Topics Of The Week.

the excitement end here , for the affairs of Spain were brought under the notice of the House by the leader of the opposition , who was anxious to know if the procedure of our Government in recognizing the Government of King Alphonso had been in any way exceptional . The Foreign

Secretary explained what had happened , and shortly afterwards tho House adjourned . On Tuesday a reaction appears to have set iu to the little excitement of the previous way , the subject under discussion being the Increase of Episcopate Bill , which passed through Committee with

one important amendment by the Bishop of Exeter . On Thursday the resignation of the Clerk of the Parliaments was again under the notice of the House , the Duke of Richmond moving a resolution to the effect that their lordships deeply regret his resignation , and deem it right

to record their sense of the zeal and ability with which Sir John Lefevre had discharged his duties during his 27 years ' tenure of office . Lord Selborne seconded it , and it was carried nem con . The Duke further moved that an address , accompanied by the letter of resignation and the above

resolution , be presented to the Queen with a commendation of Sir John Lefevre to Her Majesty ' s grace and bounty . The Patents for Inventions Bill afterwards passed through Committee , and , having transacted some further business , the House adjourned .

In the House of Commons the principal question on Friday evening was that of Primary Education in Ireland . Mr . O'Reill y made a motion thereon , Avhich was talked over at some length , chiefly by Irish members and the Irish Secretary ; Dr . Lyon Playfair , who sits for one of the

Scotch Universities , being the most conspicuous exception . The Government having expressed its views on the subject announcing its intention of dealing with the financial part of the question when the proper time arrived , the motion was at length withdrawn . The House shortly after resolved

itself into Committee of Supply , when Mr . Hunt moved the estimate for the new Arctic Expedition—a motion to which the House readily agreed . A number of other votes were subsequently passed , and the House rose . On Monday Sir W . Lawson , who is always an amusing speaker , was

anxious that our small military force should be made still smaller , but his proposal found but little support , and on a division was rejected by 224 to 61 . Mr . Hardy afterwards introduced the Army Estimates . He was congratulated by several honourable members on the character of his

statement , and the votes for tho requisite number of men , as well as for their pay and allowances , were passed after a long and somewhat circuitous debate . On Tuesday a motion by Mr . Pease , on the subject of the Durham Capitular Estates , led to a somewhat close division , the hon .

gentleman being defeated by the small majority of 1 /; 120 members endorsing his views , while 187 agreed to differ from them . This narrow difference of opinion was received with the usual demonstration of applause by the opposition , after which Mr . Dixon went lengthily into the New

Education Code 1875 , moving , by way of amendment , that Article 19 D be omitted . Nothing ensued , however , but a somewhat protracted debate and the withdrawal of the motion . On Wednesday the House had a somewhat irritant dose of Hypothec . Mr . Vans-Agnew ' s motion for the

second reading of this bill was discussed at length , but rejected by 156 to 138 , the close result being again highly gratifying , we are informed , to the Opposition . Thursday

was almost wholly devoted to the discussion of naval subjects , the most prominent exceptions being a statement by the Premier as to the business of the House , in the course of which he mentioned that the Budget wns fixed

for the 15 th prox ., and a motion on tho Income Tax by Mr . Saudford , which was considerably rejected . The House afterwards went into Committee of Supply , when

Mr . Ward Hunt brought forward the Naval Estimates for the year . Mr . Goschen played the part of chief critic , aud the vote of men was subsequently agreed to . The House shortly afterwards adjourned .

The new members for Norwich and St . Ives , Messrs . Tillett ( Liberal ) and Pracd ( Conservative ) have taken their seats , and a Commission of Inquiry into certain corrupt practices which are reported by Judge Grove to have prevailed at the last election for Boston has been appointed

on the motion of the Attorney-General , the members being iEn . J . M'Intyre , Q . C ., and two other gentlemen of the long robe , Messrs : Slade and Douglas Straight . It is not often we have to chronicle the intrusion into the body of the House of two strangers , but such an event happened ou Monday evening , Two gentlemen , entered , quite uu-

Topics Of The Week.

observed , and took their seats onthesecond opposition bench , even the lynx-eyed janitor of the House , a policeman said to be acquainted with the personal appearance of every member , being himself deceived . The first to make the discovery was Lord Eslington , one of the tellers on

Mr . Pease ' s motion , who at once handed them over to the tender charge of the Serjeant-at-Arms . The intruders thereupon found themselves in ' durance vile' for a brief space , when having been lectured on the enormity of their

otfence , and having expressed the greatest contrition , they were permitted to leave . They had , it seems , gone armed with an order for admission to the Strangers' Gallery and mistaken their way .

The sum realised for the Cospatrick Relief Fund is reported to be £ 3 , 050 , after the deduction of the necessary expenses . Of this amount £ 2 , 700 has been already distributed : the orphan daughters of Captain Elmslie

receiving £ 500 , the relatives of the crew £ 865 , the remainder being awarded to the relatives of the passengers . There thus remains still in hand , to meet any emergencies , a sum of £ 350 .

The gale on Monday night and Tuesday morning appears to have been very disastrous to life and property , especially among the shipping . Two men engaged in the demolition of a goods shed , at the Carlisle Station of the Caledonia Railway , were killed by the fall of a portion of the

brickwork , two others very severely , and two slightly injured . Several other accidents along the east coast are reported , in one of which the Berwick Life Boat succeeded in rescuing two lives—the crew of a sloop in distress , which afterwards became a perfect wreck .

Two deputations have lately waited on Lord Henry Lennox , Her Majesty ' s First Commissioner of Works , the object of one being to bring before his lordship the neglected condition of tho northern end of Kensington Gardens and of the roads in the neighbourhood ; of the other , to secure

an earlier opening of Kew Gardens to the public . In tho former case , the Commissioner acquiesced in the proposal to institute inquiries as to the drainage and other matters referred to , but ho pointed out that anything in the way of floral decoration involved certain financial considerations

which must be referred to the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In the case of Kew Gardens , which are not opened till one o ' clock in theday , itwas suggested that people were generally ignorant on this point , that they went , expecting to find admission much earlier , and , in the absence of other means

for employing their time , sought refuge in the neighbouring public-houses ; but Lord PL Lennox pointed out that people might know , if they would be at the trouble of finding out , so simple a matter for themselves . At the same time , he promised attention to the representations made to him .

Are the British working classes incapable of taking care ot themselves when they go for a day ' s outing ? or is Government to provide a code of school-like regulations for people

who visit our public institutions ? Formerly , people took care of themselves in some fashion ; now , it seems , they cannot restrain themselves from public-house recreation without the intervention or assistance of the Government .

This is grandmotherly government with a vengeance . Turf nomenclature is occasionally amusing , and , to people ignorant of our manners and customs , must often be the cause of some confusion . We doubtless all remember how Sterne , in the Sentimental Journey , introduces himself to

M . le Comte de B as " Yorick , " to the no small consternation of the Frenchman . Foreigners of the present day may not improbably have seen , with no little surprise , that at the recent Bristol meeting " Chilblain "

won the Military Cup , " Breach of Promise " a selling steeple-chase , aud the "Duke of Cambridge" the City Grand Annual , while "Milton" secured a Hunter ' s Hurdle Race , but was beaten by " Optimist" for an open hunter ' s flat race . Tho idea of the Commander-in-Chief of

our Forces winning a hurdle race , and the author of Paradise Lod following his example , must be somewhat troublesome to the minds ot our foreign friends . The grand attraction of the week in the Sporting World is , of course , the arrival at Putney of the two University crews ,

and their daily appearance on the lliames , preparatory to the race of next Saturday . Not being specially versed in the mysteries of this particular kind of craft , we cannot

help our readers to any wrinkle , so as to guide them in giving or taking the odds ou this or that crew . Nor have we any particular idea what the odds may be . No doubt , Cambridge , with the prestige of victory during the past Hew years , is slightly the favourite , but , because one crew