The Week.

facts . A melancholy accident occurred on the river on Tuesday morning . A small boat , rowed by two men , was going down the river , and when near the Tower it was caught in the swell caused by the paddle-wheels of a steam tug , and sank . The men disappeared , and have not been recovered . The attempts to weigh up the Ganges , which was overset in

the river last week , have been successful . The owner had entrusted the special surveyor of Lloyd ' s with the task of raising her . The inquest on the bodies of the Lascars who were drowned by the capsizing of the Ganges has been held . There was some conflicting evidence as to the cause of the accident thatbefel the ship ; but the jury , after consultation , attributed

it to insufficiency of ballast , and added their opinion that the practice of sending ships from one part of the river to another with insufficient ballast was much too common . The caseof Miss Thomas against General Shirley , which failed as a breach of promise of marriage , has been renewed under anothe 1 ' form . The lady now sues the general for fulfilment of contract

for necessaries incurred during her confinement , & c . The case came on before an arbitrator on Tuesday or Wednesday , Miss Thomas examined and a good deal of the correspondence between the parties put in . In the course of the case Mr . Pawle , who appeared for General Shirley , declined to produce certain letters that were asked for , on the ground that the General was too

much of a gentleman to produce letters which had passed between himself and a lady when they were on terms of affection . This brought forth some very strong comments from Mr . Lewis , who appeared for Miss Thomas . In summing up the whole case Mr . Lewis spoke in the most severe terms of the conduct of General Shirley . The General , who was in court , professed to treat these remarks with contempt , reading a newspaper during the whole of the time they were being made . Mr . Pawle

contended that the General had offered to make ample provision for Miss Thomas and her child , and that upon the action now brought nothing could be recovered . The arbitrator said he should make his award as soon as possible . FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE . —The Paris papers of Wednesday contained a telegram from Rome , announcing that the Marquis de Lavalette , French Ambassodor , had had an audience of the

Pope , and had given his Holiness an assurance in the name of the Emperor , that France will never allow any invasion of the actual Papal territory , but will guarantee its integrity at any sacrifice . Accounts from Turin and Naples continue to assure us that a " pacific solution " is yet expected in Sicily , and that the behaviour of the Sicilian population is such as to render

impossible any extension of the . Garibaldian rising . The movements of the royal troops , which have been largely reinforced , are elaborately described ; but no engagement has occurred , and it is probable that Victor Emmanuel's officers carefully avoid any collision with Garibaldi ' s followers . It is , indeed , affirmed by a correspondent of the Daily Neios , that a majority of the

royal soldiers would refuse to act against Garibaldi , who is supposed by many to purpose crossing the Straits into Calabria , but hitherto he has licit made any attempt to effect the passage . Another attempt at political assassination is announced to have been made at Warsaw . On Friday evening , while the Marquis Wielopolski—who so recently and so narrowly escaped death

from a pistol-shot fired by an assassin—was driving out in an open carriage , a lithographer , named Rjoutsa , endeavoured to stab him with a dagger . Happily , the weapon only tore the lining of the Marquis ' s carriage , and the assassin was immediately arrested . The Prince of Montenegro has been fired upon by an assassin—one too who it is said , was travelling in his suite . The Prince was only slightly wounded , and the perpetrator of the crime has been arrested . Rumour alleges that

The Week.

there is every " possibility of the hostilities between Turkey and Montenegro coming to a speedy close . The Prince is represented as disposed to negotiate with the Porte upon the basis of the conditions already offered by Omar Pasha . Meanwhile , occasional conflicts are still taking place between the Turks and the Montenegrins , but with little or no result—each side , as

usual , claiming every action as a victory . A telegram from Damascus reports the prevalence of wide-spread discontent in Syria , and the state of affairs there as most serious , the revolted Bedouins and Druses having refused to pay the taxes . AMERICA . —The news brought by the Etna from America is unfavourable to the Federal cause . It states that the drafting

order had caused immense excitement , and that large numbers of persons had sought to escape . This , however , was most difficult . The seaboard and the frontiers were carefully guarded , and passengers had been taken on board Californian steamers . The consulates were crowded with persons claiming exemption papers , the Irish thronging to the British consulate at New

York in such numbers that the police had to clear the office . No person was allowed to leave Washington without a permit . There had been a battle in the Virginia Valley . A telegram from New York of the 1 th , states that the fighting was between

two army corps under General Banks , numbering some 7000 men , and a force of 20 , 000 Confederates under General Jackson . The result is stated to have been that the Federals retreated with the loss of two guns and their infantry badly cut up . A telegram of the 12 th states , however , that the Confederates retreated , under cover of night , across the Rapidau , in the direc . tion of Orange Court House . Their loss in the battle was said

to have been heavy . General Burnside , who had landed at Acquia Creek , was said on the 9 th to be at Fredericksburg . Jefferson Davis had issued a proclamation that , in consequence of General Pope ' s order that his troops should subsist on the enemy's property , if that general or any commissioned officer of his command should be captured , they should not be treated as

prisoners of war , but be held in close confinement , and , in the event of the murder of any unarmed citizens of the Southern Confederacy , under any pretence , an equal number of commissioned officers of Pope ' s command would be immediately hung . It was again reported that Richmond had been evacuated in consequence of pestilence . It is shortly stated that the

Confederate ram Arkansas , on the Mississippi , had been blown up . The latest commercial news states that gold was advancing in price .

To Correspondents.

TO CORRESPONDENTS .

W . J . —A list of the London lodges is publisded in the official calendar , which may be obtained from Bro . Spencer , Great Queen-Street . The nearest lodge we know of to the address given is the Westbourne , hold at the Mitre Tavern , Crown Terrace , Hyde Park . TBUE BLUE . —It is not usual to allow a brother who is not [ a subscribing member of a regular lodge to become a member

of a lodge of instruction . The lodge of instruction being held under the authority of a regular lodge , we hold that the sections in the Booh of Constitutions relative to visitors , include brethren visiting both regular lodges and lodges of instruction . ERRATUM . —At page 127 of the FREEMASONS MAGAZINE in the report of the Committee of the Royal Arch Masons of the Western District of Scotlandin the eleventh line from the

, bottom , Cap . XIII . should be Cap . X . F . W . A . —A Prov Grand Master should be installed before appointing his Prov . Grand Officers or otherwise exercising the duties of his office . BRO . CHASE is thanked but , as the report appeared last week we cannot comply with his request .