Reviews.

nisation of the Grand Orient de France . The author finally arrives at the alternative of either a thorough internal reform of the Scottish Eite or secession of its adherents , with a view to join the province of the Grand Orient . The pieces justificatives which are appended appear to us to be certainly the most interesting portion

of Bro . Mabru ' s opitsculum . They contain various statistical and chronological data on Freemasonrj 7 , both in France and other countries , and a succinct account of the doings of the " most holy tribunal of Inquisition . " in Spain . From the latter we gather the fact that within 327 years ( i . e ., from 1481 to 1808 ) the Inquisition

caused 3-1 , ( 358 Spaniai-ds to be burnt alive , 18 , 0-19 burnt in ejjigie , 288 , 214 imprisoned for life , and upwards of 200 , 000 branded with dishonour . Altogether , the book , or , at least , some of its chapters , are well worth a perusal , though the high-sounding title is certainly objectionable in a work designed merely to expose abuses in a very diminutive section , of our Order .

The Week.

THE WEEK .

TEE COTJET . —Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse , and her Royal Highness Princess Helena , honoured the performance at the Royal English Opera , Covent Garden , with their presence ou the evening of the 9 th , and afterwards returned to Windsor Castle . On the 10 th inst ., Mr . Gale bad the honour of exhibiting to her Majesty who was accompanied by their Royal Highnesses Princess Helena , Princess

Beatrice , Prince Leopold , and Prince Louis of Hesse , his invention of rendering gunpowder non-explosive and restoring its explosive properties at pleasure . Tho Queen , their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia , Princess Helena , Princess Louise , and Princess Beatrice , with the ladies and gentlemen in waiting , attended Divine service on Sunday

morning last in the private chapel . The Very Rev . the Dean of Westminster preached the sermon . GENERAL HOME NEWS . —The mortality of the country is still on the increase . The deaths in the eleven chief towns in the kingdom amounted to 3 , 096 or 22 in the thousand . The lowest town in the list this week is Dublin , whose mortality stands at 23 ; London is 25 ; Liverpool maintains its evil eminence , being

as high as 42 ; with Leeds and Glasgow following next in the train . The London deaths were 1 , 404 , which is 138 above the average , though the cases of diarrhoea have fallen oft" nearly one-half . The births in all the towns amounted to 4 , 031 , of which 2 , 171 bejong to London , this number being fully 200 above the average . Thursday , the 9 th inst ., being Lord

Mayor's day , the streets leading from the Guildhall to Westminster were crowded from an early hour ; and the civic procession , although shorn of much of its mediaeval splendour , afforded considerable gratification and amusement to sightseers of both sexes . Lord Mayors appear to be especially favoured as to weather , for although cloudy the day was free from both

fog and rain until after tlie procession had ' returned to Guildhall . At the banquet in the evening there was a brilliant gathering . The renovated Guildhall was a blaze of light , and presented a magnificent appearance . Earl Russell responded to the toast of her Majesty ' s Ministers , and asked for confidence in his Ministerial arrangements . He avowed that he should be true

to the great principles he had always advocated , and should propose such measures as tbe times required . Mr . Gladstone responded to tbe toast of the House of Commons , avowing that

ifc would be found progressive and in accordance with the expressed desires of the people . It seems that the crew of the Stiendndoah have not been released upon parole , but that they are discharged unconditionally . The Government , it appears , ordered the release of all who were not British subjects , aud of course when this order was read , not one claimed to be a British subject , although it is notoiious that almost every man before

the mast was engaged in England . It is also stated that the men were all paid in American dollars provided by a notorious Southern house iu Liverpool . Waddell is still in that place , and is stated to have addressed a letter to Earl Russell , in which he says his last capture was made on the 28 th of June , and that it was not till the 2 nd of August that he heard with

certainty that the war was over . The inquest on tbe bodies of tbe poor fellows who lost their lives in the gas explosion at Nine Elms was resumed on the 9 th inst .,. Richard Harvey , tbe foreman stoker , was the first witness examined . He said that when he went into the meter-house before the explosion ho noticed a large volume of gas escaping from the side of the

tank into which the governor went . The evidence of this witness was of a very interesting character , and was given with great clearness . Several other witnesses were examined , and Dr . Letheby presented a report upon the matter . Tbe cause of the accident was made clear . One of the governors iu the meter-house had got displaced , by some one treading upon it .

The plasterers who were at work in the place did not know how to put the governors in order , and thus there was a great escape of gas , which became ignited . Tho jury found a verdict of " Accidental death , " and suggested that there should be protectors to the governors , so that inexperienced persons should be kept from them . Tom Sayers , the redoubtable ex-champion , is dead . The unfortunate man has been in failing health

for some time past . If there is one mode ot living more than another which ensures an early death it is that of a prize-fighter . Few pugilists live to be old men . His remains were interred at Highgate cemetery on Wednesday last . We regret to state that on Thursday afternoon Sir Charles Wood met with an . alarming accident . While hunting in the neighbourhood of

Doncasterihe was thrown from his horse , and unfortunately hurled against a stone wall . Nothing seems to be known in London of the actual condition of Sir Charles . He was picked up iu a state of insensibility , but subsequently recovered consciousness . It is said that he is not dangerously hurt . If we may credit the Lancet , the Cattle Plague Commissioners have

agreed upon their first report . The chief recommendation in this report seems to be that cattle shall not be moved to markets , but that the butchers shall kill them where they are fed , and thus prevent the possibility of the spread of the contagion . Letters were read at the meeting of the Metropolitan Board of Works on the 10 th inst ., which show that the

Vauxhall and Southwark Water Company refuse to lay their mains in the subway iu Southwark-street . The Board resolved to lay this correspondence before the vestries and the Home Secretary . Ifc is most heartily to be desired that the gas and water companies should be compelled by Parliament lo use subways where they exist . Our readers have often heard of the dark arches

of the Adelphi , and of the miserable wretches who seek refuge there by night . An incident which occurred there on Thursday week was the subject of a brief inquiry at Bow-street . Three boys were charged with having bcen . found in the dark arches in a state of nudity ; and it appeared that having gone there to procure a night ' s lodging , they were set upon by a party of

Irishmen and completely stripped . The prisoners , who said they were out of work , had been provided with clothing from the workhouse , and were discharged . Stephens , the Fenian