The Week.

case of bis predecessor , Lord Dalhousie , however , ho seems to hare I returned to England broken down by tho combined action of an adverse climate and the labours and anxieties of administering the j affairs of a vast empire . He had never been able to appear iu public ; since his arrival in England , but it was not until Thursday morning f that the public learned that his illness was likely to terminate fatally , and the same evening' he had breathed his last . His wife , it will be remembered , died in India , shortly before the expiration of

his period of service , and lie has left no children . The title therefore becomes extinct . Tho proceedings of tho Social Science ' Congress wound up on Saturday as the maimer is in England , with a dinner or the members and friends . The guests assembled at the Crystal Palace to the number of between 200 and 300 , a large proportion of whom wore ladies ; and Lord Brougham took the chair . A deputation from the operatives of various manufacturing towns in Lancashire waited upon Sir Charles Wood on

Wednesday to present memorials praying for ' olio abolition of duties imposed on British manufactured goods imported into India . The Great -Eastern has at last made a profitable voyage . The balance is not much , but it is on the right side . At vi meeting of the proprietors of the ship , the chairman announced that tho net profits on her recent vovagc to New York and back amounted to £ 317 19 s . S . d

¦ The Court of Queen ' s Bench has ordered Mr . G . P . Train to pay a fine of ± ' 500 , which , in the event of Mr . Train ' s refusing to remove the tramway laid down between Westminster Bridge and Kennington Park , will go to cover the cost of the removal of the rails by tho Sheriff's officers . It was intimated that if the plaintiff's expenses did not amount to ,-t' 500 , Mr . Train could recover the difference . Mr . Train protested that he had been condemned without a trial , and said he was unable to pay the fine . ' Wo had lately

to record the escape of a prisoner from Newgate Gaol , who has not since been heard of . It seems that the prisoners confined in Ho . rsemoiiger-lane Gaol must have become emulous of the ingenuity of their criminal associate across tbe water , for three men confined in the latter gaol made their escape in the course of Saturday morning . The manner in which this was done is said have displayed great ingenuity , though the governor declines to give much information as to the details . A report was circulated a few days ago that Mrs . Phillipsthe wife

, of a horse-dealer in the West-end , had died by poison , and that her husband was concerned in its administration . The deceased was buried some months ago at Kensal-gteen Cemetry , but in consequence of these rumours the body was exhumed for medical examination . A coroner ' s jury was summoned , and when the body ivas identified by the mother of the deceased lady , but as the chemical analysis was not completed the inquiry was adjourned . A dreadful accident occurred at Blyth , a small port on the Northumberland coast , on Thursday .

Two members of the local volunteer artillery corps were ramming a 68-pouncler , when the charge exploded . The two poor fellows were standing at the time in the line of fire , and they were both blown to pieces . The sessions of the Central Criminal Court and for the county of "Surrey opened on Monday . At the former court there are 101 prisoners for trial ; at the latter , 40 . The trial of Mrs . Vyse has been yostponed : she not being yet sufficiently recovered to be removed from her house . On Wednesday , William Muller , engraver , incriminated in respect to the Russian forgerieswas sentenced to six

, years' penal servitude . It will be remembered that a few months ago the Rev . Mr Fletcher , manager of the Bilston Savings Bank , ivas tried ancl convicted of embezzling the funds of tbat institution subject to an objection taken by his counsel , that his conduct did not amount to an indictible offence . The appeal was argued on Saturday , before the two Lords Chief Justices and seven pusine judges , iu tlie court for hearing reserved Crown cases . After hearing tbe tho arguments of counselLord Chief Justice Cockburn pronounced the

, judgment of the Court , that the prisoner had been properly convicted , and the conviction was therefore affirmed . Tiie special commission for the trial of tbo perpetrators of the recent fearful agrarian crimes in the counties of Limerick and Tippcrary was opened at Limerick on Monday . Beckham , the murderer of Mr . Fitzgerald , was on Friday found guilty , and sentenced to death [ on the following day ., subsequently John Punch was arraigned for sending a threatening letter to Mr . H . TV . Langley , and being found guilty was sentenced to four

years' penal servitude . The Commission is adjourned to the 1 st of July . There has been Jan extensive collapse of the Fleet sewer iu the new Victoria-street , between the Coppice-row and the Clerkenwell Sessions House , xibout 150 feet of the sewer has fallen in , carrying with it the wall and arches built over at the spot in connection with the Metropolitan Railway . Nearly 200 men wore employed about the place at the time , but fortunately symptoms of the fall were discovered in time , and the men were called off . The stream

is completely dammed up , aud is overflowing the neighbourhood . IJ OREIGN INTELLIGENCE . —It is with sincere pleasure we are able * t 5 '" suiiiouuce a decided change for tbe better iu tho health of tho King of the Belgians . A notable improvement in rtll respects has taken place in his Majesty ' s health , so much so that his Majesty was able to sign several decrees on Tuesday ; and even , it is said , to receive a few visitors . Great alarm is felt in Paris for the safety of the force under General Lorencez , which is marching on the city of Mexico . The French were expecting numerous reinforcements , and arrangements are being made to dispatch by instalments some 10 . 000 men . An additional " credit of 15 , 009 , 000 f . for the expedition has

The Week.

been added to tho budget , and willingly voted by the Corps Lcislatif and the government arc losing no time iu sending reinforcements-500 men have sailed from Nantes , and 1000 from Strasbourg . The Italian Chamber of Deputies have adopted tho address to the Kinospoken of a few days since , replying- to the statements made by the bishops at Rome , and proclaiming the determination of the Italian people to obtain the metropolis of their country . The papers have published this week the particulars of an interview which tbo writer

of a letter to the Steele hadivitii the child Mortara . The unfortunate child is confined in a convent near Rome , to which tho writer managed to gain admission , and found tiie young Mortara , with five or six others , taking exercise after their duties as choristers at the mass . He describes the little Mortara , who is now ten years old , as timid bashful , and almost melancholy , with tho Jewish cast of features . Tlie narrative , which is very interesting , leaves the impression that the poor child is far from happy . The St . Peterslmrq Journal announces that the chess club is to bo closed in consequence of its having been used as the centre from which false reports were disseminated . The public reading-rooms are also to be closed , on account of the proprietors having distributed revolutionary publications .

A . UEI ; rc .-v . —1 he principal intelligence brought by the Scotia , which arrived at Liverpool on Saturday , was the announcement that a battle was fought in front of Richmond en tbe 31 st ult . and the 1 st inst ., with results A-cry similar to those of the battle at Pittsburg Landing , though the engagement seems to have been less sanguinary . General M'Clellan ' s official telegram reported that at one o ' clock on the afternoon of the 31 st ult ., the Confederates attacked tlrS right flank of the Federal army . General Casey ' s division gave way " unaccountably and disunited !} - " and during the confusion its guns and baggage were

, lost . The divisions of Generals Heintzelman ancl Ke 3 'es then arrived , and checked the advance of the Confederates ; and at the same time General M'Clellan brought the divisions of Generals Sedgwick and Richardson across the Chickahominey . These troops " drove back tho enemy at the point of the bayonet , covering the ground with his dead . " On the following morning , the Confederates attempted to renew the battle , but were everywhere repulsed . From tbe unofficial accountswhich are uot very clearit that

, , appears , during tbe night of the 31 st ult . the Confederates held a portion of the ground previously occupied by the Federals , who recovered all their former positions on the following day , but do not seem to have pushed nny nearer to Richmohd . General M'Clellan says that the Federal loss was " heavy . " He gives no precise estimates ; but the

unofficial letters assort that the Federals had some 3000 men killed wounded , that tho Confederates left 1200 dead on the ground , and that about 500 prisoners were made by the Federals . The guns lost by the Federals ou the first day not appear to have been recovered . General Fremont ' s corps had crossed the mountains into the Shenandoah Valley , had re-occupied Fort Royal , and had subsequently pushed forwards towards Strasborg and Winchester , driving before it the Confederate Generals Ewell and Jackson , who had declined to accept battle . From the South-west there is little newsbut it is

, now admitted that the Confederates carried away all their guns from Corinth , ancl that , besides women and children , the only inhabitants left in the place were men too old or infirm to bear arms . The LBbernian . arrived on Tuesday , with accounts to the 9 th . The late battle in front of Richmond—which the Confederates , of course , allege to hayo been a victory for them—was at length admitted to have been more severe than previous reports represented it ; and the Federal loss was " estimated" at 7000 men . ——

The Confederate General Jackson had successfully extricated his forces from the lower part of the Shenandoah Valley , but had been closely pursued by General Fremont ' s corps , which hail occupied Harrisonburg . At a few miles from that town General Fremont ' s troops fell into an " ambuscade" laid by General Jackson , and suffered ' ¦ heavy loss . " It was supposed that General Jackson , whose men must have been encouraged by this success , would make a stand at Port Republic , in order to preserve bis railway communication with

1 tichmond . The Confederate flotilla on the Mississippi had been completely defeated and destroyed by the Federal squadron , only one Confederate vessel escaping destruction . The engagement was fought in front of Memphis , Commodore Foote ' s squadron having succeeded in passing Fort Randolph ; and tho result ivas the immediate surrender of Memphis . The navigation of the Mississippi , from New Orleans to its sources was therefore completely controlled by the Federal gunboats . General Halleck had reported that General Pope had advanced

30 miles south of Corinth , ivas "pushing the enemy hard , " and had taken many prisoners . The Senate at Washington had at length passed the Tax Bill , including a clause to impose a duty of half a cent , a pound on cotton . Mr . Sunnier had proposed a resolution declaring that the appointment of military governors to the Southern States was unconstitutional and illegal ; but the Senate had not come to any vote respecting this resolution .

To Correspondents.

TO CORRESPONDENTS .

IGNORAMUS . —It is always held in every society that the minutes of a meeting can only be confirmed at a stated and regular meeting of such society , aud where the Book of Constitutions does not provide to the contrary , Masonic lodges follow general usage .