Our Weekly Budget.

the others were so jammed in the dib-holo that their recovery was a work of some time . On Wednesday morning" a serious accident occurred in Woolwich Dockyard , the new shed in course of erection bv Messrs . Shaw , near the Dockyard gate , for storing

forage , having suddenly collapsed like a pack of cards , injuring more or less seriously some thirty-five of the workmen . Measures were promptly taken for the rescue and removal to hospital of the unfortunate men , and in the

afternoon Col . Smith , R . E ., arrived from the War Office to hold an inquiry into the circumstances . The damage is estimated at £ 2 , 000 . The removal of the debris was at once commenced , and the work of rebuilding will be proceeded with immediately .

Another " peace " demonstration was held in Hyde Park on Sunday afternoon , the promoters being Mr . Auberon Herbert and Mr . Bradlaugh . Each of these gentlemen had a body guard , but tho whole thing turned out a complete failure , as the peace party , in spite of the truncheons , were

hustled out of the Park , never being able to remain more than a few moment in one place . The principal feature of this gathering was the amount of blackguardism which was perpetrated on respectable people . We think it high time a stop should be put to these gatherings , which can be held elsewhere without destruction to property .

The Executive Committee of the Indian Famine Relief Fund met at the Mansion House , the chair being occupied by Alderman Sir Thomas White . It was announced that the subscriptions amounted to £ 513 , 000 . £ 500 , 000 had already been remitted , and it was resolved to send a further £ 4 , 000 . It was also stated that the Eastern Telegraph

Company had transmitted all the Committee s telegrams without charge , which was equivalent to a subscription of £ 250 . A vote of thanks to the Company for such conduct was passed unanimously , and the Committee adjourned .

A meeting was held at the Mansion House on Wednesday , under the presidency of the Lord Mayor , for the purpose of concerting arrangements for holding the Royal Agricultural Society ' s Exhibition in London in 1879 . The Duke of Richmond and Gordon , the Duke of Bedford ,

Lord Skelmersdale , the Earl of Dncie , the Earl of Bective , the Earl of Feversham , and others were present . Resolutions in accordance with the object of the meeting were

proposed aud agreed to , and it was determined to ask the necessary permission of the Duke of Cambridge , as Ranger of Hyde Park , to hold it there . It was also proposed to invite the Prince of Wales to be President of the

Institution . The Duke of Sutherland had a dinner party at Stafford House on Monday , the principal guesb being Baker Pasha ,

to meet whom his Grace invited the Turkish Ambassador , Field Marshal Lord Strathnairn , General Sir C . EUice , Sir Samuel Baker , and others . The Pasha ' s health was proposed by the Duke , and briefly but suitably acknowledged .

Sir Thomas Chambers , recently elected Recorder of the City of London in p lace of Mr . Russell Gurney , presided this week for the first time at the Central Criminal Court , Old Bailey , when opportunity was taken by the Bar to offer the learned gentleman their congratulations on his

appointment . These were gracefully acknowledged , after which the business of the Court was proceeded with . The case of Madame Rachel has been adjourned till next Sessions , an application to that effect being mado by the prisoner ' s counsel in the first instance to the Recorder , and then to

Baron Huddleston , by whom it was acceded to . Ihe trial of the Rev . Mr . Dodwell , who stands charged with having attempted to murder or do serious bodily harm to the Master of the Rolls , was fixed for yesterday , in order to

meet the convenience of Sir George Jessel ; the prisoner , when the clay was proposed , raising no objection whatever to the arrangement , though Thursday had in the first instance been suggested .

The Earl of Carnarvon presided on Wednesday at the annual dinner of the Royal Asylum of St . Anne ' s Society , which was held at the City Terminus Hotel , Cannon-street . The chairman , in proposing the toast of the evening ,

remarked that this society differed from most other asylums . The latter were intended for the poor or children of the poor , while this was intended for the children of persons who had been in a state of affluence , but bv misfortunes

had fallen fvom that estate . The subscriptions were announced as amounting to about £ 1 , 600 , inclusive of the Queen ' s annual subscription of ten guineas . Our military preparations arc being rapidly pressed

Our Weekly Budget.

forward , and , m the event of war being necessary , we shall have a very large available force , both naval and military , and what is of still greater moment , our land forces Avill be well provided with transport . Good horses are being bought for the Government by Lord Henry

Somerset , who , accompanied by a veterinary surgeon , is moving about in the provinces wherever thero is a likelihood of getting good and serviceable animals . The

Monarch and Penelope ironclads , and the Euryalus frigate will bo commissioned next week , and the Messrs . Laird aro urging forward the repairs to the Ironj Duke as fast as possible .

The news from Vienna and the East of Europe generally bodes ill for the maintenance of peace , though there is , of course , always the chance that Russia may not insist , at the last moment , on maintaining her pretensions . From Vienna intelligence is to hand to the effect that Count Andrassy has notified to the Hungarian Delegation that Austria will

not permit the establishment of a Bulgarian principality , extending to the shores of the iEgean Sea , and will oppose the occupation of Bulgaria by Russia for a longer period than six months . The Vote of Credit for sixty million florins is being pressed , and will , no doubt , be granted , but

it will be held in reserve , and only nsed in the event of tho Empire being imperilled and the mobilisation of the army becoming imperatively necessary . The insurrection in Thessaly is extending , and in most of the conflicts which have taken place between the Turkish and insurgent forces , the

latter have proved victorious . Great preparations , however , are being made by the Government of the latter to suppress it , and one , or it may be two , army corps will be despatched to the scene of action , so as to bring the insurgents to book sharply . It is also said that fifty thousand

Turkish troops will occupy Bosnia and the Herzegovina . As to the terms of peace , Russia still keeps them concealed , though General Ignatieff and Raouf Pasha have reached St . Petersburg , the plenipotentiaries having left Constantinople for the Russian capital via Odessa , with the treaty

bearing the Sultan ' s signature . Of course , there is a general idea of the nature of the terms exacted , and wo have already spoken of a big Bulgaria , Independent Servia , Montenegro , and Roumania , and a large indemnity , as forming the principal items of the peace . But the

secrecy observed by Russia gives ground for the belief that there are certain other terms which are being purposely kept dark , and , meanwhile , Russia is taking advantage of the delay to strengthen and improve her position around Constantinople , and iu the

direction of Galhpoh . Only thus can w e explain the continued advance of her troops in these directions and the reinforcements which are being poured into Roumania . On the other hand , the news that the English Government will require the whole terms of the meeting of San Stefano

to be submitted to the Congress , and that Austria , Italy , and France evince an inclination to move in the same direction , does not greatly improve the chance of the Congress meeting . Supposing , however , that it should meet , Berlin will be the place of gathering , and not

Baden-Baden . Another proposal of our Government , which is generally regarded as a good stroke of policy on their part , is that Greece should be admitted to the Congress , and it is said that Russia will only consent to this if Servia ,

Montenegro , and Roumania are also admitted . In short , the more we look into the present political situation , the more convinced are we of the enormous difficulties by which it is surrounded . We sincerely hope that matters will end peacefully , but the prospect is not encouraging .

The Second Report of the Committee of the Leicester Freemasons' Hall Library is , in most respects , satisfactory . The modest cash account for the period from 24 th Juno 1870 to 31 st January 1878 shows a balance of £ 3 0 s 8 d on tho right side , the receipts being £ 24 12 s Id , and the

expenditure for Books , and Periodicals and Binding being , together , £ 21 lis f > d . During the same period , about thirty volumes of Masonic Pamphlets have been bound , several Masonic Periodicals are regularly supplied , some valuable Masonic Works have been purchased , and a number of

donations of books have been presented , by Bro . Kelly , Chairman of the Committee , and Bros . Hughan , Fenn , Ellis , Webb , Toller , Partridge , and others . The one point

wc note with regret is , that several works have been absent from the library for a long period , some of them being among those described in the former report as having " been absent from the Library for two or three years . "