The Week.

speak , indicated dissent . The magistrate was brought , as well as surgeons , and the woman answered the questions put to her in writing , distinctly charging her husband with tbe crime , which , however , he persists in denying . The man is in custody . There seems no hope of the poor woman's recovery . A fatal accident arising out of the great fog on Thursday week , occurred in the case of a night-watchman in the Commercial Docks ,

Rotherhithe , whose body was found on Friday morning floating in the water . It is supposed the poor man had in the bewilderment of the fog , stepped into the water . An iuquest was held on Saturday , and the jury returned a verdict of ¦* Accidental death . " An inquest was also begun on the bodies of two men who lost their lives on the same night . The men were leaving the French steamer Albert , when both missed their footing and one fell into a boat alongsidewhile another fell into the

, water . The man in the boat lingered some days and died on Tuesday ; tbe other was not extricted from the mud at the bottom of the dock till the next day . The inquest was adjourned till the return of the French steamer from her voyage . Two railway accidents , which strongly remind us of the numerous casualties which marked the severe winter of 1 S 60-61 , occurred in the north on Saturday last . The 9 . 30 p . m . train from

Edinburgh to London was passing along the Beattock incline , when the tire of the driving wheel of the engine broke . The carriages ran off tbe line ; several of them went over an embank , ment , and one passenger was killed , while several others sustained injuries . The second accident was happily unattended with loss of life , but the destruction of property was very serious . A luggage train was approaching tbe Felling Station on the North-Eastern Railway , when a tire snapped , and several of the

trucks were hurled against a passenger train , which had stopped at the Felling Station , on tbe opposite line of rails . Several of the trucks and carriages were smashed to pieces , but fortunately no serious injuries were sustained either by the passengers or the railway servants . An accident , which at first threatened to have serious consequences , also occurred on tbe rails which are used in common by the South-Eastern and the Brighton lines . The former company dispatched a train on Friday morning at 7 . 55 , and tbe latter another at 8 . The weather was foggy , tbe rails were slippery , and the wheels of the first engine would not

" bite " when they came to the incline beyond New Cross . The Brighton train being probably lighter found less difficulty in the ascent , while the fog prevented the driver of tbe hinder train from seeing the other till he was close upon it , and too late to prevent a collision . The passengers were a good deal shaken , but it appears that none were seriously hurt . FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE . —Baron Gros has been appointed Ambassador of France at our Court . The trial of the Due de

Grammont-Caderousse and four other gentlemen concerned iu the late duel in Paris , which ended iu the death of Mr . Dillon , took place on Tuesday , at Versailles . The duke had only surrendered the previous day . The accused were all acquitted . —The Italialian government has suspended martial law throughout the Neapolitan provinces , but the suspension is accompanied with exceptions that probably deprive the measures of any considerable importance which it miht have possessed in practice .

g The Italian Chamber of Deputies opened its session on Wednesday . The minister for foreign Affairs laid upon the table tho diplomatic documents recently issued relating to the Roman question ; the principal of which w ere General Durando ' s now famous circular , and the despatch of M . Drouyn de l'Huys to the Italian Government . A member formally demanded of the

Ministry a full explanation of the policy which guided them through the late transactions , and Signor Ratazzi declarded himself perfectly prepared to explain and defend his conduct . It was therefore arranged that a debate upon the whole question should open on Thursday . This discussion will probably the most important which has taken place in the Parliament of Turin since it became the mouthpiece of United Italy . The Russian Minister at Finance has presented a favourable report

to tbe Emperor . The Ottoman Embassy hero have given an official denial to the reports respecting the health of the Sultan and his mental condition . Those reports are stated to be entirely without foundation . According to Greek intelligence , transmitted by way of Trieste , " demonstrations friendly to England" continue to be made in Greece and the Ionian Islands ; and Prince Alfred ' s election to the Greek throne "is regarded as certain "—the Greeks being apparently confident that the crown of Greece is capable of tempting an English Prince . AMERICA . —Tbe news brought by the Australasian is extremely

The Week.

important . From the army there is not much . Gen . M'Clellan is said to be still advancing , and General Sigel to have driven the Confederates out of Thoroughfare Gap . The Federal army in Kentucky is said to be marching on Nashville , and the movements of the Confederates are absolutely unknown . Gen . Mitchell , the rival in infamy of Butler and Turcliin , has died of yellow fever at Beaufort . It is reported that the slaves in the

eastern part of North Carolina are being withdrawn into the interior . The Alabama continues to be the terror of Northern commerce , and the New York papers are filled with frantic abuse of Captain Semmes and tbe English Government . Some Federal vessels were reported " ready to start in pursuit of her . " The great fact of the day is the result of the New York elections . The Democrats have carried the Empire State . New

Jersey has voted the Democratic ticket by a largo majorit y . This gives the Democrats nearly all the chief states of the North—New Y ' ork , Pennsylvania , and Ohio , and probably Illinois , as well as ISew Jersey and Indiana . On the other hand , the Republicans have carried Massachusetts , as was to be expected , and Michigan , which is of trifling importance . By the arrival of the Edinburgh , we have news from New York to the Sth inst . M'Clellan ' s army was making a steady advance

into Virginia . Asbby's Gap and Barbour , near tbe mouth of Chester Gap , had been taken possession of by the Federals . No information had , however , been received of the movements of General Lee ' s army . From Newborn , North Carolina , an expedition of 12 , 000 men and several gunboats had sailed for some unknown destination . According to a letter in the Philadelphia Inquirer 3000 Confederates had surrendered unconditionally to .

General Foster's expedition at Plymouth , North Carolina . General Hunter was to replace Geueral Mitchell in South Carolina . The Moniteur , published on Thursday the 13 th inst ., the text of the important despatch in which M . Droivyn De Llmys made proposals to tbe British and Russian Cabinets with a view to a cessation of tbe hostilities in America . France , this despatch says , has deemed it her duty to remain strictly neutral ; but neutrality does not necessarily mean an attitude resembling

indifference . On the following day Earl Russell ' s reply was published . His Lordship states that Her Majesty ' s Government have no information that the government of Russia have assented to tbe proposal , but even if they should agree to co-operate in such a work , the intelligence from America gives no ground to hope that the course suggested would be received with favour at Washington . A refusal on the part of the Federal government at the present moment would prevent speedrenewal

any y of the offer , and it is , therefore , the opinion of Her Majesty ' s Government that it would be better to watch carefully the progress of opinion in America , and , "if , as there appears reason to hope , it may be found to have undergone , or may hereafter undergo , any change , the three Courts might then avail themselves of such change to offer their friendly counsel with a better prospect than now exists of its being accepted by

the two contending parties . " Prince GortschakoiPs reply is also against intervention at present , but says "if , however , France should persist in her intention , and England should acquiesce , instructions shall be dispatched to Baron Stockol , at Washington , to lend to both his colleagues , if not official aid , at least moral support . "

To Correspondents.

TO CORRESPONDENTS .

EXCELSIOR and BETA ' S questions are so similar that we answer both together . It is clear that under the law as it now stands , tbe removal of a lodge , when approved of by the Master , and the summonses issued under his authority , cannot be adjudicated upon , should he not be present when the motion is brought forward . But that that is not the spirit of the law is evidenced by the following : — " If the Master should refuse to issue the summonses , either of the Wardens may do so ;

and if the Master neglect to attend , the Senior or Junior Warden may preside in determining the question . " B ETA puts another question , which he surely cannot expect us to answer in tbe affirmative . We have permission from the Grand Master to publish Masonic proceedings , when they are not objected to by the Master or Members of the lodge . O . B . —Not that we are aware of . W . R . —We will make inquiries .