Our Weekly Budget.

motion . A motion of Mr . Meldon ' s , on the Remuneration of Irish Schoolmasters , was defeated by 110 to 73 . On Tuesday , on the motion of Mr . Lowther , that the House should go into Committee on the South Africa Bill , Sir G . Campbell proposed an amendment , but was defeated by 221 to 22 . In the course of the debate Mr . O'Donnell made a

long and irrelevant speech of about two hours , during which several attempts were made to count-out the House , until at length the patience of the Speaker was exhausted , and he declined to count . After this , the House was again put to the trouble of dividing , on the question that the

Speaker leave the chair , the numbers for and against being 229 and 5 respectively . The House then went into Committee , and progress was immediately reported . On Wednesday , the House witnessed the most disgraceful scene which has ever taken place . The whole of the afternoon

was taken np in wrangling , and at length Sir Stafford Northcote , finding that nothing would induce the obstructionists to allow public business to proceed , moved a resolution that certain words spoken be taken down and reported to the Speaker . He then announced his intention

of moving certain resolutions on the subject on Friday , and in the meantime proposed that the attendance of Mr . Parnell till then be dispensed with . It seemed , however , to be the opinion of the House that so important a step should

not be taken too hastily , and the matter was postponed till Friday , Mr . Parnell , who had been ordered to withdraw , being therefore at liberty to return till the question was settled .

The condition of the young Prince Albert Victor of Wales is said to be steadil y improving . We trust that next week we shall be in a position to report his entire convalescence . The Prince of Wales visited the ex-Empress of the French at Chislehurst , on Monday . Early on Tuesday morning the

Duke of Cambridge went down to Woolwich , for the purpose of inspecting the 3 rd battalion of the Rifle Brigade , which is under orders to proceed to the Mediterranean . The battalion mustered 900 strong , and was put through a variety of evolutions . The same afternoon His Royal

Highness presented the prizes and commissions to the cadets of the Royal Academy , Woolwich . The first ei ght on the successful list were appointed to the Royal

Engineers , and the remaining thirty-one to the Royal Artillery . On Wednesday , the Duke reviewed four battalions of the Guards in H yde Park . Several hours were occupied in the manoeuvres , after which the troops returned to barracks .

The Volunteer meeting closed on Saturday , with a grand military athletic meeting , and the usual distribution of prizes by Lady Wharncliffe . The competitions which were concluded after our last week's Budget was written , were among the most important events of the meeting .

The Elcho Challenge Shield was carried off by the Irish team , with the splendid score of 1 , 568 out of a possible 1 , 800 , England being second with 1 , 464 , and Scotland last with 1 , 439 . Thu 3 the Elcho Shield will cross the Irish Channel for the third time , and remain in the custody of

the Lord Mayor of Dublin for the current year . In the match between the Lords and Commons , the former were victorious by 29 points , the totals at the two ranges of 200 yards and 500 yards respectively being—Lords 404 , Commons 375 . Oxford beat Cambridge for the

Chancellor ' s Plate by 4 points only , the numbers being Oxford 537 and Cambridge 533 . In the Public Schools' Competition for the Ashburton Shield , nine contested , and after one of the closest struggles on record Cheltenham was declared winner by a single point over Eton , Harrow being

third with one point less . The numbers were Cheltenham 393 , Eton 392 , and Harrow 391 . For the Spencer Cup , which is awarded to the best champion shot of each team , the representative of Cheltenham came first by 5 points , his score being 31 . The only other contest which deserves

to be noticed was that for the Loyd-Lindsay Cup , for which seven mounted squads of yeomanry competed . The first prize was taken by the Warwickshire squad , the second by the Dorsetshire , thus reversing the positions of last year , and the third by the 1 st Bucks squad . There

was a novel display in connection with this trial . A squad of four H . A . C . infantry men obtained permission to try their powers over the course , but , of course without being allowed to enter for the prizes . The four did the distance ( three

quarters of a mile ) , giving their 5 shots each at the two ranges ( 200 yards and 400 yards ) and vaulting the hurdles in 10 m . 20 sec , scoring 71 points . This gave them the third place , and had it been permitted , would have entitled them to take the third prize ,

Our Weekly Budget.

The order for the dispatch of reinforcements to our Mediterranean garrisons has caused a large amount of excitement , not only among the public , but likewise at our naval and military ports , and at Aldershot . Two of our huge transports employed in the conveyance of troops to

India were ordered early this week to be got ready , and by the time these lines are before our readers , some three thousand mon will be already on their way to Malta . Other regiments have been ordered to hold themselves in readiness , and three other transports are being made ready

to convey them to the same destination , in order that Great Britain may be in a better position , in the event of any necessity arising for her intervention . It is said the garrison of Malta is to be raised immediately to 10 , 000 men , and if events move in the direction they havo been

doing of late , and as rapidly , it is very possible the government may feel it to be its duty to dispatch a more considerable force still . There are rumours that we may so far depart from our present attitude of passive neutrality as to occupy the old lines of Gallipoli , which the French and

English engineers threw np at the time of the last war , but which , owing to the repulse of the Russians before Silistria , it was not found necessary to hold for any length of time . As these lines run across the narrowest part of

the isthmus , they can be held easily by a comparatively small force , while the position would enable the occupying army to check any serious attempt on Constantinople , especially considering the strength of our Mediterranean fleet , which is likewise being reinforced .

The Russians have been pressing forward their troops in Bulgaria and Roumelia in considerable numbers , with great rapidity , and , it may be added , with astonishing audacity . There are those , indeed , who think that the present disposition of their forces may turn out

disastrously , especially as the Turks appear to be thoroughly aroused from their apathy , and are fighting with the most desperate resolution , if not in all cases with success . The most important news is the dismissal of the Turkish Generalissimo , Abdul Kerim Pacha , and the War Minister , Redif Pacha . Both these have been ordered back to

Constantinople , where , it is said , they will be tried by Court-Martial . The new Commander-in-Chief is Mehemet Ali Pacha , while Suleiman Pacha has gone to the front with his troops fresh from their long course of victories in Montenegro . Osman Pacha has defeated the Russians at

Plevna , after a tremendous engagement , in which the latter themselves acknowledge the loss of close on 2 , 000 men , while the Turkish loss is set down at 1 , 200 . An attack is also reported to have been made by the Russian army from the Dobrudscha on some of the outlying defences of Silistria ,

but the Turks declare they repulsed it without difficulty , The celebrated Chipka Pass is now occupied by the Russians , and as this route is available for the passage of artillery , the Russian forces south of the Balkans will now soon be in sufficient strength to imperil the Turkish

positions at Adrianople and Philippopohs , the latter being , it is said , the next object of attack . As regards the former , there was a great scare at first when it was known that the Russians were in strong force south of the Balkans , but fresh troops are being continually sent forward from

Constantinople , and the immediate danger of the City of Adrian is now supposed to be passed . But Rumour is so fond of telling fibs that the news of to-day may be directly contradicted by the news of to-morrow . As for other operations in the same quarter , Shumla , Widdin , and Rustchuk are

all said to be threatened by the Russians in force , and the last has been subjected to a terrific bombardment , with what result is not yet known . In Asia there has been a certain amount of fighting , but nothing of any moment . The Turks under Moukhtar Pacha still occupy their

advanced position close to the Russian frontier , and the Russians are said to be preparing for a fresh campaign But the most terrible news of all relates to the " atrocities " said to have been committed by the Cossacks and Bulgarians on the fugitive women and children from Mahometan

villages . Not a day passes but fresh massacres are reported . That horrible cruelties have been committed on the unfortunate Mussulmans is beyond all question , for there is the combined testimony to that effect of no less than twenty

newspaper correspondents of different nationalities ; but to what extent the Russian Generals are responsible for it remains to be seen . In the meantime , it seems as though the relations between this country and Russia wero becoming more critical .