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-.. #nt fonlmii (LorrrsyontJeut.

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#nt fonlmii (LorrrsyontJeut. ■m* <tetm it rictit to stale thai we GO not at all times 'Mtsrity VmWlves' wuk. ■■•••I Correspondent's opinions,] London has been seriously perturbed on the subjects of shops, play, and politics. It was greatly feared that the interposition of a general election in the midst of the season would have a serious effect on trade and amusement. But the apprehension seems to have been groundless, and, on the contrary, tlne political situation will probably be to the advantage of the West-end tradesmen and the thousands of people dependent upon or affected by them. In the first place the electoral contests in the country have not with- drawn from London the families of peers, who are prohibited from taking an active part in the elections, and, consequently, the round of garden-parties and receptions has been little, if at all, contracted. In the second place, an autumn session of Parliament will prolong +h3 season much after the usual time, so that on the whole the metropolis 'I wi 1 have little to complain of. The splendid weather of the past week came very for- tunately for some of the chief public events of the year at which wealth, youth, and beauty are represented. Henley regatta, the University and Eton and Harrow cricket matches gave opportunity for the display of those light summer costumes so well suited to the un- rivalled complexions of English girls. The prettiest sight for the season probably was the garden party given by the Prince and Princess of Wales at Marlborough House on Saturday. This was primarily arranged as a compliment to the distinguished Indian and Colonial visitors at present in this country. The Queen, who has lost no opportunity of doing honour to these representatives of her distant subjects, came specially from Windsor to be present. It was at one of the Marl- borough House garden parties some years ago that the Queen had a long conversation with Mr. John Bright. The gracious dignity of the Sovereign," and the stately figure of the states- man, as he stood with white, uncovered head, made a picture which attracted no little atten- tion. The Archbishop of Canterbury and Mrs. Benson were to have held a garden party on the same day as that at Marlborough House, but in consequence of the latter it was postponed for a few days. These gatherings at Lambeth Palace are always attended by the elite of London society. In addition to the charming grounds the palace is one of the most interesting of the many piles of buildings in the metropolis, both historically and architec- turally. Few people who pass it on the river-boats would imagine there was such a large open space in the heart of a crowded district. At various times movements have been started to get the grounds thrown open to the public although this is not done nominally it is practically. Many cricket clubs have the privi- lege of practising "there, among them being one connected with Mr. Spurgeon's Tabernacle, which is not far distant. Speaking of the Tabernacle, that building is now more than ever crowded every Sunday, the congregations being largely composecl of the many visitors from the provinces now in town. If politics have not become a weariness to the flesh, a word or two about the metropolitan contests may not be uninteresting, seeing that London, including the University and the divi- sions of West Ham, which to all intents and pur- poses are in the metropolis, returns sixty-two members, or a little less than one-tenth of the entire House of Commons. It used to be a reproach that the masses in the centre of the Empire took almost no interest in politics. The fact was that a borough of half a million in- habitants, with no local-government Corporation to give it cohesion, was too unwieldy to bring candidates and electors into touch. The division of the old boroughs, however, has remedied that state of things, and the amount of enthusiasm -n shown in the recent contests was without paral- lel. In most cases this statement would not seem to be borne out by the circumstances that the polls show a decrease in numbers compared with the last elections. But this is explained by the number of removals which have taken place during the three quarters which have elapsed since the registers were last made up. A very large proportion of the population is always flit- ting, to a much greater extent than even in the chief provincial towns, and, once out of the dis- trict, the elector is lost almost beyond hope of recall. He is swallowed up in the vast ocean of humanity, and only a gas company's collector or a sheriffs officer is able to rescue him from oblivion. A reference to the Indian and Colonial repre- sentatives, who, to judge by the number of entertainments in their honour which are being given in London, will return to their homes with impaired digestions for the rest of their lives, is a reminder of the naval review which is to be held for their pleasure and information towards the end of this month at Spithead. It is not yet settled whether the Queen, who at- tended the recent military review at Aldershot, will be able to be present at this demonstration of England's maritime strength in the chief link in the chain connecting England and her distant dependencies. The exigencies of foreign service will prevent anything like a representative dis- play but the naval authorities, who at first doubted the feasibility of assembling sufficient ships, are now determined to make the spectacle as impressive as possible. Naval reviews on such a scale are so infrequent that the forth- coming event is sure to be witnessed by the leaders of official and Parliamentary life. It is to ba hoped such a mistake will not be made as occurred at the Spithead review in the presence of her Majesty, which took place in April, 1853. On that occasion the members of both Houses ot Parliament were to have been present to take up a prominent position, but a succession of mishaps and bad arrangements pre- vented them from reaching the spot until the display was nearly over. It will be interesting to compare the armaments of the present clay with that of the Spithead Review of 1853, when a feature was. made of the fact that the largest guns threw 84-pound shells. This looks ridiculous beside the guns which now can send half a ton of metal hurtling through tht air for a distance of five or six miles. The twenty-seventh meeting of the National Rifle Association at Wimbledon, this year, is a greater success than on any previous occasion. This is probably explained by the circumstance that every year there are young volunteers anxious to achieve fame by winning the Queen's prize,, while those who have previously visited the common find the conditions of life under canvas there so agreeable that they continue to enrol themselves, although many of them long ago gave up hope of distinguishing themselves, and are well content if they secure enough in prizes to pay their expenses of a very happy and healthy form of holiday. The number of entries in the chief competitions is larger than ever, but, apart from the men in tent, the meeting interests a very considerable number of civilians. Not only from Putney, Wimbledon, and the adjacent neighbourhood, but from London itself, a visit to the camp is a favourite outing. The middle Saturday and Sunday are the popular days for visitors, and the camps of the London Scottish and the London Rifle Brigade are the rendezvous of the friends, male and female, of the volunteers in those regiments. This year the gathering is more interesting than usual, from the fact that for the first time representa- tives of the volunteer force in all parts of the Empire will take part. With the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, the Australian and Parsee cricketers, and these teams at Wimbledon, the federation of the Empire goes on apace. The cricket season has been nearly as fruitful of surprises as the elections. In ordinary circum- stances if A beat B, and B beat C, therefore A would beat C but a trial has shown that C has j beaten A by an innings and a score of runs. This, or something very like it, is what has oc- curred. It would therefore be rash to make any conjecture as to which would be the premier county at the end of the season. Dwellers in I South London were hopeful that Surrey would take that place, but after the way in which the team has gone to pieces on one or two occasions, the point is very doubtful. It is evident that the game has lost none of its popularity, but the tour of the Australians is not such a draw as in the case of former teams from the Antipodes. As for the Parsees they have ceased to be seriously regarded in cricket circles. It is to be hoped they will not feel disappointed at this; as a matter of fact they have been well received and excellently entertained at every place they have visited. This is not surprising, for they have proved themselves very good company. With the exception of one member, they speak excellent English, and some of their after-dinner, luncheon, and supper speeches would do credit to the native-born Britian. They will play a match at the Oval before the season closes, and it is not likely a strong team will oppose them. It was thought to have been a pity and bad policy to have beaten them so signally as they were at Lords. z, It looks as if, at no distant date, the metro- polis will come to be regarded as a health-resort, and that invalids will fly from seaside homes and rural scenes to seek restoration in the sweets of Seven-dials or the shades of Bethnal-green. Anyone who has watched the Registrar-General's weekly return of the average mortality in the twenty-eight great towns of England and Wales must have been struck with the low death-rate in London. The metropolis is now not only the healthiest capital in the world but one of the healthiest tovvns in the United Kingdom. The explanation of this must lie in the clearing out of the slums, the better system on which modern houses are built, the enforcement of a certain amount of air-space for each dwelling, the full and uninterrupted supply of water, and the con- stant flushing of the streets and sewers. What- ever the cause may be, during the last few months the death-rate has been abnormally low; on an average it has been about half that of Preston. It is evident that careful attention to sanitary details has had a marked effect on the health of the people, and that many towns in the provinces could profitably take lessons. For a long time the building sites on the Victoria Embankment have remained a dreary waste, but at last there is some pros- pect of the erection of buildings in keeping with the fine block on the Thames side of the Temple and of the City of London School. Close to the latter the new Zion College, in the I ecclesiastical academical style, is receiving the I finishing touches; the National Liberal Club is emerging from its forest of scaffold poles, and the Examination Hall of the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, of which the foundation stone was lately laid by the Queen, is being rapidly pushed forward. Blocks of residential and other chambers with imposing frontages have also been commenced. It is surprising that the most exorbitant price for the land should have kept the builders away so long, seeing that as the sites abut on the Embankment gardens and over- look the river, there is no possibility of building in front of them and thus shutting out the n prospect. The Embankment gardens are now looking their best. Some of the beds contain the finest blooms it is possible to conceive, while the intermixture of broad-leaved palms and other tropical plants give a cool and refreshing appearance to these comfortably-seated resorts. A" F> R*

THE QUEEN AT A GARDEN PARTY.

----_--..----..-.-THE CIVIL…

[No title]

THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

IBRUTAL MURDER AT BURTON.

-----A LOCOMOTIVE RUNNING…

[No title]

------------------AN EXPENSIVE…

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A GIRL RESCUED FROM INDIANS.

MR.- COMMISSIONER KERR ON…

PROGRESS OF EMANCIPATION IN…

[No title]

THE WIMBLEDON MEETING:

JUDGES ON THE LAW.

ALLEGED ATTEMPTED FORGERY…

THE ATJLD BRIG 0' AYR.

BARON HENRY DE WORMS' DIVORCE…