During the following season we had quite a steam-fire-engine excitement. Some one, I have forgotten who, but think it was the Duke of Sutherland, made a public offer of a thousand pounds sterling for the best steam fire-engine, competition to be open to all the world, the engines to be tested for six days in the park of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, in the month of July following. There were a number of amusing incidents connected with that exhibition. One was the following: The common council of New York City determined that the city must have that prize, so they sent over engine No. 7, a favorite engine, one of Mr. Lee’s make, and which had been three or four years in service. A junket committee of the city fathers accompanied it. The London Fire Department received this delegation with great enthusiasm, and devoted itself to making them happy. They took entire charge of their machine and exhibited it in London to admiring crowds. A few days before the time fixed for the opening of the trial they took the engine to Sydenham, where on the way to its station it accidentally rolled down a hillside and was pretty well broken up. Mr. Lee being in London was hurriedly sent for to see if it could be repaired in time for the trial. He found that the injuries were of so serious a nature that the repairs could not be completed in less than three weeks. So that competitor was out of the way. Their sympathizing friends were full of condolence, and assumed all the cost of the repairs. They also proposed that when the engine was put in proper order they should have an excursion down the Thames to Greenwich and have there an exhibition of its powers. So a steamboat was chartered and a large party accompanied the machine to Greenwich. On arrival there it was found that the two nozzles, a large one and a smaller one for long-distance streams, which had been taken especial charge of by the members of a fire company, had been accidentally dropped into the Thames. The New York delegation were glad to get their engine back to New York without further accident. Easton, Amos & Sons also concluded that they would like that prize. After they had taken the engine into their own hands, they found a number of features which seemed to them to need amendment, so they made some quite important changes. On the second day of the trial this engine broke down and had to be withdrawn.