Our Weekly Budget.

deserves preservation , while the increased traffic justifies its removal . One effect of this will be that on the occasion of future State visits of Royalty to the City , the ceremonial heretofore observed at the Bar will perforce have to be discontinued .

A serious collision occurred , on Tuesday night , in the Bristol Channel , between the Bristol Steam Navigation Company ' s steam ship Xema , and an Italian brig , the Pensiero , commanded by a Captain Ferro , bound from Cardiff to Constantinople . The result Avas fatal to the

latter vessel , which foundered , and though every effort was made by Captain Staveling , only one out of a crew of eleven hands was picked up . The Xema , indeed , launched her lifeboat , but so fierce a gale was blowing , that it was

swamped , though fortunately the hands , which had volunteered to man her , were saved . From the different accounts wo have read , it would appear that the accident was the result of carelessness on the part of the Italians .

Terrible distress prevails in South Wales , owing to the number of ironworks and collieries which are either closed

or only partially at work , and subscriptions are invited towards the relief of the sufferers . Soup-kitchens have been started in various places , and on Wednesday a meeting was held at Bristol , under the presidency of the Mayor , at which , thougli it was nointed out that there had been some

exaggeration , it was admitted that the distress was greater than had been known at any period during the last forty years . It was resolved to open a subscription , and over £ 200 was promised in the room . Up to the same day , the factor of Merthyr Tydvil , where a better system of organisation for purposes of relief exists , had received £ 1 , 300 .

On Saturday evening , a fire broke out at Messrs . May , the theatrical costumiers , 35 Bow-street , and in a very short time the place was gutted and the stock destroyed . Some twenty minutes elapsed ere the fire engines arrived , and this sufficed to permit of the flames getting so far the

mastery that the fire was not put out till what was on the premises had been consumed . As the house is next to the Police Station , the Inspector on duty ordered the removal of the prisoners to the Tottenham Court-road sub-station .

Another fire occurred , on Wednesday morning , at Langley , near Slough , at the residence of Colonel de Longueville , by which property to the value of between £ 10 , 000 and 12 , 000 was destroyed .

Dr . Kenealy appears to lead by no means a quiet life . A few days since , he was summoned in one of our County Courts by two reporters , one of whom claimed £ 4 as due to him , and the other £ 2 . After hearing the evidence pro and con , the judge gave a verdict for both claimants , with costs .

A recently-issued police order contains an announcement that Chief Inspector Clarke , of the Detective Department , who was a co-defendant with Meiklejohn and others in the celebrated Detective Case , but was acquitted , has retired on a pension of £ 185 per annum . We also

hear that Colonel Henderson has promoted Inspector Butt of the K Division to be Superintendent of the P Division , in the place of Superintendent Gernon , who has been appointed Chief Superintendent of the A Division , vice the late Superintendent Mott .

According to the Astronomer Royal , the average duration of sunshine during last week was only three hours and a half , or not much more than three-fifths of its possible duration . The total number of hours during which the sun was above the horizon , last week , was 55 .

On Tuesday afternoon the half-yearly General Court of the Royal Humane Society was held at the offices , at Trafalgar Square , Mr . W . Hawes , Treasurer , occupying the chair . The Secretary , Mr . Lambton- Young , read the report , from which it appeared that the income for the

past year , including subscriptions , donations , and legacies , amounted to £ 2 , 153 , while the expenditure was £ 2 , 019 , the balance remaining , after giving due allowance for the balance brought forward , being £ 308 . In the course of the year one gold medal , twenty . silver mccluls ,

suventyfour bronze medals , four bronze clasps to former medallists , 115 testimonials on vellum or parchment , and forty money rewards , were given by the Society . The recipients of the silver medals included a young lady , Miss Grace Vernon Bussell , West Australia , who rode her horse into the sea

aud saved a part of the passengers and crew of the Steamship Georgette , and several officers and men in H . M . ' s naval forces ; Sub-Lieutenant R . A . J . Montgomerie , of H . M . S . lmmortalite , being the most conspicuous . He , "when his ship was cruising off the African coast , and going

Our Weekly Budget.

at about four-and-a-half knots per hour , dived in , clothes and all , after a man who had fallen overboard . It was night-time , and not only was the sea rough , but it abounded with sharks . He reached his man , and brought him to the surface , but not finding the ship , he began to feel

exhausted , and proceeded therefore to divest himself of his clothes . While unfastening his trowsers , the man caught him by the leg , and they both sank . Fortunately , tho garment slipped off , and he once again brought the man to the surface ; but at last he became so exhausted that , in

order to save his own life , he had to let go his hold of the man , and was shortly afterwards picked up by one of the ships' boats in an almost insensible condition . This , in the opinion of the Society , was reported as the most gallant act of bravery during the year , and on that account Sub-Lieutenant Montgomerie was also awarded the Stanhope Gold Medal .

The news from Italy is very sad . General Delia Marmora to whom that country owes so much , has died after a brief illness at Florence , but in the fulness of years , at the age of 74 . This is serious , but hardly had the intelligence of this reached us , when we heard that Victor Emmanuel himself

was seriously dl , and as it very shortly proved , mortally ill . The founder of the new Italian kingdom had not yet completed his 58 th year , having been born in 1820 . His reign of close on thirty years had been a most eventful one ; but the King , by his courage and frank bearing , very

soon won a popularity which he was successful in retaining to the very close of his life . After the disastrous campaign of Charles Albert against the Austrians , which culminated in the defeat at Novara of the Sardinians , their unfortunate monarch abdicated in favour of his son , so that Victor

Emmanuel s reign began under very inauspicious circumstances . But the new King was a politic , as well as a courageous , man , and he was fortunate in being able to gather round him a number of able assistants in the persons of Cavour , Delia Marmora , and others . By the

year 18 o 5 , the little Sardinian kingdom was sufficiently recovered to allow of its Sovereign sending a contingent of 15 , 000 men to take part in the operations of the allies against Russia . A visit to Queen Victoria , who graciously conferred on him the Order of the Garter , followed . Then

came the war of 1859 , when Lombardy was freed from the Austrian yoke , and added to the Sardinian kingdom . Tuscany , Modena , & c , & c , also determined on placing their fortunes under his sovereign direction , in spite of the attempts of Napoleon III . to prevent them . Savoy and

Nice were yielded to France as compensation for her services . The other portions of Italy subsequently joined their fellow-countrymen , and at last , after the war of 1870 , Rome itself , which was all that remained to the Pope of his dominions , was added , and Italy from

a mere geographical expression became a compact kingdom of sufficient strength to take its place among the Great Powers of Europe . All this , under Pi-ovidence , was the work of the Monarch whose death is so generally regretted , assisted , of course , by the many able statesmen and

generals whose services he was fortunately able to secui'e . it is perhaps a noticeable coincidence that Victor Emmanuel ' s death occurred on the anniversary of that of his old ally Napoleon III . Victor Emmanuel is succeeded by his eldest son , Prince Humbert , who has already been proclaimed .

There has been more important fighting in the Balkans , mostly disadvantageous to the Turks . Sofia has been taken by the Russians , who have also forced their way through the Balkans by another pass . But the most important news is to the effect that the Sultan has resolved on

applying for an armistice , and that officers are already on their way to the Russian head quarters , both in Europe and Asia , for the purpose of concluding an armistice of six weeks . This the Sultan has been counselled to do by the English Ministry . So that things look a little brighter than they

did last week , though we are very far from being certain that peace will come , or even that this war will bo confined to its present limits . However , we must be thankful for this slight improvement in the political world which has been vouchsafed .

On Monday last an entertainment was given to the boys of the Rojal Masonic Boys' School , by Mr . Bridgman Smith , lb consisted of a description of the Prince of

Wales' Indian tour , illustrated by some very fine dissolving views . Some chromatropes and comic views were also given , and afforded great amusement . Amongst those present were the Misses Binckesj Miss Pullen , & c ,