Provincial.

find its way into the hand of every zealous Meson , and inspire a spirit of emulation in searching for and preserving the ancient records of our noble brotherhood . —Bro . NAYIOK , P . AL , said , that he had long known Bro . Woodford to be a distinguished Mason , and he had come there that evening , expecting to derive information from the lecture ; but he was not prepared for so elaborate a composition , and must say that it was to him a treat of no ordinary Icind ; and from the great attention the brethren appeared to have

given to the lecture , he had no doubt they had been equally pleased . A vote of thanks was then unanimously passed , and Bro . Woodford , in acknowledging it , said , that it had given him much pleasure to accede to the request of the AA . M . to deliver a lecture to the Britannia Lodge , and he trusted it would not be his last visit . He ¦ was certain that their AY . M . was taking the right plan to elevate Masonry in Sheffield , by bringing before the brethren lectures on Masonic subjects , and thereby showing them that there was a wide field for the exercise of their intellectual faculties which those who merely looked at the surface of Masonry might little suspect .

Royal Arch.

ROYAL ARCH .

YORKSHIRE ( WEST . ) SHEFFIELD . — Chapter of Paradise ( No . 162 ) . —The regular monthly convocation of this chapter was held in the Music Hall , on Monday , the " 18 th inst ., when there were present Comps . Bartoloma , P . Z ., as Z . ; Dauby , P . Z ., as H . ; Longden , P . Z ., as J . ; White , P . S . ; Primrose , E . ; Drury , A . S . ; AVebster , A . S . ; Stuart , Treas ., & c . Bro . Joseph Haywood , of the Britannia Lodge ( No . 162 ) , was exalted to this supreme degree , and the lectures were ably given by Comps . Bartolome , Danby , and White .

Knights Templar.

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR .

YORKSHIRE ( WEST ) . DEWSBURY . —Fearnley Encampment . —This nourishing encampment , which is named after the highly-esteemed Prov . Grand Commander , held its quarterly meeting in the Masonic Hall , on Wednesday , the 13 th inst ., when Comps . H . AVebster , J . Rodgers , and E . A . ITeeley , of Sheffield , ami J . AVoidsworth , of Dewsbury , were ably installed by Sir Knt . Roberts , of Rochdale , P . E . C ., & c . There were also present Sir Knights George Fearnley , M . D . ; Prov . Grand Commander Rev . Joseph Senior , LL . D ., P . E . C . ; E . W . Shaw , P . E . C ; AVilliam AVliite , jun ., G . Stuart . E . Drury , Kelley , & c .

The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE COURT . —AA e regret to have to record the death of the Duchess of Kent , which took place at Frogmore House on Saturday morning at half-past nine o ' clock . Although the Duchess had been in a declining state of health for a considerable time past , yet the melancholy event at length took place somewhat suddenly . The Queen was apprised on Friday afternoon of the unfavourable change in the condition of her Royal mother which had commenced . Her Majesty , accompanied by the Prince Consort and the Princess Alice

at once proceeded to Frogmore House , and remained with the Duchess during the remaining hours of her life . The sterling virtues of the lamented Duchess were universally recognised and appreciated , and the whole British nation will participate and sympathize in the grief of the Queen and Royal family for the loss of one who throughout her life adorned the domestic sphere , and imparted honour and dignity by her personal qualities to the high position in which she was placed . Her Royal Highness completed

her 74 th year in August last . Her Royal Highness ' s funeral will take place on Monday next . Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Prussia ( the Princess Royal ) , attended by Comtesse de Bi'uhl , Comtesse de Hohenthal , and Count de Fiirstenstein , arrived at AA'indsor on Friday from Berlin . The Prince of AVales travelled -with her Royal Highness from Dover , where he proceed the previous night to meet her . By the arrival of the West India Mail we have received intelligence of the arrival of Prince Alfred at

Barbadoes . The young Prince was received with unbounded enthusiasm , the people giving expression to their loyalty and good feeling in every possible way . l 3 n ? EHrAr , PAKI . IAIIEST . —In the HOUSE OF LORDS on Thursday , tlie 14 th inst ., Lord Lyttelton moved the second reading of the Subdivision of Dioceses Bill , the object of which , he explained , was to modify the machinery of the diocesan system by assimilating it to that of the colonies , and vesting in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners the powers now residing in Parliament for extending the episcopate by the subdivision of dioceses . After some discussion , themiotiou was carried by 27 to 23 . On Friday a select

committee on Divorce Court and Dissolution of Marriage ( Scotland ) Bill was nominated . The Admiralty Court Jurisdiction Bill and the Bank of England Payments' Bill were respectively read a third time and passed . On Monday an address of condolence to the Queen , on the death of her mother , the Duchess of Kent , was agreed to . The Earl of Ellenborough called their lordships' attention to the relative position of Denmark and the Duchy of Holstein , and of the course which the German

Diet had been pursuing in reference to this subject . Lord Wodehouse said , that the present position of affairs was undoubtedly critical , but that her Majesty ' s Government had that day received intelligence that an offer had been made to the effect that the matter in dispute had been submitted to the deliberate vote of the Estates of Holstein . Acting in concert with France and Russia her Majesty ' s Government had recommended that Denmark should submit to the Estates a budget on common affairs ; and'as Denmark

had complied with the recommendation , he hoped the Prussian Government would see in this a means of arriving at a satisfactory termination of this unfortunate matter . On Tuesday , Lord Taunton moved the second reading of the Qualification for Offices Bill . The object of the measure was to repeal the declaration hitherto taken by the holders of certain offices under the act repealing the Test and Corporation Acts , binding them not to use their offices for the purpose of injuring or impairing the Church

establishment . Lord Chelmsford could not but regard this as a . step in advance towards the ultimate object , which the enemies of the Established Church had in view . He therefore moved , as an amendment , that the bill be read a second time that diy six months . The amendment was carried by 48 to 39 In the HOUSE OP COJIMOSS on Thursday , the 14 th , Mr . T . G . Baring moved the army estimates , and explained in a succinct , yet lucid manner the various details of the department . He observed

that the total number of men to be voted for the year 1861-62 was 212 , 773 , which was a decrease of 24 , 816 men . Of these , 93 , 936 men would be kept in the United Kingdom , as against 92 , 327 in the current financial year . Reductions had taken place in the troops in India , China , and the colonies , with the exception of New Zealan d , where there was ' a slight increase . He was happy to say that notwithstanding the proposed reduction , no officers of regiments would be placed on half-pay , neither would any of the men be discharged . After some discussion , £ 3 , 000 , 000 were voted on account of the estimate . In committee of the whole House , Sir

G . C . Lewis proposed a resolution with a view of continuing for a term of ten years the existing duties upon coal and wine , as now levied by the officers of the Corporation of London , to be appropriated hereafter by Parliament for the ¦ metropolitan improvements . ¦ On Friday , in reply to a question from Sir Robert Peel , Lord John Russell said he had always protested against the injustice of punishing ' persons-for entertaining peculiar religious opinions , but that if he had made any representations to the Spanish

Government he would probably have been met with a curt refusal . Looking , however , to the great advance which Spain was making in commercial and material greatness , lie hoped that in a few years a milder and more tolerant system iu matters of religious opinion would be introduced into that country . Air . Aiilner Gibson obtained leave to bring in a bill to facilitate , the construction and improvement of harbours , by authorising loans to harbour authoritiesto abolish passing tollsand for other

pur-, , poses . On Monday , an address of condolence to the Queen was agreed to . The House then went into committee on the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Bill , and the remaining clauses having been agreed to , the bill was ordered to be reported , with amendments , to the House . In committee of ways and means , on the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer , it was agreed that , towards making good the supply granted to Her Majesty , the sum of £ 3 , 000 , 000 be granted oiit of the Consolidated Fund of the United

Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . The Post-office Savings Banks' Bill was read a second time . On Tuesday , Mr . Crawford called attention to the levy of the income-tax upon incomes and profits arising in India , which were already subject to an incometax in that country , and moved that the matter be referred to the select committee on . Income and Property Tax . After considerable discussion , the motion was withdrawn . Air . Dunlop moved for a committee to inquire into the correspondence relative to

Afghanistan , presented to the . House in 1839 , 185 S , and 1859—complaining of the falsification of Sir Alexander Burne's despatches . The motion was negatived by 152 to 49 . On Wednesday , the House ivas occupied with Sir John Trelawny's County Rates and Expenditure Bill , the second reading of which the hon . baronet moved . After a lengthy discussion , it was thrown out by a majority of thirty-eight . FoKEioir INTEELIOENCE . —At Rome , ou the 18 th , a consistory was held , at which the Pope had an opportunity of expressing himself upon the present position of Italy and the Papacy . He dofended the Papal Government from the charge of being opposed to