The Week.

pcndenco of the Confederate States . He was also anxious to know whether British vessels conveying contraband of war for the South had been allowed to refit iu the harbour of Nassau ? Mr . Layard said that the Government were unable to give the information which was asked for ; aud after a few remarks from the Solicitor-General , the matter dropped . On Friday another long discussion took place on the condition of Ireland—Sir R . Poel reiterating his former statement that the assertions of Mr .

Maguire on the subject were exaggerated , and Mr . Maguire and other Irish members contending that the picture drawn of the state of the country was not at all over-coloured . On Monday tho House was enlivened hy an episode of a most exciting and unusual character . In the course of his reply to Mr . Maguire , on Friday night , Sir Robert Peel referred in contemptuous terms to the attempt recently made at the Rotunda , hi

Dublin , to revive the era of treason and agitation in Ireland . He spoke of the persons who assembled at that meeting as " manuikin traitors who sought to imitate the cabbage-garden heroes of 1 S 4 S , " but who failed to induce a single person of respectability to join the " national" movement . The O'Donoghue presided over this meeting , and it is asserted that when the impetuous Chief Secretary poured ridicule upon the " mannikin

traitors , " he waved his hand in the direction of the " Chieftain of the Gleus , " who is described as a person of anything but Titanic proportions . We gather from a statement made b y Lord Palmerston , that the O'Donoghue , stung by what he believed to be a personal insult , resolved to send a challenge to Sir Robert Peel . The noble Lord was made aware of the intention of the member for Tipperary immediately after the adjournment of the House , and he at once penned a letter to Sir Robert , pointing out that if The O'Donoghue sent him a hostile message , the act would be a breach of the privileges of the House , and

warning tne right hon . Baronet that it he accepted the challenge , he would become a party to that breach of privilege . ¦ " Your duty iu such a case , " added the noble Lord , " would be to decline the invitation . " On Saturday Sir Robert was actually requested to " name a friend , " and Lord Palmerston told hira to name him ( the noble Lord ) " though not with the view of making arrangements for a hostile meeting . " The Premier felt it bis duty to bring the matter before the House , and he gave

notice of his intention to do so to the member for Tipperary . Major Gavin , the member for Limerick , who acted as The O'Donoghue ' s " friend" in this business , explained that he considered Sir Robert Peel ' s remarks so offensive , that no gentleman could permit them to pass unnoticed . He waited upon the right hon . Baronet , who , instead of offering an apology , declared that he adhered to all ho had stated in the House . Sir Eobert was then requested to name a " friend . " Lord Palmerston ' s

name was given ; but the gallant Major , on waiting upon the noble Lord , was informed that the matter had been taken up " officially . " The Speaker now called upon The O'Donoghue to apologise for his contemplated breach of privilege , and also to give an assurance that the matter should go no further . The O'Donoghue complied with the mandate , but not without having a " fling" at Sir Eobert Peel , and declaring that he should have considered himself disgraced , and unworthy of his name , if he

had not resented the insult offered to him . The subject then dropped . On the motion for going into Committee of Supply on the Navy Estimates , Mr . Lindsay submitted that the event had proved that the apprehensions expressed last year by Lord C . Paget as to the naval preparations of Franco were illusory . Lord C . Paget asserted , that ' ' every word" stated by the Government , last year , with reference to the naval preparations of France , was correct . On Friday Mr . Walpolo announced that he would brine forward his resolution on the " revised

code" on the 25 th of March . Mr . Bentiuck proposed an alteration in one of the rules of the House , which would have the effect , whenever a count-out took place , of giving publicity to tho name of the counter-out , a ; we ' ll as to the names of the members who were in their place when the House was counted out . The motion was opposed by Sir George Grey and Mr . Bernal Osborne , and , on a division , was lost by a large majority . Sir George Grey obtained leave to bring in a bill to amend the

acts relating to the payment of the expenses of prosecutions ; and Mr . Eorsfall announced his intention of moving a resolution , on the 11 th March , on the subject of maritime law as it affects belligerents and neutrals . On Wednesday Mr . Hadfield moved the second reading of his whipping bill , proposing to deprive visiting justices of the power of inflicting the punishment of the lash ; and to require magistrates , in passing sentence upon juvenile offenders , to specify the number of strokes

and the nature of the instrument to be used . After considerable discussion , the motion for the second reading of the bill was withdrawn . The Metropolitan Local Management Acts Amendment Bill was read a second time . On the motion for the second reading of the Conveyance of Voters' Bill . Mr . Cave delivered a speech against that measure . Various speakers having expressed their opinion on the subject , Mr . Collier , as the author of the billreplied to objectionsand remarked that

, , if it was right to pay the elector's expenses , he could not see where the line was to be drawn . Sir G . Grey supported the bill , and thought it should apply to all boroughs without distinction . The vote was , for the second reading , 130 ; against , 160 . A better fate attended Mr . Hadfield ' s bill for the abolition of the oath which Dissenters as well as Churchmen are required to take when they are elected to municipal offices . Mr .

Newdegate moved its rejection , but the third reading was carried by a majority of 13 . GENERAL HOME NEWS . —The mortality in London varies with the weather , and that , as all Londoners know , has of late been exceedingly variable . Last week the death-rate , which had been decreasing for the previous two or three weeks , went up again , and all but touched the corrected ten years' average , though keeping within its limit . It amounted altogether to

1415 . The births are also below the average , which is not so usual , the number being 1065 , while the average of th e ten years , if the increase of population were allowed for , would give 1994 . The army and navy estimates have been issued . The net total for the effective and non-effective services of the army is £ 15 , 302 , 870 ; there was voted for 1861-2 , £ 15 , 246 , 100 ; the net total increase thus being £ 56 , 710 . For the navy the estimates

amount to £ 11 , 794 , 305 , being a decrease upon last year of £ 846 , 283 . An important deputation from the manufacturing districts waited upon Lord Palmerston and Sir Charles Wood on Monday to remonstrate against the import duties levied in India on cotton twist and cloth , which they said materially aggravated the distress now existing iu Lancashire . Sir Charles Wood , in reply , sympathised with the distress , but said the exports from this country to India had been as large , if not larger , since the imposition of the duties than before . He excused the Indian Government for levying them on the ground of necessity ,

and promised that they should be repealed as soon as the Indian finances could spare them . The iron-clad frigate Defence has just met with a singular disaster . This fine vessel was on the point of starting from her moorings at Spithead for a rim over the measured mile , on Saturday , when a gunboat passed under her bow , and , by some means or other , caught one of her anchors , which swung heavily against her how , —the " fluke" making a hole right through one of the platesa few inches above the

, water-line . The trial of speed was , of course , abandoned , and the ship was taken into Portsmouth for repair . We learn from the report of the Directors of the Great Ship Company that the hull of the Great Eastern has proved , on examination , to be perfectly sound , and that the injuries sustained iu her last attempt to cross the Atlantic are being rapidly repaired . It is proposed to have the ship off the gridiron bthe next" springs "

y , but if the tides are not sufficiently high to enable them to do this , it will be imdossible to float her until the middle of March . As soon as she can be got ready for sea , the . ship will be again sent to New York . A large number of the Americans residing in London breakfasted at the Freemason's Tavern , on Saturday , in celebration of Washington ' s birthday . The Bishop of Ohio presided , and among the speakers were Mr . Adams , the United

States' Minister , Mr . Morse , the United States' Consul in London , and Mr . Cyrus Field , who recently came over to this country with the view , if possible , of inducing the Government and people of England to support the project of a new Atlantic telegraph . Slavery was spoken of as the grand source of the present troubles in America , and the liltimate ^ triumph of the Union cause was predicted with confidence . The toast of " The Queen "

was received with great enthusiasm , and every expression of adesire to see England and America maintain relations of cordial friendship was greeted with assenting cheers . We deeply regret to have to report the occurrence of another appalling colliery accident . The scene of the present disaster is the Cethin Pit , near Merthyr Tydvil . It appears that on Wednesday week an explosion of gas toolc placewhich resulted

, in the immediate death of nearly fifty of the poor men . The whole of the missing bodies have been recovered—unfortunately in every case a blackened corpse . There is , therefore , no one left to explain the origin of the accident , though the general opinion of those acquainted with the workings of the pit is