The Week.

explained the " pecuniary transactions" which had led to Mr . Edmunds's resignation ; but , at tho same time , they "have no reason to believe that the Lord Chancellor was influenced by any unworthy or unbecoming motives . " As regards Lord Brougham , the Committee " express their gratification thafc the result of their inquiry should have been to remove the possibility of any suspicion attaching to the character of so

distinguished a member of the House . " -At the last meeting of tho Metropolitan Board of Works tho report of a committee was brought forward , recommending thafc the Board should buy up the private rights connected with the commons and open spaces in the neighbourhood of London , and keep them unenclosed for the recreation of the public ; tho money to be raised by the sale

of certain portions of those commons for building purposes . The report , after some discussion , ivas agreed to . A motion was made fco refer to the drainage committee tho question what special remuneration should be offered to the engineer and his assistant engineers for the successful manner in which they had carried through the main drainage scheme . This motion also

ivas adopted , though not without some hesitation ou the part of a minority . In the course of 'the discussion ifc was said to be in contemplation to present Mr . Bazalgette wifcli a gratuity of £ 10 , 000 , in addition to his salary . The Middlesex magistrates met on Tuesday to hear an appeal from the police magistrate Avho had convicted Mr . Strange , the

proprietor of the Alhambva , of acting stage plays iu the Alhambra Avithout a license . After hearing counsel on both sides and Avitnesses , the magistrates , who , ifc appeared had gone to witness the performance for themselves , gave their unanimous judgment , through Mr . Bodkin , the assistant judge , thafc in the performances there had been no infringement of the law or of the terms of the license . They therefore quashed the conviction , and refused

a case to take the matter to the Court ot Queens's Bench . A curious charge of libel was investigated at the Lambeth Police-Courfc on Saturday . Mr . Frederick Jacob Pillot ivas charged with libelling Mrs . Rachel Chappuis , and with seeking to extort money by threats . Mr . Pillott and Mr . Chappuis lived near each other afc Tulse-hill , ancl were on terms of close intimacy . Mr . Chappuis photographed some horses for Mr . Piilotfc ,

and as tho latter refused to pay for thein an action was brought in the Lord Mayor's Court , AS'hich resulted in a verdict for Mr . Chappuis for £ 35 15 s . This , of course , broke up the friendship , and a short time afterwards Mrs . Chappuis received a letter from the defendant , threatening to expose lier in sonic way il she did nofc pay the £ 35 15 s . back to him . The defendant mentioned

in his letter that he had the portrait of the lady , her wedding ring , a coin given to him by her , ancl her garter—and these , he said , he would produce in some way to ber detriment . She showed the letter to her husband , and while he and his solicitor were considering ivhat should be clone with it , another letter came trom the defendant , enclosing a photograph ol Mrs

Chappuis , pencilled in a disgraceful Avay . There was also another demand for repayment of the money . A warrant was at once obtained for the apprehension of the defendant , and he ivas brought up at Lambeth police-court on Saturday . The defence was , that pending the trial he hacl given tho money to settle the action to Mrs . Chappuis , ancl that as she had , nofc

applied ifc as requested , he ivas in his letters asking for ifc back . He was committed for trial for libelling Mrs . Chappuis , ancl the magistrate took time to consider ivhether he would commit the defendant also for seeking to extort money . At the Central Criminal Court the Grand Jury returned true bills against the Messrs . Barry , charged with certain frauds upon insurance companies . An application made to postpone the trial to the June sessions was acceded fco . John Samuelsoii , convicted of

The Week.

stealing £ 700 , the property of the Bank of England , was brought up and sentenced to five years' penal servitude . A young woman , named Elizabeth Sufcer , was charged with the murder of her illegitimate child . She had , beyond doubt , thrown it into the Serpentine , and ifc was found there dead The medical man who examined it , however , said there ivere no marks of drowning , and the defence ivas that the child died of

inanition before ifc was thrown into the water . The jury accepted this view of the matter and acquitted the prisoner . M'Naughtcn , who assassinated Mr . Edward Drummond , Sir Robert Peel's private secretary , in 1813 , died at the Broadmoor Lunatic Asylum the other clay . —•—A man named Moratti , a confectioner , living in the Hackncy-road , attempted to murder

his wife and to commit suicide . The couple had lived together unhappily , ancl once the wife left her husband , but subsequently returned to him . The other morning she was seen by a neighbour in the cistern of the house where she lived , ancl on being rescued ifc was found that her throat had been cut . She

said her husband hacl done it . On search being made m the house Moratti ivas found with his throat cut . Both he ancl his wife have been removed to the hospital , and it is not expected that they will live . Miss Constance Rent , who stands charged upon her own confession with the murder of her half brother , Francis Saville Kent , has been examined before the magistrates at Trowbridge , the result being that she was

committed for trial at the assizes . The Lady Superior of the Anglican convent afc Brighton , of ivhich the prisoner had been an inmate for some months , was among the Avitnesses examined . She gave the substance of Miss Kent's admissions to her on the subject of the murder . The prisoner told the witness that she did not kill the child because she disliked ifc , bufc from a feeling of revenge- against her stepmother . Several inquests have been held during the week . One on the

body of an olcl man who , though he appears to have saved some money , was an inmate of a common lodging-house . It was saicl that he had been drugged and robbed by two men who entered the place while the landlady was absent , poured some liquid down his throat , and then rilled his pockets ancl his bed , carrying off his money . The singular fact was that he does not appear to have been stupified by the drug , but ivas able , before he died , to give information who the men were that

made the attack upon him . The case was adjourned . An inquest was held afc Blackwall on the body of a woman named Bruce , who was drowned in the river on the 26 th April . Ou thafc clay she went with two other women to Blackwall , and they were drinking in an hotel there , when they were joined by a boatman named Nolan ancl another man . Bruce ancl one of the women agreed to go in a boat with the two men , ancl they went to Charlton . They had more drink there . When they

returned to Blackwall it was dark , and the second ivoman and one of the men got out , leaving Nolan and Bruce in the boat . A short time afterwards Nolan landed , and said Bruce had gone from the boat he did not know how . Her body was found the other clay .

To Correspondeints.

TO CORRESPONDEiNTS .

Z . Z . —1 . Entered Apprentices havo the same right of voting as other members . 2 . A brother elected W . M . in opposition to his own wish cannot be compelled to serve . He has only to refuse to go through the ceremony of installation , ancl there the matter ends . LIBRAIJJE . —1 . We know nothing of the words " usually sung after certain loclge toasts , " or the music . We never heard anything of the kind , and the practice must be local . 2 . Ifc

is totally impossible to give any reliable information relative to American Masonic publications , they having , Ave believe , mostly died out in the war . Let us hope they may bo revived in happier times . 3 . Le Monde Maconnique has no London agent . It may , however , be obtained through Bro . Spencer , Great Queen-street , or Bro . Triibner , Paternoster-roiv . BiiOMAATCKAM . —In England , the Knights Templar . On the Continent , about equal . J . K . —The ornamentation alluded to is not admissible .