Alttrofolio.

The Queen's birthday was kept with great spirit on Tuesday. In the morning there was a military parade in the rear of the Horse Guards. The Duke of Cambridge and nearly all the staff of his office were present. The " public " was represented by a great multitude. At mid-day, salutes were fired by the Park and Tower guns. In the evening, the shops and houses at tho West End, the clubs, and public offices, were illuminated, more generally than on previous OCC813iOns.` The fineness of the weather greatly contributed to the enjoyment of this semi-holiday.

The anniversary meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, on Monday, was very fully attended, nearly all the persons present being men of mark. Sir Roderick Murchison, the President, took the chair. Among the audience were Mr. Labouchere Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Bishops of Oxford, St. David's, and St Asaph, Sir George Back, Mr. Cardwell, Colonel Sykes, Sir Charles Pasley, Sir Fenwielc Williams of Sara General Jochmus, Professor Morse and Mr. Cornelius Grinnell of the United States, Sir George Clerk, Colonel Rawlinson, Captain Allan Young, and Dr. Livingstone. The report showed that 173 fellows had been added to the Society, now mustering 970; that the receipts exceed the expenditure ; and that an addition has been made to the Society's funded property. In neat obituary tributes, Sir Roderick Murchison feelingly noticed the eminent geographers whom death has carried away since last anniversary,—particularly the Earl of Ellesmere, Admiral Beechey, two late Presidents of the Society, and Baron Hammer-Purgstall of Vienna. The Founder's Gold Medal was delivered to Mr. Labouchere, for transmission to Mr. A. C. Gregory, for his important explorations in Northern and Western Australia. The Patron's Gold Medal was delivered to Colonel Everest, for transmission to Colonel Waugh, the Surveyor-General of India.

In the annual address, Sir Roderick Murchison described in ample terms the extensive labours of the Society in all parts of the world ; noted the additions to our geographical knowledge ; and commented on various theories, projects, and enterprises connected with geography ; the whole address forming a summary of the present position of geographical discovery. Sir Henry Rawlinson and Sir George Back united in requesting the President to permit his address to be printed.

In the evening, the savants gathered together and dined at the Freemasons' Tavern ; when many interesting topics were touched upon, in speeches by Sir Roderick Murchison, Sir Henry Rawlinson, Mr. Cardwell, Dr. Livingstone, Sir Charles Nicholson, and others.

The annual gathering of the charity children of London in their thousands under the dome of St. Paul's, one of the most impressive sights in the Metropolis, took place on Thursday. Nor is it a sight alone. Haydn, and half a century later, Hector Berlioz, men with nothing in common but their enthusiasm, have been equally filled with wonder and delight at the peculiar effect of the Hundredth Psalm, as sung by these little children—" a new musical sensation," as they both declared it to be. The sermon was on this occasion preached, "extempore," it is said, by the Bishop of London : his text was taken from St. Mark's Gospel, chapter 10, verses 13 to 16 inclusive. The meeting seems to have given great satisfaction.

The Guardians of the West London Union have made a move towards the establishment of a central ward for the houseless poor. At present the "casual wards" are three miles from the centre of the Metropolis, and by no means pleasant places when they are reached by the unfortunate. The West London Union propose that a central ward should be provided in the City, and supported by the several unions by equitable contributions. A deputation from the Beard waited on the Lord Mayor on Wednesday to invite his cooperation. They proposed that he should preside over a Committee of Guardians selected by the three City Unions, with the object of providing the said central ward for the whole of the menet poor. Lord Mayor Finnni, who has taken a great interest in the question, at once consented.

The friends of the United Kingdom Alliance "for the total suppression of the Liquor traffic" held a meeting at Exeter Hall on Tuesday. The chair was taken by Judge Marshall, of Nova Scotia; the chief

orator was the Honourable Neal Dow, of Portland, Maine, and "the' founder of the Maine Liquor Law." The question of temperance' he. said, is more important than any political question. If the liquor traffic were suppressed, England would stave 75,000,0001. a year, an equal sum in time, and 60,000 lives a year—more than twice as many as fell in the Crimea.

There are at this day more than 600,000 drunkards, more than 600,000 starving women, and more than 1„000,000 children growing up in vice and crime, on account of the traffic in intoxicating drinks. Unless the beer-. shops are suppressed in England, America will outstrip her in the race fornational wealth, national honour, and national power. And why ? Because America, which has lost 8,000,000 dollars and 30,000 men a year by it, would put down this traffic.

It has been said that in Maine this liquor law has been a failure. What are really the facts ? The law has suppressed both the wholesale and retail trade except in a few places where it is carried on secretly.. It has emptied the gnats, almehouses, awfwateldimiees, and has removed from the streets_ to schools the swarms of children of drunkards who infested them before this law was passed. It has greatly improved the condition of the working-. classes ; many of whom formerly spent their wages upon drink, but who am now saved from that temptation, and expend their money upon houses, clothes, and hind for their families. The law has been repealed in Maine,. but that has occurred only in obedience to the law under which moral progress was effected by alternate advance and retrogression. A political party which had for thirty years held power lost it in consequence of their opposition to this law. At the election of the year before last, that party formed, a union with the strait Whigs, abolished the Maine Law, and introduced a. licence system. The result was a revival of intemperance ; and at the last annual election the people swept the Anti-Maine-Law men from their placesIn New Hampshire and Rhode Island the Democratic party opposed this law, and had been in consequence crushed out. In the constitution of Ohio there is a clause that there shall be no licence system in that State. In Michigan the Maine Liquor Law has been enacted by a popular vote. la Pennsylvania, the enactment of a similar law has been prevented by a majority of only 4000 votes, given by the German counties ; and in Indiana there is an equally strong feeling in favour of such a measure.

The meeting warmly applauded Mr. Dow, and passed resolutions irs support of the objects of the Alliance.

A special case was submitted on Wednesday to the Court of Queen's Bench to determine a long-standing dispute between the Guardians of the Oxford Union and the University of Oxford. The Guardians put in a claim for poor-rates, which they contend should be paid for certain hereditaments in the University, such as the Bodleian Library, the Divinity and other schools, the Convocation House, the Clarendon buildings, the Ashinolean, Museum, and other possessions. The Guardians contend that the University or Colleges are rateable as beneficial occupiers. The University, on the' ether hand, contends that as no pecuniary or personal profit is derived from the occupation, they come within the exemptions established by previous. decisions. The Court, which is empowered finally to determine the difference, took time to consider before delivering judgment.

James Geary, a husband of three weeks' standing, attempted to murderhis wife on Sunday. Screams attracted a woman to the room they occupied;, and Cleary was seen leaning over his bride knife in hand. The poor woman. clung to the dress of the intruder, who, retreating in fright, thus drag the screaming woman on to the landing. A policeman who lodged in the house, arrived on the scone at this moment, but before he could seize the assassin, Geary had driven the knife through the neck of his partner. He was arrested instantly. Before the flow Street Magistrate on Monday, all he had to say in his defence was that "he was driven to it," the neighbours suppose by jealousy. Mrs. Geary was still alive on Monday.

Two eases of attempted suicide by poison came before the Worship Street Magistrate this week : in one, a married women bought several smallquan-

tities of laudauum and then swallowed the whole; in the other, a girl obtained oxalic acid to destroy herself. Apropos to these cases, Mr. 'Burch, theresident surgeon at the London Hospital, again called the attention of theMagistrate to the fatal facility, with which poisons can be purchased by desperate persons : hundreds of cases have been brought to the hospital, Mr. Burch, and the directors of the Hospital, urge that the Legislature should put further checks on the sale of poisons.

The Thames Police Magistrate has committed Joseph Paul Fixman,,.is German Jew, and his wife, for setting fire to their dwelling-house, with intent to defraud the Sun Fire-office. Fixman insured for 100/. though his property was not worth 151.; he and his wife made preparations for firing the house ; they told an acquaintance what they intended to do, and showed him the preparations. This person informed the police ; when the Fixmans set fire to their combustibles, police and firemen were near at hand, and the flames were extinguished : had not aid been ready the house would have been quickly destroyed. In the upper part of the house heed a German bookbinder and his family, with whom Fixmun was at enmity.

Mr. Saul Lawrence, a clerk, has been the victim of a garotte-robbery, he

having taken the customary measures to place himself in the power of the garotteers. He wore two watches and a gold chain, and had 131. in his pocket. Late at night he met two men, whom he treated to drink, at their. suggestion. Then he accompanied them to the notorious "Mint" in Southwark; where two women joined the party. Lawrence treated them all to. "what they liked to drink." Thinking he had now "had enough to drink,"he wished to leave his party, but they could not part with him so abruptly other men appeared, and Lawrence was garrotted, knocked on the head and, robbed. Three men and two women arc in the hands of the Southwark Ma'

as concerned in the crime.

Alderman Humphery has committed May,. an agent in the City, Taylor,,,, another City agent, and Myers, an agent residing at Islington, said to be a wealthy man, for conspiring to defraud Mr. Gorman and Mr. Lawson cambric-manufacturers in Ireland, of goods valued at 600/. and 6001. Ifaylor got possession of the goods on pretence that Myers would buy them ; hut May really had them, and he sold them to Mr. Mocking, a draper, at about 50 per cent under the invoice-price. The manufacturers lost nearly all the value of their goods, and Taylor tried to hoodwink them as to what had occurred. Taylor and Myers put in bail, but May could not find sureties,