The Week.

GENEEAL HOME NEWS . —December brings a decrease from the high rate of mortality whieh prevailed through November , but it is still considerably above the average . The deaths last week were 1619 ; the week before fchey were 1745 . The average for the last ten years would be 1393 , showing an excess of 226 over the average rate of deaths . The causes of the increase are chiefly to be traced to diseases of the zymotic class— -measles ,

scarlatina , and typhus . Tbe births were IS' 2 ' 2 , being rather under tbe average , 1840 .- A meeting was held at the London Tavern , ou AVednesday , to express sympathy with the Greeks in respect of their late revolution . Mr . Crawford , M . P ., presided . Mr . Baillie Cochrane , M . P ., moved the first resolution , and Mr . H . Seymour , M . P ., moved the second . The first declared the

gratification of the meeting at the efforts being made by tho Greeks for the political representation of their country . The second expressed the conviction that in the reorganisation of their political a / fairs tho Greeks will most scrupulously respect the rights of other States . Interesting speeches were made in support of these resolutions which were carried .

The Smithfield Club Cattle Show opened on Saturday , when the prizes were awarded , and the members and friends of the society admitted to a private view . The show is of a full average as regards quality , and in point of quantity there is said to be quite one-fourth more of animals in the different classes exhibited than were ever brought together in the old

hall in Baker-street . The new building is found to be more commodious in its area , ancl satisfactory in its arrangements for setting off the animals to the best advantage , while the thousands that now annually crowd to the show will find their comfort in going round in no way deteriorated . In the course of Saturday their Eoyal Highnesses the Prince of Wales , Prince Arthur , tbe Duke of Cambridge , the Princess Mary of

Cambridge , ancl some other members of the Eoyal family , visited the Hall , ancl took much interest iu the inspection of the stock . During the week the show has beeu very fully attended . The Metropolitan Board of Works held a meeting last week , at which the report of a committee was brought up estimating the expenditure of the board for next year afc £ 132 , 820 . In this was included an item of £ 10 , 000 for local street improvements ;

but an amendment was made to raise that sum to £ 50 , 000 . A smart debate ensued on the question ; but in the end the original proposition was carried by a large majority : A report was read from Mr . Bazalgefcte detailing the progress made in the various sewage works . Mr . Leatham , M . P . for Huddersfield , has addressed his constituents . Reviewing the last

session , he treats it as miserably unproductive of good measures —an opinion from which few will dissent . The chief topic of his speech , however , was tho American war , which he regards entirely from a Northern point of view , and labours hard to show that it is a war for ancl against slavery . Afc the Westminster Police Court on Wednesday , a woman named Mary Ann

Everett , and described as dirty-looking , was charged with being drunk and creating a disturbance about the house of a Mr . Craven of St . Michael ' s-terrace , Pimlico . Mr . Craven proved the facts , and mentioned that the woman hacl been in the habit of obtaining money by intimidating his wife . This led to au inquiry as to the ground of the intimidation , when it came out that the

prisoner was the mother of Mrs . Craven , and that for fourteen years Mr . Craven had been ignorant of the fact . More than this : the person who hacl been acting as servant in Mr . Craven's house he had now discovered to be his wife ' s sister . The mother he had often seen at the house , but she had been described as a charwoman visiting the servant . The magistrate expressed disbelief in the story , but Mr . Craven declared that it was true , and the prisoner confirmed him . A case of some importance

to dissenting congregations has been decided by A ice Chancellor Kindersley . It has been before his court on argument for some time past . The Baptist congregations in England are divided in opinion on this question—whether persons who have not submitted to the rite of immersion as converts ought to be admitted to the communion of the Lord ' s Supper with those who have ? It appears that the trust deed of a Baptist chapel in

Ramsgate required that the chapel should always be used as a place of worship for particular Baptists , and this was interpreted to mean that only Baptists should be admitted to the communion . As the present minister , fche Rev . Mr . Ethoridge , has departed from that practice , and , with the consent of a majority of his people , admitted to the communion persons

baptised in infancy , this action was brought to eject him and his adherents from the building . The Alee Chancellor , however , ¦ decided that the exclusion of adherents to infant baptism never was an opinion generally prevailing among the Baptists , that it was a mere matter of church order , which the minister and congregation for the time being had a right to vary , and he

therefore dismissed the application with costs . In the Court of Common Pleas have beeu two important questions raised . In the first case the widow of a man who was killed by the fall of some flagstones that went over a deep chasm in the Wafcerlooroad , sued the landlord of the property for damages , which was resisted on the plea that the man had no business there , and

was in fact a trespasser : The jury found for the widow , and gave damages to the extent of £ 180 , subject to fche decision of the points of law that were raised . In the second case a tradesmen , at Plymouth , who had been engaged by the superintendent of agents in tho notorious Bank of Deposit to become local agent for the Bank of Deposit , sued Lord Keane and the other directors for the damages he hacl sustained in purse and

character by the failure of the bank . The point raised was whether the superintendent of agents had the authority of the defendants to engage the plaintiff . A verdict was directed for the defendant , with leave to the plaintiff to tender a bill of exceptions or move the Court above . Two actions for damages for false imprisonment have been tried in the Court of Exchequer , both arising out of the same affair

Ellen Ricketts , the daughter of a publican in Clerkenwell , accompanied by a young man named John Doughty , went to the Foresters' Fete at the Crystal Palace on the 19 th of August last . In the evening , finding great crowding at the station , they walked to Anerly , and , while waiting for the train , a Mr . Stone , the defendant in the present actions , charged Doughty

with stealing his watch , and both he and Ricketts were taken to tho police-station afc Norwood . Next morning they were brought up at Lambeth police-court , and Mr . Stone swore that he found Ricketts' hand in his pocket . Mr . Elliott remanded them both for a week , aud they remained in prison during that time , bail not being admitted by Mr . Norton , to whom

application was subsequently made . On the rehearing of the case the two were discharged , ancl now brought these actions . The defendant repeated his statements as to finding Ricketts' hand in his pocket , ancl also as to Doughty having said he believed he knew who had the watch . The jury , however , found for the plaintiffs in both actions , giving Miss Ricketts £ 25 damages ,

and Doughty £ 15 . An important lunacy case , Hall v . Semple , has been brought to a close in the Court of Queen ' s Bench , after a trial extending over four days . The plaintiff a tradesman , had lived very unhappily wifch his wife , who appears to have come to the conclusion that her husband was insane , and ought to be placed under restraint . She consulted the defendant , who is a physician , and another medical mau , named Guy , and relying upon her statements as to the violent conduct and