no shelter, and all traces of the footpath were effaced.
He was seen by some men who were passing that way,
between seven and eight o'clock in the evening, to
whom he observed that he could not get along. They
thought he was joking, and, after persuading him to
make another trial, left him. Early next morning his
dead body was found near the spot.

Two boilermakers and two colliers have perished by A
Boiler–explosion at a colliery in Darlaston. While one
boiler was under repair, a second one burst. The cause
is not ascertained.

The fine steamship Mauritius, of 1800 tons burden,
belonging to the General Screw Shipping Navigation
Company, was totally Destroyed by Fire in the
Southampton Docks on the 16th.

                PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

The Queen held a chapter of the Order of the Garter
on the 13th instant, when the Earl of Carlisle, and the
Earl of Ellesmere were elected Knights Companions of
the Order. The Earl of Aberdeen already a Knight of
the Thistle, was also elected to the Order of the Garter,
retaining, by her Majesty's express command, the
Order of the Thistle.

The Queen and court left Windsor for Buckingham
Palace on the 13th instant. By command of the Queen,
32 of the Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards wounded
at Alma, Inkermann, and in the trenches before Sebastopol,
assembled at Buckingham Palace on the 20th
instant, and were inspected by her Majesty, who was
accompanied by his Royal Highness Prince Albert, the
colonel of the regiment. Her Majesty attended by the
Lieutenant–Colonel, questioned every soldier about his
wounds, and afterwards received from Mr. Brown,
Surgeon–Major of the regiment, a report of the state of
the invalids. The Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, and
Prince Arthur followed the Queen and Prince during
the examination of the wounded men.

A deputation of the inhabitants of Enniskillen, with
the Earl of Enniskillen at their head, have presented
an address to Major Maude on the occasion of his return
home from the Crimea.

The vestry of Marylebone have presented an address
to Sir De L Lacy Evans on his return from the Crimea.
In reply, Sir De Lacy, after warmly thanking them,
made some observations on public affairs. The present
contest, he said, is even more momentous than that in
which England engaged after the French revolution;
and in all his military career he had never been more
arduously employed. It was not his desire to touch
upon political questions; but at the same time, he must
say, he had lamented to see a man as Prime Minister,
who, although he bore a most unexceptional character
in other respects, was wholly and entirely unqualified
to perform the duties of that office so as to insure a
proper and energetic conduct of the war. It was
therefore with no small amount of gratification that he
found a change of government had taken place. He
was not one of those who thought that any very great
advantage would be obtained by the removal of the
War Minister. He thought, amongst his class, there
was to be found very few better men than the poor
Duke of Newcastle, who, in Sir De Lacy's opinion,
had been somewhat victimised. They had, however,
now at the head of the government one whose energy
was well known, and one to whom, he thought, it
would be the duty of the parliament and the public to
give their most cordial support.

The Lord Mayor had a great dinner at the Mansion
House on the 6th inst., which was rendered remarkable
by the presence and speeches of Sir Charles Napier and
the Earl of Cardigan. Sir Charles began by contrasting
his position with that of Lord Cardigan. If, he said,
an officer who had performed prodigies of valour like
his noble friend felt proud at his reception on that
occasion, "how must I feel, who have returned from
my command having hardly performed any service at
all, and been censured by the government and dismissed
from my command."  I repeat," he said, when voices
called "No, no! "—"Dismissed from my command!"
It would be expected (he proceeded) that he should
give an account of the very small service performed by
that magnificent fleet in the Baltic. It was magnificent
"to a degree, but it was very badly manned and worse
disciplined; but, however, we managed to take it to
the Baltic without pilots, without charts, all the officers
being perfectly unacquainted with that sea and the
difficulties of its navigation, and we succeeded in getting
there in perfect safety. Now, the first object I had in
view was to endeavour, if possible, to satisfy the wishes
of the people of this country. I was quite aware when
I went there that not one–tenth part of what was
expected could be performed; but nevertheless I was
determined to do the best I possibly could." He
described how he gave the Russians a chance by
dividing his fleet in two, but they would not come out;
how he found an attack upon Cronstadt impracticable;
how he then went to Bomarsund. "I had written before
to the English government, proposing to attack
Bomarsund. I wanted no other troops to go there; I had
troops enough; but the French Admiral thought it
more proper to have some. The French government
sent out ten thousand troops. I did not want them.
They had much better have been employed at
Sebastopol. I only asked for one or two thousand men,
to make the thing more sure; but I could have
done the thing without them; and I wrote home to
that effect. However, the government sent out ten
thousand. It is needless for me to say how quickly the
thing was done. Bomarsund was taken in no time."
Next he came to his treatment by the authorities at
home. "I have been very much censured by the
government. Great clamour has been raised against
me, and instead of the government discountenancing
that clamour, they have actually supported it." When
it was known that the French army intended to return
home, the government became dissatisfied and ordered
a council of war. The whole subject was thoroughly
considered by a marshal of France, a French admiral,
a general of French engineers, and three British
admirals; and they decided that nothing further could
be done. The Admiralty listened to the advice of an
officer of engineers, and ordered another council of
war. The French general and admiral felt insulted
by the proposal, and refused to join in such a step.
"The government at home was not satisfied with that.
The French general of engineers sent another report
home, still more bare than the first; and it is unnecessary
for me to say that we all concurred in condemning
that opinion also; and the French army returned home;
and I believe, and have no hesitation in saying, that
had they gone up the Gulf of Finland again, instead of
returning home, our fleet would have been totally lost."
However, Sir Charles made another survey, and sent
home a report. "At the moment it was reported that
Sebastopol was taken, it was also asked 'Why does not
Admiral Napier take St. Petersburgh and Cronstadt? '
and in fact it was asked, 'Why do you not go on and
take Moscow?' Now, I did not expect that the
Admiralty could join in that clamour. I say, I certainly
never expected that they could be so mean and despicable
as to join in that clamour, in order to bring odium
upon a naval officer who had done the best in his power
to bring honour and credit to his country. What did I
do? I sent home a clear and detailed account to the
Admiralty, stating to them my opinions, and what
appliances were necessary in order to take Sveaborg.
What did the Admiralty do? Now I mention this
particularly and plainly, in order that there may be no
mistake whatever, because, if the government have the
least spirit about them, they will immediately discharge
me and turn me out of the service. The Admiralty
perverted my language. They not only did that, but
they wrote to me the most goading letters they could
possibly write: they asked me why I did not take
Sveaborg, and do this, that, and the other. They
received my letter, giving an account of how Sveaborg
might be taken, on the 4th of October, the very day the
reports reached this country of the taking of Sebastopol.
On the 9th of October the news came that Sebastopol
was not taken; but the Admiralty had not the plain
straightforward dealing or the honesty to write and
apologise to me; but they perverted what I had written,
and which gave them a plan for the taking of Sveaborg.