official report of the damage was as follows:-" Messrs. Day and Martin, blacking makers. A building of two floors, used as paper, oil-saturating, and drying rooms, 200 feet long, and 27 feet broad, nearly burnt out, and most part of roof off.-Messrs. Rolfe and Gardiner, lath-renders. A building of one floor, 200 feet long and 27 feet wide, all adjoining and communicating, damaged by breakage and water.-Lambeth Supplementary Workhouse. The ground floor severely damaged by water, &c. Messrs. Day and Martin were not insured. The origin of the fire was unknown.

10. ROYAL CHRISTENING.-The second son of his Serene Highness the Prince and her Royal Highness the Princess of Teck was christened at Kensington Palace. The ceremony was performed by the Right Rev. the Bishop of London, assisted by the Rev. Evan Nepean and the Rev. Mr. Bullock. The infant Prince received the names Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick. The sponsors were the Emperor of Austria, represented by his Excellency the Austrian Ambassador; his Royal Highness Prince Leopold, his Royal Highness Prince Frederick of Würtemberg, the Queen of the Belgians, represented by her Serene Highness the Princess Claudine of Teck, her Royal Highness Princess Christian, her Royal Highness Princess Louise, and Miss Burdett Coutts. There were present their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Albert Victor, and Prince George; their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Christian, her Royal Highness Princess Louise, his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, Miss Burdett Coutts, and the attendants upon their Royal Highnesses.

14. THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES AT KIMBOLTON.-The reception which was accorded to the Prince and Princess of Wales on the occasion of their visit to Kimbolton Castle, the seat of the Duke of Manchester, was of the most enthusiastic and demonstrative character possible in a district but thinly populated.

Their Royal Highnesses, attended by Captain Ellis and the Hon. Mrs. F. Stonor, left Marlborough House shortly after four o'clock, and entered the state carriage attached to the five o'clock express train from King's-Cross station of the Great Northern Railway, whence they proceeded to St. Neot's, where the express was stopped for the purpose of enabling the royal party to alight. On alighting their Royal Highnesses were received by the Duke of Manchester. and conducted to the carriage which was in waiting, amid the hearty cheers of the spectators. The local Volunteers were drawn. up as a guard of honour. A troop of the Duke of Manchester's Light Horse Volunteers assembled outside the station, and with their scarlet uniforms and smart horses formed a very dashing escort for the royal visitors. The party had to pass through the principal parts of the pretty little town of St. Neot's, where the inhabitants had caused to be erected a very good triumphal arch, and flags were suspended from the windows of the houses past which the cortége went en route for Kimbolton. Their Royal

Highnesses were repeatedly cheered as they passed through the town, the bells from the church tower ringing forth in honour of the visit. Their Royal Highnesses proceeded through the villages of Hail Weston, Staughton, and Stoneley to Kimbolton Castle. At each of the villages named the country people had assembled. Kimbolton Castle was reached at about half-past seven o'clock. A large crowd of spectators witnessed the arrival by the iron gates on the St. Neot's road, and raised a hearty cheer. At the east front, where is the principal entrance to the Castle, the Kimbolton contingent of the Huntingdonshire Volunteers was drawn up, under the command of Captain Hayes, and formed the guard of honour. Their Royal Highnesses, having alighted from their carriages, were conducted by the Duke up the long flight of steps, and were received at the grand entrance in the White Hall by the Duchess of Manchester, and conducted to the apartments devoted to the use of their Royal Highnesses during their stay.

17. FATAL ACCIDENT TO A CHANNEL ISLANDS STEAMER.-A collision occurred in the Channel at an early hour this morning, attended with a lamentable loss of life. The paddle-wheel steamship"Normandy," one of the South-Western Company's fleet, Captain H. B. Harvey, left Southampton shortly before twelve o'clock the preceding night for Guernsey and Jersey, and about half-past three this morning, when about twenty miles from the Needles, she came into collision with the screw-steamer "Mary," of Grimsby, Captain Robert Stranack, bound from the Danube for London, with a cargo of maize. At the time named there was a dense fog, and it appears that the two vessels respectively sighted each other when at a very short distance. The survivors of the "Normandy's" crew said that the "Mary's" lights were sighted (viz. a red light and the masthead light), and, finding a collision to be inevitable, the mate put the helm hard astarboard, and the "Mary" ran stem on into the "Normandy," cutting her down a little abaft midships, carrying away her lifeboat, davits, &c. The cabins began to fill with water immediately, and Captain Harvey, the instant he verified the condition of the ship, called to the captain of the "Mary" to send boats to help save his passengers and crew. The captain of the "Mary" manned one boat and sent her off in charge of his second-mate, and meantime two of the "Normandy's" boats were sent off with as many as they could take from the "Normandy." As the two boats were pulling away from her for the "Mary" they hailed to the "Mary's" boat to pull quickly to the "Normandy," as she was sinking. The mate replied he had no orders from his captain, and pulled back to the "Mary," but it seemed very doubtful whether the position of the "Normandy" could be seen at this time owing to the fog. The following is a list of those lost :Captain Harvey, commander of the "Normandy;" Mr. Ockleford, chief mate; Mr. Richardson, carpenter; Mr. Cox, chief engineer; Mr. Marsham, second engineer; seven firemen, three sailors, and the ship's boy; three gentlemen in the after-cabin-viz. Advocate

Westaway, General Grantham, and Mr. Kinlock-four or five passengers in the fore-cabin, including two ladies, also ten deck passengers. The exact number could not be ascertained, but this was believed to be correct, making about thirty-four lives lost.

All the ladies (eleven) in the first cabin and seven gentlemen were saved; also the second-mate, five seamen, chief steward, four stewards, stewardess, and one fireman-total, thirty one.

Captain Harvey was last seen on the bridge, giving orders as to the movements of the engines, and to keep her head to sea, as she was sinking by the stern. All the survivors concurred in stating that no one could have acted with greater coolness or bravery than the unfortunate captain, who was one of the company's most experienced commanders, and universally beloved and respected. The two boats pulled back from the "Mary" about the scene of the wreck for upwards of two hours, in the faint hope of saving more lives, but that hope was very slight, as about twenty minutes after they got back again loud screams were heard apparently from all on board the ill-fated steamer, and soon after they fell in with a quantity of pillows, rocket-sticks, and other articles, showing that the vessel had gone down.

One of the passengers who escaped furnished the subjoined state

ment:

"I was lying in my cabin, with my coat and boots off, and heard a tremendous crash. Rushing on deck, I found we were in collision. The Normandy' had been struck such a blow abaft the paddlebox that the captain at once saw the ship must inevitably founder. He immediately ordered out the two boats remaining, the life-boat having been carried away in the collision, and a portion of the passengers and crew thus succeeded in reaching the Mary,' all the gentlemen standing back and making no attempt to get into the boats until the ladies were in them. The captain of the 'Normandy' behaved with the greatest coolness and judgment under such trying circumstances, and the last I saw of him he was on the bridge, giving orders as to the management of the boats and the working of the engines, and during the whole occurrence extraordinary order and quietness prevailed, and the greatest fortitude was shown. The captain of the Mary' gallantly stood by, and did all in his power to render assistance, firing blue lights, sending up rockets, and a boat was put out; and the Mary' stood by the scene of disaster for about two hours, but without result, the Normandy' having gone down while her two boats were reaching the 'Mary.' The Mary' herself was so badly injured that some of us doubted whether she would reach port, there being an immense hole in her bow, the iron torn away, and the fore compartment flooded, and had not the bulkhead stood well the pressure put upon it, the Mary' must have gone down. As it was, she was lightened at the fore by the corn being hove overboard. She arrived safely in the Southampton Water at last, and her captain deserves great thanks for the kindness and attention shown to us,

whom he had done his best to rescue from the grave. Many of us passengers came ashore as we were in our cabins at the time of the collision, some of the ladies with only their night-dresses, so sudden and rapid was the break up. I should think that not more than ten minutes elapsed between the collision and our hearing the cries when we suppose the Normandy' went down."

Similar testimony to the above was given by the other passengers, who all united in signing an address to Captain Stranack, thanking him for his kindness to them, and for the manly manner in which he remained on the spot till all hope was over of being able to render any further aid.

It was stated by those belonging to the "Mary" that she was coming up Channel dead slow, with little or no headway, head E. by S. S., when they saw a steamer's green lights on the port bow, apparently not a quarter of a mile distant. The captain immediately ordered the engines to be stopped, the whistles blown, and turned the engines astern. Finding she had no headway on, he put the helm hard aport, to cant the vessel's head round to port; but the "Normandy came right on at full speed, starboarded her helm, and crossed under the "Mary's" bows. The collision occurred immediately, and the "Normandy's" two boats soon came alongside with the people saved. Captain Stranack sent away his own lifeboat, but she could not find the "Normandy." He waited about the spot some hours, firing off rockets and keeping a good look-out, and afterwards, finding his own vessel to be in a sinking condition, he made for the Needles. The "Mary" came into dock the next night, and immediately commenced discharging her cargo (maize), a considerable quantity of which had been thrown overboard during the day to lighten the vessel as she was making her way up to this port. She was inspected during the day by thousands of persons, to most of whom her escape from sharing the fate of the "Normandy" seemed little short of miraculous, her bow being completely laid open to below the water-mark, and her bowsprit, figure-head, &c., torn away. In fact, nothing but the fact of her iron bulkhead withstanding the pressure could have kept her afloat.

The "Normandy" was only six years old, and one of the fastest vessels of the London and South-Western Company's fine fleet of Channel steamers. She was a paddle-ship, of 252 tons register, and 425 tons full tonnage, propelled by engines of 238 horse power. The "Mary" is a screw-steamer of about 900 tons. Captain Harvey, the commander of the "Normandy," first entered the company's service before the mast, and his good seamanship and nautical knowledge ultimately secured for him the position of one of their best and most experienced captains, justly esteemed by all who knew him.

The "Normandy" was not insured, the London and SouthWestern Company being their own underwriters.

An official inquiry into the loss of the "Normandy" was after

wards held at the Greenwich Police Court before Mr. Patterson, the magistrate, and Captains Harris and Hight, nautical assessors, and on the 11th of April judgment was pronounced by the Court.

The decision concluded as follows:-" After carefully considering the evidence that has been adduced in this inquiry, the Court is of opinion that the Normandy,' by a breach of the Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, is solely to blame for this disastrous collision. The Court is further of opinion that the master of the 'Mary' did all that lay in his power to avoid a collision and to save life, and therefore adjudges that Mr. Stranack's certificate be returned to him. The Court cannot pass over without comment the irresolute conduct of the second-mate of the Mary' when despatched by the master to render assistance to the Normandy.' There seems to be no valid reason for his return to his own ship without carrying out the orders he had received from his master. Had he obeyed these orders, and proceeded in the first instance, as requested to do, by the crew of the Normandy's' boats, more lives might possibly have been saved."

18. THE FIRE AT THE STAR AND GARTER-INQUEST ON THE REMAINS. An inquest was held by Mr. Carter, at the Star and Garter Hotel Tap, Richmond Hill, on the remains of a person unknown, but which were supposed to be those of Mr. Lever, the late manager of the hotel.-(See Chronicle, ante.)

The first witness called was Henry West, who deposed as follows:— "On the morning of the 14th, while I was at work clearing out the rubbish of the old Star and Garter, I struck my pick on what are supposed to be the remains of Mr. Lever, which consisted of some bones and some portion of flesh. We had been told to be careful in clearing the ruins and preserve what we found of bones or flesh, and we collected them carefully. There was a quantity of charred wood and some bricks lying above the remains. We put the remains aside with the charred wood, and sifted a quantity of rubbish, and found a quantity of small pieces of bones, but no large ones, or skull. We found the remains on the right hand side of where the front door stood, about twelve feet from the front of the old building."

Mr. Richard Archer Warwick, M.D., said, from the size of the bones generally, he should say that they were those of a man of considerable stature.

Dr. James Palfrey, of 18, Finsbury-square, said he knew John Charles William Lever, who was his brother-in-law. His age was thirty-one years, and he held an appointment as manager of the Star and Garter under the company, but did not know what salary he was to have; knew that his life was not insured.

George Mingey, cellarman, was called, and said he had been some years at the Star and Garter. At the time of the fire occurring the hotel had been closed for about two months, and some of the servants had been discharged. "On the night of the fire," continued the witness, "I was awoke by hearing some crackling noise and by a smell of smoke. I got out of bed and opened the door, and my room became