The Week.

to 43 . Tho clause therefore remains in tho bill . —A clause proposed by Lord Halifax in reference to tho voting of leaseholders was , after a brief debate , neg . itived by 135 votes to 41 . Lord Lyttelton moved his clause , making it nccessary thafc every one should Avrite a plain , legible hand before he was admitted to the vote . This amendment AVUS negatived Avithout

a division . Several other amendments ivere discussed , among them that of Lord Cairns ' , for the representation of minorities in three-cornered constituencies . He ivas opposed by the Government , bufc supported by Earl Russell , and finally carried by 11-2 votes to 51 . In the HOUSE or COMMONS , on the 25 th ult ., the Chancellor of the Exchequer intimated , in reply to Sir

G . Grey , that if the Corrupt Practices at Elections Bill was to e opposed strongly he should not proceed ivith it this year . — Ou the motion for going into Committee of Supply , Lord Elcho moved a resolution , the effect of which ivas that it was desirable to make the ivhole male population liable to military service . He had an addition to the motion to the effect that it AA'O UICI be unwise to proceed with the Army Reserve Bill and the Militia

Reserve Bill this session . This part of his motion , hoivever , he AA'as not permitted to move . He insisted that the only ivay to put the army and the militia on a proper footing ivas to have recourse to the ballot . Sir J . Pakington stoutly opposed the motion , anil after some discussion it ivas withdrawn . Major lends then called attention to recent elections in Ireland , and declared that afc those the people had not been allowed to vote

as they pleased . AA'ith no small partiality he denounced the popular efforts to procure the return of Liberal candidates , Avhile he had not a AA'ord of blame for the landlords Avho gathered up their tenants like sheep and sent them off under military escort to vote . His suggestion was , that in future no voter should be escorted to the poll ; but , if any were prevented from getting therethe election should be declared i-oid . It is

, easy to see IIOAV such a plan as this could be manipulated . With a little management , every election in Ireland , or anywhere else , could be made void . Mr . Esmonde speedily turned the tables upon Major Jervis . He shoived IIOAV the Tory landlords coerced their tenants In- pmnTm-inn- fvnnns \ flio ^ nwinn

fallowed , and eventually a motion ou the subject Avhich had been moved by Major Jervis was withdrawn . The House then went into Committee of Supply , and considered the A-ote for the increased pay to the army .- Ireland occupied a good dc-al of the time of the House on the 26 th ult . On the motion for going into committee of supply , Mr . Blake called attention to the dietary in the prisons in Irelandand moved that steps be taken to increase it . After

, some discussion , Lord N-ias promised that the matter should be inquired into during the recess , aud thereupon Mr . Blake withdrew his motion . —Sir Column O'Loclilen drew attention to the condition ot Ireland . He showed the evils under which that country labours , and contended that the Government hacl made no effort to remove them . A most interesting discussion folloAved , in the course of which several Tory members made

speeches , reading ivhich one Avould suppose Ireland Avas the happiest country in the world . Mr . Maguire declared that the legislative neglect of Ireland had aroused the bitterest possible feeling against this country in the United States . The Chancellor of the Exchequer agreed that the state of Ireland was unsatisfactory , but that arose not from lhe acts of the present or the last Government , but from the efforts of an exterior agency .

At some lenst-h he proceeded to declare that the Government ' s efforts at legislature for Ireland had met with no support , and he held out no hopes of more beinsr done . Sir J . Gray expressed his sorrow at this speech : ancl subsequently Lord C . Hamilton , Mr . Pin ) , and other members , took part in the discussion . On the 27 th ult ., the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Corrupt Practices at Elections Bill would not be proceeded with this session of

. Some the Scotch members wanted to know when they would have an opportunity of discussing the Scotch Reform Bill , and were told " next session . The bill is to be reprinted with amendments to bring ifc into accordance with the English bill . —Replying to Mr . Darby Griffith , Lord Stanley made a statement which does not altogether accord Avith the denials of the French official press . The Monilenr du Soir of the 27 th ult , stated that the French Government had addressed no noto as to Schleswig to tho Prussian Government . Lord Stanley says communications have passed betAveen

tho French and Prussian Governments in reference to SchlosAvig . Ho declined to state all ho ICUOAV on tho subject , but said England had offered no opinion about it . On tho 30 th ult . a notice AA-as given by Mr . Fawcett of his intention to ask a promise from the Government that Parliament shall bo consulted , ancl its Avill expressed , before a charter is given for a Roman Catholic University , or a scheme sanctioned by Government respecting university education in Ireland . —In reply to Mr . Eykyn , Mr . Hardy said

that a Roman Catholic , and , ho presumed a Presbyterian , might bo appointed a Knight of Windsor ; and though such persons by tho statutes Avould bo bound to attend tho service of the Established Church , tho Croivn , ho believed , could dispense Avith such attendance on their part . —The Chancellor of tho Exchequer , in answer to a , question addressed to him by Sir R . Palmer , announced the intention of tho Government to issue a commission of inquiry iuto the operation and effect of tho present constitution

of tho superior courts of laiv and equity in England—including tho Courts of Exchequer Chamber nncl Appeal iu Chanceryand tho Courts of Admiralty and of Probate and Divorce ; ancl into tho operation and effect of tho present separation aud division of jurisdiction botAvoen thoso several courts : also into the operation and effect of tho present arrangements for holding and transacting tho business of tho assizes , and of tho present division of tho year into legal terms . —Tho order of tho day for going into commit too ou tho Factory Acts Extension Bill AA-as

thou moved , ancl Mr . Moffatt objected to tho proposition on the ground that tho bill , if passed , Avould inter" eve with all descriptions of labour . Tho motion to go into committee AA-as supported by Mr . AValpolo , and after some discussion agreed to . The bill subsequently passed through committee . The Regulation of Hours of Labour Bill also passed through committee , and the House suspended its sittings until tho evening . On the 31 st ult . the second reading of tho Agricultural Children's

, Education Bill was moved by Mr . Fawcett , who gave his opinion in favour of the half-day or alternate day system , Avhich on trial in the factories hacl proved eminently successful . According to this plan , the children may either ivork half-a-day and devote the other half of the clay to the acquisition of learning , or may Avork one day and learn the next , and so on , devoting alternately a day to labour and a day to learning . He admitted that

hecould not hope to pass the bill this session ; but wished to have an expression of opinion from the House in favour of its principle . Mr . Arthur Peel supported the motion for second reading . Mr . Beach moved that the bill be read a second time that clay six months , because the means proposed by it to remedy the present Avant of education amongst the classes referred to was utterly impracticable . The provisions of the bill conkl not be carried into effect unless the employers of the children engaged double the number of children actually required . The discussion that followed occupied a considerable part of the day .

GESEIUL Ho . AtE NEWS . — The Registrar-General , in his usual report , states : —In the week that ended on Saturday , the 27 th ult ., the births registered in London and tweli-e other large towns of the United Kingdom Avere -l . -i-Bl ; the deaths registered , 2 , 816 . The annual rate of mortality was 24 per 1 , 000 persons living . In London the births of 1 , 107 boys and 1 , 056 girls , in all 2 , 163 children , Avere registered in the week . Iu the corresponding weeks of ten years , 1857-66 the average

, number , corrected for increase of population , is 2 , 008 . The deaths registered in London during the iveek were 1 , 347 . It Avas tbe thirtieth week of the year ; and the average number of deaths for that iveek is , with a correction for the increase of population , 1 , 453 . The deaths in the present return are less by 106 than the estimated number . The deaths in the metropolis from diarrhoea have rapidly increased

since the week which ended June 22 , ivhen 16 persons died from the disease ; in the four following weeks the numbers ivere 18 , 5-1 , 115 , 170 . Last week 106 deaths from diarrhcea were registered ; 39 of these cases occurred in the West , 50 in tho North , 22 in tlie Central , 52 in the East , and 33 in the South districts . Twelve children and tliree adults died from cholera or choleraic diarrhcea . In the corresponding- week of last

year ( 1866 ) the deaths from diarrhcea ivere 3 » 19 , and cholera ' 904 , The annual rate of mortality last week was 23 per 1 , 000 in London , 23 in Edinburgh , and 23 in Dublin ¦ 22 in Bristol , 21 in Birmingham , 27 in Liverpool , 34 in Manchester , 27 in Salford , 21 in Shettisld , 24 in Leeds , 20 in Hull , 20 in Newcastleupon-Tyne , and 23 in Glasgow . The rate in Vienna ivas 23 per 1 , 000 during the iveek ending tho 20 th ult ., when the mean temperature Avas S' 6 " Fahrenheit higher than the same Aveek in London , where the rate was 21 .