The Week.

cline . The births were 1835 , which is rather under the ten years' average . The Registrar General ' s return for the past quarter discloses the painful fact that the mortality of England , during the months of July , August , and September , was heavier than that of any summer quarter since 1854 , a year of epidemic cholera . The deaths for the winter , spring , and summer quarters

Irave been 123 , 524 , 118 , 375 , and 112 , 334 ; against 122 , 192 , 107 , 555 , and 92 , 225 in the corresponding periods of the previous year . It is a remarkable circumstance that , notwithstanding all the suffering the cotton districts have experienced since the outbreak of the American war , " Lancashire has not suffered more than most parts of the country , but less than

some "—less , for example , than Yorkshire , and the south eastern , south western , south midland , west midland , north midland , and northern counties . Numerous , however , as were the deaths , they were largely exceeded by the birthsthe excess , which represents the natural increase of the population for the quarter being 60 , 741 . Mr .

Farnall ' s weekly report shows that a further decrease of 1255 has taken place in the number of persons receiving parochial relief in the cotton-manufacturing districts . Since the Sth of December last , there has been a total decrease of 142 , 000 , but our pauperism is still 175-5 per cent , higher than it was two years ago . The Bank of England rate of discount

has been raised from 4 to 6 per cent . At a meeting of the committee appointed at the Mansion House , to raise a memorial to the late Prince Consort , the Lord Mayor presiding , a report was read from a sub-committee stating that the sum raised , and now in their hands for the purposes of this memorial , amounted to upwards of £ 54 , 000 , a large portion of which had been raised in small sums from the middle ancl working classes . As it appeared by a communication from the

Queen , her Majesty desired all monies so raised to be handed to certain trustees whom she had appointed for that , purpose , it was agreed that the subscriptions so raised should be paid to the trustees . The Gazette contains the official despatches from our minister at Japan , and our admiral on the station , respecting the attack on Kagosima . The action was a very gallant one , being fought iu the midst of a typhoon ; ancl both

Colonel Neale ancl Admiral Kuper express their opinion that the squadron did not withdraw until they had accomplished every purpose of retribution which so small a force would venture to exacl . Thc admiral deplores the severe loss to his squadron which the service lost . The embankment of the north side of the Thames has at last been begun . One of the caissons ,

within which tho river wall is to be built , is now fixed in its place , and it is to be hoped the work will now go on continuously . The portion of the embankment from AAliterloo Bridge to Blaekfriars has still to he contracted for . There were very heavy gales on Thursday , Friday , and Saturday which caused much damage in many parts of the country . At the New Cross

station of the London and Brighton Railway an engine shed was blown down on Friday . One man was killed , ancl three others were very seriously injured . The property destroyed is valued at several thousand pounds . The iron-clad frigate Prince Consort , which was on her . way from Plymouth to the Mersey , was overtaken by the gale on Thursday , and sprung a

leak in mid-channel . The captain at first purposed to run for Holyhead , but not having a pilot on board he thought it better not to attempt that port . Fortunately , however , he fell in with a fishing smack , and thus secured the services of the seaman who piloted the vessel into Kingston Roads . The officers and men were greatly exhausted from their efforts to keep her afloat , and as soon as she cast anchor assistance had to be procured from the guardship Ajax .

The gale raged round the whole of our coast . From Cornwal to Caithness , and on both sides of the island , there come long and dreary lists of shipwreck—of vessels driven ashore and many of them becoming total wrecks . The loss of life , we are glad to say , has been greatly diminished in consequence of the admirable manner in which life boats have been stationed all

round the island . There is hardly a place where a shipwreck occurred that has not some stirring tale to tell of the gallantry and daring of the life boats' crews and of their services in saving life . One of the fleet of steamers that are employed to bring cattle over to the London market from Northern Germany has not made her appearance , nor has any news been

heard of her ; others that have come in report great destruction among the cattle arising from the fury of the gale . ¦ The total loss , by fire , of tbe London and New York packetship Amazon , 2000 tons , off the Foreland , took place on AVedncsday morning . Nothing seems to have been saved , the passengers and crew losing all on hoard in the general

conflagration . In the Court of Queen ' s Bench an application has been made for u criminal information against the chief of the City detectives , ancl which , when tried , promises to throw some curious light on the proceedings of our detective officers . It will be recollected that a German named Dietrichstein , some time ago , perpetrated a clever fraud by the purchase of shares

to the extent of £ 10 , 000 late on a Saturday night , for which he gave a cheque . The shares were converted into money , and the possessor was on the Continent before it was discovered that the cheque was worthless . Tho police authorities suspected that a Mr . AA ' olfe knew something of Dietrichstein and his doings , and they appointed men to ; watch his house and to follow him about everywhere , night and day . For this annoyance Mi-. AA'olfe has brought his action , and it remains to be

seen whether the law will allow this species of moral torture . In the Court of Exchequer , the Attorney General applied to have tbe time enlarged for moving for a new trial in the case of the Alexandra . There appeared , however , to be some misunderstanding about the form in _ which ' the bill of exceptions has been tendered , ancl the matter was ordered to lie over . At the Central Criminal Court the prisoner George Turner , who

escaped conviction for having falsely pretended to have authority to sell an advowson , has been found guilty of defrauding a tradesman of some silk , and other convictions having been proved against him , he was sentenced to penal servitude for seven years . The extensive ancl lamentable strike at the collieries of Messrs . Straker and Love , in the Auckland district ,

appears to be further than ever from a peaceful settlement . The men are all firm in their demands , and the proprietors are equally decided not to give way . On AA ednesday week , upwards of 150 men , women , and children were turned out of their cottages at the village of Sunny brow , and , on the following day about 200 persons were similarly evicted at Oakenshaw . The

weather was wet and boisterous on Thursday ; but the colliers who were turned out of their dwellings seem , on the whole , to have behaved i \ ell . The church at Oakenshaw was thrown open for the temporary shelter of the evicted . The scoundrel Broadbent , who inveigled a girl named Thorpe away from her home , near Halifax , by a promise of immediate marriage , and

afterwards robbed and deserted her , has been sentenced to seven years' penal servitude at the Salford sessions . An accomplice , named Fox , was , it may be remembered , convicted some time ago , sentenced to penal servitude for three years . In an encounter between some gamekeepers and a gang of poachers at AVomersley , near Pontefract , on Saturday morning , one of the keepers was deliberatel y fired at , and wounded in the face . The poachers have so far escaped detection . A farmer , named