The Week.

the Court complained thafc the original estimate had already been exceeded by £ 6 , 000 , but the Court determined , by a large majority , to spend the £ 15 , 000 more . The Metropolitan Board of Works held a meeting last week , when the chairman congratulated the Board on the passing of the Metropolitan Sewage Bill , and on the fact that the Prince of AVales recorded his vote in its favour . A petition to the Board to ask

Parliament for powers to deal with dilapidated houses was reported unfavourably on by a committee . The Board adopted the report . Mr . Tidcl Pratt refused to certify some alterations in the rules of the United Temperance Sick ancl Burial Society of St . Patrick , on the ground that the circumstances under which the alterations ivere made appeared to him to be

illegal . Application was made to the Court of Queen's Bench for a mandamus to compel him . The application was made on the ground that the registrar hacl no right to take into account the outside circumstances of the case ; but the Lord Chief Justice , without hearing the application out , asked how the Court ivere to compel Mr . Pratt to change his opinion . The

Court unanimously refused the rule . Some time ago a newspaper ivas advertised to be issued , under the title of The Correspondent . On tbe eve of publication the proprietors received a notice that the title had already been registered by another company , and they Avere therefore debarred from its use . The proprietors then changed their title to The PtMic

Correspondent . Even this change did nofc satisfy the original registerers , ancl they applied to Alee- Chancellor Page AA'ood for tin injunction against the publication . The learned judge , however , considering that the publishers of The Public Correspondent had been allowed to advertise their publication for weeks together Avithout any intimation that they ivere encroaching on the title of another ,

refused to interfere afc this stage of the proceedings . An ingenious fraud upon the Post-office ivas brought to light at Bow-street Police-office on Saturday . A man pretending to be a Post-office inspector went down to the village of Nether Stowey , near Bridgwater , got hold of the forms for granting money orders , with the corresponding letters of advice , aud then forged orders for £ 600 , a good portion of which was drawn

in London . The ingenious thief has not yet been detected , but a man named Wilson Avas brought up on the charge of applying for and obtaining the money on the faith of these orders , and he has been remanded till Monday , ivhen further evidence was adduced , which sufficiently identified him as one of the men ivho carried out the swindle , and he was committed for

trial . In the course of the last few months , several attempts have been made to break into the house of Mr . Debenham , a surgeon , residing in Commercial-road East , London . On Monday night , Mr . Debenham- ivas aroused by a noise in the rear of his house , and ou looking out saw a man near the kitchen window . He challenged him , and , having received no reply , fired

at him— -intending , as was afterwards explained , to frighten rather than hurt the intruder . The bullet , however , entered the man ' s head , killing him on the spot . Mr . Debenham at ¦ once informed tlie police of what had occurred , ancl he was brought up before the Thames magistrate , and remanded on ¦ bail . The body of the unfortunate man who w-as shot has been

identified . He turns out not to have been a burg-lar afc all , but a working man , who had taken too much liquor at a friend ' s house , not far from Mr . Debenham ' s premises , and who in that state had clambered over the Avail . The coroner ' s inquest was held on Wednesday , when the jury returned a verdict that the

deceased died from a pistol-shot ivound , and that the pistol was discharged with the intention only of frightening the deceased . A few nights ago a man named Brown , a coachman

ivas set upon in St . John ' s-wood and received severe injuries , of which ho died . A man named Comber , a cab proprietor , ivas apprehended on the charge of having attacked the deceased . Afc the inquest it was elicited that the prisoner ' s wife ivas in the habit of neglecting her husband and children to go ivith the deceased , and that the prisoner , meeting them together , became enraged , and dealt him a blow which proved mortal . The jury

returned a verdict of manslaughter , and censured the wife . At the Clerkeuwell Police-court a charge of a somewhat singular character was preferred against a man named Gurge , ivho possesses an atlas . It appeared from the evidence that this person was in the habit of defrauding sergeants in the metropolitan police by pretending to make discoveries of robberies which

had never taken place , and fco give them information concerning the [ appropriation of goods which further inquiry proved had never been stolen . The evidence of the police sergeants who were examined revealed great ingenuity and consummate impudence on the part of the prisoner . He ivas committed for trial . A woman named Ross was tried before a Middlesex

jury on a charge of cruelty to her own child . The wretch had seared ifc on the face and hands with an iron she hacl made redhot for the purpose . The jury did agree that this was an unduly severe mode of chastisement , and found her guilty of a common assault . The judge sentenced her to three months ' hard labour . A robbery took place about a fortnight ago at

the banking-house of Messrs . Prescott and Co ., in the City . This time suspicion has fallen nut upon burglars working from the outside bufc upon one of the porters , who slept upon the premises , a young man named Prendergast , ivho , ivith his uncle , was brought before the Lord Mayor on Saturday , the hitter charge ' . ! as a receiver . The sum sfoien was £ ' 135 , all in silver , and made up iu bags . Part of the money is said to

have been traced to the possession of the prisoners . lhe Lord Mayor remanded both . The vexed question of the right of music-halls to give entertainments having resemblance to stage representations ivas again before Mr . Tyrwhitt , the police magistrate . Mr . Wigan , on tbe part of the theatre managers , some time ago applied for ancl obtained an order to stop a musical ballet which Mr . Strange had got up for the frequenters

of tho Alhambra . The Middlesex magistrates , on appeal , reversed this decision , and refused fco give a esse for the decision of the superior courts . A fresh summons having been taken out , Sir . Tyrwhitt now decided in accordance with the judgment of the magistrates , but intimated his ivillingness to grant a case that the matter might be decided by the proper authorities .

Application has been made to the Court of Queen ' s . Bench on behalf of Mr . AVaters , the late steward of the Earl of Shaftesbury , who is now charged ivith embezzlement , to have the case tried at the Central Criminal Court in place of the Dorchester Assizes . The grounds are the great influence which Lord Shaftesbury possesses in the county as lord-lieutenant and

a large laudoAvnev . The Court granted a rule nisi . A prosecution of three girls , for annoying the St . Mary's Hospital at Brighton , which has become so notorious in connection with the case of Constance Kent , brought out some details of the interior economy of that establishment . Miss Greamo gave evidence in support of the charge against the

girls , two of whom had been inmates of the hospital ; and , in cross-examination , she stated that she was in the habit of confining refractory girls in a room by themselves . Two of the offenders were bound over to keep the peace ; the third girl was discharged . It was stated at the Oxford Police Court , on Friday week , thafc a gentleman , of military appearance , who represented himself to be in the service of Garibaldi , had been staying in Oxford , and had induced a number of young men