LONDON.

t "t/" t / , , June 18th. , /• The month has notbeen fruitful in the quantity of its sensational' events. First afod.; foremost I , stands, what may by and bye^ be' termed f the French Kevolution of 186&, although a' more complete parody of a revolution will not be, found in history. As in contradistinction to Napoleon the Great, the present Napoleon has been called, the Little' (tKough the title is an undeserved oi)e),,so, in contradistinction to the Great Fr&ich Bevolutipn, the disturbance of 1869 may be called the Little French Kevolution. The news created scarcely , l any excitement in London, and even in Paris, according to letters I have received from there, the people were not mucn alarmed. Next to, the French disturbances, wbiifSh undoubtedly 'occupy the place of honour, | comes the debate in the House of Lords on the Irish Church Bill.' Whether the Bill will be read, a second' time or not, or allowed to pass into committee, to be there so mangled as to render it unacceptable to. the Government, is i , a . question which has engaged a great deal of , public, attention. Under any circumstances, supposing the Lords allow ifc to go into Committee, it is almost certain that it will be sent down to the Commons in so altered a form that the latter House will find it difficult to recognise its bantling. The Conservative power in. tho Lords is proportionately greater than the Liberal power in the Commons, although the voting results will not make it appear so, for already many Conservative peers have | announced their intention of voting in favour of the Irish Church Bill, or remaining neutral out of respect to the voice of the people as expressed in the late general election. But a collision between the Houses is imminent, and seems unavoidable, and it is not unlikely that the differences between them will cause an autumn session to be held, at which, although M.P.'s may grumble, London tradesmen will not. The Conservative party have been very busy. The knowledge of their weakness in the House of Commons kept them somewhat quiet ; the knowledge of their power in the House of Lords haa rendered them somewhat noisy. Meetings have been held in all parts of the United Kingdom, and hundreds of petitions have been presented to the Peers, begging of them not to allow "the iniquitous measure" to go into Committee. A great pressure has been brought to bear upon the Lords, the strengthening of which may be due in Borne part to the political tactics of the Conservatives, bo as to make it appear that the action taken by the Upper House is chiefly due to the expressed voice of the people. By this, the individual members are relieved of a large portion of personal responsibility ; they can argue, there are two publics, and the public which has appealed to us in the larger ; which undoubtedly it in if they judge only by the appeals which have been made to them. Before proceeding to give an account of the debate in the House of Lords, I draw your attention to a letter which Mr Bright wrote in reply to an invitation from Birmingham to attend a meeting to be held there in favour of the Bill. The meeting itself was a most unruly one ; aMr Lloyd, who rose to propose an amendment to the resolution " That the Irish Church Bill was wi«o in policy and just in principle," stood for two hours before a howling mob, who hooted him during the whole of that time, and ultimately wearied him into roijdug without making hiß speech. The lettor runs aufollows : -" I must ask my friends to excuse me if I am unable to accept their invitation for ttie meeting on Monday next. Tho Lords are not very wise, but there is sometimes profit to the poople oven in their innovations. If they should delay the passing of tho Irish Church Bill for throo months they will stimulate discussions on important questions, which, but for their infatuation, might have slumbered for many years. It is possible that a good many people may ask what is the npocial value of n Constitution which gives a majority of 100 in one House for a given policy, and ft majority of 100 in another Houso against it. It may bo asked also why tho Crown, through its Ministers in the House of Commons, should be found in harmony with the nation, while the Lords ore generally in direct opposition to it. Instead of doing a littlo childish tinkering about life peerages, it would bo well if the peers could bring themselves on a lino with tho opinions and necessities of our day. In harmony with tho nation, they may go on for a long ttmo ; but, throwing thoraselvoa athwart its course, they may moofc with accidents not picamint for 'thorn to think of. But there aro not • few Rood and wieo nien among tho Peers, and wo will hopo their counsels may prevail. lam sure you will forpive mo if J cannot como to your meeting. Tho President of the Board of Trudo hw » very happy Jmwls in getting hj# epjlwei

plioateo^fclie difficulties of . a.diflaculFpbsition. ( 'Thjrf^^'^^^lter&'iaßi generally in , direct;, opposition M ;to" thY nation iampst^mischievous at" this junc^ ttire of affairs. 'Such' an effusion Wab' not" likely .W be 1 , passed over in ttie House' of Lords;; and yesterday, before the debate) on the Irish Church Bill" was resumed, Lord Cairns rose to ask the Secretary for the Colonies whetberthe letter which had appeared in the public newspapers, bearing, the signature of the. President ,of the Board of Trade,, and, read at , a public meeting at Birmingham, , was written,, by that right lion, .gentleman, and whether her Majesty's Government concurred in the expressions and opinions of that -letter. The speaker said that there were four remarkable statements in Mr.Bright's letter-^firs^, that the Lords are generally in direct opposition to the will of the nation ; second, , <thai if the Lqrcts reject the Irish Churchßill, a fair question will be raised whether the House of Peers should continue part of the Constitution; third,, that , the rejection of the Bill might very possibly lead, to^the overthrow of the House of Lords, described by, the not very euphemistic expression of their possibly meeting with accidents not pleasant for them to think of ; and fourth, that if by any means the Bill were rejected, there might arise a tumult of opinion. The menaces contained in the letter were matter for grave consideration ; the letter could not be regarded as a private communication ; it was a manifesto as much addressed to the public as if it were addressed to them through the medium of a debate in either House of Parliament. He called upon the Secretary of State to accept the responsibility of Mr Bright's statements, or to declare that the Government repudiated them. Earl Granville, in reply, did neither ; he maintained that Mr Bright, in his private capacity, had a perfect right to express his own opinions in his own way, throwing o.ut at the same time a half apology that Mr Bright was so much of a John Bull that he could not help occasionally being too outspoken, perhaps a little rash. He was empowered by Mr Bright to say that he did not intend to throw out any threats when he penned the letter, and. that if any expression in it had given pain, either collectively or individually, he expressed his regrets, and declaimed any intention of hurting their feelings. A little skirmishing took place, but eventually the matter was dropped. In the Commons the programme was repeated, with the same result ; but in both Houses there appeared to be a very general feeling that it would be unwise to push the enquiry too far. On the 14th June the debate upon the Bill commenced in the House of Lords, Every inch of space was occupied, and the dresses of the ladies in the peereßsea' galleries gave the house a most animated appearance. Not a seat was vacant, and the steps of the throne were covered with distinguished personages; anong these latter Mr Gladstone and Mr Disraeli were to be seen at various times during the evening. A considerable time was occupied by the presentation of petitions for and against the Bill, the former largely preponderating, numbering over one thousand. The petitions from' Manchester and Liverpool, presented by Lord Derby, were stated by him to represent more than a quarter of a million persons. Lord Granville, when he rose to move the second reading of the Irish Church Bill, appeared to be unusually nervous. He is not, at the best of times, a good speaker, and he did not show to advantage in the opening speeoh of tho dobato. His »poeoh may be regarded o« eminently conciliatory. The Government, he said, had been licensed of nn imperious determination to admit no amendments to the Bill ; this was not 10. Tho Government could not, it was true, surrender tho principle of tho Bill ; but they wore prepared to admit ninondmonts, not merely of detail, but which might aftecfc the whole of tho Bill. Ho was vory earnest in his argument that tho diaoAtablushment of tho Church in Ireland would not bo followed by tho discHUblishmont of the Church ja England. It would be ft dangerous admission for any English pre» late to make, that tho EnglUh and the Iriih Church had tho same titlo to state support. Ho reminded tho Floubo, thut free and poworf ul as it was, there was ono thing than which it wm loss powerful, and that wno, tho cloar expression of the national will, and ho concluded by ftppoaling to them to look at tho question an if Ireland woro tho strongor, and England were tho oppressed and tho woakor country. Lord Harrowby, who had boon choson at a meeting of poors to movo that tho Bill bo road that day throo months, roso for Jtlmt purpose Ho said tho Bill was revolutionary, it impliod in a certain sense, a violation of tho Coronation Oath, anditwnsoppoajodtothuAct of Union. Nocircumstimeo had been shown to exist which would justify (ho extreme mooiuros contemplated by ww> Bill. Tho efect of deolipg k tlMn abrupt wJ violent

trier^ would be to diminish, the number fnsh l p'e%antry 1 of Mi^ty Mends' 'andfem-' ployers? and Engltfod'ofita! truest <friends, : He urged lipon'the 1 House ; to reaiat'the rey&utibnary attempt, on' the'grbund of jfche'aTready.eitremißly democratic' charac 1 ; te'r' 6f : ' the 'British 1 Constitution," ,rn'ore democratic than <;that of r any other com*jfcry, n<s even excepting the United States. LordX?lare'hdoh f foU6wed 1 in favour 'of the Bill^and spoke strongly of the danger ita summary rejection would cause to the House of Lords. To him succeeded the Duke of Rutland against, and Lord Stratford de 1 Redcliffe for'; the latter speaker reserved to himself his liberty to vote against it on the third reading, if the grave objections he had to the Bill were not removed in committee. Lord Romilly, in defending' the' bill, reminded the House of the blo ( w it received, and from which it still suffered, when it rejected the Reform Bill of 1832, and he advised the Lords not to repea'tthe' blunder, ' The Archbishop' of Canterbury dwelt upon the gravity of the crisis, "and advised that the Bill should be allowed to go into committee, where amendments might be adopted, which would turn it into a good measure. Lord Carnarvon end the Bishop of Derry followed, the former for, and the latter against ; the Bishop of Derry 's speech was especially telling, and the debate waa adjourned, upon the motion of Lord Lytton. But the debate on the follewing day was not resumed by Lord Lyfcton, to the disappointment of many who had come especially to listen to Lord Lytton's maiden speech in the House of Lords. Earl' Grey was the first speaker, and he said that if they rejected the Bill, it would be returned to them unchanged, and that perhaps very shortly. They might reject it again, but in some mode or other the House would iind itself forced to pass it. Then followed the Archbishop of Dublin, who declaimed strongly against the Bill, and who said that even in Mr Gladstone's scheme for the application of the surplus funds to works of mercy, the oharity would bear upon its front such a taint of injustice that it would be unacceptable in the eyes of heaven. The Bishop of St. David's (for), Lord Chelmsford, (against), Lord Penzance (for), and the Duke of Richmond (for), spoke after ; and then the Bishop of Peterborough rose and delivered the most eloquent speech of the debate. In declaring that he intended to resist the Bill, he warned members against being moved by menaces as to the effect of an adverse vote. He denied that the national verdict had been pronounced on this special measure, which was cruel, harsh, and niggardly, if not worse ; and utterly failed to redeem last year's promise of justice and generosity. His speech was logical and argumentative, and was received with volleys of cheers, and much clapping of hands from the strangers' galleries. 'After Lord de Grey (for), and Lords Olancarty and Monck (against), had spoken, the adjournment of the debate was moved by Lord Malmesbury, on behalf of Lord Derby. Crowded as was the House on the two previous days, it appeared to be even more so on the third day (yesterday). Not only was the Earl Derby, the Rupert of debate, to speak, I but the question with regard to Mr Bright's letter was to be asked and answered. The proceedings connected with the latter subject are recounted above ; and when the Earl of Derby rose to resurao the debate, he was received with loud and hearty cheers, from all parts of the Hoiwe. He commenced by paying a high complimont to the speech of the Bishop of Peterborough, a speech he said, clothed in language the fervid oloquonce and brilliant diction of which hud never within his momorjr been surpassed, He said thoy woro callod upon to decido tho groateat quostion which had ovor boon submitted to thorn— a question which involved a completo revolution in tho constitution of tho country — and it wan their boundon duty to resist tho ardor civium pram jnbmfinm, and tho vuttux instuntM fiiranniy tho severost and most absolute ministor that cvor swayed tho dostinics of tho nation. Tho Bill could not bo carried out without effecting an entiroly social revolution—a revolution which would nrnko an entire chango in tho feelings and habits of the pooplo — a revolution which would kindle to a degree boyond all prgsihlo conception feelings of angor and animosity — and whioh would bo Hko a sword tent to Ireland and placed in ovory man's hand, so no that tho noarost neighbours would become tho deadliest onomios. If tho Bill woro nawod it could not bo oxpoctod that tho Protostants of Ireland, injured and intuited as they would feel thomsolvos to bo, would retain for tho Parliament of England that loyalty and attachment, that dovotion to tho cauno of tho tin ion between England and Ireland, which has characterised thorn throughout thotr history; whoro they' look for protection, thoy meet with opprcwion ; thoy regard iii with rovownco, and an attempt is mode to cwt them pjjT ao yn*orsy of wgwd,

Thoa^Jueu^came^OEwaj^.wheaihe. Crown | of England.,wa9,iri ( «ore r ,trial,- and.atthe Battle 1 b'f4tie BoyAe? vindicated Wfreei dom of .Ireland and the rights, of the JProtesiiant religion ; by. their industry and loyalty, jbhey. have made y the province of Ulster the garden of Ireland, a wonderful contrast to those otW parts of Ireland jwherethe influence 6f Protestantism' does not'.flxtend. ' When they sacrificed their parliamentary independence, they did so upon th^' distinct pledge that' they would he associated with this great empire, that their church would be firmly established, and that the Protestant Establishment would be placed on a basis by their union with you from which nothing could remove it. , They were led on by solemn promises, by promises guaranteed by treaty, and now fhe aci which they were induced to 1 take for the support of religion is made tlw means of destroying it altogether. Could it be matter of surprise if, deceived and betrayed in this way, Protestants 6f Ireland should, above all things, remember that they are Irishmen ? The dissolution of the Union would ,bo disastrous to England, ruinous to Ireland. Yet nothing would be more likely than that, smarting under their wrongs, the Protestants of the North would unite with the Roman Catholics of the Soiith in demanding the repeal of that Union, of which the essential and fundamental article would be broken by the present measure. The House stood in the most solemn position with regard to Her Majesty and the Coronation Oath. If, with respect to this Question, her Majesty in her own conscience, unchecked by any other feeling, felt herself bound to maintain the promise she made at the time of her coronation, and if her conscience were over borne by the pressure and advice of the responsible ministers of the Crown, then that House, and that House alone, stood in the way of the dilemma between the Queen aid her conscience, and alone had ,the power of rescuing her from the deplorable condition of being compelled to violate her oath, or being placed in a position which it was impossible for her to maintain. He denied that the measure had ever been submitted to the deliberate judgment of the country. It was true that the question of disestablishment and disendowment of the Irish Church was made a portion of the Liberal policy at the last general election, but nothing like the present Bill was ever submitted to the consideration of the people ; indeed, it would seem that many of its provisions had been studiously kept back in the declarations of the Ministers and their chief supporters. Earl Derby concluded his eloquent speech with these words :—: — "My lords, I am now an old man, and, like many of your lordships, past the allotted span of threescore years and ten. My official life is at an end ; my political life is rfearly closed ; and, in the course of nature, my natural life cannot be long. That natural life commenced at the period of the great rebellion in Ireland, whioh immediately preceded the union between the two countries. God grant that it may not close with the renewal of rebellion. My lords, Ido not pretend to look at the prospect of the distant future. But, whatever may be the result of your lordships' consideration of this measure; for my own part, if it be for the last time I now have the honour of addressing your lordships, I declare that it will be to my dying day a satisfaction that I have been able to lift my voice Against the adoption of a measure the political impolicy of which is only equalled by its moral iniquity." The debate continued until past one o'clock this morning, and was adjourned upon the motion of the Bishop of Lichfiold, who, although pressed to do so by Earl Granvillo, refused to continue the discussion at that late hour. At the preßont time of writing — a few minutes before the closing of the mail — tho dobato is proceeding. It is uncertain what the result of tho division will bo ; tho numbers aro likely to bo pretty evenly balanced, a result which will bo produced by many of the Conservative pecra voting for tho Bill, in deference to tho result of tho general eloction. But almost ail of those will reservo to themselves tho right of materially altering the provisions of tho Bill in committee, or of voting against it on the third reading, should tho amendments not go far onouch. Tho policy will bo a difficult ono for Mr Gladatono.

Timo was whon news of disturbances in, Paris, snob, as wo havo bcon in receipt of during tho past two wooks, would havo set all England in a flamo ; but wo havo boconio so accustomed to hear of inuurrectionary movom«nts on tho Continent that people tuk each other if there aro any fresh outbreaks in jParis, in quite a calm and uncxottablo mannor, v if tho subject woro not at all an out-of-tho-way, or unploisant ono. Familiarity broods contempt. French ntreot rows imvo lost their novolty, and tho novrs that fivn or six hundreds of revolutionists a day aro »rrestM in Puri*, is received corUinly without surprUo, almost with «t)u»nin>iiy ; and yv>t, to ad observer wh.o 4opi not pro-

be behind the scenes, or to se*rch foricauses, the aspect' of ;faftair« in France haa been sufficiently .serious > to.< excite alarm. ' Those "who* i do 'profess to * "hfe bejhind the scenes,' c% to be better acquainted ' thaii'theie neighbours, are divided m their opinions afit to ' whether the disturbances have been genuine, or "gotup ";for the purpose^ of .preventing, legitimate and ..more serious outbreaks. Nobody,, of course, realljL knows, but everybody is right, especially the editors oinewspapers,, , ■who are about as ■wise — as other people. Ini the meantime, matters go on as usual in France, which means that they go on • differently to any other country. Disturbances take place, arrests are made, editors and proprietors of newspapers are fined and imprisoned, the moVj 1 in the streets sing the " Marseillaise;" the Emperor, while the revolutionists are shouting, says bravely, " I will go, out for a ride ;" the Empress says devotedly, "And I will accompany you ;" they ride out, unattended ; the spies and police in plain clothes who crowd the streets cry "Vive l'Empereur !" and "We want tranquillity !" and " We desire peace !" The Emperor and his gallant lady bow and are bowed to ; and then they drive home and the Government journals are filled with accounts of the devotion of the people to the Imperial rule. Altogether, it reads like the plot of a play ; all the circumstances fall in such regular order, that one may reasonably be excused for believing that the whole affair is arranged before hand. No one expected that the elections would pass off without disturbances ; disturbances have occurred, and everybody is thankful that they were no worse. Although there were the usual election riots during the course of the election, nothing occurred to excite serious alarm until the Bth of June, when,{accordina; to the Gazette dcs Tribunaux, "fifty workmen and boys marched along the Boulevard Montmartre singing the Marseillaise. 'V Their numbers swelled as they marched, until they presented a formidable body of roughs. Their proceedings, however, were of a comparatively mild character ; they smashed the gas lamps on the Boulevard de Belleville and Faubourg dv Temple, ransacked a caf6 or two, and set fire to the kiosk of a Eewsvendor. The authorities were on the alert, and by their prompt action order was restored before midnight, not, however, without several persons being arrested. The Prefect of Police issued proclamations calling upon all peaceful citizens to aid in the preservation of peace, and urging them to keep within doors, and not swell the crowds which might assemble in the streets. On the following day, three of the editors of the Bcveil were arrested upon the charge of conspiring against the State. On the same day there were disturbances at Nice, chiefly directed against the foreign policy of the E moire j many hundreds of people marching through the streets, crying, " Hurrah for Garibaldi !" "Down with France!" On the 10th, more serious riots occurred in Pari3, and attempts were made to erect barricades ; but barricade-making in new Paris is a very difficult thing to what it was in past years. They are erected with more difficulty, and demolished more oasily. In the Boulevard Montmartre, where the attempt to build the barricade was made, the gas was extinguished, and cafe's were Backed of their furniture to block up the street. Earlier in the evening, the proclamations of the Prefect of Police were torn from the walls, and numerous parties of insurgents sang the Marseillaise, and shouted "Vive la RGpubliquo !" Many of the riotera had armed themselves with great bars of iron, which afterwards were found in the streets ; with these weapons they did much mischief, smashing everything before them. The shopkeepers had been warned by the police, and had taken the precaution of closing all their shops. Skirmishes between the police and the rioters took place up to one o'clock in tho morning, at which time the latter were dispersed, more than 600 of them being arrested, Although the troops were held ready for omergency, they wero not called out, and order was restored solely by tho police, aided by the Garde do Paris. Amongst the papers against which prosecuttons have been instituted for encouraging demonstrations against the Emperor is tho Rappel, som© of tho staff of which have been arrcstod, while others (among thorn two sons of Victor Hugo) havo flod, and taken refngo in Brussels. The latest nowa from Paris is that quiot is almost completely restored, and the Bourse is recovering from the state of agitation into which it was thrown. Among tho persona arrested wero a few Englishmen, who have beon identified and sot at liberty. Thus ends the little French Revolution of 1800. As an amusing proof of what tho French thought of it, a tradesman in tho Boulevard Montmartro, whoro tho principal disturbances ooourrod, plaoed a placard on hie shopfront, " Windows for sooiug the 6me\Ues, •oats two francs and upwards." Tho

mentioned' as 1 constituting the 1 Oppositwn Although the numbeVis small, the Oppojsition is' strong^, in intellect,' , and .has,; ill its ranks more men of note and eminence than the ' trnperiat party can bciast v ofi Rbchefort, r 6f La Lantern© notoriety, op^ posed Jules' F,avre an Paris', butuwa'sde[feated by 1 6,650 voteß to 12,925; While the election was proceeding, he walked about the streets, and so conducted Himself as 'to invite' arrest, which would, have secured his election. ,But his wish was not gratified, for-.the authorities did not interfere with* h'itri. M. Thiera was returned by a large majority. ' Great efforts were made by the Government party #o defeat'ihe historian, but in vain. Papers of all shades of opinion claim the victory of the electipnst ; both those in favour pi' personal government and those, opposed to it profess to be satisfied. In theJmeantime there is no doubt that the position of the Emperor is more secure than ever. The magnificent stakes for the Grand Prix de Paris were won, to the frantic delight of the Parisians, by a French horse, Glaneur, belonging to M. Lupin. Mr Graham's Drummer, who was third in the Derby, was the favourite, at evens, but though he was ridden by that prince of •jockeys, Fordham, he ' lost tho race by a hose, whereupon a prolonged shout of triumph issued from French lungs. _ Une prime donne dv demi-monde, Nini, or Bee de LiSvre, by name, who,' although only 22 years of a«e, has squandered many a fortune, and ruined many a simpleton, died lately in Paris, and her death and the manner of it have excited much comment. It was almost like playing the last scene of La Traviatb in public. She was told by her physician that she was in a decline, that she was going to die. She did not, could^ not believe it. But death came and claimed her one day last week while she was taking one of her gay drives, a queen among her sisters, the "Ladies of the Lake." Striving to muffle her deathcough, she broke a blood-vessel, and tho coachman drove her, dead, through the ranks of her frightened frail sisters. There iB a lesson in the story ; a sad moral, though not a new one, may be drawn from it. It was, doubtless, with an earnest desire to improve the occasion, that a Parisian critic wrote, "This deathstruggle in tho open road was not very amusing." The Suez Canal is rapidly approaching completion. Nuba Pasha has made overtures to Austria for iho neutralisation of the canal, but Austria answers it can do nothing without an understanding with France. France objects to the neutralisation of the canal, as the undertaking has been carried out exclusively with French capital. With the exception of the French disturbances, the European news during the month is of small importance. It is not yet decided who is to be King of Spain. Various candidates and likely princes are from timo to time mentioned, gonerally without authority. In the meantime, Serrano, having been appointed Regent by the Cortes, took lhe oath today. It is stated that Prim, Serrano, and Topete are in favour of raising to the throne the young Italian Prince Thomas, Duke of Genoa, who is at present studying at Harrow. In that case, there would be a Regency of two years, the Princo being only sixteon years of age. Bißraarok, who has been suffering from severe illness, is somewhat recovered, and able to move about. The Viceroy of Egypt has been on a visit to Prussia.

Our peaceful relations with America do not appear likely to bo at present disturbed. The stand taken l.y the English press against the absurd outpourings of tho American newspapers appears to havo had good offeot. Thoir tone is much more peaceful. Mr Motley has been well received, although his public conduot is tho vory opposite to that of his predecessor, Mr Johnoon. Mr Motley is mixing a groat doal in literary society. Dreadful stories of colliery and other explosions come rogularly to hand. In tho Sinking Pit at Cwmnantddu, near Pontypool, »n explosion took place three weoks ago, by which seven men were instantaneously hurried to eternity. Fortunately, thoro wero only ton men in tho mine at the time, throo of them escaped almost miraculously. Another and a moro terrible explosion occurred last wook at tho ForncValo colliery in tho fthonrtd Valloy, Wales. Tho pit — known as tho DnfTryn working — is famous for disaster. Tn Docombor, 1807, 2f>o lives wero lost in it. Tho present loss, happily, is not so great, numbering not moro than between 70 and 80 killed, a number boinq also severely injured. Tho shaft isnoorly 000 foot in depth , and loads to throo separate workings, tho Jlhondda, Blocnllocha, and DnfTryn. In tho Dnffryn working np« words of 100 mon woro employed at tho timo of tho appalling catrwtronhe, tho causo of whioh is supposed to be an oa< oajK! of gas through a part of tho roof which hod fallen in. By some moans, i not at prosont ascertained, tho gas !>«•

'b'ame igriitedi.but iWs alindst c6tf ainTthafc 'the 1 explosion octftirredMrb^h 1 ' -mm ' of . care, for an opeiri; Safety lamp 'whs found in Me heading 'where the "gas ignited,' and {(."pipe and' tobacco' we're al^ofquhd'on ihe body of one of the killed: The^wbrkirigs are, 'considerably damaged. t Two "or three of the' meri were brought 'to the surface 'alive I , but "they 1 .expired wifihin a few minutes Of th&r reaching the open air. There .were 600' men employed in 1 tho colliery. — A boiler explosion, attended with' the usual sad results, occurred in the , factory of Messrs Town and Son, Bingley, near- Bradford:, Fourteen person's were at work Tvhen the boiler exploded, and of these seven were killed, including the p^o£rietar, his wife, and daughter. The children from a National , School were playing in ' an adjoining playground, and eight of the little ones were killed, making fifteen deaths in all. The Surrey Turf Carnival has come and gone, and the great Derby questions, as to whether Pretender or Pero Gomez is the better horse, and whether Belladrum, the idol of the public, is really broken- winded, have been settled. Since the running of the Two Thousand Guineas race, the winner, Pretender, had held tho rank of first favourite for the Derby ; Pero Gomez being compelled to be content with second honours. Next to thorn came Belladrum, whose career as a two-year-old warranted the conclusion that it was a certainty the blue riband would fall to him, but it was discovered during his training that he was broken- winded. Almost immediately he retired from being first favourite at 3 and 4to 1, to 30, 40, even 50 to 1. But when, the race for the Two Thousand Guineas was run, and he came in second to Pretender, another reaction took place, this time in his favour, and the odds against him gradually lessened until they reached 6 to 1, at which figure he started for the grand race. Possibly thdre never was a horse which was so consistently backed by the public through good and ovil report, and for such a large amount of money. It was currently whispered that if Belladrum won it was impossible the money could be paid, and there is no doubt that more than one leviathan of the turf would have gone to the wall. Fortunately or unfortunately, aa the case may be for the different parties, Belladrum did not win ; indeed, from the start to the finish he never had a chance in the race, and he cantered past the winning post the absolutely last. Out of 247 subscribers, 22 started, and the time in which the race was run was the slowest since 1860, being 2 minutes 52£ seconds. The following are the first six norses, in the order in which they came in :— Mr J. Johaatone'B br o Pretender, by Adventurer (J. Osborne) 1 Sir J. Hawley's br c Pero Gomez (Wells) . 2 Mr G. Jones's b o Tho Drummer (Morris) 3 Mr Brayloy'a b o Duke of Beaufort (Cannon) 4 Lord Strnfford'B ro c Rupert (French) 5 Mr Savillo's h o Rysh worth (Maidment)... 0 The botting at starting was 5 to 4 against Pretender ; 11 to 2 Pero Gomez ; Gto 1 Belladrum ; 10 to 1 Perrydown ;20 to 1 each Drummer and Martyrdom ; 33 to 1 each Border Knight and Thorwaldsen; 50 to 1 Dnke of Boaufort, llyshworth, Rupert, an 4Do Vero ; 06 to 1 Lada3 and Ethus ; lOflf to 1 Alpenstock and King Cophetua ; 200 to 1 Tho Tosman, Tenedo3, and Defender. The raco was won by a head, Drummer being a longth behind Pero Gomez and only a head in front of Dnke of Beaufort. The finish was a very exciting one ; so close was it that neither of tho jockeys of the first two horses knew which had won until tho winning number was put up. Tho not value of tho stakes was L 6,225. Much oxcitomont was caused on tho morning of tho Bettlinsr day at Tattersall's by an objection being lodgod against Pretender by Sir Joseph Hawloy, who had been informed that the nominator of Pretondor had died before tho raco was run, in which csso, according to raoing law*, Protondor's nomination would havo boon void. But tho objoction was soon withdrawn, as a tologram arrived at Tattersall's from tho nominator himself, announcing tb»t ho was alivo and well, and the BfittTomcnt was proceeded with satisfactorily. Tho Oaks day was a miserable ono—raining from morning till night— a great disappointment to tho ladies, not many of whom ventured on tho course For the Oaks race fifioon fillios ran, tho first throo favourites coming in lirat, socontl, and third, Brigimtino, Morna, and Martinique, in tho order named. Rotting, 5 to 4 against Morna, 7 to 2 against Brigantino, 7 to 1 against Martinique, and from 8 to 33 to 1 against the others. This raco was also a vory slow one, tho timo being 2mln. 58Jsec. Last yoasr it was run in 2min. 47] wo. Thero woro two othor creat races run during tho meeting: tho Walton Manor Slakes,, for whioh Trocadoro was lirst, Vagabond second, and Rupert third; and tho Six Milo Hill Handicap, whioh was won by STin© Elms, Martyrdom second, G«ant rtos Bat* taiilos, third. Tho Prinoo and Prineoss

of Wales 'W&jfafiffi'iitoe Derby, as of i course, they, were at Ascot. ; - -The following, are, 'the results of the principal races" :— First f day, the 4 Gold Vase, Thorwaldsen, 1 ; Morna, 2 ; and ' Lancet, 3. "Betting' even on<<St Mungo, 1 5 to 2 against^Morna, 7 to 1 each against Thorwaldsen arid Lancet. ' The ' Prince of Wales's Stakes— Martyrdom', 1 1 ; Pera Gomez; 2 jTyphon, 1 &" (The defeat of Pero Gomez ' in ' this race occasioned great surprise.) Betting,* 3 f io lon Pero Gomez, sto 1 a'sainst Mariyfdom. The Ascot Stakes— Bete Noir, 1,; Ambitious, 2; King Alfred,,, 3., Betting, 5 to. 2 against Bete Koir,; B,tol against- King Alfred ; 16 to lagainst Ambitious. .Thirteen ran. Second day — The Ascot Derby Stakes— Pero Gomez, 1 ; Consul, 2 ; Good Hope, 3. Botting, 2 to 1 on Pero Gomez The Boyal Hunt CupSee Saw, 1 ; Oock of the Walk; 2 ; Border Knight, 3. 22 ran. See-saw and Cock of the Walk were the favourites. The Coronation Stakes were won by Martinique, Orakovienne second, Dentolle third. The St James's Palace Stakes were, won by Dunbar 1, Duke of Beaufort 2, Tasman3. Betting— 3 to lon Duke of Beaufort, 8 to 1 against Dunbar. For the Gold Cup, five ran— Brigantine 1, Blue Gown 2, Formosa 3. Betting— 6 to 4 against Blue Gown, 5 to 2 against Formosa, 4to 1 against Brigantine; Fourth day.— The Alexandra Plate, of 1000 soys, wa3 won by Baron Rothschild's Restitution, Trocadero 2, Romping Girl 3. Betting — 2 to 1 against Tabouret, 5 to 2 against Trocadero, 4 to 1 against Romping Girl, 6to 1 against Restitution. The next racing event of interest to which attention is being directed is the Northumberland Plate, run on the 23rd June. For this race, the Spy is the favourite, at 5 to 2, Myosotis, coining next, at 6 to 1. Pretender is first favourite for the St. Leger, at 2 to 1, then come the Drummer, Gto 1, and Pero Gomez, Bto 1. For the Goodwood Cup, Brigantine is favourite at 7 to 2.

Matters in the theatrical world nave been v 'dull. A new theatre in King William street, Strand, called the Royal Charing Cross Theatre, will be opi-nod tomorrow night. One of the comic journals this week says, that if the novtr theatre prove successful, a scheme will be issued for the conversion of every shop in the Strand, which is not already thus converted, into a music hall or theitro. Really, this part of London fairly bristles I with theatres — no wonder that somu of them languish for want of support. Mr Burnand has produced a new piece ah the Queen's, the Turn of the Tide, founded upon Mrs Edwivrds's novel, Morals of M;iy Fair. It does not appear to be ablo to turn the tide of fortune at the Queen's Theatre, in which a very large amount of money has been lost during the past, year., At the Adelphi a translation of a French drama, of more than doubtful morality, has been produced. Tho piece is called "Eve," and tho plot turns iidhii tho attempts of a young libertine, without a particle of solf-control or generosity of disposition, to seduce the wif«i of hi 3 friend, in whoso house he i 3-a tciost. Tho papers havo 3poken well of tho niece, because Mr Benjamin WobBter is hand and glovo "with the critics. While I am upon theatrical matters, I may montion an amusing circumstance which - occurred at the Royal Alfred Theatre lately. The manager and actors of tho theatre were much annoyed at the fractioueness of infants whom mothers brought to tho play to take car© of, probably having no ono at homo "to mind tho baby." To remedy this nuisance, a notice was posted up to tho effect that a babies' cloak-room was established, in which mothers might deposit thoir babies upon entering tho thoatro, and roc-ivo thorn back when they wero leaving. Tho charge for minding each baby was twoponco, including nurses' attendance, fooding bottles, milk, <fee. On tho first night a number of babies woro loft, and tho novoi oxporirnont promised to ho both amusing and remunerntivo. Tickots pro* fiorly numbered wero attached to tho rocks of tho little strangers, and when tho play was ended, a rush of mothors for thoir babies took placo. But now something awkward occurred. F.verv person in tho audionco had loft, and tho thoatro was about to bo closori. But throo babies had boon loft on tho hands of tho managomont, throo babies withou fcho slightest mark of identification about thoir persons or dress. Thoy had bmm loft by their mothors, who aro unknown, and who, up to this timo, havo quito forgotten to call for thorn.

Tho following Ordinances passed by tho Provincial Council of OUffb during its liwi somiion hay* rcot'ivod tho lusont of His !•'*■ cullonoy tho flovornor : — Port Olwlwrs Kfftorvof Mnnsgonmnt Ortliuunc", I Stl ) ; Milton Renews Matiftßomant Or linn. oo, 1800 ; North Tuakitoto District lloul Ordj. nunoo, )ti<M> ; Oamsru Dock Tnmt Ordinanofl, 1809 ; EduoAtioa ttoscrv*'" Maimuomoat and Lowing Ordinano*, ltttid ; Uoads Diversion Ordinance, 1869.