The Week.

to the forty-shilling freeholders of Scotland . The motion for the second reading of the Banks of Issue Bill gave rise to a discussion on the Bank Act of 18 ll . Mr . Buchanan , one of tbe members for Glasgow , moved , as an amendment to the second reading , that an inquiry should be instituted into the working of

the Act , and | that in the meantime Mr . Gladstone's Bill should be postponed . In tbe course ofthe debate which followed , the Chancellor of the Exchequer urged that the last session of a dying Parliament was an utterly unsuitable occasion for such an investigation as that proposed by the member for Glasgow , and he appealed to the House to agree to the second reading ,

in which case he should postpone the Committee for a month , in order to give the banking and commercial interests the fullest opportunity for examining the provisions of tho Bill . The suggestion of tbe right hon . gentleman was accepted , and tbe House soon afterwards adjourned . On Friday , some discussion took place on tbe motion for the second reading of tbe

Liverpool Licensing Bill . Sir George Grey , Mr . Gladstone , and Lord Stanley supported tho bill , but other members urged that the licensing system ought to be dealt with as a whole . Ultimately , the motion for the second reading was negatived without a division . —In reply to a question from Mr . Maguire , Mr . Layard said the French Government had been requested to mediate

between Brazil and Monte Video , but no such application had been made to the Government of this country , and it was not tbe intention of her Majesty ' s Ministers to take any part in the quarrel . —Mr . Cardwell , in reply to Mr . AVatkin , said he had made no representation to the Government of the United States upon the subject of the recently issued regulations requiring persons passing from Canada into the Northern States to he pi-OA'ided with passports . The passports bad been established in consequence of the raids into Vermont , and he hoped

that the regulations would be cancelled " as soon as the mischief ceased . "—Mr . Henry Berkeley , having ascertained from Sir George Grey that tbe Government did not intend to bring in a Bill for tbe better prevention of bribery at elections , intimated his intention of introducing a measure on the subject in the course of the present session . This we take to be the notice of the annual motion on the ballot . —Mr . Hennessy moved an

address to the Crown representing that the House " would readily support her Majesty in any well-devised measure to stimulate the profitable employment" of the people of Ireland . A long debate followed , during which Mr . Gladstone opposed the motion , and the debate was adjourned . —Tho Marquis of Hartington , in answer to a question from Colonel Gilpin , said it Avas quite true

that on the 1 st inst . the strength of the army was 4 , 000 below the establishment of last year ; but it was up to the number which the Government proposed to retain . —In reply to Mr . AVhite , the Chancellor of the Exchequer said the Government had no intention of granting a subsidy to the Company of African Merchants , with tho view of enabling them to put a

number of trading steamers on the Niger . —Mr . Layard repudiated as a hoax a paper on the Schleswig-Holstein question , which Sir Harry A erney described as purporting to be a despatch written by Earl Russell . —On the motion for going into Committee of Supply , the debate on Mr . Hennessy's resolution on the state of Ireland was resumed by Mr . Roebuck , who

submitted that from 1820 down to the present time Ireland has had very little reason to complain of the conduct of England , and that her miseries were only perpetuated by the quarrels of her own children . The debate was continued by Lord Dunlcellin , Sir Hugh Cairns , Mr . Lowe , and other members , and ultimately negatived by a large majority . On Tuesday Mr . Holland gave notice of a Bill on a subject which is exciting a good deal of interest in some of the agricultural districts—the

travelling of locomotives on turnpike roads . —Mr . Dillwyn announced his intention of again bringing the question of the Irish Church before Parliament . —Sir John Pakington moved for a select committee to inquire into the constitution of the Committee of Council on Education , and the system under which

tbe business of the office is conducted ; and Mv . Walter proposed the addition of the words , " and also into the best mode of extending the benefits of Government inspection and the parliamentary grant to schools at present unassisted by the State . " Mr . AA alter said that , while large sums had been expended on normal schools , training colleges , and pupil teachers , a great

portion of tbe rural districts had received no assistance from the Committee of Council . This he considered an unsatisfactory state of things ; and his object was to induce the Government and Parliament to extend the benefits of tbe grant annually made for educational purposes . Mr . Lowe opposed both the motion and tbe amendment , and warmly defended tbe

department over which he so lately presided . Mr . Bruce , Mr . Lowe ' s successor as vice-president of tbe Committee of Council , also defended the existing organisation , but he intimated , on the part of the Government , that no opposition would be offered either to Sir John Pakington ' s resolution or to Mr . AValfcer's rider . After some further discussion the resolution , with the

addition , was agreed to . -On AA ednesday , Sir Fitzroy Kelly's Bill for the amendment of the law of evidence was read a second time , the discussion upon the various provisions of the measure being postponed until tbe Committee . —Mr . Clifford obtained leave to bring in a Bill for the abolition of fines for non-attendance at church on Sundays . —Several Bills Avere advanced a stage . GENERAL HO . ME NEAA 3 . —According to the weekly return of the Registrar General last week the births exceeded the deaths

in each of tbe 'principal ten towns of the kingdom , ex : cept Dublin . The rate of mortality per thousand in London is still high compared with the average of the last ten years , but it is exceeded by six of the towns , on a level with one ( Birmingham ) , and there are only two ( Salford and Bristol ) that show more favourably . The total number of deaths in London was 1 , 590 , against 2 , 290 births . We have to record a favourable change

in the weekly statement of pauperism in the cotton manufacturing districts . Nine unions have increased by 560 , comparing tbe third with the second week of the present month ; four remained unchanged , aad fifteen decreased by 1 , 290 . Hence there is a net diminution in the twenty-eight unions of 730 . Ashton-undei ' -Lyne union has decreased 140 ; Chorlton , 120 ;

Glossop , 240 ; Manchester , 210 ; Preston , 160 ; and Stockport , 110 . There ivas last week a falling off of 340 in the number of adult able-bodied paupers . The outdoor relief distributed by the Guardians amounted to £ 6 , 073 , or £ 3 , 057 less than in the corresponding week of 1864 . Lord AVilloughby D'Eresby , joint hereditary great chamberlain of England , died on

Wednesday week . He is succeeded in the peerage by his only son , the Hon . Alberic Drummond-Willoughby . The body of the late Duke of Northumberland ivas buried in tbe Percy Chapel , in AA estminster Abbey , on Saturday . There was a large assemblage of people in the Abbey , and the line of the procession from Northumberland House was densely thronged . Lord

Enfield has been appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Poor-law Board , in the room of Mr . Gilpin . Our " declared" exports in the year 18 G 4 amounted in value to £ 160 , 000 , 000—that is to say , thoy were £ 14 , 000 , 000 in excess of those for 1 S 63 , and £ 36 , 000 , 000 in excess of those for 1 S 62 . An official return shows that the strength of the Lancashire volunteer force at the close of 1 S 64 was 18 , 562 , against 17 , 798 in the previous year . This progress is sa