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Our Weekly Budget

OUR WEEKLY BUDGET

THERE has been but little business transacted in tbe House of Lords , the meetings having been very brief , except on one occasion , when the Earl of Dudley made a speech on the Eastern Question , in the course of which he passed a severe censure on Sir Henry Elliott , our

Ambassador at Constantinople , now on leave of absence in this country , owing to ill health . The Earl of Derby in his reply , deprecated any such attack on a public servant who had rendered such valuable services . Sundry measures

received the Royal assent , and the House stands adjourned till the 13 th prox . In the House of Commons , too , there has been more talk than business . Several motions and questions have been raised as to the conduct of Ministers and

our Ambassador in Turkey . These have led to somewhat long and wearisome debates , especially as at this moment important negotiations are in progress , and the tongues of ministers are tied . Some further progress has been made

with the Estimates and the Prisons' Bill , but by no means so much as might have been made had not these motions , & c , been interposed . The house has adjourned over Easter till the Sth prox .

The contemplated cruise of the Prince and Princess of Wales has been postponed , owing , unfortunately , to His Royal Highness ' s indisposition . The Prince ' s general health is good , but he has been suffering , it seemsfrom a

, boil , to which those who have had typhoid fever are said to be peculiarly liable . We sincerely trust he will bo restored to health , and be able to make his projected trip to the Mediterranean at an early date .

General Ignatieff has left England , and is now , at the moment of writing , in Berlin , having taken Paris and Vienna by the way . He will speedily return to St . Petersbnrgh , and then we shall know perhaps a little more about the designs of Russia . It is said his object in visiting England was

not accomplished , as our ministry declined to sign the Protocol , unless Russia gave assurances she would demobilise her army forthwith . Wo cannot say we are surprised at the condnct of Russia and her diplomatic agents , or at the refusal of the British Cabinet .

On Saturday evening , about ten o ' clock , a fire broke out in the Cold-Bath Fields Prison . The flues iu the region oi the bakery got over-heated , and in the result the whole of that portion of the building , including the bakery , the treadmill , & c , & c , was destroyed . Two firemen received injuries

in the performance of their duty . Some of the prisoners had to be removed from their cells , but none of the inmates received the slightest injury . Some difficulty was experienced in extinguishing the flames , owing to the great height of the walls , but the task was eventuall y accomplished . This is

the second fire that has occurred in a prison within a brief interval of time , and as in the caso of railway and other accidents , verifies the old saying , " It never rains but it pours . " In this case , however , the element which dististinguisbed itself was fire , not water . There has been great excitement during the last few

Our Weekly Budget

days in tho athletic world , and no wonder , considering tho number of important events which were crowded together at tho end of last week and the beginning of this . We take the University Boat Race first , as being first in importance . We find that last week we somewhat overrated

our ability to announce the winning crow—for both crews won , if we may be allowed to express ourselves so mysteriously . Tho race was probably the grandest and most closely contested which has ever taken place . There seems to be little doubt that Oxford would have won by some two

lengths , but a mishap befel bow ' s oar , when only half-a-mile remained to be covered , and he became at once comparatively useless as far as helping the boat forward . A supreme effort on the part of Cambridge enabled them

gradually , and amid the wildest excitement of the spectators , to reduce this distance , till , when the goal was reached , honest John Phelps , the judge , delivered his fiat , to the effect that it was a dead heat . Such a result as this

was never anticipated . Yery few instances have occurred , even in shorter races ; but it has never happened over a four-and-a-half-milo course that both boats reached the winning-post at the same moment . Thus the relative positions of Light and Dark Blue remain unaltered by the

contest of 1877 , and Oxford is still one victory ahead of her gallant rival . The day previous the Inter-University Athletic meeting was held at Lillie Bridge , in the presence of not far short of 10 , 000 people . There were nine events on the card , and of these Cambridge was fortunate enough

to wm five . The Hundred Yards fell to Oxford . Then Cambridge won the High Jump , the Mile , and Throwing the Hammer . Jackson was first in the Hurdle Race , and so scored a second victory for Oxford , but Davidson put the weight the furthest for Cambridge , and Churchill won for

her the Quarter Mile . Thus the Light Blue success was assured , whatever might befall her champions in the two remaining contests , which , as it happens , both fell to the Dark Blue . The clay previous there had been a very fine gathering in the same grounds to witness the Amateur

Championship Boxing , Wrestling , and Four Mile Bicycle Contests . On Saturday there was a very novel series of contests , between men and animals , under different conditions . Many of the events created great amusement among the spectators , the race between two camels , a

donkey , and a pony , being most ludicrous . The camels ran all over the place in every direction but the right one , and the donkey obstinately refused to move at all for some time , and then it turned off the contrary way , its rider coming to grief , owing to the saddle slipping on one side .

Tlie most unruly of the two camels was at length caught by a policeman , and some wags in his neighbourhood suggested that the latter should " run his captive in . " In the tug-of-warbetweenanelephant andsome fifty guardsmen , the latter proved victorious , the animal not appearing to

understand what it had to do , or possibly the result might have been different . Keen , the champion bicyclist , won easil y in a race of two miles against a trotting mare , " Queen of the Turf , " and also against a little pony over two-thirds of a mile , the pony galloping . We trust the experiment will be

repeated . On Monday the Amateur Championship sports were held . Webster , of Knotty Ash , near Liverpool , won the Seven Miles walking , within fifty-four minutes , his principal opponent , Morgan , being beaten by only about half-a-yard . Slade had no opponent in the Mile , but he

ran it in 4 m . 29 soc . notwithstanding . For the Pole Jump 10 ft . 9 in . was cleared by the winner , and in nearly all the other contests there was some excellent sport exhibited . Unfortunately , the weather was most unfavourable , and , consequently , the attendance of spectators was not worthy

of the occasion . No doubt on Monday , which is a Bank Holiday , some provision will be made for the sporting world at West Brampton as elsewhere . Another serious railway accident , this time to the Flying Scotchman , has happened within the last few days , by

which five persons were killed , and several others seriously injured . For some reason , as yet unexplained , the engine left the rails , somewhere near the Morpeth Station , and the carriages immediately following were smashed to atoms .

For a long time the line was blocked , and all traffic suspended . The usual inquest was opened as soon as possible , and stands adjourned till the requisite inquiries have been made .

A meeting was held on Monday , at the Mansion House , for the purpose of taking the necessary steps to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of the introduction , by Caxton , into this country of the art