Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Week.
THE WEEK .
THE COURT . —Her Majesty and the younger branches of the Royal family are still at Windsor , where the Prince and Princess of J Wales , and Prince Alfred who has just returned from Germany , have been on a visit . —By command of the Queen a levee was held on Wednesday , at St . James ' s Palace , by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales . Presentations to his
Royal Highness at this Court are considered , by the Queen ' s pleasure , as equivalent to presentations to her Majesty . The attendance was very numerous . —On Monday , a deputation from the Corporation of London , headed by Mr . Alderman Rose , M . P ., bad an interview with the Prince and Princess of Wales at Marlborough House , when they presented to their Royal
Highnesses the medal that had been struck in honour of the public entrance of the Princess into London on the 7 th of March , 1 SG 3 . The deputation was graciously received , and their Royal Highnesses expressed their admiration of the medal , both as a work of art ancl as a pleasing remembrance of a memorable day .
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . —In the HOUSE OE LORDS , on Thursday , the IGth instant , several bills were advanced a stage , including the bill for the annexation of Kaffraria to the Cape Colony , which was read a third time and passed . —In reply to some remarks from Lord Stratford de Rcdcliffe , Lord Russell said he had reason to believe that the long-pending question
as to the Turco-Persian boundary would be shortly settled . —Lord Granville , in answer to a question from Lord Harrowby , said no change had been made in the Privy Council regulations as to the public grants for the education of children under six years of age , the passage iu the regulations of February 8 , 1865 , whicli had given rise to some misapprehension on this point being " the result of a clerical error . " On Friday , the bill
protecting the inventions shown at industrial exhibitions passed through Committee . On Monday , Lord Clarendon , in answer to an appeal from Lord Derby , consented to postpone the second reading of the Public Schools Bill until Monday week . It was intimated that no opposition would be offered to the measure at that stage of its progress . —A conversation took place on the proposed site of the new courts of justice , and the
Industrial Exhibitions Bill was read a third time and passed . On Tuesday there was no business worthy of notice . In the HOUSE OE COMMONS , on Thursday , the 16 th , Mr . C . Forster , as Chairman of the Committee on Public Petitions , presented a report in which it was stated that in the petitions presented on behalf of Sir Fitzroy Kelly ' s client , Prince Azeem Jab , many of
the signatures were forgeries , whilst others were fictitious . The report was ordered to lie on the table . —The Marquis of Hartington stated , in reply to a question from Mr . O'Reilly , that an examination of official records from the year 1819 down to the present time showed that in that period no orders had been issued directing recruiting officers not jto enlist Irishmen or
Roman Catholics for the Guards , tlie Artillery , or any other branch of Her Majesty's service . —Mr . Treherne and Mr . Newdegate made speeches , in which they lamented the havoc which " as they alleged , the French treaty had caused in the ribbon trade of Coventry ; but Mr . Milner Gibson ancl Mr . White submitted that the distress of Coventry arose out of circumstances
which neither the Executive nor tbe Legislature could control . Mr . Milner Gibson also stated that in a short time the French import duty on ribbons would be reduced . —In reply to a question from Mr . Darby Griffith , Lord . Palmerston said he believed that forced labour was no longer employed on the Suez Canal works . —Several other questions to members of the Government having been answered , Lord Hartington made the
usual statement in moving the first vote of the army estimates , and after a long discussion the committee reported progress without coming to any vote . On Friday , Mr . Goschen gave notice of a bill for the abolition of tests in the University of Oxford . —Mr . Hennessy moved a resolution affirming that the Czar , by the breach of his treaty engagements , had forfeited his sovereignty in Poland , ancl also all right to any further
payment by this country of the Russo-Duteh loan . After some remarks from Sir H . Verney and Mr . Cave , Lord Palmerston reminded the House of the diplomatic action which tbe Government had already taken with reference to the case of Poland , aud of the complete failure of their exertions . He further pointed out that the Hou » e of Commons coulcl neither make
nor unmake a treaty , ancl that the Russo-Dutch loan was not entered into under the Treaty of Vienna , nor had ifc any connection whatever with the relations between Russia and Poland . After some remarks from Mr . Butler-Johnstone , the motion was withdrawn . A discussion took place on the manner in which the Foreign Office ancl the Board of Trade discharged their
functions in reference to the commerce of England with foreign nations ; in tho course of which Mr . Layard warmly defende his own department . He stated that a " commercial division " had been organised at the Foreign Office , and that ifc would be the duty of tbe new department , whicli would be under the immediate control of the Parliamentary Under Secretary , to
carry on all correspondence ou commercial matters with the Ministers abroad , the Board of Trade , chambers of commerce and private individuals . On Monday , Sir Charles Wood , in reply to a question from Mr . Watkin , said he was at present unable to state when he should be in a position to make his annual statement on tbe finances of India , as the Indian accounts had not yet reached him . —In answer to a question from Mr .
Gregory , Mr . Layard was understood to say that Mr . Burnley had been instructed to look after the interests of such British subjects as might lay claim to cotton whicli had been transferred from the Confederate States to New York by the Federal authorities . —Mr . Childers announced that a bill would shortly be introduced proposing various reforms in the administration of Greenwich Hospital . —Mr . Henry Berkeley " called attention
to the probability of a war with America , " ancl urged that our harbours and dockyards were in an almost defenceless condition . Mr . Peacocke and Mr . Baillie followed in a similar strain , while Sir H . Willoughby and Mr . Forster condemned the use of irritating language towards the United States . Lord Hartington said our forts were armed with 110-pounder Armstrong and
the old 68-pounder guns , which could resist the attack of a wooden fleet . As regarded iron-plated ships , our own ironclads could look after them if it became necessary to do so ; and next year the Government hoped to be in a better position for deciding upou tho gun to be adopted for general use . Sir F Smith said the plans for the fortification of Quebec and
Montrealwere " very simple and very complete , " but he must urge the Admiralty to place a flotilla of gunboats on the Canadian lakes . After some further conversation thesubjectdropped . On Tuesday Mr . Layard , in answer to a question from Mr . Baines , said he hoped to be able to lay the commercial reports of our consuls and secretaries of legation on the table every month , instead of
at the long intervals at which they havo hitherto been produced . —Sir George Grey saicl be bad communicated with the High Sheriff of Durham on the subject of the horrible scene at the execution of Atkinson , tho pitman , ancl had requested greater care to be taken in future in carrying out sentences of death . —Mr . Augustus Smith moved for a Select Committee to inquire into the Office of Works , and the Office of Woods , Forests , and Land Revenues . He affirmed that the grossest abuses prevailed
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Week.
THE WEEK .
THE COURT . —Her Majesty and the younger branches of the Royal family are still at Windsor , where the Prince and Princess of J Wales , and Prince Alfred who has just returned from Germany , have been on a visit . —By command of the Queen a levee was held on Wednesday , at St . James ' s Palace , by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales . Presentations to his
Royal Highness at this Court are considered , by the Queen ' s pleasure , as equivalent to presentations to her Majesty . The attendance was very numerous . —On Monday , a deputation from the Corporation of London , headed by Mr . Alderman Rose , M . P ., bad an interview with the Prince and Princess of Wales at Marlborough House , when they presented to their Royal
Highnesses the medal that had been struck in honour of the public entrance of the Princess into London on the 7 th of March , 1 SG 3 . The deputation was graciously received , and their Royal Highnesses expressed their admiration of the medal , both as a work of art ancl as a pleasing remembrance of a memorable day .
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . —In the HOUSE OE LORDS , on Thursday , the IGth instant , several bills were advanced a stage , including the bill for the annexation of Kaffraria to the Cape Colony , which was read a third time and passed . —In reply to some remarks from Lord Stratford de Rcdcliffe , Lord Russell said he had reason to believe that the long-pending question
as to the Turco-Persian boundary would be shortly settled . —Lord Granville , in answer to a question from Lord Harrowby , said no change had been made in the Privy Council regulations as to the public grants for the education of children under six years of age , the passage iu the regulations of February 8 , 1865 , whicli had given rise to some misapprehension on this point being " the result of a clerical error . " On Friday , the bill
protecting the inventions shown at industrial exhibitions passed through Committee . On Monday , Lord Clarendon , in answer to an appeal from Lord Derby , consented to postpone the second reading of the Public Schools Bill until Monday week . It was intimated that no opposition would be offered to the measure at that stage of its progress . —A conversation took place on the proposed site of the new courts of justice , and the
Industrial Exhibitions Bill was read a third time and passed . On Tuesday there was no business worthy of notice . In the HOUSE OE COMMONS , on Thursday , the 16 th , Mr . C . Forster , as Chairman of the Committee on Public Petitions , presented a report in which it was stated that in the petitions presented on behalf of Sir Fitzroy Kelly ' s client , Prince Azeem Jab , many of
the signatures were forgeries , whilst others were fictitious . The report was ordered to lie on the table . —The Marquis of Hartington stated , in reply to a question from Mr . O'Reilly , that an examination of official records from the year 1819 down to the present time showed that in that period no orders had been issued directing recruiting officers not jto enlist Irishmen or
Roman Catholics for the Guards , tlie Artillery , or any other branch of Her Majesty's service . —Mr . Treherne and Mr . Newdegate made speeches , in which they lamented the havoc which " as they alleged , the French treaty had caused in the ribbon trade of Coventry ; but Mr . Milner Gibson ancl Mr . White submitted that the distress of Coventry arose out of circumstances
which neither the Executive nor tbe Legislature could control . Mr . Milner Gibson also stated that in a short time the French import duty on ribbons would be reduced . —In reply to a question from Mr . Darby Griffith , Lord . Palmerston said he believed that forced labour was no longer employed on the Suez Canal works . —Several other questions to members of the Government having been answered , Lord Hartington made the
usual statement in moving the first vote of the army estimates , and after a long discussion the committee reported progress without coming to any vote . On Friday , Mr . Goschen gave notice of a bill for the abolition of tests in the University of Oxford . —Mr . Hennessy moved a resolution affirming that the Czar , by the breach of his treaty engagements , had forfeited his sovereignty in Poland , ancl also all right to any further
payment by this country of the Russo-Duteh loan . After some remarks from Sir H . Verney and Mr . Cave , Lord Palmerston reminded the House of the diplomatic action which tbe Government had already taken with reference to the case of Poland , aud of the complete failure of their exertions . He further pointed out that the Hou » e of Commons coulcl neither make
nor unmake a treaty , ancl that the Russo-Dutch loan was not entered into under the Treaty of Vienna , nor had ifc any connection whatever with the relations between Russia and Poland . After some remarks from Mr . Butler-Johnstone , the motion was withdrawn . A discussion took place on the manner in which the Foreign Office ancl the Board of Trade discharged their
functions in reference to the commerce of England with foreign nations ; in tho course of which Mr . Layard warmly defende his own department . He stated that a " commercial division " had been organised at the Foreign Office , and that ifc would be the duty of tbe new department , whicli would be under the immediate control of the Parliamentary Under Secretary , to
carry on all correspondence ou commercial matters with the Ministers abroad , the Board of Trade , chambers of commerce and private individuals . On Monday , Sir Charles Wood , in reply to a question from Mr . Watkin , said he was at present unable to state when he should be in a position to make his annual statement on tbe finances of India , as the Indian accounts had not yet reached him . —In answer to a question from Mr .
Gregory , Mr . Layard was understood to say that Mr . Burnley had been instructed to look after the interests of such British subjects as might lay claim to cotton whicli had been transferred from the Confederate States to New York by the Federal authorities . —Mr . Childers announced that a bill would shortly be introduced proposing various reforms in the administration of Greenwich Hospital . —Mr . Henry Berkeley " called attention
to the probability of a war with America , " ancl urged that our harbours and dockyards were in an almost defenceless condition . Mr . Peacocke and Mr . Baillie followed in a similar strain , while Sir H . Willoughby and Mr . Forster condemned the use of irritating language towards the United States . Lord Hartington said our forts were armed with 110-pounder Armstrong and
the old 68-pounder guns , which could resist the attack of a wooden fleet . As regarded iron-plated ships , our own ironclads could look after them if it became necessary to do so ; and next year the Government hoped to be in a better position for deciding upou tho gun to be adopted for general use . Sir F Smith said the plans for the fortification of Quebec and
Montrealwere " very simple and very complete , " but he must urge the Admiralty to place a flotilla of gunboats on the Canadian lakes . After some further conversation thesubjectdropped . On Tuesday Mr . Layard , in answer to a question from Mr . Baines , said he hoped to be able to lay the commercial reports of our consuls and secretaries of legation on the table every month , instead of
at the long intervals at which they havo hitherto been produced . —Sir George Grey saicl be bad communicated with the High Sheriff of Durham on the subject of the horrible scene at the execution of Atkinson , tho pitman , ancl had requested greater care to be taken in future in carrying out sentences of death . —Mr . Augustus Smith moved for a Select Committee to inquire into the Office of Works , and the Office of Woods , Forests , and Land Revenues . He affirmed that the grossest abuses prevailed