and opened fire, the little "Staunch" coming up the last, with her 12-ton gun peeping out grimly through her bow-port. A reconnoitring force, while this attack was being made upon the castle by the land and sea forces of the enemy, issued from the garrison, composed of the 67th Infantry and a field battery of Royal Artillery, and felt their way towards the enemy, who advanced his cavalry, driving in the sharpshooters of the 67th; but the latter formed square, threw in a heavy Snider fire, driving off the venturous horsemen, and the battery, unlimbering, hastened the cavalry in their retreat. A second and a third charge was made by the cavalry on the left flank of the 67th; but the South Hampshires again formed square, and repulsed them just as the castle hauled down its flag in token of surrender. Again the cavalry made a very effective charge; but the fire of rifle and artillery again proved too much for them, and drove them back. The castle having been taken, the enemy now made a general advance in the direction of Portsmouth, the gun-boats covering his left flank and engaging the town batteries in advance. The enemy pushed forward a strong body of skirmishers and drove back the reconnoitring force, which retired slowly across the common and towards the walls of the town, covered by skirmishers and artillery fire. The retreat of the 67th regiment and the artillery over the common and into the fortress, covered by a heavy fire from the artillery mounted on the town defences, was one of the most effective events of the day. The enemy advanced with a strong line of skirmishers and field artillery in front. With the latter marched a naval officer and a body of seamen landed from the fleet, carrying the ensign of the captured castle. The third brigade of the enemy, by a flank movement executed simultaneously with the advance of his fourth brigade over the common, through the streets of Southsea, debouched in front of the town defences at the centre and on the extreme left. The enemy then, uniting his entire force, prepared to assault the fortress, and attacked it throughout the whole length of its defence, his fleet redoubling their fire upon the seaward face of the defences. The naval attack failed utterly, as it was intended to do; and the fleet, succumbing to the more powerful artillery of the fortress, surrendered, and was taken into the harbour. The assault of the enemy on the land face of the fortress was partially

successful at the first onset, his storming columns getting possession of the Montague and King's Ravelins. A heavy fire opened from the main ramparts upon the two ravelins and along the entire face of the works by the defenders, soon rendered the position of the assailants untenable, and the outworks were regained. A sortie by the garrison, with the second battalion of the 13th regiment and a battery of field artillery on the enemy's right flank, compelled him to abandon his position on the left of the defence; and a second sortie against his right, following immediately upon the first, completed his discomfiture and ended in his retreat, covered by his cavalry and artillery with lines of skirmishers. This ended the day's proceedings. All engaged-the regular troops as well as the volunteers-seemed to enter into the afternoon's work before them in the best possible spirit. The review was got over in excellent time.

A display of fireworks came off on Southsea-common in the evening; and a grand ball was given in the great drill-hall of the artillery volunteers, on the Governor's-green.

27. DESTRUCTION OF A CHURCH BY FIRE.-About half-past two o'clock a.m. the large church of All Saints, Walworth, was destroyed by fire. It was situated in Surrey-square, Old Kentroad, and its incumbent was the Rev. Oliver Mitchell, M.A. The fire was discovered by a policeman, and information was given to the stations of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in Kennington and elsewhere, causing in a short time five steam and hand engines, and between thirty and forty men, under Mr. Hamlyn, the district superintendent, to arrive on the spot. It was then found that the church was on fire in nearly every part, and that it had been discovered almost too late to render any chance of saving it possible. Coupled with that, the firemen were seriously inconvenienced by having a very limited supply of water; but the engines were got to work as soon as possible, and every exertion made to save some portion of the edifice. The roof was soon destroyed, but, after burning some considerable time, the fire was extinguished, the only part saved being the entrance-porch. Most of the church property and records were saved. The cause of the fire was unknown, the church having been left to all appearance safe the previous evening. The landlords, Mr. Philip Cazenove and others, were insured in the Royal Fire Office, in which office the contents were also insured. The church was 110 feet long by 60 feet broad, and it was fortunately detached from any of the surrounding property.

28. THE OPENING OF COLUMBIA MARKET.-The public and formal opening of this magnificent building, adjacent to the model dwellings in Columbia-square, recently provided by the generosity of Miss Burdett Coutts, at a cost of 170,000l. altogether, for the accommodation of the poor and populous district eastward of Shoreditch, took place. There was an immense assembly, filling not only the market itself, but all the streets around it; the situation of the new edifice being close to St. Leonard's Church, at the

north end of Shoreditch, where Hackney-road branches off. The general company who filled the hall and the galleries in it (where the religious service afterwards took place) began to arrive as early as two o'clock, and were received at the chief entrance to the hall from the north, by Miss Coutts's committee for managing the market, consisting of Mr. E. C. Johnson, Mr. Stuart Johnson, Mr. John Hassard, Mr. Henry A. Darbishire, Captain Gardiner, and Mr. Gerald B. Young, each of whom wore blue and white ribbons, being the old electioneering colours of the late Sir Francis Burdett (Miss Coutts's father) in the memorable contests for Westminster. Lieut.-Col. Thomson and 300 of the Tower Hamlets Volunteers kept the ground within the market-hall and square. Miss Coutts, accompanied by Mrs. Brown and the Right Hon. John and Mrs. Parker, arrived shortly before three o'clock, and was received with most enthusiastic cheers. The Duchess of Cambridge, with Prince and Princess Teck, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, the Duke of Wellington, the Marquis of Salisbury, the Earl of Harrowby, Earl Grey, Lord Houghton, Lord Enfield, Lord Redesdale, the Marquis of Lorn, the Duchess of Argyll, Lady Augusta Stanley, Mr. Hastings Russell, Mr. Sackville Russell, Mrs. Tait, &c., honoured Miss Coutts by being present; also the Lord Mayor, with Mr. Sheriff Cotton and Mr. Sheriff Hutton, Sir William Bodkin, and the clergy of the parish, as well as the Dean and Canons of Westminster. As soon as Miss Coutts had taken her seat in the centre of the quadrangle, addresses were presented to her, first from the workmen on the buildings, next from the tradesmen of the market, and lastly from the members of her own committee. A deputation of young girls then waited on Miss Coutts and presented her with an exquisite bouquet made of feather flowers. After this the Archbishop of Canterbury addressed the crowd in the quadrangle, and in brief and simple language dwelt upon the benefits which Miss Coutts had conferred upon the neighbourhood, not only by this munificent gift of her market, but by her model lodging-houses, by her sewing-school, and by all the efforts she had made and was still making year after year to better the condition of the poor of Bethnal-green. His Grace expressed his satisfaction that Miss Coutts had never forgotten that London was "her home" and the centre of her property. A procession was formed, which passed round the building; and every where, wherever a glimpse of Miss Coutts could be seen, she was cheered till the large quadrangle echoed again. On their return to the hall, prayers were offered up by the Bishop of London, and hymns sung; and then Miss Coutts, accompanied only by her committee, returned to the platform in the square, and in turn, from the four sides of it, declared the market open, amid the enthusiastic cheers of the people. This completed the ceremony, and the public were admitted to listen to the music of the band of the H division of police, and that of the Coldstream Guards, conducted by Mr. F. Godfrey. After eight o'clock the whole of the buildings

were brilliantly illuminated with coloured lamps, which task was entrusted to Messrs. Defries. The lines of the architecture were followed with care throughout, and the colours of the lamps were so skilfully blended that the whole quadrangle when lighted up had a charming effect. The ceremony from first to last was eminently successful, and in its enthusiasm was quite an exception to the usual routine.

MAY.

1. BANQUET AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY.-The Royal Academicians gave their first banquet in their new and splendid home at Burlington House, Piccadilly, recently constructed by Mr. Smirke. The dinner was given in Gallery III., the largest of the rooms, and on the left of the central hall, the president's seat being at the east end of the apartment. It is needless to say that the banquet, provided by Messrs. Willis, was sumptuous, or that the arrangement and decoration of the tables, with their gorgeous array of objects of art, from Messrs. Hancock's, made a picture in itself. The guests, as usual, were of the most distinguished order. For royalty there were the Duke of Cambridge, and Princes Teck and Edward of Saxe-Weimar; for the Church, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of London, Oxford, St. David's, Peterborough, and Dean Alford; for Law, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, the Lord Chief Baron, the Master of the Rolls, the Attorney and Solicitor General, the Lord Advocate, and Sir W. Erle; for the Ministers, the Premier, the Chancellor, Earl De Grey, Mr. Bruce, Lord Clarendon, Lord Granville, Mr. Cardwell, Mr. John Bright, Mr. Lowe, and Mr. Layard; for the Opposition, Mr. Disraeli, Lord Chelmsford, Lord Cairns, Mr. Beresford-Hope, Lord Stanley, Sir John Pakington, Lord John Manners, Mr. Hardy, and Mr. Hunt; for Science, Professors Owen, Tyndall, and Huxley, Sir Roderick Murchison, Dr. Simon; for Literature, Dean Stanley, Mr. Helps, Mr. Forster, Mr. Shirley Brooks; for Medicine and Surgery, the heads of the colleges, Sir Henry Thompson, Professor Partridge; for Music, Mr. Charles Hallé. Among the general company were a large number of leading members of Parliament, of both parties, several distinguished officers, the Lord Mayor, the President of the Scottish Academy, Mr. Reverdy Johnson, the Governor of the Bank, Mr. John Delane, Sir Benjamin Phillips, Sir Thomas Gabriel, Mr. Mendell, Mr. Pender, Mr. E. Coleman, and other liberal supporters of art, and nearly the whole body of academicians and associates.

Sir Francis Grant, the president of the Royal Academy, presided, and introduced the various toasts with much geniality. After the

Wow health of Her Majesty (and reference to her bust, exhibited by the artist, Princess Louisa), and the usual toasts, responded to by the Duke of Cambridge (who reminded his hearers that the day was the centenary of the birth of the Duke of Wellington), Lord Chelmsford, and Major Leighton (Royal Academician), Mr. Gladstone returned thanks for the Ministers, and gracefully congratulated the Academy on having a home of its own. He said, "Without pretending to minute computation, so far as my experience goes, the pictures of the Royal Academicians are this year represented on the walls in numbers unexampled, and in genius and excellence perhaps never exceeded. And the veterans of the art are followed, I think, according to the general verdict, so far as it has yet been pronounced, by younger men of this noble profession of an order and with a success full of the richest promise for the future, and leading us confidently to believe that when those who now form the object of our delight and admiration are gone, they will be succeeded by others who will maintain their traditions and their fame." The "Health of the Visitors" was acknowledged by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who also proposed, "Prosperity to the Royal Academy." His Grace dwelt eloquently upon the common mission of religion and art. Sir Francis Grant replied, and, after briefly sketching the history of the Academy-its triumphs, and its hopes for the future-introduced a reference to Sir Edwin Landseer and the grand work with which he had graced the walls of the new edifice, a recognition which was enthusiastically cheered. "No artist," said the president, very happily, "should consider himself outside this institution." Lord Lawrence returned thanks for the House of Lords, and Mr. Disraeli, most effectively and genially, for the House of Commons; the American ex-Minister took an affectionate farewell of England, declaring that there could be no war unless both governments were insane; and some other toasts followed, the last being "Literature," for which the Dean of Westminster answered. The general impression was that the inaugural banquet had been a very auspicious opening of a new era in the history of the Royal Academy.

12. ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES FROM THE CONTINENT.-Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived in Dover in the special mail-packet, the "Maid of Kent," at ten minutes past four o'clock a.m., after travelling all night from Paris. The passage from Calais was a very favourable one, and the Prince and Princess appeared to be enjoying excellent health and spirits. Captain Morgan, R.N., the Admiralty Superintendent, accompanied the royal travellers from Calais, and they were received on their arrival in Dover by Major-General Russell, C.B., commanding the south-eastern district; Colonel Cox, C.B., Assistant-Adjutant-General; Colonel Greaves, Brigade-Major; Lieutenant Stoney, Aide-de-Camp. Mr. J. G. Churchward, the ex-Mayor, was also present; but the Prince had expressed his desire, in reply to a telegram sent by the Mayor, that no addre