The Week.

Lord AA odehouse ; Franco—Count A \ alewski and Prince de la Tour d'Auvergne ; Russia—Prince Gortschakoff and M . de Kisseleff ; Prussia—Baron Schleinitz and Count Pourtales ; Austria—Count Rechberg and Prince Metternich ; Piedmont—Count Cavour and M . Desambrois ; Spain—MM . Martinez de la Rosa and Mon ; Portugal—Viscount Pa'iva and Count Lavradio ; Rome—Cardinal AntonelK and Monsignor Saceoni . The Congi'ess will not assemble before the 20 th of January at soonest . ' On the 16 th the session of the Corps Legislatif will eommeuce . The

prevailing opinion in Paris is stated to be that the Congress will meet , will sit for many months , and separate without arriving at any conclusion . The Patrie insists that Cardinal An tonelli will assist at the Congress . Rumours have been current in Paris that the course adopted by Lord Palmerston Avith regard to the Suez Canal question was likely to break up his cabinet . Prince Metternich has received at his hotel in Paris the principal members of the diplomatic corps , the grand dignitaries of state and of the crownthe officers of the household of the Emperor

, , of the Empress , and the Imperial Princes . Princess Metternich Avill hold her receptions next week , immediately after having been presented to tho Empress . The Pays states that the opening of the congress will definitively take place on the 20 th of January ; and the same journal announces that Prince Gortschakoff will arrive in Paris between the 7 th and 10 th of January . It had been stated that Count AA ' alewski Avould resign his post in a few days , but a well informed Paris correspondent denies the truth of this statement , and says that the count is

firmer in his post than ever . M . Buoncompagni has left Turin to-day for Florence . The designation of Count Cavour , as first plenipotentiary of Sardinia at the Congress , is definite , and will be notified to the different powers after the nominations of the other plenipotentiaries have been published . The Sardinian frigate Enrydice is about to sail for China to protect the interests of tho Italian subjects residing there . It is stated that on the 2 Sth instant Cardinal Antonelli Avill embark on board a- Pontifical corvette for France . Monsignore Bernardi will be

entrusted , ad interim , with the ministerial functions of the cardinal . In order to cover the deficit , the minister of finance has sold 2 , 000 , 000 of francs of Roman consolidated funds , without having recourse to a loan . A telegram from Madrid states that Marshall O'Donnell had declared Ceuta a free port , and that M . Mon had arrived in Madrid . Abundant rains have inundated the Spanish camp in Africa and the surrounding country . According to thc Patrie tho finances of Spain must be in a flourishing state , for in place of 50 , 000 men she will raise

twice as many , if necessary ; nay , the Patrie tells us Spain will once more conquer the Moors , aud even pay England to the . last farthing , should England demand payment of an old debt . That many of the debts due by Spain are old debts is but too true ; but it requires faith equal Avith that of the Patrie to believe she will pay the debt alluded to . The Protestants in Hungary have met in goodly numbers in several places to protest against the imperial patent of Sept . I . Enraged at these demonstrations the Austrian government had arrested or ordered for prosecution , very nearly two hundred Protestants , and largo bodies of troops are being seut into Hungary .

GENERAII HOME NEWS . —At a late privy council , parliament Avas again prorogued to meet at the end of January "for tho despatch of business . " The general feeling in favour of the observance of Monday as a holiday is rapidly increasing , and most of the large establishments have signified their intention of closing . Tho majority of the banks and discount establishments have agreed as far as possible to relieve their clerks from duty , aud this example will , no doubt , be followed throughout tho provinces . Already the diminution of business arising from tho

approach of the Christmas season is apparent , except in particular branches , aud for the next week or ten days the temporary stagnation will become more than ever visible . Judging by the rate of mortality , the health of the metropolis Avas not affected by the cold of last week , the deaths that occurred during that period being exactly the same as in the preceding Aveek , viz ., 1289 . Of this number , 16 ' 4 persons died from bronchitis and 134 from phthisis . Lust Saturday was colder than any day since December 22 nd 1 S 55 the mean temperature of which day

, , Avas 21 . 5 , whilst that of last Saturday was 22 . 8 . The births last week amounted to 1 S 31 . Dr . Letheby reports the state of the public health within the City of London to be highly satisfactory . On Monday , morning about two o ' clock , considerable alarm was caused in the nei ghbourhood of Trafalgar-square , in consequence of a fire breaking out in the Union Club-house , but owing to the timely arrival of the firemen , the flames were soon extinguished . Another fire took place in the

residence of the Rev . J . F . M . Halvey , No . 14 , Upper Grosvenor-street , Grosvenor-square , caused by the overheat of a stove in the next house . Fortunately the fii-e was soon subdued . The parish church of St . Matthew's , Bethnal-green , was totally destroyed hy a fire which broke out in the venerable pile early on Monday morning , Some excitement prevailed iu consequence of its being supposed that the whole of thc marriage certificates and other church records had been destroyed in the

fire Avhich consumed the church . The firemen , upon cooling the ruins , found two immense iron safes , and upon opening them the whole of the registers , books , and documents , with the sacramental plate , although the safes were exposed to enormous heat for hours had not sustained the least injury . 'Die City Commissioners of Sewers met on Tuesday , Avhen a deputation , consisting of the churchwardens of St . Michael ' s Cornhill , and a number of the inhabitants , presented a memorial M which , they , protested anixisb the project of placing & public

indicator in the Royal Exchange-buildings . Mr . Bailey , the churchwarden , addressed the court on the subject , and described the indicator as an intolerable nuisance . Permission having been formerly given ti > erect the indicator , Deputy Harrison now moved that that permission be revoked . Motion agreed to . After disposing of the remaining business the court adjourned . Vice Chancellor AVood has given judgment in the suit Thompson v . Shakspear , instituted to obtain an opinion as to the payment of £ 2 , 500 and a rent charge of £ 30 a year , given by

the late John Shakspear , of Lang-ley Priory , for the preservation of Shakspeare ' s birthplace . The legality of the bequest was disputed by the trustees of the deceased . His honour now dismissed the bill simply . In the Court of Queen ' s Beiieh , the ease of Scully v . Ingram was by agreement allowed to go over till the sittings after next term , as it Avas considered it would occupy so much time that it could only be partly heard before the termination of the present sittings . The remarkable bill case" Oakley r . Musser-Ood-Dheen" tried in thc

, , Court of Common Pleas , involving a sum of £ 6 , 500 , Avas brought to a close on Saturday . A verdict was returned for the defendant , with leave to the plaintiff to move thc Court . The plaintiff had advanced £ 5 , 000 upon acceptances of the defendant—the representative of the deposed King of Oude ; the jury decided that these had been fraudulently obtained . The charge of perjury preferred by the Hon . Hugh Rowley against Theresa Caroline Bishop has been heard before Mr . . Paynter . The defendant in the case is the divorced wife of

the plaintiff ; and the perjury was said to have been committed in giving evidence in a suit instituted by her for dissolution of marriage on the ground of cruelty . The late wife of the Hon . Hugh Rowley again appeared at the Westminster police-court on Tuesday before Mr . Paynter to answer a charge of perjury , alleged to have been committed in giving

evidence m the divorce court . Mr . Rowley ' s evidence , which occupied the entire hearing , consisted altogether of a series of denials to specific charges of cruelty towards his Avife , AA'hich had been brought against him . Au adjournment was again ordered , that the solicitor for the defendant might be furnished with copies of numbers of letters required . The Middlesex sessions for December have commenced at thc Guildhall , AVestminster , before the Assistant Judge and deputy judges , and a bench of magistrates . There were 45 names in the

calendar . After the Assistant Judge had delivered his charge to tho grand jury , the court proceeded Avith the trial of prisoners . Felix Newman , Avho Avas convicted at the last sessions of stealing a cash-box containing £ 232 in notes and money , from tho shop of Mr . Moore , Lisson Grove , aud assaulting Mrs . Moore , was brought up for sentence , ivhen it was shown that thc prisoner had been previously sentenced to seven years' transportation ; ho was now sentenced to ten years . An officer of thc Surrey A oluntcer Rides made complaint to Mr .

Norton , at Lambeth Police-court , of a member of the corps , that he had pawned his rifle and somehow disposed of his uniform . A summons Avas issued against the delinquent for illegal pawning . "Will there not be another required against the pawnbroker for receiving an article haying the government stamp impressed upon it ? A scoundrel , named John Davis , was fined 40 s . by Mr . Hammill , at AA orship-street Police-court , yesterday , for raising a false alarm of firo in the Britannia Theatre . He " . onldid it for fan . " According to custom on St .

y Thomas's Day , the citizens were on AVodnesday engaged in their several Avardmotes in electing common eouncilmen for tho ensuing year . At the Metropolitan Free Hospital , Devonshire-square , City , the aggregate number of patients relieved during the week ending December 17 was , Medical 599 , Surgical 332 ; total 9-31 , of which 280 were now cases .

To Coeeespojstdents.

TO CORRESPONDENTS .

SECIIETAIITES OE LODCES throughout the Country are requested tr > forward , as early as possible , the place , day , and hour on which l . ho Lodge will be held hi 1 SCO . Ron MoTinis ' s American Masonic Almanac for 1800 has como to hand . "J . AA ' . "—Not having served thc full twelve months you are not logally

qualificd for thc office of Master . "K . S . "—Attend a good Lodge of Instruction— -tho Robert Burn ; ,, at Bro . Adams ' s , Air-street , Piccadilly , or the Manchester , at lire . Gill-ton ' s , Old Bond-street , are both in your neighbourhood .

' •' ¦ A Yoi . - . w M . isox" should consult some Past Master . R . E . X . " writes "At ivh . it ngc imdei \ twenty nun year . ! ma" a person be initiated b y dispensation from the Prov , GAL- —an emergency having been shewn by the intended initiate leaving England for /' orei"U parts foe some- priori '"— , \ ofc ks ? than eight . *! en .