Our Weekly Budget.

the case of Lord . Mayor Stone , we feel bound to say something more , and to offer him our hearty congratulations on the grand success of his mayoralty . Of course , every citizen who attains this exalted position , strives his hardest to maintain its dignity , and add some lustre to his

own ^ name . Chance , too , occasionaally aids them . The visit of a foreign potentate , the birth of an heir to the throne , a state visit to tho city , when such an event occurs the Qneen usually confers the dignity of a Baronet on the LordMayorand that of Knighthood on the Sheriffs . No such

event has occurred during the year that will close next Tuesday ; nevertheless , Lord Mayor Stone ' s Mayoralty has been , as we have just said , a grand success . We are not referring especially to his hospitality , for the hospitality of our Civic Sovereigns is matter of every day notoriety . "We imagine ,

however , that few Lord Mayors have shown a greater activity , a greater desire to please everybody , a greater firmness aud impartiality in the discharge of his very onerous duties . We heartily wish him God speed in the future , both as a Citizen of London

and as a Mason . Doubtless the last noteworthy event of his year of office will be the event of Thursday , when the freedom of the City was conferred on the Astronomer Royal , Sir George B . Airy , the copy of the freedom being contained in a magnificently embossed gold casket . The

Chamberlain , as the mouthpiece of the Corporation , spoke in deservedly complimentary language of the great attainments of Sir G . B . Airy , and the latter acknowledged the honour conferred upon him in fitting terms . Both the speech of the Chamberlain and the reply of the Astronomer

Royal were unanimously ordered to be recorded on the minutes of the day ' s proceedings . There were present , besides the Lord Mayor , who presided , and Mr . Chamberlain , who was the spokesman , Aldermen M'Arthur and Lusk , and an unusually large attendance of Common Councilmen and others .

The second sitting of the S piritualists was held at their room in Bloomsbury Square , on Thursday evening , the chair being taken by Dr . Sexton , who is reported , in the course of his opening remarks , to have expressed his conviction that a , largo number of the cures he had seen

effected resulted from the direct agency of disembodied spirits . We are not ourselves of the Spiritualist fraternity , but we fancy there is something at the bottom of Dr . Sexton ' s theory . At all events , we offer in confirmation of it the popular belief that the best cure for a cold is one or

more doses of rum and water , the water , of course , being the disembodying element in the case . An American Spiritualist who who was present , cited several cases of spiritual cures which had come within his knowledge . Possibly the receipt in the States for curing a cold , is hot Bourbon

whisky and water ; but this , wc think , would leave a slight head-ache behind . Every now and then we read in the daily papers of extraordinary seances being held , now in London , now in the provinces . The following is an

ordinary seance common enough in all parts of the world , though we have not seen its incidents recorded with as great particularity' as we should like see . Scene . —A library . Dramatic Personse . The relatives and friends of the

recently defunct owner of said library , bearing about them all the outward and visible signs of tho greatest anguish , and the family lawyer , who acts as medium . After a few preliminary flourishes on the part of the latter , he proceeds to read the will , when a sudden chill is felt throughout the

room , and the voice of the deceased gentleman is distinctly heard to say , in tones of the most cynical enthusiasm , " Nimium ne crede Volori . " Our readers , of course , will note the very happy consistency , in the above account , of 1

allowingthe spirit of a defunct gentleman to express its feelings in a dead language . No cloibt the family lawyer grinned a ghastly grin , when he heard the familiar tones of his late employer , but we should imagine tho sorrowing relatives and friends , while not a little disturbed in their

minds by the apparition , would not lend themselves to the encouragement of spiritualism . This has been a comparatively quiet week at the Alexandra Palace . The season is too far advanced for much to be done out of doors . Indoors , however , eveiy possible

sort of attraction is ottered to the public , who are nothing slow to avail themselves , of the offers . Weather permiting , and even , indeed , in spite of the weather , the dramatic

performances aud the Saturday Popular Concerts are very well attended . On Lord Mayor ' s Day we are promised a firework competition , and on the fifteenth instant there will be another grand trotting match . As regards the

Our Weekly Budget.

Crystal Palace there is little to report , the chief ; weekly event of interest being the Saturday afternoon concert . Among the many various reforms that are continually being offered , there is hardly one that commends itself so thoroughly to the dictates of reason and common sense as funeral reform . The bestowal of grand funeral honours

on some great man , like Wellington or Nelsonyis a proper tribute of respect to pay to his memory . But why the stately glare and display , the hired trappings of woe , the unsightly hearse , and oftentimes the still more unsightly attendants ? No man of sense believes that all this display

and these paraphernalia form essential part of the respect we pay to the dead . A military funeral is one of the most impressive sights that can be witnessed , yet of funeral emblems there are few indeed . The coffin is borne along on a gun carriage , the deceased ' s charger following .

The solders follow , with arms reversed , and the band playing the Dead March in Saul . A Mason ' s funeral , too , is a solemn ceremony , but the ordinary dingy hearse and mourning coaches are the merest burlesque of sorrowing respect . We are glad to see that Mr . Bright has expressed himself

so sensibly and so practically as to the necessity for funeral reform , especially in such cases as he cites in evidence of a poor man ' s funeral , not unfrequently using up all the scanty means at the disposal of his family . A quiet and unobtrusive , and , we may add , inexpensive funeral , is not

inconsistent with a genuine heartfelt sorrow for the loss of a respected friend or relative . The greatest evidence that the holidays are over , and that this business world of ours has resumed work , is borne out by the fact that Ministers held a Cabinet meeting

on Thursday , at which , no doubt , the programme for the coming Session of Parliament would be discussed . On Tuesday , of course , we shall receive a certain amount of enlightenment as to how the political world is wagging . A

few members of Parliament have been giving expression to their views on subjects of local or general interest , and there is a vacancy in Mid-Surrey , caused by the elevation to the Bench of Sir Richard Baggallay .

Scientific readers will , no doubt , be interested in learning that a new planet is reported to have been discovered by a French astronomer , M . Paul Henry , So , at least , M . Le Verrier , of the Paris Observatory , informs our Astronomer Royal , Sir George Airy .

The National Assembly has resumed its sittings at Versailles , after the autumnal recess . The President of the Council , M . Buffet ' s , motion that the Electoral Bill should be put down for discussion on Monday , was agreed to unanimously . Another proposal , emanating from M . Duprat ,

of the Left , to tho effect that the Bill for raising the State of Siege , and the appointment of Mayors by the Municipal Councils , instead of by the Government , was also agreed to . From Penang is reported the murder , iu the Malayan territory , of Mr . Birch , the British President at Perak .

Troops are said to have already marched upon that city , with a view to punishing the guilty parties . It seems more that probable that Austria , Prussia , aud Germany will act jointly in pressing upon Turkey the necessity of dealing . out liberal reforms to ; . her subjects ,

and especially those professing the Christian faith . What part France , Italy , and this country will take , or whether they will take any part with the other three powers , is not known . But , no doubt , the subject seriously engaged the attention of our Ministers at the late meeting

of the Cabinet . The news from the United States relates chiefly to the recent elections in various of the States , the result , from what we gather , being somewhat favourable to the Republicans . There has been some fighting on tho West Coast of Africa , Commodore Sir W . H . Hewett

having penetrated some miles up the coast to inflict salutary punishment on the pirates , who mustered in tolerably strong numbers , a very severe chastisement ensued , and that , too . with but trifling loss on oui part . A little time ago there was a talk of some action being taken by the Ur ited States

Government tow .-u-ds Spain in relation to Cuba , but tho latest advices sn ., . v that no action was ever contemplated . The memorandum sent by the Washington Cabinet to the Spanish Government having merely re f erence to civ tain documents forwarded two years ago to Madrid .

From Spam , the news respecting the war contains no feature of importance . Tho two armies still confront each other , tlrci the report that the decisive campaign would be shortly undertaken has not , as yet at all events , been verified . From Herzegovina there is nothing of moment to record . The other item of uews worth alluding * to is tho