Chamber in readiness to administer the oaths. A procession was then formed to the Chamber in which all the members of the Privy Council, including the Lord Chancellor and the Duke of Leinster, were present. The Lords Justices again took their seats, covered, while Earl Spencer, uncovered, delivered to their Excellencies her Majesty's letters patent appointing him Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and after the letters had been read by the Clerk of the Hanaper the oath of office was administered to his Lordship by the Clerk of the Council, the Privy Council remaining uncovered during the administration. The oath did not grate upon the ears of the assembly as on former occasions, when it contained a special clause offensive to Roman Catholics. In obedience to her Majesty's letter, which was delivered to them, the Lords Justices then handed to his Excellency the sword of state, and invested him with the collar and insignia of the Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick. His Excellency, now fully installed, took his seat, covered, at the Council Board as Lord-Lieutenant-General and General Governor of Ireland. A rocket was sent up from the Castle yard as a signal, and a salute of fifteen guns was fired by the artillery in the park in honour of his inauguration. The procession then returned to the Presence Chamber, where his Excellency took his seat on the throne, with the insignia of office; and the fact having been signalled, the ordnance responded with a royal salute of twenty-one guns. A number of presentations were then made, and his Excellency returned at three o'clock to the Viceregal Lodge. The visit being of a merely formal and private character, there were no popular manifestations. Earl Spencer returned the same evening to London.

27. FALLING IN OF A HOUSE AT ROCHDALE.-The violence of the gale which raged on this and the preceding day caused a shocking calamity at Rochdale. In a new street off Spotland-road a row of houses had just been completed, and two of them were so constructed as to answer the purposes of a Sunday School, although at any time it could be altered into two houses. This day being Sunday the place was opened for service for the first time, and in the afternoon Mr. John Ashworth, author of "Strange Tales," preached a sermon in it to about 400 persons. The service began at half-past two, and shortly afterwards one of the windows was blown out by a gust of wind. Little notice was taken of this, and the service proceeded until five minutes to four, when another violent blast lifted up the roof. The gable and the two side walls then fell inwards, after which the roof gave way and fell. A distressing scene ensued. Some hundreds of the congregation managed to creep out from the rubbish, but a large number were buried under it, and they cried piteously for help. Those who had escaped and the neighbours set to work, pulled away the fallen timber and bricks, and gradually released them. The fire brigade and Captain Davies, with the police force, soon came to the spot, and exerted themselves in removing the fallen building and

liberating the injured persons. From the time the accident happened to the time when all were taken out, about an hour and a half elapsed. No person was killed, but a great many were seriously injured.

28. EXECUTION OF A WOMAN AT LINCOLN.-Priscilla Biggadyke, sentenced to death at the late Lincoln Assizes for the murder of her husband, Richard Biggadyke, at Stickney, near Boston, underwent the extreme penalty of the law at Lincoln Castle. She persisted that she had not committed the crime with which she was charged. The executioner was Askerne, who is frequently retained on these sad occasions in the northern and midland counties. The prisoner was in a very depressed and fainting state when the procession to the scaffold set out, but she appeared to gather more firmness as she went on. On finally parting with the governor and chaplain she shook hands with them. The governor asked her whether she admitted the justice of her sentence. She murmured something-one of the warders thought it was an affirmative reply-but the precise words could not be heard. A few seconds before she had exclaimed-the hope of life apparently still clinging to her-" Oh! you won't hang me!" Every thing, being, however, in readiness, the executioner proceeded to complete his task, and the wretched woman, after some convulsive struggles, ceased to exist. The execution was conducted in private, in accordance with the recent Act of Parliament.

30. COLLIERY EXPLOSION AT HAYDOCK.-The Wigan coal district was again the scene of a terrible catastrophe, another ignition of fire damp (the third within a month), resulting in the death of twenty-six persons, having occurred. The explosion happened at the collieries of Messrs. Richard Evans and Co., which are situate about the centre of the township of Haydock, three miles from St. Helen's, and seven from the borough of Wigan, and are known by the name of the Haydock Collieries. The Queen pit is sunk to a depth of 280 yards, and at it are obtained two seams of coal-the Ravenhead main delf and the Wigan nine-foot. It was in the latter where the casualty occurred. About forty men were employed in this mine, but the particular part in which the explosion happened had only been worked about two years, and only twentyfive men were engaged in it. All descended to their work in the morning, but shortly after noon the colliers engaged in some other portions of the pit noticed a derangement of the ventilation, and on examination being made it was found there had been a very serious explosion. Mr. Chadwick, the underground manager, and Mr. Billinge, the under-looker in charge of the nine-foot workings, were at once communicated with, and an exploring party was organized. As soon as the current of air could be restored an examination of the district in which the gas had fired was commenced. The work was one of considerable difficulty, in consequence of the damage done to the stoppings and in the air-ways.

Several persons who had been burnt were found alive, and were removed to the surface, where their injuries were attended to. As the explorers proceeded, they found the bodies of the deceased in the levels, and forwarded them to the surface. Twenty-three bodies were recovered, and during the night a lad who was brought out of the mine early died from the effects of the choke damp.

The explosion was supposed to have occurred about 250 yards from the pit eye, but nothing was known as to how it originated. It was thought, however, that the accumulation of gas had been caused by some derangement of the ventilation, probably in consequence of a fall of roof, or something of that nature. The mine was ventilated in districts, and this will account for only one portion having been affected by the explosion. Altogether about 300 men were engaged in the workings communicating with the shaft.

Mr. Higson, Government Inspector of Mines for this district, and Mr. J. Higson, Deputy-Inspector, were communicated with immediately after the explosion, and about 10 p.m. they reached the pit, and at once descended. They gave the collieries an excellent character, and Mr. Chadwick, the underground manager, was said to be one of the most experienced men in the district.

On the 31st the manager and under-looker, together with the Government inspector and his son, descended the workings, to make a further examination, and two more bodies were recovered.

The Coroner's jury returned a verdict of Accidental Death. They found also that the fire damp was ignited by a "blown-out shot"that is, a blast of powder, which, instead of taking effect on the rock, blew out of the bore-hole like a charge out of a gun; but whether the fire damp arose from a gradual accumulation through deficient ventilation, or from a sudden escape of gas from the body of the coal, there was no evidence to show.

CONSECRATION OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.-The ceremony of confirming the election of the Right Rev. Dr. Archibald Campbell Tait, late Bishop of London, to the Archiepiscopal See of Canterbury, was held at the parish church of St. Mary-leBow, Cheapside, in the presence of a large number of spectators, His Grace the Archbishop elect arrived at the church at half-past ten o'clock, accompanied by his six chaplains-the Rev. F. G. Blomfield, M.A., Rector of St. Andrew Undershaft; the Rev. Edward Parry, M.A., Rector of Acton; the Rev. E. H. Fisher, M.A., Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; the Rev. W. F. Erskine Knollys, M.A., Vicar of Holy Trinity, Twickenham; the Rev. Arthur Martineau, M.A., Rector of St. Mildred's, Bread-street; and the Rev. C. W. Sandford, M.A., of Christ Church, Oxford; Mr. J. B. Lee, his legal secretary, and Mr. John Hassard, his private secretary. On arriving at Cheapside his Grace was received by the Bishop of Lincoln (who is to be his successor in the diocese of London), the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, the Bishop of Rochester, the Bishop of Hereford, and the Bishop of Peter

borough, all of whom wore their episcopal robes; Sir Travers Twiss, the vicar-general of the province; Mr. F. Hart Dyke, the registrar; and Mr. Felix Knyvett, the apparitor. Having taken their seats in the church, the Litany was said by the Rev. Marshall Hall Vine, M.A., the Rector, after which the Archbishop left his pew, and took the oaths at a table which was placed in the body of the church.

OBITUARY

EMINENT PERSONS DECEASED IN 1868.