Our Weekly Budget

Wombwell , and the train left the station for King ' s Cross amid hearty demonstrations of Yorkshire loyalty . On Tuesday , the Prince and Princess of Wales with their children left Clarence House for Abergeldie , where they were most joyfully received , and where it is proposed they

shall remain for some time , to enjoy that rest which , after the illness of Prince Albert Victor , they most sorely need . It is gratifying to learn that the young Prince is now restored to health , and the bracing air of the Highlands will no doubt complete his recovery .

On Wednesday evening , thelndian Famine Relief Fund at the Mansion House reached the magnificent sum of a quarter million sterling . Among the principal donations recently given were second instalments of £ 1000 each from Hull and Dundee , third instalments of £ 600 from Halifax , £ 500

from Aberdeen , £ 300 from Bath , and £ 500 from Nottingham , fifth instalment of £ 1000 from Birmingham , £ 500 from Kendal , £ 250 from Keighly ( first instalment ) , Kidderminster , Southport ( second donation ) , ninth instalment of £ 100 from Southampton , & c , & c , & c . A communication was also received from the Earl of Beaconsfield to

the effect that Her Majesty ' s Government had under consideration the necessity of making a grant towards the relief of the sufferers out of the Imperial Exchequer . The amount

already transmitted to Madras is £ 200 , 000 . We may also mention among the contributors the names of the Princess Alice and her husband , the Grand Duke of Hesse , who have forwarded a cheque for £ 50 .

The preliminary examination , before Sir James Ingham at Bow-street , of the detective officers has at length been brought to a close . All of them , with Mr . Froggatt the solicitor , have been committed for trial ; bail being accepted in the case of Inspector Clarke and Mr . Froggatt , but

refused in behalf of Meiklejohn , Druscovich , and Palmer . The trial of the four prisoners in what is known as the Penge mystery terminated on Wednesday evening at a very late hour . The jury returned a verdict of guilty against all four , but recommended the two women , Mrs . Patrick

Staunton and her sister , Alice Rhodes , to mercy . The scene at the close was of a most painful character , the two women , but especially Alice Rhodes , swooning away . Justice Hawkins presided , and the Attorney General conducted the case on behalf of the Treasury .

A sad calamity has occurred at Washington . On Monday the West and North Upper Halls of the Patent Office were destroyed by fire . How the disaster originated does not appear , but it is estimated that property to the extent of half a million dollars has been consumed by the flames ,

and among them models of some of the most important inventions extant , together with the records relating to them . All the offices subordinate to the Department of the Secretary of the Interior , with the exception of the

Patent Office , were located in . the building . These documents fortunately were all saved , but in a lamentable state of confusion , which must necessarily interfere for some time to come with tbe transaction of business .

We are now so far advanced in the year that with the exception of one or two racing fixtures , there will be little to record . But one great , and if accomplished , an unparallelled feat in pedestrianism is now in progress . We allude to Gale ' s great walk at Lillie Bridge . Gale hails

from a place near Cardiff , in Monmouthshire , ancl has already accomplished great things in walking , such as excelling the celebrated feat of Captain Barclay of walking 1 , 000 miles in 1 , 000 consecutive hours . His object is to outdo this by walking 1 . 500 miles in 1 , 000 hours . He

commenced on 26 th August , and has continued walking well ever since . He did the one-and-a-half miles which completed the thousand miles on Saturday evening in 15 min . 20 sec , which is a shorter time than he has taken in any of the other distances . He feeds heartily ancl seems

very sanguine of success ; the only discomfort he experiences being a twitching pain at the back of the knees , but especially the left one . He weighed 8 st . 10 lbs . at starting , and on Wednesday morning scaled exactl y 8 st . 2 f lbs . The walk will be completed on Saturday afternoon

next , the last mile and a-half being down for 5 p . m . All who desire to see a rare display of endurance ancl British pluck should visit Lillie Bridge during next week . To walk every hour clay and night for six weeks is something

more astounding than a 500 mile walk in six clays ; and those who went and cheered the American Weston at the Agricultural Hall ought to go and cheer Gale , who is a very quiet , unsophisticated Britisher . There is considerable excitement j q ^ now throughout

Our Weekly Budget

France over the approaching elections to the Legislative Assembly . It seems to be the general idea that the Anti-Presidential party will secure the victory , and people are already beginning to speculate as to what will happen .

Both sides have issued manifestoes , and are bracing themselves up for the struggle , but it were unwise to speculate as to what will take place with so variable a people as the French .

The most important news from the seat of war relates to the weather , which it seems has already broken up . This will make the work of campaigning well nigh impossible , while the provision of supplies will tax the ability of the Russian empire to the utmost . Again , seeing how terrible

was the task of keeping our small army of 25 , 000 men from starving in the Crimea , where the distance supplies had to be conveyed was only four miles , we may try and picture to ourselves what it will be to feed 250 , 000 men , with a strong complement of horses ; to say nothing of the conveyance of ammunition and other material of war . The

Turks will fare better , for their bases of operations are much nearer ; oi ' , for the matter of that , they can fall back on their fortresses . It is , of course , possible , and indeed probable there will be further fighting during this campaign , but we do not imagine that the position of the

opposing armies will be seriously altered . Plevna was too bard a nut to crack last week , and now that Osman Pasha has been reinforced , and received a large convoy of ammunition and provisions , his position must be impregnable , even if he be not able to assume the offensive and drive back the

Russians . The latter , indeed , are said to have experienced another repulse , with the loss of four guns and seven or eight thousand men , but the rumour had not been confirmed at the time of writing . There has also been an engagment between Mehemefc Ali Pasha and the army of the

Czarewitch , in which the attack of the former failed for want of support . The battle , however , does not appear to have produced any marked result . The fighting still goes on in the Shipka Pass , where Radetzky holds his own against the determined onsets of Suleiman Pasha . It seems to be

a case in which neither is able to do much more than retain the positions he holds . A few days since there was a talk of the Czar leaving the theatre of the war , for which purpose the Empress , it is said , would visit Bucharest , and so give her husband an excuse for

joining her , and then they would go and winter in Livadia . It is probable his departure will be a relief to the chiefs of big army , but whether his return home under present circumstances will be gratifying to his people , remains to be seen . Servia has very wisely resolved , for the moment at all

events , not to break the solemn treaty of peace made with the Porte in the early spring of the year ; but fear of the consequences has more to do with this than any other cause , except it be , perhaps , the influence of Austria . But it matters not ta what reason we attribute her present

peaceful disposition , it is gratifying to know that the theatre of the war is not yet extended . Greece , too , who many people seemed to think was on the point of attacking Turkey , holds her hand . Germany and Austria appear

determined to leave Russia to fight it out , and they hardly seem to sympathise even with the misfortunes of her allies . But this is only the latest illustration of a very common practice among friends and allies , when one is not unthankful to witness the sufferings of others .

The ceremony of installation will be worked on Tuesday , 16 th October , in the Jordan Lodge of Instrnction , No . 201 , held at the Devonshire Arms , Devonshire-street , Portlandplace , commencing at 7 p . m . Bro . J . Long W . M . 733 , will be installing Master .

Bro . L . A . Leins , P . M . No . 65 , will work the ceremony of Installation at Bro . Maidwell ' s , Hercules Tavern , Leadenhall-street , on Tuesday next , 2 nd October , at 7 p . m ., when a goodly muster of Masters and P . M . ' s are expected to attend .

Mil . AXD MRS . GERMAN KEED'S EyTERTA-UOtEXL ' . — On the 1 st ol October next , the St . George ' s Hall will be re-opened by Mr . and Mrs . German Reed , whoso entertainment in the provinces has met with more than usual success . We are requested , however , to state that an announcement in some of the local papers that Mrs . German Reed does not intend to undertake another provincial tour is erro

neous . Tlie season will commence with the last amusing novelt y , "A Happy Bungalow . " Mr . Coruey Grain iutrodnces a new Musical Sketch , and "A Night Surprise" concludes the programme . We hear of novelties in preparation by F . C . Burnand and Gilbert A'Beckett ,