Our Weekly Budget.

Nominees ' , and season tickets only will be admitted . Doubtless the gathering of rank and fashion will be considerable , in honour of tho Royal President . De gustibus non est disputandum . A lunatic died a short time since , in the Prestwich Asylum , and a post mortem

inquiry into the cause of death led to the discovery of nearly eleven-and-three-quarter pounds weight of articlescomprising shoemakers' sparables , 4-in ., 3-in ., 2 j-in ., 2-in . and other nails , tacks , buttons , pieces of buckles and glass , pebbles , apiece of leather , a piece of lead , and an American

pegging awl and other things , numbering together 1841—in his stomach . We have heard a saying to the effect , that some boys are capable of digesting ten-penny nails , and we know there are jugglers who earn their living partly by

swallowing knives and other choice and delicate articles . But it certainly is a novelty to read of any one living with his stomach full of nails , glass , pebbles , and the like . The coats of some people ' s stomachs are figuratively said to be of leather . The coat of this man ' s stomach must have

been at least as tough as " old boots "—the toughness whereof is to us an unknown quantity—or perhaps we should say literally as " hard as nails . " Had this unfortunate lunatic been a shoemaker at any period of his rational being that he swallowed so many sparables ? If so , he certainly

showed himself true to the very last . Not the least among the numerous attractions at the Centennial of the National Independence to be celebrated this year at Philadelphia , will be the International Rifle Match . We have before announced that a challenge has

been received in this country from the National Rifle Association of America , and accepted by the National Rifle Association of England . But some doubts having arisen in this country as to whether England , Ireland , and Scotland were invited to send separate teams each , of one nationality only ,

or mixed , Sir Henry Halford telegraphed for information , and the answer was to the effect that any team , English , Scotch , or Irish , or mixed would be welcome . The weather , for a few days , was thought by a good many people to be favourable for a little skating , and

suburban ponds were accordingly tested by a number of young men and lads , remarkable chiefly for their rash indifference to good advice . As might have been expected , the venturous , in more than one case , suffered , and , unfortunately , the life of one boy was lost , on No . 2 of the

Highgate ponds . In the provinces , too , several deaths are reported . Four boys out of six who were immersed in a large pool near Garrison-lane , Birmingham , were drowned , and of two boys skating on the Soar , at Leicester , one was drowned , and the other rescued with some difficulty .

At a ball recently given at Coventry , by the members of the Volunteer Fire Brigade , the small hours of the morning had been reached , and dancing was yet as vigorously proceeding as ever , when all the lights were suddenly extinguished . Remonstrances were made by the firemen

and others , but in vain , and lanterns and oil lamps had to be obtained to enable the guests to depart in comfort . It is said the Fire Brigade are so enraged at the treatment they received that they are determined to resign in a body . If this threat be persisted in , the Brigade will cease to exist as such the end of this month . We offer the Fire

Brigade our sympathy , and we are sorry we cannot advise them to send the perpetrators of the outrage to Coventry , as the latter are already there , but they deserve such treatment . Messrs . Smith and Son , publishers and booksellers , of

the Strand , were lately summoned by Thomas Cannon , a reporter , for publishing a libel against that gentleman contained in a paper called the Advocate , one copy of which had "been sold by one of Messrs . Smith and Son ' s employes . Mr . Flowers , the magistrate at Bow Street , before whom

the summons was heard , adjourned it , on the ground of its being a novel case , and on Monday ho decided to dismiss it . Messrs . Smith and Son wonld find it a hard matter to cany on their business if every pnper containing a libel

and sold b y them should be made the subject of a charge . In the present case they had refused to sell the paper , and it was practically admitted by the complainant that the copy in question might have been disposed of through inadvertence .

A nice question was raised the oilier day , at the Sittingbourne Pett y Sessions , as to whether cutting the combs of cocks was or was not cruel . The summons was taken out at the instance of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals . The combs had been cut of three bantam cocks which it was proposed to exhibit . Mr . W .

Our Weekly Budget.

H . Jones , M . R . C . V . S ., and Mr . Crook , one of the staff of Land and Water , gave evidence in support of the charge , and so did the well-known animal painter , Mr . Harrison

Weir . Evidence having been given on the other side , the magistrates dismissed the summons but , on the application of Mr . Smith , of the Home Circuit , who conducted the prosecution , they granted a case for the higher court .

Hanging people must be thirsty work to judge from the amount of liquid refreshment consumed by Marwood on the occasion of the recent execution at Dumbarton . Darine *

the three days he was resident in the gaol he was supplied with a bottle of brandy , a bottle of whisky , and a dozen of bitter beer , a bottle for each of the first two days , and the

dozen of bitter for the third , when all was over . There were also said to have been consumed , on the morning of the execution , a bottle of brandy , a bottle of whisky , a bottle of sherry , and a bottle of port .

Trade disputes are of frequent occurrence , and there is one in the iron trade in progress at this moment . The men in the employ of Messrs . Easton and Anderson , at Erith , are out on strike against the system of piece-work , which their employers have resolved to adopt . Both parties seem

very determined , the men especially appearing to have taken strong measures , so that other men may not have an opportunity of being employed in their stead . We have nothing to do with the matter in dispute , but if it be true that picketing is being adopted , and men , who are willing enough

to work on Messrs . Easton and Anderson ' s terms , are thus prevented , then we have another evidence of the tyrannical lengths to which workmen will go in order to gain their ends . It is high time something was done towards establishing courts of arbitration .

Sir John Hartopp was summoned on Thursday , before the judge of the Reigate County Court , to answer a charge of assulting an innkeeper at Banstead , a Mr . John Ladd , who claimed £ 50 damages . The plaintiff , it seems , had been in the habit of supplying beer to the defendant ' s men ,

and had been ordered not to do so . In spite , however , of all warnings , whether verbal or written , Mr . Ladd had persisted in going on the defendant ' s land , till one day he encountered the latter when out shooting with some gentlemen , and attended by several keepers , and the assault

complained of occurred . According to the plaintiff ' s version of the affair , he was , by order of Sir John Hartopp , set "npon and seized by sundry of the keepers , who well pommelled him first , and then dragged him through a

number of ponds afterwards . On the other hand it was contended that the man himself had lain down on the ground when ordered off . In the result a verdict was given against Sir John Hartopp , with forty shillings and costs .

Abroad the situation remains unchanged . The results of tho elections in France are not yet ascertained , but general rumour has it , that the Conservative party have gaineu a decided advantage . On the other hand , the Republicans claim to have been victorious in the struggle . However ,

when the names of the elect are made public , we shall have an opportunity of judging which is right , general rumour or the Republicans . It seems too , that M . Gambetta has been prevented by the authorities from makinga speech which he was at the pains of travelling south to Marseilles

for the purpose of delivering . This fits ill with an Englishman ' s notion of a republic , where all men are free to act and speak as they will , so long as they say or do nothing to the detriment of the commonweath . The Eastern

Question remains an statu quo . Count Andrassy s note , it is believed , will be presented to the Porte with the concurrence of all the Great Powers , England included . The insurrection is not put down , though some of the leaders have surrendered their commands . The Carlist

war is still in progress , if fifinga few shell and shot from time to time can be described as fighting . Certainly both Carlists and Alphonsists are deliberate enough in their movements . Meantime , unfortunate Spain suffers . The Royal forces become stronger and stronger , yet they fail to beat the

enemy . The Carlists must be weaker now than they wore a few months since , yet not so weak but they contrive to maintain their position , aud occasionally send a few shells into Sun Sebastian . The Prussian Diet is in Session , and the Emperor has bestowed on some of his generals the Cross

of the Black Engle , a banquet , at which His Imperial Majesty presided , beingheldin honourof theoccasion . Among those who have lately been visiting His Holiness the Pope , and paying him the compliments of the season , should be meutionedtheMarquisof Ripon , who is said to have paid over to His Holiness the very handsome compliment of £ 10 , 000 ,