Last Tuesday being the day set apart for doing honour to the late Lord Beaconsfield I went down to Westminster to inspect the decorations round his statue. I found a great crowd there, the majority of whom I think had gone more out of curiosity than for reasons political, as it was largely composed of women with babies and small children, evidently intent upon seeing the flowers. They were well worth secing— owing to the mila spring pri roses are particularly fine this year and some of the designs chosen were beautiful. In front of the statue was a shield of primroses with the motto Imperium et Libertas in violets (which.I noticed were imitation). Margate sent a very handsome device bearing the Kentish arms and the badge of the Working Men's Conservative Association. The Constitutional Club contributed a Inrge trophy consisting of a wreath of primroses edged with violets and an Earl's coronet of violets, lined with crimson velvet in the centre. Another wreath was lettered with the well-known words, Peace with Honour. There were numerous others, also hundreds of penny bunches of -primroses which people purchased from the flower vendors, who were all too numerous and threw at the foot of the statue. Judging from appearances neatly every cab and omnibus driver in London must be of the Conservative persuasion as they nearly all either wore the emblematic flower or had it tied on to their whips. It was simply everywhere. 'Tha number of private carriages decorated likewise surprised me; in one case I saw both coachman and footman with huge bouquets, the lamps were filled with primroses and there were bunches fastened on to the horses' ears and the whip, whilst the occupy ants of the carriage seemed to be almost buried in the chosen flower. I concluded they were en route for some memorial demonstration. At Hughenden the day was kept: in the usual manner. Her Majesty sent a lovely wreath to be placed upon the deceased statesman's grave, and the Hon. E. R. Belilios of Hongkong, who always sends 'a handsome floral offering, this year sent a cross of the choicest flowers which was as usual deposited in the late Enrl's seat in the chancel of the Parish Church.
DESTRUCTION OF SPURGEON'S TABERNACLE, In broad daylight, in the middle of the day, with every appliance to cope with fire that we possess close at hand, Spurgeon's world-renowned Tabernacle was on Wednesday destroyed by fire'in less than an hour, Fortunately it was empty so there was no. loss of life, but the rapidity with which it burnt makes one tremble to think of what the result would have been had it been filled with its complement of 6,000 worshippers as might have been the case. How the fire occurred has not so far been determined but it commenced in the gallery, attacked the roof, and in " few minutes spread round the entire building so that when the firemen came, which they did very promptly, they found their task hope-Jess and in less than twenty minutes the building was described as looking like a seething cauldron when the roof had fallen in. In addition to the chapel itself a lecture hall holding about 990 people, a schoolroom for 1,000 children, many class rooms and three vestries and retiring rooms were burnt. For a time it was feared that some of the neighbouring shops and Messrs. Rabbits' great block of buildings would have the same fate, but fortunately, owing to the efforts of the firemen, they escaped. The Tabernacle, which may almost be termed historical, was erected by the late Mr. C. H. Spurgeon with money collected simest entirely by this own efforts;.it cost about £20,000 and was opened in May 1861, free from debt, an occurrence so rare that it deserves to be specially notified. It was built because no other building could be found in the metropolis to hold the enormous congregations that flocked to hear this singularly popular man. I suppose few men have addressed larger audiences. It is recorded that once when he preached in the centre transept of the Crystal Palace 23,000 people were present to listen to him, and in 1857 when he was announced to speak at Exeter Hall, on the day of national humiliation forthe Indian mutiny, so great was the crowd eager to obtain admission that the Strand was impassable.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.