The Week.

COMMERCIAL . —At the half yearly meeting of the Bank of Egypt it was announced that the profits amounted to £ 11 , 148 , from which a dividend was declared at the rate of 7 per cent , per annum , free of income tax . After the dishursment of this dividend , representing £ S , 750 , a balance of £ 2 , 398 will remain to be carried forward . At the tenth annual meeting of the Kent Mutual Life Assurance Society , the report presented showed that during the year ending March 25 th last 336 policies had been issuedassuring £ 129 , 760

, , , producing in new cash premiums £ 4 , 621 5 s . The total premium income , with interest , & c , ammounted to £ 28 , 031- 7 s . 3 d . The accumulated fund had been increased to £ 42 , 548 . The claims , with bonuses , had amounted to £ 7 , 310 , or less by £ 423 than in the previous year . The report of the Loudon Discount Compatvy was adopted at the meeting held on Tuesday . Tho great point brought under notice was tfie losses in the leather trade , but the clear exposition made on the part of the board was accepted

, though the suspension of a dividend was recommended . It was estimated that the amount of paper held at the time of the failure of Messrs Streatfield and the other parties was £ 52 , 000 , of which £ 14 , 000 had been paid , leaving £ 3 S , 000 to be dealt with , and the ultimate sacrifice was estimated as nearly as possible at £ 21 , 000 . To meet this there was the £ 9 , 000 carried forward , the profit of the half-year , and £ 3 , 000 , the reserve fund , so that £ 9 , 000 will still have to be provided . The dividend declared at the

halfyearly meeting of the General Iron Screw Collier Company ivas at the rate of 10 per cent , per annum , and it is stated that there will then be about £ 1 S , 000 available funds to meet the liabilities which may arise from the legal proceedings which it is believed may follow from differences with parties with whom the company have had business transactions . The half-yearly dividend of the Loudon and North A \ estern Bailway will be at the rate of 5 cent

per , per annum ; South AA estern 4-i per cent . ; Ofreat Western 3 per cent . ; North London 5 per cent . ; London and Blakwall 8 per cent . ; Lancashire and Yorkshire 5 * per cent . ; Stockton and Darlington 9 per cent . ; Maryport and Carlisle 5 J- per cent . ; Hull and Holder - ness 3 per cent .

Notes On Music And The Drama.

NOTES ON MUSIC AND THE DRAMA .

The Royal Italian Opera closed its of the season on Saturday evening . The chief events have been tho introduction of Madame Csillag and M . Fauro to tho London public , the opening of the new Floral Hall , the first performance in this country of Ofluck's " Orfeo , " and the revival of Meyerbeer ' s " Le Prophete . " The final retirement of Madame Grisi ( promised in the prospectus ) would have made , of course , one more " event , " but the lady

retired not . The next season at the Lyceum Theatre promises to be one of more than ordinary interest and attraction . Madame Celeste having terminated a most successful engagement at the Theatre Royal , Dublin , has left England for France and Germany , in search of novelties , and is resolved to leave nothing undone to to entitle her to success .

The Brothers Brough ' s burlesque of the " Enchanted Isle " originally produced ( in London ) at this theatre , and performed recently at Drury-lanc in aid of the Brough Memorial Fund , is in active rehearsal and will shortly be produced at the Adelphi Theatre .

Mr . Mellon will commence a series of promenade concerts in the Floral Hall on Monday next . At Dresden , a son of Schnorr , the celebrated painter of subjects from the "Niebelungen" has made a saceesstaidebut as a singer , as leading tenor in one of AA'agner ' s operas . It is reported that Miss Pyne and Mr . Harrison are going on a tour to California , & c ., soon after their next winter campaign

is over . It is stated that AOle , Tietjens has abandoned the idea of taking part in any of the English operas to be produced during the winter season . The difficulty that the A iennese donna meets with in her attempts to acquire the English language is the cause assigned . Ofluck ' s " Armida " is to be given as concert music at Manchester , on the 20 th of September , with 31 . Halle for conductor .

If we are to trust the Gazelle Mnsicale . ( which journal , however , it must be said , does not shine iu ( lie correctness of its foreign correspondence ) , during the campaign of the A'ienna winter operaseason , "Alma , " an opera by Herr Lowe , will bo among the novelties , and amongst the revivals , the " Olrt ' eo " of Ofliiek . At St . Petersburg is to be given during the autumnal ( or native ) seasons , a .

Notes On Music And The Drama.

national opera , "The Brigands of the Volga , " with music by M . Villebois . There has been another singing festival in the rose-district of France , held at Provins , during the middle of last month . For the coming Italian winter season in Paris , it appears that neither Madame 13 orghi-Mamo nor Signo Tamberlik is engaged . Si Mario and Gardoni is Si Pancanianother tenor

gnor are ; so gnor , , who is new ( or we are in error ) on this side of the Alps . Mesdames Penco and Alboni will also re-appear . Madame A ^ era-Lorini ( of whose skill as an actress we are assured by those in which in whom reliance may be jilaced ) is to beprimadonna at the Tealro San Carlo of Naples . On the 19 th ult . a festival was held at Giessen in memory of

j Spohr , at which his Overtures to " Jessonda" and " Der Berggeist , " ! and his Symphony " The Power of Sound , " were performed under the auspices of Herr Bott , one of the great violinist ' s pupils . Mdlle . Marimon ' s debut is shortly expected to take place at the Opera Comique , in Anber ' s "Diainants de la Couronne . " Thist gifted young arlisle is also engaged at Baden for the month of September to fill the principal part in an opera written bMeryand the

y , music of which has been composed exjiressly for her by Vivier . Mdlle . Marinion is one of Duprez ' s most brilliant pupils . Bazzini , the favourite violinist , has just passed through Paris from a very successful provincial and foreign - tour , on his way to Boulogne . He had the honour of performing before the Congress of Sovereigns lately assembled at Baden , and thence proceeded to Strasbourg ]] , Cohnar , Dijon , and other towns , where his

performance excited an extraordinary degree of enthusiasm . Mr . Henry Phillips , the eminent English vocalist , is now busy on a cantata , entitled " The Day of Devotion . " Speaking from report , this composition is likely to meet with considerable favour . The probability is that it will be brought out in the provinces . AVe observe an announcement of the decease of Airs . AVilliam Ferguson , late Miss Kate Beverley , who died in London of pneumonia on Monday last , at the early age of twenty-seven , much regretted and respected .

To Correspondents.

TO CORRESPONDENTS .

H . J . G . —The son of a Freemason cannot be initiated into Freemasonry under the age of 21 , without a dispensation ; and that will not be granted without due cause shown for departing from the established rule . In Oxford many young men , though not the sons of Masons , are initiated at eighteen , advantage being taken of their residence at the University , for introducing them into the

Order . R . E . X . —Tho petitioning brethren are at once constituted of a new Lodge under the warrant . Brethren are entitled on their initiation , to claim to be admitted as members of the Lodge , but do not necessarily become so , as gentlemen are sometimes initiated immediately , previous to going abroad , and it would not be

convenient for them to become members . A . —Shall hear from us . J . V . H ., T . S ., R . M . E ., V . F ., and several others , whose communications arrived too late , will be answered in our next .

To Our Readers.

TO OUR READERS .

Last week ( August 4 ) , our Publishing Office was removed to No . 5 , Salisbury Street , Strand , ( "W . C ) , in order to bring the Avhole of our business arrangements under one roof . We shall , shortly , introduce various neAv features in

the literary portion of tlie MACAZIXE , AVJU ' CII Ave hope ivill meet inth the ; i |) pi'obation of our Subscribers .