The Week.

A sergeant of the 3 rd Buffs , named Maghe , took lodgings at Guildford , a few days ago , for himself and a woman whom he represented to be his wife . Nothing was seen of them on Thursday week , and , as they did not make their appearance on Friday morning , the door of their room was forced open . The woman was then found dead—she had evidently been strangled ; while jVTaghe lay beside her , apparently dying from a frightful wound

in the throat , which must have been self-inflicted . It is , how-• ever , thought that the man may recover . On Saturday night a shocking series of murders took place in a cab in one of our public streets . Between eight and nine o ' clock a man named Hunt called a cab at the Great Eastern Railway station , and got into it with his wife and'two children . They had not gone

far till he stopped the cab and desired the cabman to bring a pint -of iile , which the cabman handed in , and it was drunk by ihe inmates of the cab . Oa reaching Holborn-hill the cab was stopped again , the man got out , professed to have an appointment , but paid the fare for the others , and desired the cabman to drive them to Westbourne-grove . On opening the door to

let them out the cabmen was horrified to find that the females whom he had seen enter the cab a few minutes before , in full health , were all lying dead at the bottom of the cab . The man is supposed to have poisoned them by prussic acid in their drink . Hunt was apprehended in his own house in Cainberwell , on Monday night , but in less than three quarters of an hour

after he was taken into custody he died from the effects of a poison believed to be aconite . It is supposed that he swallowed the poison before admitting the police officers into his residence . From the statements made by Hunt to the officers who apprehended him , it is believed that jealousy prompted Jiim to poison them . The tragedy has resulted in tho death of the whole family . The alleged murder and robbery in the

Old-streetroad , tlie victim being Edward A : al , a butcher—has been inquired into , but no decision has been arrived at . The suspected poisoning of a child by its mother at Kingsbury , near E-. lgware , has also formed the subject of inquiry before the coroner . The body will be exhumed , and also in all probability the body of the first child that died . A few days ago Dr . Ager , the head of a collegiate school at

Aylsluun , in Norfolk , was apprehended on a charge of having set lire to his house and school . The magistrates before whom . he was brought have decided that there was no foundation for the charge . Dr . Ager was set at liberty . An inquest has been held on the body of Mr . R . Pearce , a commercial traveller , who was robbed and garotted nearly two years ago . An open

verdict , declaring that murder was the cause of death , has been returned . The Court of Queen ' s Bench has granted a rule calling upon Mr . Pairy , who recently seized the Great Eastern for a debt , to show cause win- the judgment and execution by which he secured possession of the ship should not be set aside . An application has been made by the legal advisers of Col .

Crawley for a further postponement of the court-martial on that officer from Thursday to the 17 th instant . The application is based on the ground that the case for the defendant is in an incomplete state The matter awaits the decision of the Judge Advocate General . -AA e have all heard of Sterne ' s famous Iiiece of casuistry that a mother is no relation to her own child .

A corollary to this—namely , that an author has no copyright in liis own work—has been decided by A'ice-Chaneellor Page AA ood . Mr . Boueicault claimed to prohibit Mr . Delafiehl from performing the " Colhen Bawn . " Mr . Delafield pleaded that tho piece had been acted in America before it was brought out it England ; that it was , therefore , a foreign play , and as such he had a right to perform it , under the sanction and subject to the provisions of tho International Copyright Act . The

Vicc-Chancellor said the construction of the act left him no alternative ; he must hold that Mr . Boueicault had lost his title to prohibit the representation of the piece . The coast districts of North Lancashire have suffered greatly during the past week from floods . Largo tracts of land have been completely submerged , and the farmers have sustained very serious losses . At Garstang , Catterall , and other places , much

damage has also been done by the furious gales of last week . * At an early hour on Friday morning one of the stables of the Military Train at Aldershot was discovered to be on fire , and tbe flames made such rapid progress , that out of SS valuable horses stabled on the premises only 12 wore rescued , and 78 were consumed in their stalls . There was also much

destruction of saddles and other liorse gear , and tbe total loss of property is estimated at between £ 4000 and £ 5000 . The strike of the men employed in tho extensive collieries of Messrs . Straker and Love in the Auckland district may be considered at an end . A deputation of colliers had an interview with Mr . Love , and that gentleman made concessions which were

deemed satisfactory . There can be little doubt that all the men " out" will acquiesce in tho arrangement to which their representatives have given their assent . A serious affray between gamekeepers and poachers occurred a few evenings ago near Birtles Hall , a short distance from Macclesfield . Shots were fired , and some of the poachers were

severely wounded , but none of them seem to have been captured . Two men were subsequently taken into custody , but discharged . A labourer , named AA'illiam Hassall , has recently died in Delamere Forest under very mysterious circumstances . AVliile returning home about a month ago he was attacked by some persons unknown , and received injuries ivhich resulted fatally . Robbery was not the murderers' object . A reward has

been offered by the Government for the apprehension of the offenders . A fire which happened on AA ednesday in Redcrossstreet , Borough , has had a fatal result , a poor old woman—she was 84 years of age—having been burnt to death . FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE . —In the speech of the Emperor opening the French legislature he said , despite some local differences , he had but to congratulate himself on the result of

the elections , which had renewed the Legislative Body ; but nevertheless he reminded the members of the oath which they had all taken to him . French trade- was prosperous ; the harvest had been abundant ; and public works were actively prosecuted . The Finance Minister ' s report would show that , " if their hopes had not been completely realised , the revenue

had steadily risen , aud that without extraordinary resources they had met the expenses occasioned by the war in Mexico and in Cochin China . Sundry reforms in domestic legislation having been enumerated or recommended , the Emperor proceeded to advert to the expeditions to Cochin China aud Mexico . Those expeditions had been necessary , and French

sacrifices would be largely compensated when Mexico should have been placed under the rule of a prince " whom his enlightenment and his qualities render worthy of so noble a mission . " "Tho Polish question , " the Emperor then said " required more explanation . AVhen the insurrection broke out France and Russia wore on the best terms ; but he

had not hesitated to raise his voice in favour of a nation " the heir of a right ascribed in history and in treaties . " France could not act alone , for only an affront to her honour , or an attack upon her frontiers , would impose on her the duty of action " without preliminary concert . " It was , therefore , necessary to come to an understanding with other powers ; but " unhappily their disinterested counsels hud been interpreted as an intimidation , and the steps of England , Austria ,