The Week.

which had been subscribed for by ladies of the northern counties of the Principality . These jewels consisted of a leek formed of emeralds and diamonds , and earrings and brooch to correspond . The "Oxford Commemoration" commenced on Sunday . Dr . Pusey preached the " Commemoration" sermon in St . Mary ' s Church to a crowded congregation , when most of the eminent visitors to the University were present . Another sermon by

Canon Stanley , the representative of the Broad Church party , contained references to the controversies of the present day . 'The Prince and Princess of Wales assisted at the Commemoration on Tuesday . Their arrival in Oxford was marked with the most lively demonstrations of loyalty and affection—demonstrations , in fact , only too lively , for in their eagerness to obtain a

near view of the Royal personages the crowd broke through the arrangements made for keeping the rnadway clear , and a scene of confusion , similar to that in the City on the 7 th of March , took place . Their reception by the undergraduates in th e Sheldonian Theatre , where the Earl of Derby , as chancellor , presided , was of the most enthusiastic character . The diploma of D . C . L . was presented to the Prince . The same degree was conferred on Prince Louis of Hesse , and on the chief officers of

the households of the Prince and Princess of Wales . Lord Granville , the Duke of Newcastle , the Danish Minister , Mr . Cardwell , Mr . Whiteside , Sir Stafford Northcote , Sir Hugh Cairns , and Mr . Seymour Fitzgerald received the honorary degree of D . C . L . on Wednesday . In the course of Tuesday afternoon the Royal party went to Trinity , entering by the grand garden gates , which have not before been opened since

George III . passed through them , and in the evening their Royal Highnesses attended the ball given by the brethren of the Apollo University Lodge of Freemasons , the scene being most brilliant . It is rumoured that the Prince and Princess intend to assist at the opening of the Halifax new Town Hall early in , '! uly . The Queen of Prussia left Berlin on Monday for Brussels ,

where she paid a short visit to King Leopold , afterwards embarking , at Ostend for England , to visit our Gracious Queen at Windsor Castle . The Gazelle records the nomination of Earl Grey to be a member of the Most Noble Order of the Garter . It has been decided by the Corporation of York to invite the Prince and Princess of Wales to honour their ancient city with a visit . In the . event of this invitation being accepted , an effort will be made to arrange a grand review of the Volunteers of the north of England by the Prince .

larpEitiAir PARLIAMENT . —In the HOUSE OP LORDS on Thursday , 13 th inst ., Lord Carnarvon , who strongly denounced the compact between Prussia and Russia with regard to the Polish insurrection , asked whether the Foreign Secretary could give any further information respecting the provision of the convention . Lord Russell said he could add nothing to what

had already been made public in the papers laid before Parliament . There had been " every kind of contradiction" with respect to the terms of this convention , but whatever its true character might be , it went beyond the arrangements which Prussia would be justified in making to prevent the insurrection extending into Prussian Poland . On Friday Lord

Westbury , unappalled by the ill-luck which has attended so many previous efforts in the same direction , brought in a bill providing for the revision and consolidation of the statute law . The bill was read a first time . —Lord Russell contradicted the statements which have been made respecting the health of Mr . Bishop , who is at present undergoing a term of imprisonment

in Italy , for carrying treasonable correspondence between Naples and Rome . The Marquis of Normanby , however , asserted in reply , that Mr . Bishop since his incarceration , had suffered from the rupture of three blood vessels . —The Marquis of Clar . ricarde

moved for certain papers with reference to the American , blockade , and submitted that the Federal cruisers were recklessly seizing British merchant vessels carrying on a legitimate trade with neutral ports . He objected to the protection which was afforded to certain ships by several of the English vessels of war on the West India station , while so many of our traders received no protection at all , and he urged that our squadron in that part of the world ought at once to be reinforced so as to

afford to the shipping and commercial interests of the country a guarantee against the illegal interference of the American fleet . The noble Marquis repeated the declaration he made some time ago when calling attention to this subject , that the blockade of the Southern ports was such as ought not to be recognised . Lord RnsscH stated that representations had been made at Washington with respect to the alleged illegal capture of English vesselsbut tbe lof the American government in these

, repy cases had been that there were sufficient prima facie grounds for the seizures , and that that would be shown at the proper time hefore the prize courts . With regard to the blockade , the noble Earl was still of opinion that it was sufficiently effective to meet tbe requirements of international law , and he believed there was every desire on the part of the American government to prevent injustice being done . — -The Prison Ministers Bill

passsed through Committee . In reply to a question from Lord ' Shaftesbury , the Duke of Cambridge explained the course he bad taken with reference to the case of Sergeant Major Lilley . He said that when his memorandum on the subject was promulgated he was not in possession of sufficient information to justify more than a strong expression of opinion on the case ; but , acting on information which had since reached him , he had ordered Colonel Crawley to be tried by a court-martial . On

Tuesday several measures—including the Bleaching and Dyeing Works Act Amendment Bill , which passed through Committeewere advanced a stage . In the HOUSE OF CoanrONS on Thursday 13 th inst ., Mr . Coningham asked Lord Palmerston whether the time had not arrived when it became the duty of Her Majesty ' s Government to enter ] into negociations with the government of Washington for the purpose of concerting measures for the gradual but total suppresion of the slave trade which was now practised by the seceding States . "—The Premier replied that already the laws of the Confederacy prohibited the slave trade , but even if

this were not so it was impossible to take the step suggested by the member for Brighton . The only relations between the Northern and the Southern States were the relations of war , and the English Government had not yet recognised the independence of the Confederate States . He trusted , however , that if the South achieved its independence , it would enter into an arrangement similar to that which had been made by the government of Washington . —In reply to a question from Sir A . Agnew ,

the Attorney General said there was no law which would justify the officials of railway or steamboat companies in removing persons suffering from small-pox from the carriages or vessels under their supervision . —A conversation took place on the length of the reports sent in by the Government Inspectors of Schools , Mr . Lowe said their documents were often curtailed , and Mr . Adderley , who , as an ex-Minister of Education , must know something of such matters , denounced the manner in

which the inspectors , travelling away from their functions , ventilated in elaborate essays their peculiar theories on the subject of education . It would appear from the report of the conversation that the inspectors found only one friend , Mr . Newdegate . —The O'Donoghue , Mr . Bernal Osborne , and several Irish members implored Lord Palmerston to give a Government night for the adjourned debate on Mr . Dillwyn ' s motion with reference to the Irish Church , but the noble lord firmly declined '

to comply with their request . The House then went into Committee of Supply . On Friday the House commenced ita morning sittings at twelve o ' clock . The Speaker took the chair , and for about four hours the house was engaged with the Irish-Fisheries Bill . —At the evening sitting , Mr . Seymour Fitzgeraldannounced his intention of reviewing the circumstances which led to the rupture of diplomatic relations with Brazil , and Lord Palmerston promised to bring forward the vote for the

purchaseof the Exhibition building on Monday next .- —Colonel Dunne moved for a Select Committee to inquire into the causes of the depressed condition of Ireland , and in doing so , the lion , and gallant gentleman urged that his country paid far more than a fair share of the imperial taxation . Mr . Gladstone attributed ; the distress to a series of bad harvests ; and with respect to the statement that Ireland was overtaxed , he reminded Colonel Dunne that that country paid no tax from which England anil Scotland were free , while , on the other hand , it was exempt from