23.—A fire, involving the loss of three lives and the destruction of much valuable property, occurred at the house of Mr. Frederick Pigg, hosier and boot and shoe manufacturer, Market Row, Yarmouth. Mrs. Pigg, in heroically attempting to save her two children, was buried beneath the falling roof of the building, and the charred remains of the mother and infants were found the following day. The value of the property destroyed was about £3,500. 28.—The first of the many long discussions upon the sewerage question during this year took place at a special meeting of the Norwich Town Council, on a recommendation of the Sewerage Committee that a memorial from the citizens, praying for the introduction of the dry earth system, instead of an expensive scheme of drainage, be not adopted. It was decided that the works had progressed too far to admit of any reconsideration of the plans. On February 28th a large meeting of ratepayers was held at the Lecture Hall, St. Andrew’s, under the presidency of Sir Samuel Bignold, at which the following resolution was passed:—“That the Local Board of Health be respectfully requested to postpone the proposed drainage works, and that Messrs. Hay Gurney, Charles Foster, J. Davey, and W. H. Clabburn and the other promoters of the injunction be earnestly entreated not to interpose any obstacle to the Board’s compliance with this request.” The “injunctionists,” on March 2nd, received a deputation appointed by the meeting, and, after hearing their statements, Dr. Dalrymple replied on behalf of the relators in the suit that they were of opinion “the question of proceeding with the scheme of drainage did not rest with them but with the Town Council, and they were not prepared to take any steps which would prejudice their legal position for enforcing the purification of the river.” On March 10th a memorial was presented to the Town Council, urging that the drainage scheme in the then perplexity of sanitary science was “a speculation with the health of the city,” and that it was “stark madness to plunge into a gulf of unplumbed expenditure unwarned by the failures in other cities.” A motion was adopted authorising the Sewerage and Irrigation Committee to negotiate for a loan not exceeding £60,000, required for the construction of sewerage works. On the 17th a band paraded the city to attract the citizens to a common hall, at which resolutions were adopted affirming that the rates were too high and the trade of Norwich too depressed to warrant this costly experiment in drainage. The Town Council, on April 7th, entered into a contract with Messrs. Shrimpton and Co., of Uxbridge Road, London, for the construction of certain sewerage works, at the cost of £28,874; and it was agreed to take up at interest of the Hand-in-Hand Fire and Life Office the sum of £30,000, of which £20,000 was to be paid as soon as the necessary security was prepared, and the remaining £10,000 at the expiration of six