The Week.

Princess Louise , walked and drove in the afternoon , and went out in the grounds on the morning of the 20 th inst ., with Princess Beatrice . The Queen , accompanied by her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales , walked and drove in the afternoon , and her Majesty drove out with her Royal Highness on the 21 st inst .

GENERAL HOME X EIVS . —We rejoice to find by the Registrar General ' s return for the week ending Saturday , Xov . 17 , that the health of the metropolis continues to improve . The deaths registered from all causes were 1 , 428 , being less than the average number ( corrected for increase of population ) for the corresponding week in former years hy 91 . The mortality has

been below the average for two successive weeks , a circumstance which has not happened since the outburst of cholera . In the past week 32 persons died of that disease and 22 of diarrhoea-Divided into districts the incidence of mortality was—cholera : west 0 , north 1 , central 5 , east 14 , south 12—( liarrhcea : west 3 ' north 9 , central 2 , east 3 , south 3 . The deaths from the two

forms of disease together for the last six weeks were 254 , 199 , 144 , 101 , 100 , and last week 54 . The annual rates of mortality in thirteen of the principal towns in the United Kingdom in the week ending JS ov . 10 were per 1 , 000 as follows : —Hull > 19 , Bristol and Birmingham 20 , London 24 , Sheffield 25 , Leeds and Edinburgh 2 S , Liverpool and Salford 29 , Manchester 30 ,

Glasgow 31 , Xewcastle-on-Tyne and Dublin 37 . The report g ives no information as to the cholera at Dublin , Liverpool , and Edinburgh . The statue of Sir John Franklin , which has been erected near the Athenaium Club , was on the loth inst . unveiled hy Sir J . Pakington . The statue is by Mr . J . Noble , and is one of the most successful of that eminent sculptor's efforts . On the pedestal , which is of polished granite , there are trro basreliefs , one representing the burial of Sir John Franklin , and

the other a chart of the Polar seas . On another side ot the pedestal all the names of the men who perished in the expedition are cut . The bas-reliefs are most admirable specimens of the sculptor's art . Two or three matters of some moment came before the Court of Common Council . In the first place the council passed a very deserved complimentary resolution

expressive of their appreciation of the able manner in ivhich the ex-Lord Mayor discharged the duties of chief magistrate during his year of office . A resolution of sympathy with the sufferers by the late conflagration in Quebec , and a determination to contribute £ 500 towards the fund now being raised for their relief , was agreed to with almost an equal amount of

readiness . The gas question formed another topic of discussion . Mr . J . F . Bontems informed the council that an intimation had been received from the Home Secretary and the Board of Trade , stating that it was the intention of the Government to introduce a bill next session , with a view to carry out the sufsestions of the Committee ot the House of Commons in

reference to the supply of gas to the metropolis . A report respecting the charges preferred against Mr . Commissioner Kenwas brought up and adopted . It completely exonerated the learned gentleman from all the charges that had been made against him . The dwellings of the poor in the city of London formed another fruitful source of discussion .

Joseph Thomas Hand , "the gentlemanly-looking old man" who stands charged with embezzling £ 200 belonging to his employers , Messrs . Morrison , and also with stealing other sums belonging to one ofthe partners , was again brought before the Guildhall police magistrate on the lGth inst . . The prisoner declined to say anything in his defence , and he was fully committed for trial on no less than three charges . It was stated that there were other charges of a much larger amount , but

not of such recent date , to bo brought against the prisoner . The floods in the North of England are almost without precedent , alike for their severity and for the extent over which they have spread . Great districts of Lancashire , the West Riding , Derbyshire , and Nottinghamshire are under water . Unfortunately , besides the great wreck of property there has been fearful loss of life . At Leeds on Saturday , the 17 th

inst ., a crowd of people had gathered on a wooden terrace to see the rush of the swollen waters , when the terrace gave way , and those upon it were precipitated into the flood . It is estimated that at least twenty lives have been lost , and many persons had hair-breadth escapes . From other places also come stories almost as sad . Nor are the evil doings of

the storm confined to the land . On the east coast two vessels at least have heen lost with all hands . There are good hopes that the loss of life by the accident at Leeds bridge has been exaggerated . Only 20 persons , it would seem , actually fell into the water , and of these some twelve or fifteen are known to be safe . The accounts new published from various parts of the

inundated districts give a painful idea of the desolating character of the floods , and the terrible destruction of property which they have occasioned . It is impossible to present a complete picture of these devastations or to do more than give a few of the most notable instances of the mischief or loss of life ivhich they have entailed . ——The death of Mr . Yardley ,

the well-known police magistrate , took place on the 18 th inst . The inquest on the bodies of the children of Mr . Lazarus , Hampstead-road , who were suffocated by a fire on his premises a fortnight ago , is concluded . On previous occasions it was alleged that the lives of the children could easily havo been saved had it not been for tbe interference of the police . That statement has been strengthened by further evidence . The jury found a verdict censuring the police , but said they did

not wish it to be constructed into a verdict of manslaughter . They further expressed their disbelief of Marshall ' s evidence . The first general meeting in England of representatives of the various English volunteer regiments which sent detachments to the late Belgian Fetes in Brussels was held on the 20 th inst . Viscount Bury presided . The object of the meeting was to adopt measures to raise a fund towards defraying the expense of giving

a hospitable reception to as many Belgians as may feel disposed to visit England on the occasion of the next national rifle prize meeting at Wimbledon in July next . The various speakers hoped that the movement they desired to set on foot would not be looked upon as a mere volunteer affair , but as a matter in which the whole nation ought to be interested .

To make the proposed invitation and reception as widely taken part in as possible , resolutions were passed requesting the representatives of the corps in the several counties to call meetings in their respective districts , and appoint one or more subcommittees , as might he deemed necessary , to obtain the support of gentlemen of influence , as well as volunteers . It was stated

that both the late Lord Mayor and the present had consented to become members of the general committee , as well as a goodly number of influential gentlemen resident in the provinces . The trial of Hayes , the second of the two policemen who were charged with perjury under circumstances of an extraordinary character , was commenced at the Central Criminal Court on the 20 th inst . Ir appears that the man who was tried last month

wss defended at his own expense ; but the Commissioners of Police are apparently so well satisfied with the result of that trial , and are so impressed with a sense of what is due to the dignity of the force , that on this occasion they have specially retained Serjeant Ballantine for the defence . The case for the prosecution was closed , and Mr . Serjeant Ballantine addressed the jury for the defence . The court then adjourned